Forty & Fabulous

So today I celebrate my 40th birthday!

Everyone keeps asking me if I feel old but honestly I don’t…until you ask. LOL My wonderful family & some pretty sneaky friends threw me a surprise party and made many of my pinterest dreams come true but I will share their wonderful party skills later. Lauryn was asked to come up with 40 life events to put on a board and said she struggled a bit with this so I thought I would share he first 10 today.

1. Summer 1972 – No I wasn’t born but apparently I cut short a fun family camping trip out West while still in my mother’s belly. My mom and oldest sister flew back home to Florida while the rest of the family drove back.

2. December 17 1972 – This would be the day of my birth

3. August 1977 – I started kindergarten and my teacher was Mrs. Bellhorn. This was extra special because she taught both my brothers and my sisters.

4. September 1978 – My first piano lesson at Rollins College. My teacher, Mrs. Hunting, burst in the room and without looking up blurted out something about redheads being mean (she was a redhead). What she didn’t know was that sitting at one of the pianos in the back was an extremely shy redheaded girl.

5. 1978-1979 – We would drive up to my grandparents house in Waynesville, NC and I would play with Bonnie, the girl next door. She had a strong southern accent; a cat named Pepper and a dog named Bern-a-de-atte (can you hear the twang?)

6. Summers – Every year our family spend a week or two at New Symrna Beach. We lived 45 minutes away but I swear it would take forever to finally get there!

7. Summer 1981 – My siblings were much older and beach vacation often ended up being mom and I there the whole week while everyone else popped in and out based on work and school schedules. This included my dad. This one trip we had bought a yellow Hawaiian Punch inflatable raft to ride the waves and dad took me out as far as I dared and we spent the afternoon riding the waves.

8. 1983-1986 – Joined the Jackson Heights Middle School band and played the clarinet

9. September 1986 – I gave my mom a black eye! Yup you read right. I was in 8th grade and I  accidentally hit her in the face with a tennis racket.

10. 1986 – I can’t remember which month but in 8th grade I was Student of the Month.

Walk for Lupus - 2012

Spring is in the air and May is fast approaching. For our family, this means tons of birthdays, the end of a school year, and our annual Lupus Walk. The piedmont chapter of the Lupus association has made a fun interactive website for the Wards Walkers and we would love for you to leave us a comment or write on our Facebook page and like our page!

In my blog I have shared our personal walk with lupus and how it has affected our family. I am proud of both my sister and my daughter. For me these are the faces I see when I think of lupus. I have watched them persevere and accept what God has given them with grace and dignity. I am blessed to walk for lupus alongside them.

Every year, we have had a great time preparing for this event. The first year three generations of Ward women walked with my daughter as she dealt with the knowledge of this chronic illness. I still get choked up thinking of how special it was to have her surrounded by her friends and embraced by wonderful women. We made a full weekend out of it, including a spa day and cook-out the night before.  We tie-dyed tee shirts and made hats with the butterfly hand drawn on them. The second year was more quiet, with graduation the following weekend, we decided to make our walk just a family event. We made tee shirts with our own Wards Walkers logo.This year we are ready to walk again and do not know what to do!

Do we create a new logo for our walkers? Just wear the same color? Or be boring and have no team spirit. Let me know what you think. Leave a comment on our walk page or on our facebook page!

She thinks it…He builds it!

I can't be the only one this happens to. Browsing the blog community and come across a great idea. I can do that, you say and next thing you know you are in the home improvement/craft store looking for the little treasures you read about.

With stars in my eyes, I recently discovered a DIY headboard from Thrifty Décor Chic and off to home depot I went to buy my piece of wood for our very own DIY headboard.

This would be a good time to mention I am less than handy.

No worries the nice home depot man cut it for me! I brought it home sharing my idea with my hubby and he smiled encouragingly. The girls and I were hard at work and created this headboard using fabric from an old curtain.   
  

zebra print headboard

It went well and so I was hooked! I wanted to make another for our shabby chic French country bedroom. Using the other half of our board and an $8 drop cloth from Home Depot, we headed back to the garage.
   
Remember how I said I wasn’t handy? Well I couldn’t even staple the staples into the board. HA!



Enter my HandyMan…J. Before we knew it our headboard was getting revamped. Instead of just a boring old fabric-covered board, J suggested framing it with a trim piece. And so we started over.

First we pulled out all my staples…yes all 10 of them! No judging please. We made a quick run up to Home Depot where J found some trim pieces that we could use to frame the headboard. Then we used the trim piece as our measuring device and cut the foam where from the board where the trim piece will now be attached. In case you were wondering…

I helped clamp the trim piece to the board!

This would be a great time to note that I LOVE working in the garage with J. He puts up with all my crazy ideas and most of the time, makes my visions become reality.



He then used a few staples to attach the remaining foam to the board. Originally I used spray adhesive but J felt this would be more reliable.









Then we recovered the board with the drop cloth and a few staples. This time J did the stapling and it went MUCH smoother.



Time for my contribution to the project! I painted the trim pieces. While the paint was drying my mind was racing. I have LOTS of ideas and instead of watching paint dry, why not get started on that next project!

Yes that IS how my mind works.

“Oh hey, can we cut that mat for the picture?”  More on that later!

Part two of the headboard project coming soon!

This is How We Roll…

This week we are schooling “on the road.” Since my husband travels for work, we get to tag along on some of the trips. This week I will get to visit my cousin and her beautiful family in south Florida AND do some school.

Did I mention how the kids are thrilled about that?

School on the go can be a daunting task. So I thought I would share what we do. Maybe it will spark some ideas of your own next time you have to pack it up and take it on the road. The first thing I do is plan how much time we will actually spend doing school. Since my husband is working during the day, we are spending our mornings doing work. This leaves our afternoons and evenings open for fun. Once I have the big picture, then I start packing!

My bag is filled with teacher books, reading material, colored pencils, stories on CD, my Well-Planned Day calendar and even a scrapbooking project I want to get started on. I also have a 3-ring binder that is not in the picture. I packed up my teacher notes from Tapestry of Grace and my lessons plans.

And that, ladies, is how we roll!

Walk for Lupus...

Walk for Lupus 2011

It is that time of year again! In May our family will be participating in the Walk for Lupus Now Charlotte. This has become sort of a family tradition as we support our daughter in her journey with Lupus.

When our children are young, we have such huge expectations and desires for them. As they grow up we see the person they were created to be peeking through and we adjust our dreams. Lauryn's first year homeschooled was filled with all the usual adjustment challenges. She was starting sixth grade and I was starting the journey of being a teacher. About half-way through the school year, she began complaining of difficulty breathing and extreme fatigue. She ached all over. The pediatrician suggested we cut out caffeine (which wasn't a huge issue in our home because we hardly bought it) and we complied. He gave her a prescription for an inhaler to help with the attacks that left her gasping for air. We had EKG's and met with a heart specialist. The doctors briefly entertained the thought of lupus but decided that since they didn't see the butterfly rash there was no way possible. Their conclusion was panic attacks. I was not convinced. I remember some kind people at church even suggesting she was suffering from depression because we were homeschooling her. :-)

Then one Sunday afternoon, I saw a sun-kissed patch under her eyes and on the bridge of her nose. I remember asking others if they had noticed it too and they did. She was tired that day, exhausted from a sleepover and the evidence was staring me right in the eyes. Slowly we saw improvement in her energy levels but always found it odd that she would turn down sleepovers and other fun events saying she was just too tired to go.

Life went back to normal for a while but my dreams and prayers for her began to change. I started asking for a name. All of these things sounded like Lupus. After all, we knew of it from my own sister. But how could we be sure? It took four years for her to be diagnosed...four doctors to take a stab at putting all the pieces together with blood work, EKG's, CAT scans, and a couple of MRI's. I have seen how God used every step to continue shaping her and our family. I still have desires for my children but the greatest lesson I have learned is that those desires are not mine, they are HIS.

We are excited to walk this year with friends and family and would love your support!

Music Calms the Savage Beast...

I have to tell you that I love, love, love music! It literally inspires my moods. I even think in song, but that is another story. :-)

I grew up in a music-filled house. My mother had me taking piano lessons from the age of five and I continued on through high school. I even played the clarinet in my middle school and high school bands. I sang in elementary choirs, youth choirs, and church choirs. So it stands to reason that I would want to fill my home (homeschool) with music.

A while back I attended a lecture on Education is a Life and to this day that experience influences my homeschool goals. One of the take-aways from that day was how music can play a role in our education experience...and our moods. My husband moved a stereo on to the main floor and even set it up so that my phone could play the selections of Pandora throughout the house. Some mornings we are just not awake and so I feel the need to put a little 70's groove in our morning. Other days we are reading and working on more challenging concepts and so we put on our Vitamin String playlist. (Just saw that they made a tribute to Adele album. Love that!) Other times we put on our favorite Praise & Worship songs. I even have a special playlist for Italian-inspired meals. My youngest and I have been known to break out in dance in the middle of the kitchen.

My piano teacher used to always tell me that music tells a story and as musicians we are the storytellers. I love adding our own soundtrack to the story of our everyday. So next time things are feeling stressful, crank up the radio, iPod, Pandora, whatever and let the music inspire your mood!

What's on your playlist?

Project Life...



Project Life

Have you heard of seen this? Project Life?

I will be honest and tell you that I was completely clueless. I saw some tweets about it but still wasn't sure what it was. Then I was on shutterfly this weekend working on my annual family photo album.

Yes, I am a wee bit behind but hey at least I am getting it done!

Anyhow, while starting my photo book I noticed that one of my choices was Project Life and of course being the curious sort I started exploring. I was hooked! I have always been a scrapbook lover but have gone digital in the interest of time. At the end of each year, we choose the best of the best and put it in our album and then I journal the year. I love doing it! But now I am a little excited about the possibilities. Project Life is both digital and paper so you have your pick. The pages are fun and intentioned and I am hooked! So who else wants to Project Life with me?

A-Ha Moment

We have read much about exposing our children to living books. If you are like me you have probably googled the term "living books" and perused book lists for guidance. If you are like me you may have even had emails or conversations with Charlotte Mason mentors looking for living books.

In our school-house we have been making the transition from traditional school philosphy to one of living ideas like Mason's ideas. There are days when I feel like I have it all under control and then there are days when I am just hanging on for dear life. Both scenerios present great learning opportunities. After all we learn from our mistakes. There are seasons in our school-house when I am uncertain why Mason taught the way she did and it is not until I have one of those a-ha moments that it all comes togther. Last week, I had such an a-ha moment and thought I would share.

For a while now we have been reading living books for history and for literature. We have enjoyed them but I will confess I have wondered how my children were going to make connections or if they were going to make connections. I have seen glimpses of it but I don't think I ever experienced it quite the way I did while with my sisters in Savannah for our FSO Weekend. I dubbed the acronym FSO...Fun Sisters Only.

Mercer House

For a few months we had been planning a little trip to Savannah for my sisters and I and (for the first time) my now 18 year old daughter. My sisters and I decided that we would read the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil prior to the trip. While the book focuses on an alleged murder in the Mercer House, the author spends quite a bit of time allowing you to get acquainted with the people and the history of Savannah. Stories of Sherman's march towards Savannah and the music of Johnny Mercer are just a few of tales he told. I can remember reading one afternoon and feeling like I truly knew the layout of Savannah. He wrote of the beautiful squares and I could envision magnificent trees sprawled throughout the squares. I was craving the slow southern lifestyle of Savannah and began to look forward to our trip. We had chosen a bed and breakfast across the street from the Mercer House. Three sisters from three states were about to converge upon this neighborhood.

We met on Sunday and started our weekend with lunch on the patio. After a brief rest from our road trip we headed out to explore the historic district. Our first stop was the Mercher House and so began my living history moment. I recalled in the book that the owner of the home, an antique dealer, hung a flag over his balcony to annoy a movie crew that was disturbing the peace of his street. As we walked around the outside we tried to determine which balcony this occured from.

We crossed the street and found ourselves wandering through the first square. Again, we recalled a scene from the book and tried to imagine how it played out. We continued walking towards the riverfront not really sure what we wanted to do but enjoying the conversation and the scenery. At one point we saw a horse and carriage and decided this would be a great way to acquaint ourselves with the city and enjoy the atmosphere of old Savannah. We climbed in and began to listen as the guide narrated her way through town. This is where I had my a-ha moment. As she shared the stories of Savannah, I realized that I had heard bits and pieces of them from our book. I listened intently and asked questions and found my mind wandering as we continued. I had built a relationship with this city before I had even seen it. I was acquainted with its history.

It hit me like a ton of bricks. THIS is what Mason spoke of when she said to read living books. THIS is what she referred to when she spoke of building relationships with history. THIS is what education should feel like. I was not labored by the trip or bored as we spent time there. I didn't feel like reading the book or even walking through the historic homes were a chore. I remembered the history of Savannah because I was enjoying the journey. I even came home and voluntarily created two narrations.This being one of the two! My challenge is to take this new understanding and implement it further in our own studies here at home.

FSO Weekend...Savannah

Last weekend, my oldest daughter and I packed up the car and headed south to Savannah. My sisters and I met at the Savannah Bed & Breakfast Inn. We sat on the patio and shared lunch and then we headed off to explore the historic city of Savannah. After heading down to the riverfront, we took a horse and carriage ride through the city. My sisters and I had decided to read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil prior to our trip. I felt like I had already been to Savannah. The beautiful squares described in the book were coming to life. As we rode through the quaint streets, I recalled tale after tale of Savannah's history. I was making connections! Right there on the horse and carriage ride, I had a Charlotte Mason a-ha moment! I was experiencing the benefits of a living book. Later that day as the sun began to set we made our way back to the inn and shared appetizers on our patio. The next day we walked the streets of the historic district and toured one of the homes. Again winding up our day on the patio enjoying food and each other's company.

With over 400 pictures on our camera, I picked a few to share from our FSO (fun sisters only) weekend! 

The Launching Pad...

For those keeping track, we have now graduated two from high school. Yay! And while normally I would post something about that, today I am just going to let the pictures do the talking.

For 12 years, my husband and I have talked, planned, fantasized about our unfinished basement and only recently were we finally able to something about it. It has become a "launching pad" if you will. On graduation day, we had a ribbon cutting ceremony. Some time has passed, a few pinterest ideas have been implemented, and a visit from the ReDesign Fairy have now made this little launching pad a home!

We turned trash to treasure with great finds in our house.

We added a touch of yellow to our upcycled table thanks to a Pinterest idea!

Here is a view of the bedroom/kitchenette which now includes our table

Not gonna lie...kindof proud of our curtains turned headboard idea!

A peek at her gallery wall...filled with pictures of all the places she wants to travel to!

 

Note the mini fridge...does this mean we can stop buying her food?



Who wouldn't want to stop by for a visit?



A view from a different angle

As you step through these doors, you can enjoy...

The fruits of our latest labor...the patio area

And That's a Period...

Today is our oldest daughter's birthday so in honor of her 18 years of life, I thought I would share 18 memories we have shared with Lauryn.

18. From the time she was a baby she jet-setted between Florida, Tennessee and even New York. Every time she saw my mom she would grab her suitcase and wave goodbye to me.
17. As a toddler, she had an independent streak (wait she still does!).
16. To let us know she was serious, she would end her comments with the phrase, "And that's a period!"
15. She NEVER wore pants until we moved to North Carolina and it was too cold to wear dresses.
14. Every day we walked 1 1/2 miles (each way) to take James to school. She always made the walk an adventure sometimes with her baby dolls and occasionally with her stroller.
13. After shower time, she would run down the hallway, with her hair all poofed up from having it blow dried upside down, and say, "Mommy I'm worth it!" Remember the L'Oreal commercials.
12. When her sister was born...well you'll just have to read it for yourself.
11. She loved to watch Sesame Street but would cleverly leave the room during the educational parts and then return for the fun stuff.
10.  When riding with in her aunt's convertible, she would always ask to put the "lid" down.
9. She broke her arm when she fell off her bike...with training wheels just after we moved to North Carolina.9. After watching the Olsen twins' movie, Holiday in the Sun, she mentioned to one of her aunts that she wanted to go to the Bahamas one day just like the Olsen's. Within just a few months she was playing at the Atlantis and swimming with dolphins on her very own Holiday in the Sun.
7. Trying to give her an outlet for her desire to rescue animals, she volunteered at a shelter. We had told her she could not have an animal unless she could pay for the shots. Thinking we had dodged a bullet we sighed with relief. Within just a few weeks she informed us that she had 2 puppies that needed a home and their shots were already paid for! And so we got Izzy & George
6. One morning after dropping our youngest daughter off at school, Lauryn called me on the cell phone to ask if dad would be mad if she rescued a cat from the rainstorm. I told her probably not but she should ask him. "Good," she replied, "he's already in the cat kennel in the basement."
5. Great conversations about anything and everything late into the night.
4. Watching Jane Austen and Cary Grant movies with her on any number of nights.
3. The day her little brother was born she had it all planned out.
2. Walking with her during our Walks for Lupus Now.
1. Watching her over the past few years as she learns who God wants her to be.

Sitting with the lid down!

Happy 18th Birthday!

Lessons from My Father...

Recently our youngest has discovered the timelessness of The Andy Griffith Show. I think some one could write a parenting how-to book when you watch the episodes with Opie. I have often said that Andy reminds of my father. 

First of all, my dad wore those same side zipper half boot shoe things when I was little just like Andy. They shared similar mannerisms but for me they share the same parenting philosophy. Tonight I was watching this episode with Ben and was reminded of a similar moment with dad. I was in middle school and came home with my first not-so-great grade. I think I was more upset about it than he was. When I showed him my report card, he didn't yell or criticize. He just very calmly asked, "Did you do your best?" I think the question caught me off guard.

This episode reminded me of that day...

I Know What You Did Last Summer...

Because I know you were all dying to know. My family and I (youngest excluded) have been working our way through all 8 seasons of 24.

What are you watching?

A Childhood Love...

Ward Motel

When I was a little girl, I can remember packing up the car and driving for what felt like hours to the beach. (It was only an hour away) Our little Honda hatchback would be loaded down with everything but the kitchen sink. I have a vivid memory of this yellow float with the Hawaiian punch character on it. Add that to my flaming red hair and you would not be able to miss me on the beach!

This past weekend we loaded up our van and headed down to Florida to watch one of my nephews get married at Cocoa Beach. This is the kid I used to babysit in high school so I am feeling a wee bit old as I ponder the reality that he is old enough to be married. :-) All week long our family was chatting on Facebook about all of being together minus one. He would be in Afghanistan serving our country. This soldier is on of three brothers; he is also a twin. To make matters worse this would be the second wedding he has had to miss because, yes you guessed it, he was serving our country then as well. I will share more on this part of the story later but I must return to my original point.

The beach has always been a place I love. Tons of childhood memories spill over. We were there every summer. It was one of those times where all seven of us would get together. I am 8-16 younger than the rest of my siblings so often Mom and I would go to the beach and every one else would come in and stay between work or school. I wonder if my parents were that intentioned or did it just spill over. We were together, all of us and it was great. I am thankful that we are so close. I know that time well spent layed the foundation for what we reap now...a deep sense of family.

My grandfather owned a motel on New Symrna Beach, Florida way back when. As I was thinking about this I thought I'd google the name just for kicks and what do you know? I found a place that sells his old postcards.

Road side view



Reconstrtuctive Surgery Reveal...

During our whirlwind graduation weekend, we also revealed our graduates new living space. As family and friends surrounded her we cut the ribbon and revealed our downstairs face-lift. We are still tweaking the room but thought we'd share the big day!

The ribbon-cutting ceremony

We pulled out an old dining room set from the storage closet, painted it white and created a fun dining area!

We used the two stools from her old bedroom to make ottomans

Repurposing her curtain panel, made a fun headboard and all for less than $25

Reconstructive Surgery...

Back in January we had a little diving intervention...although I am not entirely sure that we all thought that at the time. One evening we had a minor tangle with a friend's bumper and the corner of our garage. The Volvo was the clear winner with not a scratch on it. Our garage was going to need some reconstructive surgery.

Once we found our surgeon we began to seek counsel from him on another reconstruction project...our basement. For almost 10 years, my husband and I have gone back and forth on what to do with this part of the house. Each time we revisited the topic our family was in a different phase of life and so inevitably nothing was accomplished. With this recent turn of events, we decided it was time to make some decisions and so with it's own entrance it has become our "Launching Pad." Our recent graduate is benefiting from this currently. With the help of our surgeon we put walls up and began the tiresome work of finishing just over 380 square feet. There were long nights, sore backs, and tons of little DIY projects to fill our days. Here is a sneak peek at the work in progress...

Congratulations Graduate...

Everyone rose with the sun and the chaos of the day began. There was much to do before heading off to the ceremony. This morning the evidence of the week had left it's mark on her. It was the brightest she had seen in months. There as she stared in the mirror she could see the familiar sun-kissed mark, the butterfly rash. The week had taken its toll. I was reminded of my sister's words as she shared how every big event in her life was bittersweet. The thrill and excitement was accompanied by the underlying fear that fatigue, aches, or even a flair up would rear its ugly head. This would be what living with chronic illness would be like.

This morning I saw a glimpse of something. Maybe God knew that I would need reassuring as I let go of my oldest daughter on this significant day. Maybe He knew that she needed a reminder that He is in control of ALL things! She came in to the kitchen and pointed towards her butterfly rash. "Look, there it is!" she exclaimed.Then I heard something I had not heard before..."Oh well it will just looks like I've been in the sun." she remarked casually.

We filled our day with pictures, food, memories and of course a beautiful tribute to the accomplishment of completing her primary education.

Congratulations to our graduate...Lauryn! We are so so proud of you.

Gallery Wall

I can tell that Spring Break is just around the corner because my mind is slowly opening up to adding a few projects that have been sitting on the back burner for quite some time.

Recently we emptied everything out of our den so that we could start from scractch.

The empty room

Note our dog relaxing in the midst of all our work LOL

Can that really be all of our den stuff?

And so my husband and I set out on a quest. He wanted to move the TV which meant reorganizing the electronics. I wanted to put the den back together with my purpose statement in mind. Family pictures creatively displayed. Clean lines and a home for all the clutter. Storage for my bulky school items and all while keeping that welcoming feeling. Now that's not too much to ask...is it?

Last week, we bought the new wires for the electronics and this week I have been searching for my inspiration. So I thought I would share a few. Does anyone else sense a theme?

Thrifty Decor Chick

The Pleated Poppy