Good Cheer Farm

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I love dishes. It used to be bowls and serving pieces but then I spotted those small after dinner drink glasses and fell in love. Now I'm finding that I'm drawn to pretty little dessert plates.

To make room for this love of mine, I needed to expand my pantry. We have a wonderful little pantry off the dining room. It has a screen door and a big window. But alas...there was no more room...so we made a guest room closet into a pantry for my dishes...take a look!

This is the mess my very full pantry was in

I'm rather embarrassed

Need I say more?

So I pulled everything out and cleaned the floor

This is what my dining room looked like just from the items on the floor!

We spray painted an inexpensive metal shelf

And I filled a large basket with napkins

and paper plates and other fun goodies too!

I loaded up the shelves...I love white!

There was remnants of old wallpaper on the walls so I painted around it

There isn't much of this old house that's been preserved

I threw a piece of muslin on the baskets to cover the chaos...

And tucked them in

Aren't these lovely?

I love stacks of dishes...that little dish in front is fun and unusual

I love color!

Vintage

And all the dishes lived happily ever after in the pretty pantry...not!

Leftovers...oh my!

So we worked on more shelves

While mean roo stalked me...look very hard...you might have to squint to see him

Cleaned out this yucky old closet

Then we painted...I had some help

These little cupboards fit right in

with lots of room for goodies

Can I possibly fill this up? I don't think that will be a problem

I like shiny things...is that so wrong?

I love the memories that many of these dishes bring

Jar of fun!!

And a place to keep my waffle and panini makers!

Happy vintage aprons...I love the poodles

The view from outside this hidden treasure!

I didn't really know where my love of dishes came from until we cleaned out my Mothers home this past year. I found so many plates, bowls and glasses that were special to her and then I didn't wonder any longer.

And for that, I am thankful

See you soon!

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Happy Birthday!

To our firstborn

Party

and stay young forever!

Happy Birthday Shane!

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Smile!

I'm working on a farmhouse project today, so I'll post a few pics to make you smile!

Purple Chicken at Powers Farm Market

Dirty Pig at Good Cheer Farm

Guess who?

I'll be back to show you my project when it's complete.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Moving On

Around this time last year, my mother was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. There was no cure and she decided against any treatment. In July, she came to our home for a night and never left until her death in September. Nothing prepares you for such a journey, but God gives you the strength, mercy and grace to get through it one day at a time.

Around the 1st of August, I heard a funny sound outside our kitchen door. I looked out and didn't see anything. A short while later, I heard it again. This time I stepped on to the porch and saw a wee kitten run into the garden and hide. She wouldn't come close but stayed around among the flowers by the kitchen door.

She even posed for a few pictures.

Within 24 hours, we were feeding her and trying to gain her trust. Everyone who came to our house started to look for her when they arrived. She would hang around the garden and porch and welcome all guests. At that time, nurses and aides were coming almost daily and Wee Kitten stole everyone's heart.

Pretty soon, our wee one had a name...Cindy Lou Who. She was on the porch when I arrived home from work and always made me smile when I saw her waiting. She gave us hope where there seemed to be none. She gave us something to look forward to as the sun set each evening because we were never sure what morning would bring. If she wasn't there, visitors would ask "Where's Cindy?" And I would assure them she would be along soon as she must be out playing in the field or exploring the world around her.

Summer turned to fall and my Mother's health continued to fail. On September 19th, my Mother's journey ended on earth and continued in Heaven. God was so gracious to her and to those around her. As sad as it was, there was such peace....and God promised that joy comes in the morning.

As we said our goodbyes and celebrated her life, the days became shorter and we started to settle into the cool autumn days. Getting back to normal wasn't easy as there is no normal as it once was.

We took a beautiful boat ride on the Erie Canal. We went back to work and started to move on.

On Halloween, we went to our daughter and son-in-laws house to see the Trick or Treaters and came home quite late. Cindy was waiting at the side porch. I let her in for a visit, just a visit...you see....we didn't want a cat, especially not an indoor cat. At 11:30 pm, I put her back outside and said "see you in the morning"...only in the morning, she was gone.

Gone

All of a sudden, the house was truly empty...and sadness settled in. But I wasn't grieving Cindy as much as I was grieving my Mother. I believe that God sent Cindy to try to fill the hole that would be in my heart and now I had to deal with that hole. But it never goes away...it just changes.

The following Saturday, My Guy went searching door to door looking for Cindy Lou. I had no hope he would find her. After all, a week had gone by. As I was sitting at the computer, I heard him come in the back door. I said "No Cindy, huh?" and he proceeded to put her down in front of me!

Turns out that when I put her outside on Halloween, she ran across the road as the neighbors came home. They said "Oh look! A black cat, at midnight, on Halloween...it must be a sign" and they took her in. My Guy brought her home and she has never been out since. She terrorizes us, as she still thinks she is a cat in the wild. But she makes us laugh, she brings us joy and she continues to be a sign of hope. She reminds us of a time when life was sad and God brought us through one more time. We can't change the past...we must move on.