What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it up in heaven for our Lord God. We should accustom ourselves to think of our position and work as sacred and well-pleasing to God, not on account of the position and work, but on account of the word and faith from which the obedience and the work flow. ~ Martin Luther

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

4(0) Times The Fun











The Mister turned 40 this year and though he deserves a lot of fanfare, he didn't want any extravagant party to mark the day.  Just a dinner at home, corned beef cabbage for supper and his traditional white cake with peanut butter frosting.  His parents came for supper and so did his twin brother and his family.  I did buy some fresh flowers (the first time all winter) to make things more feasty and special.  And the red Pioneer Woman christmas goblets I got at 75% off after Christmas elevated the meal too...though it did give off a certain Valentine vibe.  (The day after was Valentine's Day, so it wasn't totally inappropriate.)  Matt's twin brother John favors a chocolate with peanut butter frosting cake so I made one of those as well so that he wouldn't feel left out.  I never got a picture of the cakes  in the daylight because of the haste of getting ready for company but they were perdy (in a grown up sort of way).  No hard plastic animalstractors or pudgy pigs for him.  No sirree.  Not now that he is all growed up.

I wanted to mark Matt's 40th year with a gift more meaningful than most.  Coincidentally, this also happens to be the 150th anniversary of Newmans owning this land so it seemed fitting to honor both somehow.  Matt is very much a person who values heritage and takes great pride in his roots so I thought a sign of some sort would be special.  My brother in law Bob made the wooden sign in secret for me and I spent several days woodburning it.  The smoke burned my eyes and nostrils and I was overcome by fear of ruining the whole thing at every turn- but in the end it came out nicely and I think Matt appreciated it.  I knit him a hat too (and an inverted one for his brother that was never finished in time, and so will be a gift for another time) using yarn that he had bought me at Christmas.  

He is the one who knows all my dark secrets and loves me anyway.  He is the one who can make me laugh with just a look and knows all my tickle places.  He is the one who gets the children all riled up in the living room just by getting down on the floor.  He is the one who leaves in the dark of morning and comes  home in the dark of night and gives his family those precious few minutes of his day that he could snatch away for himself.  He is the creator of the baby rocketship and ear tugging as a form of affection.  We outnumber him 6 to 1 and yet he stretches to meet our needs and fill us up.  He gives up 'stuff' for things much more important.  And 40 looks pretty good on him  ;-)

4 comments:

Cheryl | TimeToCraft said...

40 and 150 sound amazing anniversaries. I think I would have been nervous about making a mistake in the sign too. Not as easy to undo as stitching or cover up. Your table looks like a wonderful place to sit with family and celebrte. Found you via #KCCO

beth said...

love this, as i love everything you post. wishing your family a happiest springtime together!

Anonymous said...

I live vicariously through your posts! I love your thoughts and ways with words. I grew up on a ranch and so wish I could have raised my family forever on one. The kid's did have 5 acres to grow up on. Such a wonderful time and place for child rearing. I know it's not easy, but I truly love the lifestyle you live. Thank you for giving me a glimpse of your hard work, simplicity, and true appreciation of living off the land and instilling such love and joy into your family. Your blog is like a warm comforter and a happy heart.
Melody in OR

Abigail said...

You know the impressively enthusiastic ANONYMOUS ADMIRER on the weight gain post? At my first glimpse of that sign, she reared up to possess me. :) Seriously, I am hard pressed not to gush buckets of capital letters and wheelbarrows of exclamation points about what a beautiful piece of work it is. Combine its artistry with the profound meaning it has for your family, and, well, ANONYMOUS ADMIRERER!!!!!!

Happy 40 to your Mattie! May you continue to celebrate each other and your friendship for years and years to come.

p.s. D'ya recall when we were talking about those goals I made in February? Well, now I'm kicking myself for not putting "comment on Rebecca's blog more faithfully" because this week I am knocking it out of the park! No need to inquire about the other goals I placed on there, though.