Now and Then

Last Wednesday Caleb and Scott and I re-enacted an old photo..

Dial back 18 years to Thanksgiving 1994.  We were visiting our dear friends Bill and Rebecca in Durham, NC for the first time.  They moved there from Pittsburgh for Bill to attend Duke University just days before Caleb's birth, and we couldn't wait to see them in their new home.  One of our activities that weekend was to explore the beautiful gardens on the Duke campus.  They snapped this picture of the three of us, and we used it as our Christmas card photo that year.

Well, my sister and her family moved to their new home in Durham, NC this past year. We were excited to go to their house for Thanksgiving this year to see them in their new environment.  One of our weekend activities was to stroll through Duke Gardens (and have a lively photo scavenger hunt there, too).  We found what may have been the same tree where we posed for a photo with Baby Caleb 18 years ago... had to try it again. 

Obviously Caleb has grown... but I think Scott and I look about the same, don't you?  Please, say yes. 

Veteran's Day Flags

 We happened upon this beautiful and moving display of American flags over the weekend.  After an emotional election week, this sight was encouraging, knowing that it was placed there to honor the countless numbers of people who have served our country.

Thank you, veterans.

Before and After Fun in the Kitchen

We've done a few things to our house since we've moved back into it after a five year hiatus.  One of my favorite changes has been in the kitchen.  I have a couple of before and after photos of the same spot... here is the before, with a built in desk and cupboard above.  I used the cupboard for all of our homeschooling materials during the years before we left for China, and it was really handy to have it all stashed there, in the kitchen where we worked but out of sight when we finished.  The desk itself was another story.  It seemed to be the place where things got stacked up, even with my good intentions to keep the surface cleared, the piles kept appearing.  Anyone else have that problem?  :-)

Here is the after.  Love, love this change.  No more desk to clutter with piles of mail.  Those things have moved to my desk in the office, but at least that is out of the way.  Ha!  The open shelves are functional and fun, too.  I keep things we use and love here!  It's been fun to change things around frequently, and I love the look.  The cupboards that used to be up above have been moved to the bottom, where they are still usable.  The desk surface was cut down to form the bottom shelf.  

 Another view before...

... and after.  Obviously we changed the color of the walls, floor and cabinets too.  It feels fresh and updated.  Love my kitchen!  I'm thinking about hanging something above the cupboards on the bulkhead, but I'm not quite ready to do it yet.  

 More pictures of the kitchen update to come.