fast falls the eventide

/ abby hummel

Abide with me: fast falls the eventide
The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide
When other helpers fail and comforts flee
Help of the helpless, Oh abide with me.

Swift to it’s close ebbs out life’s little day
Earth’s joys grow dim, it’s glories pass away
Change and decay in all around I see
Oh Thou who changest not, abide with me.

My plan of waking up early this month has not gone very well.  Even though Aaron and I both agreed this was something we would work on together, it’s been basically one big flop. It’s humbling to realize how helpless we truly are. This week, with the spring ahead time change looming in the near future, we’re trying to get back to our roots and have a bed-time. This new goal is a bedtime with a bedtime routine that doesn’t involve computers or heavy activity or distraction. And like the days of yore where we got tucked in and had “reading time” before lights out, we’re trying to tuck ourselves in for a little quiet time to wrap up the day. Just some collection of things like a tall glass of water or a mug of peppermint tea, my journal, a hymnal, a Bible, a book, a card to send to a friend. I need this intimate little compline to finish the day with rest, balance, reflection, gratefulness, peace and reverence to  start afresh with a clean and willing heart.

I need Thy presence ev’ry passing hour
What but thy grace can foil the tempter’s pow’r?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through clouds and sunshine, oh abide with me.

Words by Henry Lyte. Hymntune “Eventide” by William Monk.

the view from here (kitchen, pt 1)

/ abby hummel / 1 Comment

Our kitchen is kind of awkward. It’s like it can’t decide if it’s a separate room from the rest of the living area or not. This is the view from the entry way.

the twin towers

the two towers

We’ve had plans to revolutionize the kitchen for over a year. When I told Aaron his trophy deer head would not cross the threshold of our home until the project was completed, he groaned. But the leathery face of Bambi’s dad has been drying for months and soon he will be done. I hope this means the kitchen will be done soon, too.

the galley

We have a long kitchen, and it’s great for one person at a time.  Here’s a little pro and con list for what we have going on right now.
We like:
The cabinets. They are in decent shape (especially for being 53 years old) and they look super modern. There is quite a bit of storage in the high cabinets, too. We have lots of space!
A double window over the sink
The light and pot rack over the island. We put this in when we first moved in. I know they are immortalized on uglyhousephotos.com, but Martha has one and so do I.
Dishwasher. We put this in over the summer and we fight a lot less now. I’m not kidding. Worth every penny!
A stainless steel fridge.
It’s right next to the garage door, so it’s very convenient for bringing in the sheaves groceries.
We have a hard time loving:
The tiny pink oven that isn’t as hot in the back as it is in the front.
The half-working cooktop
The funky pantry
The weird metal protectors keeping the grease splatters from the stove away from the living room.
The peachy laminate countertops
The matching peachy laminate backsplash
Not much lighting – it’s very dark.
The brown carpet in the kitchen (clearly the original designer was on crack)
The white carpet in the dining area (same)
The blue wall. We painted it this color. I take full responsibility here. It’s just a little too… blue and shiny.
Two words: pink sink.

so weird

Of course we have so much to be grateful for, but we’re really looking forward to this project and hope it’s lots of fun!

kitchen sink

Okay, I’m excited and looking forward to it. Aaron is a little terrified.

as a door turns on its hinges

/ abby hummel / 1 Comment

… so a sluggard turns in his bed.  Proverbs 26:14.

We’ve been reading a chapter of Proverbs nearly every evening before bed, and I’ve been procrastinating for nearly a week on something Aaron and I discussed on the 26th of January: getting up when my alarm goes off.  If my feet hit the floor at 6:01, I can do quite a bit before sliding off to work. I can usually start off with a quick workout or some devotions. Or if I’m rusty, it’s both: “Dear God, please help me finish this 30-second plank before I die!” I can take care of a shower, delicious breakfast, and do some laundry or set up for dinner before leaving. But it’s cold outside, and I’ve been staying under the warm cozy covers for up to an hour extra. Now, it’s kind of awesome that I can get out of bed and make it to work on the other side of town both clean and professionally coiffed within 40 minutes. But it’s not funny how far this is from an ideal morning. So for February I have a goal of getting up within one snooze cycle M-F. And that snooze concession is just because it’s nice to cuddle and pray a little before hopping out of bed. This morning I was up at 6:23, which is not the goal, but it was much better than the last two weeks so I’m not too distraught about messing up from the get-go.

In January I gave up sugar, and with just a few little slip-ups and a purposeful splurge for Aaron’s birthday, I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. I did purposefully have a whole 32 oz of Coke while staving off a migraine but I don’t think that counts. And I’ve got to say that I feel awesome. I figured I’d probably give up sugar again for lent, but I’m just going to stay off it for now. I don’t know that this is something I’ll do “forever” or as a lifestyle, but it hasn’t been that difficult and I can tell it’s much better for me! Not sure if I’ll get to my $100 goal for January and February, but I have been crafting and making gifts for birthdays with what we have around the house… we’ve probably saved $40 so far, so I’m telling myself that counts, too.

good morning, sunshine

/ abby hummel

I finally took those pop cans back last night – yes, my total “extra” income for the month is now up $6.45, which brings me to $21.15. I’m having a hard time believing some of the really nice clothes I took to the consignment store aren’t selling!

I love throwing bread in the bread maker before I go to bed… then I wake up with the yeasty smell of freshly baked bread permeating the house. Of course I will get up, I think to myself as the alarm rings, I want some toast! However, there was no strong crust on this very unfriendly bread:

undiagnosed failure in breadmaking

Happy Tuesday! Here we go…

these have i loved

/ abby hummel / 2 Comments

I’ve rediscovered Rupert Brooke’s poem The Great Lover this weekend. No, it’s not scandalous. It’s about finding delight in the simple details of life. I read it in college and now I tend to think of the line about “the strong crust of friendly bread” when inhaling the yeasty aroma of baking bread and slicing into a loaf of fresh whole wheat.
Along with re-reading this poem, I’ve been considering the importance of contentment, choosing to be happy and joyful in the midst of the life I have right now. It’s a life with lots of house work, job work that I don’t particularly enjoy, frugality/scrimping, and I’m often very far away from people I love. At times it is easy to focus on what is “missing” from my life, like new clothes, a remodeled bathroom, babies, a master’s degree, chances to travel as much as I prefer, ministry opportunities, a housekeeper (ha). But I am so very blessed; I have much to be thankful for; and I’m so much more joyful when I focus on the delights of the life I do have.

So here is my too-short list of the small and significant delights of my heart:
warm cowls and recycled yarn to make a sweater
celebrating Aaron’s 26th birthday
letters and cards ready to be mailed
friends H and B coming for dinner tomorrow evening
summer sausage from Aaron’s big deer
gray nail polish on my toes and fingers
finding new jeans with tags on from the gap at goodwill for $5.00
singing “Be Thou My Vision” in D-flat after dinner
writing in my journal
preparing birthday gifts for Aaron, N, E,  and others
reading my new ESV Bible from JB. This makes me feel extra spiritual. It is purple, which makes me feel extra special.
being married to someone who loves guacamole and fine cheese as much as I do
learning/trying to love Lord of the Rings
humming “Morning Has Broken” as the sunrise streams into our bedroom
fresh snow on our yard
Prairie Home Companion
bananas and greek yogurt
our fireplace
friends A and J, who share good news with tact and consideration
anything and everything by gf handel
heavy blankets over me in bed
cute stickers and stamps
handwritten letters
soaking tired feet in a bathtub full of hot water
the light of the lamp in our living room
freshly wiped counters
tablecloths
finishing projects; anticipating the day I will be a finished project (he who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it)

He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful. …The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy. -ps 111.
Lord, cause your wondrous works to be remembered in our hearts this day. Give us grace that we might trust in your precepts and your faithful work on our behalf for salvation and sanctification. Make us great lovers – of others, of what you have given us, and of you.

The poem is such a worthwhile read: The Great Lover
This article is also wonderful, along the same line of thought, and written by a dear mentor and professor from college: The Romance of Domesticity

fashionably early

/ abby hummel / 3 Comments

It’s what we here at the Hummel house like to call “butt cold” outside. We’ve got another fire in the fireplace, cozy slippers, hot tea and blankets to go around. It may seem strange to be thinking of this, considering that it’s winter and we’re on a spending freeze, but I want to be strategic about my spring/summer wardrobe planning. So I’ve been looking at a few things that would be lovely to have. This might be a good way to use the cash I’m to be making from things we’ve already got around the house. I’m up to a whopping $14.80, by the way. I imagine my total will increase once I take pop cans back this weekend. Although I usually get so frustrated taking cans back that immediately run in to the grocery store and purchase something steamy, large, delicious and caffeinated at Starbucks. I will try to hold myself back this time. Or at least just get tea. That’s not even $2.00. Which is still using up the income from a lot of bottles and cans with Iowa’s measly 5 cent deposit return. Anyway.
Here is a really beautiful dress from Mod Cloth that would be awesome to wear to my sister’s college graduation in May. I imagine it with a light jacket and lovely earrings:

modcloth dress

This gap sweater looks like it would be a great pop of color for spring on those days where it’s still kind of cold but you don’t want to dress like it:

gap shirred shoulder cardigan

This navy-striped hoody from JCrew would be great for running around on the weekends when you just want to wear a sweatshirt without looking like a total slob. It would be great with dark jeans and cute white shoes. There’s actually a similar one at Ann Taylor Loft (caught my eye first, even) for a little cheaper, but this one looks more flattering. That’s important for the not-looking-like-a-slob aspect of the outfit.

JCrew Striped Hoody - weekend wear

And yes these items are mostly ridic on the cost side of things. I derive great personal satisfaction in getting good deals; I laugh in the face of retail price tags. My life motto is very applicable in shopping situations: virtus tentamine gaudet.

cowl

/ abby hummel / 3 Comments

I have become slightly obsessed with knitted cowls. Of course I am not turning my back on the traditional scarf; I prefer to think of this as a scarf cousin with whom I am only just now becoming acquainted. I have fallen deliriously in love and can’t get enough. I have finished knitting one and have two more on the needles. One of those is a gift though. It’s so fun to use up random balls of old yarn on fashionable projects!

Here are a few that I think are HOTT.

1. From http://www.SweaterBabe.com:

2. From http://www.knitty.com:

3. From http://www.artfire.com
I have yarn just this color, too…

 

order

/ abby hummel

I have been procrastinating a little bit today, but I have to say I have a dream where my whole weekend does not revolve in catching up from the last week and preparing for the next. Like maybe next Saturday I won’t have to fold 7 loads of laundry. How do we even have this many clothes? And maybe some weekend I’ll be able to work on a project without feeling guilty about the house because it won’t actually be a disaster. Does this life ever happen for anyone? I am willing to invest in some serious self-discipline if it would make life more ordered.

While it is totally ironic that I’m procrastinating by doing this, I looked up the english word “order” in an English-Latin dictionary. I was actually just looking for the word ordo, ordinis but what I found kind of shocked me. There is a huge list of words! And so many different meanings! Here are a few that I’m thinking about today:
Castigo, Castigare means to reprove, chasten, or punish; to check or restrain. As a participle, castigus, -a, -um, means restrained, orderly and neat.  Because an ordered life means I must restrain and chastise myself for my own benefit.
Modestia, Modestiae not surprisingly gives us the idea of modesty. It means moderation, restraint, propriety, orderliness; respect. Moderation is so often a great sign of respect, isn’t it?
And Ordino, Ordinare means to set in order, arrange, appoint; to govern as a country.  Well all I have is a house and some other little projects. Certainly I can govern just that and succeed, right?

january and february

/ abby hummel / 2 Comments

Okay, so I have this goal for January to have a mostly sugar-free diet and if it doesn’t kill me, I think I’ll do it for one other month in the year, too. I have no idea how people who do this “for real” plan things, but I’m planning to totally avoid all sugary snacks, cookies, candy, soda, etc., and when something MUST have sugar (like my plain oatmeal this morning), I will use fruit and a teeny bit of honey. So I guess it’s really a refined-sugar-free diet. I don’t think I’ve been eating that much sugary stuff, but I’m excited to see how this goes.  I may cheat for Aaron’s birthday though.

Another thing I’m working on is a goal to make $100 from stuff I have laying around the house. I’m kind of lazy/scared/strapped-for-time so I am avoiding craigslist and will be taking lots of unneeded clothing and home items to consignment shops. This may cut down my profit, but it will be much easier. I’m hoping to have made $100 from these efforts by the end of February! I’m not really sure what I will do with that cash, but we’ll definitely find a use for it.

the merry year is born

/ abby hummel

The merry year is born
Like a bright berry from a naked thorn
– Hartley Coleridge

I’m very excited to see what 2011 brings for us. We have plenty of house and yard projects to keep us busy; I am working on some other personal and physical goals and I’m just ready for another year of adventures, achievements and blessing. Last night Aaron and I were saying that it seems like we have had many difficult and some awful experiences, but we are in such a better place as individuals and a couple than last year. We’re anticipating another year of wonderful growth … hopefully it will come from good things and not just challenges! TS Eliot says “to make an end is to make a beginning” and that is exactly how I feel about entering this year.

The big thing to start this year is our plan to avoid spending any unnecessary money for the next 3 months to see how much we can save. The best way I can think of doing this is to eat ourselves out of house and home: eating the food from our freezer cupboards before buying anything else from the store. I’ve been stocking up during sales and Aaron has had great hunting successes, so this might take a while. We’re planning to remodel our kitchen starting at the end of January, so we need to keep saving pennies for that, and it will be easier to handle the heavy construction without random canned goods and cereals all around. Even if they were on a HUGE sale last year.  It seems so very elementary (save on your grocery bills by using what you already have at home) but I am excited about this challenge. Obviously we’ll need produce, dairy products and some lunchmeat, but I am excited to see how long it will take to get through it all – and how low the grocery bills will go.

So here we are! The morning started off with bacon (from our freezer) and eggs (fridge) and now we’re enjoying coffee by the fire. An idyllic New Years day… if only we could guarantee the rest of the year would be as relaxing and rejuvenating! I’ll write about how I’m doing on the more specific goals later. Also, just in case you were wondering, I feel that I am under no compulsion to remove my Christmas decor until Fat Tuesday. FYI. We are very much into the baby Jesus here at the Hummel house.