A SUNDAY THOUGHT: SEEING CLEARLY

This summer we will have lived in our house for sixteen years. It's been a great house, and I've recently come to realize that I love it more and more the longer we are here, and by "we" I mean my husband and me. We are officially empty nesters. Most of the time we are fine with our new titles, but it has taken us a looong time to get used to a such a quiet house. We miss our kids a bunch!

I will say, however, I don't miss the loads and loads and mounds and mounds of laundry that were always in the floor or stuffed in three or four baskets under the laundry room window. Sometimes now it's hard to round up enough to even get a load going.

Remember back in March when we were all told to go home and stay home? Did you immediately make a giant list of all the things you'd been putting off doing that you were now going to do? Me, too. I don't know about you, but my list is not a whole lot shorter. I'm not checking things off the list as fast as I had hoped to.

The one major clean out, clean up project I tackled the first week we were told to head home was my laundry room. I went through everything: the cabinets, the storage shelves--even the basket of mismatched socks. I still had my kids' nap mats from kindergarten collecting dust in there. I had every intention of throwing them away, but I couldn't do it (The kids are 26, 24, and 19, BTW.). I washed those faded, dusty things and stuck them right back up on a shelf. I just don't want to say goodbye to the camouflage, Barbie, and NFL nap mats just yet. I mean, I promise I tried. It just didn't happen.

Also in the room is a black wire shelving unit with six cubes. It's nothing fancy, but it was an inexpensive and quick way to get some extra storage. It was full of the strangest things--cleaning supplies, old planners I used to keep myself straight when my kids were all going in a million different directions, some middle school yearbooks, some of the kids' school work, old refrigerator magnets--the list goes on. It changed locations, and I added a lamp to the top of it. (I personally think a lamp or 20 improves every room. But that's just me!)

The room looked 100% better, maybe 200. It felt fresh and looked loved. But now, let's go back to the window I mentioned earlier.

When you walk in the laundry room, there is a window on the right wall. It looks into our garage, and you can also see into the driveway and the yard. To say it was filthy is an understatement. I scrubbed all things associated with that window, and I must have used half a bottle of Windex. And then I went into the garage and did the exact same thing to the outside of it. All of the organizing, and throwing away, and clearing out, and the rearranging of that wire shelf didn't make nearly the difference that cleaning that horrific window made. I was speechless. I couldn't believe how crisp everything in my view from the window now looked. The difference was so striking it made me wonder if I'd ever cleaned it since we moved in here. That sounds terrible, but I'm kind of serious. (Don't judge me...) I just wanted to stand in the laundry room and stare out of those grime-free window panes. The grass looked remarkably green, and I could make out every individual swaying tree.

I could see clearly through that window for the first time in a really long time.

And one day while standing in the laundry room, staring out that clean window--as I have come accustomed to doing these days--I realized that the "virus" had done the exact same thing for me.

It had stopped me in my always-busy, stressed tracks, and it allowed me the time to see things in my life much more clearly. It reminded me what really matters in this world, and more importantly, who really matters. That virus looked me square in the face and told me I needed to clean some things up, change some of my ways, and reevaluate how I spend my time. It ordered me to stop taking family, friends, relationships, my job, this house, my husband, my children, my health, and the love of Jesus for granted. And I'm trying my best each and every day to do just that.

That clean window will always serve as a reminder to me to stop along the way, throughout the days, months, and years to come, and see what might need to be cleaned up, so I never miss what I need to clearly see.

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." 

Psalm 51:10

Our makeshift outdoor area during the coronavirus

HAPPY 2019! A QUICK LOOK BACK

Hello, friends! I've missed you!

I know it's been several months since we've talked, but life took a turn for the busy a few months back and hasn't shown any signs of slowing. I hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday season and your new year is off to a great start.

To ease back into blogging, and kick off 2019 at Woodbank Lane, I thought I would take a quick look back at last year.

At the beginning of the year, I decided to try and keep a record of the things I was thankful for in 2018. I didn't do too bad. You can read the post here.

I dumped out the Mason jar and here are some of the highlights.

This was the very first slip of paper I added to my "thankful for" jar last January.

I work with a great group of dedicated professionals. They make coming to work much easier. We hug each other, we support each other, cry with each other, pray for each other, and appreciate each other.

My youngest child is a little over half way through his senior year. You know what that makes me? OLD--only in number, though! I was lucky enough to tag along as a chaperone on his field trip to New Orleans last year with his AP Language class, and it was definitely a highlight.

In February, an encounter at the grocery store led to an unexpected treat for the blog. I started writing for our local community news paper. Read some of my articles and the story of how that came together here.

Next on my slips of good things of 2018...

My oldest two children have spring birthdays, and celebrating with my kids (and family) will always be my favorite way to spend time. And then in May, not too long after their birthdays, my daughter graduated from the University of Alabama. We had a massive graduation party at our house, more people than I'd ever entertained. It was wonderful! She's teaching first grade now and loving it!

Later on in the summer, in July, we finally managed to get all three kids together (and the boy and girl friends) and take a vacation. I can't tell you how hard it was coordinating all those schedules! But it was so worth the work. When your babies grow up, and they start "adulting", things definitely get harder to figure out when you're trying to wrangle them in for any event.

In August my daughter started her teaching career, I started my twenty-second year of teaching, my youngest started his senior year, and my oldest moved back to our town.

And speaking of moving... also in August, after years of trying to get them here, my in-laws are finally in the same town with us, too. They have a beautiful new home and are only about twenty-five or so minutes away from us now vs. four hours. Let the decorating begin!!

Then before I knew it, it was fall!

I shared my fall-themed table in October, and sadly, I wasn't able to get back to the blog until now.

Lastly, we celebrated the holidays! Several of the slips in my Mason jar were how thankful I am for my family. My parents are in good health and close by, and my kids are turning into pretty good, hard-working, driven adults.

This school year I'm teaching out of a new text book that is set up totally different from the one I've been using for about ten years. That's part of the reason I have not had much time for this hobby I enjoy. In a way it's like starting over. But I'm getting the hang of it now, and I have a student intern (student teacher) from the University of Alabama this semester, so things are calming down just a little. 

I hope to be back to a regular blogging schedule soon!!

Much love,
Kathryn

THE BLOG HAS A NEW SIDE GIG

My side gig now has a side gig. And I thought I'd tell you about it!

I think most of you probably know I am a full-time teacher and a part-time blogger. I've been teaching for twenty-two years and blogging for almost four. The blog was going to be for fun, and I thought it would keep me sane while becoming an empty nester. And thankfully, that's exactly what it's done--and more! It's filled some of my quiet days and nights, brought me joy, and even better, introduced me to new friends from all over the country.

But it does take a good bit of time, and I sometimes neglect things in my house and things in the kitchen, like cooking. :-) I began feeling a little guilty, so I started praying about it. Should I cut back on posting? Should I stop blogging all together? Should I be using resources for other things?

Then I went to the grocery store...

While in line, I bumped into a friend I had not seen in years, maybe twenty. Her name is Laurie. We chit-chatted for a few minutes, and she brought up the blog. She said she enjoyed it and was really complimentary. Of course I was thrilled. But y'all, she's the editor of our community newspaper, Druid City Living, and would you believe she asked me if I would consider putting some of my projects in the paper??

I. Almost. Fainted.

And then I said, "Oh, no. I'm just doing this for fun. No way, but thanks!"

Later that night, we became Facebook friends. She brought it up again and even suggested my blue, spray painted mirror project might be a good place to start.

Long story short (I guess it's too late for that. Ha!), I've now written four articles for them, and my fifth one will be published in October. I've decided my chance encounter with Laurie wasn't by chance at all, and I'm going to keep sharing ideas and projects with you guys until, well, until I get other directions.

I thought I'd show you the articles. They are basically blog post that have been reworked, or two or three that have been merged for newspaper presentation. You may recognize a few of them. Here they are in the digital version.

Blue Dining Room Mirror - Spray Paint Project

Using Collected Milk Glass Vases

DIY Coffee Can Planters

Storage Ideas

Hope your first week of fall is going well and is cool!
Thanks for stopping by...

Kathryn

Colossians 4:2

THE YEAR IN REVIEW: A LOOK BACK AT 2017

Welcome to the New Year! I hope the holidays were good to you and you're looking forward to 2018 with hope and anticipation. May it be your best year yet!

Before I jump into January 2018, I wanted to pause and be thankful for all the good things this past year, so I took a scroll through my phone. Here are some highlights of 2017.

One of my favorite updates around here was the master bedroom. I took out most of the color and opted for a more neutral look. I never got around to showing it to you last year. Maybe this year it will make the cut.

IT SNOWED! COME TAKE A LOOK

I had not planned on posting until next week, but we had a snow day--I mean a real snow day! The sky opened up and let fall enough snow to cover us up.

GIRLFRIENDS. WHAT WOULD WE DO WITHOUT THEM?

October.

CREATIVE CEILING TILES (MY HIGH SCHOOL)

I am happy to report I have survived another 185 days with teenagers! Today was the last day of my twentieth year of teaching. It seems like the school year just started...

A few years ago some of the English teachers at my school brought a fun, creative idea to our hallway--painted ceiling tiles.

We all selected a book we loved or maybe one that we taught, and our upper-level art students, under the direction of our wonderfully talented art teacher Noel Mills, painted the book cover of our choosing on the tile. I told you briefly about these tiles not too long after starting my blog in March of 2015. Since then our collection has expanded, and I thought I would do a little bragging.

We have some incredible talent in our building!

Take a look...

I know you're wondering how I managed to get these shots. Imagine me on the floor, on my back, holding my cell phone at arm's length. Surprisingly, it worked pretty well. :-)

Next group...

We ran out of art students, so this group will hopefully be finished up next year.

It's hard to think of them as ceiling tiles; they look as though they are painted on a canvas.

This is the group on the ceiling outside of my door way.

The last group...

Do you see any of your favorite books? Which tile do you like the best?

I'm happy to be back on the blog after a crazy-busy spring.  :-)
Enjoy your holiday weekend!

Kathryn

GO RED FOR WOMEN THIS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3

Have you ever lost anyone to heart disease?

I have.

We met as adults. Our boys played ball together, and we were fast friends. We loved all the same things: our families, watching our kids play anything, and decorating our houses. She worked at her son's school and since I'm a teacher, we were on the same schedules. We spent lots of summer days together. We swapped recipes, ideas, and clothes. We could talk about anything.

Then, one day we couldn't.

Her husband Tony came home and found her on the floor of their bedroom. An ambulance came. She went to the hospital. She never left.

She was 49. I remember thinking I might not ever stop crying. But I did. Life went on, just without my friend Jacqueline.

This Friday I will wear red to honor her memory and to remind the women in my life to be heart-healthy.

Go Red for Women

Don't be so busy taking care of everyone and everything that you forget to take care of yourself. Here's a great reminder for us all via YouTube.

It's just a little heart attack...

Image: YouTube

Go Red for Women on Friday to remind the women in your life not to forget about their hearts...

#gored #loveyourheart

A summer day about six years ago

This post is dedicated to my friend Jacqueline, her husband Tony, and son Landon. 

2016 FAVORITES

Woodbank Lane will soon be celebrating its two-year anniversary. I'm thrilled that more and more of you are liking us on Facebook and following along on Instagram. I love that you're stopping by to read and catch up with the happenings in our neck of the woods. Its not paying the bills, and I won't be retiring from teaching early, but I'm enjoying blogging even more than I expected to. I hope to be around for many more years to come. So a BIG thank you for reading, commenting, and your encouragement along the way. I hope you've found a touch of inspiration and smiled a time or two when you've stopped by.

Before we close the book on 2016, let's take a look back to the most popular posts based on total views and your comments. And if you're new to WBL, this will give you a glimpse of what we talk about around here.

1. Favorite Recipe

GLAZED POPPY SEED BREAD

2. Favorite Event

 WINTER WEDDING INSPIRATION

3. Favorite Tip

A NEW BEAUTY PRODUCT

4. Favorite Home Project

GOING GOLD: BEDROOM MIRROR BEFORE AND AFTER

5. Favorite Personal Post

A SNAKE TALE

6. Favorite Sunday Thought

CERTAINTY

And that covers the favorites of last year. Here's to this year!

Have a great Saturday!

Kathryn

A NEW PERSPECTIVE

Happy 2017 to you and yours!

I'm pleased to say I've made it through another Christmas, another birthday, and I've seen another new year roll in this past month. That means it's time for a list of resolutions. Have you made your list yet? Mine is a mile long. I'll probably share it with you before the month is out, but before I do, I want to tell you a story.

Several months ago, my mom and I decided to have a garage sale. I knew I had "stuff" everywhere that hadn't been touched or used in forever, so it was time for it to go. We will have been in our house for about thirteen years this summer, and I hadn't performed a good house cleanse since the move. I started cleaning out packed, catch-all drawers, exploding closets, and cabinets running over with a little bit of everything. We also hit the attic and the outdoor storage room off the garage. It's amazing how quickly you can fill up your space.

I ordered these handy, easy-to-use tags from Amazon to do my pricing and spent the minutes I could spare tagging and pricing my items.

I had a bunch left over and used them to label my Christmas gifts.

My dining room became garage sale central, which drove me crazy! It looked like this for months.

Once it was all collected and priced, I started making trips to my mom's to unload the loot. Lucky for me in many ways, she and my dad are not too far down the road from us. :-)

We set up shop, displayed our goods, sent my daddy to Lowe's for signs to advertise the sale, went to bed (eventually), and hoped all of our preparation would "pay off."

We awoke to a dreary, cold day that required a LARGE cup of coffee to get our motivation flowing. Clearly, the customers believed "the early bird gets the worm" because the minute we put the door up, ready or not, the cars started rolling in.

Both friends and strangers showed up, nicest people ever. One of the strangers, a smiling, chatty, middle-aged lady, unwittingly made me stop and think about my perspective...

She was our best customer. She loved our stuff. She bought a little of everything: clothes, jewelry, and decorations. The pile she had to pay for included things that belonged to my mom and to me. As we were separating the items to determine how much she owed each of us, this is what she said and it stung me.

 "I know this is so much work 

to get all this together, but you have no idea 

how it blesses people."

What? Our old, no-longer-worn clothes, household items, small electronics, shoes, candles, and Christmas decorations could be a blessing to someone? She was right. I had no idea. I hadn't thought of it that way and it never occurred to me that anyone else might think of it that way either. I looked at her for a split second like she had two heads. It caught me so off guard that someone could have that kind of a perspective about a garage sale. 

per-spec-tive - noun - a particular attitude toward or 

way of regarding something; a point of view

In that moment I was quickly reminded that my attitude-my perspective-could probably stand a little tweaking in all situations and is probably one of the most important determinants of any outcome. I can't seem to get that little lady out of my mind. Isn't it funny how God can use the smallest interludes to make the biggest impact on and in our lives?

Having a better attitude and adjusting my perspective daily is definitely on my resolution list for this year thanks to that sweet stranger in my mom's carport on a yucky Saturday back in late November.

I hope 2017 is your best year yet!

Kathryn

AN ART LESSON AND SOME OLD FAVORITES

When I was in high school, one of the classes on my schedule my senior year was called American Studies. The class captured me in ways very few others did. We left the high school by bus each day and were transported to a building downtown where we spent about half the school day. We learned the basics: English, science and social studies, but we learned extras, too.

Our class met in a historic building known as the "old jail." It served as the county jail from 1856-1890. It's one of the oldest buildings in town. It's a two-story, brick building that is unfortunately now on the "places in peril" list.

Image Source

One of the "extras" we were introduced to in the old jail was art, specifically impressionism. I loved everything about it: the colors, the subjects, the serenity, the classic look and style it adds--all of it. Here are a few of the painters I met in my American Studies class.

CLAUDE MONET

My favorite from Monet is Chrysanthemums. I had a giant print of it framed and over my couch for years. I'd actually forgotten about it until I was getting this post together.

Image Source

EDOUARD MANET

This is The Railway by Manet. The shades of blue and the simple scene are what stands out to me. For a little more insight, here is a short video I found.

This is another work of Manet.  A King Charles Spaniel.

MARY CASSATT

Mary Cassatt is probably my favorite. Her subjects were often people, usually women and children.

Other than three of the finest teachers in education at the time, the best part of American Studies was our field trip to Washington, D.C. I still have such vivid memories of the trip, even though it seems like a lifetime ago. I'm thankful and grateful my parents were able to send me. While there, we visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art and saw the works we had studied in class. It was wonderful to see them up close and personal. I bought the previous three prints as souvenirs.

When I became an "adult" and had a place of my own, I had the prints framed. I've been using them since.

The frames need to be updated, but the prints still look great and hold significant sentimental value. They've traveled the house--bathroom, bedroom, and they currently reside in the living room.

Thank you, Mrs. Ward, Mrs. Crowder, and Mrs. Sloan for making me think, learn, and love all things American Studies.

Now I'm curious. What's the oldest thing you are using to decorate in your house?

Kathryn