let there be light….

i’ve mentioned how much i love good light many times. of course, i’m partial to huge windows and natural light, but i also appreciate pretty incandescent light too. i’m not a fan of one overhead light in a room. i don’t think many people are, but i think sometimes it’s overlooked. from the time we bought this house, i knew that the kitchen lighting situation needed help. i don’t like to rush the process of making changes when you move into a house (obviously!)…i like to live in a house for a little while before i make major changes. well, 5 or 6 years is probably ample time!

i also mentioned on my blog a year ago or so, that i wanted an electrician for a day for my birthday. it didn’t happen. so i wrote that i would love to barter for an electrician for a day. and it happened! i actually had 2 electricians for a day! i have 6 new light fixtures and all new switches and plug-ins in my kitchen. i feel soooo great about it! my kitchen has been positively transformed with just this change in lighting. before it was dingy and dark, even on the brightest of days. with the covered deck, the natural light that we get is somewhat limited anyway. when the project was complete and i came around the corner and saw the difference, i was completely shocked! it almost looks like a different room. cooking, entertaining and even eating a meal is a different experience now! not to sound overly dramatic, but it has really made a significant difference. photos don’t do it justice, but you can see how pretty the pendants above the island and the drum above the table are.

the before shot with the one overhead light. we do have can lighting along the top over the counters, but it really wasn’t sufficient.

now it looks like this:

the pendants are raw silk. so pretty.

i’m so pleased. i highly recommend brad’s electric. jim bradrick is not only a great electrician, he’s probably one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet.

i need to photograph my dining room and bathroom lights. i’ll share those later this week.

this morning my doorbell rang and my friend gretchen had the sweetest pink bag of goodies!

i already tried a pretzel turtle delight and it was delightful! great packaging makes such a difference! i love details!

the past few days have been full. tom had shoulder surgery on thursday. he’s doing well. dr ihle wasn’t able to fix his torn rotator cuff or his torn bicep, but he “cleaned them up” and now we know what we’re dealing with. he already started physical therapy and we’re hoping for good results from that. the poor guy has had 2 surgeries in 6 weeks. right now, he’s out spreading de-icer on our sidewalks. he’s concerned about anyone stopping by to pick up photos. i love that he is soooo conscientious and always thinking of others.

my mom had her annual Christmas coffee on saturday. for me, it is a tradition that i can’t imagine Christmas without. mom and dad’s new place works out so well for entertaining and looks so pretty! it was great to see everyone and especially to see mom enjoying it so much. she deserves all the happiness!

we had dinner last night with ryan, jennifer and the kids. it was so relaxing and nice to just hang out. they ordered barbecue from a local neighborhood spot and it was delish! we headed home early because of the weather.

one other thing that is unrelated to anything i’ve been writing about, but that’s on my mind with some recent events near and dear to us: life is full of lessons, no matter how much a person thinks they know. i think that there are tests that come our way that take us out of our comfort zone. if a person is passive, i think these lessons force us out of passivity, and if we’re confrontational, they force us to be more passive. i hope that i am never so set in my ways to stop learning. one thing that i came out of this weekend with is to continue to fight any thoughts of unfair judgement toward others. to give people second and third and more chances…especially if we want that kind of grace for ourselves and our actions and words, especially if we know that person’s character. of course, if a person has shown that they are truly evil, then we need to be smart…but i think there are so many hurting people who do things that hurt others. maybe if they felt like they were being heard, they could rise above it? just some food for thought. no one is perfect. that’s the bottom line. i want to be a truly loving person. i don’t want to be the kind of person who writes others off easily. back to the golden rule once again.

i hope you have a great day. God bless.