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I may have shared this story in years past here on Nitty.Gritty. But it's a good one, and this photo recently showed up in my FaceBook feed and so it just seemed fitting to share it and the story that came to my mind right away when I saw it. This picture is of Teagan and her friend, Jess, taken on a day that they had a playdate at our house. Now, you can probably tell just by looking at this picture that these two little girls loved to play, be loud, laugh and enjoy just being little girls! We knew Jess from our local church. It was one of the places that we made some lifelong friends when we lived in Gaylord. Church was one of the places that practically "felt like home" for us- in part because of the great friendships we did for with so many people there, but also because we spent a lot of time there- besides the usual Sunday morning church services.
Jess and Teagan didn't just love to play and laugh and have fun when they had playdates at home. But they loved to be loud and have fun at church together too. Sometimes that felt appropriate- like during game time in the gym, or while singing and learning funny songs during Vacation Bible School. I loved and appreciated the good times these girls, and lots of other young friends of theirs shared in church.
But one Sunday morning stands out in my mind when I see this picture of Teagan and Jess. The new auditorium had recently been built and was the new worship sanctuary for Sunday mornings and other large events/gatherings. It seats about 1,100 people and let's just say that there was a lot of time and money invested in that big, new auditorium.
This particular Sunday morning the girls had connected at church during Sunday School, and they were still happily hanging out as the morning services ended and the parents gathered their children or just talked and fellowshipped together before it was time to part. The girls chose this Sunday morning to go running up and down the large aisles of the new worship center. But they didn't stop there. They ventured up on stage and were running and laughing and playing behind the big curtain and by the podium as well. When I realized that Teagan was a part of the noise and rambunctious behavior in the auditorium I gave Chip "the look" to go get her immediately and put a stop to her wild antics. I watched the girls run and laugh even more for a minute or two as they realized they were 'caught' and were being called to bring their fun and games to a halt.
Their response to Chip when he ushered them down from the stage was that "they were just playing and having fun!" Of course they were! But I could feel the 'eyes' of other church goers on them and on us as parents that made it feel anything but "fun".
On the ride home from church that day Teagan got a little lecture on "how to act in church". We reminded her that the sanctuary was "God's house" and that she should be careful of how loud and wild she was in that place from now on. She seemed to understand, and yet she was still grinning and told us how much she loved playing with Jess and her others friends at church too.
I could never have imagined on the ride home from church that day that it would only be a matter of months later that I would be standing in that very auditorium honoring and remembering Teagan's life at her memorial service. I remember that day so clearly as well. How my heart was so shattered and how my mind was still trying to come to grips with the reality that I would never see her laugh or run or dance and twirl on this earth ever again. I could hardly believe that we were sharing stories and pictures of her life in remembrance of her- because to me she was still so full of life and joy and I wasn't prepared to let any of that go!
And yet Chip and I stood hand-in-hand with our hearts broken and wounded and clueless as to how it all happened and more so, how God was going to mend the brokenness that we felt to the very core of our hearts. I pictured Teagan running and laughing in the very place that hundreds of flowers now served as a reminder that she was gone. Her smiling picture on the memorial alter made my heart ache more. I wanted to turn back time to the day she ran and laughed so loudly that I sent Chip rushing down the aisle to scoop her up and halt her fun. I wanted to turn back time and do it all over again.
Only this time I would have wanted to hug her and tell her how happy I was that she was simply being who God made her to be. I wanted to turn back the days and watch her twinkle and shine on that stage with her friend, Jess, as only two little girls can in the midst of their play. I wanted to look on their joy and grasp how it was one of the purest forms of worship in that space that day. Their actions may not have been perfectly in line with what other church-goers or Chip or I had in mind for them in that new auditorium. But in retrospect, and certainly in light of the reality we faced at Teagan's service, their actions were in perfect accord to how God wants us to come to Him with our hearts and lives. He wants us to come as little children. Not caring about what others think or even how we see ourselves. He wants us to come to Him in worship, recognizing who He is, and putting all of our self aside. True worship is singing, dancing, praying, sacrificing, embracing all of who GOD is, and truly being humble in spirit and simply being who God created us to be. There is nothing we can bring to His alter that He doesn't already 'own' or have access too...except our hearts. He wants our hearts to be poured out to Him as our love offering. We can come "too loud, too wild, too clueless" as to who He is, and yet He accepts us as we are simply because we come. He just wants our hearts. Plain and simple.
I am so glad to know that Teagan invited Jesus into her heart and life just the day before she died. She knew that Jesus died on the cross for her sin, and truly the most important thing that anyone can do, who understands who God is, is to give their heart to Him by asking forgiveness of their sin and inviting Him into their life. God does the rest. I miss the mark far too often when it comes to living the simple way that God wants us to live. He wants us to shine for Him, lean on Him, shout for Him, share our joys and sorrows and everything in between for Him, and just be who He created us to be. Nothing more. Nothing less. It seems so simple. And it is. Even a child can get it and live out their days letting their life shine for Him. I am so glad I had a front row seat to Teagan's life. Especially on the day she ran through the auditorium in response to just being who God made her to be.
This has been quite a winter all over the nation and world, I believe. We are in the midst of another 'arctic blast' here in Michigan and on our 3rd consecutive snow day...with a weekend in between. So the days all sort of blur together, but we are cozy, warm and we love staying in jammies all day long. Last week's days off were added fun since Grandma Genie {my mom} was in town staying with the kids and I while Chip was in Orlando for the PGA merchandise show. The unexpected time the kids got to spend with her and the low-key schedule compared to getting ready and doing school drop-offs and pick-ups was nice for all of us! We played games, had Ava's room painted {pale pink}, baked and ate good food, sang songs and hymns, watched funny DIY shows and a couple of movies, ate popcorn and just all-around had a great time enjoying Grandma at our house. We were sad to see her go, but happy for my dad, since we know how much he was missing having her around too!
I didn't get much scrapping time in, and had actually planned to do quite a bit while she was here. But the time spent doing other stuff just filled up my craft free time. Still, I am so excited to share peeks of the layouts I made with the next Cocoa Daisy kit for February...called Color Swatch! It is one of my favorites! I received the paper add-on as well as the Paint Chip add-on kit and it is a wonderful mix of items for crafting. I have plans to make some Valentine's a am hoping to make a couple of other little projects too. The pinks and fun watercolor/paint patterns and designs add some charm and whimsy to each project. Tomorrow night is the big reveal for this kit, so join us over at the message board and see for yourself! If you sign up for a subscription there is a special 40% discount for your first kit right now. And trust me, when you get snowed in with a box of Cocoa Daisy goodies, it's a wonderful thing! Stay warm and safe everyone, and have fun crafting!
Hello to 2014 and a whole new year ahead of us, right?! As much as I don't like getting older, I do love the fresh start of a new year. Yes, I know that every morning is another new day, but a whole new year just feels big and the way it gets celebrated is a big deal sometimes too. It is nice to be able to look ahead and feel like there are endless possibilities, new dreams, adventures and joys to be discovered. I am ready for all of that and more.
Having just turned 41 a week and a half ago I am fully aware that there are things that need to be changed in me, moments that need to be grasped and savored, and some things that simply need to be accepted. I titled this not always out with the old, because the truth is old and used and the past can all be truly wonderful things too! I find that some of my quirks and old habits aren't so bad...they are simply "who I am", including things like embracing a trend like loving antlers and not letting that fade even after a year or more. My "birthday moose" arrived in the mail and it was the perfect timing for me to scrap a page about it with the first Cocoa Daisy kit of the year~ Blueprint. I loved everything about this kit and had so much fun making my pages and little mini book to be filled in as this month goes on. This kit and add-ons are now available for purchase and I can tell you that if you have thought about getting a monthly subscription, Cocoa Daisy is the place to get yours. The kits seem to get better and better, and I'm not even sure how that can happen! I just know I love to get my box of goodies in the mail and have never been disappointed, ever!
I am hoping to 'celebrate' the everyday even more than I have done in the past. Somedays it is easy to do that, and some days it is quite a chore! Last night, for New Year's Eve I was ready to sit home with our 6 kids as Chip worked the event hosted at his golf club. I knew if I went I would have to scramble to do extra things at home so that I could safely and happily leave the kids together while I tried to sneak away for a couple of hours. {Brock is 14 now and once the littlest guys were in jammies and tucked in bed I knew it wouldn't be too hard a job for him to hang out.} I knew Chip would be busy making sure everything was going smoothly and so I would end up 'alone' at times and honestly I don't know too many members of the club all that well yet. I also haven't had any reason to dress up and so I was dragging my feet about going to the party for all those reasons and more. I am the queen of making excuses to stay home. Just ask Chip. =)
Instead, at about 9pm I decided I was going to make it happen and at least go to the party for a short while. I had 2 choices of dresses and put this one on first. I figured it would be better to be overdressed than underdressed for a New Year's party. I was just surprised and happy that the dress still fit! I wore it twice back in 2001. For those who have followed this blog forever, you know that that was 4 babies ago for me...so it's practically a miracle that this dress still fits me! I could have used some different shoes, and I actually ended up shoveling snow in this dress and heels. But the night turned out to be a fun escape from my usual nightly routine and even though my feet are a bit sore from late-night dancing, it was good to spend time together with Chip- even if he was "working".
Between antlers and scrapping and wearing an old dress, I am feeling good about what this new year holds. We went through so much change the past few years that it feels exciting to just settle down a bit more and see what a year can hold when there {hopefully} won't be changes and transitions in houses and schools and jobs. I have to say there is something wonderful about things staying the same too. Especially when you realize how good it is. Here's to 2014 and everything it holds- old, new and maybe another night out dancing before the year's end too! =)
Merry two days after Christmas, everyone! I hope you have enjoyed or are still enjoying this extra special time of year! My family and I have had a quiet, cozy first Christmas in our home here in Michigan. There was lot of snow and cold outside, but we have found ways to stay warm, busy and have full tummies inside! From Santa brunches, to my birthday to Christmas services and chocolate soufflés, it has been a pretty great time together. We sure miss being with others and sharing these moments with family and friends, but we are grateful for our home, our health and all the other undeserved blessings we have received this year.
Our tree was cut by Chip, Brock and Ava and although it's an 11-ft Frasier Fir {for only $25!}, it almost feels too small for our living room space. We definitely thank God for the home He opened the doors for us to move into and even as we are finishing off a bedroom and bathroom in our downstairs and have had some frustrations with that project, we know that this place is a real gift for all of us.
I have a mini tour of my scrap space on the Cocoa Daisy blog if you enjoy seeing where I create and scrap in my free time. I have sort of liked the slow pace of just the 8 of us being here for Christmas because I have been able to make several cards to send to friends, and I just loved the January Cocoa Daisy kit~ "Blueprint", which debuts live tomorrow night at www.cocoadaisy.com at 9pm eastern time. It is always so fun to see the layouts and projects that my friends on the design team create too. They always inspire me and the kits that Christine puts together each month are just so full of great things that fuel the creativity in all of us! I feel so lucky to be on the team at Cocoa Daisy and I am looking forward to lots of fun memories to be made AND to be scrapped in the coming year too! Merry Christmas and all the best to each of you who still stop by here and read the slim posts at Nitty.Gritty. This next year could be the year I get back to blogging like I used too!
Wow. So many thoughts and emotions going on in my heart and mind today, that I just need to put them down somewhere. This is my outlet~ my mother's heart that has never stopped beating even when this world broke it in two.
This note flows out of that brokenness. It flows from the place in me where I can still 'see, feel and recall' the brokenness in such detail all these years later. It flows from the heartache an empathy I am feeling for the families in Newtown, CT who are re-living their pain and nightmare on this anniversary eve of the loss of their own little ones. It is spilling out from the goosebumps I got as I read the text from a dear friend who is headed to the ICU to quite possibly say her final goodbye to a special little girl even as I type this out.
Life is cruel and cold at times, and my own experiences have softened me toward other broken hearts in this world. When I hear of other hurting hearts, my own heart remembers a time and details that have yet to fade year after year.
The details of Teagan's final days and moments are etched on my heart and mind forever. The littlest moments were elevated to some of my most precious memories in light of her loss. It is those moments that matter most. The moments that we all have with our loved ones every single day. But for some reason, we don't hardly recognize their greatness or worth. Often times we even get annoyed by them, or frustrated and worn down. By their timing, and their frequency- by their 'mundaneness' among all the long to-do list we all have every day. These moments are the ones I cherish the most. Yet I STILL take them or granted far too often, even after learning the lesson of their value and worth having been schooled by sudden loss, heartache and grief.
They are moments we all have with the people around us. We sit down at a meal and eat together. Do we listen and laugh? Do we care about the smallest accomplishments our children or spouses have made that day? Do we see how sweet their tired eyes are as they wake to another day...another good morning hug...another bowl of Frosted Flakes? Do we have any idea how special it is that we can hug them and hold them in our arms? Do we study the color of their eyes? Do we tell them how much we love them- even if we are all running late and we can't find the cellphone or keys?
I can remember sharing the last bowl of tapioca with Teagan on the night before our incident. She was delighted over a bowl of warm tapioca. She and I sat at her small table and talked about how much we both loved real whipped cream. The earth didn't shake. The mountains didn't tremble. But it was a moment I will never forget. There was love and innocence in that time and place. There were dreams to be chased and more dancing to do when we were done! There was no reason to believe that moments like this weren't going to last forever. Hours later I would wake her up from her cozy night of sleep and help her get dressed and brush her hair and tie a ribbon in it one last time. The details were about to change. Forever.
Some days I mess it all up. I hurt from missing Teagan. I hurt because I miss the sound of her voice- her joy and delight over the littlest things. Sometimes I miss her so much that the people around me wonder what they did to make me mad. They wonder what they could do different to make me smile. Some days I wake up so sure that it must have been a dream, but it's real every day. Some days the strength comes and my heart and eyes re-open to beauty, happiness and joy. I am reminded of the details that I cling to and they make me want to love more, live more and try to be better- even with a broken heart.
I write this as I sit at the little table where Teagan and I shared countless meals and that last bowl of tapioca. I haven't ever been able to part with it {plus all the other kids have used it countless times too for the very things Teagan loved and used it for- playing Playdough, coloring pages, eating meals and snacks and hosting tea parties at it too} and I love being able to have a tangible remembrance of those special times spent with her. I am thankful for all the new memories made at this table, and I am grateful that broken hearts heal little by little. I am reminded again as I my heart weighs heavy for others facing grief and sorrow and heartbreak this Christmastime, that each and every moment is a gift. Every detail a blessing. The smallest moments blur together and get lost even more so this time of year. But if even for a moment we open our eyes to them and see their true worth, we will hold a priceless treasure in our hearts forever.
Somehow November had a way of slipping by very quickly and here it is December again! We had a quiet Thanksgiving Day weekend, just our family here in Michigan. The snow came down most of the day before and during Thanksgiving, and we ventured out around the corner and had our meal at the clubhouse. It was nice to not have any prep or clean-up. But we missed the warmth and smell of turkey dinner- not to mention leftovers! So the next day we made a Thanksgiving dinner at home. It was just as delicious the second time around. =)
I am doing some Christmas crafting and if you are wanting a deal on some supplies too, today is your day to grab some at Cocoa Daisy. There is a special on Daisy boxes and stamps for cyber-Monday. You can also get the December kits or add-ons right now too. I made a mini December album and a couple of layouts with mine. I am loving the washi tape in the kits for some holiday crafting too! Always one of my favorite things; one can never have too much cute tape, if you ask me!
I hope that this month brings you some special holiday memories, and some good food and most importantly, a deep peace and thankfulness for the gift of our Savior! Jesus is the reason for the Season!
This week is already the week of Thanksgiving. It feels like it has come from nowhere all so quickly. Our lives here are so busy and full from day to day. I know I am a broken record for saying that, but between school for 5 of the kids, a house project under construction in our basement, band concerts and sleepovers and everything in between, it just turns into a blur from day to day. This last week I had high hopes of getting on top of some things around the house and I was motivated to get ahead of myself with all that comes with Christmas too. Instead, I ended up laying on the couch for 2 full days due to a fever and cold that hit me hard and knocked me out! I was miserable and barely did a thing as I stayed bundled in blankets and tried to let my body rest in order to fight off the crazy virus.
Isn't that how it goes sometimes?! We think we are going to go one direction, and life takes us a different way. I know that on so many different levels! It is a hard lesson to learn to surrender and roll with it. I am still feisty and love being the one behind the reigns as much as I can.
I couldn't help but be reflective as I opened up my Cocoa Daisy kit for December this past week. I had very little energy to do anything with it, up until this weekend. It is called Home Again- and the reveal is happening tomorrow night on the boards, instead of the traditional 28th of the month due to Thanksgiving going on that same day. It is a kit filled with some adorable Cocoa Daisy exclusives, including the sweet wood veneer home and heart cut-outs. As we continue to settle in and finish up {we're completing a bathroom and bedroom in our downstairs for Brock} some home projects, I am so thankful and overwhelmed with the gift of home and family that we have to celebrate and say thanks to God for this year. It has truly been a wild ride to get here and it is still crazy for me to wrap my head around how it all came about. I have looked back at how many moves Chip and I have had since we first got married~ 9 of them, if I counted correctly. How life changes from year-to-year is amazing to me. Seeing my kids in this picture above taken in 2006 and looking at us all now is a wonder to think about. The growth, the changes, but most of all to me the reality that home has very little to do with where you are, and everything to do with the love you pour out wherever you may be. People thrive on love. I hope that you feel it where you are at right now, and that you can pour it out to people around you too- no matter where or what you are doing.
They say home is where the heart is. I believe that to be true. And having a set of antlers there makes it even better if you ask me too. =)
Happy first of November to you! I can't believe another month has come and gone! I do love the fresh start of a new month though, and today is even more exciting if you are into crafting and scrapping as much as I am. Over at Cocoa Daisy we are having a weekend online crop. What does that mean anyway? Well, it means that there is a full schedule of classes, games, challenges, guest chats, giveaways and more! It means when you click over there you will be inspired, learn new things, meet new people and just have an all-around good time!
I am teaching my first class over there this evening at 9pm eastern time. I have had so much fun putting my project together and have enjoyed making a beautiful mess with the November Stargazing kit! It is available now and I think the combination of colors and patterns on the papers are my favorite ever, so you will definitely want to get your own set! To do that, you can click here...the Daisy Boutique is always open.
I hope that you will find many things to be grateful for this month and into the next one too. The holiday season always has so much to offer and this year I want to be as intentional as ever in making the most of it all.
I can't wait to get my first "red cup" of the season either. Oh yes, Happy November indeed!
I have been busy behind the scenes of Nitty.Gritty. Our fall slipped very quickly into the first white of winter this week when we awoke to a whole backyard/golf course covered in snow. The good news is that it has already melted again, and we also learned how cozy our fireplace heats and makes our house feel. My scrap loft is just up and over the stairway from the living room, so all the heat rises and I was happy to plunk myself down in there and make a pretty mess! =)
The next kit is just about to be revealed. It's called Stargazing and it is full of Cocoa Daisy exclusive designs and products. It is my favorite kit and combination of 'stuff' and has made me happy as I cut it up and crafted with it. I get to be the host on the message boards on Monday night when the kit goes live, so feel free to stop in and say hi while you get the first look at everything in this kit. It's a good one!
The following weekend- Nov. 1-3 is the fall online crop. I am teaching a class called, "Layers of Goodness:: 1 class, 3 ways" and it has been fun putting it all together, so I am excited to share it with whoever wants to log on next Friday night. I promise it is easy, fun and hopefully it will kickstart some ideas in your own head that you can turn into a cool project of your own. This is such a great time of year to settle down and make pretty things. If you're like me, you wish someone would jump in and make dinner and do your laundry so you can scrap some more! =)
My kids have had three days off of school this week due to parent-teacher conferences and fall break. They all received really great reports and assessments from their respective teachers. I am a proud mom to them as they have been through so many transitions and yet still are making the most of it and trying their best through all of it. I am thankful for teachers and staff that have helped them succeed too. Wyndham also started school and has gone to her new classroom for the past 10 days. She attends a local area learning center and we have been so proud of how she has settled into her new routine and she is very happy to be back it school it seems. There are about 10 students in her class with various challenges and issues. There are several other classrooms at her school too, where we have seen just how blessed Wyndham is to be functioning at the level that she is at. There was a bit of heartache and heartbreak for me when we first toured the school and I saw just how many kids there are with life challenges far greater than the ones we deal with every day.
I'll be honest, it was hard to see the severity of some of their special needs. This world throws out a lot of curveballs and when they hit innocent little kids it is hard to swallow. But in those same hallways and classrooms I saw people helping and caring and meeting needs that made me realize just how lucky these kids are too. There is something very special about those who serve and teach and love people with disabilities. I am sure the ones serving and caring would tell you story after story about how they feel blessed to do what they do too.
As Chip and I dropped Wyndham off on her first day we stayed and helped her get settled in and just observed her interactions for a bit. The first part of her class the teacher goes over the basics, such as calendar, weather and lunch orders. You know, the important stuff in life! =) Each student gets a chance to respond to what month and day it is and the teacher goes around the room letting them say or point to the answer on the smartboard on the screen up front. It was quite the lesson for me as I watched this unfold. First of all, it was a Monday in October. I don't know about you, but a Monday in October can be a pretty challenging thing just getting up and going. But these kids taught me something and I want to share it with all of you...and hopefully revisit this life lesson often, as needed.
It went like this: As the teacher announced to the class that today was Monday and the month was October, some of the kids started cheering and getting excited as they raised their hand to repeat the answer. One little guy especially could hardly contain his excitement. She called on him first. Willie answered, "Monday and October" and then he clapped loudly and repeated 'Monday' in sort of a chant/cheer format. He was all smiles and even though it was a cold Monday in October, his enthusiasm and sheer happiness over answering correctly was contagious. Little Willie has no idea that so many people hate Mondays. He has no idea that Monday is the dreaded day of the week for countless people going back to school and work or whatever it is that they do on Monday. He has no idea that some people wake up on Monday counting down the days til Friday.
And it hit me in such a vivid way that we ALL need a little more joy and contentment and excitement and enthusiasm in 'this moment'- even when, or should I say especially when it is Monday! Several of the other kids were all smiles and seemed very happy to announce that it was Monday that day too. Despite all the challenges they had going on in their bodies and minds, they had something going so 'right' too. Far better than many people who aren't labeled "special needs or challenged". Their attitude toward life and learning is something to be envied. I walked into that building feeling sorry for all the kids and heavy-hearted for the families who even need the extra assistance and care of the staff at that school. However, I walked out of that building softened and changed a tiny bit as I realized that maybe I am the one with the challenges and they are the teachers to the rest of us. Disability is only that when we allow it to hold us back. These kids and teachers are ready and even experts, I think, at taking on life just as it is handed to them and making the very best out of it. Even on Mondays. Now that is something to aspire too!
I think Wyndham is lucky to be in such a special place.
I am not sure how September seems to have suddenly turned into October, but here it is and the calendar doesn't lie! Yesterday I baked a new recipe- the Apple Pie Bread found at this link- and it made the whole house smell great. It was pretty tasty {crumbly, when cut and eaten!} and the kids loved it! I am not a great cook, but baking makes me happy and I almost always make someone else happy when I bake too, so that is a win-win in my book. Cooking is best left to Chip, and I am looking forward to the delicious soups and fall flavors that will happen in our kitchen in the coming days and weeks too.
Cocoa Daisy's "Sweater Weather" kit is now available for purchase. You can see more of the add-ons and Day In The Life kit at the site too, as well as all the awesome design teams' layouts and projects. I so enjoyed meeting my friends in person and love how I get to play with paper and new products each month, but more importantly the friendships that we share online grow with each layout made and chat shared too! That is another win-win in my book. =)
Our weather is supposed to feel like summer for another few days here in Michigan, and then the cooler weather will kick in. I love the change of seasons and yet I know I am not going to look forward to a long, white winter yet, so that means we will soak up every bit of fall that we can.
I have a heavy, burdened heart for some of my friends going through some really tough stuff in life right now. Life and death stuff that sort of sucks the joy of life and makes one miss everything going on about them- like the changing seasons. I know that God is in and over all of it, but that doesn't make the hard times in life less hard. They just point us to a Hope and a greater trust, but developing that comes at the cost of suffering and pain.
I think the changing seasons is such an 'obvious time' to see God at work and a beautiful reminder that He is steadfast, He loves, He cares about the details, and He is merciful. I pray you will see that, feel it and believe it with your whole heart. He is our portion- no matter how little or much we need. Always.
This is the day that for the big reveal of Cocoa Daisy's October kit~ Sweater Weather. Here in Michigan the weather is actually more summerlike than fall, but I don't mind a bit! We still have some settling in to do at our house and I have had fun getting my scrap loft area unpacked so that I could scrap again. This kit is definitely filled with touches of autumn, but the colors and patterns of everything in it speak to much more than that too! I played with the pale orange and blue combo on a couple of my layouts. It has a lot of woodgrain and nature in it, which is always one of my favorite things! So feel free to join a bunch of us on the message boards tonight and get in on the sweater weather action firsthand. It's a fun night to be online at Cocoa Daisy!
I had to share a picture of our bed that we had ordered and was delivered this week. It is tall compared to our former bed, but we love the look of it and I am now watching for some fall/winter bedding to make it extra cozy when the cool weather does show up! For now the windows are still open during the day and the leaves around us have yet to change color. The golfers are still passing through our backyard all day long as we look out onto the 9th tee. The kids are still playing chalk on our driveway and the air is fresh and warm. I am soaking up as much of this kind of late summer-like weather as possible.
As always, I hope to blog more than I do as well! Maybe one day life will settle down into a routine. For now, it is still busy, busy busy. The kids all started school at one place, and then within a week we had transferred them to a new school. So between 5 school campuses and moving into a new house in the past month we still don't have a 'normal' schedule and are still making sense out of all the new things in our lives and spaces. But so far the transitions have gone mostly well. We feel very blessed. The sunrises are still beautiful each day, and with the exception of a few mild colds, we are all doing great. Just this morning Chip, Teague and I went to the local Farmer's Market. We have a bushel of Honey Crisp apples to enjoy as a result. There will likely be some baking in my future, and if you have a tried and true favorite apple recipe, feel free to share it with me in the comments today. Sometimes I love the changing seasons. When it means new recipes and warm weather, what's not to love?! Happy Autumn to you and yours! xo
I almost don't know what to say. Life, as we start to settle into our new house, after just one week since our moving date is almost too good to be true. That's not to say that we haven't put in long days or worked hard for what we have. But all in all it has gone so much better and easier than Chip and I had anticipated.
We have already enjoyed the early morning sunrises, with beautiful pinks and orange hues right outside our bedroom window. We have checked out the local Farmers' Market and have enjoyed cooking some meals and making brownies in our new kitchen as we get unpacked and make it feel like home around here. The space just seems to work so well for the needs of our family, and having a clean slate to set up has gone smoothly just having it be fresh and clean too!
Today half of our kids started school. They are at three different schools and each of them seemed comfortable and even a bit excited about the new changes ahead of them. I have done a lot of praying about the friends they will meet and make, and I know they are ready to be challenged and grow in many ways as a result of this new experience in their lives too. Wyndham still has a few details to be worked out before she starts her classes and therapies, and Crew is in the registration process for starting preschool too. The house could get very quiet around here on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursday mornings! I haven't been home with just one child in years!
I am pleased to tell you that Cocoa Daisy's September kit~ 5th and Main ~ is available for purchase now! You can get some of the extra papers too. The rest of the add-ons and The Day in the Life kit have sold out, but as you can see, the main kit is still full of so many great items that I can't wait to get back out of boxes and get to scrapping again! I have lots of unpacking to do when it comes to the kids' closets, my scrapbook space and we have a few big purchases to make- including the bed we are thinking about pictured above. SO much going on in such a short amount of time! It sort of makes my head spin when I pause to think about all of it. But at the same time it truly feels like home here already. It's as if a weight was lifted off of our shoulders when we moved into this place. I don't fully know how or why that it, but I can honestly tell you that it feels good.
So good in fact, that I am about to go make chocolate chip cookies so the kids have a yummy first-day-back-to-school snack when they walk in the door. Oh yes, for now anyway, life is sweet. and this place feels like Home.Sweet.Home.
