a settled place

It was still pretty cold in April of this year - I distinctly remember because we closed on this house that we planned to remodel and rent out, and then we walked in the door and I set an infant car seat down on the floor and realized that none of us was wearing enough layers to stay warm, and the place did, in fact, still smell like cigarette smoke. However, the previous homeowner had left a gift for the kids, and I was moved to tears by her generosity and thoughtfulness. Truly, what a gift from her and from God - to realize that this was exactly where He wanted our family for this period of time. The dust started to fly and the overwhelm did not abate but the grace abounded and with lots of good help and expertise from many sources, 2823 W. Main St was transformed into a habitable place. We're honored and excited to be renting it to three sweet girls who keep it sparkling clean and photo-worthy at all times... and since that's the best way to tell the story, here a...

School days have begun for us... Ivory started kindergarten several weeks ago! By now she is enjoying her class and friends, loves PE, and generally eats all of her lunch that I send... which is better than I could say through the summer! :) Honesty is always my goal, though, and if I'm being completely honest, sending my first child to kindergarten has been much harder than I thought. I wish I could say that by the fourth morning of kindergarten, we flawlessly completed our morning routine including quiet time, protein-filled breakfast, plenty of clean clothes in the drawers, no arguments about hair or shoes, no nerves, and no fits by little brothers. But I cannot say that. In fact, the fourth morning of kindergarten proved how quickly you can go from being "on time" to "late", and also showed me the extent to which the weather forecast will dictate our methods of getting and from school from here on out. "Heavy rain" is not ideal walking conditi...

Yesterday morning after we finally got Ivory to school in the rain, Laura came over to watch the boys so I could go over to Edelstein and work on painting at the rental house. It was so kind of her to offer, because she just as easily could have done the painting, but I really appreciated the opportunity to walk into a project space, drop my keys in the silence, and pick up some sandpaper and a bucket of primer.  I expressed to Grant not that long ago that I cannot take progressive steps forward in any given area of life without help, at this stage. I can go over to Edelstein and paint, but someone has to watch my children. I can take one child to a special event, but I need help with the others. I can care for my children and meet all of their needs, but then it's likely someone else will have to pick up my slack in other areas - cleaning my house, helping me can my peaches, bake my cookies and bars for church lunch, etc. And so, I'm very grateful for our village. There...

Awhile ago I was searching for a good women's top pattern and ran across this tutorial by The Sewing Rabbit . I've used her resources before and loved them, so I decided to give this one a try. And then I actually ended up making it three more times, in different variations! Her instructions are clear and the concept is simple, so there's lots of room for creativity and modifying. I made three shirts and a dress using her tutorial. One of my shirts didn't really turn out which is why you're not seeing pictures of it here. I even tried to redeem it, and it still just needs to go in the garbage. It's still sitting on my sewing cabinet for now, hopefully if I give it a little time, throwing it away won't be so painful. :) Jess's tutorial is a crop top but I added length for both of my shirts and it worked really well. I'll maybe try to post some pics of me wearing them at some point in the future, but for now here's this: Fabric Sources: c...

Watching fireworks in Sibley all during my growing-up years, there would be candy bars passed around - 100 Grands, Charleston Chews - and those are the tastes that still come to mind on this holiday. I'm blessed by a heritage of deep patriotism from a family that values celebrating this day, and it's always been among my favorites. Recently I made a list in my journal of things that I want my children to know and who I want our family to be. I'm not even sure that "patriotic" made the list, but each day finds me discovering new ideas and desires for the childhood that Ivory, Titus, and Elijah are currently living. Although each day feels like the same battle over and over again, I hope that someday they look back - and I look back - and remember this time of great learning and growth with fondness. As parents, we are literally shaping who they become, and I have to constantly remind myself that by God's grace, we are enough. We are not as good as those par...