The End is Beginning

"The days are long, but the years are short."  

Gretchen Rubin

As I sit at my computer typing this morning, all I can say is where did the time go?  A couple of weeks ago, we had Emaleigh's senior pictures taken.  I can't believe I am the mother of a senior in high school.  Wasn't it just yesterday that I was bringing this sweet little baby home from the hospital?  No?  Oh, that's because I was taking her to her first day of preschool.  No? Watching her win a computer in a music journal competition at the end of 3rd grade?  Watching her fall into a sea of students heading off to middle school?  Helping her get ready for her first homecoming dance?  Teaching her how to drive?  No? No? No? Well okay then, maybe the quote from Gretchen Rubin sums it up best.  The days can be mundane and troublesome at times, but when I look back on how each year this once tiny little baby has grown into an incredible young woman I am so proud of what she is becoming.  I thank God for allowing me to be her Mother.  She has taught me so much in the past seventeen years. I am excited for what this last year of high school has in store for her.  As she plans her future and makes decisions that will determine the path she takes, I will be smiling, praying, and saying "thank you" for all of the wonderful (and sometimes troublesome) memories she has given me!

It's Coming Along

The house renovations are coming along. Lots of changes have been made since we moved in this past January.

We've updated just about every room in the house now. When we bought this house I felt like it was an answer to our prayers.  Then we moved in. And to my dismay, I felt like it was the root of all evil. After much prayer and reflection over the past 11 months, I'm realizing God sent me here to learn about perfection. I am definitely one of those people.  A perfectionist. I admit it. It's not always bad. Except for when it prevents me from enjoying my life. Sometimes I try not to be one, but it seems to resonate from my body like the air that I breath. During my time with my dad this summer, he shared something with me that really spoke to me. It's okay to go slow. It's okay for it to be your best. Not perfect.  But my best. There is simply no need to rush.

I'm okay that it has taken me 9 months to even warm up to this house, and now I only suffer from deep-seeded resentment once a week--maybe once every two weeks--instead of every day!  I'm making progress, I must say.  God has surely grown me in ways I can't really explain. My home has always been my sense of identity, but I am learning that it's okay to live in a flawed home.  It's okay when pipes burst and cause unexpected leaks.  It's okay when screens fall off the windows and I have replace them periodically.  It's okay that the main toilet needs to be flushed twice, sometimes three times to make "it" all go away.  It's okay that my furniture doesn't quite fit the way I want it, too. I am grateful to have this home. A home that is teaching me to be okay with what I have in the moment.

Embracing the oddities of this house and knowing that God has me here to grow me in ways I didn't realize I needed to grow is wonderful. I am glad for the lessons He has to offer. I look forward to whatever it is that He wants me learn, and pray that I am open to seeing and hearing what He would like me to do next.

Don't you just love a good before and after post with pictures of the the crud and the incredible transformations of the after.  I know I do!  I can just imagine the pictures that God has collected of me along the way.  My "befores"--so to speak!  The ones where I harbored anger. Resentment. Envy. Jealousy. Guilt. Judgment. Over the years, I feel like He has taught me so many lessons. I wonder if He has any "afters" that He keeps to remind Him of how far he has come with me. I smile just thinking about it.

So I imagine that if you've stuck with this post and all of my ramblings, you must want to see some before/afters.  I don't want to overwhelm my feed, so I'll practice my dad's advice.  Go slow.  There's no rush!

Let's start with the living room.

Before.

Not a ton of changes except for the ton of paint that was used on the walls and trim.  This house was loaded with 1980's orange stain and beige paint from the 2000's. From ceiling to the floors.  Don't get me wrong. I was a beige paint lover for a decade, too. But then I realized that I felt closed in with all that brown. When we moved to our last house, I started with my favorite gray beige paint, but then after living in it for a while, I decided I wanted to lighten things up a bit. When we moved here, I knew from the get go that everything would go light. Slowly we've managed to paint just about every piece of trim in this house. We've also painted just about every wall. The verdict is still out on the stairway rails, the ceiling and the cabinetry. I'm not sure if we will be staying long term or not. Plus I want the house to feel warm not stark. I know we will for sure be here for a few years, but I don't want to invest a ton of money if we are just going to turn around and sell. I learned that lesson from the last house! I also know that I want to be content while I am living here.  So for now, I am doing the projects that are manageable and cost effective.

During:

After:

So the photos from before are the realtor professional ones. That's not me.  No professional photos here.  Just ones from my iPhone. And this is my house with 13 year old furniture. Two dogs that rule the roost. Pillows not perfectly aligned.  Blankets that are actually used. Blinds that are open. antlers and bones on the hearth for the dogs. Remote controls that are out and about because we actually use this room to live in--hence the reason it's called our living room. If I got close enough, you'd probably also see some dust bunnies here and there, too. ;).  Keeping it real, people.  Keeping it real!

Stay tuned...more before and after's to come in the upcoming days, weeks, months, years, decades?!! You never know what you'll get here!

Snow Day

With the added responsibilities of being a part time Induction Coach and still teaching 1/2 time in the classroom, I was delighted when the notification came across that school was cancelled today due to inclement weather.  The blizzard like conditions last night and most of today allowed the kids and I to simply relax in the beauty of doing nothing. God is so good!  Always. He knew I needed this day to be forced to simply relax.  And relax I did.  Not one responsibility lingered in my head today.  I laid in bed until 7:00.  That NEVER happens.  I watched a bit of TV.  That rarely happens.  I took on a craft project that brought joy to my soul.  That needs to happen more often!  It was a good day.  A good day indeed.  Thank you Jesus for the time to revel in Your beauty and glory.

A Day in the Life

Clearly, I'm not meant to be one of those professional bloggers.  I can hardly keep up with breathing right now, let alone posting updates of a day in the life of us.  Our lives have been crazy busy this summer.  If you follow my instagram feed, then I'd say you are pretty much up to date!  That's the best things about instagram.  It takes about 60 seconds to post something rather than 20-30 minutes that it takes to create a blog post. I L.O.V.E the ease of it!

But having this blog has always been my mainstay and the other day I noticed my brother commented that I needed to do an update. Back in July.  Oh well.  Sorry bro, I'm a bit behind! Plus I realized that when I print out the blog in January it will have a huge gap.  I can hear my kids saying, "Mom, did something happen the summer of 2015?"  "No, not that I'm aware of," I say.  "Then why aren't they posts in our family journal?"  "Because I'm lazy and love sitting on the couch eating bon-bons," I reply.  Well, maybe that conversation won't really happen, but I'd like to think they might have a wondering or two about the lack of posts for the past three months!

We are well into the routine of school and fall is approaching rapidly.

As usual it was a little chilly on the first day school. I love that the dog is at the begging to come out, the screen fell out of the window and the front yard hadn't received it's update yet.  Reminds me of how much love we've brought back to this place.

Ema is a junior and loving it.  Her course load is a bit heavy this year with AP classes, but she's up for the challenge. Her dad and I told her there is truly no pressure to take the tests if she gets to the end and doesn't feel prepared.  Our family is about balance. Take some risks, but remember it's okay to step back if necessary.  Theater season is approaching quickly and she is excited to start a new production. She's not sure what her role will be this semester, but she told her theater coach that she is open to whatever is needed backstage!  I love her flexibility and the joy she finds in this area.

Caleb is transitioning well into high school.  He tried out for the golf team in early August--before school even started--and made the team!  We are so proud of him.  One of two freshman that they accepted. He is also taking two honors classes this year.  When there is an 18 hole tournament, he usually misses a half and sometimes a full day of school, yet he is still doing well academically. We are so grateful for his persevence! He leaves for school at 7 am and doesn't usually get home until 7pm.  Crazy schedule for the first two months of school, but he seems to really love it!

Craig is still busy with Pepsi. He enjoys his job and the many challenges it has brought this year. Lots of new technologies are being brought on board, and he is learning them with grace!

I am falling in love my new batch of firsties.  Still teaching 1/2 time with my job partner, but I've been asked to take on a few more hours each month as an induction coach for new teachers to our district. I was humbled and honored that they asked me to take this new role on.  And quite honestly, grateful for a little extra money as we get closer to sending these two babies to college.  I can't believe we only have 2 years left with Emaleigh. It hardly seems possible.

Hopefully, it isn't another three monthes until the next post!

Hello There

Well, it's only been a month since my last update.  I love that this blog is something that I can always come back to. I find it fascinating that I'm one of those feast or famine kinda folks. When I look back at myself, I can honestly say I've always been that way.

But this blog is one of those things that I can say keeps me grounded.
I love going back an rereading different posts.
I love that I print them out each year, so my kids have a hard copy of all the great memories our family has created.
I love that no matter how much time passes, this blog is always here.

So what's been up lately?

Well, we've been steadily getting the rooms in this home painted. We hit a slow patch after spring break, but now all we have left is the dining room, the kitchen and the kids bathroom. Along with all the door transformations, but I keep telling myself that I'll be here for a while, so I'm not in too much of a rush. I'm learning to love the home I have. Shopping around the house to fill the spaces we call home is really bringing joy to my heart. Craig and I recently transformed a mirror my grandmother had in her home for so many years. We've had it for about 10 years, but during our last move it got cracked. I was so sad when it happened. But the new transformation has brought much joy to my heart. And I know that G.G. is smiling in Heaven knowing that her treasures are now my family's treasures!

Craig transformed my  mishap into beauty!

I hope this frame makes you as happy as it makes me G.G.

Found this great piece of artwork at Ross the other day.

Making a gallery wall to showcase our travels.  I espeically love the smiling little girl that is in no way special to us, other than the fact that she in the cutest barnwood frame ever!  Looking forward to adding a new photo of our own family soon.  Like maybe next year, sometime!

This move certainly took it's toll on me in many ways. I am slowly coming out of the fog I've been in for the past 6 months, and I am growing in so many ways. I'm letting go of things that brought me pain, and I am embracing things that bring me joy. I'm thankful that Jesus is so forgiving and offers Grace. Freely. Without it, I know I would be in a much worse place.

Until next time...

Life Keeps Moving...

I'm amazed at how quickly time passes.  It seems like it was just yesterday that I was giving a house update, but it turns out that was almost a month ago now...phew.  Time flies!
Anyhoo, the house is coming along just fine! The carpet is in, and boy am I SO grateful. Being able to sink my toes into the soft new fibers is so refreshing! I still have a few things here and there that I want to add to the rooms that are done, but for now, I'm going to close my wallet to home improvements. We still need to paint the main living/dining/kitchen area, but I think I have enough paint left over to make this happen. I just need the motivation to get the supplies out.  I hate the cleaning up part, so I usually procrastinate until I can't stand it any longer.

The mister and I want to take the kids on a summer vacation in June, so we are saving our pennies for something cheap, but fun.  We are pretty good at maximizing our dollar on road trips, so we are in the planning stages right now.  Thinking either a trip to the Pacific Northwest or the western part of the Gulf of Mexico.  Not sure yet..

or

As I sit here typing this morning, I can believe how much I am learning about myself through this part of my journey. 

Now that I am knee deep in my forties, I am seeing things a bit differently. God is definitely opening my eyes to things I didn't realize I needed to see. Things that I thought were uber important in my twenties and thirties (money, possessions, impressing the Jones') are just not that critical. I can only imagine my friends in their fifties, sixties and seventies thinking "wait until you get to your fifties, sixties and seventies!" ;)  Oh the joy of aging. I'm so grateful to be able to embrace the idea that it's not the "things" in life that are important, but the relationships and memories that you create along the way.

This reminds me of when I was in my early thirties and reading the bible cover to cover for the first time. Mind you--it took me well over a year or two to do this! But, I remember one day when I had finished my daily reading and I sat in my brown cushy chair that Quinn has so graciously taken over.  

Wow.  What's changed?  Not a whole heck of a lot.  The people from early biblical times had problems.  And so do I. The funny thing is, the problems (both theirs and mine) are really not that important. As I reflect on this Good Friday and thank my Savior for the greatest sacrifice He gave for little ol' me to be able to enjoy life, I can't help but pray these words, "Lord, open my eyes to this life. Allow me to appreciate it in in all of it's Glory.  Help me to not take things so seriously, and the appreciate the bad and the good.  Because without the bad, the good would be quite as good!"

I pray you have a blessed day and you remember to embrace each moment for all it has to offer. Afterall, they do go by so quickly!