Currently (vol 3)

Thinking about // Christmas and the holiday season. Already. Yep. The weeks are counting down and it always amazes me with just how busy we are. I think it happens once every 8 weeks or so when we have a weekend that we don't do anything. It's always a house project or family event that we're spending out weekends doing. So I've already pulled out the calendar and have started planning our next quarter. Who's birthday is when, sending out feelers for parties, coordinating the holidays and all the fun stuff that accompanies that. Scheduling weekends where we stay home for projects and scheduling weekends for REST.

Watching // We started Once Upon A Time (now that we've finished Orange is the New Black) and I'm intrigued. Last week the girls and I fell victim to an awful cold and we spent the week watching the entirety of our Disney Princess Collection - aka 3 movies. Frozen, Tangled and The Princess and The Frog. That set a fire under me to start adding more of my favorites to our collection, which started with The Lion King. And I realized that even 20 years later (OH GAWD I AM OLD) I know each and every line.

Thankful for // my seriously blessed life. This morning as I was playing with Ruby before Penny woke up, I thought about just how giving and generous God has been to me. I have an amazingly supporting family and in-laws, an honorable, hardworking and loving husband, a beautiful home that we are crafting together and my two daughters. When I was pregnant with Ruby I prayed so hard for a second daughter (but of course, no matter what I knew I'd be happy). And this wish, all these wishes and dreams, have been granted. It blew me away as I mentally checked off all these blessings in my life and made me think about how I can turn this around and bring more glory to Him.

Enjoying // my sister-in-law, Molly. This week we've spend 2 (tomorrow will be 3) mornings processing apples that we picked a couple weeks ago to make applesauce and pie filling. We've been in each other's lives for a short time but I'm truly enjoying getting to know her beyond family gatherings. She's an awesome mom, a great listener and I'm enjoying learning more about her and becoming closer friends.

Photographing // Myself - which is RARE. This morning as I was brushing my hair I realized that my bangs are too long. My mom normally cuts them for me, but with her in Germany for the next two years I came to the conclusion that now is the time to learn. I cut Adam's hair and so why not learn how to cut my own. So I did it. I trimmed my bangs. And it wasn't so bad.

Instagram Me.

Making me happy // the transition into fall. I'm burning candles, planning better meals, cleaning the house, sorting and purging clothes for the upcoming JBF sale. And pulling out what Penny calls my "cozy clothes" (sweat shirts, yoga pants and socks).

Loving // the rain. No kidding. I'm a Washington girl, through and through. I've been loving the sound of cars driving over wet pavement, rain throughout the night and early morning fog on my drive to Molly's for more apple peeling. I know I'll be complaining come February, but I love the clean feeling after a long time without good rain.

Currently (vol 2)

Thinking about// Some really hard stuff that can very quickly overtake this sweet, bubbly post and turn it into a dark, uncomfortable one. So rather than getting into it, I'll leave it as this and ask you to send up a little prayer for this heart of mine.

{Not} watching// Season 2 of Orange is the New Black - BUT I SHOULD BE!!!! We got hooked on season 1 a couple months ago, and it became an evening ritual to watch an episode before bed. But lately life has been really busy and tiring so early bedtime (even for grown ups) is the new black for us but I'm dying to get back into watching it!

Photographing// Baby, our resident broody hen, as she is on day 7 of 21 of sitting on her eggs. In about 2 weeks, we're hoping to have a few baby peepers to show off!

Feeling// helpless, but working to reinvigorate and distract myself while God puts his plans into place and shines a bright light into that bit of darkness that's on my heart.

Thankful for// Ruby sitting up. Yes, Ruby sits up! Why am I thankful? Because now she is able to play independently for a little bit, hold her own with Penny and guess what? I even caught a glimpse of Penny showing Ruby how to play with a toy! Be still my heart, these girls are the best.

Currently (vol 1)

Thinking about// My parents will be moving to Europe in less than a week and will be gone for 2 years. On one hand I am really happy for them and am totally hoping for a family trip there in the future, but on the other hand I am thinking about how their absence will affect my daughters. Penny is very close with my mom and I know she will miss her terribly. What is almost worse is that Ruby really won't know what she's missing out on, and I wonder how this two year assignment will affect her relationship with them when they return.

Reading// Dark Hope: Book One of the Archangel Prophecies. This is the first book that I've read since finishing the Hunger Games series last summer and I have been really hungry (wow, no pun intended) for a good book. The first 100 pages were slow, but in the span of 2 pages I knew that I'd be hooked for the rest of the series!

Thankful for// my backyard. On super hot days, I'll cook dinner and we take it outside. We don't have a picnic table yet, so most evenings dinner is served on a blanket in the grass. A cool breeze, the scent of my peach tree wafting over, the curious clucks of the chickens and laying while eating dinner (a la Ancient Roman style).

Photographing// who else? These cuties!

Loving// experimenting with my lavender and lemon oil essential oils. I recently started using essential oils for wellness, and have really started to love the intense flavors that these two oils bring to my cooking and baking. I've used lemon oil in several recipes that normally call for lemon juice (try Blueberry Yogurt Popsicles) and I also tried lavender lemonade!