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Wrapping up the season...

The memories in each little ornament hold more joy than could ever be put into words. 

Happy Halloween!

our front porch ~ with a little help from pinterest this year

GRATITUDE

Last year I was inspired to make a gratitude garland.

I carefully stored it and was excited to bring it out again after Halloween. I was not disappointed when I got it out on November 1st, it is one of my favorite decorations.

I added to it this year, with a few berries and some extra rosettes.

I made four new leaves and we all wrote something we are thankful for:

Bee - Blessings

Buddy - Thanksgiving Party

Hubs - a job that I love

I also wrote the year on the back of the leaves, hopeful that we can use this for a few more years.

For my leaf, I went a different route this year and added a Bible verse that has touched my heart this fall. "The only thing that matters is faith expressing itself through love" Galatians 5:6. Now close your eyes and picture a world where people live those words. I guess I'm grateful that I get the chance to try. Through God's grace, I'm forgiven over and over and keep on trying.

I'm so thankful for so much. I love to spend time in November reflecting on that and giving credit where credit is due.

Amen.

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Because they won't be little forever...

A pile of found things can be a very exciting thing around here

Today I choose pure joy over the complete mess of toys in our basement. My kids are still young enough to spend the day pretending all sorts of wacky things and I am choosing contentment in this time rather than frustration.

Joy. Contentment. Fun. What a perfect Saturday.

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This is the view from our deck. Over our fence, over the walking path, over a semi-busy road...there is this field. I absolutely love this view. The darker green is an alfalfa field that has just been harvested. It will grow back, be mowed again, and baled. It's fun to see the process, which we've watched three times over the year that we've been here. The lighter green is pasture, where cows roam and eat and moo. We watch storms come over the horizon and firelies dance at night. It makes me happy.

We've got such a different life here. The kids are currently out front with the neighbor kids, caring for a painted turtle that their dad found fishing. There's a freedom in their lives that is new and fantastic. I know that part of it comes with the independence of older kids, it's a great feeling to know that your kids are happy.

 We've had picnics. Fireworks shows. They ride their scooters up and down the block. There are kids everywhere.

They've had their first boat rides. Summer day camps. Art and music classes. Nature hikes.

And lots of down time. It's been such a change of pace here and I LOVE IT.

August 1st will mark one year since we left Omaha. Yes, saying good-bye was hard, but there have been no regrets. Kearney is home.

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Comfort and Joy

Home Sweet Home.

The tree is still up. I plugged in every light this evening, inside and out.

We are awaiting our first winter storm, with anticipation and excitement.

Little winter friends sit all around the house, we've been waiting for it to feel like winter.

My house has this warm glow. It's all sweet and shiny.

On Saturday, most of  the decorations will come down, as is the new year's tradition. But tonight, I'm savoring this bit of holiday that is left at our house.

It's been a week to remember. Healthy kids, good weather for travel, lots of good times with family to cast a magical haze over this holiday.

Legos. American Girl. G.I. Joes. And fairies.

Gratitude. Peace. Love. Joy. And Hope.

Happy New Year.

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Ornaments

Click on the collage if you want to see the tiny squares...

Each ornament on our tree holds some sort of memory, a story. We will not make any magazine lay outs. We will not win any prizes for the perfection that is our tree. But each year we enjoy getting out each one. Remembering the who, the when, the where. I have the ornament from my first Christmas. The ones I received from grandparents. Ones that I made. I also have some that hung on my grandparents' tree and a few from my parents'.

Both kids have an ornament box with their name on it. They love getting out their small collection of ornaments, remembering each one. Deocrating the tree is like a trip down memory lane.

The photos from the collage are from several different years. I can't help myself, each year I take the pictures knowing that there are plenty already! There is something about the beauty of that tree with the lights and all of those funky oraments. I just sit at night at look at it.

It's just one more thing that makes this season a highlight of our year!

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A Thankful Season

It's my favorite way to set a fall table, a tray of gourds. The colors make me happy.

This is the corner next to our table. Each piece means something to me. The plant that a friend gave me as a going-away gift when I left school last spring. A rocker that was my dad's when he was a child. A clock that used to reside on my grandparents' mantel. A figurine of a mother, given to me by my own mom. When I sit at my table and look at this, it makes me feel happy.

Then I can look out our back door, which is right behind our table, and watch the sun set. It is a beautiful sight that I marvel at each evening. As if I'm surprised that it happens each day. There's an alfalfa field across that road and some cows go out to graze just beyond that. When they're let out to pasture, we can hear them moo. We live in town, but have the best country view.

I have no point here. Except maybe that I'm at peace again. We've settled in and are making this home. I still miss things about Omaha every day, but am feeling more content right where I am.

My mom asked me this summer (while I was in the middle of a big fret), "Do you have what you need for today?" Well, yes I do. I keep asking myself that question, almost daily. The answer so far has been yes every time. Then why on earth would I sit and worry.

I have what I need for today.

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Inspired

 I don't have much at my house to decorate for Thanksgiving. I insist on waiting for Christmas decorations until the weekend after Thanksgiving, which means sometimes our house is a little unadorned in November. I was lucky to be gifted a few things from my mom when we moved. She was cleaning out her holiday stuff and I told her I was in need of some pilgrims. So now at least I have a couple of pilgrims, a turkey, and two Native American children. A good start.

 I was so happy to come across a post as I was wandering around on the internet the other day. It tells how to make a Thanksgiving Garland Project. I found myself completely inspired to do some decorating with gratitude in mind. Something I've been trying to focus on for months.

I feel like only good things can come when you bring an attitude of thankfulness into your home. For we are so grateful for everything that we have and for each other.

My end product is much simpler than the inspiration photo, but I like it and it fits perfectly in our home. The kids helped with the words we put on the leaves and were excited to see them tied on with ribbon. I even tried my hand at a few of the fabric rosettes, they turned out okay and add a little color. It is a great addition to get us through to December when we'll get out the Christmas decorations.

I ended up making this wordle too and picked up a candlestick 1/2 price at our hobby store.
The Thanksgiving decor is coming along!

My whole point was to recognize gratitude in our house and I feel grateful to Tatertots and Jello for the starting point!

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Meandering

Yesterday at 11 AM, I marinated some chicken for supper while my lunch (left overs) heated up in the microwave. I left that in the fridge for later and headed downstairs to watch Brothers and Sisters on my DVR while I ate my left over spaghetti. The Buddy was watching a cartoon on the computer while he had an after-preschool snack. An unwinding of sorts.

This isn't how we do it every day. Some days there's lunch together at the table with meaningful conversation. We don't seem to do anything the same two days in a row.

When he was done with his snack, we played play doh and then went to pick up his sister. B and the Buddy played on the playground for a while when she came out because it was a beautiful sunny day and because they felt like it. I took them out for icees after that, just because.

I feel like a kid skipping school some days. Reading a novel smack dab in the middle of the day. Or watching a t.v. show. It's so weird.

This time is such a gift, this at-home year. My home is my priority and I've been trying to give our family as much of my time and attention as I can.

That being said, I also am still a human. Imperfect as ever. I still have rotten, poor-me days. My kitchen, right now, is destroyed. I need to do dishes and sweep up. I am not in a great routine with all of that yet. But am definitely working on it.

The thing about it is that I cannot believe how great it feels to be given this gift of time. This in-between breathing room. It's fantastic.

I just wonder if I'll ever realize that this is my REAL life and I'm not just playing make believe. Somehow it's not quite reality yet. It feels like vacation.

A really, really good vacation.
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The First Days

J and I moved into our new home on Saturday, July 31st. We felt really fortunate to have professional movers (a first for us!) and it made such a huge difference in how moving day goes. We worked really hard that night to get ready for the kids' arrival on Sunday.


They reacted just how you would hope, lots of jumping around and shouting. The happy kind.

Happy times, finding all of their toys and quickly beginning the mess making!

They've settled in nicely, more smoothly than I.


Don't get me wrong, I really like it here. I'm just...homesick. Which is strange.

The new routines are settling in and I'm slowly getting organized. Box by box. Our new home is lovely. We will be very happy here, of this I am sure. And together.

There's one thing that I'm sure of in this whole business of moving and trying (TRYING) to sell our home in Omaha, and making the decision to live in our new town together, even if we've had to do things unconventionally, it's that we need to be together as a family. Period.

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I Wasted $35 on Flowers and Then I Cried

At least I can show you my lovely flowers.

We were scheduled to have a professional photographer come to the house today to get pictures to put on our realtors' website. I went home at lunch and got everything ready. I turned on lights, opened blinds, vacuumed, hid everything in cupboards, even dragged a huge ottoman to the garage.

When I got in the car to go back to school, there was a message from our realtor that the photographer had cancelled all appointments for today because of rain. So I went around and turned off all of the lights and pouted. If only I had brought my phone in the house, I could have spared myself all of that work!

Selling a house is HARD. Especially when you are doing all of this really fantastic work and there are no actual home buyers to see it. None.

Sigh.

I am staying as optimistic as possible. I believe that God has a plan and that it includes some tests, some lessons, some bumps, in order to get to a finish line that includes us moving into a home in our new town that is just right for us. How could we appreciate any of it at all if it were all smooth sailing and super easy?!

The Hubs and I have been talking about moving back to this town, the one we are moving to, since we left it. It's the town where we met. The town where we both attended the small university, where we earned our Bacholor's degrees. It's the town where our kids will attend school. Where I hope we will grow old together.

I'm excited. Sad. Happy. Nervous. Stressed. Everything all at once. Leaving a job that I love. Taking on a job that I've always wanted (full time mom for a year). Trying to stay sane. And tidy.

For a tidy house will sell. At least that's what I keep telling myself!

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A Pan

There are few objects that I am emotionally attached to. That being said, there are a few things in my home that I am REALLY attached to! I just broke this pan. This perfect, 8 X 8, glass baking pan. My mom gave it to me at some point in my early apartment days and I've used almost daily since. Isn't it pretty? Mom could probably even tell me when SHE got it.

Today while I was doing dishes, the skillet it was sitting in slid down in the sink a little, only a few inches, and it split right down the middle. It was obviously this pan's time to go, it barely tapped the inside of the skillet and was in two pieces.

I panicked. Really. I know it's just a pan. But it's a beloved pan.

To calm myself, I went online. Almost instantly. To try and order a replacement. I decided to order a pan in the brand I've been wanting to try for a while now. Le Creuset. I ordered a 9" one and am hoping the extra 17 square inches won't be a problem. What sold me was the extra 5" pan that comes with it. Bonus! And the lime green color, I've been on a green kick lately.

It will never truly replace my wonderful 8 X 8, but hopefully my life will go on.

Merry Merry

Our second big snowstorm of the year came just in time for Christmas Day. We were fortunate to be done with extended family celebrations by lunch time on Christmas Eve, so didn't have to stress over ruined plans. We've been snowed in for three days and that's just fine.

B enjoyed her new wizard book and decoder glasses. Note the ginormous drift in the window behind her.

Finally yesterday we were able to go outside and play. As long as he crawled on them, the drifts didn't swallow up our little guy. It felt great to get out!

Pretending to shovel! The piles are taller than her.

Come evening, it was a pile of homemade noodles to make some chicken soup.

Top it off with a glass of wine for me and it was a fine day.  Cabin fever or no, I'm so grateful for my family. For the time we've spent together. For an excuse to slow down a little. To relax. We are all rested up, just in time for new year. I love Christmas break.

S.A.

Slobs Anonymous.
Hi, my name is Melanie.
I am a slob.

Today is one of those days. You know the ones. I'm wiping splatters off walls, digging out of a mountain of laundry, washing out untensil holders and silverware trays. Picking up the random bits that cover my floors. The messes my children manage really are wonders of nature.

I'm not good at picking up as I go along. It does not bother me to sit down after a long day and watch a TV show while the toys are piled around me.

So we're having one of those days. A cleaning-in-my-pajamas day. It feels really good to be getting things put back together.

I just wish I were more of a keep-it-clean kind of mom. Instead of dig-out-after-a-blurry, tired week kind of mom.

C'est la vie.

So while I clean...
Our little guy washes utensils while the untensil holder gets clean in the dishwasher (something you should really think about doing more than once every two years, I can say that from personal experience).










Our B is happy to practice her exciting new mouse skills on an internet game she got to play at school (Sesame Street's website is loaded with games perfect for the 5-year olds set. If your 5-year old is like mine and has had very little mouse time).



















All in all, a perfect Saturday at home. Warm inside, protected from the current cold snap in our area. A day to catch up.
Maybe later, a nap.


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Right Now, The Kids Have The Floor

She's an amazing little thinker.

Do you know how much rice I've eaten in my life?

We had it for dinner the other night, a side dish. I mentioned rice-a-roni, we were eating the chicken flavored variety.

Rice-a-roni? She asked, sounding baffled.

Yes, that's what it's called. I told her.

Wow, she told me. It's like mac-a-roni.

Do you know, I've never - ever - made that connection? Do you know how many boxes of the stuff I've eaten, how many years the San Francisco treat jingle was stuck in my head?

She has me turn my head every day...and look at the world from her angle.

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"Hey. My name's Sarina. I came all the way from Africa. I was a cowgirl there and helped my dad weather in the horses." (What the?)

Playing Barbies is so much fun! Especially when Sarina joins the party.

Buzz and Woody are always good for a laugh. Ken is usually just sleeping it off.

Good times, I tell you.

A little time away is all it takes to see how good it is here. How much fun we can have on the floor, playing dolls together. A little time away, and I've got my perspective back. Thank goodness for that!

Windows

We are getting new windows tomorrow. Six new windows. Pretty exciting stuff round these parts. Especially since Hubs sprung for labor too, meaning paying some nice, young men to come do it in a day. Wa hoo! (Thanks Hubs, love ya so.) The timing is slightly off, since we're hosting 20-some people the next day for our annual family BBQ. Ah well, if there's a mess or dust or whatever, I'll blame it on the window guys!

Every time I think I'm not spending any more money that I don't have, we find something pressing to spend money on. Like garage door springs (did you know there are huge, expensive springs up there?), or dog surgeries, or pediatrician bills. I shouldn't complain, being lucky enough to have a roof, food, and so on. Still, sometimes it's troubling. Sigh.

I think ahead to days when we won't have our debts to worry about. Then what will it be? Oh yes, car insurance for teenagers! And upcoming college bills that are neither mine nor Hubs', but our offsprings'. Seriously though, I would love a week, maybe a month, a few (many) years down the row when our only debt is a home mortgage. That would be a delight.

Yesterday I came upstairs to see what our Little Man was up to, since I knew he was taking the cusions off the couches again. I found him with a red sharpie (gasp!), but was pleased to find only scribbles on a few pieces of paper (including a print out of a Catherine Newman recipe I'm planning to try, I can still read it thankfully) and a red mark on his cheek. I asked him to kindly hand over the weapon and thanked him for writing on paper only. He actually said "you're welcome". Later, Hubs called me to the dining room, to the window, where I saw this and laughed myself to tears...

I don't even have to clean up after my little man for once, that window is out of here tomorrow! He's a lucky little man, this time!

No more sharpies, mister!