Joyfully Weary

Several weeks ago we met one of Husbandie's former students at a local park for a little family photo session. It's really hard to narrow down favorites, but here are a "few" that particularly make me smile. 

Husbandie and I are both fans of traditions, especially Christmas traditions. We have several, but the one that kicks off our Christmas season is cutting down our tree at a local farm. We have done this shortly after Thanksgiving every year we've been married. Our first Christmas tree cutting experience went perfectly. There was a light dusting of snow on the ground but the air was far from frigid. We found the perfect tree and remembered all the necessary supplies.  Unfortunately, since that day we haven't been as lucky. It seems like every other year something has gone wrong. We've forgotten to bring cash, kid gloves, measuring tape, ropes, etc. We've mistakingly cut down the most expensive tree in the lot - $85! Our potty training two-year-old had an accident and I forgot to bring spare clothes.  I was determined to not make the same mistakes this year and I thought we had everything together. My purse was overflowing with extra hats and mittens and we h...

Christmas shopping season is officially in full swing. Husbandie and I ventured out a little bit Friday evening (I wasn't up to facing Black Friday morning crowds) and we were able to knock a couple items off our list but we still have a ways to go before we are done. One of the stores I always visit for Christmas presents is Kohl's . They have something for everyone so it's easy to cross a bunch of people (children, nieces, sisters, brothers, parents, etc) off my list in one stop. They also have some pretty great deals which makes staying in our Christmas budget a little easier. About a week ago Kohl's contacted me about a new tool they've added to their online toy department. The tool allows you to browse toys by age. I've played around with it some; it's very easy to use and is full of great toy suggestions. Here are a few of my favorites picks for my own kids, as well as for my nieces and little brother. 1) wood marble maze , 2) band in a box (...

A weekly reflection inspired in part by Bob Bennett's song "Small Graces". "these are the small graces, the little moments when the miracles come... sometimes they slip by without notice sometimes they are very hard to see other times it's very clear when they are happening to me"  my pretty little girl, who has no problem keeping up with her brothers a future swimmer and photographer *if i take her picture it's only fair she take mine :) candy can joe-joe's! a fogging morning  a tea party thanksgiving dinner! *we prefer smoked ribs to turkey a "healthier" pecan pie rediscovering christmas treasures continuing my  November list of thanks ... 18) last minute lunch invites  19) soft blankets 20) crafts 21) the smell of my children's hair 22) little belly laughs 23) chocolate & peppermint  24) forgiveness   

Last week at the library, just as we were leaving, the kids noticed an Indian corn craft. They of course all wanted to do it; why is it that when it's time to go everything looks fun? We needed to get home for lunch (and naps!) so I promised we do our own version later.  Our Supplies: paper plate with corn cob drawn on to it, tissue paper squares, glue, scissors, tan paint, paint brush, & a stapler  Step 1: Cut the corn cob out of the paper plate Step 2: cut three strips from ridge of paper plate - these will be your husks parts of the plate you'll use, discard the rest  Step 3: paint your husks & set them aside to dry we enjoy a good paint mess at our house but if you aren't so inclined crayons or markers would work just as well.  Step 4: scrunch tissue paper squares into balls and glue them to your corn ear i love how his lips get involved in the gluing  Step 5: let everything dry Step 6: staple husks...

A weekly reflection inspired in part by Bob Bennett's song "Small Graces". a budding storyteller a buck-toothed-vampire my stylish mini man - he spikes the hair himself morning frost pigtails and sunlight being given two beautiful chess sets the day after browsing them online and realizing all the "cool" ones didn't fit in our christmas budget  I'm also continuing my November list of thanks ... 11) sunday naps 12) friends...long conversations...coffee 13) flannel pajamas 14) last minute dates  15) an amazing worship album   16) colorful sunsets 17) 50% off coupons  

If you've followed this blog for any amount of time you've probably noticed that I like to have a little fun with my clothes. I strongly believe that just because you don't have a ton of money to spend on clothing doesn't mean you can't have fun with your style.  This belief has carried over to how I dress my kids. Our clothing budget for them is very small and thus their clothes are almost all hand-me-downs or thrift finds. This doesn't make getting them dressed any less fun though, and sometimes I think we come up with the some pretty great looks. Since I enjoy it so much I thought it would be fun to start documenting their outfits. These posts probably won't be helpful when it comes to shopping (most of the pieces they wear are no longer in stores) but maybe they'll encourage you to have a little fun dressing your own kiddos. If nothing else, I know I'll enjoy looking back through them in the future.  little lady cardigan: target cleara...