Joyfully Weary

Christmas trees just scream happiness, there is something just warm and comforting about them. This past Friday we went on our annual Christmas tree hunt. It's become one of our favorite traditions. Jeremy grew-up cutting down a real Christmas tree so in his mind fake is not even an option. There were plenty of years were my family didn't have a tree; so, it took me awhile to understand what the big deal was. But now I'm in full agreement - real trees are the way to go! There is a huge part of me that loves Christmas - the celebration of our Lord Jesus choosing to be our Immanuel! If I'm honest with you though it's not always the easiest time of the year for me. Growing up the holidays were always a chaotic time. Instead of being full of celebration and joy they were tense and sometimes explosive. It's been a struggle to not continue to carry this baggage. I can get overwhelmed with trying to make everything perfect. My desire to give my kids better...

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! Ours has been really good. We've been a bit reclusive, the last couple of days has just been our little family. It's hard for me because there is a part of me that loves people...I've got some really great friends. I'm an introvert though and people leave me feeling drained, even great people who I love. So this year we decided to play it low key. It was the right choice. We've had so much fun playing board games and slowly decorating our house for Christmas.  We even decided to have a low key Thanksgiving meal. We skipped the turkey and sides and instead splurged on steaks that we paired with our favorite veggies. Far from traditional, but I think this will be our new pattern. Instead of feeling drained and overwhelmed I'm feeling refreshed and energized.  Now on to the clothes... Sunday Friday On Friday we went and cut down our Christmas tree. It was the first year we didn't for...

 Sunday  I ordered this dress (and a couple other goodies) from thredUP a couple months back. It's become my favorite piece to wear this fall. Click here to see how I styled it a couple weeks back.  Almost every Sunday I make my kiddos pose for an Instagram picture with me. They are such a good sports - it's so sweet of them to indulge me in this way. I thought I share the picture here because we just bought them some new winter 'church' shoes. They are all from Old Navy so they were fairly inexpensive. The pictures don't do it justice but Little Lady's boots dazzle with sparkles. They are so fun and so HER! She's worn them almost everyday this past week and insists that they are very comfortable. I was a little nervous because they have a bit of heel - but she it doesn't seem to slow her down. Mini Man and Big Buddy got the same pair of slip-on boots - they both really liked the fur lining. I picked out BabyZ some moccasins . They are s...

Every Monday we walk to our town's local library. When I was a kid libraries were my favorite places to hang out. My house was always kind-of-hectic and the library was my escape. It was a magical place for me - my path to another world.   Even now as a grown-up when I enter a library, any library, I feel this sudden burst of joy and anticipation - I just may stumble upon something wonderful! Gail Borden, our local library, is a magical place. Their childrens' areas are huge. They have a large play area full of imaginative toys for younger children. They also set out new games and crafts each week for older children. I don't think my kids see library as the escape the way I did as a child, but they relish going. I delight in the fact that we share this common affection. Right now our library is even more impressive than usually. It's currently hosting a museum quality exhibit, The Robot Zoo. There are 8 robotic animals throughout the library. Some of them the k...

Sunday This skirt is actually a dress from Anthropologie . One of my go to fall/winter looks is layer sweaters over dresses.  Tuesday This is another dress from Anthropologie . Green is one of my favorite colors and I adore the ruffle detail on the bottom. I just wish is didn't wrinkle so easily. If you have any tips, I'd love to hear them.  Thursday Pictures give you a different insight to an outfit. In the mirror I liked this look - it felt very fun and fall. However, as I look at the picture I'm not a huge fan. I'm pretty sure I won't wear this combination again.  Saturday So much Anthropologie this week! I got this jacket for almost 75% off. I would of never paid full price for it - the color and pattern make it too hard to mix and match. It's a fun statement piece, though, and the perfect weight for chilly fall days.  If you looking for more outfit inspiration please check out these link parties:  Watch What...

Sunday This is a dress from E-shakti . The fullness and length of the skirt always makes me feel extra dressed-up. When I wear it I find it impossible not to twirl. Tuesday and Thursday This outfit was so comfy I ended up wearing it twice this week. The colors also just felt right for warm fall days.  Friday I picked this sweater up on clearance last year. The lace trim makes it perfect for dressing up a pair of jeans.  Saturday This sweater and skirt are both pretty old and at least once during the last couple of falls I've paired them together. Here's a post from 2012 of me wearing this same combination. The sweater is an inexpensive one for Target...that I probably got on clearance. It's held up amazing well though and gets softer every time I wash it.  If you looking for more outfit inspiration please check out these link parties: Watch What I'm Wearing ,  Monday Mingle , Style Sessions  and Pleated Poppy ....

I'm a little late posting these photos. It's been a busy week...mostly, for happy reasons. We had an out-of-state friend stay with us a couple nights which led to an evening full of good wine and good conversation. We also had some unhappy busyness - sick and teething kids up at all hours of the night. Mini Man has been begging for the last couple years to make our house scary for Halloween. We debated for awhile; we don't want to glorify death or evil. After having some conversations with each other and with the kids, we decided we would decorate with natural scary things like spiders, bats, etc. Jeremy and I are also huge fans of stories and mythology so we figured we could also incorporate some of the "scarier" characters from our favorite books. The big spider on top of roof is suppose to be Aragog. We have plans to add a little bit each year...he needs some fur and some glow-in-the-dark eyes.  This year Big Buddy dressed...