Thankful :: August 2014

This summer is flying. I feel like I just sat down to write July's thankful post and here I am, writing a post for August. Part of me is ready to welcome in fall. Temperatures haven't dipped below 90 and it's unbelievably humid this week. Bring on the hoodies and boots, right? But we have one last summer adventure coming up this week, and then I'll definitely be ready for cool weather and pumpkin spice lattes (and I don't even like pumpkin spice lattes!). Make it a frap and I might be interested.

This month was one of those months I kind of wished away, and now that it's almost over I wish I hadn't done that. I counted down the days until we went out of town or until preschool started (I'm not going to win any mom awards for that one). I just love the routine of fall. But as quickly as it went, August gave us lots to be thankful for. 

Like zoo play dates with preschool friends and their mamas. Crosbi might have had the meltdown of all toddler meltdowns and I might have left the zoo in tears, but I'm thankful for moms who understand and text me later to tell me they have been there. 

Slow mornings to drink my coffee and to turn cereal into a lesson in counting.

Thrift store finds for this mama who doesn't typically like to hunt for clothes. I'm changing my ways!

Rainy days to give a new umbrella from Grandma a spin.

A little girl who is really showing her personality each day. 

For the first day of a new year at preschool. I couldn't love her preschool more. Crosbi's teachers are incredible and for not having family nearby, it feels as much like leaving her with family as it possibly could. I'm so thankful.

xoxo

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DIY :: Fireplace Makeover

I feel like a broken record. I haven't said it on my blog, but my husband is tired of hearing me say it. I'm antsy. I'm ready for change. I can blame it on a number of reasons. My childhood was filled with nonstop change. New houses, new siblings, new friends. I lost count of the number of times we moved (in the same town) by the time I got to high school.

College was filled with crazy change. I moved to Nashville. Moved back to Missouri. Got married. Moved back to Nashville. 

Life since we moved here has been nothing if not exciting. We've moved three times. Our "church friends" became extended family members. We both landed our dream jobs (well, both of us landed my dream job). I traveled a ton. We had a BABY. I quit my job and have had two others since then.

And now. Well, life is pretty predictable. Most days feel like Groundhog's Day. I'm so thankful for this season. I really am. I know so many people are praying daily for life to settle down. For predictable days. I'm not ungrateful. I've just become so accustomed to change that now I seek it. I thrive in it. Change I choose, that is. Good change. 

If it were up to me I would sell our house tomorrow and buy some land. Crosbi would have a treehouse and a tire swing. We currently don't have a single tree. I would grow a garden and have big outdoor dinners for friends. We would play horse shoes and badminton. Maybe one day. I don't let go of dreams too easily, so I'm not writing it off.

But that day isn't today. Today I'm choosing to be content where God has me. To soak in the moments with my daughter at home instead of traveling the country. To not worry about crayon marks on the doors because we're not going anywhere. To embrace boring because my life could be filled with hard change and I would be begging for things to be predictable. I believe God is stirring something inside of me, but I also believe he's asking me to be patient. To be thankful. To know that this too shall pass and I'll miss this season. Every second of it. 

So for now I'm making small changes that make me smile. Like little updates to our home. To make this current space a place I love. I'm going to open our doors more and invite friends in. Good coffee and conversation is just as sweet in a small kitchen as it is in anywhere. 

That was a long way around to getting to our fireplace makeover!

To make our home a bit more cozy, we decided to update our fireplace and give it a stone finish. While actual rock can be expensive, we used AirStone from Lowe's. All in we spent $65. Such a great reminder that home updates don't have to be expensive to be impactful. We borrowed a tile saw from my dad which made the process even easier. The entire project took about half a day. I'm pretty thrilled with how it turned out.

Now to decide what to change next!

xoxo

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R&R in the Ozarks

We just returned home from visiting family in Missouri and it was hands down one of the best trips we have taken in a long time. It was the first trip in over a year that we weren't traveling due to a holiday or major event. We had no plans, no schedules, no agendas. The only thing on our to-do list was to relax and enjoy time with family. That's my kind of vacation.

Last Friday we spent all day at the lake. Todd was out on the boat fishing with my dad, while the girls floated on rafts in the water. I hadn't been swimming in a lake in at least five years, when we went with our friends to Center Hill Lake outside of Nashville. It was such a great day. The weather was mild for August and it was just a bit cloudy so that we weren't burning in the sun. One of those days where you literally kiss your cares goodbye. I need more of those.

The next day we shopped, ate lunch at a fun little coffee shop in our hometown, celebrated a cousin turning five, and ate the fish caught at the lake for dinner.

We spent the rest of the weekend on Todd's family's farm where we ate lots of fresh blueberries and veggies from the garden. We went on four-wheeler rides, country drives, and had a bonfire at the creek. We ate greasy pizza at the best dive restaurant you'll find (on another lake) and I even pulled out a book to read while Crosbi played with her grandparents. Seriously. I need more weekends like that. 

It's funny how you don't really appreciate where you're from until you move away. I'm so thankful to be from one of the most beautiful parts of the country. I feel even more blessed to share it with my little girl. She has the Ozarks in her DNA and I couldn't be more proud.

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Thankful :: July 2014

Since I actually got my blogging act together last month, I don't have many photos that I haven't already posted. July gave us lots to be thankful for, but this post will be short and sweet as I'm currently in Missouri and sneaking on the computer while Crosbi naps.

In July we retreated to the Cabin, picked blueberries and visited St. Louis. But we also...

Played with bubbles on the front porch.

Watched a storm roll in at our CSA.

Pretended to be elephants at the craft store.

Met new "friends" and did a little back to preschool shopping.

August has felt so full already and we're not even half-way through. I'll post more about our time in Missouri, especially about our time at the lake which felt like medicine for this often anxious mama.

xoxo

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