Paris, Kenya, Syria….our world is in so much pain. It would be easy to mourn and then forget, but I sure hope I don’t forget. I want this week’s events to leave its mark and leave me changed. I want to step forward as a person with more resolve to love hard, act with intention, and pray with hope. I know this is the least I can do for the countries and people whose realities are so broken right now.
How are you all processing these events? I am putting an act of service plan for advent for my family, but I wish there was more I could do. At least we have hope, right? It would be easy to give into fear and discouragement with raising my children in a world of turmoil, but I firmly choose hope. I know that prayer is powerful, and I hold on to the truth that peace will come again someday. Until then, we have to try to move forward with a courageous kind of love because we are never guaranteed tomorrow.
Praying for more love, less hatred, more of what we are for, less of what we are against, less talking, more doing. Kenya, Paris, Syria…our hearts are with you!
I am an old movie junkie, and I always take note of the quite stellar wardrobe selects of the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s. For example: White Christmas and Breakfast at Tiffany’s have a number of outerwear and faux fur pieces to swoon over. I would say it has probably influenced my current choices for outerwear. Now to find a piece that is warm, functional, and stylish is always a triple crown.
Where is your favorite place to go to for outerwear? I have actually found some of my warmest pieces in vintage stores:)
Luckily down here in Atlanta there isn’t many months we need the outwerwear which is making it really difficult to justify a purchase of a down puffer!
Happy almost weekend.
I was up late last night watching Rocco drift off to sleep.
Taking it all in. His dimpled hands, his curled fingers, and the way his lips pucker from the weight of his cheeks….and I began to wonder…
I thought about how many hours I had spent feeding and holding my babies.
More than I surely will ever remember.
I thought about how many baths I have given.
Hundreds, and yet I will only remember a handful.
I thought about how many diapers Gabe and I have changed.
More than we could ever keep track of and thankfully not remember.
I wonder how many sandwiches I’ve made or apples I have sliced.
Impossible to remember how many.
I wonder how many books we’ve read.
Thousands at least, but more than we could ever keep in memory.
I thought about how many prayers we have said with our children at night.
Countless to be sure….but I can’t recall all of them for the life of me.
Time is a meanie sometimes. It seems to steal away the most precious days of my children’s lives, and at the same time linger a little too long at 5pm when you have cleaned up one too many messes and lost your cool more than you care to admit.
A friend of mine shared this quote:
“The days are long, but the years are short.”
And then it clicked. As I was watching Rocco sleep and cursing time…. it all made sense. These little daily rituals of cleaning, feeding, and caring are all working towards something more meaningful than we can fathom in a seemingly insignificant moment. These routines are but a flash in this short life on earth. And if we choose to put more than a hurried rush into them, we just might see their worth. They will be moments and days that amount to very full years. Years that carry our children in the darkest and brightest of their days, that create a safe haven to lean into when they are missing home, a solid rock to stand on when they need reminding where they came from, and a clear path for them to walk when the road divides. I think I will try a little harder tonight to slow the routines and make them count.
I’m breaking my own no Christmas decor before Thanksgiving rule to share a peek at this year’s Martha Stewart Living at The Home Depot Holiday decor. It was really fun to team up and scheme up a white and gold themed space that would feel welcoming for all who come and go through our house in December. We spend a lot of time in these rooms with family and friends. It’s no secret my husband Gabe dreams of Christmas all year so he was more than willing to help lend a hand. My poor children are a little confused although their excited squeals over the christmas tree had us really looking forward to December 25th.
Here’s a breakdown of how we decorated:
-I loved how the faux boxwood and berry wreaths looked so fresh. I hung those above our double mirrors in the dining room, and the winter wonder wreath above the bar cart. (The removable hooks work great for these if you don’t want to worry about additional nail holes in your wall.
–These ornaments are stunning in person (they are larger than standard size). I put a bunch in a bowl for the bar cart as well as a vintage coffee pot, mugs, gold rimmed glasses, cantor, candlesticks, and a vase full of easy to grab napkins. A little something for everyone.
-For the tree, we found some wooden beaded strands to loop around the tree, the gold and champagne ornaments from this set, and a deep blue tree skirt. I can’t wait to curl up on the couch with the lit tree and garland at night to read a good advent book or two. Here’s hoping!
-Since Gabe added shelves in the living room this year we wanted to bring a little Sparkling Pine garland in to loop across the shelves and underneath a nativity set. (We like to put a nativity set in almost every room!) The two 9 ft. strands worked really well for the 12 ft. wall, and we used nails in the wood board to secure. Makes for a fun winter wonderland effect.
-For the dining room table we used three placemats as the runner and added the golden reindeer (who my children have already named Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, and Rudolph), golden trees, votives, and a few gold candlesticks.
It should be noted our family room tree is usually a wonderfully tacky mix of sentimental ornaments and tacky bulbs and I really love it that way. It was fun to actually have a somewhat co-ordinated tree for this project. Do you all have a tradition around your Christmas tree? We love to decorate it together close to Christmas with the traditions of cocoa, Bing Crosby, and a fire going strong in the fireplace.
Here’s to a peaceful season ahead!
*This post is in partnership with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, and all opinions are my own.
Last week I was going through my closet to bring some stacks of clothes home to my sisters and realized I had wayyyy to many of the same type of sweaters going on. Sometimes it’s easier to keep things in bins or stacks than to address the excess problem. Out they went and here are some key players staying in my wardrobe for this season. Some of these were gifted items which means I had to come up with a stack of items to gift to my sisters and the local thrift store. This has been a great rule for me to live by.
Again, as much as I love cheap prices, I really don’t like what comes behind their production so trying to promote made in the U.S. or ethically made products. However, I am still learning and have a long way to go so bear with me! I am always open to hearing about new shops doing so! I’ll update again soon with November’s finders and keepers. Until then, you can catch up on my buildable wardrobe progress HERE.
I found our kitchen table at a flea market last year and it only had a cheap primer slapped onto it. Since then, it has been a well loved table being used as a both a breakfast table by morning and an art table by day. I never got around to painting it, so it got pretty beat up. The island behind the table was also in sore need of a fix up.
I am always an advocate of supporting small businesses and ethically made companies, and also an advocate of functional stylish pieces. Bartaile launches today with the hope to bring multi-purpose, long lasting designs to a fashionable level….
