Week 29 Around Here {2019}

Original Paint // 2018

New paint // 2019

{my grandparents :: pansy & jerry}

{My mom & her two sisters helping Savanna into her gown}

Things that made me laugh this week:

100% accurate.
Me + Carly every morning during the school year.

Celebrating... Josh's 36th birthday with a BBQ & lemon cake here at home.  We invited his parents & brother over to join us, and ended up having the nicest time.  The day started out rough because I was having a migraine, but after the sweetest nap with Carly, I woke up feeling much better and was able to enjoy the evening.  Josh's dad pitched in sweeping my floors, which was just the most touching thing I think he's ever done for me, knowing it needed to be done and I wasn't going to get to it; and his mom did ALL the dishes after our meal, wanting to leave me with a clean kitchen so I could relax after everyone took off. 
As Josh blew out the candles he was making sweetheart eyes with Carly, who was singing her little heart out to her daddy, and I just melted.  I ended the day so thankful for my husband, so glad he was born, and so grateful to the people he was born to.  They are so, so good to us. And we have been so blessed in this life together.

Taking... pictures of Carly in a dress I scored at the Rhea Lana sale last spring for only $10.  I am in love with its vintage look and how sweet Carly looks in it.  I just wonder if I will ever get over having a daughter.  I think never.

Suffering... at least three migraines this week. But maybe it was more.  They all kind of blur together. It was just day after day of suffering.  Truly the worst. 

Reading... Harry's Trees, which was a really sweet, good read that I took slow and enjoyed and loved the ending of; and listening to My Lovely Wife In The Psych Ward on audio.  My Lovely Wife In The Psych Ward was really interesting and sometimes sad.  I liked it, though. 

Thankful... my mom came and saved us from ourselves at the last minute.  I got really overwhelmed by all the things we had on our "to do" list before getting the house listed on the market.  She flew in to Spokane and all three boys rode with me to pick her up.  When we got back to town she took us shoe shopping and out to eat.  I am SO in love with my new Nikes.  Yay for new walking shoes!

Working... my tail off alongside Josh, Samuel and my mom.  We were mostly painting- Josh and Samuel outside, and my mom and I inside- but we also checked a few other things off the list.  It was an exhausting & grueling few days of work, but by the end, we were so much closer to the finish line- (the finish line being our goal of getting the house ready to go on the market this Friday, the 19th)  It was totally worth all the hard work. 
Josh painted the front door the happiest color of yellow that I picked out at Lowe's, and that coupled with the new house color just makes the whole house look brand new.  I am blown away by the transformation.  My bedroom and closet both look amazing and the rest of the house is getting there.  The kitchen is the main thing that's left.
The most frustrating part is that whoever painted our house the first time used the wrong finishes so when I bought touch up paint, I put satin finish where there had been flat, and flat where there had been eggshell, etc.  Also, Lowe's failed to match the wall color in the majority of our house, so when I went to paint the boys' bedroom wall after some patches, it looked like a patched cow or Dalmatian puppy.  I was SO upset.  All that work for nothing. 

Proud... of the twins who worked on the cinderblock ring around the tree in the side yard.  Josh and Samuel did the measuring and laying of the cinderblock and then the twins sifted the rocks out of the dirt and put it in.  The final touch was all the lava rock we had from the sifting.  It looks so good!!

Inspiring... Wyatt with all our home improvements.  He decided to build a model of our house with the big Duplo Legos, and the details were killing me.  It had a covered front porch, a picnic table in the backyard, and even flowers out front.  I love his attention to detail.

Loving... the picture my dad sent me of my grandparents camping at the place we grew up camping.  They look so happy & so in love.  It just made my heart swell to see it. 

Road tripping... to Vancouver with my mom to attend a family wedding.  It was fun to ride together, chatting and catching up without any interruptions from the littles in my life.  Bless Josh for keeping all four of them while I got away for three days.  Thanks, babe!

Playing... Beanboozled with Milo & my parents.  Oh my GROSS! Spoiled milk? Dirty dishwater? Dead fish? We were laughing so hard and so disgusted.  If you have boys, it's a MUST.

Attending... my cousin Savanna's wedding and capturing some of the moments with her and her groom.  It was so special to be part of her day and spend time with her & her sister Alix. I love them so much and am so glad they're in my life!
Savanna's gown was gorgeous and her wedding was perfect- a simple ceremony at the courthouse, followed by dinner at The Spaghetti Warehouse.  The food was amazing and their vows were so touching.  I love how weddings remind me to be grateful for my love & for the amazing years of marriage Josh and I have shared.

Being... spoiled by my parents who bought me all the books I picked at Powell's.  What!?! So lucky!!!
The Most Fun We Ever Had
The Pigeon Has To Go To School (for the kids)
The Bright Edge of the World
Maybe You Should Talk To Someone
In Every Moment We Are Still Alive
I am most excited for Maybe You Should Talk To Someone, but The Most Fun We Ever Had is a close second.  Gah! So many books, so little time!

Feeling... extra grateful for my mom and sister after spending so much time with them.  We are so lucky to have each other and it's always so fun when we are together.  They just get me, and they love me, and they forgive me, and they grant me grace when I am not my best self.  I just feel so blessed to have them.  What did I ever do to deserve them???

***

{absolutely loved this when I read it}
{so perfect for where we are with selling the house}
{the future is unsure... but there is still room to rest and breathe}

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Week 6 Around Here {2019}

Dealing... with tough parenting.  Lots of attitude, lying, consequences and even my first "I hate you"... Boy these days aren't easy with the twins.  They are ten and a half, and I can tell their hormones are in full swing, they are growing, and their frontal lobes (where the idea of "This behavior WILL have a consequence" exists) are not adequate in relation to their emotions and actions... It is making me so, so weary.  Every single day, it is something.  Either a fight, or a referral, or a bad grade, or a call from the teacher, or a lie.  I just pray that with enough consistency Josh and I can get through to them that this behavior is not acceptable and their normal, good selves will shine through past the hormonal messes they have temporarily become.
Lord help us.

Reading... The One and Only Ivan and All You Can Ever Know.  All You Can Ever Know was an insightful look at adoption (I listened on audio), and The One and Only Ivan was a sweet, quick read (I read it in a day and a half) which would make a great read aloud for families. (Josh actually did read it aloud to our kids, then it was our book club pick for this month. Ha! The kids loved that I was reading a book they had already read.)

Finishing... All The Ugly and Wonderful Things and being turned inside out by the book!  It was so good!  It's about a girl whose parents are meth dealers, and she ends up falling in love with an older man who cares for her. It is so wrong, but it feels so right... words can't even do it justice. Just, read it.

Waiting... for my Book of the Month box to get here with The Winter Sister, Circe and The Heart's Invisible Furies inside. The Winter Sister is my February pick, Circe was the 2018 book of the year, and The Heart's Invisible Furies was the 2017 book of the year.  Oh man, I can't wait!
I am also waiting for two library books to arrive in my mailbox- The Water Cure and Five Feet Apart, both of which I have heard amazing things about. I can't wait to crack them open.

Watching... The Handmaid's Tale in the meantime because I don't want to start any other books while I am waiting for those books to come to me!!!  It is so intense, but so good, I can't stop watching and thinking about it!!!

Listening... to Vox on audio, and being disturbed by how similar it is to The Handmaid's Tale so far. (I am only in section 1 of 8) I like it and think it will be a really entertaining listen.  I also have Sing Unburied Sing in my audio library queue, so I am excited for this month!

Having... dinner with the neighbors & their kiddos this weekend.  The kids had a great time, and we had some good laughs.  I am so grateful to be friends with this mama, because mama friends are not to be taken for granted, and having one in your very own neighborhood is the best kind of luck.  Already this week we have swapped watching each other's kids, and it's just the best ever!

Blogging... about my 2019 book buying ban.  I have cut myself off from book buying except for Book of the Month, which only allows 3 books/month max.  My goal is to read half of the books on my To Be Read (TBR) shelf (I started with 101) this year.  Hopefully I'll make a good dent in it!

Making... a February TBR list, but it is (very) subject to change.  Currently it consists of:

• Fahrenheit 451
• The One and Only Ivan
• Reading People
• Maid
• The Poisonwood Bible
• All the Ugly and Wonderful Things

Helping... a distant neighbor round up the black cat that lives in our back yard.  We think that it may have been his daughters (who passed away back in December) and so we are trying to tempt it with food, and would eventually like to try and catch it.  Wish us luck and send me any advice you have- he seems very skittish and scared after two months on his own.

Going... to counseling this week, and loving how amazing I feel when I walk out of there each time.  I always go in with an agenda (things I want to talk about), and it's like I leave behind such a burden when I depart.  His advice this week was to go slowly, journal a lot about my feelings and be proud of how far I've come.  Such good advice for all of us, right?  Breathe, take a minute, go slowly.  Write about your feelings, and then be proud of yourself- you're doing amazing!!!

Loving... the new laundry room flooring (& hot water heater!) that Josh and his brother installed for us over the weekend.  It looks amazing, and I'm so excited to have enough hot water for all the kids to bathe each night.

Sending... Carly to Grandma School at Grandma Carol's on Thursday.  She learned the letter "A", made an ant out of an egg carton and learned the signs for mom and dad. She showed me in the car on the way home from school today. It was so cute. 
I am so grateful that Josh's parents are here, and I am so utterly thankful for the break it gives me, and the joy it brings Carly to have all that undivided attention.

Working out... all week this week.  I started putting stickers on the calendar for the days I work out, and it's stupid how much that motivates me.  I am on Day 6 (in a row!) of working out, and I swear to everything holy, most days, it is JUST the thought of putting that little heart sticker on the wall calendar in the kitchen that makes me put on my tennis shoes.

Finishing... Kon Mari'ing the entire house. It feels so good to have everything organized and sorted through.  I can't even begin to explain it!  And the amount of free time I have now that all my life is set up as I want it... it's ridiculous! So awesome!!!

Preparing... for up to a foot of snow this weekend.  Josh grocery shopped yesterday and during naps today I am going to make sure everything is out of the yard.  I also got gas yesterday and am going to make sure everything is good to go here.

I wish this wasn't so funny (& true) to me.

Hah!

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Week 1 Around Here {2019}

Hahah! #truth

New hair growth mohawk

Josh & his baby sister Margaret

Top Nine Reads of 2018

Our new bathroom!

Unexpected Good Reads

Reading... As Bright As Heaven, which I got from Book of the Month, and Girl, Wash Your Face which I bought myself for my birthday with money I got from my grandma back in November.  As Bright as Heaven is about the Spanish Flu in Philadelphia, and is such a good book!  I really like it.  And Girl, Wash Your Face is a very inspiring, "pump-you-up" read.  I am doing a chapter a day, and it's keeping me very motivated to work on my goals for the new year. Love it!

Meditating... daily using the "Calm" app on my iphone.  It costs (I think I paid around $40 for a yearly subscription) but it is so worth it. I use it when I am having a panic attack, or when I need to fall asleep and my mind is racing. One of my goals this year is to meditate everyday (even if it's just two minutes) so having access to this app is really helpful.  I'm currently doing "21 Days of Calm" which is a different meditation each day, along with helpful advice about how to better stay on top of your emotions. I am loving it.

Sharing... my top 9 books of 2018 on social media, and also sharing my most unexpected good reads of 2018.  I would love to know in the comments what your favorite or most unexpected reads of 2018 were! (follow me on Instagram for more book posts!)

Ecstatic... over Josh and my brother-in-law finishing the main bathroom remodel.  Those two are machines, and I cannot get over how amazing the bathroom looks. It's truly unbelievable. It's also unbelievable that they accomplished what they did in less than two weeks.

Relishing... every minute of a nap Carly spent in my arms.  I can't remember the last time she slept in my arms, so rocking her in her in the rocking chair as she slept while the boys were off with Josh one afternoon felt like a dream come true.  Oh, my sweet baby. sigh.

Enjoying... a Christmas visit from my parents.  They came bearing gifts (holy adored grandchildren!!!) and we had so much fun together!  We went out to eat, went swimming at their hotel, and then bathed Carly in their room since she hadn't had a bath in quite some time with the bathroom remodel happening at our house!  The next day they came over and we played Headbanz, or at least we tried to.  Carly looks at what is on your card, tells you what it is, "Bacon!" and then yells, "You win!" Hahah! After that, they took us all out to eat and then took the boys ice skating!

Loving... the pictures that Julie sent me of Josh and his baby sister Margaret. I always think that Carly looks just like me when I was little (and she does in some pictures) but goodness sakes! Looking at these pictures of Josh as a toddler made me realize that Carly looks a lot like her daddy as well!

Relaxing... for an entire day when Josh took the boys out to his parents land to ride their four wheelers (they got four wheelers for Christmas from Santa!) and I got to spend the day at home with Carly.  I took a bath in our new tub, cleaned the house, read my book, and just enjoyed the peace & quiet.  It was so, so lovely.

Organizing... my "To Read" shelf in the living room and discovering I have 100 books I haven't read.  I couldn't believe I had 100 exactly!  From there, I set a goal of reading 1 book per week this year, so my (conservative) goal is to read 52 books.  But here's the catch- I can't buy any more books this year (barring any from Book of the Month. I am going to allow myself to continue that monthly subscription) so those 52 have to come from my shelves or my library app on my phone (where I listen to audio books).  I hope to surpass that goal, but I also want to enjoy reading, not feel pressure to just fly through books.  I definitely felt that at times last year.  What is your goal this year? Do you have a # in mind?

Growing... my hair back after it all fell out in September after the stress of caring for Wyatt in the spring.  I got on some strong vitamins in October and also started using Monat and am definitely seeing strong growth, but it means that 90% of the time, it looks like I have a tiny mohawk. Ugh. Not cool.  But I know that in another month or two, that will improve (the same thing always happened to me when I had babies) and my hair will be thick again someday.
Using the Monat does take some time- I have to wash my hair twice everyday in the shower, but I can feel the difference in how clean & strong it is.  I also put in the oil treatment overnight once a week, and use lots of product after my shower before I blow dry, but I am really trusting Haverlee that it will all be worth it when my hair fully grows in and is even healthier than before.  I seriously cannot wait.
Between my suddenly terrible adult acne and my ridiculously thin hair, I feel so self conscious these days.

***

I love this quote.

Here's to "the hardships that became our teachers"... 

Yes, yes, yes.

So glad for a new year,
and a fresh start!

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