LOVING watching the Olympics with my neighbors, almost every evening! We have been sharing dinners and it has been a real treat to be over with them and spending an evening with adults!
LOVING this past weekend and all the memories that were made on Saturday, our soap making day. Alison and her little daughter Lucy came over for the afternoon and what a wonderful time we had together!
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| The table! |
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| Yes please! Dried lavender from the farm |
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| The soap... cooking |
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| Tirzah, after her 4 hour nap. These homemaking days really tire her out! |
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| Michael and Lucy at "Fairy school" |
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| All the goodies to add to the soap! |
So we had a wonderful wonderful day making the soap, but we were having some problems with the soap "tracing" and then after it was made and had been poured into the molds, we realized that it was not solidifying. Turns out, we had used the wrong lye! We had used the chemical for liquid hand soap. . . !!! So we have 8 pounds of gorgeous and wonderfully smelling glop that we hope will be used for dish soap or as bath/shower gel! What a bummer! But thankfully we were all able to laugh about it and still say that the day was a success in the simple moments spent together.
LOVING re-organizing spaces: our closet and the "everything" drawer in the kitchen. Next on the list: the garage, the hallway closet, the pantry (those will be for rainy days)
LOVING having a morning to myself and shopping at Target. I haven't purchased clothing for myself in a very long time so it was fun to grab a new tank top and some new black yoga pants. I also bought Tirzah some new toys: crayons, her first coloring books, and some watercolor paints! She has been LOVING having a little "artsy" time each day. Oh, also bought lots of fun snacks for our trip next week as we travel to Chicago for a girl's college reunion!!
LOVING Bach on Pandora radio
LOVING these pictures my brother took while he was here last weekend
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| Baking away at the table. Who knows what she made but boy did she have fun with oats and water! |
LOVING roasting my own coffee with the coffee beans from Dean's Beans. And if you have a mind to do it as well, I HIGHLY suggest the Espresso Ultra blend! By far my favorite!!
and is it bad that I am LOVING drinking a whole french press by myself in the mornings?!
LOVING baking with my daughter each morning. I simply give her a few ingredients and she is good for about 30 minutes, just mixing and pouring and tasting and adding a bit more. This morning, she baked away at the bench while Mama made these whole wheat pancakes which were just delicious. LOVING them with homemade strawberry jam and toasted sliced almonds. All we needed was some fresh whipped cream! But still, they hit the spot for a sunny Wednesday morning.
LOVING the new "quiet time" that Tirzah and I have been doing in the afternoons. She has been taking one long nap each day, but it still seems like she gets quite tired around 5 and gets just a little fussy. So, I have been putting her in her crib with a basket of books. I prep the room like it is for her naps: fan on, curtains closed, door closed, but I tell her that she can choose what she would like to do with this time: read or rest. I give her about 30 minutes and it seems she reads for a bit, throws her books out of the crib for a bit, and then rests for a bit. But I am LOVING it for myself because it gives me the time and space to make dinner! That has been a challenge being a single parent, for the evening is always a bit harder for the children: they just seem to be a bit more needy. This way, she is resting, we are having time apart (which is needed for any 2 persons when they are together 24/7) and I am getting dinner either prepped or all the way completed. I turn on Bach, I pour a glass of wine, and I give her 30 minutes (even if she begins to cry when time is almost up.) It has been a great new addition and I am so thankful for it! My hope is to slowly transition her to having her quiet time out of her crib, either in her room or even downstairs here with me, but over in a little reading nook or something. But for right now, it is suiting us just perfectly.
Always, always, I am LOVING the sweetest husband of them all, my Soldier and my Best Friend
These pictures are so yummy, especially the last one with her blue eyes, red curls, and those dimples. Love reading about the soap. Sounds like a fun day, even though the ending was different than what was wanted! Thank you for opening up about the hard things. I am so proud of you and the way you are "fighting the good fight" for that is what it is to walk with Jesus every day, realizing our desperation for Him every minute, and finding Him true every time. So proud of the way you find such good solutions, like the little quiet time for Tirzah. I think we have to train them early to have quiet, even if it is not napping, but just having quiet minutes with one's self and with Jesus, just doing quiet things. The culture certainly wages war against that whole concept, doesn't it? I will renew my resolve to have that myself. Good for you for fighting for that early in your sweet one's life. You are such a good, creative Mommy. I love reading of all that you are doing. The flowers are just breathtaking! I cannot believe it. We are packing the house and will move to Bluffton on Monday. Please pray as you think of it that we would know how to love and minister to this new flock at Grace Coastal. Love you so very much and praying for you, Daniel, and Tirzah.
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