A collection of our ordinary days, recorded every week.
celebrating D’s 8th birthday. He’s been counting down the days for weeks! He requested bagels for breakfast, bacon cheeseburgers for dinner and a homemade ice cream sandwich cake. He is -hands down – my hardest child to shop for, so I was thrilled that he seemed to be happy with all of his gifts. And surprisingly enough, his most-used gift so far was just a super hero coloring book and big pack of colored pencils. Huh.
identifying with these words from Elizabeth Foss that describe me to a T: “This journey to silence the voice has been an arduous uphill climb. Through the perfect storm of nature and nurture, perfectionism and self-recrimination are hardwired into my psyche. I’ve been one to try too hard, move too fast, produce too much and reach too high for as long as I can remember. All my life, I have lived with the exhaustion and utter despair of never measuring up to my own perfectionistic standards.” The past few weeks have been difficult because I feel like I physically can’t keep up with my brain! There are so many things I want to accomplish, but the exhaustion is unreal. I’ll wake up in the morning ready to take on the world, but will have to lay down a bit on the couch by 11am. I’ve been trying to be okay with a little more clutter than usual, a little more television watching than usual and a lot less checked off my to-do list. To everything there is a season and this is the season to start slowing down, no guilt allowed. God always uses pregnancy to work on my heart…how quickly I forget every time.
finishing Madam Secretary. A slight departure from what we usually watch, but I really enjoyed it. We’ve moved on to Luke Cage, which is…ehh.
turning off Facebook (with the exception of popping in for Big White Farmhouse posts and checking into the book club) until after the election. I just can’t handle all the nastiness from people I really, truly do enjoy in person. Maybe I’m too sensitive, but it’s really starting to take its toll. I did fall into the trap yesterday post-debate “just to see” and quickly was like, NOPE.
+ More behind the scenes work spent on special mail going out next week to all of our customers from 2016!
+ I got the new Christmas garden markers in, and they are super cute. The three sayings are: “Bright & Merry”, “Jolly” and “Merry Christmas”. They make such an easy gift for neighbors or teachers – add to a poinsettia or a small potted plant and you’re done! I also ordered a bunch of “Festive Forks“, which would be so fun to add to a Thanksgiving table. I also think two of the “Pie Time” forks tied to the top of a homemade pie would make such an adorable hostess gift!
+ Sophie and I finally agreed on a winter coat and I found D’s for a steal on Kidizen.
+ Mark hung the art I got for my birthday in the dining room. They were originally meant for our bedroom, but were SO big (note to self: measure before ordering!) that we moved them to the only big, blank wall we had left. They’re cheesy, but a meaningful saying our family uses a lot. I love them.
+ I purchased new sneakers in the next size up for TJ with a gift card I hadn’t used (BONUS!) and snagged a few nursing tanks for those first few months at the same time.
sending M off on his first big field trip, three hours away! He loved it and had so many things to share when he got home. In other school news, J had an ABC Bootcamp parade and he got to wear the “J” vest he made. He was so proud.
making slow cooker beef stew – so delicious. The rest of the week was a mix of dinner flops (such a bummer!) and “breakfast for dinner”.
P.S. We’re still collecting donations for our Pajama Drive, with all pajamas being given to Northern Virginia Family Services. We are so thankful for everyone who has given so far (special shout outs coming soon!) and would love to have you contribute too. Currently, we have a need for pajamas in the 12mo/18mo/2T range for both boys and girls.
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