This morning I was scrolling through my FB feed and came across an article about the Hunter/Target collaboration. Apparently, people are very upset about it because they had all been looking forward to and awaiting the day for the big roll out and then the signature item (the rainboots) ended up not being available. Target responded by simply saying they had been delayed. People are ANGRY about this. Angry enough that they take the time to write about their anger over it on social media. Angry enough that there is an article about how Target is losing customers over this big flub! I’m gonna be honest, I only skimmed the…
The Little Things
It’s the little things – both physically and figuratively. The little things really are just the spice of life! They can either be the easiest to overlook or the easiest way to feel immense joy! We get to make the choice of which lifestyle we will embrace and keep choosing it day after day. I choose the latter. Though there are certainly times when my focus veers off course – almost always in those long, grey days of January and February! During those times, I find myself ignoring the little things and losing the ability to see daily magic that is right there for the taking! Those days begin to…
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A Mother’s Garden
Yesterday, we walked among the most beautiful gardens. Hundreds of flowers and each one so spectacular! I do not have a green thumb, and though I am completely fascinated with flowers…it is simply not a skill I have! My mother and all the women on my husband’s side of the family are amazing with flowers and plants! I often wished I had a knack for it, and always imagined that one day I would take the time to really invest myself in learning more and trying harder. I even planned that this summer would be the year I do that! But as the list of things to do this summer…
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Dirt Road Coffee
I live down a quiet dirt road. I like it that way. We can’t see anyone’s house from our house and we can run around naked in our yard if we want…that may have even happened a time or two! I could never handle living in town and having neighbor kids running in and out of our yard and house, those shenanigans would drive me crazy and I think you Mom’s who live that life are actual saints! We love our quiet solitude and the only place I’d trade it for would probably be the beach. But even though I don’t want my home to be a revolving door…there is…
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Preparing For An Arrival
Birthing is such an amazing thing! The combination of excitement, raw pain, and the strength of a mother is truly remarkable! I have only ever been present for the births of my own children, and my memories of them are so precious to me. So…I am extremely excited to have been asked to photograph my sister Jessica’s upcoming birth! Let me introduce you to Jessica and Eric. Jessica is a social worker (LCSW) who is taking some time off from her career to stay home with their kids and homeschool. Eric is a Dr. of Chiropractic Medicine who has his own practice http://www.lifespanchiropractic.com with offices in both Elkins and…
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Growing Pains
Empathy runs deep in my veins. I have the level of empathy that makes me sick to my stomach when I hear people talk about a getting a cut or breaking a bone. I will honestly have throbbing, sympathy pains and I am not exaggerating that a bit! When I hear of something awful that has happened to someone, it is so hard for me to move on past my heartache for them. I know there are many other “feelers” out there that know exactly what I’m describing. I am glad I have strong empathy. Being empathetic has shaped who I am. There were stages of my life when I…
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Worth the Effort
Parenting is hard. But I’m here to tell you, we can do this. We can get through every hard stage, because our kids are worth our effort! My constant parenting mantra these days is “today will not last forever…but the lessons from it will.” I want to be patient while my kids work through tough stuff and offer them all the right tools to get through it. I don’t want to give up on them learning meaningful things, in a real and lasting way, by demanding immediate perfection that will really only look good on the outside. I want their hearts to guide their behavior, not fear…and hearts are slower…
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Happy Heartache
Our niece turned 15 today. She is the oldest niece (and only) on my husband’s side of the family. It feels like she went from a sparkly eyed, little four year old to a beautiful 15 year old (who outgrew me years ago) in mere days! How does this happen so quick? How do the days – that can seem so very long – turn into years so quickly? I remember a time, before kids, when I never could have understood that a birthday really means more to the parents than it ever does to the kid! But as soon as you have your own, you get it. Every birthday…
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The Gift of Receiving
Good Morning! This is your friendly reminder that you don’t need to be great at everything! No, really…you don’t! In this Pinterest world we live in, it can sometimes feel like if someone else can do it…than so can I! In so many cases that might be true…but do you even want to do it? If you want to do it…try something new and take it on! But sometimes I think we are just trying to prove something. It’s almost as if there is some kind of shame in not possessing every skill that our friends have! My six year old son, Ryker, gets frustrated when he can’t…
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Embracing Monday
I used to dread Monday. Sunday at about 4 o’clock the Monday depression would set in and ruin what was left of a perfectly good weekend! It also ruined the beginning of what could have been a perfectly good week! It helped when I was able to quit working outside of the home, but Monday was still hard. I knew I had a million chores to do, school had to be done, Ryan would go back to work, and we sometimes would all suffer from over exhaustion and be super grumpy. About a year ago I was so tired of feeling that way. I had the realization that though my…
