Sunday, February 12, 2017

How to Get Your Front Porch Rockin'

Texas currently can't decide if it's winter or summer (try going from 88 degrees to 42 in about 48 hours), so it has got me dreaming and swooning over what I want my front porch to look like in the coming months! I love southern style, so what says southern better than front porch sittin'?

I found this beautiful porch idea via Finding Home Farms,  and I'm going to try to recreate this loveliness this Spring (because whether you like it or not, Spring will be here soon!)!



Rocking Chairs: Similar | Chalkboard: World Market | Wreath: One Kings Lane | End Table: Similar

Yesterday, the little girl fell asleep on the way home, and I took her out of the car and we went and sat on the front porch.  Her asleep on my shoulder, and me just rocking.  Yep! Just rocking like an old lady with nothing better to do! Ha!  Let me tell you though, the only thing missing was an ice cold glass of sweet tea in a Mason jar to make it perfect.  It was glorious to just stop in the midst of the current craziness and listen to the trees sway in the wind and listen to what God wants to tell me.  Sometimes, just STOPPING and being silent…no technology, no reading, just being silent for a few minutes makes a world of difference! I came back in with a peace and a gratefulness that could've only come with being STILL.

The little photo above, and the moment I had rocking yesterday spurred on so many ideas for my front porch that is currently in dire need of some major TLC!

I definitely need some greenery out on the front of course, and since I love the farmhouse look inside AND out, I found these amazing planters!  You can find them HERE.



I also have been looking for some outdoor lanterns that wouldn't get too dirty, but would be just right for outdoor decor.  I found these cute little gems HERE.



And what about THIS!  I'm a sucker for anything unique, and something you might not see everywhere and in everyone's home.  This mat is a MUST have, and you can find it HERE!

And a front porch would NOT be complete without a throw pillow or two.  I found this beautiful pillow that portrays the message of what I want for front porch sittin'.  Find it HERE.




Those are all of my front porch ideas for now, so be expecting (in the kind of sort of near future), a before and after of my porch.  I envision many a days rocking with my sweet tea in hand. And if you come by, be sure to stop and stay awhile! 










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Sunday, January 15, 2017

Weekly Wrap Up

Welcome to the very first Weekly Wrap Up!

I used to write more personal blog posts a LONG time ago (way before kid #2, and even on a different blog that now no longer exists), and I have found that it was such an incredible outlet for me.  Since then,  I have simply let life get in the way of some things I enjoy the most.  My mom is an artist, and even though I cannot muster up in my little pinky, or even attempt all of her creative paintings, writing is my artistry.   Writing to me is like letting everything that has happened or is happening in my life process and filter.  I have absolutely MISSED my more personal posts! 

Enter: Weekly Wrap Ups! 

My goal is to post weekly wrap ups  as often as I can (I can't say every week, because we all know how unrealistic that could very well be); mainly to reflect, revel in God's goodness and faithfulness, be reminded of the stories that are shaping our lives, and force me to get out my big camera again!   

So without further ado, weekly wrap up numero uno!

SICK is how we began our week!  Not the best way to start.  The littlest of our family caught the dreaded flu, but thankfully the rest of us stayed clear.  It was a solid four days of getting better, but the symptoms weren't as bad as what I had expected.  It just LINGERED on and on.  I was thankful that I had some magic immunity oil on hand (THIEVES!), and I diffused it all day everyday to keep those germs from multiplying.  I really think it helped us stay away from getting sick, to be quite honest.  If you are interested in getting your own little bottle of immunity, click here.


Toward the end of my girl's sickness, and when she was feeling much better, I heard some clinking in her room and I was for sure she had broken something.  But, what I found instead, was her playing with my old tea set.  I absolutely love it when my kids play with things that I (or The Coach) used to play with! There's something beautiful and nostalgic about it that I hope stays with them forever.


Truth be told, I sometimes have trouble slowing down my life to take in the moments that really matter, and I saw this tea-set time as an opportunity to improve on this flaw of mine.  We had tea time full on with pretend names, pretend tea, and her bedroom door being the pretend front door for her little house.  It was pretty glorious, and a great way to end her sickly days.


The rest of the week brought on health and back to school (thank you, Jesus!), The Coach being gone from Wednesday to Saturday for a coaches' convention, and Fruit Loops for dinner.



We made it alright with our main man being gone, but we sure did miss him.  He doesn't go out of town much, so it makes the times that he does a little tough on us all.  By the grace of God we were able to go on with all of our events and after school activities seamlessly.  We even had a visitor (my lovely sister in love) come and stay with us one night because she was in town.

All was well, but when he got home, we all rushed him about as fast as we could...after a little hiding of course.  The littles love to hide when he comes home and burst out in surprise, so nothing changed here!  Then, of course, the attacking hugs began! Being reunited with someone you love, whether it's one day or 365, is so wonderful, is it not?



It's been raining since, which I personally needed as an excuse to take it easy, and my boy has been practicing some soccer drills (inside, mind you per my hesitant permission), and has introduced me to some Minecraft videos on good ol' YouTube.


I often think about how different both of these kiddos' growing experiences have been.  My boy was still watching The Backyardigans at age 5, and my girl has officially watched most of the Avengers movies, Star Wars, Xbox video games, now Minecraft, and so much more!  I'm taking that as not necessarily a bad thing. Quality time with big bro; I'm scoring this one as a big win.


I wouldn't say the last thing that came with this week was prayer, but that's what I'm going to end on for this weekly wrap up.  

One of my goals for 2017 is to spend more intentional time in prayer.  I'm thinking long and hard about my prayer room.  Because the kiddos are somewhat still little (my boy is still little, right?!), my prayer time usually comes wherever I can find a quiet space.  I think finding wherever you can as a prayer room is totally great, but I want a specific place.  While the music room isn't going to be the place (it's in a little too much of a public area in the house), it is the place I come to sit, play, and let The Lord lead me in what to pray about.  I've been in great prayer for a dear friend the last few days, and I've noticed The Lord speaking to me as I tinkle around on the ivories.  It does a lot of good to sit still, let go of all distractions, clear the mind, and just listen.  


So, we're starting to get ready for another full week, and The Coach is busy planning for his baseball season.  OUR baseball season starts TOMORROW, y'all!  That's an entire different blog post all and in itself.

Goals for this week: 
  1. Actually begin my New Year's Resolutions (Yes, I'm dead serious…don't judge).
  2. Begin a chapter book with the kids. 
  3. Kick off baseball season on my end with connections with parents, coaches' wives, and the players. 
That's all, my friends!