thirty thankful days-day 11-a little free time

Every day in November I am posting something I'm thankful for, and I would love to have you join me!  Link to your thankful post below, or write about it in the comments.  Let's be thankful together!


Last night was tutoring night.  Pickle has been seeing a tutor weekly to help her with study and organizational skills, as well as a few little brain glitches.  She's been a big help...but she lives pretty far from our home, and not near anything else.  So tutoring nights mean we leave our house by 5:30 and get home at 8:30.  Much of that time is driving, since I usually leave the tutor's home to run an errand--20 minutes to anything--and drive back to her house.  So, it's not my utmost favorite evening.  Even though it's worth it for the help Pickle is receiving.

At the last minute tonight, Pickle's tutor and I decided to cancel our session for a number of reasons.  And guess what?  5:30 - 8:30 was suddenly free!  Wahoo!  I didn't do anything super productive with the time...talked with my husband, watched a few youtube videos with my daughter, proofread my son's report, did a little facebooking, caught up on X Factor.  You know, important stuff.  :0)

What a gift it was.  Space in the day.  Unexpected space in the day.  That's what I'm thankful for.

Oh, and I'm also really thankful for this--my favorite video we watched last night--of my friend Nicole on the news welcoming home her hubby from Iraq yesterday.  Click and enjoy, it will make you happy.  Thank you and Happy Veteran's Day to all who serve our country!

Nicole and Andrew's Homecoming!

What are you thankful for?  Link up or comment!  Let's fill up blogland with thankfulness!

A few simple instructions for the link up:

-please link to your specific thankful post--not just your blog

-please link back to theGoodlife in your post so others can join the fun!
-feel free to grab the 30 thankful days graphic--I haven't figured out how to make it a button yet.  I'm such a techy, huh?

thirty thankful days-day 10--my bosstor

Every day in November I am posting something I'm thankful for, and I would love to have you join me!  Link to your thankful post below, or write about it in the comments.  Let's be thankful together!


As I've mentioned before, I have the privilege of working as the Children's Ministry Director at our church.   It's a job I love very much.  Just about two years ago we got a new senior pastor--who is also my boss.  (Get it? boss/pastor=bosstor?  Kay, that's lame--I made that word up too-late last night when I started this post...and am leaving it cause I like to laugh at myself.)

How do I begin to describe Don?  Passionate.  A visionary.  Straightforward.  A Teacher.  Developmental.  A Leader.  Missional.  A strong communicator.  He is unlike anyone I've ever known before.  Our church has been blessed by his leadership in many ways.

But I'm not thankful on behalf of my church today, I'm thankful for Don's impact on my life in particular.  I have never had a boss speak into my life the way he does, and I've had some really developmental bosses.  He has great insight into people and is able to mentor people like I've never been mentored before.  He does not tread lightly, and is willing to call out things others might not.

Don and I up front at church after our VBX  (hence the green T-shirt)

Last night we spent a few hours talking about me...about what he sees I'm good at. And about what I'm not good at.  He asked me to get over not being good at certain things (working on it...), and to stop trying to do them.  He doesn't want me spending my energy in those ways.  He is able to tell me what type of leader I am, and how that positively impacts our team and our church.  I can't say I completely get everything he said to me last night...It always takes me a while to wrap my mind around it, but I have a feeling he's pretty dead-on.  When I came home, my hubby and I processed, and he seems to agree with the things Don and I talked about.

I am growing and changing under Don's guidance, not only from his teaching, but particularly under his mentorship.    He names my gifts and strengths very specifically, which is extremely affirming.  And he also names the things holding me back, which are sometimes hard to hear--but which I believe is an even bigger investment in me.  God is using Don to help me look at myself in ways I probably wouldn't have. And for these reasons, I'm thankful for Don, my boss and my pastor (my bosster? heh heh) today.

Who would have thought I could still have so much to learn about myself at age halfway-to-ninety??  I'm thankful I'm not done yet...

What are you thankful for?  Link up or comment!  Let's fill up blogland with thankfulness!

A few simple instructions for the link up:

-please link to your specific thankful post--not just your blog

-please link back to theGoodlife in your post so others can join the fun!
-feel free to grab the 30 thankful days graphic--I haven't figured out how to make it a button yet.  I'm such a techy, huh?

thirty thankful days-day 9--love on a chain

Every day in November I am posting something I'm thankful for, and I would love to have you join me!  Link to your thankful post below, or write about it in the comments.  Let's be thankful together!


As I mentioned before, Sunday was my birthday.  I had a lovely day in all ways.  The kids and Dave had some gifts for me.  A stinkin' adorable owl keychain and a beautiful watch.  Love 'em both--and they were much more than I expected.  But then Monday, when I got home from work, there was another package for me.  One of my presents had arrived a little late.  I thought they had already given me more than enough...but I'm so glad this package arrived.

In it was a beautiful Lisa Leonard necklace I've had my eye on for a while.  It's called the Family Tree necklace.  Isn't it pretty?

Some of the things I love about it: (and no, Lisa Leonard did not put me up to this...)

*  it's heavier than I thought.  I love how I can feel it's weight on my skin.
*  it's not perfectly round.  It looks handmade and it is.
*  it has all five of our names on it.  Including Aidan's.  I don't always know when it's appropriate to include him, but I'm so glad Dave did on this...

Now, I know I sound a little shallow, fussing over a necklace.  So let me tell you why I really love it...it's because Dave bought it for me.  Because he listened to me say how much I liked it.  Because to me, it represents his love, and our family's love.  It's the sentiment that means so much.

Honestly, this hasn't been the easiest year of our marriage.  Not the worst, but pretty hard.  For Dave to buy me something this sentimental makes me feel like he is still invested, still embracing this life we share.  When things get difficult, that is hard to feel sure of.  Not that a necklace solves or proves anything, but it feels like hopeful love to me.  It may not make sense to you, but it means a lot.

So, today, I'm thankful for this love hanging on a chain around my neck.

What are you thankful for?  Link up or comment!  Let's fill up blogland with thankfulness!

A few simple instructions for the link up:

-please link to your specific thankful post--not just your blog

-please link back to theGoodlife in your post so others can join the fun!
-feel free to grab the 30 thankful days graphic--I haven't figured out how to make it a button yet.  I'm such a techy, huh?

thirty thankful days-day 8-my morning drink

Every day in November I am posting something I'm thankful for, and I would love to have you join me!  Link to your thankful post below, or write about it in the comments.  Let's be thankful together!

Everyone has one, it seems.  A morning drink.  Coffee for many.  Tea for some.  OJ.  Hot water with lemon.  If my friend Beth could make them at home it would be the Gingerbread Latte.   It's the drink that you grab for, maybe even before you are fully awake.  You find some comfort in the mug or glass--easing yourself into your day.

Well, I didn't have one.  Although I had been known to pour diet coke in a coffee mug and pretend I had a morning drink,  I knew that didn't count.  Not liking coffee or tea has been a challenge for me.  I longed for quiet moments with my Bible and cup of whatever, like others described.

Well, now I have one.  It's a green smoothie.  As I've mentioned before, we've been trying to make better choices when it comes to nourishing our body around here.  We are working to get rid of much of the bad, and add lots of good.  One way we are adding the good is with our green smoothies in the morning.

What's a green smoothie, you ask?  Well, if you google it  you are going to easily find out.  They are pretty popular to make.  Basically its a lots of greens blended with fruit and ice.   It ends up mostly tasting like the fruit, but you get tons of nutrition in with those greens.  I learned a lot from reading greensmoothiegirl.  She has lots of info on her website, and many videos on youtube as well. I defer to her if you would like more info on the benefits of green smoothies. But I'm convinced.

We received a super-dooper blender as a gift, and it's pretty amazing.  My husband says it's like having a jet engine on our counter!  It will blend anything.

So with the incentive of getting better nutrition in my family's bodies, and the fun of a new gadget--I started making green smoothies every morning.  Dave and I usually have 2 large ones, and the kids each have one.

There are lots of green smoothie recipes out there...and I don't use any of them.  Instead I wing it every time.   Here are the basics of what I do.  First I add water.  Then I add some flax oil and chia seeds (for the extra nutrition--my family doesn't notice they're in there.)  I put in a few generous handfuls of greens.  Spinach or Chard most often.  After the greens, I (sometimes)add carrots and then either a banana or avocado for creaminess.  Then some fruit--fresh and/or frozen.  I put in at least some frozen fruit for the icyness factor.  I try not to overdo it on the fruit--more veggies is better.  I sometimes add stevia for sweetness.  Last of all, I top the whole thing with some ice.

Then I hit the button and the blender threatens to lift off my counter.  :0)

I pour my family their smoothies, wave goodbye as they leave and then sit down with mine as I read my Bible,  catch up on blogs, facebook, etc.  The whole time, I'm sipping that smoothie.

I am so happy I have my morning drink.  Diet coke in a mug is nice and all...but I gave up diet coke in March and haven't looked back.  I love handing the smoothies to my family each morning--blessing their bodies with a little nutrition.  A little love in a cup to send them on their way.

Do you have a go-to morning drink?

What are you thankful for?  Link up or comment!  Let's fill up blogland with thankfulness!

A few simple instructions for the link up:

-please link to your specific thankful post--not just your blog

-please link back to theGoodlife in your post so others can join the fun!
-feel free to grab the 30 thankful days graphic--I haven't figured out how to make it a button yet.  I'm such a techy, huh?

thirty thankful days-day 7-a tissue paper bouquet

Every day in November I am posting something I'm thankful for, and I would love to have you join me!  Link to your thankful post below, or write about it in the comments.  Let's be thankful together!


Yesterday was my birthday, and it was a lovely day.  I'm thankful today for one of my sweet birthday surprises--a whole bouquet of tissue paper flowers.

My dear friend Tamara, who also is part of our children's ministry team, coordinated the kids to each make me a flower.  They individually presented them to me with a hug.  On each flower is a paper leaf where they wrote a little birthday note to me.  Isn't that sweet?

some of the kiddos bringing me flowers

It was nice to be remembered, but what I'm really thankful for is what those flowers represent.  Each one represents a child that God has brought into my life, a child who God loves and who I get to love too.  Each crinkly, colorful stem represents a young person that I get to witness grow in their faith and love for God.  What a privilege!

One of my favorite messages was written by a six-year-old and reads, "Mrs Dawn, you keep on telling me my favorite story."  Yes, Thomas, I do.  And I will keep telling you it--it's the story of how much God loves you.

I also received a lovely card, which included an acronym from my name.  As Tamara read it out loud to me in front of the group, she got all choked up.  So, of course,  I choked up.  Crying on my birthday--good times!  Actually, it was a precious moment and I will treasure my giant card and my paper flowers--and thank God for the honor of walking alongside these precious ones on their faith journey.

Yes, I'm thankful today for a tissue paper bouquet.

What are you thankful for?  Link up or comment!  Let's fill up blogland with thankfulness!

A few simple instructions for the link up:

-please link to your specific thankful post--not just your blog

-please link back to theGoodlife in your post so others can join the fun!
-feel free to grab the 30 thankful days graphic--I haven't figured out how to make it a button yet.  I'm such a techy, huh?

Thirty thankful days-day 6-Happy Birthday!

Every day in November I am posting something I'm thankful for, and I would love to have you join me!  Link to your thankful post below, or write about it in the comments.  Let's be thankful together!


Today is my birthday.  I am turning "halfway to ninety" as my daughter kindly says.  Wow.  That is a concept in itself...you know, the whole getting older thing.  But today, besides being thankful for 45 years of life, I am thankful for simple birthday celebrations.  As I mentioned on Wednesday, it was Bubba's birthday this week as well.  So, this weekend is when we did the celebrating for both of us.


I am so thankful that Bubba was up for a celebration that ended up being so easy-schmeasy.  He chose to have less friends involved, but to do more activities.  The less-friends part eliminated the need for formal invitations, the need for booking some sort of "party package" somewhere (whew--cause I let it get away from me and probably would have had trouble getting the date we wanted), and in general, lowered the amount of energy we would have expended corralling a large group of boys.  Bubba chose to have a friend from school, a friend from the neighborhood, and a friend from church and that was it!  

glow-golf

We took the boys to play glow-in-the-dark mini-golf, then lunch at the food court (I know, boring, but it makes 11 year old boys happy), then they tried out the laser-maze, and then my hubby took them to the Puss in Boots movie, and Dairy Queen for a treat.  The all-day shindig finished back at our house where Bubba opened some gifts.  They all had a really great time--and there was no prep, no decorating, not even a cake!  I'm so thankful.

the party-ers at lunch

After Bubba's day-o-fun, we spent the evening with my family celebrating both Bubba and my birthdays.  We had dinner together (ordered in--easy), opened gifts, had ice cream cake, and just hung out.  Simple and just perfect.  I'm so thankful!

Bubba got tickets to see the Air Force football team play--he's going next weekend with dad and grandpa!

new purse!

Today I will be at church in the morning, and then having a luncheon for my children's teachers.  When all of that is over...I am free to celebrate however I wish.  I think a nap will be involved.  You know...I am, afterall, halfway to ninety!  


What are you thankful for today?  Link up or comment!  Let's fill up blogland with thankfulness!

A few simple instructions for the link up:

-please link to your specific thankful post--not just your blog

-please link back to theGoodlife in your post so others can join the fun!
-feel free to grab the 30 thankful days graphic--I haven't figured out how to make it a button yet.  I'm such a techy, huh?

thirty thankful days-days 4 and 5

Every day in November I am posting something I'm thankful for, and I would love to have you join me!  Link to your thankful post below, or write about it in the comments.  Let's be thankful together!


Well, I can't believe I already missed a day on my quest to post every day of November!  All I can say is that I have NOT stopped since I last wrote...life is so full right now.  But that is one reason why I want to do these thankful posts.  Sometimes in the fullness of life...the good, the bad, the busy...I can lose track.  I can lose track of all of the blessings...I forget to notice them.  Anyway, I'm sorry bloggies, for my unintentional day off...but to catch up, I'll be doubly thankful today.  :0)


Today I'm thankful for M.  M is Pickle's very good friend.  Everyone needs a good friend, and a 15 year old girl might need one more than most.  Two years ago, Pickle's best friend (since they were toddlers!) moved away across the country (we miss you, K!)  I hoped and prayed she would one day have a friend like that again here in town.  M moved here a year and a half ago, and she and Pickle became good friends about 10 months ago.  Despite the relatively short length of their friendship, they are very close.  M came over last night to keep Pickle company as she watched the kids for our small group meeting.  

M and Pickle--November 4, 2011

M is a wonderful girl--she loves God deeply, worships Him with her whole heart, and follows Him authentically.  I think she is pretty amazing.  Her serious faith does not keep her from being silly though, and Pickle and M are very silly and giggly together.  They have so much fun.  I really couldn't have picked a lovelier friend for my girl...and I don't take for granted what having that kind of friend means to a growing-up-too-fast young woman.  So I'm thankful today for M.


Switching gears completely, I'm also thankful today for my bed.  I've been so busy, and therefore, so tired lately.  And when I'm tired, nothing's better than curling up in our new bed.  We've had this bed  for several months and it is incredible.  We took the recommendation of friends and our chiropractor and purchased a Natural Form bed.  This bed has air chambers, kind of like those sleep number beds.  The difference is that you don't have to select your perfect sleep number--this bed adjusts as you lie on it...and if you change positions, it adjusts to your new position as well.  You have NO pressure points at all.  Aaah, it's so nice, I may just want to get in it right now!  I'm so thankful to have a comfy bed to fall into at the end of a full day.  


What are you thankful for today?  Link up or comment!  Let's fill up blogland with thankfulness!

A few simple instructions for the link up:

-please link to your specific thankful post--not just your blog

-please link back to theGoodlife in your post so others can join the fun!
-feel free to grab the 30 thankful days graphic--I haven't figured out how to make it a button yet.  I'm such a techy, huh?

thirty thankful days-day 3--a tile floor

Every day in November I am posting something I'm thankful for, and I would love to have you join me!  Link to your thankful post below, or write about it in the comments.  Let's be thankful together!


A tile floor...really?  Dawn, yesterday you posted about your son, and today a tile floor?  Yes, I swung to the mundane.

Almost two months ago, in the last minutes before our small group arrived at our home, I discovered a mess.  I was doing the final wipe down in the bathroom, and the floor seemed wet.  I went to wipe it up and the floor squished down.  Water seeped up through the vinyl tiles we had there.  Uh oh.

My hubby was wise enough to call our insurance company before a plumber to see if it warranted a claim.  They sent someone out to access the damage and discovered black mold!  Apparently, it only takes 72 hours to develop.  So they sealed up the room and began a mold remediation process.  When that was done, we began to get estimates for the rebuild.

here is our bathroom all sealed up...

I don't know why, but this process has involved a whole lot of waiting.  Wait for this guy, that guy, that phone call, to pick this, to pick that, to figure out who will do the work, etc. etc. etc.  And we are without the bathroom on the main floor.  No matter how long it had been unusable...we all still manage to walk in there to use it before we remember the room is empty.

(Can I take a moment aside here and express my gratitude for the THREE other bathrooms in our house?--I'm such a whiner...)

Finally, last week, thanks to a dear semi-retired contractor from our church, work began on our bathroom.  Yesterday he finished tiling our floor.  We had trouble finding tile we liked, but I think I'm pleased.  I may be mostly pleased that it's done, but I think I'm also pleased with the way it looks.

What do you think??

Even though there is still painting, and all sorts of installing to do, the floor represents progress.  One of these days soon, we are going to have a bathroom there again.  And I'm thankful for progress.

Cause, Lord knows we can hardly survive on only three bathrooms around here...

What are you thankful for today?  Link up or comment!  Let's fill up blogland with thankfulness!

A few simple instructions for the link up:

-please link to your specific thankful post--not just your blog

-please link back to theGoodlife in your post so others can join the fun!
-feel free to grab the 30 thankful days graphic--I haven't figured out how to make it a button yet.  I'm such a techy, huh?

thirty thankful days-day 2

Every day in November I am posting something I'm thankful for, and I would love to have you join me!  Link to your thankful post below, or write about it in the comments.  Let's be thankful together!

Today is a no-brainer on what I'm thankful for.  Today is my son, Bubba's 11th birthday, and today I'm so very thankful for him!

Bubba:

is adorable (i'm totally objective here).

has a compassionate heart.

is hysterically funny.

has awesome freckles.

still loves to snuggle.

loves Jesus.

plays soccer, basketball, piano and trumpet.

is a great companion and helper.

always makes new friends.

has a great imagination.

kisses me goodnight each night.

is diligent.

keeps his room the cleanest of us all.

is a ham and loves to be on stage.

tells me he loves me.

is an absolute gift to me.

I'm so thankful for my Bubba!  And for the snow day he got for his birthday--we are going to get to hang out all day!

What are you thankful for today?  Link up your post below or leave your answer in the comments.  Let's fill up blogland with thankfulness!

A few simple instructions for the link up:

-please link to your specific thankful post--not just your blog

-please link back to theGoodlife in your post so others can join the fun!
-feel free to grab the 30 thankful days graphic--I haven't figured out how to make it a button yet.  I'm such a techy, huh?

thirty thankful days!

It's November!

I don't know about you, but my October pretty much flew by.  We have had no shortage of craziness and inconveniences around here.  Oh, and busyness.  And emotions too.  There have been plenty of them as well.

When life gets like that, I can lose my perspective.  I can get a little overwhelmed, and perhaps more than a little focused on the wrong things. I have found, however, that nothing helps me regain perspective like being grateful.  And since November is the month of Thanksgiving, I decided to copy an idea my mom and others posted on facebook and plan to post something to be thankful for each day this month.  (It might also help me get back to a regular blogging schedule too, but it's mostly about being grateful.)

Would you like to join me?  I'll post a link-up each day starting tomorrow for those of you with a blog, and if you don't blog, feel free to leave your thankful post in the comments.  It will be fun!  Feel free to join everyday or just once or twice.  I look forward to reading what you are thankful for!

Today, I am thankful for my coworkers at church where I work as Children's Ministry Director.  We spent most of the day together today--working through the results of the "Style of Influence" inventories we each completed.  We learned a lot about how God has wired each of us, and how best to work together as a team.  It was interesting and helpful.  I am truly grateful for each of the wonderful folks I get to work with each day, and the way God has put us--each with our gifts, strengths and limitations--together to serve Him.

our church staff on a drive up pike's peak:
Gail, Katie, me, Erik, Don, Peter

I do not take for granted that I like my coworkers, and I like them a whole lot.  I learn from each of them regularly.  We laugh a ton.  We respect each other and trust each other.  What a blessing to be part of a team like that.  God uses each of them in my life--and I thank Him today for Don, Erik, Peter, Gail & Katie.

What are you thankful for?  Link up coming tomorrow--please join in!

Letting go of the safety ropes.

Do you get stuck?

I am learning that I am easily stuck where I am when I can't see the whole way through something.  I'd like to see all the steps to where I'm going--and then I'll start moving.  If I can't see how something will work all the way through, I can be immobilized until I get all of that information.  Can anyone relate??

This hasn't been wildly apparent to me--cause I push past it enough to not have it completely disable me.  Yet a wise mentor has called it out a few times in regards to my leadership and ministry, and I see the truth in it.  And I've begun to recognize it in myself emotionally as well.  God is gently showing me.

(It's good to recognize our "stuff", don't you think?  Only then can we address and push past those obstacles to Abundant Life.)

Anyway.

Late this summer, during one of my-listen-to-God-and-write-it-down times, God spoke to me about moving forward.  As I journaled about the things that were heavy on my heart that day--there were many unknowns ahead of me.  Many emotions swirling through my head.  I listed it all out in my favorite fabric covered notebook.

That's my favorite notebook cover on the right.  It makes me happy.

And then I listened.  And wrote down what the Father said.  He said, "Trust me and move forward.  I will lead you step by step.  Seek me and follow me."

(I sincerely hope you don't mind me sharing these intimate conversations God and I have.  It is not my desire to make you uncomfortable, but rather to encourage you. )

He went on to say, "Lean heavily on Me so you do not fall.  I have you.  I HAVE YOU.  You can let go of the safety ropes."

What??  What safety ropes?  What are you talking about God?

God brought to mind the ropes course I did on a women's retreat this past spring.  I've done ropes course adventures many times, and they don't really intimidate me much.  But as I was finishing this course, friends cheering me on, I got a bit stuck.  OK, more than a bit stuck.  This part of the course had me on a wobbly cable that I needed to traverse from one tree to the next--maybe 25 feet away.  To make it possible, there were poles attached to the cable I was walking on and the cable above me--but they were spaced further apart then my reach...and my "coach" from the camp said it would need to be a leap of faith.

This is a friend on that part of the ropes course.  She was not stuck at all.  Of course...she could reach the poles.  I know it doesn't look THAT scary. 

I was on belay and the belay rope was easy to grab for some stability on the shaky cable (made more shaky by me!).  However, I couldn't reach ahead to the next pole, and move ahead unless I let go of my belay rope.

I hope you enjoy these pics of me at my best--purple helmut and a little overwhelmed.

Aaah...I'm starting to see it Lord.  You want me to move forward, and it will take a leap of faith--right out of my comfort zone.

Let go of my safety ropes.  Hmmm.  What are my safety ropes?  I began to list...

Control.
People liking me.
Approval from important people in my life.
My PLAN.
Comfort.
The sure and known.
etc...

Ugh.  God, I don't think I know how to let go of these things.  My knees shake and even though I know you are there, it's so hard...

"But you are stuck if you don't let go.  You don't get to move forward.  Stationary.  Boring.  My plan is always ahead...keep stepping forward and keep asking what the next step is in each of these situations you've brought to Me.  I am the only one who truly knows.  The rest are only illusions of safety.  I am the only TRUE SAFE.  I've got you.  Do you trust me??"

..........

I don't know if you get easily stuck like me.  I don't know what situations in your life are hard to move forward in.  I don't know what safety ropes you are tempted to hang on to for dear life.

God's plan is always ahead.  Even if the next step is to wait--God can tell you--it is still moving forward in His plan for you.  Ask Him.  Trust Him.  Let go.

I am.  It's part of the Good life.

Insta-Friday

Check me out--my third post this week!  I'm trying hard to get back into the blog-groove.  I do love it...

It's Friday!  Time for a cell-phone pics only glimpse of the Good life.  It's been a few weeks since I shared some instagram pictures, so these insta-glimpses are highlights from a few weeks of cell-phone photography.  Enjoy!

Labor Day Weekend Balloon Classic-a favorite family tradition.

Bubba's spoon-hanging skills.

I didn't take this one--Dave forwarded this one to be from a high-school football game they attended.  I like it.  :0)

My bird feeder usually attracts little finches and the like--this day I spotted a large magpie sitting on the bird feeder hook.

Bubba stacking cups in Sunday School.  We plan "Anticipate" activities for the kids to do when they arrive--this was a teaser for a lesson on the Tower of Babel.

This lovely colorful shot is of our powder bath door last week--the room was sealed off due to black mold remediation.  Oh yeah--facing a bathroom remodel....but not by choice.

Added the My Sketch app to my phone this week and "sketched " this photo of my kids from the summer.  Fun!

On a totally more serious note--today is 12 years since our son Aidan died.  For the first time I didn't notice the day sneaking up on me...and was hours into the day before I realized it was September 30.  I felt guilty about that, then decided it was just another sign of healing.  We love you sweet Aidan...



Linking up today with jeannett at Life Rearranged for Insta-Friday and with the Company Girls at Home Sanctuary.