Ah, the desire to stay at home, but the need to contribute to the family. It’s often a crazy relationship between the two.

I get emails daily from women around the country asking how I’m able to stay at home with my daughter and earn an income.

Truly, a post just like this, back in August 2011, changed my life. Some of you know my story, some of you don’t… But if you want to hear it live, I will be sharing all the details tomorrow night at 9:00p central time. REGISTER HERE (there’s only a few seats left). I will share how I am able to stay at home to nurture my family, while still providing financially to them. How, we paid off all of our debt (except our mortgage) last year. You will learn all about my amazing brand partner, why I chose them, how they are different, and what they have done for me (and the hundreds of women that I personally have been blessed to help).

I don’t know what you have going on in your life. You may love what you do. You’re probably totally satisfied with your life! Your marriage is probably great, you’re probably not in debt like everyone else, and you’re probably enjoying the life of your dreams, totally satisfied with your career. However, not everyone else is experiencing that in their life. In this bad economy, with divorce, companies shutting down, 20 mil people out of work, trillions of dollars in debt (our country), I’m sure you know of someone that this information would be beneficial for. If you know of anyone who is looking to earn an income from home like myself, and my great friend Amanda who similar to me, was looking for a great, organic product she could use, now makes an income sharing them with her friends. Or my friend Kelly who is able to support her family while she and her disabled husband homeschool their three kiddos. These girls are part of my growing team, and they will be sharing their stories and how they can help other moms who desire to stay at home, but still contribute financially to the family. I’m sure you know someone like this. I’d love to invite you both to join a free call that I am hosting Thursday 5/16 at 9:00p central time. I will try my best to answer all of your questions.  There’s only one problem: these calls usually fill up pretty fast, so it’s safe to say this one will too.

The call is free on Thursday night, and I am looking for other moms who are serious about being able to stay home and contribute to their family’s income. You have the opportunity to join me and become part of this group who are making their dreams a reality from home. So register for the call right away, so that you can have a story like Amanda, Kelly, and the many others.

In the meantime, you can watch this quick clip about moms, just like you and me, who are making a difference

Thanks! I’m so excited to talk to you on Thursday night…

Remember, REGISTER HERE!

I’m sure you’ve seen the It Works! ad over in my sidebar. Everyone has probably wondered, “does it really work”. Right? Well, I’ve used them several times. And in short, the answer is YES! And just in time for summer and wedding season, I have a great surprise for you!

Last week, before my husband finally came home after being away for 3 weeks, I decided I should probably wrap before he got here! I did my belly/hips and then I wrapped my arms for the first time.

I wasn’t real sure about wrapping my arms. Belly is relatively easy to cover and stay in place, but the arms I had a hard time getting everything to not move/slide around. BUT, I lost over 1/4” in the hour or so that I left them on, while working around the house. They were right at 15.5” before I started, and a little less than 15.25” an hour later. (Excuse these pictures, you all know by now, I am still battling my weight/size)

Here are a few other before/after pictures – as you can see, they’re not just for women.

I am excited to give you the opportunity to try them yourself! My friend Julie is allowing me to give away a box of wraps and a tube of defining gel (I love that stuff – goodbye cellulite)!

All you have to do to enter is like Julie’s facebook page and leave a comment below!

If you have some toning/firming to do before summer gets here, maybe you have a wedding or vacation to prepare for, then check out Julie’s It Works! site! Or email her, and she will get you taken care of!

Can’t wait to see your results!

I have two posts on my heart that need to be written, and they kind of go hand-in-hand, but I think I’ll start with this one…

On why I’m choosing to disconnect, so to speak, from the world. Why I deleted the facebook app from my phone this weekend.

You see, I’ve been on facebook since the end of 2004, when only certain universities had it, and all the class electives made ensuring we got it part of their campaign. Seriously. That’s almost 9 years. It has changed drastically over the past decade, but it has also started to change me. And that is precisely why I decided to delete.

You may remember, that my word for the year is “intentional” meaning, I wanted to focus on being intentional on every aspect of my life this year. Intentional with how I spend my time is a big part of this… I want to be PRESENT! To truly take in and taste life, not just watch it pass by and see pictures of it on facebook – I want to taste it! Touch it! LIVE it!

Sure, it has many many positive features. It allows me to still shine my light in hopes of uplifting others. It allows me to know and stay in contact with family and friends all over the country. I am able to share pictures and stories of Elizabeth for aunts and cousins to see and enjoy. I utilize it very heavily in my business, and it is the meeting place and filing cabinet for all of our information…

But to me, it became an addiction. A time-sucking, mind-wasting addiction.

I don’t know a single person that doesn’t wish for more hours in the day.Yet, how many hours do we honestly waste away on facebook every single day|week|month|year?!? We have the same amount of hours in our day that the greatest people and accomplishers had/have in theirs!

This, is somewhat relevant, and a whole lot of convicting, but this speaks measures to me! And let’s be honest, how many people sleep a solid eight hours at night?

[This is where I air my dirty laundry]

You see, over the past year, maybe two, I find myself spending so much of my precious time there during the day. My phone is on my bed at night, tucked under my pillow. The phone isn’t the problem – it’s facebook. It is the very last thing I check before bed, and it is the very first thing I check when I wake up. And I’ll be honest, if I wake up during the night, I click that little “f” on my home screen. If I’m driving down the road and a notification pops up, I check it. If I’m at the grocery store and someone sends me a message, I stop in the aisle to check it. If Elizabeth is playing quietly (and even when she isn’t), I find myself scrolling through the pages. Almost as soon as Andrew gets home from work, I escape to the bedroom for just a “few minutes” which essentially turns into 10-20 while I zone out and like, share, and comment on almost meaningless things. Meaningless, because they truly have NO effect on my life.

This weekend I just got SICK of it. Physically, threw my phone across the floor and said, “I’m done… I can’t do this anymore”.

Elizabeth is growing before my very eyes, except my eyes are too stuck on that stupid app to see it happening. I could (should) be spending that 20 minutes of escape time that I need in the evenings reading His word, or praying for my family. It would still provide the quiet, me time that I crave. I should be thanking God for a new morning instead of checking the latest gossip on facebook as soon as I wake up. I should be snuggled up, nurturing my marriage at night instead of replying to comments and just totally stupid stuff!

The comments and posts I see in the morning set the tone for my entire day. I am just not productive.

Above, I stated that it is an addiction to me, and from the thread I created on our RATR Community Page, and from talking to many of my business partners, I understand that it is for many of you as well! It may not be the kind of addiction that can physically threaten your life. But I assure you – it can be the type that can threaten your most precious relationships! And rid you of time you will never have again with your children!

I get it, I really do… It is my basic means of communication throughout the day. It is how I keep up with my fast growing team. It is the most utilized tool for growing my business and blog, and essentially earning an income. HOWEVER, social media should work for US! We should not work for it!

Don’t get me wrong, I am not stepping away all together. I still have my account active. But, I am choosing to be much more cautious of my time there. The app is no longer on my phone. If I want to check messages, communicate with my friends/family/team members, or share what’s on my heart, then I will do that on my computer during “work” hours (meaning before Bean wakes up, which I use to check emails, and also during her nap/quiet time) and during my rare free time in the evening (but only, if it isn’t taking away time from my husband). Also, this will not change what you see posted on the Ring Around the Rosies page. I will still be posting there (again, during certain hours), and pushing pictures over from instagram.

I posted on my facebook last night after I deleted it, and I shared an abbreviated version of this post… You can see that I created quite a small revolution…

And just like I said in that last comment, so far, I do not miss it at all!!! IT IS SO FREEING to me! I don’t feel like a slave to my phone anymore. I am no longer checking my facebook all day to see what people are talking about. To see if anyone has commented on a picture. To see how many “likes” something has. This morning, instead of spending those 10-15 minutes of facebook before getting up, I read the Bible! Started my day and my mood so perfectly! I have already been so much more productive. I don’t have that “stuck” feeling like I normally had…

This is essentially a brand new era. The technology age. We have NO idea what the effects will be on us, on our children, on our grandchildren, and that scares the crap out of me. I will be a slave no more!

Positive thoughts and comments are encouraged…

It seems to be moving season! I don’t know if it’s just on the top of my mind and I’m noticing it more, but everywhere I look I hear, “we are moving”! My facebook is flooded with congrats and happy new seasons for many many of my friends. Several people have asked for me to share more moving tips, so that’s what I wanted to do today!

Honest to goodness, we have moved three times, and helped lots of friends move, and I think this was the most streamlined move I’ve ever experienced. I was still major stressed. We got started much later than expected, we got a truck and trailer super stuck in the yard, there was just lots of commotion. But it was still probably the easiest move I’ve seen. Here are a few things I would HIGHLY recommend if you’re moving soon.

Make a list – of all the utilities that need to be changed, addresses that need to be changed, set up mail forwarding or change of address. Our list included banks, work, services, etc. About a week prior to closing, when things are less likely to fall through, make sure you have the water and electricity taken care of. You don’t want to get to your new house and be in the dark, or without water!

Use labels – I made these (and you can download them here, too). This made unloading and unpacking such a breeze! As I packed a box, I made sure I labeled it – where it would go, and what was in it. We got to our new house Friday night around 8:30 – it was already dark, and nobody had seen our house yet. But NOBODY had to ask where anything went, because it was labeled! I didn’t have to stand at the truck and direct people. I was able unpack what needed to be unpacked right away (refrigerated food, soap, bathroom supplies, etc).

Pack ‘like things’ together - Obviously, things room by room will be, but I found bundling the clothes up in trash bags helped so much. Nothing was loose. Clothes weren’t dropped and trampled. They didn’t get dirty in the truck. This was so easy, you could grab a handful right out of the closet, take it to the truck, and then take it directly to the new closet.

Get a sitter – If you’re moving locally, get someone to watch the littles. I couldn’t have made it moving day with Elizabeth (and Jade) under my feet the whole time. Nor did I want to worry if they were inside or outside, since the doors were open and people were constantly in and out. Thankfully, my aunt kept her during the day while we packed up. I let her come home before we left, so that she could see it empty and understand a little more what was happening. We still weren’t sure if we would be staying at the new house or old house, and it was already bed time, so she went to her best friends for the night. It was her first night away from home, but I didn’t once have to worry about her. I didn’t have to stress to get her bed set up before we could sleep. I will do an entire post on how to help children handle moves.

Eat what you have – meaning, finish up the food you have on hand without going to the grocery. You may have to get creative, but the less food (particularly things from the fridge / freezer) the better! I tried to not go to the grocery the last 2 weeks we were in our old house. Of course, I had to run out a couple of times for milk and fresh fruit, but that’s about it. One night, we had these hamburger salads. I needed to use up the peppers & mushrooms and didn’t have steaks, or bread, so wala, I sautéed the veggies and then pan fried the burgers and served it on spinach. It was really really good.

Pack an overnight bag – Yep, you do NOT want to have to dig through boxes to find essentials. I left out a small suitcase that we could throw 2 changes of clothes in, toiletries from the shower, our supplements, 2 towels, and a set of sheets. I also packed a box that had soap, toilet paper, paper towels, dish towels, my cleaners, paper plates, silverware. They both stayed with me so that they wouldn’t get mixed up with everything else – it was the last things I put in the car, and the first things I got out. As soon as we walked in the house, wouldn’t you know someone needed toilet paper (and soap), and the previous owners didn’t leave anything (see this post for what I suggest you leave / do at your own house when you leave).

Expect things to be overwhelming. They will be – no matter how much preparing you do! It’s a brand new house, a new routine, new things to get use to. And a whole lot of work to make your house a home and get settled. Unless you hire someone to pack, load, unload, and unpack, things may look like this for at least a few days.

Make things ‘normal’ – as soon as possible get things taken care of that you will need for your home to function right away. For me, this was the kitchen. I had to get my kitchen unpacked and put together. I knew I would be painting in a few weeks, but I have to have order, and the kitchen is where everything happens in my home. I also got Elizabeth’s bed set up and her furniture placed and secured to the walls in her room before she went to bed her first night there. I unpacked her favorite books and toys so that she could have a little normalcy and feel secure.

And finally – as a bonus – you can celebrate!!! If it’s like ours, it will be a crazy, busy week! Take time to celebrate! While we were still packing up the old house, I made sure to still keep things as “normal” as possible and took lots of breaks to play outside with Elizabeth. And similarly, you need to take breaks after the move. Sit and celebrate! Enjoy your new home, chances are, you’ve worked hard to get there! Don’t let the work of getting it settled get in the way of loving it. One night, with sweat in our hair, and very tired bones, we just sat on the porch after Elizabeth was in bed and enjoyed a bottle of champagne. The mess was forgotten, and we took time to celebrate and love it!

So these are things that I do when moving… What things would you add?

Most of the boxes in the house are unpacked. I haven’t touched the guest bedroom or office yet though, and I haven’t hung a single thing on the walls. I feel slightly unsure about doing it, because currently there are NO holes in any of our walls – not even towel racks or toilet paper holders in the bathrooms (unsure how that can be true for a 25 year old home).

We are finding our new normal and getting in a groove. I don’t find myself running up and down the stairs four times at night because I forgot something anymore. Elizabeth hasn’t mentioned “going home” in a couple of days, and is sleeping very well in her new room by herself upstairs (which freaks me out, honestly).

This week, I am hoping to stick to a schedule – get my office set up and begin “working” again. Thank you so much for your patience during this exciting time! I cannot wait to share more with you!

If you follow me on instagram, these may be repeats, but here is a great recap of life lately!

I would love to know how YOU are. What’s the weather like where you are? How is your life, lately?!?

Things are finally settling down a tiny bit. Every day, our new house feels more and more like home. I still feel like I’m chasing down Elizabeth or Jade to see where they are all day long. Going from 900 square foot to over 2,000 is slightly overwhelming at times, but I think we’re figuring it out…

Today I wanted to share with you some things you should always do when you are moving. Whether you are selling your home, or not extending your lease, there are a few things that are nice to do when you leave.

I do these things, because nobody has ever done them for me. Three times now, we’ve moved to a new home and not had a square of toilet paper in the house when we got there. The first two homes we moved to (the first was our first house, which we still own, and the second was the rental we just left) needed extensive cleaning before we could even move in… Neither time did I feel very welcometoyournewhomeish…

I did this the first time when we left our house in CT, partially because we were going to rent it out, and I wanted the new tenants to feel welcomed, and I wanted them to know that they were going to be taken care of, as long as they took care of our property (since we are 988 miles away). But, I also did this last week when we moved from our rental to our new home.

First – I bought a cheap shower liner and rings (because I took my decorative ones) for the new people. I don’t know about you, but the last thing I want to do after a busy day of packing, loading, and unloading is to have to hunt for my shower curtain before I can shower and go to bed.

Second, I left the remaining roll of toilet paper on the hanger, and an unused roll in both bathrooms. Even when we got to this house, as soon as we walked in, someone asked for toilet paper… (I’ll include this when I write my next post on organizing for a move).

Third – I also left hand soap in the bathroom. Again, you don’t want to hunt for it before eating your dinner or after using the bathroom. I had to stop helping so that I could do this when we moved here.

Fourth – I made sure any left over paint was still good and labeled it.

Fifth – I also left what was left on the roll of paper towels.

Sixth – after all the boxes and furniture are out, give each room a good cleaning. While the guys were loading the truck, I went behind them and cleared out a room at a time. I made sure the ceiling fans were dusted, the sinks/tubs were cleaned out, and the floors were vacuumed and spot treated as needed. I wanted it to look as new and move-in-ready as possible for the new folks. This includes cleaning appliances you leave behind and toilets. (and here’s some views you probably never saw of our old house before)

Seventh – I left a box of Magic Erasers with a cute printable for any of the scuffs or dings we left moving furniture out. Chances are, the new people might paint, but you never know. Don’t just throw caution to the wind because it isn’t your home anymore – think about the new people.

Eighth – Leave a gift. I forgot to take a picture, and this is totally optional, but when our tenants moved into our home in CT, we had a bottle of champagne waiting on them in the clean fridge (a few weeks later, we also sent them a nice Italian meal basket & a Visa gift card for any upkeep the house needed – again, take care of your people and they will take care of your property). I like to attach a welcome or congrats note to it!

And because I love this idea so much, I wanted to share my printables with you! I printed mine on Avery labels, but you can print them on plain cardstock and attach with a ribbon or something, just the same! The top one, I attached to a bottle of sparking wine or champagne, and the bottom one I attached to Magic Erasers. You can get yours HERE.

So tell me, what are some things you do before a move? How many times have you moved?

One of those fabulous ladies is my cousin Cindy. She and Mama were first cousins by blood, but sisters by choice. Cindy & I are probably the most alike of all my aunts and cousins. She knows the way Mama thought, she loves her grandbabies the way Mama would love on Elizabeth. Since the moment I called her to tell her their had been an accident (and way before), Cindy was at my side. But I don’t really remember a time that she wasn’t. I remember spending weekends with her when I was little. She’s always been special to me, and even more so now that we have both lost our mamas. She knows the pain and drama associated with death and remarriage. And about once a month, since Mama died, she has made Elizabeth & I her priority for at least a day – even though she lives over an hour away. We have the best adventures. Something crazy happens just about every time we get together (last time ended in an emergency room visit for one of the babies after a busted head in Bath & Body Works)…

So when I heard about the World Market “Amazing Mom” Sweepstakes, I knew I wanted to honor Cindy. Our Southern family has always bonded in the kitchen. Most of my best memories of Mama (and even Cindy and her mama) took place in the kitchen. It’s where the coffee was poured and gossip was shared.

One of our favorite places to meet is honestly a shopping center in Nashville, where we can shop at World Market. In the midst of this crazy move, we met there early this week. They have tons of great Mother’s Day gifts. I frequent two of the Nashville stores quite often, but you can also shop right online. I love their unique foods, and that most of them are all natural!

After our fun adventure (no busted heads or lost car keys this time), we spent the rest of the day together at my house. It was the first time I was able to host something in our new home, and Cindy’s first time to see it! I already knew what I wanted to do when she got here: spend the day in the kitchen! We had talked months ago about going through Mama’s recipe box together.

So we did what any normal Southern gals would do… We made ourselves our family’s famous peach cobbler, poured some sweet tea, and devoured Mama’s recipe boxes.

It was a fabulous time. It took my mind off the rest of the house that is still not put together. For several hours we had no other worries. We told stories, we found recipes we remembered, and haven’t had in ages. We found old recipes her mom had written, and some from her grandma (my great grandma)…

• We laughed and cried, and had a great day.

On one of our trips before we moved, Cindy helped me pick out a new dining room set. I fell in love with this table, chairs, and sideboard at World Market – thankfully, when I took Andrew back, he also really liked it! And since we have the entertaining house, we decided we needed plates and glasses).

table

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chairs

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sideboard

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large and small stacking plates

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stemmed tumblers

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seat cushions

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place mats

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turquoise glass pillar

. Now we just need to decide on a wall color for the kitchen / dining room.

And now, I must share our super easy, delicious, Southern Peach Cobbler recipe from the day!

It is super simple and easy to remember… 1 cup milk, 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 stick butter (could do 1/2), 1 large can fruit.

Melt butter in oven while it preheats to 350. Our family usually does this in an iron skillet, but I’m quite the black sheep and used my

baker

.

While that melts/preheats, mix together your batter (sugar, sifted flour (especially sift if it’s gluten free), and milk)

Pour over and mix into melted butter

Spoon peaches (or any fruit) on top, drizzle most of the syrup on top. Do NOT mix. Bake at 350 for about an hour. Some folks top theirs with a little cinnamon or nutmeg, but this is an old Southern recipe, and a lot of spices weren’t always available.

It smells DIVINE while it’s baking. And tastes even better. I like to serve it warm. If you’re feeling froggy, top it with vanilla ice cream, or just heavy whipped cream.

How are you going to treat YOUR mom or mom-figure this Mother’s Day?! This was such a great day!

I recommend going to enter the My Amazing Mom Sweepstakes here. Nominate your mother for a chance to win a $5,000 World Market gift card. Or, if you no longer have a mom to nominate, you can still enter to win one of 10 $500 gift cards! Glad they think of these things, for folks like myself.

shop | facebook | instagram

Where did your best memories with your mom take place?!?

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and World Market, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #MyAmazingMom. http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO See all other disclosures here

WINNER: Comment 4: EMILY!!! Emily, email me as soon as possible so we can get you your gift card!

You may or may not remember, but we love OshKosh around here! Elizabeth has these outfits I posted about right before Christmas, and I am kind of bummed that it is getting too warm to wear them, guess it’s time to buy some new summer wares. If you, too are in need of some new summer clothing for your tots, I have great news: Today, I am super honored to be able to host another giveaway (a saweeet $50 gift card plus more) for you, sponsored by OshKosh B’gosh. *additional disclosures at bottom*

You may already know, but OshKosh B’gosh is holding a video contest called, “Say OshKosh B’gosh”. Basically, you create a video of your adorable kid (because we all think our kid is the cutest) saying, “OshKosh B’gosh”… super easy! Here is my sweet girl tonight sporting her OshKosh tunic and leggings.

Isn’t she the cutest?!? Here is all the fun details on how you could create your own video and win a $5,000 OshKosh B’gosh gift card! That would buy a couple years worth of clothes!!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. The Say “Oshkosh B’Gosh!” Video Contest and Sweepstakes ends 5/7/13. You must be 18+ and a US/PR resident to enter. Go to www.facebook.com/oshkoshbgosh for Official Rules and complete details.

But, you can also enter to win a $50 gift card right here, right now!

To Enter Giveaway:
In the comment section below, tell me your favorite style on OshKoshBgosh.com

Disclosure Statement
OshKosh B’gosh partnered with bloggers such as me to help promote the Say “OshKosh B’gosh” Video Contest and Sweepstakes.  As part of the program, I received product or gift cards.  OshKosh B’gosh believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words, and therefore did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about the products I used. OshKosh B’gosh policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations. The winner of any prize in this program will be chosen in accordance with the program’s Official Rules and gift card fulfillment will be handled by a third party.

Whew, I’m not sure I’ve ever been so tired, yet thrilled, in my entire life. This move has been exhausting, but yet exhilarating at the same time. Friday, we closed on our dream home. Afterwards, we started loading trucks, and at 8:30 Friday night we arrived at the house with the first load! (if ever there’s a next time, I’m fairly certain I will hire it all out).

But here we are! We’ve had a couple of nights in the house now, and it’s slowly, but surely coming together and seeming more like home.

It is about 45 minutes or a little more from where we did live – just the other end of Nashville. So, it’s pretty much new everything for us – new routines, new grocery stores… it’s a huge transition.

Elizabeth and Jade are loving all their new space. Before, our front yard was very close to the road, and we just had a gravel drive.

But the past couple of days, I’ve opened the back door and let her run. We have 4.5 acres here, and are way off the road. I can see her from pretty much anywhere in the house. The patio is covered in chalk – something new for her.

The home was privately built in the 80s, and we are practically the second owner. The real second owner (that we bought from) only lived here for about 9 months before relocating.

Elizabeth has her own little playhouse in the back, which she loves. We’ve got to get it cleaned up a little for her, but she has a lot of fun out there.

Yesterday we enjoyed lunch on the deck, which I think is where we will spend all summer.

I will share much more later and give you the full tour once we get a little settled. I kind of feel like I’ve been running in circles the past 3 days. My feet seriously ache. Moving and unpacking, while chasing around a toddler and dog is not for the faint of heart…

But the move went pretty great. We are so incredibly blessed. We had lots of help. In fact, I was in our old house throwing the last few things in boxes, and cleaning really well, so I didn’t know who was there. But I walked outside at one point and lost it… I looked around at all the cars and trucks and folks that had come to spend their Friday evening helping us. It was overwhelming. I couldn’t help but cry. Four of the guys that helped this weekend were C.J.’s best friends. I don’t know what I’d do without those boys.

I forget what the total count was, but I think we had 7 or 8 truck/trailer and a couple of cars procession making the hour trek to the new house Friday night. We looked like the Beverly Hill Billy’s for sure.

Hope y’all are having a great week! I promise, once things get a little more settled, and I figure out a new schedule with Elizabeth, things will get much more back to normal with lots and lots of postings, new recipes, how I’m organizing, etc…

Tonight, after a few beautiful days in a row, that we’ve spent either running all around town or inside packing, we took a nice break after supper to just play. I walked out to just sit on the porch swing – to reclaim my thoughts and clarity and to let Elizabeth play in the rocks (her favorite).

This whole move is bitter-sweet. Don’t get me wrong, we are ecstatic for a new adventure. For a positive change. And to live in our dream house. But this house has been quite special for us, too. It was our safe-haven when our worlds were collapsing. It was our peaceful little home that we brought our daughter home to. It was our saving-grace when we desperately needed to learn to think like a two percenter and challenge ourselves to pay off all of our debt in one year. We made this house our home. Before we moved in, it was a 1970s trailer with green carpet, paneled walls, wavy floors, and little love. The improvements we did, and the joy we filled it with made it a home – a great home.

Beyond the boxes and little piles of things that need to go into boxes, looking in from the swing, I thought about all the meals we’d had at that table. The times we’d had more guests than chairs. How, even when Elizabeth was first born, she sat at the table with us for dinner. I thought about all the painting and “art” Elizabeth and I had done there. The many times, I’ve chased her around and around it trying to catch her for bath time. How she use to crawl across the wood floors in hopes of catching the dog. I thought about the hundreds of times I’ve told her to “don’t climb on the window”, and how I was sure the dog would scratch her way through it one day. I remembered the nights Elizabeth would watch for her Daddy to come home and squeal with excitement when he arrived. And the mornings he use to go in late, and we’d watch him leave from breakfast as he waved goodbye and honked.

I thought about the hours we had spent trying to do something with this yard. About the neighbors dog that wouldn’t stay out of my flower beds. About how the yard looked when we moved in, and about the night last summer I finally dug up the remaining of the sidewalk. I smiled as I saw Elizabeth playing and thought about the times she begged to go “ouside”.

I remembered all the parties we had on this front porch. It seems like every time we planned a party for our larger back deck, it poured rain. At one time, on CJ’s last birthday party, we had like 15+ people on this porch. I’ll never forget those nights. We’ve had many, many bbq’s served on this porch. I remember walking up the steps with baby Elizabeth on the day we came home from the hospital. I recall sitting on the front steps 8 months pregnant to take a break from painting and renovating, because we didn’t have chairs in our house yet. Thousands of bubbles have been blown in the past couple years from this swing. Lots of blog posts have been written on this porch. Tons of coaching calls have happened here, in the quiet escape from the busy house. But even before we lived here, I remember playing on it as a child (it is my aunt and uncles home in case you didn’t know). I remember CJ, as a toddler, finding money my Paw-Paw would hide in the “money tree”, which is what we still call the tree Andrew & Bean are standing by. I also remember my mama driving her huge clunker car to pick us up in the afternoon, when we stayed with my aunt. There have been lots of hide-n-seek games played behind the trees in this yard. By my generation, and Elizabeth’s.

But now, we’re on to our next adventure. Ready to make NEW memories. To hopefully raise our children and grandchildren in a home we loved before we walked in (you know that “this is it” feeling?). Soon, the walls and walls of boxes will be moved to our new home, and this home will be passed on to another family to create memories in.

Throughout this whole process, I just keep singing, Building 429’s song. (on a side note, their lead singer is our current worship pastor, and we will sorely miss our church).

I’ve sang this song, the entirety of our stay in this house. We knew, going in it would just be a temporary home. We had no idea how long we would live here, but we are thankful for the almost three years we’ve had here.