tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45190611959827268872024-03-04T12:21:57.649-08:00Simple Home and HappinessMaKaelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09494649531817202482noreply@blogger.comBlogger180125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519061195982726887.post-81389531116008726682021-03-24T09:05:00.003-07:002021-03-24T09:08:48.230-07:00Ordinary Magic<p>I am still here. Despite all the challenges of the past year, you are reading this and I am writing it, so we we made it. I won't even try to wrap up what we have all been through, I am just going to acknowledge we all lived and processed through the past year by whatever means necessary. </p><p>As I look back on it, it's crazy to think how much fear and heartache the last year held but also how much joy and ordinary life as well. </p><p>It's been quiet here on the blog as some of you have noticed and checked in on me. The quiet gave way to the most exciting thing though, I am now a published author, along with some incredible friends! The devotional, Lighthouse Collections— Beacons of Light in Life's Storms, is a work of passion and prayers. My dear friend Megan Miller contacted me last year about contributing to a devotional and I was thrilled to be included. Between going back to school for my Masters degree and writing for the devotional, I had not found the time or the words to write here. </p><p>I wrote this <a href="http://www.simplehomeandhappiness.com/2018/03/fear-of-failure.html" target="_blank">blog post</a> a long time ago stating my dreams and I wrote about my dream to write a book. Being a part of this devotional is a dream come true. So it feels only right to come here and share it with all of you. My friends and family that have followed me here, on the blog, have always supported my writing and cheered me on. I owe you all a big, heartfelt THANK YOU. </p><p>Honestly your kind words carried me through the thick fog of baby years and early motherhood. When I couldn't see how I'd ever be out of the blur of diapers and formula and sleepless nights, so many of you prayed for me and spoke truth to me, in person and online. I have always appreciated this space that allows me the grace to process through life and to walk together offering community and support. </p><p>The internet can get a bad rap and so can social media, but they are just tools and we get to decide how to use them. Your support over the years gave me the courage to put my words into writing that became a part of the Lighthouse Collections devotional. Megan worked tirelessly to self publish this book, which is no small feat. I am so proud of her work and the passion and vulnerability that the other contributors brought to this collection. You can buy it on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lighthouse-Collections-Beacons-Light-Storms/dp/B08VVCQ3HT/ref=sr_1_2?crid=ZNJHXH93IXGR&dchild=1&keywords=lighthouse+collection+book+megan+miller&qid=1616600795&sprefix=lighthouse+collections+%2Caps%2C181&sr=8-2" target="_blank">Amazon</a> and locally in several stores. If you want a signed copy, you can purchase it from Megans website <a href="https://restorationranchsd.com" target="_blank">www.restorationranchsd.com </a>. </p><p>So that is what I have been doing, where the words and the writing have been. The kids are still growing and forcing me to grow with them. Seven years in this house has now led us to finally deciding to remodel the kitchen. Currently there is a half opened wall with a temporary island in the middle trying to get a feel for what we like and don't like in the kitchen space. My countertop and brain is full of stone samples and color palettes. I am the same old me. It's funny how dreams don't change you. Every goal I have met or expectation that I thought would somehow complete me, hasn't really changed much at all. The dream just gets enfolded into the everyday life of who I am. </p><p>My book delivery was delayed by over a week due to a snow storm. My mom got her copy first and I got to see it for the first time via FaceTime in her hands, in her kitchen, instead of in person. A past version of myself would have been crushed by the loss of expectations. Thankfully growth and experience allowed me to accept it as part of life. </p><p>My copy of the book arrived without fanfare. It came late on a weekday afternoon. My husband picked it up from the UPS guy and handed it to me, un-showered, unkempt, standing in our dirty garage. He videod it, because he knew that documenting it would matter to me. It's saved under my highlights on<a href="https://www.instagram.com/simplehomeandhappiness/" target="_blank"> Instagram,</a> because I love it so much. It was such huge moment, wrapped in such an ordinary day. </p><p>It matters more to me than most people will probably ever understand and yet life just continues as normal, well as normal as anything is these days. It's been a slow process of learning that the magic is real, it is just disguised in the everyday, ordinary moments. The trick is learning to see it for the wonder that it is. I am learning to accept and appreciate the ordinary moments and see them for the extraordinary magic that they really are. </p><p>Babies are born, they grow before our eyes, they develop voices and personalities of their own. Houses are built and lived in and homes are made within the walls. Books are written and sent out into the world to be a permanent mark of lives lived fully and wonderfully imperfect. This is the stuff of life. Being aware of the beauty is the hardest, most rewarding part. Thank you from the very bottom of my soul. Take care sweet friends. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0X89R9zLj0IoL52ziTf3na2H2lXGuD5h4rxyg5whmSnyAhwglGqaI6gLJHkVteCS8Lxehzb5HZaaYKstV5-wGCYf9sBwTaEgi1ixRpK491GxiayRRrE3Z5NFYdstIcU668Gn1cnKqs0G5/s940/7E055C9B-3309-4F7D-BE8E-4A72FB74FDE2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="940" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0X89R9zLj0IoL52ziTf3na2H2lXGuD5h4rxyg5whmSnyAhwglGqaI6gLJHkVteCS8Lxehzb5HZaaYKstV5-wGCYf9sBwTaEgi1ixRpK491GxiayRRrE3Z5NFYdstIcU668Gn1cnKqs0G5/s320/7E055C9B-3309-4F7D-BE8E-4A72FB74FDE2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/271854677694920" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit Lighthouse Collections</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>MaKaelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09494649531817202482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519061195982726887.post-24812859473736748432019-01-01T17:32:00.002-08:002019-01-01T17:33:00.448-08:00Happiness<div>
I am a New Years girl. I love goals and check lists and I love the feeling of a fresh start, but resolutions have never been my thing. A few year ago I began picking a word for the year and I found that it works really well for me. </div>
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Setting a word for the year has helped me to focus on a quality that I want to grow in myself. Last years word was ‘<a href="http://www.simplehomeandhappiness.com/2017/12/intentional.html" target="_blank">intentional</a>’. It was a full year and in a lot of ways a really hard year. Being intentional with my words, thoughts and actions helped me to really lean into the relationships in my life. The past year felt somber though. It was good and I grew more than I could have imagined, but it also felt serious and deep. I need some relief.<br />
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This year after praying over it and considering what I would like more of in the coming year, I knew that my word for 2019 had to be 'happiness'.<br />
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I want more laughter, more spontaneity, more fun in 2019 and none of those things come naturally to me. I thought about words like joy and contentment but they still felt too heavy, too loaded. Happiness, if I am totally honest, kind of feels superficial, kind of silly, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that is exactly what I need to bring into my life; more light moments, more moments of going with the flow, more freedom. </div>
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I want to put happiness at the forefront of my everyday. I am ready for light, for fun, for delighting in the everyday. I have no doubts that the year ahead will carry valleys and peaks but I hope that this year I will focus on leaving the world a bit brighter and happier than before.</div>
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Happy New Year friends!</div>
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With love and happiness, </div>
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Me<br />
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MaKaelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09494649531817202482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519061195982726887.post-89310160703003926182018-11-26T12:44:00.002-08:002018-11-26T12:44:43.796-08:00Remember This time of year naturally lends itself to reflecting on holidays past, so I decided to read back through some of my holiday posts I have written over the years.<br />
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I wrote some of these from a place of exhaustion and looking back I can see the pain clearly woven in every word; others I wrote out of a desperation to see life from the perspective of having lived through it. A few I wrote from a place of deep satisfaction and happiness.<br />
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Life is often a balance of holding pain and joy at the same time. We don't have to choose one or the other, we can choose to accept life has both. It is where we put our focus that can make all the difference.<br />
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The holidays aren't a time for rushing or preparing or forcing our way through. This season is meant to be a time to reflect, a time to love, a time to believe. This season holds so much hope and light if only we lean in close to find it.<br />
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<a href="http://www.simplehomeandhappiness.com/2016/11/love-little-more.html" target="_blank">Love a Little More</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.simplehomeandhappiness.com/2017/11/holiday-hush.html" target="_blank">Holiday Hush</a> <br />
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<a href="http://www.simplehomeandhappiness.com/2016/11/holiday-juggling.html" target="_blank">Holiday Juggling </a><br />
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<a href="http://www.simplehomeandhappiness.com/2016/12/christmas-exhaustion.html" target="_blank">Christmas Exhaustion</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.simplehomeandhappiness.com/2017/12/unexpected.html" target="_blank">Unexpected</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.simplehomeandhappiness.com/2017/12/intentional.html" target="_blank">Intentional</a> <br />
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<a href="http://www.simplehomeandhappiness.com/2017/01/a-recipe-for-cold-day.html" target="_blank">A Recipe for a Cold Day</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.simplehomeandhappiness.com/2016/12/stuffed-mushroom-recipe.html" target="_blank">Stuffed Mushrooms</a><br />
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Take care of yourselves sweet friends and love fully this holiday season.<br />
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With love,<br />
Me<br />
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<br />MaKaelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09494649531817202482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519061195982726887.post-2393694395640392492018-10-20T12:19:00.000-07:002018-10-20T12:19:06.771-07:00ChangesI was cleaning today, which gave me time to think, and thinking always leads me here.<br />
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The house is 'weekend messy', so decided to clean my floors, because <a href="http://thenester.com/" target="_blank">The Nester</a> says if your floors are clean the rest of the house feels clean too, even if it isn’t. </div>
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I have found that it is pretty good advice, so when everything else feels chaotic, I clean the floors. Of course for me, cleaning the floors also means picking up the toys, shoes, clothes, etc. so that I can even begin to vacuum, which naturally leads to a cleaner home as well. </div>
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While cleaning up I began to think about how this blog has evolved over the years, from a desire to write like The Nester about home, into what it is now. </div>
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I started writing this blog when I was dreaming of building a new home. Then plans changed, life took turns, and we ended up in a home so different than I expected and so perfect for our family.<br />
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Somewhere along the way I realized that home wasn’t in the walls that went up or in the countertop choices, but home was in the intentionality and posture of my heart. </div>
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Making a home for my family turned out to be a blessing that I didn’t understand when I started blogging. As my views of home expanded, I opened up about the struggles and the joys of being a mom, a sister, a daughter, a human, in this crazy, beautiful world. </div>
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I have never written from a place of expertise and I won’t pretended to have all the answers. Life has taught me there is too much to learn to ever feel like I ‘know it all’ or that I ‘have it figured out’. All I can do is to share with honesty and vulnerability, so that each of you can take what you need from the conversation. My hope is that you can take away a little something and apply it to your life and that it helps make things just a little more simple, a little more beautiful. </div>
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There are things I have written about that have changed, my life has evolved, just like the blog itself. That doesn’t change who I am, it has just become another piece of me, another layer. I have had two more babies since I started the blog. I have walked through pain and through joys. I remember writing a blog post on why <a href="http://www.simplehomeandhappiness.com/2016/09/the-power-of-words.html" target="_blank">I don’t do devotionals</a>, and at the time it was honest because of the season of life I was in. Since then I have completed three or four really in depth Bible Studies that I couldn’t have dreamed of having the time to do back when I wrote that.<br />
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Writing here has never been about looking like I have it all together, or a how-to guide for life. It has been about sharing a part of my story and praying that it connects with the person who needs to feel less alone. Life is hard and it is beautiful and its messy and its scary and it is abundant. The joy is hidden in the silver lining of each day, despite the broken. </div>
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I am so thankful I started writing here all those years ago and I am incredibly grateful that so many of you have chosen to come along with me. </div>
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November will be here soon, and although I have tried to make gratitude a daily practice, it is even more heightened during the holidays. So today I just wanted to say thank you.<br />
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Thank you for listening, for reading, for encouraging me. I appreciate everyone of you and want you to know how truly grateful I am for this space and for you. </div>
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With love, </div>
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Me<br />
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MaKaelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09494649531817202482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519061195982726887.post-59095518372285289092018-09-03T08:09:00.001-07:002018-09-03T08:09:12.841-07:00Feed the People Want to know the one thing we all have in common? Single, married, kids, no kids, male, female, whatever… We all need to eat.<br />
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One of the questions I get asked most from you guys is, what is the best way is to get meals on the table for dinner?<br />
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Here is what I know. What works for one persons schedule and personality may not work for the next. So rather than give you a tutorial on what works for me, I am going to give you all the tips and ideas I have for making meal time a little easier.<br />
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These are some of my favorite links, blogs, recipes, meals planning subscriptions, cookbooks, all of it. You pick what works for you. Try it out, if it doesn't work for you, try something different. Take a little of this and a little of that and mix it together till it feels right for you. The goal is to make life more simple, not add one more thing to your plate (ha, sorry).<br />
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In the end, what you feed yourself and the people you love is not what matters. What matters is that they leave the table feeling loved and known. Whether it is your babies that you are tucking into bed or your roommate going down the hall or your mom on the other end of the line hanging up because you called her seven times to get the recipe right; whatever your meal looks like, it is about making the people with you feel loved. Having delicious food to go with it is just a bonus.<br />
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Now…<br />
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Let's talk food.<br />
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<b>Cook What You Know</b><br />
Many of us have go-to recipes that are tried and true. This is a GOOD thing. Don't let cooking channels and magazines shame you. Use those recipes. I don't care if your kids have spaghetti every single Thursday night, you are getting food on the table. If you are still using cream in a can casseroles twice a week, so be it. This is me, giving you permission to cook what you are comfortable with.<br />
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Want to change it up a little? Make up a variation of the same thing. Spaghetti this week, lasagna the next, they are practically the same dish, served up a little different. If you are making ground beef for one meal, double it and brown two (more about that later). Whenever you cook something you can easily double, do it. You will have leftovers for lunches or a busy night of the week, or make the second batch in a separate dish and freeze for later (more on that later too).<br />
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<b>Cook Books</b><br />
So I just told you it is ok to cook what you are comfortable with, but also? Don't be scared to try something new. Open up one of your favorite cookbooks (or go buy one with realistic meals in it), mark the pages, and pick one out to try. Put the ingredients on the grocery list for the week. Just having the ingredients in your fridge will make you want to go to the effort of trying something new. If you need a new straight forward cookbook, I love <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dinner-Made-Simple-Everyday-Ingredients/dp/0848746899/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535940444&sr=8-1&keywords=real+simple+cookbook" target="_blank">this</a> one. It has simple, easy recipes, with really basic ingredients.<br />
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Cooking a new meal doesn't always feel natural. I used to have recipes that I ear marked for the holidays that I wanted to try, but then I would get scared to try something new when the stakes were high. I have been learning I can try those meals anytime of the year, then I will be ready when I want to make them for a crowd.<br />
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Cook something new on a weekend when the stakes are low, when you have a little more time. Don't be hard on yourself if it's not a home run. I grade new recipes on a number scale and write notes on the recipe itself. Then I can remember if it's worth trying again or who liked it or if I want to change anything next time I make it.<br />
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<b>Freezer meals</b><br />
There are so many cookbooks out there on making freezer meals. If you do not have one yet, go check some out. They are a great option so that you always have a meal a defrost away. I have <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Freezer-Table-Recipes-Gathering-Cooking/dp/1623368944/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1535940684&sr=1-1&keywords=from+freezer+to+table" target="_blank">this cookbook</a>. In all honesty I have only made a couple of recipes from it, because freezer meals aren't my go to, but it is a good cook book with loads of helpful tips. Freezer meals seem to be a love it or hate it kind of thing. So if you have been wanting to try freezer meals give it a go!<br />
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<b>Crockpots and InstaPots </b><br />
I love my crockpot. I use it most often for soups and I would argue that most soups taste better cooked this way, because they can slow cook all day with very little hands on time. I have several cookbooks that are entirely crockpot meals. One pot, little work and a entire meal, yes please.<br />
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The instapot is all the rage right now, and while I haven't jumped on board, I am hearing amazing things from the people that love them. There are several cookbooks newly releasing specifically for the instapot. If you have one sitting in your cupboard from Christmas or have been saving up to get one, now would be a great time to try it out.<br />
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Either way, if you work outside the home or are limited on the amount of time you can spend in the kitchen, these two are great options for convenience.<br />
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<b>Meal Prep Subscriptions</b><br />
In full disclosure, I haven't used a meal subscription plan, but I have heard some goods things about them, particularly if you are cooking for a smaller number of people. I am sure there are more out there, but here are a few I am familiar with; <a href="https://www.hellofresh.com/landing/getcooking2018-sem-20x3/?c=3TNLT463XX7HFUGQT9WFMZ7U&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlK7cBRCnARIsAJiE3MjTpyGW03dQ2eQVq_kkt0vOUDPfW9YF-3dl3HxNo3b-oI_rZ0LURcYaApuEEALw_wcB" target="_blank">Hello Fresh</a>, <a href="https://www.blueapron.com/users/sign_up?cvosrc=search-paid.google.60dripw3-brand-exact-v2&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlK7cBRCnARIsAJiE3MjZkcYlrqlHF4aAixZXDPforJ7TvQf1anld12jph8suKYSzycQ5noIaAqnqEALw_wcB&utm_campaign=60dripw3-brand-exact-v2&utm_medium=search-paid&utm_source=google" target="_blank">Blue Apron</a>, and<b> </b><a href="https://www.plated.com/?utm_ad=25Px1M_159v2&utm_medium=ppcbrand&utm_source=GOOGLE&utm_campaign=search_evergreen&utm_content=g&71700000037057544&58700004134007117&plated&e&43700034027031154&c&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlK7cBRCnARIsAJiE3Migqp8C--mNssj4evHB8WkdaXjQVQU2faULf_SoYGUWZ02Ui5Dto0YaAndZEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CPPJvfbhnd0CFYXewAodE3IPwQ" target="_blank">Plated.</a><b> </b><br />
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Since I haven't personally used any of these, I asked on instagram and with my friends and this was the most common feed back… The convinience is great because the meals are delivered straight to your door. The meal kits menus are a bit different than what they would usually cook, but they liked the variety. The over arching theme was, if you cook for yourself or one or two others, and want something that will help you to stretch out in your recipe skills, this could be a great way to go. But if you are feeding a family, most felt it was too expensive and not really practical.<br />
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<a href="https://prepdish.com/" target="_blank">Prep Dish</a> is a meal planning service that really intrigues me. Instead of sending you the actual ingredients, Prep Dish emails you the list of ingredients and the recipes for the week. The idea is that you go buy the ingredients yourself, spend a couple of hours prepping it all in one day and then you are ready for the week ahead. I have not yet tried it, but if things get crazy this school year, this may be one of the first things I try out. If any of you have used it, let me know what you think!<br />
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<b>Websites</b><br />
Kendra at the <a href="http://www.thelazygeniuscollective.com/blog/" target="_blank">Lazy Genius Collective</a> has tons of advice on cooking and recipes for everyday life. Her tag line is "How to be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don't." My kind of woman. She currently is offering an online mini-course in cooking and just today her newest <a href="http://www.thelazygeniuscollective.com/lazy/" target="_blank">podcast episode</a> features how to pick out a good cookbook, perfect timing.<br />
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<a href="https://www.lifeingraceblog.com/" target="_blank">Life in Grace </a>calls herself the soup whisperer, but on top of that she has tons of great recipes that are family pleasers. If you want recipes (or life advice) I cannot recommend her blog enough.<br />
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I think we can all agree we already know who the <a href="https://thepioneerwoman.com/" target="_blank">Pioneer Woman</a> is, but I have to mention her here. If you want to try some new recipes without buying a cookbook, just go to her website and you will find something to try.<br />
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The <a href="https://smittenkitchen.com/" target="_blank">Smitten Kitchen</a> is a really popular food blog. She has a couple of cook books out, but her website is full of recipes as well. Her photos are really inspiring if you need a little boost to get you excited about getting in the kitchen.<br />
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<b>Helpful tips. </b>I stumbled upon this first tip, when I had an incident with 12 pounds of ground beef I thawed and didn't end up needing. I decided to brown all of it (a couple pounds at a time) and portioned it out in freezer ziplock baggies and put it in the freezer. I loved having it ready to go in my freezer, such a time saver. If you are going to brown up a pound of ground beef, brown up two or three. Once it is cooked, portion it out evenly and let it cool. Cook whatever you were going to use the first pound for, and take the other two portions and put them in a freezer bag. Throw it back in the freezer and when you need a pound of ground beef for spaghetti or casserole or soup, whatever, you are one step quicker to being done.<br />
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A friend of mine said she buys turkey at random times throughout the year and just cooks it up like a big chicken. She shreds the meat and portions it into ziploc baggies and put it in the freezer. Just like the ground beef, it can be pulled out anytime for sandwiches or in soups or casseroles. It is really versatile and one turkey makes a ton of meat! With turkeys being stocked soon, I think I might try this out, plus then I can practice a new recipe for Thanksgiving, without the pressure of the big meal. I can serve it to my family and freeze the leftovers.<br />
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<img alt="lovequotesrus: Everything you love is here - The Only Living Girl In New York" class="_s3 _29 _43 _2l" src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/20/f2/c420f27a77987ae56f946a47342ef845.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=Julia%20child%20quotes&rs=typed&term_meta[]=Julia%7Ctyped&term_meta[]=child%7Ctyped&term_meta[]=quotes%7Ctyped" target="_blank">Source </a></span></div>
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Alright friends that is it. I hope you find something that makes the task of getting food on the table a little less stressful this week.<br />
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Happy Monday friends!<br />
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P.S. If you want to see more of my day to day prepping and cooking, follow me on Instagram. I share recipes and cooking tips over there regularly!<br />
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<br />MaKaelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09494649531817202482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519061195982726887.post-76720584640962720502018-07-24T11:49:00.001-07:002018-09-29T19:14:57.308-07:00Summer LessonsMaking our house feel like home in the summer feels more chaotic to me than the slower months.<br>
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November through March, when its dark early and bedtimes come swiftly, meals are slow cooked all day long, and warm light comes from houses in the evening hours, just naturally lends itself to an aesthetic of quiet and calm.<br>
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At least for me.<br>
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Summer lends itself to late nights out, days where we are only home long enough to drop piles by the door, eat and leave a mess on the table, dirty more clothes than a small country in a matter of days, and the chaos of home just seems unsettled and rushed.<br>
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I am going in circles most days, feeling like I am not accomplishing anything and yet spinning and spinning and trying to not tip over. </div>
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And yet...</div>
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And yet, a couple times a month someone asks me “How do you do it all?” </div>
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I feel like I am that analogy of a duck on the pond, I look calm on the surface, but underneath my feet are kicking like crazy. And really that is just on a good day, most days I feel more like a duck with my head in the water, feet kicking like crazy, and my butt in the air, looking ridiculous. </div>
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If you want to know how I manage summer chaos, the truth is, I take it day to day. Sometimes, minute by minute. Right now I unexpectedly ended up with no kids. I could have done a million things. I had to choose.<br>
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I chose to write this for you.<br>
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I picked from my <a href="http://www.simplehomeandhappiness.com/2017/05/living-well.html">triage list.</a> My summer triage differs from my school year list, but I am learning to be flexible. I do far less office work in the summer, because I have all four kids home and I just can’t maintain my normal work from home schedule. That means I have to work way more efficiently with the time I do have.</div>
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I could be catching up on extra office work right now, but I am caught up on things with a deadline. So instead I am writing, because <i>I</i> am at the top of my triage list. I am bleeding out for everyone else, 24 hours a day. I am running here, and there, and making time for this and that, and spending quality time with the kids. All good things, but for me, I need quiet and time to write, because that is how I best manage my thoughts. And I have a lot of thoughts. They need to be managed. </div>
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Writing is my outlet. Today it is the top of my list. It wasn’t when I woke up today. It wasn’t even on the list an hour ago, but here I am happily going along with the flow. </div>
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This entire summer has been a lesson in being flexible and learning to embrace the chaos. </div>
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I am a selfish person. I really am. I serve people all day long, but I very rarely do it selflessly. I am always secretly craving recognition or affirmation or gratitude. Being a mother rarely gets that kind of treatment. Not because I am raising snotty, selfish, narcissistic children, but just because so much work goes unoticed. </div>
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No one notices when the dishes are properly put away or the laundry is in the dressers or the towels neatly stacked in the closet. Yet, everyone notices and comments when those things are not done. </div>
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Due to the summer chaos, I stumbled into a 24 hour road trip alone with my husband to pick up a truck for work. Six hours in the car with him and six hours alone on the ride back gave me plenty of time to chat his ear off about my hopes and dreams and ambitions, and then plenty of time to sift through it introspectively on the way home.<br>
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What I realized is this...</div>
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I love to care for people. I love to create a homey environment. I love to bake and cook for people. I love to entertain. I love to be at home. </div>
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I love all those things when I am doing them for <i>other</i> people, but I haven’t been lovingly doing them for the people in my own home. </div>
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For hours I told my husband all about the perfect real estate opportunity for either a bed and breakfast or a coffee shop in our town. I went on and on about all the ways it could be done well, to make people feel cared for and to be profitable. I was passionate and excited. </div>
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Then on that quiet ride home, I realized I had my priorities all wrong. </div>
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I was willing to get up early to have breakfast available for strangers. I was excited to take time to chat with customers. I could envision the perfect seating arrangement to make people feel welcome. I wanted to wash sheets and fluff pillows and decorate till people felt loved and comforted. </div>
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But. </div>
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I am not doing any of those things at my own home, for my own family. </div>
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That realization stung more than I can ever express.</div>
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The thing is, I knew I could do all of those things for a B&B or a coffee shop, because I knew people would affirm me. People would congratulate me and tell me what an incredible job I was doing. I live for positive affirmations and I knew that strangers would give me that and I was willing to trade in my own time with my family for it. </div>
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It all suddenly felt upside down. </div>
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So here I am, a week later. Wading into the new lifestyle of loving on my people better. I need to willingly serve them, not with a grumbling attitude, but with true joy. </div>
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I know they will never thank me the way people in a consumer relationship would. I know that they will never write a nice review online about all the ways I cared for them. </div>
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I am doing longer term work than that. I am not working for a good review. I am loving on them to prepare them for a big world. I am loving them to help them discover who they are. I am creating a home so that when the world gets ugly and mean, they know they can come to me and be safe. </div>
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I still want accolades and I want some one to thank me for menial tasks, but that’s my flaw, not theirs. Don't get me wrong, I will still expect thank you's and my children are expected to help out around the house and on the farm. I will not be their slave or puppet, but I have to be an example of meeting my work from a heart of gratitude rather than a heart of resentment. </div>
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It has been a week of perspective shifts and making an effort to turn negative thoughts around. “How would I feel if this was a neighbor or a friend or a stranger? How would I respond to them?”<br>
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If I am polite and patient with other people’s children, don’t mine deserve the same? If I am baking for a guest that comes to visit, shouldn’t I also be doing it for my family regularly?</div>
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If it’s not an inconvenience for me to bake something special, take the afternoon off, sit and talk while a task goes undone, for friends and strangers; then why should it be an inconvenience to do it for my family?<br>
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My family deserves better than anyone else. </div>
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In theory it all sounds simple. It sounds beautiful really.<br>
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In application it gets murky.<br>
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Family sees you at your worst. They know your vulnerabilities and your heart. They forgive easier (thankfully) and they push limits that no one else can. </div>
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I no longer want my family to get my leftovers or my second best. </div>
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I want them to get the special treatment, the outpouring, the memories. </div>
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I want them to get the best of me.<br>
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Unselfish, unspoiled, joyful, loving, contented, grateful me.<br>
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I am thankful for second chances and 302nd chances. I am grateful I get to start over. I am happy I still have a month and a half left of Summer so I can finish strong.<br>
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I know I won't get this perfect. I'll still get tired and exhausted, but I don't have to feel defeated.<br>
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I get to wake up each morning and choose how I want to approach the day. I want to lay my head down at night knowing that I poured out all my love and wake up each day ready to start again.<br>
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And when I get it wrong, I will try again…<br>
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That is the beauty of life.<br>
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With love,<br>
Me<br>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="You're my home, calligraphy quote, handlettering" class="_s3 _29 _45 _2l" height="640" src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/37/aa/e3/37aae39e2b7965f21350978afcfda4ca.jpg" style="text-align: start; width: 400px; height: auto;" width="400" id="id_94c_7b3_7b81_38ea"><br>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/201606520803652242/">Source</a></span></div>
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MaKaelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09494649531817202482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519061195982726887.post-5515109662407046272018-05-14T10:31:00.000-07:002018-05-14T10:31:37.699-07:00 Miserable Mother's DayAlright ladies, Mothers Day is over! Another day of fallen expectations and sorrow and hurt, that is covered up with smiles and cards and flowers, it done. Now we can breathe again.<br />
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Yes, it’s a day meant to celebrate how beautiful, hard working, and selfless mothers are, but how many of us have spent this day hiding in a room and crying?</div>
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Last night I crawled into bed and I said to my husband, “Thank you for a decent Mother’s Day.” I know that doesn’t exactly sound like a compliment, but given that more than once this holiday has ended in a screaming fight, where I feel under appreciated for all my efforts, I’d say a <i>decent </i>Mother’s Day is satisfactory. </div>
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The truth is, Mother’s Day is hard for a lot of us. Whether it’s because you have lost a mother, desperately want to be a mother and aren’t, resent motherhood, feel unappreciated, feel like a failure, or your experiences are nothing like you expected. Whatever you reason, it is valid. </div>
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A day meant to celebrate women for all that they do, can often leave us feeling less than.<br />
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While other women are being hailed, as beautiful, keeper of all the things, master cook, wonderful housekeeper, chauffeur extraordinaire; there is also a group of us who feel the salt in the wound. While those <i>other</i> moms are doing it all, seemingly flawlessly; we are silently resenting loading all the kids in the car to go to yet another game, concert, play, athletic event, that will inevitably end in a fast food run, because it is late and once again we didn’t plan meals well enough to sufficiently feed our family a well balanced meal. </div>
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Listen close friends. </div>
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You are doing a great job. You are more than enough. You are the best mom for your kids, whether you are feeding them home cooked meals or picking up food on the way home. Whether all their clothes are folded and put away properly in their drawers or you just dug their uniform out of the laundry and febreezed it yet again. </div>
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Don’t let your shortcomings define the love you have for your family. </div>
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You are more than your mistakes, you are still the one they run to when they are hurt, you are still the one they want there cheering from the stands. They don’t care if you have it all together. They care that you are present and joyful to be with them. </div>
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Let go of the expectations of the kind of mom you thought you would be, quit focusing on the minor flaws you bare. Instead let’s fist pump every victory, the big and the small. Let soak in every hug, every kiss, every I love you, and value it far more than the fact that you forgot it was show n tell day and they had nothing to show or tell. </div>
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This pressure we are putting on ourselves is killing us and destroying our families. </div>
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For the unicorn mom who loves Mother’s Day, don’t let this shame you. If you are cruising through motherhood feeling like a rockstar, then you are to be celebrated as well. Whether yesterday was great for you or you wish you could forget everything about it, yesterday is over. </div>
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Today we start fresh. You would never expect your children to be flawless, yet you love them anyways. Carry your head high today knowing they feel the same way about you. Apologize for the melt down you may or may not have had yesterday. Go forward knowing that your love is more than enough, regardless of anything else you accomplish today. </div>
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Mamas, Mamas-to-be, Mamas who have lost, Mamas that ache; you are stronger than you even know. I am thinking about everyone of you who is walking into this week weary and exhausted. Choose to love, choose joy, and choose to value yourself more today. You are worth it.<br />
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<img alt="5 Inspirational Quotes for Mother's Day" class="_ry _27 _40 _2j" height="400" src="https://i.pinimg.com/236x/88/c7/2a/88c72a6a3f61e3aba72562964ade392f.jpg" style="text-align: start;" width="400" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/378513543662704697/">Source</a></span></div>
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MaKaelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09494649531817202482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519061195982726887.post-44591787326657319042018-03-30T09:01:00.000-07:002018-04-01T08:12:13.077-07:00Why The Cross?<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
If Easter has never made sense to you, if you have ever wondered why a God of love, is celebrated by a brutal death, if you have wondered why Jesus had to die and why God couldn't just shake the sky and shout out with thunder and angels and save us all, then you are not alone. </div>
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I have asked the same questions a thousand times. I have sat through sermons on it and listened to it discussed in depth at bible studies. I have read books upon books trying to understand why Jesus had to die and why God couldn't have just told us how much he loved us and told us we are saved. </div>
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If He is a God of mercy, God of love, God of power, then why did it have to be Jesus' death on the cross? It never made any sense. </div>
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Why did Jesus have to die? Why couldn't God just shake the sky and shout out his love. Why couldn't it be fireworks and thunder and mind blowing shows of power and might?</div>
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It all comes down to love.</div>
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Understanding Gods love has helped me to comprehend why it had to be Jesus and why it had to be death. </div>
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God wants us to know how deeply he loves us. He wants us to understand his incredible love, so that we will love him in return and yearn for a relationship with him. </div>
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How could He explain that kind of love to us? How could he show us he loves us more than anything else in the entire universe? How do you prove love?</div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">If you are laying in the middle of the train tracks and a train is speeding towards you and someone throws </span></span>themself<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> in front of the train so it derails and you are saved, they have committed the ultimate act of love. They gave up their life for you. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">God took it one step farther. He sent a piece of himself down to earth. This is divine and huge and mind boggling, and I am not the person to explain the trinity, but lets just agree that this is where faith in an incredible, powerful, mysterious God comes in to play. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He sends a part of himself to the world; not just a grown man who shows up to change the world, but Jesus comes down as a baby. An innocent, fully reliant on human beings, infant. A son. A child to God. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">God watches as that baby grows, he watches Jesus take his first steps, his listens to him babble his first words. He sees Jesus grow under the care of someone else, and all the while God is watching. This baby, a piece of Gods own self, grows into a man. This man bears the weight of being Godlike in a human shell. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jesus knew the pain of what the cross would mean. God watched Jesus cry out in the garden, “God take this burden”. He watched his son weep under the pressure of what it would mean to carry the sin of the world.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">God watched his son beaten, demoralized, humiliated. God watched every labored breath of Jesus on that cross. And he did nothing. He could have reached out at any moment, and relieved Jesus. He could have made it less painful, He could have done a million things to make it easier on Jesus; easier on himself.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But He didn’t. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">God didn’t just throw himself in front of the train to show his love for you. He threw his child. And he watched that child suffer. A Fathers pain, a Fathers gut wrenching desire to help his Son and yet instead, he let Jesus suffer and die a brutal human death, so that you and I and everyone else that hears the story of Jesus would know the depth of God’s love. God <i>loves you so much </i>that he gave his only Son. (John 3:16)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It takes on new meaning when you see it for what it is. God would have given his own life, but even more he gave his own life, in the form of a child. His child, that he loved, and yet he loves us so much more, that he was willing to watch his child suffer and die, just so that we could understand how deeply he truly loves us. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">God could have just enacted some grand gesture of fireworks and volcanos and explosions to prove His love. He could have shouted it from the mountains in voices of thunder, “I LOVE YOU.” But He didn’t. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Because there is no love deeper, no love greater than the love for a child. God’s son, Jesus, was that child. Jesus was the ultimate proof of God’s love. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Being a Christian is simple. Believe that God loves you that much. He loves you and wants to be with you so much, that He placed his own child in front of the train to derail it and save you. </span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;">God wants you to be with him. He wants you to join him in Heaven someday, and there is nothing you have done or can do to deserve it. Nothing you can do to earn it. God only asks that you understand and believe the depths of his love. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Once you understand that kind of love, that kind of sacrifice, you will want to spend your whole life paying it back to him. God doesn’t want our love because as Christians we are commanded to do so, He wants us to choose to love him as much as he loved us. </span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">True love is a choice. </span></span></div>
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Celebrate this Easter with love. </div>
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<img alt="1 john 4:15" class="_mj _25 _3x _2h" height="640" src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/92/66/f8/9266f8bad71aaf925229b51cb2895a64.jpg" width="360" id="id_7d0d_6184_3e8c_284c" style="width: 360px; height: auto;"></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/277112183298860346/">Source</a></span> </div>
MaKaelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09494649531817202482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519061195982726887.post-12859387340544253382018-03-17T09:40:00.000-07:002018-03-17T09:40:57.252-07:00Small VictoriesMy baby boy turns two in July.<br />
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He is my last baby.<br />
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I am tasting freedom, the likes of which I haven't had in years!<br />
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I am savoring all the lasts and acknowledging milestones for what they are… but lets be honest, most days I am fist pumping, high kicking and dancing in celebration.<br />
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This is not a blog post about how sweet these days are or how I need to appreciate it while they are little. That is important, but that is for another day.<br />
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Today I am celebrating how much I can get done in a day now that my baby can feed himself and go out with his Daddy to do chores.<br />
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We are in the process of finishing out our basement and creating a family room. The kids are spending a lot more time down there, so we no longer have the need for a large toy room.<br />
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On the flip side, I am spending more time writing and keeping up with our ever growing farm paper work and I need a space that I can spread out in and keep kids out of.<br />
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Yesterday I swapped my large toy room and my small office room.<br />
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It has been seven years since I had a cleared off desk top. Yes, seven years.<br />
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I am an organized person. I like things neat and tidy. For seven years my office in both our old house and our current house has been an irritant. I just couldn't ever quite get caught up.<br />
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People talk about the seasons of life quite often. I have been in the season of babies for a really long time. Eight years actually.<br />
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And now….<br />
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Now I can breathe.<br />
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God willing, my husband and I are entering a sweet spot in our children's lives. My oldest is eight, my baby is nearly two. We do not have teenagers yet and we are almost out of diapers. Perfection.<br />
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I can tackle projects that I have dreamed of doing for years. This is not to say that it is easy, I wrangled kids all day yesterday while rearranging, but I was ABLE to do it. A year ago that would not have been possible.<br />
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Wherever you are in life, breathe in and breathe out. It will not last. Life changes. We graduate school, we get jobs, we lose jobs, we break up, we get married, we have babies, we lose loved ones, we grow, we change, and life never stops moving.<br />
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If you are in a good place, soak it in, store it up, so when life is harder, you can remember how good it can be.<br />
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If you are in a hard place, know that it will pass. Life will move forward and it can get better. Sometimes you have to fight for better, sometimes you have to choose better, but it WILL get better if you choose to look at every positive moment (however small) and focus on it. See the light, see the good, and fight for it.<br />
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The past several years with small kids and babies has been a struggle. Yes I know it is good and yes I know it is a blessing, but make no mistake about it, it is HARD.<br />
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Don't let anyone trivialize your struggles, whatever they may be. Good things can be hard. Sad things can be catastrophic. You are allowed to feel the weight of life. So feel the pain, feel the beauty and then decide how you want to react.<br />
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Today I am celebrating a clean desk and a morning with only two kids in the house. It would be a small joy to some, to me, it feels monumental.<br />
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Take your small joy, small success, small victory and celebrate it. An empty sink, a folded basket of laundry, a day without crying, a promotion, a birthday; whatever today brings you, find the good, hold it tight and I will be cheering you on.<br />
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Happy Saturday (St. Patricks Day)!<br />
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<img alt="so many fragile things" class="_mj _27 _3x _2j" src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/86/9c/31/869c31a4c93eeee1c4a3c0d847ef7d93.jpg" /></div>
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/405535141439773156/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Source </span></a></div>
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<br />MaKaelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09494649531817202482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519061195982726887.post-30265180770793627312018-03-06T19:24:00.000-08:002018-03-06T19:24:16.470-08:00Fear of Failure<div style="text-align: left;">
I have always been the kind of woman who whispers dreams, but never one to name them and chase them down. </div>
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In high school I wanted to be an actress. In college I wanted to write an epic novel. I never pursued either of those things because I thought they were too impractical, too artistic, for someone like me. </div>
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The thing about dreams is they rarely go away completely. </div>
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I still want to write a book.<br />
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I still love being on a stage.<br />
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My dreams don't look the same as they did back then, but traces of them are woven into my life. I have been paid to write and I have been paid to speak my words, and yet still I hesitate to call myself a writer or a speaker. </div>
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I live with the fear of failure.<br />
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Not just a little fear, but rather a huge, crippling fear of failing. </div>
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If I have not laid out a plan A and B and C and two more contingency plans that have backup plans with a safety net, then it is a solid bet, I will not try something new. </div>
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Truthfully, it is not the failure I am afraid of… I am afraid of what people will think of <i>me</i> if I fail. I don't want to put myself out there, state my cause, name my goals, chase my dreams because I don't want to be that person who doesn't succeed. </div>
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If <i>you </i>told me that, I would tell you to quit being ridiculous. I would look you in the eye and tell you that you are capable of so much more than you give yourself credit for. I would tell you to quit caring about what other people think, that your dreams matter so much more than their opinions. I would tell you to hold your head up high and try, because if you don't risk failure, you don't risk succeeding. </div>
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It's so much easier for me, when I am on the other side of things; when it's not my reputation, not my idea, when its not my dream. It is easy for me to tell you to get going, conquer your fears, knock down walls, stand up for yourself. More often than not though, the things I want to tell you, are the things I need to remind myself.</div>
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So tonight I will name my dream.</div>
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I dream of being one voice that causes a ripple in the vast ocean of voices speaking truth and life and love into the world. </div>
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I dream of encouraging women to be better. To quit comparing, to speak life to each other, to hold each other up instead of tearing each other down. I want to champion you to be the person that others can trust with their vulnerabilities. </div>
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We each have different strengths, desires, and natural abilities. If we each tap into those and immerse ourselves in growing our natural talents, just imagine how much happier and better the world would be. </div>
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I have the gift of communication. I will write my words, I will tell my story, I will share my dreams, in hopes that it encourages you to do the same. </div>
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Whatever your dream is, name it, chase it down and choose to give it your all.</div>
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<a href="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/3a/8d/16/3a8d1619ad29561391cf37dc56cc5f23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=""Though she be but little, she is fierce." -Shakespeare" border="0" class="_mj _25 _3v _2h" height="640" src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/3a/8d/16/3a8d1619ad29561391cf37dc56cc5f23.jpg" width="471" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/93590498483048513/">Source</a></span></div>
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Here is what is encouraging me lately….</div>
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<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-going-scared-podcast-with-jessica-honegger/id1333553774?mt=2">The Going Scared Podcast</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lets-All-Be-Brave-Everything/dp/031033795X">Let's All Be Brave</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Wash-Your-Face-Believing/dp/1400201659/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1520379895&sr=1-1&keywords=girl+wash+your+face+rachel+hollis">Girl Wash Your Face</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/If-You-Only-Knew-Unavoidable/dp/1462749720/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1520379895&sr=1-2&keywords=girl+wash+your+face+rachel+hollis">If You Only Knew</a><br />
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<a href="https://jamieivey.com/">The Happy Hour Podcast</a><br />
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With love,<br />
Me<br />
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<br />MaKaelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09494649531817202482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519061195982726887.post-36804669062773441892018-02-09T08:17:00.001-08:002018-02-09T08:21:58.107-08:00ComfortI do not have an organized, clean home, although I crave one. I haven't found a magic bullet to 'keeping house', although I think it is somewhere in having no children, no husband, a live in maid, and perhaps being British royalty.<br />
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For those of us that fall outside that sweet spot, I think we will forever be playing a vicious game of cat and mouse with house chores. We all have different strengths and pitfalls in home making. I am not here to judge or even offer advice, but I will share what is inspiring me.<br />
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Laundry is my nemesis. I am trying to come up with a better system that doesn't leave me wanting to burn the whole house down rather than have to deal with the laundry.<br />
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I mashed up a bunch of your advice that I asked for on Facebook and it is helping. </div>
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The main thing though, was a perspective change. I'm going to be totally honest, the main reason I wan't getting laundry done was because I just didn't think it was worthy of my time. I have a family to feed, a house to keep, a business to run, people to keep alive; laundry just fell to the bottom and I didn't make it a priority. </div>
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Now I am trying to be more aware of when and how I approach laundry. I am doing it in the mornings, because that is when I am most productive. I am separating it by person now, which makes getting the kids to pitch in easier. And I am reminding myself that I need to quit feeling sorry for myself and just do the stupid laundry instead of resenting it and making a big deal out of it. </div>
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I could go on and on about all the things I am trying, but I feel like a lot of days I am treading water. When it comes to keeping house, if I were leading you, it would be the blind leading the blind and we would all just end up on the couch watching Netflix with a glass of wine in a dirty house! That seems to be my sweet spot. But then the mess builds up and small people go unbathed and things start to smell weird.<br />
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So…...<br />
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Let's not set unrealistic goals that will just go unmet in a month or two and leave us feeling like failures. Instead, let's talk realistic lifestyle changes that help us to manage our homes better, which in turn helps us to manage our time more effectively and therefore be better people, wives, moms, bosses, and friends.<br />
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I cannot stress enough that making your home, your apartment, your space, a place that is comforting to you is so much more important than one that just looks good.<br />
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What comfort means will be different for each of us. Whatever you want the atmosphere of your home to be, it is in your hands to make it that way. A comfortable place where you feel safe and in control, can change how you start your day and how you end it, which ultimately can effect the way you respond throughout the day to the world around you. </div>
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Take what works for you, ignore the rest. We are not striving for perfection, we are striving for comfort.</div>
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<a href="http://thenester.com/2016/03/5-things-people-with-tidy-homes-dont-do.html" target="_blank">5 Things People with Tidy Homes Don't Do</a></div>
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<a href="http://thenester.com/2018/01/two-tips-to-a-tidy-home.html" target="_blank">Two Tips to a Tidy Home</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.thelazygeniuscollective.com/blog/cleanguide" target="_blank">The Lazy Genius Guide to Cleaning Your House</a><br />
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Or listen to the Lazy Genuis <a href="http://www.thelazygeniuscollective.com/lazy/home" target="_blank">podcast</a> while you clean!<br />
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Don't be ashamed to hire <a href="https://www.thesunnysideupblog.com/2016/07/7-secrets-keep-house-clean-organized/" target="_blank">help and other tips</a>.<br />
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I haven't read <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Life-Changing-Magic-Tidying-Decluttering-Organizing/dp/1607747308/ref=sr_1_2/131-8425742-9091817?ie=UTF8&qid=1518189757&sr=8-2&keywords=the+life-+changing+magic+of+tidying+up" target="_blank">The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up</a> but I am intrigued by the idea of it.<br />
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I loved the simple, NORMAL, tips for creating a welcoming home in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Nesting-Place-Doesnt-Perfect-Beautiful/dp/0310337909/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518189986&sr=8-1&keywords=the+nesting+place+it+doesn%27t+have+to+be+perfect+to+be+beautiful" target="_blank">The Nesting Place</a> book.<br />
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There are heaps, upon piles, of tips and advice out there. The main thing to remember is that above all <a href="https://simplehomeandhappiness.blogspot.com/2017/09/home.html" target="_blank">home</a> is all about creating a space where those that enter <a href="http://www.lifeingraceblog.com/2014/08/one-thing-can/" target="_blank">feel safe and loved</a>. A place where the people within the walls of your home can forget about the world outside.<br />
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Don't get caught up in appearances. Don't underestimate the power of looking someone in the eyes and truly listening to them. Don't forget that the smell of cookies (homemade or NOT) cooking in the oven can bring more comfort than clean floors.<br />
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Keeping your house at a level that makes you comfortable to love others is all that matters.<br />
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Happy weekend friends!<br />
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<img alt="DIY Paper Heart Garlands" class="_mj _27 _3x _2j" height="640" src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/68/8a/b4/688ab420301ce9f8e460e2e42910f191.jpg" width="480" /></div>
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P.S. Check out these past posts on...<br />
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<a href="https://simplehomeandhappiness.blogspot.com/2017/05/living-well.html" target="_blank">Living Well</a><br />
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<a href="https://simplehomeandhappiness.blogspot.com/2017/05/when-marriage-isn-easy.html" target="_blank">When Marriage Isn't Easy</a><br />
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Working on my <a href="https://simplehomeandhappiness.blogspot.com/2017/06/ugly.html" target="_blank">Ugly</a><br />
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Never be afraid to share your <a href="https://simplehomeandhappiness.blogspot.com/2016/03/truth.html" target="_blank">Truth</a><br />
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MaKaelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09494649531817202482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519061195982726887.post-44542922222021647482018-01-24T14:12:00.000-08:002018-01-24T14:13:50.056-08:00Scars<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">You are not broken.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">You are scarred.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">Scars tell your story.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">A battle.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">A fight.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">You are not a failure.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">You stand back up.</span><br />
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">You are fierce.</span><br />
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">You are beautiful.</span><br />
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">You are sacred.</span><br />
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">You are a fighter.</span><br />
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">You are strong.</span><br />
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">You are needed.</span><br />
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">You matter. </span><br />
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">Humanity matters. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">That voice inside of you,</span><br />
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<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">Let it out. </span><br />
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">Shout it out. </span><br />
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">Stand tall. </span><br />
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">Wear your scars.</span><br />
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">Own your mistakes. </span><br />
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">Dance to the rhythm of your pain, your courage, your relentless spirit. </span><br />
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">Find your purpose. </span><br />
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">Find your peace. </span><br />
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">Find you. </span><br />
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">You are not alone. </span><br />
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">You illuminate. </span><br />
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">You radiate. </span><br />
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">You are unique. </span><br />
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">You are undefined. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">Every breath you take is a story of resolve. </span><br />
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">A story of redemption. </span><br />
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">A story of grace. </span><br />
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">A story of perseverance.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">It is your story. </span><br />
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9d2e9;">Own it. </span><br />
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<br />MaKaelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09494649531817202482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519061195982726887.post-4503724029110609922018-01-05T12:13:00.002-08:002018-01-05T12:13:15.008-08:002018 Inspiration Let this be the year we lift each other up, support each others dreams, and inspire one another.<br />
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Here are a few books I am reading (or hope to read soon) and podcasts I'm listening to.<br />
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Happy Friday friends!<br />
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<i>"She made broken look beautiful and strong look invincible. She walked with the universe on her shoulders and made it look like a pair of wings."</i> -Ariana Dancu<br />
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<b>Books on… </b><br />
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*Home<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0718098307/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=IAEUMVAENIP9C&colid=2KNBMNABLR2NZ&psc=0" target="_blank">A Simplified Life</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0761193774/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=IPQXX8GSZCI&colid=2KNBMNABLR2NZ&psc=0" target="_blank">A Book That Takes Its Time</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0310345677/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I11IM1HFSLB4T0&colid=2KNBMNABLR2NZ&psc=0" target="_blank">Chasing Slow</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0310342996/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=IIAJM943I74FH&colid=2KNBMNABLR2NZ&psc=0" target="_blank">Present Over Perfect</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1433648911/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I1Z1PG6ZOY002I&colid=2KNBMNABLR2NZ&psc=0" target="_blank">Love Lives Here</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lifegiving-Home-Creating-Belonging-Becoming/dp/1496403371/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1515181084&sr=8-1&keywords=the+life+giving+home" target="_blank">The Lifegiving Home</a><br />
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*Motherhood<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0736970061/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=IL1SDJJSRTY11&colid=2KNBMNABLR2NZ&psc=0" target="_blank">Why Motherhood Matters</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1501156446/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=IW8VJCNL7FUPO&colid=2KNBMNABLR2NZ&psc=0" target="_blank">Mom Set Free</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0310347815/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I1MUOWA43IVJ7V&colid=2KNBMNABLR2NZ&psc=0" target="_blank">She's Still There</a><br />
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*Life<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0310339979/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I2K8F0QEV2CPS3&colid=2KNBMNABLR2NZ&psc=0" target="_blank">Unseen</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/031034753X/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I17GNR55V803QU&colid=2KNBMNABLR2NZ&psc=0" target="_blank">A Fierce Love</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/If-You-Only-Knew-Unavoidable/dp/1462749720/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1515182261&sr=8-1&keywords=if+you+only+knew+jamie+ivey" target="_blank">If You Only Knew</a><br />
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*Food<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1496414209/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I302F56SSSRMST&colid=2KNBMNABLR2NZ&psc=0" target="_blank">The Lifegiving Table</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062225243/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I1C8W2AC90XGDY&colid=2KNBMNABLR2NZ&psc=0" target="_blank">The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/141972245X/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I1C5OL139P2NEG&colid=2KNBMNABLR2NZ&psc=0" target="_blank">Forest Feast Gatherings</a><br />
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<b>Podcasts</b><br />
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<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-happy-hour-with-jamie-ivey/id880741976?mt=2" target="_blank">The Happy Hour</a><br />
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<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-encourager-with-rebekah-scott/id1018941720?mt=2" target="_blank">The Encourager</a><br />
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<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/mom-struggling-well/id1046121933?mt=2" target="_blank">Mom Struggling Well</a><br />
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<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/for-the-love-with-jen-hatmaker-podcast/id1258388821?mt=2" target="_blank">For The Love</a><br />
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<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/glorious-in-the-mundane-podcast-with-christy-nockels/id1128636404?mt=2" target="_blank">Glorious in the Mundane</a><br />
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<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-shauna-niequist-podcast/id1230800323?mt=2" target="_blank">The Shauna Niequist Podcast</a><br />
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<img alt="BOOKS make a HOME" class="_mi _25 _3w _2h" height="640" src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/e9/6f/d9/e96fd951f5efa3b9348111435a5f7705.jpg" width="500" /></div>
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<br />MaKaelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09494649531817202482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519061195982726887.post-34216243424572150572017-12-31T13:26:00.001-08:002017-12-31T13:28:13.531-08:00Intentional<br />
Nothing about this holiday season went as planned.<br />
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We started the stomach flu in our family of six a couple days before Christmas and it finally took down the last person a week later. It was exhausting but also forced a major slow down, in a good way.<br />
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Traditions got pushed aside to make room for illness, plans were cancelled, all expectations of holiday celebrations went out the window.<br />
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There was a time when this would have destroyed me.<br />
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Several years ago, my plans for New Years Eve were cancelled due to a snow storm. I pouted and cried, I believe I may have even wailed "Why Me?" and I know for certain that I made the evening miserable for my husband. All because my expectations had been set too high and I couldn't see what was still possible.<br />
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I don't know if it's age, experience, maturity, or a glorious combination, but this holiday had all the makings of an epic temper tantrum, yet it never happened.<br />
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I wasn't Mother Teresa, let's be real, but I sort of just rolled with it. When the first kid got sick, I just adjusted, and the next and the next and the next.<br />
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Somehow, miraculously, it all was just fine.<br />
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Christmas still came.<br />
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The world did not end.<br />
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Time moves on, whether we are sick, ready, sad, happy, or otherwise.<br />
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As we head into the new year, I am sitting at my desk, with my hair and makeup all fancy, just to stay at home. We are finishing up the stomach bug, so we won't be going out.<br />
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I have painted the girls' fingernails, we put on dresses, we made classic junk food snacks (for those of us who are up to eating) and we will watch movies and be together.<br />
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I do not set goals for the New Year. That feels way too much like expectations, but I like the idea of choosing a word for the year. A theme to set the tone for the year ahead. <br />
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<b>Intentional.</b><br />
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Thats the word that kept coming to mind as I tried to make the most of the time we did have with family and friends over the past week. I knew we wouldn't make it to many get togethers, so the ones that we did get to, I wanted to really be present and enjoy it. I was intentional about the time spent.<br />
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It felt really good.<br />
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It felt quiet.<br />
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It felt comforting.<br />
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It felt right.<br />
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Happy New Years friends!<br />
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<img alt="Rustic candlelit wedding reception centrepiece with foliage and chiffon table runner | Bonnie Jenkins" class="_mi _25 _3w _2h" height="640" src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/00/07/57/00075760a7b08deccba6085f255e9473.jpg" width="425" /><br />
<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/Ae1P36l7jjfvILrPCFklHamLtiKs3_YkhZyhPfRMm6a_l9VY_RhOhc8/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source</span></a></div>
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P.S. The<a href="https://simplehomeandhappiness.blogspot.com/2013/01/calm.html" target="_blank"> first year</a>.<br />
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The <a href="https://simplehomeandhappiness.blogspot.com/2014/01/word-of-year.html" target="_blank">second year</a>.MaKaelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09494649531817202482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519061195982726887.post-7960333697679908682017-12-18T08:12:00.001-08:002017-12-18T08:12:54.876-08:00UnexpectedOne week till Christmas.<br />
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Seven days.<br />
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How are you doing?<br />
<br />
Hanging in there?<br />
<br />
Excelling?<br />
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Crying?<br />
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It's ok. I've done all three in the past week.<br />
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This morning I woke up with nothing to do. Of course there are things <i>to do</i>, but the calendar is clear today.<br />
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Today I get to bake and clean and listen to Christmas music and rest. We have been running winter colds through the six people in our house and I woke up with a sore throat, but today I can rest, so I will be thankful for that.<br />
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I know this next week can be really hard. I know that losses, finances, and hardships are heightened this time of year. It's ok to be sad. It's ok to feel the weight of unmet expectations.<br />
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I am walking into this week with hands open.<br />
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I will not let the dreams of what could be ruin the truth of what is right in front of me.<br />
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I still have gifts to wrap, goodies to bake, I didn't get a Christmas card sent out this year, snow is threatening to ruin my travel plans, kids are sick, and tensions tend to run high in our house during the holidays.<br />
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None of that matters.<br />
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Love matters. Showing up late, messy, unwrapped, bringing my best, even at my worst and offering it to the people around me, that is what matters.<br />
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I hope you are feeling joyful, hopeful and at peace this holiday season. I hope that you are surrounded by love. I hope that you feel accepted despite your own perceptions of brokenness and shortcomings.<br />
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But if you don't feel those things, rest in this; Christmas has never been about showing up with everything all put together. Christmas is about finding love, peace and joy in unexpected places.<br />
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Sometimes we find Christmas under a tree, surrounded by family, with music playing, candles lit and the scent of dinner wafting from the kitchen.<br />
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But sometimes Christmas is disguised in the form of cancelled plans, burnt food, and the imperfect people that make up the everyday life that we are living with all year round.<br />
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If you miss the mark this week and the big day leaves you feeling defeated and let down, it's ok. You have 364 other days to show up and try again.<br />
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Let's go into this week, wanting nothing, expecting no certain outcome. Let's rejoice in the simple, let's give thanks for the mundane, lets marvel at the unexpected, because the unexpected is often where miracles appear.<br />
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With love,<br />
Me<br />
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<img alt="Be still. Take time and pray. Thank God for the simple things in your life right now. I am thanking God for my quiet time this morning, and the peace he gives me when I ask." class="_mi _3k _2j _3w" src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/0e/5c/16/0e5c161b7f4d71187b939f04d008f587.jpg" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/AezZ0kJK7Ci7nENJb1MyNtW9X7AasZypXYRgrLcVgMWfQ6oy7Me7ThM/" target="_blank">Source</a></span></div>
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MaKaelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09494649531817202482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519061195982726887.post-74314255474354448412017-11-30T12:36:00.000-08:002017-11-30T12:38:59.754-08:00Holiday Hush Holidays are hard. Whether you love them or hate them, they are coming.<br />
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I love the holidays, I truly do, but even with my love for them, I find them exhausting.<br />
<br />
Winning the lottery is technically a good thing, but it can be destructive if you do not manage the stress of it.<br />
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The holidays can be like that. All the food, all the family, all the traveling, all the invitations, all the baking, all the wrapping; all inherently good things, yet it can be stressful.<br />
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I am a home body, but I also love people. These two things conflict for me during the holidays. I love being with my family and friends, but I also suffer when my schedule is out of sync. Naps and bedtime routines get up ended and the kids become overwhelmed and exhausted. I love my family, but even my favorite members start to rub raw when their proximity has been all up in my business without a break for several days on end.<br />
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I think this year I am maybe even a little more aware of this. With a one year old and a two year old in the house, naps and bedtime are lifelines. Toddlers are a constant presence, with no breaks, no room to breathe, so the added pressure of being in a full house feels a bit suffocating to me.<br />
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The best thing I can do for myself this year is to prepare. To hold tight to my <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Best-Yes-Decisions-Endless-Demands/dp/1400205859" target="_blank">Yes's</a> so that I do not stretch myself too thin. To take the time to sit in the quiet and set my perspective right before jumping into my day. I am learning to put myself first and then last.<br />
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I have begun waking up before anyone else (and I hate mornings, despise them, it goes against my very nature) but if I have a chance to sit and breathe for twenty minutes before anyone needs me, it gives me the time to appreciate the world around me. I can appreciate the quiet, the time alone, and then when I wake the rest of the house, I am prepared to give them my best… most days.<br />
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The other thing I have been doing is minimizing all of the gift buying. I keep an eye out throughout the year for gifts. I either buy it when I see it or write it down in my bullet journal so I can get it later. This makes the gifts more intentional, something I think they would really love rather than purchasing something generic just so there is a gift under the tree.<br />
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For several years now, we have kept gift giving minimal in our house, both for monetary reasons and to keep the focus off of the gifts. My kids get one or two presents from us, but for them the most exciting part is going to see all the family at each of the holiday get togethers.<br />
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It's easy to talk about keeping the holidays simple, but practicing it is hard. It is so easy to get swept up in the gravitational pull of the lights, presents, and fanfare. Jesus came quietly in the most subdued celebration. He came to save us from all the crazy, so remembering him by causing a manic fuss seems a bit ironic and misplaced.<br />
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I am going to take a deep breath tomorrow as we roll into December. I am going to remind myself that it's ok to say no and it's ok to say yes, whatever is right for me and my family. I will keep my expectations well within reason, because unmet expectations are the killer of joy.<br />
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It's the small things that are saving me these days. Here's a few ideas if you are looking for a way to pull yourself out of the holiday funk.<br />
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* Here's a great post on scheduling in<a href="http://www.thelazygeniuscollective.com/blog/holidaycalendar" target="_blank"> space to breathe</a> during the holidays.<br />
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* Every business in this <a href="http://jamieivey.com/2017-holiday-gift-guide" target="_blank">holiday gift guide </a>gives back, so you can feel good while checking presents off your list.<br />
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* I just listened to this <a href="http://jamieivey.com/16861-2" target="_blank">podcast</a> yesterday and her <a href="https://www.hellomornings.org/" target="_blank">guest</a> literally wrote the book on finding quiet time in the morning! I will have to check it out.<br />
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* <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2015/12/01/this-heartbreaking-holiday-ad-is-a-powerful-reminder-of-old-peoples-loneliness/?utm_term=.ab82f31806ad" target="_blank">This commercial</a> will make you ugly cry and remind you to spend time with the people you love.<br />
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* This is how I <a href="https://simplehomeandhappiness.blogspot.com/2016/11/holiday-juggling.html" target="_blank">juggled the holidays</a> last year.<br />
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*We are going to try to do this <a href="http://www.faithgateway.com/jesus-storybook-bible-advent-calendar-printable/" target="_blank">advent calendar</a> this year, but there will be a lot of grace for days we will inevitably miss.<br />
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Have a beautiful holiday season filled with love dear friends. Hang on tight to you sanity, give yourself grace, and <a href="https://simplehomeandhappiness.blogspot.com/2017/05/living-well.html" target="_blank">live life well</a>.<br />
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With love,<br />
Me<br />
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<img alt="This is the season of Advent, the season in which we reflect on the birth of Christ and anticipate His return. There is no better news. The God who made us, the God we’ve run from, the God we’ve di..." class="_mi _25 _3w _2h" src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/76/17/87/76178747456696c603fedc5dd4b4c2d0.jpg" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/141581982011440112/" target="_blank">Source</a></span></div>
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<br />MaKaelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09494649531817202482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519061195982726887.post-38682884186189510182017-11-14T12:00:00.001-08:002017-11-20T10:59:41.114-08:00The Village of MotherhoodI listened to a Mom speak mean words to her child the other day. We were in a public setting and I heard her words clearly. Her frustration, her exhaustion, were on display. What she said doesn't really matter, it's the fact that she said it unguarded, without pretense, just ugly and real. Oh so real.<br />
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I was raised to keep your ugly to yourself. Pretend everything is fine until it is fine. I am not condoning what that mother said, but I am not judging her either. I have no idea how hard her day had been up till then. I don't know what she was or is struggling with. I don't know her, therefore I will not judge her.<br />
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I hope she realized later how harsh her words were. I hope she took the opportunity to show her child how important it is for adults to apologize as well as children. I hope that it was not her finest moment as a mom, but I refuse to judge her.<br />
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It's not my place.<br />
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My largest short coming as a mom is that I yell. I hate it. I am ashamed of it. It is something I work on over and over. Yet I fail over and over. I don't know why I struggle with it so much.<br />
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I have never screamed at my children in public. I have been short with them or firm, but never has anyone heard me let loose the roar that hurts my throat that I have done in private.<br />
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If I can keep my calm in public, there is no reason I cannot do the same in our home.<br />
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This is a shameful thing for me. I hope you don't judge me for it. I hope that by putting it out there, you see that I am imperfect, but that doesn't mean I am a bad mom.<br />
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It doesn't mean you are either.<br />
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If you have tried to fix your flaw repeatedly, if you have read all the books, listened to all the podcasts, talked to a therapist, and still your ugly keeps coming back, you are human.<br />
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You are trying and that is a good, beautiful thing. I don't want to hide my ugly and let another hurting mama see me and think I have it all together.<br />
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I write, not because I am perfect and full of wisdom, but because I am working to be better. There is so much better that I can be, that I can do, and I will continue to uplift myself to get there. I will not shame myself into thinking that because I messed up again, that trying is futile. It's not.<br />
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I was raised by wonderful, kind women in my life. My Mom, Aunts, Grandmothers, all of them were/are beautiful examples of how to be a good mother and even with all of that support, I still make a giant mess of motherhood.<br />
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How could I possibly judge any other woman, especially one who may never have had a decent role model. I had great role models and I still struggle immensely.<br />
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We are stronger when we encourage one another to be our best selves. We are stronger yet when we allow each other to bare our ugly and have the grace to say, 'me too'.<br />
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I will continue to see moments like the other day and say a prayer for that mom, not because I think I am better, but because I want to support her. I believe that the answer is in loving one another and walking alongside each other.<br />
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Todays failure does not define me and it does not define you. Standing back up and trying again is what defines you.<br />
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With love,<br />
Me<br />
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<img alt="faithful with the little: Seeing homemaking as a labor of love instead of drudgery- With FREE PRINTABLE!" class="_mi _3i _2h _3u" height="640" src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/04/ef/31/04ef312f0029b99de894f14efc4d9d96.jpg" width="425" /></div>
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P.S. </div>
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You are <a href="https://simplehomeandhappiness.blogspot.com/2017/10/enough.html" target="_blank">Enough </a></div>
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When <a href="https://simplehomeandhappiness.blogspot.com/2017/06/ugly.html" target="_blank">Ugly</a> bubbles over</div>
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Simple ideas for <a href="https://simplehomeandhappiness.blogspot.com/2017/09/home.html" target="_blank">Home</a></div>
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MaKaelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09494649531817202482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519061195982726887.post-87051854583550390702017-10-28T10:16:00.001-07:002017-10-28T10:16:56.877-07:00Too much Hey there tired mama.<br />
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I see you.<br />
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But more importantly, I am you.<br />
<br />
Sometimes you cry because you are so tired you can't sleep.<br />
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Sometimes you hurt in ways that you can't explain.<br />
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Sometimes you cry because you feel guilty about being so blessed and yet so frustrated.<br />
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Sometimes you cry because someone needs you all the time.<br />
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Sometimes you cry because your friend struggles with infertility and you have so many kids.<br />
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Sometimes you cry because friends have lost babies and you feel guilty about being mad at yours.<br />
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Sometimes you want to get in the car and drive away. Away from the mess, the noise, the chaos.<br />
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You want to drive to a quiet place and just sit and breathe... and just be quiet.<br />
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But you can't say it out loud.<br />
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You're not suppose to.<br />
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You are suppose to be happy, you are blessed.<br />
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You are suppose to smile, because you will miss these years when they are grown.<br />
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You are suppose to enjoy them while they are little.<br />
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But today, today you just want to quit.<br />
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Sometimes you just want to scream to the well meaning lady at the store, "Fine then you take them today. The 12 hours I am gone will go fast. I promise."<br />
<br />
You can't be replaced. You are 'on' all the time. Even when your husband comes home, if you are lucky enough to have one, the kids still come to you. In the middle of the night, it's your name they call out. There is no true time off.<br />
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You would ask for help, but then someone starts vomiting or running a temp or there are sports to take them to or meals to prepare.<br />
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Even when they are in someone else care, you worry. Are they getting into trouble, are they making a mess, are they fighting, are they being annoying? You might be away but your mind is with them.<br />
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It is all too much sometimes.<br />
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It's ok.<br />
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I am ok.<br />
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You are ok.<br />
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I know, I really, truly do, that it will go by fast.<br />
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But today I don't want to hear that. I just want to grieve.<br />
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Grieve the me who use to be free.<br />
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Grieve the me who use to take showers regularly.<br />
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Grieve the me who felt lighter.<br />
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This part of life is really hard.<br />
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I will get up tomorrow and I will do it all over again.<br />
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I will look for the silver lining.<br />
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I will change my perspective.<br />
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I will ask for help.<br />
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I will be happy.<br />
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I will still get frustrated.<br />
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I will still get sad.<br />
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I will still want to leave.... sometimes.<br />
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But that doesn't make me a bad mom, it doesn't make you a bad mom.<br />
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It makes us human.<br />
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It makes us thankful for a God full of grace. A God who can handle our mess, our sadness, our loneliness. A God who tells us its ok to not be enough, because He is enough.<br />
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Rest in that today mama. Rest in the fact that you cannot be enough, but He can.<br />
<br />
With love,<br />
Me<br />
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<img alt="When I feel all alone....the Lord is with me" class="_mi _3k _2j _3w" src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/b5/b5/b1/b5b5b1fbcf8dc3190f2749d92a3e9a0e.jpg" /></div>
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<br />MaKaelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09494649531817202482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519061195982726887.post-74949172650593700482017-10-17T11:46:00.000-07:002017-10-17T11:46:27.363-07:00EnoughI have felt like I could cry at the slightest provocation for the past few weeks. I'm not even entirely unsure that it's sad tears, just emotional, life is moving and I can't stop it tears.<br />
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October stirs up all kinds of feeling for me. I love the holidays, perhaps more than other people. It is engrained in me from my childhood. My mom created magic around the holidays. They were special and full of family and it was always my favorite time of year.<br />
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The holiday season started with Halloween. As a girl, I went to country school and rather than go trick or treating at houses like other kids, our country school had a big Halloween party, complete with a haunted house. There was a cake walk, bean bag toss games, costume contests, fishing over a bedsheet, and more. At the end of the party, all the parents and neighbors would gather in a big circle and us kids got to walk through and collect candy from each of them. It was a child's dream, all that candy and very little effort!<br />
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November was basically Christmas prep. Thanksgiving was a really great feast but it's sole purpose was to celebrate the time of year where it was socially acceptable to begin playing Christmas music and watch Christmas movies. The day after Thanksgiving, Christmas decorating began and it was no small feat. Pictures came down from their place on the walls, blankets were stowed away, and pillows were removed from couches to make room for Christmas paraphernalia. Anything that wasn't nailed down (and some that were) was exchanged for red, white and snowflakes. If it could be decorated, it was. If it could have a Santa hat added atop it, we did.<br />
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When I was little, the decorations were mostly homemade, things my mom sewed or painted or crafted. Then there were the hoards of things her four kids made at school over the holiday season and brought home. That sweet woman displayed every handprint reindeer, macaroni ornament, and paint by number Santa we brought home.<br />
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And the sweets, good Lord, the sweets. My mother can bake circles around Betty Crocker, my siblings and I jokingly call her Martha Stewart on crack. My Mom's holiday trays are notorious. Each year, she starts right after Thanksgiving, working on the goodie trays that will go out to neighbors, postmen, family, random strangers that stop in... everyone. She makes huge batches of chocolate covered cherries, peanuts butter blossom cookies, turtles, fudge, peanut clusters, caramel, and so much more. Every single thing, homemade.<br />
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She still does this. I get my own tray now, although I have to fight my husband and kids for my favorite things. My Mom loads the tray with my favorites though, because she knows how hard it is as a mom to have to share.<br />
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The holidays were never about money. They weren't about looking a certain way to impress. They were simply full of family and food and so much love. I know memories are different for everyone, and if you asked myself and my siblings, we would each tell of a different experience about our childhood. But the holidays were always made special. They were held to a higher standard than the rest of the year. There was holiness there. The rush of the farm and the busy life that naturally comes with it, slowed during those times.<br />
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Now I have four kids of my own, and I want the holidays to be just as special for them, but even more than that, I want everyday to carry that feeling of love. I want so desperately for them to know they are loved, every single day of the year.<br />
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As the holidays draw near, I feel a heightened sense of not wanting to fail. The other day, I messed up, bad. One of my kids scared me and my fear came out in anger. I made that child cry, on purpose, and I felt awful. I still feel awful.<br />
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I waited till the moment had passed and we had both calmed down, then I sat her down and I apologized. I looked her in the eyes and told her how sorry I was, how wrong I was, but it didn't feel like enough, it never feels like enough.<br />
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I know the holidays can't fix everything, and they are not an absolution. I can't sweep my ugly stuff under a Christmas themed rug and hope it will disappear, but I can take the feelings of nostalgia and let it guide me. I can set my goal to love, to make my family feel special. I can keep my eye on raising happy, healthy children that respect others.<br />
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The number one rule in our house is respect, even before love, because respect is tangible. I can explain it, I can draw a line for what is respectful, what is not. Everything else flows from respect.<br />
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As we head into my favorite time of year, I will love my people like crazy, because that is easy, but this year I am also going to focus on respecting them as well. No matter how tiny they are, it is never too early to show them they matter enough to deserve my respect. They cannot earn my love, they have that endlessly, unconditionally but respect takes work, for them and for me.<br />
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I know as parents, we will always carry some guilt, some regret, because no matter how hard we try, we will never get it just right. I am making peace with that. I am handing over the stuff I can't change to God and working on what I can.<br />
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I grew up with a amazing role model for a mother and I inherited a beautiful role model in my mother in law and yet I still feel like I am just winging it most days. I cannot imagine how much harder it is for those who didn't have that love growing up, those who never received respect.<br />
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Our past does not define us. Whether it was two days ago or twenty years ago, we have a choice. We can rise above our past and we can choose to not let the pressures of expectations cripple us.<br />
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I cannot change the pain from the past. I can only tell you this; regardless of upbringing, we are all a little lost. We are all just doing our best and feeling like its not enough, but we are enough. We are good enough, smart enough, strong enough, wise enough, tough enough, forgiven enough. We are worthy of love and respect. When we accept that, that's when we can start loving others well.<br />
<br />
With love,<br />
Me<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/405535141437748894/" target="_blank">Source</a></span></div>
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P.S. Make this <a href="https://simplehomeandhappiness.blogspot.com/2016/11/love-little-more.html" target="_blank">chex mix</a> and people will immediately love you.<br />
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<br />MaKaelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09494649531817202482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519061195982726887.post-38603622868096476662017-10-11T12:02:00.001-07:002017-10-11T12:06:46.984-07:00Simplify<br />
I have been wanting to simplify some areas of my life for awhile now, but I just haven't taken the time do it.<br />
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I already feel like I live a pretty simple life and there are aspects of it that I really love. But there is more that I want to do to improve the way I am living and the way that I am raising my kids.<br />
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Over the next few weeks, I am going to be sharing some of the things I am already doing and some other things I want to implement into my lifestyle.<br />
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Let's quiet the noise of the world. Let's tame down the chaos. Let's find a starting point and just jump.<br />
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It starts at home. Whether you are single or married or have a house full of kids. Peace begins at home. How you treat yourself and how you treat others.<br />
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We have to start somewhere on quieting all of the noise and giving ourselves and our loved ones a place of rest. A place to feel safe. A place to call home.<br />
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So lets start small.<br />
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First up: Let's enjoy a meal with the people we love.<br />
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You can make it from scratch, mix it up out of a box, pick it up hot and ready on your way home from work. It doesn't matter.<br />
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Here is my goal... It is harvest time and having my husband home for meals is practically non-exisitent, but I make it my goal to get all four kids sat down at the table for supper. We sit, we talk, they fight, I breathe, we keep going. Looking them in the eye and talking to them about their day, letting them know I care, it is so important.<br />
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When I don't make the effort to sit with the kids and instead just work on getting food to the table and then try to do dishes or fold laundry or whatever else, my kids notice. They ask me to come sit down with them. It's important. Don't under estimate it's power.<br />
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Maybe you are running around with older kids between sports and band and whatever else, maybe you are working late this week. Let's start small. Whatever your rush is, pick one night this week that the majority of your people can be home and sit down and eat a meal together.<br />
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And don't set your expectations to high. If you have little kids, this will not be a quiet Norman Rockwell painting kind of meal. If you have older kids, they may not interact. If you have a spouse, he may just sit silently across from you (not that I would know anything about that). But the point is to start. It will take time for it to become routine. Some meals will work better than others. In the end though, I can promise you, it is totally worth it.<br />
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Second up: I am going to unfollow ten people on social media who bring up negative emotions for me. Now this doesn't mean that they are bad people or have done something to me personally but for whatever reason, when I see their status or their post, I react negatively.<br />
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Maybe it's someone's life style that makes me jealous or their political posts that drive me crazy, even though I like the person themselves. Whatever it is, I just don't need it. On Facebook I don't even have to unfriend them, just unfollow so that I am not getting constant updates that I am tempted to stew on.<br />
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I have friends who have just stepped away from social media all together and that is fine to, if that's what works for you. For me, I know I just need to be careful about how I am using it. I need to use it in a way that brings creativity and positive experiences. So for now I will start small, I will scale back on what I am taking in, and be aware of how it effects me. If it is negative, it is gone.<br />
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That's it. I am not making some pledge to change everything. I cannot be a perfect person that raises perfect children, but I can start creating an atmosphere of love. For me that starts at home. Feel free to join me or if you have something you've been wanting to change for the better, but have been putting off, just do it.<br />
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Lets start now.<br />
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With love,<br />
Me<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/405535141437332925/" target="_blank">Source</a></span></div>
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P.S. Here's another way to <a href="https://simplehomeandhappiness.blogspot.com/2017/06/the-difference.html" target="_blank">start small.</a><br />
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<br />MaKaelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09494649531817202482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519061195982726887.post-78478116838263244812017-09-25T10:14:00.003-07:002017-09-25T10:15:44.591-07:00Gratitude Gratitude is the key to a life of contentment and joy and yet it still eludes me.<br />
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I can wake up and whisper gratitude to my heart. I can stir my morning cup to its tune. I can give thanks for my health, my family, my home and then I watch it slip through my fingers as life gets in the way.<br />
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Running late for school, flat tires, crabby kids, burnt supper, piles of laundry, dirty dishes, arguments with my husband. Pretty soon, my song of thanks, is a repeat in my head of all the wrongs, all that is unfair.<br />
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Even though I know that if I remain thankful, I can change my own attitude, it is sometimes so much easier to slip into resentment.<br />
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Gratitude takes practice, discipline.<br />
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Resentment is easy.<br />
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How easy it is for me to feel unappreciated when I am folding my seventh pile of laundry, how simple it is to resent the dirty floors I just swept five minutes ago, how enticing to grumble about cleaning up the toys for the hundredth time.<br />
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But how hard it is for me to be thankful for the clothes that cover us, how hard it is for me to pull out my broom in my climate controlled home and clean up the food that I am blessed enough to get to serve my family, how difficult it is to pick up the generous gifts my kids have received from family and friends.<br />
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I am ungrateful.<br />
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In a world of hurt, disease and neglect, a world of natural disasters and cruelty, these daily nuisances pale in comparison.<br />
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When I step outside of myself long enough to see my life for what it is, ridiculously abundant, that is when I begin to practice gratitude.<br />
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And it takes practice. </div>
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Gratitude for pain because it means I can feel. Gratitude for exhaustion because it means my life is full. Gratitude for the hard as well as the easy. Gratitude regardless of circumstance.<br />
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I will give thanks for a full life and find ways to share it with others.<br />
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I wash another sink full of dishes, because I was able to feed my family another meal. I fold another pair of pants because I have been blessed with four kids who dirty a lot of clothes. I call a friend who is hurting, because I know my time will come for pain as well. I accept what seem like inconveniences and I recognize them for what they are, an opportunity to serve others.<br />
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It all is so simple, yet so infuriatingly hard.<br />
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It should be easy to be grateful to get to hug my babies, to cook, to clean, to work to pay the bills and live out life in a safe home. Why do I grumble, why do I turn my nose up at it? Why do I so quickly forget?<br />
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I can write this now and by tonight I will find myself struggling to remember my own words. Old habits run deep and selfish tendencies are hard to break. I will mess it up, I will start over, I will continue to try endlessly.<br />
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I don't want to wait till November to remember to give thanks. I want to march to that beat every second of every day. And when I forget, (which I will) I will be grateful for second chances.<br />
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With Love,<br />
Me<br />
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<a href="https://lollyjane.com/free-printable-fall-art/" id="id_b10b_498c_25b6_fb81" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Source</span></a></div>
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MaKaelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09494649531817202482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519061195982726887.post-85232974163374892222017-09-15T04:30:00.000-07:002017-09-15T04:30:01.415-07:00Home<br />
When my kids get home from school, I want them to walk into comfort.<br />
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I have four kids under the age of eight, so chaos is a fact of life around here. But even with that factor, I want the over all feeling of being home to be a sense of love and comfort even amidst the chaos.<br />
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This starts with me. If I am overwhelmed and exhausted when we walk through the door at the end of the day, then I set the tone. Its my job, as their Mom, to keep my stuff together.<br />
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I have a tendency to make a lot of mistakes and apologize regularly for them. But what I have been realizing lately, is that accidentally losing my cool and yelling is very different than giving myself permission to lose it, knowing that I can apologize later.<br />
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Kids are very forgiving and I can take advantage of that. I take for granted that when I lose my temper, they will accept my apology. I am not proud, just being honest.<br />
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It's wrong.<br />
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I am working on it.<br />
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Being overwhelmed tends to bring out the worst in me, so there are a couple of things I have been doing at home lately that have helped me to feel less overwhelmed. They by no means make me a perfect Mom, but they are helping me move in the direction I want to be.<br />
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There are three things I have started doing lately to help keep things more organized, therefore less chaotic, therefore less overwhelming, therefore less yelling.<br />
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1. <i>One set of utensils, dishes, glasses for everyone.</i> Yep, one single solitary set of everything for each family member of the house. About three or four months ago, I emptied out my cupboards and drawers and packed away all the extra utensils and glasses and plates and bowls in a box and put it in the basement.<br />
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It has been life changing. For reals.<br />
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There is no longer a kitchen sink overflowing with dirty dishes every second of the day. Now, when someones glass is dirty, they have to wash it to use it rather than grabbing another from the cupboard. Same goes for plates, bowls, and utensils.<br />
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Since I implemented this, I have never once spent more than fifteen minutes at the sink doing dishes, and thats counting baking/cooking dishes.<br />
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I marked everyones stuff, so they can't argue over whose it is and who needs to wash it. Everyone takes care of their own and we take turns cleaning the two littlest things.<br />
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We rarely use the dishwasher anymore, we just wash, rinse, put in the drying rack after meals. It takes two minutes, it's done, and we walk away. On the off chance that it doesn't get done, it takes me five minutes for me to get caught up rather than a half hour or more like before.<br />
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Now that school has begun, once or twice a week I will run everything through the dishwasher on the sanitizer cycle, but it still takes me half the time to load and unload it.<br />
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Life changing I tell you. Life changing.<br />
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And on the rare occasion that everyones dishes are dirty and I'm in a hurry, paper plates are always stocked in the pantry. Time saving, sanity saving.<br />
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2.<i> I keep the table cleared off... 'most of the time'.</i> I say most of the time, because again four kids. Obviously the dining table is used a lot, but I have just resigned myself to clearing it off and wiping it down throughout the day.<br />
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The reason being, if the table is clear, they will use it. If it's dirty or full, they will spread their stuff out everywhere else.<br />
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I have been making sure the table is cleared and ready for them when they come home from school. They head there for a snack and then we spread out on it and do homework.<br />
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It's a small thing, but having it cleared when they get home gives them a place to unpack and place to gather around. A place that feel inviting.<br />
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And last but not least...<br />
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3. N<i>o TV on school nights.</i> The kids hate it, I love it. They'll live.<br />
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I would be lying if I said this one is easy for me, its not, because I have to listen to complaints of boredom and begging for "just one cartoon". Eventually though, they realize I'm not giving in and they start playing on their own.<br />
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We did this last school year too. It takes awhile to get into the routine, but once we do, it is one hundred percent worth it.<br />
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The thing is, if the TV is on, I am invisible. I have to repeat myself over and over and over and pretty soon I am screaming purple and things get ugly.<br />
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If the TV is off, then they listen, you know, by like the second or third time, instead of the sixty seventh. Improvement.<br />
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It also makes me more focused and productive, so its a win/win.<br />
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Life is crazy. Give yourself grace, apologize when necessary, love your kids, kiss your spouse, be thankful for today.<br />
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Happy Friday friends.<br />
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With love,<br />
Me<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjElerAFfSCOzZIOxSO-yhzP2ipJNUh6SI3CHMSesFwDygDlwmJNV0wDNGGghQrWtJoORN8iMVfzIJNLzRq9Nl37TCoP0GeD2-3OZPG6HuyMN72VcZTQ4XxPxoS0EpZRnnoHzjZLREBc0d/s1600/82bf1476cb3943eaacb7d8630081a7d7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="489" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjElerAFfSCOzZIOxSO-yhzP2ipJNUh6SI3CHMSesFwDygDlwmJNV0wDNGGghQrWtJoORN8iMVfzIJNLzRq9Nl37TCoP0GeD2-3OZPG6HuyMN72VcZTQ4XxPxoS0EpZRnnoHzjZLREBc0d/s400/82bf1476cb3943eaacb7d8630081a7d7.jpg" width="325" /></a><br />
<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/Af0k2aFCOrNdn4jOl8_6CjxDo-QvsTYgMu5rFPdCd9NidFr5mLTla1w/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Source</span></a></div>
MaKaelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09494649531817202482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519061195982726887.post-67852547842449452302017-09-08T13:26:00.001-07:002017-09-08T13:26:50.135-07:00Autumn Inspiration<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyVq2O8YQKj3nhfcXzr19-HThTofEQ0qviCKRbfV7BlwYVC2RWG4FzK7sPIDI1NGWKi5OD1GROxoEhdW5GsQl0AGumwrEKYiSqevBoGzl3l41S35GFbD4i3wADwkl9q1AM9p9XRzCz9w4b/s1600/7db7d6b1d3876340c412c6c4671c6145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyVq2O8YQKj3nhfcXzr19-HThTofEQ0qviCKRbfV7BlwYVC2RWG4FzK7sPIDI1NGWKi5OD1GROxoEhdW5GsQl0AGumwrEKYiSqevBoGzl3l41S35GFbD4i3wADwkl9q1AM9p9XRzCz9w4b/s320/7db7d6b1d3876340c412c6c4671c6145.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/405535141437244296/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Source</span></a></div>
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I've been pinning all things Autumn over on Pinterest, so I thought we should do a fun little fall round up over here to celebrate the season.<br />
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I still haven't had my first pumpkin spice coffee yet (gasp)! So instead I am living vicariously through the internet.<br />
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Without further adieu, I give you Autumn inspiration.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqYZgg96uVSCLTkqnAgyVzzs0RXS3nH1LkZwiGUvPhefoJl0MzRg2ot8a8Bf1j9LfxgDpJIazxxDmWss3IcUo_ifzdfemp2tjUAyMx0kns4dvxp1536fhegdMUf4cVlsK0H07R1Rx3DYON/s1600/Cozy-Fall-Dining-Room-The-Inspired-Room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqYZgg96uVSCLTkqnAgyVzzs0RXS3nH1LkZwiGUvPhefoJl0MzRg2ot8a8Bf1j9LfxgDpJIazxxDmWss3IcUo_ifzdfemp2tjUAyMx0kns4dvxp1536fhegdMUf4cVlsK0H07R1Rx3DYON/s320/Cozy-Fall-Dining-Room-The-Inspired-Room.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://theinspiredroom.net/2014/09/15/fall-home-tour/" target="_blank">This home</a> proves you can decorate for fall without going over the top!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31BtksmOOrUNsycciNpW7EOLQJ8sDrHnZX1VMwMq4KK4dv8K9Dp9yllL7dL07PdC8gm_R14g_fz2sbElgcohU3PVbxBbFLtJNrSlv_o-2kH_JHTBCuIuZ66w8yHcTKNoE2C46PcR1X2o7/s1600/cee8eba6247ef7a57f02811b23323248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31BtksmOOrUNsycciNpW7EOLQJ8sDrHnZX1VMwMq4KK4dv8K9Dp9yllL7dL07PdC8gm_R14g_fz2sbElgcohU3PVbxBbFLtJNrSlv_o-2kH_JHTBCuIuZ66w8yHcTKNoE2C46PcR1X2o7/s320/cee8eba6247ef7a57f02811b23323248.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I am having the urge to paint my front door. A <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/AbaDvl7Pol__GGNj5jDeNfRpwPHDPZA3WlJmAg5BoGVMmMTSp7nlfjo/" target="_blank">turquoise door</a> like this just says 'Welcome'.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg851ilHXNcsHFHUCi5MQmoWpt5pTrXiO4_BweVD6_ULG1H-kxnlb4wnRgMPKMQfJ-t4UmSAyhrUJsYXOkpQVmhMH486Ehs8tZ_7mkxFX88kVSM7YYdKPaz1kxfnGBSBHmDEZ507ExcsBL6/s1600/d7daad72c82f6a47663a0cab8314746c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg851ilHXNcsHFHUCi5MQmoWpt5pTrXiO4_BweVD6_ULG1H-kxnlb4wnRgMPKMQfJ-t4UmSAyhrUJsYXOkpQVmhMH486Ehs8tZ_7mkxFX88kVSM7YYdKPaz1kxfnGBSBHmDEZ507ExcsBL6/s320/d7daad72c82f6a47663a0cab8314746c.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
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I would love to build a entire wall of bookshelves, one that holds <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/405535141426356999/" target="_blank">books and booze</a> just seems inviting. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6s8dpfRNtS4DL0p8ukoyxuI7x-qAgef2CIz2yQQjo63RzJ3GXlMR4XoeRxZAz3N1AOAXrv885mNRRjQ1T1nFUpUayALqXkxGU6m5D55LUZ95MoAFkn92zThEBM8Ezma3SlgJBugJn8Bb/s1600/01993c40d52d88577f4749c0b8a95ff2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="845" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6s8dpfRNtS4DL0p8ukoyxuI7x-qAgef2CIz2yQQjo63RzJ3GXlMR4XoeRxZAz3N1AOAXrv885mNRRjQ1T1nFUpUayALqXkxGU6m5D55LUZ95MoAFkn92zThEBM8Ezma3SlgJBugJn8Bb/s320/01993c40d52d88577f4749c0b8a95ff2.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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Give me all the layers, all the <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/405535141421249465/" target="_blank">polka dots</a> but probably not going to rock the red shoes to school drop off. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XzLH7O-z0T3XXWBGWuI7zYs4PKCrGB6GVThvZNXfGSsrZm2uuXZ36qZMGEAdyd1nLYWg79nzn0UsF5hJ0vni3kksxQ1rQ9yzNqqhtZpKSfEVldva3QveF58340lDR1PzcggbGm_RZ8Ms/s1600/bc0f6137d9836019b85a2396a865902f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="842" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XzLH7O-z0T3XXWBGWuI7zYs4PKCrGB6GVThvZNXfGSsrZm2uuXZ36qZMGEAdyd1nLYWg79nzn0UsF5hJ0vni3kksxQ1rQ9yzNqqhtZpKSfEVldva3QveF58340lDR1PzcggbGm_RZ8Ms/s320/bc0f6137d9836019b85a2396a865902f.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/405535141417721395/" target="_blank">Sweaters and flannel</a>? Um yes please.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUnc1_i3QEJdz6bja2D-i7aaU8HBg6gcjVfw0TOfSYP7TNRQrfgM6MUT6rLDiex_n0An_3VwaFaMpVQ1cOlwLCxeA4TPYCs1DQrG0XZY2n14Rwy9YT-Ekg4kBDyM-P9MFzZBe_co0pwB7d/s1600/7ffe49656cb8f93ba8bb1ffff43762eb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="831" data-original-width="554" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUnc1_i3QEJdz6bja2D-i7aaU8HBg6gcjVfw0TOfSYP7TNRQrfgM6MUT6rLDiex_n0An_3VwaFaMpVQ1cOlwLCxeA4TPYCs1DQrG0XZY2n14Rwy9YT-Ekg4kBDyM-P9MFzZBe_co0pwB7d/s320/7ffe49656cb8f93ba8bb1ffff43762eb.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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Possibly the best part of Autumn is the food. We love this <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/405535141429113139/" target="_blank">soup</a>. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMGGe3zxcZk-Gg_D3sG78nggkrd_VnHgmOT2CwaKH3e2v05SQeEpwwXEwBzOB9NM82CJO1TH7Gr_tEZ4zymQBD8oz_XycOyWMfKekB-_xQwRvbqarDx1Ed3smQdu3F52gIf8faA3gu5Pqf/s1600/c1c32d3c564e027b7f2380237dfb3ac6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1208" data-original-width="404" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMGGe3zxcZk-Gg_D3sG78nggkrd_VnHgmOT2CwaKH3e2v05SQeEpwwXEwBzOB9NM82CJO1TH7Gr_tEZ4zymQBD8oz_XycOyWMfKekB-_xQwRvbqarDx1Ed3smQdu3F52gIf8faA3gu5Pqf/s400/c1c32d3c564e027b7f2380237dfb3ac6.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
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And doesn't <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/405535141428839093/" target="_blank">this</a> just look delicious?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifuOFXF4s3OR1pj00BWlR4N5K0ERCSlHFHfqQ0OEbcWaBYSio98JBLhpJ8PkcrLP_mewZXl90eBxSXA4gi-vdfzQNVZAbh2HSdXQWSRu6fSzZPYhaO66Q4j2-9-Sg8msq85wHQpx4kW3yY/s1600/b6b04150d4c4aba7e88359cdb246cdb1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="770" data-original-width="550" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifuOFXF4s3OR1pj00BWlR4N5K0ERCSlHFHfqQ0OEbcWaBYSio98JBLhpJ8PkcrLP_mewZXl90eBxSXA4gi-vdfzQNVZAbh2HSdXQWSRu6fSzZPYhaO66Q4j2-9-Sg8msq85wHQpx4kW3yY/s320/b6b04150d4c4aba7e88359cdb246cdb1.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
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I might be making<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/405535141437246970/" target="_blank"> these </a>later today. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiK4SfZh_s1zXN7GHKJA90ichyp0QuGLq2o6cQauqtJU5EXCxUKDiJAiL8APUE-CRHT9U0QeOFrw6Ro7iDWV_qQiaKoP0TaFo2X1SL3m1eSTJ5loATvBqGf7Chm9uqugX0hXlVcEZS7hcJ/s1600/0c2cef9161d34306a859e1af99cbef64.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="549" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiK4SfZh_s1zXN7GHKJA90ichyp0QuGLq2o6cQauqtJU5EXCxUKDiJAiL8APUE-CRHT9U0QeOFrw6Ro7iDWV_qQiaKoP0TaFo2X1SL3m1eSTJ5loATvBqGf7Chm9uqugX0hXlVcEZS7hcJ/s320/0c2cef9161d34306a859e1af99cbef64.jpg" width="109" /></a></div>
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And a <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/AdSMaea0Qi4VeyjlF46bcG1TI7Ho7WhkLpQKA2q6_dfqW4FlUVHuMvk/" target="_blank">warm drink</a> to end the day.</div>
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Alright, thats enough for today. Follow me on <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/makaelaslife/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> if you want more fall inspiration, I even created a board called 'Fall Just Because'. Sad but true. I am feeling it just around the corner, even if the upcoming temps haven't gotten the memo. </div>
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Have a great weekend friends!</div>
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With love, </div>
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Me</div>
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MaKaelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09494649531817202482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519061195982726887.post-20523890485852073782017-09-01T10:58:00.000-07:002017-09-01T10:58:36.446-07:00The Unofficial Kick OffSEPTEMBER!!!!!!!!!!!<br />
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It's finally here.<br />
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The months will begin cooling from here on out.<br />
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The season of snakes, flies, mosquitos, grasshoppers, ticks, sunburns etc. etc. etc. is coming to an end.<br />
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The season for cool nights, dinner indoors, early bedtimes, school days, blankets, fires, warm drinks, and cuddling is about to begin.<br />
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Don't worry summer lovers, its still suppose to be in the 90's here next week, but its officially September so I can dream.<br />
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I've got big camping/hanging out on the river plans for this weekend and I am packing on and off as I type. But I wanted to pop in and say hello and make sure you didn't think I would let the first day of September go unnoticed.<br />
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Enjoy your weekend friends!<br />
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With love,<br />
Me<br />
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<br />MaKaelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09494649531817202482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519061195982726887.post-75467477389442507132017-08-23T10:09:00.002-07:002017-08-23T10:09:57.744-07:00Today<div style="text-align: center;">
You can be strong and cry. </div>
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You can feel blessed and feel sad. </div>
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You can love your children and wish they were back in school. </div>
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You can love staying at home and wish you worked outside the house. </div>
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You can love your job and wish you could stay at home. </div>
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You can be surrounded by people and feel lonely. </div>
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You can crave quiet and be grateful for the noise. </div>
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You can be a good Mom and miss the old you.</div>
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You can work hard and feel unproductive. </div>
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You can love your life and want a break.</div>
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You can be content and set goals.</div>
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You can be brave and be scared.</div>
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You can be happy and hurt. </div>
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You can be busy and rest.</div>
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You can be faithful and have doubts.</div>
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You can be satisfied and dream.</div>
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You do not have to choose. </div>
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Be both. </div>
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Be you. </div>
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...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjReKfz5vV9khQa6TCR86UATENUPaXxWj_7kcAmP0twxsiMkZ8fAm1iASvVbq-ffMgKDQIa4FAXd_tQiP-Gnrfk7VNHff5Lhp4kwOTCpxsT8C1hkKeAr6Uz-FK7btwgBU2WOIV4b07vwKLm/s1600/d2f248664077d23759bde2aeb740c96b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjReKfz5vV9khQa6TCR86UATENUPaXxWj_7kcAmP0twxsiMkZ8fAm1iASvVbq-ffMgKDQIa4FAXd_tQiP-Gnrfk7VNHff5Lhp4kwOTCpxsT8C1hkKeAr6Uz-FK7btwgBU2WOIV4b07vwKLm/s320/d2f248664077d23759bde2aeb740c96b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/405535141436900993/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Source</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">#choosingand</span></div>
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MaKaelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09494649531817202482noreply@blogger.com0