Wordy Wednesday.. on a Thursday.

The view from here.

I'm declaring today a day of rest.

Much needed around here. As you may have {or maybe not?} I went back to work last week.

And boy, I forgot how tiring my job was.

I am exhausted.

Olivia rested much better last night.

I think we may have broken the fever for good.

It spiked to 104.1 Sunday and Monday {working on a post for that, coming soon}

So for now, this is where I can be found.

In my bed,

with Olivia,

resting.

P.S.

I'm going to try {yet again} to complete those precious photo-a-day challenge this month.

I'm sure everyone's seen the one I'll be following.

I plan to do a weekly post, on Sunday's maybe?

I really think these are a great way to document the everyday. Sure, I take tons of pictures of Olivia, but following these prompts helps me to capture the world around us right now.

P.S.S.

Speaking of documenting life.

Thanks to a handy Shutterfly coupon I finally finished a little photo book with some of my Project Life 2011 photos.

I didn't use all of them, I wanted something small that I could carry with me.

I think I'm going to make one for Olivia.

She's really enjoying looking at pictures now, and she loves books.

Click here to look at the entire book.

A Child's 10 Commandments to Parents.

When I first became a mother I had an image in my heart and mind of what kind of mother I would be.
To say that I have lived up to that image for the past 680 days would be a falsehood. If, on March 22, 2010, you had asked me if I would ever be guilty of hastily snapping at Olivia- I would have said never. If you had said that I would question myself, and my patience with Olivia- I would have told you that you were mistaken.
Sadly, I am guilty of both and more. A fact that I am not proud of, but a truth of my life. I pray every moment of every day that God give me the patience, grace and wisdom to parent Olivia.
When I found the Child's 10 Commandments for Parents it was just what I needed to read that day.
I think sometimes we get bogged down with the day to day and lose sight of the ultimate goal of parenting. That is, to raise Godly children. Sometimes when I'm having a particularly difficult day, I'll read through this list. Some days I only have to read a few before the conviction strikes and I'm reminded of my purpose. Some days I read the list 10 times.

1. My hands are small; please don’t expect perfection whenever I make a bed, draw a picture, or throw a ball. My legs are short; please slow down so that I can keep up with you.
2. My eyes have not seen the world as yours have; please let me explore safely: don’t restrict me unnecessarily.
3. Housework will always be there. I’m only little such a short time—please take time to explain things to me about this wonderful world, and do so willingly.
4. My feelings are tender; please be sensitive to my needs; don’t nag me all day long. (You wouldn’t want to be nagged for your inquisitiveness.) Treat me as you would like to be treated.
5. I am a special gift from God; please treasure me as God intended you to do, holding me accountable for my actions, giving me guidelines to live by, and disciplining me in a loving manner.
6. I need your encouragement, but not your praise, to grow. Please go easy on the criticism; remember you can criticize the things I do without criticizing me.
7. Please give me the freedom to make decisions concerning myself. Permit me to fail, so that I can learn from my mistakes. Then someday I’ll be prepared to make the kind of decisions life requires of me.
8. Please don’t do things over for me. Somehow that makes me feel that my efforts didn’t quite measure up to your expectations. I know it’s hard, but please don’t try to compare me with my brother or my sister.
9. Please don’t be afraid to leave for a weekend together. Kids need vacations from parents, just as parents need vacations from kids. Besides, it’s a great way to show us kids that your marriage is very special.
10. Please take me to Sunday school and church regularly, setting a good example for me to follow. I enjoy learning more about God.

Tired.

I.am.so.tired.

Going back to work has left me with little energy;

and whatever energy I was able to summon was gone the minute I stepped through the front door.

Olivia has been fighting off a cold {I think} for about a week now. She developed a fever last night while she was staying the night with my mom.

I called Chance on my way home and I could hear that sweet girl crying for me in the background.

That, for me, is the most heartbreaking thing about going back to work.

I so enjoyed my time at home with her {and truly have enjoyed being back at work}

but when I hear her cry for me, it's so hard to remember all the reasons I went back to work to begin with.

So that's where I am.

Stuck between utter exhaustion

and heartbreak.

Searching for a happy medium for everyone.

A Few of my Favorite Things - Valentine Edition

These precious little mail boxes.

Sweet little owls.

This is how much I love you..

Valentine Play Date

Make Someone's Day.

{via}

I believe that we are all put here to help one another through this thing called life. One way I do that is through food; another is words.

Remember the excitement you felt when you were a child and you received mail? I was so thrilled, that I'd be shaking by the time I got the envelope opened. Why can't the joy of 'happy mail' follow us into adulthood? 

I make it a point to send those that I love cards. Sometimes it's for their birthday, sometimes their anniversary, and sometimes its for no reason at all. Those are my favorite cards to send. The one's that come unexpectedly, and {hopefully} bring a smile to the face of the recipient. So when DaySpring gave me the opportunity to review their fabulous cards, I jumped at the opportunity. Yes, the cards were beautiful and well made with just the right words; but I saw them as so much more. These cards gave me the opportunity to bless someone I love. Lots of them have cards in the post man's bag right now! 

I think it's so sad that our society is getting away from card writing. {Does anyone send thank you notes anymore?} It's such a simple and quick way to reach out and show those that we love how much they matter to us. So go check out the 'thinking of you' section over at DaySpring, grab a card and get writing. And for goodness sake, the next time someone does something nice for you.... write.a.thank.you.note!

It's Back! Wordy Wednesday..

{via}

This quote couldn't have come at a better time for me.

I officially went back to work in my 'career' yesterday. It's kind of bittersweet.

I've weighed the pros and cons of returning for 10 months now.

Here's a very abbreviated example of what my list included {of course there was a list!}

Pro: added income for our family, having a sense of self outside that of a wife and mother, rejoining my 'family' {I really missed some of those girls!}, the sense of accomplishment when I met my sales goals.

Con: more time away from Olivia, less flexible schedule, less time to complete everyday tasks {I feel a lot of list making/multi-tasking in my future}, fear that I might -yet again- get burnt out.

But yesterday was nice.

Sure some of the cast of characters that I had missed for so many months had moved on. But it felt good to be back at work, in a career that I feel confident.

And I'm so thankful to Him for blessing me with the opportunity to go back to work. In a time that so many are struggling to find work, I know that I'm truly blessed.

**I'll be back later with some more exciting news.. in case me returning to work and opening an etsy shop wasn't enough for one week!!

It's Official!

I'm shaking I'm so excited!

 I've finally done it.

Prim and Paisley is now open for business.

It's a small start, but I'm just getting my feet wet. I'm a shallow end kinda girl.

So head on over here, and get your shop on!

22 Months

I feel like is say the same thing in every monthly update. But it's so true- I have no idea how 22 months could have already passed us by. Olivia, you have grown up so much in the past month. Everyday you shock us. You are incredibly smart and we love being able to help you learn and grow. You're finally starting to eat better. And you love chicken and ask for it all the time. You've also gain a healthy appreciation for chocolate milk (we went through 2 gallons of milk in 3 days!) You still love your books, but have really taken to imaginary play. You play with the kitchen your Dee Dee got you for Christmas daily. You tell us you want to "cook." You're such a good little mommy and take very good care of you babies. You also still enjoy Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (and can finally say Mickey, where as you used to call him "Mouse") and Bubble Guppies- but you ask to watch the "Fox and the Hound 2" movie your Gramma got you everyday. You watch it at least twice a day. You got a new cousin a couple of weeks ago when Aunt Lindsay and Uncle Brandon welcomed sweet baby Wyatt. You have gotten better about loving on him and aren't as jealous of him when I hold him. Sweet girl, you bring so much joy to so many people; and Mommy and Daddy feel incredibly blessed that the Lord chose us to be your parents.
You have an such a sweet spirit and we can't wait to see what He has in store for you.

Update on our friend Sevy..

Sevy has made what can only be called a miraculous recovery. The doctors say that there is no medical explanation for his current condition. I don't need a medical explanation. I know exactly Who healed him. It has been so wonderful to watch our entire community come together to rally around Sevy. He (& the Lord) have truly changed the heart of our city. So many businesses have hosted events to benefit him, and even more people have given time and money.

Friday night Chance and I attended a benefit hosted by one such business and had a wonderful time. Chance's best friend is the lead singer of a band and they drove all the way from Lexington, KY to come play that night. Here's a video of a duet he did with another local celebrity (Jennifer Fox- she is ah-may-zing.. packed house every time she plays)

(If you stick around to the end, you can spot Chance and I in the background at the 5:16 mark.)

At last update, Sevy had been moved from ICU to a regular room, and was sitting up in a chair cracking jokes. All this just a week after we were told he had a 10% chance of surviving. 

God is so good!