And we're off...

Later today I'll be flying the friendly skies with my sister and Baby T. We'll be back on Monday and WH will be here with the older two until then. I think they have big plans to eat all kinds of fun foods and watch Pink Panther cartoons on Netflix. Sounds wild and crazy. I hate to miss it but I'm sure Baby T and I will have some fun of our own. Here are a few highlights from the last weeks...

Some general craziness- this just about sums up our days:

Playing with Aunt Molly

Molly instigating all kinds of new games with the family (sorry dear):

Coop took a turn doing Sweet A's hair:

General trouble-making by a fast crawling, climbing 8-month old:

Molly's prize possession- her embroidered quilt:

An inexpensive gift bag turned embossed bridal shower gift (finding new uses for stamps every day!):

Have a great weekend!

My new favorite thing

I think I'm going to have to change my sidebar. Have you ever discovered something you didn't even know you were missing? I have the world's best mattress and my husband serves me great coffee every morning, what else is left? Let me give you a hint: It's a four-letter word.

Soap. I have just discovered the world of natural, hand-made soap, and I'm never going back to the bleach-white detergent stuff I used to use. I would have been in the dark much longer if my sister-in-law hadn't ventured out and starting making this delightful product. I've tried three or four different kinds she makes and I love them all. My favorite is the Chamomile Bergamot soap; I use it in the shower every day and it makes me want to brew a cup of tea and grab my favorite book. Very relaxing.

If you're not familiar with the difference between natural soaps and detergent soaps, here's a quick explanation from her Etsy shop:

When was the last time you read the ingredients contained in your over-the-counter soap? Many people do not realize that what they are using to clean themselves with is really not soap at all, but detergent (a petroleum-based product). Because of this even the soap that strives to be conditioning leaves your skin feeling dry and itchy. We then accept the line that we have "dry skin" and continue in this cycle. Thankfully you do have an alternative. My all-natural handmade soap has no chemical additives or detergents. It is made purely with oils such as Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Cocoa Butter and many more. These oils give back to your skin what your detergent based soap has stripped away. They can remedy such conditions as dry skin, eczema, acne and more. I also only use 100% pure essential oils to scent my soap, along with flower petals and other all natural ingredients to add character and quality to the soap. If you still aren't convinced I challenge you to try just one bar and see how much better your skin feels and looks. Your skin will thank you.

So check out OIL AND SPICE on Etsy, and you might just have to change your sidebar, too.
Edited to add: Check out the price- it's a steal!

Faithful man

My husband has been working hard lately to establish a morning routine for us. Partly to help with consistency in our private worship, and also to wake the kids up at an earlier time so they will go to bed at a decent time. (This isn't working out perfectly since they always wake up at a good time but bedtimes still require a fair amount of discipline to actually keep the kids IN their beds, but that's another story.) So WH wakes the children up and keeps them away from me for about 30 minutes so I can read my Bible and drink my coffee in solitude. I think he knows that most days it's the only quiet I have. We stayed up late last night doing a puzzle for our date night (also another story) so I was still in bed and got to watch their morning ritual.

He wakes the kids up after he gets out of the shower, and then he lets them cozy down in our bed and one of them chooses his shirt, and the other picks out his tie. They were surprisingly decisive, as if they do this every day. Sweet A has fairly definitive tastes in fashion. Most days, after he is dressed and ready to go he pours them their juice (a kid's coffee equivalent) so that he can leave me with the kids sitting at the table. All these little things seem to improve the moods of the entire household. When all goes as planned, the children aren't ravenously waiting for me to make their breakfast and I have had a chance to pray through the day and greet them with a genuine smile.

And just so you know that it does not always work out this way, on Tuesday- when the kids woke up just after 6:30am and I was having a particularly grumpy day- I almost started crying when I saw them. Bad mommy. No one wants to start their day looking at a hormonal and sour mother. Although, they aren't supposed to come out until WH comes. Bad children.




Today, WH (who used to manage- and occasionally bake for- a coffee shop) greeted us with these. He made them for his co-workers:


I would ask "what other man makes scones for his wife and children before they wake up"? but I'm sure there are others. My dad would do something like that...maybe biscuits, not scones. But he is a great cook (and an early riser). And other husbands minister in wonderful ways that don't involve scones but are just as appreciated.

So, this is just a little tribute to my husband, who not only makes me do the things I want to do (get out of bed early, spend time alone in the Word), but facilitates it and makes it easy(er).

Proverbs 20:6 "Who can find a faithful man?"