Celebrating my 40th birthday during a pandemic

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My 40th birthday is August 5th. Birthdays are a big deal for me and I’ve been looking forward to celebrating well for a while. I started a couple months ago by cutting my hair short and adding some highlights (very effective in hiding the grays and getting some spunk back). My party was going to be reminiscent of the themed garage parties my parents used throw: a flapper themed party where sequins and costumes were strongly encouraged. The guest list was at least 60 people and the food was to be top-notch thanks to my mom coming to help me throw a a fantastic party. But then… Covid-19 blew up in Florida and here we are. What do I do now? Continue reading →

When old ways don’t work anymore

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After Benji was born Dave and I quickly realized that we didn’t have enough time in the day to do what we used to do. Our margin was already tight but add a newborn and the margin slipped away. We looked around and asked ourselves, “what can we change?” “How can we involve the older kids more in chores?” “What systems need revising?” The subtle shifts we made ended up paying off.
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Choosing Joy, part 2

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Christmas is coming and there seems to be a fair bit of panic about sorting Amazon packages, getting the Christmas outfits together and buying last minute stocking stuffers. My pre-Christmas hustle came in early November. Between Thanksgiving and Epiphany (January 6th) we have three of our kids’ birthdays and our wedding anniversary. Lots to celebrate! Plus, being due a week before Christmas, I wanted to get everything I could done “before the baby came.” 
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Choosing Joy

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B598B0FE-E6C2-4386-A815-9B541D98BC7CI have a beautiful 2 day old babe nursing (well) as the house is quietly tucked in bed. It’s been an exhausting week because of multi-level illness and having a baby- we’re tired. BUT, I’ve been down this road before and if I only focus on the tired, disorganized bedroom, needs unmet and runny noses, I will shrivel. Continue reading →

Organizing- who hasn’t been inspired by Marie?

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Watching cute Marie Kondo on Netflix or Youtube organize and get excited about clutter is enough for most of us to start sorting and asking, “Does this spark joy? Do I want to take this into my future?” While I don’t tri-fold my socks, I have modifying a lot of her tips.

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This is a practical way to get calf boots to “stand” upright. I had searched online for ideas but thought of this free option (I already had the hangers) after seeing clips for sale on Amazon.

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Comparison stifles the beauty of our story

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Last weekend Dave hung our chandelier from Paris up in our breakfast nook. Seeing it hang there brings me back to our apartment on rue du Rendez-Vous. It hung against a deep turquoise wall and above our lacquered dining table. Out the big balcony windows we could see and hear the busy commèrcante street. We now see palm trees and dog walkers out our Floridian window but there’s still an elegance to the chandelier that I scored as a street find. Continue reading →

Traveling with four kids, ages six and under.

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We are on the move a fair bit as a family on mission. This summer, we are visiting our ministry partners in the Midwest. The last time we did this, was four years ago and we had a three year old and a one year old. Now, we have four kids: 6, 5 & 3 years old and 5 months old. Here are a few of our best practices as we travel and set up “home” in six different houses. Continue reading →