Oh My Matcha!

Good morning, friends! This has been a doozy of a week: I got bit by a bee on Wednesday (ouch!), hosted a homeschool party on Thursday, woke up at midnight on Friday only to realize I had Strep (triple ouch!). On top of that my allergies have been acting up which landed me an early doctor's appointment that included a shot and steroids. I normally pass on steroids, but when it comes to Strep I DO NO mess around. I get it every year, and every year I'm amazed out the amount of pain my body can endure.

Anyway, I decided to stay home this morning even though I'm technically not considered contagious at this point, but I felt my body needed just a little more downtime. I've been catching up on a few things like blogging, reading, and thinking about lovely things...which includes another title by my favorite author and a new favorite drink: Matcha Latte! Seriously, where has this amazing cup of green been all my life? Not to mention, its the perfect green accessory for St. Patrick's Day!

Okay, so on to the book I was chatting about. Jennifer L. Scott wrote a handful of my favorite books that satisfy my inner Francofile. After reading Lessons from Madame Chic and At Home with Madame chic twice in the last two years, I finally ordered Polish Your Poise. If you love all things centered on beauty, femininity, and elegance with a dash of good humor, I would highly recommend these books. Polish Your Poise has already had me rethinking wardrobe choices, and commending myself to sit up straighter. Her books have inspired me to fall in love with the arts again (great literature, good books, plays, etc), streamline my homemaking, and learn to curate my closet.

Also, I feel like this blog post would not be complete without one more nod to the Matcha Latte. Think of a fresh, light flavor, subtle hints of fruit, creamy and luscious all in one cup. How I ordered mine at Starbucks: Venti Iced Matcha made with Almond Milk, only one scoop of matcha, three pumps of sugar free vanilla. Perfection!

Hope you have a wonderful day...❤

Monday Pretties

Our hydrangeas were late bloomers this year! At first, we thought we may have pruned them back too early thus voiding out this years flowers. Alas, they finally came around!

I love having fresh flowers around the house. Makes me happy! Josh keeps my vases re-stocked. I've also managed to keep my hybrid cactus alive, which I'm pretty proud of. Ha! It's the simple things. ;)

Hope you all had a restful weekend. Happy Monday!

A Mother's Heart

I love watching her grow up. She is full of creativity, and her imagination amazes me.

Actually, I think the whole of motherhood amazes me.

Our hearts get turned inside out on a daily basis as we watch our children grow.

We see those tender moments, we see them make choices: both good and bad. We see their happy moments and sad.

We watch them become the person God created them to be...and I think it may be one of the sweetest gifts of all.

I Want to Remember

These are the moments I want to remember:

Evie, who takes her playing very seriously. She organizes her toys while she plays. Just like I did.

The girls learning to play together. Oh, they fight over toys. But, they also play. It's so, so cute.

Ella and her silly faces. She's a ham!!! She loves to make people laugh.

These are the days, aren't they? I am so thankful for every little memory with these girls. Being their mother is the sweetest gift.

Southern Hydrangeas

When I was a little girl, my parents let me plant a small garden beneath my window. I was so excited to visit the plant outlet, and pick out my plants. I remember one of the workers helping me pick out ones that would do well in the shade. It made me feel so grown up.

My grandma was also a master gardener. She had all kinds of plants, shrubs, and a plumb tree on her tiny piece of property. She passed away when I was 15, and more than anything, I wish I had gleaned more wisdom for her on her love for gardening.

Alas, the only thing I've planted and done well with would be pansies and strawberries. But, now that we are a bit more settled, and the "hazy days" of newborn days are behind us, I've taken more time to read articles and learn more about plants.

Hence, we found out this spring we had hydrangeas! A family member told us to prune it back, and so Josh did. And now we are reaping the beauty of giant southern hydrangeas! They are mostly blue and purple ones. I just love them!

 I'm thankful for the simple things today.

Simple Things

The last few weeks have felt like a whirlwind of craziness. Of course, hormones tend to wreck havoc on my usual "cool as a cucumber" (as Josh & my dad call it) personality. I don't usually get myself in a tizzy, and can keep my cool. But lately, the littlest things have made me want to crawl out of my skin. I haven't been the most pleasant person to be around. Cough, cough. ;)

Quiet time, drinking water, and just a few minutes of exercise have made a huge difference. It's funny how easy it is to lose sight of daily rituals when you allow the "busyness" of life to invade. I've also invested in several new Bible studies, all of which are very poingent for me right now. Two devotionals by Beth Moore, plus I am reading through a wonderful book by Vicky Courtney. I feel like God has been teaching me to be greatful for the little things. Otherwise, how can He entrust me with the bigger things?

Last night, Josh re-arranged our living room for me. I was hankering for a little change, and it was EXACTLY what I needed. I enjoyed cleaning the living room this morning simply because the new layout made my heart sing.

I'm so thankful for our growing family, our little home, and every tiny blessing that God has given us. Life is truly a gift.

Autumn Days

Last week we loaded up and headed out to our first pumpkin patch visit of the season. Evie loved it!! The patch we visited offers play areas, and a petting zoo. She really loves animals, so I think that was probably her favorite part. She was excited to see all the pumpkins, and kept saying "Ohhhhhh". Well, we let her pick out a small pumpkin to take home, so I handed it to her for a picture. At first she holds it looking at me for the picture, then all the sudden she chunks it like a baseball! That got us tickled, because we seriously didn't even think about how she would react to holding one. Ha!