Hello, sweet friends. Have the past few weeks been as busy for you as they have for me? I had a little break in between my writing deadlines, and I thought that life would be easy breezy for a couple of weeks, but alas, I was wrong.
It’s been crazy.
I will update you on all of the craziness in due time, but today, I just wanted to pop in and let you know that we’re all still alive. Oh, and tease you with a preview of the things to come :)
Hope you’re all doing well out there!
Until next time, grace and peace.
Whew…what a crazy month it’s been! Have you missed my regular updates as much as I’ve missed updating you?? Life has been super busy lately, and it’s kept me away from you for far too long. First, Dennis and I took an anniversary trip to New Orleans, then I went to Huntsville with the girls in the youth group, then we went to Starkville for Mississippi State’s homecoming, then we were involved in a major production at church, and now the holiday season is upon us. There was also a staph infection and stomach virus thrown in with all of the traveling. Did I mention that it’s been insane??
Today, I just wanted to pop in and tell you that I haven’t forgotten about you. In the coming days, expect to hear more about that trip to New Orleans, including lots of fun pictures. I’ll also write about our trip to the pumpkin patch and have a few little freebies from Senojal Designs.
Speaking of Senojal Designs, have you ordered your Christmas cards yet?? My photo cards are available as DIY printable files, but I’m offering professional printing services as well. I’m still adding new designs to the shop, and I’ll probably continue to do so over the next couple of weeks.
This week I’ve added several new designs, from fun and funky:
to classic and simple:
to downright cute:
If you know what you want in a holiday card but you can’t find it anywhere, just leave a comment and tell me what you’re looking for! You never know, your idea may show up in the shop. Just yesterday, a college friend contacted me looking for some enclosure cards to use on her Christmas gifts. Before the day was over, we had whipped up some sweet and simple gift tags. One is cute and fun, and the other is simple and elegant. What do you think??
I hope you’re all doing well, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Until next time, grace and peace.
The coming of fall means more than pumpkins and cooler weather; it’s also the season of carnivals and fairs across the South. Memories of “The Fair” fill my childhood, and I was really excited to share some of those same memories with Micah last weekend at her very first trip to the Mississippi State Fair.
It’s always comforting to know that some things remain the same, and going to the fair was like visiting with an old friend. We ate the same taffy, looked at the same displays in the Trade Center, and even saw the same games on the Midway. I’m so glad that I get to share a part of my childhood with my own children, and I hope a trip to the fair is a tradition we won’t neglect.
We started in the Trade Center, which is always filled with the best of the best when it comes to crafts and canning. We checked out the jams and jellies that garnered first place in the state, then we meandered through the arts and crafts section, where this delicately crocheted blanket and pretty little button tree caught my eye.
By the time we made it outside, we were all hungry, so we headed to the Midway to search for some lunch. I knew what I wanted before we ever arrived at the fair, and it didn’t take long to find what I was looking for: chicken on a stick from Penn’s. Dennis’ mom ordered some fried pickles, and we found a shady spot to enjoy our meal.
After satisfying our appetites, we headed to the petting zoo so Micah could check out all the animals, but she wasn’t a fan. After a goat stuck its head out of the fence at her, she clung to her daddy and looked on from arms length. She wasn’t into the petting part of the petting zoo, but she’s a curious girl, and there was a lot to look at in that little tent.
As soon as we left the petting zoo, the carousel caught our eyes, and since Micah LOVED the carousel at Dollywood this summer, we snatched up a few tickets and Gran hopped on with her. We should have watched the carousel for one round before we threw her on a horse. The horse that she’s on looked crazy for a reason. That was seriously the fastest carousel I’ve ever seen, and Micah wanted off immediately, but there was no stopping that crazy ride yet. She gladly dismounted when the ride finally stopped, and I vowed to never do that again. From now on I will watch a ride before I put Micah on it. Lesson learned.
After the carousel adventure, we strolled through the livestock barns to check out the cattle show. In case you didn’t know, my husband is a country boy, and he grew up in those barns {showing sheep, not cattle}. My family, on the other hand, may have stepped into the barns on occasion, but it was not the main part of our fair experience. Our fair experience revolved around food and rides. Dennis’ fair experience revolved around animals. We are so. different.
And then, it was time to go home, but we had one last stop to make before leaving the fair. Dennis and I may have had very different childhood experiences at the fair, but there is one thing that we both share: Malone’s Taffy. The fair is not the fair without Malone’s taffy. It is, by far, the best thing about the fair. Prices are a little steeper than they used to be, but a box of the sticky sweetness is more than worth the $9 price tag. Yum. We’ll be savoring that taffy for a while. If you’re lucky, we might share a piece with you.
But only if you’re lucky :)
If you live near Jackson and you haven’t yet made it to the fair, it’s not too late. You have until Sunday night to get out there and enjoy all that the fair has to offer. After that, you’ll just have to wait until next year.
Until next time, grace and peace.
You may have noticed that I’m a few days late in posting my weekly update on the crack of dawn challenge. That’s because it’s been busy around here. Very busy.
Saturday, we celebrated this little girl’s birthday with a cookout on the new patio:
Then, Sunday morning, we left for Atlanta to meet this little fellow:
We drove back home Monday afternoon, and yesterday, Micah and I traveled to the big city for a one-year-old photo shoot. Then we went shopping. Today, we’re sticking around the house so I can complete some stationery orders from Senojal Designs and Micah can practice her playing skills with all her new toys. So far, so good.
That said, all the partying and traveling has left me exhausted. Last week, I did pretty well on the challenge – even rising at 6:20 one morning. This week, on the other hand, has been utter challenge fail. Both yesterday and today, I’ve rolled out of bed around 8:30 when Micah woke up, but I feel much better today, so I’m thinking that tomorrow morning, I’ll be back on track.
Just wanted to keep you updated. I know you’ve been waiting on pins and needles to read about my progress :) I’ll be back later in the week with more details about Micah’s party and baby Will’s arrival. Promise.
Until next time, grace and peace.
I have declared today to be a day of rest. We have been going nonstop for the past few weeks, and last night I crashed. Literally. I fell into bed at 9:30 p.m. If you know me at all, you know that an early bedtime is incredibly unusual for me. I tend to stay up very late. I always have. But last night, my body told me that it needed to get horizontal. So I listened.
Thankfully, my sweet child slept all the way through the night and only woke up when I went to get her at 9 this morning. We ate breakfast together and played for a bit, but when naptime rolled around, I got her settled and crawled back into bed myself.
For two more hours.
I feel much better now.
Now it’s naptime {again}, and I’ve managed to clean the bathroom and take out the trash. It may sound kind of crazy, but it was a relaxing activity. I’ve been so busy with Senojal Designs lately that I’ve let housework slide. Finally tackling the ring around the bathtub gave me a sense of accomplishment. Thank goodness that I finally eradicated it. Now I can actually soak in the tub without worrying that I’ll catch some kind of communicable disease.
I don’t have much more on the agenda today. When Micah wakes up, we’ll play for a while, and I’ll cook supper, and we’ll have some family time before it’s time for bed again.
It hasn’t been a very exciting day, but it’s been a good day. Everyone needs a day of rest sometimes. How do you relax??
Until next time, grace and peace.
