Winter Semester

Just a few pictures from our college girls this week that made me so happy: 

 ❄ back with her friends 

❄ Noticing a sunrise out her window

❄ Sledding 

❄Lunch with Anna 

❄Facetiming me all bundled up for the frigid temps! 

We are getting a huge snow on Sunday and Monday... I can't wait. Check this one out a bunch of years ago... Abigail, can I send up that hat to college? I still have it of course! 

Little Scenes Around Our Home This Winter

It can be fun to look at the house with fresh eyes after all of the glitter comes down when Christmastime is over. 

This year instead of keeping a neutral and creamy palate, I wanted to actually decorate for winter.  

I kept up some of the greens and added in winter trees, a orangy pink and blues. I really do love the cozy that it's brought to our house post holiday. I'll show you around: 

Our Laundry Room / Mud Room : 

I know I have a lot of pictures of this but it's even more adorable in person and impossible to capture. 

I added 

💙 'snowy' greens with twinkly lights above the cabinets. 

💙 on the little step stool, a mini garland of glittering snowflakes 

💙 A wooden house with a cute light inside next to a paper tree 

💙The candle is Antique Candle Co - Pine Trees 

💙 I keep it convenient with my laundry sheets right up there along with my dryer balls, so easy! 

💙 Even our cleaning supplies are right there ready to be grabbed to clean bathrooms, counters, messes

Our Dining Room: 

With the big Christmas tree down I knew I couldn't keep this room empty. So I took out the ornaments that were in the centerpiece and left the rest until Valentines Day. I still love the same color scheme in there. It all matches our Hitchcock furniture perfectly: greens, golds, orange... 

🧡A few rose colored winter paper trees in there just add a new look for January 

🧡I don't think I could ever get tired of this centerpieces with the sprayed gold pinecones, glittering fruit, greens, magnolia leaves, brass candlesticks... 

Our Kitchen 

New 'curtains' from beautiful block print napkins on our brass bar really brightened up this space and I love it! 

🧡I kept the little snow covered antique houses on the windowsill 

🧡The teapots came back - I missed them 

🧡I don't have a close up of the art hanging but it's an adorable winter scene from Lore Pemberton and it makes the so charming right there

❤ Little mittens on the crock that holds all of our wooden spoons and a peek toward the baking center

❤ That Hot Cocoa pitcher I found at an antique shop and squealed out loud I loved it so much - I'll almost be sad when winter is over and I have to pack it away 

❤ This signed print too, found at an antique store - I adore that sled in the snow

❤ Grab and go cinnamon sugar and preserves in our jelly cupboard ready for all of that homemade bread I've been baking (another post on that soon) 

❤ On the other side of the kitchen (near the table) I have open shelving and I kept it simple for winter, all of the ironstone creamer, pitchers, and some ivory paper trees. 

Our Family Room 

💕all of the patterns I could find around our house I wanted in this room 

💕birthday flowers from my mom 

💕a big fat soy candle lit 

💕sugared apples and pinecones are still winter and a soft fabric winter tree too! 

💕The books I love to have out are back 

💕 I love how the mantle turned out - I kept all of the brass candlesticks, twinkle lights, and greenery and added in some wooden houses for coziness 

💕I made that paper garland from paper I found at an antique store

💕 another scene I'll be sad to pack up come spring

I don't have pictures of everything. More to come when I can. I do love this time of year. When it's bitter cold outside or when there's snow or ice, as long as we can be inside, it's delightfully cozy and warm. 

She's All Moved In!

She's all tucked away in the coziest dorm room every to be.  💗

We left home on a very snowy morning. It snowed on and off for two days and two nights; almost like mini snowstorms that just didn't want to end. 

But on the day we left the sun broke through and with glistening white on trees and bushes, on houses we drove past, we made our way. 

Abigail has a single. Her roommate transferred to another college and so we had some room to fill. I don't have a ton of room done photos since she has a lot to set up here and there over the next few days but I do have some. (I'll take more pictures when we visit her) 

We turned the extra bed into a couch and a guest bed for whenever she wants a friend to sleep over. {her sister is actually sleeping over this Thursday night - I'll explain that another time}. We bought pillows ahead of time to match the color theme of her room that she already had. We found a new lamp too that perfectly matched her headboard. And I think it turned out so sweet. She is going to add a garland there above the couch. We forgot it at home. 

She is all organized and it looks darling. Just the place I want my little girl to be over the next five months. 

We left around 8:40, got there at 10:00, worked in her room until noon, and then went out to lunch in their cute downtown. 

We tried a new homemade pasta, Italian restaurant and it was w o n d e r f u l 🌟 We talked, ate, and then drove her back to campus. 

We prayed over her and then popped out for hugs in the bitter cold... and drove home. 

It will be hard getting used to Abigail not being home again, but I know she is in the right place, and we are proud of her. 

Mother Mary, Jesus, be with our daughter Abigail. Help her through struggles and areas she needs help, bless her friendships, help her to grow closer to you this semester. Amen. 

Moving in fall semester freshman year is here 

Friday Thoughts and Weekend Plans

Today was a really full and fast week! I started off strong and by Friday was oh so tired. I have been smooth sailing my with fourth graders this year and only this week hit a few bumps with a behavior problem. With seventeen nine and ten year olds it's bound to happen. I was walking after school one day (freezing but I power walk or spin like my life depends on it - because it does) and I was feeling frustrated with a situation, trying to figure it all out and praying about it. By the time I was back home I felt like God had given me a few new ideas to try. Simple ones. The next day at school I did and things were better. I know I have a long road ahead of me with one particular student and there's only so much I can do since I'm only her teacher, but I feel like I'm headed in the right direction. And I thank the Lord for new ideas and answers to prayer.

Coming up this weekend Abagail goes back to college. It will be the second semester of her freshman year. The college years go by so quickly. She did really really well freshman year and we are so proud of her. But learning to live without her here is an adjustment. And when Christmas came and a really long break it was so nice to have her home with us again. I already have that knot in my stomach knowing that the 'missing' is coming again. And even though I know that she will come home for a spring break and the whole summer, I will miss her and it will 'hurt' for a while until I adjust. Sigh. 

So on the agenda for this weekend will be packing. We have some things to pick up and will do some Saturday errands. {I'm not sure what happened but she needs like 100 pairs of new socks}, and will enjoy my time with her. Maybe we will be able to get a treat or two to make our time extra special. Then we will spend the afternoon deciding what clothes she wants to take back with her and pack it all up including towels, bedding, and toiletries. I will love sitting with her and helping 

We have plans for a Hallmark Christmas movie for at night - one that looked so good and we never saw. We will have a cozy evening at home, all four of us... 

On Sunday will be early Mass at 8:00 AM. Sometime that day we've decided that we will have teatime. I have some treats I'd like to bake and I have notes written with some things on my heart to teach my girls while we are all still together. I find the tea and sweet treats softens their hearts and gives me an open door to sharing, discussion, and lots of talking. It's one of our favorite things. 

Since we are doing all of the prep and packing on Saturday Sunday will be a free day for last minute things. Sunday is always my 'home day'. After Mass I need to be home all day long. It sets my week up in a positive way when I get to just 'be' in my home. Lots of times on Sunday I do some rearranging, decorating, and even filming little parts of home to share during the week just for fun. I have a few things I'd like to get to for my teaching that I might fit in on Sunday as well. I hope to organize our calendar and a few other 'business' type things for our family on that chill day too. 

Monday will have us up and headed to Fairfield (about an hour and ten minutes away). Abigail needs the whole day there to move back in, get herself settled, and walk her class schedule so she's all set. She'll be able to see her college friends and get back into the swing of things. Scott and I will come home and miss her so much it 'hurts'. Knowing that is going to happen and accepting it is okay for me. I know there is joy to look forward to. I know that I will 'get used to it' even though I will still miss her. 

On Monday evening I know I will jump into some school to do list things which will take my mind off of an too empty house without Abigail. And then I will enjoy cozy flannel sheets and a good book. 

Re Post ~ just for fun!

 Re post - oh the images of these from back in 2012!

Monday, January 23, 2012

A Weekend For

Playing in the snow



And napping in the afternoon



It was lovely to wake up Saturday morning to lots of snow coming down, canceled activities, (art school) and a day at home together.