My Parents ~ Married 60 Years

My parents just celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Woah! That is so awesome! When it was their 40th we hosted a catered dinner. (pre blogging days). For their 50th we celebrated B I G (that post is back here and here). Of course we couldn't possibly not celebrate with them their 60th. 

We decided on a restaurant where we could have a seperate room and work with an event coordinator. We came up with a seperate menu and all tweleve of us filled that room with joy, stories, laughter, and fun. It was the perfect night. 

New Color, new Cozy Feels

This room makes me happy. It's collected looking. It's vintage looking. It's warm and inviting. And best of all, when I asked my girls what they thought of it, Anna said, "it looks like a Calico Critter home". You can peek at our love of all things Calico Critter here and here and here.  

This whole wall used to be big white frames with family photos in them. While I still love those family photos it was too 'heavy' looking and we didn't need all six of them. So while antiquing Scott and I found 3 more simple old frames and put up one of each of our daughters and one family one. I love having plates hanging on the walls (there's that cozy Calico Critter charm), but the star of this wall is the oil painting my Dad painted for me as a birthday present. 

Trying out a collected mantle (very full) look and for now, this summer, I'm loving it (epecially with all of the baskets and the new cozy mantle color) 

Here's the vew looking out toward the screened in porch... an extra room in our house April - October (some days warmer than others of course!) 

Old country books that are my design inspiration (rather than anything on a screen) I just love winter nights in bed with those books, dreaming up dreams for my home. 

💕

Well this room certainly has taken on many different looks over the years and of course the one I'm in is always my favorite. It's almost hard to believe that I liked anything else. ❤

Reading

Summer scenes like these are heartstrings to me. 

 

Home Color Changes

I had the best day yesterday! Scott and I had an appointment with a color expert from Farrow and Ball. Recently we painted our family room. I wanted to try out the 'amzing in light' 'made in England' paint. Was it all worth it? What made it better than paint from Home Depot or Lowes? 

Oh my goodness. I still don't have photos of our painted family room but we are in love with this paint and the color we chose for our family room. The girls tell me that it looks like Calico Critters in there. (I promise to take some photos this weekend and post them here!) 

I had chosen the wall color from a recommendation (online, a house account I adore) but when we went to purchase the paint this 'color expert' recommneded a trim color if we were painting the trim in that room. And the trim (including the fireplace) changed the room more than even painting the walls. It went from a fine but kind of boring room to the coziest spot in the house... pure Calico Critters. 💕

Well, with the family room done we decided to meet with this color expert to talk through some other parts of our house. We were bit by the Farrow and Ball pain bug, that's for sure! 

He worked with us to choose: 

~ a main house color (entryway, hallway downstairs, up the stairs, and hallway upstairs... all one color) 

~ a living room color (still keeping it in the green family but a huge change (including that fireplace)

~ kitchen 

~ dining room (yes... we have chosen a wallpaper and I am in love!) 

All of these rooms, all of these projects will take so much time. Scott does it all himself and can only work on evenings and weekends and there is still a whole lot to do around home in the summer but bit by bit we are going to tackle all of our downstairs. 

Sure, I wish I could snap my fingers and have it all done, but I also kind of enjoy working on it together as a team and seeing it unfold slowly. 

I am so excited!  

A June Letter To Myself

I was thinking... I should write a letter to myself to read the next year for every month. It would help me out so much to remember. If I did, here's what I would write to myself in June: 

Dear Tara, 

Well, you made it to June. First of all, be so proud of yourself. You've taught those fourth graders from September til now. Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Fractions, Gemetry, Decimals, Science... you've helped them 'publish' four books. You've taught 6 units of literacy too. You've taught at least 3 mini lessons a day times 184 days. You've corrected, mentored, answered emails, gone to all of the staff meetings. And yes, you've even gotten up and and gotten dressed 184 times! So yes, first of all, congratulations. 

Try to remember the good that you poured into your family this school year while all of that was going on. I'm sure you've helped them through challenges, encouraged them, and just been there for them. Remember that and let go of what you are still worried about for this month. 

It's okay to feel exhausted. In this month you are navigating 'big feelings' with the transition to summer, and you've just celebrated both of your daughters one year older. It's a lot to make those days special for them but also you are feeling a lot in them turning one year older. You will feel proud of them but also a bit sad for the little days going farther away in the rearview mirror. 

Give yourself a full seven days of summer break (weekend days can count toward those seven). I don't know how you don't remember any year, but it takes a full seven days to feel 'normal', to feel good about down time, to get into a slower summer pace. 

Make a list of house tasks that feel overwhelming and out of order throughout June. Hang it on the frig and then add to it as you go through the month. Everytime you write something on the list, take it off your mind and don't even think about those annoying things you 'just can't seem to get to' until the last day of school. Think: on the list = out of my mind. Remember, the list might look overwhelming as you add and add but just a few summer days and it'll all get done. Ahhhhh. 

Try to prioritze sleep in June. If all else fails on a daily to do list: pray, read your Bible and sleep need to be a priority. 

Remember being quiet at home is a strength in this much pressure. Before school is out and you are 'going through' June is NOT the time to dig deep on a subject with your daughters. You will be so much more capapable of softening their hearts when you are on summer break. (Make a list for those topics too) 

Lean into your senses. As corny as it sounds, it works. Take a step back and look at what is in front of you. How wonderful it feels to 'hear' the chatter of your college daughter home. Taste your food. Light a candle at home every evening. Put on soft music in the morning before school, as soon as you get home, and in the evening. At school when it's early in the morning, turn on worship music. Let it fill your empty classroom and your heart - trust me, it will carry you through June. 

And finally ask God for help. You will feel so busy that you will want to do it all in your own strength. You can't. Talk to him like a friend. Pray while you are folding laundry, driving to school, as you feet hit the floor in the morning. 

And just know that this is the way June is. And it's all okay. You were meant to go through Anna's birhtday, Abigail's birthday, your Mom's birthday, you Mother in laws birthday, Mother's Day, Father's Day all in this short period. Do what you can and let the rest go. It doesn't have to be perfect. Just done with good intention and love. 

Oh Tara, you can do this. You've been through this so many times. Summer is coming, summer is coming, summer is coming. 

❤ Love me

Home Is Best

Somehow our routine has gotten a bit weird lately and I craving normal. It can be a bit tricky for me to transition to summer mode. I know I can't wait for it. But I struggle with the non structure and so much time. I remind myself that it hasn't even been one full week off of school yet and that it's okay for it all to feel a bit out of sorts.

We went out to eat tonight at a new to us restuarant. I had a huge gift card from my class. It was good. But I love home nights the best. 

Tomorrow I plan on getting up at my school time and doing some things that are peaceful, productive. And I'm actually looking forward to a 'regular' evening. Eating dinner at 5:30, a nice long evening walk, shower, cozy and reading in bed. I am so boring and I love it and being home is best!  

Father's Day

Simple. Grateful.