How Things Have Changed

This morning when I got up I looked on this ol blog of mine. I forget actually what I was looking for - probably a picture. And I sucked in to post after post and a really overwhelming feeling of gratitude for staring this blog over 15 years ago. Oh my little girls and my very full life with them. 

I've been thinking about a full life and how life has changed. I have different tasks now than I did then. Things I didn't do back then: 

🧡 teach full time in a classroom 

🧡 plan and gather and review data and make copies and prep for my classroom 

🧡 communicate with my college daughter

🧡 help my graduate school daughter with life and things

🧡 have an instagram all about the coziness of our home and joy of living in New England in the seasons 

Things I did back then that I still do now:

🧡 decorate seasonally because it fills me with joy

🧡 write on this blog (although it has surely changed as life has over the years) 

🧡 clean our home 

🧡 laundry

🧡 bake and plan meals (although Scott as mostly taken over the dinners since I went back to teaching nine years ago) 

🧡 plan the holidays

... you get the idea... life is still very full it's just not filled with littles at home. 

Miss it? 

How could I not; of course I do and always will but I feel grateful that I got to do those years at home not distracted by having to be a classroom teacher at the same time. I got to do the naps, reading, walking outside, little bikes, pushing baby dolls up and down the sidewalk. How how blessed I am that those were my days... day after day after day. 

But now? 

Well now is glorious too. Here is why. I get to see what pouring in to those girls of ours all those years did. I get to see God's hand of faithfulness and how He led them step by step to where they are now and knowing that He will continue to as each day, each year goes on. And I get to be amazed. I am certainly amazed at the prayers answered and the twists and turns along the path that show where they are now.

So really, this small but meaningful life has been and will continue to be a joy and a delight no matter where God leads us. I am in His hands. 

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Tonight Scott and I used rolls of bubble wrap and carefully wrapped up and stored the girls play kitchen. I know we could have about ten years ago when Anna was 12 and Abigail was 8 (I don't think back then they were in the play kitchen ... maybe my 8 year old was), anyway we wrapped it all up.

At the end of the summer we took down the girls high school work area and put in two big wonderful desks (I've got to get a picture of those!) and decided that a nice sectional couch would be wonderful down there. I promise to take pictures when it's all done. That would be a fun post... a look back at this room and how it has changed so much over the years! 

Grateful For

messes

my little pony

magnatiles

playmobil

glittery pipe cleaners

pompoms

a huge imagination

no screens



and someone who still loves to get lost in playing

Locally Sourced Produce - its all in the details

Today was a challenging day distance teaching because I was taught 4 groups of my 4th graders on racism. I was nervous and even tossed and turned all night thinking about it. I prepared. I had my notes. I had a lovely picture book. But still - I'm their teacher and they think that what I say is perfectly right; I'm their teacher after all. No pressure, ha! And of course I know that there is no way I could get it "perfectly right". But still I prayed, prepared, and taught.

And do you know what? From my screen into theirs magic happened. I started conversations and they joined in with the most beautiful responses. Children are amazing and resilient and I fought back tears as they taught me.

Well, after that day, I was kind of emotionally exhausted - had to deal with a few things at home - and a lost delivery of a package - you know, normal stuff - when Abigail asked me

"Mama, can you do a photoshoot of my Farmhouse Restaurant"? I was so not in the mood.

But she reminded me that our family blog holds all of the memories and all of the things that we love, and that if we skip this then it could be forgotten some day.

So I got out my camera knowing that there is the shortest of windows left for Abigail to want me to take pictures of her new American Girl restaurant. So I did.

I love you Abigail Mei. And I love that you still love all of this - - so these pictures are for you, so that one day when you scroll through, you can remember.















































And there you have it - If you want to see much better pictures of what it looks like without a tired mama taking the photos, click here.

A Really Sweet Mother's Day Gift

I'll get to Mother's Day - it was my favorite - ever.

But to be honest this is hard. The distance learning. The distance teaching. The loooong days. They are not easy. And I know I can be one to make my life seem really pretty here on this blog. Yes, there are still tea cups and wonderful moments. Yes, we are still loving being h o m e. Yes, we are still reading our devotional and growing in our family faith more than ever in our lives. So yes, there is still lovely. But I don't want to paint a perfect picture. Because it is surely hard. Teaching, helping the girls, teaching.

So just as soon as I can I'll get to Mother's Day. But for now I HAVE to show you how my new 'home classroom'/desk/office looks because of a spectacular Mother's Day gift from my husband and two girls.

Oh I just love it!

This is the view f r o m my desk - and it's a good one (love that chapter book library). And I had to move those beautiful books and tea cup because of all of the google meets I'm doing from that space. So Scott and the girls made my new desk area so much more wonderful!



It all started the day before Mother's Day. (okay, well, I'm sure Scott and the girls started long before that!) But from what I could see, it started early on Saturday.

Scott had moved the desk, was measuring, sawing, cutting wood, measuring more. And he did let me see this new wall going up.





So you can tell by now that he built me a whole shiplap wall!!!!



I loved the thick, barn board look of it too!







And on Mother's Day I opened the clear shelves which Scott asked me where I wanted hung.



And all of those gold accents were gifts from the girls too.



You can see on the other side of the wall he used the extra shiplap to make me a little sign area and framed it in with wood. It's not decorated yet but I've got ideas for that little extra!



The sweetest little gold organizer from Erin Condren!





Right now I've decided to use the top shelf for my lifeplanner



Love my new Erin Condren desk accessories



And pens that make planning for school and in my own planner so special.



I keep my read aloud in here in anything I might need to grab quickly during a google meeting with a student.



New mildliners and pen cups.



Planning was never more fun!











Even a phone holder too!





Yes I adore my new space!