{ A List to Catch Up }

I honestly don't remember the last time I blogged.  I'm guessing it was for Oliver's birthday.  This little spot is so neglected, and not because I lack things to say, but simply because life is busy.  I am thankful now for a few minutes to type down some random thoughts so as not forget this current slice of life.

We spent a delightful Thanksgiving with my parents.  This deserves a post by itself.

I am thankful for the season of thankfulness we have passed through, and am daily hoping for a more thankful heart, not just once a year.

Along with thankfulness, I am conscious much more of specific situations and people God is laying on my heart to pray for.  I am encouraged by this tenderness of soul and humbled that He wants to hear my heart.

I am thankful for the week before Thanksgiving that Tim worked just half days and for the long weekend we got to spend as a family.  He decorated the outside of our house for Christmas, even washed some windows!  Wonderful!  I was able to go out for a several-hour shopping day just to myself on Saturday while he stayed home with the kids.  I went to like 8 different stores.  That never happens, people!

I am enjoying the beginning of the Christmas season, specifically eggnog in my coffee every morning.  This is seriously becoming a bad habit!

Right now I am on the last short story of the LM Montgomery book I am reading myself to sleep with at night.  I'm a little sorry to see it come to an end, but I'm already on to "David Copperfield".  Why did I choose one of Dicken's longest books at this stage of life?  Also, I don't know how I'm going to read it in my favorite, on-my-side, book-propped-up-by-one-hand position before bed?  I am determined, however.

Tim and I are enjoying reading "A Christmas Carol" together this Christmas.  We are two chapters through and enjoying it very much.  It is the first read for both of us, though we've seen multiple movie versions, and my personal favorite, Focus on the Family's Radio Theater rendition.

Over Thanksgiving, Katy Grace took her first steps!  She has been standing on her own for some time now, and still has a while before we can say she is officially walking, but it was very exciting none-the-less.

Oliver is providing no end of entertainment these days, as he imitates anything and everything his sister does that gets attention, be it hurting herself or getting in trouble, or learning to walk.  He had us all laughing as he staggered back and forth between supporting hands!

We, sadly, ended up with no picture evidence, but we hosted a fall party a few weeks ago.  It was an opportunity we took to thank various people who have helped us out a lot this past year.  We had 13 people for dinner and appetizers.  It was  A LOT of work, and yes, we admit to at least partial insanity for putting on such a thing while I'm pregnant and we have two kids under two, but it was a great success and the kids were ideal and very much enjoyed by all.  It was a fun way to begin the holiday season as well.

Maybe because we're gluttons for punishment, we are gearing up for our annual Christmas party open house in a couple of weeks.  Today I made the invitation and it's going out very soon.  We're very excited, especially after taking last year off... something about having a baby.  The day of our party this year also falls on Katy Grace's birthday, and because she's still too little to know any different, and to make it easier on us, we're celebrating her birthday at the same time.  I AM decorating "birthday" not Christmas for this portion of our house, though.  It's going to be a "Sprinkle Party" and I'm very excited!

While we're talking parties, Tim and I are really looking forward to attending our first holiday event this coming Saturday.  Looking forward to just being adults without kids, dressing up, delicious food and wine tasting with friends.

Tim and I have been making our way through the movie "Hugo" the past couple of nights.  It is beautiful... and slow moving.  Not sure I like it enough to see it again, but it is enjoyable for now.  Tim loves clocks and Oliver loves trains, so it is a good movie for our family in those regards!

After a change of plans, we are planning to go cut our Christmas tree this weekend.  We decided to invite friends along this year, since we now have a vehicle large enough to do that, and a trailer plenty big enough for two trees.  Should be a fun time!  This will be Katy Grace's first time to go tree hunting, well and Oliver's too, come to think of it.  He's slept through it the past two years.  His first year he was barely under 2 months old, and though awake, I don't think that really counts!

Over Thanksgiving my parents showed us a couple of Tim Hawkins' videos on YouTube,  They were pretty funny and have provided laughs since then!  Here's a sample if you want to laugh, too.

{ October :: A Little of This and That }

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How can it already be October and next month November?

We're only a little over a week into Autumn, but I feel like I've left summer completely behind.

I do love this time of year.  It holds a special magic for me because Tim and I met and married and had both of our kids in this season.  We've started up our wood stove again and whenever I smell the wood smoke it carries me back to my first few months of marriage, new to this town, new to this life and I just love those memories.

~

According to custom in our household, this time of year also marks the end of VERY major home projects.  When we got married we were installing a wood stove.

Year One:  We insulated our house

Year Two:  No major projects, but serious uncertainty on the job front

Year Three:  We are installing a new furnace (specifics here)

Seeing these projects in list form like this doesn't look so bad, but they have stretched us and challenged us to our limits, especially this present one.  We've been at it since May, and I don't exaggerate when I say that it has eaten up nearly every weekend since then.  In the past month, month-and-a-half, it has eaten up nearly every evening with Tim also coming home at lunch to work on it.  This is easily the most challenging thing we've experienced as a couple and as homeowners.  We are so thankful that it has brought us closer together and been so very good in a lot of ways.  We've both grown up a lot, but man is it painful!  We now see the end in sight.  Tomorrow is the projected hook-up day.  We can't wait to push that button and hear the furnace turn on and have our evenings back!

~

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After a difficult few years of trying to adjust to a new town and a new area, I am so thankful for the church and church family that God has blessed us with.  It feels so good to have women around me that I can talk to and hang out with and to see relationships building in my kids lives as well.  It is a serious answer to prayer.  Included in this is participating in a weekly Beth Moore Bible study.  I have done several in the past and am just loving getting back into one.  I so need the motivation and accountability that these studies provide.

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Being a mom remains one of my favorite things about life.  Lately though, and I'm sure many of you can relate, I haven't felt particularly good at it.  I am being challenged in all new ways as my sweet little ones develop and move onto new stages.  Pretty much I feel like I'm in survival mode a lot of the time.  I just have to remember that they are God's best for me and I am His best for them and He makes up the difference.  I am so, so thankful for that when I've yelled and cried and ended up in a heap of exasperation.  In my weakness He is strong!

~

We're looking forward to many things this month:

~A trip to the pumpkin patch, hay ride and corn maze.  Hoping this means caramel apples, too!

~A special, long weekend away to the coast and time with my parents, sister, aunt and uncle, just sorry Tim won't be with us

~Oliver's second birthday party.  It's all about trains this year! 

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Now to let you in on a little secret... a sweet little miracle is going to join our family and make us five come April!  Pink or blue?  No clue.  Just have to wait and see!

 ~

I'm enjoying wearing jackets again

Snuggling up in blankets

Sharing pie and a cup of tea with Tim after the kids go to bed.  French Pear Pie to be specific.  Dangerously good!

The new season of "Once Upon a Time"

Play dates

Bible study homework and good conversations with my husband

Orchard-fresh produce

Playing outside

~

It's a Happy October

{ A Day of Our Life :: July }

1. Visual reminder to pick up my camera

2. Breakfast

3. Messes

4. It's a good day when I have dinner ready to pull out of the freezer!

5.Cleaning the kitchen

6. Laundry

7. Outside chores

~ Our "Catalina" roses blooming

~Oliver cheering on the tree trimmers across the street

~ Fresh raspberries right off the vine

8. Play Time
9. Tim home for lunch

~Reading up on the manual for one of our many house repair projects

10. Story Time

11. Family time after dinner/dress up

{ High Street Weekends: A Family Affair }

For sometime now, Tim and I have been considering joining forces to do this blog together.  Writing is a mutual interest of ours and this spot is a story of my life, of our life.  Why not take turns writing here?  I think our kids will appreciate both perspectives as the years go by.  So, though I will continue to do the majority of blogging, I'm sure, may I welcome my wonderful husband here as this spot transitions to "Our Life on High Street"!  It is fitting that our first post together should come after a weekend spent with his college friends that took place a couple of weeks ago, over Memorial Day weekend.  The floor is yours, Tim.
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Even before I met Anna, there was the innate desire to share this beautiful house and yard with others. When Anna and I joined in matrimony we both tried numerous ways to host social events at this historic Victorian style house with a wonderful back yard. There had been successes and lots of misses in our attempts to open up our home and share with others.

Through all the attempts we have always had families come and stay with us. On one such occasion, Memorial Weekend 2011, my college buddy Rob brought his family over to our house for the weekend at my begging and pleading. I was so impressed with the family visit that weekend that I realized how much greater this was than the other social events we’d hosted. Recently these weekends have felt like the old church retreats I grew up going to. There’s so much more than just socializing and catching up. You have time and proximity to sow into each others lives all over again. The fellowship has more time to grow deeper and to extend across the whole family. Kids learn about each other and have time to become friends. The spouses of established friends have time to establish their own relationships. Unfortunately for the men visiting, I’m ashamed to say, it also gives me more time to put them to work.  My wife often complains (and rightfully so) about how I end up putting someone to work. Thank God Rob is such a great buddy, because I have worked that poor man to death on some of his visits. Usually it is cooking, which granted, is his passion.

When Memorial Weekend 2012 came around this year, my poor buddy Rob again answered my beckon call to come over with his wonderful wife and kids. Everything started out like a normal family weekend with kids running amuck. Our son was playing and interacting to a whole new level with their boys. He was honestly rough housing for the first time with other boys and I was blown away with the deep belly laughs and that smile that permanently affixed to his face as he tickled, wrestled and jumped on the older boys and was in turn ambushed. We took everyone for a walk around campus on Saturday and then out to the grizzly bear pens. The food was amazing the whole weekend. Rob and Anna put together a phenomenal southern style dinner of oven backed spiced chicken and collard greens.

In preparation for this weekend, I thought a few of the old college mates still in the area might enjoy a get together in the backyard for a bbq and visit with Rob on Sunday, after church. Rob loved the idea and phone calls were made. By Saturday night, what was supposed to be 10-12 old friends was now over 25. As it turned out, one of the families of six that were invited, happened to have another family of six from the same time period visiting them so we said they were welcome.  Another friend who had been invited, a dynamo of energy who motivated us all through that time of our lives agreed to come down from the big city. She called while she was driving down to let me know she was bringing four college students. Oh boy…It just kept getting bigger and better. More people were recognized at church and invited and 33 people were present when all was said and done.

  Our friends brought their dog along.  He's not very big and you'd hardly even know he's around so it cracked us all up when he all of a sudden decided to take that cat on!  He just stood there barking and barking at it, telling it who was boss.  We couldn't stop laughing!  He wasn't that brave when we later visited the live grizzly bears, though.  He was quiet as a mouse! ~Anna

Rob had again offered to work the grill magic for us. At first I was planning on doing that so he could visit and relax. That didn’t last for long and Rob and I had to go for a late night run Saturday evening for chicken, dogs and burgs. He worked his marinade and spice rub magic till late that evening.

After church, we were frantic getting ready for the meal. Nothing quite went according to plan, but I think that it was a good time had by all. Kids were running amuck and neighbors were helping. The weather was too windy but only one wine glass was a casualty of the gusts. This turned out to be three times bigger than anticipated and it really drained us all.  I have struggled with the whole idea of what happened. It appeared that God was behind it all but it just drained us. Rob and his wife worked way too hard but a really good time was had by many people. I hope God was glorified and those there greatly edified.

 I was absolutely numb with fatigue after the fact. Rob and I sat down by the fire outside and smoked cigars and didn’t say much of anything. I had worked that poor man to death again.

 When they said good bye on Monday I was sad to see them go but glad for the day of recovery for Anna and I. These family visits are invaluable for us and I can see that they have the potential to be a major part of our children's lives as the year's go by. In turn these weekends could also be an important part of the lives of the children from the other families as well. So much more work and preparation go into these weekends but these High Street Weekends make memories to last a lifetime not only in the young but also in those of us who are not so young. To our friends who have shared in our home, and especially to all the guys who have endured my buddy-do-list, thank you and blessings from my home to yours.

{ A Day of My Life :: May }

For the second month in a row now I've decided to take pictures of my day on the tenth of the month. Several bloggers I follow do 10 on 10 posts and this is roughly the same idea, only tailored a bit. Last month I had so much fun with it and I was very excited to do it again yesterday. When I woke up, though, it was one of those days that I just knew was going to be challenging from start to finish. My house was a mess, I was tired and cranky and I wasn't sure I really wanted to pick up my camera. I'm glad I did, though, because it is important to remember the great days when everything is going along smoothly, as well as the days that are less than perfect! I enjoyed having a different perspective for the day and appreciating little things.

1. Walking with my little ones into our church and the final session of the Women's Bible study I've been a part of for about 12 weeks.  I'm sad to see it end!  
2. Lunch time for a very hungry boy.  Not sure how he was so hungry since he had a good breakfast and snack at nursery, but he was m.e.l.t.i.n.g down until I fed him a whole cheese sandwich.  Can we say growth spurt!
3. Nap time and my 15 minute "cry it out" timer
4. Washing diapers
5. Refocusing
6. Finishing up a sewing project from the day before and listening to a favorite classical station
7. Soaking up some precious giggles
8. Haircut!  Before and After.  That little man is growing up so fast!
9. Making dinner and delivering it to a friend and their precious new baby girl

{ A Day of my Life }

Today's assignment: capitalize on the happy and by thankful! It was a beautiful day.

1. Off to the grocery store
2. Kids down for a nap and some wonderful me time on the porch
3. Adding special verses to my notebook
4. Houseplants getting some tlc
5. Good chore music
6. Spring breeze = open windows
7. Indoor sunshine
8. Kitchen finally clean
9. Evening stroll
10. Sun setting in our neighborhood
11. Relaxing conversation with my man at the end of our day