August ends in motion

Day 30: in motion

Siblings jumping.

Sisters spinning.

Summer, whirling to an end.

In motion describes this day. This month. This summer.

It's a perfect way to end the photo challenge (which I've loved and will be doing again!)

thirty two...

Yesterday, I celebrated thirty-two years. 32. 

I like it written out in lowercase letters best.

thirty two sounds like...

fire alarms going off at 12:53 am for no reason...and getting the first Happy Birthday from my sweet husband...

little voices saying "Happy Birthday Mommy" before I even open my eyes in the morning...

hearing sweet voices sing "Happy Birthday Aunt Kimber" from some of my favorite New Yorkers...

phone calls from South Korea...and talking to my little brother for the first time since he left at the beginning of the month...

birthday wishes (always in song first) from my little sister Katy...

thirty two looks like...

a whole lot of candles (and I got them all on the first try!)

being surrounded by my wonderful parents, my precious children, and my amazing husband...

many many birthday texts...

sweet cards, some that bring happy tears...

special, thoughtful gifts all in blue paper to open...

thirty two tastes like...

apple pastry and coconut pie...

roast duck in fig sauce...

homemade Thai by my sweet husband (and secret chef)...

creme brulee...

chocolate chip scones and Earl Grey tea...

standing rib roast and grilled veggies...

chocolate mousse cake with bittersweet frosting...

cafe au lait...

(we celebrated all weekend!)

thirty two feels like...

thirty one...

lots of hugs...

100 degrees....

it's going to be a good year. 

Catch up, birthday edition!

 Day 27: after dark

Favorite pajamas from Ralph Lauren.  I also love mine (similar to these) from Pine Cone Hill.

 Day 28: daily routine

My lesson plan book for our homeschool.

Day 29: purchased

My one little purchase (I made) on my birthday:  Online shopping at Studio Calico!  :)

Birthday post...to follow soon!

Sweetheart

Day 26: something old

 I do not remember a day when I didn't have these three things.

This precious little bear answers to Sweetheart.  Once upon a time, I believe he might have been mistaken for Pooh Bear. (He bears a Disney tag.)  His nose has been loved off for as long as I can remember.  He fits in the palm of my hand now.  And oh, the stories he could tell of slumber parties and vacations...trips to camp...laughter...tears.

The two "little blankets" and the beautiful quilt (made by and given to me by dear, precious friends of my parents) slept with me until I went to college.  And then the little blankets stayed inside my pillow during my four years at Baylor. Sweetheart rested against my pillow. The quilt stayed safely at home, as it became more fragile.

When I got married, the little blankets and my bear found a cozy spot in my dresser.  

When I had children, the quilt came back home with me and found the next generation of (gentle) use.  The little blankets made good "substitutes" for when Nathanael's little blanket was missing or in the wash.  And Sweetheart still loves to be held...though he doesn't quite capture their attention as he once did mine.  

I think you only become Real once.

A Treasure in August

Day 25: sunflare

It's hard to tell that this is Hadleigh's silhouette.  

But the picture is quite fitting.

For she has been my sunshine since the day she first looked up at me. 

How often I have sung to her the words "You are my sunshine."

You'll never know, dear, how much I love you.

Catching Up, 2nd edition

I knew blogging every day was too good to be true :) 

Nevertheless, I wanted to share my daily pics...

Day 22: trees

Day 23: sunset

Day 24: a smile

and that smile of Nathanael's just tugs at my heart.  He has the sweetest smiles, the most precious grins...I just adore him.

Catching Up

Day 19: Where I slept

Pictured here are two wonderful Christmas gifts we received this past year...a Sugarboo Designs frame (I've loved their stuff for the longest time!!!) and an amazingly comfortable new mattress...I wake up feeling like I'm in a cocoon...and it is terribly hard to get out of bed in the morning!

 Day 20: What I read

This has been my "slow read" this past spring and this summer.  It was tough for me to get into the first chapter...but once I did,  I have loved it.  It's not a book to rush through...it's a deliberate book.  And so I've taken my time with it.  I'm into the second to last chapter...which excites me...and makes me a little sad.  I never like for books I love to come to an end.  Bittersweet.  

 Day 21: pretty pattern

This is my Burleigh china pattern: Blue Scilla by Lillian Delavorgas.  I love these dishes.  I use them for teas and special occasions. They were a wedding shower gift from my Mom...a special keepsake to remind me of our favorite spot for tea in Asheville...and all the special times we had there before and since.

In My Bag

Over the years, I've always loved reading the "In Your Bag" features in magazines...and since my middle school/high school obsession with Lipsmackers, I've always loved "lotions and potions" as Brent calls them.  And so the chance of being introduced to new products has always intrigued me.

I can't say my bag and contents are super interesting or unique right this minute, but here goes!

Day 18: In my bag

I got this purse on Zulily a while back.  I love the size, the shape, and the inside polka-dot pattern reminds me of Boden and makes me happy.

Inside? My wristlet/wallet, hair clip, keys, glasses case with glasses and sunglasses, new gelato schedule, plastic baggie of change for tolls, and my Vera Bradley makeup bag.  I also have (unpictured) a crazy amount of little notebooks, pens, and pencils that I keep on hand for keeping the kiddos occupied.

And inside the makeup bag, MAC pressed powder, concealer, lipliner, lipglass, and lipsticks in two shades ( ), two Sephora lip glosses from a birthday bonus a year or so ago, 2 mirrors (one made by my talented friend Courtney), my favorite Lollia hand lotion, and an unnecessarily large assortment of chapsticks! (original Burts Bees, Rose tinted Burts Bees, Burts Bees Radiance Shimmer, and Savannah Bee Company Earl Grey Lip Balm.)  I think I'm covered, don't you?

So, please share with me your favorite thing that's in your bag right now!

The Summer Shelf

I love books.

I love to read.

I can't remember a time not loving it.  (Though my junior year summer reading of Catch 22 and The Grapes of Wrath definitely made it tedious...sorry Mr. Hudson...I did love everything else!  The irony is how much I adored American Lit (of all sorts) in college!)

Day 17: on the shelf

I thought I'd share with  you the books that I have read / am reading / still plan (hope?) to read this summer.

I read Gift From the Sea, Water for Elephants, and Lunch in Paris while at the beach/driving home from the beach at the beginning of June.  Somewhat simultaneously.

Also completed since then (in the last two weeks) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Yep. After finishing watching the movies.  Then I wanted more explanation.  So Brent and I are currently reading through them together.  We're now on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Chapter 3 or 4, I think.

In process with:  Ministry of Motherhood  and Miniatures and Morals.

About to start immediately: The Help so that a friend and I can go see the movie.  And because it's been on my list for a long time.

To begin in the near future: The Five Love Languages of Children and Lark Rise to Candleford.  A good friend (and fellow lover of BBC period dramas) introduced me to the television series which I devoured. Loved the first and last seasons best...but really a great show.  And it too, left me wanting more.  So I ordered the memoir that it's loosely based upon.  I'm so looking forward to it...but think it will actually make a perfect autumn read.

I always seem to have at least one fiction and two nonfiction books in process at the same time.  I think it stems from majoring in English and always having three if not four literature courses simultaneously.  Those professors sure don't understand that their colleagues assign just as much reading too. ;)  But don't get me wrong...I loved it.  And still do apparently.

So what books have you been loving lately?  I'm always excited to add new titles to my "To Read" list!

Back in the saddle...

We began school on Monday.

It was a very looooooong first day.  I felt the way I did once upon a time when I taught high school. 

Hoarse.  

Exhausted.  

And a bit overwhelmed.

Tuesday was much better. Honestly, a great day.

Today...was somewhere in between.  

I have high hopes for tomorrow.

(I had a homeschooling post composed beautifully in my head last night...do you blog in your mind too? I should know by now to leave the dishes and run to the computer...or at least find paper!)

Day 16: what I ate

And because of the first week back, I've been relying on my crock pot this week.  And old standbys. Tried and true (and easy) recipes. 

Last night's dinner of 20 Clove Chicken was easy...though not really knock-your-socks off...maybe because I didn't have the main marinade ingredient on hand???  (But I have to say that whole garlic cloves that have been cooking all day are yummy.)

Tonight is BBQ Sandwiches, quite easy thanks to my trusty crock pot.

Tomorrow...the kid's favorite Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas, which I'm making partly since it's their favorite and mostly because it's my favorite go-to "Meal Delivery" recipe...and our pastor and his wife had a precious baby girl last week!  

Friday...I'm either cooking Orange Beef and Broccoli or ordering Pizza...we shall see.

What have you been cooking this week?