stress relief...family style

On Monday, Daddy had a really stressful day at work.
Stressed to the max.
Mommy had an overly dramatic day (and no it wasn't either of the girls)
and was beyond emotionally tired.
So, Daddy came home, Mommy got dressed up, and the girls got packed into the van.
Off we headed.
We picked up some take out and headed to the park for a little picnic.
This is our stress relief, family style.

blessed

...so blessed.
Some moments I have a blinding realization of all the goodness in my life.
Olivia is tucked into her antique iron bed (my grandmother's) snuggled under a quilt made by my husband's great grandmother when he was a baby. Bedtime stories have been read, prayers said, and kisses liberally applied.
Sadie~Rose is sleeping soundly in her little bed beside mine. Covered in a blanket made by a darling friend. Her soft sighs and the sound of her sucking on her pacifier can be heard.
And when I finish this, I get to go crawl into bed beside my big strong husband. Snuggle up against his warm back and wrap my arm around him, resting my hand on his heart where I can feel the steady bump of a heartbeat. I'll kiss his shoulder and then rest my cheek on it while I slowly work through the day's events and prepare (mentally) for the next. And then I'll drift off to sleep surrounded by the ones I love. Ready to wake up on a beautiful Saturday morning to pancakes and eggs, garage sale, and church. Spending time with these three people that make my life so worth while.
I am blessed ladies. And I'm thankful.
Have a wonderful weekend!

10 on 10

I finally made it! I remembered to do 10 on 10. I'm so tickled. It required a little more thought than I had believed it would, but fun nontheless. I hope some more people will join in next month. Enjoy!

6ish - Mike's breakfast

8ish - Sadie~Rose wakes up.

8:30ish - Rose catching some cuddles.

9ish - Rose helping unload the dishwasher while we eat.

10ish - Rose takes a nap.
11ish - Olivia and I doing schoolwork while baby is sleeping.
12ish - the mailman brought fun stuff in the mail!
3ish - our new water cooler was delivered.
4ish - getting ready for church
6ish - peeling eggs for a tuna salad dinner

sisterly love

The other night Sadie~Rose sat up from a sound sleep at 1:30 am.
She was wide awake and on a mission.
We couldn't figure out why she kept trying to crawl off the edge of the bed.
Mike finally set her down on the floor and we were curious to see where she would go.
She set off across the room, down the hallway,
and stopped in front of Olivia's closed bedroom door.
And just sat there, kind of whimpering and sighing.
Mike came over and picked her up, bringing her back to bed.
She stretched out her arms to Olivia's room and cried like her heart was broken.
We cuddled and rocked, snuggled and talked,
trying to get our little one to understand that sister was sleeping and couldn't come play.
She finally nursed back to sleep, holding her daddy's little bedside flashlight and humming to herself.
In the morning Olivia crawled into bed with us and was greeted
by the brilliant smile and delight squeal of her baby sister.
I think it's pretty obvious that they adore each other.

Hello September! Hello Hanna!

It's September. How did that happen? Are we really headed towards autumn?
Yesterday it was 65 when Mike walked out the door for work. I haven't seen that side of 65 since sometime in April. It made me want to fix oatmeal and curl up on the couch with a quilt, cuppa, and a good book. But I knew better. It was 80-something by 10am.
But I am enjoying cooler weather in the early morning. There's a lovely breeze all day that makes being at the park particularly enjoyable. We've been doing a lot of park lately. It's great for after school meetups and morning break times.
Being September, it's also right in the heart of hurricane season. Most of you know I love on the southern east coast. At the moment we have Tropical Storm Hanna rolling towards us. Thankfully she is projected to head north of us now, for the last few days we have been preparing for a direct hit. We are still making plans for food and water, and taking safety precautions. It's definitely better to be over prepared than to be caught not prepared. Olivia and I have fun plans for the weekend though. We're making cookies tomorrow - before we lose power. And then Saturday, as Hanna blows through with 60+ mile per hour winds and 12+ inches of rain, we are going to be tucked safely at home playing Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Scrabble, and Wahoo. Eating cooking and drinking ice tea. Maybe a little sewing or knitting, some nap taking, lots of radio listening, catching up on magazines, and just hanging out together. Keep us in your prayers though. These storms can be unpredictable and we are still keeping our eyes on her. We will mostly likely, lose power on Saturday, can't be helped, and a slim possibilty of it being off on Sunday too. Depends on the wind. I'll keep you guys posted, but don't worry too much if I'm missing for a couple of days. I'll be back on as soon as the electricity and internet are working.