The Good and the Blah

Hi everyone,

Hope all is well! Just here to check in. The past few weekends have been a little interesting...some good, some just, well, full of lower swinging moments.

Let's start with the good. Three weekends (whoa) ago I had the opportunity to head up a very special event at our church. I and our missions circle hosted a "brunch for babies" to support infants in DSS care in Greenville county. I was able to plan and organize it and but the mission circle began to the project (the "pillow case" project) a while back which puts together toiletries and some comfort items in pillow case bags for children who are removed from homes. It is one of the most beautiful projects I have ever seen and is so touching. As always our church really shows up to such events and many, many items were donated (we asked specially for wipes, diapers and formula.)

Yesterday our wonderful church did their annual "feed the team" where they feed the local high school football team on senior night. This was the first time I went but I'll definitely be back because it was so fun and very chill. It was nice to feel like we were helping the kids and supporting them.

Just one more reason this church is so awesome is because of stuff like this. Helping such a diverse group of people (and so, so much more) and just being so laid back about it. No frills, just helping.

Last weekend we got to go to NC for a (literally 24 hour) trip to celebrate my cousin getting married. Taylor -n- Taylor. They are getting married the same weekend as Jeremy and Sarah so we won't make it but we still wanted to celebrate and congratulate them. It was a lovely brunch and we are so glad we got to go and see our family.

A different but good note,

John and I are putting our home on the market. We feel like we are finally ready and so in preparation for that we are getting our house cleaned out. We have an idea about how to stage and hopefully the right one. In order to make it happen we moving out extra furniture and stuff. As we were walking through with our realtor I was realizing how much crap we have after I thought we were semi-minimalist. Ha. Nothing like a move to how you how much you DONT need. Hmmm let's see if I remember that. So! this weekend was/is finally about getting ready. We got a storage unit today and moved stuff. Tomorrow is more of that, cleaning the yard and cleaning the house. Busy (yuck-that word) but good!

Now the blah-

We had to postpone our preparations for the house cleaning at the beginning of the month because John and I got a stomach virus which we are pretty sure Ellie had too. (She got sick in the middle of the night a few days earlier poor thing). It was very short lived, the barfing part, but the side effects took the whole weekend to get over. Gosh I forgot how much those suck. When you were a kid it happened all too often and just seemed all whatever I'll bounce back but oof as an adult! I was dragging and feeling bad for 3 days. Anyway clearly we are fine and we are lucky that's all we had to experience.

Thursday I hit a huge pot hole and bent the rim of my wheel. So that was an expensive "whoops". I'll be driving with my donut until at least Tuesday. Right on.

Aaaand...
Tonight was lovely with a cookout at John's sisters house and some fantastic food after working to clear out the house earlier. Now it's Clemson football and late night relaxing. Ellie is sleeping soundly after being on and off a little grouchy :) I try to be patient with whining but I have a way to go. She is great though. Such a little entertainer while we are out.

Hope all is well with you tonight and if not that tomorrow will be a better day! Happy Saturday night!

Special days and service

Hello, hello. Let me just recognize that the whole one post a week thing isn't working out so well yet is it? I say yet because it can work but not at this very moment. We are adjusting to my new schedule on nights and well it is just that...an adjustment. Good I think. I can sleep at just about any point so that part isn't yet a deal breaker but then again we are a whole 2 shifts into this so we shall see.

One of the beauties of this job is shining bright. That beauty is the fact that I get to spend weekdays and more home with Ellie. We get to wake up and eat breakfast together (usually some sort of egg concoction or if I've baked muffins) and then Ellie takes a morning nap. I get ready, do chores and generally just try to check things off a to do list. After her nap, we sometimes get lunch right away and then go out or if I try to go out before her nap, well lets just say things never quite get right again if that morning nap is missed. Especially now since she has a "big girl" car seat (finally) and wakes up the moment you get her out. I mean messing up a nap is a first world problem but I think people all around the world appreciate their quiet time. After a nap and maybe lunch, I try to get us out to do something: library, park, errands, or (I'm not going to lie...) target! We also go on a wagon/stroller/baby carrier walk with the dog (s) every afternoon. Then its usually a little afternoon nap and then time to get dinner going.

Wagon rides...all day every day

Tearing up the library

Grammie!

 

At the library....me lookin like Axel Rose from Guns-n-Roses ;)

 

Factory tour at Da-Da's work!

We have a good time together. Its fun to sit and watch her. Already such a funny baby, really and truly. I mean, I need her to have that nap time for sure. I'm not going to pretend otherwise but she is such a good little friend to have. And she loooves her momma ;) Dada too of course.

I had mentioned before about service projects to be a part of each month, I thought I'd mention a couple now that have already happened or those in this month to help with.


Another lovely church shower for lovely church family. How beautiful it is to celebrate with people. To see the joy on their faces as you just become carefree and focus on the excitement in your life. This past Saturday, I helped plan a brunch for some church family and it turned out beautifully and so many people came out to support the new family. I stopped by to see it during my lunch break and was happy to see them so happy with day and of course with their little family.

One of our circles at church is planting flowers on the church grounds this month. Yay! lots of people use and visit our church so we need to take care of it and help it to look nice.

My "Florence Nightingale" table at the Tea 

in June...there is a 5k to benefit Miracle Hill which I hope to be a part of...we'll see.

Hope everyone has a lovely week!

Dollys and baby showers

Hello all! This little post is a bit of weekend recap (almost a week late) about a nice, action packed weekend we had which is a little outside our usual realm of weekend quiet. On Saturday, our family took their second annual Dollywood trip (click here for last years) and we had a very nice time. Perfect weather and good company (John's family was able to come too!) as well as a PACKED theme park. Seriously...were they giving away something free? Anyways, John's company has family days there each year as long as the employees vote for it. For those not so sure, Dollywood is in Gaitlinburg, TN or close enough at least. Its a very pretty area. Lots of rolling green farm hills.

The highlight of the trip was Ellie's x2 attempt to ride the ducks. Dollywood has these 3 rides for the super little kids and this was something I could go on with her. She was all excited in line, clapping and flapping her hands in excitement. When it was her turn I went to put her in and this insanely loud train came by and scared her to death. Well I picked her up and said wed try again later. We tried later and it was all the same. Excited in line, cried when I sat her down poor thing. So maybe duckies for next year? John bought her a try at the "lucky duck" game and she won a simba stuffed animal to compensate her troubles. On the other side, she did ride the carousel (not a horse but on the bench ;) and she kinda enjoyed the bird show. John, holly and her boyfriend and I all rode a couple of roller coasters but I don't know. I think my enjoyment threshold for that kind of stuff is slipping. I'm older? Boring? Just rather not? There was one we rode last year but I didn't this year. I wasn't waiting an hour in line only to feel like my body was being warped and beaten at high speeds. Some of those things are just too much now.

We really did have a good time and if course look forward to next year! You'll find me searching for ice cream and bribing Ellie to go on the duck ride ;)

 

 

 

On Sunday, i ( along with great help from the church) threw a baby shower for a special member of our church. The love that was shown and that warm support only women can give was there in full force. She was incredibly grateful and happy and was able to get some needed items for baby. This was my first church shower to lead and it was great! I really love this stuff and watching people smile as they prepare for the next stage in their lives is priceless. What an honor to be a part of it. 

This week is planning for another church event and my mom coming!!! And several days off work!!

YAY!