Our Kitchen Update

When we bought this little quirky ranch,

the first thing we knew we needed to tackle was the kitchen.

It had no dishwasher, (gasp*)

moldy rotted out cabinets, (the horror*)

a pipe sticking out of the wall and into the cabinet, (what the huh?*)

and its overall look was pretty weird and depressing, (all right let's do this!)

We felt that we wanted to use a practical IKEA kitchen for our little space,

I wanted a cottage kitchen look, open shelves, white cabinets, farmhouse sink,

all desires IKEA could deliver!

So we got to planning, spent a couple hours purchasing,

drove back home with our sink in our car,

and waited to find some professionals who could help us get that pipe back in the wall

and who could wire an outlet for a dishwasher.

We demoed, added a door to the pantry/laundry/mud room,

scraped and painted, 

had a wonderful electrician (Tate & Sons, Louisville people!) 

and an incredibly kind plumber (Jamie Beeler Plumbing!) fix our problems,

painted the existing vinyl flooring, and began installing our new kitchen.

It was really discouraging and tough on some days, 

but I am so thankful and pleased 

every time I step into our little kitchen, 
and if I am ever ungrateful, 
I need to pull out this post to remind me 
of what it used to be,
and how for a month I washed dishes in the backyard. 
Enjoy the crazy transformation:


When you first walk into our galley kitchen,
this is the photo that was on the listing,
note the fly tape hanging in the laundry space.

taken by the listing agent

this is real lighting, not wide angle, when we first moved in, no dishwasher.

door, hidden dishwasher, open shelves, freshly oiled butcher block, ahhh*

Then you turn and look at the other side,

taken by listing agent

just a dreary mess, got some good use out of that pizza stone
in this project.

so much to love in this photo!!

Looking straight down the galley,

taken by listing agent

that door makes a world of difference,
and still need to finish that piece of trim.

We aren't fully finished with this project,
but it is beautiful and functional already!
We hope to add backsplash, finish some of the trim work,
touch up the floor, and maybe change out some lighting.
It is so fun to work in this kitchen now!

If you have any questions on that how to of any of our projects,
(painting a floor, working with an IKEA kitchen, butcher block care, etc.)
let me know and I would love to help!

beginning a new season

Here I am, again, 

sitting at this little notebook,

wanting to write out a few feelings,

thoughts, and experiences as of late.

I am peering out of our big, dining room windows,

at the smoky thunderclouds rolling in,

in our new quirky cottage under the big oak tree.

Occasionally, I am snapped out of a day dream to the shrieks

and laughter of the girls dancing in their dainty bedroom 

which is now a good mix of 

Paris,

Pandas,

Pink,

Pale Green,

and 

Horses.

Outside, the cool wind is dancing through the trees,

 grasping at little leaves and carrying them across my view.

For the past three weeks, this has been our home,

we are settling slowly, into a new place,

with new faces, places, and food, good good food. 

This little place has lots of little rooms, 

and every room needs a little bit of love.

And I hope to document the changes and love added here, 

because I am excited at the transformations taking place in the near future.

When we bought this house, we had such a mix of feelings,

it wasn't the giddiness of the first house, 

it wasn't the easy excitement of a brand new house

(and this house is no Schuber Mitchell),

it was eagerness to live together in our new city,

it was nervousness about taking on a "fixer upper" without Chip and Jojo's help,

it was a bummer at the state of the little place,

and the constant flood of ideas for the potential.

So quietly, holding hands, we waded into this new season together.

But it is merely "brick and mortar" a place to be together,

and even though it needs quite a bit of love 

and the backyard has been let go for +5 years,

thats enough time for random small trees to be a nuisance, 

we have lots of love for it!

For Mother's Day this year I asked for flowers to plant,

I will be asking for this every year.

By our little lamp post,

which is constantly covered in bird poo from a fat, greedy robin,

my girls each picked a flower,

yellow dahlias,

light pink petunias,

and violet bacopas,

to plant. 

Right out of my dining room window, I get to watch those flowers,

(and that robin, he has become just a silly bird to us),

and I am thankful for this quirky place,

this neighborhood with its tall trees and kind folk,

this city and our season to love well here.

a big hunk of catch up

Hello friends!!!

My stars, it has been a while since swept off this dusty corner of the internet. 

This morning as the girls went about playing, I began researching a few things on the www's and ended up here, reading old posts, mourning a lack of desire to keep up with this place, and feeling a desire to play catch up right now.

This week marked 1 year since we packed up our little grey house in Oklahoma and moved our little family to Missouri, and it has been quite a year.

A year of travel :: we loved it and are always on the lookout for more adventures. We were blessed to have gotten to go to Colorado for a couple weeks in the mountains, across the ocean for 10 days to Osaka, Japan, Cincinnati for Christmas, and little trips to Arkansas, Tulsa, and Kansas City. My oldest often asks "What's our next adventure, Mama?"

A year of healing and growth :: everyone deals with hardships and sufferings of different kinds, but this year, especially, God's grace and love has been made known to me like never before. There are still days when the wound opens because of some memory, or someone's comments and the hurt comes back, but He is still there, and still good. New Year's Eve, best friend and I went on a date, and I remember making the comment "Boy, so glad this year is over!" and for him to look at me and remind me of all the good that came and continues to come, all the answered prayers, all the fun. So thankful for my best friend.

A year of new passions ::  Home based education has been a new found joy this year!! We all have been able to discover things we love and new avenues to serve in doing things we have always enjoyed!

A year of awesome kids :: every year I think they are awesome, and there is so much truth to each new stage is my favorite. And while Pip is the "most toddleriest toddler" we have ever experienced, she is also the sweetest little lovey girl. We love getting know these girls everyday! 

And I hope we will continue to live with thankful hearts, and joyful spirits feeling at peace in His Grace, ready to do all He asks!  

Have a fantastic weekend! I have missed this little space! Thanks for reading! 

 ::eden

my intentional season

Happy Christmas!

So I married an amazing man,

(yes, you are, Bud, so deal with it).

It's true, he is the guy who helps me

put into words the struggles of my heart,

and tries to guide me toward the only One

who can meet me in them and get me out of them.

I am thankful for you, best friend.

After weeks of clinging to anything but the Creator,

I found myself surrounded by answered prayers,

but completely struggling to find joy in them.

So after a slight sob fest,

I bucked up and set my phone alarm to wake up before the little ladies,

and put it to my mind to start my day,

seeking Jesus first.

I opened a devotional where I had already quit mid-read, 

and read the words,

"Are You Running on Empty?"

Yes.

Yes, a thousand times, yes!

It's how I had been feeling for weeks!

After talking about the importance of taking care of yourself,

she began talking about the most important part of self care,

seeking solitude for

recharging and refueling,

or for me, refocusing.

She used examples from Jesus' life,

and ended with Paul's prayer for the Ephesians in his letter.

"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith --that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length, and height and depth, and to know that love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly that all that we ask or think according to the power at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

Ephesians 3:14-21

So, during this season filled with many wonderful gifts,

and after a year full of sorrow and wonderful things,

I hope to continue to seek Him first,

remember His love,

so I can be filled with Him,

and pour that out on my family this season.

I do hope you all have a beautiful Christmas finding the Son,

and remember to MAKE time to find Him, yourself!

I know I will!

**Joy to the world! The Lord has come!**

**Let earth receive her King!**

(incredible photo by Haze Nakai, Thanks Haze, and Happy Christmas!!)

Snapshots :: October Weekends

We ended our September days with a particularly warm weekend,

celebrating the life of our girl, Pip.

The following weekend, Autumn began to peep out and we began

filling our time with crunchy walks, leaf hunts, pumpkin patches,

visits to dear friends, warm days outside, moving and selling our first house,

and ended with a super pink, sparkly, girly Halloween.

October was so fun!

Now we are into birthday month!!

And this month ends with a special once in a lifetime trip!!

Welcome November!!!

two, or as Penny says, "tee-ewww"

- T W O Y E A R S O L D-

Happy Happy Birthday, Pip!

We love you and all the crazy you add to our family!
And to celebrate you, we had a simple breakfast party at the park,
complete with your favorite fruit, coffee cake, and Nana's cinnamon rolls!
You blew out your own candles, first try,
and smiled proudly while everyone cheered!
You tore into your presents, received the greatest group hug,
and climbed all over the playground.

Penelope Lee, 
you are a bright,
fun, spunky girl.
You're a complete mama's girl,
but incredibly friendly with others.
You keep us laughing with your clumsy tendencies,
like that one time you slid off the couch while reading with Dada.
You're a fast learner,
and its fun to see 
the excitement in your eyes
as you learn something new.
We are proud of you little one.

Sometimes, Pip, you can wear me out,
but while you play hard, and fight hard,
you also love hard.
You are quick to say you are sorry,
and quick to hug and kiss.
You look up to your sisters,
and always want to do what they are doing,
even if it drives them crazy.
Sometimes I call you 
"Persistent Pippy"
And I think that is a great quality to possess.

Penny, your dada and I are so thankful to know you,
and to watch you learn and grow.
We love your laugh, the way you growl like a bear,
and the way you tell us stories and jokes.
You are a beautiful child made by God,
given to us, and we are blessed by your little life every day!
So, happiest of birthdays littlest love! 
Here's to many more!

xoxox
Mama

focused on my cake and not my girl, rookie move, yeesh.

ready for birthday nap time

Autumn On Purpose

Last night was the first night of autumn,

the air was crisp, so I cozied up on the golden couch, 

under blanket, beanie on, and browsed Pinterest for all things

spiced, misty, and homey.

In the midst of all the muted butterscotch palettes, and hearty crockpot stews,

I came upon a picture with a bronze sun flare, a woman dressed in plaid (my favorite!),

and three words, "Autumn on Purpose".

I was curious so I clicked the link and read

a post from a blog I have never visited before about 

living with intention this season,

in hopes that it will carry on throughout other seasons.

I signed up for the email each week,

a joined the "season long challenge to live with intention"

shut the laptop, went to bed and didn't think any more of it.

Early this morning, I woke up, shuffled to the window, unlatched it, 

and took a deep breath in the cool, crisp air,

and smiled.

I set up a movie for my girls to wake up to, and set off to

fix my morning drink of choice, 

Americano with a splash of 2% milk.

I opened my email and my first AOP message was there.

I couldn't read it fast enough,

I pulled my blanket around my shoulder, allowed the 3 year old crawl into my lap,
 and felt the words 

settle into my heart and mind.

Laken, the author of the Peach and Humble blog,

(I feel weird addressing her by name),

challenged all of us subscribers to find our intentions for the autumn,

pointing out that my plans of visiting an orchard, pumpkin patch playing, and cider,

are goals, not intentions.

"Intentions are not goals like "go apple-picking" or "have a bonfire with family" -- although I love those things and love setting seasonal goals.  But rather, season-long intentions are bigger, more sustainable and more focused on the present moment.  I love what Jess Livelysays, "If your intention can be finished or completed, it's not an intention, it's a goal."  Truly, your intentions will probably span longer than this fall, but I believe that setting intentions that accompany each season gives us a chance for re-evaluation and change every few months."

She broke it down into a step by step process for setting these intentions,

and asks us to write them down where they will be seen every day to help us evaluate the things we let into our life, so we can live more purposeful, less busy lives.

So, here I sit working on my own list,

to help focus my intentions this season,

so I don't let the goals and transitions,

get in the way of what is truly important in my life.
My intentions with my family, our home, my ministry, and myself, 

clearly, simply stated to help fix my focus throughout this wonderful season.

I was greatly encouraged, and thought I would pass this along.

To sign up simply fill out the small info form at the bottom of this post,

and let me know, so we can do this together!

HAPPY AUTUMN DAYS DEAR ONES!!!