House

Fall bucket list

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Fall bucket list

Now, I know there is a contentious battle between those who decorate for Christmas after Halloween and those who decorate after Thanksgiving. Growing up, my family would decorate for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. We would decorate the tree, listen to Christmas music, and jump into the Christmas spirit, but we always waited until after Christmas.

But since having my own children, I wanted to place more focus on the Advent season leading up to Christmas and then keep the Christmas spirit going well after the stores put the decorations on the clearance shelf. Where does that put Thanksgiving and the remnants of autumn? Well, sometimes it gets pushed to the side.

So in honor of poor, forgotten Thanksgiving, I wanted to write down a few things I hope to do during the remainder of fall.

  1. Spend a few hours in a tea shop reading books and having a pot of my favorite tea.

  2. Sipping hot apple cider and going on an afternoon walk in our neighborhood.

  3. Raking leaves and letting the kids jump in a big pile of them.

  4. Making a Thanksgiving meal for our little five-some (well, Theo will be having milk from the tap).

  5. Taking a family trip to Lake Tahoe.

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Christmas at the Hive

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Happy New Year! *fireworks, champagne, and general merriment*

I actually made it to midnight to watch the ball drop and kiss my honey, which I definitely did not do last year with a five month-old.

This past week I worked so between the working, the children raising, the wife-ing, and the home-making, I am pooped! But, there is something so invigorating about new years. Turning the page and starting afresh (and all the cliché things) is incredibly freeing, don't you think?

Do you make new year's resolutions? I am always on the fence about making them. Do I set general goals? Do I make grand plans only to be disappointed if I don't check every box off my list? Still on the fence. 

But this year, in lieu of resolutions, I have decided to pray. 

Pray more, pray more often, pray longer, pray unceasingly. At the end of the day, my relationship with the Lord is only as fruitful as I am willing to lean on Him completely. I need to spend more time just sitting with him in the silence and letting Him speak to my heart. I don't know what that will look like yet, but I am excited to see what the Lord has in store for me this year.

And on a more practical to-do this year -- I hope to yell less. *nervous laughter* 

We spent Christmas at home. The new hive. OUR home. Waking up Christmas morning, celebrating the coming of Jesus as a wee babe, and spending the day soaking in Christmas beginnings with my family was, without a doubt, the best Christmas gift I've ever received. 

We gave the kids a few gifts and ate a few Christmas goodies (maybe more than a few). Paul and I did not exchange gifts because we decided the house would be our Christmas gift to one another -- for the next 30 years (am I right?). 

But before I bore you with a slew of Christmasy photos, I just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who has read this blog and supported me in my writing. It means more than you know. 

'Twas a beautiful first day of Christmas at the hive. 

HAPPY NEW YEEEEEEAR!

 

We bought a house!

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Well clearly, I am on top of updating the blog these days. *eye roll behind my head*

But if you follow along on Instagram, you'll know that we bought a home and I am still in disbelief. We have been moved in for a month and we are mostly settled in. This is mostly because I am a type-A control freak and had to unpack and organize the minute we moved in and did not stop until it was done. We are so happy. 

There is an interesting story to how we went from renting one month to buying a house the next, but I'll save that for another time. 

Right now, I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas in our own home. I hope I remembered to send a change of address card to Santa...