Saturday mornings....

....are my favorite.

We have done almost NOTHING today.

We didn't have to go to the our other house because the painter's were still there.

There were no errands to run....I did have to take Pickles to our amazing new vet to get her bandage changed, but that was it.

I baked cookies.

Emma & Robert cuddled in our favorite chair and read.

Pickles napped.

I had 2 amazing naps....yes, you read that correctly! 

It is a perfect, beautiful day....

.....aND I am grateful.

Finding things.....

Third Grade....

My girl starts 3rd grade tomorrow at a new school. 

She is so excited.

Her clothes are laid out for the morning.

Her book bag is ready to go.

Her snack and lunch just need to be packed.

I'm praying for a wonderful first day and a year full of learning and fun.

How did we get here so very fast?

Sleep well, my beautiful girl....

Peaceful....

....and beautiful.

What i've learned from moving....

...this time could fill a large notebook.

Seriously, friends, this move was the hardest yet. It was emotional, it was more work than i expected, it was yucky, it was a lot of late nights, it was tiring. I truly think that even if i had started packing earlier, it wouldn't have made much difference--but who knows. The amount of just STUFF we have is amazing--and there is only two adults and one doggy. I truly do not know how in the world my Mom managed to move us so many times alone while my Dad was in the military. She seemed to do it so effortlessly, even with two children who i am sure gave her absolutely no help whatsoever.

What really bothered me the most was how attached i am to my stuff. Not just to my cherished stuff, but to all of my stuff. I am ashamed at how attached i am to my things. I can give myself a pass for being attached to my photos of Emma, things that she made for me, and some of the things i have from my mother and grandmother. But really? I am attached to my art books, my art stuff, stuff that i have done, art notebooks i've done, my Tuscany dinner plates from Italy (they really are beautiful....), my journals, my photo albums...the list seems endless. I was in a panic for three days because i couldn't find my favorite bible.

I know that this is all 'stuff', and what is really important is my husband, daughter and dog....but i made things even more stressful by wanting to know where all my stuff was, where all of the boxes where, how they moved them, where they put them in the other house, and that they were careful with the boxes. I didn't worry this much about the furniture, for heaven's sake!

I think i need to have a chat with God about this.

We are settling in nicely. Boxes are slowly being unpacked and things are being put into their spots. I am doing my best to start off by being organized instead of just unpacking and figuring it out later. Our kitchen is smaller but i have a large pantry that i love. The windows looking out make me feel like i am living in a treehouse! I have always loved those windows. There is a mama deer and her two babies that show up nightly, Emman and i have seen two groundhogs (which we thought were beavers!), and we have found a baby turtle near the house, so it's been really exciting. I do miss the fenced in backyard, though...

Moving back here has been like coming back home. So many good memories here!! Our old neighbors are still here in our cul-de-sac; but i did get the bad news that Deborah, a sweet woman who lived next door to us with her husband and son, passed away about two years ago. She was such a sweet woman and i was really sad to hear that she passed away. Her husband and son still live here so it was good to see the both of them. All of the kids in our cul-de-sac have grown up so much and i'm glad that to see that everyone is happy and healthy. As soon as i get a little more settled, i'll bake something to take to them.

I have finally found the boxes with my clothes...which is really good news.

I'm looking forward to the start of school, Fall, Halloween and Thanksgiving....i think that i need to invite people over this Thanksgiving. We usually have a quiet Thanksgiving or we travel somewhere, but i think that this year, we should stay put and invite lot of friends and family.

Anyone want to come visit us for Thanksgiving?

Blueberry Cobbler Recipe

Blueberry Cobbler Recipe

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
3/4 cup whole milk
1/3 cup butter melted
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/3 cup of sugar (for topping)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (for topping)

Directions:
Add flour, 1/2 cup sugar, salt, and baking powder to a mixing bowl; stir well to combine.

Add in milk and butter; stir to combine.

Spread batter into a greased 8-inch square baking pan.

Sprinkle blueberries evenly over batter.

Sprinkle with 1/3 cup of sugar and drizzle with vanilla.

Bake at 350* for 40-45 minutes or until a pick comes out clean.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream on top!

(Recipe from food.com)

Los 4 Amigas....

Daylillies....

It's Father's Day....and looked what bloomed!  Of all the daylillies I have, this beauty is my favorite. The colors are just stunning; the red is so vibrant and the yellow is so very bright.  I need to plant these at the old house and pray they multiply.

Emma and I are taking Robert to a movie for Father's Day.  I have a feeling he would rather see something other than "In and Out", but he's being a good sport.

As I see the father he us, it blows me away. He is the most amazing father. Patient.  Kind.  Funny. Challenging.  A wonderful teacher. 

I couldn't have picked a better man as a husband  or father....

Goodbye, House....

Dear House,

We are kinda close to being done packing. The movers are coming tomorrow to take all of our stuff to the other house. Packing is always a nightmare mixed with lots of sadness for me. It's been almost like a walk down memory lane the past few weeks....and it's been a hard walk down that memory lane for me. Tears have been shed in private as i've packed. I keep telling myself that home is where ever we land and that a house is just a house but my heart still aches that we are leaving you.

You've been an awesome home.

I truly thought that you would be my last home and my heart aches that this won't be the case.

I know that the next family will love you just as much as i do.....you have so much to offer a family: lots of room, tons of bathrooms (okay, not "tons" of bathrooms, just 4 bathrooms.), an amazing kitchen area and dining room, a beautiful sun room and a fantastic backyard with the cool fireplace.

Yes, the next family that moves into you will fall in love with you, too.

I am sure of it.

Christmas was always my favorite time of year and you were so fun to decorate. Lots of trees were put up, and too many decorations were always put up, too. The year that it snowed on Christmas was so magical...that's when these photos were taken. Of course, watching Emma grow up these past years has been amazing, too...the pencil marks in the bathroom showing how much she has grown each year since we have been here make me smile. We moved in when she was barely three and now she's eight and going into third grade. I can still hear her giggling as Robert chases her thru the house with Pickles barking at them and chasing the both of them.

So many happy and good memories were made in you...

I need to go finish packing...

Thank you, dear home....thank you for the shelter and all of the memories.

Changes....

....are happening in our lives. We are in the process of moving back into our other home--and I am in the mist of wondering how 2 adults, one eight year old and one dog can have so much stuff.  It is stunning how much stuff we have. 

Stuff.

So.

Much.

Stuff.

Emma's much loved stuffed animals.

Emma's much loved books.

My much loved books.

My much loved photographs.

My photo albums.

My journals.

My Llardo pieces.

My much loved art pieces.

My craft stuff--pens, markers, paints, art jounals.

Emma's baby stuff.

Yes, Emma's baby stuff....

It's interesting; Robert doesn't seem to have "stuff" that he is attached to.

Why is that?

Why doesn't he have stuff he thinks he can't live without?

We have enough Christmas stuff to decorate at least 2 homes.  Who needs a 15 plus foot tree?  And a 8 ft tree and a 4 ft aluminum tree (it's my favorite tree, btw ), and two mini tress? Oh, and three Nativity sets? And let's not forget the stuffed Christmas Santas.

At the rate I am packing, we might be moved in by Christmas....

And that's if I'm lucky.

I will miss this house. I will miss how the sun lights up the kitchen and den. I will miss the amazing arches and molding.  I will miss the doors--the downstairs doors are tall with such beautiful molding. I will miss the fenced-in yard. I will miss the beautiful red cardinal who visits my bird feeder often. I will miss the outdoor fireplace. I will miss our neighborhood pool, too.

I will not miss my neighbor who built Six Flags Over their pool with the loudest pool machines ever.  I have been lucky, I think, and have always had amazing neighbors.  Not so much this time. I will not miss my neighbor.  I will miss the rest of my neighbors,  though.  They have become my friends.

I will not miss cleaning this monster.

I will miss Emma's elementary school. It's such an awesome school.

I will miss this town....but it is growing at a stunning rate.  It won't be little for much longer.

Home, I am learning,  is wherever the three (I mean four!) of us are....

....with all of our "stuff".