Christmas Challenge ~ Trading Ways

How to Trade

  This year’s Christmas Challenge has been a lot of fun.  I have met amazing people through my site and Instagram.  A month ago I put out a call that I wanted to trade some items I have for American Girl clothing or other items. Within a Day, AdalinesNest responded.  A few messages back and forth and we had traded 4 American Girl Outfits, Bath Salts, a Hand Scrub and a Candle for a leather clutch, and cutting board made {Read More}

How To Rock Dirty Hair

How to rock dirty hair

This post was scheduled for last week, but in light of Connecticut I post-poned.  I feel like any post following that tragedy is too soon, but know that I am still praying and do not take it lightly. As I sit in the coffee shop two teenagers sit down near me and the first thing I hear is a question, “Does my hair look greasy?”  (I promise it’s not my hair that brought that question to mind.  It has been {Read More}

Vintage Estate Finds!

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This summer we’ve been finding a few new vintage items to add to our home.  The first I have to share is this typewriter.  I fell in love with an $80 one at a local second hand store.  Sadly, it stayed there.  A few days later my husband knew what he had found when he was at an estate sale in our neighborhood.  $3 and he brought home a huge surprise for me! On the way to the beach on {Read More}

Holding Out For God’s Best

What Will matter 100 years from now

We’re going through a series at church loosely based off of the book Weird by Craig Groeschel.  This week we talked about the story of Jacob and Esau in Genesis. Esau sold his inheritance to his brother for a bowl of soup.  Focusing on the immediate rather than holding out for the better in the future. At the end we were challenged to think of our own bowl of soup.  What are we settling for now that is ultimately sacrificing {Read More}

Get To Know ~ The Dollar Store Date

dollar store date

In college one of my guy friends used to take girls on a dollar store date.  He would give them $5 and a certain amount of time to buy stuff that represents them.  Then they would go to coffee and talk about the items.  Sharing funny stories and getting to know each other being the point.  I never forgot hearing about this and thought it sounded like fun!  (& by the way he married my roommate & he woo-ed her {Read More}

Swimming Safely

Lake Michigan Sunset

I grew up around water.  I lived in the water all summer long.  Lake Michigan and pools were my favorite places to hang out. I played Water Polo in High School and did a Synchronized Swimming Club for 4 years.  With my involvement and love of water I thought a logical next step would be to become a certified lifeguard. I’m glad I did, and so is an 8 year old girl (who’s now 15). Water is beautiful, calming, peaceful, {Read More}

Love At All

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; {Read More}

You Too?

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: “What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”  - C.S. Lewis

The Real You…. Friendship Series

Be Authentic – the real you.  Not the 20 year reunion I’m trying to impress and make you all think I have it all together you….but the you your family sees.   More often than not I’ve found that moms are self-concious of their housekeeping or parenting.  My kids are never perfect.  As I type this the breakfast dishes sit in the sink and it’s lunchtime.  Yesterday’s laundry hides behind a bin of clothes to be sold in a garage {Read More}

Let’s Get Together!

We all hear the phrase: We should get together sometime! Relaxing in bed the other night my husband and I began to chat about how often this phrase is used. We all say it. We all hear it. The question is do we really mean it?  In our generation it seems like it’s just a way to say goodbye.  A tagline at the end of the conversation followed with a “Yeah, definitely!  Call me.” Head over to  A Crisp Life to read {Read More}