Forty-eve

I'm going to sleep tonight feeling a little melancholy. Saying goodbye to my 30's is a little tough for some reason. It was a great decade! A lot of "life" happened inside those years. But in keeping with my exercise to write for 31 days on getting excited (which I have some catching up to do)...I'm grateful for another decade to reach "for that which lies ahead" {Philippians 3:13-14}.

 

And besides, I don't think any of it really matters until you actually look your age...right???
So CHEERS! Here's to the Fabulous 40's. Let's do this.

FIVE for Friday

In my 31 Day Writing Challenge to get more excited about life, I decided to center my FIVE on Friday post around just that.

I realize most people would look at my five and think "meh---{yawn} boring!" But I'm on this quest to find more excitement in the things that are right in front of me...my family, my home, my new business, etc. So just try to appreciate from where I'm coming with this. It's a journey, ya know!

1. My New Dishwasher
Praise God is all I have to say! Our old dishwasher had been giving us a fit for months. We kept teetering back and forth on whether we should get a new one or just keep fixing the old one. Well, we got a new one! And got a ridonkulous deal...to the savings tune of about $300. That was part of the problem. The ones I liked were over-the-top expensive and I just kept waiting for the best deal to come along. And it did! This is one of my top faves!

2. My New Faucet
Ya know...when you've been in a house 11 years, all the updates you made when you moved in eventually start falling apart and it's time to update again! Same story as the dishwasher. Our kitchen faucet has annoyed me to no end for several months. It had gotten leaky and sometimes the sprayer would pop right off leaving me soaked and a flood to clean on the floor. No more my friends! My new faucet is on thanks to my handy hubby and I love it!



3. Column Progress
I may have posted months ago that we were in the market to replace our columns on our front porch. This is no inexpensive or easy undertaking...just so y'all know. The old ones came down in the early summer and Shan was determined to do them himself. But his work-travel schedule was determined for him NOT to do it. And if you know me, you know I'm completely obsessed with my front porch. It's a sickness, really. So to come home every single day to my "Sarah plain and tall" columns has really become the bane of my existence. Stupid, I know, when there are major problems in the world, but it drives me bonkers.
Any who...ya see that ladder up there on those plain columns in picture #4??? You can't tell, but that means there's progress going on. Yay, Shan!

1. center brace delivered, 2. & 3. old ones came down and braces went up, 4. columns have been wrapped with exterior wood and getting prepped for trim. 

4. Friday Night Lights
For many years {14-15 maybe?} Shan has been an official for SCISA high school sports. He absolutely loves it. Some men hunt. Some men play golf. Mine likes to ref. He does football and basketball season. And the worst part is...he gets paid to do it! Why is that the worst part? Because he has a hobby he loves and makes money doing it. Therefore, he'll never quit!
I have felt so lonely and bored on so many Friday nights, as I've never had much interest in going to the games. Now with budding football players, that's changed a little bit. Sam, Fulton and Oliver want in on the action! So instead of sitting at home bored...I came along for the ride and I am sitting in my tailgate chair, blogging from the end zone! We made a little hour road trip to get here and enjoyed some good family chit chat on the way. It's actually been quite enjoyable and I just might have a reason to get excited about Friday nights again!

5. Ready for a makeover?
So this whole Beautycounter business has me over-the-moon! I am thrilled to be a part of this company and I know it will be rewarding for me and my family. This week I am super excited about the debut of our cosmetics line that is coming out by the end of this month! Are y'all ready for a makeover for the holidays? I am! Here's little clip from WMagazine!

Linking to:  and

Making Ordinary Extraordinary

Just sharing a piece of inspiration that's helping me get my sweet boys excited about the ordinary everyday!

Make the Ordinary Come Alive

Do not ask your children
to strive for extraordinary lives.
Such striving may seem admirable,
but it is a way of foolishness.
Help them instead to find the wonder
and the marvel of an ordinary life.
Show them the joy of tasting
tomatoes, apples, and pears.
Show them how to cry
when pets and people die.
Show them the infinite pleasure
in the touch of a hand.
And make the ordinary come alive for them.
The extraordinary will take care of itself.

By William Martin

My First Shipment!

Each time I get a package in the mail it's like a little piece of Christmas morning! I get so excited. Even if it's not for me. I also love it when my boys and Shan have something delivered too. Sometimes we're expecting the package and sometimes it's a sweet surprise. But either way is just as fun!

The package that came today...It WAS for me! I knew it was due to arrive soon, but it came a day early. Even better!

In my last post I mentioned that I had just recently decided to become a consultant for Beautycounter, and today I got my first shipment of products!

SO excited to be on this new venture.

In my quest for living life with more excitement and zest, I've really started taking note of all the little things that are capable of adding those elements to my life. I never really thought getting a package in the mail would make the list of something I'd get excited about...but it totally does! Especially this package. ;-)

Find links to Days 1-31 here!

Excited to be On A Mission

You may have seen me post a few times before that I have struggled with chronic migraines, reflux, allergies, asthma, eczema, and anxiety for many years. I'm not at all opposed to modern medicine, simply because I have seen it create a better quality of life for many people. However, I personally just have aversions to taking medication {for several reasons that I won't go into here}. But in the last 6 months I've come to the conclusion that we really are only as healthy as what we put in our bodies. So I have taken baby steps to making my family and myself better consumers. I've done lots of reading and had some trials and errors, but it's a process and we're making progress and that's what matters most. And while juicing raw organic beets {gag!} may not cure all my ailments, over time I will become healthier and stronger and my not be bothered so much by my nagging issues. In a nutshell, Hippocrates said that food is medicine and I wholeheartedly believe him.

Sadly, what we ingest is only half the battle. Have you ever thought about what you put ON your body? On your babies? I didn't used to. But I do now! In this process, I've read all kinds of scary stuff that goes into our personal care products and I want it to stop. NOW! But I'll go there in a second. The real problem with buying more natural personal care products is that finding safe and effective products happens quite haphazardly. I've ended up with a lot of waste because they didn't meet my expectations and quality products aren't too cheap!

So this is where my excitement comes in. On a random Tuesday about a month ago, I got a phone call from my friend Margaret, who I hadn't talked to in a long time. She is a super stylish gal with excellent taste, not to mention an AMAZING interior designer. Margret and I have never been really close, but I've always admired her and enjoyed any little bit of time I've been around her. My initial thought for the reason for her call was that she may need some "office" help with her design business, which I would have loved! But that wasn't it. It was even better!

Margaret was calling to tell me about the most revolutionary personal care company I'd ever heard of! She didn't have to say much to peak my interest. At. All. They are very new so I read up on the company. I watched sobering videos about the things the average Joe doesn't know about their personal care products. I looked at their growth in the last year and a half. Shan and I really tried to poke holes in the company. We couldn't. I took their mission to heart and I knew I had to be a part of this company, but most of all, I wanted to be a part of the movement at Beautycounter! I am so excited for this opportunity and the people I get to share these products and this mission with. As for their products...I'm OBSESSED. We like to describe it as Non-toxic Chanel ran into J.Crew! Gorgeous. Safe and effective...for real.


There are several ways you can get on board with me...
Client
Host
Member
Consultant

I hope you'll support me on this mission to get safe products into the hands of everyone! In the meantime hop over to my new Facebook business page and say hey!

Find links to Days 1-31 here!



Exciting October

Y'all know what a fascination I have with October! So if I'm going to attempt to write for 31 days straight about getting excited about life, this is the best month to do it.

There's just something about October. The air smells fresher. The sky seems clearer. The nights are more cozy. The mornings are brisk. October just feels good.

This year in particular, we kicked off October with crisp cool temperatures. That, along with the beautiful October shade of blue in the sky, is enough to get me excited about the days ahead. It's simple, but that's really what I'm trying to focus on here - finding excitement in simplicity.

With fall in the air, it's like everyone has a little more pep. There are great excuses from football to apples to plan road trips. People decorate just for fall festivities. The beauty of the leaves changing is breathtaking in late October and there's pumpkin EVERYTHING in restaurants and stores!

Then there's the fair. You either love it or hate it. I LOVE IT! I won't eat the day before just to have one night of the most unhealthy splurges possible. {Then I won't eat the next day either because I'm ill, but it's all good.} Not to mention, how excited I get watching my boys navigate their way through the fair to their favorite rides.

October is also a very celebratory month for us, as we acknowledge many special birthdays...aunts, uncles, cousins, my nephew, several close friends, Sambo's, and ...MINE! I grew up a sucker for birthdays and will continue to be into my old age. Birthdays are a gift.

And then there's...Halloween! And oh.my.word., y'all! That takes me to a whole different level of excitement. At Halloween, all that I love about October is wrapped up in one night full of udder giddiness with preparing costumes for my family, trick or treating with friends, stealing candy from my boys...the whole shebang! I could seriously do Halloween every month.

Any who...just a few simple reasons to get excited in October. Stay tuned!

Find links to Days 1-31 here!

Wild-Hair Friends and an Apple-picking Adventure

We all have that wild-hair friend. You know the one I'm talking about. The one that's always got an idea on a whim and can somehow suck you into it. I love friends like that! Your wild-hair friends are often the same friends who are there to encourage you on your worst of days. They're your "build-a-bridge-and-get-on-over-it" friends, who will quickly remind you that life is too short to sulk or be the victim. If you don't have a friend like that...find one!

One of my wild-hair friends happens to be Anna. If you know my Anna, then I need not explain. She's tried it all. She's won some. And lost some. But has never let it stop her from moving on to the next thing! She's someone who has a knack for getting me excited about life. I just love her.

Anna and I go way back. We were the best of friends in  high school. Cheerleaders. Impulsive sleepover buddies. Karaoke Queens. Double Daters. You name it. We did it together. We remained friends through college, weddings, babies, and all. She's one of those friends who I may not talk to for a while but it seems no time has passed at all when we finally do catch up.

Any who... Anna called me last Friday with a plan to go to Sky Top Orchard in the mountains of beautiful Zirconia, NC. Fortunately, living in Columbia, we're only a couple of hours away from the beach or the mountains, so making a day trip is a piece of cake. It's one of the reasons I love where I live.

Shan and I had a laundry list of chores to do on Saturday that was kind of looming over us. Going to visit the apple orchard at Sky Top was also on our to do list, but we've kept putting it off because of other things. {It happens to be on my 40x40 Challenge too, that I haven't done so well with.} So we decided the chores could wait!

We hopped in the car and headed to Sky Top early Saturday morning. That place is like the Disney World of apples, y'all. They make the most delicious Apple Cider donuts. And I don't even like donuts!!! Oh and the mini apple pies made me want to slap my momma! I also can't wait to try all the great recipes I've pinned to use all the apples we picked.

For the boys, we kept it a surprise where we were going until the mountains began to peek over the horizon - which happens to be one of the most amazing sites. They were super excited to see what this was all about, as were Shannon and I. We told them we were meeting friends there and that made their anticipation even greater. We spent the rest of the drive giving hints and playing the guessing game.

Just so you know, it's best to get there as early as possible...like 9ish. We arrived about 10am. The weather was chilly with a beautiful October blue sky. We picked a ridiculous amount of apples, sipped hot cider, fed goats, petted animals, ran through the bamboo forest - which made me feel like I was stuck in an episode of Dora the Explorer - and bought apple everything to bring home. But the best part was making a memory with my boys and Anna and her family. I can't believe we waited so many years to make the trip. But now, it has definitely made it's way onto to our must-do tradition list!

 

Thank you, wild-hair friend, for a great idea and for giving me one more thing to be excited about! I love you! {Oh and why didn't we take a normal pic of our 5 children?}

 

 

Find links to Days 1-31 here!

Motivation for 31 Days

I don't usually blog on Sundays but I want to keep up with my 31 day challenge. I think I'll use my Sundays to post meaningful quotes and pictures that motivate me to get excited!

I'm not sure who said it, but it appeals to me because I have a few opportunities in my back pocket and have been a little nervous about leaping.

Find links to Days 1-31 here!

10 Simple Everyday Ways to Create Excitement

Any time you take on a challenge you have to have a plan to succeed. If you're like me, and not a planner by nature, creating a plan can make you feel totally overwhelmed. And then the anxious thoughts come to mind. Am I leaving out something important? What if I fail? Where do I start? Making the plan seems almost as daunting as the goal in the end. I have a dear friend who is also a fabulous counselor, and her words of encouragement to me are always, "just start somewhere". So in my quest to live my life with more zest and get excited on a daily basis, I've decided to just start somewhere.

Shan and I determined that while this stage of life may be a little lackluster, we are definitely capable of adding zest to the ordinary and start getting excited again. Half of our issue with not feeling excited is that we live with a false sense of what excitement means. It doesn't have to be major life events like I wrote about yesterday. We just need a little something to look forward to. So I am determined to find excitement in the ordinary everyday. To do that, I made a list of 10 simple ways we can achieve success on our quest for zest.

1. Make time
I often think that our daily calendars are too full of unnecessary time wasters. It may not always be the events we actually write on the calendar that are our biggest zest-suckers. You know what I'm talking about. Think social media, phone conversations that could be cut shorter, housework that can wait, and the need to complete tasks without flaws. None of the above add any real value to my life, much less excitement. As a matter of fact, it's all quite draining. I've realized it's getting in the way and it's time to set all that nonsense aside and start making room for things to get excited about.

2. Get or give a facelift
There's just something about a new 'do, a new outfit, or trying out a new look that puts a little pep in my step. Personally, I'm not sure how extreme I would ever go with something like this, but it sure is fun to try out something new. I mean, a new skin care regimen or lipstick can do wonders for a girl.
If making myself over is not an option, I'm sure there's a room in my house that could stand to be rearranged. Creating a little feng shui might do the trick. Huh? And if nothing else, just adding some new throw pillows or an accent piece is also a good way to nip the doldrums. {Confession} I happen to be a corner hoarder. EVERY corner of my house has clutter that needs a forever home. Tackling clutter would be super exciting and feel so zesty-fresh!

3. Practice some good ol' hospitality
Opening my home to people that I care about has always been something that I have enjoyed. However, I have completely fallen off the hospitality wagon. I lost my passion for entertaining sometime in the last 5 years. Entertaining turned into more of a chore than something that excited me. So often I get caught up in making things perfect - the perfect décor, the perfect meal that has been prepared, etc. When all we really need to do is be comfortable in our own home and make our guests feel welcome. Sometimes my most imperfect moments of entertaining have ended up being the greatest. Now I feel compelled to drop the need to make everything perfect and just open the door again. Besides, there ain't nothing wrong with a good old-fashioned casual potluck. As my sweet Aunt Anna Rose would have said... "y'all come!" You may have to sit on a laundry hamper, but it would give us just one more thing to laugh about.

4. Make BIG plans
We say dream big, right? Even though most of our dream plans are not even close to feasible right now doesn't me we can't continue to dream about them. It would be inspiring and exciting to make them more of a reality by starting a notebook with great ideas for travel, parties, a dream home, remodeling, you name it! Kind of like Pinterest, but more tangible. I have had all these ideas swirling around in my head of trips to Italy, Australia, New York, and for some reason, Colorado, of what we would do and see and where we would stay if we were to go. Putting my ideas down on paper would be resourceful some day. Plus BIG plans give us something to look forward to, as well as giving us the incentive to save money and actually make it happen.

5. Feed your head...in addition to your family
I would be a professional student if I could! I've thrown around the idea of going back to school many times in the last 10 years. But it's just not an option at this point, as I pour all of my energy into the boys and their education. Learning something new doesn't always have to come with a degree though. There are so many subjects I'd love to wrap my brain around. How exciting would that be if I learned about a new hobby or simple trade? And you never know! It just might be the thing that inspires a new career. Y'all get ready for Claudia 2.0!
Another thing that I realize gets me excited is trying a new recipe. And for a little inspiration on that, look no further than good ol' Pinterest! I've recently whipped up a few dishes that were A.MA.ZING! If you're lucky, I just might share them here!

6. Wake up!
Oh the monotonous morning routine that greets me everyday! How I'd love to shake you up a bit. The last 6 years have created nothing but dread Monday through Friday. The alarm goes off at 6:10am. I hit snooze at least 2 times. I eventually tumble out of bed and stumble to the kitchen (thank you Dolly Parton)...and you know the rest. By the time I get all 3 boys and a husband out the door I either want a redo or a nap.
I would be so excited to have a few still moments to myself in the morning to walk, do my devotional, or actually just sit in peace. Do the 30 minutes I waste avoiding the snooze alarm going off do anything good for me? I think not. The times I've been dedicated to spending a little extra time caring for myself or in The Word really have given me an extra zest for life. Seems like a good time to reintroduce it.

7. Finding the perfect pet.
You may recall when we lost both of our dogs within a few months of each other a few years ago {here and here}. It turned me into an emotional basket case. Saying good bye to my sweet babies of almost 17 years crushed me. We went through a pretty long spell of thinking they were irreplaceable. But after another little while passed, we arrived at the feeling of relief that we didn't have to deal with the maintenance of pets. Now that the boys are older, they are much more capable of helping us care for a pet. I know the boys and I would be over the moon if we did welcome a fur baby into our family. Besides, there are many studies that show that pet owners are overall happier people. I believe it. Hmmmm. Now, what to get?

8. Spice it up
What would a list about creating excitement in your life be without the topic of spicing up your marriage? Shan and I have been married for 15 years now and together for 22! With his insane travel schedule recently and the boys' busy schedules, it goes without saying that we are lacking in the quality time department. That makes me sad because we still love our special time together. We need to bring zesty back! In order to do that we're gonna have to get creative. It'll have to be put on the calendar as a priority. If the budget is an issue, we can do late night take out and a movie for date night in and for date night out, a local favorite dive! Shoot! At this point I'd take coffee and devotional time before the boys get up. I'd love to have that to look forward to!

9. Jump in
Take a chance on a bright idea! I've recently had a few ideas I've thrown around. From going into business with someone to completely doing an overhaul on my family - spiritually, financially, and nutritionally. I am in love with the ideas that I have, but that four letter "f" word is holding me back. F-E-A-R! What if I fail? What if I blow too much money? What if I'm rejected? What if we don't fit in? Uhhhhg! Make it stop! I want so badly to just jump in and say, who gives a hoot?!?! So if my kids turn orange or green because we've become strict vegetarians or if you see me driving a pink Cadillac because I decided to sell cosmetics door to door, just give me a thumbs up because it means I threw F-E-A-R to the wind and jumped in!

10. Do it on purpose
I'm not sure I've ever been truly intentional with life. Like I said, that requires planning. And a planner I am not! I want to reach a point where I'm living my life on purpose. Doing more "fun stuff" with my boys - family field trips, jumping on the trampoline, park and picnic time - would make life so much more exciting. Reaching out to others is something I also love to do. However, it'd be great to find a way through the JLC or another area of my community to serve others in a more personal way. Then there's being intentional about my health. Y'all have no idea how tempted I am to start eating baby food and rice cereal to reset my system and detox. Same thing with exercise! I'm telling you. I just need to start all over. Keeping a log in my planner of what I'd like to do each day to live life on purpose would help me make the big move to being intentional. Now that would be exciting to check off everyday!

See there? Just writing it all down already makes me feel more excited! I actually just planned something. It may not be a perfect plan, but it's allowing me to just start somewhere on my 31 day challenge of getting excited.

 

Find links to Days 1-31 here!

Defining Excitement

ex·cite - \ik-ˈsīt, ek-\ verb                                              

: to cause feelings of enthusiasm in (someone)
: to make (someone) feel energetic and eager to do something
: to cause (a particular emotion or reaction) to be felt or to happen

: to increase the activity of (something, such as nerve tissue)

 

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Today I was thinking about what excitement means to me. This led to a little convo with Shan about what excitement looks like to us now. We decided being excited is worlds different from what it used to look like. Ten to fifteen years ago, something exciting meant it was life-changing or new; engagements, weddings, babies, big career moves, etc. Life is kind of steady right now, as we roll along. It's comfortable. Now we'd describe excitement as anything out of the ordinary that adds some pizazz to our everyday lives. It's more about getting creative with how do life - living outside the box. Being excited seems to have become more simplified for us. And I think that's good!

 

So often we over-think life. Why? That just makes things more complicated. And who wants life to be more complicated, when little opportunities to spice things up are right in front of us? This is my 31 day mission to see them.

 

I'm looking forward to the rest of this challenge to start getting excited about life again...without over-doing or thinking. I like to think the word zest describes what I'm saying. It's defined as: a lively quality that increases enjoyment, excitement, or energy. And that, my friends, is exactly what I'm seeking.

 

 

So stay tuned for my plan to make this happen!

 



Find links to Days 1-31 here!

Finding Excitement Again

If you know me or have followed me for a while, you may know that I will be turning 40 this month. Saying I'm a bit anxious about it is an understatement. I think it's because I vividly remember my parents being 40 and it makes it seem so impossible that I'm already that same age. I had a little bit of a hard time turning 30 and as I look back now, I want to laugh at my 30-year-old self.  Life has changed so incredibly much in this last decade. Our baby boys are no longer babies, priorities have changed and our challenges in life seem much more significant.

The boys are all in school now and their hurdles are bigger. More real. Life lessons come a little tougher. Controlling their peer groups {especially in middle school} has become almost impossible and being a helicopter mom is no longer an option. It's like a fight to achieve the right balance of positive and negative experiences, which are essential at this stage to help them create a solid foundation. I feel like our job as parents is only getting harder.

At 30, we had just moved from our first little home and were making another house "in the acres" a home. We originally said we'd be here for 7-10 years and then move to our forever-ish home. We often giggle at the unintentional twist in our plans. Not that we don't love it here! We definitely do. And we are beyond grateful for this roof over our heads. But as the years have passed, priorities have changed. Therefore, our plans have changed too. Our thoughts of grandeur have taken a backseat for sure! Our boys' wants and needs come first...over dream homes, the desired new sofa, remodeling, our wardrobes, and luxurious vacations. So, "no" and "not right now" are words we've grown pretty accustomed to saying. I'd like to think it will make us all more well-rounded people. We made the choice about twelve years ago for me to be at home as much as possible, even if it meant sacrificing.  Now that the boys are older, we have really been thinking of what my "part 2" is going to look like. A new career or an advanced degree? Who knows? Regardless, our plans are just plans, not promises. Only God has the itinerary on our journey.

Ten years ago we were attending baby showers and weddings every other weekend it seems. There was always a party and an occasion to celebrate. Life seemed so festive. I was talking with a friend recently about how we "did" that phase of our lives much better than this one that we're moving into. We both agreed that we've reached a point where we notice our parents aging and want to keep them closer than ever and not take our time with them for granted. It's also become common to see friends and family struggling for one reason or another and those we care about facing health challenges. Honestly, I feel like we've seen it a lot in the last year or so. It makes life seem less care-free and a little glum at times.

Any who... Now that I've gone all Debbie Downer on you and completely depressed you, I by no means think life is all bad now or that it's all down hill from here. Life is very good and I want to feel more of it! That's why I'm writing over these next 31 days about finding opportunities to be excited. Truly EXCITED! I feel like I do a pretty good job of finding everyday JOY, but I'm really looking for those moments and people that get you excited about life. Constantly telling your family and yourself no, putting others' needs ahead of yours, and watching people you care about suffer can take your focus off things in life that excite you. Anxiety frequently gets in the way and you can just feel the doldrums coming on.

I'm hoping with this little challenge that I'll accomplish a couple of things - 1)finding something to be excited about everyday, and 2)getting back to documenting life as I used to. This couldn't have happened during a better month, as October is my favorite! Lots of birthdays and good times fill our calendar in October. So I hope you'll follow along, send prayers, and share in this with me during these 31 days!



Find links to Days 1-31 here!

October!

What?!? October 2014? Where has this year gone?

Seriously, September flew by so quickly. We had a great month. It was super busy though. Shan continues to travel all the time, but I seem to manage as a single mom - someway, somehow.

Any who... I'm hoping to get back to blogging regularly this month because I feel like I have so much I need document for my boys. I may re-attempt the 31 days of writing challenge. I attempted it last year and failed miserably. So I may give it a go again.

Here's a little peek at our September...

We started off with Ver getting stitches. It was only a few, but pitiful nonetheless. I guess that's to be expected when you're gettin' down and dirty with your big brothers playing football.

It happened on the night that we were supposed to go to the Casting Crowns concert...and then this happened...

We were so star struck and flattered!



We celebrated number NINE for sweet Fulton. NINE?!?! I have mixed emotions about the fact that he didn't want a birthday party. Lawd knows I love throwing one. He opted for family time and a good buddy from school sleeping over and being his guest at the MARVEL Live show.

 

We also celebrated Shan's 40th Birthday "Better Late Than Never...This is 40" party. With all his traveling we couldn't swing it in August, so to say he was truly surprised is an understatement. His reaction was priceless. I'll post details later.

The Greek Festival! Need I say more?

The Gamecocks are in full swing this football season. Their performance has been kinda patchy. A few good wins and a couple of questionable losses. But my most favorite part of it all is tailgating, of course. So many fun friends and so much good food.

I finally took the time to paint the picture to go over Oliver's bed. It only took me a year and a half. Love his heart. He saw what I was doing and wanted to help. How could I say no? It turned out so cute and looks great over his bed. That's a blog post for later too!

While Fulton and Oliver are taking the fall off and saving their energy for a little tennis and basketball, Sambo is on a roll playing fall soccer. He did beautifully at goalie last weekend. And we all just love his new team!

All in all, looking back at our September, it was quite nice!

Stay tuned for my 31 Days of Writing... See Day 2 for more on how and why I'm finding the excitement in life!

{Day 1}

Find links to Days 1-31 here!