Thanks to Emily at jones design company I was able to do something that I have always wanted to do…
create my own font!
The cool thing is that you can download it, too!
{just click on the image above and it will direct you to the site to download the font}
If you are unfamiliar with how to install fonts, Emily also did a wonderful tutorial on that…click here to view her tutorial.
Happy Friday!
home is…learning something new and sharing with you!
Happy October!
10 years ago my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer…during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
10 years ago.
She’s a survivor.
Actually, she’s more than a survivor.
She is a loving, creative, beautiful woman who beat breast cancer.
She’ll be getting one of these beautiful Lisa Leonard Designs for hope necklaces.
You can order one, too…personalized just for you…or your mom…or sister…or mother-in-law…or friend.
home is…awareness, hope, and more than surviving.
This morning I feel frustrated, hurt, bewildered, and angry.
So, I decided to pray.
I did a quick internet search about praying for my children and found this back to school prayer tool.
Although it is called a “back to school” prayer tool, I believe it can be used anytime to pray for my children.
home is…flying anyway.
home is…sometimes needing a reminder.
I’ve felt an overwhelming sense of community this week.
Overwhelming in a good way.
It began the last week with a visit to the zoo with my momma friends from friday playgroup. We haven’t met regularly this past year due to school scheduling conflicts, but we try to get together when we can. A couple of us were talking about how, with the big kids in school all day, we would be able to get together on Friday’s with our little ones again.
And, just like that, we have friday playgroup on the calendars again. I host the first one at the end of this month. Oh, how I have missed those mommas. We have gone through a lot together in 6 years of raising our babies together. I am so thrilled to be able to share Friday morning’s with them again!
Community.
On Tuesday, the little guy started kindergarten at our neighborhood school. He can ride a bus to school, but we are walking distance from the school, so we choose to walk.
On Tuesday, we walked with our neighbors.
On Wednesday, we walked alone, but started to recognize the same families and kids walking together. On Wednesday afternoon, I rode the little guy’s bike while baby girl rode hers so they could ride their bikes home from school. It was so fun!
By Thursday, I was introduced to other moms in the neighborhood by mom’s I met walking around our neighborhood, etc.
This morning, it was raining, so I drove the little guy to school, but the momma’s (and dad’s) in the neighborhood were still out there walking together, coffee (and umbrella’s) in hand. In the future, I’m not going to let a little rain deter me from walking to school. How awesome is it to know they people in your neighborhood?
Community.
Wednesday evening, I went to the parents open house for baby girls school. It is the same preschool we have gone to since the little guy was three. This will be our fourth year there. With all the “newness” of the neighborhood school, walking into the open house on Wednesday was like coming home. The familiar faces of the wonderful teachers. The faces of the parents who I have seen every morning for four years. The same stories that the director tells every year as she goes over the information she has to share.
Not to mention, while I was walking in another mom asked if she had seen me that morning at the elementary school. Yes! I was there. Our sons are in kindergarten together. Their family is moving in down the street next week. As we were talking another mom chimed in. SHE lives around the corner from us and has a son in first grad at the local charter school and a daughter one year older than baby girl. She said another neighbor had told her about our outdoor movies and how fun they were!
Community.
I have also jumped back into a fitness routine. I went on a run Tuesday morning and to a yoga class at our health club yesterday. I love to see the same people on my running route and to share a commonality with the people in yoga and at our health club. Baby girl was even able to reunite with her friends from school at the childcare. Tomorrow, I am going to attend a new class with our next door neighbor. Getting healthy with others is awesome.
Community.
And, finally, online. On Wednesday, at school, I was approached by and Instagram follower who has a child in the little guys class! She introduced herself to me and I was so glad that she did. The sense of community that I find on Instagram and by following blogs is amazing. I love seeing the homeschooler’s starting their school year; the moms sending their kids to preschool for the first time; the moms finding more time for themselves, and their passions, now that their kids are back in school. Just to know that other moms are sharing the same experiences as I am all over the country is awesome.
Community.
I love all of this.
It’s what I want for my family.
It’s what I want for my kids.
It’s what I want for myself.
Community.
home is…a feeling of fellowship.
He wanted to wear his shorts and jersey from the boys next door.
He wanted spiked hair and photos with Odyssey.
He let his sister sit in the chair for a few photos with him.
She was as excited as he was.
They waited for their friend to walk to school with us.
We stopped to look at snails, but walked quickly so we would not be late for the first day of school.
The little guy was fighting back his tears to smile for the camera.
He’s a little guy in a big school and I am sure that he had a great first day. I am so excited for him.
I get to go find out in one hour when we make the walk again. One that will become very familiar in the years to come.
I am so proud of my little guy.
home is…snips and snails and puppy dog tails.
/fāTH/
At the end of last year I decided that I wanted to explore my FAITH more.
I am surrounded by people of FAITH in many areas of my life, but am not quite sure what my FAITH is.
In a way, my goal, and my word for 2013 is FAITH.
WAIT! The year is 2/3 of the way over and I am finally sharing my word for the year?!
Yes.
This is an exploration of MY faith.
In a lot if ways it is an internal exploration.
And finding my own definition of faith.
I have chosen a few people to share this with.
Even more than that, I believe that there are certain people who have been chosen FOR me.
I am still in the very early stages of this exploration and definition…and know it is truly a lifelong journey.
However, I believe that I am ready to share this journey here, with you, in hopes that we can share with each other.
home is…sharing my journey.
we still have two weeks of summer break left around here.
although i am ready for the kids to head back to school, i am thankful {while i watch others send their kids off to school this week} that i still have two weeks to suck the marrow out of summer.
on monday i received an email from one of the moms from our friday playgroup. although we haven’t met for a playgroup in a year we still send group emails out to each other on a pretty regular basis to get together with whoever can make it whenever they can. she said that she was planning to go to the enchanted forest with her kids and wondered if anybody would be able to meet them.
my plan for tuesday was to go to oak’s park for the preschool rides, but when i saw her email i decided that the enchanted forest, where we had never been before, was just what we needed to kick start our last two weeks of summer!
my prince and princess…
poor miss muffet…
my sillies…
heading into the hansel and gretel house…uh-oh!
on to wonderland….
down the rabbit hole…
and, a little tea party…
have to admit, Alice in Wonerland is one of our favorite movies…it will be seen on an outdoor movie night someday.
looking in on the seven dwarfs house…
the squirrels were making the beds…
and, then there is this…
it’s supposed to be the witch from snow white and the seven dwarfs…
little red riding hood…
at the shootin’ gallery…
comedy theater in the woods – pinocchio…
miss jill and cade…
and, nola…who invited us to meet them!
the western town where reece had his “favorite part of the day”…
and, one of the “free” slides the kids get a chance to ride on with a genreral admission.
this was an awesome day for our 3-6 crowd…under 2 was not able to do much, and over 8 would probably be bored.
we will go again next year and change a few things:
admission averages $10 for anybody between 3-50 years old
you can bring your own food, so be sure to pack a lunch or snacks
you can re-enter the park with a stamp, so leave you lunch/snacks in a cooler and go back out to eat it (or bring it back in)
all said and done, it was a great day away from home and a spectacular kick off to our last two weeks of summer!
home is..waiting until the last minute.
So, I hear that Meg and Kimberlee are hosting Whatever Craft Weekend Seventeen this weekend!
Who’s going?!
Here are my pictures from Whatever Craft Weekend Sixteen…
When I arrived at the house it was like a dream come true.
It’s bright, fun, and full of personality!
I bought a print of the sunflower and bee photo…just waiting to find the perfect spot for it in our home.
A lot of what I have chosen to do in our home came as inspiration from the Craft House.
After exploring and snapping photos, we were called to dinner. Erin and I were chatting up in our room and Megan had to come up and get us!
Kimberlee is a fantastic cook and an incredible person.
After dinner, we moved into the workroom to make our ruffled aprons.
There is just so much happy everywhere!
I finished my apron and then stayed up until 2am with Erin while she worked on hers.
Mornings are gorgeous in the Craft House kitchen…
and out on the porch.
We ate a wonderful breakfast and headed out to shop! I started backwards with my posts, so you can read about shopping here.
After shopping, we had a little bit of downtime before getting back to crafting.
The rest of the evening was spent on our crafts, eating, and chatting the night away.
Up until 2 am again…I am not a night owl, but I will stay up late for good friends and crafting!
Another fabulous meal, photos, and back to the airport.
It was an amazing weekend that I will never forget.
Beautiful home.
Even more beautiful people.
Meg and Kimberlee, if you are even in need of a helper, give me a call! I will come back in a second!!
home is…a once in a lifetime.
stephany taddeo 