Our State Fair is a Great State Fair

Last week Ben traveled for work and we missed him terribly.  It was quite a shock to my system to have had him by my side since June and to suddenly have him in an entirely different time zone.  I'm thankful for his job and thankful for FaceTime and I couldn't be more thankful for my mom.  She left work and her own husband (that would be my dad) to come be with me while Ben is away.  Not only is she incredibly helpful (she cooks! cleans! and holds my baby!), but she is a great deal of fun.  I would do just about anything for her.  I've always said that - and have always meant it - but during her visit the rubber met the road, as they say.

My mom has never been to the state fair.  And neither have I.  But I have never had the desire to go.  The crowds, the lines, the cost, the smell.  But my mom wanted to go.  And how could I say no?  I really would do anything for her.  So we devised a plan, tickets were procured and off we went.

I'm so, so, so glad we took the plunge.  Despite getting lost, never finding the enormous vegetables, and being slightly overwhelmed by the crowds, we had a good time because we were together.  We ate sweet potato chip, people watched, enjoy Elijah enjoying the sights and sounds and yes, smells.  Now we can say that we have been to the fair!

A New Season

I feel like today is the start of a new season for our little family of three.  Ben has traveled since starting work and thankfully, thankfully my mom graciously agreed to come keep me company during that time.  Ben returned, my mom left, and that takes us to today.  Ben goes to work and Elijah and I will be at home.  Together.  By ourselves.  All day long.  All week long.

I am equal parts terrified and excited.  It feels as though we've been working towards this all summer and now we are finally here.  I'm entirely grateful for the opportunity to stay home and mother Elijah.  I am aware that this isn't something that is available to most and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to be at home.  I am also sure that this will be far, far harder than any job I've held prior to this.  Loving and caring for my boy requires me to sacrifice in a deeper, harder, more beautiful way than I've ever done.  But I'm thankful for that.  I'm hopeful that the Lord will use this season to shape and grow me.  I battle daily with selfishness and laziness and I know that the only way that I will be able to combat those desires will be to rely on the strength of the Lord.  I will need His strength to lay down my life for my son.  I am confident that He will provide me with the strength and ability to love to do so because He did not hesitate to lay down His own Son that we might know and love Him.  When I focus on that, I have a feeling that we will be just fine. 

Oh me oh my oh

Well. 

I said I would be back to tell you the story of how I met Ben.  And here I am, nearly a week later, without a single word of the story.  My most sincere apologies.  I wish I could tell you the story over tea.  Although we are year-round tea drinkers at our house, it is finally tea weather.  I am so thankful and so excited about chilly mornings, sweaters and scarves, hot beverages of all sorts and pumpkins.  And mums.  And my husband in flannel shirts.  And my clogs.  Oh fall, you are my favorite.

So about that tea...I would tell you the story of how my mandolin lessons turned into a fun summer fling that turned into a long distance relationship that turned into a marriage.  And now we have a baby.  And that baby is the very reason I haven't had time to sit down and tell you this story properly.  Hopefully, I will find the time to do so soon, but I have now learned my lesson: do not make post promises.  Not when there is a sweet baby to cuddle with and enjoy. 

For now, I leave you with a picture of said sweet baby and a very loosey goosey promise to be in this space again someday and to tell you that story sometime. 

I will definitely be adding babies in cute hats to my fall favorites list. 

An interview

Good morning.

We are home.  We've actually been here more than a week, but it only just now feels like we might be hitting our stride.  Last week was hard.  Thankfully we were able to escape for a few days of pure enjoyment with friends.  I'll be telling you more about that later this week.

Ben starts work tomorrow.  Our summer together is drawing to a close.  So it is with him (and that sweet boy of ours) that I'll spend my moments today.  I'll be back here tomorrow with a story of how I met this man, this man of my dreams.

I'm over at my dear friend's blog today, sharing a little bit about our life.  You can find my full interview here.  Stay awhile and poke around.  L*Joy is one of the nicest people on the internet and in the day-to-day life.  You simply will not find better recipes or conversation.

Enjoy.

Seven Quick Takes

This evening, I sleepily give you seven quick takes.

1.  We are in Asheville.  It is beautiful.  The cool mornings, warm days, and chilly evenings take my breath away.  I'm thankful that my parents have chosen this beautiful place to call home.

2.  Eli is squawking up a storm.  He has found his voice and hearing that sweet voice melts me every time I hear it.  I wonder what he is saying, thinking, learning...

3.  A dear friend of mine has been offered a job that will bring her closer to me!!!! and will reunite her with her husband.  (Obviously I am grateful that she and her husband will be back together under the same roof, but a lovely side benefit is that she will be close to me!)  I'm so thankful that the Lord has provided this opportunity for her.  I am so looking forward to spending time with her once she is back in the Triangle.

4.  Ben, Eli and I visited the Biltmore House this afternoon.  We picnicked and strolled through the beautiful grounds.  While there we ran into a friend of mine from high school.  Reuniting with her was so lovely.  She reminded me that I missed our ten year (!) high school reunion a few weeks ago.  Ten years.  That is unbelievable.

5.  I'm dreaming of our fall garden.  Our summer garden (seen in this post) was neglected after Elijah was born.  It gave us plenty of basil, a handful of jalapenos, tons of cucumbers and a few tomatoes.  The squirrels attacked our tomatoes, we had a baby and well, it just all got out of hand.  But, I'm looking forward to a fall garden.  I need to do a bit of research to figure out what we can grow.  Any ideas?  I'm hoping that our early October return to Raleigh won't be too late to start this project. 

6.  We are going out for breakfast and lunch tomorrow.  We plan to eat dinner with our new Asheville friends.  Decadent, no?

7.  And finally, my dearest friend, my Diana welcomed her precious baby girl into this wide world on Monday morning.  I am thrilled for her, so thankful for her and so excited for her and this new baby girl.  I wish I was hoping on a plane to see her sweet family.  I'm so, so incredibly thankful that we are in this season of mommahood together.  She is an incredible mother and I'm thankful for her friendship. 

Quick, quick, quick!  Now off to bed!  Good night!

Twice as Nice

It was a busy day. 

Ben and I'd recently purchased our first home.  After hiring and a contractor to pull down a wall standing between our kitchen and dining room, we spent weeks putting the finishing touches on our home, preparing for moving day.  (And when I say "we" I mean Ben.  Completely and utterly Ben.  100%.  I was about five months pregnant at the time and transplanting bushes and painting sheds weren't high on my list.)  And moving day had finally arrived.

Moving is exciting and exhilarating but thoroughly exhausting and soul-sucking, if you ask me.  Pro tip: schedule your move when you are at least five months pregnant.  It makes for long, weary weeks of prepping and packing, but people come out of the woodwork to help you prepare and movet.  We are incredibly blessed with dear family and a close community of people who would've stepped up, pregnancy notwithstanding and for them we are forever grateful.

My parents drove up on the Friday before moving day, picking up a lawnmower we'd put on hold at a nearby Sears and a delicious dinner.  My dad and Ben spent much of that afternoon and the following morning running all over town picking up our Craigslist bargains and hauling them to the new house in the back of my parents minivan.  While they were haggling and loading and unloading my mom and I did a little work of our own...but not of the moving variety.

I'd heard about the Twice as Nice consignment sale from a few friends and decided that I needed to spend the morning "working" on preparing for the arrival of our sweet boy by doing a little bit of baby shopping, instead of the final moving tasks I should've been doing.  See paragraph three again for my deep gratitude to our sweet friends for making this little escape possible.  My mom and I zipped over to the sale and spent a wonderful morning, relaxing and bargain hunting.  What a sale!  We found loads of cute clothes and books and accessories, including this cute terrycloth number, modeled here by Elijah Benjamin.  The sale was well organized and the prices couldn't be beat.  That hour spent marveling over the tiniest socks and onesies (nearly all of which he has outgrown) was the perfect respite in an otherwise completely hectic day.

So why this story today?  The sale is back and you don't want to miss it.  I plan to be there and thankfully have no plans to move that weekend.  Hope to see you there!!

Twice as Nice Kids Consignment Sale
October 9-13, 2012
MacGregor Village Shopping Center
107 Edinburgh South Drive, Suite 151
Cary, NC 27511
Consignor/Volunteer spots still available!
www.twiceasnice4tots.com

While all opinions are my own, this post qualifies me to be entered in a drawing for a gift card to the Twice as Nice sale. 

{this moment}

A Friday ritual started by SouleMama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.