Where the Wild Things Are

Yes, we are that family in the neighborhood that just may have a huge tent hanging out in their front yard. It adds character right? Growing up I have the most fond memories of all our family camping and hiking trips to Maine and Vermont. We weren't well off and camping was and still isway more economical than say Disney World especially when you lived all the way in Massachusetts. My dad being a forestry engineer would take us on hunts to find every kind of leaf and bug imaginable. My mom would make me wear an awful orange beanie so I wouldn't be shot by hunters. I remember hating it at the time, but now having kiddos of my own I would probably make them wear a bright orange jumpsuit so the hat technically wasn't that bad. Sorry mom. The Mr camped too and the kiddos always love hearing stories about all his wild bear encounters he had while camping in the Colorado mountains. They are riveting I tell you and the kiddos never grow tired of hearing them. With so many camping stories told the kiddos asked why we didn't camp too. Good question. So now we are the proud owners of a huge tent and hammocks. We have only actually stayed it in one night in the yard simply because Alabama is still a million degrees too hot and my hot flashes can't handle it. So now we wait for the cool fall air to move in and we will be off making memories and adventures of our own. Hopefully ours remain without any bear encounters.

Source: hammocks | hammock straps | tent

Memory Maker

Do you have a room in your house that you practically live in? Our TV room happens to be it for us. I am sure it is the same for many. I would not say it's just because the tv lives here, or the sofa is the most comfortable even if he sheds feathers constantly, or the fact that its the room that leads to every other space in our home. These are the things it holds, but the memories that have been made here is what makes it my favorite. This room is where we have Friday family movie nights, this is where the neighborhood kids have all rallied around watching the Mr defeat Donkey Kong on the wii-u, this is where sister and brother will unite on rainy days playing some sort of Lego world. Homework is done here, art projects created here, reading time is conquered here. For 8 weeks I slept on this sofa after my burn. When the kiddos don't feel well this too is where they sleep so we can reach them at a moments notice. At night, after the kiddos are suppose to be in bed, this is where Ellie comes trotting down the stairs looks through the railing and tells us of something oh so pressing. These stairs have been stomped up when told to go clean their rooms and I have come crashing down them. Football games with friends have been watched here and it amazes me how many people we can fit into this tiny room. It holds the laughter and roars that I am sure all our neighbors can hear. This is where we stream our church's 21 days of prayer twice a year and this is where I have seen the kiddos and my faith grow leaps and bounds. This room brings comfort when we are hurt, sad, happy, or just need plain ole down time. It's where we unwind after busy days, and connect with the kiddos daily, it's our special place. Funny how a space even just a rented space can become so much to one family. When it becomes less about the stuff in the room and more about the feeling it brings and the people in it. It's where life happens, our life happens. Now to only figure out how to capture every memory made here, the good and the bad, and bottle it away for safe keeping. One day when the kiddos grow older and I need the rush of something oh so ordinary I will dislodge the top and let the emotions envelop me reminding me of the days spent here in this very place for I know these days are fleeting.

sources: sofa | pillows on sofa {custom} | pillow on black chair {bought at market, but similar here} | black chair | coffee table antique {similar} | kidschairs | bench bought at Scott's {fabric from here} | thick wood frame room & board | wooden antelope home goods | type box | big art over sofa West Elm {similar} | top art print by Clare Elsaesser| bottom done by the Mr's sister | tall lamp home goods {similar}  | danish chair home goods {similar} | pillow custom | throw target {similar} | wall paint talc by Martha Stewart for Home Depot

Rent

When we moved into this rental owned by a dear friend I did not know what to expect. We moved unexpectedly and although not far it was a shift in life. A new town, a new school, new neighbors, and new friends kept me on my toes. The toes of a ballerina whose shoes look beautiful on the outside, but wrapped and scared on the in. The older I have become the more unsettled I feel with change. The not knowing, the feeling of falling enveloped me. What I did not know at the time was that a year later that was exactly what I needed. I needed to have only my family to hold on to, I needed to be removed from my comfort zone, I needed to find me again. My daily prayers became screams of needing God more and that is exactly what I got while going through a long hard year. Five months of this year I was more in bed than out of it. I counted and it was an eye opening realization. Between sickness, my burns, and pure exhaustion I succumb to rest. It was what I needed. I did not realize I was running on empty so much so I did not know what anything but that could feel like anymore. Everything overwhelmed me. I stopped hearing Him clearly and once forced to stop it was all I could do but stop and listen. To worship in the quiet, to read the word in the quiet, to reach out in the quiet. I would love to say I'm finally in a good place, but I won't. I'm not sure I want to be. I have grown to desire that place where I realize I can't do anything well on my own and need God to renew me daily. This renewing let's me breath again.

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. - Isaiah 40:31

source: rug overstock | bistro table sold in stores | pillows pottery barn last year {similar, similar} | lantern {it also lived here} | ceiling color sea salt by Sherwin Williams