Thrifty Finds

The other day I was in Michael's and spotted this little tray. It was too cute to pass up at $5.00. They could make for a great gift. I added it to my living room for now just for an additional touch of whimsy.

Then while KJ was at tutoring I stopped into a local antique/flea mall and spotted this umbrella stand for $8.00!!! It looks like it was broken once before and then restored, but for me it added to the character of the old piece. So happy to now have a spot for our umbrella's and KJ's many walking sticks.

Found any great steals lately?

A Few Days

This past Wednesday the Mr woke up and declared we must go to Atlanta for a few days. At first I was a bit apprehensive, because this was the month I was hoping to save a little money. I am so happy that we went anyway! We got a great deal on priceline and stayed at the Hilton Downtown. I did not realize how badly we needed to get out of the grind of every day life. It was three days of uninterrupted family time. It was blissful and something that has been missing lately. Life can become a tangle of busyness and the things that I hold to great value pass by much too quickly. I am so grateful to have been able to reconnect before school starts and our wedding season started back once again. Family is what matters most and I simply don't want to miss these years that fly by much too quickly.

We did a few of our favorite things, eat well, take long walks, and enjoy the hotel pool. We even managed to stop into Kayce Hughes who was having a huge sale and scored a few cute dresses for less than Target prices. Woo-hoo!

Less than a week and half before school starts and I am simply not ready. I am ready in the sense that all school supplies have been bought, but my heart is not. I am in the midst of our church's 21 days of prayer once again and am prayerfully seeking that this year I don't fall apart again. I really am quite useless when I can't hold it together. I need to be able to breath without the lump in my throat. To not feel the anxiety that I do and try to squash it with "busyness". I miss out on life this way. I miss out on what is happening in my friends lives, I do not take care of my husband the way I should and even sometimes think bad thoughts because he seems to have it together ALL the time, I even miss out on the times I have with the kiddos because I can only focus on how to "fix" what is wrong inside me. I am a mess, I know this full well hence me seeking the only place I can find true peace...

When I said, "My foot is slipping," your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.  ~ Psalm 94: 18-19

The Important Things...

This is Ashley and John Mark. We shot their wedding years ago and since then they quickly became people I can not do life without. They are generous, sincere, love life to the fullest, and to say they are fun would be an understatement. We can go weeks without talking and then once we do, we don't skip a beat. We have cried together, laughed together, and now will parent together. They are adopting and I could not be more thrilled!!! Like jump up and down, she had to come over at odd hours of the night to tell me the whole story, kind of excited.

Image by Joanna Ballentine

I know they will make the best parents. She has had plenty of practice loving on mine over the years. I am so happy the time has come for them to join in this journey of parenthood. Ashley has taught me to loosen up at times, to love more passionately, and has advised me in many of my hair needs. You know all the important things in life.

I am sure you all know how expensive adoption can be. Like crazy expensive. So I was thinking if everyone who read this little blog of mine donated what they can big or small we could make this dream of theirs a reality with much less of a financial burden on them. How great would that be?!?!? Adopting and being a new parent in general is hard enough on its own. They have a few ways to donate. HERE you can read more about their story and give a tax deductible donation. HERE you can buy a piece of gorgeous jewelry through the month of August and all proceeds will go to them. I have this necklace and have an E and K on it and it is one of my favorite pieces. They make great gifts too. Christmas will be here before we know it.

xoxo - Paula