We visited an old fashioned Christmas tree farm over the weekend and brought home a beautiful tree that is making our whole house smell heavenly!   We drove “up the mountain” as the locals say here in North Carolina, to a wonderful Christmas tree farm.  We went on a hayride, chose and cut a tree and ate Christmas cookies served…

I started writing this blog post six weeks ago.  It is the first time in four years of blogging that I felt called to write something that I could not finish.  I wrote what was on my heart, what I felt God was calling me to write, but couldn’t figure out what on earth He was trying…

In my waking hours, I fantasize about sleep. Softest, restful flannel sheets and fluffy goose-down sleep.  Sleepy dozing, sweet-dreaming slumber.  The completely elusive but oft-desired perfectly perfect sleep. via    I fantasize about crawling into bed and quieting my mind, turning off my internal mommy-monitor, and I wonder how long I would sleep if no one came…

Welcome to our beach cottage living room, friends! So glad to have you here! Here is a reminder of what the space looked like when we moved in a little over a year ago.  Dark wood paneling, thick textured carpet, drop ceilings, and swingin’ plastic saloon doors separating the living room and kitchen (my husband actually…

I may have finally identified the deep-seeded psychological reason that Pinterest is so easy to love (and hard to leave).  For me, and many like-minded others, it provides a mental vacation to a land of perfection . . . or “Pinfection,” if you will.  Even if for only a precious, glorious twenty minutes a day, …

  Dear God, Thank you so much for Autumn afternoons. And my little loves who share its beauty with me. It is well with my soul.

{love} {two of  the loves of my life} {real life in the kitchen window} {a new chandelier for the beach cottage kitchen} {fall leaves and cottage eaves} To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.

We are happily settling in to life as a family of four.  Caring for a toddler and a newborn is the most challenging thing I have ever done, but by far the most rewarding.  I am so in love with my boys and just amazed with every day that I get to spend with them. …

I so wanted to make a special nursery space for baby James. Nesting is such a special time for me during pregnancy. Since our beach cottage is small, we didn’t have a separate bedroom for a nursery.  I played around with different ideas.  I considered having Wynn and James together in one room, but Wynn’s…

6 days old