Someone (well that's a hard one!) made some new permanent marker lines all over our back-of-the-basement-door family growth chart. I guess it will just add to the memories?
My autumn staples: the crock pot full of dinner and apple pie for dessert.
We have had so much rain in the last few weeks. I don't really mind because we didn't get much all summer.
I made old-fashioned white bread in my breadmaker and then declared at dinner that it was a grilled cheese night. I love an easy dinner don't you? I need that break once in awhile.
The leaves are officially falling.
Abbey spent the night at a regatta last weekend and when I went to wake up Andrew for cross country I did a double-take when I walked by Abbey's room. This little guy told me that his room was "haunted" the night before and he couldn't fall asleep in his own bed.
Those are my two brothers and this is my favorite picture of them. Andy is on the left, Joe is on the right. Andy lives in Ireland with his wife and little baby boy, and Joe flies for Marine One. Earlier this year Joe had an assigned trip over to Ireland and they had a chance to meet up. Aren't they handsome? And guess what? They are nice too.
Here is my second favorite picture of them.
Coming out of lurkdom here. Interestingly enough I found your blog through Pinterest! Somebody pinned your blog entry about waxing leaves. Your house is gorgeous, there's no reason for you to hate it! The downside of Pinterest for me is that my husband's honey-do-list keeps growing ;-) The upside is that it's getting me off my behind and inspiring me to finish my projects and as a (Catholic) homeschooling mom of 5 it's given me so many ideas for arts and crafts. But I do have to temper how much time I have to waste being on it.
ReplyDeleteAna Maria
What do you clean your crockpot with? I have the same one and mine is definitely not that shiny.
ReplyDeleteSoooo glad to hear you say that about pinterest! I'm not the only one.....
ReplyDeleteThanks for your lovely blog. It's my fav. I "save" your posts until a time in the day when I can take my time and really read it and enjoy it.: )
K - Sarah! This is EXACTLY what I was talking about in our e-mails! Between Pinterest and all of the AMAZING home decor blogs it is so easy to start feeling like your home just isn't good enough. You linked to one of my favorite posts ever and I'm still planning on mentioning it too! Pinterest is such a great and awful thing all in one! I'm impressed you quit. I'm way too addicted to do that - I'm beyond help really. :)
ReplyDeleteI love what you said about pinterest. I've gotten some really great and useful things out of it. But I've also come away feeling depressed about the way my own life looks too. {Not good to ever compare your life, your home, your wardrobe, etc. to anyone else's, I know!} I like the inspiration, but I don't want to feel down about my life. I know I'm very blessed. It's hard to find balance between being inspired by Pinterest, or even other blogs for that matter, and having them blind you from all the blessings you already have. Your blog is so refreshing. You are a wonderful breath of fresh air for me in blogland. :)
ReplyDelete~Robin
You're so right. My pastor actually touched on this topic last Sunday...accepting what you have for the treasure of perfection awaits us in Heaven. Awh...so nice to know. A reminder I need to often, and now realize that maybe I too should sign off of such temptation.
ReplyDeleteGood Girl. Stay away! Love the photos of your brothers! And the one of Andrew sleeping in Abby's room. Will does the same thing! And..I think I'm going to ask for that bread machine for Christmas! I'm tired of making it the old fashioned way! :)
ReplyDeleteFunny thing Sarah....I loved the pictures of your dining room so much, I copied the wall color and curtains for my master bedromm! Pinterest- sminterest!
ReplyDeleteSo don't look at the house stuff on Pinterest, just all the awesome food! Hey, I am a happily married woman, but your brother Joe is HOT! :-)
ReplyDeleteLoved your comments about Pinterest. Old fashioned brains must think alike. Adorable pics of your brothers as well. ADORABLE.
ReplyDeleteThe funny thing is....I walk away from the computer, loving YOUR house. I've admired everything from your streamlined kitchen to your front screen door!
ReplyDeleteBut really, are we not lucky to have a warm house, filled with food, family and love? The rest is all just things. stuff. no more. no less. You are so right in reminding us of that.
Hi Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI love your ordinary days entries. It is just so nice to see someone else enjoying or looking for things to enjoy about ordinary days. This morning my 2 1/2 year old asked me if we had to go somewhere. I told him we just get to stay home and have an ordinary day, his response was priceless, a big cheer and jump for joy! I love ordinary days as much as he does, I think I will jump for joy too!
Have you had other bread machines? Do you like this one best? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah, loved this post. It is so true and why I can't bring myself to join pintrest. It looks fun and all but i need to be happy with me and what i already have. I love your blog.
ReplyDeleteI opened a pinterest account to get ideas for my bathroom re-do and I felt the same way! It is such a major time suck and instead of making me feel inspired it makes me feel like I'm failing. So, I stopped going on it and I don't miss it one bit. If only I could do the same with facebook...my other major time waster!
ReplyDeleteHoly smoke your brother Joe looks like your Dad!!! They are twins! As far as the website I am not even going to peek because blogland does enough damage to my fragile house psych, I don't need any more anguish. I will continue to aspire to your simple and clean counters!
ReplyDeleteSo funny...I found your blog through pinterest! Your amazing looking feta dip brought me here!! :) I'm a bit addicted too but keep it all in perspective. I'm loving your blog!
ReplyDeleteI love reading your blog and your honesty! I have adopted your cleaning schedule and a clean house definitely makes me content!
ReplyDeleteHow I love reading your blog. I agree 100%! Pinterest makes me feel so discontent and like I am lagging behind. I start to look at my surroundings and think everything is old. (it really isn't!)
ReplyDeleteI love my home and my life and refuse to let the world wide web change that! :)
Oh I so hear you with pinterest...it has made me hate my entire wardrobe, made me feel major Mommy guilt for not doing more projects/science experiements and made me want a new house! I have stopped it for the most part except to get ideas to teach preschool which I'm doing with my daughter this year.
ReplyDeleteJust read through the comments and have to add my own...I am totally the black sheep here.
ReplyDeletePinterest actually makes me happy! I LOVE to see beautiful things and just looking at them reminds me of what a beautiful life I have. I don't have a perfectly decorated dream home, but am happy with what I have. I have found some incredible recipes, crafts to do with kids, and easy little things I can switch up or add to my home.
I am just recovering from breast cancer so maybe that adds to my joy in all the amazing things this world and life have to offer. You have such a beautiful home and if something makes you think otherwise, absolutely stay away! We all have so much to be thankful for, we don't need to be convinced otherwise!
AMEN! Love it :) I love Abby's bedding... we are working on a new 'plan' for my 10 year old daughter's room in the basement and I love the blue walls and polkadots. You're so great to remind everyone (especially yourself :) to keep it simple. Have a happy day!
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah! I love your blog. I love the simplicity of it and the messages you post. You say what you feel and what works for you and your family and I admire that. You also give some amazing advice :)
ReplyDeleteI just started blogging and I want to thank you for your banner post! I had no idea how create and make my blog somewhat attractive but you showed me step by step, so THANK YOU!!! I love the Picasa app!!
I have a cooking blog as well as an everyday blog. Check out my cooking blog sometime if you get a chance. I started it because my friends were always asking me for recipes and asking me "whats for dinner?" I just started and have lots of recipes to post, but with blogging you have to have pictures, so I have to wait till I make a recipe and get the pictures before i can post it. Here is the blog if your interested, http://marinmamacooks.blogspot.com/
Keep up the great posting!
I have not even looked at Pinterest for fear I will get sucked in. Kinda like in college and all my friends got credit cards (which their parents paid for) and I didn't cause no one would have paid mine for me and I didn't want the temptation. I have a few blogs I read most days, yours included, and some I check once in a while. All are filled with great ideas that fit my personality, budget and creative need.
ReplyDeleteI knew I avoided Pinterest for a reason. Thanks for the warning!
ReplyDeletePinterest does the opposite for me. I find it gives me ideas on how I can enhance what I have on a budget :)
ReplyDeleteI love when my kids sleep together, it's so sweet!
Someone took a sharpie to my mattress once and now everytime I change the sheets it reminds me of when they were little :)
Thanks for the reminder to love what you have and focus on contentment!
ReplyDeleteBrowsing Pinterest is like entering a Black Hole! I went on one day and when I looked at the clock, HOURS had gone by. Did I ever feel a sinking feeling in my stomach that I had wasted so much time! Almost a panicky feeling!
ReplyDeleteMy 2 yr old took a Sharpie to the front of 2 desk drawers and 4 feet of desktop. I got it out with nail polish remover on cotton balls- worked like a charm! (I suggest testing a small area beforehand).
Thanks for the great blog and your "ordinary days!"
I went to Bunko the other night and she had made everyone grilled cheese as a late night snack. She made regular old grilled cheese on white bread but then she also made....grilled ham, Gruyere cheese and tart cherry jam. Holy Moly...it was good! Sorry about the whole pinterest thing. I can see where you are coming from but I still love it so♥
ReplyDeleteI love this post! I'm so glad that you wrote that about pinterest! You always have something thought-provoking to say and I love your blog!
ReplyDeleteYour brothers are really handsome. Also, I feel exactly the same way you do about Pinterest. I'm much happier about what I have if I'm not looking there. I'm not as tempted to make treats either, which is good for my waistline.
ReplyDeleteI liked you a lot, but after this post, I like you even more. I'm an 'old soul' myself, and I always enjoy your refreshing reminders. Much love and prayers and peace to you and yours
ReplyDeleteA fellow Catholic young mum,
You write everything I wish I could write in my non-existent blog with my non-existent other kids. I must confess that I pinned something from your blog to Pinterest. But Pinterest was losing my interest UNTIL I got an iPhone for my birthday in September. Now I have a Pinterest app and it comes creeping back. But I don't use it on my laptop anymore. I think I'll just pin things, but never re-pin things.. Anyway. Thank you for writing, it's incredible. Have a good Autumn.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know there was a Pinterest app! I am in trouble!
ReplyDeleteOoh! A Pinterest app! I am in trouble!
ReplyDeleteloved your posts this week. I also recently joined pininterst. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteHere's something that helps me so much, and you don't even have to "pin" it :) ....
-Beware of the Compare; we are SEEING others best, and we KNOW our worst. See what an unfair match up that is?
I have to stop and remember this when I think, wow, I'm not as good of as mother as that person, or as supportive wife, as good of a friend, etc.
I have to guard against that compare trap alot!
Dang, we women are so hard on ourselves. I adore and am so jealous my husband seems to lack this gene.
I love your blog, thanks for keeping it real.
I love pinterest but I rarely browse pinterest. Instead I just use it to pin things I come across in blogland that I would normally bookmark. At least pinterest keeps it organized enough to make it easy to actually refer back to something later. I almost never login to the site to look at my dashboard (or whatever you call it) so it isn't the time sucker for me that it potentially could be.
ReplyDeleteNow that being said, I could easily waste hours and hours on Pinterest if I let myself. It is beyond easy to become addicted. So much loveliness in one place.
Awesome post (one of many) thank you!!
ReplyDeleteWell here is a familiar situation. About that Pinterest...HAHAHA! I too was suckered into joining Pinterest, only one has to go through Facebook to do it. WHOA! A double time sucking whammy. So I asked for an invite to Pinterest, opened up a Facebook account, decided I hated Pinterest and started spending too much time on Facebook. I need more time spent on the computer like I need a whole in the head. Not only would I be on FB now, but Pinterest also. I shut them both down and decided both were a huge waste of time. I allow myself my blog and that's it.
ReplyDeleteYou're a wise girl. I love you.
ReplyDeleteRead this post the other day. It made me stronger and I deleted my Pinterest and FB accounts this morning. What you said really resonated with me. I know it works for some people, but all they did was add stress to my life. Thank you! :)
ReplyDeleteOh, how I love your blog and have missed it. Been out of town for a week and had little internet access.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you are on Pinterest now!
Is Joe single? :-)
Ha, and somehow I missed your last paragraphy. Way to go knowing yourself well.
ReplyDeleteI have really enjoyed Pinterest but I don't have a smartphone so it helps that I'm only on it for about 10 mins a day.
Sarah, you are so smart. And you have the courage to say what you think, and do what's best for you and your family, even when those decisions may go against the grain. I love you for that. You have hit upon the big challenge for all of us--finding contentment and peace in a world that makes us feel that we are never enough. Thank you for your example!
ReplyDelete