The Calm Before the Storm

It is so very humid, and I’m sitting outside on my front porch. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I’m reconsidering, ha! A mourning dove is keeping my company though, and I will try to make it a little longer.

Friends, I hope you have had an amazing week! I have been doing my best to relax over the past couple of days. I feel like this is “the calm before the storm” since we plan to restart our home school in the beginning of August. Not that home school is a storm. Not in the least! But life does become more busy when we pick up the books again.

I still have some planning to do, which I hope to take care of next week. At this point, I will probably only plan a few weeks at a time. It likely is better this way anyhow. That way I won’t have to spend time crossing out and erasing as plans change…they likely will.

I spent more time reading to my children today, and I probably will next week, too. This will help us to ease into it. I still need to purchase our math and finance curriculum. We are going with Teaching Textbooks and Dave Ramsey’s program.

Speaking of Dave Ramsey, I’ve recently decided to start reigning in our spending a bit. Starting in late August is our “birthday season.” I call it that because we have five birthdays over the course of five weeks. That amounts to a lot of presents! I usually try to keep the decorations and food costs minimal though, and we usually have a small gathering with a grandparent or two.

We also have a beach trip planned for September, and our final payment for the vacation rental is due in August. I think it will be smart to spend as little money as we can while planning for these things.

I will be interested to see how my senior likes her Finance curriculum. I hope she enjoys it. I sure wish I would have been taught these concepts when I was younger. But to be honest, it might not have mattered because I was pretty hard headed! In my younger years I always had to learn things the hard way. Thankfully now I am wiser and I listen to good advice the first time around.

Well, now I hear thunder in the distance. If it rains, it will be a good thing. I’m sure my garden will be thankful! Pop up storms are common for us in Georgia because of the high humidity and heat.

I hope you and your children have an amazing school year ahead of you! Thank you so much for stopping by today.

Blessings, Nicole

If you would like to take a peek at my Etsy shop, please click here.

Celebrating My Son’s Birthday

Hey friends, and welcome.

Today my oldest son turned twenty-years-old. It was so nice to celebrate him! He is such a kind young man and I love spending time with him.

Mamas, life with our children is fleeting. So fleeting. I now know to cherish every moment I spend with them.

At the same time, it is a joy to see them grow up! It is a good thing for them to spread their wings and live a life of their own.

We took him out to eat at Jim ‘N Nick’s and then we went bowling. Or, my two oldest sons went bowling, I guess you can say. My husband and I watched, which was totally cool with me. I enjoyed cheering them on!

I made a chocolate cake from scratch, and it turned out good. I used to be so intimidated to make cakes from scratch, but after doing it a few times I realized it wasn’t so bad after all. I love knowing what ingredients are going into each cake.

It has been a really nice day!

I also canned a batch of carrots and washed some clothing over the weekend. The house is a mess, but that’s okay. I will get to that tomorrow.

Thank you so much for stopping by today, friends!

Blessings, Nicole

If you would like to take a peek at my Etsy shop, please click here.

Loving Motherhood in My Forties

My daughter got a new camera for her birthday and took the sweetest picture. I wanted to share it with you all!

Out of everything I’ve done in my life, being a mother ranks at the top in importance. Motherhood has stretched me like never before, and God has used it to refine so many of my character traits.

I’m not sure if I’ll have any more babies since I’m in my forties. But I’m actually really loving this season of life I’m in. For the first time in forever, we are out of diapers! All of my children are old enough to converse, which is so much fun. While pregnancy and breastfeeding are great, my body feels more fit and rested than it has in a long time.

I think it’s important to embrace whatever season we are in, because God has a good plan for it.

Here’s a photo of our youngest. He is a ball of energy, and so much fun.

I can hardly believe that I am so blessed to spend my life with these little guys!

I hope you have a wonderful day, friends! My plan is to hang out with my family, jog, preserve crops, and finish a couple of Etsy orders.

Blessings, Nicole

If you’d like to take a peek at my Etsy shop, please click here.