So, I'm trying to write more this month.

I take part in this writing challenge for the month of February.



(So, I actually wrote this post two weeks ago.
And then I thought I needed to add a photo.
Which never happened.
And it sat and sat and sat.
The guilt increased.
The motivation decreased.
I thought it had to be perfect.

But I don't want the pressure of perfect.
I just want to write.
So now I'm sharing it so I can write more and share more.
Continue on.)

But sometimes I just have boring things to write about.

Heck, sometimes my day is just kinda slightly or majorly boring.

I don't always have a ton of interaction with anybody besides an adorable three year old.
Hubby is entering has now entered his busy season with extra long weekdays and Saturday commitments.
And in the snow and cold, honestly, some days I just can't bear the thought of leaving the house.

So hunker down for the next few weeks with me as I try to find the beauty in the boring.
The meaningful in the mundane.
And the holy in the humdrum of every day.

And I'm ok with the fact that some days may not be that interesting to my readers.  Some days I just write for me.  And you get to peek at those musings if you so choose.

But with a month full of writing to do, some days may need a little extra inspiration.

If you've got any writing prompts or suggestions, feel free to leave me a comment.

I am so grateful that Catherine has two sets of grandparents within the near vicinity!

A few days ago I made plans for Catherine to go to Josh's parents for a night so we could enjoy a nice evening alone.

We love going to restaurants, and it's a totally different experience to go out for dinner with a three year old vs. just the two of us!

Photo taken Dec. 2013, was this our last dressy date??

So, Saturday, we got to enjoy a fabulous dinner out, as well as wandering around Target for a bit.  I will point out the irony that 75% of the items in our cart were for Catherine.  That girl is just too easy to buy for!

Saturday night The Blizzard Linus hit.  Sidenote:  who knew they were now naming blizzards??

Church Sunday was canceled, and other than dropping off some Redbox rentals, we had no where to go.  So, Date Night extended into Date Day.  The snow kept coming Sunday, so it was a good thing I packed extra clothes for Catherine.

Today, I still didn't think it was safe to be out on the snow and ice covered roads, so our Date Weekend continued, as Josh had the day off work.

We've been able to FaceTime a few times with Catherine, so that keeps us from missing her too terribly.  And I think she'd be happy to spend countless days with Papa and Granice (that's Grandma Janice), watching Mickey and eating ice cream.

 I've enjoyed sleeping in, napping on the couch, watching non-cartoon dvd's, staying in PJ's, and soaking up a bit of quiet.  There have been a couple times I went back to default mode:  once I thought I heard her crying in bed, and at bedtime on the first night alone I locked the gate at the top of the stairs - something I do every night to help ensure her containment.

But, tomorrow Josh will head back to work.  I will dress and leave the house.  And Little Girl will return home.

Grateful for a nice little break.

Last week, somehow at dinner I ended up quoting a song by Simon & Garfunkel.  This then led to Josh finding it on his phone and playing it for us all.

Catherine is totally on a music kick currently.  She's still singing Christmas carols (her own versions of "Joy to the World" and "Away in a Manger").  And the toys she's enjoying most at this moment are ones that play music.  And that's all she wants to do with them - listen to the music.  Even two toys playing two different songs at the same time (yikes!).

So, she was hooked once Josh started playing the Simon and G-Funk.

He kept the songs coming, and before long, Catherine was standing up on her chair, arms raised, hips swaying, pig-tails bopping, dancing to the tunes.

After awhile, it developed into a daddy-daughter dance.




Eventually we all ended up on the kitchen floor with another of our family dance parties.

It.Was.Beautiful.

We could have reprimanded our daughter for standing on her chair.
We could have reminded her to eat her dinner and play later.
We could have said electronics don't belong at the table.

And we would have missed a beautiful moment.

Beauty in the mundane.



Don't miss it.

The other night part of me felt like blogging something, and part of me felt like just browsing Pinterest.  So, I combined them both into this:

Random thoughts while scrolling through Pinterest...

oh dear, step by step directions on how to make heart shaped pancakes; yes, it's that time again!

why do recipes keep showing up in my pinterest feed??  grrr, just give me home decor!

seriously, why do i have to keep unfollowing the same boards again and again?!

"how to clean your whole house in one hour" - they haven't seen MY house!

mmmm, brie.  i have a love affair with brie.  (that's a cheese, folks; just in case i needed to clarify)

"lipstick art"???

i wish i knew what i wanted to create (and, no, it isn't lipstick art!)

homemade ketchup??  for when you clearly have too much free time

i heart free printables.  not that i ever actually print any of them...

white kitchen LOVE!!

fashion schmashion

you can freeze eggs???

oh, i'm supposed to clean my car vents??

baby sleep tips - don't need those anymore

my chalkboard writings never look that pretty!

homemade heart shaped marshmallows.   ay, yi, yi.

really?  there's a formula for how to decorate or design a room?!

yes, lemon and blueberries - i was just telling catherine how much i love this combo!

wood paneled shower??  not sure about that one...

yes, this is what i have been wanting in between our kitchen and laundry room!!

how to declutter your day - just what i need!

one word:  shiplap!

Feeling giddy and full of love and happiness at this moment.  Even though we are a household of sickies - coughs and colds, we have much to be thankful for.

So glad for our extended family nearby.

For extended in-laws who invite us into their family and into their home.  To share their food and their family traditions.

For singing and Christmas caroling.

For Christmas lights and Christmas trees.  Ornaments that Catherine helped put on the tree this year.

For this angel of ours who got to participate in her first Christmas pageant:


For generosity and unexpected gifts in the mail.

For Christmas cards - the ones we send and the ones we receive.  Even the ones where we don't even know the sender.  Ha!

For Christmas Break and times of rest and extra sleep.

For coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and other beverages to keep us warm and toasty.

For unexpected warmer temps and even a bit of sunshine this week.

For celebrating the holiday three days in a row with three sets of family.

For the kick I get when people ask Catherine if Santa is bringing her lots of presents, and she has no idea what they're talking about.  Santa WHO??

For fun, family Christmas movies we can watch together - Charlie Brown and White Christmas this year.

For almost escaping the holiday season without hearing "Christmas Shoes" - so close!!

For anticipating a trip to IKEA and goodies to bring home to make our house homier.

This makes me happy.

Let's get one thing clear:

Just because I wrote one post about trying to be content with being a family of three doesn't mean I am.

It's a struggle.

An ongoing struggle.

With no easy answers.

My double edged sword is this:  I want more children, but I'm terrified of being pregnant again.

Looks like I'll be adding the "Keepin' It Real" label to this post too.  I've had a lot of those lately.

People offer suggestions or solutions, but there are no easy answers.

We are all going through personal battles that may look simple or petty to someone else.

I can easily think of friends who have lived through tragic chapters in their life:

infertility
miscarriage
loss of babies
loss of a husband. . .

There are no easy answers.  I'm not going to try to come up with any.  I will grieve with my friends.  I will be with my friends - in person or in spirit.  And I will pray for my friends.  Pray for God's comfort to be in their midst.  For His presence to be felt.  For faith to remain steadfast.

This post wasn't originally going to be about others' struggles, but I just felt the need to acknowledge them.

My current struggle:

What to do with baby stuff.

It hurts deep in my heart.


We are going through a time of purging, which in our case is always good to embrace.  I have hoarding tendencies and a bit of an obsession to keep things, "just in case."  Heaven forbid if I got rid of something only to need it again a few months (or years) later!  At least that's how I think about it.

The reminders are everywhere:

Baby toys.
Baby shoes.
Baby clothes.
Baby car seat.
Baby blankets.
Baby socks.

And as we go through things, it's obvious these things have no place in our home currently.

But what do we do with them?

 Do we buy more storage bins, box 'em up and move 'em to the attic?  At some point, a line has to be drawn.  Even the attic has its limits.

Is there any point to keeping them?

It's hard for me to write the other option:

Do we get rid of them?

Getting rid of Catherine's old baby things means one thing:

Acceptance that this is it.
This is our family.
A family of three.
No more babies.
No younger sibling for Catherine.
No matching white twin beds for her and a sister.
No "Big Sister" shirt.
No baby announcement.
No more growth to our family.
Catherine will never know what it's like to have a sibling.
No nieces or nephews.
No Aunt Catherine.
It's the end of our family.


I realize no matter what we do, God can do anything.  But to get rid of it all means to let go of our plans, our hopes, our dreams.  And that is just plain hard.

It hurts.

And that's my current struggle.

I promised myself (and hubby) I'd go to bed early-ish tonight, but darnit, I am a night owl!  No wonder I'm Very Sleepy Girl.

As a follow-up to my last post, and something a little more light-hearted, here are some fun pics from our family photo session this past weekend:

Yes, we will bribe our daughter to behave during photo shoots.

I see a tummy!

Hair check!

Catherine did a great job, and it was a treat for her to hang out with our friend's dog too.

I spent hours last night creating the Family Photo Christmas Card Montage, and I am pleased with the end result.  Now I just have to wait for the order to arrive at our front door!