Home Decor // Some DIY's

I had some old black frames that I hung carefully around my tv entertainment center to help the tv blend in.  But Jon and I really wanted to help a friend out, so we got creative, painted these black frames and re-purposed them and sold them and donated the funds.  It was an easy little project.  And now I'm off to figure out what else I could paint.  

Instagram

I love this app.  I'm slightly addicted.

But I also love the simplicity of photo sharing from on the spot.  And I am a fan of their filters.  Too much!

Yesterday we took our little one to a local small pumpkin patch farm that her Ma and Paper took her too the previous week.  She ran ahead of us pointing at all the things she remembered.  It was exciting to watch how she's grown into the stage of remembering and then repeating back to us.  Our little baby who graced this blog when I first started jotting down here and there is growing into a beautiful little lady!  

Dress Up and Memories

I can't even fib.  I set out on this adventure on purpose.  I honestly hadn't picked up my camera in about a month.  I just couldn't find inspiration.  But I forced myself today.  I dressed my little girl up.  She's now at an age where she finds it fun.

We sat in front of our closet mirror and played with mommy's make up.  She giggled and then glared in the mirror at her reflection.  She was stunning.  She is stunning.  With and without make up.  We dressed up in play clothes and she slipped on my heels.  I had waited for this specific moment since the first time I breathed in her little infant scalp as she rested on my chest in the hospital the day after she was born.  

And here it was.  

I told her we'd make an adventure out of it.  Mommy needed to reignite her inspiration.  So she was ready and willing.  This time, no bribes.  Just a little girl willing to pose here or smile there and then walk around the park for new fun spots.  

She would stop me and say "here mommy" then pose.  She's two.  Only two.  

Then she would grab my hand and sing her made up song about adventures.  Mostly just rambles.  But it was sung to a wonderful tune.  

So this morning.  We left with the intent to take pictures.  But ended up with a memory that I had waited two years to have!  And so now as she sits and watches an episode of Max & Ruby, I sit in awe at how beautifully big my little baby girl has grown.  

Community

It's been a while since I last wrote.  So much has gone on in this mind of mine and in our lives.  I was really thinking the direction of this blog would quickly change and thrive.  We had recently moved into a new place, started learning and mastering estate sales and learning how to budget friendly design a home.  And that was the route I was wanting to take this blog.  But I found myself more and more away from my camera and more and more away from the computer.  I just couldn't bring myself to take a break from our new lives to sit.  And in the busyness, I felt convicted.

Jon and I have really been feeling unsettled with the lack of community in our lives.  We wanted something deeper with the people we were starting to surround ourselves with, so we decided to pursue it.  We decided to pursue life with others.  And that is drastically changing the way we view our lives.  While I had planned for this blog to go one direction: sharing all the tips and tricks that I learned as I thriftly decorated my home, I found God pull at my heart to use this new found joy and craft to give within our new community.  And let me tell you, that really isn't easy.  And as hard as it is to say goodbye to all the oohs and ahhs of accolade that come from friends that gather inside my home, the easier it gets to give it all away for friends we have come to love dearly and be loved in return.  It is a feeling of community we haven't felt, but it's a community we are coming to feel ALIVE in.  

I believe in giving to the poor and needy.  I believe in sacrifice for others.  But I can honestly say that if what I love and treasure in my heart revealed what I believe  then I wouldn't have fully been living what I spoke.  And as we are learning to invest in others, and in our community of friends, where I was investing my money needed to shift.  And even now, I'm uncertain how it will look.  And I am uncertain how this blog will go.  It might just be a collection of rambles along the way.  Or a series of Jossie posts.  Or maybe, it will be put to rest.  But for now, I thank you for following along!  For the community I had found here in Blog Land, had helped me process some pivotal years in my life, and for that I am forever thankful!