Archives for October 2016

Monday was Columbus Day which happened to put our two littles in school and our 3 bigs out of school.

Sidenote:  For Harper’s writing prompt this week she had to write about whether she thought Christopher Columbus was a hero or a zero and support her thoughts…she chose a zero.  Josh Kelley and myself thoroughly enjoyed her full one page of supporting facts.  🙂

 The three of them feel like my “first baby”.  I don’t remember much of my mothering journey that doesn’t include all three of them.  Harper and Hudson are exactly 18-months apart and Hudson and Solomon are only 4-months apart.  I remember I would put Solomon in a sling around my body, carry Hudson because he couldn’t walk and hold Harper’s hand when I went anywhere solo with the three of them.  Sweet times with my first group of babies.

Monday I let them plan our day since it is so rare for us to be together without the littles in tow.  They were super cute all brainstorming together on what the day might look like.  There was talk of the movies and Chickfila and bowling.  So many combos were thrown out and in the end they landed on the library, lunch with Dad at the farmer’s market and putt-putt.

I seriously had the best time with them.  Please don’t ever be fooled by us in the fact that our kids fight, Josh and I fight and any combo of parent VS kid fight as well.  We can fight hard and love harder.  We’re a mess everyday…a bunch of big and little sinners all living together in this crazy world so again, we’re a mess.  When I say it was a great day, it really was a great day.  Was it without any of my own frustrations or having to mediate arguments or break up a fight or two or ten?  Nope, but I loved being with them.  I loved them being together just the three of them.  They don’t remember life without one another and I absolutely love that to my core.

They would choose the library over almost anything because it is our one stop entertainment shop.  I think that’s how the saying goes 🙂  Books…check.  Movies…check.  Computer time…check.

The Nashville Farmer’s Market is the perfect lunch spot for big families who all have varying food pallets.  Solomon is by far our most adventurous eater.  His daily breakfast consists of eggs and hash browns cooked with onions, peppers and jalepanos topped with lots of pepper and sea salt.  Monday he got a hot dog and devoured fried okra and as we left declared he was definitely ordering from the Ethiopian veggie eatery next time…and he totally will.  This is Solomon.  Hudson enjoyed Chinese solo, while Harper went with a burger and fries and Josh and myself hammered some barbecue and grits.  Dessert was a no brainer with Jeni’s in the house.  Hudson cannot do dairy so he and I set out to find a non-dairy treat which landed us in the international market purchasing some hard candy from India for .99 cents…which we’re not quite what we thought they were…imagine a kind of off caramel taste with spices…I don’t even know…but they earned him a pack of skittles all to himself while we played putt-putt.

We knew Amon would be bummed upon learning we had fun without him so to soften the blow we snagged some small pumpkins before Josh headed back to work and we headed to putt-putt.  Amon Kelley is obsessed with all things fall and Halloween and especially pumpkins.  He calls every pumpkin a “punkin pie”…we don’t even know, but it’s ridiculously cute.  I wish I had videoed his reaction when the bigs showed him the small pumpkin they picked up for him.

We wrapped up our time with putt-putt.  Harper had never been before.  The boys had been once with a friend and Josh took them once while Harper and I were in Africa.  She was super excited.  I just kept thinking, they are fun.  I really like being with them and seeing them interact and talk and enjoy each other.  We just had fun.

 Our littlest adds not only so much joy to our family, but also hard things.  That’s just the truth.  Foster care is not easy.  Kiddos come from hard places and our entire family is learning how to be a soft place to land.  She’s not the easiest…as are none of us…and sometimes everyone in our family just needs a little time to re-charge from the daily grind of simply being a family.  I found myself being so smitten with our time together and realized that’s exactly what those 5 hours were for all of us…including Harper, Hudson and Solomon…just some time to re-charge.  God is teaching all of us about love, grace, compassion and empathy and it’s not easy, but so needed.  Harper said on the way home, “No offense to the babies, but I had the best time today.”  I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Happy Friday.

Listening:  Silence.  Big kids went back to school today and the littles are napping.  Hallelujah!

Eating:  Nothing, but just finished a glowing green smoothie even though I can’t stop thinking about the leftover pizza in our fridge.

And yes that is a sliver of celery sticking out the top of my straw.  Let’s all gag together.

I did meal plan so here’s what we’ve got going on for dinners this week:  Easy 5 Ingredient White Chicken Chili, Taco Tuesday, Chicken tenders and salad, Fried Cauliflower and chicken and Cabbage Roll Soup (was suppose to make this last week, but didnt).  Hating on Instagram right now because the sponsored ads are all things like this:

Just shut it Dominos.  Shut your savory delicious mouth right now.

Drinking:  Water.  Boring.  Maybe I should fix a cocktail at 1:10 on a Tuesday afternoon.

Wearing:  This and This + pants 🙂

Feeling:  Okay.  Yesterday was great and last night was overwhelming, but today feels okay.  I feel settled and kind of like things aren’t spinning out of control and that’s a good feeling.

Weather:  Perfection.  It’s the perfect mix of fading summer with new fall.  Can we just make up a new season…Sautumn.  Or Fummer.  Think it over.

Wanting:  Our boy home.  We think about him every dang day for approximately all day long.  I feel like we’ve been doing really well in the wait…not going uber crazy…not losing our minds…not crying ALL THE TIME…and by “we” I mean me.  Definitely have felt more peace in this wait than in Amon’s, but man how I desperately want our boy home.  It semi sucks knowing you cannot do one more thing to make it happen any faster.  U.S. Immigration, China, Washington, etc…it feels like they hold all our cards right now…but we really know whose hands hold it all…so we’re praying like crazy and storming heaven.

Needing:  Well I was in need of some winter shoes.  Every year for almost forever my winter shoes have consisted of toms.  This year I decided it was time to have some real legit winter shoes that actually keep my feet warm.  I found the dreamiest company making the dreamiest shoes called Oliberte…fair trade footwear made in Ethiopia…yes please.  Sadly I couldn’t swing the price, but then I found a pair on eBay and got them for $37.  That I can swing.  I have not been on eBay in years upon years, but apparently now you can haggle with some sellers and that’s exactly what I did.  Ahhh, I love the internets.

Thinking:  About yesterday.  Littles had school and bigs did not which meant I had 5 hours with just them.  I let them do the planning and we had the best time.  The best best time. I love all our kids and wouldn’t change one thing about the way God has put together our family, but sometimes my mind does wander back to those early early days.  Harper was a fresh 2-year-old and Huddy was 9-month-old when Solomon came home.  It was just the 5 of us for a long time.  My current days are even sweeter, but those sure were sweet days too.

What in the freaking heck happened to my babies?!?!?!?

And Lastly Enjoying:  THIS, THIS, THIS and THIS.  For all of you who are also way overly done with this year’s election…you’re welcome.

Happy Tuesday!!!  

Happy Columbus Day party people.  Columbus Day means littles are in school and bigs are out of school which means me and the big three had time together which pretty much never happens anymore.  We have so enjoyed our day.  And our weekend was crazy good as well.

Picnics.

Game night…Empire and Catch Phrase and fun people and good food.

Amon realizing Aunt Jen’s ice-cream sandwich dessert is crazy good.

Camping out.

Baseball.

Long walks skateboarding 🙂

Basketball.

Flowers.

Pumpkin carving.

Shenanigans.  So many shenanigans.

Healthy food, but don’t be fooled…there was pizza and cookies as well.  Alas.

Bible journaling.

Movies, movies and more movies.  The kids watched the first and second movies in The Pirates of The Caribbean trilogy.  Johnny Depp love forever.

Church via our bed and Bob Goff.

And these guys.

Hope your weekend was great.  Hope the weather was full of fall like ours was.  Don’t forget MY SHOP has stationary sets ready to be shipped.  Money heads towards our adoption expenses.  Feel free to share.

Happy Monday.

Just wanted to pop in this morning and let you guys know stationary sets are now listed in MY SHOP.  I’m a little excited, a little thrilled, a little nervous, but insanely relieved they are done and listed.

These are limited sets since I didn’t get them mass produced.  Hoping to push these on through so we can get some others printed as well.  Each set is printed on 16 pt. paper dull cover with matte finish.  I like thick paper 🙂

If you are local and want to pick your order up, skip the ordering online and save on shipping just message me HERE or email me at pitterpatterart at gmail dot com and let me know your order.  Sets are $20 each for locals picking up.

As always, feel free share with all your friends, family and strangers in your life.  The more the merrier as always.  I love a good note card and think these would make an excellent little gift or stocking stuffer.  Again, all money will go towards our adoption expenses.  I love when I can tell someone their gift went beyond just them.  Check out all the different sets HERE.

Happy Wednesday!

PS:  All panda tees have been officially shipped as of this morning.  Thank you again so much!!!!

Chocolate Chip Brownie Swirl Cookies…aka Brookies…brownie + cookie.  I loved these.  They are a perfect combo of chocolate brownie and chocolate chip cookies.  Doesn’t hurt they are adorable looking too.  Totally recommend these.

Josh Kelley semi lost his mind over these Oreo Cheesecake Bites and this should speak volumes because it’s rare he loses his mind over a dessert.  I will definitely will be making these again.  Super yummy.

I could have eaten the entire pan of The Best Strawberry Pizza.  Super super good.  Light fluffy sugar cookies with cream cheese frosting and strawberries.  I used a different cream cheese frosting…I couldn’t bring myself to try the goat cheese…maybe when I’m braver.  Even had one of our teacher’s at school ask me to make more for the teacher’s lounge.  Ha.

And just to torcher myself in my current healthy eating month, I really want to try this Butter Cake with Caramel Buttercream Frosting. Get in my mouth.

Noonday just launched their WINTER LINE and I’m in love.  Pretty sure every Christmas tree needs these ornaments from Guatemala, Vietnam and Afghanistan.  And don’t even get me started on the Festive Paper Bead Garland made in Uganda.  Noonday is always one of my favorite companies I trust to know my money is reaching beyond myself and my personal purchase and out into the world.

I love Mud Love mugs and other fun products.  Their mission of turning products into clean water for communities makes my heart all in.  I’m always on the look for gifts that give back and when I saw this mug Mud Love partnered with Abstruse to create I knew I’d be gifting it.  The purchase of this mug provides 1 week of clean water to someone in the Central African Republic.

And I might have laughed out loud when I opened the email they sent after I made this purchase for my brother.  We like to address each with endearing terms 🙂

These nesting pouches are on my gifting list go tos.  Love Better Life Bags and their commitment to providing employment for women who long for dignity, hope and a chance to help provide for their families right here in America.

What’s super fun about Better Life Bags is that you can design your own for all bags including the nesting pouches.  Such a super fun gift to give.

Beljoy is a haitan company a reader recently shared with me and it’s such a beautiful company.  With the recent news of Hurricane Matthew reaching Haiti I really wanted to share about this amazing company reaching out and grabbing hands with artisans in Haiti.  I love so many many pieces they are selling.  They have so much offered and it’s all just gorgeous.

I have several more companies I want to share with you guys coming soon.  And we have a few more fundraisers with other great companies on the horizon I’m excited about.  I did finally figure out last night, after some inquiries from you guys, that our GoFundMe page hasn’t been operating correctly for who knows how long, so it’s back up and running now.  Feel free to share.

Happy Tuesday!

1.  My sweet tooth has been off the charts lately and my green smoothies haven’t been consumed as often, so I’m kicking my food game into gear for October.  When I say things out loud to others I do so much better…so I’m typing them out and will probably be sharing smoothie photos, recipes and all kinds of other annoying healthy food choices.  Ugh!  It’s the worst.

I meal planned last night and this week we’re having the following:  Sausage Potato Spinah Soup, Cabbage Roll Soup, Crockpot Beef Stew, Cauliflower Fried Rice and Chicken Tender Salad.

2.  Tennessee skies…yet again.

3.  I looked around the corner at our doctor’s office last week and saw this.  I couldn’t love these boys more.  I have been asking God for big things for our 4th boy…big, big things.  Things that would simply be miraculous, but who better to ask for miracles than the miracle worker Himself.

4.  Marcie and Nick dropped off panda tees this weekend.  Josh Kelley and I set to work packing them all up.  Sunday I shipped almost all of them at the self service machine because today starts fall break and I did not, I repeat, DID NOT want to take 90 something packages into the post office with 5 children.  No thank you.  We need a few more envelopes and all the orders will be officially in the mail.

The tees are ridiculously soft.  Everyone in our family is loving them big time.  Again, thank you so much for all the orders.  Don’t forget to hit up Sasquatch Design Society for Christmas this year.  I am on a mission to use companies who reach beyond themselves and this company does just that.  Plus, their shirts are killer.

5.  Genesis 44 plus A LOT of Joseph’s story has been super hard for me.  I don’t like calling myself a Bible dumb-dumb, but really, that’s totally how I’ve felt lately.  When I get really stuck I start putting off my readings…therefore I am at an insanely slow snail pace currently.  I just wasn’t getting it.  I didn’t understand mainly why Joseph was doing all these crazy things to his brothers and then yesterday I read this in a commentary:

“But we cannot judge what men are now, by what they have been formerly; nor what they will do by what they have done.”

And then lightbulbs went off like wild fire.  I’ve been focussing on all the crazy things Joseph did to his brothers like hiding a cup in their bag and messing with their minds by keeping a brother or putting money back in their bags and then having his servant track them down and accuse them of stealing.  So many wild things he’s doing to them.  Then this comment struck me…his brothers did something terrible to him, just like we’ve all been sinful and made mistakes, but we cannot be judged by our past mistakes.  Our mistakes do not define us.

And 6.  We wrapped up two huge fundraisers this past week…our Noonday Collection show and our Nothing Bundt Cake week.  I seriously cannot say thank you enough.  Both did insanely well and we have just been absolutely floored.  When I told Josh our numbers his reply was a simple, “Wow.”

I already told Josh for my birthday I want a lemon Nothing Bundt Cake.  The Hendersonville location seriously has a customer for life out of me.  Again, I love partnering with companies who reach beyond themselves.  We have quite the opportunity to make a huge impact by where we spend our money…let’s use it wisely.  Those sweet little cakes have made their way onto my go-to shopping list.

I hope you guys will join me.  With Christmas around the corner let’s put our purchasing power to great use and shop companies who are changing the world.  And thank you, thank you for buying so much Noonday and cake last week.  You guys are insane and we cannot say thank you enough.

 Hope your week is off to a great start.  Let’s do this Monday!