Fall Decor

I love fall, I really do. I love walking outside and not sweating, I love being able to leave my groceries in my van without them all getting ruined, I love the smell of pumpkin, I love being able to open the windows to get the burnt supper smell out of the house, I love the changing leaves..but honestly, I decorate for August and take it down in October. Why? Because I love Christmas, but we can save that for another time or two or three...

This is my favorite room in our house. I'm not sure why, I think it's the coziest. This room was the previous owners' dining room. It's not very big, but you walk through it to go to the kitchen, the bathroom, and the living room, so I like that it's cozy. My other favorite part is the ceiling! 

My nativity on top of our china cabinet I keep up all year. It's one of my favorite decorative pieces I have, so I like to have it in a spot where I can see it every day! A bunch of throw pillows are all over our house, which means that the boys are constantly having pillow fights and I'm constantly washing them to get marker and Oreo stains out! 

Nativity / Pillows (all from Pottery Barn) / Ducks

 I always find it difficult to decorate by the tv. I painted the cord cover on the wall the same color as our wall so it is less noticeable, but you still can notice it! I think it looks nicer than our black cords hanging down though and it's also a lot safer and the boys can't play with them. This is on the opposite side of the room across from our couch. Even though this is my favorite room, we really don't use it very much!

Lanterns

A lot of my decor I get off of Decor Steals. If you haven't heard of this site, you NEED to hear of this site. They have a new deal every day and they're all so good!

Growing up I always told my mom I never wanted any of her antiques. I even dreaded going into antique stores as a little girl. Now I find myself scoping out antiques and gladly taking them from my mom and grandparents!

Book

I don't put up a lot of Halloween decor, but this little witch has always been my favorite. My mom made her for me when I was a little girl, so she has a lot of sentimental value to me! Derek made the blanket ladder she is sitting on, so she definitely has a cozy little spot! I think she is timeless, I mean, have you seen a witch cuter than her?! 

Note: Pass over this part if you want to just read about happy stuff. Or continue reading with a cleared, nonjudgmental mind. I got this sign when I found out we were moving. It was hard for me to understand then, and it's still hard for me to understand now the plan that's in store for our lives. There's so many things I miss in our old town and we were there for a short three years. We had the best neighbors who I still talk to almost every day, the boys had the best childcare center and friends, we had finally finished making our house a home there, and I was a short 30 minute drive from my mom's house. This has definitely been the hardest move for me. We have only been here three months and I know it will take more time to adjust than that.

Ryne loves his preschool, has a great teacher and has a best friend. We found a church here, which we never were able to in our old town. I went to a young women's Sunday School class for the first time last Sunday. Every one went around and introduced themselves. (I can honestly say that still to this day, I am not a fan of icebreakers!) I guess I didn't even notice it but I said, "I'm just a stay-at-home mom." I got the nicest card in the mail from our leader telling me to never think of myself as "just a stay-at-home mom". It means so much to me that someone even noticed I said this and took something from it. To me I felt like I was just stating what I do, but to her she could see that I felt inferior to the other women for not having a successful career. It was the best card that I didn't know I needed. 

As I'm writing this, I realize even more how much I need this verse to remind me that wherever I am, He is. I also could listen to Chris Tomlin's song, "I Will Follow" on repeat. This sign even has more meaning to me now than it did when I first bought it in the spring. I do understand and acknowledge that I am blessed in many ways. I also understand and acknowledge that I am human; that my level of happiness cannot be determined by one's expectations of what my happiness should be. Thank you to my family and friends who have reached out and continue to be the best support system and "village".  

Psalm 26:8

xoxo

J