Last year at this time, we had just moved into our new doublewide on an undeveloped lot in my in-law’s trailer part in Alabama. Jeremy had had to leave almost as soon as we arrived to go back and finish getting our house in NY on the market. I was happy as a lark, settling…
Continue Reading
November Snapshots
November in Alabama…you’re blowing my mind. We had a taste of you two years ago, when we camped in the bus for the month of November. With your endless days of sun and gentle warmth, I felt like I won a vacation to a tropical location. This year we came by you honestly–we survived June,…
Continue Reading
Redneck Deck Reveal
It’s time to show you our finished deck! If you follow me on instagram you’ve seen some glimpses of our deck project, which we fondly called our #redneckdeck because it really did have very rustic beginnings. Today I’m gonna give you the whole story… Last November we moved from Upstate New York to my in-laws…
Continue Reading
For Those With No Natural Talent for Rest
We have friends who own some acreage with a small house and barn which they use for family retreats and hunting. We got a chance to stay overnight there this week–ostensibly as part of our eldest’s birthday celebration, but especially just to get some rest and relaxation as a family. Jeremy took Jesse fishing, the…
Continue Reading
Podcasts For Moms
Does ‘podcasts for moms’ sound incongruous to you? It always did to me. I thought podcasts were for techy nerds, entrepreneurs, and people with long commutes. I am none of the above but I have this new mania…for podcasts. Here’s what I love about them… Podcasts help me clean my house! Podcasts are my new…
Continue Reading
Harvest Season (a pictoral update)
I have so few words this week. Mostly pictures. We are working like crazy to be good stewards of the bountiful fruit harvest God blessed us with this year. The branches in the orchard are literally snapping under the weight of our largest harvest yet. We’ve been blessed by friends willing to come labor with…
Continue Reading
Embracing Beauty Backstory, Part First
The winter of 2013 was a rough one. Have I mentioned that? I don’t mean to harp, but ya’ll need to see the setting in order to appreciate this story. We got home from our second trek to Alabama just in time to celebrate Christmas, and got sick within a week of getting home. We…
Continue Reading
Analog Weekend Experiment
Because I took the weekend off of social media, I’m sure you all are dying to know what I’ve been up to. Because I took the weekend off social media, I’m especially chatty, with all kinds of randomness bubbling up inside of me, begging to be blogged, so I shall oblige you. Hayley gave me…
Continue Reading2 Tips for Fighting a Slump {Or What to Do When You Have a Mold Problem}
Then there was that time that we evacuated our house in the middle of winter because of a mold problem. We knew we had mold in the downstairs bathroom, especially since a particular 4 year old left the tap running two years ago and flooded the aged carpet in there. The real problem was not…
Continue Reading
Tinsel, Truth, and a Real Live Manger {How the Kids are Celebrating Advent}
I’m in the mood to give y’all a glimpse of how we’re celebrating Christmas around here with a 2, 4, and 6 year old. Do you mind? Great…here we go. Our new tradition this year is doing the Truth in the Tinsel Advent activity eBook. (affliate link–woot!) The kids adore their daily Christmas craft, and…
Continue Reading
Revival of Beauty
I have let beauty slip…have let it become optional to my day. This ought not to be. I think it was the visit to my friend Amanda’s home while I was in Atlanta on Thursday that made me realize…I’ve been starving myself of beauty God designed us to appreciate and enjoy. (Her house was like…
Continue Reading
Christmas in the Bus {+Trina’s Top 4 Tips for Online Shopping}
Ha. I got you with that title, didn’t I? Ya’ll are thinkin’ “Aww, poor Trina! She has to spend Christmas in the Bus?!” Christmas music is playing and we’re trying to make room for a tree… I’m kidding. We are headed North by the end of November. But Christmas season will be in full swing…
Continue Reading
My Life is {Not} Glamorous
Sometimes I think the angle I choose to view my life from (and thus often the picture I portray on this blog) comes across as a bit glamorous. “She travels the country in a big RV, schooling her children and eating real food while seeing the world alongside her wonderful husband.” Um, yeah. Sounds glamorous…
Continue ReadingAnyone Planning a Wedding?
I’m sharing some advice on wedding planning over at YLCF today… “As a wedding planner, one of the first questions I tackle when talking with a client is “When are you getting married?” Often there are significant factors to consider, such as housing to prepare, schedules of extended family, or even a cross-country move. But…
Continue Reading
Introducing: The Real {Fast} Food Cooking Class!
This has been a dream of mine for over a year. This month, it’s finally happening. I’m teaming up with my friend-and-mentor-in-all-things-nourishing, Claire, to teach you what we’ve learned about nourishing our families with real food, in the comfy, friendly atmosphere of my own, vintage-blue kitchen. And YOU are invited… Where: My home in Ovid,…
Continue Reading
The Art of The Family Portrait
First, find a nice background and gather a few props. Insert human into frame to get the focus and settings right. Summon more humans. Encourage young humans to smile at small, flashing light… …then wait, and wait, and wait for self timer to work… Holden Family, May 2012 Jeremy, Trina, Jesse (5 1/2), Claire (3…
Continue Reading