perspective shift

We moved! The last week in May we closed on a house in Boise. The home buying process really started for us in January. When we came back from Seattle we were living at a home that Matt's mom owns. It was a great fit temporarily but we wanted something more permanent for the boys, especially because our oldest is starting high school next year. (!!!)

After almost 6 months of house hunting, I thought we should just throw in the towel. We had put in offers and had the owner decide to rent it out instead or raise the price $20,000. Seriously, so many crazy stories to tell. Finally we found a good fit and fought through the closing process that was again, the hardest we have experienced in 5 times buying a home. We are getting moved in to the new place and I will share it on the blog, but I wanted to share the space we created in our "temporary" home first. 

I was having such a pity party. When I would fall in love with a house and it fell through, I would freak out. It felt like, even though it was only a few months, we would never find and close on something that could be home for the 6 of us for the next season. 

Then Matt's mom asked me to take photos of the house we had been staying in, so that after we moved out she could list them for future renters. Total perspective shift. I cleaned everything and staged it like a house showing and snapped away. I was feeling so good about what we had done since August to make the place feel like "us." Love the one you're with. Or something like that.

 Our bedroom.

 Half bath.

 One of the boys bedrooms. (random side note; I regret not setting up the boys beds straight away. It felt very sloppy for all those months. Matt and I set their beds up right away in the new house. Lesson learned.)

 Front room as you enter the front door.

 Front room looking at the front door.

 Kitchen.

 Bathroom. Matt hung old fence pickets as towel hooks and shelves in here and I cannot wait to do it again in another space. I don't care how modern the trends go, shabby chic has my heart.

The back patio with some plant I don't know going nuts. There is also a wisteria that is monstrous out there. A decade ago there was a sewer leak so all the plants are real happy out there ;)

It was so interesting to me that such a simple practice could give me a new outlook. I have already been doing that at the new house. When I get stuck with something about a different set up, I will clean house and start hanging pictures for the now. The perfectionist has got to go, after all, we will probably be moving again soon. Ha! (laughing out loud, crying inside)

the haps

Life lately; This fall was rich with reunions. We met up with family and friends we had missed while in Seattle. That cute blonde with Matt? That's Julie, she was the reason he graduated high school. Always lending him her notes or filling in him on the days he missed, I think it was like 54 days or something ridiculous.

 Also, it appears we have been reuniting with a lot of food. The Boise Fry Company along with friends and family giving us their eggs and potatoes and grapes for juicing. Hooray for the Idaho harvest! And the donuts! My fantastic friend Ruth brought them over in the midst of a homeschool disaster and saved the day. 

One last thing, I am reuniting with getting dressed. I joke that the reason I homeschool is that I don't have to put on pants. Yoga pants forever! But I found that maxi skirt pictured (twice!) and it may be the perfect solution.

After some very social months, this introvert has been doing a bit of hibernating. I have painted the living room and bathroom, it makes the hermittude kind of functional. Painting away and catching up on The Vampire Diaries and The Originals while the boys obsess over Minecraft and Matt watches the NFL. Tis the season for technology!

 I am already missing fall. Winter hit hard for me this year. I have been super anxious. Working through all that and listening to the lyrics,"oh for grace to trust Him more," on repeat. It is pretty fitting then that the view from our front porch is the cross.

return to joy

Years ago a saw a counselor that taught me about "return to joy." This is a quote I found on a website that summed it up pretty well; "Returning to joy means finding a resolution to the distress we feel when our “personally important” people are not happy to be with us. Strangely enough, this requires someone to share our distress with us and achieve a “mutual mind” state with our control center...When someone cares enough about us to share our distressing feelings and still be with us we no longer feel alone. Our brain starts to run smoothly again and we start learning helpful ways to stay in relationships when we are upset or others are upset with us." 

Collin is the human embodiment of this concept. He has the most amazing thirst for life and radiating joy. He also drives everyone nuts ;) He reboots every morning with fresh grace for himself and others. It has been so soothing for my weary people-pleasing cynical soul. So blessed by this kid!