A couple days ago I wrote about how I want to really live. Not live like the world tells me to live, but live how it feels good in my soul. 

I think one of the things that goes along with living is having lovies that we indulge in. Maybe that needs a little explanation. So lovies at our house, are my kids little comfort blankies. They sleep with them, they delight in them, they are calmed by them. 

There is nothing extravagant about their lovies. Lovies are about a feeling. I think so many of us don't even know what we love about the world. I know that we weren't made for this world, and there are many things not to love here, but there are so many things to delight in, but sometimes we miss those things because we are so miserably busy. 

I decided the other day that I want everyone in our family to make a list of lovies. I started a list for everyone, and I think I know my family well enough to know what their lovies are, but I should know for sure. So, we're going to get together, make our lovies list, and use it to serve each other as a family. 

For example, this is my lovies list. There are the things that I find joy and delight in here on this earth. 

• dates with daddy
• dates with my kiddos {special individual time with each of them} 
• time to study God's word
• running  
• fresh flowers
• a tidy living space 
• dinner time with my family around a table
• coffee 
• red wine
• washi tape 
• books {real ones with paper}
• notebooks 
• snuggle time 
• painted toes
• chocolate 
• the beach 
• bookstores
• the back porch 
• music (in love with Ben Rector right now) 
• mason jars 
• good blankets 
• unnecessary and childless Target trips
• sending love mail 
• scentsy bars
• the occasional long and Lush filled bubble bath 
• boxes on my porch
• long and dream filled conversations with my hubby 

Some of those are silly. Some of them are selfish. But all of those things are lovies in my life. They make me smile. They bring happiness to my day. And I think I need a little more of them in my life. Do you know what your lovies are? Do you know what your family's lovies are? If we don't know, how do we really serve them? 

This week, my family is going to make up our lovies lists. We'll keep them displayed in the house as a reminder of how we can bring joy, happiness, and love to each other. 

We could all use a little more love. This post brought to you as a reminder that maybe we should just live. 

Open the House Peeps

So I regularly talk about the importance of being your best host and hosting your own Open Houses when need be. 

There is no huge secret except being consistent. Well that's a broken record. I do my best to make my customers feel spoiled and loved and appreciated for coming while keeping things fairly simple on my end. 

Today it took me and hour and 1/2 to set up. I didn't use anything except what was in my dining room. No tablecloths, no extra tables....everything went in the dining room just as it was. This was a Last Chance (at the old catalog) First Glance (at the new catalog) Open House. 

I invited my customers with a postcard placed in all orders delivered over the past month and via a customer email sent directly to my customer list. I offer my guests a free gift for letting me know if they can make it or not. (Helps me know who to expect). 

Sorry for the blurry picture, but this was literally my Grace Adele display. Grace Adele was not my focus this Open House since it's Scentsy transition month. 

I think you can absolutely do a display with a single purse and 2 clutches. This would be my personal collection...yes, I'm a bit of an addict. 

The Velata set-up was easy too. I put out Raspberry White Chocolate and Peppermint Dark Chocolate originally, but I eventually had to get out Caramel Milk to make my kids happy. 

Easy Peasy people. Snacks. Done. 

I always have a booking calendar somewhere at my Open Houses. I booked 4 Fall parties at my last Open House, and I only have 3 dates left in September! (By the way, I found that cute, stand up calendar at Target. Perfect for a booking calendar.)  

I put out all the testers for the discontinuing scents. 

This is my Layers basket that many of you have asked about. That's what I take to parties. Easy, simple. 

Then I put out new catalogs, the Fall flyer, and the new Fall scents and allowed customers to pre-order for the September launch of the new catalog.

I can't wait for these!

And here's the truth about Open Houses. Sometimes they soar, and sometimes they crash. Last month, I had a great Open House. Tonight, no one showed up until 8:00, and then one of my best Open House customers showed up with her friend....the same friend she brought last month. 

And before they left, I had over $150 in orders and a new recruit (the friend signed up to sell Scentsy and Grace Adele!). So no, it wasn't a huge night. I didn't book any parties, but I got a new recruit, and if everything is simple, easy, and not a big to do, then it's totally worth it. 

An Open House will be what you make it. Inviting and then following up is key. Doing them on a consistent basis and making it worth your customer's time and energy is also important. Tonight, I left both of them choose a free Layers item for attending (which I use my host rewards to purchase).  

So there you have it.... a little insight into the Open House. There is something to it. It's one of the main ways I have grown my business over the past 6 years. Never done one? Maybe you should try it. If you're not willing to host for yourself, why would someone else be willing to host for you? 

Just a thought. 

I say, let's live

I recently watched an award's speech that Ashton Kutcher gave to a bunch of kids at the Teen Choice awards where he quoted Steve Jobs saying something to the effect that we are all living in a world that other people created. 

It's true. Too often we accept things the way they are because that's just the way things are. We don't have to do that. 

We can choose the way we want to live; the way we want to feel; the way we want to celebrate; the way we want our lives to be lived out. 

I started thinking about this last night when we sat around the table for dinner for the 1st time in a week. So much of the world is in go mode all the time. Go here; run there; do this; do that. I know that as my kids get more involved in extra curricular activities, we may not have as much time to sit around the table. It seems like dinner on the go is the norm for our society. 

Who ever said that was okay? There are things that I'm starting to see and feel as my kids get older that are so status quo, that I don't want to be part of my world. I want margin in my life. I want wiggle room. I do not want to be over scheduled or over worked, and I definitely don't want that for my kids. 

We are living in a culture that someone else created, and most of us are just going with it. 

I don't want that hustle bustle life style. I want my family. I know that things are naturally going to change as my kids get older. I just don't want to go along with everything that everyone else is doing because everyone else is doing it. What kind of life is that? And whose life is that? 

I want to cook and laugh and read....giggle and tickle. I want to study and write and pray. I want to run and give and serve. 

We live in a world where it's normal to not get a full night's sleep. We don't have time to sleep. Where on earth is the time we have to give or serve. 

When did this happen? And why are we okay with it? I mean, let's be real. Does your life look the way you want it to look? If not, why? Have we become so obsessed with getting and having and keeping up with the Jones' that we don't even know what we really want anymore? 

It seems that way. 

I want margin. I want space. I want freedom to do the things I love and not feel guilty about doing them. I don't want to be measured by what I have or where I live or what extra curricular activities my kids excel in. I want to be measured by how I give and how I serve and how I love. 

The older I get, the more I don't like this world. I don't like the way the devil has deceived us. I don't like how we have been so easily fooled. 

What about living? Are we doing that? And if not, why not? Because other people said this is what life looks like? Over scheduled; under paid; lacking passion and drive and just trying to get by. That's not life. And if it is, that's not any kind of life I want to be a part of. 

So today, I decided to do things my way. Today I stopped caring about what other people thought. And I'm going to start questioning everything. I don't have to accept things just because that's the way they've always been. 

I say, let's live.  Sounds more fun that way. 

Chickens and online grocery shopping and other shenanigans

So I guess we're officially chicken people. We have had and kept 3 chickens alive for over a week now. Done. Victory. 

We're all getting a little better at catching them. Well, not really. Brian and Luke are good at catching them. Addy and I are sort of wussies. I'm much better than she is, but we're still at the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to catching chickens. I think Wyatt is even better than us. He has caught a few by the tail a couple times. Which is entertaining. 

I have so much great news aside from the fact that we are chicken owners. 

1. My assistant is back! 

Praise the Lord! I don't know how I ever lived without her. It was horrible while she was on maternity leave, I just didn't get to have any kind of fun. (not quite true, but almost). Yeah, yeah, and double yeah. And if you're new and want to know why I have an assistant, I promise I'm not just a SAHM with an assistant. That might be a little excessive. I think that's what nannies are for, and I sort of have one of those too. (I'm not trying to be super woman over here). Anyways, she is my assistant for our Scentsy business which is our sole source of income, so it's kind of important, but I didn't quit my teaching job to work 40 hours a week, thus, an assistant. 

2. Did you know you can grocery shop online?! 

So we have this grocery store here called Uptown, and you can grocery shop online and just go pick it up. Not kidding. I mean, it's really too good to be true. I spent 20 minutes ordering online (and I'm pretty sure it will be faster the 2nd time around because you can shop from your previous carts), paid a $9.95 fee, drove up, popped my truck, and picked up my groceries. I'm serious. I would not joke about such things. Oh, and they didn't even charge me the 9.95 since it was my first time online shopping. 

They called me twice to substitute a brand that they were out of, and you can actually mark that you'd like them to just make substitutions for you. It was almost one of the easiest things I've ever done, and is totally worth ten bucks. Especially if you have lots of kids whom you don't wish to take grocery shopping. I'm just saying. 

Plus, I think it saved me money because I didn't buy stuff that looked goo because I was hungry, and the website shows you what everything costs per unit side by side so you can quickly pick the least inexpensive item. 

I don't even know how it's worth it to them, but I'm not telling them that. I'm sold. Oh, and if you're really in a pickle, they'll deliver for $25. Seriously. We pay more than that for pizza delivery in a night. (I mean, that's with fresh pizza, but add a frozen pizza to your cart, and your groceries will come with pizza too!)  I just had to share. 

3. Dinner 

We are a dinner at the table kind of family. Every night. No TV. No phones. Sometimes music. My family is happier when we eat together. The last week, however, we have not been eating together. Brian has been working day and night building a chicken coop. Really it's a chicken house, and it got shingles today! He's almost done. 

So when he said he was taking the night off, and since I went grocery shopping and all, we made dinner for the 1st time in a few nights, and it made me so happy. And my kids were so happy. They love the attention they get at the dinner table.

Tonight was simple. Baked potatoes, chicken kabobs, and strawberries. And we like it simple like that.

After dinner we let the chickens out to roam and pillage. The kids played while Brian and I sat in the yard observing our new mole hills. Yes, we have moles. Don't know when they showed up, but I heard they are tough to get rid of.

That's really it over here. We're trying to adjust to school life again. Addy is loving her school and her teacher and her friends, so we're happy about that. 

Lastly, will you pray for my friend, Jari. Take a moment to read her story here. She is a dear friend of mine who may have to leave her home behind tonight because of a terrible wildfire near Missoula, Montana. 

Remember that you are loved! Happy Wednesday. 

Excited

I'm sure I've got something to write about. I'm just not sure where it is. Tonight is short. 

I'm so excited. I met with a dear friend tonight to help her with a project she's been working on, and you are so going to love it. This woman's family completely changed my life, and I can't wait for you to be able to read her entire story.

It's a project for sure, but I'm so glad that she's letting me help. 

Anyways, off to do a little work. I can't wait to share with you! Stay tuned.......

The fine line

There is a fine line between scheduled and over scheduled. 

There is a fine line between to do and done and overdone. 

There is a fine line between disciplined and uptight. 

There is a fine line between involved parent and helicopter parent. 

But where is the line and how do I know when I've crossed it? 

I got up early this morning to run. And it was beautiful and perfect and just what I needed. And I saw this on the way home. 

I figured a new school routine would mean I would have to get up early to have any time to myself. And I immediately thought, "Oh! I'll do this everyday!"

No. 

Chill. 

Most days. Not everyday. 

I'm not doing that this year. Life is messy and beautiful and unpredictable and I'm not going to set myself up for failure. 

So I'm going to try a little harder, to do a little better, one day at a time. And I'm not going to cross the line into crazy. At least, I'm going to try not to cross the line into crazy. 

I guess this post is a result of me thinking about grace a lot lately. 

The Lord's grace is so perfect. He doesn't want us to be perfect. He just wants us to be us. And sometimes that means messy and beautiful and unpredictable. And that's okay with me. 

He put a lot on my heart today. He asked me to consider something. I don't know if the circumstance will ever come to pass, but he asked me ask myself, what if? Could you? Would you? 

He did the same thing with a little boy named Cash. His momma made some bad choices and he ended up in foster care under the care of his relatives. At the time, we were working through our foster care certification, and I wanted him so badly. But we were in different counties, and our paper work wasn't complete yet. 

But the Lord brought him into my life to ask me, "What if? Could you? Would you?" And I started to ask myself how I would love someone else's baby and if I even could. And that baby that I only held once, made me ask myself questions that I had never asked myself before. 

And today, with a few simple words, I'm asking myself questions that I have never asked myself before? 

If that were to happen, could I do it well? Would I be willing to do it? And if not us, then who? 

In the midst of all that questioning, I was sweetly reminded that no matter what, I don't have to be perfect. I don't have to push the line. I can just be me. Trying to little harder, to be a little better, one day at a time. 

I'm not defined by where I fall in the line. I am who I am because of who I walk the line with. 

 Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. Lamentations 3:23

It's a Boy! Baby Shower 101

Entertaining can be easy enough if you plan ahead. You know how I love to host (to see some of the other parties we've hosted, click on the Parties label). 

When in doubt, get scrappy, and find someone else who can help you. I cannot design anything digitally, so I sought out a designer on etsy. I found Erin at EThreeDesignStudio, and she made everything so simple and easy. 

Here's how it all turned out...

We ordered the cake and cookies from our favorite local cake girl (who is actually Jacquelyn's neighbor), and it all turned out awesome! I just asked her to match the invitations. 

I found plates and napkins at Target that matched perfectly. I framed the L is for Lincoln printable that I got from the etsy package I purchased, and then I picked up some flowers from our local grocery store and popped them in the blue mason jars. 

These cookies were delicious and precious! 

My sister added fabric strips to the banner I printed. 

These sweet cards also came in the printable package I found on etsy. 

My sister also personalized the chalkboard with Lincoln's name. 

We served iced coffee, lime water, and green apple soda (because they matched). 

The invitation was a picture file, so I uploaded it to Sincerely Scent, uploaded all the addresses, and sent out the invites. Sincerely Scent made mailing invites out a breeze and they smelled delicious! Contact me for more information. We use Sincerely Scent for everything (Christmas cards, birthday invitations, happy mail, etc!)

I bought the clear cups at shopsweetlulu.com where you can find all kinds of party inspiration. Then I printed these labels onto full label sheets and cut them out with a paper cutter. 

We served homemade cinnamon rolls and had a "make your own" yogurt parfait area. 

Aren't those spoons precious!? 

We had a great turn out. Thank you so much to everyone who came to love on Jacquelyn and baby Lincoln. 

The momma-to-be with the shower hosts. Thanks to everyone who joined us for a great day!