It’s been nearly six months since Gavin & I got married. Time has a funny way of rolling right along day by day, then when you look back from a certain vantage point, so much has taken place. Not being able to see the forest through the trees kind of feeling. But the change of seasons can serve as a measuring tool of how far you’ve come when you look at the bigger picture. Summer for us has brought marriage, new jobs, a new home & the acclimatization of living with another human being. Each in itself has brought its own challenges & learning curve. Having spent the entirety of…

A change of season is upon us, with September passing through like an old friend. Pumpkins & apples decorate the grocery stores, the scent of fresh rain lingers in the air after a morning thunderstorm. The busyness of summer is beginning to slow its pace & settle into a comfortable stride. We may pause & catch our breath, enjoying the view of where we’ve arrived, thus far. For myself, I offer the change in seasons an especially warm welcome. The past several months have felt like sprinting uphill. However, I’m learning that nothing we go through is forever & that pure, hard work creates change. And remembering why we do what we do…

This was the room where everyone gathered. And this is where my earliest memories of the home most reside. Every Christmas Eve, my brother, sister, parents, cousins, aunts & uncles would huddle in, ‘The Christmas Tree Room’ as we called it. Wrapping paper strewn about and heaps & heaps of presents to be opened. I remember real wooden baby doll chairs & cribs, art supplies, clothes & board games piling up beside me as I unopened each gift. My grandmother’s passion for shopping gave her the eye for the perfect presents for us kids. What I remember most about the room itself was the large stand that elevated the Christmas…

Picking your bedroom color ultimately depends on your personal preference & taste. However, there are some factors to take into consideration before the roller hits the wall.   1st: The feel that you’d like your room to have. Here’s some examples, see which word most appeals to you & perhaps your significant other. Uplifting Relaxing Sensual Restorative Romantic Calming Soothing Quiet Energetic Playful Light Dark Spiritual Feminine Masculine Creative Comforting Inviting If none of those are right for you, try imaging how you’d like it to feel as you walk into the room. What word describes that feeling? Keep in mind that your bedroom serves as your haven of rest at…

It’s been a month & six days since we’ve officially moved. The time that has passed from then to now has been a whirlwind of unpacking, cleaning, organizing & the unrelenting feeling of sore muscles & sleepy smiles. But, I can say without a doubt, that these have been some of the best of days. The struggle of settling into a new place, I’m learning, takes time. And with that comes the small victories of acquiring all of the necessary items for a household to have. Waiting for weeks to receive trash service, for example, gave me the much appreciated & joyful glean in my eyes when I finally saw…

The other day, Gavin and I were trimming the boxwood shrubs that line the walkway to the pavilion.  While he was excitedly using his new hedge trimmer, I was shuffling behind him picking up the fallen branches and throwing them onto the fire. Back and forth from the walkway to the fire, I passed the bedraggled lawn jockey that ceaselessly held out his arm with no lantern to show for. This statue is also part of my childhood for it has stood the test of time since I can remember. What happened next though, I still can’t explain. On my next pass to the shrubs, I mentioned to Gavin that…

I groggily woke up this morning & turned over onto my stomach, eyelids still defiantly shut with little opposition on my part. I turned my head and let it lay heavy on the pillow. I began to hear a dull thumping sound. Where was it coming from? I was a bit irritated then at the thought of someone’s stereo system bumping down the road at six in the morning past my house. But I listened closer & it grew into a steady cadence. Humbled then, when I found that the sound was coming from my own heart beating, I grew still to listen closer. Each faint thud-thud a reminder that…

I’ve glanced down to check the date.  I sensed that there was some sort of significance in it. And when I saw it, I immediately knew – today marks exactly one year from the time when we began working on the house. This day last year however was not at all about the house. It wasn’t even a thought until later on when I was driving home with my mum. We went to visit my grandpa’s old Dodge truck that had been sitting in the field there. After his passing, it started to become part of the landscape, tires easing into the ground below, rust creeping its way under the…