In a Blink of an Eye

Have you had that moment when you realize, your kid has grown up and is now a teenager. You know, you blinked. Then, BOOM! There’s a teen standing in front of you. I mean, I knew the kids would grow-up. And, I’m glad it happened. I love the freedom that I’ve gained from having an almost teenager and a teenager. But this weekend, it hit me that not only do I have a teenager, but a pretty amazing teenager.

This all hit me this weekend doing something mundane. Something I do every day. Something I could almost do with my eyes closed. Something that is more of a chore than a task. Something that…Ok, you get the point.

We’d finished lunch and I’d left the room for a moment. Came back in, and my daughter was finishing her dinner. As I began cleaning up the table, we fell into a conversation about one one of her anime shows. She finished eating and then fell into step with me cleaning up the table. You read that right. She started helping cleaning up the table with me.

Later yesterday, I was working in the yard and needed help. I asked her to come out to the yard to help. She, without complaint, jumped in and did what I asked. She made it fun by being a little silly with what we were doing.

She has not only grown to a teenager, but into a teenager that is willing to help out. Don’t get me wrong, I get plenty of eye rolls and heavy sighs. But not typically when I ask her to help me. I’ve raised a daughter I love spending time with. I have a teenager who is caring, compassionate, and willing to help out. She is a good person. A genuine good person.

Are you a parent of a teen? Have you had one of those moments where you suddenly realized your kid is grown up? More importantly, grown up into a good person? I’d love to hear your stories! Brag a bit on your kid below.

For the love of camo

I didn’t know I loved camo until this last year.

Sure, I was in the military and wore camo for that. I didn’t love camo then. In fact, I thought people’s obsession with camo was odd. I didn’t get it. I certainly didn’t want to wear it for fun.

But then, last fall, I went hunting. But, you see, my son wanted to go hunting. Oh, boy, the things I will do for my kids. So in the joy of being a boy mom, I found someone to teach and take us hunting. I wasn’t certain this hunting thing was for me. However, I love those kids of mine. We went shooting and then set up a time to hunt.

We went and were hooked! I loved the peacefulness of being out before the sun comes up. The peacefulness of nature. I loved watching the sun come up over the misty field. It was beautiful. I can’t wait to go again this year. Oddly, I started finding myself looking at and purchasing camo. It was hook, line, and sinker.

I now own sweaters, leggings, and caps that are camo. When I’m out shopping, if I see something, camo, I’ll likely look at it. Before I would walk on by.

So when, I found these earrings. I knew I needed I a pair. They are black camo. They are great for sensitive ears and lightweight. Boy do I love them!

Do you have a camo earring or item that you love? I’d love to hear about it. If you want to check out these black camo earrings click HERE.

Johnny Appleseed

If you’ve been following along, you may have figured out I like the idea of self-sufficiency. Unfortunately, this is not a fast change and we will likely not be completely self-sufficient. Don’t get me wrong, complete self-sufficiency is crazy appealing to me. Living on a homestead, disconnected from the grid. But the reality is, our jobs are within society. And, to be 100% honest, I would hate, absolutely HATE, not having indoor plumbing.

Since, moving off-grid is not realistic, we do other things that are way more realistic and easy to do while living in the city. We have a garden, which will be planted once the weather cooperates. We have rain barrels to collect water. We keep bees for honey. Most recently, we added apple treas. I am SO. VERY. EXCITED. Can you HEAR the excitement in my voice? Really listen, I’ll say it again. I’m so very excited!

We purchased and planted them a few weeks ago. One has 4 apple types and the other is an Asian pear tree. Not quite an apple, I know. But my kids love Asian pears and they are pricey at the store. So, when my husband purchased my apple tree to surprise me, he also purchased the pear tree too.

This fall, we likely won’t get a crop. But in 1 year we well. I’m so very excited. I bit sad. I do love going to an apple orchid and picking my apples to process. It will be a bit sad that this year will be our last year going there. But, having apples in my back yard, over rides any of my disappointment.

Do you have apple trees? Have you considered getting them? What are you doing to add to your food production? I want to hear from you.

Just a girl, with an earring obsession

I feel like I should back up a bit, I was a girl who never wore earrings. Or, well, very few earrings. I had my ears pierced for my wedding and then wore earrings sparingly after the wedding. Why? I only wore small earrings. Nothing overly dangly. This limited the options and, quite frankly, limited my love of earrings.

Now, fast forward about 1 year ago. A friend introduced me to For Keeps. I ordered one set of earrings to check them out. I was hesitant because, honestly, I was not certain how the earrings could be large and not be heavy. Well that one earring hooked me I ordered Fairy Wings which are an older version of the Larissa. I found them to be lightweight and not pulling on my lobes. I then tried several of their leather earrings and found I loved them just as much.

Well, this was a quick movement to obsession once I realized they were truly lightweight and great for sensitive ears. So, now I would like to introduce everyone to my new favorite earrings! Enter, a new blog series which will be focused on For Keeps earrings and maybe some other fun fashion things that I’ve found that I do love.

For now, if you want to check out these Ah-mazing earrings, click HERE and you’ll be taken to a page where you can browse, and shop if you want.

Do you have an earring that you LOVE? Have you purchased any from For Keeps and love them too? I’d love to hear your feedback.