On the eve of the storm we headed out to watch the clouds swirling above us. As the sun set, a beautiful double rainbow stretched out across the sky….

We came inside and rearranged the den to make a giant sleepover of air mattresses. This is the one room in the house away from any trees. Joe I slept but a few winks as every little noise had us checking on this thing or that thing. The power went out for a few hours and we found ourselves moving suitcases, furniture and tucking towels around the front door at 3 a.m. The wind was driving the rain at the front of the house so hard it was seeping in some spots. Afterwards we lay on the air mattress in silence. Listening. At 6 a.m. the power came on and I ran into the kitchen to heat water for some coffee.

The rest of Wednesday s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d by every so slowly as the wind blew and rumbled around us.

We finally found ourselves with the wind letting up and the sun peeking out. We felt so grateful for nothing more than a whole lot of branches and leaves that need to be cleaned up. Our little fruit trees and great big oak trees stayed right where they were.

As the sun began to turn the Louisiana sky pink and grey last night, we found ourselves safe, sound and grateful.

Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers and good wishes.

much love to you~

stephinie

Well, it's official.

That tropical storm out in the gulf just turned into a hurricane.

We're not anticipating an evacuation here, but we're packed just the same. As we boarded up the windows we said a silent prayer to those big beautiful oak trees in the yard that we love so much. They've weathered many storms before and we think they'll stand tall and strong, but a hurricane? Goodness.

We've been watching the path change and send Isaac right in our direction. When anxiety runs high I find that I need to stay busy. So the laundry is done, bed sheets cleaned, bathrooms scrubbed. The house smells like fresh granola, and chocolate chip cookies. Yes, cookies. While that may seem a bit absurd it sure brought a smile to all our faces. (it also makes the very dark kitchen a bit more tolerable)

So for now, we're as ready as we can be. It's time to take a deep breath and relax.

I'll see you soon….

~stephinie

It's been raining. And raining, and raining, and r-a-i-n-i-n-g….

And while thunderstorms, amazing clouds & perfect examples in the sky to explain weather to kids is all fine and well. There can always be too much of a good thing.

I'm serious…. look….

In Joe's words, "when life gives you rain, go kayaking." The kids were actually all set to kayak wherever we needed to go. I was secretly glad that the pumps kicked in and we had dry roads again.

In other random news. Sophie has been making her own lunch. Peanut butter toast and salad with sesame seeds and currants. She said it would have dressing if someone would make some. ahem~

 Any suggestions?

Also, you should meet Barbara. She's a cushaw squash. (have I told you we're silly?)

And did anyone else catch the news article where they compared eggs to cigarettes? Are they serious?!? My response to that is this nice bowl of farm fresh hard boiled eggs to put on our salads this week.

And also some home rendered lard from our pig share. 

So there.

And because I think this post should end on a funny note…. Luke has this for you…..

It's his attempt at making a homemade parachute. I heard laughing, and jumping, and then he yelled to his sister, "how many of these things do I need to make me fall more slower?"

The answer? More than six.

Now I am off to finish a late night cup of coffee and get some work done while these lovely kiddos are dreaming. Have a good night!

Right now there is a pile of lovely handmades waiting for the thunder clouds to reside so I can photograph them and get them into the shop. 

It's been such a whirlwind kind of week here getting last minute things pieced together and the big boy ready for his Junior year of highschool. Can you remember when I dropped him off for his freshman year? It sure doesn't feel like two years ago….

It was certainly one of those weeks where the best of intentions got pushed aside to make room for real life. Sometimes that's just the way things go.

But a little work got done. And that's good enough.

Have I told you Joe plays karaoke with the kids and sends me secret popcorn when I sew? He really is the best. Ever.

And while I had planned to share with you TWO new things making their debut into the shop. That will just have to wait until next week. And that's okay. Because instead I am thinking about making do with what I have, in this moment.

Which made me think a set of THRIVE postcards from the shop would be a perfect giveaway for this weekend…

A set of ten postcards with envelopes. Details can be found here.

So, just leave a comment on this post to enter & I'll draw TWO lucky winners next Wednesday. Yes! TWO!

In the mean time…. I'll be choking back tears as I give this big lug of a kid of mine a goodbye hug and duck out of the dorms this afternoon. This goodbye thing never gets easier. But you know… I suppose that means we're doing something right. At least that is what I whisper to my heart in these moments.

See you Monday….

~stephinie

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Congratulations Kim & Tara ~ You won!

I've emailed you for your shipping details.