It's all about Routine

This week I am mixed with emotions. I have never NOT worked, so the huge transition that is about to take place, both financially and in general is going to be most certainly something to get used to.
I'm excited, nervous, and so absolutely ready to start this journey. I only have a short three day work week before I end my time as a working mom, and y'all, I'm so ready to be 100% committed to family life.

The biggest thing for me is to ensure that Cadence and I are proactive throughout the summer. I don't want to spend our days in front of a TV or playing on the iPad when there is plenty to be done, but on that same note, our lack of "fun money" (as I call it) is depleted due to the fact of going from two incomes to one, so it's about finding fun things for us to do together, while on a strict budget.

The first idea I thought of is going to take up the first part of our morning and setting this routine will help our minds stay active throughout the summer, all the while not leave us bored trying to find something to do.

I'm going to purchase two inexpensive notebooks from the store. One will be for Cadence and the other for myself. Each morning once we wake up, brush our teeth and get ourselves presentable, we'll spend some time writing in our journals about the previous day. The things we did, or saw, games we played, etc. This will also serve as a great memento for the summer of 2016. Something for us to look back on when she's in her 20s :)

After we've finished writing in our journals and the coffee (and hot chocolate)  has been poured, then it's time to start on summer learning. Cadence's teachers gave each student in the class on the last day a school a book filled with tons of practice sheets and problem solving questions to keep their minds fresh and active while they are out of school. This is one huge reason we love the school she attends, they think about the children always, even on the last day of school and the start of summer. This is a great idea in my opinion. I'm not going to force Cadence to do hours upon hours of school work during summer break, but it'll be nice to take about 15/20 minutes out of our days and focus on some school material to ensure she keeps her mind active.

Once we've finished writing in our journals and worked in her school book, then I want to take about an hour and read. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading these past few weeks. I've started on my 8th novel and by the looks of it, will probably be finished with that one this evening (I love me some Elin Hilderbrand books!). Cadence's mema has stocked up her bookshelf with tons of books suitable for her age. Lots of Junie B. Jones and similar titles. Cadence enjoys reading herself, so this will give each of us some quiet time to read upon ourselves and a great ending to what I like to call "the quiet part" of our day.

After that's all said and done it'll be time for lunch. Cadence, like me, loves to cook and bake, so anything that I can get her actively involved in food wise, she loves, plus who am I to turn down free help in the kitchen? Honestly though, I love spending time with her in the kitchen and seeing her eyes light up as she gets to help me cook or bake. We'll also spend this time prepping for dinner.

Once lunch is served and the house is straightened up with usual chores (laundry, dishes, making beds, dusting, etc.) then it'll be our energy burning time. Lots of outside play time, whether it be swimming in the pool, jumping on the trampoline, playing on the playground, coloring with sidewalk chalk, helping Granddaddy on the farm, whatever it may be, it'll be lots of time outside playing.

There will of course be sporadic days throughout the summer where we'll do something super fun like go to the local water park, go see a movie, visit the zoo or go spend some time with her cousins playing. There will also be lazy days, where I'm sure neither one of us will want to write in a journal, read a book or prep for dinner and that's perfectly okay too!

Today I plan on making some sort of list to help us through summer, something super simple but fun, like a day where we stay in our PJs all day, or visiting the library, having a picnic, things like that.

Either way, summer has officially begun and I can't wait to spend it with my family.

Please continue prayers for my mom. She's still in the hospital in ICU. It's most definitely been a tough time, but we have faith and hope and continue to pray for her recovery.

Savannah Squares, True Love and a Finished Table

With my mom in the hospital and the hospital located in Savannah, it was nice to get out of the hospital this weekend and stretch our legs by walking in downtown. It was such a beautiful day. The sun was big and bright and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again but there is no beauty like that of a downtown Savannah square.

When your daughter says "mom, stick out your hand", you do it. Not sure what this pose was, but it made her happy and that's all that matters :)

Love, love, love this sweet girl of mine!

She's headed to the Jacksonville Zoo today with my sister and her family and I am so jealous! I am reminded, however, that I only have 1 1/2 weeks of working life left and then I can do things like that!

I've contemplated sharing this image on my blog, but I can't help but feel so much love when I look at this picture. This was Saturday, prior to my mom being put into ICU. She was being grumpy (but then again who isn't when their in the hospital hooked up to machines and being poked and prodded every 15 minutes!) and said she didn't really want to eat anything. Well my dad, being as equally stubborn, helped her to eat. After over 45+ years of marriage, this is what true love is about, for better and for worse, in sickness and in health. 

Tarl, as much as that man hates to paint, finished our farmhouse table this week with me being busy back and forth to the hospital. He knew I wanted a bench from the get go and managed to finish one for me. He even painted it. So babe, if you're reading this, thanks, I truly do adore the way this turned out and we couldn't have done a better job working on this project together! Chip and Joanna who? :)

Two Weeks.

Giving your notice is never easy, in fact, like my feeling this morning, it is often gut-wrenching.

Telling your boss that in two weeks time you'll have to say your goodbyes and move on, well let's be honest, it's not something they look forward to, especially this day in age when it's hard to find good help.

With all this being said, I guess I should come clean, in two short weeks, nine working days, I will be what I've wanted to be for a very long time now, an official stay at home mom. Although the circumstances in what got us here aren't the happiest, we know it's the very best thing for our family.

My mom is still in the hospital. I'm not going to go into every detail, but by the looks of it she may still be in the hospital come  this time next week and then it will take some time for her to re-coup and get back to her normal self again. I know without a doubt she's going to come out of this. She's one tough woman and I have nothing but faith and a positive outlook on her recovery.

Long story short, my mom has watched Cadence for us ever since she was a baby. We have been so very blessed and fortunate to have someone near and dear to our hearts, someone we trust whole heatedly, to help raise our daughter while we work. Although there were times when mom would be in the hospital before, we had a sitter here or there to fall back on, however, with summer break now upon us, a sitter for the entire summer is extremely un-affordable and out of our budget. I called two separate places that we trusted to keep our daughter and they were both identical in price, and the prices were only $50 off from our mortgage bill each month, that's when we knew we had to come up with plan B.

We sat down with good ole pen and paper, went through our finances and realized that although it will be tight, it could work. We would have to give up eating out so much, and for a while, vacations, but it could very well work.

I'm not going to lie, it's going to be a huge transition. I've never NOT had a job. I've worked right out of high school and never looked back. Not only is the financial transition going to be one to get used to, but filling my days with useful things to do is going to be another. Getting into a completely different routine and finding one that works best for me and my family. Although it's nerve-wrecking, my heart is happy with the decision we've made.

I'm ready to spend the summer with Cadence. I'm ready to be there for my mom when she comes out the hospital. I'm ready to do park days and pool days and beach days and library days. I'm ready to make her lunch and when the school year starts I'll love being able to pick her up in the afternoons and going on every field trip, not having to pick and choose which one due to my work schedule.

I've never had doubts that the Lord existed. I'm a Christian, and although I don't attend Church regularly like I should, I have faith. My mom's hospital visit this time  has been a roller-coaster to say the least. She's had great days when we thought she would surely get out soon, and then within a few hours she'd be right back to square one, if not worse.

Not long after I did the blog post last week, mentioning that I wouldn't get to be a SAHM until spring next year, we received a phone call that mom had been moved into a step up room, basically she needed to be monitored more closely due to her condition. Tarl and I discussed our options, did the math, and he said let's give it until Sunday. We'll pray for her and about our decision and we'll wait until Sunday.

Friday my mom was well. She was up and talking with myself, my dad and Tarl. She was in high spirits and we thought we had our answer. I'd continue to work because surely she would be out soon with how well she had been doing, then Saturday came and it seemed as though it was a complete 180 from how she was the day before. Her breathing was labored again, her heart rate was up and it was just not a good day.

On Sunday afternoon we received a phone call that my mom had been admitted into ICU. That gave us our answer. Without a doubt I know my mom will come out on top of this. Without a doubt I know we're making the right decision for our family. Without a doubt I know the Lord exists because He gives you an answer to your questions when you least expect it, although the answer may not come in the form you thought they would, He has a reasoning for everything.

Please pray for my mom's health. Prayers do not go unheard!

Three Thoughts for Friday

If you read yesterday's post then you'd remember about my hopes for a coastal inspired spare bedroom and how we actually started working on it this past weekend. Like most things DIY in our home, we do them on a budget and if we can do them ourselves rather than buy something it sure does help us out a lot financially, which is why I thought this article of 29 DIY Coastal Beach Crafts was just perfect for what we're looking at doing. So much so that I wanted to share here. My personal favorites are the coastal lobster wall art, the pallet shark and the seashell plank.


I'd also love a mason jar filled with sea-glass or driftwood, here is an article on beachcombing basics and the best beaches to find all your sea life treasures.


Lastly, I've been a reading fool the past few weeks. I'm on book #5 now and hope to have it finished by the end of today. All but one have been Elin Hilderbrand novels and all have been better then the last. I highly suggest her books. They are engaging and as cliche as it sounds, makes you not want to put the book down. They are perfect for a summer reading list, whether it be for travelling, summer vacations, or like me, and you just want a good book to read after a long day. I hope to have all of her books finished by the end of summer and I'll be sure to share my thoughts on each one.

Lately

Well hey there. I've come to the realization that I simply cannot commit to daily posts, or weekly posts for that matter. Truth is, I've started several blog posts over the past two weeks and just exited out of each one because we've been busy and at this point in my blogging career (if you could call it that) I'm content with writing here when I want whether that be once a week or once a month. Life is busy. You'd think with summer here it would slow down but in all honesty I think it speeds up a notch. It seems we have something planned for each weekend from here throughout August and I want to soak up every minute of that with my family and not have to worry about my focus here. I'll post here when I want to and it'll be a post worth writing about, nothing mediocre! All fun, all family, all real, now onto catching y'all up...

This weekend was re-model central in our house, and the work has just begun. I've dreamed of a farmhouse kitchen table for the past couple years. They are just gorgeous in my opinion, simple, organic looking. A farmhouse style table is a table, in my opinion, where family can gather over plates of fried chicken, a basket of rolls and a jar honey, all while discussing each other's days and spending quality time with one another. Thing is...farmhouse tables bought new are incredibly expensive and quite frankly, out of our price range. While scouring through Pinterest and 'oohing' and 'aahing' over several farmhouse tables I came across an article where it showed you how to build your own and I pinned it, knowing in my mind that we would never get around to making it, but what the hell? Lord knows I have thousands of things on my pinterest boards that I'll never get around to making but "just in case".

Because I have the worlds best husband who spoils me beyond belief, believe it or not, he actually follows my pins and saw the one that showed you how to build your own table. After months of him listening to my love of farmhouse tables he put two and two together and went and purchased the lumber the following weekend. #sweetiepie

Within a day he had my table built and it looked perfect. It was the correct width and height and could easily fit four more people to the table from what our current table could hold. There is one thing I will say about my darling man, he isn't a painter. Not that he isn't any good at it, he, to put it short, hates it with a passion, so he left me in charge of that.

I knew I wanted my table to have a dark stain on the top with white legs. We would do lots of craigslist searching and garage sale hopping until we found wooden chairs that we could stain to match, but in the meantime I wanted the table stained and painted. I went with an ebony stain because I thought the darker, the better. In the words of Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, "big mistake, huge!"

One swipe of the stain brush onto Tarls gorgeous handy work and it was ruined. The stain was too dark and the brush stroke I had used was so wide that it wasn't just a small black stain, it was a huge paint brush streak of black on this gorgeous natural wood and most certainly not the dark color I had envisioned. I was in tears. He was angry. We both felt defeated. We did what any normal couple does, we argued a bit, picked ourselves up, kissed, apologized and started over. He borrowed a large sander from my brother and went to town on stripping off that horrible ebony streak.

Take two was much better. I ended up going with the stain color, Jacobean. A mix between a dark brown and black. It turned out beautiful, especially paired with Lowe's chalk paint in Little Kid Gloves. Turned out my mother-in-law had four wooden chairs that she was looking at selling and voila, we sanded those bad boys and painted them to match the table. I kid you not when I tell you, the four chairs took us all day to do. Cadence swam in the pool while we stripped chairs and painted them in the yard watching her swim. We started at 12:30 in the afternoon and entered the house at 7 that evening, covered in Jacobean stain, white chalk paint and sawdust, but it was well worth the effort because this isn't just a table to me, this is a memory that I will forever hold in my heart. A thought in my head was put into fruition by the man who loves me. Cheesy? Maybe, but damn I'm one lucky woman to have a husband who does the "little things" because we all know the little things are the big things!

I want to get two nude colored parsons chairs for both ends of this table or maybe even a bench for one side and the other two chairs can go on either ends, but for now I'm just in awe of our hard work because in this case, it paid off!

Not only did we focus our time and energy into this table over the weekend but we started on our spare bedroom. I've mentioned here before but our spare bedroom has served as storage for us the past few years. Box after box, more junk,  you name it, we didn't want to throw it away, it got stashed in the back room and over time it became to a point where you couldn't even walk in it. No thanks! Tarl and I were both fed up with this room and were both ready to get it back to an actual room so for the past month we've de-cluttered the mess, sold some things, given away some things and put the items that we couldn't part with in Rubbermaid containers and stored them in his shed. Out of sight, out of mind and now the room is completely empty and ready to be molded into my dream spare bedroom. 

For the longest time I knew I wanted to have one room in the house with a lowcountry/coastal theme. Lots of grays, hints of blues, pillows adorned with seashells, a cozy corner in the room with a chair with a blanket thrown over it where you can sit and read a while. White framed prints on the walls with fish, oysters, crabs, something indicative of the South Carolina lowcountry. I wanted one bold color on the wall with pops of white to help break it up and since Tarl did so well on the farmhouse table I knew I wanted him to build the headboard and a barn door for the closet. I wanted both of these items to match, not only in the wood style, but in the color. Painted white with lots of man made scuffs to give that weathered look. This weekend, after gutting the room and fixing a hole in the wall (more sanding #sigh), we painted it a mix between a light gray and a dark gray. To be honest, I have no clue the color name, but I like to call it lowcountry gray, because if the lowcountry was a gray hue, it would be this one. Tarl plans to go to Home Depot this weekend and buy the necessities for the headboard and the barn-door for the closet. While he's working on that I plan on painting the chair and side table we bought, both at a garage sale for $10! I'm going to use Little Kid Gloves chalk paint again. It's a crisp white and very easy to work with, plus it's way more affordable than any other chalk paint you can get elsewhere. I took before pictures and when it's all said and done I'll be ecstatic to share the afters with you so you can tell the difference. Although it's tedious and downright a headache, after it's all said and done there is nothing like a little remodel to get your DIY gears going!

Yesterday was a fun day and a much needed reprieve from all the manual labor we did over the weekend. Cadence had her big end of the year field trip and Tarl and I always take off to go with her. We went to a small zoo just outside of Savannah and we got to pet a baby alligator, a huge Indigo snake, a baby loggerhead turtle and play with an armadillo. After the field trip we went and visited my mom who is unfortunately in the hospital. As stated before she was diagnosed with COPD a little over 3 years ago and every now and then it causes her fits which in turn, causes her to be admitted to ensure the doctors and nurses can keep a very close eye on her. Please keep her in your prayers for a speedy recovery. Her spirits were high yesterday as we visited with her. Even between catching her breath she was talking a mile a minute. I know that's a typical southern saying, but it is no truer saying as it pertains to my mom because I've never met a woman who liked to talk as much as she does :)

If you've been long time readers here at Life in the Lowcountry, than you may or may not remember me mentioning last year that I had planned on being a stay at home mom come Summer 2016. As much as I would love to say that this dream has become a reality, that just isn't the case and I'm not one to sugarcoat things. Although, financially, I could quit tomorrow if I had to, it just wouldn't be the smartest decision and as time passes and the years grow on and on, being debt free is a huge want for both Tarl and I. We sat down and did the math about two months ago and saw that if I continue working through next winter and holding out until the spring of 2017 we could pay off a giant amount of debt. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't disheartening. Hearing the words out his mouth stung a bit. Ultimately though, he did leave the decision up to me and told me he'd support whatever one I decided making, and in the long run I knew I'd much rather be a stay at home mom without financial burdens then being a stay at home mom with nothing but financial stress on our plates, so I'm sticking out until next spring. We're looking at my leaving work falling in line with Cadence's spring break so she and I can spend her spring break together and then I can be a full time stay at home mom. In the scheme of things, it's really only about nine more months, Tarl teases that it gives us enough time to have another baby, hell, I'd be pregnant with our third if it were up to him. I'm still not aboard the baby train, not yet anyways.

If you've managed to stick around this long I truly appreciate you taking the time to read my blog. It means a lot to me. It may not be a weekly visit here anymore but I promise you when I have relevant updates or news I want to share I'll do it here, but for now, I want to enjoy the last few days of Cadence's first grade year, summer vacation, and of course, time spent with family.

Until next time...