To describe our growing up in the lowcountry of South Carolina, I would have to take you to the marsh on a spring day, flush the great blue heron from its silent occupation, scatter marsh hens as we sink to our knees in mud, open an oyster with a pocketknife and feed it to you from the shell and say, 'There. That taste. That's the taste of my childhood.' - Pat Conroy

January 27, 2017

Lately.

Cadence started ballet, again. She took it two years ago and adored it but the dance company we had her with was outrageously expensive and after her semester was up and the recital was over we chose not to re-enroll her.

Thankfully, we found a new dance company that we adore. Their prices are extremely reasonable and it's even closer to home. Cadence is happy to be dancing again and we're happy that she's happy!



Tarl only had to work for a few hours on Wednesday so we spent the rest of the most beautiful day outside at a local park.







In regards to the women's march, here's how I feel about it...




We're getting ready for Valentine's Day around here, at least with our outfits. She's ready!


I'm glad today's Friday. So ready for the weekend. xo


January 19, 2017

All in a Day / My first "day in the life" post

I love reading all about someones regular, ordinary, day, so I thought I'd do my first "day in the life" post. Let's get started....

I woke up this morning at 8am. Normally I get up at 6:30 so this was a treat and I relished it.

Once I get up it's time to make Cadence breakfast. This morning it was grapes, a blueberry waffle, a glass of milk and a Valentine's peep. (I pick and choose my battles and this morning I wasn't arguing over a small cute little Valentine's chick.)

Before Cadence eats her breakfast she has to check her blood sugar and then after breakfast she has to take her insulin shot. Toughest girl I know!




Once her breakfast is made I clean up from the night before. I load the dishes into the dishwasher, wipe down the countertops and start laundry for the day. I'm actually pretty good at keeping up with laundry around our house. I try to not ever let it get out of control and only have to do one load every other day. Today was a one load day. Laundry is done!

Once the kitchen is clean and laundry is done I make myself a cup of coffee. This keurig is one of the best things Tarl has ever bought for me. It truly gets used daily! I like the eight-o-clock "the original" brand with sugar and milk. Delicious!



Once Cadence is settled for a bit I sit down for some quiet time of my own with my coffee and get started reading blogs. Once I've gotten all caught up, I start writing out a post of my own. The post I usually prepare is for the following day. Sometimes I get a wild hair and plan out posts for a few days ahead of time, but it's rare. Today's post was getting prepared for tomorrow, or in this case, the one you're reading right now :)




After I'm done with blogging I do a little online window shopping (a few FB boutiques where I purchase a lot of Cadence's clothes, the Lilly website, poshmark, Disney) just for kicks. After I'm done with the computer I read my daily devotion. I had set a goal for myself to read it every day and did good January 1 - 12 but slacked until this morning. That's the great thing about the Lord's grace though, when we falter He still loves us the same. Today's devotion was a good one. I go through and read the scriptures it asks for online and underline any parts that spoke to me. I make notes if I want to. It's great and I so recommend these books!




I grocery shop for our family every two weeks. This is my most hated chore. I'd rather wash the walls with soap and water (if that's a thing) then go grocery shopping, but, it has to be done, so I start working on our grocery list. I search the Publix sales paper to see if there is anything good and to also get some dinner ideas. BOGO free for the win! Love me some Publix!



Cadence's Dexcom (which continues to read her blood sugar all the time and alerts us of any highs or lows) requires a site change every 7 days and today was that day. It's about a ten minute process from start to finish but so imperative to us as parents and to ensure better blood sugar control. We have thoroughly enjoyed this diabetic machine.





Once her new site change is finished I do the rest of the housework that's needed. Make our bed. Cadence makes her bed. Put laundry away, if any. Sweep the floors. I don't mop every day and today was a non-mopping day. Thank you Jesus! Today I also dusted. It was needed.

Now that the house is clean and scrubbed we get ready for the day. Cadence gets dressed and brushes her teeth while I shower and do the same. It has been unseasonably warm here in the lowcountry and for the past few days it's been shorts weather, which is just crazy to me! Today Cadence wanted to wear Lilly. I'm game! I have these matching shorts but it felt like a jeans day to me with my Lilly top (all pictured are older seasons). Regardless, I love that my sweet girl wants to twin. Melts my heart!



Since we are all cleaned up (and the house too) it's time to start school. I have SO enjoyed home-schooling Cadence. I love the one on one time that she and I get by teaching/learning and to be honest, I have learned a lot since starting, especially in geography. It's been such a great opportunity and I am most definitely not taking it for granted.



After our math, english, and science lessons it's time for lunch. This is the time of day I let Cadence watch Youtube. I have no idea what it is about kids her age but they are obsessed with Youtube. I talked with some parents the other day and they were saying the same thing. Specifically minecraft videos. I don't get it but she loves it. We have found minecraft videos that are suitable for kids and I allow her to watch that while she eats her lunch.  Today she wanted a gluten free corn dog, with some carrots, cucumber slices and apple slices with cinnamon. I opted for a ham sandwich and some chips while watching a little Grey's Anatomy. I'm hooked!





Once lunch is finished we finish school by working on geography, reading and comprehension, writing and spelling.

After school we go outside and play. This day was such a beautiful day. It was warm out but the breeze felt great! Cadence did a little scooter riding while I pressure washed our back steps. They get so nasty if we don't pressure wash them every couple of months. Tarl always says he lucks out because he found a girl who loves doing outside work, but it's the truth, not trying to toot my own horn but I love working outside. Cutting the grass, planting, pine strawing the flower beds, and even pressure washing. I enjoy it.




After enjoying some time outside we went back inside. Cadence played with the cats while I started to prepare for dinner. Tonight we're having shrimp and rice jambalaya. It's gluten free and so delicious! It's a tad spicy although the box reads mild, but around here we love spicy foods!



Cadence has a book report due in three weeks so she wanted to read some of her book. I am so blessed that I don't have to fight with her to read, she just naturally enjoys it. Thank you Jesus! On the way to snap a pic of her reading I spotted this little creeper staring at me. 

I spy a kitty...

Sweet girl and dirty feet...bless it :)



At this point it's around 3ish. While Cadence is reading we hear the Dexcom alert us of a low so she gets a few gluten free animal crackers to bring her up. This is why I love the Dexcom!


When a diabetic is having a low they always need to check again 15 minutes later to ensure that the carbohydrates received (in this case, animal crackers) brought their blood sugar back up to a safe level. Cadence's safe level is between 80-150, as you can see on the dexcom, she was at 77 and going down. 


Her number went back up. Thank you Jesus! A few minutes later Tarl got home. We love when he gets home to his girls!


Not long after spending some time with him I started on dinner. Shrimp jambalaya with grilled zucchini. It was delicious!



After dinner is done we all start winding down for the day, except on this day we cranked up some music and had a dance party. We played hits back from when Tarl and I were teenagers and then started up with the newer stuff that Cadence knows. It was a lot of fun and I realized just how out of shape I am! Dancing will take it out of you!

Slow dancing with daddy.

A snapback and a photo bomber :)

After our little dance party it was time for bed. We did her nightly insulin regiment and then tucked her in. Once she was asleep Tarl and I laid down with some strawberry ice cream and a movie. 


What a great day! Prayers for many more in 2017!







January 17, 2017

Tuesday Talk

Tuesday talk! Want to join in on the fun? Click here.


Disney is calling my name y'all. Like, big time. If you've been a reader of mine for a while then you know that we are a Disney loving family. If you're new to this lowcountry life of mine then you should know that we are a Disney loving family. We try to go to Disney every even year and if you didn't realize, 2017 is an odd year, which means no Disney for us, but that doesn't mean I can't start planning for our next trip, right?! Right!

The next Disney trip we take will definitely be different then any other as we'll now be doing Disney with Cadence's diabetes and celiac diagnosis. We've never been restricted as it pertains to traveling and we're not about to start now! Cadence's diabetic team is fantastic! If ever her team leaves to go work elsewhere we will be moving with them, that's how great they are! They are constantly reminding us that life is no different and we are to continue to live it as we did prior to her diagnosis and that's just what we plan on doing. The only difference now is we have to prepare before and y'all know I'm a list maker so no worries there!

Disney is great as it pertains to people with food allergies. I've read time and time and time again that whether you have a nut allergy, egg allergy, or in Cadence's case, a gluten allergy, they are fantastic and have loads of options in each restaurant. Woo-hoo! I've started doing my research and have joined several FB groups that are related to doing Disney with food allergies. I was shocked at how many people have celiac disease! The great thing though, they said Disney was so accommodating to their needs.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, no one does it like Disney! Best vacation spot ever!

If you'd like to read all about our 2016 Disney recap, I've included them below. It was so fun to go back and read these blog posts. It just made me want to go back that much more!

2016 Trip:



For Disney tips and tricks I've learned after traveling there and planning our vacations, I've included past posts on those too!




Here's hoping we're Disney bound in 2018!







January 16, 2017

Daycationing

When you want to get out the house but can't afford a vacation, a daycation is the next best thing and our little family has grown to love daycations. The past two weekends we have travelled to North Carolina (snow day recap here) and to the upper part of the state. This past weekend we packed up the camera and started driving North. We stopped at a local mexican restaurant in a little town in SC for lunch and it was delicious, but when has queso and tortilla chips ever been bad?!

We knew we wanted to ride back roads and take pictures. I adore taking pictures and seeing new places so it was a win/win. Our family rule is, if one of us sees something interesting, we stop and look around. Tarl saw a sign for an old historic site so we stopped and took a peak. It was located right on a swamp so the downed trees from hurricane Matthew were beautiful nestled in the old swampy waters. There was also a fence built from tree pieces, rather than treated lumber you'd find at a home improvement store. It was beautiful.








After we took a walk down a trail and I got some photographs in, we decided to jump back in the car and continue North. This is when a good surprise happened. I just so happen to be a huge fan of Jim Harrison art. I own two (now 3) of his prints because I adore the southern aspect of his work. If you're unsure, just google him, chances are you've seen his artwork before. We came across his gallery located in Denmark, SC. Of course we had to go in and look around. The walls in the art gallery were adorned with nothing but his work. It was spectacular. We purchased another print for our wall. I can't wait to get it framed and hung...pics to come. Denmark was my stop for the day.



We took a new back road home and that's when Cadence spotted a park sign. It was a state park but she didn't put two and two together that a state park doesn't mean a park with swingsets and playgrounds, but in this case, it actually did. It was a mix of both and was our favorite stop of the day. There was a gorgeous waterfall for pictures, she got to burn energy on the playground and Tarl and I got to stop, sit and just enjoy all our blessings. 






It was such a great day with perfect weather. It felt like spring with our shorts on. I wouldn't trade one moment with this sweet family of mine.


We have another daycation planned for next Saturday. Stay tuned...

January 11, 2017

It's all about that vest!

This fall and winter has been the winter of vests. I started wearing them in the fall and haven't stopped yet. Even if it's unseasonably warm outside I try my best to pull off a vest. I love how versatile they can be. They can dress up an outfit or make an outfit casual dependent upon what shirt and shoes you pair with it.

I love my monogrammed herringbone vest I got for Christmas. This is the one I use to dress up a bit. I love a good button up with it and this hunter green button down goes great together with the vest. I wore this same vest today with a pink button down and black leggings. Comfy, cozy and cute!


I purchased this white quilted vest at 50% off a few days after Christmas. The one thing I love about it is that it's reversible. You can wear the white quilted side or reverse it and use it as grey flannel. I've yet to wear the grey side and tend to lean more towards the white but I am obsessed with this one and it's probably been my most warn so far, because let's face it, white goes with everything. 

Here I've paired it with some booties and a pink sweater with gold patches (which I love by the way), but I've worn it with button downs, t-shirts and even dresses. It's not so much on the warm side like the herringbone is, more for looks, but I'm just smitten.


Lastly I have my navy puffer vest. Everyone needs a puffer vest! I will say it's all about the style of the actual vest itself. I had tried on several before purchasing this one. Some did not suit me, some were too big/too puffy and some weren't puffy enough. I finally snagged this one last year at Sears at a steal and I've been happy with it ever since. 

This one, like the herringbone, is nice and warm, however, like the white quilted vest, it can also be used to dress up or down, like here, paired with a simply southern t-shirt and my monogrammed duck boots. #monogrameverything


The next on my list is a pink vest. I've wanted a pink vest for years and I'm hoping to find one at a steal before the winter's end. Y'all know I got to have my pink!

I have enjoyed mixing it up a little each day. Being on a tight budget doesn't allow for a lot of extra spending all the time, but adding a vest to different shirts each day makes it seem like I have different outfits.



Life in the Lowcountry ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Revel and Design - Powered by Blogger