We headed south this weekend for two reasons, first because Steve preached at Redeemer Church in La Mirada {my sister and her family attend there, and also some of our good friends} and second to visit David’s pulomonologist at UCLA.

My sister’s home is so beautiful–full of creative touches. I woke up to cinnamon rolls and hot coffee. Plus we were able to sneak away for a few hours and thrift some treasures and get a foot massage. So yeah, it was pretty much perfect.

Steve preached on faith and doubt. It was so, so good. If you want to listen to the sermon, you can find it here {the title is living faith}

We had lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory. Steve and I had our wedding rehearsal dinner here–so it’s special to me. Plus I love the food!

Then the four of us headed to Westwood to stay the night so we wouldn’t have to fight the LA traffic. The evening started with silliness, then moved on to pizza and ended with cuddles. It wasn’t meant to be a particularly special evening, but it turned out to be so much fun!

David’s visit with the pulmonologist went great! He has been fighting off colds without antibiotics and his sinuses look great. This is a huge improvement from our last visit where there were xrays and a conversation about possible surgery. What a relief!

Today it’s back to school for the boys and I am looking forward to getting back into the workshop again. I’ve loved our slow mornings and time together, so I feel a little sad that school is starting up again. But there is so much to do, I hardly have time to let it get me down! We are busy planning and creating. I love it.

I’m off to sip a bit more coffee and then I’l tackle my to-do list. What’s on your to-do list today?

I think I’ve shared almost all our pics from our trip to England–and I’ve saved Hampton Court for last. It was the palace of King Henry VIII {you know the one with 6 wives–some he divorced, some he had executed}. It’s a gorgeous palace and the gardens are breathtaking! The day was a mix of taking in the sites and trying to keep David happy. He had a fever and threw up three times while we were walking through the gardens. Poor guy! We kept the advil flowing and towards the end of the day, we even got a few smiles out of him!

Queue starts over here.

Even the ceilings had incredible detail.

We miss the cousins terribly!!

My cousin, Sara. Such a good mama, such a sweet friend.

David gets some good snuggles while we take in the antique tapestries.

I enjoyed learning about all of the history behind Hampton Court and King Henry VIII’s wives. What a crazy story! Can you imagine being his 6th wife? She must have been terrified. But she was the only one who outlived him. Phew!

We’re not traveling far for the holidays–just driving a few hours down to Long Beach. Where are you spending the holidays? Please share!

 

We love to spend some time at Disneyland when it’s decorated for Christmas. Since we had to take David to cardiology, we spent a few hours there. I could tell you about how David kept us up half the night at the hotel crying or how he threw up at breakfast or how tired I felt, but let’s just skip over that stuff and focus on the positive.

We were only there for a few hours, but we hopped on our favorite rides and managed to grab some of our favorite snacks. Matthias loves the lego shop and Pirates of the Caribbean, David loves the characters {you should have seen his face when he saw Wreck It Ralph} and the Jungle Cruise. I think Steve and I just love watching them take it all in.

What’s something you love to do around Christmas time?

*all pics taken on my phone and edited with afterglow.

Last week, after Thanksgiving, we went to Morro Bay to catch the sunset. We were running little late and missed the sunset, but twilight was breathtaking.

It’s Monday! A brand new week–are you ready? How about some hellos!

 Hello rainy rainy weather. It’s been raining for 4 days straight. It feels like winter!

Hello boots and coats. Yay!

Hello scooter. This kid can ride!

Hello outdoors. Feels good to take in the fresh air, don’t you think?

Hello new food. I made David a new dish with oats–heated with milk, then blended with clementines, grapes, blueberries and applesauce. And I added a little cinnamon and vanilla. He loves it!

Hello busy. David is on the move. Watch out! And he’s been eating a ton.

Hello tired mama. I’m trying to keep up with these kiddos!

Hello laundry. I have a lot to do.

Hello shopping. Hello list making. I can’t believe it’s December 3rd!

Hello egg nog. I’ve been drinking way too much. It’s just so good!

Hello books, fire, and and coffee. All I want to do is be cozy.

Hello sweater. I picked up this sweater last week and I want to wear it every day. It’s so comfy and happy.

Hello picture-taking. Steve and I have been having so much fun. I’m thinking we should take a photo class together.

Hello ripples in the water. So pretty.

Hello moonlight. Magical.

Hello cleaning out my closet. Hello family photo session. Hello cardiologist. Hello Christmas party. It’s going to be a busy, fun week!

Last week Chrissie and I brought our kiddos and met up in Santa Barbara. It’s crazy, because before we meet up I’m counting down to our time together, while we’re together I’m thinking, “I don’t want this to end!” and as soon as we part ways I miss her again. Do you have a friend like that? It’s a beautiful thing!

The day was full of imperfections–kids fighting, me yelling at Matthias {sigh}, David constantly trying to sneak away when I wasn’t looking. but Chrissie and I were able to have some good time to talk despite the busyness of having the kids with us. And we had a quiet, lazy lunch at Bay Roadhouse where the kids played outside on the patio and I sipped three diet cokes.

We even snuck in a quick trip to an antique shop and took turns watching the kids. Time to schedule some more sister time, I think!

Tonight we have our holiday open house at the workshop! We are busy filling your orders and counting down to the holidays. I’ve got cinnamon candles burning, christmas music playing and I’ve already knocked out quite a bit of shopping. Are you in holiday mode yet?

While visiting with friends in Scotland, we hopped over to a nearby fishing village called Anstruther. I have to tell you, I think it’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen in the entire world. The sun was shining and the air was cold. We walked past farms with wheat fields and old churches. The sea was so beautiful. I loved it there!

We munched on fish and chips and sipped the best hot chocolate. I found a few vinctorian era watercolor paintings at an antique shop and Steve stumbled on Chamer’s birthplace–a theologian who he really respects. We spent time with dear friends and we saw a new part of the world. It was a magical day.

This weekend some friends are getting married. I’m hoping for at least one good nap too–I’m still getting back on the right time zone. What are your weekend plans?

One thing I really wanted to do on our trip to England was to visit Brighton. I’ve read about it in Jane Austen novels and I’ve seen pics here and there. And it was gorgeous. And so windy! At least it was windy the day we visited. The kids had fun in the arcade and we found a great fish and chips restaurant on the pier. David wasn’t feeling well–he caught a cold and was not happy. So we cuddled him lots and didn’t stay for more than a few hours.

Next time we’re in England I’m hoping to visit Bath. I’d love to visit Jane Austen’s birthplace. Are you a Jane Austen fan? I absolutely adore Emma and Pride and Prejudice. Well all of them really! What’s your favorite Jane Austen novel?