Enjoying What Was, What Is, and What Is To Come

It's feeling like a time of transition over here.
Just a tiny one.
Fall finally came around and started to feel like itself again.
The trees have peaked and are dropping their leaves like mad.

I feel like so much has happened these last few months.
I'd like to make note of them but don't have the time/energy/desire/emotional stability to make a nicely package blog thing out of them so here's a straightforward list for future recollection...

• school is going awesome for L. She loves it! She's actually bummed about being off all next week for Thanksgiving in a few days.
• My sister got engaged and knighted me the maid matron of honor. Bring on the wedding plans!
• Mid October we fostered a newborn for a couple weeks until DCS could find a long term placement for her. I wish SO HARD that I could have been that for her. But we just couldn't right now. My feelings are so complicated about our time with her and letting her move on. Emotional stability is not a guarantee so that is all I have to say about her.....other than she was perfect.
• We lost a couple close friends to death within a week of each other. One had been a longtime, close family friend to Adam's family. Though she wasn't part of our daily lives, the loss of her gentle presence on earth resounds in our hearts. Looking forward to seeing her again. 
• Adam and I have chipped away at some more house updates: resurfacing the half bath floor, laying carpet and fixing the ceiling in Malachi's room.
• We are having new windows put in through the whole house within a month or so. Huge yay for that one! we replaced a sliding glass door and that has had a huge impact on the way things feel inside. I can't wait to see what solid windows do. 
• I'm very tempted to repaint our kitchen. It's a light green color that just feels like it misses the mark, you know what I mean? I wanted a soft mint color and I think this is just too saturated. The itch isn't severe enough to scratch yet. 

Actually the color looks great in these photos.

Ha! Wish the real walls looked more like these. 

• Malachi has had several surgeries to remove cataracts. After doing eye drops 6 times a day to prevent scar tissue from forming, we found out that some actually did form over his right eye. He will go back in for surgery in early December to have that buildup removed and hopefully it won't come back. That's a bummer, painful for him, and inconvenient for family life but we are crazy thankful that we have been given all that we need to get this boy to 100%. 

So those are the main events of these last couple of months. 

This week I have been just enjoying home life as much as possible and soaking in the good, comforting, simple things of it. 

Lighting a candle for home time.

Cleaning out well used closets and cabinets. 

Walking in the chilly air to get Larissa from school instead of driving.

Sitting at the table working on our family yearbook. 

Enjoying doing laundry while a book plays (Under A Painted Sky)

Caring for home things and my family.

Staying away from too much TV for once :) 

So naturally I've been beginning to think ahead to Christmas. 

Not really wanting to rush into it but just to anticipate its coming and savor the last days of autumn before they fly. 

One major place that needs attention is our shelf wall. 

I'm just really hankering to take everything off, clean it all, and put very little back up. 

It looks crazy busy to me.

Books, photos, pumpkins, candles, lights, decor I'm over (and some I'm not), dust, baby things....

Plus there are some cords that run down the side that drive me crazy. 

Crazy enough that yesterday I sat down and stared at it while I brainstormed an inexpensive way to hide them other than just putting stuff strategically here and there to block them. 

(Which doesn't fool anyone, especially me)

I came across fabric cord covers on Amazon that are mostly used for covering chandelier or lighting cords. 

I found a 5 foot long white one that has a whole velcro seam so you can just wrap it around the cords. 

Not an invisible solution but one I can get behind. 

For Christmas and beyond I'm thinking stuff along these lines....

After the unexpected twists and turns of our fall, I'm praying for a chill Christmas.

Warm and bright. 

Simple and hopeful.