This Week’s Miscellany: Vol. 135 (Home at Last!)

This has been one of those weeks that feels like it’s been a month long. Not because we’ve been bored but just because SO much has happened! It’s hard to remember what day we were where but we went to the Grand Canyon and it was AMAZING.

I wasn’t really expecting much. For some reason I got it into my head that it was hyped up and would be disappointing. Or that one of my kids would fall in. But nobody fell in! And it was just incredible. I will never, ever forget it.

The Quotable Gwen:

“Gwen, are you ready to go back to see the Grand Canyon again?”

“Nope. I already seen it!”

Apparently it doesn’t make as big an impression on two-year-olds.

We got up in our tent before sunrise, pack the kids in the van with their jammies still on and drove up to the closest viewing point to watch the sun come up over the canyon. I hope they remember that moment always.

Next up we went to Albuquerque (post on that coming) and then spent one night near Lubbock, TX for a speaking gig at a local parish. Then we packed up the van for THE LAST TIME!!!! and arrived at our new home on the farm.

Y’all, it’s everything I dreamed it would be and more. The kids are beside themselves with glee and it’s so amazing to get to spend more time with Daniel and be near him during the day. And knowing that when he’s working, he’s loving what he’s doing.

Here’s what we did this morning:

-Woke up IN OUR OWN PLACE. Did not have to pack up anything.

-Benjamin hobbled out of bed and walked right out the door to go feed the farm cat (which is the love of his life.)

-Daniel made farm fresh eggs and potatoes and we ate breakfast before he had to leave for farm work.

-We walked a few feet from the apartment to harvest some pears from the pear trees. The kids were still in their jammies because they had been wanting to do this SO BAD.

-We made a pear crumble in the community kitchen to be put in the oven around lunchtime.

-We gave the cores to the piglets who oinked approvingly.

-Kids swung on the big rope swing.

-Kids did NOT want to come inside to help clean up breakfast and do some school work.

-Breakfast dishes cleaned, math done. A big box from ePantry came and the girls turned it into a “boat.”

-We ate some lunch and feasted on pear crumble before putting the kids down for a nap (Benjamin still has to “rest” and be quiet even if he doesn’t sleep so I can get a little by myself time). I took a shower and then Daniel was done for the day so I drove to a coffee shop with NO CHILDREN IN THE BACKSEAT! (I know, I can hardly believe it, either) so I could catch up on the oodles of emails and blogging stuff that’s gone by the wayside during our trip.

So, it’s basically heaven. After the kids go to sleep at night I’ve been sneaking out to the common space to work on writing projects.

Links:

Mad Men and the Domesticity of Love: Ethika Politika

Should I Let My Kid Dress Like a Weirdo: Simcha Fisher

When Marriage Feels Like Work: Rachel Balducci

Christy and I were invited on the Around the Table Podcast and we had a blast talking to those lovely ladies. You can check it out here.

And I LOVE these midi skirts and I want one.

Happy Friday from Waco, TX! Thanks for being along for the ride on the crazy summer we’ve had.

P.S. Time has almost run out to get access to the  fantastic FREE mini-course called “The 4 Essential Habits of Healthy Families”, that contains four sweet ‘n’ easy lessons on the following topics, from specialists in their respective fields:

• Essential Habit #1: “Nurturing your Best Self” (with Heather from Mommypotamus)
• Essential Habit #2: “Staying Fit as a Family (Gym Membership Not Required)” (with Crystal from Money Saving Mom)
• Essential Habit #3: “From Scratch Meal-Making” (with Katie from Kitchen Stewardship)
• Essential Habit #4: “Using Natural Remedies” (with Katie from Wellness Mama)

Each lesson comes with a 20-minute audio guide, PDF transcriptions, and a “Take Action” guide.

If you want to grab your FREE copy of the mini-course, sign up now! It’s only available until September 6th! So grab it while you can.

And psst! If you do sign up for the free audio course, you’ll be able to purchase the newest Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle before it’s available to the general public! I’m not allowed to share the details yet, but I’m bursting at the seams. In my opinion, it’s the best bundle yet. Daniel’s gluten-free healthy breakfast ebook is included along with oodles of other great cookbooks AND the bonus offers are by far the most exciting ones I’ve seen. So get excited!

Sponsors:

Be sure to give some love to this month’s sponsor! They keep the lights on around here.

• Mama’s Notebooks
• Holy Heroes

Wishing everyone a beautiful weekend!

Lots of love,

Haley

P.S. You can follow me…

…on Bloglovin’, Feedly, subscribe to posts via email, or subscribe to my newsletter that goes out monthly with the buttons on the right sidebar. You can also follow me on  Facebook, Twitter (@haleycarrots), Pinterest (haleyofcarrots), and Instagram (haleycarrots).