Moving Day

I technically relocated to the country almost two years ago, but the market wasn't in great shape and our home was in need of some minor attention. Since my husband's work is on our old side of town, it helped having a place for him to stay a few nights a week. However, the updates to the house were pretty much complete and the commute has definitely taken it's toll. Time to sell.

The Lord blessed us by allowing us to cross paths with buyer's who were renting in our neighborhood. Though it's been an unconventional process, we remained faithful asking God to bless this transaction and our efforts to sell to them. Finally, we are scheduled to close.

With a closing date drawing near, we are making arrangements to start packing and moving, so tons of questions are crossing my mind. How will I pack the remaining items in my house with a 2 year old who requires A LOT of attention. Will he unpack the box I just closed? Can we get away without a storage unit or will we have to splurge on that too? If we do need a storage unit, will it need to be climate control? Thankfully, I have an adaptable set of people working with me to help us find all the answers we need during this transition.

Some obvious things on the to do list include packing, but I had to determine if there was any furniture that we could let go. Determined there is, I start photographing and listing items that can go from our current living arrangements, and, later, I'll add the items from the house we are selling. It doesn't matter if I'm yard selling or online selling IT IS STRESSFUL & NOT my forte.

Combine Stress Away, Orange & Peppermint in the Diffuser for a sweet stress relief!

If you're in the Luthersville, GA region and need a couch, faux leather chair, chest & nightstand or baby crib, let me know by sending an email. Here'a re pictures, but you can also find them on letgo or 5miles.

Antiqued Black Chest & Nightstand - $150 OBO

34" W x 21" D x 48.75" H

Good Condition, yet bottom drawer is in need of minor repair.

 

22" W x 18.25" D x 27" H

Faux Leather Chair with Ottoman - $200 OBO

Chair: 50" W x 37" D | Ottoman: 24" x 24"

 

Sturdy Couch - $100 OBO

88-90" L x 38" D

Sturdy Baby Bed - $75 OBO

Regular Size Crib

Folded: 6' L x 52" H

I am surely not the only one who's lived this, but if you know of someone who is looking for any of these items, please have them make me an offer. We are ready to letgo!!

What essential oils do you prefer in a stressful situation? Frankincense is also on my list.

Favorite Things Friday

We all have addictions, and since a few of my favorite people are sharing their favorite things, I wanted to jump in and share a few things that I'm totally obsessed with right now!

1. YOUNG LIVING ESSENTIAL OILS.  No surprise, I know… but I am seriously obsessed because they smell sooo yummy, and they've brought my family better health and wellness!  Woodsy Smells are my current favorite. Most of them keep me focused and relaxed. Cedarwood, Vetiver and Lavender are what you'll find diffusing in my bedroom diffuser almost every night because they promote a relaxing, deep sleep.#YLEOs #YLlifestyle #YourOilyFREEK

2. DIFFUSING.  My #1 Favorite way to use Essential Oils is through Diffusing.  They make our home smell so good, help set the mood and keep #MyBoy asleep all. night. long. Currently, I'm diffusing Lime and Northern Lights Black Spruce. The citrus promotes energy, while NLBS promotes emotional, calming support!

3. RED WINE BLENDS.  I'm finally giving into the fact that I'm a wino.  Who cares, right?  Well, if you know me, you know I love my red wine, but my favorites are really the red blends, such as Apothic, Cocobon, Dark Horse, Primal Roots and Mmmhmm... 14 Hands. Have you tried 14 Hands?

4. OVER. Do you like to edit photos on your phone? Do you like graphics?  You’ll L.O.V.E. this app. It brings out the creative side in me and keeps me feeling creative even when I’m uninspired!

5. SHUTTERFLY BOOKS. I started this incredibly organized and detailed baby book for #BabyT, but haven’t touched it in almost a year. Guess what? #MyBoy is almost 2.  Shutterfly Books have saved my pride because I’ve been fairly consistent ordering these as a substitute for the “baby book”.

Tell me what your current favorites are and why, in the comments below!

Giving During the Holidays

To Give or To Give?

What kind of Holiday Giving do you experience?  If I'm honest, I am only accustomed to giving to my family and friends.  Christmas Giving, however, has even gotten a little out of control through the years. I blame this on trying to meet expectations, but who's expectations? Maybe the spirit of the holiday has changed through the years or maybe we have just forgotten the true meaning of Christmas.

Call me a new mother being sentimental, but I haven't been able to stop thinking about how I how I can help my son experience the true meaning of Christmas.  After posting about The Trifecta of Shopping Days, my girlfriend tagged in me in a Facebook post that really helped me put some things in perspective and helped my family make some decisions.

Rather than giving just to put gifts under the tree, we have decided we are going to implement the 3-Gift Christmas in order to help keep CHRIST in our Christmas.  The Three Wise Men each brought gifts to Jesus on his birthday, Christmas. Three Gifts from Three Wise Men sounds like a great reason to keep it simple and just give three gifts, but we will also adopt these three categories of gifts... 1 need, 1 want, and 1 surprise gift.  After all, our goal is to provide for our family year around, not just during the holidays. Piling the gifts up once or twice a year doesn't seem to send the message that we would like for him to receive... 

"Give and it will be given unto you."

Yet this tradition alone doesn't feel like enough.  How are we going to teach him to give? We want him to enjoy giving to others!  Therefore, we are going to give from the heart. Rather than shopping until we find something that 'Aunt May' might like, we are going to make sure everything we give is from the heart.  Whether it is crafty, sentimental, or purchased, we will give to others before we give to ourselves.  We will give to someone in need each Christmas, trying to share the love of God.  In the future, I would like to find someone near Rhett's age, so he can pick a toy and personally give it to them.  He's still a bit young to understand, so here's what I did this year.

While we were decorating our tree, my hubby admitted how much he hated some of our ornaments.  I thought, ok, we're a family; let's decorate as a family.  We can start collecting ornaments that we all love, and in the meantime, these beautiful ornaments that aren't appreciated here, surely will be appreciated by someone.  Let's find someone who needs these and brighten their holiday.  I started by reaching out through my local mamas group and yard sale group on Facebook, asking if anyone needed these items or knew someone who did. I quickly got a response saying there was a family in need.  When I verified the need by asking for details, I got the goosebumps and was excited to help.  Our Father's House is a local mission at The Legacy Church in Senoia, GA.  This group of volunteers mentor disadvantaged children from the Senoia area.  One of these families was left without a tree or the decorations.  Although my donation of Christmas Ornaments was a small gift, it helped decorate a tree that was provided through faithful prayer warriors who trusted God would provide for this family. (Note: it is my understanding that each of the children have been adopted for Christmas, so they will not be left without gifts this Christmas.)  If you want to help assure these or other children in the program have everything they need, please contact Mrs. Jean Bright, 404-455-2914.

Walking away from giving something so minor left me wanting to do more, and since my sister & I had recently discussed looking for a family we could buy gifts for I started the search, again through my local mamas Facebook group.  That's when I came across this image of Nathan Allen Baisden and his three kids.  

After work on December 4th, Nathan was in a Fatal Fiery Crash on Hwy 16.  He left behind 4 beloved children. The mother of these children, 6 years (girl), 4 years (boy), 2 years (girl), and 2 months (girl) is out of work; therefore, I was quickly motivated to contribute to this family. Nathan's childhood best friend, Kristen Morgan, also mourning his death, shared this story with our group because she wants to be sure these children are not left without at least a little Christmas.  Anything we can do to help distract from the grief they are experiencing during the holidays sounds like a win to me, so I quickly shared the story with my sister and we're going to give what we can, and *I hope you will help too. 

The mother, Megan, confirmed a family has already committed to helping take care of all the baby's needs, but the three older children do need jackets, rain boots and pjs. The girls are size 8 & 4t and the boy is a size 5t.  If you want to help provide toys or other gifts for the children, Kristen said the little girls love everything Frozen and the little boy loves anything Hot Wheels. If anyone is able to give gift cards this will help their mother as she looks for a job and gets on her feet.  Please at least keep this family in our hearts and prayers as they lay Nathan to rest today and learn to live without him in the days ahead!

I am not sharing this story to boast that we did a good deed, but to talk about getting back to the heart of Christmas. If we all do a little more for others before ourselves, won't this world be a better place for our future families? Just a little something to think about.  So... will you give by putting things under the tree, or will you GIVE FROM THE HEART and experience the joy and true meaning of Christmas this year?

12/9/2015 UPDATE :: Nathan Baisden's children (all four) are going to live with Kristen Morgan while the children's mother gets on her feet.  The 2 month old little girl went home with Kristen immediately following Nathan's funeral yesterday.  Today, she posted the following picture and request for help through social media.

I believe Kristen is receiving a lot of response through Facebook Groups. However, she is closing in their garage to help care for these children. Therefore, they are going to need beds & dressers, as well as clothing for the three older children.  If you have any leads on beds, bedding and dressers, please contact Kristen through Facebook. Winter clothing, including coats, boots, and pjs will be very helpful, as well.  Last, if you want to help provide a small Christmas for these children, there are a few ideas below listed with the children's ages and sizes:

• Kaylyn, 6 years, Size 8 Girls - Loves Frozen

• Kayden, 4 years, Size 5t Boys - Loves anything Hot Wheels

• Kaylee, 2 years, Size 4t Girls - Loves Pickachu & Frozen

• Kali, 2 months, Size 0-3 months and Size 1 Diapers

God Bless and Merry Christmas!  

tiffanie