The Next Chapter

I can't believe it! It's finally here! Today we make settlement on our house and all this week we will be moving in! I am filled with joy that we have reached this next chapter of life in purchasing a home together! It has been such an amazing journey from the moment we said, "I do" four and half years ago.

It was definitely exciting looking at houses together, trying to picture us as a family in everyone we went to. There were definitely some hard decisions and stressful moments, but in the end, it has all been worth it! From the beginning, people warned us about how much work goes into buying a house. That is an understatement!! There are so many steps and so much paperwork. I don't think I ever want to sign my name again! Whew! I'm glad that part is over!

In all seriousness, without getting too emotional, I can't really put into words how thankful I am that we were able to get this house. From the first day we walked through it, I knew that this house was for us. I knew that, just as we had prepared our old place for the new owners, this house was prepared and made available just for us. It may sound silly, but after months of prayer for God to help us find the right house, it was very hard to miss that 'knowing' that this home was for us. I can't stop thanking Him for this undeserved blessing!

After months of saving and being careful of what we purchased, I can now, finally, get excited about decorating our new home! The first I want to do is decorate the mantel in our family room for fall. I even purchased a new fall wreath for our front door!

My encouragement for you today is, whatever you are waiting for, or praying about, remember God's timing is perfect. He knows what you need and what you can handle. I know that it can be so hard to wait and at times we question whether or not He is even hearing our prayers. Let me assure you, He does. He just wants to see if we will trust in Him for everything. A verse from James chapter one comes to mind, verse 4 states "But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing". God is faithful in fulfilling His promises. Will you fully trust Him for everything?

In excitement over our new home, I decided to create a cute little post card with our new address to send to all of our friends! (I'm thinking of creating a few with different states that you can download and customize for yourself, for free!!) What do you think?

See you back here on Thursday for the start of our 31 day writing challenge on praise & prayer!

Many Blessings,

Goodbye Summer Hello Fall

I can't believe how fast the summer flew by. It proves the saying true, 'time flies when you are having fun'. This has been one of my greatest summers yet. I got to spend so much time with my lil one and my husband. It was so nice to not have to worry about work and I was able to focus on doing things that I really enjoy and relax.

Even though the summer is over now,  I am so excited for the fall! It is my favorite time of year. I am ready for boots, sitting by the fire, and pumpkin everything!! Download the --> 'hello fall' art print to hang in your home and let's get ready for this next season of life!

These photos were taken with a Sony a5100 Mirrorless digital camera. I love our camera!!! We have only had it for a few months and it is by far one of our best investments. If you are thinking of purchasing a camera, the Sony a5100 is a great choice!

Many Blessings,

31 Days: A Writing Challenge

Oh my gosh!! I can't even tell you how excited I am to be apart of the 31 Days Writing Challenge. It happens every October and you have to write on a specific topic, everyday for 31 days! This will be my first year participating and I am super excited!

I thought long and hard about what I wanted my topic to be. I work full time, so I needed something that was not too complicated. I don't have that much extra time every day to write really long posts. One thing that I had been really focused on doing was giving thanks more often and being in constant communication with God on a daily basis. I thought what better than to incorporate this into the 31 Day Challenge.

I created a calendar for the month of October. Download it here --> Praise & Prayer Calendar. Everyday I will stop in on my blog to write my praises & prayers for the day. The calendar is for you to do the same. It takes only 5 minutes to do and it is a good way to get into the habit of praising God more and communicating with him on a daily basis!

I hope that you will join in with me! I can't wait to see what all of the other bloggers will be writing about! Last year, there were so many great topics/bloggers. I am sure this year will be no different.

To check out all of the bloggers and their topics stop by --> www.write31days.com

Many Blessings,

Happy Grandparents Day

Celebrating two of the best today! They have had such a huge influence in my life and I am so grateful for them! Love you Grandpa Jack & Grammy Jane.

Many Blessings,

Back to School & Birthday Giveaway

Every year growing up, at the end of summer, I would always have a mix of emotions. I was sad that the summer was over and not too happy that school would be starting again. However, I would get  excited because I knew I had my birthday to look forward to!! This meant new school clothes, supplies, and all other kinds of goodies.

Now that I am all growed up, it's a little different. I still get sad about summer ending, and instead of being sad about school starting, I now get upset about going back to work. I have to say though, I love my job and the people I work with so it's really not that bad. Plus, with all of the awesome stuff I purchased on Teachers Pay Teachers, my whole year is pretty much set and planned out.

It just so happens that my birthday, which is today, falls on Labor day this year, which means I get the day off! Bonus!! I get to spend some extra time with my family and not worry about having a ton of stuff to do when I go back.

So I thought it would be fun to do a giveaway today, to celebrate Labor Day, my birthday, and back to school! It's easy to enter. For all the details head on over to --> my Instagram feed. One winner gets all of the items in my Teachers Pay Teachers store (two new items being added this week) plus a $25 gift card to TpT.

I hope you have an awesome Labor Day and if you are starting back to work/school I hope it's not too stressful for you!

Many Blessings,