Two New Additions to Ocoee Farm!

HOW CUTE ARE THEY?

After one of our new lambs was most likely eaten by a coyote last week (what a sentence), PJ knew we had to get some kind of protector out there so that predators don’t kill any more of our sheep (or geese, or chickens). A few people suggested getting a donkey, since they’re known to keep predators away, but more people suggested getting a Great Pyrenees, and we had actually considered these kind of dogs in the past because we’ve always heard how great of farm dogs they are.

In classic PJ fashion, once his mind was made up about what kind of guardian we were going to get, he headed straight to Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist to find the best deal possible. Prices for Great Pyrenees are all over the place (some selling for $150, some selling for $700), but he found two girls for a really great deal yesterday and the owner said he could meet us this morning. Sold!

We haven’t had a new dog in forever, so having two puppies in the home is refreshing and fun. They’re so clumsy and lovey!! We’ve only ever had little dogs and German Shepherds, so these little girls are like little breaths of fresh air in their mannerisms and behavior. They’re both calm and collected (even at nine weeks old) two things we’re not used to in any of our dogs. Oh and PJ’s favorite: they still have puppy breath.

They’re going to be staying with us for a little while, which means we may get an adult Great Pyrenees in the next week or so for immediate protection against predators. Yay for pups in the house again! And not just any pups, apparently: they already let us know when they need to go outside and use the bathroom and have yet to have an accident in the house. What kind of heaven-sent puppies are these?!

Also, they need names. I originally wanted something extraordinarily British, since that’s kind of the feel we want for the farm, but after PJ posed the question on Instagram and the suggestions started rolling in, we’re thinking of going in a different direction, and I love it. They’re so cute.

Will share when we have definite names.

An Interesting Day Celebrating My Mom's Birthday

This past weekend, we all got together (in one house!) for my mom’s birthday and it was both lovely and horrible all at the same time.

Though the day didn’t turn out quite as planed (more on that in a bit), anytime we can get together like this, it’s always a win in my book. Because no matter how the day goes, I love when we can all make the time to be in one place (though as always, we missed my sister Amy who lives in Georgia with her husband and 6 kids!), especially these days. We’re all so busy with our own lives that it feels like we barely have enough time to talk on the phone, let alone spend a few hours together. 

We had brunch and drank mimosas while the kids played with the dogs and rolled down my brother’s hill. It was a gorgeous, but freezing, Sunday afternoon. I made fried eggs using the farm fresh eggs from our farm and they were nothing short of delicious. I am contemplating why I ever use any other kind? If we make our stay at the farm more permanent, we would have fresh eggs every morning. Can you imagine?

My mom has never liked celebrating her birthday, something PJ noticed and mentioned on the way home. I guess I had never really thought about it before, but after he brought it up, it got me thinking: I don’t remember her ever being particularly joyful on her birthday, not in a celebratory, beyond excited kind of way. Maybe she doesn’t like all the attention on her? Maybe she doesn’t like getting older?

Whatever the reason might be, that day, she confidently looked in the camera when I asked how old she was turning and answered, with a smile, “I am turning 66 years old!”

After brunch, we all loaded up and headed to the Chattanooga Mercantile, which has suddenly become our favorite antiques store. We found a couple of old oil portraits that we wanted to bring home with us, and might just do so when we’re ready to starting decorating Holiday House (months and months and moths from now).

All together it was a wonderful afternoon spent with the ones we love.

However, what started as a beautiful day quickly turned dark after we left. The dogs, Coco and Winston, got into a fight in the living room and they thought Coco was going to rip Winston’s throat out (it got that bad). Coco’s leg has been bothering her and everyone’s theory is that Winston unintentionally got too close to her, and it scared Coco, so she lunged at him and put her mouth around his neck. Everyone started to scream and cry and yell for the dogs to stop, but all to no avail. For reference, Winston doesn’t even weigh 10 pounds (he’s a little weenie dog!) and Coco is much bigger than that, so everyone pretty much feared the worse.

It turned out, though, that the only one to get hurt was my brother, Taylor. He did what you should never do (something we all learned that day!) and tried to break up the dog fight by pulling their mouths away from each other with his hands. Winston ended up biting his hand and he had to go to the E.R. He’s doing fine now, but he’s saying the pain is really bad.

Meanwhile, my mom started feeling sick that night and is now home with a cold. What a day. Anna and I made her some homemade chicken noodle soup yesterday and brought it over to her house while keeping our distance. No one has been sick in our household in a while (knock on wood) and we’re trying to keep it that way.

So there you have it. Though there were some ups and downs, because that’s just how life goes, in the end, all you really need is family, isn’t it?

Sundays Are For Cat-Naps Anyways

Because what else are they for?

Alyster’s favorite spot this time of year is the top of the bookcase in the living room, which is the perfect place to bask in the afternoon sun and all its warmth. Bonus points because the heat from the fireplace rises to warm him up, too.

Oh Alyster. What a life.

Snow Day at Ocoee Farm

Are we at Ocoee Farm or are we in the English countryside?

That’s how it felt the other day when we packed everything (and everyone) up, loaded the car, and drove out to the farm to spend the night at the tiny house. We knew there was snow coming, we just weren’t sure how much, so color us pleasantly surprised when it started snowing and then it didn’t stop.

I could be wrong, but I’m almost 100% sure this was our first official snow day at Ocoee Farm. It feels like a completely different world out there when it’s blanketed in sheets of white. The tops of the trees disappeared into the ombre grey sky, making them look much taller than they actually are. It was haunting and foreboding and absolutely beautiful, in a very Girl with the Dragon Tattoo kind of way. Have you ever seen that movie? One of my favorites to watch this time of year and absolutely the vibe of the farm in the snow.

The kids were ecstatic over the snow, so we bundled them up and set out for a walk around the farm. Allan, 6, was obsessed with eating the snow, no matter what it looked like, which, like…yikes. We warned him of the dangers of eating any color other than white, but he wouldn’t hear of it. Once his mind is made up about something, there’s almost no changing it. So, he may or may not have eaten discolored snow that day. Who can say?

When we weren’t outside playing and roaming, we were tucked away inside the tiny house watching movies, drinking coffee and eating a delicious chicken tortilla soup that PJ made. It was the perfect cozy winter day that I look forward to all year long. If only we could have more days like this in Tennessee.

We made the long trek up to the tallest hill on the farm, the one behind PJ in that photo above; the one where you can see the entire farm and the hills and valleys that make you feel like you’re in Europe. It’s one of our favorite spots on the farm, and every time we walk up that never-ending hill, it feels like we’re seeing the whole place with new eyes.

I hope that view never gets old to us.

By the third day, the temperature had risen and the snow had begun to melt. By then we were all home anyway, safe in our house and counting down the days until we can head back to the farm and play in the snow once again.

Happy New Year! Or Something Like That

How did you spend your holidays? Were they merry and bright? Or blah and not-so-great? Ours were, in short, quite lovely; much more lovely than I thought they would be after our Christmas plans changed this year due to Covid. We spent them all at home with a few family members, eating and drinking and enjoying each other’s company.

If I’m being honest, I already wrote this post about a week ago, or a version of it at least. For some reason, that one didn’t feel right. It was negative and raw and a little…hostile. Yes, hostile is a good word to describe it. I decided not to post that one because, while my feelings in it were valid and real, I think I was in such a negative head space while writing and I didn’t want that to live on the blog forever. That’s not who I typically am.

I look forward to every January 1st. It’s a renewal of sorts for me, a chance to start the new year with new possibilities and endless opportunities. A mental reset of sorts, and of course, a chance to make New Year’s Resolutions (which I have learned is not the best thing to do, since our brains aren’t designed to actually keep them). Maybe I’ll cut my hair super short and dye it; maybe I will be more present with our kids and my husband; maybe I’ll start taking the dogs on daily walks again.

You see? I love this time of year, usually. But for some reason, this year didn’t start off great for me. I have felt down and out of sorts for the first time in recent memory. I haven’t felt like myself, which is a terrible feeling to have. I haven’t been on social media much, which I’ve actually quite enjoyed. I meant to take a break during the holidays from being online and I never made time to actually do it, so I’m telling myself this is my time to relax and back off a bit. It feels good.

I was telling PJ the other day, I think the reason for my out of sorts, not-myself feeling is because last year was so crazy. Between being a parent to three under six, our job, taking care of all the animals and the house work, cooking, emails, and homeschooling, it finally all caught up with me. We were going a mile a minute last year, barely stopping to breathe, and when we slowed down for a week or so, it’s like it all came crashing down and the reality of 2021 set in under crushing weight. I felt overwhelmed and consumed by every day to day decision I had to make. I had horrible voices in my head telling me I couldn’t handle everything we were taking on and saying things like “You’re not good enough” and “You’re not up to the task”.

Looking back, I think I had slight signs of imposter syndrome, like I was just pretending we could handle everything last year and at any minute, people were going to figure out we, in fact, couldn’t. Or worse: I was going to figure out I couldn’t.

People are always saying they don’t know how we do what we do with work and the kids, and for the first time, I asked myself the same thing.

I am writing this today because I feel I’m in a better place mentally to articulate what I was feeling then, rather than spewing out unhinged and unfiltered emotions onto the keyboard with no regard for anything other than what I was feeling in that very moment. That’s not how I like to operate and, looking back, I’m glad I didn’t post the other blog. This one gets the same point across without being so. . .volatile. Hostile. Ugly. Those are the only words that come to mind.

As for being in a better place mentally? I think stepping back from social media has been a huge help in that area. We’ve been doing social media (Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, etc.) as a business for almost seven years now (it’s the longest job I’ve ever had!) and I think it’s healthy to take a break every now and then. While I’m not going cold turkey, I have significantly reduced my role in it and PJ has volunteered to take the lead this year. We are taking it one day at a time and I am grateful for his love and support. He’s been so good with me during this time: taking the kids to the farm for a few hours to allow me some peace and quiet, making sure I’m comfortable, etc. What would I do without him?

For those of you who aren’t experiencing a New Year high, and who might be going through the New Year’s Blues, my heart goes out to you. I’m right there with you. And I’m sending you a big ole virtual hug.

Happy New Year! Or something like that.

Goodbye 2021: The Year That Was

It’s almost 9pm on New Year’s Eve-Eve and we’re up in the bonus room with the kids as they’re passing the basketball, playing XBOX, and eating candy.

What a sentence. None of these events are the norm on any given night, but maybe because it’s the holidays or maybe because it’s the end of the year that they feel okay tonight. I’m glad PJ suggested we all migrate up here for a late-night session of fun.

It’s hard to believe the year we’ve had. We, meaning all of us. No matter how seemingly good life has been for any of us, there’s still an ever-present sense of dread that looms in almost every part of life that’s spilled over from 2020. Do you know what I mean? Covid, and all of its variants, have made this year the Evermore to last year’s Folklore, a similar companion piece, only not in any kind of joyous way.

Still, there were some highlights to the year, and what is social media for if not to put the best parts of your life front and center. A virtual scrapbook of sorts: a place to keep all of your favorite parts of your life in one place. The parts you never want to forget. The parts you want to remember forever.

Also, I don’t know about you, but ever since a year and a half ago, when Covid first hit the U.S., time honest to god means absolutely nothing. Nada. Zilch. It’s hard to fathom that the Capitol riots were just in January, that Biden hasn’t even been president for a year, that PJ and I have only had the vaccine since May.

So why don’t we take a look back at the year that was significantly better than 2020, but still not great (except for one big, major thing that happens towards the second half of the year- keep on reading!), and the times that made it special.

January

We celebrated our daughter’s birthday and had a small party as she turned three! It’s incredibly hard to believe she’s turning four in just a few days, and it’s true what they say: the days are long but the years are short. How is our little girl no longer a toddler?! Anna Elizabeth makes all of our days brighter and sassier and we are so obsessed with her.

We also painted our living room! After years of wanting a brighter room, I finally convinced PJ to get on board with painting our living room white (White Dove by Benjamin Moore). It gets the most incredible light in the evening, especially in the winter, so now it’s this bright, calming room, and the one where we spend the majority of our time as a famliy. 

February

We started spending more time at the farm and Holiday House. Though the farm brought us some much needed peace in 2020 and, in a way, helped to calm our worries and fears, this was the year we really fell in love with it. It became our refuge.

We began renovating Holiday House and tore down the wall separating the kitchen and the dining room, effectively making it one big room and so much more spacious.

PJ also started renovating The Downtown Cottage again after taking a small hiatus during the holidays. 

March

In a move no one was more surprised about than me, we moved in to the in-the-middle-of-being-renovated Holiday House for the next few months. No washer and dryer. One bathroom. Not enough bedrooms. But it was a change of scenery from where we spent the entirety of last year: cooped up in our house in town with not much room to stretch our legs and run around. The farm and Holiday House were a breath of fresh air for our family this year: a clean slate for our senses and a chance to renew our creativity in all aspects. We spent every day outside and the kids loved running around the farm getting dirty and releasing all of the pent up energy.

Oh, and PJ also built us a small pond in the back of the farm that we all enjoyed walking to every day.

I turned 30 on the 30th of March and spent it being surprised again and again by PJ’s sweet gifts. It was by far the best birthday I’ve ever had, and I spent it with my mom and, at the end of the day, with my husband and kids.

PJ also finished the exterior of The Downtown Cottage! We partnered with Benjamin Moore, a dream brand of ours to work with since we’ve been using their paint for over 10+ years, and went with a red, white and blue theme for the exterior of the cottage. It turned out exactly how PJ envisioned.

April

Our oldest turned 6! Time is flying and our kids are growing up way too fast. We celebrated at the farm with family and friends and the best cake in the world. We also welcomed new family members to Ocoee Farm: baby geese and sheep! The cutest ever and it’s been an absolute joy to see them get accustomed to the farm. 

Speaking of the farm, we were still living at Holiday House and were loving the early misty mornings when it was still so cold outside and the fog would settle around the trees, creating a haunting atmosphere that we both agree we love (almost more than the sunny days). 

May

We took our first vacation as a family (and our first trip since covid) to the beach to celebrate PJ’s birthday! My mom and younger sister came, along with PJ’s mom and sister and our best friends Matt and Beau. We rented a big house and all spent the week at the beach and it was so, so needed. It was exactly what we had all been missing. This was also the first time our children had been to the beach, so seeing their faces light up when they finally saw the sand and the water and the waves was magical. Truly an unforgettable trip.

June

We partnered with another dream brand of ours, Lowes, to finally finish the pavilion at the farm and turn it into what PJ always envisioned it being. For a month straight, he (with a little help from me and the kids in the form of painting) poured his blood, sweat and tears into finishing the pavilion and it turned out better than I could have ever imagined. PJ’s talent and work ethic truly know no bounds, and I find myself constantly amazed by him.

We celebrated the pavilion being finished with a party for our family and friends and it was such a lovely, fun evening. It felt so good to see everyone out there enjoying a space usually reserved for just us (since we were the only ones going out there for the last few years). It was surreal and exciting for our loved ones to spend a few hours with us out there and finally get to use the pavilion in the way we always wanted.

July

We took our second and last beach trip of the summer for one more hurrah with our kids and Matt and Beau. Only this time, our friend Nick came with us and got to meet the kids. We rented this beautiful mid-century modern house in Florida from Airbnb and spent a week walking to the beach and eating all the food and soaking up quality time with our friends that we went too long without seeing. 

It was such a fun thing to experience our kids around our friends, and to see how much Matt and Beau and Nick loved being around them in return. It’s one thing for us to think they’re the most special kids in the world, but to see our friends extend such patience, love, and care to them was truly beautiful and meant the world to us.

We also had our second event at The Pavilion at Ocoee Farm (we gave it an official name!) in the form of our cousin’s baby shower. Another beautiful evening, and again, so fun to see others enjoy the space as much as we do.

August

My brother got married and our kids were in the wedding! I was the best man and nervously gave a speech that PJ helped me write, and it luckily went well (I found I wasn’t as nervous once I was finally up there). It was a gorgeous, unforgettable night that I want to remember forever.

This was also the month we had been waiting for for two years. This was the month we finally, after 782 days of our children being in the foster care system, got to adopt Allan, Riah, and Anna. We got to introduce you to them after having to hide their faces and their names for two years since we couldn’t show you either as long as they were in the system.

Not having to put little hearts over their faces in photos or blurs in videos anymore meant way more than just not having to do a little extra work. It felt, in a hard-to-explain kind of way, like things were more official. Like barriers were down and it was now up to us if we wanted to do that or not. We were legally a family of five after feeling like one for years. We changed their middle and last names and everything felt exactly as it should. 

Also, the kids started school! Though it didn’t go so well for Anna, and we ended up keeping her home for one more year.

And lastly, we bought a tiny house! You can see the entire dramatic story here.

September

The time finally came: after avoiding it for a year and a half (and getting vaccinated), I tested positive for covid. I was shocked, mostly because I had been so careful for so long, and was the most paranoid one of the family in terms of taking precautions. But alas, I had it, so I quarantined in our room for 10 days, which turned out to be some of the loneliest days I’ve experienced since we started our family a few years ago. I was grateful, of course, that my case wasn’t as bad as it could have been, and my heart broke the entire time thinking of those who lost much more than just a few days.

My ordeal with covid was only physically bad for about four days: high fever, no energy, loss of taste and smell, extremely tired all day, and chills all over my body. The rest of the time was purely mental and emotional: in short, I had major FOMO. My entire life was still happening outside our bedroom door, and I was stuck inside unable to hold my children, make them breakfast, give my son his medicine, clean the house, take care of everyone, etc. It was new territory for me to experience these feelings with my own family, but I was used to a certain way of life with them and I essentially felt useless. I was so extremely happy when those 10 days were up. I missed everyone more than I ever thought I would. 

We also took a trip to Utah by ourselves (!) and it was our first flight (and work trip) since January 2020, which, coincidentally, was also to Utah for a work trip. Funny how life works out like that, isn’t it?

October

Anna took a trip without us for the first time! She went with my mom and younger sister to visit my older sister and her six kids in Georgia. It was the weirdest feeling ever to not have her home with us, but she ended up having a blast (after a short crying spell in the car on the drive there). She was able to get some much needed one on one time, and enjoy all of her favorite things with teenage girls: doing her makeup and nails and hair. She naturally gravitates to towards those things and we were both so happy she got to explore them with her cousins.

In other news, we celebrated Halloween this year after taking a break from it last year! We made food and the kids dressed up and we took them trick or treating for the first time ever. After years of talking up how spellbinding our town is during Halloween, Matt and Beau drove up here for the final time this year and got to experience it with us. It was a wonderful night, and I hope I never get tired of celebrating this holiday in our little town.

November

Riah turns five! At this point, we have officially celebrated all of the birthdays for the year and my heart swells a bit thinking how they’re all one year older. They seem to be changing daily at this point, learning new words and useful traits like sarcasm, eye-rolls, and the ability to make us laugh with the serious but cute ways in which they now talk to us.

In other news, we bought another house! PJ found an adorable house for a seriously great price right down the road from Ocoee Farm, and immediately saw the potential in it. He affectionately named it Getaway House, because it’s tucked away and surrounded by trees, and it feels like a little getaway from the rest of the world. It’s finished for now, as phase one was completed in record time after PJ hired a few things out (we’ve decided we’re going to start doing that now instead of PJ working on everything by himself), and Dixie (our best friend and farm manager) will be moving into it in a few weeks as we turn our attention to finishing Holiday House.

Also, our interview with Out Magazine finally came out! A huge thank you to Dan for the sweet write up about our family.

Lastly, we had in interesting Thanksgiving this year, as all of our family was out of town for the holiday, and we spent it in the tiny house. I shattered a casserole dish. Jolie threw up three times on the floor. It was night to remember. 

December

The holidays are here! Our favorite time of the year has come, and with it, an enormous amount of holiday campaigns. Holiday campaigns are crazy every year, but this year seemed to be back to back to back. We are grateful for the work.

The boys also started basketball! They had their first game and Allan scored a basket!! He has really taken to basketball and is becoming such a good dribbler. In fact, he’s dribbling right in front of me as a type this. PJ has been working so hard with the boys to help them understand the game and work on shooting, passing, dribbling, etc. They love it, and we love watching them play.

We had plans to travel to New York and celebrate Christmas with my mom’s family for the first time in 15 years, but after several family members tested positive for covid during last minute checks, and the Omicron variant is running rampant, we all made the decision to cancel our family holiday. We were able to get our hotel deposit back, but the reality of not all being together for Christmas set in, and we were more hurt than I think either of us thought we would be. 

Still, we celebrated at home with some of our family and it was so nice. A quieter holiday, but one where we were together nonetheless. It wasn’t what we originally planned for, yet, in the end, somehow it was exactly what we ended up wanting. 

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This has been an interesting year for us all, and something tells me 2022 won’t be much different. But I think if we’re lucky enough to live another day, then we’re lucky enough. As the seconds turn to minutes and minutes to hours, and the hours make up the days that add up to the months that equal the years we spend here on this planet, I find myself, at the end of yet another year, grateful for it all: the good, the bad, the really bad, the exciting and turbulent moments, the extremely joyous and memorable ones, and all the ones in between. 

I am ending the year feeling grateful for my husband, who works harder than anyone I’ve ever met and who I somehow love more now than I did 11 years ago. My hero. My guy.

And for our children: Allan, our oldest, who is so smart and curious about everything. For Riah, our middle child, who embodies every sense of the meaning of what it means to be the middle child. And for our daughter, Anna, who has us wrapped around her tiny, almost-four year old fingers. It’s hard to remember life before them, and I don’t think we’d have it any other way.

And finally, thank you for being here this year. Whether here on the blog, on Instagram, on Facebook, on YouTube, in the mail or on email, and wherever else you’ve found us. Your love and support means more to us than we could ever accurately put into words. We are so incredibly grateful for you, and hope to continue making memories with you in 2022.

We’ll see you next year, dear friend. Happy New Year!!

xoxo

Our Unusual, But Still Just Fine Christmas

Hello reader!

How was your holiday? Different? Boring? Magical? Unusual? All of the above?

We originally had plans to travel to New York for Christmas to spend it with our entire family for the first time since I was in high school (along the way, many other firsts would have occurred: PJ’s first time seeing where I spent every Christmas of my childhood, our kids’ first time staying in a hotel room, and the longest road trip we would have ever taken as a family!), but we all decided it was safer to stay home than be together this year. It was a sad, but necessary choice we all made as a family.

Instead of traveling, we spent our first official Christmas as a family at home, just as we have for the last three years.

And you know what? It was just fine.

After accepting the fact that we wouldn’t all be together this year (my sister-in-law tested positive for covid- luckily she’s okay), it was actually kind of fun to think about just relaxing and doing absolutely nothing for a few days at home. Unfortunately, though we did spend Christmas at home, we didn’t get to exactly relax and do absolutely nothing for a few days, because there were still presents to be wrapped and clothes to be folded and an entire house filled with bathrooms to be cleaned, but we did our best to squeeze in a little bit of down time.

Even though we weren’t all going to be together, my mom and younger sister and her girlfriend came over Christmas Eve and spent the night, so I spent the day before getting everything cleaned and comfortable for them. We usually do Christmas at our house since it’s equal parts nostalgic (I grew up in our home so in some ways it feels like we’re all kids again) and, because of the kids, just plain easier to stay put.

So they came over and it was fun! The kids wore their matching pajamas, left milk and cookies out for Santa on a plate and mug that came from a sweet subscriber (thank you so much!!!), and I made Christmas Fettuccine a la “The Holiday”, which is one of the best Christmas movies ever and I won’t hear anything else.

We drank wine and ate yummy food and after the kids went to bed, we all stayed up and wrapped presents, and it was one of those moments where the fact that we are parents is something I constantly get excited about with every new experience we make. What I mean is, I distinctly remember being a kid and opening my eyes and seeing all of my aunts and uncles wrapping everyone’s presents on Christmas Eve, when we were all supposed to be asleep, and now being on the other side of that is like a weird full-circle moment in a way. It’s hard to explain, but it was a very fun night for that reason alone.

On Christmas morning, we FaceTimed my older sister and her family in Georgia and my brother and his wife in Chattanooga, and the kids’ aunt and grandma. After a delicious breakfast cooked by my sister’s girlfriend (cinnamon pumpkin French toast), we all hopped in the car and drove to PJ’s aunt’s house for a Christmas lunch with his family. I always love when my family and his family get together. Both of our worlds combine to form one big crazy family and every time it happens I do my best to take it in (and not take it for granted) and be thankful they all get along so well and actually enjoy each other’s company.

We made a quick trip to the farm and then headed home to wind down for the night. After everyone was in bed, my mom came over to get the rest of the her things from the night before and we sat on the couch, just the two of us, and talked. And it was so nice. I can’t remember the last time it was just the two of us where we had an opportunity to relax and talk about everything and nothing. By the time it was late and she had to go, I didn’t want her to leave.

Which brings us to today. I told myself, again, that I would finally plop myself on the couch and read the new book I bought myself for Christmas. I had plans. I was excited.

But alas, there were things to be done around the house that I decided to do instead. I did, however, re-do the frame wall in our office and that felt good. Less like work and more like something creative and fun. We’re still in holiday vacation mode, so I am giving myself a few more days to relax and take it easy before diving back in to work.

At the end of the day, the biggest thing that made our Christmas unusual was simply that we, like so many other people the last two years, didn’t spend it all together as a family. I missed my brother and my older sister and her family, and my aunts and uncles and cousins. I think I was craving seeing them more than ever after everything that’s happened over the last couple of years. I am hoping for better results next year.

And better weather.

It was almost 70 (!) degrees here in Tennessee on Christmas Day, so that, combined with us not being able to see our whole family, made for, again, an unusual (but still just fine) Christmas.

Happy holidays, dear reader. Thank you so much for being here. xoxo

PS: click here to watch our new Vino & Vent, where we discuss Christmas (and more), and stay tuned for this Sunday’s vlog where you can see all of the action in video form.

Here We Go & Happy Friday!!

Happy Friday!

How was your week?

I feel like a broken record, but ours was nothing short of…interesting. We had Riah’s sleep study (thank you SO much for all of the love and support!!) and the boys’ first basketball game, and last night I got dressed up and was my mom’s date to her company Christmas party at our favorite Italian restaurant in town. It was so fun! We even got to dance to our favorite Christmas song at the end of the night after everyone had already left. Anytime there’s dancing it’s a good night in her book.

This week, the boys had their Christmas luncheon and we all went and had lunch with them! They’re in different grades, but their lunches overlapped long enough for us to be able to eat with both of them. Riah’s teacher was also Allan’s Pre-K teacher and dug up this old photo from TWO years ago when we came to his Christmas luncheon:

I can’t believe that photo was taken two years ago. At that point, our kids had only been with us for about five months. We really did lose an entire year (time-wise) didn’t we?

Meanwhile, we finished all of our work early before the holidays (!) and now we can focus on cleaning up the house and the farm. I can’t tell you how excited I am to just clean. I never thought I would get to that point in my life, but I think that’s what happens when you become an adult. It’s the other stuff that excites you. We’ve been talking so much lately about what horrible shape our house is in that I absolutely can’t wait to devote hours and hours to folding clothes and cleaning the house and putting everything in its place. Pure bliss.

In other news, we have a new vlog premiering this Sunday, and we’re also going to try out doing our bi-weekly live chat Vino & Vent every week now! That’s right, we’re going to be live chatting every Sunday night instead of every other Sunday. It’s truly a highlight of the week for us, getting to talk to everyone and catch up, so we’re excited to start spending every Sunday night with you and expanding our conversation topic a bit. We’ll explain everything this Sunday, so hope to see you there.

Here we go! Hope you have a lovely weekend, dear reader. xoxo

Holiday Cards Are Sent & Happy Friday!

Happy Friday!

How was your week?

This morning I put the stamps on all of the outgoing holiday cards and placed them in the mailbox to be delivered. They’re sent! It feels so good to cross that off our seemingly never-ending to-do list. Finally. Our first ever holiday cards are in the mail and on their way out. Most likely those who will be receiving one will not be reading this blog, so it should hopefully be a surprise to them, haha.

In other news, it’s a dreary, cold day here in Tennessee, which just so happens to be our idea of a perfect fall day. We’re out at the farm and PJ is on the tractor while Anna plays with her motorized car and I’m writing and listening to smooth jazz, trying my best to stay warm. Even though I’m slightly colder than I’d like to be, I’m thinking it doesn’t get better than this.

We’re going to PJ’s cousin Lauren’s tonight for her birthday party, and I can’t wait to watch the kids (ours plus her two girls) play together. We’ve been spending more and more time with them lately and it’s always a nice little break for all the kids to get together while we get some much-needed adult time. They all run around and play the same way PJ and his sister did with Lauren and her sister growing up, so needless to say we’re both so excited for our kids to have the same kind of relationship with their girls.

Hope you have a lovely weekend, dear reader, and happy holidays!!!

PS: The Weekender, our newsletter, is going out tonight! Click here to subscribe if you haven’t already!!

Winter Sunrise

It’s a cold morning here in Tennessee.

As I was drinking my coffee this morning, the same way I always do first thing, before the house wakes up and the clock on our day starts ticking, I looked out the window and may or may not have made an audible gasp.

The sunrise! It was this incredible cotton candy sky that usually makes appearances during the summer, so I was surprised (and elated) to see it so close to winter. It illuminated the entire morning, shining bits of orange and yellow across different walls in our home.

As I was waking our oldest up, I opened his blinds like I do every morning, and the first words out of his mouth were, “Oh wow!!”.

Beautiful indeed.

A Big, Huge, Giant, Heartfelt Thank You

Dear reader,

I want to take a moment to thank you for being here with us. We started The Property Lovers six years ago (!) as a way to document the renovation of the first house we ever bought together, right before we got married, not knowing what would ever become of it and definitely not thinking that it would turn into anything more than it was. But it has, and it’s completely changed our life in ways we never could have imagined.

One of the biggest ways is getting to know YOU. Yes, you!!! You teach us so many things about life, about the world, about how to be better people to ourselves and each other and our children. You show us love and support and acceptance. You give us your honest opinion when you don’t like something we do and when we mess up. You give us feedback when things don’t work and cheer us on when something good happens.

You also shower our children with love and support, and you have for the last two and a half years, even though the first two years you never saw their faces. You send us emails and real mail! and comments and messages and packages for us and packages for our kids and sooooo many books that we get to read to them every night (we always them them who they’re from, of course). They feel the love, too, and even if they don’t understand that not every kid receives coloring books and markers from people in the U.K., they know you’re here with us, and that you have been here for the entire adoption journey. And it means a lot to them, too.

I can’t tell you what your support has meant to us these last few years as we’ve grown our business and our family; as we try new things and try to better ourselves. We all only have one life, and you’ve made ours so sweet just by…I don’t know, leaving a sweet comment, or emailing just to say hi. It’s the little things that, these days, don’t seem or feel so little to us. In fact, they feel big, meaningful, and kind. So very kind.

What I feel so deeply sad about, though, is our inability to respond to all of the letters and packages you’ve been sending lately. There was a time when I would write back every single letter we received in the mail. I loved it. It felt like a personal way of saying thank you from an era all but forgotten. We still have every letter you’ve ever sent us in boxes and on our bulletin board in the upstairs landing, and we cherish them all greatly.

I hope you will understand and forgive the silence on our end when you don’t receive a response after sending us something in the mail. I promise you it’s not on purpose, it’s just I am finding it hard to find the time to devote to little else outside of work and family lately. And this is no pity party: it’s not breaking news that jobs and kids and relationships take up a big portion of your time. I think I’m just still trying to figure out how to fit everything in. I know I can speak for both of us when I say we’re stretched thin right now, but I don’t think it’ll always be like this.

So to wrap up this already long post, I want to say one more time, a simple thank you, thank you, thank you, for all you have given us. I only hope we can return the favor somehow.

xoxo

Our 2021 Holiday Gift Guide

The best time of the year is in full swing!!

Happy Friday, y’all. I thought I would kick off the weekend by sharing some of our favorite items in clothes, books and home for our 2021 Holiday Gift Guide. Happy shopping, and happy holidays everybody!

A cozy turtleneck sweater to keep him warm all winter long. $109. Here’s a cheaper option that still looks just as great, and lastly, a classic fisherman’s sweater that goes with everything.

Ralph's Club Eau de Parfum: Our favorite cologne of the year, and his new favorite, too. It smells like a department store at Christmas time and feels elegant and sophisticated. $85

Casual boots, for date night or lunch with friends. $180

Quite possibly the most perfect pair of jeans ever. $69.50

Our favorite bag, the Rincon Backpack, from Parker Clay, a company who hire at-risk Ethiopian women, pay them living wages and benefits, and provide many opportunities to succeed. $148.50

The most delicious whipped body butter, from Happy Dance, Kristen Bell’s CBD-infused skincare company. It smells absolutely amazing and feels so luxurious. $30 Their hand cream is also wonderful and has saved my dry, cracked hands this winter! $20

An electric toothbrush from Bruush. We have two of these and swear by them. $95

A wireless home security system from SimpliSafe, to keep them safe all year and for added peace of mind.

A cozy candle for long winter nights (one of our favorite scents!). $31

A beautiful (and affordable) piece of art. $12

Pottery-inspired mugs, because sipping coffee from beautiful mugs makes it taste better. It’s just a fact. Set of 4 for $48

Tom Daley’s beautiful, honest new book. $25

Plus, a few more great reads:

Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York

Beautiful World, Where Are You?

The Push

All Her Little Secrets

And lastly, OK Boomer, a fun game where different generations ask each other trivia questions to determine which one truly is the best generation. $35

Good Morning! Just Checking In

It’s been a slow week on the blog, but that’s because it’s been a crazy week in real life.

It feels like we have little time to breathe lately, let alone write. Between school schedules (who knew they would be this crazy with 5 and 6 year olds?), basketball practice, work, the farm, and every day life, it’s left little time for writing and blogging.

But you know what? I’ve actually really missed it this past week. I enjoy writing and keeping track of our day to day life, and I’m looking forward to when (if?) things slow down and I can get back to that on a daily basis. It’s funny how quickly you can get into a rhythm, and when it’s thrown off, you start to crave the routine you set for yourself.

Hope you’re well, reader!! Just checking in to say good morning.

Winter Wonderland

As I was going through some old photos this morning, I found this one my mom took back in the 70’s. It’s of her church down the street from her childhood home in upstate New York, and it has me dreaming of a white Christmas this year, something that only happens once in a blue moon here in Tennessee.

Doesn’t the idea of a small-town, snowy Christmas sound so idyllic? The freezing cold air, the crunch of the snow beneath your feet, the wool scarf around your neck to keep you warm. Sigh. We can dream, can’t we?

Happy Wednesday xoxo