Catching up.

I've been a little MIA in blogger world these last few weeks. After a season where I felt like I constantly had blogging on the brain, I seemed to have entered into a season of quiet. Life is still happening around these parts, however, and now I'm ready for a good old fashioned, catch-up post.

(For best effect, pretend this is all happening over a couple of cups of coffee at my kitchen table. And pretend we can actually converse because I'd love to hear what's happening in your neck of the woods!)

Further proof that Kindergarten is no joke.

No, thank you. With school-aged kids, fall has become a busy season of the year. With a couple of school years under my belt, I decided to try to slow the pace down just a bit. I said no to some really good stuff these past couple of months like MOPS, PTC (Parent Teacher Club), and kids' extracurricular activities. It's been a big transition these past two months for Ella getting used to all-day, every-day Kindergarten, and I'm thankful that we have no where to be after school and a few less commitments on our calendar.

Pumpkin pickin'. Saying yes to the little things.

Yes, please. A few things I've chosen to say yes to: Kindermusik once a week with Mady (a great bonding experience for us as she transitions from baby to big kid), our 365 blog (see, I'm still blogging, just in little tidbits rather than longer posts), and my "real" job (getting my hours in early in the day and while Mady is at Nana's so I can be more present when the kids are around).

I got so excited at book club, I lost control of my cupcake.

Bookmark it. Our informal book club wrapped up a couple of weeks ago, and our experiment into literary community was a smashing success. We discussed One Thousand Gifts as we read along thanks to social networking and met for one final discussion at Theresa's house. We laughed as we all met face to face, some of us for the first time. It was a perfect mix of old friends and new and while we made a somewhat unlikely group, I have no doubt that God put us together for a reason. We are working on our next book selection, coming soon!

Pure magic, Disney-style.

Home sweet home. We just returned from a week in Orlando, taking in the sights at both Legoland and Disney World. I love going, and I love coming home. I'm ready to settle back in to our cozy house, and hunker down for birthday season which is just around the corner! If I get my act together, I'll post a little later this week on our Disney experience as well.

I love the smell of fresh sawdust!

We've got walls! Also on the home front, our basement is on its way to being finished. We've lived in this house for five years now and while I've been itching to get this project done, we've also been cautious and waited until the time was right. We finally have a great builder to work with (if you're local, check out Chet Glass Builders) and while we were gone last week, the walls were studded. Next up: plumbing. The finished space will be general living space (a cozy TV and game area), office and crafting space, and a full bath (Dylan's future refuge as the girls get older).

My feet have never been happier. Who knew?

Let's get moving (again). Our workout challenge is still alive and well. I don't talk much about it anymore, as it's become part of my every day life (which was the original idea). We are starting Week 99 this week and our two year anniversary (of 5 workouts/week) comes around at the end of November.

I've been working through a heel injury (plantar fasciitis) leftover from my 25K training last spring, and I'm trying not to run on it which has been really, really hard. I went for my first run in weeks today on a sunny, fall Michigan afternoon and it was heaven on earth. I miss it. Praying that I will continue to heal as I love running not just for it's physical benefits but for it's mental ones as well. I've been slightly blue lately, and I know if I am able to start hitting the pavement again, I'll feel much better. On the recommendation of our PT friend, I've been stretching more frequently and sporting some of those newfangled barefoot kicks.

10 Ways to Live an Extraordinary Life.

The wind beneath my wings. Two shout outs here: one to Bob Goff and the other to Flower Patch Farm Girl. I've heard Bob Goff's name mentioned before but I never really connected the dots until this past week when I was paging through Matt's latest issue of Relevant magazine poolside. Please read this. I'd love to discuss it.

Secondly, Theresa turned me on to Shannan's blog, Flower Patch Farm Girl, and I can't stop reading. She is both ordinary and extraordinary, down-to-earth yet complex, on her way but still in the thick of the journey. I *might* have spent far too long reading through her blog one Wednesday night, post after post, knocking my socks off. I also may have narrowed down her location to Goshen, Indiana and we *might* be planning an ambush visit. (I'm SURE she'd be happy to see us.)

And, finally, a little Insta.Life. Oh, how I love this little app. If I hadn't just bought a fancy camera earlier this year, I think I could be convinced to record life exclusively via Instagram.

1) Scrapbooking, up to date! Always a good feeling. 2) Ella's owl. 3) Cheerleader pony tail. Happy to report, I've still got it. 4) Fooling around. 5) A trip with Daddy to the "zoo" (i.e. pet store). 6) Another successful annual outlet shopping weekend. 7) A great way to pass some time = Disney drawing. 8) The infamous taxidermy (nature center) field trip. 9) Getting geared up for birthday season!