Labor {Day Weekend;}

 post by Casey.

Hi guys:). Happy Friday!! How’s everyone doing? Perfect, I’m sure;).

I continue to be off IG - minus the 2 times I jumped on to line-up my maple syrup drop-off:) and I had some Oliveda questions for my Oliveda friends:). 

I almost found myself sucked back in - and I was for a few minutes - but off again…and my ‘goal’ is to stay away until September 20th…for no reason at all, just sounded like a nice day:).

SO depending on when I hit publish on this post, we could very well be entering BABY MONTH!!!! Orrrrrr MONTH BEFORE BABY MONTHHHHHH - if this baby is as pokey as the last 2 - (don’t even get me started on Due Dates:|…even after 6babies, that assigned/looming dateeeee can and does get in my head:|) but regardless, Mae + Evan were ‘late’ by almost 2weeks and 2weeks+…so who really knows where we’ll land this time around. 

I do feel like I’m entering this a bit more chill (don’t ask my husband, mom, or sisters, OR bff if they agree with that;). And my midwife (hi, sister;) mentioned that feeling more relaxed could mean this baby might not wait as long as the last 2! At first I thought that didn’t make much sense but I suppose being more relaxed really could be a more inviting feeling for my brain, baby, and body then the alternative:). 

I was actually pretty stressed with Mae (June 2020) - she was coming during a bathroom reno and a ‘pandemic’ and my going through a complete crisis/overhaul of morals/faith/politics/religion - suuuuuuppppperrrrr chill;). And then Evan…we were living in a windowless basement while we waited on my dad to put together our house enough for me to feel comfortable birthing in it - I did nottttt handle that…well😬😵‍💫 - everyone rallied and she was born just 4days after we moved in…over 2weeks past her ‘due date’!!!😮‍💨😅😝

This time around…maybe I’m finallllllyyyy realizing that things will happen as they should and God’s got me and He’s got this baby and once he or she is here, however and whenever that happens…that To Do List won’t have mattered one little bit:).

A September baby would be so neat! Out of the 20 grandbabies, set of grandparents, 4 sisters, 3 spouses (on my side)…no one has a September birthday…yet!:)

I’ll have to do a little Baby Birthday Poll when I get back online:).

Unfortunately, I’m on day4 of a terrible mood but I’ll be sending the kids off to the lake with my mom + sisters shortly. Theo and I have a wedding this afternoon:). And I’m hoping to get the house back in order somewhere in between that…before heading to the lake ourselves:). 

Thanks for letting me chat and share:). Below you can catch-up with what we’ve been up to lately!!

Mae Mae is drawing! This masterpiece is me and the baby!❤️ I absolutely love this age/season/sweetness.

I grabbed this $1 Timex at an Estate Sale and then paid $10.55 to get it up and running again and I really can’t believe I ever spent more than $12 on a watch because I love this one:).

Locals: this cute little clock shop can help you out with all things watches and clocks! I’m hoping to get my grandparents grandfather clock working again someday soon!!!:)

Still garage + estate saling and thrifting. Shouldn’t be. But we love it:).

 

I keep collecting vintage perfume/cologne bottles😑. I’m afraid that someday my kids will be having a garage sale with all the things I’ve collected at garage sales!! But I still pray everyday that my love for this…stuff…means something more for us:).

Football season has begun!!! Hoping to get a couple games in before the baby + cold weather come:).

The contractors have officially finished up their work!! It feels bizarre not to be living life with them after having worked with them for the better part of a year! But we’re so happy to have something ‘finished’ and we really love how the things they helped with turned out:).

We’re just really grateful.

 

We (Jacob:) did start tiling our bathroom…just weeks before the baby’s potential arrival because…why not😵‍💫😬😅. So I (Jacob) got new curtains and shades up and a pretty picture before immediately making a mess of things…again;).

I may not have picked the same tile if given the chance to do it over again today…BUT I’m glad we got it (2yrs ago?!!!) while we had the budget for it. I think it’s still going to look really great!

The kids and I recently stayed at a (ridiculously generous!!!) friends cabin for a few nights to get out of Jacobs hair while he tried to get some tiling/house things done:). It was absolutely not nottttt exhausting for me or for him;) but it was a beautiful stay and we got a beautiful day on the water - before the weather and my mood tanked😩.

Of course, I hauled all of my Oliveda products with me:). They’re having a great Labor Day Sale - see below! I have the F82 and love it (I mix it in with my F06 a few nights a week and it’s been my favorite combo:).

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I have a habit of ordering things RIGHT before a sale🤦🏻‍♂️ - don’t be like me;/…I snagged some of the F75 Lip Balm (for gifts - I loveeeeee it!!) and I’m nearing the end of my F59 (I use it every morning) but I decided to give something else a try - I’ll report back on the 004:)

BOTH the F75 + 004 (and F59 - Botox in a Bottle:) are currently in stock:).

If you’ve been curious about trying these products or you’re in the market for some new skincare…I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed these products - I mean…I can and I have;). They’re reallyyyyy good:).

Thank you for using my link - HERE

Back to my baby and belly and break(down;). 

- Photo by Theo:)

Nah, it wasn’t all bad…this view!!!😍

The kids had a blast!

I finished my book - my 14th of the year:).

Recent Reads: A Bride In The Bargain by Deeanne Gist

After You by Jojo Moyes

Current Read: Made For Love by Fr. Mike Schmitz

 

She doesn’t sleep much but when she does…:):).

 

It was a lot…even though my sister, parents, bff…all came at some point and spent some time with us:). But I’m thankful for this time with the kids and the flexibility to make it happen!:)

Happy Labor Day Weekend, friends:). I hope it’s a good one!

The Fall:)

post by Casey.

We’re trying to settle into a ‘new’ routine around here…everyone up before 9AM (H + Theo like to sleep-in), make beds, clean room, a couple chores, breakfast…thennnnn school, lunch, relax!!!😅:)

It took at least a week of consistency (on my part) and complaining (on theirs) but I feel like we might have at least a little bit of a handle on things (the mess…our mornings:).

It’s hard to believe the seasons are changing again, already. Theres still at least a month?! until we make it official but the cooler temps in the morning + evenings won’t be letting us forget that it’s on its way. And shortly after-ish, a baby❤️:).

I’m not ready for fall and I’m not ready for a baby…or is it birth?!;) I want to enjoy summer a bit longer. And I want to enjoy and really savor what’s left of this pregnancy. I don’t know that this will be our last but I guess I’m trying to enjoy it as if it were.

Thats probably the main reason I’m taking a nice healthy break from IG…really the only platform that gets me scrolling to no end (I no longer have Pinterest and I’m not on FB - outside of trying to sell a few things…so if you’re wondering why I haven’t responded to your friend request…it’s because I know that would suck me in;). It’s taken a couple days and I’m still ending the day watching House Hunters in bed instead of reading😬…but I truly feel better already:). Being more disconnected simply leaves more time for other things, most of which are simply more important.

I was able to focus on working on a better routine with the kids. I put my phone away while I nurse Evan, instead of scrolling. It truly just leaves room for thought…quiet. I can’t believe how much time, or how many times per day, I grab my phone to fill a void/hole…even if only a very short time…with scrolling, checking if someone sent me a Marco Polo, checking for any new emails (90% of the time they’re spam or sales:/), checking for new updates on this event or controversial topic…filling.every.second.

“God has met his people in moments of silence.”

When I disconnect, I really see my children. I can’t believe how perfect they are!!! How animated their stories are! How dirty their faces are after a day of nonstop play;). I really see God in those moments…shared through the joy I see in my babies faces. A book or a song on the radio never distracts me or pulls me away from that as much as my phone (or even a podcast) does. And I get how that all sounds…it’s a phone🫠. How ridiculous! But I really believe that if we allow it…technology can rob us of so much (as I write a blog post you’ll read from your phone or computer;). Does anyone else feel less compelled to read long form anymore these days? Avoiding length for the ease of a ‘short’ or meme? I’ve been there. It doesn’t seem to be doing my brain any favors.

“The world of men has forgotten the joys of silence, the peace of solitude which is necessary, to some extent, for the fullness of human living. While the inner voice is not heard…life is always miserable and exhausting…if a man is constantly exiled from his own home, locked out of his own spiritual solitude, he ceases to be a true person.”

“Without silence, we struggle to know ourselves and who God created us to be. When our minds are constantly filled with outside stimuli, it becomes impossible to make space for the lessons that silence can teach us about God, about ourselves, and about his work in the world each day.”

I really loved the above excerpt from an article in Reclaim Today:).

I hope to share a bit of our days here from time to time, while I’m staying offline:).  And below is just a bit of a round up/visual of things we’re doing, things I’m ordering, things I’m reading, etc!:)

All.The.Things:

Things I Ordered/Am Ordering:

- I’ve been collecting these Alphabet Wall Hooks since Homer was born but hadn’t caught-up since R for Rocky:). I got everyone ordered now after finding this Etsy Shop that sells them! I hope to grab one for the baby when he/she is born + named:) 

- I also ordered curtains + shades for the MBedroom + Bath:)

- and I plan to order the kids’ school curriculum TODAY!!:)

Things I’m Listening To:

- Old Fashioned On Purpose podcast:). It’s actually where I stumbled upon this years homeschool curriculum!

- I continue to listen to The Bible In A Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz! I’m on day234!

 

Our raw milk hook-up is out of town for a few weeks but the organic whole milk we purchased in the meantime is frothing nicely!!;)

We switched up sleeping arrangements a few nights ago! Evan was finally moved upstairs to share a room with Mae!:)

The weeds in the garden have completely taken over but we still love the garden! A fun addition this year has been the sunflowers, wildflowers, and corn:).

 

“The workers are here!!!” - the kids every morning;).

Almost all the siding is complete. We’re waiting on about 3 more windows to be installed. They’ve started trimming out the windows that are installed. We’re very close to the finish line of THIS project;):).

Things I’m Reading:

- a snippet of the Bible every morning:)

- A Bride in the Bargin: turning out to be a really great one!!!

- and some longer writing on Substack. I really love Rachel Reeves…WRITES. Really good stuff. Her most recent post was actually sharing people’s experiences losing relationships during Covid + BLM (and continuing to this day over politics/etc). I can’t imagine this article wouldn’t hit home for a lot of people - myself included.

You can also find her as HereAreTheHeadlines on Instagram. A great follow.

 

Things I’m Loving:

- No surprise here…but my skincare:). 

Left: No make-up, just my Oliveda products.

Right: Minimal make-up because I don’t know what I’m doing;).

All of this is ridiculously expired and now even more janky since the girls got into it:| BUT there’s a light at the end of the tunnel…Oliveda is coming out with a new line of make-up and even this Mostly-Make-Up-Free-Mama is excited!!! They’re hoping to be releasing these products around October!:)

The Love Duo (20% cheaper when purchased as a set) is currently available! I have yet to use the F63 but I use the F06 daily and it remains an all-time favorite!!:)

You can use my link HERE for purchases.

You can use the link HERE to take a quick skincare quiz that will make suggestions based on your personal skin type/issues.

You can sign-up as a Consultant HERE - there are so many benefits to being a consultant but that 25% discount on products is a game changer! For example: it brings that Love Duo price down from $101.95 to $76.46 + Free Shipping!:)

The boys came up with a little side hussle all on their own and I couldn’t be prouder! They went outside and made crosses (so.many.crosses;) out of all the scrap wood they’ve been finding!! They’re trying to sell these (price point is about $1-$5;). Message me if you’re in the market for one! They’ve been looking especially adorable leaning up against a house/in the landscaping or against a garden fence:).

We had our first disaster with the scissors (A.V.😩!!!!!). 

Not gonna lie…we were both on the verge of tears!:’)

Thank you for reading!! You can subscribe to my blog by filling in your email address at the top right corner of the home page! I believe it will then automatically send you an alert any time I’ve posted…which I can promise won’t be TOO annoyingly often;):).