Life as Mrs. Emerson

July 20, 2015 is one of those days that I will never forget.  The morning started out so well and full of promise.  My dearest best friend, her husband, and their sweet one year old boy were actually spending the weekend with us.  We had just finished up breakfast when I received a message that I had a new test result in my daughter’s my chart account.  In the two weeks that had followed this day my sweet daughter had a number of blood tests, met with physicians, and had even had an MRI due to unexplained weight loss and lack of desire to eat.  I quickly signed on and scanned through her most recent MRI test results.  Then the bad words started to pop out at me like: anomaly, decrease CSF, less than expected for age, etc.  All of the sudden my heart sank and I frantically wanted to talk to a doctor.  As I continued reading I found the words that would take my world and shake it upside down.  Chiari One I frantically hit print...

One of my top goals for this week involves spending lots of times outdoors playing with my sweet children.   Happy Monday Everyone!  Now that the fall semester is in full swing it is the perfect opportunity to get back to goal setting each week.  Here are a few of the things I hope to accomplish this week! Marriage: Enjoy an at home date night with my husband.   Mothering: Attend three therapy appointments with my daughter this week.  (I will hopefully be writing a post this week about my daughter's recent health concerns.) Begin reading the book  Mary On Horseback: Three Mountain Stories  with the children.   Spend as much time outside as possible!  It has been absolutely gorgeous today and I know that in another few weeks we won't feel like splashing in a pool or running wildly through the sprinkler.   Homemaking: Make or buy a birthday gift for my brother who turns 20 this week!  I would love to sew a gift fo...

Last Sunday my husband and I had the opportunity to attend worship services in Paragould, AR at a friend's church.   As the pianist at my church it is always a delight to have a break from playing so that my soul can fully worship my King.  (Of course it is possible to worship through playing music but I love being able to worship without also accompanying a congregation at the same time.) I have been thinking about last Sunday's sermon on resting all week long.   (You can actually listen to Pastor Jared's sermon through this link .)  As an organized, type A efficient young woman I have trouble resting.  I feel this inner drive to keep doing and making and going and on and on and on.  I just can't sit still even though I know it's important.  One of the worst things in the world for me is to be somewhere and to have nothing with me to occupy my time.  I am the lady at the doctor's office who brings a bag full of activities for a 20 minute app...

Ah summer.  The time for soaking up the sun, building memories, and reading lots of great books.  Here are a few of the books I read in July.   Women Living Well: Find Your Joy in God, Your Man, Your Kids, and Your Home by Courtney Joseph:  I was first introduced to the author when I came across her youtube channel by the same title.  I am so thankful that I found this book.  It is so refreshing to find a young woman who loves God with such passion and yet is not afraid to stick to strong God-honoring convictions.  I look forward to seeing more work from this author in the future. Living Well, Spending Less: 12 Secrets of the Good Life by Ruth Soukup: I found myself inspired as I read this book.  Mrs. Soukup writes with such honesty and authenticity about her journey with money.  This book is a must-read for anyone looking to enjoy the simple things in life while saving money at the same time. Talent to Treasure: Building A Pr...

A few of our library finds from last week.   It feels as though the final days of summer are upon us as everyone prepares to start school in the next week or so.  We have been busy, busy and I will confess that it has impacted our frugality to some extent.  I am hoping to buckle down and really get back to the business of saving money and enjoying life with my family this week.  Here are a few of the frugal things that we did last week to save money:  My son cut zinnias from our yard which were absolutely beautiful.  They are called Hot-Crayon Zinnias from Renee's Garden Seed and I am in love with them!  The fact that my five year old son cut them and brought them to me made it even better. Eli had a blast attending his second and final week of swim lessons last week.  I am so thankful that we were able to find affordable swim lessons this summer.  Eli had an absolute blast and I am thankful that he is learning such important, life s...

On Monday Elijah started taking swim lessons at a local high school.  They are actually much cheaper than taking lessons through our gym where we have a membership.  I like the fact that they are everyday for two weeks instead of once a week for two months.  They are also an hour long instead of a half-hour.  I am interested to see if Eli will progress more quickly by swimming every day.  So far Eli is doing great and having a blast!  My youngest sister is also taking advanced swim lessons so my mom and I are taking turns taking the kids to their lessons.  On Tuesday we enjoyed a fun Emerson Family tradition where we dressed like a cow for Chick-Fil-A Day.  If you’ve never participated in the past then you need to mark your calendars now for next year because it seriously is an absolute blast.  Each person who is dressed in full cow attire is rewarded with a value meal or kid’s meal of their choice.  Not only did we enjoy the fr...

When I turned the page to mark the beginning of a new month in my planner I almost panicked when I realized it was July!  How can summer past by so fast?   I'm hoping to write a couple of posts in reference to my goals for the second part of summer.   Today's post includes my summer reading goals.  Here are the books I hope to finish by summer's end.  To see books I have already read this summer visit here .   The Blender Girl Smoothies by Tess Masters A Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola Women Living Well by Courtney Joseph Love Idol by Jennifer Dukes Lee Talent to Treasure by Marcia K. Washburn The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo Managers of Their Home by Steven & Teri Maxwell What about you?  What are you reading this summer?  Have you read any of the books on my summer reading list?