Life as Mrs. Emerson

I'm really looking forward to continuing our Christmas celebrations this week with family. Happy Monday and Merry Christmas!  Before you find yourself in a hurry to pack up each and every Christmas decoration this week take a moment to reflect on the fact that it is only the 4th Day of Christmas.  That's right.  Traditionally Christmas marks the beginning of the Christmas season and not the end.  December 25 marks the beginning of the 12 days of Christmas which run through January 6.  January 6 is also Epiphany or the day that Christians celebrate the coming of the Magi.  In our home I have passed down the tradition from my parents of leaving all of the decorations up until we celebrate the coming of the Wise Men on January 6. While you might feel a rush to pack everything away once-don't!  Even if you notice your neighbor's decorations are all neatly packed away in the garage.  Instead choose to incorporate just a little more memory making this week with your fa

This year for Christmas we opted to take a nice relaxed approach.  We cut out a few things in order to simplify Christmas and I am so thankful.  Together we decided to enjoy decorating our home, hosting a Christmas dessert fellowship, building a gingerbread house, enjoying a few outings, reading through Unwrapping the Greatest Gift, and enjoying a thick stack of Christmas books. On Christmas morning we just took it nice and easy.  Brandon and I woke long before the children.  Eventually Brandon couldn't contain his excitement any longer and we woke them up!  What a sweet memory to hold in our hearts. Together we enjoyed such a lovely morning of just being with one another.  We opened a few gifts, played with new toys, and enjoyed a leisurely brunch.  I baked a German Puff Pancake for the first time that was a smashing success (and so very simple).  After plenty of time spent at home to relax we headed to the Farm (my parents home) to enjoy Christmas with extende

I had so much fun sewing with Meme in November. Yes we are more than halfway through the month of December but I thought I would share what I was busy sewing in November.  Everything I made in November except for the following jumper is actually a Christmas present so this will be a short post.  Rather than spoil a nice surprise I will only be sharing the jumper that I made for Eva.  Stay tuned after Christmas to see all the gifts that I made. Brandon's grandmother Meme amazed me with her sewing skills!  Over Thanksgiving the family and I loaded up and headed to Arkansas to spend close to a week with family.  One of my favorite parts of the week included the afternoon where Meme (Brandon's grandmother) and I had a sewing party!  We had the absolute best time sewing right alongside one another.  Meme is pictured in the photograph above and if you look closely you can see that we each had a sewing machine.  (I'm actually blessed to keep a sewing machine and a small

The weeks leading up to Christmas are always busy.  In fact, they can be downright chaotic.  This year I'm hoping to be more intentional with how I spend the days leading up to Christmas.  It's always hard because I think each one of us has a tendency to get stressed out with Christmas just around the corner.  I find it helpful to ask myself, "In thirty years what is going to matter most to me?  Will I be sad that I didn't mark every minuscule deep cleaning item off of my list or will I be thankful that I took the time to make the memories that are important: teaching my children the true meaning of Christmas?"  Here are a few of the items I hope to accomplish this week in between all of the memory making!   Mothering/Marriage/Family 1.  Continue reading Unwrapping the Greatest Gift in preparation for Christmas with the family.  (We are actually a few days behind so hopefully I can squeeze in a few extra readings this week.)  I"m also anticipating lot

What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast: A Short Guide to Making Over Your Mornings--and Life  by Laura Vanderkahm: I really enjoyed reading this book filled with tips and ideas for maximizing one's time.  Although I'm not clocking in at a paying job every morning I do take my job as a stay at home homeschooling mom very serious.  There is so much that I hope to accomplish each day and I must say that this book was so helpful.  The book itself is concise and could easily be finished in one sitting.  At one point last month I even caught the happy hubby reading this book which actually fueled some great discussions.  I am so thankful that he took the time to also read this book!  We talked of course about productivity but also had a great conversation about how we were spending our family time.  One part of the book includes a discussion on what successful people do on the weekends.  It was incredibly helpful for me to read through this section and really determin

A beautiful sunset at my parent's farm. Phew!  It feels good to be home after a week filled with traveling out of state to visit family.  We had a lovely trip but were gone almost the entire week.  This week I will be trying to balance the many responsibilities and appointments that we have with allowing my children to rest.  It always takes at least three days for my children to recover from a long car ride. This week I am turning my attention towards Advent.  It is my prayer that our entire family can be intentional this coming week to begin preparing our hearts for Christmas. Here are my goals for the week: Mothering/Marriage/Family Take the children on a nature walk one afternoon.  Attend 3 appointments with Evangeline this week. Begin reading  Unwrapping the Greatest Gift: A Family Celebration of Christmas  with the family.  We used this book last year and I was so excited to begin that we actually started a day early.   Complete a list of activities for Advent

This was the third time I have sewn a baby sleep sack using McCall's 4236.  I thought it was high time that I write a review about it.  I'm always on the lookout for good patterns or sewing projects.  I appreciate it so much when others share about their sewing projects. As a mom of two myself I absolutely love gifting others with a baby sleep sack knowing that it will help keep their baby both warm and safe.  There is no fear of a baby smothering with a blanket in the night and no chance of the baby kicking off their covers.  This is one of my go to gifts for babies born in the fall or winter.  For this project I again chose McCall's 4236 view C in a size small.  In my experience this will fit a baby for more than just a few pounds as the pattern indicates. This pattern is straightforward and easy to sew.  My only caution would be to make sure that you don't stretch the fabric in any way when you are sewing around the arm holes.  I've had a little troubl

Happy Monday!  How was your weekend?  We had a nice time despite Eva being under the weather one day.  Yesterday afternoon we enjoyed a lovely walk as a family.   Mothering/Marriage/Family 1) This week I will be focusing a lot of attention on Eva's therapy and care.  We will be attending three therapy sessions this week and at least one appointment with one of her physicians.  Next week we are taking the entire week off from therapy in honor of Thanksgiving! 2)  Have an at-home date with the happy hubby. 3)  Enjoy an outing as a family.  I'd love to go hiking again but we will probably head indoors since the weather is turning cold. Homemaking: 4)  Sew two Christmas gifts this week.  I have lots of ideas up my sleeve.  Now if I could only find more time in my day! 5)  Spend an hour clearing out clutter and organizing our third bedroom. Personal: 6)  Have labs drawn early one morning. 7)  Attend my yearly checkup with my doctor.  (Did you know that almost every h

The Ministry of Motherhood: Following Christ's Example in Reaching the Hearts of Our Children by Sally Clarkson: This book was such a blessing to my heart as a mom and I simply can't believe this was my first book by Clarkson.  As I was reading the book I found myself highlighting like crazy and making dozens of notes.  I was so encouraged in my pursuit of motherhood that it felt like I had invited Mrs. Clarkson over for afternoon tea. So much of motherhood is about training & discipling your children in the ways of the Lord.  How I pray and yearn,  "that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children."  Psalm 78:6 This book was the sweet shot in the arm that I needed this month to encourage me in purposeful mothering.  Please note that I did receive a review copy of this book from Above The Line.  All opinions are my own.   Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler's Guide to Unshakable Peace b

How was your weekend?  Ours was a little productive, fairly relaxing, and filled with fun!  We all enjoyed our church's annual Trunk-or-Treat and bonfire.  Eva dressed as a ladybug and Eli dressed himself as Captain NBC from American Ninja Warrior.  Setting goals helps me to live my life with purpose and intention.  I hope that you are encouraged to this end as you set your goals for this week.   Here are my goals from last week: Marriage, Mothering, & Family: 1)  Enjoy an out of town date with the happy hubby!  We had a blast getting away and out of town for just over 24 hours.  It is so refreshing!   2)  Attend two therapy appointments with Evangeline and one meeting with a coordinator.   So thankful for the progress Eva is making!   3)  Take both children on a fun outing one afternoon.  We had originally planned on a zoo trip but it was raining.  We spent a lovely afternoon at the local library picking out a basket full of books and movies.  The children an

The day Evangeline ate a banana. If you are a regular reader of this blog, a Facebook friend, or a real life friend you have probably been following the story of Eva's recent health concerns.  Our world was completely turned upside down when in July we found out that my daughter has a chiari one brain malformation.  We met with a neurosurgeon last month and were relieved to find that they were not anxious to perform decompression surgery this fall.  We are scheduled for a follow up mri and neurosurgery appointment in March but for now the majority of Eva's medical care involves feeding therapy 2-4 times per week. If you happen to be wondering, "What in the world is feeding therapy?" you are not alone.  I didn't even know that such a thing existed four months ago.  Feeding therapy involves working directly with food through a progression of steps to help a child hopefully one day eat food on their own.  I found it interesting to learn that both occupational

   This week part of Evangeline's occupational therapy involved stamping with apples!  Eva has been working with apples in feeding therapy for the past month so this was the perfect sensory activity.  It was such a fun activity for both kids that I really enjoyed participating in.  Our occupational therapist Mrs. T showed me how to cut the apple so that it was easy to hold.  What a great idea!  It definitely made it a lot easier for both children to stamp with the apples.  You could also try stabbing the apple with a fork if you didn't want to cut the handle.  We simply used washable paint on a paper plate and then stamped on plain white paper.  You could also use acrylic paint but it is a little harder to remove from little hands.  I would also recommend an old sheet or tablecloth to protect your table.  We have an old fitted sheet that fits nicely on the table to protect it whenever we decide to enjoy a messy art project.  Eva was a little hesitant at

We were so blessed last week to attend the local aquarium.   Happy Monday friends!  It's time to set some goals for a fun, productive week.  This is sure to be a week filled with activity at our home.   Last Week's Goals Marriage, Mothering, & Family: 1)  Attend two therapy appointments with Evangeline.  They went well and we even did a fun, sensory craft that I hope to share later this week.   2)  Take the children to the museum this week.  (Our pass expires at the end of December so I really want to squeeze in a few more trips.)   One of the biggest adjustments we have had in the past few months was the utter lack of free time to go on outings and meet up with friends for playdates.  This week we definitely made up for our lack of playdates and we were able to hang out with three different friends on separate occasions. Hooray!  Let me also encourage you to make friendships a priority in your life even if you are a busy working mom.  I got together with thr

Last month my family and I traveled to Washington D.C.  One of the main reason that we decided to drive included the opportunity to visit Thomas Jefferson's Monticello in Virginia.   The drive through Virginia was absolutely beautiful.  My favorite part was driving through the Shenandoah Valley.  The happy hubby indulged my whims to stop at many of the gorgeous overlooks pictured above.     Although the house is fascinating, the grounds at Monticello deserve just as much time as the house.  Eli was absolutely fascinated with the gardens and even spent time speaking with one of the gardeners.  When he found out that the gardener doesn't have trouble with rabbits eating their radishes he decided he wanted to move to Virginia!  Ha, ha!  (I never knew he was that concerned with rabbits eating our vegetables.) The gardens at Monticello are striking and include a wide variety of crops.  The varieties grown are the same varieties that were grown during the time