There are 56 days left in 2018.

A few friends and I have been following along with Rachel Hollis's "Last 90 Days", where she has challenged people to make the last 90 days of the year count.

Well, I was successful in following her "Five to Thrive" for about 15 out of 31 days in October.

And now...that 90 days has dwindled down to 56 days.

So this weekend, I've taken some time to regroup and do some planning for the next two months.  

The girls and I did some deep-cleaning in our bedrooms and the rest of the house.

I planned out our meals for the next few weeks.

We set some goals for ourselves and made a commitment to make these last few months of the year meaningful.

If you're feeling like things have gotten out-of-control and you just want to gain some peace and calm in the near future, feel free to join me in building some habits in the next 56 days that will help us to enjoy the holiday season.

More info to come in the morning.  

​❤️🏡❤️

I'm struggling.  Oh, I'm so sorry...I'll be praying for you.
​
​I'm guilty of using these phrases.

​Sometimes to avoid a long, drawn-out conversation, we answer a question with a word or two...a word or two that are sometimes far from the truth.

Most of the time, I really am fine.  Times that I really am great.

But there are days.  There are weeks.

There are moments in life where I am NOT fine. 

I am not great.

And yet, to avoid real connection, I just go through life pretending like it's all okay.

I'm afraid this happens more than we would like to admit.

We tell people to "take care" as we leave a conversation and then we walk away and don't even "take care" of ourselves.

People give us a glimpse into their difficult life situations and we promise our prayers and then we walk away with a quick prayer thrown up and don't ever think about it again.

I'm afraid that we are becoming a society who hides behind our smiles and our one word answers to real life questions.

A society who hides behind our computer and cell phones.

A society who would rather pretend it's all going great than connect with someone face-to-face.

I think these social platforms that were created to keep us more connected with one another have caused more division than the creators had ever anticipated.

So let's get real.

This year has been difficult for me.  

Trying to transition from a job I absolutely love and adore to another job that I know I will love and adore...eventually.

Navigating the new waters of having a preteen in the house...and a threenager.

Having both of the older girls in the same school as each other...but a different school than me.

Selling a house.  Buying a house. Losing weight.  Remodeling a house.  Farming.  Gaining weight.  Taking pictures.  Teaching.  Losing weight (again).  Wife-ing.  Mom-ing.  Gaining weight (again).  Blogging.  Churching. 

Loving. 
Failing. 
Succeeding. 
Laughing. 
Crying.

And guess what?

It hasn't always been wonderful.
It hasn't even always been good.

It has been hard and complicated and emotional.
It has been beautiful and challenging and full of growth.

My Instagram doesn't always show those difficult days.
My Facebook doesn't always show those difficult days.
This blog doesn't always show those difficult days.

​Heck...my own face doesn't always show those difficult days.

So for today, just know...

I'm not always fine.
And that's okay.
You don't have to always be fine either.

Let's be real, friends.

Love & hugs from the Farmhouse.

​❤️🏡❤️

2017 was a wonderful year in so many ways.

But if I'm being honest, it was also a hard year.

In 2017, my mom lost both of her parents.
​
Of course, this would be a difficult situation for anybody...losing both parents in one year.

But it was especially difficult for us.

A strained family relationship can make loss seem so much greater.

Mom wasn't only grieving for the loss of her parents, but for the absence of a normal functioning family. 

Grieving the loss of the chance at reconciliation and healing.

Someday I will tell her story in it's entirety.  

But not today.

Today, I want to recognize some of the difference-makers in her life.

Mom can remember going to Vacation Bible School at a very young age with her Aunt Peggy's mother, Mrs. McIntire. 

Mrs. McIntire always made Mom feel like she was thrilled to have her there.  Mom still thinks of her when she smells koolaid...all these years later.

Mrs. McIntire was difference-maker.
​
When Mom was about five, she remembers starting to go with her grandma to her adult Sunday school group. 

They met at each others' houses.

Mom has fond memories of spending time with her grandma's friends...serving punch and cake and just visiting with them.

These women were difference-makers.

Mom went to church every week as a child with her Grandma Hannah (great name, huh?).

When she was in second grade, she remembers wanting a Bible with her name on it for Christmas.

She got this gift and remembers reading it every night, loving every minute.

Grandma Hannah was a difference-maker.

When Mom's family moved to Adrian her seventh grade year, the Johnson family took her to church every Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday night. 

It was during this time that she went on a "Youth for Christ" hayride and committed her life to Christ.

Hal & Fern Johnson were difference-makers.

Throughout Mom's middle school and high school years, her friends' mothers became wonderful mentors to her.

These women helped her get through school.

They taught her about honesty and hard work.

They taught her character traits and Christian principles that continue to serve her well, over thirty years later.

Fern Johnson, Darlene Greenwell, Lila Gunn, Jeanie Brewster, Thelma Six, and countless others were difference-makers.

Mom got married in 1980 to my dear ol' dad.

Dad has supported Mom through many insecurities that came from a difficult past.

Together, they have raised two amazing children, if I do say so myself...ha...just kidding. 

Because of the difference-makers in Mom's life, she has an amazing story of grace and generosity and love for others.

She and Dad have adopted another daughter and provided for countless other foster children throughout our lives.

She has a heart for children who have been mistreated.

She has served in the Church for in every way imaginable...for all age groups and many ministries.

She sees a need and meets it.

My mom is a difference-maker.

Despite a painful childhood, filled with neglect and abuse...she is a difference-maker.

Despite anxiety and insecurity that comes from her past...she is a difference-maker.

Despite the odds being seemingly stacked against her...she is a difference-maker.

THAT is the power in kindness and compassion.

THAT is the power in really seeing people.

THAT is the power in serving others.

THAT is the power found in the grace of Jesus Christ.

We CAN make a difference, friends.

❤️🏡❤️

Something has happened to me since I delivered our third daughter three years ago.

I get a bit emotional.

I cry when I'm happy...
When I'm sad...
When I'm angry...
When I don't sleep enough...
When I sleep too much...
When I see an old man in overalls.

I cry when one of my daughters says something sweet to her sister...

When a student masters a concept he or she has been struggling with...

When a first-year player on one of the girls' sports teams makes a basket in a basketball game or gets the ball over the net in volleyball...

When one of the girls shows understanding of the blessing that their great-grandparents are...

I cry.

Usually, this consists of a lump in my throat and my eyes filled with tears with just a few escaping down my cheek.

But not always.

Sometimes, my little "choked-up, tear-running-down-my-face" crying turns into a big ol' ugly-cry.

Anyone else?

I can specifically remember a day when our second daughter was just under a year old.

She hadn't been sleeping well and I was having "one of those days".

You know what I'm talking about...right, moms?

One of those days where I was barely holding it together through the school day. 

I hadn't slept a full night in several weeks, my students were enjoying the last week before spring break as if it were already spring break, and I felt like I was living in a fog with a toddler and an infant.

My teaching partner casually made a comment in the teacher's lounge full of our colleagues giving me a hard time about the fact that I had mentioned taking a nap before I went home after school.

He meant NOTHING by his comment.

On a normal day, I would have just laughed.

But bless his poor heart...this wasn't a normal day...

I laughed at first and said, "I know..." and then the tears started coming, "...isn't it ridiculous?"

All the other women in the room immediately started trying to make me feel better and my poor teaching partner apologized.

But it wasn't his comment at all.  He felt bad that he was the one that tipped the emotions from laughter to tears.  But at some point or another, we've all been there.

I think sometimes you just need a good cry.

There is something about it that's cleansing to the soul and spirit.

In fact, that afternoon, after my ugly-cry, I was already laughing about the whole situation.

One morning, shortly after my grandpa had passed away, I walked into Casey's to find all of his coffee-drinking buddies there.  

I said my "hellos" and went about my business. 

As I walked out the door, an older man I didn't know met me there...in his Key overalls...just like Grandpa's.

And as I walked to my car (and all the way to work), I ugly-cried.

Sometimes, it's just necessary.

So this is your permission.

If you need to ugly-cry...just let it out.

Whether it's because of grief,
stress,
excitement,
anger,
or pure joy.

Just let it out.

An ugly-cry every once in a while can be a beautiful thing.

And if you're still a bit unsure of letting the waterworks loose, I'm not just an ugly-crier...I'm a contagious-crier, too.

So if you need an ugly-cry partner...I'm your girl.

❤️🏡❤️

Mr. Farmhouse has been working tirelessly in all of his spare time to get the girls a second bathroom.

We paid a buddy of ours to do the rough-in work and plumbing (thanks, Brent!), but Mr. Farmhouse decided he could finish the rest out himself.

With lots of help from our dads, we have finished the sheetrock, cement board for the tile, and wiring.

Next up is paint,
then putting in the vanity & sink,
finishing the accent wall with barn wood & metal from the barn that is lying beside our house,
the tile work,
​and installing the toilet & plumbing fixtures.

In another way, this year IS different.

This will be our first holiday season in the farmhouse.

Finding a new place for the holiday decorations.

Hosting dinners since we have more room in this house.

A new way of purchasing gifts for the girls this year for Christmas (more on that later).  

I always like to divide up my holiday planning and kind of challenge myself to complete certain aspects of it each week...and I thought it might be fun for my online friends to join me.

If you'd like to join me, just join my Facebook group here.

We'll be starting some weekly & daily challenges on Sunday, October 22nd!

​See you there!  ❤️🏡❤️