The last few weeks have been incessant. We haven’t stopped, and while it has all been good things, I think we are feeling the need for some quiet and calm- the kids included. I’m not sure we’ll get a whole lot of that in the coming days, but I am planning to be very intentional on giving us all space for calm, quiet, and togetherness.

1. Lent began this week. I am working out of Blessed is She’s Lenten devotional, Under the Olive Tree. I also ordered a copy of the kids devotional for Caleb, and he started his this week as well. If you’re looking for something slightly different, I did this Lent devotional one year and absolutely loved it. Hallow also has a Lent Challenge for adults and another one for kids. And no, it’s never too late to start.
2. I had the honor of being asked to photograph a Holocaust education event for the middle schoolers at our school. It was an incredible, emotional day filled with so many reminders of the humanity of those around us. They had a traveling cattle car exhibit, by Hate Ends Now, and two Holocaust survivors who spoke to the students. What a blessing to get to hear these firsthand accounts. It’s something I think every human should learn about.
3. We celebrated Chloe’s birthday last weekend with Bake It On Wheels, and it was an absolute hit. The kids get on the bus and bake and decorate cookies and cupcakes and donuts. I’d recommend it a hundred times over!
4. I am on my second Nuuly order and I absolutely love this concept. If you are trying to shop less, this is a really great way to try new styles or have a bigger rotation of items, instead of spending more money on clothes. One of the things I am trying to do for Lent is not spend money unnecessarily, and I think this can certainly help with that! You can try Nuuly here.
5. I made a backdrop and balloon arch for Chloe’s birthday last weekend. If you know me, you know this goes against every single ounce of what I deem fun. Balloons are not my idea of fun. But, I love my kids. I ordered this kit off Amazon for the arch, and it had everything I needed (except for a balloon pump, which I broke right as I was finishing up). A quick note, I already had a backdrop stand and I ordered these iridescent squares for the actual backdrop.  I wanted to cut my fingers off by the end of it, but the result was really nice and Chloe was so happy. I also had a friend share this video and it might have been an easier way to do it- but I will probably never know because I don’t plan on doing that ever again.
6. Our bougainvilleas are in bloom, and each time they bloom so beautifully, I think of this newsletter I wrote about them. (You can get writing like this into your inbox ::almost:: every Saturday if you subscribe to my newsletter.)

And that’s all for today, friends. Have an incredible weekend.

xoxo