Monday, March 14, 2016

What's inside your bag?

I rarely read blogs hear days but posts like this are always some of my favorites. 

I just changed out my bag for spring and once I saw all the contents I thought it would be fun to share. Mainly because of one little bag that's an addition to my purse, and it's a little bag I love!

Here's my new bag...a Pottery Barn Kids striped diaper tote I picked up during one of their latest sales for $15! Score!!


And here's what the inside looks like all packed up. 



Things I have with me at all times...my planner, my wallet, a pacifier, Meghan's diaper pouch and my new floral oil bag. 

I had a diaper pouch like this for Elizabeth when she was little. Monogrammed with her name just like Meghan's and it's perfect for nursery drop off and keeping things all in one place. The nursery workers love it because it has her name on it and it's not a huge diaper bag. It usually holds diapers, wipes, a sippy cup and a bib. I bought both of them at Pottery Barn Kids on sale. They are their normal wet bags so they are lined with a waterproof lining which is great. They double as a spot for wet bathing suits after the pool in the summer😉


Next I have my new oil bag from Red Fox Lane on Etsy. I can sew but I'd rather just purchase from someone else and have it done right away in this season of life😉 Just FYI this holds way more than oils. I have it stocked for a trip so there are more oils in here than normal. 


This looks small but it's a powerhouse. I have so much in here all organized because of the oil slots.


I have rollerballs, hand sanitizer spray, bug spray, sunscreen stick, lip balms, lipgloss, aquaphor, diaper cream, a pen, meds, bandaids and neosporin, nail clippers, and a Breathe vapor stick. There's still plenty of room for other things as well. It's like a medicine cabinet in a bag. Even if you don't oil I would recommend it!

Lastly my planner, my favorite wallet (Hobo Lauren), my small Bible and a pad of paper. There's a changing pad that came with the bag that I keep in here for traveling but otherwise I take it out.



So what in things do you have in your bag? Any favorites I'm missing??

Thursday, March 3, 2016

One big decision ahead


The last time I posted I had high hopes of writing more often. But then, as it often does, life intervened and my plans were thwarted. These past few weeks our family has been mulling over and praying over the idea of moving. We've been searching and driving all over the west metro.

This isn't necessarily a new thing...but definitely more recent. The past year has been filled with thoughts of the future and preparing for some financial freedom.

Earlier this fall, Alex read through a book on creating a legacy by Dave Ramsey. We sorted through our affairs and made a legacy box. (A spot where all our important things are) While doing this we  also spent some time working through the future and preparing for the what ifs in case either of us were to pass away. He even created me a budget if the day came that he passed. 

And so this month we were/are preparing to pay off our entire mortgage on our current house. We've always lived a more wartime lifestyle because of Alex's profession and self employment, but some current work projects have blessed us. So much that we could pay off our mortgage now.

This step is the last step in our end of life plan as well. This step gives me the freedom to never work if Alex were to pass away. That's an incredible blessing.

But sometimes even in the midst of our own careful planning the Lord brings to mind a different path. And that path for us would be to move. 

To move closer to our church, our church family, give our girls sidewalks to ride bikes on and hike and run. To alleviate some of the "issue zones" in our current home that cannot be easily remedied.
We never thought that much about moving because financial freedom was on our brains. But we then contemplated the move and we could move to a beautiful new house and keep our current mortgage. Obviously not as custom as our house now, but the new house would back up to a pond...allowing the girls to ice skate in their backyard. It's a family friendly community, closer to church and the new house plan would remedy those current "issue zones."

It's definitely not an easy decision but it's a future that we feel drawn to. 

Pray with us?

We have already worked out a floor plan with the builder but they are working on getting a quote on some changes we've made to a plan. We are waiting two weeks or so to hear if it will work to build the plan with our changes and the costs associated. If everything comes back positively we will most likely put our house on the market. 

It's definitely bittersweet...as we love this house. It's where we poured out a lot of love, brought our little girls home, dreamed of their future. BUT...

It's just a house...our home is wherever we are together, right?

We've already made some minor changes to our existing house that we will enjoy if we don't sell but will get it ready if we do. 

Our basement was painted and our main floor bath got a very minor update, but one that really changed things up.

Obviously we don't exactly know what the future holds but we're anxious to see where God leads us and will be ready if He says move:)