Archive for January, 2011

Hello lovelies. It was a CRAZY amazing weekend at Hoop Path in Boulder…I’m still processing the wealth of information and general life encouragement that Baxter provided.  I’m editing the rest of the photos tonight (if my very full hard drive cooperates). I had a blast with Leah and Mia as well…it’s so great to be around fellow mamas who just “get it”. There was lots of chocolate and Thai food and hooping and thrifting…ahhhhhh….blissed out.

Here are some of the things that are inspiring me right now:

I’m a little obsessed with leg warmers lately. I found the sweetest sweater at the thrift store…cut off the sleeves…and voila! I need to serge them so they don’t fray. But I don’t have a serger. Hmmmmm….suggestions?

Tiffani. Always inspiring. I just edited this photo of us jumping in Vegas and I got all sappy and teary eyed. Good times. We are strongly considering jumping on a plane to Portland in May so we can attend the Life is Good unschooling conference with her. *squeal*

I got a box of goodies from Shauna at Mama’s Herbal Soaps and I am in LOVE with the sprays. The Aromatic Rescue Spray is my favorite right now. We spray it on our pillows/sheets and call it “magic sleeping dust” I also love the “Sacred” spray. So warm and delicious.

I don’t know how I found this…it just popped up on one of my tabs. But I love it!

Arian just posted another one of her lovely free downloads. Love this one! All of her freebies are amazing…I especially love her chore charts. So sweet.

Hmmmmm…..this is interesting.

I would love to incorporate more vintage clothing into my wardrobe, but I’m always at a loss at how. This makeover story is so inspiring! Her hair is sooooo pretty!

I came across this wonderful idea on Suzy’s blog. Love love love. What a fun thing to do on a chilly afternoon. Check out her lovely online store too…so many fun things. I’m lucky to live just 20 minutes from her…we have a playdate looming out there for scheduling

And lastly…I’ve recently discovered Phil Wickham’s song “Divine Romance“. It’s an oldie, but new to me and I love it. And in finding the link for it, I realized that I had heard his song “You’re Beautiful” at a church in San Luis Obispo, and LOVED it then…but couldn’t remember the name of it. I love re-discovering music…

Looking forward to a quieter (but much, much colder and snowier) week. I’ll be getting the house back in order and writing some letters by the fire while I drink some steamy mate! Yay!

What are you excited about accomplishing this week?

Over the years, I have gotten so many lovely little things in the mail from blog readers…and I am embarrassed to say that I haven’t really posted much about it! But this week, I got TWO packages in the mail and it truly made my day…I knew I had to share it with you.

It’s been a fun week, but a little stressful…and these gifts made me so happy. They arrived just in time to put a smile on my face after a couple of really long days.

The felted wool purse is from Jessica in Salt Lake City and the magnets are from Naomi in Indianapolis. Thank you ladies for taking time out of your own busy day to bless mine. I know it takes extra effort to package some love up in an envelope and send it on it’s way…and for your efforts, I am GRATEFUL!

I challenge each of you to mail just ONE thing in the next week…to someone who has been on your mind. It could be a card, a small “nature” something you found outside, a teabag…the options are endless! If you need help, here are some ideas from an archived post about my mail obsession.

Leave me a comment and tell me about a special package that you have received in the mail! Or, if you have already answered that question in my previous mail post, tell me something special that you sent someone!

One of the best parts about settling down in one place is….

HAVING A LIBRARY CARD!

We love the library. I mean…c’mon! Who doesn’t love the library?! For me, it’s like retail therapy. Only it’s free. And Bella just loves picking out the books and DVDs and being able to check them all out on her own with her OWN card.

This week we met up with our friends…and it was so fun, I think it will become a weekly occurrence for all of us. The Longmont library is really set up nice for all ages and we feel so blessed.

We have found some really WONDERFUL books there lately, and I wanted to share them with you. These are books that Bella keeps asking to read again and again.

Old Henry: Oh my goodness. After checking this out, we knew we had to own it. It’s about accepting people for who they are and getting along.

All The Places To Love: This book has the most AMAZING illustrations. And there is a homebirth in it. I adore this book. Sometimes we just sit and stare at the paintings in silent awe.

Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge: This one also has fabulous images…it’s about a little boy who lives next door to and “old folks home”. He helps one of the old women “find her memories again”. Super sweet.

What children’s books are you reading and loving right now?

We’ve had a delightful weekend. Saturday we cleaned, organized, and purged. More is needed, but we’re started to feel more “on top” of the mess now. It official that the RV has more storage space than our little house. They just really didn’t have much stuff to store in 1910!

I enjoyed a little time alone for the first time in a week. I realized it had been too long when I got in the car and felt the SILENCE deep in my bones and almost started crying I took myself out for a coffee and went thrifting. No one was touching me or asking me for another bowl of cereal and it was joyous. But even in that short amount of time, I missed my family

Saturday evening, we met up with our dear friends Scott and Betsy who were in town and took all the kids to Chipotle (love those margaritas!) and had good talks at Peet’s. Love them.

On Sunday, we got up and made pancakes, read the Sunday paper, and enjoyed some family time. We had house church at the cutest little coffee house in Longmont. The have mate, yummy foods (including coconut milk caramels…yum!), and handmade items. We are so enjoying connecting with our new church family here. Many of you have commented and asked questions about the house church…so I am planning a blog post in the next couple of weeks about that. Stay tuned!

The upcoming week is going to be BUSY…but oh so good. Things on our agenda: Library, Princess Night, Girls Night Out, Nature & Science Museum in Denver, Open Homeschool Gym, Tae Kwon Do (Bella’s first time!), and to top it all off, my friends Leah and Mia are driving from Iowa and we are all going to Hoop Path with Baxter and Beth Lavinder all weekend!

Oh, AND…my brother Dan and Jess are in Boulder all week so we get to see them too!

Life is good. We are so at peace with where we are right now. We are hopeful and excited about our future. I hope your week is wonderful too…I know mine will be!

*the photo of Bella and Lucy above is such a crack up…if you want to see my fashionistas up close, click here. No outfit is complete without a tiny (fake) dog.

Colorado has a little law against texting while driving. But what about taking photos while driving? I didn’t see any laws against that I just couldn’t help myself…it was breathtaking!

Tonight as we were driving to go meet Matt at Chipotle for dinner, I was greeted with this beautiful fiery sunset over the mountains. The thing is, as I was driving south, I had no idea that once I turned the corner to drive West, I would see this!

Isn’t this how life is too? We get so focused on the bumpy gray road we are currently on that we forget what beauty is all around us…just waiting to be seen. All we have to do is just turn and face it.

Yesterday, Ann Voskamp’s new book arrived at my door. I read the first chapter this morning and was a little shaken for the rest of the day. You’ll have to read it to see what I’m talking about. Let’s just say that it reminded me how fragile life is. I drank in everything that the girls did today with extra care. I smelled Lucy’s neck for longer than normal and squeezed Bella so tight.

Today was like every other day. But with eyes wide open, not wanting to forget these moments…I chose to see it differently.

• A newspaper magically arrived at my door for me to read while I sipped my mate.
• Steamy pancakes flipped by an excited 6 year old make life worth living.
• An ecstatic little Lucy leads me over to her most recent artwork (nevermind that she drew in a book instead of the paper).
• Sisters creating together. Such sweetness (and sometimes fighting, but mostly sweetness)

Oh these precious moments…I want to always have open eyes to see them for what they really are. They are little blessings in the every day of life. There is so much joy to be found if I just remember to face the sunset.

*you can (and should!) read Ann’s blog, A Holy Experience, here.

I just wanted to thank all of you who sent me the lovely holiday mail…it made me soooooo happy to see all of your smiling faces in my mailbox! It arrived all at once right after we settled in Longmont and definitely made the chaos of the transition feel more manageable

One of my favorite things about our years of travel has been meeting SO many of you face to face. Getting to spend REAL time alongside you in your daily lives is something that I will treasure in my heart forever.

Now that we are settled, I would love to continue corresponding via “real mail”. It’s been difficult on the road without a consistent mailbox…but now that we have one (it’s even ATTACHED to our house…oh the joy!), I want to send more mail out!

I would love to create a database with real addresses in it for my personal records. If you’re so inclined, will you email me your current address at janssenfamily (at) gmail (dot) com? Even if you think I already have it…send it again. And I will send you mine if you like. Well, only if you’re not a crazy internet creeper.

“The moment in between what you once were, and who you are now becoming,
is where the dance of life really takes place.”
*Barbara De Angelis

…and it seems I’ve been doing a lot of dancing lately.

After 4 years of having Matt at home all day…pretty much every day, I am now in charge of raising these two precious girls alone. I know, I know…I’m being overly dramatic. But we have a lot of drama around here lately and it must be rubbing off.

Being a stay-at-home mom is the best job on earth. And it’s hard. And it’s beautiful. And I’m still figuring it all out.

It often feels like the only thing I do all day is make meals and clean the house. Over and over and over. But you see…I also want time in there to do amazing, life-changing activities with my girls. I want to sing and dance and tell them stories. I want to give them opportunities and experiences. I want to have art projects that rival the best of Waldorf schools! Oh my. I’m getting crazy now.

We’ve never really been a schedule-driven type of family…we usually just go with the flow. But I’m finding that having a loose schedule is helpful. Especially for Bella. She wants to know exactly what is happening and when. Every day.

I’ve given myself a couple of weeks now to try to work out the kinks…to get into our groove. And it’s slowly happening. I can feel a nice rhythm to our days. And it feels really good. The “everyday” of our lives makes all of us happy (thank you Erin for an amazing post that refreshed my soul). Reading the same books. Going to the same stores. Being with the same friends. Sweeping the same floor.

I am getting through the day with Jesus at my side…I can almost hear him whispering my name. Reminding me to have more patience, more love, and less perfectionism He is telling me to go to bed sooner and get up earlier…and that too will help immensely.

I would love to have a conversation in the comments about what really works for you and your family. Feel free to use these questions as a springboard…

• Tell me about the rhythm of your day.
• What is the best advice you’ve ever received as a stay-at-home or work-at-home mother?
• What has been your biggest struggle and how are you overcoming it?
• What is your deepest joy in being a homemaker?
• Are there certain blogs that you love for homemaking/mama inspiration?
• Do you use a “system” for cleaning your house (i.e. Flylady, etc)?

I look forward to reading about and discussing your life as mothers, wives, and keepers of the home!

Oh where to begin? There is much to tell and my heart is full. So without further ado, I give you…the big life update.

We moved into a rental house in Longmont, Colorado on December 31. This little house couldn’t be more perfect. I know, I know…how do we find these places, right? It was built in 1910, but it’s been remodeled nicely and has paint colors that jive with our style already. It’s in a perfectly wonderful part of town…close to parks, the library, and most importantly, the Thai restaurant. Oh, did I mention the adorable little backyard that is perfect for entertaining and hooping? See the tour here.

Matt is working in Boulder for my brother’s company, and it’s just a short drive away with mountain views the entire way.  It’s been different having him gone all day at work, but we are slowly adjusting and finding our new rhythm after 4 years of having him at home. I’ll be writing more about that soon.

I am looking forward to doing more photography…if you are in the area, I’d love to do your family/child/engagement photos. And please share my website with your friends!

Speaking of friends It’s not often that you can move to a completely new community and have an instant network of friends…but that’s exactly what we have here. Some of our dearest and oldest friends, Kris and Natalie, live here. Natalie knows me so completely. We’ve been through the highest highs and the lowest lows of life together. Oh how I love her!

Kris and Matt are like two peas in a pod. Both towering over the general population at 6’6″…they make quite the pair. We’ve been creating memories together since our college days…and we’re all looking forward to making many more!

They have been out here for about 5 years planting house churches…and we will be jumping right in alongside them. Matt led worship this last week and again this week. He has missed that so much. We’re excited to be plugged back into a home church community.

I also have a slew of blog friends that live in the Denver metro area…and I already have plans to meet up with many lovely ladies. My brother, Scotty, is now working in Boulder too…it’s been so great seeing him all the time. My brother Dan, and Jess are here often as well. AND…my aunt/uncle/cousins live in Denver…so we have no shortage of family here!

Longmont is just a fun place to be. And with a population of almost 90,000, there is a lot to do.  There is a wonderful rec center with an indoor water park, there are yoga studios, tons of parks, museums, great shops and restaurants. Denver is just 45 minutes away and Boulder is just 20 minutes away. Or, we can go north to Loveland or Ft. Collins!  Or all of beautiful Colorado for that matter.

The hooping community here is also amazing. I have many friends from Hoopcamp who live here and attend different jams all over the area. There is always something “hoopy” going on…including the upcoming Spin Summit! Woooo!

Longmont also has a strong network of homeschoolers and learning opportunities abound.

Need I go on? It’s pretty much the perfect place for us right now. Which leads me to the next thing…

We’re staying!

Our hearts are settled and we love it here. We never planned on traveling full-time forever…although we will always call ourselves “travelers”. It’s funny…we never thought we would end up in this area. But God has a way of changing things up when you least expect it. Some of you may wonder how we can “give it all up”. Especially when life on the road seems so perfect. But it’s time. It’s time to slow it down. Create community. Give our girls some roots. Make new traditions.

Will we miss our life on the road? Of course. Is this a HUGE change for us? Yes.

We will miss meeting up with so many amazing people…BUT, there are still new people to meet and new experiences to have right here at “home”. We have a new life, a new normal, and a new vision for our future. And someday when the time is right, we will travel again.

The RV will be up for sale shortly…if you’re in the market for a sweet, family-friendly 40-foot RV that runs on veggie oil, feel free to email us for details.

For the rest of you…flights into Denver are cheap! Come and visit! Oh, and there are 2 houses for rent on our street. Who wants to be my neighbor?

Hi all…
Please bear with me while I work through some problems with this blog. I’ve had some hacking going on and errors and such. Once I get it figured out, I will be back!

xxoo
sara