Peace Found

Our lives have so many different paths and moments to choose from. For me there have been 2 distinct paths lately: On one hand there was fast paced, ladder climbing, excitement, money making, consumerism. On the other hand was slowed pace, quiet, simplicity, doing with less.

17 months ago I convinced my husband to change his job location for a more exciting, better paying position. We left "small town America" for the exciting city life. It was fun and the new position allowed my husband to be home more often. But the fast pace of life didn't seem to mesh well with our family. We longed for walks on wooded paths and quiet star filled evenings. 14 months later we packed up everything, leaving the city behind to return to what I thought would be a more boring existence.

Moving back to the small, simple life this time around has brought a fresh perspective of what's important. I don't long for busy, loud, ever changing days. I find solace in the cool still mornings, in the forest adventures my kids and I now share.

I am often amazed at how ones perspective can change so drastically just by having a clearer view. I know this post means nothing to some of you, heck, I may even have confused some of you completely! But to me this new found peace is everything these days. My children and I have started a huge vegetable garden, I am pondering getting a few chickens (who doesn't want farm fresh eggs all the time?!) and life is slow. The key here is for once in my life I am truly content. My little piece of heaven is right where I am. It's silly, all this moving and changing to come right back where I started...

This is not just a moment in my life to be missed or cherished, it is everything coming full circle and finally making sense.

Yes my blogging has been effected by these changes, but it's because I am soaking it all in and trying my best not to miss one single moment!









au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Happy Tree Climbers & Neverending Boxes

Oh my goodness have things been nutty lately!?

We made it South Carolina December 22nd, 2009. Had a nice simple Christmas with my parents... Then, the unpacking began. We have too much crapola, I'm telling you. It is ridiculous the amount of stuff one can aquire in their life.

The kids started their new school after winter break. Thank the Lord they both LOVE their new teachers and have made friends fast. My hubby has settled in nicely with his new job, he's already trying to climb to the next level. (Such a workaholic!!)

How am I doing? Suprisingly well.
Yes, the basement is full of boxes yet to find a home.
The laundry is piled all over the house.
The fridge is empty cause I haven't been to the grocery store in like 10 days!
Moral of the story is our house is a mess, but we're all happy and healthy :)

The worst thing about our new place? NO INTERNET! I am dying (hence the lack of blogging) My cellphone keeps me minimally connected for now.

The best part of our new house is the yard! Acres of forest and creekfront property to explore. The kids are loving it (and I'm enjoying the silence inside while they are outside, ha ha)

I hope to catch up with you all soon and can't wait to share pictures of our beautiful log cabin on the lake! Um, once I get it clean of course :)

My munchkin was so excited when he made it up a fallen tree all by himself

My mini munchkin loves pretending she's a cowgirl on her horse when she's sitting on this log

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

What's The Deal-io?!

Someone up above is truly looking out for us. Today our house here in Arizona went into escrow. That's right, you heard me! We sold our home in under 30 days!! The price was a little low, but it is still workable.

A few weeks ago I flew back east to look for a rental property for our family... It was a disaster. There wasn't a single home suitable to rent anywhere, I was pretty stressed out. While I was there I looked at a few homes for sale just cause they looked interesting online. Well, I fell in love with one (go figure.)

Since we didn't have the ability to buy the home while we were still trying to sell the home in Arizona my parents bought it for us!! The deal is once we sell this place and get on our feet we will buy it back from them. HOW COOL ARE THEY?!

It has been an emotional roller coaster, but I am proud to say we are blessed beyond words. OK people here it is, our home in South Carolina:


It's a Log Cabin! It is so cute, I wish I could have you all come over once we get moved in and have a party :) We are so excited. My son can't wait to go fishing (there's a creek that runs on our property) and my daughter is super thrilled to be living in a "Lincoln log home."

I can't wait to get there and take a huge sigh of relief. This move/home are here for the long haul. We are DONE.

Thank you all for hanging in there with me. Now comes moving day count down... We shove outta here December 17th, which means we will make it to our new place by Christmas Eve.

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Where's Waldo, Souther Style

Thank you all for your well wishes on this next chapter in our life. It means so much to me :) I am often amazed at the healing power of blogging, It's amazing what a little pat on the back or a "hang in there" can do.

I was surprised at how many of y'all wanted to know which town in South Carolina we will be moving back to.

Didn't realize there was so many people living near, or passing through SC.

Now, no stalking please. I've had enough blogger paparazzi. Yeah, I saw you in the bushes taking pictures!! (ha ha)

Our little town is called Hartsville, South Carolina. Come on by and visit when we get back!

It's your typical small southern town.
You know what I'm talking about:
Walmart, hardware store run by 90 year old man, kids running down the sidewalk in overalls, pickup trucks covered in deer hunting bumper stickers, and breakfast joints that specialize in making grits. Oh and don't even get me started on how seriously the people in this town take their college football! Oh my goodness, heaven forbid you root for the wrong team!

We can't wait to get back. :)

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Hello From The Trenches!

Hey Everyone! How have you all been? Geez, I have missed the "blog-sphere" but have also enjoyed the break. What has been going on you ask? Most of you were correct in your guess that we are moving. I couldn't come on here and talk about my husbands job hunting till he had something firmed up, heaven forbid someone from his current job found out and we were jobless because of MY blog. I would have never lived that down!

OK, on to more important things...

Where are we moving? You will never guess, nope not in a million years...


Spanish moss, warm southern rain, small town...



Good fried chicken, millions of mosquito's, front porch rockin'...



Green growth everywhere, humid nights, fireflies...



Friends, family, home...



Is any of this ringing a bell? Obviously we're moving back to the southeast, but the plot thickens, we're moving back to the SAME TOWN we moved from to get to Arizona!? How crazy is that?

I wanted more for my children then I thought a small southern town could offer, but what I have come to realize is we had it all to begin with. Great friends, a great community, life was good. Luckily my hubby's old job has wanted him back since the moment we left, so getting a position there was pretty easy (it's an even better position than he had before we moved!).

Doesn't the saying "The grass isn't always greener" come to mind? ha ha

Now for the yucky, not fun stuff... Trying to sell our home. I LOVE this house, you all know the time we've spent painting & decorating it. It's perfect, just in the wrong place. I really wish the tornado from the "Wizard of Oz" would pick my home up and drop it down in South Carolina. But, that won't happen, bummer. Our house is on the market now, we've had a few lookers but nothing has come of it yet. Also when we get back to SC we have to rent for awhile, not a big deal for most, but you try renting a home with 3 dogs!!! Impossible.

There is a lot on our plate right now, so far I have dealt with the stress pretty well. I've only had one melt down in a restaurant parking lot sobbing into my hubby's arms. My hubby begins his new (old) job in December, if the home doesn't sell by then I will be staying in Arizona till it does with the munchkins and pups.

Please keep us in your prayers for an easy transition and guidance as life once again takes another crazy turn in our life. And if you know anyone looking for a home in AZ let me know *wink wink*


*pictures from Hartsville - The Art of Good Living web site

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Location, Location, Location...

A little while back I had mentioned that my hubby is not particularly happy with his new job out here in Arizona. We are committed to a 2 year contract which I think is nice because we'll have a better idea if we do or don't like it here when that time is up. With that said... this lady has never been patient! So I thought I would do some research on where we might go next.

My hubby's job is very location specific so it does make the "where to's" a bit easier. Here are a few places we could go and I NEED YOUR HELP! Any information you have on any of these spots would be SO helpful, and much appreciated! I am trying to narrow this list down a bit. Click the location name for a map:

Portsmouth, NH
Plymouth, MA
New London, CT
Wilmington, DE
Berwick, PA
Philadelphia, PA
Annapolis, MD
South Haven, MI
Benton Harbor, MI
Chattanooga, TN
Richmond, VA
Crystal River, FL
Clemson, SC

I truly value your opinions more than you all know, I look forward to your advice! I hope you all have fabulous weekend!!

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

It's Coming Along

For all my home decorating updates click here.

I am on the home stretch, soon the interior of our new home will be painted and pretty :) I have never done well with plain white walls. So far I have painted the following:

The Munchkins room Gray
Office an Aquamarine-ish
Guestroom, 2 tone green and Ivory

Now all I have to tackle is the Mini-Munchkins room (pink of course) and 2 bathrooms. We have hired a professional painter to do the living/family/kitchen room. I am quite independent and like to do things on my own, but that area is just TOO big for me to do. I can't wait to get it all done so we can move in!

Our goal was to be in the house April 1st... Well, that isn't going to happen so now our goal is to be moved in there by May 1st. We just moved our entire lives all the way across the country 4 months ago so the thought of moving again doesn't make me all giddy inside. But a 2 mile move should be a lot easier then a 3,000 mile move, right?

OK, I need to quite dilly dallying and get back to painting.

Ta Ta for now

Homeward Bound, FINALLY!

Alrighty boys and girls, I have some exciting news for you!! We have FINALLY found our dream home and are awaiting move in date!!

Click Over to "Homemaking Hullabaloo" for a photo tour of the new place! Oh and yes, I am aware that it is all white and plain. Paint is coming soon, I promise :)

Let me know what you think

Ta Ta for now

Finally Made It

*yawn* I am beyond tired right now! My hubby and I have spent the last 2 days unpacking boxes. My hands are covered in paper cuts, my feet hurt, i can't feel my back from sleeping on the floor the last few nights, and i am not totally sure what day it is... OK, enough complaining. I am all better now :)

I have missed the bloggy world, I am sure I have missed so much! Arizona is nice, our neighbors are nice. It's all just nice :) There is a scorpion problem in the area we live (Super fun!!) Some lady at the park told me to buy some Red Bull and a black light, become a paranoid crack head with no sleep and I could find them all. Um... No, I think I will enjoy the little bit of sanity I have left.


OK I am off to sleep (8:40 PM, I told you I was tired!) talk to you soon.

Ta Ta for now

Day 4, You're Gonna Miss This

We are reaching the tail end of our journey, tomorrow afternoon we will make our destination in Arizona. We started driving in South Carolina and by tomorrows end we will have driven 2, 240 miles. Geez, can you believe we are still getting along after all that time in the car? I cant wait to get out of the car, check out our new town, and start getting settled. With that said, I am going to miss the beautiful landscapes I have passed while traveling the US this week. It makes me appreciate all that America is. Hope you all have a wonderful relaxing weekend!










(Crazy Camera Lady!!!)

This "You're Gonna Miss This...Moment" inspired and linked back to
Pam @ You're Gonna Miss This . Remember to cherish every
moment God has given us.

Ta Ta for now

Day 3, Travel Pictures!!!

Today was not too exciting, lots of road, rest stops, semi-trucks, and hay fields...

I started getting a horrible stomach ache this after noon that is still bugging me tonight. It makes the long hours on the highway seem to drag on. My son had a great quote today I wanted to share, there was no build up. he just felt the need to tell me this:
"I can't play the ukulele, but I can shake my butt!"

Aren't kids fun? I finally made it somewhere with internet access! YIPPY! Here is a little photo montage from the road trip so far. There will be more to come later.

The kids are ready to hit the road!

Atlanta skyline as I drive by too fast :)

Doggy pit stop!

A neat old barn next to a gas station

The mini-munchkin being cute from the back seat

My view for the last 1,200 miles... Following my hubby's red truck

Ta Ta for now

Day 2

Holy cow, the drama started today! We've traveled 700 miles so far, and my back sure feels it. Let's see here... Today I decided a few things:

1. The Georgia state tree should be changed to a construction cone.
2. Men in suits with GPS thingy's LOVE to ride my butt on the freeway.
3. Memphis, TN has the most confusing freeway interchanges on the face of the planet!

The kids are doing an amazing job keeping busy and happy while traveling. (Thank God for that!)

So today was L O N G. We managed to get lost twice. I took some great pictures from the road, unfortunantley no hotels we are staying at offer free internet and I am too cheap to pay. So the pictures will have to be posted once we get to Arizona. This post is once again from my cellphone. (Darn you tiny cellphone buttons!!)

Tonight our hotel is a super fun Holiday Inn somewhere in Arkansas. They have a weird fish in the lobby that watches you as you walk by... It freaks me out. I hope to sleep for many many hours and wake up refreshed for more of the same tomorrow :)

I love getting your comments while road tripping, it gives me something to read at rest stops. Keep'em coming, I swear I will reply and comment back once I'm at a real computer.
Nighty-night everyone!!

Ta Ta for now

Day 1

OK so I haven't found internet yet. I am typing on my cell phone in a Cracker Barrel (the shining light for a family on a road trip!) Last night we hit the road around 8PM, the kids slept most of the way. It was so quiet and peaceful!! Once I started getting tunnel vision it was time to get a hotel room.

The room was OK, in a Norman Bates sorta way. Small road side place, no one there but us.

It took the dogs 5 minutes before one pooped on the floor, Yippy!

Now we are enjoying breakfast, hubby is making fun of me texting from the table. More to come later.

Ta Ta for now

The Movers Have Arrived

Today is D-Day, the movers are packing up our home as I type. Yes... I am stealing a few seconds before they disconnect my internet, who wouldn't? So in honor of moving day here are some funny pictures I came across. I hope our movers are a bit more professional!! :) Talk to you all soon!

I love how smiley the driver is hauling his load

notice the bed at the very top?

I've seen this one before, I think the caption was "Your ass is over loaded."

How is this even possible?

Goodness, remind me never to complain about carrying a full load from the laundry room again!

Alright people. I am outta here. I hope you all have a great week. If you don't see any posts about the move in the next few days, it must be because we are staying in a way too cheap hotel with no free Wi-Fi. You can picture me tired, curled up on a ball going through internet withdrawal. See you on the flip side.

Ta Ta for now

Finishing Up

The last few days have been emotional. Filled with "goodbye's" to friends, going away parties for my kids and their friends. All this frown inducing stuff has had me in a sad mood. :(

Although I know this move is for the better, the good bye part is never easy. I am going to sure miss all my girlfriends here.

OK, so progress is moving along. My hubby is outside cleaning the pool one last time, I am finishing up laundry so we can pack our clothes up tomorrow. The kids are watching the Disney channel... I'm not sure how that's "helping" mommy, other then it is keeping them out of my hair while I run around like a crazy person trying to get everything done.

The movers come on Monday morning, and then we will be getting this show on the road!

If you drop by and comment, please don't be offended if I don't get back to you right away. And all those lovely blogs I enjoy reading and commenting on myself... You are going to be neglected for a few days. SORRY! Once we hit the open road I intend on typing out the hilarity that I am sure will in-sue. (That's if the hotels have free Wi-Fi, ha ha)

My Sunday Signspotting posts have been completed for the next few weeks, and are scheduled to post even if I am MIA.

Hope you all have a super Saturday.

Ta Ta for now

The Chatterbox Home

Welcome to my home, my inner-sanctum, the place all creativity flows...

Not that seeing how my home looks would unlock some giant mystery into who I am... but, you might figure some stuff out. Ha Ha. Here is our lovely house, and guess what folks? It could be yours!! (I see the look of excitement in your face.) So if you know anyone in SC looking for a home I would be happy to oblige. Just thought I'd share what it looks like when it's all cleaned up :)

On with the photo tour:





Pretty soon I will have a new tour for you from AZ. I know this is kind of a boring post for a Monday. Hey, it can't be all exciting or you'd expect too much of me :) Have a good day everyone.

Ta Ta for now