H54F || Joy In My Journey

one.  God

Can I just take a minute to brag on my father?

On Saturday I did something I would have never thought I could.  I accepted the invitation to speak (one of the most quiet & shy people you'll ever meet✋) at a ladies retreat, "Finding Joy in the Journey."  I've said it a billion times since April & I'll say it again, I don't understand why God opened this door for me to walk through, but I am blessed that he helped me stand when I wanted to hide + still gave me something to share that he had put in my heart to share.  You guys, if I can do it, anybody in this world can do it.  

To serve Him in a tiny way after all he has done for me is an honor & pleasure.

Can you tell I ugly cried the entire time?

Also, not only that, but he has allowed me to open up my home to some sweet girls in my neighborhood for a bible study, twice since March!  I've been praying for him to send some friends my way & for him to use our home for His honor & His glory. 

 Just sitting in the circle of girls last night...I can't help but marvel at how surreal it is to see how my prayers are being answered.  I know I'm on a mountain in my life right now.  I feel so much growth & happiness.  I know that it's in these moments (especially when we see others going through hard times) that we draw strength for the valleys that inevitably come our way at one point or another.

  

I pray that I realize how great HE is no matter what is going on in my journey of life.

Deep stuff today, guys!

and then there's this...

two.  old navy sale

Poor Scouty has been wearing track pants in this heat b/c he has like one pair of shorts right now.  Can I just say I hate when they grow out of things so fast!😫

Yesterday, I swung by Old Navy to find 50% off of about e v e r y t hi n g!  

We basically got 8 pairs of shorts for $4 each.  And, of course, matched them the best we could😉  Run, don't walk if your littles are growing out of their summer duds!

#thosebaseballteesthough

three. schoooooooool's out. for. the summer.

Thursday was the last day of "work" work for the 2016-17 school year.  I will be doing a little over the summer every now & then BUT the typical workday is done!

Our little Preschooler's graduate tonight!  I am so proud of each of them & will n e v e r forget them...they have been such a sweet little group + have forever took a piece of my heart.  I love my job!

four.  fruit bowl

This is probably so dumb to share, b/c it's so easy + simple>>>but I'm gonna anyway!  We are trying to eat healthier over here (hello, visit with the cardiologist+ all the fruits & veggies available right now) & (the fact that we may actually get to stay home for a week) so we have been keeping a big ol' bowl of fruit to snack on in the refrigerator.

Best. Snack. Ever.

Hands down!  And does it not just scream summertime?

and last but not least...

five. a healthy boy

I went back & forth about posting this picture to social media.  I really wanted to share a praise report but then I also kept telling myself there are somethings we shouldn't share on social media.  <<I go back+forth about that with myself ALL the time.>>  When is it too much?  Where do we draw the line?

But that's another day & another post... I want to share it here!

Cam has had a heart murmur since birth.  His pediatrician in NC wasn't concerned, but when we moved to our new pediatrician here in TN, he was a little concerned with how loud it sounded at his recent four year old check up.  SO.  He referred us to the pediatric cardiology office for an EKG to better understand the nature of the murmur.  After the EKG, a bunch of questions...waiting... & stethoscope exams later... the doctor handed the diagram at the bottom of this page to me + wrote "normal heart."  

Those words may seem so simple.  But that day, after a "hard" week, to the point where I had convinced myself something would be wrong.  How could it not be after the tone of the week?  Right??  Wrong!  Those words, though simple...they were SO significant to me.  So precious.  Such a blessing to see on that piece of paper.  

I know it's pretty common for kids to have heart murmurs.  But then again, we take for granted just how close each one of us are to that one phone call, that one doctors visit that can change everything.  We think "it can't happen to us" but that something can.  It's by God's grace we hear "all is good" before we walk out the door each time.  May we each realize how truly precious the words "all is good" each time we leave the doctors office.  

Especially when it's with our babies...

Wow!  What a heavy way to leave this post...😊

I'm just all sentimental today.

Happy Friday, y'all❤️

P.S. I would love for someone to do a guest post this upcoming month!  

Please contact me if you feel you have something to share:)

cassidypadams@hotmai.com

SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave

Friday Favorites || Week of 5.15.17... My Mama Don't Like You & She Likes Everyone.

This week has been one for the b o o k s.

I am speaking (just writing that word makes me want to find the nearest toilet) at a Women's Retreat Saturday & it seems everything that could go wrong this week has.  Except for our little trip to Dollywood today.  (Which my soul SO needed).  

I hope that just means that God is going to be showing up + out at our meeting!

All that being said, please say a prayer for me.  I need all the prayer I can get!

To top off the difficult week:

Tonight, my husband calls me & tells me that the security company has called him and told him that a cell phone signal that wasn't mine had been identified within our house.

RIGHT AFTER: our security system had quit working for the day, the alarm indicated that it's "battery had been stolen," & our internet/cell service had been shady all day😱

ALL while I was home alone with my two babies😠

I still have a numb heart + am trembling.

COULD.  KILL.  HIM.

ON to High Five for Friday before this girl has a heart attack.

I'm not sleeping tonight, anyway (Thursday night😁).

one.  Planning for Bible School

It's that time of year, you guys!  Our theme is a wilderness type theme, & my wheels are spinning on how to make our little nursery look like a camp ground.  I'm filling my Pinterest board full of fun ideas:)

two.  Native shoes

I don't think I've commented on these before, but we are loving these shoes for summer!  I even have a pair + I can personally testify of their comfort, oh & durability for dirty, hot, summery days.  And it doesn't hurt that they are super cute! (Or at least I think so).  My husband says they are "glorified crocs"...& I've never been a fan of those SO.  To each their own😊

three.  this song on repeat

It's an old song, & I don't know why I can't quit playing it, but I realized my obsession with it when I heard Cam singing it today🙈  Oh, have I shared how much I love Kellie Pickler?  Idk what it is.  Maybe it's because of her accent, the fact that her best friend is a quirky guy from high school, or the fact that her reality show kept me up + entertained during midnight newborn nursing sessions with Conley.  But, I love her!

four. My 5th Mother's Day

How can I be saying that??  My little family made this day so very special for me.  I hate the Mr. had to leave early that morning, but I am so thankful for the time I got to spend with all three of my guys this past week.  I just want to thank God for blessing me with the role of a mommy to Cam & Conley!  It is joy unsurpassed.  

My most favorite, most important role ever.  And my sweet bouquet of roses are still doing their job of making our breakfast nook the happiest place in the house.

five.  Dollywood

Our first trip of the season.  And it was SO much fun.  What was even more fun is seeing Cam get more excited every time we come...& the fact that they passed out when their heads hit the pillows tonight.  Cam asked if we could go again tomorrow. 

 Tempting...very tempting.

you can tell Conley's grubby little fingers had been checking out my green beans😂

Of course, the balls were his favorite.

Teaming up with the girls of High Five for Friday today.

Adventures with Daddy || May 2017

Cuz' it's been hot + it's been cold.

(for real though, allergies are about to kill our little family🙅)

Conley says yes, then it's NO.

We're tracking foot prints in and then out🎶

Ok.  I'll spare you the corny-ness of finishing that.

Plus, I was completely running out of relevant things to say.

Basically, the past week was one of the best weeks ever.

I think I say this about like Cam does though...when everyday is "the best day ever."😉

But, we really did get to enjoy some quality family time.

We basically lived outside.  We grilled.  We ate donuts.  We found a new playground that felt windy like a beach.  Conley sat in his first booster seat.  We watched Jumunji with Cam.  I discovered I have the lungs of an 80 year old as I blew up a pig sprinkler and inflatable pool.  We fished.  We made Mother's Day Gifts.  Conley refused to wear his right shoe (as usual).  I got on their nerves being the mamarazzi.  Traded a date night for a family night.  We slept sitting up so Conley could breathe.  I skipped all my work out classes.  We drove.  A lot.  + Daddy & Mommy fought over his edm playlist vs. her Belieber jams.

Oh, & 275 Cam selfies later, we emptied our garage of empty boxes after 3 runs to the town dump.  The exciting life we live!

right as he put his spoonful of ketchup in the milk for my oatmeal😑

Unfortunately, Key Lime is everything you think it'd be & more...

And it always end with a speed of lightening good-bye at the airport.

And this is basically the only picture that I have proof that Mother's Day existed.

Praising God for special times as these❤️

Til' Friday, y'all.

Adams Abode || A Little Outdoor Spruce

I hope you all had a lovely Mother's Day weekend & this evening finds you well rested

+ ready to take on the next week of May.  

I'm over here trying to remember my first name.  

But.

We have a lot to show for it!  And I'd like to share that with you.

My Mr. & I have been working our tushes off trying our best to make our house a home.  We've decided to try & not be in such a hurry to have our lives relocated & rather do it gradually since we really have the time before we have to be settled when Cam begins Kindergarten.  But enough of that.  

First up, we decided to tackle our outdoor area.

A close runner up goes to the boys bedroom (which I absolutely c a n N O T wait to get my hands on..) but in all reality.  Which are we going to use more, rolling into the summer months?

That's a big NOT the boys bedroom.

Yes.  We will rarely set foot in the house during the daylight hours with our wild animals;)
  I'm quite sure of that.

I'll tell you one thing we found out real quick going in to this.

Y'all.  Outdoor furniture is r i d i c u l o u  s l y expensive.
Luckily, after much browsing (+ that is equally as tiring as completing a marathon b/c hello.  Four year old + one year old= squad) we found a deal (actually the "hot buy") at World Market on both a picnic table (I think we got it cheaper than listing price for some reason...maybe try in stores!) AND a front porch conversation set. 

So far.  I'd say we highly recommend these sets ;)  Easy + quick to put together + adorable!

Can I just brag on my handy man husband for a second?  SO proud of him from not being afraid to tackle anything I throw at him.  Well, for the most part.  He completely vetoed my idea of raised gardens for jack-o-lanterns...and vegetables...and fruit.  But most importantly jack-o-lanterns.  And maybe Christmas trees.
I digress.

I'm so in love with the way it all came together.

And then, these lights make a long time dream of mine (lol...seriously, though) come true.  I've dreamed about lights in our backyard since, idk, probably an infant baby.  I had ordered these for Conley's birthday party (with future plans to one day use in a backyard 😉😉).  We don't have anything to hang them from just yet, so this pinterest DIY for posts to hang them from worked great!  It was so simple, fast, and efficient.  And the Mr. estimated it only cost $80 for everything aside from the lights.  

We ended up adding our own little spin to it by adding the hanging flower posts + the hooks for citronella candles, + opted to cover the cement with rocks.  

We went with neutral colors aside from the bright & bold textiles to allow us to easily  flow from summer to fall.  I can just see a skeleton sitting on the front porch smothered in pumpkins + our pumpkin carving fun in the back on the picnic table🎃

this space would be nothing special without the matchbox cars + iced coffee😊

NIGHT VIEW...

We used this idea here.

And yes, we can even see the glow from our bedroom window 😂

"JOOOOOOY TO THE WORLD!" in my best Clark G. voice!

I guess you could say I'm so excited for the memories we will make here this summer, too<3

  As long as the neighbors aren't offended by a little full moon every now and then...

#becauseBOYS 

SaveSave