Moving to Fayetteville? Resources to help you unpack - Guest Post
Reduce the stress of moving to Fayetteville with easy resources!
Happy Sunday, Y’all!
Are you moving to Fayetteville or know someone that is? Our friend Kristen Louis @parentingwithkris has done us a favor and compiled a great resource list with links to help smooth the moving transition.
The challenge of moving is hard enough, but when you add re-organizing your life into the mix, it only gets harder. Not only are you trying to minimize the stress of moving and the impact it has you and your family, but you also need to quickly figure out what services you need….or even where the darn grocery store is. It can be overwhelming and time consuming.
Fortunately, Kris Louis, from Parentingwithkris.com, has a wonderful game plan for busy people who are trying to minimize the drama of relocation. Following her tips (even just some of them!), can really help ease the work and the stress of moving to Fayetteville. Read on for her ideas and strategies that are sure to decrease the stress and hopefully increase your sleep during your move! If you want more tips from Kris, please be sure to visit her website! While the list is not fully comprehensive, it is certainly a good start and time saver for you.
WELCOME TO FAYETTEVILLE - WE’RE GLAD YOU’RE HERE!!
-Casey
8 Types of Resources That Can Make Your Move to Fayetteville, NC Go Smoothly
Buying a new home and moving to a new city can leave anyone feeling exhausted. If you’ve been dealing with offers, paperwork, closings, and moving prep, you may not have any energy left for anything else once you are moved into your new home. If you want to get settled in faster, however, you may need to take care of a few more tasks before you begin relaxing. For folks that are moving to Fayetteville, this list of local resources can make completing those moving checklists less of a hassle, so your new city feels like a home much faster.
Keeping Your Lawn & Garden Green
A bright and tidy lawn can brighten up your spirits, so here are a few top garden resources for you to consider:
Local plants near Fayetteville, NC
Lawn Maintenance & Mowing Services in Fayetteville, NC
Organizing & Decorating Your New Home
Keeping your home tidy can also help you feel less stressed, and these cleaning and organizing resources can certainly help you out:
11 Ideas for a Clutter-Free Home
10 Best Places to Buy Organizers (Besides the Container Store)
Professional Decorating Help near Fayetteville
Self-Storage Units in Fayetteville, North Carolina
Finding Care for Children & Pets
Whether you need a date night or your dog walked, these directories will help you find the help you need for your human and furry children alike:
Daycare or Preschool — What's Best for Your Family
Find a Babysitter in Fayetteville, NC
Directory of Pet Businesses in Fayetteville, NC
Find a Local Pet Sitter in Fayetteville, NC Online
Looking for Deals at Local Stores
Moving can be expensive, but shopping the discounts at local retailers can help you save some stress, cash, and time:
Moving soon? Save Hundreds with These 21 Housewarming Discounts
The 7 Best Supermarkets in Fayetteville
Add Coupons to Your Grocery Card
Searching for Self-Care Services
You’re going to need to unwind after moving into your perfect new home. So treat yourself to a local yoga class or spa session:
The 7 Best Gyms in Fayetteville, NC
Enrolling Children in Local Schools
When the new school year starts, these resources will help you find a welcoming place for your child to learn and grow:
Cumberland County Schools Enrollment
Moving Your Business
If you are a maker, a consultant, or a small business owner and plan to bring your business with you, here are some tips on how to ensure a smooth transition:
North Carolina LLC Instructions
Marketing Tips for Business Relocation
How to Update Your Online Presence
Hooking Up Essential Services & Utilities
Your new house isn’t a home until you can take a hot shower and surf the internet in peace. So use these links to connect your basic utilities:
Fayetteville Public Works Commission
Cumberland County Public Utilities
Feeling at home in Fayetteville can take some time, but it doesn’t have to require a lot of stress. Use the links, resources, and tools above to ease this transition, and you will feel like a local in no time. Congratulations on your new home, and welcome to Fayetteville!
Photo Credit: Rawpixel
RETIRE BIG for a SIMPLE LIFE - Guest Post
Hello Friends!
We at Haymount Homes know the value of loving your home - especially through all the seasons of life - your first home and your first child through empty nesting and retirement. The love of home and family can often make it difficult to leave your home in the popular trend of downsizing for retirement. Whether it be that you want to stay in your beloved family home, or if you want to even enlarge your home to welcome the expanding network of family growth through marriage and grandchildren, not all retirement plans include downsizing.
My parents have stayed on our family farm as our family has expanded to include seven children, their spouses and a wealth of 24 grandchildren. They value their farm life and the ability to stay in our family home. Bob at Seniorsmeet.org, contacted us about helping our readers understand the difference in retiring big versus the traditional downsizing discussion. He offered to help outline some of the considerations if you choose to go this route.
Thank you to Bob and happy reading!
Casey and Crew
Retire Big For A Simple Life
If your retirement goals are to bring your family together, purchasing a bigger home and a piece of land may be a smart choice. It will allow you to pursue passions, such as gardening or woodworking, that you may not be able to in a small home. This is especially true if you currently live in the city. Keep reading for a few tips on how to make your move and enjoy your retirement to the fullest.
Prepare
Your first goal is to get your current home ready for the market. Haymount Homes can help you stage each room so that it’s more compelling to potential buyers. This will give you an edge when it’s time to put a for sale sign in the yard. You’ll also want to take a look at your income and other assets so that you can determine a budget for your next endeavor. Your net profits from the home sale will play a significant role in this, so the more you can do to increase its value now, the better.
Budget
Once you have an idea of what you can afford, you’ll need to dive deeper into your personal finances to make sure that you can afford the upkeep. Keep in mind that a homestead-type property will likely cost more to maintain and operate than a small home in the suburbs. A few expenses you may not have considered in your original budget include:
Farming equipment. If you plan to farm, a small tractor can cost up to $11,000, brand new.
Home repairs. A bigger home means more things to maintain and fix. Repairing a broken window can cost upwards of $375, a hot water heater $1,100, and a new exterior door $200 or more, for instance.
Land maintenance. Maintaining your property requires mowing, mending fences, and fixing other issues, such as loose bricks in the walkway. Depending on how much land you have, you may also wind up spending $375 or more per acre to have someone come in and cut hay.
Finding A Home
When you are ready to begin your home search, look for an experienced realtor from the local area. They will be able to give you greater insight into different locations you may be considering. One thing they can help with is determining where to get the biggest bang for your retirement buck.
As you get closer to making an offer on a home, partner with a home inspector. This can cost you $500 or more, but it can save you thousands of dollars worth of home repairs down the line. Inspect-All Services explains that having a professional on-site to inspect the property will help ensure that your potential future home is safe and livable. If you’ve made an offer already, having a home inspection will give you one last opportunity to reconsider if you find damage or problems that you had not anticipated.
Safety
When you move, it’s easy to get excited. In all the hustle and bustle, one thing you don’t want to do is forget about safety. This starts when you’re packing your current home. Start by removing excess clutter, and as you pack, make sure boxes weigh no more than one person can handle alone.
Moving into your new home, make a mental note of the differences that you’ll have to get used to. You might, for example, have to learn about gardening or wildlife safety. The more you know now, the better off you’ll be when it’s time to get your hands dirty and create an estate for your entire family to enjoy for many generations to come.
If it’s time to retire, go big and go home. Now that you no longer have the 9-to-5 grind, you can spend your hours with the people you love the most, doing what you love. Moving into a bigger home with a yard for the grandkids is a great way to enjoy your best years. But make sure to budget and keep yourself safe in the process.
Haymount Homes believes that every home deserves TLC. If you need help in staging and designing a home, contact Haymount Homes for a design consultation.
HILLSIDE AVE - ANOTHER WEEK OF RENOVATIONS
Happy Sunday!
Here is the recap on another week of renovations!
Our neighbors from Weldon are moving after 30 years. We are all sad that they will be leaving. CJ has been their chicken keeper for about 5 years now and they have generously given our family their chickens since they cannot take them along. We are grateful and excited to keep the chicken “farm” alive. Moving the coop, however, was not easy and thankfully we had some great help to make it happen!
Hillside is pulling together. Another really great and exciting moment was the delivery of our grand piano. This was really exciting for all of us. After buying my first electric keyboard in 1999, it has served me and our family very well through countless moves from college, military life, through now. We had vowed that once the space allowed, we would invest in a “real” piano. The folks at JML music really pulled through for us and made this dream come true. For the first time since I graduated high school, I have a real piano to play and it is a dream come true. You can believe the house is already full of great sound and several guest artists have made their debut on it!
We are still waiting on some electrical work and then the painters can return to finish their end of things. Having used nearly 60 gallons of paint, Hillside is definitely getting refreshed! We are turning to the downstairs kitchen where we will start the renovation there of replacing the backsplash, hardware, lighting and replacing the tile floor. That job is exciting but DUSTY!
Things keep progressing and we have made the move over to Hillside, so if you are looking for us, we’ll be there. Living in renovation is always a challenge, but we are hanging in there with the bulk of the work behind us. Annika has been working her organization skills in the kitchen - we are loving more space - even with all the chaos of moving!
It’s a mess, but we are getting there. Hope you enjoyed the update.
Have a great week and we’ll “chat” soon!
Casey and Crew
Selling your home? How to keep it clean for showings - Guest Post
Reduce the stress of keeping your home clean for showings - especially if you are a busy parent!
Happy Sunday, Y’all!
We have a hot real estate market for a change, which is welcome news for all of us. However, that can lead to additional stress with last minute showings and narrow time windows. How is a busy family supposed to keep pace? The last thing you want is your potential buyer scared away by greasy dishes, dirty bathrooms, and that lingering “what smell is that?” feeling!
The challenge of keeping your home clean is hard enough, but when you add kids into the mix, it adds another layer of complexity. Not only are you trying to minimize the stress of moving and the impact it has on them, but also they have stuff…like lots of stuff…and it seems to reproduce on its own. I am pretty sure every room of our home has at least 3 nerf gun darts, 3 crayons, and who knows how many legos stashed around. What’s a busy parent to do?
Fortunately, Kris Louis, from Parentingwithkris.com, has a wonderful game plan for busy parents who are trying to sell their home. Following her tips (even just some of them!), can really help ease the work and the stress of selling your home. Read on for her ideas and strategies that are sure to decrease the stress and hopefully increase your offers! If you want more tips from Kris, please be sure to visit her website!
-Casey
How Busy Parents Can Keep Their Homes Looking Clean and Clutter-Free for Real Estate Showings
Image via Unsplash
You may be wondering how you’re supposed to keep your home looking clean and organized for realtor showings while you’re still living there—especially when a typical day consists of food messes, sticky doorknobs and walls, and dirty paw prints on your hardwood floors and carpeting. But with a few smart strategies, even busy families can be ready when house hunters call. Here’s what you need to know.
Upgrade Your Household Products
Cleaning is obviously going to take a starring role in your daily life for a while, and when you’re busy parenting, working, and attempting to sell your home, there are a few household products that will help keep things simple when you’re short on time or preparing for a last-minute showing. For instance, a robot vacuum can keep your floors clean and free of crumbs, pet hair, dirt, and dust—even on days where you don’t have time to run a traditional vacuum cleaner.
If your realtor contacts you about a last-minute showing, however, you’ll need a tool that’s on deck for quick tidy-ups. As such, a stick vacuum may be an excellent investment—especially if you’re looking for something lightweight, cordless, and easy to operate. Some will even convert to hand vacs, which is a serious boon in any busy family household.
Lastly, purchase an apron with large pockets in the front and store your essential cleaning supplies in them. This way, you can grab the apron in a hurry and get to cleaning your home in no time.
Focus on the Areas That Matter Most
After working with Haymount Homes to stage your home beautifully, your next step is keeping it that way. But with kids and pets in the mix, you’ll need to take a few minutes out of each day to clean, organize, and keep up on household tasks—such as cleaning the kitchen, bathrooms, and entryway to your home.
By moving much of your personal belongings into storage, however, you’ll make life a whole lot easier before showings—especially if you only keep the items that you and your family use on a daily basis. SmartBox Moving and Storage recommends pulling extra furniture, personal things like mementos and photos, and taste-specific decor. With these things out of the way, buyers can focus on your house, and you’ll have more elbow room for breezing through those speed cleaning sessions.
If you receive a call about a last-minute showing and don’t have time to clean the entire home, Redefy Real Estate recommends taking a few minutes to focus on the kitchen, bathrooms, and main living areas. Deodorize the home, wipe down the counters, fixtures, and mirrors, move dirty dishes into the dishwasher, and re-arrange throw pillows and blankets in all living areas. Then, turn on the lights, open the blinds or drapes, take out the trash, and head out the door before your potential buyers arrive.
Set a Few New Household Rules
As you show your home to potential buyers, you’ll keep your living areas clean, organized, and clutter-free if you establish a few ground rules for your family to follow. On showing days, for instance, avoid cooking odorous foods like broccoli, cabbage, eggs, or fish, and skip messy breakfasts like pancakes with syrup. You might even want to prepare make-ahead breakfasts that aren’t messy and are easy to grab and heat.
Moreover, you’ll keep your home cleaner if you banish food from all areas except for the kitchen table. Then, have everyone load their dishes into the dishwasher immediately after they finish with a meal or snack. To minimize kitchen messes, however, you may even opt for disposable plates, cups, and silverware when showings are scheduled.
Lastly, you’ll reduce clutter throughout the home if you set a new rule that requires your kids to put their personal belongings away after each use. For storing these stray items, purchase empty baskets and bins that can easily be hidden away during showings.
As you can see, living in a home that you’re trying to sell can get complicated—but there are a few things you can do to make it more endurable. Select a few smart tools, enact strategies with simplicity in mind, and get everyone involved. With these tips in mind, your home will stay clean and show-ready—and you’ll manage to keep your sanity while you sell your home.
WE WANT YOU TO LOVE YOUR HOME
We want you to love your home - a client story
Good morning!
We hope this Sunday morning has found you relaxed at home and surrounded by the good memories, things, and people you love and that make your home special.
Our goal at Haymount Homes is that you love the home you have chosen. We want you to feel like it is your safe place, your happy place, and your refuge. When things are tough outside, our homes can offer that escape inside. During this time of limited travel, our homes are more important than ever.
We had to share an instagram post from one of our clients. It touched our hearts and made us smile. It is simple, but exactly what we strive for: joy in the simplicity of home and haymount.
Simple, but so perfect. Getting to know our neighbors, sharing what we have, and being thankful. Rachel contacted me later to say she was inspired to plant her new oregano in the garden she had started. Later that same day, another client came over to share a hardship that she was going through. It was wonderful to lend support to her and offer reassurance that we would be able to support her. She cried and stated, “I just cannot tell you how much I love my home. I never want to leave it. Thank you.”
These moments drive us. We want to consistently offer homes that have stories- your story. We want you to build your life on a foundation of love and inside a home that wraps you up when you walk through the door. Our homes are old and historic, they have stories too, but they are full of years of experience and are ready to protect you as well.
Thanks to our amazing clients. We appreciate you and the stories you are creating inside your Haymount Home!
- Casey and Carl
Staying Strong During Chaos - A Letter to Military Families
Reminding our military families that they are prepare to face this challenge
Well, it has certainly been a week. So much to think about and adjust to. I sat to reflect and as the FRG leader for Carl’s Battalion, I felt that I needed to reach out to our military families, but I wanted to include all families that might benefit from the letter, so I decided to share it with you all. Please know that we are all in this together and I want everyone to know that we are ready to help should anyone need it. Don’t hesitate to reach out.
Casey
Hello Families,
I hope my email finds you well and staying home with your families. I apologize for any delay in getting my email out to you, but like many of you, there has been much to figure out over the last two weeks.
The impacts of COVID-19 have been strong. We fight fear, boredom, isolation, and anxiety on a daily basis. We are faced with new routines and different challenges than we have ever experienced before. We are scared as a people, and concerned as a nation. Even more, we struggle to predict the future as we try to decipher the truth.
We are parents to children that don't understand. We are children of parents that we fear will fall ill. We struggle to make sacrifices that we don't readily see the outcome of value. We try to persevere, we cut back, we cope, but we fatigue.
I want to remind you that you are NOT alone. Though we cannot be physically together, our military community is strong. In fact, our military families have more training to face these battles than most of our civilian counterparts. When I paused to reflect, several pieces of hope came to mind and I wanted to share these same things with you.
As military families, we have been through so much and we are used to sacrifice. We are used to the government restricting our abilities to choose things. While at times this is limiting, it is essential for us to make these sacrifices for our freedom. We are used to adjusting to change, new schedules, moving pieces, and handling the unknown. We face these anxieties with courage and faith that tomorrow will come and we will be strong and ready to face the next challenge, having already met the challenge from the day before.
Additionally, as military families, we are thankful. We have the comfort of a paycheck coming every month and it is evident how meaningful that has suddenly become. We are confident that we have resources to help us if we struggle. We are so used to missing our loved ones, that we can even more appreciate the fact that most of us are getting more time together than ever before.
During this difficult time, please remember you are prepared and you have possibly been through worse. Our great-grandparents made sacrifices for our country during the world wars. As military families, we have made sacrifices for our country during the wars that followed. This war is a world war of a different type and magnitude, and our country can pull together to make the sacrifice it needs to win. We are used to these sacrifices, and we can lead the way.
If you or your family are in need during this time, please don't hesitate to reach out. Remember that fresh food, good sleep, exercise, hydration, self care, prayer and meditation and even time alone can help bolster you and your families' immunity to stay well. Do what you can to be healthy and extend yourself grace during the challenges of each day; you will get through this and we can help one another. We are stronger together, even if from a social distancing length.
Keep running the race and keep the faith. You are stronger than you know. We can do this!
All the best - from our family to yours,
Casey Benander
Anticipation of Christmas
Anticipating what is to come and celebrating what already is…
Good evening!
I hope your Christmas season is going well and you are nearing the finish line of your “to-do’s”. I just had to write a little something that has been on my mind as of late.
The holidays are full of energy and also a time full of anticipation. There is much to do, much to enjoy, and much to be thankful for. It is easy to find ourselves rushed in the pace of all of it. I know personally there are a lot of things I want to do, but don’t always prioritize what is likely most important.
My youngest son, Oliver, is a quiet force in my world. Even though he was born into a midst of chaos (think moving across country 9 months pregnant), he brought a sense of balance and peace to our lives. Oddly enough, we always knew that there was a fourth child that was belonged in our family. We joke and say he “brought balance to the force” (thank you Star Wars).
Oliver reminds me to look at what I would otherwise miss. As the fourth child, he has learned to go with the flow. He has adapted to schedules, games, home renovations, and deadlines. He has been tossed in the car, scooped up from naps, and has played quietly at the sidelines of his siblings’ activities. I will admit to some lazy parenting at this point. Things that were once the staples of holiday traditions, such as trips to the pumpkin patch, gathering fall leaves, or meeting Santa, have somewhat fallen to the wayside. It’s easy to disregard these activities when you have games to get to, homes to fix, and work deadlines to meet. We can start to view them as “not that important.”
So when Oliver quietly approached me last week and asked when he could meet Santa, I had to take pause. I realized that he had never had the chance to visit Santa. That made me sad. His eyes were anxious with anticipation and that made me think; the holidays are so full of anticipation of what’s to come, that sometimes we miss what is actually already present. Here was Oliver ready to embrace a simple holiday tradition that I had overlooked.
I think my excitement often gets channeled into just being efficient. There seems to be “so much to do”, that the energy of anticipation gets transferred into energy of action. There is great discipline in taking that same anxious anticipation and slowing down to truly appreciate what already is. I know it is a bit cliche, but it was important to me to make that known, even if it was just for myself.
We did go see Santa, and it was amazing. We were treated to a night at the Cape Fear Botanical Gardens Holiday Lights (if you have not been, you still have time to go - it’s pretty incredible). Oliver was nervous, but excited, and he calmly told Santa that he most wished for a pirate ship. He also asked for confirmation that he had been a good boy. That was it. Simple and sweet, but totally perfect. Following Santa, we were able to visit Santa’s treat shop, take a caroling hayride and toast s’mores by the fire. It was fun to be together and just enjoy the holidays.
I hope you find yourselves in great anticipation of Christmas this year. The birth of Christ is a time to look forward to and celebrate without a doubt. In that anticipation, I hope you also find new things in your daily life that pop up as things greater than what you anticipated. Whether it be a silly quote from your child, a gesture from a stranger, or a kind word from a friend, I hope you are able to take pause and be in the moment. It is a struggle for me, but I know it is probably more important than anything else I am planning to do. Life happens in those moments; what we plan to do, doesn’t always pan out.
“..that sanguine expectation of happiness which is happiness itself”
Merry Christmas to your family. May the wonder of it all surround you and may you anticipate what is to come and cherish what you already have.
Casey
BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP BREAD RECIPE - OPTION FOR GLUTEN FREE
One of my most requested recipes and also works great gluten free!
Happy Sunday!
ummm…..sweet smelling banana chocolate chip bread…..ummm
There is nothing much better than the smell of warm bread in the oven. The tantalizing smell draws my sleepy kids from their bed, and even my groggy husband down earlier in the morning. The promise of warm yumminess is just too much to pass up in the morning.
After my co-worker asked me for this recipe, I realized that I am often asked for many of my favorite recipes. I thought it might be fun to start posting some of them on the blog. That way I have a quick reference for the recipes and even more people can enjoy them!
Now many of you that know me well, know that I am very health conscious. That is true. I am by no means going to mascarade around pretending that this banana chocolate chip bread is good for you! However, with that said, I also believe that treats are fun and even sometimes important in helping balance the world of health. There is something wonderfully celebratory about a treat, and I am a firm believer that we can all participate in that - even if it’s only a bite.
This bread is wonderfully versatile. I adapted it from a zucchini bread recipe that I love (maybe I will post that another time) and I think the results are fabulous. We are mostly gluten free at our home, and this bread works beautifully with that option as well. Annika, my oldest daughter, tends to prefer this before school, so I have even added protein powder to it for some “holding power” and improved health benefit (without detection from my family so shhhhhhh).
Let’s talk about the nutmeg. Originally, I was not a nutmeg fan, but once I discovered fresh nutmeg, my thoughts were changed. I actually discovered fresh nutmeg at a restaurant that had included it in a pasta recipe. It gave it just a little enhancement of flavor that was lovely and distinct. I find that fresh nutmeg is much more subtle than pre-ground nutmeg. I use my awesome microplane zester to add just a bit to the recipe and it makes a big difference. You can find those here:
As far as the chocolate chips, you can adjust them to tolerance. This recipe was actually supposed to have more sugar in the original version, but since bananas and the chocolate chips are naturally sweet, I reduced the sugar. I try to minimize the additional sugar with the chocolate chips, but of course, you can always add more if you enjoy it a bit more chocolaty. Also, I use mini chocolate chips because they are lighter and suspend in the batter better; they don’t all sink to the bottom. If I am feeling artsy, I will sprinkle a few more on the top of the batter before it hits the oven.
I hope you enjoy this recipe. We love it and bake it often. Give me your feedback and let me know how it turned out for you. I hope it becomes a staple treat in your home!
Banana Chocolate Chip Bread (Makes 2 full loaves)
3 cups flour (regular or gluten free blend)
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 cup oil
5 ripening bananas
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground nutmeg (about five or six runs with the zester)
Chocolate chips to taste (about 1/2 cup for us)
Combine bananas, eggs, sugar, and oil. Beat well. Combine the dry ingredients and then mix into the wet batter. Prepare two greased loaf pans and add batter. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, checking with a toothpick to make sure it come out dry from the center of the bread. Allow to cool 10 minutes in the pans and then remove. For improved stability and less crumbles, try to resist cutting it until it has cooled a bit more…..but good luck :)
“Nothing says home like the smell of baking”
Did you try it? I’d love to know!
Casey
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD BIRTHDAY PARTY
Ideas galore for your a fabulous woodland party!
Happy Sunday!
This morning I awoke coming to terms with the end of summer and reflecting on the more "lazy days of summer" (can you tell school and all the schedule chaos has started?). While daydreaming, I was fondly remembering the summer picnic baskets from Elise's 4th Birthday Party. She wanted to have a Little Red Riding Hood party and we loved the idea. Armed with a lot of ideas and fun styles, we created a fun little backyard party for her friends. My amazing Mom sewed costumes for the kids and they got to play games of chase, trying to get to Grandmother's house without losing the contents of their basket....or being caught by a wolf!
I remember it rained up until an hour before the party that day. It was a mad dash to get everything up and ready, but it added to the race theme! The food was so fun and the kids had a great time. Enjoy this fun photo montage of the day and hopefully you can get some ideas for your next party. I did not spend time editing the photos, so please ignore the imperfections and focus on the fun.
“Into the woods she went, basket in hand and wearing a little red riding hood.”
Hope you enjoyed the photos; have a great Sunday!
- Casey
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY
To all the fabulous Mothers in our world, we wish you a most beautiful Mother's Day. We hope you are able to celebrate with those that helped you become the mother that you are.
It has been awhile since I updated the blog, and that has been partially because I have been working to be more present to the ones that call me mother. They are my joy and my world. I am forever grateful for my amazing husband, the man that allowed me to become a mother. These kids are unique and varied, but each are beautiful in their own way - just like these flowers we gathered from the yard yesterday.
I plan to launch back full swing over the next few weeks, but for now, in this busy month of May, I hope you find time to cuddle those around you, share a silly laugh, and find curiosity in the journey of motherhood. Though it comes with stress and the occasional hair pulling moment (or moments), when you give it pause, it just might be the most rewarding job in the world.
Thank you to all the amazing mothers in my life; you have guided me and loved me along my journey. And to my incredible mother, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for all you are, who you are, and all you've shared with me. I could not ask for a better friend and my heart is full of gratitude that cannot be expressed.
Celebrate your Mom today, either near or afar!! We'll be in touch soon.
- Casey