I drafted this post late in September, a few days before Hurricane Helene hit Western North Carolina. Under what I was looking forward to I had listed our annual fall mountains trip, which was scheduled for Lake Lure. “These trips have been some of the sweetest times together each year for our family,” I wrote.
As best we can tell, the town of Chimney Rock, where we planned to stay, is almost completely washed away. The Flower Bridge, which we planned to visit, is washed away. The Lake Lure Dam has so far held, but only just so. Hundreds of roads are closed. We will not be traveling to WNC in a few weeks, and we are devastated by the loss of life, property, and beautiful landmarks in our beloved mountains.
This week has been a flurry of Spirit-empowered prayer, text messages between friends, Venmos sent to friends of friends, notes compared, networks activated, giving opportunities shared, diapers and water and socks and trash bags loaded in trucks headed west. John and I have also donated to Samaritan’s Purse, whose headquarters is smack dab in the middle of the disaster, and the Red Cross.
We will continue to pray and give, to gather and send. And we will continue to earnestly tend to the small details of our lives, loving our people by what we say and what we do. May all my NC neighbors have that opportunity again soon.
On my calendar: — Seeing the Lazy Genius at Quail Ridge! A quorum of Articles Club will be in attendance for her book launch and we are excited. — The NC State Fair! I promised the big kids we could ride on the giant swings this year :) — Lara and Ari’s vow renewal! Grateful to get to celebrate their love with friends from all over.
What I’m loving right now: — 2025 PowerSheets are available now! I went with the Aloe cover and it is even more beautiful in person. Join me! — E. Frances Paper Little Notes, but also the ingenuity of Articles Club. One of us was thinking of ordering these cute little card packs, but instead of placing an individual order she opened it up to the rest of us. We each picked our favorite design (only paying shipping once!) and then once they arrived she mixed and matched to give us each a set of 85, but with 11 patterns! It’s been so fun to use them for lunchbox notes, gift tags, and place cards. — My Numi undershirt, which I just pulled out in anticipation of cooler weather. I have the crop and it is so helpful for wearing under sweaters so that you don’t have to wash them each wear! I bought mine on Black Friday last year, so may be worth putting on your BFCM list.
As a reminder, you can find allll the things I’ve loved over the last few years neatly organized right here!
Last month on The Connected Family: — Our 10 favorite family movies (so far) | A survey of the past three years as we start the cycle over! — Four reasons I love camping | And a little recap of our most recent trip. — 50 Dreams | The fuel of a rebel family. — Things we do differently | Not a prescription, just permission to make the choices that help your family thrive – in big and small ways.
What I read in September: —The Frozen River | This one first caught my eye on a list of books featuring happy marriages (too rare!) and then was enthusiastically recommended (and a copy pressed into my hands) by Nancy. Both recommendations were spot on – this gripping historical mystery will battle it out for top book of the year for me! I was hooked by the narrator (a midwife in 18th century Maine) a few pages into chapter one and she never let me go. A note that the plot centers around sexual assault ❤️ — The Lost Letters of Pergamum | A slim little book that was recommended by The Bible Project. While it’s a fictional series of letters between the Biblical author Luke and a Roman civic leader, the author, a New Testament scholar, weaves historical information throughout to create an engaging (and sometimes appalling) look at the social and political world of Jesus and his first followers. — All Thirteen | One of my favorite bloggers has been raving about this Newbery Honor book for years, so I came in with high expectations. And I enjoyed it! It’s written for middle grader readers and filled with fascinating details about the 2018 cave rescue of the boys’ Thai soccer team. Planning to reread it with the kids when they’re a little bit older.
Revisiting my September goals: Film Sheptember Write my Thrive Motherhood presentation (Done! Whew! This was a beast but in the end fun to present – and a great push to get me back into writing the course!) Read chapters 13 and 14 of Outlive Finish the 2015-2019 photo album (YES!!! Locked and loaded and now just waiting for a 20% off coupon to hit print :)) Print photos for our new mantel frames Sort and tag for the consignment sale Tackle the upstairs closet Complete our passport appointment Complete 40 hours of deep work (28!)
October goals: — Edit Sheptember — Create our family Halloween costumes (We took a year off and I am v. excited about what we have planned for 2024.) — Refinish the dining room table (A beast of a job but I last did it 11 years ago (!), so it’s time. Hoping I can get a string of crisp days and work on the porch!) — Finish TCF content planning for the rest of the year — Finish writing the TCF course. (The Thrive presentation was a great reminder of how well I work with a deadline. I’m just going for it this month!) — Send care packages to our favorite college students — List items that have been accumulating on Buy Nothing — Make a Christmas decor plan. (Nothing fancy here – I just love decorating for Christmas and want to give a little thought for how we’ll proceed this year so I can arrange for anything new I need in advance!) — Choose our new china salad plates! (The ones from our wedding registry are scratched beyond recognition after 12 years of daily use and runs through the dishwasher. I’m grateful for every moment we’ve had with them and excited to choose something new! I’m in my green era so expecting to land on something in that shade – I like the look of this and this!) — Read chapters 13 and 14 of Outlive
As a reminder, many of these are drawn from my 2024 goals!
Grateful for you, friends! Feel free to respond to anything I’ve mentioned here or anything else that’s on your mind.
A sucker for the fresh start of fall just like everyone else, I’ve been over here enjoying the rhythm of a new season as September has gotten underway. That’s the beautiful thing about seasons, isn’t it? They’re a chance to pause, reflect, collect ourselves, and move into something new – and they always seem to come at just the right time. For me, this year, that’s meant reacquainting myself with quiet workdays, incorporating Serious Working Out back into my weeks (aiming for two 30-minute strength training sessions, three rucks, and one intense Peloton ride per week), digging out the meals that work for practice nights, and cleaning out a few closets that have gotten overgrown. And a few more things, as you’ll see below…
Psst — want to come hang with me in person? I’m speaking at a Thrive Motherhood event on parenting in the digital age at the end of this month. I am already terrified, but would love to have the chance to meet you!
On my calendar: — Our anniversary trip to Asheville! Happy 12 years to us :) — Our annual camping trip with the Rays! We are headed to a lakeside campsite in Virginia and they are bringing their boat! — The first day of fall! We’ll bake apple cider scones for our family and the kids’ teachers, a tradition we started eight years ago.
What I’m loving right now: — Please go watch this short video from the beloved Tim Mackie about generosity, scarcity, and abundance. I’m a person who thinks quite a lot about generosity, but in less than three minutes Tim opened up a whole new way of thinking about God’s purposes for it – and how it affects our relationships with others – that I had never considered. — One of you sent me this piece from The Atlantic (gift link!) about what adults lost when kids stopped playing in the street, and it delighted me twice over: once that a reader thought to send it to me, and again because the ideas presented are so necessary and important. — Farmer’s market flowers. I splurged on the most beautiful bouquet when we visited last weekend (above!), and it’s been filling me with joy all week.
As a reminder, you can find allll the things I’ve loved over the last few years neatly organized right here!
What you’re loving right now:
This is where I highlight a few items here that have been popular in the last month with fellow readers, based on my analytics. Here’s hoping this will help you find something you’ll love!
What I read in August: — The Reason for God | I wanted to read this in honor of Tim Keller, and it didn’t disappoint. Just like C.S. Lewis, it’s clear, compelling, and winsome (and, indeed, he quotes Lewis extensively!). I did wonder what different emphases he’d make if he wrote it in 2024 – it was written in 2009, and it feels like the landscape of belief and unbelief has already changed so much since then! — The Mysterious Benedict Society | “Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?” So reads a peculiar newspaper ad, kicking off an epic secret mission undertaken by four extraordinary children. This was the one fat book June took to summer camp with her — she eagerly passed it on to me once she arrived back home, and I give it a glowing review, too. — The Boys in the Boat | Maybe my favorite read so far this year. It’s the true story of the rag tag rowing crew that wins gold in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, and though it’s non-fiction, it has the pace, sweep, drama, and characters to match any author’s imagination. I loved how Brown wove the rowers’ back stories, the current-day build to the Olympics, and the looming evil of early-stage Nazi Germany into one tight narrative. Highly, highly recommend. (I can’t wait to watch the movie, too, which is somehow supposed to be even better than the book.)
Revisiting my August goals: Finalize plans for our anniversary trip to Asheville Complete 40 hours of deep work (I recorded 15, though I think I actually did more. With the kids home pretty much every day, it was a disjointed month of work – but one I’m very grateful for.) Go through the kids’ clothes in advance of my two favorite consignment sales (I did go through the clothing but did not yet sort and tag!) Book our Acadia accommodations for next summer Reset June’s job chart for the new school year and make one for Shep Tackle the upstairs closet (I swapped in June’s closet instead!) Print photos for our new mantel frames Frame June’s camp photo Submit everyone’s passport applications (Progress! We had the kids’ photos taken and completed the applications. I’ve been monitoring our post office appointments but haven’t found one that works yet.)
As a reminder, many of these are drawn from my 2024 goals!
September goals: — Film Sheptember — Write my Thrive Motherhood presentation — Read chapters 13 and 14 of Outlive — Finish the 2015-2019 photo album (In groan-inducing news, I just looked back at last year’s September goals post and this exact item was on it – egads. So ready to move this across the finish line!) — Print photos for our new mantel frames — Sort and tag for the consignment sale — Tackle the upstairs closet — Complete our passport appointment — Complete 40 hours of deep work
In the spirit of photo album solidarity, is there a lingering item on your goal or task list that you’re going to commit to crossing off in September? I’d love to hear!
Our kids don’t go back to school until the end of the month (September, actually, for Shep), so even as I’m looking ahead to back-to-school rhythms and routines, we’re still very much in the thick of summer over here. Doctor’s appointments and after-dinner pool visits, reseting chore charts and staying up late to watch the Olympics, shopping for school supplies and all-you-can-eat popsicles from the freezer — two seasons live side-by-side in August, and I’m savoring them both.
If you, too, are straddling seasons, I pulled up a few posts that might be of help for us both:
On my calendar: — An ice cream and game night with the ladies at our church — An afternoon shadowing our vet for June. Our vet invited her to tag along for a few hours at our cat’s last appointment, and she’s very excited to take her up on the offer! — Shep’s first day of kindergarten!!
What I’m loving right now: — This feels like it needs to be an annual summertime reminder: if you’re smaller-chested, I CANNOT recommend these enough. I had seen them recommended for years but never took the plunge because they seemed vaguely complicated, but nothing could be farther from the truth. They’ve made wearing sleeveless and skinny-strap dresses an absolute breeze and are FAR better than a strapless bra, IMHO! Go for it!! — This folding chair was one of John’s birthday gifts. It is FAR smaller than the folding camping chairs we’re used to taking to soccer games — the carry bag is only about a foot long — and it’s a little more inclined than them, too. But a great, lightweight option! — This is admittedly early, but I just bought these sweet bunny bookends for Annie for Christmas. She’s in the enviable/unfortunate third-child position of having everything she needs and parents who are trying to avoid toy clutter, which makes gift giving challenging. She loves bunnies, though, and I think she’ll get a kick out of having this little pair for her room!
As a reminder, you can find allll the things I’ve loved over the last few years neatly organized right here!
What you’re loving right now:
This is where I highlight a few items here that have been popular in the last month with fellow readers, based on my analytics. Here’s hoping this will help you find something you’ll love!
— The bracelet bead kit ($8!!) we used at the kindergarten breakfast and for slow afternoons — The card game we play obsessively with our siblings and in-laws — The cutest paper cups for back to school dinners — The Shibumi shade, an NC beach staple that’s SO easy to tote and set up — The wooden card holder that makes games so much easier with little ones
What I read in July: — Killers of a Certain Age | Even though it was on my reading list for the year, this was a DNF for me. I didn’t love the characters or the humor after a few chapters, and I’ve learned that means it’s time to move on to the next book on my stack. — The Vanderbeekers Ever After | The seventh and final installment of this middle grade series that has my heart! I laughed, I cried, I’m even more firmly convinced that everyone should read it. — Die With Zero | I’m teetering on the edge of writing a post about this one! Lots of thoughts! In short: this book is written for a niche (wealthy) audience. I generally agree with the thrust of his argument, but felt like he was oversimplifying some points — and also not addressing some obvious objections I had) — and yet still ended up with a book that could easily have been half as long.
Revisiting my July goals: Complete 40 hours of deep work (26, and I actually feel pretty good about this considering how broken up my last week of the month was with cousins here!) Edit June in June (Done! Volume 9 in the books!) Successfully send June to sleepaway camp (She loved it! More on TCF next week.) Book our Acadia accommodations for next summer (We made some progress here! We revisited and discussed options, and chose a week, but haven’t pulled the trigger yet.) Write one module of the TCF course (I mean, in retrospect, this was definitely not going to happen…) Read chapters 13 and 14 of Outlive (Traveling and other disruptions meant fewer evening walks and fewer chances to listen!) Finish the 2015-2019 photo album (Again, no.)
As a reminder, many of these are drawn from my 2024 goals!
August goals: — Finalize plans for our anniversary trip to Asheville — Complete 40 hours of deep work — Go through the kids’ clothes in advance of my two favorite consignment sales (+ sort and tag what I’m selling) — Book our Acadia accommodations for next summer — Reset June’s job chart for the new school year and make one for Shep (I think I’m almost ready to write a post about our system!) — Tackle the upstairs closet, one of the areas from last year that needs a refresh — Print photos for our new mantel frames (this is the kind of thing that could linger for months if I don’t put it in my PowerSheets) — Frame June’s camp photo — Submit everyone’s passport applications
Are your kids already back at school, or do you have a ways to go still? Or maybe you’re in year-round school, or just relishing a fresh start yourself! I’d love to hear.
These mid-year goal reviews might be some of the most boring posts for y’all to read (hopefully not!), but — selfishly — they’re good accountability for me and a welcome opportunity to honestly reflect on what has and hasn’t been accomplished since the beginning of the year — and to regroup for the second half!
Progress I’ve made: Our cream armchairs were looking a bit worse for wear after five years. While I loved the idea of a lighter aesthetic, I decided reupholstering them in a darker tone and a performance velvet fabric would help us all feel more comfortable living in our main space while in our young kids era.
After carefully sifting through fabric samples and finding an upholsterer, the work was completed earlier this year. The change has done what I hoped it would — I’m far less uptight about how they get used — but I do wish the fabric had less of a sheen. While it’s hard to swallow a less-than-ideal result because of the cost involved, I’m reminding myself that the purpose of our home isn’t to look perfect: it’s to functionally shelter our family in a cozy and welcoming way, and this change definitely helps do that.
Progress I’ve made: John and I are following this chronological plan together, and we’re chugging along! We’re currently about three weeks behind, but I feel very nonchalant about it :) I am really enjoying listening to each day’s reading and the recap as I get ready for bed each night. So far, we’ve read through 18 books of the Bible, including many I’ve never spent much time in. I’m taking in far more scripture than in a typical year and absorbing more of it thanks to Tara’s commentary. Grateful!
The next six months: More of the same (+ the New Testament!)
Progress I’ve made: We’re about halfway through the year and have made it about halfway through this (extremely large and dense) book! Key to our progress was realizing that it’s included with our Spotify Premium subscription; ever since, we’ve been listening together on our evening walks. This way, we move through it at the same pace, and can easily pause the book and discuss as needed.
For all that we’ve learned about the diseases of aging that kill most people (heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and type 2 diabetes), the first half of the book hasn’t been particularly actionable. The biggest change we’ve made is to consistently ruck 3-4 times a week. (And I’ve jotted down a few notes about testing we might want to have done in the future.)
The next six months: I do think the second half of the book will be much more action-oriented, and I am both excited and nervous about this, ha!
GOAL NO. 4: Launch The Connected Family’s audio course
Progress I’ve made: Progress has been slow and, if I’m being honest, not even particularly steady. While it’s true to say that the work of getting the TCF Substack up and running has edged out time to work on the course, that’s not the whole story. I am proud of the work I’ve accomplished on Substack (I’ve delivered a newsletter each week to a community that now tops 1,500 (!)), and it has taken more time that I expected, but fear has played a role, as well. I only want to add something to the world if it’s needed, helpful, and original, and I haven’t felt confident I can accomplish that.
The next six months: The best way I’ve found to fight the fear is to set a timer and work on the course for at least one hour each week. I’ve been inconsistent this summer, but plan to get back to it in the fall. My next step is to turn my outline over to John for his notes, and perhaps to a few other friends. Then, I just need to start writing. While I no longer think I’ll be able to launch the course this year, an early January launch might be possible. We shall see!
GOAL NO. 5: Log 1,000 hours of deep work
Progress I’ve made: In an effort to protect my attention span, I’ve been tracking my hours spent thinking, writing, brainstorming, or researching over the last few months. So far, I’ve logged 281 hours. While it’s easy to feel discouraged and compare where I am to where I “should” be (about 542 hours in at this point), I’m choosing to see each hour of undivided focus in the pursuit of meaningful work as a win. (I wrote more about this goal here!)
The next six months: More of the same! Hoping to hit at least 500 by the end of the year :)
Progress I’ve made: We took the course! We watched it together earlier this year. (It’s less than two hours.) As a parent, I’m glad we did it and it was helpful, though some of their better-known ideas were familiar to me from hearing Megan on podcasts and talking with friends who had already taken the course.
One of my favorite modules, though, was one I hadn’t heard anything about: lesson 7, Continuing the Conversation. In it, Mary Flo gives ideas for planning a time away with each child a year or so before they hit puberty. I loved what she had to say and am tucking the ideas away for our family’s future!
Finally, as a future course creator, the whole experience was eye-opening and gave me much to think about, especially around the simplicity of their curriculum.
The next six months: All set here, but I love that we have lifetime access to the course to brush up whenever needed!
GOAL NO. 7: Gut the loft
Progress I’ve made: While gutting has not happened, I did do a more rigorous than usual sweep of the space earlier this year – mostly clearing out toys that are no longer needed.
The next six months: I think my next step is to set up small shelves in the attic crawl space right off the loft. While I generally resist the idea that better organization is the solution to most home problems (in my experience, the solution is usually getting rid of stuff), I do think that being able to move some of my crafting and entertaining items out of the play area – and therefore making it more of a single-use room – will help it feel more orderly and useful.
GOAL NO. 8: Invite friends over for 12 Sunday night pizza hangs
Progress I’ve made: While I initially envisioned inviting different families over each month, this goal has unfolded in a different direction: we’ve landed on a back-and-forth tradition with just one other family (we go to their house one month, then they come to ours the next). This has been beautiful, and I wouldn’t change it, but we have traded breadth for depth.
The next six months: As we transition into fall, my hope is to continue this tradition and also invite another family over on the months we’re being hosted!
GOAL NO. 9: Explore the idea of renovating our home
Progress I’ve made: As longtime readers know, the vision for our future where I have felt the most unclear is whether we’ll stay in our home or move (locally). One outcome we’d never really considered was renovating our current home, but it popped onto our radar at the end of last year and quickly became something we were interested in exploring.
Earlier this year, we did explore it – we had a contractor we’d heard great things about out to our home, and spent a good amount of time with him discussing possibilities and measuring and walking our space. We liked him a lot. He followed up with estimates for the length of the project and the expense. The expense was actually less than we were expecting (though I’m sure we would be on the higher end of the range he offered, ha), but the length was longer – he estimated 5-7 months out of our home. John, particularly, felt that would be too disruptive for our family (on top of the considerable expense of renting for that time).
The next six months: In the midst of our renovation discussions, a home in our neighborhood came up for sale that we were very interested in. We hustled to confirm a realtor and get pre-approved for a mortgage, and while we ultimately decided not to put in an offer, it was a clarifying experience that helped us hone in on what we’re willing to move for. We’ll continue to keep an eye on listings in the two neighborhoods we’re interested in, and if the right place comes up, we’ll be ready — but will be totally fine (and perhaps would consider it ideal) if a move doesn’t happen for 1-3 years. Renovating plans are off the table for now.
Finally, here’s a little bonus update from last year, when I set a goal to work through trouble spots in our home, month by month. I just did an inventory, and of the 12 spots I worked through, I’d say we’ve been able to maintain the progress I made in nine of the spots. The other three are in need of a reboot a year or so out. Just thought that would be fun to share!
And there you have it! A very robust update on my 2024 goals. If you set your own goals for the year, or even if you didn’t, I’d love for you to share a win in the comments from the first six months! I can’t wait to cheer you on :)
