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.
This past month was the month that made me seriously consider using a project management platform for personal projects.
On the one hand, this feels… ridiculous. Our life is not a business! Our days are not that complicated! Do I really want to log in and see overdue tasks glaring at me at home, too?!
On the other hand, it’s hard to argue with the practicality. I’m grateful to be bound deeply to several roles and communities, and most of them come with responsibilities. From organizing the kindergarten breakfast in our neighborhood, to hosting gatherings for friends, to pulling together an event at church, I’m increasingly seeing the appeal of organizing my to-dos by both date and project. If it helps get the right things done at the right time, why wouldn’t I?
Still, a part of me resists the bureaucratization of such tender, somewhat homely undertakings.
What do you think, friends? I’d love to hear your thoughts (especially if you already do use a project management platform at home!) in the comments.
But first, the month ahead…
On my calendar: — Teacher Appreciation Week! We’re going with favorite (fun, in our cute downtown) restaurant gift cards for our kids’ three primary teachers, local ice cream shop gift cards for secondary teachers, and small Target gift cards for specials teachers. And hand-painted cards for all (above!), inspired by this cute print! — Mother’s Day! I’m organizing a flower bar for the ladies at our church, and celebrating my own wonderful mom and mother-in-law. (Details at the end of the post–moms, don’t peek!) — Two family camping trips – one with Shep’s BFF and one with lots of friends from church – and a June-and-Daddy overnight, 16-mile (!!) hike at Pilot Mountain! John just realized he’s going to be sleeping in a tent for three weekends in a row this month and he was not pleased, ha.
What I’m loving right now: — We have not historically been breakfast-for-dinner people, but these breakfast burritos have made their way into our regular rotation. I usually add cut fruit on the side and sometimes a pack of the TJ’s microwaveable Spanish rice. — After three active summers, my pool shoes have bit the dust. Reordering in the olive green! — John gifted me the Harborview Herringbone blanket in cornflower for Christmas, and it is truly a couch delight. Soft, cozy, but lightweight. Would make a great Mother’s Day present to go in on with siblings! (In fact, my sisters and I did this a few years ago for our mom with this one!)
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 April: — The Anxious Generation | Full review here. Needless to say, I loved it. Highly recommend for parents, grandparents, educators, and everyone who cares about future generations. — The Vanderbeekers On the Road | As delightful as always :) June and I have just one more to go in the series! — Flying Solo | I very much enjoyed this author’s debut a few years ago, but this follow-up was just so-so for me. I didn’t relate to the main character’s motivations and the whole thing felt a bit flattened by internet homogeneity. I did like that it was set in and included characters and elements from the same small Midcoast Maine town as the first novel. — The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County | A great summer pick with more depth than your typical beach read! The characters are memorable and the setting (a small Midwestern lake town) really takes a starring role. This book was written by my friend Claire (will never stop being cool to have author friends!!) and because I’m so used to reading her essays, the person I know her to be crowded to the front of the reading experience – but I’m sure I would have enjoyed it even if I didn’t already like her! :)
Revisiting my April goals: Film Annie in April (Done!) Write the second lesson of the TCF course (I changed tactics a bit and decided to focus on completing one-hour blocks of work versus completing certain lessons. I took things down to the studs and worked on the outline this month!) Complete at least 50 hours of deep work (21) Read chapters 7, 8, and 9 of Outlive (Done!) Take the Birds & Bees course with John (Yes!! Finally! Loved it.)
May goals: — Complete at least 40 hours of deep work (My work rhythms have changed a bit this month and I have way more meetings than usual… trying to set a realistic goal so I can hopefully reach it!) — Thoughtfully prep for Teacher Appreciation Week and Mother’s Day — Make a loose plan for summer days at home — Edit Annie in April — Complete a sweep of the loft — Finish the 2015-2019 photo album! (Just 2019 to go!!) — Read chapters 10-11 of Outlive
I also have weekly goals of connecting with my parents and completing one hour of work on the TCF course, and am tracking how many times I do a crossword puzzle at lunch, strength train, and ruck.
As a reminder, many of these are drawn from my 2024 goals!
Along with your thoughts on using project management platforms at home, I would love to hear how you’re celebrating Mother’s Day and Teacher Appreciation Week, if they’re applicable to your stage of life! This year, I opted to get my mom a membership to her favorite botanical garden in Maine, and my mother-in-law tickets to an outdoor NC symphony concert for an upcoming visit! They’re both the type to not prefer physical gifts and/or buy themselves the things they want, so I was pleased when I landed on these ideas :) (This would have been perfect for my MIL, but was sold out!)
