The end of September completely crept up on me, so this might be a short and sweet Monthly Miscellanea post… Normally I have a bunch of stuff I want to write about and I end up leaving a few things out because the posts get too long, but I’m writing this on the 29th and my mind is a blank slate. That never happens. I must be sick. 😉

Uplifting Tunes

Arabella had a bit of a hard time adjusting to school this year (I think a combo of not sleeping well, a more rigorous school day, new teacher, and all of her closest friends ended up in the other class), and mornings were REALLY hard for a while. After sharing our struggles with a friend, she sweetly sent us some song suggestions that help her kiddos get up and moving in the morning. So our favorites this month are all along that vein.

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“Joy” by For King & Country – super upbeat, and a great message about choosing joy no matter what the circumstances.

“I Just Need U” by TobyMac – brings me back to my childhood days of listening to DC Talk, and this is a great Flexie dance party song!

“WaveWalker” by Citizen Way – another Dude Perfect song Kaden requested that is also upbeat and a fun morning song…

I don’t know if it was the music, a lot of prayer, or just the normal course of adjusting to a new school year, but Bells is doing a ton better and enjoying school (well, most of it).

New Sofa

After talking about it and searching for months, I finally convinced Adam to let me sell our brown leather chesterfield and purchase the navy blue velvet English roll arm sofa I’ve had my eye on. Don’t get me wrong, there were very mixed reactions to the departure of our chesterfield (mourning from Adam, fist pumping and happy dancing from me), but the entire family is in agreement that the new sofa was a good move.

I love that an English roll arm is such a timeless profile, but the navy blue velvet is so striking and feels fresh and modern somehow, even though it’s actually pretty classic too. It really depends on how you style it, but a navy blue velvet English roll arm sofa is a fun choice without feeling risky. And the velvet is OH. SO. SOFT.

In Arabella’s words, “I love the new sofa more because it doesn’t stick to my skin when I sit on it.”

Adam even “nap tested” it, and it gets the seal of approval.

Kaden was the only other one home when I snapped these pictures, and he really wanted to be in one. So here’s my cute little man!

A few more shots, just for fun. So far the only negative I can see with our new sofa is that it shows lint terribly. Just ordered up this lint roller on Amazon Prime! When it first arrived the back was bumpy, but in the week and a half I’ve had it, it’s stretched out and flattened, so that was definitely due to packaging.

I Went to Camp!

Ha, I never thought I’d say this, but I went to camp and it was a blast! More specifically, I went to a women’s retreat at the camp my son goes to with some awesome mamas from my kids’ school.

Not only did we hear amazing wisdom from Sherry Mortenson, who happened to be the campus pastor while I was at Bethel years ago, but we also ate amazing food (and a lot of junk!), deepened friendships, and laughed A LOT.

During the weekend, my friend Talisha realized that about 20 years ago, she and my sister randomly met at a volleyball camp and realized they only lived a few blocks from each other, so Talisha drove her home. Talk about divine appointments… My sister mentioned attending a wonderful small Christian school rather than the public high school nearby, and that car ride impacted Talisha and stuck with her for years. Tears all around as she shared that a seemingly chance encounter is why she and her husband send their kids to that school today! How loved we are, and how fun for everything to circle around… Our little girls are friends now.

An added bonus to all of the weekend fun is that I feel a new found appreciation for why my son loves camp so much. I slept in a bunk just like the one he slept in, ate in the same cafeteria, and walked the same grounds. We had some really fun bonding conversations before and after I played laser tag with my friend Faith. He gave me great advice, and then shared in the triumph of our victories. We won 3/4 rounds and were super stealth. 😉

I also did the zipline, which Kaden will get to do for the first time this next summer (you have to be 10). Too fun! But oh my goodness, those harnesses are uncomfortable!

I never thought I would enjoy the weekend as much as I did, and I’m thankful to have been a part of it.

Amassing DIY Projects

Last month I mentioned my total DIY fail with the cabinets I’d had in my garage for over a year. They were intended for my office; instead they ended up in a dumpster. BUT I’m going to view this as a happy accident, because I’ve decided to go in a completely different direction. I’ve been leaning more and more modern lately, and after stumbling across a blush pink Modshop credenza, I couldn’t get the idea out of my mind.

I love the molding detail on the doors! Here’s another one I found on 1stDibs.

How fun are those?! And on that note, Adam brought this beauty home for me on Friday!

She’s a little rough, but I couldn’t resist those doors, and it’s nothing a little bit of sanding and a few coats of paint can’t fix! Plus I found her on FB Marketplace and only paid $45. I’m thinking about looking into lacquer… I’ve never lacquered anything before, and I know it’s a bit tricky, but can you picture her in a glossy soft pink finish? Gorgeous! She’s going to be gorgeous!

That being said, now I have nightstands, a king size canopy bed with no hardware, and a huge dresser/credenza all waiting to be beautified sitting in my garage. Needless to say, I’ve been parking outside. I really need to start finishing some of these projects before I ask Adam to bring anything else home for me! Especially since it’s getting COLD in MN. 41 degrees as I write this. I really need my garage stall back.

Fall Fashion

Speaking of cold, which I hate (have I mentioned that I’m a beach girl? Fall sends me into a tailspin of panic, thinking about the frigid temperatures to come… I mean, winter wouldn’t be SO bad, but in MN it’s literally SEVEN months out of the year! oops, got off on a tangent there), the one thing I do enjoy about the temperature drop is fall fashion. In the summer, I tend to go pretty casual, and you’ll more often than not find me in yoga pants and a cute workout top. If I’m really getting fancy, I’ll pull on a maxi dress, a necklace, and some cute sandals and call it good. But in the fall, I tend to go all out, partially out of necessity (extra layers are needed in MN, especially for a freeze baby like me), and partially because I just really love jeans, boots, scarves, and my faux leather moto jacket. Latley, I’ve been channeling Jennifer Aniston here, but with a bit more color.

Maybe next month I’ll get really motivated and daring and take a picture of myself rocking some fall fashion. Well, unless I’ve already broken out my big North Face parka, which is pretty likely given my state of residence.

Look at that… Once I got going, I had plenty to say. Feeling like my old random self again! 😉 That’s a wrap for now. I’d love the hear about your September in the comments below!