Blessings and Raindrops

seeking joy in the midst of the ordinary

My fall kitchen.

It’s October!! I don’t know about where you live, but here in NW Arkansas we are finally seeing the first glorious glimpses of vibrant color seeping into the leaves outside. It has felt like we live on the surface of the sun around here lately, so when a storm rolled in and the weather dipped, I decided it was absolutely time to throw open the windows and pull the sweaters out of storage and buy ALL.THE.PUMPKINS (not really…they cost a small fortune…so, a few strategically placed pumpkins, it is!).

I vote tacos and guac for Thanksgiving dinner this year! Who’s with me?

Since I made the official switch from light and bright to warm and moody for my fall kitchen, I thought I’d share a few images and tips with y’all as you start to incorporate autumn into your home.

My top tips for styling your home for fall:

Doesn’t everyone casually hang out on their kitchen table while laughing at something no one can see? Just me??
Also, I accidentally wore a sweater that matches the pumpkins on my table.

1. Choose a color palette.

For fall, I wanted a moody look that incorporated the natural colors of the season: varying shades of green, copper, peach, cream and natural wood tones. I removed my all-white dishes and clear glasses and replaced them with vintage green glassware and natural clay mugs. I incorporated a copper tray and plants in order to keep the palette consistent.

2. Bring the outside in.

I really love that nature provides so much beauty in this season. I don’t have any “fall decor” stored away in the attic, I prefer to utilize real things — pumpkins, pampas grass, greenery from a plant, etc. I always try to bring nature inside wherever I can and fall is the perfect season for this because everywhere I turn there is so much beauty!

3. Play with scale.

Open shelves can be tricky. I love the way they make the room feel more open and less stuffy…but they can be hard to style. I like to incorporate items of varying heights to ensure everything looks balanced and there is breathing room on the shelves. Don’t be afraid to use books to create height, stack various sized framed photos or botanicals, display cutting boards of different heights or incorporate trays for scale (to fill in a little white space while not making the shelf feel cluttered).

The pampas grass in the corner adds height and dimension from this angle.

4. Shop your home.

My friend, The Nester, has an awesome mantra about shopping your own home before you go out and purchase anything new. I absolutely agree with this concept! I snagged the plants off my entry table and grabbed books and vases from other spots around the house and moved them into the kitchen. This helped to create an entirely different look in this room without buying a thing (and caused me to get creative with what I used in the previous spots).

A small detail like taking out an amber candle and switching out my soap dispenser (both things I already had in the house) can make a big impact.

Lastly, can we all agree to never dress our babies in collared shirts regardless of the fact that the outfit matches the fall color palatte??! Because he looks entirely too grown up here and I cannot handle it. Onesies + footed pj’s forever, thank you very much!

Happy Fall, friends. Set out the pumpkins, style the shelves, and then leave it for the next two months and enjoy this gorgeous weather!

Photos by: Samantha Daniels

always.

Sitting at a stoplight this morning, tears pricked my eyes as the lyrics drifting in through the speakers transported me right back to the years of tears, frustration, anger, confusion, loss, waiting for two pink lines, adoption doors closing, endless doctor’s appointments and shots and blood work and medicine..

I believe always, always
Our Savior never fails
Even when all hope is gone
God knows our pain and His promise remains…

Friend I don’t know where you are
And I don’t know where you’ve been
Maybe you’re fighting for your life
Or just about to throw the towel in
But if you’re crying out for mercy
If there’s no hope left at all
If you’ve given everything you’ve got
And you’re still about to fall
Well hold on, hold on, hold on

(Building 429, Always)

I wrote these lyrics in my little purple journal on July 19, 2009. The words served as a tangible reminder to offer up my tiny mustard seed of faith and trust that God would not leave me in my sorrow. I knew in the deepest recesses of my heart that it was God who had planted this desire in me to become a momma and I refused to give up hope that my prayers would someday, somehow be answered.

Even still, never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined the road He paved for my family from that summer day to this one ten years later. I didn’t know about the pregnancy just up ahead, the scary preterm birth of the twins, their fighting spirit and NICU stay, the long adoption road to our Sylvie, the miraculous surprise of Charlotte…and, never, ever, would I have dreamt that He would bless us exponentially with yet another perfect little man.

Those years of pleading prayers taught me to release control, to surrender my plans and to walk closely; clinging to my Savior. He used those years to prepare my heart for the decade to come. For the spiritual battles to be fought, for the gratefulness to be cultivated and for the ability to recognize His hand at work in my life.

I turned the volume up and sang along, glancing in the rearview mirror at the five answered prayers riding with me in the car and offered up a prayer of immense gratitude.

Happy two week birthday to our little Luke! 

(These two weeks have flown by in a blink! Today was your actual due date but we are so grateful that you are here already!) 

You have brought so much joy to our family. You love to snuggle and are so calm and easy going. You love when we talk to you and you really seem to understand what we’re saying, you have such thoughtful eyes. You are really noisy – you’re always grunting and growling – but you hardly ever cry. When you do, your chin quivers and you just break everyone’s heart.

You eat and sleep really well and have eased into our family and our hearts so seamlessly, it’s as though you’ve always been here. God knew we needed you and I’m so very thankful for the gift of your life. What an immense honor it is to be your momma, little man.

You are loved beyond measure. 

Family photos: The Kindred Collective

The best day…

June 18th. My calendar has been marked for months. This day is highlighted, circled and there are plenty of exclamation marks — The Day We Meet Baby Luke!!!!!

Change of plans… instead, today we celebrate Luke’s ONE WEEK BIRTHDAY!

Last Tuesday, after I finished my post sharing Luke’s nursery, I took a quick shower and headed out to my 38 week appointment. Dave came along because we had a feeling Dr. D would want me to deliver sooner rather than later (but we weren’t thinking soon as in today).

I had been in (and back out of) the hospital with contractions and a “this is it” feeling four times at this point and had spent six hours being monitored the previous Sunday when I really, really thought this is it! {I had even showered and blow-dried my hair at 4 am in preparation. Anyone who knows me, knows that blow-drying my hair is serious business and only happens when absolutely necessary}.

After an NST and a quick check, Dr. D made the call and sent us straight to the hospital for me to be prepped for surgery. I had been having too many contractions and he didn’t feel like it was a good idea for me or baby to wait any longer. I had eaten lunch not long before my appointment, which meant we had to hold off on the c-section until 7:30 pm to ensure I had an empty stomach. {I honestly thought he would send us home to come back for an early morning delivery but he later confirmed that it was a very good thing we didn’t wait – Luke was ready to be born!}

I was READY to deliver and finally meet Luke, yet, it all happened so suddenly and I was a little bit overwhelmed and slightly fearful at the prospect of surgery again. I sent Dave home to pack my bag and pick up the kids as I settled in to the room and spent some time praying and listening to worship music. Several friends were praying with me and I literally felt their prayers. By the time we headed into the OR, I was feeling peaceful.

The kids were overwhelmed and scared since they had thought we had another week before Luke arrived and they were confused because I had just headed out to a routine check-up. My mother-in-law helped prepare them before Dave arrived to pick them up. Meanwhile, my mom was frantically booking a flight and found one that would arrive at 8am the next morning.

My sister in law and niece arrived with make-up and a curling iron and worked around the nurse putting in my IV to apply a little mascara and blush. It was hilarious and I’m sure the nurse thought we were crazy.

Once the kiddos arrived, we spent time together and prayed as a family before I headed to the OR to meet our new little man…

As they prepped me and administered my spinal tap, Dave waited (anxiously) in the hall. I HATE the feeling of my body going numb and started to feel pretty panicky until they finally let Dave come in and he did an amazing job helping me relax and breathe. He is always so steady and calm and I couldn’t begin to hope for a better partner in this life. I fell more in love with him that day; watching as he, once again, led our family and tenderly welcomed a new little life into the world.

At 7:52 pm, our lives changed for the better. Luke Robert Marrs entered the world and we welcomed him with tears of joy and so, so much gratitude for a healthy and perfect little guy!!!

When Dave was able to bring him over to me, Luke opened his eyes and looked right at me the instant he heard my voice. We locked eyes and everyone in the room remarked at the way he recognized my voice instantly. It was the most sacred moment that I will forever cherish. I ached to jump out of that bed and scoop him into my arms.

I could NOT wait for his siblings to meet him and I made sure Dave waited until I was back in the room before the big kids {they all seem SO giant now! I can’t handle it!!} arrived. They were each enamored and positively beaming. Such precious moments…

When it was time to go home on Thursday, we realized that the bag of extra stuff I had sent home with Dave earlier also had Luke’s going home outfit in it. So, in true 5th child fashion, he went home in a little Mercy hospital shirt, covered in a blanket we had to dig out of the dirty clothes bag. Bless his heart.

Also in true 5th child fashion, he was greeted by an excited cheering section. They stormed the vehicle ready to welcome their little brother HOME! After all these months, it still doesn’t feel real. He’s here! And, he’s the greatest, most unexpected little miracle blessing. As the proudest big sister in all the land, Charlotte, would say, “Cutie Patootie Luke-y Boy, we love, love, LOVE you!”

One more week…

One week from today, we will meet our newest little love. (If not sooner, I’ve been having a lot of contractions and I’m exhausted and sore and tired of not knowing if this is the real thing or just false labor again … we should know more this afternoon after my appointment where I may or may not beg my doctor to push up the scheduled c-section…;)).

For the first eight months, this pregnancy crawled by at a snail’s pace. It felt like I was going to be pregnant forever and ever and ever. Then, out of nowhere, warp speed kicked in. And, here we are. About to have a baby.

A baby! I still can’t believe it!

My bag is packed. The nursery is ready. All the preparations are in place. Now, we just wait and pray for a healthy delivery and a healthy little guy. Then, we soak up his newborn snuggles and the precious extremely fleeting first days together. Even if you can never really be ready for what life will be like when a new baby arrives, we’re ready. So, so ready!

The nursery.

When we first found out I was pregnant, I immediately lamented the fact that we wouldn’t have a nursery for this baby because we were at our max capacity for bedrooms. As we started to dream about and plan for the recent remodel, I was so, SO grateful we were able to carve out a space that will be solely Luke’s. It was so much fun planning this room and his little play space. It was a sweet part of the pregnancy and nesting process and I love having a beautiful space to welcome our little guy into!

Because of the laundry room addition to the side of the house, we needed to lose the window that had been in this room (the same thing happened to the guest bath). Therefore, we needed to add on a room with a window in order to provide an exterior window for the bedroom. We could have made it a small closet but decided to actually maximize the space by converting it into a small playroom (since we lost the upstairs playroom when we added dormers to make the girl’s bedrooms).

I wanted to keep the nursery very serene and calming and not too “baby-ish” so that the space could easily grow with him. For the playroom, I went with a little more whimsical and fun space – highlighting adventure and play and reading. All things every little boy needs in their life.

  • Dave made the bookshelves and table and they turned out perfectly!
    Exactly what I had in mind!!
  • I had mentioned to Dave how much I would love some handmade wooden toys for Luke. He surprised me with these on Easter morning. I love them!
  • Chiquita LOVES the teepee… ha!

I hope you enjoyed the tour and I can’t wait to share photos of this room with Luke in it!! SOON!!!

Nursery and Playroom Sources:

  1. Wall Color : Farrow and Ball, Green Smoke #47
  2. Trim Color: Benjamin Moore, White Dove OC-17
  3. Pendant Light : Lulu & Georgia, Sayan Pendant
  4. Crib : Dave Marrs (He has built every one of our kiddo’s cribs and I love them all!) 🙂
  5. Crib Sheets : Rookie Humans, Woodland Dreams (direct link below)
  6. Commissioned Art : Melissa Griffith
  7. Nursery Chair : Williams Sonoma Home
  8. Play Gym : My Urban One Nordic Wooden Baby Gym
  9. Nursery Rug : HomeGoods
  10. Cactus Print : Remedy Road
  11. Letterboard : Felt Like Sharing
  12. Table Lamp : Target
  13. Whimsical Cactus : 72 West
  14. Changing Basket : Lulu & Georgia, Olli Ella Reva Basket
  15. Changing Basket Insert : Lulu & Georgia, Olli Ella Changing Basket Insert
  16. Artificial Cactus : Target
  17. Dresser : Vintage
  18. Wall Map : Gathre, Midi+
  19. Hot Air Balloons : 72 West
  20. Play Teepee : Target
  21. Floor Cushion : Remedy Road