Week-End: Things that made my week awesome

This week started out in good spirits and took a nose-dive. The Mr. and I have been battling some allergies that last few days and yesterday they got worse. Along with those allergies we got some heart wrenching news and the crying made our noses overflow, which is no fun. The Mr. received some terrible news on Friday that his best friend's daughter suddenly passed away. Bad news never goes through this house without taking us all down in the end. As strong as you want to be in certain times, it's never easy for us to swallow. The Mr. has only cried hard a few times in his life and seeing him break down just tears my heart out. His friend and him have been close their whole life and to know that they are hurting for the loss of their daughter hurts us deeply. We hope that we can be strong enough to be there for them when the time calls. For now, as today is my birthday, we swallow our sadness and dig deep to enjoy it a bit. Their daughter has always been a shining light of happiness. She always wore a smile and had a hello for everyone she came into contact with. Today, especially today, she wouldn't want us to be sad about her passing. She would want us to smile at the life she lived and celebrate the woman she had become. So with that, here are the things that made this week great!

1. This stamp

We recently got a specialized stamp for our homeschool classroom. We donate a lot of books throughout the year and now we can let others know who donated them and how to find us. The little snail on top is perfect for representing our classroom. You can always see what we are up to in our classroom by clicking the "Homeschool" link at the top.

2. This card

When we went back to Arkansas in May of this year we toured the Arkansas Railroad Museum. The lady that gave us the tour was so helpful to The Bean and gave him a lot of great train things that he loves. The Cotton Belt lapel, worn by her husband, was one of The Bean's favorite items she gave him. We wanted to show her how much we appreciated her care toward us, so we sent her a personalized thank you card to let her know that she made our day!

3. These boxes

In the effort to live more minimal we have been getting rid of unnecessary items. One unnecessary is the boxes my cameras came in. I had to make the decision on whether they were "needed" or "wanted." They are definitely a want and so I let them go this week. It was almost a scary feeling placing them into the recycle bin, but since they've been gone, they haven't been missed. Our problem with our holding onto things is the feeling that we need them, or the feeling of keeping them for a just in case moment. Letting go of stuff is not only liberating, but I feel less stressed. It's an odd feeling that comes with the letting go process. It's as if we are dragged down by all of this "stuff." Getting rid of it seems to lighten out thoughts, our stress, and our over all dependency on things. More on this soon.

4. This snail

I post a lot about snails, but the thing is, we live around a lot of snails here in the Valley. You can't go a day without seeing a snail, or 10. They are everywhere and with having a garden we see them daily. Sometimes they do things that are pretty amazing. This snail in the picture had traveled up a stem of grass and landed on this leaf stuck in the fence. As much as people think snails are gross, I think, sometimes, they are pretty interesting creatures.

5. This skyline