{ i invite you to have a cupcake! }

cupcakes, for my family, symbolize celebration. something good for us. whether we are celebrating a new season or individual success, cupcakes truly make any situation better. and i would say that it is true for the good news i’m about to share. after being homeless for 5 1/2 months we received wonderful news! yesterday, i got the phone call. i have been accepted into a transitional living program! there is much reason for balloons, streamers, bright lights, pinatas, and cupcakes! after searching for a place to call home, we now have somewhere to rest our heads at night. though it isn’t quite our own apartment lifestyle that we are used to, i can call it h.o.m.e. that’s been so important to me for the past few months.

this particular transitional home is Christian based. their program runs 6 months to 2 years. i estimated that i could save approximately $16,000 in the next two years by sticking to their individual budgeting. while that means i will have to learn to be frugal, it also means that i would have at least a year and a half of payments saved towards renting my own apartment again. it also means that i will be able to work on repairing my credit diligently. there are youth programs, on campus, for both children. i will continue to homeschool Scout. transportation is available throughout the day and for Jem to get to and from school. i haven’t seen the individual apartments, though i have toured the other parts of the property and am very impressed. i am told that each apartment is essentially a studio apartment without the kitchen (because they are located in the foothills of the mountains, they do have problems with rodent infestation so they do not allow residents to cook/bake in their individual apartments, but they do provide meals and snacks).

i’ve been dreaming about this for a while. next Wednesday, at 1 p.m., is our move in date. we will have comfortable beds. a place to put our things. i won’t have to tote my things to and from storage three times a day. most importantly, i will be with my kids. we are reuniting as a family again, and that makes my heart feel good again. i can not wait to put sheets on my bed. or to watch Scout discover the wilderness that will surround us. i can’t wait to put a welcome mat outside my door. or to have somewhere to sit without being in one’s way. i can’t wait to be able to cozy up with the kids and watch a movie from beginning to end (all in the same day). or to take a shower without being interrupted.

things are looking up for us. i thank God for giving us a second chance. now onto the celebration…

.home.

the move was hasty, not everything made it. but the kids are here and that is what’s most important. so much has been going on but nothing very interesting to report.

i had to drop my classes due to the move. i’m pretty bummed out, but february will be here quicker than expected and i’ll be back to the daily grind of notebooks, index cards, highlighters and all night study sessions soon enough.

thanksgiving was, for the most part, quiet and uneventful. i didn’t burn the rolls this year.

my 30th birthday was peaceful. i spent a good portion of my check on some madelinetosh merino light and sweetgeorgia tough love sock (in a purple colorway, believe it or not). i also went to my favorite bakery (ok, my second favorite bakery) and got a delicious sandwich and box of goodies.

{delicious knee socks in sweetgeorgia tough love sock in blackberry}

{solstice steve from rebecca danger’s holly,ivy, steve mini monster ornaments.}

as you can see, there’s been knitting.

a lot of knitting.

and you know what? it feels good.

it feels good to be home.

 

 

Summertime

I will be the first to admit that I am not a summer lovin’ kind of gal. I much prefer the colder temps of Autumn and Winter. I especially don’t like racking up a high electric bill for central air that doesn’t really keep us cool. But there is one thing that I do appreciate about our one-hundred-and-four-you’ll-burn-your-feet-on-the-asphalt type of weather: the pool. We are lucky enough to have five different pools to choose from, (luckier when they are all clean). So today the kids and I had an little outing to the cool oasis. There were ruffled butt bikinis and a lot of brave diving and flips. And a bit of soaking up the sun, (which is very nice when you spend a week in the confines of a sterile and bleach infested hospital, again).

So I’m home and only enjoying some of the Summer. I am looking forward to the cool nights where you can walk around barefoot and not worry about blistering toes. I am looking forward to knitting with heavier, and warmer, yarns. I am looking forward to taking another college class, (still yet to be determined exactly what class). I am looking forward to warm drinks and early evenings.

In the meantime I’ll try to enjoy the Summer in the best way I know how.

: With Sundara Yarns:

: With spending extra special time with Dalton :

: And with trying my damnedest to get a still shot of my Monkey Girl and her two year old antics. :

It’s good to be home.