_{read time 4-5 minutes}

But here we are… Two newsletters. Two weeks in a row. Same day! My husband is beside himself. (I think he’s already planning a parade.)

Consistency has never been my strong suit (especially in this season) but something about this space, connecting with you, feels life-giving. So thank you for showing up. I’m showing up too. Let’s dive in 💛

These past few weeks in a minute:

• Studio dreams are becoming real! We’re just a few weeks (hopefully!) away from finishing renovations on one of our smaller cabins and it’s going to be EPIC! We’re turning it into an office/studio space just for me - Jordan’s building it out, and I couldn’t be more excited. We’ve already added 5 windows for dreamy natural light and a few other surprises I can’t wait to show you. I haven’t had my own space to paint/ create since we moved 4 years ago… which means that our dining room table is constantly covered up and spilling over with artwork - mama is ready!!!

• 4th of July 🇺🇸 prep looks a little different out here. On our property, we live in a little pocket surrounded by bluffs, which means one firework sounds like fifty. Country folk (I swear) budget about half of their income for fireworks each year, and while our kids are thrilled... the animals are not. So, we spend the evening ensuring donkeys, cows, ducks, geese, chickens and dogs don’t end up hurting themselves or wind up 10 miles away…. this actually happened two years ago, New Year’s Eve…. Lola (our 14-year-old Collie/Golden mix and certified sweetheart) slipped outside and bolted during the fireworks. She ended up on an epic 5-day journey (many of you cried and rejoiced along with me) only to turn up 10 miles away!

  

  ‘Actual footage’ of my reunion with Lola.

  This week’s survival plan: Expect 2 Great Pyrenees to make their way inside. Pray 🙏 they don’t discover how to open the pantry.

• Broody hen science experiment: I’m letting one of our hens attempt to hatch three duck eggs... will it work? No idea. But you’ll be the first to know 🐣. Pray for this mama-to-be (and that she doesn’t notice her chicks’ webbed feet)

— Tabitha Paige, Author/ Illustrator, Speech Therapist & Mom

Truthfully, it’s been a tough few weeks with extra screen time given… Evie (our 3-year-old firecracker) has been recovering, unable to play outside much, unable to hold her beloved chickens - so we are working through the detox process of removing television from our routine. Evie says: Ditch the screen this week, grab some friends, go on a walk and sing along to some of your favorite classics.

🎵 What are we listening to on our golf cart rides this summer? Country Rose (aka Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver). 🎵

Lately, we noticed something in our house: a little too much complaining. Me, Jordan, the kids... everyone. It’s easy to fall into during tough seasons, but also? It spreads. So we started something new (and it’s already helping… kind of, we’ll see 🙃 ). We have two jars:

• HARVEST - for compliments, encouragement, kindness, etc.

• COMPOST - for complaints, grumbling, arguing or gossip

💸 The rule:
If you drop something in the “COMPOST” jar, you owe it a dollar — and that dollar comes out of the “HARVEST” jar. So yes, you can end up with a beautifully empty jar of goodness if you're not careful.

💸 At the end of the month:
HARVEST jar - we do something fun as a family. COMPOST- we pick a person or charity to donate the money towards. Jordan claims that it’s less about the money, more about helping the girls associate a physical action with the behavior/ emotion.

Wanna join us for July?
Let me know if you try it… I’d love to hear how it goes!