Summer is winding down, and as usual, I'm wondering how we got here so fast.
This one feels especially bittersweet. We just sent our oldest off for his freshman year of college (How??), and I'm getting ready to begin my 23rd year of teaching. There's that familiar feeling of one season ending and another beginning- although this year, the shift feels a little bigger.
Maybe that's why I've been especially appreciative of the little pockets of joy tucked into these last weeks of summer.
A special trip with one of my kids. Slow mornings on the porch. A book I didn't want to put down. A cross stitch growing one tiny stitch at a time.
I'm not quite ready to let summer go, so consider this Joy Edit my little attempt to hold onto a few of my favorite pieces of it.
Here's what I've been making, noticing, loving, and enjoying lately...
I've fallen a little bit in love with our porch this summer.
We've had this porch for years, but I don't think I've ever fully appreciated it until now. I'm slowly giving it a refresh (I'll definitely share more when it's done!), but for now there are a couple of new comfy chairs, a few pots of flowers, and a view of the first sun of the day.
It's become one of my favorite places to start a summer morning.
I've been trying to get outside early and get some morning sun in my eyes. What I do once I'm out there changes almost every day.
Sometimes I bring a cup of tea or a tall glass of water and work on my latest embroidery project. Sometimes I bring my planner and think through the day ahead. I've stretched out there. I've spent time in prayer. Sometimes my husband joins me and we get to enjoy some good conversation.
I like that it doesn't have to be the same every morning.
I can bring whatever I need that day—something to make, something to think about, or nothing much at all.
I'm already wondering how long I can stretch porch season into the fall...
I'm about three-quarters of the way through a cross stitch for my baby niece right now.
And this one is part of a bigger little project that feels extra special to me.
Three of my sisters had babies this year. THREE! 🤍
I decided to make a cross stitch for each new baby, and I'm currently working my way through the third one.
There's something I love about making gifts like this. They take time. You sit down and add a few stitches here, a few there, and slowly this little piece comes together.
And all that time, you're thinking about the person you're making it for.
Maybe that's part of why handmade gifts feel so different. You're not only giving someone the finished thing. You're giving them a little bit of your time, too.
I hope someday my nieces and nephews look at these and know just how loved they were from the very beginning.
We recently got back from Disney with our 13-year-old son, Brendan.
This is actually a tradition we started years ago with our oldest son. When each of our boys turned 13, my husband and I took them on their own Disney trip—just the three of us. Brendan is our third son, so this was our third time doing it. (And our daughter will get her turn when she’s a teenager!)
I love Disney, but what I really love about these trips is the little pocket of time we carve out with just one kid.
For four days, they don't have to share us with their siblings. They get to choose what they want to do, where they want to go, what they want to eat. And we get to experience Disney entirely through their personality.
Which, after doing this three times, has been pretty funny to see.
We've had one kid who wanted every minute planned so we could maximize our time. One who was perfectly happy to take it easy and meander. And then Brendan, who would prefer that we make all the decisions—but the second we decide where we're going, he's suddenly ten steps ahead of us on a mission to get there. 😂
Same family. Same tradition. Three completely different trips.
And one of my favorite moments from this one wasn't even on a ride.
We were in the pool at night when the fireworks started, and we stayed right there and watched them from the water.
Brendan was so happy.
And so was I.
It seemed like everyone was talking about Theo of Golden, so of course I had to see what all the hype was about.
And now I get it.
I loved Theo. I loved the way he moved through the world noticing the small beauty in everyday life—and especially the way he noticed the people around him.
He reminded me a little of Mr. Rogers, and if you know me, you know how much I adore Mr. Rogers. There's that same gentleness and genuine interest in other people that I find so refreshing.
I also really enjoyed the thread of faith woven throughout the story.
It's a quiet, lovely book about paying attention, connecting with people, and the difference we can make in each other's lives.
Definitely one I'm glad everyone talked me into reading.
NOTICE: Take a cue from Theo and look for one small, beautiful thing you might normally walk right past.
ENJOY: Take something you normally do inside—your morning coffee, reading, stitching, planning—and bring it outside.
