Counting Your Blessings

Flying the Coop

My little boy is flying the coop soon.

It's going to be a most spectacular farmstyle wedding!
And the weekend after the wedding, our spectacular wedding props will be at the Vintage Market in a very special Harvest Wedding tent.
We are so busy that I think my arms might fall off.

Amidst it all, a mama is letting go... and yet... gathering in - a new daughter into our fold.
I can't even put to words how much I love this boy and his girl next door or how happy it makes me that they love each other. My heart is doing things it's never done before. So you'll have to excuse me if I'm a little twirly these days.

On Being Off The Grid

Other than the super fun Nellies Barn Sale, we have been somewhat off the grid.

So what fills our days if we aren't doing sales?

A little of this.

He brings a smile to my whole life. Seriously, it comes from somewhere deep and washes over me. Not to be confused with exhaustion, which also washes over me.

A little vintage wedding planning.

3 months and counting. We have a whole room dedicated to wedding stuff. We have HUGE plans and a small budget so we are creating and painting and spending lots of time on Pinterest. Hmm... not so different than doing the shows after all.

A little (very little) fluffing of the house.

Funny how the house isn't getting any cleaner. Mr. Blessing has been very diligently cleaning the basement so that our oldest can come home for these last few months before the wedding. Other than that, not clean.

Perhaps on the face of it, what with the business of life replacing the business of money, it may not seem like it but parts of me are healing. When I overhear my 10 year old saying to his sister, "I love that story in the Bible where it says..." When my daughter runs to whisper something in my ear. When my 15 year old sings lullabies to the baby. When my son and his almost new wife have dinner with us. And when I get to kiss a baby's palm. There's healing in those moments.

I Heart the Story

I found this watercolor kit in a box at the Salvation Army. I love that the colors are so vibrant, even though they're old. I wonder what pictures the child painted with those colors - however many years ago it may have been. I wonder if her grandma or her mom saved it thinking that surely she would put water to hue, brush to paper one more time but then it was forgotten in the junk drawer or perhaps she grew up faster than expected. And how did it end up in a cardboard box, surrounded by forks and stained Tupperware? I love the story that I haven't heard about the creativity born. But my favorite part of the rusty old paint tin is that the red dried in the shape of a heart. (I heart you too, little box of vintage sweetness.)

We are going through some boxes of our own here at the Blessing farmhouse. Leftovers from years of market events. Boxes that are lining my basement and crawl spaces and garage and a storage unit. Since we are only doing a couple of events this season, I want to clear it all out! So please, please join us at the Nellies Barn Sale June 7th and 8th and help me make room for the next chapter. Who knows, you might find some untold stories you'll "heart".

So that He may increase

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It isn't a popular thing to take your business out of the spotlight, to promote yourself less. But sometimes the spotlight shifts.

You may have noticed that our open-air boutique hasn't been at all the usual Spring markets. There were lots of factors that led to the decision of taking a season off. Those of you that have known us for the last couple of years, you know what a grueling schedule it has been. Although it was our complete joy to make a living doing what we love, keeping up inventory and being at an event every weekend is exhausting. Our children are at ages that have us running in every direction.

photo via

But, truth be told, I might have continued pushing the limit, piling the responsibilities on - even though I knew my time was stretched thin, my health was beginning to fail, our family was stressed. Isn't it funny how we can push ourselves beyond what is good for us and sometimes not even realize it? And because I AM that dense at times - God intervened.

About six weeks ago God put two lovely children in our home (yep, in addition to the 4 we already have). Nothing says "screeching halt" like having a new baby and a new teenager. But God knew exactly what I needed so that I could let go of our crazy work schedule. Without a doubt it's still crazy around here - a different kind of crazy but crazy good!

photo via

And although one is leaving and one is staying, our family has grown immeasurably. We are thankful for the new children and extended family that we get to be part of. And I am thankful for being rescued yet again from the schedule I imposed upon myself. We are all kinds of tangled up and busy but we are also settling into a new way of life. So while it may seem that we are out of the spotlight, we know that we must decrease so that He may increase.