you are invited

you are invited come to soul remedies my new love. for the last year or two my bio has said i was done having "babies" and needed a new "baby" to pour my heart & soul into. as i slowed down posting here at cozy comfy cottage i came to realize that making a cozy home was no longer on my heart. i have nested and settled our family in here quite nicely & now i'm bursting with new vision. my journey to this new place has been about freedom i've found through humility among other things. because two are better than one - a childhood friend of mine has been on a similar journey and has joined me with much to share. we welcome you to see what we have to offer! come make friends & stay awhile... happy summer!
blessings,
liv
*update! well that didn't really go as planned! leah and i worked together on the new blog for nearly a year but meanwhile a new venture was unfolding for my husband and i. we launched a new business, or rather a grand re-opening of a local historic alehouse! this took my focus away from the blog and into a more community oriented life right in here in our small town! it was my joy to gift soul remedies to leah to continue with her lovely vision. my writing is still mixed in and im sure i will guest post here and there.

my new thing

i've got a new thing goin'!  it might just be... no it IS just the thing i've been looking for! 

i am learning to make beautiful hand-made soaps and candles.  this by itself is delightful.  working with all these fattening creamy delicious ingredients and turning them into fragrant treats without the calories!  mmm good! 

but, even better is going into business with my dear good friend leah who is a potter!   we have dreams of going "to market, to market" together!  selling our wares packaged beautifully, crafted with love, combining both our talents!  i have always admired leah for her unique vision, style and drive to create.  she inspires me!  by the way, her business name is "raine or shine pottery co." and she will have a website going soon! 

photo courtesy dennisanderson at etsy

hopefully i will have photos to share along with more of our vision shortly, in the meantime, you will have to wait & see!  also look into the new blog lilywhiteandcleanco.blogspot.com
blessings,
olivia

Make New Friends, But Keep the Old

One is silver and the others gold. 

It has unfortunately taken me most of my life to get this right. 

Today, I was so incredibly fortunate to have a dear lifelong friend Wendy come to my home to enjoy a morning of coffee, shared company and a lovely lunch together.  She brought her two littlest girls to play with mine and it was so sweet.  She mentioned wanting to meet my newest friend, my neighbor Nicole who I've been talking about quite a bit.  You see I am so thankful for her!  I had been looking for someone to go walking with every day.  To get outside and enjoy a brisk walk in nature, and we do, sometimes in a neighborhood and often out in the countryside.  What a treasure!  And even better we are kindred spirits, our conversations flow naturally and we find ourselves with always something more to be said!  The combination of good conversation and breathing fresh air is good for the soul and I am the better for it!

With all that said, I called Nicole to invite her to come over for lunch to meet Wendy and she accepted!  It was a meeting of two very dear friends and an impromptu celebration of friendship in general.  Wendy and I actually used to be neighbors at one point in our friendship!  At that time, she was my walking friend and I have missed having someone to share that with for 8 long years since we both moved!  What I haven't missed in those years is her actual friendship.  We have through the telephone (and infrequent visits) literally comforted, complained and commiserated through marriage, babies, work, and pretty much all of life together! 

My heart is full!  And most importantly I think I have finally matured to know how to value each friendship and it's place in my heart!  I am someone who likes and needs to simplify.  I do this routinely throughout my home and tend to get overwhelmed and try to streamline my heart too.  There is however, a new concept I am pursuing these days and it's all about a sense of community!  There will be no more streamlining of my heart!  Only always room for more!

Blessings,

Olivia

Anna is 10!

Our oldest, our daughter Anna has entered the double digits and is now 10!  This feels big and in many ways is big!  I cannot believe it has only taken 10 years (and it has felt like less) for our baby girl who we adored and treasured and cuddled in our arms to be big enough to stand only a head shorter than me!  She is still treasured for sure and I wanted to share some of the celebration we had for her birthday!

We celebrated with a "Spa Birthday" at her Grandma & Auntie's Salon with 3 of her friends from school - so fun!  They had their nails done, their hair styled (soooo cute) and relaxing mini-facials!  They also enjoyed sweets & treats & sparkling martinelli's.  I love little girls chatter, I loved to see her carefree and enjoying time with them & it blessed my heart that she had a special birthday!  

 

Thank you to the girls who came and made her day so special and also, thank you so much to her Auntie's Jeneah, Sara, & Tara and Grandma Jill for each contributing and doing your special part for these girls! 

We ended the fun time with a little trip to Claire's and picked out a trinket for each girl! 

In addition, Anna asked for a bedroom makeover for her birthday!  She picked out such darling room and lots of people pitched in to make the changes come to life!  Since she is not a "little girl" anymore she was craving sophistication!  Here is how it turned out!

She says it is "awesome" and amazing and she loves it!  I love it too (even though it departs from my typical faded blues and yellows and beiges)!  A big thank you to Aunt Mary Claire, Nanna, Grammy (with our contribution also) for completing the transformation for our girl! 

I did want to add one thing!  This year has been a very celebratory year for our family!  Carolyn turned 1 and Anna 10 - both special milestones and the boys turned 5 & 7.  We celebrated with real and over the top birthday parties because this is the last year we are celebrating this way!  At this point, we really feel that we can mark birthdays with a special type of family day that gives each child a memory unique to their interests and age.  Birthday parties are fun yes, but also extremely expensive and for me as a mom (the kids though too) they can be stressful!  I for one am really looking forward to a new way of welcoming each new age! So while Anna's "Spa Party", the boys "Pool Parties" and Carolyn's 1 year old Bash were maybe a bit over the top, we are certainly moving into a new tradition of simple abundance.

Friends

Today I am thankful for my friends! These are some of my dearest friends who I have known since birth, kindergarten and middle school.   I am so blessed to have these girls as friends who have known me forever and love me in spite of my faults (there are many!) One of these girls, Ami, is moving far away and will be missed!

Ami, you are a blessing and I just wanted to say that I am thankful for your friendship. 

Best and warmest wishes of meeting new friends in your new town,

Olivia