Emily Posting

It has been a cruel summer. I don't even know where to start.  I lost some big chunks of my heart these last few months. My great aunt, Margaret, passed earlier in the summer and it was a hard loss. She was my home away from home. She loved me so well and gave me so much of her time and attention. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because of her. I loved waking up and drinking coffee with her, watching the parade but talking over it. People in and out of the house for three days straight, all welcome and made to feel like family (related or not). I have countless memories of loved ones and warm gatherings throughout the year at "the big house" in Little Mountain. Most of all, I cherished the quiet weekends when Michael and I would just go up to sit with her and escape the volume and tempo of daily life. Maggie never got a Little Mountain Thanksgiving, and they will never be the same. Jeopardy isn't as enjoyable. Chinese food doesn't taste as good.  Our last Than

I can't believe it's already May. We've reached temperatures in the 80s outside, our flowers are blooming and birds are chirping, and the mask mandate has been lifted in Mt. Pleasant. I'm happy about 2/3 of those facts. I'm loving being able to gather safely with vaccinated family members. It has done my heart a world of good and has soothed my soul in a way I'd almost forgotten it could. Mother's Day this year was a real treat, just being able to share it with the other important mothers in my life--my mom, grandmother, and now sister in law! Having our kiddos and gathering together for the first time ever was a true blessing. I will forever cherish these memories and feelings of sincere gratitude and joy. It was particularly cheering to see these beautiful faces after losing one of the greatest women I've ever known, my great aunt Margaret (for whom Maggie is named). After just shy of 95 full years on this Earth, she finally gets to rest and join her h

 I'm popping in with another picture heavy post just before April comes to a close. I thought I'd share a few home projects we have been busily working on this Spring! As I'm typing, my back is sore and my sunburn is healing, but we sure have had fun developing our little homestead. Our greatest and longest project to date has been our (now) fenced in yard, patio, and "garden." When we first moved in back in 2016 (and until April of 2020) our yard looked like this: Beautiful, but less than ideal for a dog and a toddler with the coyotes and snakes out in Spring. I wrote this post last year about our wonderful experience with the guys over at Fence SC , and this post about our DIY patio. So after many little projects, additions, and tweaks, we are so happy with the results and spend countless hours outdoors enjoying our little space. In addition to the yard, we have updated the upstairs bathroom we all share--plugging the old, dirty jets, framing the mirror, paint

I planned to share more home updates and decor, but I'm actually struggling with a lot of anxiety this month as more folks are receiving vaccines and Covid safety measures grow more and more lax. We are not vaccinated. Our daughter is not vaccinated. It will still be months before we can get a vaccine. In our little corner of the world, though, enough of the voices in power are feeling safe enough to call my husband into larger social gatherings, nights and weekends included. Masks aren't being required as strictly now. Some friends and family members are feeling safe enough to quit social distancing--but we aren't vaccinated. I was not mentally or emotionally prepared for this. I'm still not. I know quarantine has been rough. Extroverts and socialites have been twiddling their thumbs and itching to get out. I'm glad they now can. I think everyone should do what feels comfortable. That said, I'm no longer comfortable. My family time is being stripped away. My in

 I'm late on February's post, but house projects take three times as long with toddlers in the mix, amiright? Anyway, I finally pulled my craftroom together over the weekend and wanted to share a quick glimpse! I'm so thrilled with it and it has been an incredible space in which to work and create. I'm actually almost grateful Michael is back to his "real" office so I could have this space all to myself--*almost*. First--the beautiful SW Poolhouse blue walls we chose when we first moved in were much better suited to a soothing work office. For a creative space, I felt I needed a brighter and lighter wall color, so we went with SW Breaktime. It's brighter than I expected, but I'm happy with it for this room. Second--I knew I needed more workspace, storage, and an area for lighting and product photography. I found both the desk and hutch on Amazon and have been pleased with the amount of storage and the sizes, which are more appropriate for the space tha