Simply nesting .... nesting simply....

It has felt like chaos around here.
The month of November has flown by.

Yesterday was a day all it's own.

Preschool drop-off
Development appointment #1 - meet and greet new people who are a part of our development team
Development appointment #2 - goes well, but explore plans to integrate a new method of speech therapy
Preschool pick-up (which, I am happy report, I was actually NOT late for!!)
A trip to local grocer (these are always ... interesting!)
Lunch. Settle the feathers for a few minutes.
Baking. Guilt kicks in because I haven't let the girls "help" me bake in a while. So, everyone grabs a chair, scuttles up to the counter and we begin the dump and pour and mix process.
Nap - which was actually, delightfully uninterrupted.
Get moving again, sans caffeine, since any coffee or regular tea past 10 am makes me ill. This is rough :P.
Vacuum. Clean the house. Again.
Get supper ready. Again.
J staying late at work to meet with other kids' parents. This means a looonnnngg day.
Because we all had such successful naps, the girlies are bouncing around until 9:30pm.
I. Get. Tired.

Thankfully, not all days are like this. But in the midst of this chaos there is a growing desire for simplicity. Of speech. Of commitment. Of heart and soul and life. Fueled (of course) by a book I'm reading and rereading (Freedom of Simplicity - Richard Foster - um, fast becoming a favorite author!) and brief (somewhat traumatizing!!!) flashbacks to this time last year - the Great Birthday Party Mayhem :) - and the Trip to the Strip (sounds racy - really it was family time in VEGAS!!).

This year, I've set out Christmas decorations. Lots of lights (because I am highly addicted to colored mini lights!!), a few greeneries, a nativity scene and a few other pretty things.

But I kept it simple. No Better Homes 'N Gardens pressure for me this year :).

Tonight we get to have a family fun night. Pizza party followed by loud christmas tunes, a dance party, some chocolate treats AND the DECORATING of the CHRISTMAS TREE. Fun. But simple.

It is delightfully freeing to carve out the unnecessaries and embrace the simple, lovely, elegant.
A smile. A kind word.
And linger in the moment.

And speaking of moments, the kids are fighting and biting and a sense a monsoon growing from the tub.
Better run!!!!!