When I'm Home

When I'm home...

...I'm beneath a tree, staring up, watching soft milky clouds float across a blue lake , dipping and dappling and playing in light.

When I'm at home I'm caressing the smooth bark, skimming my hands across the rough knots - feeling the bumps and the black dots and twisty branches and I'm loving all of it. Bird song, fragrant sap, warm sunlight-baked wood - bring my senses home.

When I'm at home I have eyes for my handsome boys, their quirks, their challenges, their minds and their souls - I notice each piece and I love the puzzle of men. I'm at home here, in the chaos and in the strength, in the longing, in the lust...I ride their life beside them, through the roller coaster twists, up the incline and screaming down the decent, happy and scared and my hair flying and my eyes big...sometimes tightly closed - I'm strapped in for good. I'm at home here. 

Tucked in his big arms, wrapped around me, his head resting on mine ... my fingers tiptoeing up his arm, feeling the soft hairs, listening to his breath...I'm at home here. 

Watching her run, watching her laugh - the little gap between her front teeth, her giggle - I'm at home here. Her concentration, her dedication to a project, her creative soul - I'm at home here.

At home I'm surround my so many blessings - big windows, art made by masters and art made by me. I'm surrounded by books ... novels and quotes and poetry ... little pages stapled together and adorned with rainbows and flowers. I'm at home in this written magical world of realism and fiction and dreaming and wisdom. I lose myself in this spot of my home. 

Nothing can bring someone home as much as the smell and taste of food. Familiar food, old recipes, foreign flavors... new. The first time I tasted curry I literally thought  "this flavor should be a part of me." I'm happy to report ... it is. That and green tea, fig butter, dates and hummus. 

I think some people feel overwhelmed with the option, that they, can develop their homes - the spirit, the song, the atmosphere, the flavor, the overall picture. 

 I see it as one of my greatest privileges. Granted, I often feel unqualified, or maybe wrong for choosing something different...in the end, it's a space that I've dedicated my life to making wonderful. Now that's something...dedicating your life to making many little parts one single beautiful space, for you and your loved ones' souls. 

That's a job. 

Home is where I can choose to fly. Behind this door, I'm a dancer, I'm a runner, I'm a vegan chef. I'm a writer, a singer...a holistic therapist, a therapist in general. I'm a creative genius, I'm an essential oil diffusing maniac, I'm a sweat pant lounger and a barefoot skirt wearing enthusiast, I'm the flower child that is deep in my soul ... I can be what I want to be. I can be "Her" - that great elusive "Me." 

I can give myself grace, an understanding heart and a listening ear for my mind - I can dive in as deep as I want or take a step back and feel fear for a moment. At home, you can feel.

Last week I ran five miles. I pushed myself. I accomplished my goal and it felt amazing.

Today, I started to run, I got half a mile in and wasn't feeling it at all. My heart said "you are in a creative space, a quiet music, picture taking, writing space." My mind answered back "no, if you push yourself you'll be happy later. You'll be uncomfortable but you can persevere."

 So my mind and heart kept wrestling  with each other ... one an advocate for quiet and one for perseverance. Then this voice spoke, drowning out either one. It said "you know, you can give yourself grace. You don't have to be the "pusher Alyssa" today. You can say 'I will treat myself with creativity today.' Nobody is watching you, no one cares if you run 45 minutes or 15 minutes, you can 'roll with it'." 

 Then I did something extraordinary. I looked down at the red blinking light that read "15:00" and I turned the machine off. I hopped off the treadmill and walked, head held high, out of that basement. 

 I didn't feel "less" or as I had failed myself. I just soaked up the grace and the "rolling with it" spirit and moved on to what my soul craved...soft music, watching my child do a puzzle, editing photos...tea. 

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.” 
― John Lubbock, The Use Of Life

“Sometimes when you pick up your child you can feel the map of your own bones beneath your hands, or smell the scent of your skin in the nape of his neck. This is the most extraordinary thing about motherhood - finding a piece of yourself separate and apart that all the same you could not live without.” 
― Jodi Picoult, Perfect Match

Home is my place to love my children. The other day, I sat on my floor, cross legged...soft instrumental music playing...I had been trying to connect my heart with God's. You know those times when you seem so alone....and you struggle for days and days, walking around in grey? Well, maybe you don't. I do though. I always know, that this is a time that i have to get quiet or die. That's my motto - " quiet or die."

 I'm pretty sure that soul death is just about the worst thing that can happen to man. When you live in a world full of children, as most mother's know...it can be hard to connect to others, to yourself...to God. There is generally a HUGE absence of silence.

 It's pretty easy in a chaotic world full of sadness and demands to let it happen - to focus on education and physical fitness and healthy eating...but neglect the soul - it can be easy to do. 

Note :

*I was stage 2 of soul death. I have been at stage 8 and ,let me say, I've learned to recognize its signs early because stage 8 is not a place you want to live...ever. I think we all have different signs ... and you can only learn yours by being honest with your soul. Taking care of your soul can be a fluid process but sometimes it's abrupt and sharp and painful. Either way, soul care has to be done for sanity and most of all...security. Soul care has to be done for growth.*

  So there I was, on my bedroom floor, lavender scent flowing around me, me saying over and over to God "if anything is in me that is not of You, throw it out." I kept this mantra up until tears were flowing and dripping and I kept saying it "if anything is in me that is not of You, throw it out." I said this at least 50 times (this is how I often meditate.) I opened my eyes and as soon as the light hit them a voice said "be a missionary to those kids." 

It connected. I'm here, on this world right now, to love on these little beauties. I don't view "missionary" as "indoctrinating" my kids. Rather, to show them love as He is love through the quiet moments, through the hard moments, through the walks in the woods and the rolling down the hills and while baking chocolate cakes. To point my kids to Light, but for it to be in me. When my body needs to stop and be filled to say "Absolutely, I have grace for you." This is what I am. I'm a mom, I'm a wife, I'm a soul with an ever changing body and mind - I'm a human being. This is my field...my meadow.

Home 

Watching them stretch, watching them sip smoothies ... colors in the window.

Home

Soft pillows, lemon balm and peppermint, candles and music.

Home

Curry and Cake and Sweet Fruit, as much pasta as I want.

Home

Cool breezes, hawk soaring, squirrel playing, robin chirping

Home

Grace, mercy, kindness, patience, growing, being intentional

All of this, all of these... when I'm home.

My Faith and Veganism ... How They Intersect

I'm an answer seeker. Always have been. I do not take what you tell me for fact. I will listen to information...I will say things like "wow, really? Huh, I will look into that." Then, unlike about 90% of the population - I actually do. It doesn't matter what it is. I search. 

Now, I was raised very conservatively. I was raised in an environment that did not necessarily teach "look for yourself and figure out what you think is right." It was more like "this is what I'm teaching you, you need to accept it or be out of line with Christ." 

So, I tried my very best. I didn't always do as well as I thought I was doing because something about me tends to ruffle feathers. I now know that the word is "honesty." It's not stubbornness or rebelliousness, it's not being gullible or, my very favorite , nosey. It's more like "I have a mind that can be formed, I will choose which way it will go." 

I have always had a very sensitive conscience. I feel things deeply. I always stood up for the bullied classmate, sometimes I was the one being bullied. I had pet grasshoppers, lizards and ladybugs.

 I would talk to trees as a child because I knew that they wanted to listen. Maybe I was lonely ... I think it's because I knew they were alive.

 One time when I was about ten a friend came out to visit my family in the Sierra where I grew up. I remember going on a walk with her and my pellet gun and we saw a robin up in a tree. She shot it. I thought it was cool "Oh good shot!" We raced to the base of the tree and I'm horrified to say it - dissected it's body. I would like to take this moment to make it clear that neither she or I have every been diagnosed with a mental disorder...we didn't grow up and try to poison people or what not ... we were actually just curious about what it's heart and veins looks like. As soon as we cut through the bright red breast of that little creature I felt deep remorse. I looked at it's little lifeless face and knew that I had robbed the world of song. We fed it to the cat.

So, this brings me to the last five years and my food journey. I have always been fascinated with nutrition. At one point in time this fascination wasn't healthy ... I used it to do what most people do - to be thin. Now, there is no problem wanting to be trim. There is a problem wanting to be a size 2 when you are probably meant to be a 6. I'm happy to say though, that as I matured , and learned more about holistic healing and whole foods, how to have nice skin naturally, and most importantly - self love - my nutrition story has taken a huge turn. 

Goes like this :

There is cancer in my family. Quite a bit of cancer. There is also heart disease. One day when Trinity was just a little baby I was watching a Netflix documentary on the Gerson Therapy (an alternative treatment for cancer through nutrition) and a light bulb when off in my head. I learned about casein (the main protein in dairy) and the way it turns on tumors in mice. I learned about our bodies and our organs and what kind of foods are more suited for humans - I saw cancer being reversed in patients through a low fat vegan diet with the aid of colonics and other things. It fascinated me. 

About two years later I became vegetarian and my ONLY reason for doing so is because of health concerns. My obsession with being thin changed to being healthy. I wanted nice skin, I didn't want to worry about weight, I wanted to feel energized and glowing. I started achieving a lot of these goals just by giving up meat and eating more produce. I also changed what I cleaned my house with, what kind of make up I used - all in all, I became less toxic and started creating a cleaner environment for my littles.

I didn't stop seeking though. 

Fast forward.

I was vegetarian for a full four years. 

During this time I watched several documentaries - Food Inc., Vegucated, Forks Over Knives, Farmageddon ... yah, I'm always up for a good documentary. 

I was insanely appalled at what I saw happening to livestock, to the rainforest, to the oceans.  

Then I watched the documentary Earthling and my entire world changed.

I saw beautiful creatures that I knew had been created by God, shoved into cages, beaten with bats, I saw mama cows having their baby cows yanked away right after birth (veal don't ya know), I saw thousands and thousands of chickens being kept on top of each other in big dark chicken houses, no sunlight or fresh air at their disposal. I saw baby chicks being ground up alive for "feed." I saw cows being starved to death so that their skin would pull away and drape...so that people can have leather handbags. I watched this and a light came into my heart and said "This is not of God."

That's when that old "stick up for the bullied"  in me came back in a big way.

That's when the "this change in me is going to ruffle feathers" came back in a big way. 

This is when the part of Alyssa that she's proud of came back.

I don't do something just because everyone else says it's okay.

I follow Jesus. I know that His character is kind. I know that He is love. I know that God created life and that He loves what He creates. I know that abuse doesn't come from Him. 

Like it or not, when we buy lunch meat we are supporting abuse that is happening behind closed doors. When we buy eggs these days...even if they say cage free...all that means is that the chickens are kept in big houses, no air or sunlight, not enough room to walk,  and injected with hormones so they can have big plump breasts for you to throw on the grill this summer. 

It's not good. 

Dairy is the same. The way we get our milk...if we buy it at the store...is by cows being forcibly impregnated over and over and over again. They are literally milked to death by cold machines. They live a horrible existence. Most female milk cows die after 3 years. 

There is a quote that I come back to again and again.

"Do the best with what you know. When you know better, do better."

I know better. I'm not going to say "what's good for me is good for me and what's good for you is good for you." In this case I don't believe so. I don't think that neglect and abuse is ever okay. I know that life is precious - whether it be a wild daisy or an evergreen, a ladybug or a baby. Life is precious.

 I don't think it's right for people to get arrested for hitting a dog but then it's okay to pull off a piglet's testicles without anesthetic. We've made this huge separation  in our minds between "pets" and "livestock." The truth is, a pet kitty or a Dalmation are valued the same as a pig or a cow or a chicken to the one that created them. If you love what He loves then you show your love. 

This is where I searched for truth, I found truth...I have been enlightened. I will do better.

I thought it would be a hard step to take - going from vegetarian to vegan. Honestly, I would go back and forth in my brain "do I offend people or do what I feel like I'm suppose to do." I decided to go with the latter.If something goes against your conscience...as we tell our kids...don't change it to make others feel comfortable.
 I try my very best to never be rude about my choices - whether that be homeschooling or not vaccinating or letting my little boys have whatever hairstyle they want...to being vegan. I try to be kind and not treat people like they are beneath me just because they haven't chosen this for themselves.

But what about tradition? (insert here the song from Fiddler on the Roof.) Well, there have been a lot of bad traditions in the past ...slavery, genitalia mutilation, feet binding, Russian drinking games. Yes, tradition can be hard to break. If you grew up having pot roast on Sundays, or ham on Easter (which I always find rather ironic...Jesus was a Jew) then, yes, there will have to be change. Just because something is a tradition doesn't make it right , or, in any case...good.

 Yes, it does make family gatherings and going out with friends and stuff a little harder. I have to prepare mentally and usually take food to share. I also have to go down my little mental list of "why do you care what they think? Okay, good. Now...does it ACTUALLY matter what they think? Has this person been open to new ideas? Perfect. I'm not going to care. I'm going to be okay."

 Yes, people think that I'm insane and that I'm working for a dumb cause because the only thing valuable about an animal is his meat. Yes, people think that I'm giving up on joy ... because bright fruit and fresh veggies and plump fatty coconut and chewy dates bring no joy. Yes, I have no heartburn ever. Yes I have no acne anymore. Yes, I enjoy tons of carbs. I guess joy is up to the individual. 

 Yes, people think that I'm unhealthy. I will note here that most people that think I'm unhealthy, without judgment but just honesty...are not what I would classify as the "epitome of health" themselves. 

Yes, people are concerned for my kids and them getting their "needed" nutrients. I pay close attention to my children's health so it's one of those "it's okay that you think that" scenarios. I generally have to spend time going over those self questions in my mind for this one. I'm a little sensitive about my mothering - one of those confidence things i'm still working on. 

I love this lifestyle. I love knowing that I'm compassionate not just for the person or the animal in front of me...but for the ones behind closed doors...the ones across the ocean, the ones in the ocean. I love knowing that Jesus cares for the sparrow...He delights in its flight, in its sweet song that HE gave him ...  in its sharp wit - just as He delights in me. 

I love knowing that I care for the sparrow and that the reason I do, is because of Him.

 It's important ,for me , that my children see me making good choices not just for my body but also for this beautiful world that we've been gifted. Children see what we do ... whether it be giving five bucks to the homeless man on the curb or sending a box of jackets to the refugees we've never seen with our own eyes...or saying "no, I won't support cruelty" ... they see.

If you made it through...thanks for listening. I don't find a lot on the Internet about Christians and Veganism...so I wanted to be a small voice in a big space. 

~Alyssa Spring

 Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing. - 1 Peter 3:8-9 The Message

P.S. This post was not written to be controversial...rather to share my own light. I won't publish any comments that are unkind. Please know that I have read extensively about the Whole Food Diet, Raw milk and all of it's wonders (use to get my own from a local dairy)  Paleo diet...cultured yogurt (use to make it myself along with my own cream cheese.) Like I said before...I'm a nut. I seek. Also, I would rather not hear about your baby goats on a farm that you named Jack and Jill and then slaughtered in the spring to have "good" fresh meat. I'm glad though that your animals were happy for a time. If you feel like your body needs flesh to survive, I understand that thinking...I was also there.

The Playhouse and an Arrow

The kids playhouse took a teeny bit more work then expected. It's still not completely done - there are laminate floors to add (yes, you read that right...pennies for a box so why not?), a climbing wall for Zac to assemble, and also some monkey bars to hang. 

My poor husband was going to just build a platform with a slide...but then there was me and my "oooh, I know just the thing! How about a swinging bridge made out of pallet wood and old fire hose!" 

So he built it. it took him 8-9 hours. 

Then there was me "ooooooo, i know just the thing! How about a little house with a window...and shutters, and a window box with flowers?!" 

So he built it.

 Then there was me "Oh, we could hang curtains over that little space and it will be a reading nook (or in our case - a device playing cave) " - and this time I "built" it because he was gone. Yes indeed, he slaved away for two straight days making my dreams come true...and a sensory space was born. It's only fair. I had four kids...he can push out one play room. 

(love you baby....)

For the little reading nook I just reused an old Ikea curtain - lucky for me all of their curtains are like 10 yards long. Tristan loves to go under there and just be close to the ground. The bridge is my favorite part so far - he did such an amazing job and I love the use of the fire hose - he even used it for a little handle when the kids are coming up the ladder. 

Zac found all of the padded flooring on Craigslist - a gym was moving so we took advantage. Hopefully it will save some skulls, or some knees, or what have you. We also have some rings for them to hang on and I found that little trampoline at the thrift store so they can bounce as much as possible - let's hope it keeps them off my couch. We still have to paint the legs of the little platforms and also maybe the old ladder...we need a set of stairs on the far side for the house. All in all, the kids are very happy with it, I'm very happy with it, and Zac is happy to almost be done - depending on what his wife finds on Pintrest in the near future. 

Spring has been here the past few days. I bought these lovely little felt flowers at Hobby Lobby - I love that blue and how life -like they are. Daisies and peonies are my favorite flowers, so cheery and whimsical and friendly. I'm not a plastic flower lover by any means, and the weather is still too cold to have fresh flowers - so these felt ones are just the ticket.

 On that note, this just in...there's a cold snap coming in on Thursday so my felt choice was , indeed , a good one.

If the man's playhouse wasn't enough, today he has gone arrow making happy. Zac came upon several PVC pipe bows at Goodwill, a different color for each child. He and the kids spent the last two days combing the yard for that one "perfect" stick to use as an arrow. The ones they found worked pretty well but Zac told the boys he would go to the store and look for some little plastic ones. That's when my ears perked up.

 Well, story goes (you'll never guess) that I said "oh, I bet on Pintrest there is a DIY arrow tutorial" and low and behold...what do you know...there was!

Zac said he didn't need a tutorial...

I think he's fed up with Pintrest.

It's like the If You Give a Mouse a Cookie conspiracy 

"If you give your wife an idea, chances are...she'll need a pin to go with it"

and so on and so forth.

So, as men do...without directions...he created some little arrows for our kids. He started with some thin dowel rods and cut them in half. Then he made a little notch at the end so that it could "grab" the string. He put strips of duct tape ( of course - this is a MAN we're talking about) around that end to keep the dowel from splitting. He cut feathers right down the middle and glued them to the ends - pretty perfect. I would like to add here ... if you know a man that as a child loved to play with bow and arrows, pretend he was a hunter, or some type of "scout" ...the Hobby Lobby feather and leather section is a perfect place to take him. I mean, the man's face lit up like a headlight in fog and I almost detected a slight twitch. 

The kids got dressed for the occasion. 

Then, with 40 mph wind gusts at their backs, they took on target practice. Look at my sweet little man. Tristan is definitely our "outdoor" boy. The other day we were talking to Brady about camping and he's not very interested in the concept. He thinks the time will be dirty and boring ... to put it in a nutshell (I take this moment to remind all of my readers that our three boys have autism spectrum disorder ... because I think he's probably the only kid I've ever heard of that doesn't want to camp...and I don't want to view him in a negative light. However, if you also don't like camping, then that's perfectly normal and understandable. In his case, I don't think it's understandable but try to understand....) 

I forgot what I was saying.

Oh yes, so Brady doesn't want to go camping so Zac says to me "Fine, me and my little buddy Tristan will just go camping alone " completely forgetting that there are still three other family members that want to join - despite Brady's aversion to all things "nature."

Let me tell you something about these arrows - they work. Zac had a very long safety lesson with the kids but I think we may also get some little rubber tips for them. 

After Trinity's arrow went through the box target 3 different times Zac says "well Alyssa, if you weren't vegan we could have rabbit stew probably several times a week."

First of all, who wants rabbit anything several times a week? 

Second of all, I've been fattening up my little bunny friend daily on strawberry tops and apple cores and the hearts of lettuce just because I'm glad it's okay for him to be fat - not for stew. 

Happy Monday sweet friends.

“We have such a brief opportunity to pass on to our children our love for this Earth, and to tell our stories. These are the moments when the world is made whole. In my children's memories, the adventures we've had together in nature will always exist.” 
― Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder

Favorites on Friday ... and the Little Boy's Room

“As for you girls, you must risk everything for Freedom, and give everything for Passion, loving everything that your hearts and your bodies love. The only thing higher for a girl and more sacred for a young woman than her freedom and her passion should be her desire to make her life into poetry, surrendering everything she has to create a life as beautiful as the dreams that dance in her imagination.” 
― Roman Payne

Before you wonder why there are men's feet in girl pants, let me assure you there is nothing kinky going on here -  those are my very own strong and steady feet. They ran four miles yesterday, they are pretty amazing at holding a tree pose...and they are white and long and crooked. I'm learning to love my feet. The yoga mat, not to play second fiddle...is well loved . Who wouldn't want to work out with purple? Purple is becoming very close to me ... my 4 year old roots are stretching their little veins deeper into my soul and whispering "remember who you once were? You're still her."

Papaya pearls. It's a shame you can't eat them. They are so rich and translucent and plump and I just want to string them around my neck. For fear of decay ... and smelling like rotten fruit... I won't. 

~sniff~

Seems like such a waste.

But the taste of a ripe papaya - heaven. I use to hate it...just proves that if we give something a chance, long enough, we can form a serious attachment and appreciation. Look at that orange color...

Also , heaven help me that I've never had a vegan loaded baked potato _ till now. Goes something complicated like this :

Bake a potatoe - load it with vegan black bean chili, sprinkle with nutritional yeast and heap it high with fresh made guacamole. Toss on some olives and scoop into your mouth with romaine leaves. Delightful. Tis' one of my new favorite meals. 

Simple goodness and budget friendly.

I'm loving the green mountains in  my boy's room. I haven't "revealed" their bedroom because honestly, there isn't a ton to reveal. It's cute space but I spent basically zero dollars on it, there's isn't much new ... just simple and calm and easy to clean for my littlest men. 

I had some green paint leftover so I made a little mountain mural behind their beds (the beds we found at habitat for humanity) and then I also put up a tree decal and some star stickers on the ceiling - they love falling asleep under twinkling lights. The shelf was made for Brady's baby room 10 years ago by my sweet Miss Lori ... I still haven't put anything on it (what you see is just things I propped so they wouldn't be underfoot for now.) I guess I'm waiting for that perfect something to come along.

Zac found these nice cabinets on Craigslist. They are pretty hefty and this is just ONE of the set - he got both sets for 25 dollars (I'm using the other piece in the basement for storage.) Story goes : they belonged to a nun that was a seamstress that had even sewn things for the pope. I told Zac that I guess we have blessed shelves for sure. The curtains are from Target - I'm in love with Navy right now. 

I found this chief at the antique mall and was instantly attracted to his colors and the insane amount of stitch work the artist put forth - holy crap ... that is dedication to a project. I believe when I saw him my words were "I'm getting that." 

I kept the boy's bedding simple - just white bedspreads and these Mexican blankets that I love. Pretty easy to come by too if you look in thrift stores long enough. 

That's about all that's in their bedroom - like I said ... simple does it. The more there is the more to clean and I'm learning that even though I come up with creative decorating ideas and always wanted to be all Montessori and wood toy everything - what the boys like the most are little characters like minions and spider man and crazy light up gadgets. I'm rolling with it.

Back to favorites...

I'm loving my little bunny friend that comes to visit every morning and HE's loving that I'm a juicer and a fruit eating fanatic. Every dawn he's greeted with bits of lettuce and apple cores and carrots tops - good eatin' around here. I'm always hoping to find a mini rabbit restaurant set up in the morning but I guess he's keeping the goods for himself. He may be stingy but I love him.

These two kids and impromptu Oscar parties. 

~ blue dresses

~ eyeliner beards

~ Tangerine Italian soda

~ attitude

They kill me.

Their creativity and love for dress up is most definitely one of my on going favorite things.

~ dressing room selfies

~ posing

~ embarrassing my daughter 

~ wide eyes

~ silly faces

Currently I'm going through a "I can't believe how old my daughter is getting" and "she's going to leave me someday" phase. Then I stop, try to breathe, and just enjoy today instead of worrying and being sad about the inevitable.

 I'm trying. 

I love her big beautiful eyes and thick mane of hair. 

Also I'm loving my new bedroom curtains - very boho and the material is so soft and silky I almost want to cut them up into strips and mummify my body. BUT, after four weeks of an online search for a perfect (and marked down) pair of curtains I thought better of taking scissors to them. I'm learning that clearance at Urban Outfitters is a pretty serious game - not for the weak of heart. 

They're sheer enough to share light, yet dark enough paired with blinds to allow a good night sleep. I love them. 

Last but not least ... I'm enjoying my desk nook. Zac found this piece of butcher block for five dollars and we already had the casters - it was a perfect fit for the space ... he didn't have to make even one cut. I hung some photos and re used my little lamp and I think it will be a good place to write or send the kids to for home school. 

It's all coming together a little at a time. 

I love making my space lovely.

What were some of your favorite things/people this past week? 

~Alyssa Spring~