Lately...

I feel as though the past two and a half weeks have been one big blur.  I really can only remember bits and pieces from them, some of them completely wonderful and others that make me so sad.

A couple of Mondays ago, I found out that my sweet Grandma had unexpectedly passed away.  I still can't wrap my head around all of the details and almost don't believe it.  I won't go into much detail but I will say this:  I am thankful for God's gift of salvation.  I'm thankful that my Grandma won't be lonely anymore and that she is in heaven with many loved ones, especially my Grandpa and niece.  God is good.

My little family and I gathered in Michigan for her funeral and saw many family members and friends we hadn't seen for years.  I was happy to see my sister and her sweet family from Nebraska.  Jason finally got to see the town where I was born, my grandparents' old house, and other places that meant so much to me growing up.  I hope that someday we can go back.

   While we were there, I found this note in a box where my Grams kept all of her love notes from my Grandpa.  I only read one, but oh how I cherish it.  It is so simple, so sweet, and so like my Grandpa.  I love her for keeping it.  I miss them so.

In other news, my sweet baby sister Amelia and her husband bought a house, just a few blocks away from ours!  They are expecting a baby boy almost any day now and I am giddy at the thought of them being so close.  Their house is adorable, just like them.  I can't wait to see how they make it theirs over the next few months.  Henry and Oliver are convinced that they will be able to ride their bikes over whenever their little hearts desire to.

This has been a lovely fall and we've been taking in the beautiful weather and colors while we can.  God's creation is good, isn't it?

The boys miss camping and being in the canoe, so some pretending in the backyard was in order.

Finally, I've been feeling excited, overwhelmed, and nervous about this little blog being featured on two of my favorite blogs in the past week.  What an honor!  In case you're interested, you can see the features here, here, and here.  Thanks so much Kate and Lucy!

I am thankful that tomorrow is Friday.  The weather is supposed to be chilly this weekend and I can't wait.  Here's to a pot of warm soup, some crusty bread, and snuggles with my boys.

Happy weekend to you!

All photos taken with my iPhone.  You can follow on Instagram @Lizettejustsolovely, if you like!