O Christmas Tree

For the first time in my 31 years on Earth, I am the proud owner of real live Christmas tree!  We picked it out as a family and Averie and Austin Kate made fun of how excited I was about it.  We told the guy at the tree farm that we needed one that was about 7.5 feet tall.  He told us any of the ones tagged with yellow were about that height, so we picked out a yellow tagged tree that is the prettiest, happiest tree in the whole world.  Turns out, though, that it's about 9.5 feet tall. So we had to move it into the living room with the higher ceilings.  It's a perfect fit, and a perfect first "real" tree for us.

Welcome

Welcome to Sweet Mercy, our new bloggie home!

Many of you read our first blog, Blessed Believing and Blogging Browns for years.  We started that blog back in 2006 when we had two little girls and began our adventure to seminary.  More than five years later, we decided it was time for a new blog, but first a sabbatical.  I have chronicled our family's life online nearly every day for years and because of our absolutely crazy busy summer schedule and my creative burnout, I took several months off and it was glorious.  I loved being able to live in the moment without having my camera attached to my side all the time, and it was liberating to not feel guilty when several days went by without me blogging. As freeing as it was, I missed it even more.  We live away from all of our family and many of our friends and it broke my heart when Atalie would do something especially cute or Austin Kate would say something especially funny or Averie would look especially grown up and I couldn't share it with all of you.  So, I'm back and ready keep you up to date with our usually very happy and always very full lives.

Why "Sweet Mercy"?

If you have spent much time with me in the real world, you know this is a phrase I say a lot.  I say it when my kids are unusually cute or unusually rambunctious.  I say it when I slam my finger in the car door and when something great is on sale at anthropologie.

It's my go-to expression, but it's also my testimony.  It's God's Sweet Mercy and Amazing Grace that saves sinners and rescues the hopeless.

Sweet Mercy in my lifesong.