SUNDAY COFFEE LETTERS: August 16th (#19) (Patreon)

Dear Patrons,

Welcome to another Sunday Coffee Letter with the one and only Alanna!

FIRST OF ALL—hello! It is me, and I am super excited to be writing this Sunday Coffee Letter for you and giving you a little update on what our week has looked like.

On Saturday, I started the morning by getting the house cleaned up, the kids ready, and heading out to the Saturday Market. We picked up a TON of strawberries, along with some green onions and lettuce, and when we got home, I made chocolate-covered strawberries as well as a strawberry-blueberry crisp.

And let me tell you… that crisp turned out SO GOOD that Kyle may or may not have eaten half of it in the middle of the night.

I HAVE MADE FOUR CRISPS IN THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS.

I think I have been making so many crisps because they are easy, they are one of the few things I can basically make from memory, and—most importantly—they taste SO GOOD.

I am currently on the lookout for some rhubarb, though, and it has been surprisingly difficult to find. It is actually kind of funny because I remember when I was a kid, we could find rhubarb absolutely everywhere. On street corners, in gardens everywhere! You could practically knock on someone's door and ask, and you would receive!

And now?

Rhubarb has disappeared into the ether.

It has become some kind of ancient, mythical food that apparently no longer exists.

When I eventually find some, though, I am absolutely going to make another strawberry-rhubarb crisp—or maybe a pie—and it is going to be DELICIOUS.

Earlier this week, we didn't get into anything overly exciting. Last week was Kyle's birthday, and next week is Isaac's birthday, so this week was kind of our little middle-ground period between celebrations.

Kyle had a doctor's appointment for his hemorrhoid, and hopefully this visit will mean some positive progress moving forward.

Then, on Thursday, we had Oliver's soccer practice, and the whole family went!

Oliver tried SO HARD because Daddy was there cheering him on the entire time. However, when Kyle and I tried to switch off so that I could watch Oliver while he took care of Isaac…

Well.

Oliver was NOT happy and immediately wanted to stop playing.

So, apparently, we have discovered that Oliver will only play soccer if his dad is watching—or, preferably, coaching—him.

Honestly, though, it was really sweet watching him try so hard because Daddy was there. Those little moments are the ones I know I am going to miss someday.

Something else that has been happening this past week is that I've been taking on more of the business side of the YouTube channel. Some of you who are free members may have received a message from me this week where I reached out just to say hello.

There are SO MANY OF YOU, and I am genuinely looking forward to getting to know more of you and reaching out to everyone over time.

It has been really exciting stepping into this side of things and getting more involved behind the scenes.

And Now For Today…Sunday!

Today was honestly such a good day.

I woke up early this morning to Oliver quietly playing with his Dominoes beside my bed. It was honestly one of the cutest things to wake up to. He was playing as quietly as he possibly could, almost like he was trying to make sure he didn't disturb us.

As soon as I woke up, he helped me put everything away, and we headed out into the living room where we were greeted by Isaac.

Because we were up so early, I had plenty of time to get the boys ready, clean up the house, and get everything together before we started our drive to Duncan, which is about an hour away, to visit my grandparents.

Avery, Oliver, and Isaac all came with me to church, and we got to spend the day with my grandparents.

My grandma still hasn't been doing very well. Last month, her sciatica started acting up, and she has been dealing with a lot of pain ever since.

When we got back to my grandma's house today, the prayer team was there waiting to pray over her and pray for her healing.

It was truly beautiful.

There is something incredibly special about watching people come together simply because they care about someone and want to see them feel better.

After that, we headed to the park, where the boys got to run around and burn off a TON of energy.

I also got to see my mom, which was really nice, and Oliver even got to ride the pastor's motorbike!

So, all in all, it was a fantastic day.

And honestly?

It was the perfect way to end a fantastic week.

Until the next coffee letter, friends.

Peace & Love

Alanna