The Beautiful Life

Project 52–Week 35

My boys making breakfast in the kitchen this morning. They made French Toast.

Making Room

As we’ve been cutting back and learning to live on less, I’ve been expecting it to be hard. And sometimes it is. I can’t just go out and buy anything I want anymore. I have to say “no.” I was prepared for that. What I wasn’t prepared for were the ways that God would continually surprise me by stepping in and giving me whatever I had thought I was going to have to do without. I thought I was just putting our family on a budget, but what I was really doing was making room for God to move in my life and for me to be humble enough to see it happen. In this living without, I am learning that God is more than enough. In the big, scary, life-changing moments, He is more than enough. In the day to day struggles, He is more than enough. In good times and bad, in sickness and in health, until He returns or calls me home. How He loves me.

Project 52–Week 34

Not So Fast

I grew up in a little white farmhouse in the country, where it took 30 minutes to get to the grocery store but 30 seconds to get to the backyard garden. Where swimming pools were a once-a-year treat, but creeks and ponds were every day. Looking back, life was blissfully slow. Although I didn’t always appreciate it then, I am really grateful now. In the midst of driving all over town for ballet lessons, worship meetings, prayer meetings, grocery shopping, playdates, etc., sometimes I just want to go squish my toes in some mud and lay down in the grass and watch the clouds.

The pace of life can get out of hand sometimes and it can be hard to say “no,” especially when those things are good. But over the last couple of years, I’ve started saying “no,” and in the saying “no” to the things that make me feel frazzled and busy, I’ve found time to say “yes” to the things that refresh and renew. I can say “yes” to a prayer time early in the morning. I can say “yes” to a rainy morning of stories and games and giggles. I can say “yes” to taking a long walk with my husband on our date night. I can say “yes” to a friend who unexpectedly drops by. I’m learning to slow down and listen, to connect and re-connect, to breathe, to wonder, to live.

Interested in learning how to live the slow life? I’m giving away a copy of Ann Kroeker’s new book, Not So Fast. Comment here or on Facebook to be entered to win (US residents only, please). Don’t forget to check out her companion site, Not So Fast, for more tips and articles, and you read my previous posts on slowing down here.

*Photos from my grandparents’ (now dad’s) farm, where I spent many slow summer afternoons.

Meet Edward

Even though he knew he didn’t have long on this earth, he found great comfort in making people laugh with his “pear” impersonation.

Have you played with your food today?

The Lost Art of Letter Writing

I’ve been inspired by this post to take up letter writing with my sister. It’s perfect for us, because we both have a love for old fashioned things and she hates writing emails on her cute, but tiny new iPhone. I also don’t have long distance right now on my phone, so it makes calling her expensive.

My first note from her came a few days ago and I felt like a kid again getting that letter. There’s something exciting about a hand addressed envelope with your name on it. I also love that with letter writing, nothing can be hurried. It causes you to pause and think over your thoughts before putting them to paper. I think we all need that sometimes.

I guess the point of this post is to invite you all to take up your pens again and write. It can be a simple note, or several pages long. It can be a letter to your mother, your best friend from elementary school, your spouse, your sister. You will make their day, and when you get that first note back, it will make yours, too.

The Beautiful Life

We are in a season of transition around here in so many ways. I’m more encouraged than I have been in a long time, but it can also be overwhelming for someone who is most comfortable when things are the same. I am needing to be reminded of the gifts He gives me every day, the small tokens of love that I so often overlook. I have a feeling this blog is where I’m going to be coming when I need a breath of fresh air, a place to display the gifts and glorify the Giver. In the sticky fingerprints on backdoor windowpanes, there is beauty. In the pile of muddy boots on the deck, there is beauty. In the crumbs on my bed from little ones, eager to be with Mama first thing in the morning, there is beauty. Everywhere there is hidden beauty, waiting to be discovered, if only I can have eyes to see it. God is so good.

“Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God’s handwriting.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson

Some related posts:
Ugly-Beautiful
Ann’s Endless Gifts

More than enough…

We’ve been cutting way back on our grocery budget because I’ve been doing a lot of home improvement projects, trying to get our house ready to sell. It’s been an interesting challenge to feed our family of five on 1/3 of our normal budget without resorting to buying junk. This weekend, as I was working out my plan of attack for the store, I added only apples and bananas to the list. We just couldn’t buy anything else, even though I really wanted something more. So I prayed. Just a quick little, “God, I’d love for one of our neighbors to give us some fruit” kind of prayers. We live in town and I didn’t really think anyone would have fruit to give away. Really, I have no idea why I prayed that. I just did.

Today, when I walked through the produce department, I looked over at the pears, trying to figure out a way to squeeze in a couple without going over budget, but I quickly realized it was just not going to happen. So I left without them. Fast forward to this afternoon. My kids walk in with a huge bag of…NINETEEN PEARS! It turns out that our neighbor at the end of the street has a pear tree and had more than they could eat. So she gave them to us. I have no idea how we are going to eat so many. God is really the God of more than enough, and tonight I’m feeling so blessed.

Project 52 Catch Up

I’ve been taking photos for Project 52 all summer, but I haven’t been in the mood to post (obviously). So here we go…

Week 29

We dogsat two sweet little Shih Tzus for 8 days. The kids loved them and I got lots of exercise walking them every day. LOL

Week 30

I ended up with crazy amounts of zucchini from our CSA and my friend Carly. So I made a huge batch of yummy chocolate zucchini cupcakes, iced with chocolate ganache of course. They ended up making their way to the dessert table at an African wedding at our church.

Week 31

We finished up the summer reading program at our library with a fun evening of face painting, t-shirt decorating and clay pot making. Good times. And I think this photo should be on our Christmas card. LOL

Week 32

My little girl turned seven this week. We celebrated with a girly party with 12 of her closest friends. We did manicures, put cucumbers on our eyes and stayed up way too late eating popcorn and giggling over High School Musical. And of course, no party is complete without chocolate cupcakes frosted with fluffy whipped cream and topped off with a Hannah Montana candy guitar.

Week 33

This week, I finished painting our basement (a month long project, no kidding) and painted our dining room table and chairs. Needless to say, the kids had to find their own entertainment. Leftover party balloons + black permanent marker + cool hat = new playmate that doesn’t talk back. LOL