Happy Friday, friends! I hope you've had a great week; mine has been very full, very busy, and really good. I have nothing to complain about! I'm grateful for the things that have kept me busy this week and look forward to the weekend and even next week. I have some favorites from this week that I'll jump in with! Here goes...
around the house:
I was given all these favorite things that you see hanging in the pictures above. The sign is from my friend Kristy several years ago and has recently come to mean a lot to me. I also love the elephant my friend Andrea gave me last year, and I love what it means; regarding friendship it means loyalty, strength, and resilience.
Having my things easily accessible is a favorite; I have two tables by my chair. The table to my left that you see pictured above has the things I might need at any given moment: a book I'm reading, my favorite coaster that a friend gave me years ago, and a little gold picture frame with one of my favorite passages of Scripture written out. The one on my right is pictured below.
I love this little spinning container that I keep all the necessities in: lotion, glasses, pens, the remote, and there's an empty spot left open for my phone. I found this little container at Home Goods several years ago, along with the table that it sits on before that. The top is what you see pictured, but I love that it has a shelf underneath as well; I've got some books that I read there sitting on it along with a small Bible.
This wall is my favorite; I did this last weekend when I was snowed in. Out of the things you see, the copper piece is my favorite. There used to be a desk on this wall; before Thanksgiving, Jonah and I moved that desk to another spot, and it freed up this wall. Even though it bothered me right away, once the Christmas tree was there, I didn't pay it any attention. Once the tree was gone, it was obvious that the wall needed something. I had these things hanging in other places throughout my home, so I just repurposed them to this space. That's one of my favorite things to do!
podcasts and quiet time:
This podcast is one of my favorites; I listened to two of the episodes this week and will resume today since I have the day off. I don't always listen to podcasts, but when I do, I want this one or one that makes me laugh (like The Big Boo Cast).
Who knew Job would be my favorite place to read right now? I got so much out of my quiet time while I was reading this Old Testament book in the Bible.
around town:
I have a thing for churches with steeples! The one with the red door is in my town just off the square. The other one was one that I passed on my way home one night this week. It looked so beautiful against the snowy grass and the dark blue sky that I had to stop for a picture.
outfits & colors:
Color is my favorite right now!
sunsets:
I love the one right above this, but that one is from last year; the first one was as I was walking into church Wednesday night.
food:
I visited my favorite food truck this week; it's the first time I've been since May of last year! I can't believe it's been that long, but it reminds me of something I'd rather forget, so you can see why I waited. I started thinking about it last week, though, and I had to go.
What was something that was a favorite for you this week? I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for reading my blog today, friends. Love to all!
Happy bonus blog post day! I have to share a Thankful Thursday post each week, because it's my favorite post that I write. I love looking for the little things each day that bring joy to my heart and a smile to my face. It's impossible to be in a bad mood when you're practicing gratitude regularly! Do you do this? I'll jump in with my list.
This week I'm thankful for:
the Word of God (I loved reading the book of Job this year and got something so great out of it almost everyda)
the characteristics of God that stood out to me in my Bible reading this week: His patience, kindness, goodness, sovereignty, His friendship
my mom; she is my biggest supporter and cheerleader
a phone conversation with my MIL that I had Friday night; we talked for almost two hours and it's the first time in months that we've spoken
the peace of God
the fact that my sons send me pictures/videos of what they're doing (I'm talking about Graham and Noah here)
talking to Drew this week and looking forward to seeing him on Sunday
Jonah and our long talks that we have almost everyday
a great week at work
church on Sunday after a weekend of being snowed in at home
my Pastor and his godly wisdom/advice (his sermons have been so good the last few weeks)
worship music
podcasts that I've loved this week (Revive Our Hearts and That Sounds Fun)
laughter
lots of plans and things to be excited about
great books and a show that I love on Netflix
my sisters (I've talked to them all in the last five days and I love them all immensely)
that today is the birthday of my great nieces, Kinsley and Kylie (I'm not sure how they're already eight???)
What are you thankful for this week? I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for reading my blog today, friends. I shared another post earlier that's below this one if you want to read it: here's a link. Love to all!
Happy Thursday, friends! Thanks for joining us for this month's link-party; the theme for January is "winter blues". As much as I love the color blue, I don't have a lot of it, and I had to dig for these pictures. Here are a few ways I wear this color.
My mom gave me this sweater for my birthday or Christmas two years ago; I love its turquoise color! If I had to pick a favorite shade of blue, it'd either be turquoise or periwinkle.
...and here's the periwinkle color that I love. I have worn this sweatshirt a hundred times since the fall; I love what it says.
I love to wear blue or purple on my nails, too! This is the only time of year I wear this color polish.
I wore this sweater on Monday when I went out to run errands, but this picture was taken last year before I was snowed in for a week. I also love the necklace that you see; my sister Debi bought me this years ago while I was in Colorado visiting them. It reminds me of clouds, and one of my favorite Bible verses:
For Your faithful love is higher than the heavens, and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds (Psalm 108:4).
This is the dress I wore to Dad's funeral in July; I wore blue to honor him, because it was his favorite color. To be honest, that's probably why it's my favorite color as well.
I also sometimes wear blue by wearing denim. This was when I first started working at my church; I had to get my picture professionally made for the staff page on our church website.
How do you wear blue? Do you have a favorite shade? I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for reading my blog today, friends. Love to all!
Happy Wednesday, friends! I'm linking up with Joyce for today's weekly Hodgepodge post. Before I jump in, I want to thank you for your honest thoughts and opinion on yesterday's post. A few of you mentioned how you don't love the words "happiness" or "self-care"; and honestly, I agree with you. I do think that with my own spin on the book that I will enjoy being more intentional in how I treat people this year; it also makes me think about how I want to be treated in turn. I have no room in my life for meanness.
I love that we can be the kind of friends here that we can disagree and still be kind and compassionate to each other. This really is the best community! I always welcome honest thoughts and opinions here, as long as they're written in kindness. I do not welcome what happened in the comments of Saturday's post, but I'm ignoring the comments and leaving them up for all to see. True colors really do come shining through, and one person in particular got very out of hand. I'm sad that it happened and that you had to see it, but now you have a little insight as to what life is like for me currently. Several of you jumped in to rescue me; thank you! I appreciate that you stood up for me, especially since I'm ignoring the comments. I will remember the advice of my Pastor and choose to rise above the situation, taking the high road.
Anyway, enough about all of that. Here are my answers for Joyce's wonderful Hodgepodge questions.
1. It's been said that January is the month of opportunity, inspiration, and change. Which of the three do you need most right now? Elaborate. I am always in need of inspiration, whether for motivational purposes in cleaning/organizing, decorating in my home, or getting ideas for blog content.
2. Do you consider opportunity as something that comes to you or something you create for yourself? I believe that opportunity is something that comes to us. Did I ever tell you how I got my job? In May of 2023 my temporary job at a local elementary school ended; in June my friend called me one day and asked me if I would be interested in working at my church—there was a position opening up as an assistant to two staff people: the women's ministry leader and the pastor that leads the senior adults. I told her that I would love to work at the church, but that at that time I couldn't do full-time work because of my aging dad. I wasn't willing to give up my Fridays with him yet, and I'm glad I made that decision. I thanked them for thinking of me for the job, then I told them if anything ever opened up that was part-time, to keep me in mind. A few weeks later, I was offered the job I have today, as the bookstore manager of Cornerstone Books & Cafe that sits inside of my church.
I love my cozy little home away from home!
Taking this job meant that I could no longer sing in choir on Sundays, because even though I close before the service, I can't usually make it into the sanctuary until five to ten minutes after it started. I do miss singing now, even though I didn't for a long time. God knew that I needed this job one year before my life drastically changed; and through my job, I've learned how to take care of finances. That's something I never did in my marriage, so I'm thankful that I've learned that from working. God is truly sovereign over my days!
Here's a song I sang with the choir on a fall Sunday in 2022; the song is called Still I Will Praise Your Name. I still think about and sing this song when the words come to mind! It was a little prophetic of how my life would go in the days that followed. I hope you enjoy this!
3. The British Museum opened on this date back in 1759. Do you like visiting museums? Do you have a favorite? I haven't visited a museum in several years; I haven't really thought much about how I feel about them! I think I would enjoy one now more than ever before; as I read this, I remembered how a friend told me about a local museum here that's free on Saturdays. I'd like to do that soon! It's an art museum, and while I'd probably prefer something a little more exciting, I think it's important to embrace cultural arts.
On a side note, when I was a senior in high school, my senior trip was to Washington D.C. One of the places we visited was the FBI museum; it was the most fascinating thing I'd ever seen at that time in my life, maybe even still. One thing I remember is seeing the death mask of Al Capone. My son Drew went through a time in elementary school when he was fascinated with Al Capone; when I told him I'd seen his death mask, he flipped out and thought it was the coolest thing ever. FYI, there is no longer an FBI museum in D.C. The building may be there, but after 9/11, it was closed to the public. I'd love to visit the Smithsonian museums, and The Holocaust Museum.
4. It's National Oatmeal Month (yes, a month and not just a day). Do you like oatmeal? How often do you eat a bowl of oatmeal? What about an oatmeal cookie? Is that a sweet treat you enjoy? I love oatmeal and eat it pretty regularly. I would say that at least two mornings a week, this is what I do for breakfast or lunch. I love the brown sugar and maple flavor the best. I also love oatmeal cookies, both with and without raisins. Do you agree or disagree with me on this?
5. What's something useful you learned in high school? The thing that comes to mind when I think about how I want to answer this was something both Mom and Dad taught me: the importance of clearly communicating. I struggled all throughout school with math and science, but particularly with math. They told me to tell my teachers what I needed from them to help me succeed; while that may sound pretty out there, here's what they meant. They told me to be up front with them when I was struggling and to ask for help. I was terrible at math, and even when I studied, I still failed most of the tests. Knowing what I know now, it was because of dyslexia. I've never been officially diagnosed, but I read numbers backwards all the time.
Anyway, after I got their advice, I went to my geometry teacher within the first week of school, and she was more than happy to give me the extra help I needed during her off period. It didn't take up too much of her time, but it gave me the confidence I needed to do well in her class that year. That was the only year I ever aced math! (My favorite subjects were English, Literature, Choir, Etymology, and History.)
6. Insert your own random thought here.
I'll leave you with the current song I have on repeat; this is He Will Keep You by Sovereign Grace.
Thanks for reading my blog today, friends. Love to all!
Happy Tuesday, friends! A couple of weeks ago, Amy talked about this book that she was going to read this year and make it into her own version.
I immediately bought the book to join her in this, I loved the idea so much. Here's what the back of the book says:
Gretchen Rubin had an epiphany one rainy afternoon in the unlikeliest of places: a city bus. "The days are long, but the years are short," she realized. "Time is passing, and I'm not focusing enough on the things that really matter." In that moment, she decided to dedicate a year to her happiness project.
In this lively and compelling account, Rubin chronicles her adventures during the twelve months she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research, and lessons from pop culture about how to be happier. Among other things, she found that novelty and challenge are powerful sources of happiness; that money can help buy happiness, when spent wisely; that outer order contributes to inner calm; and that the very smallest of changes can make the biggest difference.
I don't necessarily agree with all of what the above says, but I am finding it to be an interesting book that is inspiring me to make some changes, no matter how small they may be. In reading the "getting started" portion of the book, I made some rules for myself in the coming year and thought I'd share them here today. Here they are:
These aren't all that different from how I am now, but some of them are. I am considering them rules and guidelines for how I want to be treated, and for how I want to treat others. I think they're good reminders for me now, considering the life I am living out.
1. Be myself unapologetically.
2. Love Jesus and others wholeheartedly.
3. Be kind at all times.
4. Rise above!
5. Forgive freely.
6. Let. It. Go!
7. If I want to, just do it!
8. Be humble.
9. Work hard!
10. Enjoy every moment.
11. Be present!
12. Give everything my best.
The last one reminds me of a Bible verse that I love:
And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3:17
I think that with the help of the Lord, these are great things for me to focus on this year to have the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. If you could name one or two things in your life that would contribute to your inner peace (or happiness), what would it or they be? I would love to hear your answers! I'll be checking in occasionally with more thoughts from this book.
Thanks for reading my blog today, friends. Love to all!
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