Favorite books of 2020.

  I love reading and talking about favorite books and and finding new favorites and hanging out at library. I'm fully aware of how un-cool that makes me😂. But it's true! And I'm trying to find ways to let the light in this year, right? Reading is definitely a bright spot. I keep a running list on my phone of all the books I read so I can dole out recommendations to people whenever they ask (truly, I LOVE giving out book suggestions!).  I've been in a bit of a reading rut since the New Year, so I'm on the hunt for any and all recommendations (except non-fiction. No thank you!). Let me know if you have any favorites! 

  But anyways. While I'm not currently reading anything good, I read a ton of great books last year. I was texting my bff a list of my favorites the other day and I wanted to leave them here, too. I geek out about giving people book recommendations! So in case you happen to need a good book to read, here are my 12 favorite reads from last year (In no particular order)...

The Only Woman In the Room: I found this book off our local library's book club list and had zero expectations before reading it. So good! It is based on a true story and just a fascinating read about a women who had a huge impact on history!

The Tattooist of Auschwitz: A friend told me about this and I am so glad I picked it up! Based on a true story and a book a couldn't put down.

The Last Mrs. Parrish: This caught my eye at Target before we went on vacation last winter and it was a quick read with a fun twist. 

Class Mom: Another quick, easy read. Just a funny take on the 'class mom' stage of life! And I just realized it is the first book in a series. Adding the other two to my 'hold' list at the library asap!

The Shark Club: I love the ocean and living in a beach town, and this book just made me want to move even further South to the Keys!  I loved the main character's fascination with sharks and the overall story that unfolds. Easy read!

The Giver of Stars: Another book from our library's book club list! I literally took a picture of the book club flyer and immediately put every book on the list on hold. Some turned out to be duds, but this one was really, really good. Another historical fiction (not my usual go-to!) based on true events. I had no idea about the Packhorse Librarians!  Another un-put-downable book!

America Royals: I listened to this on Audible (super out of the ordinary for me!) and surprisingly loved it. The narrator was great and the story is SO fun. It's a creative take on what would have happened if, instead of becoming the first U.S. President, George Washington instead became America's king- and focuses on the current day royal Washington family. A fun, fun read!

American Royals II: Majesty: I couldn't rent this sequel (on Audible again) quick enough! Just as good as the first book and I'm dyinggggg for the third to come out. If you need a lighthearted, fun series- this one is it. 

The Heir Affair: (sequel to The Royal We, another GREAT read!) Another audible book, simply because I couldn't get it from our library! But I wasn't upset about it. While not at good as the first book in the series, I still loved it!

Tweet Cute: A friend recommended this YA books to me and it's really cute! 

The Guest List: This psychological thriller had me guessing until the very last chapter. Really well written!

Salt to the Sea: This was a book club pick, and we all agreed it was great. I know WWII books are really popular, but it isn't my favorite genre. So I was surprised by how much I loved this! It focuses on a few different characters throughout and I loved how it ended. 

...and if here are lots of 'what I'm reading' lists from the past few years. 

Light. (a word for 2021)

  Light.

: having little weight : not heavy

: designed to carry a comparatively small load

: not dark, intense

: something that makes vision possible

: a particular illumination

  Who knew the world light had so many definitions? It is my word for 2021 (see more about words from past years here! 2019, 2017, 2016, 2015) and when Justin asked me which definition I was intending, I literally said 'all of the above!" I've chosen words like committed, steady, quiet, rooted, faithful, hallelujah and abide. And its pretty cool so see the impact those words had (and still have!) like having read through the Bible a few times, taken up new prayer routines, learning to be intentional with community and community building, picking up the regular practice of thankfulness, and learning about a long obedience in the same direction. But this year felt different for a thousand reasons. For one, I didn't even care to chose a word. But let me back up.

  Somewhere along the past three-ish years, the feeling of lightness, of being carefree, has not come easily to me. I feel bristly most of the time, hardly ever laugh, and everything seems serious and heavy. Melodramatic much? Ugh, I know. But it's as if I've just put on some sort of weighted coat and can't shake it off. 

  I have always been a more serious person, and that has slowly intensified these past few years. It isn't a huge surprise and when I consider what life has looked like lately, I can draw some correlations. In a matter of three years, I lost my naiveté as a parent when we experienced medical trauma, uprooted our lives near family and friends and really healthy community and moved 5 states away, have spun my wheels so much to try to establish new, deep connections in our new home (without success), endured a global pandemic that made life in a new place feel even more lonely, and grieved the loss of my dad far away from family and friends. Sort of like gut punch after gut punch, you know? I think what has made each of those seem extra heavy to me is that they all happened when I was being obedient to things I knew God was calling me to. It is impossible to not feel bristly when you are open handed with all aspects of life (especially when it doesn't always make logical sense, but you're trusting God to work out the details.). And then time goes by, but those 'details' just feel hard and heavy and not at all anything like what you left behind. It becomes really easy to 

BUT. But, isn't that part of Satan's cleverness? To help us forget in the dark what was so clear in the light? When things get heavy or hard or we find ourselves not in a season of fullness, it is pretty clever of him to gently, slightly shift our focus to the weight of things until eventually it is all we can feel or see or hold onto. One of my favorite songs this past year from NeedToBreathe has this line that keeps rolling around in my head

 "hang on to the light in your eyes and the feeling, hang on to your love-drunk original reason, all these things I've learned, it's never a straight line, cause all these things take time, these things, they take time."  

  You guys, I've done exactly that. Slowly over the past few years (and then a bit quicker since the pandemic started and the gut punches really rolled in), I've forgotten that light, the love-drunk original reason for why I so happily opened my hands and asked God to show me his faithfulness in big ways and jumped to move across the country and have tired so hard to keep building community in our new home (can I keep saying that though we've been here for two years??). Probably even a year ago, light didn't feel as foreign as it does to me now. It seems the past year (global pandemic, anyone?) has just put a big 'ole exclamation point on anything that felt hard or heavy over the past few years. 

So here we are, with a fresh determination to shake that off. I can literally feel my need to find the light and shoe off heaviness. So, light it is. My word for 2021! I still actually have zero idea what God is up to and, if I'm honest, I feel a bit more hesitant about staying open-handed. Obedience seems a bit tender to me these days and not I don't feel quite so eager to pray bold things right now. But light- I can start looking for that. I wrote this in a blog post from last Spring and the words hit home today for me... 

"In the meantime, I’m a firm believer that he gives us things like sunshine and snail mail and innocent kids with their fart jokes and the occasional glass of wine and pizza and FaceTime and the ability to go for a run to help us move through the days until we’re on the other side of whatever feels heavy." 

Preach to myself much?! So, here's to 2021 being a year where (even if I still don't feel clued into what God is up to) I shake off some heaviness. Laugh a bit more. Give less thought to how awkward I am. Sit with the good lists longer than I give thought to the hard stuff. Let the light in, let the light in. That's my motto for 2021 😌✨

Happy birthday, Dad.

 

  Today is my dad's 68th birthday and the first one without him here for me to call and say I love you. Honestly, my dad wasn't a huge on celebrating his birthday and never made a big fuss of it (maybe the byproduct of living with 4 girls?). Add to that the fact that I live 5 states away, and today really is just a normal day. I wouldn't be doing much more than sending a card and calling my dad to chat for a few minutes today if he were here. But it's these exact normal days and moments that make catch me off guard with grief more than anything else. This morning, I pulled two little frozen Snickers bars from the freezer (my dad's guilty pleasure) and sat at the kitchen table with my boys while they ate breakfast. They talked about the read aloud challenge coupons they earned today, Justin and I made a plan to call the pediatrician to check on what we think is an ear infection for our 5 year old and we gave a dozen reminders to the wiggliest one to stay in his seat and eat. And I thought about my dad the entire time. How many meals did he sit at with me over the years? How many times did he chat with my mom about doctor's appointments, listen to what I'm learning in school, remind me over and over to sit in my seat or be kind or finish my meal? Lately, it has just been stopping me in my tracks to think of the thousands of small, unseen moments my dad loved my in simple ways throughout his life. Grief is different for everyone, and for me right now it looks most like tearing up quietly at the breakfast table, parenting my kids and thinking of how my dad did the same for me. 

  But anyways, the best way I know how to celebrate and miss my dad simultaneously today is to sit with the weight of it all and write about the best parts of him (and eat a few more frozen Snickers). He's been gone 9 months, and today seems like the perfect time to recount the words I shared at his celebration of life this past summer. Miss you, dad. 

  Growing up, my dad seemed like the strongest person in the world. To me, it seemed that he could fix anything, knew how everything worked, and could figure just about anything out. I never remember our family hiring repairmen or letting problems go on for long without fixing them- he truly always did it himself. And he did it, for the most part, with no big to-do. He never seemed to see things as a big deal, instead just parts of life to be taken on steadily. And because of that, steady is one of the characteristics of my dad that sticks out the most to me. 

If you knew him, you likely depended on him. You experienced his steady, quiet, no fuss work ethic that persisted his entire life. 

He was such a good sport about being surrounded by 4 girls in our house and taught us things like if you never fart you’ll blow up, was the one who taught me to climb trees and catch frogs and the difference between sprint car and stock car racing and the art of a grilled peanut butter sandwich. Those were the obvious, silly things. But he also showed me what hard work looks like (he had the same job for 43 years, sometimes working 7 days a week, doing shift work, working on holidays, waking up at 5am and still finding energy to let us wrestle with him or argue over who sat next to him on the couch when he got home), always making sure we had a safe home and our cars were running and the driveway was plowed in the middle of winter. Those things were how he showed loved to those around him. 

It is because of those things that these last few years were the hardest for him. Dad was always so busy and active and doing, that it made it so hard for him to lose his strength and ability to keep doing what he had always done. As he became more sick, My dad was concerned that he would be forgotten. That we might not remember him. But that can’t happen, it won’t happen. My boys love catching frogs and critters- something they learned from me, and I learned from my dad. My sisters and I all inherently value hard work and being dependable- the very traits our dad passed onto us. Our entire family has learned to pay attention to the quiet ones, those who don’t speak often but when they do, you know you better listen- because my dad was like that. 

Honestly, I could go on for a long time about the things we will forever remember about my dad, especially his quiet, hardworking, and sometimes smart Alec character. We all probably have the best stories about him, how he helped you out or the trouble you got into together when you were younger. Share those with each other. And keep remembering the good ole days. My dad loved to talk about them, and I think it would make him smile so big to know he was now part of those good ole day stories 

God keeps his promises.

God keeps his promises.

It’s true though, isn’t it? I’ve been thinking a lot about how this crazy global pandemic feels eerily familiar in some ways.

Two years ago around this same time, our family was smack dab in the middle of what I only hope is our hardest season ever. It was one of those seasons where you wake up every morning and keep your eyes closed extra long just hoping it’s all been a bad dream. But then you wake up and do all the things you need to do, because that is how life works. I’m guessing you’ve been there, too?

In that season, we dealt with hearing doctors say things a parent never wants to hear about their child (who ever wants to be the impossible statistic or uncharted medical case?!), prayed for miracles, passed each other in the night as we took shifts in the ICU, trudged through health crisis after health crisis (or at least it felt so at the time), cried and mourned the long term loss of some things for our child and then slowly made a new normal when it started to calm down.

When I type it up, it all seems so concise and neatly packaged. Isn’t that how it always is when we’re able to look back? In reality, it was anything but. Lots of crying. We were ‘fired’ from one doctor for missing too many appointments because we prioritized others (thus feeling like failing parents...). One of our kids spent more time with his aunt and uncle than us for weeks. I gained 10lbs. Our other son spiraled into extreme separation anxiety for months and had other lingering effects from medical trauma.

But now, it’s two years later. We absolutely have not forgotten most of it, but it’s not nearly as heavy today as it was in the middle of it. We’re on the other side. We still deal with the big lingering health things (which is why we take social distancing super seriously! We’ve experienced the unfortunate side of a medical statistic), but also it feels normal now.

Looking back is ALWAYS so helpful for me to process what’s in front of me. What have I already learned that is also true now?

Basically, all of this is a long winded way to say two things. One, stay home. My kiddo has lifelong effects from a germ that is literally on every surface everywhere- and we had no indication beforehand that he would be so effected. We had no one warning us or telling us how to stay healthy- and how I would give both my arms to have had warning like we all do now! Take this seriously. Don’t risk it, for yourself or anyone around you.

Second (and most of all!), God keeps his promises. I have experienced that firsthand, haven’t you? I spent so many nights, for months on end, just praying that God would get us through to the other side and all the days in between. And now here we are, two years later and through it! We’ll get through this, too. Even if it looks messy and frustrating and maybe even heartbreaking for some of us, he’ll carry us through it. He always does.

I’m bracing myself for some messy days (literally, because I have preschool boys and our backyard currently could be mistaken for the neighborhood dump and it seems I’ve just given up even trying to pretend I care about my laundry room), short fuses, and pity parties. Maybe my kids will learn some stuff from my modified homeschool set up. Maybe not. I might get a house project done and run lots of miles and read my Bible every morning. Maybe not. I’m not sure there is any real way to do uncharted things like this well, outside of holding onto the promise that Jesus will carry us through. And remember that he always does (even if it looks different than we want/hope/prefer/would plan ourselves).

In the meantime, I’m a firm believer that he gives us things like sunshine and snail mail and innocent kids with their fart jokes and the occasional glass of wine and pizza and FaceTime and the ability to go for a run to help us move through the days until we’re on the other side of whatever feels heavy.

Here’s to God keeping his promises and fart jokes to keep us laughing while we wait 🤣

Oh hey!

These are weird times, and I have extra minutes on my hands. So why not jump back into this little blog? Except for the small problem of not having a computer anymore (RIP ten year old MacBook) and hating to type long-form on my phone, this should go well, right?!

It seems as if EVERYONE has ideas for how to stay busy, reasons we should stop complaining, and resources for how to keep ourselves and kiddos busy (and thriving, really). I sort of fluctuate somewhere between HERE FOR ALL THE THINGS and PLEASE STOP TOUCHING ME, which is all balanced pretty well so far by a few things. Nightly walks and Voxers with my bff, the occasional glass of wine, some semblance of structure for my kiddos, and finding things to laugh about.

So maybe I’ll start my ease back into blogging with some advice I heard Shauna Niequist share on a (COVID-19 unrelated) podcast this week: Add goodness, connect, keep going. I mean, that’s good advice for just about everything, right?! It always feels right to add goodness- whether it’s good food, words, activities, or good things to look at. And honestly, when we’re literally isolated in our own homes, it feels essential to find ways to connect with others. Lastly, what other real choice do we have but to keep going, even if we sort of want to pull our hair out or cry sometimes? Here’s a little list of ways to do those very things (because any not add to the growing suggestions being shoved at you right now?! Lol)

Make some good food. Maybe include kiddos if you have them! Our go-to easy recipe to make with ingredients we always have on hand are these granola bars. Just make sure to let them cool before cutting- it’s worth the wait!

Drop something off to a neighbor or friend. Maybe those granola bars you just made? A Starbucks drink you just picked up from the drive thru? Or, super classy like we did early this week- a ziplock bag of bird seeds 😂 To be fair, we made pinecone bird feeders this week and Caleb insisted some of friends would want to do the same, so we dropped off that little activity for some friends to try!

If you need a good laugh, go watch Jen Hatmaker’s videos on Instagram of her laundry saga this week. It is irrelevant to all important things and just a hilarious 15 minute break for your brain and heart!

Send some 🐌 mail. I have no idea how long we will still have mail around, so I’m furiously writing all the letters and mailing fun stuff while I still can. Most exciting is the Sticker Club invitation we got from a friend for my kids- you send a pack of sticker (hi, amazon👋🏽) to one friend and then invite others to join in so you can all collect some. What other fun stuff could you send off ? (If you have littles and want to join our sticker club, let me know!)

Oh! And on the ‘keep going’ part of her advice, just keep doing your thing. Working, online school for kiddos, endless crafts, scooping your dogs’ poop, house projects, whatever. Maybe make it fun by documenting it? We’re doing more crafts than usual and while I love my kids’ artwork, I don’t necessarily love having it alllll over my house. So I’m thinking of using up some Chatbooks credit I have to make a book of all their recent art. Or maybe finally make our wedding album! We’re sort of obsessed with Chatbooks and of you haven’t tried them, here’s a $10 off promo code for you 👌🏼 KATIENRUSH-KYY9

What are you doing to add goodness, connect, and keep going? I’m 99% sure no one comments on (or even reads) blog anymore. But if you’re up for proving me wrong, leave me a comment and let me know how you’re staying sane in this craziness!

Here’s to the weekend! Aka two days that will look a lot like the past 5, but maybe with the reinforcements of your spouse if they’re still going into the office (like mine!)

Hallelujah.

  I'm fully on the 'word of the year' bandwagon. I'm less of a lofty-goals-hustle-more girl, so picking a word to sort of focus on is more up my alley. Quiet and simple, steady, faith- those sum up the last few years for me. This time, I'm holding tight to Hallelujah. And, as usual, I have ideas in my how how that looks or why that its important for me to focus on. I'm also confident that, just as it always goes, those ideas will be turned upside down and I'll be surprised what God actually ends up teaching me from my word for the year.

  I could go on for a long time about how this word stuck for me (just sit and read the book of Psalms for a few months and it will probably stick with you too!). But it really all comes down to wanting to get better at looking up more and spend less time looking down and around myself. Practicing praise always, not dependent of what life looks like or how the world tells me it should. And being really, really intentional about the whole thing.

  What about you? Do you pick a word? Resolution? Goals? Nothing at all? I'm all for doing (or not doing!) what works and makes sense for you. Wherever you fall on this whole New Year's thing, here are few of my favorite things for a fresh start or to kick off some fun things for the new year.

Podcasts:: this interview with Lysa Terkeurst will give you a swift kick in the pants on how to view disapointment, this one is good for reconsidering what contentment means (especially good for empty nesters!), and Aaron gives some amazing insight here on growing your faith here.

Decluttering:: I hear Emily Ley has a really good (and pretty!) book all about this and I love this book for its tips on decluttering more than just your home (It's technically about parenting, but I would recommended it for anyone!).

Goal setting:: Lara Casey is the pro on all things goal-setting! Other than that, the counselor in me wants you to know that whatever goals you set- make sure they are measurable, attainable, positive (ie. instead of lose weight, make it feel stronger!), and specific!

Songs:: Marching On, Counting Every Blessing, I'm Walking, Put It On the Altar

Fun habits to try on:: One Second Everyday (I will forever talk about how fun this app is!), pick a monthly memory verse (if you need a cute motivator these are cute!), send more snail mail to friends, start something (like a book or cooking club or monthly neighborhood hangout or a new workout class or a new hobby), sign up for chat books (make a series so it automatically prints and ships to you once the book is full! I can give you a code to get your first book for free!), read through the Bible this year (I'm loving this REALLY brief daily podcast to go along with this habit)

Lately.

  Does anyone else breathe the biggest sigh of relief when the holidays are done? I love all the busyness and fun of the season, but even more I love sliding back into routines and decluttering and just taking off lots of the pressures or expectations that come with holidays (and we added a move in the middle of it all this year!). Packing up the Christmas tree and having a clean state for the new year is the BEST feeling to me!
 
  Justin's birthday is this weekend, so I think we might do a few touristy things (like visit Savannah again!). We both need to shop a bit for our mini vacation coming up and carry the last few unopened boxes up to our attic. But other than that, I'm excited for a quiet weekend. With a crazy last 5 weeks (/months), it is nice to see our calendar full of nothing but free weekends!

  None of that has anything to do with this post, except that I haven't done a sort of life lately snapshot for awhile and that randomness sort of captures it right now. I love these little lists because they're such a good summary of my days!
 

Listening to the Wake Up Happy playlist on Spotify. So good!

Loving early morning workouts. I've been going to our neighborhood gym with a neighbor for the past two weeks and, even though I don't love rolling out of bed, it feels amazing to be back into a grove of exercising after year of not taking great care of myself.

Reading Mary Kay Andrews latest book (and then The Alchemist for book club!) And I need to start reading this book lent to me by a friend

Thinking about permanently having the boys share a bedroom. We bunked them together while we had visitors last week and are keeping them together for a bit longer since my mom is coming to town soon. They both love it so much, maybe we'll just leave them together and make Tyler's room a guest room/office? Give me all your tips for successfully having preschool boys share a room!

Making a grocery list to start making green smoothies every morning again. WHY DID I GET OUT OF THIS HABIT?! 

Dreaming up a dozen projects for our new house. A cute patio space, shared boys room, guest room/office, garage storage...now if only my budget grew as fast as my project list!

Missing a good coffee date with good friends. The hardest part of moving was saying goodbye to best friends and our early morning starbucks dates or cooking clubs. I'm a verbal processor and value quality time, so I'm learning that no amount of texts/facetime/voxer can fill that quite the same.

Trying to really practice being impatient and intentional with parenting. Lots of teaching the same lessons over and over these days! 

Working on writing more. Not necessarily for any purpose other than it feels like a good season to write. And hoping to make some of that include our adjustment to a new house and community!

Looking forward to our trip to Jamaica (without kids) in a week! My mom is coming to be with the boys while we're gone and then staying a few days once we get back, so I'm looking forward to her visit!

Making it home. (intro)

  Two weeks ago, our little family of four (plus two pups) moved from Indiana to coastal South Carolina. My husband's company opened an office down here over a year ago and an opportunity popped up for us to relocate. So over the past 2.5 months, we packed up our lives and said goodbye to to the life we spent almost a decade building in Indiana. As with just about everything, there is so much more to it than those three little sentences can say. 

  From the outside looking in, it probably seems a little crazy that we would move. Heck, it even feels a little crazy from the inside looking out! We loved our life and our home and have the best friends and family in Indy. But in lots of little (and big) ways, we were ready for this move and knew it was a good decision for us. It's definitely not easy to say goodbye and start fresh in literally every way. Even still, we are excited for this adventure!

  One of the biggest adjustments of this entire move has been the physical move from one house to another. In the past 3 years, we've lived in 3 houses. Two years ago, we bought what really truly felt like a forever house to us. Super spacious with room to grow, a big backyard, in a great neighborhood with the best neighbors, and just overall a place we could see our family growing into for years and years. 

  With a different housing market (we moved to a resort town by the beach!), we knew things would look different in South Carolina. But knowing and experiencing are different things! The house we bought down here is different in nearly every way from our last home- lots smaller, different neighborhood, reconfigured space, etc. I was telling a friend the other day that settling in has felt sort of like trying to fit a round peg into a square hole. Unlike our last move, when we were upgrading and had more space than we needed, this time around we find ourselves scratching our heads and trying to make up for the spaces and things we don't have anymore. 

  It's awkward and sort of fun to retool our home from how it has always been in the past. Add to that trying to build a life from the ground up in a state/city where we know next to no one. You could definitely call it an adventure! 

  What is the point of an adventure if you don't embrace it? That's just what I'm going to do. My social calendar is pretty free and clear for the foreseeable future and it seems like the perfect time to do a bit more writing and documenting life- starting with how we're embracing our switch from our big forever home to a smaller, not dream house. Hope you follow along! 

Faithful.

"Perhaps nothing encourages our hearts more than recalling events which we clearly see the power and love of God." 

    Without planning to at all, Justin and I both chose the word faithful for 2018. He had never ever chosen a word before (not his typical sort of thing) and I had never talked with him about my words in the past. So we were both surprised when it came up in conversation late last December. It was too specific to be a coincidence and we probably said something like "Oh boy, what is God going to try to teach us with this in 2018?" Oh. My. Goodness. We would not have believed it even if we could have snuck a peek into the next few months.

  To be honest, I think we both were viewing as an opportunity for us the practice being faithful to God. With our time and money and relationships. All of that stuff. Like, Lord, show me what it means to be faithful in all the ways. But as it turns out, God had other (bigger, harder, crazier) plans of what he would teach us (and is still teaching us!) about faithfulness. Isn't that always the case? I should know better by now than to assume what God is planning to teach me :)
  Instead of only practicing what it means for us to be faithful, we've actually been learning the life changing lesson of how abundantly and never-endingly God himself is faithful to us. For all of time and through every single situation- and not dependent on us at all. God is faithful. He just is. It's been true since the first day of creation and it will be true throughout eternity.
  Back on January 1st, Justin and I both would have said 'duh! We know God is faithful." We would have said we didn't doubt it at all. But you know, our lives and actions and thoughts probably spoke something different. Minute by minute, in the specific big and little details of our lives- I'm not sure we believed in God's faithfulness. Or at least we weren't acting like it. We held tighter to tangible things that made us feel secure and worked hard on our own, attaching God's name to things we did without really giving him a chance to show us himself.
  Today, more than halfway through this year, and we know differently. Our eyes look up more now than they ever did because we know, on the deepest level, that God is faithful. We keep our eyes open for God and his works and glimpses of how his faithfulness is showing up in front of us. I've been reading in the book of Psalms all summer and, even having read it a dozen times before, I have been completely struck by the theme of God's faithfulness woven throughout it. When David writes in seasons of truly crappy situations, he surely whines and complains and begs God for help- but he also ALWAYS praises God for his faithfulness. Like, God this sucks or is hard or weird or I don't understand. But you ARE good and I know that and it all comes back to that! The entire book of Psalms is one of recounting God's faithfulness.
  The actual events of 2018 aren't all that important, you could probably replace them with a season you've found yourself in before. And I have a feeling we'll have some more surprises and things turned upside down before we see the end of the year. So in all of that, God has showed me that the most encouraging thing in the entire world is to stop (and not be caught up in the unknowns or worries) and take note and look for his faithfulness. I mean, its there whether I take the time to see it or not. But I'm getting better at stopping. Taking stock. Holding up an ebenezer. Spending more time thinking about how faithful God is than worrying about things or wondering what the future looks like.
  All of this came to mind again today after I updated our Chatbooks series. A silly $10 photobook I fill up over time and order every three months or so. If they just sit on a shelf, I forget about them. But I pulled them down and laid them out and darn it if  I wasn't just blown away by those simple, everyday images of our family. God has been faithful. For years. For always!
  So I'm looking longer today at these pictures and what they mark for our family- God's faithfulness.

First day of school.

  You started 4 y/o preschool today! And, for the first time ever (on a first day and for the first time since December) you were genuinely EXCITED to head to school today. I'm accrediting that to Jesus holding you close, two years of this under your belt, great teachers, and real friends you've made over the last year.
  This year, you are in the Alligator class. You want to be a Three Mouseketeer when you grow up (and an eye doctor like Dr. Moorthy). Your best friend is Navy (and Tyler is your 'best buddy) and you love playing superheroes and just about anything else that involves make believe.
  I'm sure we will feel this at every milestone, big or small, but I am so very proud of you today. The last 8 months have been long and hard and scary for you. We have asked a lot of you and you've battled a spirit of fear and anxiety (rightfully so!) as we've navigated all these health things. Through it all, I have prayed two things- for God to help you be brave and for him to give you a spirit of peace in the middle of it. Today, I saw those two things answered again!
  It makes me excited to keep watching you grow and tackle hard things and see God holding you close. You, sweet boy, are something special. Happy first day of preschool!

Running for good. v.|2

 Hey hey, I'm doing it again! Last year I ran with the Indy Monumental Half Marathon with Team World Vision and I'm excited to join in again this November.

  The whole thing was awesome last year- the training, running and learning more about how we can all be a part of the solution to impoverished communities around the globe. Honestly, running last year played a huge part in me realizing that this is one of my passions- working with others to make a difference around the world in tangible ways. So let's do it again! 

  I'm actually not a great/fast/strong runner. I have a pretty small network of friends and not a ton of influence. So each time I do this, it feels daunting. The running part AND the raising money part. But that's what makes a challenge worth doing, right?

  Here's the deal- for every $50 we collect with World Vision, that provides one person with clean water. That's amazing! Every single dollar counts because your donation is added to mine and all of that is added to my church's team, which is combined with teams from the entire state of Indiana- last year we raised $600k for clean water!!!! Even the smallest donations quickly add up and every single one gives me extra motivation to rise before the sun and log my training miles. 

  So here I am, asking YOU to donate! We have 11 weeks to go and I need your help. It takes such little sacrifice from us to create lasting change around the globe. Isn't that amazing??

 Want to make an even bigger impact? Tell a friend! Run with me! Shop my Noonday Collection shop or host a Trunk show- because I'm donating 100% of my commission this Fall to World Vision. (Thats a win-win because you're supporting artisans and fair trade AND raising money for clean water). 

  You can make donations directly on my World Vision page here and shop Noonday Collection here. 

Lately.

  How gorgeous are those flowers my mom brought over for my birthday? The antique blue pitcher! The grocery store flowers mixed with her garden greens! So lovely, in fact, that I actually put them in our bedroom so I can see them every morning. A good friend also brought over a huge mixed bouquet this weekend- so I have flowers on every floor of my house and it makes me smile every time I see them.

  Those pretty flowers don't have anything to do with this post, except that I haven't done a sort of life lately snapshot for awhile and those blooms sort of capture it right now. I love these little lists because they're such a good summary of my days!

Listening to a mix of kids songs (our cd from VBS is on permanent replay), Beckah Shae (Caleb is VERY into her beat) and Eric Hutchinson. Basically, happy music all day everyday. Also, GirlTalk on my runs!

Loving little pockets of time I've had with friends lately. Wine nights, early morning starbucks, quick play date chats- they've added up to make for such a full summer for my heart. 

Reading I'm slowly working my way through Psalms and its sort of wrecking me in the best ways. Such a great book of the Bible to sit in for awhile!

Burning that's such a funny category to create, but worth it because I just restocked on my favorite fall candle and my house smells wonderful!

Making an amazing corn salsa recipe a friend gave me last year and I'd completely forgotten about until last week. It may be all I eat for the next two weeks. Also, the Pioneer Woman's breakfast pizza ANY CHANCE I have to cook for a crowd. 

Dreaming about the day I will put my plans to open a boutique into action. Soon? Never? 

Drinking honestly? Water and boxed wine, because I'm classy like that. Have you tried Bota Box? Its perfect for me, because I can have a glass and the rest of the box will last for WEEKS without going bad. 

Wanting a million dollars to invest in some fun fall clothes :)

Trying to really, really lean into this season of life. For all sorts of reasons, I'm rethinking how we do our days and my attitude and what I spend my time on. It's probably boring to anyone other than me, but maybe a blog post on really really committing to these years as a full-time mom and wife and outside of a 9-5 job?

Looking forward to our annual lake weekend! We head out on Friday and it is always the best way to end the summer. 

Working on half marathon training. For whatever reason, its been harder to be consistent this year. Making a plan to keep with it this week!

Mom hacks. (snack ideas)

  Every few months, I sort of run out of ideas for things. Meals, snacks, activities, all the mom things. I think most people are like that? You get into a routine that works and then, over time, need regular refreshes. For example, we eat the same breakfast every morning for an entire week (ie cinnamon sugar toast, turkey sausage, berries). It makes shopping simpler and the next week, I'll swap for another breakfast. Its nice to round up ideas for new meals and choices to have in our rotation!

  So I polled people on instagram and friends in real life to gather a new, big list of snacks ideas. I got so many awesome ideas, I might do another unofficial poll for other mom hack ideas! And I thought I would share in case its helpful to you too. To be honest, I mostly feed my kids dry & not too sweet snacks, so it was fun for me to see some fun treat-like ideas. The list has such a great mix of snacks! If you're in a rut with different snacks to keep on hand, I'm guessing you'll find something new to try out of these 25 ideas :)

• Goldfish & craisins
• Pretzels and freeze dried fruit (Aldi has great ones!)
• Almonds & craisins
• Popcorn (make on big batch on the stove on Monday and save it to have for the week! Or buy the yummy Boom Chicka Pop kettle corn-so good)
• Veggie straws
• Graham crackers or teddy grahams & Nutella 
• Dry cereal (let your kids pick a new one each week)
• Cherry tomatoes & mozzarella balls 
• Apple cookies (apple sliced width-wise, topped with pb and honey)
• Graham crackers & frosting (like a sandwich!)
• Applesauce pouches
• Granola/nutrigrain bars
• Crackers & cream cheese, topped with fruit
• Cheese trays: string cheese, crackers, pepperoni, grapes, rolled up turkey/ham, and hummus) Someone please make this for me!
• String cheese
• Yogurt & yogurt drinks
• Veggies (snap peas, peppers, carrots, celery)
• Energy bites (find great recipes on Pinterest)
• Snack mix (use whatever you have on hand and let your kids help! Cheez-its, cheerios, raisins, pretzels, etc)
• Hummus & crackers
• Yogurt dip: greek yogurt, pb, cinnamon, and honey. Dip fruit or graham crackers!
• Blender snow cones
• Pudding
• Big freezer soft pretzels
• Mini pancakes with whip cream & fruit

Stone Harbor 2018.

In July, we took our annual trip to the Jersey Shore. We stay in a small town called Stone Harbor and, if you're ever looking for a new summer vacation spot, you have to check it out! It is so quaint- with a perfect downtown and gorgeous summer homes filling the town and miles of beaches that are so well kept. We love it a bit more every year!

  The trip changes a little each time we go as the boys get older- less naps, more opinions, more fun, and more adventuring. Tyler half loved and half hated the beach, which was interesting to work around. Caleb, on the other hand, absolutely loves it. We had fun just soaking in family time with Justin's extended family and just overall unplugging for a full week.

  Some highlights (so I don't forget!)
-leaving a day early so we could break up our drive. We stopped for a late supper at Cracker Barrel and laughed way too far into the early morning as we all snuggled together in the hotel and tried to sleep.
-our tradition of driving straight to the beach before unloading or stopping by the house
-the sandbar we discovered this year! Perfectly calm and shallow water for toddler 'surfing' and hermit crab hunting and water gun fights
-night time bike rides
-annual visit with our favorite Jersey friends (and their girls!)
-breakfast almost every morning at Uncle Bill's
-morning walks on the beach before the rest of the house is awake
-our beach neighbors for the week who gave us a glimpse into what our future raising brothers will be like
-beach fireworks
-three generations laughing together
-running our first (and LAST family 5k)

Creativity.

 

I keep finding myself wanting to write, but not knowing what to say. Do you ever feel that way? Like you have a million things to say, all swirling around in your head, but when you sit down to get it out, you just aren't sure how to put any of it into words? Lindsay is doing a 21 day creativity challenge that I really want to follow along with, but then I sit down to do something (anything) creative and I just hear crickets.

  I think it has something to do with the lessons I'm learning right now. Have you ever had a season in life where you know things within you are shifting, changing- you can literally feel and see it- but you can't quite put words to it yet? That's what these past few months have felt like for me. I am not the same person I was in January. It feels as if something in me broke this past winter and spring, but in the best way. I can't quite put my finger on yet or put a voice to it, but I have a feeling that ten years from now I will look back on this time as being important and transformational and just one of sweet constant prayer.

  All of that sounds so heady and vague and dramatic. I don't mean for it to, at all really. I want to start fleshing out all I'm learning and put words to it, and eventually I think I will. In the meantime, I do want to practice being creative. Making intentional time every day, for a few weeks, to do something new or fun or different. I DO NOT think I'm a creative person. That is my first reaction, but really truly I know we are all creative in different ways. And, so much of my time right now is wrapped up in being a mom. That gives me a ton of chances to be creative (if I take advantage of them!) and also makes me want to not forget some of the ways I can be creative independent of my kids.

  So, here's to having fun and trying to create some new things over these next few days. I'm thinking crafts with the kids, projects around the house, cooking and baking, pretend play, writing (I so want to get back into the groove of writing, even if just for myself), and who knows what else.

And just so I can keep track, here's my list of what I've done each day (so far):
day 1. watercolor painting (with the kids!)
day 2. writing

Summer reading.

For the past few years, I've signed myself (and the boys!) up for our library's summer reading program. That sounds super official (and nerdy), but it really just means I hop online every few weeks to log our reading time or the books I've read. Then, when we visit the library we stop by the kids' desk and pick up prizes (and I grab my Target gift card and free book while the boys get half a dozen gift cards and treats). It's the best. Really simple, but it helps the boys feel excited about reading and visiting the library and it make me more intentional about reading for myself. Plus, our library has the BEST kids prizes (Chick-fil-a gift cards!)

Anyways. I was logging in my books this week and realized its been awhile since I shared some of what I've been reading. So here it is! To be honest, I've been reading more lighthearted and simple books to offset the non-fiction books I've picked up. Ever since taking a break from book club this year, the mix of books I read has changed drastically (aka I'm sticking with what I know). So after writing out my list, I realized its a bit boring and now I'm on the hunt for a few more fun books! Any suggestions?

 I should add that I am typically NOT a non-fiction reader. At all. I'll read maybe one a year, but they just aren't very interesting to me and I have the hardest time finishing them. For whatever reason, I've actually read (and loved!) a few already this year. I'm really surprised by that! I think its more of a testament to the books than my preferences actually changing (I don't plan to read any more non-fiction this year!). So the ones I've listed below are really, really good and definitely worth reading. :)

The Weight of Blood: actually a pretty creepy read. Overall an interesting story, but probably a bit to dark/realistic for me.

The Selection Series: SO GOOD. I've probably talked about these before? Crazy fast reads- you'll be sucked in right away. Probably the best (fiction) books I've read all year!

Unseen: I don't have the words to really say how much I loved this book, or rather, the whole premise of the book. So much so that I bought the book after borrowing and reading it from the library first! I'm slowly working my way through it again (and doing the deeper studies included after each chapter)

The Business Boutique: Another non-fiction! But if you have or are dreaming of starting your own business or side hustle, this is a super comprehensive and helpful book.

Simplicity Parenting: And another non-fiction. While not terribly ground-breaking, I really liked it. I have a background in therapy and counseling, so some of his ideas didn't seem new or inventive to me. But I liked the further look into what creating a quieter environment for kids (and ourselves!) looks like- especially how to facilitate deep play and filter out the adult world.

The Blue Bistro: Simple and sweet (if incredibly predictable) beach read.

The Hot Flash Club: I'm loving this series! I've read the first two and I think there's one more. The author weaves together the lives/stories of a few older women and it's just a fun read.

(Ps. See my summer reading lists from 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017) 

Weekly Top 5 |v.9

  Hey hey, its Friday! And it's summertime, which feels wonderful. We have a neighbor's 1st birthday party, some church things, and literally nothing else planned all weekend- which I love. I'm hoping to get in a longer run one day and finish getting everything ready for our garage sale next weekend (hooray for getting rid of stuff!). Why is it that same basic weekends somehow just seem more fun when its summer? Maybe its the daily trips to our neighborhood pool? Either way, here are some fun things I'm loving this week:

1. This video on the official rules of pre-meal prayers is hilarious! I will for sure be thinking of it the next time I go out to eat with a group.

2. I just signed myself (and the boys!) up for our library's summer reading program. That sounds extremely nerdy, I know. But its a fun way to read a bit more and our library gives a ton of great prizes. It's totally worth looking into if your library has one! Our's has a an online format- so we don't actually have to go to the library to sign up or track our books. (Most have programs for kids AND adults with some great prizes like Target gift cards!)

3. I'm finally upgrading my summer sandals and sneakers (I haven't bought a pair of either for at least two years) and while I was shopping I found that Toms now has the CUTEST options! How cute are all of these?!

4. I've decided to make a new sangria recipe any chance I have this summer and so far this is my favorite.

5. Did you see that this movie is finally coming out next week? I generally don't care about/keep up with movies, but I'm excited to see this one!

Happy weekending!

A simple summer.

  I wrote a little earlier this week about my goal of being quieter this summer. I feel like that's a vague thing to say. Maybe I should use the word 'simplify' instead? Either way, what I mean is that we're not filling our days and schedules just for the purposes of having full days, I'm not saying yes to things so quickly, and we're trying to just overall declutter (both mentally and practically).

  Minimalism and simplifying is really trendy right now. It could be that I'm influenced by that trend, but honestly I've been feeling this pull to just get quiet for a few years. (Quiet was my word for 2016!) A lot of little things have carried the same theme (books I've read, conversations with friends, and just what it feels like God has been telling me through prayer) and this summer somehow became the season to officially take steps to simplify more! Do you ever have that happen? Where everything your read or see or talk to others about seems to be related and you just realize one day that maybe God is really telling you something?

  So, here's what things I'm doing to be a bit quieter these days. Maybe they'll help you too?

  First, I'm trying really hard on simplifying things for myself before imposing all of of this on the boys or Justin. It only seems fair! Practically speaking, this means I'm saying no to lots of things and just all around trying to take in less.
  I decided to hop off instagram for a month or two (likely until I start really working on marketing my new business in mid-July). I actually love instagram and get tons of encouragement and inspiration there. There is such thing as too much of a good thing, though, and I am looking forward to hearing from others less and hearing from God more! I'm trying to just need/use my phone less overall- which means being more disciplined about working my part-time job on the weekends and early mornings so I don't need to throughout the day. I'm decluttering our house- paring down the kids' toys, sorting through decor pieces to only keep a few things, and finally emptying out our basement from our move two years ago. It helps that we're having a garage sale next weekend, so I have a deadline to have it all out of our house! It already feels great to have less cluttered rooms.
  I'm also adding in a few things! A couple times a month, I'm trying to schedule early morning coffee dates with some friends that fill me up. I've learned that big group get-togethers or play dates with kids just don't have the same accountability & encouragement effect that waking up at 5am to sit across from a friend for an hour or so really does. Add to that some consistent time spent running (I'm shooting for 2 miles twice a week and one longer run), and trying to really dive into Psalms each morning. I even checked out this and this from the library to help me not need my phone in the morning- I'm used to using the Bible app and commentary search on it when I'm studying and I am excited to truly leave my phone in another room now and not even look at it until a few hours after I wake up!

  After all of that, I'm really trying to keep our days simple. Less TV (I'm thinking of telling the boys are AppleTv is 'broken' so they're stuck with PBS and will truly only want to watch one show in the morning and after naps) is a big one. It is also just naturally easier to have the TV off with summer weather. We're already spending our days in the backyard, at a local park, or our neighborhood pool. It is AMAZING how well the boys get along when we're outside. They have time to explore, feel a little bored, create play on their own, and cycle through that again. I find that they need me less and don't need any cool toys either. It's the best! Even more, I notice an attitude difference in all of us when we've spent all day outside. We're happier, less agitated, and we all (me included!) listen better.

  Speaking of listening, that is the other things I'm trying to do more of right now as part of my effort to be 'quieter.' It is so easy for me to talk and share and say things I'm processing, but I really want to be a better listener. With God, friends, my family, etc. What does that look like? Less talking at God and more listening to him during all parts of my days. Taking a step back from being the initiator in lots of things to see what others really want to do/talk about, etc. And my favorite way I've been practicing listening is with the boys. Almost every night, I linger in Caleb's room after bedtime. Most days I would rather head downstairs, finally make myself supper, do some work, and just in general feel off duty after momming all.day.long. But those extra 20 minutes snuggling in his bed are amazing. He is more chatty than usual and I don't say much- which gives him a chance to let his thoughts wonder and for me to hear a different side of his sweet personality. Lately he's been doing a lot of birthday party and summer planning! I don't do the same every night with Tyler, but a few times a week I'll scoop him out of bed after he's been tucked in and we'll sit in his chair. He recounts his day with me and usually makes big plans for the next day. It's just amazing how the quiet, soft light of their rooms at the end of the makes for a perfect place for them to open up and chat freely without any prompting from me!

  So yeah. Quiet, simple- however you put it- I'm shooting for a summer with less inupt and truly more space to breathe. I have a feeling it will spill over and continue into the Fall, and I'm honestly excited about that!

Summer goals.

  It's the day after Memorial Day and it just truly feels as if summer has begun. The temperature outside has been hovering around 90 for the past few days, we've made 4 trips to our neighborhood pool since Saturday, and we've only eaten grilled food for the past three days. Does summer get any more cliche than that?

  Every summer, I make a little 'fun list' to do with the boys. Caleb was really into it last year, so I think we'll sit down and make one together this week. But I found myself wanting to sort of make a list or just some summer goals for myself too. After a few days thinking about it, here's what I came up with!

Get back into running regularly. I've actually been working on this for the past month or so and just want to keep it up. I've already registered the run a half marathon again this November, so these next few months will be great to just get back into basic shape. That looks like 3 runs each week/one being a 'long' run (by long, I mean 5ish miles!)

Read through Psalms. Pretty self-explanatory! My goal is to read and study one or more Psalm each day from now until September.

Open my new market! I still have lots to share about this and I am crazy excited about it, but specifically I want to set-up my home office, complete wholesale orders, begin marketing, and build my online storefront by August and have my grand opening on August 15th. SO SOON!

Be quieter. With so many regular things on break for summer, it just seems like a great time to be intentional about taking a break ourselves. What I mean by that is hopping off Instagram for a couple months, being involved in less organized activities, etc. I'm doing kids camp at church with the boys and one big play date with my moms' Bibles study group- but other than that we are saying no to any other big things. I'm excited to be a little less involved this summer (and I'm guessing we'll continue it into the Fall...)

Blog more. I'm shooting for a blog post each weekday to help me just think out loud and practice being creative. I miss it and with all the business planning I'm in the middle of, it will be great to have a small place to process!

Tackle a house project. This is always on my to-do list and I don't hate it! Specifically, I need to paint our laundry room cabinets and I want to gather materials to start our little mudroom space by August. 

I might throw in a few more as I think of them (summer reading is always on my list) or change my mind about the ones I've already come up with. Either way, it is fun to spend time thinking of how I can be intentional about these sweet summer months and come up with specific ways to make it all happen. 

What we've been eating lately.

  Meal planning at our house seems to go in consistent waves and seasons. Spring always seems to be an easy time to stick with meal prep and intentional eating. About the time summer vacations and the start of Fall roll around we've slipped out of a routine and try to get back to it for a few month. Then we use the holidays to lighten up a bit and the cycle starts over again when spring hits. I used to beat myself up that- the whole not-sticking-with-it no matter what. Enough years and time behind us now, and I see that is normal and actually works for us!

  So, per our usual cycle, we've been back into meal planning lately! (Hi, spring time! You're great in every way.) I thought I would share a few favorites we've discovered lately. I sit down over the weekend and plan out three meals for the upcoming week. Any more and we're likely to be throwing unused food away. Three is the magic number for our family! With random meetings, nights out with friends, late nights at work, or just not being in the mood to cook a full meal- we've found that planning for only three meals is perfect. If one meal in particular usually has lots of leftovers, I'll try to make it earlier in the week to have for lunches, etc. Other than that, I just decided each day which meal to make instead of being really specific when I'm meal planning (ie. jalepeno chicken on tuesday, spaghetti on thursday etc). I've also started printing out the recipes that aren't in cookbooks I have on hand. THIS HAS BEEN HUGE. I'm always just bookmarking recipes on my phone and have to have it handy when I'm cooking. In general, I try to not have my phone with me all the time and trying to read a recipe on it while cooking just bugs me. Printing them out is wonderful because I can see them all at once, grocery-list making is simpler, and then I can file it away to use again if we end up loving the dish. Maybe everyone else has been doing this forever? I'm probably late to the game, but printing my recipes has been a dinner-prep game changer!

Ok, enough babbling. Here are some of our recent favorites (you'll see a theme- we're clearly working through all of Gina's recipes and we mainly eat chicken):

Jalapeño popper chicken: SO STINKING GOOD. Justin and I both love this dish.

General Tso's chicken: I don't like Chinese food, but Justin really likes this lightened up version of a classic.

PW breakfast pizza: I hadn't made this for years until a bible study breakfast a few weeks ago. A great dish to share!

Lemon garlic sheet pan chicken & veggies: We cut the amount of garlic butter in half, but otherwise its amazing. The chicken is the best baked chicken we've found!

Spinach dip: another party favorite! Really fast and simple to make and gets devoured.

Brussel sprouts: it's not really a recipe, but I've been obsessed with cooking a few pieces of center-cut bacon and then pan-frying a pound of brussels sprouts in the same skillet. I eat it for lunch at least a few days every week lately!

Stovetop popcorn: Slowly but surely, we're cutting out overly processed stuff in our house when it makes sense. That includes microwave popcorn! My kids LOVE popcorn, so every few days we make a big batch on the stove with olive oil and salt (we use a WhirlyPop). SO good and simple.

 With summer on the horizon, I can't wait for grilling season and more fresh veggies! Give me all your favorite summer recipes! Also, can we talk about kid lunches/snacks? I want to round-up some new ideas (anyone else get a rut with those things?) so give your go-to's!