March 30, 2017

currently

Hello, everyone! I have to confess that I don't have much to say today. I have several drafts of articles a few sentences long each, but lately that's as far as I can get. Maybe soon I'll break past the barrier of writers block, but for now, here's a list of things I'm currently enjoying!

 
baking
Chocolate chip cookies! They're one of my favorite things to bake because they're so simple and one batch makes a lot of cookies. I made them for the children we take care of during our first or second couples' class, and then the next, and then the next...this past week I walked in and one of them asked if I'd brought the cookies. I wanted so badly to create some kind of tradition - something a little special to look forward to, and that question made my day. One of the ladies who used to watch us when I was little always brought cinnamon graham crackers, and I always looked forward to being in her group! 


back road drives
There are so many back roads in my area that I absolutely love, and there are two in particular that I frequently take time out of my day to drive down. Sometimes on my way home from work on Fridays I pass my house to get gas from the little station down the road. On the way back I don't stay on the highway, but I take a right and wind my way down roads covered with leafy branches, through sprawling fields of tobacco or soy beans, past thriving farms and dilapidated barns and homes. These roads all connect and make their way around the back of our house in a large loop. My windows will all be down and if the music isn't blasting, then I'm enjoying the sound of crunching gravel while I dream of fixing up the old houses and wondering what it was like when the family lived there, children growing up and learning how to farm.

So many houses around here sit empty and begin to decay because the owners (usually children who grew up in them) have moved on but refuse to let anyone else live in them. This particular one is my favorite and has been untouched for many, many years.

listening
One of the wonderful things about working with children is being able to listen to their sweet conversations. I love asking questions and hearing what they come up with to answer. A bridal shower this past Sunday was particularly confusing for a couple of little girls, while a spider in his house was big news for one of the boys. A little boy Lena's age has learned that if he picks on her, he'll get a reaction. From the outside watching, it was so funny to see him do something to irritate her, and her turn around in her little bossy way to get onto him while he just grinned over at us adults. My favorite age to work with are 2/3's, but I solo taught the 8/9's this past Wednesday and had such a good time with it! I don't believe I ever said I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up, but the more opportunities I have to do it, the more I understand why our current teachers have been doing it for 20+ years!

"Kelley! Jace just said a nice thing to me. I asked if I could play with his ball and he said not right now. He told me I can when he's done playing with it with Jackson. He is a nice boy!"
 - Lena Rae last week when I told her to ask nicely after crying about it in my lap for a few minutes

a gift from Jackson
windows open
My morning routine lately has been to turn off my alarm, procrastinate for a few minutes, brush my teeth, open my blinds and windows, and start my devotions. It's been so lovely (on the days it isn't raining) and this morning it was nearly 70 degrees at 8:15! I love it! I also got Whispers of Hope by Beth Moore in the mail to start in April - I'm excited to have an actual devotional to go through again, and I'll have to let you know how I like it! That devotional and Mrs. Kennedy and Me are on my reading lists for April and I'm excited to begin them. I seem to do more reading in the spring and summer than fall and winter, which is a little backwards I think.

"antique-ing" 
One of our favorite things to do as a family is to drive 45 minutes or an hour to a different town and stop at their square. We park and walk down the streets going into the antique stores and finding a little cafe to eat at. My dad browses the tools, books, and art, Amie looks for old white dishes and aprons, my mom searches out crocks, pottery, and unique kitchen gadgets, and I hunt for vintage Pyrex, Tupperware, colanders and anything made of copper. The day either has a break or ends with a meal that usually includes cole slaw on someone's plate, fries on mine, and sweet tea. We don't always leave with packages, but more than anything, it's a chance to inhale a bit of the past and get some dust on our fingers. I was happy with this pitcher that I found last Thursday! I didn't even know Pyrex made them.


It's so hard to believe this week will end with April beginning, but I sure am looking forward to it! It's been quite the week, and I have fun plans for next Monday. I'm ready for some May flowers, so let's bring on the April showers! I hope each of you has a fresh start to the new month! Thanks for always reading. I'll be back in a week or two!

P.S. Since April 1 isn't on a Thursday this year, you don't have to worry about an April Fool's Day prank from me! :)




 

March 16, 2017

things i love thursday


Have I mentioned before how much I love Longfellow?

Happy Thursday, everyone! I hope you've all had a great week - I myself am so happy we're past the mid-week hump and only have one more day until the weekend. It's been good, just long...and COLD! We had a little Spring teaser for a few days last week, but then the temps did a nose dive and it was 17 degrees when I woke up this morning. That's too cold for March in Tennessee, y'all. This weather has been unexpected and unwelcomed, but the forecast shows a rise back to the 70's over the weekend and Monday is the first day of Spring!

I sounded like a weather man just then.

First of all, two weeks ago I had a couple of my friends over for a brunch. We've called it the "brunch that nearly turned into lunch" because we traveled from the kitchen...to the living room...to their cars and conversation kept cropping up and it's so hard to say goodbye when you know it will be weeks or months before you're all together again. As we spent the morning catching up, it was like a battery re-charge. I sat there thinking "this is what's been missing", and it was such a sweet time. On a side note, my friend Faith is expecting a little boy! That's the third boy in a row for my little group of friends, and I cannot. wait. to meet him! (This is also the first boy for her family!)

Last week, our church took a group to the Master Clubs Regional Competition and I was surprised to see another friend that moved to KY when she got married a few years ago. I hadn't seen her since early December so even though it was a quick conversation because we both had commitments elsewhere, it was nice to see her and to bump into each other a few times throughout the day.



On the work side of life, something that's small but a relief to me is having our greeting card display filled up and organized. I've put this job off for a couple of weeks because it really wasn't that bad, but I knew once I tackled it I would have to organize everything. Sure enough, I headed up the stairs, got started...and an hour later every card had a slot, the correct number of envelopes, and the re-fill boxes were completely organized and labeled. I also got a huge tract order in the mail so now we're good for at least a couple of months! You know I can't post a TILT without mentioning some kind of organizing story. Sometimes I think about the little highlights in my week and know it must sound pretty lame to everyone else, but for me, it was a part of my week that I unexpectedly enjoyed.

Slowly but surely, the sickness is tapering off. I've heard of a few people getting a fresh dose of the flu (round #3 or #4), but it's not the majority anymore. Hopefully it will stay contained and everyone can be healthy for Spring! Thankfully none of my family has had anything - I've been using Thieves oil and taking vitamin C almost religiously!

And since the sweet joys of life are so often found in the little things...

giving babies sink bubble baths | shopping for summer clothes for Lena Rae since she has no big sisters and girl clothes are the most fun | aloe plants | party planning | fresh salsa | Wednesday night class shenanigans | Tanner's ability to make even us grown ups laugh (his sense of humor is way beyond a five-year-old. A bad thing at times, but so entertaining.) | progress - however slow - in sign class | the kids dipping their broccoli in ranch - snow on trees! | trips to the library | antique stores | surprise lunches with church friends in restaurants (this happened twice in one week) | early bedtimes | sunshine at 7pm | cooking - I made shrimp for the first time this week and I'm still thinking about it! (the recipe said it served four, but my dad was out of town and it only served three ;) )

I'd already dug in before I thought to take a picture

I hope this weekend exceeds your expectations and that your days are full of joy! What are some things you love this happy Thursday?



March 2, 2017

paths



The Road Less Traveled

By Robert Frost
 Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Every person's life follows a path. Sometimes, we come to forks in the road and agonize over which new path to take. The Lord allows us to make these decisions because He wants us to use our free will to choose Him. Sometimes, when we can't see far enough down the road, it's hard to know if we're choosing the right path. In order to keep going forward though, a decision has to be made.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

We make the best decision we know to make, and then we notice, sometimes with envy, that the path someone else's life is taking looks so much smoother. I don't know why this is - why there are those whose paths are rocky and uphill with storms every day, while others have a shady, paved road with only the occasional rain shower. I don't know why God requires different battles for different people, why He answers some prayers right away and asks others to remain in the waiting room. All I know is that His will is perfect, and there's a reason your path is bumpier - or smoother - than others.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

The past is a hard thing to overcome. Whether you have a good past, or a bad past, it's difficult to let go and move away from. As doors close in our lives, some of them will never re-open. And sometimes, it feels like door after door closes in front of you and while you're praising God in the "hallway", that hallway keeps getting longer and longer.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Our roads will have pain along the way. Sometimes, it'll feel drawn out and never ending, but keep traveling the path God has put you on - as tempting as the smooth way looks, the reward at the end is not as great. In God's system, the least shall become the greatest, so don't judge someone's path that seems smoother than yours - God has a different plan for them. Bloom where you're planted, and trust that the desires of your heart may be just far enough around the bend that you can't see them yet.

"And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him, And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great." -Luke 9:47-48




"I don't know what lies around the bend, but I'm going to believe that the best does."
 - L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables