march 2015 recap

spring meeting

Bro. Lee Cadenhead was the guest preacher, and from the worship service Sunday morning to the final message Wednesday night, everything he preached was exactly what we needed. Christ seeks us out. Be available.

As amazing as it was though, for two little boys it appears it went a little long... ;)

sunshine

The first couple of weeks in March gave a valiant effort to remain frigid. However halfway through, sunny skies prevailed and the temps soared up into the high seventies. We're sloshing around in mud, but these southerners would be willing to plop right down in it on their knees to give thanks for warmth.

boys

Boys and large farm things. We had the boys for five days last week, and this particular picture shows Tanner (3) and a fertilizer spreader that wheeled down our driveway to spend some time in our field. Supper was forgotten as the best thing since sliced bread made it's appearance.

friends

As I get older and remain single, it sometimes feels like everyone and everything but me is changing. In my particular close friends circle, we have added husbands, a boyfriend, a baby girl, and a three hour drive. But when, on those rare occasions, we get "girl time" for a few hours, it's so easy to pick right back up. We never have enough time to fill each other in on our lives, but every little bit counts, and every little bit is some brightness that carries on for days after.

FROM THE BLOG...

where God is - draw near unto the thick darkness


That's it for my March recap! I hope everyone had a wonderful month, and I'm looking forward to seeing what April holds!

What were some of your favorite moments from March?

where God is

As a girl - the very girly, ruffles and lace kind - I have my share of what you might call "dreamy days". I think any female reading this knows what I'm talking about. On these days, your head is in the clouds, you feel a mix of fullness and emptiness, your emotions war between joy and sadness, and you're overall not as productive as you are on other days.

Dreamy days. Usually for me it's after late night reading that bled into the wee hours of the morning. Reading the end of a book, falling immediately asleep and dreaming that I'm the girl I just read about. Waking is such sweet sorrow... (sorry Shakespeare, I had to tweak it to fit what I'm trying to say.)

No, I did not travel to the Holy Land last night and meet Mr. Right. I did not ride a horse along the Jordan River or pray by the Sea of Galilee. I did not spend the night at an inn in Bethlehem...but are those things on my bucket list now? Absolutely. Not that they weren't already on it, I just hadn't considered riding an Arabian horse down the streets of Jerusalem. Now that I know you can, I'll have to add it!

The thing is, I think we need dreamy days. I think God has placed a desire in my heart to be a wife, a mother. Maybe even this desire to travel is from Him, I don't know. But I don't think it's wrong for me to think of those things, dream of those days. I just have to keep in mind that while it's yet to be, He is here with me. I thought it fitting this morning as I struggled with the desire to stay asleep and finish my oh so sweet dream, that my Bible reading was in Exodus 20. We think if this chapter as the Ten Commandments chapter, but near the end, in verse 21, the people are afraid. But Moses? Moses just wanted to be near the Lord.

"And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was."

Moses drew near alone. Maybe that's all it takes. A step away from the others, another, and step by step, he became more alone. Step by step, he came closer to the One who held his heart in the palm of His hand. The One who shelters us in the clift of a rock. He hideth my soul. Lessons learned in solitude are the ones that show us our dependence upon Him.

May my desires fade into the background and the desire to be near Him rise to the surface, filling my life, making me wholly His. He seeks us out, and I want to be there, ready to be found, ready to spend time with and near Him.

The future may look a little dark right now because I can't see what it holds. But Moses drew near the thick darkness because that's where God was. As I read last night, the tears in my eyes weren't because the heroine found her hero and I haven't yet. They came when the characters in my book waded into the waters of the River Jordan. Those fictional beings might have fished in the sea of Galilee, but me? I want to kneel on it's banks and pray. The thoughts of being in the same places my Lord was warms me from the inside out. I would love to be there - alone with Him, able to pray and think and absorb. But I may never get to be where God was, my future may not hold it. But that's where God was...and I know where He is.

So I may be a little dreamy today, my head swimming in the clouds, but I want to hide in Him. I want to draw near to the thick darkness. I want to curl up in it, close to Him. Where God is.

february 2015 recap

February was here and gone in the blink of an eye. It was fairly uneventful considering all the other months in the year, but having a bit of a break was really nice. Maybe next month there'll be more pictures, but there just wasn't as much to document this month!

valentine's day
I got to spend the evening with the four cutest sweethearts ever. We made lasagna together, crafted a heart banner that now hangs over my bed, and made chocolate covered popcorn with heart sprinkles. Sometimes being single on Valentine's Day isn't so bad...especially when you're an aunt!

snow
The South finally got her snow! First there was ice...so much ice. Then it began to snow. We got maybe 4 inches, which I realize isn't that much - but it was a big deal around here! I was stuck at home for an entire week because I was too scared my dad didn't want me to drive on the ice covered roads. It lasted from Monday morning until Saturday afternoon. It was beautiful and cold and relaxing and cold and quiet and COLD.

calligraphy
My latest obsession. I started a 30 day calligraphy class and it's much harder than it looks! Two days in and my fingers are permanently stained and my right arm is sore from the elbow down. It's so much fun though, and I'm so excited to learn more!

FROM THE BLOG...

updates and changes - just a little information on what I hope to do with the blog in 2015!
and ice world | picture post - I shared some of my favorite pictures from the day we got iced in. 
gritty details -  simple obedience in everyday life.
break the fast | recipe - eating breakfast can sometimes be a struggle, here's how I deal with that!


Have a lovely March, dear readers!

What were some your favorite moments from February?

break the fast | recipe

There are a few non spiritual things that I think are very important, and breakfast is one of them. Ask any of my friends, and they'll tell you. Especially ask the friends of mine who don't eat it - they've all heard me berating them for it!

I'm not going to explain it because I'm not an expert and that's not my job, but I do encourage you to do some research and I definitely encourage you to break the fast every morning!

I'll be the first to admit I am NOT, by any stretch of the biggest imagination, a morning person. I don't love mornings or anything that goes with them - breakfast included. I used to skip it all the time - my mom making me eat a piece of toast or a muffin when I was younger was torture. When I was a 95 pound 15 year old that was ok, but not so much the older I get!

A year or two ago when I read up on the importance of breakfast I made a genuine effort to eat it every single morning, and let me tell you - it was not easy at all. I really, really did not enjoy breakfast! A piece of fruit, a granola bar, a muffin, a small bowl of cereal - and only one of those things was all I could force down. 

I did finally realize that I just don't like bread first thing in the morning. I wake up with a dry mouth, brush my teeth, come down and bread just isn't appealing to me. We eat biscuits every Saturday morning, and I like them covered in gravy. I love pancakes if I have plenty of blueberry syrup. I will smother a muffin in butter. I wanted to find something I actually enjoy having those first few hours of my day. I did realize that drinking a lot of water first thing helps as well. That, and then just sipping on it while I'm getting ready makes breakfast much more tolerable.

Starting small and recognizing my picky breakfast tendencies, I have found a few things I really like. I love smoothies. In the summer, I could drink one every single morning. Still though, I'm picky about them. I don't like yogurt in them, they can't be too citrus-y, and I have to make them myself. I finally learned to like eggs. Until last year, even the smell of a scrambled egg made my nose wrinkle, but now I love them - just not with cheese or peppers or ham. I like oatmeal now, too - a certain flavor, a certain way, but I like it.

If you don't like breakfast - start small! Make it a habit to eat even the smallest thing every single morning. If you're picky - make it yourself, your way! My mom and sister absolutely love breakfast, and I'm convinced they love every breakfast food ever invented. They've made more varieties of muffins than I can count, and we've reached a point where they don't mind if I don't eat one and I only feel  a little bit guilty now when I don't.

This morning I woke up hungry and decided to try a couple of new recipes. I now have a new favorite breakfast, and I hope you'll try it out if you can!

This smoothie recipe is one I saw on Pinterest and just adapted to my tastes and what I knew I would like. It's supposed to help with energy, but I'm not sure if it actually did or not.

From the bottom of the glass up I have: frozen banana chunks, canned pineapple chunks, and frozen strawberries. The liquid is a little bit of orange juice and the rest is milk. I should have added a little bit of vanilla or maybe some honey because it was a little tart for me. My mom, on the other hand, would have added some vanilla yogurt and no milk just orange juice because she likes the citrus flavor and creamy texture. I like mine sweeter but with and icy texture. If you use fresh fruit, just add some ice to thicken it up, it's really your preference. If you want an exact recipe, here's the one I kind of sort of but actually didn't really use: Energy Boost Fruit Smoothie

This avocado and egg toast combination is really, really good. I love avocados, but they're so expensive around here. My mom found them on sale recently and got several so we've been eating them on everything. 

All you have to do for this one is toast a piece of bread, mash half of a ripe avocado, and scramble your egg. Assemble it, and then add salt and pepper to taste - because of the blandness of the toast, avocado, and egg, you could use a variety of spices. I was just trying it out this morning, but some garlic pepper, or creole, or anything else with a little spice would be amazing. If you use wheat bread, it's also pretty healthy!

I hope this post was helpful, and I hope you're eating breakfast faithfully! Please let me know if you're able to try these recipes, or how you adapt them - I'd love to hear about it!

  

Have a happy morning!

gritty details

"The reality is that often the radical abandonment Christ calls us to is not some glamorous sacrifice, but simple obedience in the gritty details of everyday life." 

  

I don’t know where this quote came from other than it was in an email from a friend several years ago. If they came up with it themselves, bravo, because it’s been my “life quote” for some time now.

As I struggled with what to do on this blog a few months ago, I tried going back to the beginning to see why I started it in the first place. I was traveling to Germany with my friends, and it was a way to document and keep our families informed about our journey. I was also one year out of high school, had recently confirmed in my heart that I was not going to go to college, and I guess I thought that that trip was setting some sort of travel themed precedent for the rest of my single life or something.

I kept writing and sharing because it’s something I truly enjoy, and I thought before I knew it, the next destination would be ready for me to document. But there wasn’t a next destination for quite some time, the gritty details of everyday life really aren’t that exciting, and though I’m learning things every day, the “adventurer” inside me isn’t satisfied.

I would never describe myself as an true adventurer though. I’m not a daredevil nor am I very confident. However, I have a curiosity for other places in the world, and a desire to see as much as I possibly can in this lifetime. Once again, though, “as much as I possibly can” isn’t very much at this point in my life.

One of these days, I will be able to take more missions trips. One of these days I will finally go to Ireland. I will stand on the Cliffs of Moher, I will spend the night in a castle. These are things I really and truly believe I will do one day. Maybe I’ll be 50 and have finally been married and have grown children, or maybe it’ll be a spontaneous hurry-and-pack trip or maybe I’ll finally talk some people into going with me… or maybe it won’t happen, and maybe I need to be more content in the gritty details of everyday life. But I think it’s good to have goals and ambitions and dream a little bigger on those days when the everyday is closing in.

I cannot tell you about the glamorous sacrifices God has called me to, because He hasn’t. I rarely have to sacrifice anything – and if I do, it’s really not even a sacrifice, but a simple “no” to something frivolous.  

But neither can I brag about the gritty details of my everyday life. We humans can find the tiniest things to be proud about, and I’m not here to flaunt anything. I have nothing to flaunt, because all that I have and all that I am is a gift that I didn’t earn.

I am here to encourage and uplift when I can. I want this blog to be a happy place, and I will make it that to the best of my ability. My life right now is new recipes, DIY projects, babysitting, church ministry, and quiet days filled with doing my job and reading my books. It’s a simple, happy life that I’m content with. I will forever be reaching for the next thing, trying to skip ahead to the next chapter, and asking God to give me that mountain, but for now, I will enjoy my gritty details.

So whether you're on a big adventure to a place God has called you to, whether you're traveling the globe because it's your chance, or whether you live each day knowing the next one will be similar, know that simple obedience is the calling. The rest will follow, and one is no better than the other.   Embrace the unique, nitty gritty little things that make the day yours.

I realize this post sounds very, very similar to others I've posted recently. Bear with me, I'm figuring it out! ;)

an ice world | picture post

Last night the temps dropped and we expected to wake up to a few inches of snow. School was already out for Presidents Day and I was told to just sleep in and not to expect to use the roads to get to work. We woke up to this...

No snow, just lots and lots of ice, and it just kept coming down!

our concrete pad

Finally some time after noon the snow started falling and didn't stop!

And because I was told if there weren't any pictures to prove it no one would actually believe I went out in the cold...

 I did!

I hope everyone is staying safe and warm, and if there's any snow in your area, I hope you're enjoying it as much as we are! Our tiny little town has basically shut down, and it's a quiet, icy world.

updates and changes

I definitely did not think that my first post of 2015 would be in February! I really wanted to write an upbeat, positive post welcoming in the new year but every time I sat down to write I just ended up staring at a blank screen.

For awhile now I've been wanting to re-think the way I've been blogging, so a week into the new year I stopped reading the blogs I follow - which meant staying off of Google+ as well. I knew I wanted to keep doing it, but I wanted to have a fresh new perspective on it and in order to do that, I didn't want to compare myself to anyone else.

So, after several people asking when I was going to post again, I decided to type this up fairly quickly to let you know my "new" plan!

I went back to my very first post, just to see how I'd opened up this blog. Here's that post, written almost three years ago...

Just Me

I am a nineteen-year-old girl loving her life and loving her God.

Dedicated to writing, addicted to reading, and waiting on the future.

Thank you for reading as I tell the many things that Jesus does for me...

That post gets my lack of inspiration and even excitement about writing and blogging back on track! I'm not nineteen anymore, but I am a twenty-two year old young lady that does still love her life and her God very much.

changes

I'm going to be re-dedicated to writing. I will pick back up my addiction to reading because it's one of the biggest inspirations for me to write, and I will share what comes from this sometimes-jumbled but very-much-wanting-to-share mind of mine. Those types of blogs will be more frequent than they have been lately but I won't be able to schedule them because they're so dependent upon time.

I'm only going to loosely commit to 2 posts per month for now. One will be a monthly recap, and the the other, who knows? For those of you who read this blog because you love the updates and pictures - well, stick around, because I will continue telling the many things that Jesus does for me!

update

Jacob and Christine are expecting baby #5 in July!

Hopefully as the days go on I will have actual updates (plural) to share, but I think that single update is exciting enough for now. I do hope everyone had a lovely January. I'm excited to see what February holds!