The Saturday Six

One.

I had the extreme privilege of photographing four births over the course of several years. All four babies were from the same family. The first couple were photographed on a disposable camera and were highly questionable in quality. The last two at least made it into the digital age, but I know I still missed many great photos and hadn't learned much about how to take artistic pictures. Still, I loved doing this and even though I'm not a professional, I would love the chance to do it again sometime. I loved this post about what to focus on during birth photography, and even if you're not into taking the pictures, it might help you decide what to look for if you're hunting for a photographer for a birth of your own!

Two.

Source

This is a fun article about how a book gets transformed into a Hallmark movie. Ryan and I had the chance to attend a red carpet premier of just such a movie a couple of years ago, and it was so much fun! And yes, I am absolutely watching this movie, based on Denise Hunter's novel The Convenient Groom when it comes out June 18th!! 

Three.

Source

I love it when Kelly Stamps does her link up home tours, and a new round just started this week! I always find great inspiration in looking at how other people decorate their homes! This week's tour was for living rooms, but she has other room tours coming up in the weeks ahead. If you like to peek into decorating styles, check out the link list here!  

Four.

I read this heartbreaking story this week about Big Daddy Weave's little brother. {If you're not a contemporary Christian music fan, Big Daddy Weave is an artist in that circle. I met him when I worked at the station - and he stands far out in my mind as one of the nicest and most genuine artists I ever met. And I met a lot of them.} Anyway, his younger brother Jason, is part of his band, and he is fighting scary and serious health battles, and that's worth praying about for sure, but what stopped me in my tracks in this article was the vulnerable struggle in Big Daddy's heart about genuinely singing the words of the songs while fighting the questions of the soul. And following that, the reminder that God is always at work in us, even when it seems like He's not.  

Five.

Source

Is it bad that this is on my "if I strike it independently rich" wish list?  


Six.

Source

My book of choice this week was Alexandra Kuykendall's newest release, Loving My Actual Life. I had heard of her before, but this was my first time to read her work, and I found her style to be very conversational. I point this out, because when having my own manuscript read by a test group, some mentioned that my style was very conversational and perhaps I should spruce that up a bit. Others found it very calming and relaxing. Because I enjoy that style of writing {obviously - since it is my style}, I enjoyed that about this book. But in case that kind of familiar, relaxed style bothers you, I wanted to let you know that's what you'd find in these pages.

Alexandra is a wife and mom of four, and spent almost ten years of her life working for MOPS International. Translation? She leads the same kind of busy life many of us do. And as a result, she faced the same kind of struggle we do, though I would venture to say too many of us don't want to fess up to the truth of it. We all spend way too much time loving the dream of the life we either wish we had or hope to have someday, and in the meantime, the life right in front of us seems drab and something to merely survive rather than embrace.

For nine months, Alexandra went on a quest to love her actual life...the life right in front of her. Each month, she focused on a different area of life: quiet, mornings, dates, health, adventure, home organization, creativity, meals, and passions, and she kept a journal of what she observed and learned during the nine month experiment. The book is born out of those journal entries.

It is not just a printed copy of her journal. It is polished and tells a good story. And it is quite honest about what worked and what didn't in each of the months. I appreciated her vulnerability and the lessons she passed along from the ups and downs of learning to love her actual life.

While the book wasn't crafted to be filled with sentence after sentence of quotable quotes, I did underline a lot of things, including some of these gems:

"It's not about having time; it's about making time with the right attitude." - page 67

"I realized when I'm trying to impress someone, I'm not loving them well." - page 103

"She could live in grief and love simultaneously. And that was better than grief alone." - page 146

"When we think of doing 'great things for God,' we think big. We think bestsellers and viral posts and sellout crowds. But that is the exact opposite of the gospel, of God, who chose to come as a newborn, who sat at the tables of ordinary people, sharing one dinner at a time." - page 198

I came away from the book reminded that even though I am not a mom, and I don't have the big career that she does, I am equally in danger of not loving my actual life. Equally in danger of ignoring all that is in front of me, in all its beauty, in favor of wanting more, bigger, different. If that's you, and you need a wake-up call from an understanding friend, check out this book!

Thanks, Baker, for sending a copy of this book my way in exchange for an honest review!