Saturday Suggestions: Inspirations for Your Weekend

 

What’s in a weekend? Rest? Hobbies? Reading? Tending your home? I think I might have a little something to cover each of those (and a few other things) for you. If the winter blast of the week has taken over your home and you’re hunkered down in the warmth for the weekend, take some time to enjoy one or two of these ideas.

Here we are, a few days into the new year…close enough to the starting line that we are still mesmerized by the commitments we made for this fresh start, yet far enough away from the starting line that we’re in danger of losing our focus and determination. These words, penned by Scotty Smith, draw our attention back to the one essential thing God asks of us. We are distracted by much, but that doesn’t change what He asks of us. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace! Let’s not lose sight of Him!

I love writing little cards and notes to people. I was so good at it for years and years and then went through a multi-year phase when I somewhat failed at it. I’m getting back into it and thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to encourage people through written words. At this point, I’m doing well to simply write the notes, but wouldn’t it be grand to add pretty little touches to cards? I was utterly fascinated by this tutorial on wax seals. I’ve read about it before, but Katrina’s tutorial (available in written and video versions) was so much fun. This idea takes me back to my rubber stamping days! (BONUS: Katrina is also a watercolor artist, so if you poke around her website, you can find some other beautiful posts and videos featuring her art and some tutorials that might be fun for you to enjoy, too!)

I’ve always said I’m running about twenty years behind the life schedule I would have dreamed for myself. It took me about twenty years beyond my plan to get married – and to find the work I was meant to do – and to figure out how to do my hair. While those are all very first-world problems, when they’re happening to you, they can feel wildly discouraging and defeating. I bookmarked this little devotional reading at the end of last year, because it speaks to this discouragement so beautifully. If your life seems delayed or just isn’t happening at all the way you planned, let Chrystal Evans Hurst’s words settle over you today.

Next week I’m going to show you some peeks into our home in its winter décor. I loved the way it came together this year. (I refer to pictures from year to year to keep some things the same, but inevitably, things change as I come up with new ideas.) KariAnne from Thistlewood Farms has this extensive post about switching your home décor from Christmas to winter. Probably most of you have taken down Christmas already, but if you need some ideas for winter, take a look at what she has to offer. Over twenty ideas! All the things with pinecones and greenery top my list of favorites. (BONUS: Yvonne’s post has sixty ideas for updating and refreshing your home after the holidays. Her post focuses less on winter specifically and more on freshness. Some of the ideas are as simple as shopping your house and using something differently and others might require getting something new.)

I have thoroughly enjoyed relaxing my way into the new year where clothing has been concerned. The post-capsule project has been a nice break, and it’s allowed me to think through things I might want to add and subtract from what I have. Audrey at Putting Me Together has long been an inspiration for me in the style world, and last week she shared this post with some fun winter “filler” pieces that would work well in a wardrobe. My two favorites were the sweatshirt and the leather pants. What do you think? (BONUS: Brooke, at Pumps and Pushups released this winter workwear capsule, and it has some adorable inspiration ensembles. She’s petite, so the links don’t always work for me on a practical level, but I do like her style and ideas!)

At church this past Sunday, our special music was this beautiful song I’d never heard before, but I had to come home, look it up, and listen again. The tune is likely to be a familiar one to you – it’s Auld Lang Syne. But the lyrics are a hymn of praise, and they are just beautiful. Even though we are a few days into the new year, this song is still timely, and I hope you enjoy it! (This particular version has strong pandemic presentation…but the music is still excellent.)

·         Clean the hardware around the house. This is a good thing to do far more regularly than I remember to do it, but given that we are smack in the middle of extra germ season, this is a fine time to wipe down all the light switches, doorknobs, cabinet handles, drawer pulls, chair backs, and anything else that gets touched often. I use the Branch Basics All Purpose cleaner around the house for all my cleaning, so I just spray it on a rag and make my way around the house to clean these surfaces.

·         Class up/refill the bathroom storage. Back when Ryan and I were engaged, we thrifted a bunch of small glass containers that we used to hold ice cream sundae fixins at our wedding reception. We’ve kept and used those little containers in other ways, and several of them hold bathroom storage items, like tissues and Q-tips. It’s such a simple, easy thing to make a bathroom feel a little fancier, but I am sometimes bad about remembering to refill them! This week I went through and replenished everything to make the bathrooms look finished again!