Flowers and Gardens

 

I have multiple favorite times of the year. I love Christmas. I love the fall with all the pumpkins and mums. I love summer (with air conditioning). And I love seeing all the pretty flowers and gardens in place to beautify the season.

            A couple of weeks ago, Ryan and I went to two local greenhouses to get our flowers and garden plants for the year. It was such fun to shop around together!

            The day we brought it all home, I had lofty plans of finishing the flowers and the garden in the same day. That absolutely did not happen. It was so windy that day, I had to hold the plants upright while trying to pour in dirt and NOT get said dirt in my eyes. (That failed a few times.)

            So the first day was just a flower day.

            The end result was so pretty. I loved how it turned out!

            A few days later, I added the garden. I’m going to have to replant the zucchini. The plants we purchased were struggling and as of yesterday…are officially declared unrecoverable. So we’ll have to replace them. Otherwise, so far, everything is hanging on!

            We’ve vaulted straight into the hot days of summer, so we’re valiantly watering, but oh goodness. I love it. And the best compliment of all came the other night when I was out watering and a gentleman passing by stopped to tell me how nice it looked. We love planting so we can enjoy it, but we also love doing it for the benefit of those walking by. We want them to be able to enjoy it too. Mission accomplished!

Sunday Sentiments: The Calm Beyond the Chaos

 

For weeks – months – now, I’ve been playing what feels like a game of checkers with little projects around the house. I still don’t know how to properly play checkers, and that detail also played into this analogy of the projects.

            I had all these little things I needed to complete. They were small, easy things, and when singled out, not a single one would take a terribly long time. But I just kept sliding them from one spot to the next, and somewhere along the way, I felt like I was losing this game.

            This week I had the chance to complete many of them. Not all, but many.

            I can’t describe the freedom and joy that came with finally accomplishing those little tasks. It may sound silly. Feels a little silly to write it, actually, but it’s still true.

            It wasn’t about the accomplishment. It was about the peace that came with the dismissal of chaos.

            God has been teaching my heart more and more about the importance of living simply enough to find the calm on the other side of the chaos. I don’t want to miss those lessons, those invitations to pause and focus on Him and the beauty He has created.

            I’ve heard a lot of people describe this month as Maycember. A season so busy that it almost surpasses Christmas. If you’re living a Maycember, I invite you to pursue the calm on the other side of the chaos. I invite you to stop pushing things around on the checkerboard of life. I invite you pause and see what God has done.

            And when you do – take in a deep breath. Feel the wonder of that!

Saturday Suggestions: Inspirations for Your Weekend

 

Good morning, friends! It’s haircut day for Lexi! She’s been looking a little bedraggled the last couple of weeks (but don’t mention it…she gets a little sad) and will feel so much better after she can see again! Ha! While she goes to the spa, here are some fun things for your Saturday…

ONE. 

My hope is to start my summer capsule wardrobe at the start of June. It feels like I just started the spring one, but in truth, I did so in mid-March, so it’s been two full months now! June 1 (weather-wise) starts summer around here, so I would love to spend June/July/August in some summer choices. I have a feeling it will be a more challenging round for me because my desire/ability to layer is going to decrease significantly in the summer months. I’ve used posts by Clothed in Grace for the last two capsules I’ve made, but she doesn’t have a summer one up yet, so I think I’m going to use this previous-year capsule by Putting Me Together to inspire my summer looks. BONUS: If that one isn’t your style, maybe this one would have some winners for you.

TWO.

It’s been too long of a while since I took a proper personal retreat. Prior to getting married, I used to go away overnight once a year for a retreat, and then after marriage, I used to take a couple of daytimes away for reflection. I haven’t done it in recent years, but it’s certainly something worth considering! My friend, Brenda Jank, wrote this outline for how to spend your time on a personal retreat, and I love the outline. If you haven’t done something like this before, I absolutely recommend it – and I need to take my own recommendation!

THREE.

It’s been a while since I shared a drool-worthy tiny house. FOUND ONE! I don’t think there’s a single thing about this one I don’t like! BONUS: That tour came from a guy named Levi who has a whole site of recommendations of unique places to stay. Check out some of the fun finds here!

FOUR.

I’ve shared often on here about my desire to one day travel Route 66 (and a bunch of other places around the United States). I have a working itinerary for Route 66 that I’ve been crafting for years now, one little piece at a time. I’m finally out to Arizona, and I’m not sure how I just learned about this, but I just discovered the Meteor Crater in Winslow, Arizona! Have you heard of this? It’s just off Route 66 and absolutely went on my itinerary!

FIVE. 

I love it when I find free prints to download to use for art in our home. I typically use these for frames that I change out seasonally. I know that plant prints are not only popular, but they’re a great way to add art if you don’t like for your pieces to have words on them. This simple botanical print is free to download if you need a spring/summer art piece with no words!

SIX. 

Spreading kindness matters so much. I have been the recipient of some sweet kindness in the last month, and it has meant more to me than I could ever convey to those who offered it. Sometimes finding creative ways to show kindness don’t naturally pop into our heads, so here is a HUGE list of ways to bless others. Many don’t cost anything! Even if some of these aren’t the right fit for you or the people around you, maybe reading the list will give you great ideas that aren’t listed here!

BONUS: Here were this week’s capsule creations:

Saturday, May 11, 2024:

Sunday, May 12, 2024:

Monday, May 13, 2024:

Tuesday, May 14, 2024:

Wednesday, May 15, 2024:

Thursday, May 16, 2024:

Friday, May 17, 2024:

    Have a great weekend!

Flashback Friday: Writing Your Story One Week at a Time

 

Last week on Flashback Friday, we explored reminiscing about the best part of our twenties, so it might not surprise you that this week, we’re fast-forwarding a decade to write about the best parts of our thirties.

            The questions are the same, but the answers look different: What lessons did you learn that shaped you? What were the highlights of the decade? What life-shaping decisions did you make? What are you glad to not repeat?

            I discovered travel in my thirties, going on my first ever grown-up vacation (with my friend, Amber) to Hershey, Pennsylvania. From that one trip, I fell in love with seeing anything and everything I could in this country, and I had no idea just how much of it I would see IN this decade!

            I also discovered lake life, when my sweet friend, Ronda, got a little lake cottage. She invited me to visit and visit often – and I did. I loved the boat rides and sunsets and life on lake time, which truly is all its own time.

            I published my first book…and then my second. I never thought I would see milestones like these, but I did, and I was grateful for both experiences.

            I had my heart broken and thought I wouldn’t survive it, but the Lord used it to be a powerful and transformative piece of my story. I wouldn’t want to ever live through anything like that again, but I am so grateful that it did not defeat me!

            I left my first grown-up job and took a dream job in radio. Both were among the bravest things I’ve done, and both were life-changing. I am so grateful for both.

            I went on my last first date, found myself in love, said yes to a proposal, and got married. All among the best yesses I’ve ever said.

            Ryan and I embarked on home renovations and learned we are great team. We had so much fun, and even though I don’t think we’ll be the next Gaines duo, I think we have made some beautiful homes together!

            Had oral surgery and gallbladder surgery and wasn’t a big fan of either one. 😊

            Ran a 10K and a couple of 5Ks and while I learned I’m not a runner, I was proud of myself for training and doing hard things.

            I left my job in radio and spent some years as a stay-at-home wife, which was one of the greatest gifts ever. I am so thankful for that job.

            We packed up and moved to a new town, which was a life-changing experience in a good way.

            I learned and grew so much in my thirties. I began to really discover my deepest passions and saw so many dreams realized. I am grateful for the molding and shaping. I’m grateful for the strength I saw and didn’t know I had.

            How about you? How did your thirties shape and define you?