Day in the Life: A Saturday in June

 

I’m excited to share today’s Day in the Life recap with you, because it reflects a Saturday when we actually got to stay home. How WONDERFUL is that?? We were so excited.

A Saturday in June
Ryan is 45, Bekah is 46, Braeya is 18, Lexi is 2.
Weather: Mostly Sunny with a High of 82.

MORNING:

            It has been a long time since we did this, but last night we all fell asleep on the couch watching TV, woke up about 2, and went to bed. It has also been a long time since we slept in past 5 or 6 on a Saturday. No alarms today. Bliss.

            Ryan gets up about 7:30 and prepares the coffee and Lexi’s Kongs for the day. Those are typically end-of-night chores, but since we fell asleep on the couch and switched locations in the middle of the night, they never got done. Braeya and I sleep in until almost 8. The sun is high in the sky already when we wake up!

            Saturday is always sheet-washing day, and today I’m washing the quilt, too. So as soon as I get up, I take all the bedding off the bed and put it in the washer.

            Ryan gets Lexi up for her breakfast and morning scavenging. (She always runs around to see if she can find leftover cat food Braeya may have knocked out of her bowl.)

            One of Ryan’s favorite things to do when we have a Saturday at home is make breakfast. You can imagine it hasn’t happened lately. But today is his day! So while Lexi hangs out in her bed by my desk and I do some computer and day planner work, he whips up some pancakes. I pause to read him some super-fascinating things I learned in my Bible study yesterday, and Lexi comes in for a hugsie. (She is REALLY into hugsies right now.)

            We sit down at the table to enjoy our protein pancakes and air-fried chicken sausage with coffee and water. We watch half an episode of the World Cruise travelers while we eat. They’re in Mauritius, which we’ve never heard of, but it’s near Africa. Pretty place!

            After breakfast, Ryan gets ready to go to the garage to work for the day, which is the project he has been long-anticipating and needed this full day at home to complete. I take my message for Sunday, which I printed last night, and hole-punch it for my binder so it’s ready to go tomorrow. I also print a second copy for my friend Susie in the sound booth. She follows along and runs slides for me. I write her a little thank you note on the script. You have no idea how much I appreciate everyone who makes a Sunday morning go smoothly!

            I pour a second cup of coffee and settle in at the desk to do my Bible study and some journaling. I start my study in Discovering Jesus in the Old Testament by Nancy Guthrie – the book I’ve been reading in daily all year. Last month I bought a four-volume set of daily Bible readings called Today in the Word, published by Moody. (Got the whole set for 50 cents at a thrift store…brand new!) I’ve been reading along in Matthew (start of volume 3) since I’m doing Old Testament study in the other book.

            Our Sunday School class is studying about rest and stillness this month. (I create a calendar for them each month that gives daily readings for certain topics.) I find some good lessons in there to apply to my own life in some decisions that lie before us. To wrap up my Bible study time this morning, I read a little section from the Jacob Bible study I’m doing this summer. Darlene Schacht is the author and she wrote a recap on this week’s study that I really enjoy and find good to marinate on throughout this day.

            Before I leave my Bible study area, I take some time to pray over my specific request list.

            With Bible study time complete, I go move the sheets and quilt from the washer to the dryer and go check on Ryan to see how Operation: Organization is going out in the garage! He has everything pulled out and is cleaning tubs and pondering his placement of everything.

            I come back into the beauty of air conditioning and put today’s essential oils in the diffuser. Today’s recipe is “Relax and Uplift” and is a combo of Patchouli and Bergamot. I decide that before I sit on the couch to scrapbook, I’m going to water all the indoor plants. We have seven indoor plants, and I give them all a little drink!

            Now it’s time for my favorite part of the day: scrapbooking! I settle in on the couch with warmed-up coffee, a fresh 32-ounce tumbler of water, two protein balls, and the remote. I find a nice summer Hallmark TV movie starring Autumn Reeser and Brennan Elliott – two of my favorites.

            Today I’m working on my chronological scrapbook of our daily adventures, and I also hope to work on Lexi’s year three chronological book. Ryan takes a break to come in for a coffee refill and I go out to the garage with him to check on his progress. It’s looking SO NICE. He’s consolidating tubs, labeling them, and he has a few that I haven’t made labels for. So I come in and create the new labels in Canva, print and laminate them and take them out to him so he can continue his work!

            It’s possible I get a bit sidetracked while I’m out there and start helping him sort a few more tubs. And I find some paper towel and toilet paper that needs to come into the house for redistribution. And I find a piece of wall art from a previous home that I think would go beautifully in our current home. I’m such an Amelia Bedelia.

AFTERNOON:

            I come back inside and resume scrapbooking and movie watching until Ryan tells me he’s going to be ready for lunch. I’ve asked him for a half hour heads-up to cook!

            I scrapbook a while longer and then stop to pull the bedding from the dryer so I can make the bed. I decide I should probably do some version of getting dressed, since I’m still in my jammies. Some friends of ours are supposed to stop by later today to pick up patio pavers from us and while they know it’s a work day for us, I figure I should make a mild attempt on my appearance. Plus – the capsule wardrobe ensemble of the day awaits! I pause the movie while I do this side task.

            Even though Ryan hasn’t given me the heads up to start cooking lunch, I’m starting. I know I will need to eat even if he isn’t ready. I fill up a big pot with water and Thieves to clean the produce we bought at the store last night. I start with the zucchini, since I need it for lunch, but I’ll keep swapping out more produce while I cook so I can get that done.

            For lunch I make taco meat using lean ground turkey and our homemade taco seasoning recipe. I also try a new-to-us recipe called Skillet Mexican Zucchini. I’m skeptical as I see it cooking, but WHOA. It’s really good. I eat a helping of meat with the skillet zucchini on top. Ryan makes a whole nacho plate with chips, salsa, meat, cheese, and the skillet dish on top. He fully approves! While we eat, we watch the second half of the world cruise episode we started this morning, and Lexi has her Kong. She has so patiently waited for her lunch!

            After lunch, the dishwasher is full, so we run it, and I clean up and put away all the lunch food that is left over. (I try to avoid cooking on Sundays if I can – just so I have more time to rest – so if I can cook on Saturday and have leftovers later, I’m going to choose that every time.) I go out to the garage to see Ryan’s progress, which looks AMAZING. Then I finish cleaning all the produce: carrots, apples strawberries, blackberries, celery, tomatoes, and zucchini. With all that done, I grab the ingredients for dinner and throw them in the slow cooker. Tonight is honey sesame chicken!

            Ryan carries out the TWELVE tubs that have been sitting in our living room for the past month. We are both so over them. They had been in my parents’ attic, and we have done a ton of sorting and purging – whittling this number down from I’m-not-even-sure-what it was before. But to be able to walk through the living room again legitimately makes me want to cry.

            I’m back in my seat on the couch to resume my movie and scrapbooking. I even have a little treat: my sugar-free lemon cookies I made for the baking challenge Bingo. Just one cookie is super filling. I am so glad I made these!

            I work hard on scrapbooking and then take a break to check on Ryan. The garage looks AMAZING. I am so proud of him. He is so organized, and I love every single idea he has for making it both aesthetically pleasing and functional. While I’m up, I grab some yogurt with honey, homemade granola, and strawberries. I give Lexi her snack Kong, and then she is OUT on the couch. Sweet girl.

            My movie ends, so I refill my coffee (and the K-Cup basket, which is empty) and change the channel to some Lakefront Bargain Hunt Renovation. Back to scrapbooking I go! I’m almost caught up in my chronological book!

            My friend whose husband is heading here to pick up pavers sends me a message to say he’ll arrive in about 45 minutes. I let Ryan know and keep scrapbooking.

EVENING:

            Ryan needs a few more labels for storage tubs, so I make those and marvel at the TREMENDOUS work he has done in the garage today. It looks amazing, and for the first time since my parents’ move, we can park both cars in there again! What a gift! He cleans up, loads the car with the last of the rummage that we didn’t sell, and prepares to take it to the thrift store for a donation. Lexi is really hungry, so I give her a dinner Kong and unload the dishwasher.

            Our friend has arrived to load pavers, so he and his buddy are out in the yard, working on that. I finish unloading the dishwasher and decide to hand wash the dishes that remain in the sink so Ryan doesn’t have to do it later. He has worked SO HARD today. I’m on my fourth water tumbler (which means I’m on bonus water from what I “make myself” drink every day). I’m listening to a Marco from my friend Charity. She has sent me three since I’ve had time to watch any, so I’m behind!

            I start prepping some rice to go with the chicken in the slow cooker. I want to make sure dinner is ready to go when Ryan gets back from dropping off the rummage. When I’m done listening to the Marcos, I turn on my Psalm 119 music. I am almost ready for a new section to learn, but I still want to listen to the section I just learned – so I can sing along!

            The rice is done, I shred the chicken in the slow cooker, and Ryan should be home any minute. I’m admittedly a little sad that this day has been as disjointed as it has been. I had grand visions of largely never leaving the couch, and that certainly hasn’t happened. So while I finish up dinner prep, I do some attitude-adjustment praying. Our verse this month is Psalm 118:24 – This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. I need to do a better job.

            I sit on the kitchen floor for a little while to pray, Ryan gets home and jumps in to help the guys load pavers, and I come back inside to eat some dinner. It’s 7 p.m. and I need to eat something. Since my dinner from our date night last night was chicken and rice, I warm up my leftovers from that, add some of the new chicken I just made to round it out to a full meal, and dive in.

            Ryan comes inside, fills a plate, and eats his dinner. The guys have left with everything they can fit on their trailer today. They’ll have to come back in a couple of days to get more. While he eats, I write in a graduation card we need to take to church tomorrow.

Lexi is eager to go on a walk, so after Ryan eats, we take a stroll around the lake. Lexi gets to see some of her FAVORITE friends and doles out all kinds of hugs and kisses. When we get home, I water all our flowers and the garden, and then we can come inside for the night. Ryan feels gross from his day of garage working, so he takes a shower. I go back to the couch to resume scrapbooking.

            Ryan brings me a final cup of coffee for the night, and we sit down to watch some Extreme Pools on the Magnolia Network. I call it quits on the scrapbooking and enjoy a bowl of cottage cheese with berries and almonds, a GORGEOUS sunset, and some time with Ryan and Lexi.

            I need to write the blog, so while we keep watching billion(ish) dollar pool designs, I write tomorrow’s post. When I finish that, I run through tomorrow’s message out loud one more time, with Ryan and Lexi for an audience. I put all my supplies for church (Bible, binder with my message, index cards to pass out to the congregation, and the graduation card) on the table so we don’t forget anything critical in the morning!

            Then I take a shower and wash my hair while Ryan does his Bible study time. I do my skin care routine and dry my (extremely, painfully tangled) hair. Ryan washes the last of today’s dishes and puts away the ones I washed earlier. I fill Lexi’s Kongs for tomorrow, and Ryan sets the coffee pot.

            We wrap up the day right around midnight! And there you have it! A Saturday in June!

Sunday Sentiments: Saying Thanks

 

Just a couple of days ago, I learned of the passing of one of the ladies who had a big impact on my life and early faith journey. Her name was June, and if you’ve read here for a long time, you’ve probably seen a post or two about her, because I’ve mentioned her before.

            June and her husband, Harold, were good friends with my parents. For years, Mom and Dad had a group of friends they spent friend-holidays with: New Year’s, Memorial Day, 4^th of July – you get the idea – and they were part of that group. Harold was the friend who made the kitchen island I wrote about not long ago.

            June was my Sunday School teacher for a couple of years, and as I’ve written before, she was the one who taught me how to look up chapters and verses in the Bible. And if you’ve ever heard me speak on the topic of Pouring In, Pouring Out, you might remember June from the story of when she invited me to join her in the choir loft to sing.

            I always appreciated how she made time to see me and to ask about what was happening in my life. I showed up on the scene after her own kids were grown and gone, but she still took time to care and invest in me, and it made a difference. The small, simple things she did made a far weightier impact on my heart than she ever could have known.

            I was sad when I heard about her passing, but she has had a hard few years, health-wise, and I also know she is now healthy and whole in Heaven. I wouldn’t wish any different for her!

            I hope that as I live my own days on this earth, I can have the kind of quiet, simple impact on others that she had on me. I hope I see them and make a place for them and give them an opportunity to know they belong.

            Thank you, June, for investing in my life. Thank you for pouring into me! I am so thankful you were part of my story. I celebrate the life you lived so very well.

Saturday Suggestions: Inspirations for Your Weekend

 

ONE. 

I read this post last week and thought it held some pretty good advice for keeping your focus while cleaning or looking for lost objects. I can be such an Amelia Bedelia when it comes to cleaning up. I pick up something and on my way to put it away, find three more things to tend to. If I would use this post’s advice instead, I might be able to stay focused on the room I’m in and the work to be done there!

TWO. 

It. Is. Hot. Out. There. Bring me all the ice water and anything cold to eat or drink, right? This post has a bunch of sweet treats – on the healthier side – that are cold. Like frozen cold. Have I tried them? No. Do I want to? Yes. If you need some ideas, here you go! BONUS: Another recipe I want to try? This healthier version of a fruit pizza. I love fruit pizza. Anyone else?

THREE. 

This video tour of a little cottage is ADORABLE. I think my two favorite things in the house were her garden/outdoor entertaining area and the storage on the back of the bathroom door. Pure genius – and has me pondering… I aspire for the outdoor feel of our house to one day resemble the outdoor feel of hers. We’re getting there. It’ll take some time. (OH! And the little tags in her garden are also so stinking cute. I might have to go put those on a someday wish list.)

FOUR. 

As those who have been in our church this summer know, I’m all about tangible reminders for pretty much anything in life. They really do help me concentrate on things that matter. (For example…my Ambassador wristband kept me pretty convicted in some traffic yesterday. Eek!) Anyway, I stumbled upon this post with a simple and effective visual for specific ways to pray. It’s intended for children’s ministry, but I think it’s a win for anyone!

FIVE. 

Ryan found this one! We had a lot of fun reading through it and seeing the different splurges people took on their homes! We also had fun seeing what we have tried before, too. We had a mini split in our Marion house, and it worked great! And of course, we are big fans of a lake home! How about you? Any of these on your list? (Or would you choose something different?)

SIX. 

Back when we lived at WillowBridge, Ryan bought me an apron, and I love it. I wear it often when I’m cooking or baking – because let’s face it: I’m kind of a walking disaster when it comes to keeping my clothes free of melted chocolate or butter splatters. This post links to some really pretty vintage aprons. I love them, and their prices, too! Are you an apron person?

BONUS:

This week’s capsule wardrobe photos!

Saturday, June 15, 2024

Sunday, June 16, 2024

Monday, June 17, 2024

Tuesday, June 18, 2024

Wednesday, June 19, 2024

Thursday, June 20, 2024

Friday, June 21, 2024

Flashback Friday: Writing Your Story One Week at a Time

 

Happy Friday, friends! Hope your day is beginning well, and I hope you have a minute or two to ponder this week’s prompt for writing your story. I found it this week and thought it was a good one – even if a potentially heavy subject!

            Do you have any unfulfilled dreams?

            There are so many subsequent questions that can come from this one.

            If you do…do you think they will ever come to pass? Are they in your power to see through to completion? Will you feel like life has been incomplete if this dream isn’t fulfilled? How do you find contentment in your everyday even without the fulfillment of these dreams?

            I do have unfulfilled dreams, and I don’t find that to be a bad thing. For me, unfulfilled dreams means there are still dreams out there waiting to be realized! It’s exciting!

            Some of my dreams are unlikely to ever come to pass.

I doubt I’ll ever get to experience being a teacher. It was what I wanted to do with my life when I was heading toward college, and I stand beside my reasons for not following that path, but I often wonder what life would have looked like if I had given it a shot. I study curriculum all the time and imagine what teacher life would be like, but I probably won’t ever know. Sometimes it makes me sad, but I try to keep my focus on the ways I get to teach others, even if it’s not in a classroom setting.

I’d love to own a B&B or coffee shop or ice cream shop, but I am pretty sure those will not happen for us. (Part of that is because of the travel dream: see below. Hard to own a business like any of these and travel extensively.) But it’s fun to think about and sometimes envision.

            Some of the dreams are wildcards.

            I’d love to publish more books, but I don’t know if that will happen. I am so grateful to live in a time in history when self-publishing is an option, so there is always the chance I could publish them myself. At the moment, I’m just not sure.

            I’d love to do the big cross-country road trip with Ryan someday, but who knows!? Who knows if we will ever be able to make it happen? I work on planning it, just in case, and I find a lot of joy in that, even if that’s all it ever is.

            For me, unfulfilled dreams are just an excuse to keep dreaming. I make Pinterest boards. I jot down notes in my journal. I talk to people who are living any one of these dreams and enjoy the stores I learn from them. My life is rich and full in many beautiful ways, and I am experiencing the realization of many dreams even now. What a gift that is!

            I’ll keep dreaming. And as the Lord opens doors, perhaps some of those will come true! How about you? How do your unfulfilled dreams mark your story?

Routinely Speaking: Essential Oils

 

            It’s probably been close to ten years now since I was first introduced to the world of essential oils and decided to try using them in our home. I had a friend who had signed up with Young Living, and she sent me some samples to try. I ended up purchasing their starter kit – which came with ten or so common oils, a diffuser, and some additional sample products.

            That purchase became the gateway to a near-decade of decisions to slowly use cleaner products in our home, and though our story probably looks very different than many who would start with the paragraph I started with, I am still grateful for the story we have and what it has meant for us.

            For example, we didn’t stay with Young Living, and the driving factor was the cost. I simply couldn’t keep up with all I had to do to earn points and place monthly orders to be able to purchase at a discount. I wasn’t interested in building a business to get other people to make purchases that would, in turn, allow me to buy at a discount. I ended up finding Selah Essential Oils a few years ago (through a blog I read) and decided to switch to their company instead. I can purchase when I need to – and if a long stretch of time passes when I don’t need to, that’s okay. I can earn referral points if someone buys using my code, ** but if no one does, I don’t get kicked out.  And my favorite thing about Selah is that they are a Christian organization, and they send portions of their earnings to support those in need. I love that.

            So today I wanted to share how we use oils in our home!

            When we started using oils, we pretty much stopped burning candles. I’d read up on the toxins in candles that use synthetic fragrances, and it just didn’t seem worth it to keep filling our home with them. Last year, starting in June, I sat down with Pinterest and researched all kinds of oil blends that are perfect for the month of June. Lots of citrus scents with some herbs mixed in. I found that, much like a capsule wardrobe, if I regularly interchanged the same oils, I could fill my oil shelf with my favorites and use them on the regular.

            So every day (that we’re home for the bulk of the day) I fill the diffuser closest to me with that day’s blend. (We have diffusers in four rooms, so I just pick my room and use that diffuser.) When I started my new day planner this year, I recycled the same blends from last year’s planner. I’ll do it again next year! Today’s blend is Lemon, sandalwood, and rosemary. Sometimes, if I have an extra minute, I’ll read up on what those oils help with, just to remind myself a little extra of how we’re benefitting from what we’re breathing. Inhaling lemon, for example, is said to help improve your mood and relieve stress. Sandalwood is said to help with stress as well, and can help you relax. Rosemary has been said to help with memory and brain function. (Lynne Ford always tucks rosemary sprigs into cards because it’s for remembrance.) The point is, the blends smell good and clean – and they don’t just fill the air with scent – they help in some way.

            We’ll also diffuse specific oils if we have a specific need. We often diffuse an immunity boosting blend if we’ve been around people who sounded like they were sick, and we diffuse lavender at night to help us relax and sleep.

            I will say we’ve noticed an improvement in our immunity since we started doing this, so I’m going to keep doing it!

            I carry some of the most commonly-used oils in my purse so if we are out and about and don’t feel well: upset stomach, headache, sniffles, etc., we can apply some of what we need topically to start counteracting it. Yes, we still take traditional medicine, but we have found this does help.

            I stopped using perfume and use Sigh (similar to Stress Away) as my perfume.

            So that’s our simple oils routine. I have, in the past, incorporated oils into cleaning products and laundry. I’ve used it (and still do) in insect spray. But we’re pretty simple overall. And yet – it seems effective! Our home has fewer toxins, and we feel better!

** If you use the affiliate code when you order, then I earn points that I can redeem for products.