Beauty in the Ordinary

A wise woman builds her house but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands" Proverbs 14:1 

I believe that home is not meant to be only a roof over our heads. It is not just the place where we go when the workday is over. Home is meant to be a place of refuge and rest from our labors. It is meant to be a source of refreshment and restoration for us. It's a place where we are meant to be fed and nourished - by our conversations and times together as much as as by the food our plates. 

This is the kind of home Jesus can become for us: our refuge in the storms of life, our refreshment when we are anxious and feeling worn then, and our source of inner nourishment when we are feeling empty and weak. 

Recently I went through our home with a notebook and quickly wrote down all of the areas our physical home needed a bit of love. Maybe a room didn't feel cozy and welcoming, maybe there just needed a bit of spring cleaning to happen. I felt like our bedroom just needed some new fresh sheets. I found these Laura Ashely ones at Marshals and they worked to wonderfully with the quilt pillow my Mom bought me at an antique store and the quilt I've had forever at the end of the bed. 

It's a little bit of sunshine to wake up to and and fall asleep in at the end of a day. 

Purposefully inserting goodness and beauty into the moments of our days is an important goal in my life so that our living reflects the reality of the goodness we believe about God. 

National Honor Society

She wanted to 'down play' this evening -- not dress up, not take a picture before we left, even saying we didn't have to go. At first I thought it was typical teenageness but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it's because Abigail is so humble. She works so hard. She's our ADHD, EoE, OCD, Anxiety, scoliosis daughter. She has ever reason in the world to just do the basics. It just get by. But she doesn't. Day after day, evening after evening, weekend after weekend, she studies, does the work, is involved in her school community, is kind to everyone, is a wonderful encouraging friend, and so yes, this night was hard earned and we were going to celebrate! 

Her best friend was a NHS inductee as well. 

It ended up being a joy filled night and I am so glad! 

Love you so much Abigail and I'm so proud of you! 

Thoughts on Remembering

I read in my devotional today, 

"Thanksgiving is intimately tied to remembering. If you can't remember what someone has done for you, how can you be thankful? The Bible uses various forms of the word remember more than 150 times, and very often the idea of remembering is tied to thanking God."

"Why all the reminders? Because, quite simply, people forget. And when they forget or don't notice, they tend to whine or complain." 

"The Israelites forgot again and aging about God's faithfulness and His plans for them, and they complained a lot. We all do." 

~ Mom Heart Moments, Sally Clarkson 

 This reminded me so much of the feelings and the 'why' I blog. I blog for remembering. I don't blog to share my opinions, my 'how to be', right ways to live. We all make our own choices. 

So many times I can feel God's presence and touch in my heart. So many days, or moments are filled with his graces pouring out on me, and I know it because I can feel it. But then there are days that I don't feel that. But in the remembering I can look back and know that he is there; he has always been faithful. 

He has been faithful through the fun and silly times. 

He has been faithful through the worried seasons that seemed like years. 

He has been faithful through the waiting times. 

Always there. Always faithful. 

Remembering reminds me. 

"When it comes to God's work in our lives, we fall so easily into spiritual amnesia. This is why from time to time we need to stop the busyness in our lives and remember. Even better, we need to create reminders of God's faithfulness." 

And so I blog. 

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Other posts you might like on remembering and God's faithfulness: 

We Planted the Seeds

Blooming 

The Cherry Tree

Sigh... this tree is missing the star - the one I always take a picture of each April. Oh Anna, we miss you so much and can't wait to see you in June! 

Other posts you might like

2023

2018

 2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

A Sunny Country Kitchen

I love changing this room for each season {and even more}. This spring I wanted lots of bright yellow gingham and green mixed in. It really brightens up this happy room! 

It sure is tricky to take photos of these shelves but I do so that I can remember. They are comfy cozy to me and I love that they are things that we use daily. You can see on the window something new too. I added some curtains here. I've never had curtains but I just didn't like the shade that we pulled down each evening. It felt cold and unfriendly. This is so much better. I can simply pull these curtains for privacy at night {or if a morning is just too sunny -- we get a lot of sunshine all morning here}. They will be easy to take down and run through the wash or to change out for winter. 

Still loving the baskets over the kitchen sink and changing up the one that is up against the cabinet. Tulips are in every room of our home right now and they are making me so happy! 

I love to stick a little children's book in this basket or a recipe book to inspire me. 

This little plant was just what our windowsill needed along with more yellow gingham and those green 'made in England' cups. I found that yellow ironstone pitcher in an antique store about a year ago. 

I love to decorate this little area on this tea table. It's right below the open shelving and next to our kitchen table. 

Sweet yellow wreath on this jelly cupboard. 

I squealed when I saw these ironstone bowls in a thrift store. Just stacked up so so pretty. 

Well, that's about it from our cozy, bright, and sunshiny kitchen. Looking forward to enjoying this spot all spring long! 

Welcome Spring Break

Our spring break includes: 

enjoying being in our decorated for spring home ~ which will be cozy days that are chilly (I still love those) and sunny and warm days (I need some of those too)

college visits 

organizing

a quick overnight in Newport, Rhode Island

baking

cooking

exhaling finally  

We are all so tired from the school year and still have a lot more to go. This week is the perfect reset for all three of us to put in our best going forward toward June! 

I can't wait to get more than 6 hours of sleep but still get up early!

I can't wait to have longer than 40 minutes to work out!

I can't wait to read!

I can't wait to meander through a few antique stores and finish a few house projects and ideas I've been working on. 

I can't wait to just be the three of us. 

Here are just a few pictures from today: 

Cutest hotel

Another post you might like: 

Here is a little peek back to an April day in Newport, RI years ago 

Christmas in Newport

Christmas in Newport part 2

Easter Joy

Happy Second Sunday of Easter to all of you! I never meant to not blog at all last week (or has it been a bit longer?) but life has been full -- teaching, Easter prep, we both had wipe out colds while teaching, my Mom had major surgery. But it is spring break for us here in Connecticut and no school for a whole week is just what this family needs. Right now Scott is working in the yard, Abigail is working on some college prep, and I am excited to see some of these Easter pictures I took.  So let's take a peek. 

Oh goodness, how we ached for having Anna with us. It was a hole for sure. (sometime soon I want to update this blog on how China is going for her) 

There was one little basket and one not so little girl anymore to bring us so much joy to see her gifts. 

She loved this because it is the prayer we pray on the way to school each morning. 

And this beautiful cross she saw in a Catholic store and was surprised to receive it.

And a few other surprises as well...

Easter was bright and sunny and our home will filled with tulips. 

I set the table with my treasured 'made in England' blue and white vintage dishes. 

And then we feasted - oh boy did we ever feast!

My from scratch dinner rolls, Honey Baked ham (the only and best ham) 

Scott's amazing scalloped potatoes

And since we served at brunch time - it wouldn't be Easter brunch without crepes. 

I made a carrot cake and a lemon sour cream pie for dessert. 

It sure was a delicious Easter.