Give Thanksgiving

We have so much to be thankful for this year.  We have plenty to eat, we have a warm house, we have friends and family to love on and be loved by all the days of the year.  We have a sweet, squealing boy that we completely adore.  We are wealthy in good books, strong coffee and laughter.  We are thankful.

I've been quiet this past week.  It's been a hard week for our family.  My sweet grandfather is sick.  He went into the hospital last week and remains there as of this morning.  A change in plans allowed us to visit with him and the rest of our extended family this past week.  I'm thankful for flexible friends and schedules that gave us the time to be where we needed to be.

I have been sad these past days, wishing things were different.  But oh the comfort and peace we have been granted.  I know that we are not in this alone.  He cares for us deeply and has shown us of His great love in tangible ways this week.  My college roommate is a nurse.  At my grandfather's hospital.  On his floor.  She has spent much of her time off from work back at the hospital, sitting with my family, encouraging my grandmother, interpreting the medicalese we do not understand and loving on me and my family so well.  What a perfectly clear blessing.  Her presence in this situation is a clear blessing from the Lord and one for which I am so grateful.

We returned home Saturday and attended church on Sunday, the first Sunday of Advent.  We heard these words:

For he grew up before him like a young plant,

iand like a root out of dry ground;

jhe had no form or majesty that we should look at him,

and no beauty that we should desire him.

3 kHe was despised and rejected2 by men;

a man of sorrows,3 and acquainted with4 grief;5

and as one from whom men hide their faces6

he was despised, and lwe esteemed him not.

4 mSurely he has borne our griefs

and carried our sorrows;

yet we esteemed him stricken,

nsmitten by God, and afflicted.

5 oBut he was pierced for our transgressions;

he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

pand with his wounds we are healed.

6 qAll we like sheep have gone astray;

we have turned—every one—to his own way;

rand the Lord has laid on him

I was reminded that He came to bear our griefs.  And in this unknown time, that is of great comfort.  I am encouraged both by the Word and the reports we are hearing from the hospital.  If you are so inclined, we would so appreciate your prayers in this time: prayers for healing and comfort and for a closeness to the Lord in this season.

Thanks for being in this space with me.

{this moment}

A Friday ritual started by SouleMama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

And Now Today

I blinked and suddenly it's Wednesday.  How on earth did that happen?  I wanted to take a few quiet moments this morning to tell you what I'm...

seeing
Eli playing on his mat, trying to rip baby Sophie to pieces, yawning and warming up for a long day of happy screams and squeals.

hearing
A tea kettle roaring to life, preparing to make my much needed morning mug.

thinking
Today is a busy day filled with a new Bible study and a play date with new friends.

believing
That is by grace that we have been saved.

thanking
God that my husband has challenged me and encouraged me in this study of Ephesians.

imagining
Today was a snow day and we all stayed in our pjs all day, drinking hot chocolate and watching Christmas movies.

hoping
It's not too cold or too busy to take a long walk with Eli today.

worrying
That the skinny jeans I bought yesterday are a really, really bad move.

smelling
A delicious cup of decaf with loads of cinnamon mixed into the grounds.

promising
If you heard these baby belly laughs, you couldn't help but laugh too.
 
creating
A sweet, something pink, now; chicken enchiladas later.

exercising
My legs!!!

tasting
My morning brew.

cuddling
With my two amazing boys. 

planning
A weekend visit with my parents!

enjoying 
Every moment of this sweet life.
 

{this moment}

A Friday ritual started by SouleMama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

November Goals

Anne Shirley once said, "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn't it?" And while I agree with her completely, I also love this month of November.  It is, of course, my birthday month (as has well been documented here this week), but I love it for other reasons.  I love this gentle slide (at least in this part of the world) into winter and the turning towards home, cozy home, as a result.  I am a huge fan of Thanksgiving.  I love the smell of woodsmoke and the quiet and stillness that fills the air.  I love the unending cups of hot tea, chocolate or coffee.  November, you will forever have my heart. 

I made birthday resolutions, as you know.  I've been thinking about how to reach those goals.  I'd been tossing around ideas when I read this post.  Monthly goals.  How smart.  I think it will help me to break down my big goals into more manageable bites.  I thought I'd go ahead and give it a go.  I like the idea of putting my goals here as a form of accountability and, if nothing else, it gets me thinking about what I'd actually like to accomplish in a given month.

November is nearly a third spent, so here we go. 

1.  I want to be the best wife and mama I can be.

• I will find my mama mantra.
• I will schedule play dates so that Elijah and I can get out of the house and meet new friends.
• I will plan 2 at-home date nights for us.

2.  I want to invest in this space.

• I will post consistently throughout the month of November.
• I will watch the instructional DVDs that came with my new camera.
• I will read at least three of the photography tutorials I have pinned.

3.  I want to create.

• I will make good progress on a secret, special knitting project.
• I will complete 10 repeats on Elijah's baby blanket.
• I will compile a list of Christmas gifts we will give.
• I will design our Christmas card AND prepare the list of receipents.  
• I will make an Advent calender.

4.  I want to develop an exercise rountine.

• I will move for at least 20 minutes at least 5 times a week.
• I will try at least 2 of the post-baby workouts I have pinned.
• I will do yoga at least once a week.

5.  I want to study Scripture.

• I will continue my study of Philippians.
• I will continue my study of Ephesians with Ben.

Whew.  That list is pretty intense.  I should add a final goal of having grace with myself when I fail to meet all of my monthly goals.  I'll let you know how it all turns out in December.

What are your monthly goals?

It has arrived!

Woot woot!  It's here!  I'm completely excited and cannot wait to start shooting! 

Thank you sweet husband for investing in this space, in my interests, in me. 

xox.

VOTE!

It should be said that everything I know about politics I learned from the West Wing. 

Elijah and I voted together this afternoon.  I carefully cast my ballot, remembering this episode.  Oh Donatella Moss.  How I love thee.


So go vote today!  But be sure you cast your vote for the candidate of your choice!

29 Resolutions

Yesterday was completely lovely. 

I enjoy marking this passage of time with a set of birthday goals.  I thought I'd share my hopes for this new year.

1.  I want to be the best mama and best wife I can be.

I want to go all in as I love the boys God has entrusted to me.  I want to put aside laziness and selfishness and strive to love Ben and Elijah well.  My good friend spoke beautifully about the kind of love she wants in her home.  I want that love in our home.  I want my words and actions to be gentle and kind. 

2.  I want to invest in this space.

I am so excited about this space.  I have wanted to have such a space for so very long and now I have it.  I felt swallowed whole after Elijah was born, unable to make time for anything other than caring for him and myself.  I feel like we have found a groove and very much want to commit time and energy to being here consistently.  Yesterday I mentioned a very exciting birthday gift.  My sweet and amazing husband gave me a that is an investment in this space.  He (with generous help from his family) gifted me with an incredible new camera.  You've probably noticed that all of my photos are poor quality phone photos.  I would love to promise that you will soon see brilliant, high quality photos, but I know nothing about cameras or photography so I imagine I'm in for a pretty steep learning curve.  I want to cultivate this space, find my voice and learn to use my new camera in this coming year.

3.  I want to create.

Along the same lines as #2, I want to spend time creating this year.  I love to create.  Picking up my needles and yarn or sitting down with my calligraphy supplies or even stringing words together on this screen brings me such joy.  I believe that I was created to be creative and I want to use that passion to the best of my ability.  In this season of new mama-hood, I am tired.  In these last four months, I have piddled away my free moments, surfing the internet or crashing on the couch.  While I believe that both of those activities are completely acceptable at times, I do not want to overlook those pockets of time that could be spent creating.  I want this year to be a creative one. 

4.  I want to develop an exercise routine.

I mentioned yesterday that I gained half my body weight while pregnant with Elijah.  I have made good progress in losing that weight, but I'm not back to my pre-baby body yet.  I am completely aware that I may never get back to that shape and while that suits me just fine, I do want to create an exercise routine.  I want to have the energy to run and play and care for my son and believe that exercise plays a critical role in that hope.  So here's to a fitter year ahead!

5.  I want to study Scripture.

This is the most important of my goals.  I want to go deep into the Word this year.  I've been encouraged and inspired by the work Ben is doing to study Scripture.  We've started studying Ephesians together and it has been so good for my heart and for our relationship.  For far too long I've relied on sermons and community group discussions to shape my understanding of Scripture.  In this season when we our attendance at church is spotty at best, I need to take responsibility for my own spiritual development.  I'm hopeful that a year from now I will have a deeper understanding of Scripture. 

So there we go!  A handful of goals for this 29th year. 

29

Today is my 29th birthday.  What a wonderful day.  An early morning thunderstorm, cuddles with my favorite guys, flaky Biscuitville biscuits, celebratory post-baby (finally!) sushi, a special CD (waiting in the car, as usual), an incredibly exciting birthday present, a deliciously prepared latte, time with a group of new friends, and vintage Bill Cosby completes this special day.  I thought, this being a new blog and this being my 29th birthday that I would share 29 things you might not know about me.  (However, I do realize that all of you lovely readers are either family or dear friends that are considered family and that you probably know all of these things.)

1. I absolutely love to read (all things...fiction, nonfiction, magazines, and especially blogs).
2. I married my mandolin teacher.
3. My maiden name initials spelled ELF.
4. I'm an even five feet tall.
5. The combination of #3 and #4 resulted in plenty of teasing in the past 29 years (Thank goodness I married my way out of that!)
6. I was very aware of initials when naming my son.
7. I wear glasses when reading for long periods of time or when working on the computer.
8. My glasses are green and I'm overly fond of them.
9. I gained half (HALF!) of my body weight while pregnant.
10. I'm determined to lose the remaining pounds that are hanging around.
11. If I never lose another pound of baby weight I'll be completely satisfied knowing that this is the body that brought our sweet son into this world.
12. I worry far too much.
13. I was raised in Asheville, North Carolina.
14. It is my not-so-secret desire to raise our family there...some day.
15. I thought that I moved to this town six years ago to be with a boy; the Lord had an entirely different plan.
16. I have been blessed with two friends that are as close as sisters to me.
17. I wouldn't be the person I am today without their love.
18. My hair is unruly and defies predictability.
19. I fight laziness daily: sometimes I win, sometimes I lose.
20. I love creating whether it is with food or words or yarn or fabric.  
21. While I am very, very good at starting things, I lack followthrough.
22. I want to be a good gardener (I am not).
23. I love to tidy; I hate to clean.
24. I was born into one phenomenal family; I married into another phenomenal family.
25. Only recently have I discovered that I like having painted nails.
26. Unfortunately, I'm quite terrible at painting my own nails.
27. I am a librarian.
28. I have been saved by Grace.
29. I am entirely grateful for this life I have been given.

And one to grow on...

   30.  I have no fear of turning 30.