A few thrift store finds

I went on a quick thrifting trip at the beginning of the summer, and I have been wearing some of these finds nonstop since then. It seemed like a good time to put together a few things I’ve learned about thrifting over the years. I’ve included brands of items even though I’m not much of a brand snob; I just think it’s interesting what you can find at thrift stores. Enjoy!

1. Go on half–off days.
At my favorite thrift store, those are Wednesdays (for clothing, anyway). The tradeoff is that it’s much busier on Wednesdays, but I’m willing to wait in longer lines for better deals.
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2. Think outside your department.
Some thrift stores are better than others at sorting garments, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve found women’s items mixed in with men’s and children’s. Button–down shirts and bermuda shorts often get mixed in with menswear, and small sizes often end up in children’s. I don’t spend a ton of time flipping through every single rack, but I do keep an eye out for mix–ups.

I’ve also shopped menswear on purpose a few times. If you’ve followed any of my Project 333 posts, then you know that button–downs are a staple in my wardrobe. They’re easy to dress up or down, they layer well (under sweaters in the cold, over tank tops in the heat), and they just make you look put–together. Plus, I rarely bother ironing them in this humidity! While men’s and women’s shirts are made differently in terms of slimness and darts, I’ve found men’s shirts that I really like. And now that I’m thinking ahead to a post–partum wardrobe, I’m embracing the idea of a loose, straight fit with no darts.

On this trip, I was lucky to find two J. Crew slim shirts for men. Have no fear—they were nowhere near J. Crew’s price! They were regularly $7 each, so $3.50 on half–off day. I love the pink and navy color schemes of these, and I’ve been wearing them open over maternity tanks all summer. They’ll work the same way over nursing tanks, then just stick around in my regular old wardrobe . . . probably for years to come, as I’ve had some button–downs since college! What can I say? They hold up well.

pinkplaid pinkplaidclose

navyplaidclose navyplaid

3. Inspect each garment.
Check out the seams, see if there are any buttons missing, etc. I stand in a corner and inspect everything—sleeves, collars, whatever. A little trick I learned from Janet is to hold items up to the light to search for holes (especially good for sweaters and dark–colored items). A separated seam or missing button isn’t necessarily enough to keep me from buying an item; if it’s something I can repair myself, I’ll usually go for it. But sweater holes, bleach spots, and serious repair work usually aren’t worth it to me.

This shirt, originally from Loft, looked like it had been worn maybe once and then hung in someone’s closet for a while. There was actual dust between the pleats! It also had that slightly yellowed look to it that white shirts can get. When I inspected it, I found one loose thread. The tag said $5, so for $2.50, I was willing to take my chances. The loose thread turned out to be nothing, and I’m thinking the reason this shirt wasn’t worn much is that it requires a good bit of ironing (those pleats—!). I figured since I get away with doing so little ironing, I could take this one on. Plus, the empire waist meant it worked in my maternity wardrobe for a few weeks.

whiteshirt

4. Be willing to take laundry chances.
That white shirt was one of those. As weird as it is, I really love laundry, and I figured Borax + lemon juice + hot water would be enough to take care of that yellowing. And you know what? It was.

white-shirt-soaking

I also found this Nautica suit in my nephew’s size. I mean, it is tan and white seersucker, people. Does it get any cuter than that? It was covered—and I do mean covered—in some stain the color of iced tea. I can only hope the previous owner got himself up to his elbows in something delicious. This was another $7 item, so you better believe I decided to put my laundry skills to the test for a $3.50 suit.

suit

suitstains
Remember when I sang the praises of Honest stain remover? It got the job done in no time.

insuit
Walk softly and carry a big rock.

5. Don’t be scared of shoes.
I know, I know, I know. Thrift store shoes might give you the heebie–jeebies. And honestly, some most of them do the same to me. But there are always a few pairs there that haven’t been worn much and are in great shape. I’ve been looking for cute, comfortable, casual red sandals for a while, and I found this adorable, nearly new pair.

shoes

I’m not sure these had ever been worn. They still had the original sticker on the sole, and it didn’t look scuffed. In any case, I tried them on to make sure they fit—always the grossest part!—and they were perfect for leather shoes, the right length and width and just a little tight across the ball of my foot.

Oh, and they were $8, aka $4.

My usual M.O. with thrifted shoes is to clean them carefully with cotton balls and rubbing alcohol, then wear them around the house with a couple of pairs of socks to get them stretched so they’re nice and comfy. Do I look like an idiot? Yes. Yes, I do.

sandalswithsocks
He’s a lucky man, that husband of mine.

These quickly became a summer favorite.

I’m dying to know—what’s your best thrift store find? I’m thinking mine might be this pair of boots I found years ago. They were the perfect shade of cognac, perfect heel height, sorta slouchy and really comfortable. I wore them until they literally fell apart. They were brand new when I bought them, and I remember Googling them to find that they were still available online for around $200. I think I paid $3. Please share when the thrifting gods smiled upon you!

CSA Box: August 8

Read more about why I love CSA and locally–grown fruits and veggies here.

This week’s box:

box8.7

  • 4 peppers
  • 2 eggplant
  • 3 red potatoes
  • okra
  • 3 bell peppers
  • 4 gala apples
  • acorn squash
  • turnips
  • kombucha

A la carte items:

alacarte8.7

  • patty pan squash
  • 2 heirloom tomatoes

My total was $34 even.

Pretty much all of the items in this week’s box went into spaghetti sauce. My spaghetti sauce recipe tends to be ground turkey + onions and garlic + tomatoes + all the vegetables I think I can get away with sneaking in. I made a HUGE pot this week because I’m working on filling the freezer with as much as I can before this sweet baby gets here. It’s been pretty fun to plan—you know, if you find Type A organizational stuff fun—so I’m sure I’ll bore you to tears with a whole post about it.

Can’t stand the wait? Okay, here’s a sneak peek.

celeryonionbellpepper

Anything delicious going on? Any favorite freezer meals I should know about? I’m all ears!

Be an Encourager

Much like I’ve been noticing the importance of input from sources like books and blogs, I’ve also been noticing how people’s words have the power to lift up or bring down. It’s one of those little facts you’re always aware of, sort of an in–the–back–of–your–mind kind of thing, but it’s become more prominent to me through my teaching career and through being pregnant. It’s got me thinking about how I speak to people and whether or not I’m being an encourager.

My first year of teaching was really tough, as it almost always is for new teachers. There were plenty of people who were willing to talk with me about it, including my mentor teacher, and I noticed how sensitive I was to what people said and how they said it. I often thought I was even being overly sensitive—and I probably was sometimes—but I think it was just a matter of tone and how important tone is to how people hear what you say. Dismissive comments like “You’ll be fine. It gets better,” or “Whatever, let it go,” were neither hurtful nor helpful, and some comments were downright detrimental, but the encouraging words stuck out the most. I remember the wise teacher who told me, “Just make it to Thanksgiving. Trust me,” and turned out to be right, just as I remember the kind teacher who said, “You are doing more good than you can possibly notice.” And I’ll never forget the teacher who told me, “Sometimes we’re simply planting the seed. We might not get to see it blossom or even see it sprout, but the fact is, we planted it.” Oh, how many times I’ve repeated that to myself over the years!

Once I was more of a seasoned teacher, I made it my mission to be as encouraging as I could be toward new teachers. I honestly never would have made it without the people who said those kind words to me, and it seemed the least I could do was to pay it forward. I know that it helped those new teachers, and [selfishly] it just felt good.

abbeygarden

Now that I’m expecting, I’ve had to learn to let go of the negativity (and get out of those conversations whenever possible). One acquaintance likes to point out where and how quickly I am gaining weight (“Oh, you REALLY look pregnant in your face!”), while another can’t wait to jump in with something negative. If I mention a craft I’m working on, she’ll say, “Enjoy crafting now! You won’t make another thing for 18 years!”. If I talk about needing a nap, she can’t cut me off quickly enough to ask, “You do realize you’re never going to sleep again once you have an infant, right?”. I mean, my goodness. Yes, let’s have realistic expectations and not paint parenthood as the easiest job in the world, but do we really need to jump to making it sound like the worst thing ever?

My husband and I are friends with a couple who have a two–year–old. They both went to high school with my husband, so the three of them have known one another for a while. We have a lot in common with these friends—including our first names, oddly enough—and we love spending time with them because of our similar interests and senses of humor. They’re also really easy people to be around. I’m never worried about if my house is spotless or what I’m wearing; they couldn’t care less, and our friendship is past all that. Something I’ve been appreciating about them more than ever is that they are encouragers. They’re so excited we’re expecting because they’re the only ones in my husband’s group of friends who are parents, so they are really looking forward to sharing that. They are also awesome parents, informed and careful in their decision–making but also laidback enough to enjoy parenting. They came over with their little girl a few weekends ago, and we had the best time catching up on life and talking about parenthood.

Something that really encouraged me was how they talked about the changes that come around with an infant but how those changes balance out. They laughed about losing sleep and shrugged, saying, “You get through it.” They talked openly about having no qualms about leaving their daughter with her grandparents so that they could have time for just the two of them. They also talked about how much they adore their daughter and how fun it is to be her parents. It wasn’t in a tone of Look at us, we’re perfect! Parenthood is easy! We don’t know what’s wrong with people who seem stressed; it’s a beautiful, wonderful experience all the time. It was simply the truth about having a balanced perspective, and it encouraged us to no end. I doubt they set out to have that effect—I’m sure they were just being honest—but they had that effect all the same. My husband and I have mentioned parts of that conversation in the weeks since then, and it continues to shape how we’re feeling.

The Bible speaks to this issue, too.

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” Ephesians 4:29

“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45

“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” Proverbs 4:23

“Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.” Psalm 141:3

Let’s be encouragers, shall we? You never know the positive effect it might have!

Thoughts on Input

Something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately is input. What we read, what we watch or listen to, the conversations we have—all of these things have the power to shape how we think and feel.

I guess I’m just completely oblivious or something, but I never paid much attention to input until the last couple of years. I started noticing the importance of it when I was going through a rough time teaching, and I really noticed it once I found out I was expecting.

Oddly enough—or perhaps embarrassingly enough—television was what made me first realize the importance of input. Allow me to explain.

One of my favorite shows in high school and college was Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. I still think it’s one of the best shows on television. It’s an easy one for me to Netflix–binge, and I used to watch an episode or two when I got home from school and waited for my husband to get home from work.

Then I went through a really difficult year of teaching. Teaching is difficult enough at the best of times, but that year was just a tornado of negativity from administrators, colleagues, students’ parents, and even a few of my students themselves. It brought me down and often left me feeling spent and bewildered. I’d lament what went wrong that day on the drive home, take my dog out, and then sit down to watch SVU before starting dinner and schoolwork for the evening.

And you know what? It didn’t make me feel any better. In fact, it usually made me feel worse. I’d get caught up in the story and how awful the perpetrator was, plus how difficult life must be for the victim, and even though I still thought highly of the show, I realized it wasn’t a good time for me to be watching it. I really hope I reach a season in my life again where I can catch up because it is a great show, but I know that it’s not the kind of input I needed at the time, and I’ve been okay without it.

Around the same time, I remembered that one of my husband’s and my favorite things to do when we were first married was to watch The Dick Van Dyke Show. So silly, right? It was on Netflix and popped up as being recommended for us—goodness knows what other dorky stuff we’d watched to have it as a recommendation—and we both talked about how much we loved Nick at Nite when we were growing up.

That’s when it dawned on me that the positive input of one show made a huge difference, especially when compared to the negative input of another show.

I realize that isn’t earth–shattering, but it was a transformative moment for me and made me consider other sources of input more carefully.

Something similar happened when my husband and I started watching Breaking Bad. We’d heard lots of good reviews about it, and we noticed in the first couple of episodes that it was well–written, but the overall situation and tone of the show just didn’t do it for us. It brought us down too much; after one particular episode, my husband said, “That was exhausting.” I agreed, and we quickly got to the point that we just wanted something light–hearted to enjoy. We’d already watched The Office, but we started watching it again because we liked it so much and knew it was the kind of humorous input we were looking for.

pink flowers

When I found out I was expecting, I became ruthless about the kind of input I allowed for myself. I guess I should admit that I haven’t been reading every single word out there on pregnancy health, birth, baby registries, sleep training, and everything else available for research. All I wanted was something to give me a brief overview of pregnancy and some sound advice related to taking care of myself, so I turned to Amazon reviews to help me sort through the millions of options. I also checked out a few from the library to skim and consider before purchasing one (I went with the Mayo Clinic Guide—and found out later that our insurance would’ve sent us the same book for free! Ha!).

The same was true for the internet. I’ve never been much of a crazy Googler, looking up every symptom and reading every forum post, but I have looked up some things to be sure. I became overly cautious about that so as to avoid reading the one horror story that would send me into the depths of worry. And I certainly avoided forums where it was clear certain moms were openly judgmental of other moms.

I think the main factor in my deciding what input to allow has been tone. I don’t want anything alarmist, discouraging, or sanctimonious. Have you noticed how often we use the word “best” in situations where it doesn’t necessarily make sense? I’ve noticed lots of “such–and–such is best for baby” language in situations where what’s best is really arbitrary. No wonder mommy guilt is so strong in our world.

Here are some other ways I’ve been considering input:

Blogs There are some sweet spaces on the internet that absolutely make my day, but unfortunately, I am not the best blog reader ever. I don’t always make time to stay caught up on the blogs I love, and I am the worst about commenting on my favorites, yet they leave me so uplifted and feeling like I’m not alone. A couple of my many, many faves are A Grace Full Home, Cartwheels Down the Hall, and The Gardener’s Cottage. It’s not like they update every day and it’s impossible to keep up with them; I simply need to find a few minutes to spend filling myself up and maybe even commenting on a post. I’m also thinking about bullying some of my favorite bloggers into posting more often (ahem, Misty. wink).

I think the same is true for letting go of blogs you used to love but aren’t really feeling anymore. I remember the first time I heard the phrase “hate read” (as in reading a blog you can’t stand by someone you don’t like); I was flabbergasted and vowed never to let a blog get to that point for me. There are only two blogs that lost their luster for me—and I promise I didn’t let them become “hate reads”—so I simply stopped reading them. In both cases, the blogs went from being sort of simple and honest, journal–type blogs (the kind I love) to becoming really popular . . . and then really sponsored, becoming more about product reviews than the person’s life. I was happy that these people I liked had so many readers and free stuff coming to their doors; it just wasn’t what drew me to the blog in the first place, so I moved on.

Radio Okay, I’m sort of using that as a catch–all term for stuff I listen to. My husband and I are news junkies, and we love a lot of the shows on NPR, especially Car Talk and A Prairie Home Companion, so our radios are usually set to that station. The radio in our kitchen is HD, so we’re able to get our local NPR station’s jazz and classical stations, too (we have jazz on nearly nonstop when we’re both home, and I love to have classical on during the day when I’m home). This means we catch quite a bit of the news, too, of course, which is good. And while I like to be an informed person, sometimes the news is too much for me. The events of the past few weeks have been perfect examples of this: I want to know what happened, but I can’t endure the nonstop live coverage. The same is true of the election. I’ll go into the booth as an informed voter, but I simply can’t listen to every soundbite every candidate says. So sometimes I just turn it off. Simple, right?

What I’m listening to is also a great opportunity for positive input. I’ve got a few podcasts I just love, and I never have enough time to listen to every single episode, but I stay pretty caught up, especially while I’m cleaning or doing food prep for the week. My favorites are Happier and She Percolates. I feel so refreshed and recharged after listening to these.

Books I’ve mentioned in some of my Reading Lately posts that I’ve stopped reading books I’m simply not enjoying. I love to read Christian books, and I’m usually good at choosing ones that are at least somewhat aligned with my own theological beliefs. Every now and then I’ll find one that’s really conservative and way more literal with the bible than I am, but I can usually get around those issues if I’m still getting something out of the book. But there have been a few times when I’ve kept reading something that’s getting under my skin simply for the sake of finishing the book. Silly, right? I’m getting better at moving on to something more suited for me.

I’ve also given myself a lot of grace to read something seemingly silly just for the sake of enjoying it. As an English major, I can be too hard on myself for wanting to read something light, thinking to myself, “I should be reading Middlemarch instead.” But honestly, Anne of Green Gables fills my heart! It’s another bit of input that lifts me up, and I’m giving myself much more space for books like that.

Friends Ouch. This is a tough one, right? Like most people, I have a small inner circle I’m close to and keep up with constantly and a bigger group of people I love but don’t necessarily keep up with all the time. That bigger group tends to be easier to navigate because we aren’t necessarily doing the tough stuff together, if that makes sense. We get together every now and then—usually for some sort of celebration—and maybe text occasionally, but they aren’t in my day–to–day.

It’s with the people who are in my day–to–day where I need to be careful. I’ve noticed lately that some of my close friends and I have reciprocal relationships; it feels like we give and take equally, they fill me up, and I don’t leave conversations with them questioning anything. But I have a few close friends who do much more taking than giving, making our conversations feel more like a therapy session for them and leaving me completely drained. Please don’t get me wrong—I am happy to be there for people when they need me, and I hope my friends turn to me during tough times. But there’s a difference between that and people who complain for the sake of complaining. I’m slowly learning how to set some healthy boundaries with those friends so that I don’t spend an hour of the afternoon listening to their endless complaints about what time the mail arrived yesterday (yep, actually happened).

My most unexpected takeaway from monitoring input has been paying more careful attention to how I spend my time. That was a focus of mine when I was working on being more intentional, and I didn’t realize I’d revisit it during this little experiment. Spending time on positive input makes such a difference for me, and seeking what’s uplifting has been a good use of time, too.

Quiet Time Basket

I love the idea of a quiet time basket. I’ve seen a few bloggers share similar ideas, but I remember when I read Emily’s post and was so inspired to put together my own. My journals, bibles, and bible study books tend to wind up all over the place, and when I want to sit down and have some quiet time it can be difficult to find everything I need. And I don’t know about you, but when I need quiet time, the last thing I want to do is become stressed trying to find a certain journal or my favorite pen.

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A few of my quiet time favorites:
studies

books

calling

When I was still teaching, I would get home from work earlier than my husband did, and that was the perfect time to settle down with a cup of tea and my basket and just unwind from the day. Even though I’m home most of the time now, I still find that afternoon lull the perfect time to quiet down and step away from whatever crafts or household duties I’m working on. I’m able to spend the evening so much more refreshed than if I just jumped into the next thing on my to do list.

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The basket also makes it easy to have more intentional mornings, something I’ve been working on this summer. I’m much more likely to start the day in the Word if I’m not stumbling around, trying to find what I need.

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How about you? What are your quiet time favorites?

CSA Box: June 13

Read more about why I love CSA and locally–grown fruits and veggies here.

Tired of pictures of my groceries yet? Too bad. The box has been killing it lately.

This week’s box:

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  • 3 summer squash
  • 2 creole tomatoes
  • Cantaloupe
  • Bell pepper
  • 2 red potatoes
  • Cucumber
  • 2 heirloom tomatoes
  • 5 peaches (first of the season!)
  • 3 ears of sweet corn
  • 2 pattypan squash (which I did not mean to arrange so suggestively)

As always, lovely produce for $25.

I didn’t get any a la carte items this week, but the grocery store had 2 for 1 blueberries, so my mouth is pretty much stained purple for the rest of the week. C’est la summer vie.

Meal plan:

  • Monday: Crock pot pork roast, brown rice, summer squash
  • Tuesday: Leftovers
  • Wednesday: Spaghetti (details below)
  • Thursday: Leftovers
  • Friday: Wine & cheese or maybe just leftovers because this is going to make A LOT of food

I’m using ground turkey as the meat in the spaghetti sauce, then sauteeing onion and garlic, adding chopped pattypan squash / bell pepper / mushroom, then working in all those tomatoes (the ones from the box AND yet another batch from my parents’ garden). I’ll add a little basil from my own garden, too. And if I end up with enough to freeze for later—fabulous!

The cantaloupe is chopped and waiting in the fridge, and the peaches are disappearing at an alarming rate. I’ll probably hang on to the potatoes til next week, and we’ll see if we feel like grilling something this weekend. I love corn on the grill.

Have peaches hit your neck of the woods yet?

Starting Armor of God

armor

Remember how last summer my friend and I participated in the Angie Smith’s Seamless bible study? (You can read more here.) This summer, we’re participating in Priscilla Shirer’s The Armor of God. Lifeway is hosting an online study over on their blog, and today marks our first session.

The first session is about getting to know the women participating in the study, especially why they were drawn to The Armor of God.

My answer is pretty simple on the surface, more complicated just underneath. Last summer, I chose the Seamless study, so it was my friend’s turn to choose. She picked The Armor of God a few months ago. We had big plans of it being our new year’s study, and then life got in the way, as it often does, so we’re covering the whole situation in grace and counting it joy that we get to participate with so many women this summer! See what we did there? ; ) Seriously, though, something like 30,000 women signed up, so it’s pretty good timing as far as community goes.

The more complicated part of my answer is that the study focuses a lot on “the enemy,” and that frame of thinking has never been a strong part of my faith practice. (Stay with me here; I’ll try to articulate what I mean!) I know there are churches / denominations that talk a lot about “the devil” or “the enemy,” but I’ve never been a part of one. Please know that I say that with absolutely no judgment of churches that do or people who are members of those churches; it’s simply new to me because I’ve always thought more in terms of the presence of evil in the world, people choosing darkness over light,* people not living into the peace of Christ, that sort of thing. The idea of this personification of evil is new to me, and while I don’t know that it will completely change my way of thinking about how darkness gets into our present world, I do appreciate the exercise in helping me focus on how that darkness gets into my own life, and the English major in me sees how a personified enemy can help with forming that understanding.

I hope that made some semblance of sense.

*seems like a good place for a disclaimer stating that while I’m a huge fan of Star Wars, I don’t practice it as a faith ; )

lantana

I think the reason this particular study stood out to my friend is pretty neat. The study focuses on Ephesians 6:10-17, which is a passage my friend’s father always told her was important to learn and keep on her heart. She said that his advice has made more and more sense to her the older she gets, and she wanted a chance to study it in depth. Isn’t that a wonderful reason? I hope to pass along similar wise advice to my own children.

Anyone else joining in? or have any exciting plans for a study or a devotional this summer? Let me know in the comments!

CSA Box: June 6

Read more about why I love CSA and locally–grown fruits and veggies here.

This week’s box:

box

  • 1 bunch of mint
  • Blueberries
  • Strawberries
  • A bell pepper the size of my head
  • yellow wax beans
  • 2 creole tomatoes
  • 4 aptly named warty yellow squash
  • 6 beets
  • 1 cucumber
  • 4 jalapenos
  • 3 red potatoes
  • 4 ears of sweet corn

They really knocked it out of the park this week. It’s pretty much a box of our favorite things. And all that produce for $25? Yes, please!

A la carte items:

alacarte

I also purchased 2 zucchini—each over a foot long, mind you—and 3 pints of $1 strawberries. They were marked down because they were very, very ripe, but I was heading to my parents’ house and knew they’d gladly eat 2 pints (my dad actually made smoothies with 1 pint while I was still there). And I ate the other 2 because fruit, people! It’s healthy, right?

You better believe I didn’t pass up this spinach croissant, either.

croissant

My grand total was just under $36. I am still in disbelief over how much food we got for that amount. I could barely carry it out to my car.

It also initiated texts of this nature to my husband:

text

I like to think I bring a lot of entertainment value to our marriage.

Meal plan:

  • Monday: Roast chicken + red potatoes (you just add them to the same roasting pan so they soak up all the chicken juices and are delicious), brown rice, squash + zucchini
  • Tuesday: leftovers + blanched yellow wax beans (only enough beans for about 2 servings)
  • Wednesday: Grilled hamburgers, grilled sweet corn
  • Thursday: leftovers
  • Friday: wine and cheese

I’ve been adding sprigs of fresh mint to my water—so refreshing! And the blueberries are disappearing at the same alarming rate as the strawberries. I’ve been eating 2 small lunches a day rather than 1 normal–sized one, usually consisting of a power bowl and then a creole tomato + cucumber + feta + balsamic salad mid–afternoon. My parents sent me home with 4 creole tomatoes from their garden, so I’m pretty much eating one a day. Glorious.

The only items I don’t have a plan for are the jalapenos. Maybe as an interesting burger topping . . . Any ideas?

Hope you’re eating something summer–y and wonderful this week!

Life Lately

. . . and a warning that I’m awkward at sharing big news.

The garden is just glorious. Glorious, I tell you! I still can’t believe things are growing out of the earth (you know, like they have for millions of years).

garden

Recent harvest. (Yes, it’s about half a serving.)

beans

I’m thinking about entering our dog in a napping contest. She’s got to be some kind of Olympian.

dognapping
Opened her eyes long enough to wonder why I dared interrupt her slumber.

Still loving Thrive Market like crazy. Post to come.

thrivebox

Started a new book and a new bible study to get me through the end of the school year, which was bittersweet. It’s always bittersweet but was especially tough because it’s going to be my last year teaching for a while.

wildandfreearmor

In very much related news, we’re working on turning our home office into a nursery.

corner

I’m still kind of in disbelief. I’ll spare you the details, but we were reaching the point of wondering if this would happen or not. And now we’re utterly overjoyed but still a bit shocked because it just seemed so out of reach.

And in some weird way it makes my heart ache. For so long, every time I heard someone else was pregnant, it stung a bit. I know that’s selfish, but sometimes emotions are like that, you know? On the outside, I was as happy and gracious as possible, but I couldn’t help but think of my own situation and feel a sort of emptiness.

Now that I’m in the opposite situation, I can’t help but feel a little ache because I know what it’s like to hear someone else’s news and hope and wish and pray so desperately that it were your own.

So there it is. My joy and my guilt. Women, huh? We are really something. ; )

I can promise you that this won’t become a mommy blog overnight (or ever, really). I mean, who are we kidding? This blog has never had a sense of direction or purpose! In fact, I’m hoping to make this one of the [few] things in my life that remains my own now that there will be an infant in the picture. I hope to keep chronicling my life, sharing my heart, and connecting with people who help me see the good in the world. No doubt my life will be changing, but I like to think it always is, in big and little ways.

And that’s it, you guys! Preparing for what will probably be the hottest summer of my life as I haul around this little furnace . . . ; )

Reading Lately

Loved

Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman
Even though this book was published just after WWII, so much of it still resonates today. Howard Thurman is deeply theological while being completely accessible (one of my favorite combinations in writers). He helped me to see how even though we claim to be all one in the body of Christ, there are people who are overlooked and marginalized. This wasn’t something I was clueless about, obviously, because I live in the real world, but Thurman’s words helped me to see this issue in a whole new way and to realize that it’s not just a societal problem to leave up to someone else to deal with—it’s a problem the people of God have to take on because He would never leave anyone out the way we do. I highly, highly recommend this one.

I Will Carry You by Angie Smith
Angie Smith is one of my favorite writers, and this book did not disappoint. She shares the moment she and her husband received the diagnosis that their unborn daughter Audrey had conditions that would make her incompatible with life, then how she and her family navigated the following months. While the topic is not the easiest one to read about, the book itself is so warm and loving and filled with reminders of God’s grace. I was left with a greater appreciation for prayer, family, and God’s way of meeting us wherever we are.

Liked

Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin
I mentioned how I absolutely adored The Happiness Project, Rubin’s first book on happiness research, so I was excited to read her follow–up. This one is very similar to Happiness Project but with a focus on making her home and family life happier. While it wasn’t quite as life–changing as the other book, I still enjoyed it, just in a different way. I think this was mainly because it was more focused on personal anecdotes from Rubin’s life rather than a blend of anecdotes and suggestions for what to try in your own happiness project like the first book. Even so, it was a good read and I’d still recommend it if you read Happiness Project and can’t get enough.

The Best Yes by Lysa Terkeurst
This book was one of the ways I welcomed 2016. As someone who has trouble saying no to requests, especially requests to help out with something, I really appreciated Terkeurst’s approach to focusing on what you want to be able to say yes to, not just what to cut out of your life. Some approaches seem very “cut this and this and this, and poof! you’ll have more time,” but that isn’t always practical. Terkeurst understands how we end up being pulled in so many directions and gives real strategies for figuring out what matters most and making sure we have the time and energy for that. I recommend this book to anyone with a busy schedule—pretty much everyone, right?—and especially those who have lots of wonderful volunteer opportunities but not nearly enough hours in the day to say yes to all of them.

Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler*
This modern retelling of The Taming of the Shrew was such fun to read. It’s part of a collection Hogarth Shakespeare is doing, and when I heard about this new project, my English major heart was part thrilled, part terrified they’d ruin a bunch of classic plays. While reading Vinegar Girl is no replacement for the real Shrew, it’s a fun companion piece that stays true to the style of humor Shakespeare used. The characters are brilliant, and the way Tyler adapts little plot points for the modernization makes for an enjoyable read that left me thinking, “Oh, how clever!” over and over again. I’m sure some purists will fight against any type of modern retelling, but I don’t think these editions are meant to replace the originals any more than film interpretations are. I highly recommend Vinegar Girl and look forward to reading more novels in this collection.

vinegargirl
* I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this honest review.

Left unfinished

I normally make myself finish books regardless of whether or not I’m enjoying them, but I’m trying to break free of that habit. There are too many great books out there to waste my time on one I’m just not loving.

Love Does by Bob Goff
Please no one throw anything! I heard such wonderful things about this book, and I’ve read so many glowing reviews, and then it just . . . didn’t work for me? Or something? I don’t know. I tried so hard to like it—and did like some elements of it—but I think it was too whimsical for me. It may be one of those reads that’s perfect for the beach, something carefree and light–hearted that’s enjoyable but easy to put down if my nephew wants to build a sand castle right this minute, but it just wasn’t speaking to me at this moment. After reading such weighty books as the ones I listed under “Loved,” I think I just couldn’t get into Goff’s hijinks and schemes. Maybe I’ll try it again someday.

Because I love children’s lit

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
I can never get enough of this book! It’s such a fun read for kids but so meaningful for adults. I absolutely adore the family in it and love how L’Engle weaves theology so seamlessly throughout. Rereading this series is a lot like rereading Narnia as an adult—you remember why you loved it as a kid, but you realize how brilliant the author was, too. I mean, L’Engle casually throws in biblical Greek like it’s nothing. Hello? How cool is that?

Reading now

The Devotional for Women, edited by Rhonda Harrington Kelley and Dorothy Kelley Patterson**
I’m calling this one “reading now” because it’s a devotional I’m savoring day by day. It’s a beautiful book with lots of lovely details—pretty purple cover, ribbon bookmark, the kind of book you run your hands over because it’s just so nice. Of course, the devotionals really make this book. Each one is short enough to start your morning with or for a nice afternoon break but with enough content to give you something to think and pray about. I love that each devotional is numbered rather than dated so you can start it any time or easily pick back up where you left off. There’s also space to journal right there after the devotional. A few of the devotionals are a bit conservative for my taste, but it’s easy to move on to the next one.

** I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program in exchange for my honest review.

Simply Tuesday by Emily P. Freeman
This is one of those books that was trending all over social media a few months ago, and honestly, I don’t always jump into whatever everyone else is reading because I’m never sure it will live up to the hype (and perhaps I’m too cynical, but I find it difficult to trust over–the–top reviews from bloggers who just so happen to be trying to launch their own book deals, if you know what I mean). And I also tried to read Freeman’s Grace for the Good Girl a few years ago and just could not get through it. So why in the world did I pick up Simply Tuesday? I think it was due to the premise of the book—finding joy and meaning in everyday life. That’s one of my goals for the year, and so far, this book is helping me in that goal.

Up next

I guess The Red Tent is still on this list . . . oops! I checked out a bunch of library books, so those due dates made books I own take the backseat, you know? Still looking forward to this one, though.

I’d also like to read The Pigeon Pie Mystery, but I’m thinking I might save it for a beach read. Have you noticed how particular I am about beach reads? Ha! No clue why.

PS: Are you on Goodreads? Let’s be friends.

I’ve linked to Amazon but none are affiliate links (not that there’s anything wrong with those!).