My Birthday

Sometimes I sit down here to write a post about what has been going on in our lives recently...but as so much of my story intertwines with those that I love the most...and their stories are theirs to tell when and if they ever decide to....all I do is stare at the blinking cursor or decide to just stick with book reviews.

But, I did have a birthday this past week and that inevitably makes me stop and take stock of life - the good, the bad, the ugly, and all that lies between.  

What I love most about my life in this stage :

I love to read and drink coffee.  I love fall candles, décor, and walking Hobby Lobby's aisles soaking in the beauty.  I love watching the trees turn and hearing the crunch of the leaves outside.  I love hummingbirds and fresh basil and sun ripened tomatoes.  Most of my favorite movies are cartoon movies, but I deeply love Anne of Green Gables (the books and the 80s movies), Jane Austen, and Elizabeth Gaskell.  I love Harry Potter and Enola Holmes (good books are enjoyed by every age!), journaling, and verse mapping.  Right now my favorite book in the Bible is Habakkuk.  I love homeschooling.  

What I do NOT love about this stage in life :

Getting older and stiffer.  Not having the energy I used to have.  Letting go of dreams - dreams I had for myself and my loves...and helping them navigate pathways we never thought we would be called down.  Rude people...especially when they don't even care that they are being rude.  Books that are needlessly crass.  Fall sports (well actually sports of all seasons 😑).  Now I know that is really unpopular, but I am not a sporty person, pretty much everyone else in my family was/is, but I just don't see the point and find them loud and crowded.  Doctor offices...we have sat in so many hospital and doctor office waiting rooms that the sight and smell of them is forever ingrained in my memory.  I am on the one hand thankful for the help we are there to get, but on the other lament that we have to go in the first place.  But I will say, those that work in offices like that - when they are kind and helpful and compassionate - that simple kindness is such a blessing.

So...just so I don't forget here is a list of my favorite things right now:

Food: french toast bagel toasted with butter and sprinkled with nutmeg and Chipotle

Drink: steaming hot coffee!  But I recently have fallen in love with iced lattes!  And of course Hot Chocolates!

Movies: Old Disney, Original Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, Anne of Green Gables (80s), Elizabeth Gaskell's movies, Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice' and 'Sense and Sensibility' (2008) and 'Emma' (2009)

TV shows: I watch old tv shows with my husband on the weekends and right now we are watching 'Naruto'...I did not expect to like it and there are moments that we have fast-forwarded, but I LOVE this tv show.  My favorite character is Kakashi Sensei (my husband surprised me with a pop of him for my birthday!)

DIY: I have discovered a love of DIY tools and plumbing - I am fascinated by the pipes and tools that you can use to unclog drains and fix bathtub 'thingys' (I have yet to learn the actual vocabulary...that is next on the list).  I love handheld tree limb saws, there is something so satisfying  about sawing through a limb and then chopping it into bag-sized pieces.  My husband bought me the cutest tool belt and tool bag for my birthday and it just made me so happy.

Bible : I love verse mapping, I love the new class we tried out this past week (we only made it half way through the two hour class...but I love it!), having a Bible with margins for underlining and then noting the verse that popped out at you and why - or having a space to jot down questions.  As I mentioned earlier my current favorite book of the Bible is Habakkuk.

Doodling and bullet journaling : LOVE both of these so much!

Books : this one is so hard.  Of course there are my old faithfuls that I read and re-read and listen and re-listen to over and over and over again.  But then there are new genres (cozy mysteries) and new authors (Dwight L. Moody) that I have discovered, it is hard to list them all.  The favorite part of my year is the reading challenges that I participate in.

So, as I embark on my forty-seventh year, I am deeply thankful for God's faithfulness and mercy and I am looking forward to going deeper in my walk with Him.  God is indeed so, so good.  And He has indeed been faithful all of my life.  (Current favorite worship song : Ce Ce Winans "The Goodness of God" )