Welcome to High Five for Friday – hosted by me, Becky, Tif, and Della! Come, read up on what we’ve been up to this week and get to know some amazing bloggers.
This was a fun week! I hope you had a fun week too!
1. I can’t believe that the snow stuck around through the weekend, despite the 60s weather. I was SO jazzed by the end of the week last week that we had church on Saturday, so I could see grown ups. But then…. church was canceled. Our parking lot was still an ice rink and the back, shady roads were still slick. I just about bawled. So we quickly decided to have friends over for brunch! And it was so delightful! Brunch is my favorite.
2. So last week I said that Elizabeth loved playing with our DSLR camera… well this week my husband got the “great” idea that he could give Elizabeth my old cell phone, wipe it clean and let her play with the camera on that. Oh mercy. That phone, after one week, is full of almost 1,000 pictures and videos of blurry selfies, random mom and dad shots, and accidental thumb pictures. You should hear her videos! They are hilarious! I need to figure out how to get a few off the phone to share. But the kid is 4, and I’m already saying “no phones at the table”.
3. Since we’ve already had so many snow days this month, the kids’ preschool had a few make up days. On Tuesday, William went in to school while Elizabeth stayed home with me. I kept asking Elizabeth what she’d like to do – go to the library? Go to the craft store? Go to the museum? You know what she chose? Do crafts at home! I honestly thought she’d be up for that for about 20 minutes, and then want to do something else. But my sweet girl just sat at the dining room table for 3 hours, making crafts. It was so nice getting a chance to spend a morning with just her!
4. And then there’s William. We got to sit and play while Elizabeth was at school yesterday. He really has become a kid that likes to play. He is obsessed with cars and baby dolls right now! He’s a little boy with an older sister! HA!
5. I’m super excited for this weekend! My year of Joy starts this weekend. What brings me joy is spending time with people. So we’ve got our friends coming over for brunch this Sunday! Hooray! Friend time is the best.
Welcome to High Five for Friday – hosted by me, Becky, Tif, and Della! Come, read up on what we’ve been up to this week and get to know some amazing bloggers.
Friends, this was a week of unanticipated cabin fever. I hate it when my weeks get thrown off. But it was a fun week, nonetheless!
Basically, between MLK day and a HUGE snow storm, we were house bound all week. So we got very clever in how we entertained ourselves.
This was at the beginning of the snow. We eventually had HUGE amounts!
But at least it was pretty!!
Anyway, on to the desperate measure we took to entertain everyone.
Of course, we went outside for snow time. Elizabeth, just like last week, was all about this snow stuff! She was thrilled! William, however, wasn’t all that into it. I think it’s because the snow was up to his knees… that’s fair.
Shortly after that picture, William fell over and cried while Elizabeth did a snow angel.
My kiddo was SO happy to be outside! She would have stayed out there all morning!
She climbed up every snow mountain there was.
But once we came back inside we got more… creative.
Elizabeth learned how to use the DSLR camera.
I looked the other way while William happily ate his orange rind.
I found a Christmas gift that I meant to return… so I decided to give it to the kids instead. And it bought me an hour.
And since William wasn’t too thrilled with the snow OUTSIDE, I brought it inside. I scooped up a ton of snow, brought it inside, and they spent over an hour digging around in it, burying animals, making footprints with the dinosaurs, etc.
Also, for the record, I let Elizabeth wear her favorite twirly dress for 3 days in a row… Notice William’s clothes change HAHA!
I have to survive through the weekend, and then it’s back to normal schedule. The snow is already melting. It’s supposed to rise up to the 60s this weekend and not get below freezing starting tonight. It was great to have such a pretty snow for a few days! But I’m glad it disappears after a while so we can get back to normal.
This week’s featured blogger is Monica from With Curls & Cocktails! She loves sharing snippets of her daily life on her blog! Be sure to swing over and say hello to Monica!
Also, I realized I forgot to link to Jess’s blog, To Sparkle Punch, last week! Oops! So a bonus blog for you today!!
How was your week?? Can’t wait to hear all about it!
Welcome to High Five for Friday – hosted by me, Becky, Tif, and Della! Come, read up on what we’ve been up to this week and get to know some amazing bloggers.
We’ve all recovered from last week’s illnesses and it was a fantastic week! We had the most glorious, NORMAL week this week! I love when we get back into routine.
1. Did you get any winter weather/cold last week? I was shocked that we’ve been so cold for so long. This was the longest stretch of super cold (like below freezing, and even single digits!) that I can ever remember since living here in NC. We managed to get some snow and it stuck around for several days! The downside is that we only had one day of school last week… but oh well. Plenty of time to play at home! Elizabeth wanted to get out in the snow immediately and I’m positive she did about 30 snow angels all over the yard.
Also, observe that the half inch or so of snow warrented 3 days of school closures. #winterinthesouth As my sister, who lives in Chicago, said, “It’s a cute winter snow advisory”.
2. Our Christmas decorations all came down last week, but I delayed on taking down the tree. The decorations came off so I could put boxes away, but I left the tree and lights for a few extra days. And Elizabeth decided it needed to be redecorated with her own magical things.
3. I’m so excited for this year! I just have this feeling that it’s going to be a special year. I wrote about my word of the year, JOY, earlier this week. You know when you’re feeling like you need to choose a certain path and then you notice it popping up everywhere? There’s a song, a phrase, a friend tells you something… anyway, that’s me right now. I’m finding JOY popping up everywhere right now, and I hope that doesn’t stop.
4. I was flicking through photos and noticed some pics from our Christmas trip to Colonial Williamsburg! It is one of my favorite places to visit. It’s truly like walking back in time. And at Christmas time it’s extra festive. I hadn’t been there since Elizabeth was 13 months old! So it was fun to re-introduce her to Williamsburg. And William just loved seeing all the horses walking by. He basically ran the whole time. I got him to sit briefly for a few minutes but otherwise he was zooming! But it was a fun memory-making trip.
5. Anyone else love January? I love the calm that January brings. There’s that cold, gray blue sky. The decorations are down and the house just feels clean and fresh. And a new plan! I just love it!
This week’s featured blogger is Jess from To Sparkle Punch! Jess’s mission is to find the sparkle in the every day, and it SHOWS on her blog! If you haven’t read Jess’s blog before, then prepare yourself for funny jokes, cat pictures, and a good dose of snark (in the best way!). I ADORE Jess! I think I snort out loud at each post. Jess is on a journey of self-growth, and she takes it all in stride. Swing over and meet Jess!
How was your week?? Can’t wait to hear all about it!
I love the start of a new year! It’s a fresh start – a chance to do better. True, every day is a fresh start “with no mistakes in it” (thank you, Anne!), but there’s something about that New Year’s Eve countdown as the perfect beginning.
Generally speaking, resolutions aren’t my favorite. Often what’s a priority at the start of the year isn’t a priority come summer time. So instead, I’ve been focusing on a word, or a phrase, that sums up how I want to feel at the end of the year.
Last year, I focused on “Simplify”. For me, it was more than just clearing clutter. It was about simplifying my days, simplifying what I focus on, so I had the time and white space to focus on what matters to me – family, faith and home. This is why this last year has been SO quiet here on the blog. It was intentional. I needed to make space and to simplify.
An old snow picture of our backyard, but simplifying last year just cleaned the slate. Made everything feel fresh and new.
Even if I felt like I wasn’t staring “simplify” in the face, day in and day out, I naturally was leaning on simplifying.
It. Just. Happened.
And I learned a few things about myself, because I cleared out so much mental space.
1. I figured out that I am most effective when I have an outside influence to see what I’m doing. I am NOT good at holding myself accountable. I am envious of people (my sister is one!) who can just state a goal and, if they are passionate and dedicated, they just do it. No need to ask “hey! How are you doing with _______?”. They just get it done. I’m not that way. I need someone to hold me accountable – even if they don’t know that’s what they’re doing.
Perfect example of this – since the summer, I’ve been working on revamping our church’s website. It’s something I can do! I’m uniquely qualified for that. And I was happy to do it! But I got discouraged in myself when I couldn’t get it “just right”. So the task slipped down the to-do list. No one really knew I was doing this project. Just my husband and a few other people. I knew it NEEDED to be done, but it wasn’t like anyone was breathing down my neck, looking for this. I finally had to tell our pastor that he needed to give me a deadline and to start asking about it! He resisted, saying it wasn’t necessary. He knew I was busy. But I needed that outside accountability. And, phew, it’s finally done!
2. I am a perfectionist. This I have always known. But I’m the kind that has a hard time doing something if I can’t do it right or perfect the first time, and with little help from someone. I have a hard time asking for help. Have I mentioned that I like to have control over things? But little by little, I notice when it rears its ugly head and I can swat it down.
3. My “love language” is definitely quality time. Time with my husband, time with friends, time with kids. I get such JOY from spending time with people. I don’t need a gift. I just want to sit, at a table, tea in hand, and have a chat. And simplifying my time last year helped leave a lot of space for that!
Simplifying and clearing the space freed up a chance to learn a little more about myself and how to make my day-to-day click.
And so, on to 2018!
With all that space clearing, it seemed that I should only be filling up that empty space with things that bring me joy!
So this year, I am going to:
So I settled on this word about a month ago, with the goal of having this post go up last week. But we got sick last week… and then this past weekend there were just more fun things to do than to write a blog post.
And I’m so grateful I delayed this.
Sometimes, laziness is a positive thing.
Monday morning, I was at my Bible study. We’re doing a study of John and using Jennie Allen’s study guide Proven. It’s a great study so far!
We were discussing John 6, and in particular the feeding of the 5,000. It’s a story we all learned as children. Elizabeth could tell you this story with all the appropriate detail!
But something fun happens when you hear those same stories as an adult. You pick up on new details. Your friends share wisdom and insight about a story that you never thought of before.
We were discussing how the disciples and the crowds that followed Jesus were constantly searching for a way to “check the box” of salvation. “What must I do to be saved?” And in this particular story, there is this HUGE crowd that’s followed Jesus to a hillside because they just witnessed him heal the sick. And Jesus asks “How can we feed these people?” knowing that there is no WAY 12 disciples can do it. The disciples are flummoxed. They have no idea. One even finds a little boy with a meager lunch, but it would at best serve this boy and Jesus, let alone the 5,000.
They are STRIVING to meet the expectations of the crowd. Striving to answer Jesus’s question… instead of just resting in the one who, a chapter ago, healed people! Jesus is with you! He’s got this! And then when Jesus begins to feed that massive crowd, he doesn’t just produce just enough food. He provides an abundance! An overflowing! There were 12 baskets of leftovers!
So then I look at me. I’m constantly striving! I’m striving to meet the expectations of myself and others. I throw myself at tasks and projects, perhaps with good intentions at first, but now I’m just surviving, or doing them for selfish reasons.
I’m filling my life with things that zap the joy. I rarely take the time to just relish in the joy that’s around me. I am outwardly a joyful person, but inwardly I am struggling to find joy in the every day.
As these thoughts are flowing in my head during our Bible study, we switch gears to watch the corresponding video.
And BAM!
Jennie Allen said something that completely got stuck in my head. It was God saying “Yep! This is your year to rediscover that joy I have for you! Stop striving and lean in to the joy, Katie!”
I’m learning to enjoy my calling, instead of the burden of being driven by it. – Jennie Allen
So I know that I chose well. I know that Joy will be my song this year. I plan on filling our weekends with brunch dates with friends. I plan on doing more staring out of the window, just enjoying the nature. I plan on taking long walks in silence. I plan on being goofy with my children! I plan on looking for ways to serve my husband. I plan on continuing to serve in my community and church BUT getting back to the reason I am there – that God called me to serve, not for my own selfish glory.
I also plan on singing “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart!” a lot. Out loud. Because…. why not?
Friends – there is so much joy out there! We get caught up in our own trials and troubles that we forgot to look around at the abundance God has poured on us!
Welcome to High Five for Friday – hosted by me, Becky, Tif, and Della! Come, read up on what we’ve been up to this week and get to know some amazing bloggers.
Well friends, this will be a short one. I had such high hopes of starting this year off with a bang! But alas, the creepy crawly crud has been working its way through our house, and it’s finally time for me to get it.
The beginning of this week was promising! I got all of my Christmas decorations down (except for the tree) and put away. I even made it to my church this week and took down those decorations.
But it was all a downhill slide since Wednesday.
I hate being sick.
And all that’s really happened this week was watching football, sneezing and coughing, and resting. And a small dusting of snow…
But I can’t leave you like that!
Funny – you know on Facebook when it says “you have a memory”? Well my one yesterday was a status that said:
“My husband had a horrific dream last night. Our family managed to seek shelter after the start of the apocalypse. And then I went off to find a Starbucks…. And was never heard from again.”
HAHAHAHA! That’s basically perfect.
I hope your week was less tissue-filled than mine!
This week’s featured blogger is Ada from Elegance and Mommyhood! She’s a mommy with a passion for fashion! (ooo that rhymes!) She also hosts a weekly outfit link up too. Swing over and say hello to Ada!
How was your week?? Can’t wait to hear all about it!
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