Holy Slow, Wholly Savor

Last week was hard. Bitter, butt-kicking hard. One of those weeks in which you feel like all the things you never want to hear are spoken, all of the feelings that inconvenience and convict you creep up, and all of the aches your body fights as a Momma come careening down on you. That kind of hard. I had a week of little sleep. For me, that equates to a measly 3 or 4 hours a night. Some of it I can blame on the kiddos. One is teething, the other struggling with nightmares. But overall, it was just plain ol' me. I have a mind that struggles to shutdown. It's wild and meanders when it should be resting. That kind of exhaustion doesn't make for a good or happy Mommy. And we all know Mommy sets the tone for the house. I had been feeling some conviction in my heart about parenting. Partially because I overanalyze and probably read too many parenting books that aren't always sound and cause more guilt than improvement. But overwhelmingly, I heard God speaking some truth t

No matter how much you clean or remodel or move or rebuild,  hospitality will always be more a matter of the heart than the architecture.  Your guests will only feel as comfortable in your house as you feel in your own skin. There's no shame in paper plates if they're heaped high with  delight in each others' company.  ~Ann Voskamp Today this meant kids in swimsuits and muddy-feet. It meant water guns and a friend changing my Little Lady no less than 3 times because she's a fish. It meant mac&cheese and oranges and chatting about wonderful God-inspired writers and how exciting it is to see that in the nutrition section of bookstores. It meant talking about the nitty-gritty bits of life and owning up to some of our hurts and heartaches and struggles. It meant smiles and laughter and honesty. It meant not worrying that there were raisins all over the floor or that Little Lady had a bit of a messy room or that weeds hadn't been plucked yet. And it m

Well, we officially survived Spring Break. My kitchen sink looked like this most of the week. We had play dates, trips to the zoo, lazy afternoons outside, and movies to watch so the dishes had to wait. I didn't mind. :) My sink got me thinking about what you might happen upon if you were to come hang with my little crew for an afternoon. Here's a little run-down: - Crusty, dried-up peas by the television. I don't know why but the little ladies around these parts love to leave their snacking peas around the television. By the time I've gotten around to finding them and cleaning them up the peas are usually crusty and weird. - Socks. They're everywhere. I can't explain it other than to say that as soon as we get inside the socks come off and end up in every nook and cranny of the living room, kitchen, and dining area. I am constantly finding socks. Now, if I could only find their mates... - Crushed something. It might be Cheerios. But it could be a pret

Have you been there? Making beds, washing clothes, fixing dinner, budgeting, crying, studying, enjoying a cup of tea and a sunrise; all while waiting for, and praying for, good news. Our little house has been waiting for weeks to hear back from a "Choice Enrollment" school about the possibility of our Little Man getting to attend Kindergarten there. My Soul Sister friend has been waiting for several months for a great job to open up for her husband who was laid off last October. My Closest and Dearest friend waits in heartache to see what direction her marriage is headed in. We wait. We wonder. And wander. We go through all the "ifs". And life continues in the waiting. Floors still need swept. There are still hugs to give and receive, still bills to pay, and still gifts to discover. We got word Tuesday that there is an opening at that school; our son is officially "in". Good news. Soul Sister shared that her husband is in the top 3 for that

After 2 years the of being absent from the blogging world I have returned. I can literally hear the roar of applause! :) Sometimes seasons of life just necessitate leaving bits of your "once self" behind in order to begin something new. I've been toying with the idea of restarting a blog since before Christmas and today I was finally met with the needed inspiration (and time!) to write a post. And so it begins... -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Generally speaking, I am STELLAR at remembering holidays and kids school parties and all things celebratory. However, on this particular Monday, I totally forgot it was St. Patrick's Day. My son did end up wearing green but it was a freak accident. And thank GOD for that! Because for my sensitive little man, not showing up to school in green would have been devastating. So what it all boils down to is that I didn't realize that at the ripe ol' age of 5, my littl