right now | frosty grass and pentatonix holidays
monday night. freeeeeeezing cold with frost staying on the grass all day long. short days with a glimpse of blessed sunshine, even if it is shining from a million miles away.
eating: leftover butternut squash soup {so yum} and salad {my favorite combo of lettuce/red cabbage/pasta/just a sprinkle of romano/grated carrots/onions/ranch dressing}
listening to: the pentatonix holiday station on pandora. yep. no shame.
enjoying: a little game of frisbee with the neighbor kids this afternoon. i've been staying inside more than i should and i'm always thankful when i get brave and venture out.
remembering: this adventure to the snow, exactly one year ago! first tries on cross-country skis.
thinking: well. true to my character i've been thinking a lot. i'll have to sub-bullet...
:: thinking about our family culture
i'm working on chapter six in my ebook and it's all about family values and creating a unique family culture intentionally. our family culture is all about playing outside and adventuring and being techy and gadgety and building stuff. three years ago all i thought about was diapers and pee on the floor so it's nice to be thinking about something as sophisticated as Family Culture. ;)
:: thinking about unrest in haiti
it's no fun at all, but worth mentioning that haiti needs to be wrapped up in a blanket of prayer. there is corruption, there are angry people, there are grumpy neighboring countries, there is danger. and when you are trying to build a village for orphans and doing your best to hire local workers without causing turmoil, things can get messy. please pray for peace and safety.
:: thinking about christmas
of course i worry about entitlement and over-buying during the holidays. it's just like Jami says in her post -- "i knew i couldn't yell, 'just be grateful!' anymore. it wasn't working, and somehow, it seemed like the opposite was happening. that Christmas, it was just a simple prayer and a simple inkling to change. on an act of obedience we cleaned out bags of toys. we prayed that God would give us a grateful heart."
one of our family values is to focus on activities more than things. so we are renting a cabin in the snowy woods over the holidays and we'll open a few gifts, yes, but they'll be art supplies and fun games and things we can spend time doing together. and we'll be frolicking in the snow and skiing to town and back.
there are times when i over-think it all and start to consider trading in all our own fun in favor of child sponsorship or goats for families, but it's important to remember that we are raising children too. and our children need a meaningful, intentional FUN childhood in order to grow up into loving, world-changing adults.
:: thinking about what we eat
i just snuck another coconut truffle {recipe coming next month} from the cupboard. but i totally had a plateful of salad right before. so it's ok, right?
this season is nutso with all its baked treats and sweets. i'm a social eater {well, except for the times when i'm a closet eater} so there's gotta be some self-discipline here. we're focusing on smaller meals and obviously on filling our tummies with lettuce and spinach instead of chocolate and cake. green smoothie for breakfast and salad for supper. and just a bit of cake.
eating: leftover butternut squash soup {so yum} and salad {my favorite combo of lettuce/red cabbage/pasta/just a sprinkle of romano/grated carrots/onions/ranch dressing}
listening to: the pentatonix holiday station on pandora. yep. no shame.
enjoying: a little game of frisbee with the neighbor kids this afternoon. i've been staying inside more than i should and i'm always thankful when i get brave and venture out.
remembering: this adventure to the snow, exactly one year ago! first tries on cross-country skis.
thinking: well. true to my character i've been thinking a lot. i'll have to sub-bullet...
:: thinking about our family culture
i'm working on chapter six in my ebook and it's all about family values and creating a unique family culture intentionally. our family culture is all about playing outside and adventuring and being techy and gadgety and building stuff. three years ago all i thought about was diapers and pee on the floor so it's nice to be thinking about something as sophisticated as Family Culture. ;)
:: thinking about unrest in haiti
it's no fun at all, but worth mentioning that haiti needs to be wrapped up in a blanket of prayer. there is corruption, there are angry people, there are grumpy neighboring countries, there is danger. and when you are trying to build a village for orphans and doing your best to hire local workers without causing turmoil, things can get messy. please pray for peace and safety.
:: thinking about christmas
of course i worry about entitlement and over-buying during the holidays. it's just like Jami says in her post -- "i knew i couldn't yell, 'just be grateful!' anymore. it wasn't working, and somehow, it seemed like the opposite was happening. that Christmas, it was just a simple prayer and a simple inkling to change. on an act of obedience we cleaned out bags of toys. we prayed that God would give us a grateful heart."
one of our family values is to focus on activities more than things. so we are renting a cabin in the snowy woods over the holidays and we'll open a few gifts, yes, but they'll be art supplies and fun games and things we can spend time doing together. and we'll be frolicking in the snow and skiing to town and back.
there are times when i over-think it all and start to consider trading in all our own fun in favor of child sponsorship or goats for families, but it's important to remember that we are raising children too. and our children need a meaningful, intentional FUN childhood in order to grow up into loving, world-changing adults.
:: thinking about what we eat
i just snuck another coconut truffle {recipe coming next month} from the cupboard. but i totally had a plateful of salad right before. so it's ok, right?
this season is nutso with all its baked treats and sweets. i'm a social eater {well, except for the times when i'm a closet eater} so there's gotta be some self-discipline here. we're focusing on smaller meals and obviously on filling our tummies with lettuce and spinach instead of chocolate and cake. green smoothie for breakfast and salad for supper. and just a bit of cake.