Friday, August 30, 2013

Living in the &


Recently, Blessings Unlimited changed their name and focus and became Mary & Martha. I thought it would be fun to share a little bit about that here. I've hardly done anything with Blessings this year so it is looking like I will be inactive come November which I am fine with - so this is not a sales pitch, just an fyi and a post about hospitality and the Biblical characters Mary and Martha.

I actually really enjoyed browsing the catalog and reading about the thoughts and heart behind the new idea and some fun hospitality ideas and inspiration.

First, I love the tagline, Meaningful Entertaining Made Simple and the beauty behind those words. Lovely thoughts there - you can find thoughts in the catalog on this on pages 4-5.

Pages 20-21 have a fun list of ten tips and tools for entertaining. There is a fun Fall centerpiece idea on page 35 and some fun Christmas table ideas on pages 38-39.

I love the concept, the heart behind and the ideas presented - but do wish the items featured were not so expensive!

Ok, enough fyi - I saw something in the catalog about living in the &; and at first was trying to get my head around what they intended by that. But, pretty soon after some lovely thoughts came in understanding the idea behind that.

Mary and Martha. In that and is a blending of hospitality, industry and sitting at the Lord's feet. It prompted me to read this passage and think more about this lovely balance of putting Jesus first but still being welcoming and inviting to those who cross my path.

I'd love to hear your thoughts about living in that balance - opening comments today, can't say if it is permanent or not - but would love to hear from you today!

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Sweet Sunday



After days so humid David rightly says you could take a bath outside, we woke up on Sunday morning to 70 degrees and a lovely breeze - and it was not overly humid! It smelled and felt like Fall and when we came out of church it was still lovely and beckoning...so we picnicked right in our own front yard!






What a glorious and relaxing way to spend part of our Sunday afternoon! Yummy, slooooow lunch, laying down and looking up at the sky and trees, watching butterflies and ants and hummingbirds, listening to outside sounds, and just slowing down. Unfortunately, Emily ate inside because there was an ant by her - so no photos of Emily during our luncheon - sad.









Snuggles, giggles, wonder, rest, nourishment to body and soul - a lovely time outside! Thank You, Lord, for the gift of an unusually Fallish day! Oh, and Emily joined us for dessert!





Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Wonky

Well, my blog went completely crazy on me today! Sorry about the crazy background - I'm working on it but figuring it out as I go along :) Thanks to those of you who let me know and I'll keep at it!

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Update: I'm still trying to get my previous design back - but in the mean time at least you can read the words here! Thank you for patience and understanding!

Slow Day

















Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Goodbye Summer Hello Fall


I don't remember when I've ever been more ready for Fall than I am this year! It will be a while until it cools off here, and our leaves don't typically change until after Thanksgiving - but I am definitely rocking the Fall mood around our house!

Making apple pie

Girls baking banana bread

Lighting a fall candle



Sipping hot tea

Making soup

Dreaming of Fall decorating, picnics, flannel and cozy

Can't wait!!!!! Trying to make myself wait until after Labor Day to pull out Fall decor, we'll see!

Monday, August 26, 2013

Here and There: Open Tabs


Saw a new to me Hallmark movie over the weekend - very sweet: Remember Sunday

These lowfat pumpkin spice chocolate chip cookies are delish and will make your house smell like Fall!

Tried this variation of sopapillas - they were good, not amazing, but good and waaaay easy!


Had a mother-daughter sleepover with friends, such a sweet time! I think my favorite thing was probably watching my girls faces as we watched Little Women together! Precious!


A super yummy new soup - Chicken Noodle and Wild Rice

We had fun drawing owls using the five basic shapes of drawing using this idea - see our photos on Wednesday during Slow Day!

Favorite posts last week:
10 Ways to be a Happier Mom
Seize the Last of Summer

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Slow Day Returns

These photos are not all from one day but they do capture the essence of Slow around here! So happy for Slow Days to be back in our schedule as we had taken a break over the summer with an overall slower way of life.