Loose Ends * May 2019

Hey Friends!

We're perpetual students, you and I.  This little online community is filled with curious, inquisitive types, open to gleaning something new, putting our sometimes weird and wild observations on the table, never arriving at some kind of magical destination where we've somehow morphed into some kind of professional know-it-all.  We continue to opt for opportunities to grow deeper or stronger, wiser or more creative.

Maybe even more so as the years progress.

So here's a selection of the bits and pieces of recent weeks, the odds and ends that didn't make it onto the blog that I think you might be interested in checking out.  No, nothing profound or earth-shaking awaits your perusal, but sometimes it's the small things that catch our eye or touch our heart, upending our lives in the most glorious of ways.

I do love sharing resources and stuff with you.

Like this gorgeous Sea Glass Wreath I somehow stumbled upon at The Handmade Home.

Really.  Isn't she a beauty?

I've been collecting washed up pieces of faded glass from the sea and rivers and lakes for eons now.  It's a passion you might say.  You can read more about my sea glass life right here.  And while you won't find me gluing my treasured finds onto some random piece of artwork, I would consider pulling this lovely door hanging together with bits of purchased glass.

This might be a fun family crafting project or something for you and a friend or three to pull together some leisurely summer evening!

view the video here

get all the how-to details right there

go here to buy the frosted light blue glass

This is why I'll never consider myself a gardener.

From my journal, May 9th ...

I'm puttering outside almost every day.  Waiting for the sunflowers to arise, finding just the right place for the crock of pansies, the wooden bins of geraniums.  Transplanting Tyler's daffodils from church on Easter, the Scottish wildflowers grown from seeds Jenn brought back from her trip.

May 27th update ...

The sunflowers were yanked right out of the ground by some malicious critter before they had barely sprouted from the soil.  I'm guessing the same turkey or rabbit or deer gnawed my beautiful pansies right down to the nubs ... and chomped off precious new growth on the little maple sapling we planted with such anticipation last fall.  The geraniums are vigorously blooming in the bins and the daffodils seem to have survived the cold rainy weeks.  I'm very hesitant to transplant those wildflowers.  I have a feeling something is just waiting in the woods, sharpening his teeth, ready to polish off their leafy fronds.

Sigh.

And I'm totally applauding this simple 3-steps mantra from my favorite home decorator, The Nester.

More often than not, simple common sense is our best option.  It's far too easy to make a great big deal about following through on decisions /  rhythms that we know are best for us, that we truly do want to live out.  Why not start with what you already know?  With what you already have on hand either literally or in your brain?

You've got a lifetime of hard earned experiences and knowledge at your fingertips.

And for sanity's sake, let's finish up whatever it was we've started and put to the side for whatever reason.  Or pack it up and send it on its way.

Make just one choice today.  Write it down.  Take care of business.  And then cross it off your to-do list.

Tomorrow?  Maybe jot down two or three to-do's.  No more.  For heaven's sake, let's keep it a whole lot more simple, please.

Most of the choices we want to make aren't all that difficult to carry through on.  It's when we've let them stack up sky high that we get all kinds of overwhelmed and discouraged.

Let's not go there anymore.

Speaking of choices that beg to be taken care of, here's a big one I made just this morning.

I can easily be the Queen of Excuses.  I've been putting this one off forever.  After a year away from Weight Watchers and gaining 10 pounds in the process of grazing unfettered, eating whatever I pleased, I signed back up again.  What can I say?  This is the weight loss program that works for me.

Summer is a great time with the sheer bounty of fresh fruits and veggies available.  With the app, it's a no brainer to keep track and there's 200+ foods that have zero points.  You can join with me by clicking this link ... you'll get one month free and so will I {thank you very much!}

Sometimes you just have to do the next right thing.  And for me, this was it.  I already feel 100 pounds lighter.

No joke.

Meanwhile, here's a bunch of thought-provoking links for you to check out ⇨

Are You Breathing?

Do You Have Email Apnea?

Linda Stone

How to Fall In Ministry

Jared Wilson

The Difference Between Leaving 

and Saying Goodbye

Debby Hudson

Four Powerful Tips To

Break the Trap of Shame

Jolene Underwood

Clutter Might Be Making You Sick

(+ how to make it go away)

Courtney Carver

This Church is Building a Tiny House Village

for the Homeless on Their Campus

Relevant Magazine

Why Do So Many Incompetent Men
Become Leaders

Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic

Snooze is a trap

Seth Godin

Staying on Mission in an Age of Outrage

Ed Stetzer

On Lifelong Mothering

Aimee Kollmansberger

All is good, all is well with my soul.  My inner gratitude list is long, and certainly flourishing far better than my sandy backyard garden.  There's peace and joy mixed in with all those concerns and hopes I muse over.  All is well when it's freely placed in God's keeping.

Please catch me up with what you've been learning in the comment section.  And if you've written some kind of end-of-the-month post, please share the link with the community here.  I'd love them to get to know you better ...

Linda

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⏪  In Which We Celebrate Jenn!

How Can I Pray For You Today?  ⏩

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hi

Emily  .  Mary  .  Sue