I happen to notice that I was listening to βSwimβ by BTS while reading The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Serendipity! π π¦π§π I picked up this narrative poem for Jane Austen July because I believe Coleridge was a contemporary of Austenβs. I think π€ it sounds familiar, I may have read it before! The albatross! π³π
~watching~ β₯οΈπΏI did end up watching the 2020 βEmmaβ film with my daughter and meh. π«€ It was ok. I liked parts of it. It struck me as sort of goofy. π A n*ked backside right in the beginning was weirdo, too. Oh, well. I liked the actors that played Mr. Knightly and Miss Bates. Iβm allowing myself one Booktube video a day in July and it makes me be very choosy. I really enjoyed Chantelβs yesterday.
~reading~β₯οΈπΏ I have massive piles physically and on my kindle, ππ but Iβm mostly finishing up The Opt-Out Family and working on Moby Dick. I also just barely dipped into Jane Austenβs Bookshelf of which I enjoyed the first few pages immensely. I havenβt borrowed anything new from public library (July challenge), just reading from my stacks and Kindle!
~noticing~ β₯οΈπΏ
My hollyhocks are wonderful! π I may have mentioned before that they are biannual and these self-seeded, so I forgot about them! π₯°π»πWhat happiness!
What are you listening to, watching, reading, and noticing? β₯οΈπΏπ Chat below, friends! ~
From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed.
Lead me to the towering rock of safety, for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.
Let me live forever in your sanctuary, safe beneath the shelter of your wings!
Psalm 61: 2-4, NLT
Whatβs been inspiring me? β₯οΈπΏ
β’listening toβ’β₯οΈπΏ
BTSβ new βArirangβ album. πΏ A bit different than what I expected but itβs growing on me. I donβt love lots of language or overly sexual themes, but thereβs enough deeper lines/ideas that got me thinking. Hope to write a few of my own poems based on some of the lyrics.
πππππππ
Iβve also started the audiobook of Quarter Labyrinth by Victoria McCombs on the recommendation of a friend! Itβs included free with Audible currently! I really hope our weather will warm up a bit so I can get outside walking and listening. ππ§
β’readingβ’β₯οΈπΏ
I always have a healthy stack ππ€ͺ of things Iβm dipping into! Iβve started my two buddy reads and Iβm currently really enjoying slowly rereading my favorite Victorian novel of all time, Wives & Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell. Itβs almost an annual reread for me. My 14 yo is listening to it for the first time and enjoying it! Iβve also been craving a reread of The Scent of Water by Elizabeth Goudge. Itβs been awhile and itβs a perfect spring read.
If only I had this gorgeous vintage copy! πβ₯οΈπΏ
Iβve also been enjoying the Alex Rider Series by Anthony Horowitz about a 14 yo spy with M16. The fifth? one made me definitely warm up more to Alex who seemed a bit cold/distant at first. They are so adventurous and thrilling. Definitely super violent, but compelling. I also just dove back into Donna Leonβs Commasario Brunettiβs police series. She writes Venice and Brunettiβs family life SO well, that Iβve just fallen in love with Guido as a police detective. The crimes are gritty and disturbing, so if you donβt like police procedural type detective novels, these may not be for you. I feel so immersed in Venice and his friendships and his family that Iβve come to love them! They are a fast, great Kindle read that I get through the library!
This one βοΈ was 5 star π for me!
β’watchingβ’β₯οΈπΏ
I really havenβt watched much recently as I took a Booktube break for the Lenten season. I did put on hold at the library the first Season of Dr.Quinn Medicine Woman π€ͺπ€£ to see if I can get my hubby to watch with me during the chilly, spring nights.
β’noticingβ’ β₯οΈπΏ
How cute my little guys hands are! He has bad dry skin in the winter and weβve been rubbing Aloe Vera into them each night. Heβs such a blessing. π₯Ήβ₯οΈπΏ
Iβve really been noticing and remembering little tidbits from this lovely collection of quotes!
βGod has not called me to be successful, He has called me to be faithful. When we stand before God, results are not important. Faithfulness is what matters.β
Happy First Monday in January, friends! π²βοΈ A bit of a βwhatβs-on-my-heart-currently-collageββ¦
β¦There is a Tenant here.
Come home, roamer of earth, to this room and find
a timeless Heart under your own heart beating,
a Bird of beauty singing under your mind.
~excerpt from βThe Kingdom of Godβ by Jessica Powers~
Iβve been thinking a lot about the character Kel in the Protector of the Small series by Tamora Pierce. I really like how fiercely tenacious, loyal, and single-minded she is! It made me think of this clip of my favorite K-pop star. It is insane how hard he throws himself into this dance. How am I living out my life and my faith? Am I fierce, tenacious, loyal, insanely hard-working towards all the Lord Jesus is whispering to me? I realize that these art forms are fictional and unrealistic, but they inspire me deeply! And that makes them real to me. How βbout you? Whatβs jumping out to you?
A beautiful, rich song from Josh Garrelβs album Home for you as you start a new week and for those of you back-to-{home}-school moms out there! This is why we sow and invest!
Words I loved in 1 Chronicles ~ sing, proclaim, declare, thank, testify, boast, remember, ascribe, save, gather, rescue, humble, strong, courageous, willingly, undivided, keep, carry out ~
Iβm slowly starting to work on poems for my annual joining of the Peace Poem Project. (Thereβs still time to sign up! worldpeacepoets@gmail.com ~ you mail out a poem on a postcard throughout February) Iβve started So Big Edna Ferber with 3 buddy reading friends! Itβs beautiful so far! Iβm also 3/4ths my way through The Goblin Emperor. Itβs a very interesting fantasy so far, so slow and full of cozy details. Iβm going to be limiting social media, in the hopes for beautiful boredom and a quiet mind to settle down over me, mantle-like.
When you pay attention to boredom it gets unbelievably interesting. – Jon Kabat-Zinn
Feeding my body as well as my heart & soulβ¦βοΈ
Iβll leave you with this quote of gorgeousness and a poemβ¦
I have been finding new comfort in the two words, which are used by each of the four evangelists in telling the end of the story of the feeding of the Five Thousand. They speak of βbroken piecesβ, and the same words are used by two in telling of the later miracle. There was nothing over but broken pieces, and yet of those fragments our Lord said, Gather them up that nothing be lost. Even so, our dear Lord cares for the broken pieces of our lives, the fragments of all we meant to do, the little that we have to gather up and offer, and He will use even these fragments. He will not let even the least of our little broken things be lost.
Amy Carmichael, p. 177, Edges of His Ways, emphasis mine
Iβm getting a bit βbehindβ on my sharing, but itβs ok. Iβm not going to rush. Trying to still my heart. Anyway, hereβs some inspiration for you! Good things come in twos, right? Iβm so grateful for the day of small things to rejoice in.
~ my new Moleskine Daily Pocket Journal, decorating it for the new year. This is my little to-do list, line-a-day, small-slice-of-creativity journal all combined in one. I loved this practice this past year. Gratitude, prayer, check lists! Small enough to be doable daily. Do you keep any sort of daily journal? Itβs life giving for me!
~Two books that have been so impactful and important to me this year by John Eldredge. Resilient and Get Your Life Back. Just a covid-cobweb-clear-out for me and a beautiful clarion call to focus on Jesus. What books are challenging you in your faith?
~Two of my favorite films that inspire me creatively! The Ben Stiller version of βThe Secret Life of Walter Mittyβ and Studio Ghibliβs βWhisper of the Heartβ! πβ£οΈπβ£οΈπ Do you have any films that get your inspiration flowing?
~Iβve been thinking a lot of home and what I can do to bless those here by being a bit more focused home keeper. Home keeping is something I have to work at and am always learning in. Gladys Taberβs books always come to mind. She was a beautiful writer of domestic memoirs in 1930βs and on. I borrowed again a favorite book from the library called Farmhouse Revival not only because I love a lot of the style in it, but it features Gladysβ home, Stillmeadow. Trying to resurrect some little things I can do to make our home one of joy and comfort. If you are on Instagram, I recommend Shandaβs little slice of life, as she is so inspiring to me in many areas, but especially home keeping!
βIβll try to give satisfaction, madam,β said Jill as they shook hands, and then she slipped unobtrusively away into the shadows, opening and closing the door so softly that Nadine was hardly aware that she had gone until she found herself alone. βIβll try to give satisfaction.β It was years since Nadine had heard that old-fashioned remark. Because she had not heard it for so long it struck her as being rather a wonderful phrase. Satisfied. No one ever was. The whole world was crying out with hunger of some sort, physical or spiritual. To try to satisfy. Jill was right. That was all one could do.
βI wanna be human, βFore I do some artβ ~ RM
Be certain of this: When honest love speaks, when true admiration begins, when excitement rises, when hate curls like smoke, you never need doubt that creativity will stay with you for a lifetime.
~Ray Bradbury, p. 46, Zen in the Art of Writing
Perfectionism means that you try desperately not to leave so much mess to clean up. But clutter and mess show us that life is being lived. Clutter is wonderfully fertile ground-you can still discover new treasures under all those piles, clean things up, edit things out, fix things, get a grip.
~Anne Lamott, p.28, Bird by Bird
What a teacher or librarian or parent can do, in working with children, is to give the flame enough oxygen so that it can burn. As far as Iβm concerned, this providing of oxygen is one of the noblest of all vocations.
~Madeleine LβEngle, p.46, A Circle of Quiet
Thinking on these bits today! Happy Wednesday! β₯οΈ
p.s. – Iβm officially closing out my two reading projects from this summer! Iβm still dipping into some picks, but hoping to make a new few goals for myself during the quiet, winter season. Overall, I am pleased with what I read. I probably will be less π ambitious in my next goal.
Love π occasionally reading quickly through the Gospels in KJVβ¦
I jumped on the shovel edge in my daughterβs pastel rainbow crocs. I found myself falling backwards, feet up and over, crocs, scattering. I burst out laughing, after mentally checking my ache-y, forty-something self for injury. I sure hope nobody I know saw me in the front yard of my parentβs home. π€ͺππ I planted the bulbs with my five year old as he stared at me with wonder. βOk, ok, kid,β I thought, βitβs pretty unusual to see your mother shoveling and sweating, not to mention falling over.β Ha. π
We just finished this as a read aloud. We all adored it! π―οΈπͺπ―οΈ
Iβve been thinking about Jesusβ parable of the sower {Matthew 13:1-9} in relation to being a mother. Could it be that the enrichment of their soul earth is our primary, creative work? Our magnum opus? Itβs sweaty, unseen, thankless soul-shoveling work. We add manure, pull out weeds, we prepare the soil with truth, beauty, and rich, good things. Why? By faith, slowly, we trust that eventually it will be ready to receive the seed of Godβs Word.
My daughter made bread and I used up leftover rice for chicken, veggie, rice soupβ¦ π₯£ β₯οΈ
Weaving in and out of this preparation, we grow in our gardening skills ourselves. We limp around on our bruised backsides π, callused palms smarting, and keep strewing bits of life and light. We stretch and use all the God has given us. RMβs song βWildflowerβ stuck with me deeply after it was first released. He is speaking on his creativity journey, but the idea of growing a lasting, perennial βflowerworkβ instead of an instantaneously burnt out flaming firework. The bright and flashy is gone in a second. Long, lasting work takes a kind of death and humilty. Once the seed is tucked into the earth, itβs a work of long trust and patience. Motherhood and our creative work both need this mustard-seed faith and fallow season.
βFlower field, thatβs where Iβm at
Open land thatβs where Iβm at
No name, thatβs what I have
No shame, Iβm on my grave.β
~RM, English translation, Genius.com
The character Isobel in the YA fantasy, An Enchantment of Ravens, found out through her painting, the stark emptiness and abject horror of immortality. Itβs not glamorous to work, live, grow old, and die while serving, creating, and loving, but itβs human. The created of a Creator creates. That makes it enough. Itβs prayer and worship. Thankfulness by fullness of being. So much around us is so empty and vacuous. Without true meaning. A life of meaning means toil, back breaking, long-haul work with faith.
βI ask where you could be right now
Where you go, whereβs your soul
Yo, whereβs your dream?β
~ RM
Four years of reading journals! Blue sparrow one is my new oneβ¦ β₯οΈβ₯οΈβ₯οΈI left Goodreads and have loved this tactile way of creatively engaging with my reading.
So, where do our dreams go? They are still right here. Transformed into something human AND Spirit-powered. They may change form, a weaving in and out all that we are doing. Seasons of our servanthood with the gifts weβve been given promise new morning mercies. Just as I can surely count on the perennial return of my momβs tulips and daffodils, I can trust this slow, quiet blooming process is working in my children and in me, too. Thanks be to God.
Sweet, dirty little feetβ¦πππ
How about you? How do you view relationships and creativity? How are you cultivating a culture of creative work while maintaining closeness and connections to your faith, family, and friends? Iβd love to hear any thoughts! Iβm still trying to flesh out what this all meansβ¦
Do you find yourself returning to old favorites and habits in times of stress and upheaval? Sometimes, for me, this isnβt a good thing, because I have to work very hard to make good choices in a few areas where Iβm prone to excess. However, books, music, and nature or domestic detail photography all have their place in a kind of βon-the-spot therapyβ for me. I am definitely a rereader especially if a book encapsulates a certain βfeelingβ Iβm after or setting I love.
Poetry that I return to again and again!Wild, windy days and whipping yellow
I recently pulled off my shelf a favorite reread series thatβs so interesting that I got immediately sucked in all over again. I was reminded how much I love rereading, because so much more can be caught and different things highlighted. The Mirror Visitor Series isnβt perfect, but it has so many interesting characters and so many ideas to think on, I just love it. I was again reminded that itβs not always good for me to rush reading or be trying to keep up with all the new stuff. One big downside to Bookstagram and Booktube. Poetry, too, is something I absolutely have favorites of, Iβm so rewarded and surprised as I cracked open the pages and take a deep drink all over again.
I donβt own a PB copy of the last book, The Stormof Echoes yet, canβt wait to collect it for the gorgeous cover alone. My favorites are the first two, by far, but they are all so immersive. Josh Garrels oldie, but goodie
Iβm very eclectic in my reading, listening, and watching tastes. I like quirky, kind of off-the-beaten-track things with a side of classic. Iβve noticed a shift lately back to my old Josh Garrels listening, instrumental BTS (my one and ever only K-pop fandom), a craving for films like Sound of Music, Howlβs Moving Castle, and Babetteβs Feast. I watched a few episodes of Over the Garden Wall with my kids the other day. Itβs a bit toooo creepy for us, but some of it is interesting and has such a gorgeous atmosphere. How about you? What do you gravitate towards when life is feeling weighty?
Two reread favorites π₯Ήβ₯οΈTree gazing and listening toβ¦what are they whispering? Hello light, my old friend.
How βbout you? What are some healthy ways you refresh yourself? Do you need something new and different? Or do you return to your comfortable, hole-y sweater of inspiration? It goes without saying, that the Holy Bible is super comforting to me because it shows that there is nothing new under the sun. We are all so flawed. I need deep gulps of Jesus.β₯οΈ I definitely occasionally need a βTookishβ adventure to get me out of a funk, but generally, returning to my old Baggins favorites and home comforts blesses me immensely. What richness weβve been given! βΊοΈβ₯οΈπΈοΈπ·οΈπΏππππΎ
Is there anything more cozy then journaling and journals? πβ₯οΈ Itβs no secret that Iβm a journal fanatic! We are trying something different this year in our home learning of combining our multiple journals into one. Iβve had the opportunity to journal alongside my children and it has been such an enriching experience. I donβt often share my childrenβs work, as thatβs their own, but donβt mind sharing what Iβve been recording myself. π So much richness! πIβm learning every day right along with my children. I have music lyrics, quotes, drawings, etc in here already! I treasure it. Do you journal?
What you learning or diving deep into? Isnβt life grand? πβ₯οΈππΏππ»
Barn swallows are still here π₯Ήβ₯οΈHealthy meals β₯οΈπΏSummer read alouds winding down- so many lovely books! β₯οΈπ₯Ήβ¨Penpal catching up πποΈππππ¨ New homeschooling goodiesβ¦a fresh Calendar of Firsts! Keeping track of things we see in nature each day together. πΈοΈπ·οΈπ¦π²Making my own sugar free iced coffee. Froze leftover coffee for my ice cubes so it isnβt watery! βοΈπ§Trying new planner this year. Iβve used a Walmart one for 13? years so this may be too much βfire powerβ π , but needed to shake everything up! Notice Jimin πon cover to inspire me to keep going! πππππππSneak peek π of a few of my favorite summer reads! Many of these are rereads and actually I listened to a lot of these on audiobook this summer, but Iβm ok with them being all-time-and-forever favorites! πβ₯οΈChicory π₯ΉπΏmy late summer friend
How about you? What are some blessings shining out? β¨β¨β¨
A.M. Pine - Hearth Ridge Reflections 