Jesus replied, “Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels-a plentiful harvest of new lives. Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.
John 12:23-25, NLT
Prayer for tonight…Jesus is our True Example. 🙏🏻♥️🌿
My cat May decorations ended up being fun!🤩
Reading and journaling bring me so much joy 🥹 so the marriage of the two is a double dose! I don’t really plan, but just go with whatever is inspiring me in my sticker/washi stash. I had a kind of slow start to my reading in the beginning of May, my reading mood was changing, had some meh/ok-ish reads at the start. I pretty much hated Date with Danger! 🤣 The end of the month reading though was amazing! I loved all the Middle Grade reads for a small readathon on Booktube called Middle Grade May! Especially, Secrets of Shakespeare’s Grave and its sequel, Tower of the Five Orders by Deron R. Hicks. I really enjoyed the Christian historical light fantasy, The Huntress, also. Honorable mention goes to The Little House in the Highlands which is based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s ancestors. It was a slow start but SO cute! I made some good progress on my newest bingo boards I printed off from Pinterest, also. Georgette Heyer is hit or miss for me, but I loved two of her Regency romances, Arabella and Sylvester. Overall, a great reading month.
What are you reading or creating? 😍♥️
Every day is a preparation for death. By realizing this, it helps somehow, because we each have to die a little each day. Death is nothing except going back to Him, where He is and where we belong. ♥️
~ Mother Teresa, Do Something Beautiful for God
Idlewild season {the name of my deck garden😅} is officially started! I read my Bible with my coffee out there this morning. 😍 Bliss! Have some seeds planted in those big tubs, too! ❣️ We also have four tomato plants and a fern.
I was hoping to plant a huge patch of sunflowers, zinnias, and cosmos, but it may not happen with wedding planning and remodeling. It’s so lovely to have this bit of cheer to enjoy. Grateful. ☺️
Are you planting or growing anything? 😍🌻
Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you.
~Jesus ❣️
We should ask ourselves, Have I really experienced the joy of loving? True love is love that causes pain, that hurts, and yet brings joy. This is why we pray asking for courage to love, and love more deeply than ever before.
~ Mother Teresa, Do Something Beautiful for God
“It is possible to be busy for Jesus while neglecting to simply be with Jesus.”
Dr. Karrie, women’s retreat speaker ♥️🙏🏻
Boredom is not a condition to be feared or avoided. Instead, it is a crucial element that fosters creativity, independence, and self-discovery among children. Boredom challenges children to engage with their inner world, to invent, and to explore, thereby laying the groundwork for a lifetime of learning and innovation. We must not shield our children from boredom but instead embrace it as a powerful catalyst for growth. It is essential to resist the cultural pressure to fill every moment of a child’s day with structured activities and digital distractions. Instead, we should provide spaces and opportunities for them to experience the fruitful solitude that boredom can offer.
~Ginny Yurich
•listening•
I’ve been mainly listening to two audiobooks when on walks or cooking.
I’ve also listened to a little Booktube and music. I heard an Oriole singing above us when my little boys, daughter’s finance and I where sitting at the campfire. It was beautiful!
•watching•
Spring burst out around us! It’s glorious! My daughter and her relationship! They were able to visit Mother’s Day weekend and it was so good to visit.
•reading•
We are finishing up a lot of our school books as we need to be done early this year! My two little boys and I are almost finished with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and we laughed so hard at the preachy Ompaloompa songs. 😂 I just finished a raw, realistic historical fiction about a woman’s journey to true faith as she struggles to survive on the Dakota prairies. Spring for Susannah is my second Catherine Richmond and it won’t be my last.
•noticing•
I am noticing how much we are asked to trust and let go of as Christ-followers, women, mothers, sisters, and friends! I find myself drowning if I hold on too tight and try to control out of fear. I’m noticing I need to choose to surrender to the Lord.
How about you? What are you listening to, watching, reading, and noticing?
I’m trying to keep going with my 100 Day Project even though my posts aren’t always perfectly consecutive! Life gets life-y! Thanks for commenting and sharing your thoughts with me on this journey!
🌿♥️🌲
I invite you to scroll through these beautifully encouraging pieces! I submitted mine awhile back and it was included (last piece, Amy M. Pine) with these others. They really are testimonials of God’s love and faithfulness! Just what I needed to peruse this morning as we are wrapping up our home school year. ♥️🌿
🩵🤍🩵🤍🩵🤍🩵
Do you have a favorite-of-all-time author? Mine is L.M. Montgomery and I can’t tell you what a joy and delight it is to be back in her books! I finally finished the Pat Duology and Mistress Pat was such a delight. The gorgeously drawn natural world, quirky characters, human-like cats, trees, and houses that she wrote bring me untold delight. I’m currently rereading the Emily Starr books with a group even though I’m savoring them and they are flying through them. 😂 I’m slow. I also picked up Anne of Avonlea to continue my journey through the Anne series this year in honor of my own Anne’s marriage. It’s surprising and wonderful how much my gorgeous surroundings come alive with Maud’s words floating through my heart and mind. It’s actually so life-giving.
Today…
Made coffee.
Talked with 18 yo.
Read a few chapters in Luke.
Tried to pray.
Got more coffee.
Snuggled with 6 yo old.
Wrote out homeschool list.
Plugged in dying phone and kindle.
Made my hubby’s breakfast.
Listened to 17 yo’s narrations.
Talked schedule with hubby.
Looked at dinner pool list to decide what I have in cupboard for dinner. Nothing needs thawing.
Made my yogurt bowl for breakfast. Got kids finishing breakfast (fend for themselves) and starting math and piano practice.
Unpacked a few things from car that we left after arriving home late last night.
Texted with daughter at college. She got my card. ♥️Sent her video she wanted.
Collected cold coffee and yogurt bowl, grocery list, random journals, and pens and took upstairs.
Ran downstairs, washed out and filled water bottle.
Forwarded email someone wanted me to pass on to mom’s group.
Sent recommendations to my daughter’s soon to be MIL.
Ran back upstairs.
Listened to Marco Polo group messages while eating and settling up my journals.
Caught up on some journaling.
Ran downstairs. Printed off book covers for reading journal.
Sat down with four kiddos for our morning time.
Listened to narrations and popped popcorn for snack.
Did reading lessons with little boys. Read them a couple chapters of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Buzzed boy’s hair, helped them with showers, and finger nails.
6 yo and I spread the hair clippings to birds outside .
Texted my best friend, my sister!
Listened to 17 yo narrate again.
Helped 21 yo son with his college paper for 10 minutes.
Got out leftovers for lunch, heated up ham veggie soup for my husband and I! Washed spoons.
Cleaned up while kids outside.
Got out big block of cheese, gallon bags to split and freeze. Can’t find serrated knife?
Went back upstairs and journaled a bit more, started grocery list/menu plan.
Tried to go on walk, super windy and cold. Listened to audiobook. Grabbed my son’s laundry that was on clothesline because it looked like rain. Admired the violets!
17 yo left for extended music lessons.
Call three younger in, work on each child’s history, science, and copy work. Work on some reading with my current dyslexic.
Make more popcorn and cheese and cracker snack.
Send them out to play.
Set up nature outing with friends via Voxer.
I found missing serrated knife. 🤪 Finished cheese project and I froze some of the cheese.
Sat down and started listening to The Raphael Affair, almost finished.
Watched one Booktube video.
Got kids ready for going with dad and picking up cousins for church. Found socks, shoes, sweatshirts.
Now blogging 😅 and thinking of dinner prep (egg sausage casserole), and which book to read.
Need to finish grocery list/menu plan.
Need to finish unpacking car.
Maybe start packaging up books for an east coast friend or write a pen pal letter?
I could sweep kitchen floor and scrub table too. 🤔
I love these sort of post as I don’t often realize all that I’m doing while in the midst of it! Also it’s a record and a memory of a wonderful life! I’m so blessed to be a home keeper and home schooling mama. A favorite quote I heard again this past weekend was about “a long obedience in the same direction”. May that be so of my faith journey and my relationships. 🙏🏻♥️
What did you do today? I bet you’d be surprised if you jotted down the minute details as closely as possible. Happy Wednesday! ♥️
A.M. Pine - Hearth Ridge Reflections 