Joy Journal – A.M. Pine – Hearth Ridge Reflections

What I’ve Been Up To… {Day 61} •journals and books•♥️❄️☕️

January 25, 2025 amyofhearthridge11 Comments

Hello, Friends! ☕️♥️

I’ve really been leaning into my phrase ‘expectant attention’ during this beginning space of the year. How are you doing? I’ve been soooo enjoying trying new reads, mainly from the library, on my Kindle especially, and pulling a few things off my shelves. I have finished a few Winter ❄️ list items, but I’m not stressing it. The reality of the online book world is that it’s easy to rush or feel F.O.M.O. and it’s so refreshing to buck all trends, lists, etc UNLESS these things are bringing me joy. The truth is *whispers* that most of this isn’t that important in the grand scheme of life. I can let it go at any time and pick it up again.

My new spiritual journal. It was a bit pricey, (Take a Note Brand) BUT I’m excited to change up the way I process my prayer/Bible/spiritual journey. This journal is much more structured than what I’ve used in the past! I LOVE the horizontal, two-page, one week lay out.

I got my journal a bit later in January, so my opening pages are a bit empty, but it was so fun to put in a few things the Lord has been showing me through all the inspiration I’ve been seeing and trying to deeply pay attention to!

I also began my 2025 Daily Pocket Moleskine! Sigh. It brings me so much joy. ♥️❄️☕️🥰 Not pictured is my reading journal which I adore scribbling and glueing in! Books stacks everywhere are getting a bit of a pruning today, but I’m so grateful for my stuffed home library and my public library. I’ve been freely quitting books that aren’t for me, EXCEPT my poetry selections and spiritual devotions. I definitely put more effort into those. Here are a few snaps of bookish loveliness. 🥰♥️

These are formulaic and predictable. 😆 But I love the domestic coziness. The female characters are sweet and helpless. The love interests are a bit insufferable 😬😂, but I enjoy them occasionally. They are squeaky ‘clean’, too. Do you have any reads like this?

That’s all, folks. 😅♥️ I’ve been just plugging along at all our homeschool responsibilities and trying to keep ahead of dishes and keep enough food on the table for these giant kids (read: mainly the 19 & 17 yo boys 🤣)!! I have some writing due soon and poems for my February poem postcard challenge. It’s freakishly cold 🥶 here and yet, I’m doing ok. God is faithful to send us little flashes of beauty and wonder in the midst of the mundanity. ♥️🥰

How are you? Reading or creating anything? Anything specific bringing you joy? 🥰 Bless each and every one of you. Happy Saturday! ♥️☕️📬💌📚✒️📝♥️❄️✨

Monday Ponderings…{Day 60} •broken pieces•

January 6, 2025January 6, 2025 amyofhearthridge3 Comments

…broken pieces glued back together again…

Happy First Monday in January, friends! 🌲❄️ A bit of a ‘what’s-on-my-heart-currently-collage”…

…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 ‘The Kingdom of God’ by Jessica Powers~

I’ve 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 ‘bout you? What’s jumping out to you?

A beautiful, rich song from Josh Garrel’s 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 ~

I’m slowly starting to work on poems for my annual joining of the Peace Poem Project. (There’s still time to sign up! worldpeacepoets@gmail.com ~ you mail out a poem on a postcard throughout February) I’ve started So Big Edna Ferber with 3 buddy reading friends! It’s beautiful so far! I’m also 3/4ths my way through The Goblin Emperor. It’s a very interesting fantasy so far, so slow and full of cozy details. I’m 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 & soul…☀️

I’ll leave you with this quote of gorgeousness and a poem…

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 “broken pieces”, 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

•thrashed•

a trapped animal

thrashing

wildly

hurts

itself

than

the

trap

but

there’s

some

scratches

and

dents

that

‘ole

metal

heart

teeth

dulled

but

who

wins

the

hard

unmoveable

the

wounded

flesh?

❄️🌲A.M. Pine🌲 ❄️

…joy in the morning… {Day 33}

October 17, 2024 amyofhearthridge11 Comments

Hello 👋 ~ it’s been awhile! Life got a bit life-y and I had to step away. I’m back, though, and excited by all the bits of loveliness and joy around me, if I really take the time to see.

Gratitude list..

~reading about the prophet Elijah the Tishbite, in 1 & 2 Kings~

~Irish Spring soap 🧼 smell, packaging saved for bookmarks~

~Elizabeth Foss book lists~

~ October loveliness over at Elizabeth’s Inkberry Hill Cottage ~

~fat, jolly pumpkins and gourds~

~twinkle lights, flick & flare of my alpine forest candle lit first thing~

~older kids watercolor class~

~ reading Sam Campbell’s nature memoir together, a new-to-us author that we are loving~

~ nature ramblings with local friends~

~ library hauls, especially picture books~

~cardigan, sweatshirt weather, hooded little people, stocking-capped big kids~

~ 5 yo’s new habit of putting hands in pockets, so cute~

~ trying to resurrect a writing practice, lost my way in media jungle, Neil Gaimen’s Instructions intrigues me and is inspiring~

~using my older son’s Bluetooth speaker~

~my Kindle, trying A Portrait of the Malefactress as a Young Women by Karilyn M. Van Brugge, currently~

~ Victorian literature, especially Sylvia’s Lovers by Elizabeth Gaskell, just so cozy and rich in character~

~photography eyes, peeking around corners~

~shaking pumpkin spice into my ground coffee before brewing~

~kids and I journaling to Vivaldi, a child told me it helps them concentrate 🥹♥️~

~Christmas gift secrets beginning around the house~

~long talks with 17 yo on commute to church~

~watching a Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes episode on YouTube with that same son~

~dipping into Susan Branch’s Autumn 🍂 book~

~ ‘try a 100 pages’ rule working well to weed out reads that aren’t for me~

~1/2 hour of reading/quiet while waiting for violin lesson to finish~

~first frost on pumpkins~

~Tombow Fudenosuke pens, swoon~

~podcast episode with my favorite musician~

~bringing all my geraniums indoors~

~feeling of pizza dough as I knead it~

~YouTube/Instagram breaks~

~Michael Hague deep dive with younger kids~

How about you? What is reaching out to you? 🍁♥️

Cozy Week…🍁🎃🌲🖤🧡💛💚🤎✨🌾🍄🌞🌻🍂 {Day 25}

September 23, 2024 amyofhearthridge5 Comments

Happy Autumn, 🍂 my dear Friends!

I’m hoping this week to hunker down into a bit of coziness. Nothing like the end of September, early October, easing into gratitude November, to foster a sense of richness and comfort. These are truly some of my favorite months. My family and I had a wonderful time with our annual apple 🍎 orchard visit, as well as our first bonfire 🔥 🪵🍄‍🟫🍂🍁. Sigh. 😌 So much to be grateful for! So curl up with a hot cup of tea 🫖 or coffee ☕️ and come chat with me.

We were looking 👀 for the Great Pumpkin 🎃 together! 🌞🍂🍁🐿️😁♥️

Pumpkins are SO delightful, comfy, and cheerful to me! 🎃🎃🎃

Let Victober reading commence! Victorian literature + October = Victober. Lots of info about this event on Booktube or Instagram. I just informally follow prompts etc. 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

“I am a child of the Earth and heavens. I find myself at once skipping like a schoolgirl full of wonder, and hushed in awe, something like the monks whose vespers follow the unfolding of the holy hours, and the turning of the globe, away from, then toward the sun.

I am humbled by this call to take in the autumnal majesty. To sit beneath the wind-blown boughs, to listen to the acorns plonking on the roof above my head.”

~ Barbara Mahany, from Slowing Time, p.152

I hope you’ll join me in your homes, journals, or own online places enjoying the season’s gifts! 🖤🍂🐿️🍄‍🟫🍁🖤

What’s bringing me joy lately… {Day 24}

September 17, 2024 amyofhearthridge2 Comments

Gorgeous new stamps!!! I have a few penpals to catch up on! 😍✨♥️💌📬🖋️💕

Always the stacks patiently waiting 😍♥️📚

Just the lovely, jolly, friendly pumpkins 🎃, so many seasonal ‘friends’ appearing

Unexpected delightful moments alone – HP #1 book and movie are my favorite of the whole lot. 🪄🧙‍♂️

Homeschooling 🥰💕♥️ aka lakeschooling – I’m so grateful for spending time with my kids

Oak leaves, the smell, shape, colors, crunchiness…♥️

I could go on! God’s gifts are never-ending. How about you? Anything bringing you joy recently?

🍂♥️📬🎃📚🌿💌🌅💕🍁🕸️🕷️

…gratitudes for today…{Day 14}

August 27, 2024 amyofhearthridge3 Comments

Summer read alouds winding down- so many lovely books! ♥️🥹✨

New homeschooling goodies…a fresh Calendar of Firsts! Keeping track of things we see in nature each day together. 🕸️🕷️🦉🌲

Making my own sugar free iced coffee. Froze leftover coffee for my ice cubes so it isn’t watery! ☕️🧊

Trying new planner this year. I’ve used a Walmart one for 13? years so this may be too much ‘fire power’ 😅, but needed to shake everything up! Notice Jimin 😜on cover to inspire me to keep going! 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

Sneak peek 👀 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 I’m ok with them being all-time-and-forever favorites! 📚♥️

How about you? What are some blessings shining out? ✨✨✨

what has inspired me recently 🌿🌻🌞 {Day 4}

August 16, 2024 amyofhearthridge5 Comments

Planning for autumn, deck flowers, and black coffee in my Betsy, Tacy, & Tib mug…

Pulling out my owl vase , a few black-eyed beauties from my weedy flower bed…

Good bye, summer mugs…have a good rest in the cupboard…love all the green 🌿🌱🪴🌲🌳

Welcome, Autumn mugs…you feel new & fresh 🍁🍂🍄🍄‍🟫

Mysterious and swoony 💗paths…where does it lead?

Restored steam tractors and my hubby’s sheer delight in this 150 Case…spark show was lovely! I really loved the quiet tinkling noise this tractor makes. It’s so peaceful compared to the truck pulls! 😅 Interesting and inspiring story about the restoration/reproduction of this road locomotive.

How about you? What has been inspiring you? ♥️🦋

•gifts•

April 30, 2024 amyofhearthridgeLeave a comment

•new journals from friends, sticker-ed and ready for use•

•cute shoes in favorite color found thrifting •

•one child really enjoying music lessons, practicing Riders of Rohan music at 10:00 pm! 😅♥️•

~What little gifts are popping up around you? 🥰🌿🌷🪺🪴~

Monday Ponderings ~ ✨Happy New Year ✨

January 1, 2024 amyofhearthridgeLeave a comment

Time’s waters will not ebb, nor stay;
Power cannot change them, but Love may;
What cannot be, Love counts it done.
Deep in the heart, her searching view
Can read where Faith is fixed and true,
Through shades of setting life can see Heaven’s work begun.
O Thou, who keep’st the Key of Love,
Open Thy fount, eternal Dove,
And overflow this heart of mine,
Enlarging as it fills with Thee,
Till in one blaze of charity
Care and remorse are lost, like motes in light divine;
Till as each moment wafts us higher,
By every gush of pure desire,
And high-breathed hope of joys above,
By every secret sigh we heave,
Whole years of folly we outlive,
In His unerring sight, who measures Life by Love.
John Keble, except from The Christian Year

Monday Ponderings {♥️✨December 18th✨♥️}

December 18, 2023 amyofhearthridge9 Comments

She stopped over the lonely, lovely little golden face, lifted up so hopefully and so bravely to the feeble drip, and cried out softly, “What is your name, little flower, for I never saw one like you before.” The tiny plant answered at once in a tone as golden as itself, “Behold me! My name is Acceptance-with-Joy.”
Hannah Hurnard, Hinds’ Feet on High Places

Joy Journal {April 26th ~ Happy Birthday to my dear daughter}

April 26, 2023April 26, 2023 amyofhearthridge2 Comments

📖Dear Friends,📖

What is inspiring you or bringing you joy currently? Please join me in comments, in your journal, or on your blog!

🌷I’m grateful today for…🌷

||for newly minted 14 yo daughter 🥰||her delight in completing her Redwall Series collection ||reliving memories and enjoying photos of almost 2 months of participating in a local production of The Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe, what a wonderful experience and lots of new friends ||people who devote themselves to care for others in dangerous or difficult places|| those who are adoptive or foster families || new to me music, Sarah Sparks || for Jane Brocket, Sarah Clarkson, Tresta Payne, andTerri Conlin’s email newsletters, full of beauty, encouragement, and delight || for my church ladies Bible study on Philippians||

||sunlight on forsythia and Charlotte Mason, glimpses of spring hope || springy play lists || for little boys who ask for Christmas trees 🎄 during spring snow storms || friends who send me videos and photos of our local Aurora Borealis sightings || prayer 🙏 || daffodildowndillys and the promise of tulips 💐 || clothesline flapping noise|| cat snuggles, whiskers and darling purring with contented closed eyes || lovely return visits to favorite reads, in this case The Alpine Path by LM Montgomery || warm, brown sweatshirt and oversized cozy black sweater || warm, cozy glow of lamps||

|| birds daintily eating dog food on deck|| wrestling with a short piece on Gerald Manley Hopkins for friend’s magazine ♥️🌿✒️📝||time away with hubby learning about serving our world with love, with a bit of space for quiet contemplation|| delicious, quiet breakfast with our pastor and his wife|| enjoying the nooks and crannies of our hotel|| long car conversations with my husband ||birthday surprises arriving and special food ingredients waiting on countertop ||little boy excitedly helping me wrap gifts for sister|| trying how to figure out how to send a surprise to Canadian penpals 💜😏🤓💌📬📦 💸🤑😂|| lovely books stacked everywhere here to dip in and out of||

||our friendly local public library || a felted bit of sunrise, gift from a daughter, shining into my soul||magazines +coffee + Trader Joe’s + my sisters = ♥️♥️♥️||contemplating books that impacted as a woman/mother/caretaker in an ongoing series|| sunshine 🌞 in Wisconsin, never take it for granted ||plan to take daughter & friend to craft store and fancy ice cream 🍦 soon, she’s so excited ||

I believe this is “La Discessa dello Spirito Santo” mentioned on pg 155, School Education by Charlotte Mason ~ so gorgeous! {Google image} If it’s not the right one, oh well, I still love it! 😂♥️

Joy Journal {April 5th}

April 5, 2023 amyofhearthridge3 Comments

•monochromatic children playing in school yard, black & bright splashes against the drab gray of early spring• puddles fizz-pluming under my tires•theater life, two children’s makeup-encrusted smiles, as they see me gazing up at them, role reversal•spring yard clean up, imprints left in the soaked grass• bags of purge waiting to be someone else’s treasure•ruddy grinning cheeks, watery eyes, runny noses, muddy springy play, cold wind grasping at straws•

•bookish mugs for bits & bobs, gifts from friends • soft-colored sticky tags, enough to share• splashes of color against red-brown brick• discussing Grapes of Wrath, sipping oat milk latte, and conversation with a sweet friend• foam heart on latte, day of small things• little boy with bandana, ninja, he says• blocks on book shelf in alternating pattern• epic soundtrack as I slip through gray countryside, just a hint of green under her skirts•an unexpected flash of stain glass•

•little bodies being compass roses, pointing arms north•almost 14 yo birthday gift buying, disconcertingly not little girl things anymore • shafts & shadows of longer sunlight •shockingly orange chairs• midwestern goodbyes •surprise book won, Katherine Wentworth by D.E. Stevenson • reviewing, revamping, & renewing rhythms• charming nooks & crannies•