Author: Kathleen

the houston project / july

Last month we were able to fit in a couple activities on my Houston project list. First of all, we attended a kids’ storytime at a cool independent bookstore called Brazos Bookstore.

It started at 10:30 a.m. but weirdly Meredith fell asleep in the car on the way there (weird because she is usually wide awake well past noon). Waking her up is never fun but it wasn’t close so we did it. She was fine while the story was being read in the cute kids’ room, sitting on my lap with Liam in the Ergo.

Next was craft time where the kids were supposed to draw a picture of their best friend. This is where it all went downhill when the little girl sitting next to Meredith dared to use the markers she was using. (We are working on sharing.) We had to leave craft time but I thought we could look at more books in the kids’ room. That didn’t work out either (euphemising here…it was a disaster) so we had to leave pretty quickly.

I was bummed because M. is usually so pleasant at that time of day and gets along well with other kids. We learned our lesson not to wake her up from car naps if we can help it! I did get to browse the store a little bit, and I loved it. There were handwritten book recommendations all over from the staff and cool displays. If we had had more time there I definitely would have bought something to support it.

Then David and I finally got a date night in! We have two sets of willing grandparents ready to babysit at almost anytime, and yet we still go on way too few dates. We decided to keep this one low-key and just visit a new restaurant nearby called Torchy’s Tacos that is located at an outdoor mall area that has live music and events. Loved the food, and we sat outside (the weather was miraculously cool) and talked like we hardly ever really get to do.

Then we wandered down to rest by the lake and I convinced David to take a picture with me…

…and we saw ducklings!

Finally we visited the Nestle Tollhouse store where I had a scoop of ice cream and we each got a cookie treat to take home for later (and we brought Meredith home a treat too).

Usually for our date nights we just go to a movie but I’m so glad we are opting for new things now. Can’t wait to explore the city some more!

August 4, 2014
currently (& a new feature)

New favorite picture of the kids.

Every other Friday I’ve been sharing links to some good stuff I found around the Internet. On the other Fridays I like to pop in with a quick personal post, and today I want to add a feature to those “currently” posts.

One of the podcasts I love is called One Bad Mother (warning: there are swears) and every week they share their genius & fail moments as a parent. It’s probably my favorite part of the show, and I thought it would be fun to share my own personal genius & fails with y’all every couple of weeks. And of course, I’d love it if you’d chime in with your own!

Genius : getting myself and the kids ready in the morning can be…stressful. The worst is getting Meredith dressed, because she takes SO LONG. If she can’t get the clothes on right she might possibly have a breakdown. And if I try to help her, omg, it’s like I’m torturing her or something. Half of the mornings result in tears. So one night this week David took her to Kohl’s because he had some Kohl’s cash that was expiring and he bought her a cute little shirt and shorts. She was so excited she wanted to wear it to sleep, and I realized: genius. In the morning she was excited to wear her new clothes to school and it saved so much time. It’s worked a couple days in a row so far!

Fail : for the last two nights in a row Meredith and I have gone to bed almost two hours later than usual. Therefore we both woke up super grumpy and emotional today, I definitely snapped at her which made me feel super great about myself (sarcasm), I didn’t have time to make our healthy breakfast, and now I’m REALLY having to work to snap out of it. Bed at 7pm today!!

Currently :

trying to shake off my funk.

missing Twitter and Instagram. I’ve been more active blogging, but less active there and I miss the conversation and the friends. Lately the trend is to cut back on social media but I find myself wanting to make more of an effort at it.

ready to get back to my quilt. I’ve been in the mood to sew and I want to get the quilt finished so I can move on to other projects. Next step is basting and then quilting.

fitting in more reading time here and there and I sense that my slump is ending.

excited about starting half marathon training next week! Our work gym opens the same day my first run is scheduled, which is so nice because I didn’t want to run in the heat and I don’t mind the treadmill for shorter distances.

signed up for a 10k at the end of September with my brother and sister-in-law.

planning a date night for this weekend. I think we are going to do a food truck crawl!

enjoying an afternoon coffee break most days at work.

eating mostly paleo except for a little cheese and yogurt, and…

snacking on dark chocolate covered almonds daily.

writing snail mail letters and cards to friends.

praying about where to serve in my community.

August 1, 2014
art journal / 1

I have been wanting to try art journaling for a long time now. I used to think I wasn’t artsy enough for it, but when I realized that it could be whatever I wanted it to be and I started seeing simple pages I loved (like this) I was in. I needed some kind of guidance or structure before I began, though. Eventually, as I was going through my Bible study and underlining quotes and verses, I realized that it was the perfect inspiration.

I finally got a little extra time and decided to just go for it. I didn’t want to spend any money so I’m using a regular journal that I hadn’t written in yet. It is ruled but that doesn’t bother me.

I freehand cut out the word “James” because that is what I’m studying right now.

Here are my first two pages. So far they just include magazine clippings, stamps, handwriting, and stickers.

The phrase here is something I took from my study on James 1:5-7. It talks about the repercussions of having faith versus doubting and how much is at stake.

The above quote is from Beth Moore. Just something I want to remember.

So far I’m in love with this journaling method. I’m planning to keep it simple and do pages whenever inspiration strikes. I’ll share updates as I have them. :)

July 31, 2014
how i’m doing daily devotions

Exactly one year before Liam was born, I posted this update on the state of my faith. In it I discussed how I floundered in my faith after Meredith was born and we lost our church, and how I eventually came back to a place of daily time with God and studying scripture.

Since then, I have had another baby and changed jobs. My devotional time wasn’t always consistent before those two big events, but ever since maternity leave I have been diligent with it, mostly because I now have a lot more time in the mornings. I still wake up around 5am, but now I spend an hour in study and prayer instead of pressing the snooze button three times and then scrambling to get out the door by 6. I am incredibly grateful for this extra time.

I want to say that even though I’ve been doing regular quiet times again for the last couple of years, my heart hasn’t always been in it. Many times I would just read a brief devotion and not even really say a prayer. But I do think there was a benefit to the fact that I still took the time to do even that – because now the yearning is back. The deep desire to know God and to learn more about his Word. To dive deep into it.

These periods of passion have a tendency to come and go in my life. When I’m in a dry spell I feel far away from God and I can hardly remember what it is like to be consumed by Him. But I try to stay faithful, because I know He is there. And He always brings me back, and makes Himself known to me again. This time, I want to stay here, in this place. I don’t want the passion to go away again.

I wanted to share what I’ve been doing for my Bible study sessions, because I am finding so much joy in them and learning an incredible amount. When I was deciding how to structure my time, I thought about what I wanted: something with guidance and structure. Something in-depth with a lot of digging. More focused on the learning and study, but should also have some practical application. I also wanted to do some analyzing on my own, and I needed a way to fit prayer in.

So that’s why I decided to base my sessions around Beth Moore’s study guides. I have done six of them in the past and I’m currently working through my seventh, which is on the book of James. Even though they are written with a small group in mind and have weekly videos (which I don’t watch because they are too expensive to buy on my own), the daily homework is where the real meat is. So I start off by working through that day’s homework. I make notes in my Bible and read the footnotes and sometimes the cross references too.

Usually this alone is a great Bible study, but I wanted to push it a little further and think independently. I read somewhere about Elisabeth Eliot’s recommendation for Bible study, which is to read a passage and then answer these questions: 1) what does it tell you about God, 2) Jesus Christ, 3) the Holy Spirit, and 4) Christian love? 5) Are there any commands to obey, or 6) sins to confess? 7) What does it tell you about yourself? I’ve started writing down the answers to all of those questions.

Finally, I’ve begun journaling my prayers as well. I’m keeping a list of pressing prayer needs and every day I am writing some of them out. It helps me to prioritize this and to really meditate on them.

It’s nice when I can complete my whole Bible study before the kids wake up, but they are early risers so that doesn’t usually happen. Sometimes Liam is with me the whole time – nursing or playing on the floor – and sometimes Meredith wakes up part way through. When that happens I bring her to sit on my lap or next to me and she knows that I have to finish my Bible study before we can go make breakfast. She is usually happy to wait and cuddle or go play with Liam. It’s more distracting with them there, but I do like that she gets to see me actively studying God’s word first thing in the morning and that she will know how important it is.

One more thing. This daily time with God is changing me. I am feeling called to act on my faith in a way that I never have before. I’m not sure what it’s going to look like, but something is going to happen. And, as it turns out, it is inspiring me creatively as well. Tomorrow I want to share with you the beginning of the art journal I finally started that is based on what I’m learning in my study.

July 30, 2014
my favorite moments of every day

That first sip of coffee, when the whole house is dark except for the dim light in the reading room, and I settle into my chair and open my Bible.

When Liam first wakes up and smiles over and over so wide that he can’t possibly look any happier to be alive, and I pick up his little body and marvel at the fact, once again, that he is here and he is mine.

The first time I hug Meredith in the morning and and how she is so warm and cuddly and wanting nothing but to hold me.

Seeing David again after we’re both home from work, and just being home.

When I pick up the kids from daycare, and Meredith runs to me with a huge smile saying, “Mommy, I be good!”

Sitting down to dinner together, even when it’s crazy, and I look around at my little family and think this is such a good life.

Right before bed when David and I are reading books to Meredith with Liam in my lap, and she cuddles up next to me with her head on my shoulders.

These moments don’t happen exactly like this each and every day, but most of the time they do, and each one of them is worth waking up for.

July 29, 2014