SortaCrunchy

weekend snapshots: january 15 + #janphotoaday

Happy Sunday, friends!

I kind of ducked out on y'all at the end of last week, but with good reason. Laura and I are thisclose to finishing our first round of book edits. All of my time, energy, thought, and attention has gone into the book for the past few days, but I'm happy to say we are feeling SO GOOD about how the manuscript is shaping up. Our editor, Jonathan, is fantastic and once again we feel so incredibly blessed to be part of the Civitas Family.

Now, on to my Instagram shots from my #janphotoaday project (created by fatmumslim):

9. daily routine: mine is coffee and a calendar first thing in the morning

10. childhood: One thing I love about this challenge is that so much of it is open to interpretation. Many people chose shots of themselves from when they were children, while others posted pics that exemplified childhood for them. I chose a shot of an organic cheddar bunny I found when I was making our bed that morning. We don't eat in our bed and the girls certainly aren't allowed to either. And yet, there he was. It made me smile a little bit though because isn't that what living in the midst of childhood is? Crackers where there should be no crackers?

11. where you sleep: but y'all already know that

12. close-up: little girl nails

13. in your bag: I confess that I didn't take this shot until this morning. I didn't open Instagram once while I was in the writing zone. But I'm determined to finish this challenge, so better late than never!

14. something you're reading: I JUST started Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. So many people have told me it's their favorite from the series and I cannot wait to get really into it. In the meantime, however, I'm reading my review copy Julia's Child: A Novel by Sarah Pinneo. From the cover: "A delectable comedy for every woman who's ever wondered if buying that six-dollar box of organic crackers makes her a hero or a sucker." Hee! Full review coming soon!

 

 

Other notables from the week:

This dairy-free, GAPS and primal-friendly recipe for pear custard at Health, Home, & Happiness looks delicious!

My friend Ed Cyzewski released an e-book that I hope to dig into soon: Divided We Unite: Practical Christian Unity

Has anyone used activated charcoal for teeth whitening? As you can imagine, I have seriously stained teeth from the ridiculous amounts of coffee I drink. Wellness Mama posted about using activated charcoal to whiten teeth and I'm tempted to try it. Thoughts?

Civitas announced a new community project called Finding Church. I LOVE the topic, and I can't wait to see how this collection comes together. Perhaps you have an essay to contribute?

As soon as I hit publish on my post, I'm going to fill out my nomination ballot for the 2012 Bloggies. This award has been around for a long time and I think the process is one of the most democratic approaches out there. I've found some amazing new blogs through the award winners!

Later this afternoon, I've got a book review and giveaway to share. Stay tuned!

 

weekend snapshots: january 8 + #janphotoaday

On New Year's Day evening, I noticed quite a few of the people I follow on Instagram were tagging photos with #janphotoaday. I dug around a little and discovered that the lovely and talented Chantelle of Fat Mum Slim had issued a photo challenge to do one photo a day throughout the month of January.

Even though it was late and I had already climbed into bed for the night, I thought what the heck. I'll play along, too. Each Sunday, I'll share my #janphotoaday for the week preceding:

1. You (told you I was in bed!)

2. Breakfast (mmmmm. protein shake.) (I did not eat the owls) (although, aren't they delicious?)

3. Something you adore: Taste of Austin coffee (adore) from Central Market (adore) in my anthro cup (adore). Three things I adore, all together on the 3rd. Aren't I terribly clever?

4. Letterbox: ours is quite minimalist, yes?

5. Something you wore: purple tights.

6. Makes you smile: y'all have already seen this in my office post, but again, having artwork done by the girls in my work area always, always makes me smile.

7. Favourite (or favorite, for spellers of the USA variety): my favorite gift from my favorite man. Kyle gave me these diamond studs 7 years ago, and I've worn them nearly every day since.

I'll be sharing 8 - 14 next Sunday!

* * * * *

Other notable news around the web:

My dear friend Laura - the Hollywood Housewife - is hosting one of her brag book link-ups. Did you post on New Year's Resolutions/Goals/Intentions? Join in and link up!

I love (!) what Kelly at Love Well wrote in Dear January. I echo every word.

Jon Acuff's Running into Michael W. Smith incident made me laugh and laugh.

At Every Breath I Take, Jen wrote to all the sleepy mamas out there, and honestly, I think sometimes it helps to know you aren't alone in the dark night hours.

Finally, I said YES YES YES over and over when I read Leslie's piece on Far From "Having it all together," I'm Just One Mom Learning All She Can. For anyone who has ever felt some negative pushback for sharing what is important to you, a must-read!

* * * * *

OH! WAIT! Don't forget Once Upon A Time returns tonight. EEEEEEEEEEE! I'll host an episode discussion on Desperate Souls on Tuesday!

Happy Sunday!

this moment: making is messy (and delicious)

A moment from the week, inspired by the This Moment series at Soule Mama: A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.  More moments here.

april showers on my spring flowers

Yesterday, what began as a quick peek to spy on birds gobbling up worms from the muddied yard turned into play-in-the-rain day.  Yes, I allowed the girls to play outside (barefoot) in the rain for almost half an hour.  And it was not a warm rain, nor was it a particularly warm day. 

  But there was, after all, Stick and Leaf Soup to prepare.

 

Followed by a warm bath, hot cocoa, and happy grins.

Just another day in the Great Outdoor Challenge!  (Special thanks to 5 Orange Potatoes for organizing this challenge and for reminding us to get outside every day - rain or shine!)

{this moment} sunshine, shadows, and the winds of spring

(joining Amanda in a weekly ritual)

let's make this Day 15 in 40 Days of Joy

goodness

Thank you all for the kind words on yesterday's post. 

When I share something like that and the response includes kind words and hugs across the miles, my first instinct is to pull those words back to my chest and crinkle my eyes and say, "Oh, I'm fine.  No, really.  Fine." 

And on many levels, I am fine.  And on others, not fine.

The responses shared in comments and private emails have encouraged me to be okay with sitting in a moment of hurt while all the while acknowledging the goodness that surrounds.  In fact, that inspiration has sparked, clarified, and confirmed my focus for the coming Lenten season.  (more on that later)

Goodness in this moment:

*** my sister Emily who not only accepts my mess, but stays longer than planned to help me dig out and clean up (both literally and figuratively) (especially my laundry room which was about to pick up the phone and call the producers of Hoarders)

*** my husband who, sensing my absolute weariness after a week of tending to sick chicks, immediately began making dinner upon his arrival home last night

*** sweet girls who make me laugh even when their fevers soar (and the promise of health just around the corner!)

*** close-knit community manifested in almost daily email discussions with friends who know me

*** Mothering magazine.  It's arrival in my mailbox encourages me mightily.

*** An incredible cookbook from a mama who knows her stuff: Family Feasts for $75 a Week: A Penny-wise Mom Shares Her Recipe for Cutting Hundreds from Your Monthly Food Bill (that I purchased with my own money thankyouverymuch - but that is, of course, an affiliate link)

*** salsa verde

*** remembering sunny February days south of Austin - two years ago:

 

 

 

*** while honoring the beauty of winter on the plains:

*** Sumatra fair trade

*** A very new friend who showed up on my doorstep with dinner for our family one night this week

*** plans falling into place for a new direction I'll be taking with SortaCrunchy in the very near future

And more and more and more. 

So much goodness.

(comments closed.  Have a beautiful Friday!)

Wordless Wednesday: Hope (on my kitchen window)

 

ablaze

How the sky turns to fire
against a telephone wire
And even I'm getting tired
of useless desires

-- "Useless Desires," Patty Griffin

Few things make my heart expand like an autumn sunset. 

A few weeks ago, I stood at my kitchen sink doing dishes when I glanced up and saw the sky in the last few moments of spectacular blaze.  Normally I work to avoid the telephone and other utility wires that clutter up shots in our backyard, but the way this shot spoke of that song?  Irresistible.

(This shot is straight out of the camera and though the composition irritates me, it also reminds me that sometimes you have just a second or two to accept God's invitation to beauty and then the sky fades and navy blue extinguishes the flames that just seconds before glorified the clouds above.  Sometimes you have to abandon the perfect shot to get the shot.)

Tell me - when was the last time you were startled by unexpected beauty?

Abudance of Gratitude and an Invitation to Give

I had sorta planned on an As He Leads Us post for today, but in all honesty, my heart and head are just reeling in the wake of the news of Gabriella Vega's stroke last week.  Every time I type or say that word - stroke - I just cannot believe this is really happening to sweet Princess G.

She is four years old. 

I've watched that sweet girl with the blond curls grow from darling little baby to vivacious preschooler, and to see her confined to a hospital bed without words and with little movement overwhelms me with crushing sadness.

My every other thought is of her and her mama Kristi and daddy Paul and little brother PJ.

I've found solace in the practice of gratitude.  With every laugh and through all the chatter and amidst the wrestling rough-housing from the girls, my heart stretches and snaps to Arizona, to Kristi at Gabriella's bedside, praying that she'll hear Gabriella's voice again soon.

I'm slowing down to listen and hold close and soak up the rhythms and routines and blessed normalcy of each day.

I'm

17. getting lost in the zen-like calm of snapping green beans at the sink.

18. grinning big in response to Aliza Joy's "dank you, Mommy!"  Oh, now that child has a heart of gratitude, to be sure.

19. indulging in a few extra moments with my fingers dug deep in appreciation of that mystical feel of flour and butter which have become one in the moments before the buttermilk splashes and reminds the buttered flour that biscuits need making.

20. happy sighing over biscuits that rise up and come out just right.

21. so, so, so grateful for an old friend's thoughtfulness in passing on something that met a need at the exact moment we needed it.

22. overjoyed to spend a Saturday afternoon on a quilt under the canopy of a pecan tree whose paternal arms have shielded decades of seekers-of-the-slow.  Markers took to journals while the last of the summer cicadas sang.

23. aching heart over the joyful innocence of Dacey's art where the sun shines always and every face beams with smile.

*****

I can never, ever put words to my gratitude for each and every one of you.  When I think back on the humble start of SC, I just shake my head.  At the start, I was just gonna talk about some cloth diapers a little bit, and now look at this place.  Just amazing.

Over the weekend, I hatched a plan.  I have been praying unceasingly for the Vega family, but I feel so helpless to help all these miles away.  But then I thought maybe . . . maybe I can help.  Here's the plan:

I'm going to put together an online raffle to be hosted here at SC.  All of the proceeds from the raffle will go to the Vega family to bless them and help ease some of the burden of the many expenses they are accruing in the midst of this circumstance.

To host a really great raffle that honors a really amazing little girl, I need some really big help.  That's where you come in.  I know there are some wonderfully, tremendously gifted people that hang out here. 

Would you like to join me in this by donating a prize to the raffle?

Here are some ideas:

* Anything handmade or created by you - knitted, crocheted, letterpressed, photographed - any kind of handwork or art
* Services you might offer - digital card creation, mama card design, blog design
* Products that you want to purchase for donation

The details are very loose right now.  I've never taken on a project of this size, but I've got a team of friends from the mothering community through which we all know the Vegas who have stepped up to help pull this thing off.

So this is our invitation to those who want to be directly involved in the creation of the raffle prize packages.  If you want in, leave a comment here or email me at sortacrunchy at gmail dot com.

*****

If your Monday promises nothing but the usual, hold your dear ones close and offer a breath of thanks to God for normal.

You can join others on the path of gratitude each Monday at Holy Experience.

7 Quick Takes: August 7th

I haven't done a 7QT since last May, but I've got a lot rolling around in my head, and this seems like the best way to sling it out.  Much of it revolves around my only real "hobby" or "interest" or "activity" these days - reading and books.  (It's possible I've been doing a little too much "killing time" at "this blog.")

1. First of all, I need your help!  My next Simple Mom column is coming up next Wednesday which also happens to be (sniff sniff sob sob) Dacey's first day of school.  I'm going to write an article on children's books that deal with transition.  I need book recommendations!  I will, of course, be including Audry Penn's The Kissing Hand, but I need lots more suggestions.  I'm looking for books that deal with any kind of transition - moving, new sibling, divorce, death . . . anything that fits that category.  If you have an idea, won't you pretty please share?  I'll be sure to credit you.  Thanks, sweet friends!

2. Okay, so one of the best parts of my job is that from time to time, I get free and unsolicited books from publishers/publicists who are hoping I will write up glowing reviews.  Usually I don't simply because I don't have just oodles of free time on my hands that would allow me to donate free publicity on behalf of random authors and random books.  However.  Last weekend a new in paperback fiction book showed up for me, and I have to tell you, I absolutely inhaled it!  I cannot remember the last time I read fiction, but this book was just captivating: Keeper and Kid by Edward Hardy.  It's a take on the archetypical kind-of-wandering-but-mostly-content-single-guy-"inherits"-kid and the way his response to this plays out, but the writing is just so crisp and so accurately portrays what life with a three year old is like that it doesn't feel old or worn out at all.  LOVED IT.  If you are looking for a quick and enjoyable late summer read, I highly recommend.

3. I finished another book this week.  Two books in less than two weeks is a new (post-children) record for me!  This one needs a lot more room to discuss than will fit in a 7QT post, but I'll go ahead and mention it today: Lenore Skenazy's Free-Range Kids: Giving Our Children The Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts With Worry.  LOVE IT.  I am wondering how many of you have read it.  Maybe we could have an informal book talk here?  Or maybe at Simple Kids?  I don't know.  I would love to hear your responses to this book.  (Laura wrote about an encounter at the car wash inspired by a chance discussion of this book. I hold that no matter what your response to Skenazy's philosophy, this book is a great conversation starter!)

4. I accidentally left a Google search off of my sitemeter post, but this one was so cute, I have to mention it: "how to become more crunchy."  Awwwww!  I love it!  Isn't that just the sweetest thing?  I cannot tell you how frustrating it can be to see what people are searching for through Google and not be able to interact directly with them!  (One time someone right here in this tiny little town searched for "delayed vaccination schedule."  I about jumped out of my chair, tempted to wave my hands like a crazy lady and say "Hi!  Here!  Right here!  Let's talk!  You can borrow my copy of The Vaccine Book!  I'm RIGHT HERE!")  ANYWAY.  For those who would like some guidance in "how to become more crunchy," I would recommend Stephanie of Keeper of the Home's e-book Healthy Homemaking: One Step at a Time.  Sweet Stephanie is awaiting the arrival of baby #3 any day now!  I know it would make her day if you got a copy today.

5. And speaking of e-books, for those who are interested in improving your photo taking skills but are starting from a novice level of experience (ME!), I wanted to direct you to the creative mama's Project Photography e-book. The subtitle is "Better photos made simple, for the non-photographer."  See?  Don't you need that?

6. Okay, so this doesn't have anything to do with a real book, but I'm running out of things to say.  Earlier this week, I told Kyle if this whole parenting book thing doesn't work out, I'm gonna start shopping around a proposal for a book I might call But I Like Wine! And Other Dilemmas Faced by the Southern Baptist Under Forty.  Half-kidding, of course.  Kyle was more enthusiastic about the idea.  He understands my conflicted feelings about the Southern Baptist (mostly culture, not so much doctrine) Convention.  My complicated spiritual state was made more complex last week when a Facebook quiz I took confirmed that, theologically speaking, my denomination should be Presbyterian.  And since we all know that Facebook quizzes are absolutely, unquestionably, categorically, 100% accurate - well, you can understand my internal upheaval.

Yet I am pretty sure that a book with "wine" in the title isn't going to fly off of the shelves at Lifeway (unless perhaps the book title was Wine: Why I'll Judge You If I See You Drinking It), so that will probably just get tossed in the "Great Book Ideas I Once Had" pile.

7. And that's it.  All I've got.  Tell me - what have YOU been reading lately?

And don't forget, yo, about those children's book recommendations.  I really do need your help!

More 7 Quick Takes at Conversion Diary!