a new magazine

I have been blog friends with Amanda Blake Soule over at her blog Soulemama for several  years now.  Long enough to congratulate her family when three our of five of her children have been welcomed into this world, support her through her publishing two books, a move to their dream farm and now so excitedly unveiling a magazine.



"Taproot  is a collection of curated stories written by and for people living fully and digging deeper; people who are interested in deepening their connections to their families, communities, and themselves as they strive to live locally and closer to the ground. In all the very different ways that manifests from family to family and home to home, at taproot, we hope to find the connecting thread that binds us together.  Right now it is available for a "founders subscription" for $25 a year or $47 for two years. Go take a peek, I think you will be happy that you did." Amanda Blake Soule

Happy Wednesday to you! We are gearing up for piano and drum lessons and later Youth Church (Generation Impact) and cleaning, schooling and cooking in between.

Lori
xo

Hello Monday :: coffee with the girls

There was confusion about meeting up with a friend for coffee and a phone call saying we will need to postpone. My girls overheard and said "coffee date!"

They brought their Kindle Fires and I brought my gardening book.

Mugs of hot decaf with french vanilla creamer, adorable company and wifi. ;o)

Great start to a day

 

Happy Monday to You!
Lori
xo

This Moment :: one of my treasures

~ :: this moment :: ~

a Friday ritual, a single photo, no words, a moment I want to pause and remember from this week.

For more "this moments" head over to SouleMama

Hope your day is great!

Lori

agape :: quilts & casseroles

while building the fire this morning i read an article in the newspaper about four neighbors who make quilts for people who are very ill. it all started with one of the ladies being very ill in the hospital for 5 weeks. She said that even though she felt surrounded by people she still felt alone because none of them shared her illness. She wanted to do something to help others feel cared for and started sewing the quilts, soon she was joined by her neighbors too.

i think this is how all great things start...one person has an experience and doesnt want others to experience it so they do something. like me and the playtoys at the apartment building after living in some areas like it when I was a child.

last night at Youth Church we celebrated our Associate Pastor's birthday that is today. He does amazing things to support the youth in our church and runs the AWANA program and much more. we wanted to bless him.
Everyone knows that youth have no money so the gift was small, but the card was large. posterboard sized large. wink. we could have tried to get together a card and big present and stressed out about it because we thought it needed to be perfect. we didnt...we did what we could and he was blessed.

things dont need to be perfect to bless others...we need to remember that.

Southern Living Mag image

while making my family dinner I also made two smaller dinners of the casserole. at first I thought "why am I doing this? It isnt very much." That is where we go wrong when we do things. We think we have to do great things to bless others. both recipients of the small casseroles loved them.

So....we need to stop thinking that things have to be big or perfect before we can do something right?
we do out of love and it is enough.
Lori
xo

Hello Monday

Hello:
cold misty rain morning
quiet house & dirty dishes
a whole day with my kiddos

hello:
planning a nourishing comfort food day after a busy weekend
hot cup of coffee with coconut milk and french vanilla creamer
eggs fresh from the chicken coop

What are you saying hello to this fine day?
Lori
xo

This Moment ~ Hannah tracking a raccoon

~ :: this moment :: ~

a Friday ritual, a single photo, no words, a moment I want to pause and remember from this week.

For more "this moments" head over to SouleMama

Hope your day is great!

Lori

agape :: soup

agape...strange word right?
the meaning described over at Wikipedia is: the term necessarily extends to the love of one’s fellow man



about a month ago I heard about a book called One Thousand Gifts. 

To sum it up it is about finding things to be thankful in your everyday. 
*the sun streaming across the floor
*children laughing in the other room
*hot soup for dinner


to be thankful causes something to rise up in us to ward off the criticism, hopelessness, apathy and other emotions that many feel.

I have been giving thankfulness a lot of thought. Are people ungrateful on purpose or has our society just forgotten how to be thankful? In our busy strive-for-it society can people really slow down and give thanks for the small everyday things?

I didn't a few years ago. I was too worried about how I was going to pay my bills and the emotional wellness of my children after the divorce of their dad and I. Well, I did find a journal recently that had a few pages of things I was thankful for from that time period recently. I guess I was never good at journaling anyhow. ~wink


In looking back though I can see a shift since that time-frame. As life multiplied one hundred-fold in busyness for me as a single mother I had to slow down somehow. Taking notice of things and being grateful does that....it slows down time and all the worries fade. It helps a momma to be present with her children when so many other things pull her thoughts all day and night. Bringing ourselves to the very moment we are in is a huge gift to us and others around us.


The next step for me since I have learned how to walk in thankfulness is to reach out to others. I am still a single parent, but don't stigmatize me. Even single parents can help others. ~wink

 

A way that my family has given out for a long time is when we make a pot of soup we always take a hot bowl to a neighbor. When I first started doing it, it was a little awkward feeling. Now it just feels like breathing. In our society where it is full of hustle and bustle and is not so personal anymore a hot bowl of soup delivered just because really touches hearts. How can we know how that neighbor's day has went? I have found after delivering bowl after bowl that it is always right when needed most.


soup doesn't only nourish the body...it comforts the soul.


God says that we can test Him and see that He is good. I haven't tested Him, but I have watched. We cannot out-give His goodness for us. Cannot.


Hope your day is full of thankfulness and peace.
Lori
xo