Welcome to my weekly post where we take a break from money-related posts and I share about what I'm loving right now and give you a little peek into our life from the past week.
What We’ve Been Watching
Kathrynne and I watched Wonder Woman together. Honestly, I’m not sure what to say about it. I know so many people have raved about it. I kind of felt like it fell flat for me.
Part of me wonders if I watched it again if I’d enjoy it more. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I know it was definitely different than what I thought it would be.
It was also pretty science-fiction-y for me (not my favorite genre) and there were some edge-y parts in it. I’d recommend watching it ahead of time before letting your kids watch it, if you were thinking of having them watch it.
Jesse and I have also (finally!) started watching This Is Us. We weren’t sure what we were going to think of it — especially since we’re pretty careful about what we watch and the opening scene made us concerned that this would be yet another series that we just didn’t feel comfortable watching.
But we stuck with it and we’ve really fallen in love with it. I think there’s something so powerful about the storytelling in this series. It doesn’t sugarcoat things. It’s real, raw, and messy. And yet, it also captures how the little moments in life are so beautiful, as well. I also love how it powerfully portrays how much our past affects our present and how wounds and hurts we’ve never dealt with or healed from can impact us and our relationships for years to come.
If you’ve seen Wonder Woman or This is Us, I’d love to hear your thoughts and whether you agree or disagree with me. 🙂
What I’ve Been Reading
Kaitlynn and I finished Beyond the Desert Gate together — a read-aloud we were assigned to read for her Sonlight homeschool curriculum, but one that we both really enjoyed.
I also read a pre-release copy of In Bloom by Kayla Aimee. Her book is all about trading restless insecurity for abiding confidence. It was such a great read — and one I could really relate to in my own journey through insecurities and feeling like I’m not good enough.
And finally, I’m finishing up reading Out of My Mind (I should finish it tonight) and it’s been a good read. If you enjoyed Wonder, I think you’d enjoy it.
{See my Reading Goals for 2017. Also, see the 70 books I've read so far in 2017 here.}
A Little Peek Into Our Daily Life Around Here
I caught them like this one night before bed this past week. They told me they were working on a "top secret" project.
I'm not sure what it was, but I loved hearing them laugh and giggle from their room as they worked together on it.
Not all moments are beautiful like this… but there are beautiful moments like this in every day, if only I have eyes to notice them.
I came downstairs one morning this past week to see him carefully wiping down every crevice of every single chair — without being asked!
He looked up and said, "I feel like I'm on Flea Market Flip. I bet I could clean this table up and re-sell it."
Yes, your eyes aren't mistaking you. I'm letting Silas spray paint furniture. In our garage. And I was helping him and cheering him on.
If you know anything about my personality type and about how messes and paint and craft projects are so.not.my.thing, then you will look at this photo and know that this is a testament to Jesus and His work in my heart.
It's also a testament to how my Year of Rest changed me. Because I've learned that there's more to life than chasing productivity and checking things off my to do list.
I've also learned that stopping to make memories with my child — even if it's messy — is one of the most important and best uses of my time.
And it only took me 36 years to discover that— surprise, surprise! — spray painting is actually really fun. I never knew this because I was always to busy with my to do lists to be bothered.
Watch out, world. I see many bottles of spray paint in our future! 😉
Kathrynne gave her Second Quarter Project speech this past week and did such a great job! She had to create an Illuminated Manuscript and then write a speech on what passage she chose to write out and why. (You can see her friend holding her manuscript next to her in the picture.)
One of our goals for 2017 was for Jesse and I to go on a trip together. We decided to go on a Marriage Retreat that was put on by some friends of friends of ours.
The Marriage Retreat was held at the Whitestone Country Inn and it was an amazing experience! The sessions were fantastic and we had a number of breakthroughs in how we approach communication our marriage.
Plus, we loved getting to spend so much quality time together, take in the beautiful scenery, enjoy the yummy meals, go on walks together, and just take time to really invest in our marriage and have fun together. It was so good for our marriage — and our souls!
We’re so grateful that my parents were willing to fly up and take care of our kids while we got away. It was such a blessing and a gift to us!
Something I’ve Been Pondering
She did something this past week that I got frustrated by. I didn't yell at her, but she could sense the frustration in my voice.
She left the room and went to her room. And then I felt the prompting in my heart, "Call her back in. Really listen to her. Make sure she is seen and heard."
I gently called her back and saw the tears in her eyes.
"Mom, I did that for you. I thought you would be happy about it. I feel like I just can't seem to do the right thing."
And my heart broke right in two. To think I had crushed her spirit and hurt her by my hints of frustration over this project she had done — not knowing her heart in it was to do something to make me happy.
I apologized. We talked. I thanked her. And then we worked together to finish the project.
And it was a beautifully bonding moment — as well as such an important reminder that sometimes what it appears like on the surface is often not at all what the intent of someone else is.
"Lord, help me to really see my kids as You see them. Give me grace to parent from Your love. Help me to take the extra time to find the good and praise it. Let me listen carefully, love abundantly, and show your grace lavishly — just as you have done for me. Help my kids to feel seen, heard, and valued by me… so that ultimately they will know how much they are seen, heard, and valued by You."
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