{how bright and beautiful}

Happy Wednesday!

I love these words, how very true they are! 

Have a bright, beautiful, authentic Wednesday!

For the love of {florals}

I am a huge fan of floral prints. Unfortunately, Phillip is definitely not.

When we were registering for wedding gifts all those years ago he systematically shot me down every time I suggested anything with a floral print. Apparently floral prints are too girly. Flowers on our china? No. Floral curtains? No. Floral bedding? NO. There were no flowers allowed anywhere.

I've managed to sneak a few florals in here and there, mostly in the form of decorations in the guest room where he's not likely to care. But I still want more. 

This Spring I may have to score a few floral pieces for my wardrobe to satisfy my flower obsession.

Nothing wrong with a girl being girly when her house can't, right?

{eat this}

It's Monday. So far not a very productive Monday. But I'm working on it.

Over the weekend I tried my hand at "Balsamic Beef Wraps." I saw a picture on Pinterest (that didn't lead me to a recipe) so I decided to try and recreate the recipe myself.

I (very) thinly sliced carrots, bell peppers, and green onions. I wanted to use bean sprouts too but my local grocery store is no longer carrying them. Apparently they're a "health hazard"? Anyway, I also had some leftover cilantro that I thought would be awesome in these, but I forgot to add it. Go me. 

I bought a huge (HUGE!) hunk of beef at Sam's club and I sliced about six thin strips about the size of my hand. I threw the rest of the beef in the crock pot and made shredded beef. 

I soaked the beef strips in balsamic vinegar and a bit of olive oil while I sliced the veggies. Then I simply piled the veggies inside the beef and rolled. I secured the rolls with toothpicks and Phillip grilled them.

Boy were they good! 

I unrolled mine to eat it because it was just too fat to bite. Phillip managed to keep his rolled up. He's such a neat eater. ;)

Last night we took a lovely walk in the gathering storm. It was a tiny bit cold and windy but the clouds and views were totally worth it. 

We also worked a lot in our yard and went to see Star Trek, which was really good. 

How was your weekend? 

Happy {mint} Weekend!

Oh weekend! Welcome back!

I can't wait to celebrate the delicious spring weather, probably by spending many hours outdoors but also hopefully by installing the overhead fan in our master bedroom. Because hot weather is coming! 

I also really want to add a hint of mint to my life. Because nothing says spring quite like it!

Fairy Garden Party

Last night I had a big group of lovely young ladies over to make Fairy Gardens. We ate candy. We drank soda. We got a lot of dirt under our finger nails. I got zero shots of the finished product. It was awesome! 

Pre-party porch. I tried to make it all feel like fairy land with the hanging lights. I'm not sure the girls even noticed. But I like them! 

They each were allowed to plant one tall-ish flowering plant in a hanging pot and then surrounded it with tiny succulents or ground cover. Then they added miniature animals, butterflies, flags, etc to decorate the gardens and make them welcoming to fairies! Our local nursery has a really large selection of miniature plants right now, yours probably does too!

I decorate with weeds. Get over it ;)

There was a very exciting photo-shoot following the garden-making.

I'm just proud that my porch is clean. 

Gymnastics, rolling in the grass, hysterical laughter, a few injuries, someone stepping in some hidden dog poop (my bad, girls), and a few really sweet conversations later and it was all just a very hyper dream. 

A lot of people use miniature houses, streams, paths, etc. Those fancier things just get pricey when you're buying supplies for large groups. If you want to make one yourself, here is a link to a simple fairy garden tutorial. Or I suggest checking out Pinterest or goolge for ideas. Duh. 

Now I need to make one for myself! 

{a monday list}

So far today I:

- slept in to make up for giving someone a ride from the airport at 2 AM

- dug weeds in my back yard until my trowel broke in half

- did burpees and various other body-weight exercises that don't hurt my leg

- caught up on five Bible study lessons (shame on me for being so far behind)

- finished off the last of the baked french toast and coffee

- arranged furniture on my back porch in anticipation of tomorrow's delightful party for little girls and fairy gardens

- snuck around my house dripping wet searching for a towel after my shower

- ate yogurt on my back porch with my laptop while the breeze dried my wet hair

- read several chapters of "Eight Cousins"

I really don't know why people complain about Mondays!

{non} Mother's Day

Mother's day is really hard. 

It's such a delightful celebration of mothers and motherhood. And such a horrendously painful reminder, year after year, that I am still not a mom. 

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful mother and mother-in-law. I love them dearly and am so grateful for them. I'm glad there is a day to remind me to be especially thankful for such dear women in my life.

Last year I got to spend Mother's day in Albuquerque. I celebrated with my mom and sister, who are both really great moms and fill my life with so much joy. But unfortunately, all I remember about the day is that Lydia held my hand really tightly all the way through church as I sat and cried silent tears of grief and loss.

I also very clearly remember hearing the sermon through my muffled sobs. It was about Hannah, who prayed violently to the Lord for a child and was granted her request. 

What a beautiful story. 

But for some reason it filled me with terrible sadness instead of hope. Like somehow I needed to be reminded that there are women who suffer on Mother's day. They would give anything to be a mother, but they aren't. For some reason, Hannah's story honestly makes me mad. It seems like so many other women are given the gift of motherhood, or even have it rather surprisingly thrust upon them, and yet Hannah had to bargain with God before her request was granted. She had to promise to give her child back to the Lord? She desperately wanted a child, and then she couldn't keep him? It's unreasonable, I know. That's not what it's really all about. But still, the story bugs me. 

This year we're home in Denver and won't be able to be with either of our moms. Our church is planning to have infant dedications during the services. I've already learned to sneak quietly out to the bathroom during infant dedications. But this time, I'm just going to stay home to avoid it all.

I've planned a small brunch with our dear friends who are also struggling with infertility. I'm making huevos rancheros, pico de gallo, baked french toast, and frozen strawberry mimosas. Cooking is soothing, apparently. I should probably also lay low and avoid social media: pictures and posts galore of happy moms with their children, flowers, cards, and joy. 

There is so much hope in this season, so much to be grateful for as I watch the Spring come and the Lord make everything new.
If you think about it on this day, please take a second to remember those around you who are struggling. Remember the women, precious in His eyes, who are facing the raw pain of a past abortion. Or the aching loss of a miscarriage. Or carrying the heavy burden of empty arms.

"The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
Psalm 34:18

{it's raining}

It has been such a wet week in Denver. I absolutely love to sit in my living room and watch the rain pour down outside. It has been so fun to see everything turn so clean and green in just a few short days. I normally love our 300 days of sunshine, but there is something so peaceful and calm about rain. These days are cleansing and soothing for my soul, and if I don't get anything accomplished this week as I'm staring in wonder at the rain, it'll be alright with me. 

{You and Me}

{You and Me}

You and me, praying together on a Sunday morning

in the cool quiet church up the hill.

You and me, cooking together in the hot

white kitchen that we built with our own four hands.

You and me, playing together,

uproarious laughter over a lousy hand of cards.

You and me, flying together down a long low hill,

wind and sun in our bicycle-hair.

You and me, swaying together with our bare legs

tangled in a hammock hung high, as the night

turns cool and the first chilly raindrops fall.

You and me and the perfect spring day at last.

(photograph by Sarah Luft, poetry by me)

{the trouble with fiction}

It's been one of those weeks where nothing makes sense.

Everyone says that when we look back, we'll see the method behind the madness. Maybe it will all make sense in reverse. But maybe it won't.

I'm getting ready to do some really hard things in the next few days. But first I'm going to spend this day in restfulness and calm. 

I hope you have a really great weekend. And I hope, for you, it makes a little bit of sense.