It's the last day of 2021 and I crossed something off my bucket list!

It's the last day of 2021. 9:14 PM. I'm sitting in bed in my cute new satin jammies that I thrifted for $2 surrounded by pets--Maisel, our dog, Tigger our cat, and three foster kittens. The other two foster kittens are sleeping on Casey's nightstand and our other two cats are hanging out in the living room. Fireworks are popping outside the window but none of us really care (Maisel only doesn't care because she got some drugs earlier). Casey and I decided earlier this week that we would not be staying up to ring in a new year, but we will happily welcome it tomorrow morning after a full night's sleep. We are old people at heart, and an early bedtime sounds better to us than a late night, even if it is to ring in 2022. I'm much happier about a bedtime kiss than a midnight kiss.

Casey had today off and I was happy he was home with me today. Unfortunately I've felt a little sick all day and was unable to do the things I wanted to do (sweep and mop, work on my current sewing project, and make Shabbat dinner), but Casey made all three meals for me today--pancakes, strawberries, and apples for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, and creamy dill chicken with broccoli and potatoes for our Shabbat meal. He even had candles lit on the table. Meanwhile, I sat in bed and watched two Christmas Hallmark movies (I'll be watching Christmas movies through January and pretend it's Christmas because December in Louisiana was HOT), read half of a book, took a nap, and watched two episodes of The Chosen (with Casey).

I felt a little better after dinner so I made some chocolate chip cookies. They were alright. I'm making chocolate chip cookies in a few weeks for the wedding of my bestie and brother-in-law (I'm pretty excited that my best friend of over 15 years will soon be my sister-in-law!) so I plan to test different recipes next week and have Casey take them to work so his coworkers can do a blind taste testing. The recipe I used tonight will not make the cut.

Anyways, tonight I crossed off something that has been on my bucket list for years--read 100 books in a year. My original goal for the year was 50, but for some reason I was on a big reading kick in January and realized a few weeks in that I was on track to read 100 books. So I figured, why not? We don't have kids yet and I'm not sure reading that many books will be as feasible once we do, so the timing was good. It's been a blast. I've listened to audiobooks, read middle grade, YA, and adult novels, quite a few home and self-improvement books. I've taken advantage of my (three) library card(s) and also bought more books this year than I have in a while. (More READING books, that is. I also love to buy vintage books to add to my collection, but I don't usually read them.)

Some of my favorite books were, funnily enough, nonfiction, which I've only started liking in the last few years. I also reread sooooo many books. I love to reread books and reread most of my faves this year. 

So what's my reading goal for 2022? Well, after so much reading this year, I'm gonna lower my goal. While I did it, it was quite challenging and cut into my craft time quite a bit. I love sewing and want to make sure I have plenty of time for it this year. I averaged the books I've read each year for the last 12 years (I've been on Goodreads since 2010 and keep up with how many books I read every year) and the average was 40. I think this is a good number for this year. Less than one a week, so I have much more flexibility to sew and volunteer and other things I like to do. If I read more than that, great! If not... then that's fine too. I'm looking forward to reading new books and rereads! 

Well, time to go to bed. I'll wake up to 2022!

Christmas Outfits

I love dressing festive! As soon as December 1 comes around, it's time to pull out all the red and green! I've decided I don't want to wait until I'm an old lady to wear all the fun, tacky Christmas outfits. Unfortunately we've had mostly hot weather this month, so I didn't get to wear my sweaters as much as I wanted, but I did my best to dress festive anyway. Here are some of my Christmas outfits!

My candy cane sweater unfortunately made too few appearances this Christmas, but I still love it!

sweater: thrifted

skirt: Old from Forever 21

I made this Christmas tree skirt two years ago and get compliments on it every time I wear it! Worn with thrifted top and shoes.

Thrifted top, me-made skirt, and... sandals. Sigh. Christmas in Louisiana. (It was hot that night.)

Love this thrifted sweater! (It's even better because my name is Joy.)

This is probably my favorite Christmas look this year. Sweater and plaid skirt are thrifted and the hat was my mom's--it's vintage now.

Me-made gingerbread apron! My kitchen gets decked out in gingerbread for the Christmas season, so I couldn't help but pick up this fabric to make a festive apron.

Thrifted Star Wars Christmas t-shirt (if next year's Christmas is anything like this year's, I need to thrift more Christmas t-shirts) and me-made skirt. I wore those antlers to many events--they're much cooler than the hot Santa hat! Unfortunately they broke at the Christmas parade when someone on a float threw Mardi Gras beads to me. (Because Christmas parades in South Louisiana are include people throwing candy and beads and plastic cups and end with Santa being pulled by a tractor.)

My mom bought me this beautiful green dress from Dainty Jewell's. I love that I can wear it any time of year but the color is quite festive for December. Worn with cute boots that I thrifted for a few bucks.

My Christmas day outfit featuring the birthday cake I made for Jesus! The top is secondhand (I can't remember if I thrifted it or if a friend gave it to me) and the skirt was made by me out of a thrifted tablecloth.

Things I Love - Christmas!

Christmas China | My grandmother gave me four sets of her Country Rose Christmas china several years ago (along with four sets of normal Country Rose china) and I LOVE to pull it out at Christmastime. We use the plates for every dinner and I enjoy many cups of hot tea in the tea cups.

Dressing Festive | You know those cute little old ladies who are always decked out for each season? I've decided I don't want to wait until I'm an old lady to dress festive. My goal is to wear a festive outfit every day this month! Whether it's one of the Christmas skirts I've made or pulling out the red and green clothes in my closet (it was 75 degrees the other day so I had to wear my red gingham summer dress), I'm embracing Christmas in my closet.

Community Festivities | Last week our town had "Movie in the Park" and we grabbed our folding chairs and headed to the park to watch "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" on a huge projector screen. It's one of my least favorite Christmas movies, but it was actually cold outside and we got some hot chocolate, so it was still a lovely time. We are looking forward to more upcoming festivities in our area! Sweet Treats On Main Street (we're selling Christmas cookies to raise funds for our next missions trip), the Christmas parade, the Christmas Farmers Market, and our church's pancake breakfast are coming up and we're excited to go!

Christmas Decor | I love decorating the house for Christmas and my husband loves it too. We decorate in November, before Thanksgiving, and he's cool with me leaving the decor up through January if I feel like it. There's nothing like a sparkling Christmas tree. Casey loves those little villages, so we've been thrifting pieces and he enjoys setting them up. And I love adding gingerbread decor in the kitchen!

Christmas Movies | Despite the fact that I don't like a lot of "classic" Christmas movies, I DO love Christmas movies. My fave is White Christmas. And honestly, I LOVE cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies. Yes, I know how they are going to end, but there is something so comforting about knowing everything is going to end up happily ever after.

My Plan to Tackle Winter Blues

It's that time of year where it turns dark at like, 5:00, and I am NOT here for it. I like my long, sunny days! I'm very grateful that I am blessed to work from home, so I do, in fact, get to enjoy the sunshine streaming through the windows during the day, plus I find myself outside several times a day with the dogs. Short, winter days were the worst when I worked a typical eight-to-five job, so I'm definitely counting my blessings. Still, I do not like this getting-dark-early business. 

How to combat the winter blues? I'm trying to romanticize coziness in my home. Here's my plan of attack!

• A cozy glow | Come evening, we do not turn on the overhead lights in the living room or our bedroom, but rather we just light a few lamps for a cozy glow. Once the Christmas tree is up, the lights will just add to the cozy feel! I also love to light candles. Truly, setting the atmosphere with lights makes a huge difference.
• Cozy blankets and quilts | While the blankets and quilts live on the blanket ladder all year, it's during the cold months that they truly get utilized. There's nothing better than curling up on the couch in a fuzzy blanket or lovely quilt. 
• Hot drinks | We have ingredients for hot apple cider AND hot chocolate and I've been enjoying both frequently since temperatures have started dropping. I'm sure I'll soon find myself on a hot tea kick again, too.
• Faux fireplace | We do not have a fireplace, but I love putting a fireplace recording on the TV! Even though it's not real, I love hearing the crackling and it adds to the cozy lights.
• Comfy jammies | I've been in SUCH a cozy jammies mood in the last few months and have acquired a few new pair. I just love to put on warm jammies and socks and read under a blanket before bedtime.

My First Quilt!!

Last year, I spontaneously decided to join a quiltalong, despite the fact I'd never quilted before. Over a year later... that quilt top is still not finished. (Unfortunately I'm not liking how it's turning out. Pic below.)

BUT over a year later... I've completed a different quilt!

So... meet my first quilt! (Our foster kitten Louie is doing such a good job showing it off.)

Pattern

The pattern is the Homecoming Quilt by Lo and Behold Stitchery. I've been obsessed with this quilt pattern since the first time I saw it and knew I had to make it. The pattern was so thorough and easy to follow--exact cutting guides, which way to press the seams. A great pattern, and it turned out so beautifully.

Fabric

All of the fabrics in this quilt are recycled fabrics. Several were sheets I'd thrifted to make Bible costumes from, but I ended up not needing as many costumes as I thought and had a pile of fabric left over. The backing is also a thrifted sheet that is originally from JC Penney. The backing fabric inspired my fabric choices for the quilt top. I would have chosen different colors had I been buying new fabric, but I think that's part of the fun of using recycled materials--creating things I wouldn't have thought of otherwise!

Batting

I used Hobb's Heirloom Premium cotton batting (which is 80% cotton and 20% polyester) and bought it in a package that contained batting for a twin sized quilt. It was on sale and the lady at Hobby Lobby (unfortunately the only "quilting shop" my town has) told me she didn't know anything about quilting, so I was a little intimidated to buy batting by the yard without guidance. Maybe next time I'll have the courage! I was grateful it wasn't too thick because I worried that my quilt sandwich would be too thick for my little machine to handle.

Making the Quilt

I didn't make the quilt all at once, but rather spread the work out over several weeks. I cut all the fabric over a day or so, then would make two to four blocks a day. It took about two weeks to make the blocks, then one day I sat down and sewed them all together. The quilt top was done! Then I set it aside and worked on other projects until I got batting (and courage) to put it all together.

For this quilt, I decided not to think too hard--just do it. So I definitely did some things wrong. The backing is super bunchy because I didn't properly tape it down while I made my quilt sandwich. It's okay. The quilt is still super cozy. But it is definitely an area I want to improve in in the future, especially if I make quilts to gift to others. 

The actual quilting isn't the best. I don't have a walking foot for my machine and didn't want to buy one because I plan to buy a new sewing machine in the next few months. A walking foot probably would have made it easier, and definitely would have made my stitches look nicer. Again, I wasn't going for perfect on this quilt---I just wanted to do it! My little Singer Simple is definitely not an ideal machine to use for quilting with just 5.5 inches of throat space, and, as I said, I really should have used a walking foot. 

I thought the quilting part would take FOREVER, which is part of the reason I kept putting off the quilting, but it only ended up taking a few hours. I basted and quilted the quilt in one day. (On my birthday! My 30th birthday. It was the perfect way to spend the day.)

After it was quilted, I decided to make a tag for the quilt. Many quilters say you should always add a tag, so I hand embroidered one! I LOVE how it turned out. I love embroidery and look forward to adding embroidered tags to more quilts in the future. After sewing on the tag, it was time for the last step--binding!

The hardest part was the binding. I've used binding before on clothing and purses, but quilt binding is applied completely differently! I had to watch and read several tutorials to make sure I understood how to apply it correctly. Thankfully, the binding process didn't actually take all that long, and I believe it will go faster (and more neatly) in the future with a walking foot.

Quilting Resources I Used

I have learned everything about quilting (and sewing) from YouTube, Instagram, and books I've checked out from the library. Here are some helpful resources I've used:

Quilting Tip: Scant 1/4 inch - Diary of a Quilter (blog post)

Basting the Quilt Sandwich - Fat Quarter Shop (YouTube)

Straight Line Quilting for Beginners - Fat Quarter Shop (YouTube)

How to Machine Bind Your Quilt - Lo and Behold (blog post)

The Best Machine Binding Method Part 1 - Melanie Ham (YouTube)

The Best Machine Binding Method Part 2 - Melanie Ham (YouTube)

Quilt as You Go Made Modern - Jera Brandvig (Book) (I don't like the actual quilt patterns in this book but really like the binding tutorial.)

Quilt as You Go Made Vintage - Jera Brandvig (Book) (I LOVE the quilt designs in this book.)

Things I Love - Fall!

Candles | I'm super particular about the scents that I like and basically only like fall-smelling things. Pumpkin spice, apple orchard, cinnamon roll, stuff like that. Casey and I stock up on candles during the fall to burn all year long. The other day we caught a sale at Michael's and got three huge candles for $9!

Fall decor | We have an agreement in this house -- fall stuff can go up September 1 and Christmas stuff can go up November 1. Unfortunately we weren't able to stay in our house for the first two weeks of September due to having no power thanks to Hurricane Ida, but after we got settled back we pulled out the fall decor! I love how cozy it makes the house feel. While I'm not a fan of having less daylight, I'm learning to enjoy it by turning on the lamps, the fairy lights, and lighting candles while I cozy up on the couch wrapped in a blanket. 

Time outside | Everyone always says that August is the hottest month of the year, and boy were they right this year. August was so hot that I barely ever went out. I'm excited about going back to having my morning porch time now that the heat is bearable! 

Apple Cider | We had a cool front (it was in the 70s! It was lovely!) a few weeks ago so Casey and I immediately picked up some apple cider and we went through two jugs of it in a week! We'll drink it morning, noon, and night--I often keep it warming on the stovetop so we can enjoy it whenever! 

Caramel Apples | Casey and I made our autumn bucket list a few weeks ago and one of the things on it was eating caramel apples. Casey picked me up one at the grocery store and I was totally skeptical--how could it possibly be any good? Boy, I was WRONG. It was AMAZING. AND I didn't have to make it and make the kitchen messy! Ha! I'd still like to give a try making them, but at least I know I can get my fix pretty easily.

Walks to the farmers market | We love walking through the neighborhood and always enjoy going to the farmers market to buy pastries for breakfast. We are super excited because there is a new booth with Thai food and they make the best Thai tea I've ever had. I already can't wait for Saturday to get my tea and a delicious pastry!

Fall Date Ideas

Build a scarecrow | Casey and I did this for the first time last year and we enjoyed it so much we've decided to make it a new tradition. Thrift a few fall clothing items (shirt, pants, hat, boots) and use one of those plastic pumpkin candy bowls as the head. Pro tip: You get a much better deal on hay by buying "Halloween Hay" at the feed and seed than those tiny little bales of decorative hay at Walmart.

Pumpkin carving or painting | We've done both! Painting is easier and faster if you're short on time (or don't want to deal with pumpkin guts). 

Soup and Cider | Try a new soup recipe and enjoy some apple cider (or another hot drink of your choice). This is a great one for when the weather starts getting cold. Eating soup on the porch when it's chilly is so lovely!

Movie night! | Halloween movies, cheesy autumn Hallmark movies, whatever your choice. Add a hot beverage and cuddle under a cozy blanket!

Visit a pumpkin patch | Get a pumpkin to carve or paint and make sure to take cute pics!

My Favorite Meals to Make When Company Comes

Casey and I have been trying to be more purposeful to invite people into our home. I'm learning that it's less about having a perfect home and serving a restaurant-quality meal--it's about the time spent with people we love. So I'm trying to worry less about what I feed people and just enjoy their company. Here are some of my go-to meals to make when company comes over.

1. One Hour Easter Dinner - I don't remember how I found this "one hour Easter dinner" by Chelsea's Messy Apron, but I decided to give it a try and it is a HIT! It's super easy because everything is made on sheet pans and it truly only takes an hour from prep to dinner table. The instructions are super clear so it's not overwhelming to have several things going at once. And it's DELICIOUS. The first time I made this, I couldn't believe how good the food was! I often skip the asparagus and put some green beans on the stove instead. 

2. Tacos - Tacos are so stinking easy and most people like them. Taco meat, refried or black beans, a few toppings (I usually keep it simple with just cheese, tomato, sour cream, and Tessamae's avocado ranch), and some chips and salsa. Simple. Delish.

3. Breakfast for dinner - Another easy one! I love that this one has so many options, too. Mix and match and take your pick! I like to pop some breakfast potatoes in the oven while I cook sausage or bacon, scramble some eggs, cut up some fruit, and maybe put some pancakes on the griddle. (An electric griddle is a game changer for making lots of pancakes at one time.) Some other easy ideas are french toast, plain toast with some yummy jelly from the farmer's market, and frozen hash browns. 

4. Mustard-Roasted Chicken Drumsticks - This recipe can be found in The Whole Smiths Good Food Cookbook. I've borrowed my public library's copy so many times I need to just buy the book. This recipe is so flavorful and easy to make. Serve with some sides like green beans, roasted carrots, breakfast potatoes (they aren't just for breakfast!), and crescent rolls.

5. Brownies - No, not for dinner. For dessert! Brownies are so quick to whip up, especially if you use a box. (I use a family recipe that is super easy and I always have ingredients on hand.) 

When all else fails, order a pizza and call it good. Really, it's not about the food. It's about the fellowship. 

Mugs and Musings: Thanksgiving in Summer (And all year round)

You know gratefulness journals? Those things have become popular. I saw one at Target yesterday. How many times have you read or heard somewhere that you need to "think of three things you're thankful for every day" or "Write down 5 things you're grateful for each day." Well, I've tried this on and off over the last few years. Make a list of three things, of five things... literally counting my blessings. For some reason it can be difficult to think of five things every day, despite the fact I have so many things to be thankful for!

Recently, I decided to approach the gratefulness thing a little differently. I love my morning porch time with Jesus and I bring my journal outside with me. I start off by writing my weekly praise verse. (This week it is Psalm 145:1 - "I will exalt you, my God and King, and praise your name forever and ever.") Next, I move on to a section I call "Thanksgiving." I like to use the biblical word.

Here's how I do it: I just... ramble. I don't number my thanksgiving. I don't give myself a certain amount that I have to write. I don't think about it too hard. I just... write. And it is so much easier!

When I numbered my blessings, I felt like each number had to be important or special or big. Now that I just ramble, I can think of so many wonderful things I'm grateful for--especially the little things. I think it's so important to find the beauty and thanksgiving in the little things. I can't tell you how many days my thanksgiving looks like this: "The birds singing and the squirrels chirping; the cup of hot tea I'm drinking; my porch; the yummy pie I made yesterday..."

See? Little things! Simple things! Maybe they aren't "worthy of a number" but they are things I'm truly grateful for. Things I might not have thought of previously because they didn't seem "important enough." But... they are. Anything I am grateful for... that's important.

Things I Love: Summer Edition!

It's been a while since I've done one of these! Since I'm working to embrace all things summer, I figured summer was a good topic!

Snowballs. In North Louisiana we call them snow cones. Here they are snowballs. Whatever you call them, they are the epitome of summer treats, and perfect for the hot days. (And also super cheap.) This year I've been making myself try new flavors and it's been so fun! Also, snowballs ALWAYS need condensed milk on them.

Porch time. Yeah, Louisiana is HOT in the summer. But I have a pretty high tolerance for heat and prefer heat to cold. So I've been enjoying the weather by spending time on the porch every morning. I will often make myself a cup of hot tea (along side my insulated bottle filled with ice water) and enjoy some time with Jesus.

Long days. I love the long days and try to take advantage of them with an evening walk. I also love that I have sunlight on the way to church on Wednesday nights so I can work on hand sewing or knitting while Casey drives.

Flowy dresses. I've been using this tutorial by Rosery Apparel (with a few changes) to make flowy summer dresses. I've made four so far (and thrifted a similar one) and I want to make a few more. These are the best--on hot days I don't want my clothing to touch my skin (because I will sweat and then it sticks to me and I just feel gross). They're super cute and all I have to do is add a pair of sandals and throw my hair up and I'm good to go for the day. No fuss AND I feel and look cute and cool.

Mia sandals. I'm a boot girl through and through. But my friend told me about Mia sandals so I bought a pair and OHEMGEE-- where have you been my whole life?? I've since bought two more pair and my grandma gave me a pair she didn't wear anymore. These things are SO COMFY. You can find them at places like TJ Maxx and Shoe Carnival for half the price that they sell them online. I've literally lived in my Mia sandals since May. (I prefer the sandals that do not have a piece on the back, like the Kiera and Leanna styles.)

Everything You Wanted to Know About Being Kitten Foster Parents

I've mentioned a few times in passing that Casey and I are kitten foster parents, so I decided to make a post about it!

We started fostering for a local animal rescue about a year ago--it's the same rescue we adopted Sushi from. Over the past year we've fostered around 50 kittens. 

How did you get into fostering?
We accidentally fostered a kitten that Casey's brother found. I posted about her on instagram and she was adopted by a friend. We enjoyed it so much that we decided to reach out to the rescue we adopted Sushi from, since we knew they were foster based. Within a few weeks of reaching out, they messaged me that they had two kittens looking for a foster home. We've been fostering ever since!

How do you not keep all the kittens?
This is for sure the question we get the most. While kittens are adorable and we totally fall in love with them, we know we are able to help more cats in the long run by fostering than adopting. There's no way we could have adopted 50 cats in the last year, but we've helped 50 cats find loving homes. That's 50 cats that likely would have been put down in our local pound (which has an 80% kill rate). 

What do you have to do as a foster?
Take care of them, love them, get them to adoption events and vet appointments.

Do you have to pay for their food or vet care?
Nope! The rescue handles all vet care and gives us food and litter. We just have to get them to the vet and pick up supplies when we run low.

Are you responsible for finding them homes?
Nope, but we help! The rescue posts all animals on PetFinder and the Facebook and Instagram pages. They also host adoption events every few weekends. (We are responsible for bringing the kittens, and we stick around to help out when we can.) I make sure to take good quality photos and share a description of each cat so people searching online know a little about the cat's personality. I also share a lot of photos on Instagram and Facebook and we've had multiple cats adopted because their humans found them on my Insta.

Do you foster adult cats? Or just kittens?
We've fostered a few adult cats over the year, but our cats struggle more to adapt with adult cats than the kittens. Because of that, we personally choose to only foster kittens.

How do your cats get along with the foster kittens?
It took some adjusting, but now our three cats (Tigger, Sushi, and Cocoa Puff) understand how things go. We bring in new kittens every few weeks. Almost every time, it takes a few days for our cats to adjust to the kittens (and vice versa) but it's not long before we walk into the living room and see cats and kittens cuddling. 

How many kittens do you foster at a time?
We foster 3-6 kittens at a time. We started off with two and slowly started bringing in more. When you've got litter and food, it's not a big deal to bring in another kitten. 

What's the most kittens you've fostered at once?
10. It was terrible, but the rescue was overrun with kittens so we were trying to help out. One of them had special needs and struggled with the litter box, and one of them was a very cute brat who just liked to pee wherever he wanted. I was so tired of cleaning up poop and pee. We now limit fosters to 6, and will probably foster less kittens in the future if we are fostering another kitten with special needs. 

How often do you clean the litter box? What kind of litter do you use?
We clean the litter box every day and sometimes twice a day. We only use two litter boxes. At one point we used four boxes and it was a pain to clean ALL of them. I'd rather clean two twice a day. We use a clay litter. I don't like paper litter because of the smell, and our cats don't like the pine litter.

What food do you use?
The rescue provides Science Diet kitten food for the fosters and we do Meow Mix for ours. We don't separate the cats to eat so big cats often eat kitten food and kittens eat Meow Mix. Our cats are particular about their food and if we buy a different brand, they absolutely refuse to eat it. They are spoiled.

Is it hard to let go of the fosters?
Honestly, no. We are happy for them when they get adopted and go to their forever family! Plus, it just means we get new foster kittens!

Can I adopt one of your foster kittens?
Yes! Reach out and I can hook you up.

Can you pretty please share kitty pictures?
You know I've got you.

How We Use Amazon's Alexa

We got an Echo Dot for Christmas last year and at first I was like, "We do NOT need that thing." Casey hooked it up in the living room as soon as we got home and had her telling jokes and puns in no time.

I didn't see what this thing could do for us. I, however, have changed my tune.

1. Play music. In 2020, we decided to start listening to worship music at home more, and Alexa makes it so easy! I have it set to play worship music at 7:30 every morning and we keep it going throughout the day. When I read, I turn on a classical music playlist. Having music playing sets a peaceful atmosphere.

2. Set a timer. One of the ways I keep myself focused on tasks is to tell myself that I only have to work on it for ___ minutes. I constantly ask Alexa to set me a timer as I work, clean, whatever! 

3. Morning alarm. We currently have two Echo Dots--one in the living room and one in the office--but one week we decided to put it in our room to use as an alarm (Casey normally just wakes up at the same time every day, but had to get up earlier this week) and we LOVED having it in there! We don't keep phones in our room, so having it as an alarm worked perfectly. I plan to get another Echo Dot to keep in our room when they go on sale for Black Friday.

4. Turn on the light. I saw an ad on Facebook one day for a smart plug that was just $1. After some Googling to make sure it was legit, I purchased it and we hooked it up to our living room lamp. "Alexa, turn on the light." And our living room is lit! I want to get another one for the other lamp in the living room.

5. Ask Alexa. What time is it? What's the weather? I know I can look these things up on my phone... but it's easier to just ask Alexa. (Besides, I can't locate my phone a lot of the time... I think it grows legs and walks away sometimes.)

6. Connect to bluetooth. Such a cool feature. We can play music playlists from YouTube or I can listen to my audiobook as I do tasks around the house.

I never thought I'd have a "smart house" but I really love using our Echo Dots. They're part of the family now!

Mugs and Musings: Slowing Down and *Actually* Enjoying Summer

Last year I made a post about how I was already ready for fall... in July. And I was about to give in to making fall pillowcases. (Spoiler: didn't happen. I still don't have fall pillowcases.)

There won't be a post like that this year, because this year, I'm learning to embrace summer. Every part of it. The hot humid weather, the afternoon rain, and the ice cream. Oh, I'm eating ALL the ice cream. 

Lately God has been pricking my heart to slow down and learn to live in and enjoy the moment instead of yearning for something I don't have right now. I don't want to live my whole life wishing away time, but rather I want to fully enjoy every season, be it fall or winter or a specific season of life.

I'm trying to take each day slower and enjoy the little moments -- a cup of tea on the porch, cuddling with Casey on the couch, lunch with a friend, washing my face in the evening by candlelight. 

And, crazily enough, it's working. I've truly been enjoying summer. Now, that doesn't mean I don't have moments when I think, "I'm ready for cooler weather," or autumnal clothes, or fall decor, but when I find my thoughts drifting that way, I try to remind myself about all the awesome summer things. And then I realize that summer is quickly passing and it actually makes me a little bit sad! 

Yesterday Casey and I were working on stuff outside and it was sooooo hot. So I reminded myself that sweat is good for the body. And then I walked barefoot in the grass. (For someone who HATES being barefoot, I truly enjoyed it.) And then I walked my bare feet into a puddle and splashed around for a bit. And then I put on shoes and we walked to the post office and back--a 45 minute walk--and enjoyed the weather and talking about the beautiful houses in our neighborhood. 

There are beautiful parts and sucky parts to every season. I have the opportunity to choose what I focus on. 

I can either be annoyed by sweating through my dress or thankful that my body is doing a good job sweating and that I'm blessed enough to have a washing machine. I can recognize that a snowball is soooo much better on a hot day than a cold one. I can enjoy all my flowy dresses and my comfy new sandals. 

Slowing down, focusing on my blessings, taking advantage of those beautiful parts of summer... that's how life is going right now. And I'm truly loving it.

Thrift Haul #1

I love thrifting and I'm so grateful to have a husband who is okay with this hobby of mine. He always makes sure to check for Goodwills and flea markets in every town we go to. So the other day when we were in LaPlace for a kitten adoption event (we foster kittens, I really need to make a post about that), we got there a little early and popped into the Goodwill across the street. It had so much awesome stuff and I only had about 20 minutes, but I came out with a great haul, including something on my thrift wish list!!

Patriotic blanket | I'm working on being more intentional with enjoying every season, and one of the ways I'm doing that is by incorporating seasonal decor into my home. I thought this blanket would be a nice patriotic touch since Independence Day is coming up.

Vintage pillowcases | My favorite section in the thrift store is the sheets and bedding. I love to search for cool sheets that I can use in sewing. I loved these precious floral pillowcases! One of them is in good condition and unfortunately the other is faded. That's okay though--it's still pretty! I don't know exactly what I will do with these, but I might turn one into a pillowcase dress for my niece.

Books | I can't help myself--I always have to check out the books. For a while, I bought all sorts of Middle Grade and Young Adult books for my teacher friend--she would give them to her students. But now she has a new job so I have no excuse to buy those books! I still love to browse though, and found these Boxcar Children graphic novels that I think her own kids will like. I couldn't pass up A Guide for Grown-ups with quotes from the author who wrote The Little Prince. I'm planning on giving this to my bestie who introduced me to The Little Prince.

Mugs | I do not need ANY more mugs... but. The one on the left was so cute and kept catching my eye. It was only a dollar, so I bought it because it makes me smile. The Cafe Du Monde mug has a special story!

A few months ago, Casey and I took the train into New Orleans for the weekend. We only live an hour's drive from NOLA, but thought it would be fun to go by train and be without our own transportation for the weekend. We had a blast. I wanted to buy a mug from Cafe Du Monde to commemorate our fun little trip, and Casey said, "I bet you could find one at Goodwill." Well, I took that as a challenge and I've been looking ever since. Three months later and I find a YELLOW one. I didn't even know they had them in fun colors--I was actually moving the yellow mug out of the way when I realized what it was. Anyways, I'm so happy Casey suggested I thrift it instead because I assure you, it means even more to me because I enjoyed hunting for it! (Plus I got it for a fraction of the cost of a new one.)

Meditation Monday: Do I really want to understand?

 I found this as a note in my phone written November 27, 2017. I'd completely forgotten about it, but really liked the message of it, so I decided to share it here. I'm pretty sure I didn't share it before, but even if I did, I think it's worth sharing twice.

Oh, how green you are, jealousy. This is something I’ve been dealing with lately. It’s something i dealt with in high school and pretty much overcame. But oh, it came back. Social media is the culprit. “Look, she started a blog.” “Look, she got engaged.” “Look, she’s traveling to this amazing place.”

Comparison is the thief of joy. I know this. The Bible says the devil comes to steal, but *I* am the one who compares myself to others. I can be the one who steals my own joy!

And I thought, “Well, I have an awesome life too.” And I do. I’m dating the actual greatest guy on the planet. I have the best friends a girl could want. The cutest puppy ever. I go to a fantastic church with an amazing pastor. My job is way cool and my coworkers are cooler.

Instead of thinking, “I shouldn’t be jealous,” my thoughts went to, “how do I show this off?”

Blogging.

I’ve always blogged, albeit very sporadically at times.

“God, give me something good to share. Give me understanding,” I prayed a silent prayer.

Then it hit me.

Do I want to understand Him and His Word only so I have something shareable? Or do I truly want to fall in love with Him and understand Him more?

Yikes. Looks like my priorities got out of line. Again.

And that’s life. Life is working hard daily to keep your priorities straight. Life is wondering how you fix them. Life is God repeatedly and repeatedly saying, “Me. You focus on me. The rest will fall into place.” And the rest will. But oh, it’s hard. I can’t deny that. It’s hard to keep your priorities right when millions of things are happening. When you have a cute boyfriend you’d rather talk to on the phone than pray. When you’d rather scroll Instagram than read your Bible.

Thank you lord for Your grace and mercy New every day. Because I need it. I can’t live without it. I fail daily. I’m merely human. But You are not. And You provided a way many years ago so my frail, failing self could find rescue and peace and love and freedom.

Mugs and Musings: Having a Martha Home the Mary Way

I forgot to grab a mug when I took this pic. So just use your imagination and pretend there's a tea cup in my hand. And meet our current foster kittens! Huey (all orange cat front and center), Dewey (behind him), Louie (climbing the couch), and Daisy (tabby). Donald is not pictured.

I picked up Having a Martha Home the Mary Way at the library yesterday. I actually went to that section for another book, but saw this one and had to grab it. It looked interesting and I love the concept--keeping a tidy home (Martha) but making room for God first (Mary).

Here's the thing--I'm naturally not a type-A, keep everything in order type of person. I'm more of the creative, I'll clean it up later, and then later ends up being later than it should type of person. 

Basically, my house is not perfectly clean. Like, ever. I try. I really do. But then I feel not good enough when I look around at the house I swept YESTERDAY and there is cat fur and litter all over the place, dishes in the sink, and you can't even see the settee in my office because it's under a pile of pillows and clothes that need to be ironed. And it frustrates me that a messy house frustrates me so much, because I don't want to spend my life cleaning cleaning cleaning. It would be my worst nightmare for the person speaking at my funeral to say, "She always had a clean house." Because if my house is always clean, it means I wasn't doing enough creating, entertaining, living.

Today as I read Day 1, the author talks about women being life-givers. Now, this is not a term I've ever used for myself. I feel like that's a term to be used for birth-mothers, and as we are planning to adopt, it's a term I never thought would apply to me. But the definition she gives to life-giving is elevating life above the mundane. And that, I feel like I'm good at. I love to find beauty in the everyday, and if I can't find it, I want to create it. I believe food should be eaten off the fancy china, favorite clothes should be worn just because, flowers don't have to be bought for a reason, and reading outdoors is time better spent than scrubbing baseboards. 

One of the things I pray often is that my home is a place of peace. For me, for my family, for anyone who stops by. I don't want to be so worried about the state of my home that I can't enjoy having a friend over or take time to enjoy making something. 

I think it's about balance and grace. I love that this book also doubles as a devotion--first, we put God first! Then we clean the house. And on the days when it's not perfect, we must give ourselves grace, just as God gives us grace when we come to Him unclean. He doesn't think we're any less than on those days. He welcomes us as we are, clean or dirty. 

Anyways, this wound up rambly (which is exactly the point of Mugs and Musings, if I'm being honest), but I'm excited to be doing this 30-day journey. That being said, we will have a 5-year-old visitor in a few weeks, so I may put it on hold during that time so I can enjoy spending time with my nephew. But I know I can give myself grace and pick it back up afterwards!

Also, I went ahead and bought this book because there are so many good parts I want to underline! So the library will have its copy back next week and I will have my very own copy to write in and underline to my heart's content!

Date Night: Old Town Slidell Soda Shop

Casey popped in for lunch the other day and said, "I was thinking we could go to Slidell for date night. I have a surprise for you... I found a mom and pop book shop and a cool restaurant for us to try." I was pretty excited because books and food are totally the way to my heart. 

At 3:00 we hit the road, aiming to get there around 4:00 since the book shop closed at 5:00. Unfortunately, we got caught in traffic behind a wreck and pulled into town right at 5:00, missing the window to go to the book store. Fortunately, Casey had a backup plan, so we went to Dirt Cheap and I got two new-with-tags Target dresses for $7 each. (I'm thinking of giving them a mini-makeover... we shall see.)

After Dirt Cheap, we headed to the restaurant -- Old Town Slidell Soda Shop. It was so cute! I love a 50s themed diner, and this one was painted PINK on the inside. All the decor was super cute--I loved all the fun vintage decor touches and the arcade. The homemade ice cream was AMAZING. I sampled like 5 flavors and ultimately chose Samoa. Oh em gee. It was so good. None of the flavors were too strong and they were perfectly balanced. It was so nice to get touches of coconut in my bites--so perfectly summer!

Ice cream in hand, we explored the arcade then went outside. The Soda Shop has an adorable outside area, with picnic tables under a plant-covered pergola, a cage filled with pretty birds, two fountains, a big red barn, and... a Little Free Library that looks like a Tardis!!! (It really is bigger on the inside.)

Then we enjoyed walking around the cute downtown. We love towns that have adorable, well-kept old downtown areas. I grew up in a city that had let many of the old downtown buildings crumble, and it always made me so sad. I love living in a town that has spent the last 20 years being purposeful to keep the old downtown alive, and I love visiting other towns that do the same.