OVERFLOW.

I have just a few words today. Thanksgiving was so, so good-- filled to overflowing with laughs, delicious food, dominoes tournaments, apple cider, and yes, football. It has always been one of my favorite days of the year, and with good reason too.... it marks the climax of autumn and holds promise of the sweet, chilly season to come. The Christmas season has somewhat begun- we settled the snowmen onto their perches this morning, the Christmas music is playing as I type [CURRENTLY AMY GRANT: O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL], and we finished off yesterday with mugs of hot chocolate and a movie.... Elf was the unanimous choice.

Family is still here, and the house is still busy and full-- but I like it best this way. I like looking around to see a room full of family, and I like laughing, eating, and being together. The dominoes tournaments will continue later today, we will make more hot cocoa and we'll enjoy the time together. It would be quite the understatement to say that I love this time of the year.

How have you spent the last couple days?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

// linking up with Aspire's Your Story 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SHARE THIS POST

KALEIDOSCOPE PROJECT: WEEK TWO.

Oh, these little things. The little bits of crazy that define the day before Thanksgiving. The kitchen is a little chaotic, full of life and delicious smells wafting from the oven and dishes on the coutertop. Family is on its way, coming to gather for this holiday, and spend a few days together. The house has gone from a state of slight chaos to some resemblance of clean and neat, though I'm not confident that the shiny floors and my straightened room will last all that long. The thing is, that is perfectly okay with me.

in the kitchen // stocked up

But I'm thankful, thankful for the craziness and chaos because it means that I have a family, have things to make a mess with, and have a full life. The very fact that there is this sort of craziness calls for some thankfulness. It is, in essence, the purpose of my kaleidoscope project. It is about being thankful for the littlest of things, the overlooked, the unnoticed. It seems especially fitting for this week. 

pretty chaos // i like our kitchen.

the table // soon to be filled 

And, to finish off this week's kaleidoscope project, just a few of the entirely too many things that I'm thankful for:

What are you thankful for today? Happy Thanksgiving to you, friends. xo.

SHARE THIS POST

crazy beautiful

>> So, about that break. It was good. Uh, hello, understatement. I feel refreshed, and ready to begin again. Ready to continue with posts that are actually at the caliber and quality that I would like and strive for. Ready for better work, new ideas, more beginnings, and so on + so forth. Have I ever said that I like beginnings?

>> Thanksgiving break is quickly approaching (one more day!). I'm ready for that, too. And yes, that was another understatement. I'm so looking forward to days with more than a little extra time to do some of what I love. To laugh, and visit with family. To cook + bake (and sample....wink wink) incredible holiday food. To get lost in a good book, experiment artistically, and yes, photograph my life somewhere in the midst of all this crazy sort of beauty we like to call "life".

>> I make lists.... a lot of them, and frequently. This is Thanksgiving Break, The List. Because it deserves to be capitalized, no?

cook something new

rewatch a favorite movie {or five}

stretch

make a list of activities other than tv and internet, and pick one

start a new project, or finish an old one

pick up a book you've been meaning to read, and read five pages

practice some neat, cursive penmanship

make a cd mix // playlist for the current season {this will be done on the day after thanksgiving, when I officially allow myself to listen to Christmas music}

pay someone a compliment as soon as you think of it

call somebody who you know would appreciate it

decorate for Christmas {and look at this for inspiration}

mini family photoshoot

have a sleepover, complete with movies, popcorn, brownies + cocoa with visiting family and the little brother

spend some extra time with Jesus

// inspiration

>> In other news, I tweaked the blog design a bit. Again. ;) Thoughts? Oh, and your every-so-often fix of Instagram via me:

       

     

>> Have a wonderful few days until an extra long weekend, friends. So happy to be back.

xo.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SHARE THIS POST

simplify

Simplify. It's a word that has been coursing through my mind lately. I've become tired of the hurry-hurry, rush-rush, accumulate-as-much and do-as-much-as-you-can mentality of culture, and found that I had somehow adopted some of those thoughts and habits as my own. No, this is not okay.


I came across this little bit of wisdom recently: Get rid of anything that is neither beautiful nor useful in your life. Over the past few weeks I've been turning it over in my mind, working out how it relates to my life. And, I have taken steps to begin simplifying things. I deleted my Twitter account on Sunday. I had been meaning to do it for a while, but couldn't make myself actually do it. I realized how attached I had become to it, without even realizing it. And I logged on and deleted it immediately. Gone. Done. Simplified.

Just to give myself time to breathe, be inspired, and think this week before the lovely, joy-infused days that together spell out next week's holidays arrive, I'm taking about a week off from blogging. My laptop will be sitting at the desk, but Blogger will be logged out of, the Twitter has been deleted, Facebook will be very quiet, Pinterest very silent, and quite frankly I cannot wait. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere, but I need this break, badly.

Please realize, I'm not saying that everyone should instantly go delete their Twitter account. I love Twitter! My problem was, I loved it too much. So. Join me in simplifying? Look for a new Kaleidoscope Project post sometime next week. See you then.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SHARE THIS POST

thankful heart.

I'm thankful for life, and so much in it.

for friends I've grown up with, and for new ones.

the fact that we'll be decorating the house for Christmas in a matter of days.

warm soup on cold days.

weekends full of getting to know Jesus better, laughing, hot cocoa, and little sleep.

moccasins. let's be honest, I bought two pairs this year.

our first fire in the fireplace a few nights ago. finally.

sunrises, sunsets, + stars. the sky fascinates me.

roadtrips.

running into friends in unexpected places.

family, and the soon arrival of some.

teaching sunday school. these kids are hilarious, and have entirely too much energy for their own good.

vanilla tea. amen and amen.

psalm 37. you should read it.

salted caramel chocolate frappuccinos at starbucks. new favorite. 

gungor's newest cd. on repeat.

the fact that I got to wear my new winter coat this week. call me crazy, but I love the cold. 

leg warmers, tucked into boots, they are the perfect finishing touch on a brisk day.

you . my sweet readers. 112 {official} followers. thank you so, so much.

I have a thankful heart today. anything on your mind this sunday afternoon?

xo.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

SHARE THIS POST

kaleidoscope of ordinary

The everyday can, at times, really become just that: the everyday. Mundane. Daily. Typical. Normal. Yet I think that there is some beauty to be found in the everyday, in this ordinary that we are immersed in on a daily basis.

I have set out to uncover that beauty, chipping away at my days until something beautifully ordinary is revealed. Because, though it may sound a trifle chiche since so many have said it before, it is the littlest of things that add up to the big things.

seriously. how could I put this in black and white? // sunrise

This project is entitled "kaleidescope of ordinary". a. because that is what it is -- shards of ordinary that, pieced together, form this fragile, lovely thing we like to call life. and, b. because I quite like the word "kaleidoscope". Just being honest. ;) This project has a lifestyle/ photojournalistic approach, and most photographs, I'm thinking will be posted in black and white. Color, I feel, could in this case potentially distract from the photograph. Plus, it's a good excuse to post a whole batch of black and white photos, no?

                        

                                    I love my tea // art class

fernweh: farsickness. // more to come

I seek to grow through this project. Expanding my photography is hopefully the outcome, but also, I have some hopes for it aside from that.

oh hi there, sweet girl. // little one

Truly, I hope that you, along with me, will come to realize more fully the beauty that is our lives through this endeavor of mine. The dailiness, the overlooked, the un-noticed. It's all there, waiting for us to stop and say, "Hmm. Yes, that, now that, is something truly incredible." Small, yes. To be sure. But big, as well -- in a different way. It is there.

I love this thing.  // happy weekending 

xo.

>> thoughts on the new design? it was long overdue. :)

SHARE THIS POST

welcome november

It's a month of shorter days, chilly weather, family + holidays, and gorgeous skies.

Scarves and moccasins and boots and mittens. Warm socks and sweaters. I like the clothes of autumn and winter, especially now that I basically have no choice but to don them before I go outside, camera in hand.

Thanksgiving is on its way, and with its arrival will come family. Our family from both sides will be here for Thanksgiving this year, and I could not feel more blessed to be able to see them all.  It's one of my favorite holidays, not just because of what it represents, but also because of the feeling it evokes. Some of my most precious memories are of early mornings on Thanksgiving, getting started on the cooking and baking early. We turn on some music, stoke a fire in the fireplace, and get started. My family is full of good cooks. Seriously. Pies and cookies and snacks and turkey and more. You could say that I'm a little excited for Thanksgiving. Thank you November for Thanksgiving.

I love the difference between other autumn months and this one. This one, it's different. There is a quietness to it. Yet, an air of expectation for the sweet, coming days. It is beautifully unique. Oh, God is so good, isn't He. We are so blessed, and the arrival of this month reminds me to be thankful for every moment, which is the theme, really of this blog. Making the most of each moment, each stitch in time, per say.

Do you like November as much as I do?


xoxo.

SHARE THIS POST