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Hi friends! Happy Friday to you all.
We spent most of the week cleaning and decluttering to prepare for house photos that were taken on Wednesday. I’ll tell ya, even after you’ve done everything you can think of to make the house pretty, your realtor will still come in and do more. (Which is why he’s so good at his job.) The house went on the market yesterday and we’re visiting four potential homes this afternoon. Tomorrow and Sunday we’ll have two open houses here, and Pierce starts his job on Monday! WON’T HE DO IT?! (God, that is.)
Even though we are in Lent right now, I see the flourishing of a new spring in our lives and it is so, so good. I don’t think the two ideas are in contrast to one another as much as we might believe. The realization of our frailty next to God’s sovereignty is not so much a bitter reality as it is an opportunity for hope. It’s the thing that’s kept us going these past few months. I told Pierce for weeks that I sensed God was going to bring him a new job just as we ran out of money and the house went on the market. And wouldn’t it be just like God to have us close on our forever home during Easter weekend? If that’s what happens, I’m going to fall to my knees and laugh until I cry.
Ashes to beauty. He’s so good like that.
Have a great weekend! Thanks for spending some of your time with me today.
Point #1: I’ve got a gift for you!
Actually, our church does. Just like they did for Advent, Trinity staff have put together two free Lent guides, one for adults and one for families, that you can download right here. There’s also a podcast for teenagers! We loved the Advent study and appreciate all the time and effort the church has taken to help us newbie Anglicans get on board with the liturgical year.
Point #2: Art for kids should stay that way.
So many kids’ books have been turned into stories meant to satisfy adults, thereby losing their magic in the process. As this much-needed essay from points out, “it’s fine to be an adult who primarily still likes stuff meant for children…But what is not fine is to insist that stuff for children cater to your preferences as an adult, just because you feel embarrassed by your own sugary tastes.” Well said!
Point #3: What saves your life might be what you least expect.
I suffered a six-week bout of insomnia last fall—which left me in a constant state of fear, anxiety, and exhaustion—and this poignant essay from on the surprising diagnosis that might just end her decades-long battle with it is a superbly written portrait of grief and hope.
Point #4: If anyone is selling a farm, lemme know.
Not really, but maybe? I’m more of a cosplaying farm girl who makes sourdough and wears dresses and likes walking barefoot outside, but this woman is the real deal. Her videos are so lovely and gentle and comforting. Plus, her bread recipe is the one that helped me finally bake the perfect loaf!
Word of the Week
Foofaraw: (n.) A great fuss or disturbance about something insignificant.
Receipts from a No-Buy Year
Want more updates? Catch up on all my no-buy posts right here.
Books/Clothes/Home Decor: $0.00
This part hasn’t been too hard.
Coffee: $0.00
This part has…especially since I’ve begun fasting from sugar for Lent and all I want is outside coffee that tastes good even when it’s not laden with sweetener! Blerahfgfgrenjailvbaerglaevhaebheagh. ( 👈🏻 Pray for me.)
Food: $8.14
The lack of dopamine to my brain via sugar and stuff this week, combined with the stress of house-selling, made me irritable and angry on Thursday, so I went to Wendy’s and got myself (and Pierce) a 4-for-4. I regret nothing.
Total: $8.14
Reading in The Nook
I have officially finished the Regency Vows series by Martha Waters, rounding out number five this week with To Woo and to Wed. The final story was not nearly as charming as the rest of the series, nor as funny, and the miscommunication trope (my least favorite of all!) had me like 🙄. Regardless, the series itself is absolutely on my list of favorite historical fiction and I can’t wait to read what Waters comes up with next!
As a Valentine’s Day gift, Pierce surprised me with the third book in Sarah J. Maas’ Crescent City series, House of Flame and Shadow! I was number 117 of 136 on the library’s waitlist, which was killing me softly, so when Pierce handed over the 800+ page tome I knew without even looking exactly what book it was. Only Maas has the talent/energy/supernatural gifting to craft novels that size every time she releases a book. Now I just have to go back and review all five thousand characters and plotlines so I know what the heck she’s talking about when I start…
What are you reading this week? 👇🏼
“There is no saint without a past, no sinner without a future.”
—St. Augustine—
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