Inspiration

Last week, a couple of you commented and mentioned you'd like to know where I find inspiration. I've let this question sit a bit as I do take in a lot but really wanted to find out the consistent sources of inspiration and encouragement. These are the answers that came to mind after thinking about it - and the variety of inspiration I draw from this is wide. Some are visual inspiration, some for home, some attitude/outlook, some faith, etc.

Well-Watered Women and their monthly Coffee Date emails
Pinterest - just searching for specific things or browsing in general
Ruth Simons @ Gracelaced, but even more specifically on Instagram
Bree @ The Homemaking Momma and also on Instagram
Ashley @ Under the Sycamore
Becca Geddings: friend I met through hosting a Noonday party
Erin Host Hisaw on Instagram
Natalie Creates on Instagram

I also love reading and browsing magazines. Current favorites are Bella Grace, Magnolia Journal, Country Living and Country Home.

What about you? I'd love to discover some new inspiration!

Slow Day

Outside: sat on a quilt on the porch and cut out numbers for the Advent calendar
Bible: Psalm 23
Hands: Emily and I made this Advent Calendar together
Family: finished season six of When Calls the Heart, played Yahtzee
Listen: Risen Motherhood podcast: Finding Rest in Advent

Liturgies shown from Every Moment Holy

Downsizing the To-Do List

With needing to spend lots of time being still, and also knowing how much I love lists - I knew I needed some sort of visual that could help me through the extra sitting time and also to be intentional with the rest that I am experiencing.

Plus, feeling purposeless can really drag things down so I thought if I had a few key areas to make sure to focus on each day that didn't take lots of energy, it would be a win-win.

During one of my sleepless nights {hello steroid keeping me awake} the idea trickled into my mind and I just sort of typed a few notes about it on my phone. The next day I knew this was something I wanted to try to make a priority right away - Rachel helped me print them out and I just clipped them together with a binder clip.

Tree: reminder to spend time outside. So far, this has just been sitting on the porch, but that's ok - the fresh air have been a blessing and it is refreshing to be outside in nature. The weather may not be cooperative every day, but I'm hoping there is a way to do something outside each day.

Bible: obviously an important reminder to spend time with the Lord. There is just enough room to make a note of which passage I read or of other things I want to jot down.

Hands: this is my opportunity to do something with my hands every day. The value and rest of creating with my hands is a real thing to me, it may not be to everyone - but for me it will aid my recovery to create beauty even if it is small.

Family: spend time with my family. So far this has looked like just watching something together or playing a game but the point is being together. One of my favorite things to do is read aloud to all of our kids and unfortunately I can't do that right now, so we are just being creative in spending time together.

Listen: I want to listen to something edifying every day. It might be a song, a podcast or something else. But the other thing is I'm trying not to do other things during the listening but to just sit and take it in.

Camera: this is a reminder to me to take a picture of at least one beauty in my day each day. I've also been using this space to jot little things I'm learning or something I want to remember about the day.

Little boxes: these are for me to track my computer time. I'm not counting watching a show with my kids, but time working on my blog or answering email. Each of these is for 20 minutes but I haven't filled them all once yet.

Gratitude: this is self-explanatory but because it is right here it is easier to be intentional about writing things down through the day that cheer me such as Emily bringing a big beautiful maple leaf inside to show me or the way the sunlight is streaming through the windows.

I've also really enjoyed having the backs open on these cards - if I come across a meaningful quote, something during my quiet time or browsing online that I want to make a note of, I'm jotting it here. These cards are probably going to sort of turn into a journal of my sick days where I've noted important or valuable reminders.

If you are interested in incorporating something like these little cards, you can download the pdf for this file here.

For today:
Outside: sat on the porch
Bible: Psalm 23
Hands: made these little cards
Family: watched a show and a movie
Listened: Emily Freeman podcast

Forced Resting

Well good morning! It's me again, the one who fell off the face of the earth again. Almost two weeks ago now, I started feeling worn down as the day continued and slightly feverish. Emily had just had a fever so I thought it was just my turn. That day of fever turned into four more full days and nights of fever. Finally the sixth morning, I woke up feeling maybe worse than I have ever felt in my entire life - I asked David to take me to the doctor and for those of you who know how I feel about going to the doctor, you know that means I felt bad!

We started with a trip to the Urgent Care because I really thought it was probably the flu. My head hurt so bad though that I just could hardly think straight. Started off that visit with vitals of course and I had a 104.7 temp. I hadn't been checking my temperature at home but honestly I didn't think I was that feverish that morning so I was obviously just so out of it. Flu test came back negative so then it was the question of what is it then? The Urgent Care said they really couldn't help me because I needed more than they could provide so I got a pre-arranged ticket right into the ER.

It was a flurry of activity at the ER but thanks to a Tylenol at the Urgent Care, at least my temp had lowered to 100.8 just by the time we got there. Pain meds, fluids, antiobiotics, steroid were immediately pumped into an IV. Chest x-rays, lots of questions, EKG, two CT scans, a second blood draw - obviously there was infection but we just needed to find it. The doctor came back with the answer: pneumonia in my lower right lung lobe.

So. Things are slow here - I got to come right home with the promise of going back in the next day for a re-check which I did and felt like a new person already. It is amazing how much better I felt that next day. Pneumonia is new to me and I confess I've never really gotten what it was, but I'm starting to understand it day by day here as I slow my days to lots of resting and recovering.

So many friends have jumped right in with food, magazines, flowers, help dropping off and picking up kids, delivering my grocery pick up and more. And our kids and David have done so much to help with cooking, cleaning, caring for the basics, errands and doing schoolwork.

Every need is met just right on time even if I didn't see how it would work. Even though my body is slow right now, my mind has been reawakened and my creativity reinvigorated. So there are a lot of things to process and lessons to share. But the point is this, this is at least partly my fault. I have been pushing hard lately and I knew it always just trying to get one more thing accomplished or finished. Now I'm regretting that of course, but can only move forward and press in to the lessons I can learn.

I guess I'm just saying that I'll be sharing some of these things here too. Maybe just for me, but maybe it will be a blessing or encouragement to some of you as well.

In some ways I have found the timing somewhat poignant as well. This past week marked the eleven year anniversary of my Dad's cancer diagnosis and we also just crossed the eleventh month since he went to be with the Lord. Being a patient just identified me a little more closely with a teeny bit of what he endured.

And I remembered one of his running groups used to have shirts that said "Oxygen is over-rated." Because of course they run at high altitude where the air is thin. We have used that phrase over and over through the years but this week I was thinking the opposite. I was thinking how intimately we depend on oxygen and spend so much of our days not even thinking about it. When trying not to cough, keep breathing smooth and easy, etc. oxygen is of utmost importance.

There will be a lot more slow pix from home and hopefully some additional things I'm learning or enjoying reading or listening to that I will share in the days ahead. For now, just listening to my body and doing what feels restful and peaceful.

May God go before each of us into this Thanksgiving week with hearts of gratitude and reminders of what is really needed.

An outside Fall dinner!

I'm sure it is no surprise by now that I love eating outside! Recently I hosted our local CC Directors for an appreciation dinner in our backyard - because I'd been feeling busy, I ordered the food from Moe's and instead, spent my time setting a pretty table and doing what I love!

It was a crisp evening - we had a crackling fire going nearby, baskets of quilts at the ready and fingers wrapped around mugs of tea, cocoa and coffee. As the sun went down, the glowing candlelight became more joyful and full of delight.

I hardly ever list out all the sources for a photo - but I thought it might be fun this time!
Blue grain-sack tablecloth: TJ Maxx
Buffalo check table runner: Amazon
Grain sack cloth napkin: Magnolia Market
Farmer's Market basket: Hobby Lobby
Rejoice in the Lord paper plates: Hobby Lobby
pinecones: FREE - collected outside!
Thermoses and Jello-tins: thrifted
white pumpkins: Sky Top apple orchard
sunflowers: Bi-Lo grocery store
brown/white plates: thrifted
candles: from my stash {beeswax candles from a church yard sale}
twinkle lights with leaves: Target
gift tumblers/mugs: 90% off clearance last Christmas at Hobby Lobby

And now, sorry but not sorry, I took a ton of photos because that's what I do and I love looking at them once I have the event cleaned up and the house is quiet and solitary. I love how you can see the progression of the sun setting in these photos!