HARVESTING KALE

A friend asked if we wanted to harvest kale from her garden last week, as she was leaving town and wouldn't have time to take care of it. Tyler and I stopped by on our way home from running some other errands and loaded up seven bags with kale leaves. We were able to give away a whole bunch, but I also chopped and froze tons for our family. 

Not only that, but she sent us home with a bag of cucumbers, a cabbage, and a container of blackberries.

Hooray for summer bounties, generous friends, and time in the sun with a little W!

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for friends who let me know I'm not alone in how I feel, encourage me with practical advice, give me a hug, and/or pray for me when I'm frustrated about one situation or another. What's something that you're thankful for?

THE FIREWOOD TEAM

I'm thankful for a husband who put in a long work day on Monday, then came home and split wood for four hours on a hot summer night. I'm also thankful for the ability to work with him - time together, productivity, and a chance to burn off some frustrations of the day. 

Tim's the wood splitting half of our team.

And I'm the wood stacking half.

A FUN AFTERNOON FOR TYLER

Isaac came over to hang out with Tyler for the afternoon last Tuesday. They danced (and I laughed) through Dumb Ways to Die, played Sorry, ran into some of our friends while watching Takohachi perform at the Woodburn Public Library, and just goofed off together. 

They had a good time!

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SONGS OF COMFORT

A friend recently mentioned seeing a positive change in my life. She's right. The last ten months have been a season of shifting priorities, making intentional choices, and taking better care of myself. I'm still far from where I want to be, really far, but it was encouraging for someone else to say they'd noticed some results of the effort I've been making.

Yet in the midst of the forward progress, there are still struggles. Life is often two steps forward, one step back. Like the picture above, it's the juxtaposition of death and life, ugliness and beauty that we all face as we move through our days.

Insecurity. Failure. Anxiety. Grief.

I wrestle with those things regularly, more now than I ever have before. It's discouraging and I hate the inappropriate ways I deal with them.

But God, in his goodness, created people who write beautiful music and pen lyrics that speak to the various things we feel in life. I have a playlist on Spotify I call "When Life Stinks" that's filled with songs I listen to when I'm down, ones that validate how I feel while pointing me out of whatever funk I'm in, but the following songs (or snippets of songs, as the case may be) are the ones that have come to mind a lot lately. They remind me that I'm fully known by God, even when I don't feel comfortable sharing my thoughts and feelings with anyone else; that he loves me in the middle of the mess my life can be; that the truth of who I am rests in who he is so I don't need to beat myself up over my shortcomings.


He Made Me, He Loves Me by Ben & Noelle Kilgore on A Resting Place
(Complete lyrics here and video here.)

He made me
He loves me
He knows all my story


He Knows My Name by Tommy Walker on Never Gonna Stop
(Complete lyrics here and video here.)

He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And he hears me when I call


Here's My Heart by Lauren Daigle on How Can It Be 
(Complete lyrics here and video here.)

Here's my heart, Lord
Here's my heart, Lord
Here's my heart, Lord
Speak what is true

I am found, I am yours
I am loved, I'm made pure
I have life, I can breathe
I am healed, I am free


I hope those words encourage some of you today!

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KIDS' CAMP - 2019

Last week Tim, three little Ws (Silas, Devon, Naomi), and one bonus W (well, technically both bonus Ws went, but I'm referring to Gabi) spent four days at our church's kids' camp out at Camp Yamhill. One W was a co-leader of the camp, one was a counselor, one helped in various non-counselor ways, one was a runner, and Gabi was a camper. Here's one picture I took of Gabi, as well as some pictures I spotted Ws in from the grade school Instagram page.

DAY 1

Gabi heading off to camp for the first time. No pictures of the other Ws because they left way earlier while the rest of us slept.

Devon helping his team make a flag.

A glimpse of Tim lifting an earth ball.

Devon, the boys on his team, and boys from another team.

Devon (bottom right) waiting for directions from Nate.

Silas talking to the kids.

Gabi (far left) and Devon (center) hanging out in the shade.

Silas at evening campfire.

DAY 2

Tim busting a move in his famous turtle hat.

Gabi at morning campfire.

Silas letting everyone know the plan.

DAY 3

Gabi (bad shot, but in the white shirt on the right side) during the tie dye battle.

Gabi singing at campfire.

Silas playing guitar at campfire.

DAY 4

Group shot on the last day. They're hard to spot, but four Ws and Gabi are all in the picture.

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for the shifts and breaks in parenting that summer brings. What's one thing that you're thankful for?