Well, hello there Friday.

We’ve been on our “spring break” this week, which actually has not been spring break at all, but just our regular six weeks of school, one week off routine.

I love our week off.  I like not setting an alarm clock and having casual meals all week and just doing a little of whatever we want.  It’s nice to purposely NOT plan an adventure or a trip on this week too (even though I am frequently tempted to adventure out anyway).  Sometimes you just need a week at home with no real plans.  I had seriously contemplated a day drive to the coast because – beach – but the weather was so severely uncooperative that I chose to stay local.  And I’m glad we have really.  I think being home has been just what my little band has needed.  And me too, I guess.

 

 

funny

 

This week Piper wanted to borrow my baseball cap.  I let her borrow it and she declared that she liked wearing a hat so much that she would like to possess one of her own.  (She looked so cute, after all, that I probably will honor her wish.)

 

 

Randomly, in the car, we all began to discuss what sort of hat Piper Finn might like to own.  We talked about one from Sunrift, a local outfitters store we like here.  Or one with words or a design or a team.  (We aren’t big sports people, so our entire family’s “team” knowledge is limited to what Bergen acquires from his friend Samuel.)

Finally, Otto offers what he is certain will be the winning option for a hat for his sister.

“I know what you can have a picture of on your hat,” he says.  “My face!”

 

fashionable

 

Today’s fashionable option will be a fashionable option for your walls.

Two print options, actually.

If you spend very much time on the website Imagine Childhood you will fall in love with all they offer.  You will gather every plastic toy you own and throw it away.  You will begin to take your children on bird watches every morning with the sunrise.  You and your children will begin eating with wooden utensils and dressing in clothing made entirely out of alpaca hair – from the alpaca you purchased and moved on to your front lawn.  You’ll probably grow all your own food and rename your children forest animal names and sleep under the stars instead of in your own bed, which you will probably have already given away too, replaced by a bed of straw and sunbeams.

It’s a dangerous website, you guys.

But it is so FULL of sweet nature inspiring art and toys and books and feel good/do good products.

I absolutely love these songbird stickers for your wall.

 

 

Although, truly, my stomach turns at the price tag on these STICKERS.  You guys, how can I afford frivolous songbird art stickers when I’m out in the yard grooming my expensive alpaca?

A much more affordable, and equally fantastic, option is this beautiful bird poster.  (Which looks far better on their site.)

 

 

We already own the songbirds version, but now they have a bird of prey version that I would like to add to our wall collection.

 

 

flavorful

 

It’s the most wonderful time of the year — strawberry season!

Of course I’ll be making strawberry jam.

A few weeks ago the kids and I were waltzing through a cute little cooking supplies store downtown and we were mesmerized by all the (probably unnecessary) tools for kitchen jobs.

But when we saw this little tiny gem – we all agreed that it was not of the unnecessary variety.  I guess it is called a strawberry huller.

 

 

It does just what it is supposed to do – it hulls strawberries.

And, if your jam is strawberry jam, you NEED this low priced little tool.

It makes it SO much easier and it wastes less of the strawberry.  And, at this house, we consume strawberries at an unreasonably fast pace.  For jam.  (We make more than a dozen batches each season.)  For serving up with granola or strawberry shortcake or strawberry scones or strawberry pie.  For storing in the freezer for future smoothies.   All the good berry options.

 

faithful

 

I could just direct you to Ann Voskamp’s blog every Friday and that would be all I’d ever need to do.  It would probably always be enough.  This week she had a guest post from Ann Swindoll and it’s all about lack and how we define ourselves through this lack.

It’s titled What You Lack Is Not Who You Are.

Oh goodness, how often this is the lie my heart most believes.  

I am what I lack.

I’ll always be what I lack.

Ann Swindoll writes ……

When we experience that ravenous hunger for the one thing we so deeply desire, we all find ourselves tempted to give anything in exchange for it, because we hate being less than whole.

We all know, in these shattered places of our souls, that we are made for wholeness and perfection. And those places where we find ourselves lacking remind us of how weak we really are.

They remind us of our neediness.

But the gentle truth is that if there’s one identifying mark of the Christian, it is the mark of neediness.

As followers of Jesus, we have already acknowledged our lack and our neediness in the deepest of ways—our need for a Savior, our need for salvation.

We can’t make up what we lack: we can’t help ourselves, fix ourselves, save ourselves. Only in Christ are we made whole.

 

feels

 

Sometimes during our off week we have the opportunity to watch more Netflix series.  (Opportunity?  Was that really the word I wanted?)

This week we started watching a show called The Kindness Diaries.

 

 

There’s this British bloke, Leon, (sure, the accent helps) and he is traveling across the world on his little yellow motorcycle and he is living and traveling only through the assistance of the kindness of strangers.  But then, at some point during the show, when a family or a person has shown exceptional generosity of spirit to Leon, he surprises that person with an extraordinary act of kindness himself to that person.

I’ve liked each one so far, but goodness — Episode Two.  It sort of wrecked me that morning.  London turned back to stare at me, grinning, expecting to see exactly what she saw – those escaping tears down my cheeks.  I really don’t want to ruin the experience for you, but there was a homeless gentleman who just gave of entirely all that he had and it was both humbling and beautiful to watch.

 

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