Mother Love

motherhood + home + family

LOVE + GOODNESS, COFFEE DATE, + LINKS

It’s another new week, and it’s going to be outstanding.

It’s going to be outstanding because there. is. so. much. good. There is so much goodness and light and LIFE that we are given, and I take that for granted far too often. Way too often. I was laying in bed last night, just thinking, as I was falling asleep…and this realization and feeling of the overwhelming love and goodness of the Lord just knocked me off my proverbial feet…He truly is so good. 
He can’t even help it. 
It’s just Who He is. And this week and this month and this entire lifetime I want to teach myself to be intentional about seeing that goodness. It’s so easy to look around at this world, at all the hard things, the dark things, the injustices, the sadness and pain…it’s so easy to see all of this and forget. I forget Who Jesus is…I forget that He is good and that He is in control and that He is coming to set all things right. 
Sometimes I not only forget the goodness of the Lord…sometimes I even blame Him for all these difficult things in the world and in my life. My heart can easily find itself looking at Him in frustration and accusation, blaming HIM for the darkness or pain that either I or someone else is experiencing. No, dear heart…NO. Jesus is only good, only light, only LIFE. Anything else in the world and in my experiences that is not such is not from Him. “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12) 
Let us not forget where this darkness and difficulties come from. And let us truly not forget the goodness, that perfect love and goodness, that comes only from the heart of God.
A few shots from a sweet afternoon coffee date:
One of our favorite coffee spots is in Rochester, which is a decent hour-plus drive away. We don’t get there very often, but when we do, I just want to sit for hours and sip drinks and have conversation and take photos. It’s one of those true-blue coffee places, where they don’t even have syrups or flavorings…just the straight-up-good stuff. I got a sweet little macchiato and Ben got a latte, and we split some macaroons.
I think pretty coffee is one of the most photogenic things in this world. And that macaroon was scrummo (scrumptious + yummo).
Tasty coffee is one of the most satisfying things in this world! I’m not addicted to coffee (truly!), and while I do drink a cup most mornings, I don’t get headaches or negative symptoms if I don’t have it. But coffee is such a simple pleasure…such a satisfying, simple pleasure.
Some links:
– Neato!
– Do it.
Have the best week ever, ya’ll!
What about you: tell me your truest feelings about coffee. 😉

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

ON MINIMALISM + SIMPLIFYING

You guys, seriously…this week has been so incredibly perfect in all it’s rain and clouds and ethereal-ness. (<<< i love that word). I feel like it makes me sound like a melancholic or some sort of gothic-y person to love these kinds of days like I do…but no matter, I appreciate them endlessly and find them incredibly inspiring. Every day since Tuesday has been overcasty and rainy, and every morning I wake up to see the clouds and the mist over the lake, I just want to hug the day.

I just can’t help it.

On such days, all I want to do is be in my kitchen, either experimenting with something new or putting together something I know we love (usually something like this…rain equals muffins). I don’t know what it is about being in the kitchen, but it’s like some kind of therapy for me. I call it my happy place. Food is essential to life, and nothing makes me happier than preparing meals or snacks or treats for Ben and myself, or for a friend or neighbor. It’s satisfying and rewarding to love someone with good food.

Today is another moody day (good moody day, that is), and I’ve been wanting to experiment with popped amaranth (see blog photo) for a while now, and it felt like the right kind of day to do so. It took a bit to get the hang of it, since it’s a little volatile and easily burned, but I managed to get a fairly large container popped without too much incident. Amaranth tastes kind of nutty and earthy, and I like it for topping smoothies or yogurt bowls. I am a big-time toppings girl, which means I basically eat certain things just because I like the toppings I can put on them. Pancakes, waffles, yogurt, toast, cottage cheese…it’s all about the toppings.

I also did some pantry organization and simplifying. I really hate having packaging in the pantry, so I usually transfer anything that comes in a box or bag into a jar or storage container. I don’t have enough at the moment to store everything in containers, but I slowly add to the collection from thrift stores or yard sales.

I’m in major minimalist/simplify mode right now, and when I get like that, nothing is safe…my closet, junk drawers, food we never eat, and anything else around the house that we just never or rarely use. I can throw things out waaaaaaay too easily sometimes, but I also really don’t like clutter and extras and having things take up space that really aren’t essential. Clean and open and organized spaces, that’s what I like.

Of course, the downside to too much minimalism is that there are indeed times when it would have been handy to have saved that one item or realize that clothing item you just got rid of would have went perfectly with an outfit…I guess it’s all about balance, no matter which side of the minimalist/pack-rat side you find yourself on.

What about you: do you find yourself as a minimalist or someone who likes to keeps things around for when you really will eventually need them?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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