Blog

Jun 9, 2015•3 min read

Necessary adjustments: spending, food, & social media

Every several months, I notice a sluggishness in my life, a need for refinement of my priorities. I'm of the opinion that generally, conviction has a purpose & should lead to a change in behavior.

Jun 3, 2015•5 min read

Speaking another language

Friendships, marriages, and family relations all need investment, maintenance, and love. What I've learned and observed in every relationship is that it matters how I invest in and maintain relationships and how I love the people around me.

May 30, 2015•3 min read

May making & planning

When I finish a fun, challenging, but accomplished project, it's a bit like finishing a good book. Coming to the end brings bittersweet feelings—excitement for the completion and sadness that the enjoyable process is done. After I finished my Lila...

May 26, 2015•3 min read

When we have visitors (we have fun)

My sweet mother-in-law, Karen, came to visit recently, and we had such a good time. With no set plans for the week, each day we woke up and decided what sounded best. Despite all the rain we've had, there were a few fairly dry, albeit humid, days...

May 24, 2015•3 min read

Practicing rest & balance

While I do have the luxury of having 4 days off each week (thanks to 12-hour hospital shifts) I'm not very good about setting aside time to rest. I've mentioned it before, but ever since Nicholas and have been married and we share a home together, I...

May 19, 2015•3 min read

Personalizing our (rental) home

After some deliberation, we've decided to extend our lease for our current one-bedroom apartment. Knowing we'll be in the same space for another year or so gives us a even more motivation to continue to make it feel homey. Of course, we're still...

May 12, 2015•3 min read

Homemade granola (gluten-free)

It's no secret that breakfast food is one of my love languages. Eggs, pancakes, waffles...they're all my favorite foods. That being said, I'm not 100% on the granola bandwagon. I generally don't crave it and we rarely buy it. The blend of textures...

May 6, 2015•2 min read

Savoring spring

Just a few snippets of daily life around here lately:

May 4, 2015•3 min read

When it's a bad day

It's usually something I can't anticipate. Little by little, events of the day, residual feelings from the previous day, or wary anticipation can alter my day, pushing it firmly into the bad day category. Everyone has a different definition of what...

Apr 27, 2015•3 min read

Spring refreshers

I'm soaking in all this (admittedly quite warm) spring weather. And with it, we're refreshing our routines, our home, and our activities in a few different ways. Some of my favorite springy things:

Apr 24, 2015•1 min read

The blog turns one

I wrote and posted my first entry in this place exactly a year ago. And what a year it's been! If you're reading this, thank you. I started the blog as a way to keep our families up to date with our life from afar, but it's become a really good...

Apr 22, 2015•4 min read

Andrea, 5 years ago & the nostalgia bug

I fall under the rosy spell of nostalgia at times.

Apr 15, 2015•4 min read

Our take on minimalism

So, we're on this minimalist trajectory over here. When we moved to Austin last July, we sold/donated a large percentage of our possessions. The act of looking for more and more to get rid of was really difficult at the time. But now? Zero regret. I...

Apr 14, 2015•3 min read

A busy, floral week

Last week, my mom and grandma came into town to see the Texas wildflowers (oh, and us ;) We saw a lot of plants, and made sure to visit a few of our favorite "Austin" spots. In particular:

Apr 8, 2015•2 min read

Surprised

Lots of things are surprising me lately—in a good way.

Apr 3, 2015•2 min read

What the Holy Spirit thinks

Faithfulness (and my recognition of it) is a recurring theme for me lately. Our move to Austin was in enormous reliance in God's faithfulness. From jobs, to housing, to community, He moved in big ways. And now that we're here, settled, with a...

Mar 30, 2015•2 min read

Finished Lila Sweater

I mentioned it about a week and a half ago, but I finished knitting my first successful sweater! It's been a bit too warm here in Texas to take outdoor pictures of it, but my sweet friend Molly took some indoors yesterday. Once a completed knitted...

Mar 25, 2015•4 min read

Up north & a wedding

On Monday, we returned home from a trip to Minnesota (where I grew up). Even though we love our home here in Texas, a trip North was overdue. Lauren's wedding was one of many reasons for a visit. This one was jam-packed with lots of wonderful...

Mar 18, 2015•2 min read

March happenings

We've been enjoying yummy, simple suppers most nights. These meals are the most "doable" in this season for us, so I plan for them. We just had the Sweet Soy Chicken and Rice from The Family Flavor—those green onions make it taste so fresh. While...

Mar 16, 2015•1 min read

Hard work

I've written about my love for slow living before. And that's still true. I enjoy doing things by hand, bit by bit. I just finished knitting my first sweater. I meal plan for two weeks at a time so we're not scrambling to find something to eat at...

Mar 10, 2015•2 min read

Austin & us: 8 months

I can hardly believe we've lived here for eight months. Last July feels like an eternity ago. The last several months have been good difficult, I'd say. We love Austin. We do. Just this week, I journaled about ways Nicholas and I have grown because...

Mar 3, 2015•3 min read

Life right now & acknowledging my need

If I stop and look around right now, on a Tuesday, this is what life looks like:

Feb 25, 2015•2 min read

Since it's still February

I started this post about a week ago, but I felt like I needed a few more days to mull over the words.

Feb 20, 2015•2 min read

This week's epiphanies

Okay, so epiphany might be a bit dramatic, but these still count as fairly significant realizations in my book:

Feb 18, 2015•3 min read

Daily essentials: Kitchen

I love lists, I always have. So, it seems fitting to make another list, and post it here. This is my list of can't-live-without-it and I-use-it-every-day in our kitchen. We habitually assess what we own to avoid excess accumulation, so it only makes...

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