Winter on Magnolia Avenue

Back in the fall, I gave you a nice little photo tour of our street.  While Winter lacks the color and warmth of autumn, it has its own kind of beauties.

The ice began falling from the sky Monday afternoon and hasn't stopped falling yet.   When I stepped outside last night the ice-covered trees sparkled in the dark.  It was kind of magical.  I took Watson on a little walk this morning and noticed all kinds of wintry beauty in the neighborhood.

I adored the spectrum of reds, purples, and greens in these icy buds.  I walk by this small tree multiple times a day and I never noticed the colors until it was covered in ice.


This little old fence is covered with climbing flowers in the summer, but in the winter you can appreciate the intricate patterns and twists that have withstood years upon years of extreme weather.



None of this is snow on the ground.  It is all ice for now.  With every little stem of every little branch of every big tree, you can really see the richness and fullness of these trees.  I'm amazed by the details.

None of this is snow on the ground.  It is all ice for now.  With every little stem of every little branch of every big tree, you can really see the richness and fullness of these trees.  I'm amazed by the details.



My favorite thing about a snow storm, or ice storm in this case, is the way it makes the city so quiet.  I'm sure I've said it before, but my least favorite part about living in the city is the noise.  Somehow the snow and ice have a way of dampening everything.  People stay in and so there aren't as many cars on the road or neighbors outside.  There's silence and peace.  When I took Watson for a walk this morning, we didn't see another living being besides birds and squirrels out looking for food.  I love that.

Watson looks cute all the time, but I like him covered in little ice crystals.  He likes it too and did not want to go inside today.  In fact, he's been begging all day to go out.  Times like these I wish we had a fenced-in yard...

He kept getting hit in the eyes with sleet while I was trying to take his picture.  He sat still like a good boy, though.  I almost felt bad for him, but the look on his face was also pretty cute.

Back inside the house, a few of our windows are iced over...



... and there's turkey roasting in the crockpot.  Phoenix, Snow Patrol, and Mumford & Sons are giving me a warm, happy feeling through the stereo.



Hope your snow/ice days have been peaceful.  Here's hoping we get a repeat tomorrow!

Help me decide!

For Christmas my dad spoiled me and supplied me with the means to purchase the KitchenAid stand mixer of my choice.  After much deliberation (for the last 6 weeks) and visiting multiple websites and stores, I am still at a loss!  I want to get it right because this thing is going to be around for a long time.  I've finally decided on a model, the 5 quart Artisan Series, but I still can't pick a color.  The real problem is that every color renders differently depending on the website, so I'm not really sure what any of them are going to look like in real life.  I've gone to look in stores, but they only ever seem to have red, white, black, and silver.

From Bed, Bath, and Beyond, I like the colors Ice...

and Tangerine...

On Macy's site I like Pistachio...

and now Cinnamon.

How in the world am I going to choose?  I need your help.  Now, I can't promise that I'll choose the most popular color, but it will definitely influence my decision.

Things that may influence your decision:

• My kitchen has each these colors (and many more) in the decor.  
• I don't intend to leave this thing out on the counter.  I can't stand a cluttered counter, and since I have the cabinet space I will be putting it away.
• I want a color that makes me feel bright and happy when I see it.  I want to pull it out of the cabinet and smile, not just because I'm about to make something delicious, but because I'm using this happy-looking machine.
• No, I really don't want white, black, or silver.  Yes, they may be a little more classic and timeless in appearance, but I'm going for pure joy here, people! 
• For some strange reason, I feel like the color I choose says something about me and I'm having a mild identity crisis.  

Which color are YOU?  (Browse many more color options here.)  Maybe you've already found your perfect color like my friend, Keli, who is SO Empire Red.  

Which one of these would you pick for me? Halp!

Snow Day!

Tomorrow is a snow day.  SLU cancelled classes for the first time in 10 years, and there isn't even any snow or ice on the ground yet!  We have a lot of work to keep us busy around here. I suspect there will be much reading and writing happening, and hopefully some Netflix-watching, too!



I'm making a turkey breast in the crockpot for tomorrow and we are pretty well-stocked on groceries.  If we needed anything, I'd say it would be potatoes and bananas, but we'll survive without them, I suppose.  We have other fruits, vegetables, meat, bread, milk, eggs, and all the other basics! I'm pumped.

Poor Watson is not so pumped.  He has been cooped up too much lately and not getting walks every day like he's used to getting.  He is very antsy which makes him even more poorly behaved.

I love a good snow day, especially when I get to stay in and snuggle with my man.  My man, however, would probably take a few days of school over more snow and ice.  He unabashedly hates winter and loves the heat.  I unabashedly hate any weather over 82 degrees, so there!  Anyway, you won't likely find him acting like this tomorrow.



Via Kate Spade

Anger and Forgiveness (repost)

I can't explain why, but while we were with our church tonight, I started thinking about this old blog post from 2009.  I had this strange thought to repost it.  Perhaps I just needed to re-read it (even though I don't think I've been struggling with any anger or forgiveness lately), or perhaps someone else out there does.

9/23/09

Each of us carries around more anger and frustration in our lives than we even know.  When I start thinking about all the things that upset me, I get overwhelmed.  Let's face it, we all have our reasons for feeling justified in our anger.  Lately I've been trying to remember that everyone I see is carrying a burden of pain, hurt, and regret that is unique to their own life and experience.  Our personal ghosts may come in many forms, but we all have them.

This has been a theme in my life recently.  I see anger in myself and in the lives of many others around me.  We're angry at God for the way he's made us.  We're angry with our life circumstances and we're tired of dealing with it.  We're angry with our brothers and sisters for mistreating us, for ignoring our hurts.

Perhaps someone truly has wronged you.  Perhaps your circumstances truly aren't what the world would call "ideal."  Maybe you truly are justified in your anger... or are you?

We must turn to Jesus in answer of this question.  He was scorned by man, by us, more than we can probably imagine.  Betrayed, beaten, abandoned by those who claimed to love him.  He knew we would do it.  He even warned us we would do it.  Yet... he still shed his blood on our behalf. He still called us "Brothers." God made a covenant with us, that we would be his sons.  We would act against it again and again, many times without even realizing it, but God would keep it despite our unfaithfulness.

It wasn't because we deserved it.  It wasn't even because of our repentance or our commitment to preach the Gospel, or keep his word.  He chose to set his affections on us because of who he is, not because we were really great people.

Maybe you've also entered into a covenant with a spouse, or a church.  At one time, they claimed to love you, and they may be the ones who have hurt you most.

We must choose to forgive others because of who he is.  They may never ask for it.  They may always feel that they were perfectly right in their actions or hurtful words.  But if we are generous with anything we've been given by God, it must be forgiveness.  Pray diligently for their repentance, and strive to be reconciled with them, but do not let forgiveness depend on their actions.  You cannot control that and it will only cause your heart to be burdened longer.  Do not deny the peace of Christ by harboring anger in your heart.

"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive." Colossians 3:12-13

Keep the cross before you.  Know that Christ's work was finished, that your sins were forgiven, that you received grace and mercy, that your ability to forgive rested on the shoulders of the man hanging on the tree.  It remains there, still.

Christian, the Holy Spirit has equipped you with the ability to forgive.  You cannot do it by your own strength.  You must have faith that God can change your heart.  Even if your anger is pointed directly at him, you must trust that he will replace it with joy.

"You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
you have loosed my sackcloth
and clothed me with gladness,
that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!"
Psalm 30:11-12

Long days

In high school I used to wake up around 6:30am, shower, do my hair and makeup, and often would have to be at school by 7:30 for jazz band practice or some other club meeting.  I would then go to class until 3pm, followed by either some kind of sports practice or going to work.  Then I would rush home (or to Subway), grab a bite to eat, and go back to the school for play practice where I would stay until 9 or 10pm.  After that I would go home, do homework, go to bed, and then get up and do it all over again. 

I never thought a thing about it.  I never felt fatigued or overworked.  I loved all my extra-curricular activities and I didn't dread school.  I didn't complain about going to work or practicing sports.  I just did it, mostly with joy.

Somewhere between then and now, something has changed.  I don't know if it's laziness, old age, or a change in responsibilities, but now I feel so tired and emotionally drained at the end of every day.  I get up later, get home earlier, and have way fewer extra things happening outside of school.  Why do I feel so much more tired?   Why do I feel so much more pressure and get so depressed about my life?

Perhaps then I didn't know any better.  By that, I mean, perhaps I was so busy and put my nose to the grindstone so much that I didn't have time to feel tired or defeated.  Sure, I still had bad days back then, lots of them... but looking back I can't ever remember feeling the way I do now at the end of the day.  I can't remember crying over all the stress or shutting down and doing nothing because I was just too overwhelmed.  

Maybe it's because I bear more scars now than I did back then.  Life happens, and inevitably you go through hard things.  I went through hard things then, too, with friends, family, and boyfriends, but now I feel as though things are so much heavier.  This is sad because the truth is that my burden is light because of Jesus.  I know that he is my redeemer and that I move forward in life because he made me his own.  I know this, and still I feel so weary. 

Maybe it's because I'm an adult and married and have to be responsible for so many things at home that I didn't before.  Maybe it's because school now includes more than just classes, but giving therapy to people who have a real need and will be impacted forever by how I help (or don't help) them.  Maybe it's just because I'm a graduate student and I won't feel this way so much when I'm finally out in the working world.  Maybe it's because I've lost sight of who I am in the sight of God and I don't live in a way that reflects my joy in knowing him.

I wish I had an answer for why things seem so much more difficult now.  Don't get me wrong; I still do fun things, and have friendships, and am madly in love with my hubs, but I'm praying that I can fight fatigue, laziness and anxiety, and press on with peace, joy, and confidence that God has called me to this specific place for a reason.  I want so badly to find joy in it because of that.  

I'd really like to know, am I the only one that feels this way?  Surely not.  Kyle and I talked about it and I know he's in the same boat as I am.  We both feel far more worn-down than people only in their mid-20s ought to be.  When you look back on younger days, do you wonder what happened, or are you still the same person you always were?