Because I’ve had a few requests for it, this is the first every weekly blournal (blog+journal). It’s a round up of all my Instagram posts from the week for those who love to keep up, but aren’t on Insta.
January 8, 2019
No one has ever accused me of being the type of mom that bakes homemade treats when it’s our turn for preschool snack. Nope. My MO is buying a bag of baby carrots on our way and calling it good. But yesterday was different.
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Bananas were on sale at our local grocery store for free. Yes, free. Our town is super small. I mean, I consider us blessed to even have a grocery store in the first place, but our tiny town sometimes can’t consume all the bananas before they start getting speckled. But, the owners of the store – they’re super cool and give the brown and fast-approaching-bad bananas away.
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So yesterday, I grabbed a bundle of brown bananas and baked banana bread for Taggert’s preschool class. And she was so excited. I mean, so. dang. excited. She thanked me over and over again with the biggest smile on her face for “making nana bread for my pee-school!”
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The look on her face and the gratitude in her voice makes me almost want to bake homemade treats for preschool snack every time. Will that actually happen? The jury’s still out, but what’s for sure is that it felt good to make her feel good and I’m thankful for little blessings like these.
January 9, 2019
These past few weeks have been so crazy and generally filled with less than stellar news. In the midst of it all, I’ve managed to remain calm and strangely at peace.
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Okay – I say “strangely” like it’s some sort of mystery, but I know how and why. It’s God. That’s the only logical explanation.
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Although He doesn’t promise us smooth sailing in life (John 16:33), He does promise that we can find refuge and strength in Him – says so right in Psalm 46:1.
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That verse happens to be my confirmation verse. And it’s also the message He’s had on repeat for me this past week. I see it on the regular in my devotion, on my newsfeed, and in my head. It will just pop up at the most random and appropriate times.
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This morning He even took His message to me one step further showing me the verses that follow.
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“Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” Psalm 46:2-3
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We will not fear even though. Even though. Even though…
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I mean, how utterly awesome is it that we have a Heavenly Father who is so constant, who freely gives us His love and is willing to give us the kind of peace that’s beyond our understanding?
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He is our refuge and strength.
January 10, 2019
Yesterday was one of those days where I just couldn’t find my groove. I was super distracted, all over the place, got exactly zero things checked off of my to do list, and likely spent at least part of the day with a look on my face similar to that cow in the middle there.
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And it’s such an awful feeling being unproductive when all you really want is to slay the day.
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So you know what I did?
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I quit.
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Instead of fighting it, I accepted the fact that yesterday wasn’t my day and I stopped trying to make it something it wasn’t. I turned off the computer, put down the phone, took a hot shower, and proceeded to relax with the fam watching Guardians of the Galaxy (🙋♀️ if you too are a fan). It just felt better than forcing it.
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And it seems as though setting it aside was the best thing for me. I woke this morning feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day.
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What do you in unproductive situations like that?
January 11, 2019
Gosh… I’m just so incredibly grateful for this guy.
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The last few months of 2018, weren’t exactly a cake walk. I traveled, had all four wisdom teeth extracted and my uterus removed. And through all of my hiatuses (some of them extended) from the ranch, he’s stepped up. He’s picked up my slack, taken care of the things I normally do, and kept up with his own responsibilities too.
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I mean, fall – it’s not exactly the best time to be on hiatus from ranch work. There’s preg checking, preconditioning, weaning, and shipping all on top of the normal day-to-day housework and kids-in-school activities. But somehow, he’s taken care of it all and managed to make it through with his sanity intact, which I’m not sure I could say for myself.
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Actually, I know I couldn’t say for myself because when the tables have been turned, when he’s needed me to pick up the slack, I haven’t always handled it very well at all. Nope. When it’s on me, I break. I freak out over the littlest things including but not limited to having to share the Culver’s fries I had my heart set on. Petty, I know.
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But Mr. FFB – he’s not that way.
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This past fall wasn’t easy for us, but he’s been my rock. He’s supported me in chasing my dreams. He’s shown me grace. He’s loved me through my ridiculousness. And that’s saying a lot because I can be exceptionally ridiculous especially when I’m sick or in pain.
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I’m not sure I can ever thank him enough for loving me the way he does, but I can (and will) thank God every day for bringing us together.
January 12, 2019
Yesterday, was a good news day!
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I finally got my car back from the shop nearly a month, a new transmission, and $4k later. My mom called with good news from her doctors after weeks of less than stellar news and a lot of uncertainty. And to top it all off, I had a bunch of happy mail awaiting me when I got home from picking up the car – thank you Brandi Buzzard and Plum Paper!
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It would be really easy to look at all of that and think, “Sure, that’s all well and good, but look at all the crappy things that happened beforehand. Wouldn’t it have been better if none of the crappy happened in the first place?”
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Well, I mean – sure. But, like my dad says, “If you choose to find the good in every situation, you’ll be a lot happier.”
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Plus, that’s not the way this life works. God warns us that there will be troubles, we will struggle, and it will not be smooth sailing. But He’s also given us refuge in Him and has promised us eternal life through His son.
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So, I take heart in that and try really hard to find the happy in the crappy.
Hello! I’m Terryn – the wife, mother, food safety enthusiast, Stormy Kromer fanatic who has slightly (okay, a lot) random tendencies, dabbles in photography, and shares (maybe a little too much) here at FFB.