Late June's bread & butter

I'm not entirely sure why, but writing hasn't felt particularly easy for me since my last blog post. That, coupled with a joyful and full schedule, and I've been prioritizing other things over writing. There is no danger of me not blogging, in case anyone was worried, but it did feel natural for me to slow down in the last week or so and just be present in my own life. That said, even if I don't have something particularly eloquent to write about, I do still enjoy documenting "life's little joys," or, the bread and butter of our life, the things I'm curious about in other people's lives (like what they're reading, what they had for dinner, etc). Mundane, but fascinating, at least for me. If that interests you, great! That's what this post is.

All that said, here is what life looks like right now:

• eating caprese salad, sweet potato fries, and grass-fed burgers with extra pickles (for me)
• visiting 3 favorite local coffee shops in 3 days, just because of circumstances: Revival, Greater Goods Roasting Company, and Houndstooth
• drinking Fronks milk lattes from Greater Goods Roasting Co
• wearing a beach cover up as a kimono
• meal planning again(!) why do I ever stop? We eat healthier and with much more variety whenever I plan ahead
• feeling inspired this time around by recipes on two blogs, in particular: Amy Moffat and Everyday Maven
• wearing new tinted lip balm, in natural rose
• organizing everything—from clothes to shoes to the bathroom cabinet (goodbye antibiotic ointment that expired in 2012, yikes)
• setting up my new bullet journal, using these pens and these pens
• preparing The Lazy Genius' gluten-free/dairy-free chocolate chip cookies, and then taking a few out of the freezer at a time to bake fresh, they are so good!
• reading in Matthew, and loving every chapter
• going on a date to see Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom at 9:30AM (we're all about that earlybird showing)
• celebrating a friend's birthday with a triple date, plus homemade tamales and gazpacho and summer corn and ice cream cake
• making long phone calls to a friend-since-early-childhood who still make me feel so heard and loved and like I'm just sitting across the table from her
• lunching with Nicholas and my friend Clara who was visiting from San Antonio
• thrifting with Clara (I found a mirco-floral print dress and a date-night dress), and talking about Meyer's Briggs types and what stability looks like in different life seasons
• watching episodes of a new-to-us British detective show, Endeavor . British? Check. Mystery? Check.
• feeling extra homesick for the midwest, off and on
• feeling extra loved by friends who can usually sense when I'm having a bad day, and who say extra prayers for me on those days
• snacking on organic green grapes and late-night Cream of Wheat (my breakfast nearly every morning in middle and high school)
• turning the heel on my second Cyril sock
• reading a book my mom gave me about the qualities of God, None Like Him, by Jen Wilkin, with this quote:

Life is too short and too precious to spend fearing the wrong things in the wrong ways. I propose we learn holy fear for a God like no other. Only then will our fear of man be put to flight, our self-adulation be laid to rest, and our hearts be turned toward worship. I want us to become God-fearing women in the truest sense of the word, to take our stand in gladness at the foot of Mount Zion, offering true worship to our God in heaven. And in doing so, we'll make a beginning at becoming wise.

And today, we had fika and I lit a few candles, and then I prepared Easy Breadless Parmesan Chicken for supper alongside some sauteed collard greens. I'll make baked PB oatmeal for the next two days' breakfasts, read my Bible and jounral, and I think I'll knit some more tonight.

And lastly, I was encouraged by this on @jessaconnolly 's instagram stories:

And the most important thing I need is the belief that God will give me the capacity, time, and energy to do the things He needs me to do.