Where beauty grows

Everywhere I drive around Austin, I see wildflowers. They are pockets of color, persisting. From what I've read, wildflowers are more prone to grow where the soil has been "disturbed" so they grow more frequently along roadsides and in places one wouldn't label as "pretty." But I love that image—that the beauty grows best where the soil has been disturbed. Keep that in mind, friends, for your hearts, especially if they've been hurting or in a season that's hard. What a wonderful reminder of grace, spring is. Again and again, new growth, new sunshine, new green, and new color. And along with it: a heart refreshed.

Flowers aside, here are some little bits of beauty:

Listening to Jess Ray's Sentimental Creatures and reading her notes about her songs on her blog had me in tears. The whole album is fantastic.

Eating farmer's market pastrami and roasting sweet potatoes for dinner. Revisiting this method for the crispiest of the crisp. Also, I've been seasoning them more with s+p, smoked paprika, and garlic powder

Worship music + dinner prep is one of my most sacred times of the day. Who knew that cooking could be so good for my soul?

Dear meal planning, our time apart included far too many takeout meals and eggs. I need you in my life. Small Victories is game-changer.

Fabric stash enhancement & maybe, the building blocks of a quilt.

Visiting multiple stores for just the right buttons for my Arctic cardigan. By the way, it's done! Post to come soon, but here's a little snapshot of me wearing it (pre-buttons).

Making happy little hearts between other knitting projects. I've stashed supplies (just dpns and scrap yarn) for more in my bag for on-the-go, just-need-to-knit-something moments.

Drinking butter coffee at home(!) using "butter bombs" from our local farmer's market + a whirl with the immersion blender

Dryer balls that literally make our clothes smell like sunshine

Sea salt zum mist

Staying up way too late with Nicholas watching Happy Gilmore for my first time (and probably his fiftieth time)

Our routine of late afternoon naps on the couch together whenever we can make it happen. Yesterday we fell asleep for over an hour. Oops.

Planning for an upcoming little getaway with my parents! I've been making Spotify playlists for the drive and we are excited for a road trip in our Subaru.

Receiving a (timely) and sweet-as-ever note from my Grandma, reminiscing about the time she and my mom came to visit and see the wildflowers

Two new knitting projects! Pictured is my special skein of yarn from Woolberry Fiber Co in a swatch for a cowl.

Re-reading some older posts of mine, three in particular:

• New circumstances don't give me a new heart//writing about how I want to have a heart that yearns for salvation more than it yearns for a change in my circumstances.
• Pulled to love: On getting unstuck
• Thirsty souls

And reading a post that's new, and isn't mine, but I wholeheartedly recommend: 15 reasons why you should start a blog (all of these have been true for me)

P.S. — I've noticed quite a bit more traffic on the blog lately (not a huge amount, but definitely a bump). I am curious where all the people are coming from? Either way, welcome! I'm so glad you're here.