This Week’s Miscellany: Vol. 116

Yesterday we spent all morning at the “outside museum” as we call it. It’s a natural sciences and history museum with lots of native FL wildlife. While we were running around and gobbling at the turkeys, approx. 500,000 people were in DC for the March for Life. I shared some thoughts along with this photo on the Carrots FB page and I thought I’d re-post here because my heart just bursts:

The result of our very unplanned pregnancy. This little soul turned our world upside down and gave me a heart of flesh in exchange for my heart of stone. Imagining a world without his intense joy is unthinkable. He has so much love to share. And this is #whywemarch . Because EVERY life is a gift. No matter how unexpected. Offer love and help to women in crisis. Protect the most vulnerable among us. Love always wins. #marchforlife

And these little “planned” ladies (meaning we were hoping/open to getting pregnant) have tripled the joy with heaping doses of fierce sweetness. I snapped this one when I heard that deafening TOO QUIET sound down the hallway. I expected to discover a new mural on their wall, but instead they had found the gospel station on the radio and were doing some serious chill. Love bugs. Ok, moving on from the sappy to the practical…

Y’ALL. This is what my laundry room looks like right now. I WISH I had taken a “before” photo. Because…..oh my heavens. Imagine not being able to see the floor in there for the past, ahem…always. Newsflash: It is WAY less awful to do laundry when you don’t trip over random assortments of junk on your way to the dryer. That table is for Benjamin’s LEGO stuff. No LEGOs outside the laundry room means only one room of possible step-on-a-LEGO misery.

We’re doing a big-time-serious-get-rid-of-ALL THE THINGS declutter right now. And I’m surprised at how much stress it relieves to get the clutter out. I think I’m far more affected by my surroundings than I realized.

Creative Folks, Hear Ye

I’ve tried to be crafty, y’all. I’ve tried. But knitting/crocheting/sewing/scrapbooking will just never be my thing. And I am coming to terms with this reality. Writing and photography are crafts I want to focus on improving this year, because I enjoy/love/adore them.

Lucky for me, there’s a great deal going on right now for creative types in the Ultimate DIY Bundle and there are great ebooks for writing and photography in addition to the sewing/decor stuff that I will be passing on to my crafty husband. So I bought it up as soon as it was available.

I just signed up for the digital photography ecourse that you can get free as a bonus with your order and since the class is typically $60 and the whole bundle of dozens of ebooks and bonuses is only $34, that seemed like a mighty good deal to me. Anyhow, check out what’s included, creative folks because it’s a pretty amazing offer and the sale is over on the 26th. (I included my affiliate link above which means that at no additional cost to you, ordering through this link will benefit my family. Y’all are the best.)

And did you hear this guy is up for a Sheenazing award? Be sure to head over to Bonnie’s and cast your vote for some of your favorite Catholic bloggers because voting closes at the end of the day (today, Friday!).

What I’m Into:

I am super into these boots. Which look shockingly similar to the boots I wore between the ages of 9-11 that I called my “Laura Ingalls Wilder Boots” and paired with my purple crushed velvet leggings/vest combo. Fashion. Ista. (Or rather, embarrassing my older brother with my terrible outfits like a boss.)

Do you ever forget about Coldplay’s Parachutes album? Or that Ever After exists? Jamming to old Coldplay this week and watched Ever After while Daniel was working job #2 one evening this week. When he got home I was like…

Me:”Have you seen this movie?! It’s sooo good! It’s like Cinderella, but kind of a different take?”

Daniel: “Nope.” *sees my, oh-my-gosh-we-should-totally-watch-it-together-face* “I mean…..yeah! Ever…After. It’s like Cinderella but….kind of a twist….it has…..really pretty dresses and….a great cast. But……the prince’s hair is just awful.”

Eerily accurate for someone who has never seen Ever After. The prince’s hair is just….the worst. But such a good movie! A hooray because it’s on Netflix streaming AND Prime Instant on Amazon.

Links:

The Podcast! Christy and I chat about some of our favorite books and how we fit in reading time in our crazy busy lives of many small children who need hugs and clean underwear and all that jazz.

The Walking and the Resurrected Dead: Is Jesus Relevant After the Zombie Apocalypse?: Daniel Bearman

I Chose Life. And his name is Lexington Anthony: Svellerella

When Generosity Looks Like Selfishness: Fumbling Toward Grace

Popes, Planes, and Common Sense: Fountains of Home

Survival Skills for Mass with Kids: Christy Isinger for Catholic Exchange

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend! (Hopefully it’s not rainy, gloomy, and gross like it is today in N. FL. Bleh.)

Lots of love,

Haley

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