Five Minute Friday - BELONG

So - while I was out with my Honey, strolling our small town Thursday Night Market (which consisted of NO produce whatsoever and very few vendors - unlike our Sunday Market that displays all of our locally grown beautiful harvests and vendors galore - but it did have some great live music, and greek food - so it was still a great night), it turns out that the one and only Ann Voskamp was hosting this weeks' #fmfparty.  I will push away the feelings of missing out - because... well - because as much as I hate that I missed out on that... I stayed present in 'real life' and connected eye to eye, heart to heart, hand in hand, with my hubby and some great friends! Real life Community may not always be as exciting or impressive as some of our online gatherings - but in real life... flesh and blood and tears and grasping fingers and arms squeezing tight... this is where I belong!

But - first - the fine print: if you don't know what FMF is!  Five Minute Fridays are hosted by Lisa Jo Baker.  It is open to anyone, so to learn more about it - and to jump in yourself (the more the merrier!) or just to find a linky to see what everyone is writing about today - click HERE!  The idea is to simply write... for Five Minutes flat... no editing, no deep thinking - or at least REthinking, no spell check - just write! Let it flow! We all write using a prompt that Lisa posts at one minute past midnight Friday morning (EST.)  I'm loving the community of amazing bloggers and the creativity that flows from these magical Five Minutes!

So - here goes: Five Minute Friday -BELONG...

{GO}

I have lived over half of my life now, by his side... my hand, slipping into his; my heart safely melted into his care.  

It was in the Spring of '92... and it took months before either of us let our guard down to say those little words... I didn't want to say them first, 'forcing' him to say them back out of obligation... and so we danced around what our hearts were clearly singing and we refused to put pressure or to say something so pure and wrapped up as such a gift - flippantly, or lost in the moment.  

So we waited for the other to take the risk... to say it first... to really MEAN it.  

It was in the blur of emergency and hospitals and rushing across mountain passes... it was the chaos of loosing life - or at least sight - hanging in the balance and battling against fear that was so tanglible and thick that I could barely gasp in enough air to press on...  in the midst of all of that... it was a phone call and an answering machine and a quick message giving an update ending in, "I love you."

I didn't even realize that I had said it... Didn't even catch myself until the phone had returned to its' cradle for several long luxurious minutes - and then, too late.  

Maybe he didn't hear it... or wouldn't think twice... or maybe he would.  The pressures of unknown surgeries and transporting my parents, weary and worn out from trauma and scares, took over and pushed all thoughts of those words slipping out away. 

And then I returned... and it seems he HAD noticed... and he HAD heard... in fact, the story goes, that he replayed that message left in haste over and over again... for he had felt those words too - and wondered if I felt the same... 

He had set up a song and fixed me dinner to welcome me back... and he waited, we ate... he played the song, and at it's last note, he said it right back to me... 

I love you.

And right then and there... I knew where I belonged.
Right then and there... I promised that he would never have to wonder... not one night or day... ever again. For - just as the poem, and the song, said,

"I Carry Your Heart with Me... I Carry It In My Heart!"

{STOP}

Wow - that was something? This is a true story... my Honeys' and mine...  and the reason why I missed out tonight on what seems to be an amazing twitter gathering is because I was right where I belong still! By his side... hand in his hand... hearts melted as one...  (I was practicing what I preached earlier this week about the art of living a balanced life!) But know that I am oh so grateful that when I AM able to join in with Lisa Jo and the #fmfparty - I am blessed to know that I belong there as well!

Speak Life, Be Love, Shine On!

~Karrilee~

Five Minute Fridays gives us the chance to dive right in and share what He puts on our hearts! Click here to read what others have to say about "BELONG"  

"The Art of Balancing Life..."

I remember back in my twenty's, when Marriage was young and Motherhood was new, I had some wonderful older and wiser women whisper into me the importance of learning the Art of Balance.

Clearly, I needed it! I was in over my head, learning new roles and new responsibilities and in the midst of all of that, I was trying to find out who I really was, and learning Whose I really was.

When our girlie was little, it was a given that there would be days when my Honey would walk in the door only to relieve me from my day... not necessarily to join me in it.

I needed a break... a nap... some help... I was run down and exhausted in all the best ways and there was Grace for that! Still - I had to stay connected, with him and with God... and remember to balance being a Mom with being a Wife... (with being a Sister and Friend and Daughter...)

That season felt like it would never end, but seasons change and our little was not so little anymore and while she still needed my care and attention, it seemed we found ourselves a comfy routine, and by 5 o'clock - I wasn't so at the end of my rope anymore... We had time for Date Nights and weekends sleeping in.  We reconnected and revived romance like it was all brand new... and we loved our growing girlie.

What I didn't realize, and didn't see coming - is that now, in this season... I am still needing to define boundaries and remember priorities... I need to take care of (fill in the blank... the kids... my career... the house...) and still take care of my marriage.  I need to remember and recapture that tricky balance of giving what is needed and gladly pouring out during the day... but reserving enough for my Honey and making sure he knows he is a priority too, when he returns from work!  I thought by now, some 20+ years later, we would have fallen into a routine that would just take care of itself somehow!  While there is an ebb and flow, and we do have seasons of grace when we are called to focus in on one thing or another... overall - big picture - we still need to stick to our priorities and keep our boundaries in place.

Each season in life brings its' own challenges with it... I hate to tell you but it is still a balance act once they are grown... My girlie and I are unusually close, and we are shifting more and more into a friendship and while it is less daunting and usually less exhausting - it still requires intention and I am finding the boundaries do not just magically change! (...and I suspect that just about when I think I have it down, in-laws and grandbabies will enter the picture and rearrange everything once again!!)

Here, in my opinion, is the key to the Art of Balancing Life:  It is to set some boundaries, put your priorities in order, and then keep them there, even when you are juggling all that life throws at you!

I know, right?  It sounds so much easier than it is to actually DO...

We put a high value on Relationships... specifically, on our family and on our marriage. We protect the time that it takes to pour into 'us' and keep us all healthy and thriving.  We put Him first and our family second.  We live life together... we play together and pray together... we serve together and learn together.  We hang out and go out and stay in, all together... and oh how we laugh! We laugh together... every day.

So for us, setting boundaries and putting priorities in order reflect this value system.  We say yes to some things, and no to others... even when we would rather say the opposite. But we do it because we have learned that the Art of Balance for the other parts of our lives begins with finding joy and peace and love - balanced out, right here at home.

Still, even though we know this, we have to learn and relearn this because this world throws all kinds of chaos and beautiful messy at us... but the Art of Balancing Life is well worth pursuing... no matter how many times we need a refresher course!

So let me encourage you to seek Him in this. For each family - the art of balancing will look a little differently!  It will depend on what you are called to do, and what your family highly values... pray, ask His guidance in setting boundaries and priorities that will honor the plans He has for your family. Discuss it with them, and then set out to learn how to fill up at home, together and individually... so that you can pour out, wherever you go!

No matter how you create a Balanced Life for you...
it will require a lot of Love...
and a lot of Grace!

And it helps if you remember to:

So - how do you find Balance in your life and does it feel like Art to you?  What do you find works for you and your family?

~Karrilee~

Where I share about how God began speaking...

I am sure it was happening for my whole life long, but I always love to look back and see glimpses of how God was speaking to me - even way before I ever knew Him.

  

Flashes of memory, of bedtime prayers with visiting family, of movies or going to church with the neighborhood kids, of beauty around all me, or in the words of a song...

  

I am Guest Posting over at Simply Striving today, sharing about a song that mysteriously found its' way into my life... and into my heart... and years later - how I can now see, it is still my prayer!

Come visit me at Nikki's today and find out the rest of the story...

To read more... click HERE.

Speak Life. Be Love. Shine On.

~Karrilee~

A Weekend Recap... Links to some of my fav's

So if you have been around here for very long at all, or if you know me in real life - you know this one little thing about me: I Can. Not. pick a favorite!

It just can't be done!

At least it is oh so very rare to have a single hands down favorite!

But - I can give you a list of some - yes - SOME - of my favorite posts that I have read this past week!

This is a new thing... everyone's doing it.  To be honest, I read so many amazing blogs that I forget who wrote what and I can't promise to offer this type of Weekend Recap on any kind of consistent basis... but - with that said, here we go!

This post by Sarah Bessey... in which she writes a post that amazes me yet again!

This one by Jen Hatmaker... where she writes of Sunday Night Church!

This post where Nancy of There Is Grace makes me want to go to Starbucks! (Shocker, I know!)

This one where Ashley Larkin talks of Llama's at Weddings - and it will make you catch your breath!

This post by Jennifer Dukes Lee on letting go of the lie will have you grabbing hold of Truth!

Lisa Jo Baker writes about Mean Girls...

For good measure - here is my favorite piece this week of my own: My Five Minute Friday post on Present (along with my own link up at the end!)

Lastly - for your listening pleasure... this one featuring Big Mama in a podcast! (and yes - I am totally cheating because this was from the week before... still - you'll love it!)

So - not quite a Top 10... See? I had mercy! 

I pray these posts bless you as they did me!
Enjoy your weekend...

Speak Life. Be Love. Shine On.
~Karrilee~

Five Minute Friday - Present

What a fun night tonight with the ever growing Gathering of Awesomeness that happens over on Twitter at #fmfparty!  I know, I know... I say it every week - but it just gets better and better... this doing life with these sisters, these kindred hearts... I can not wait to meet some of these writers in person - face to face, eye to eye, heart to heart - and to hear their voices matched up with their words in the Fall at Allume!

But - first - the fine print: if you don't know what FMF is!  Five Minute Fridays are hosted by Lisa Jo Baker.  It is open to anyone, so to learn more about it - and to jump in yourself (the more the merrier!) or just to find a linky to see what everyone is writing about today - click HERE!  The idea is to simply write... for Five Minutes flat... no editing, no deep thinking - or at least REthinking, no spell check - just write! Let it flow! We all write using a prompt that Lisa posts at one minute past midnight Friday morning (EST.)  I'm loving the community of amazing bloggers and the creativity that flows from these magical Five Minutes!

So - here goes: Five Minute Friday - PRESENT...

{GO}

Mistakes... Regrets... Hopes... and Dreams...

Changes are happening all around us and for my girlie who prefers that All the Things remain the same, this is hard.   She is learning to let go of the past... to roll over those mistakes and regrets and let Grace have it's way in her heart... and she is opening up to the idea of entertaining some new hopes and dreams soon.  Soon... but not yet!

In this moment - for this day... she is clinging to the Present.  How things are right here, right now!  I can see it in the way she cuddles up and asks for attention... I can hear it in her laughter and the late night whispers... she is purposing in her heart to drink. this. in.  All of this - for it's good and it's bad... it's highs and lows... because she can taste the change at the corners of her mouth and she knows it will be good... but is not yet convinced that it can ever ever compare.

With a new job, these last two weeks she has made herself sick with stress and worry.  She has been putting pressure on herself that no one else would ever dream of asking her to carry,
but this girlie of mine? She has some high standards for herself... but I am here to remind her again and again... perfection is not the goal.

The goal is to Stay Present... to be fully HERE... 

High standards are good... necessary... and a willingness to work hard is a blessing... but oh how often we are the hardest on ourselves and the last to ever offer up the Grace that we would so freely give away to others!  Last week I wrote about being a Hunter of Beauty and a Finder of Grace and oh my stars how I don't need to look any farther than this:

She is Beauty and Grace... and as she learns to Stay Present...
to count gifts... to breathe it all in... 

she is learning how to be a Hunter and a Finder right beside me!

{STOP}

Speak Life, Be Love, Shine On!

~Karrilee~

Five Minute Fridays gives us the chance to dive right in and share what He puts on our hearts! Click here to read what others have to say about "PRESENT"  

Also - stop by my Link Up and share a post or comment
and tell us how you have found Beauty and Grace this week! 

From the Archives - a Feast of Silence

In honor of #ThrowbackThursday (and due to the fact that I have been taking care of a sick girlie this week!) - I thought I would randomly pull a post from the Archives... don't you just love the surprise of looking back and seeing how consistently God has been speaking to you?  This was originally posted on June 13, 2011 but could have easily been penned today!

Enjoy!

"The Feast of Silence"


After a FULL weekend of family & friends... loud (great) music, lots of chatting, & tons of laughter - I had the unexpected pleasure today of enjoying a Feast of Silence. I had planned on having a living room filled with powerful, wonderful women of God - however, the Lord had other plans. Not one of my Happy Intercessors showed up today! Not a one... so I had to fight the urge to 'go on' with my day & tackle that bossy list of Things To Do! Instead, however, I sat in silence... listening. After such a busy & blessed weekend, I felt filled up & refreshed already... however just sitting with my favorite Guys (The Father, the Son, & the Holy Spirit) - I felt washed in Peace. His Presence was a gift to me... & the Silence was a Feast!

I don't know about you - but in my daily world, there is a LOT of noise! Whether it be literal: traffic, talking, cell phones ringing, appliances running, TV or music on in the background... or more like the 'noise' in my head... thoughts, regrets, worries, hopes, more bossy lists... Whatever the source - the noise grabs for our attention & causes us (or at least me) to be short sighted! In our world of multi-tasking, it is often hard to remember the value of sitting & doing just ONE thing, especially when that one thing is listening to nothing, but expecting something!

As I sat in my chair - drinking in the quietness of the day & feeling warmed by His Peace, I was led to read through a few Scriptures. Psalm 67 was one of them & while I have loved that psalm for many years - reading it in The Message today caused me to grab on to a new phrase. This now is my goal:

"God, mark us with grace
and blessing!
Smile!"
(Ps 67:1 The Message)

My desire is to be marked with Grace & Blessing... in other translations this reads to be merciful to us & bless us & to have His face shine upon us! My desire is not to be blessed & have the favor of God simply so that I can succeed & be prosperous (although that happens, of course!) I love the 'marked with grace' part... that to me says that in His blessing & pouring out favor on me... His Grace & Mercy are evident as well. It's the mercy of God that leads to repentance. He is a good God... in a good mood & He desires to bless us... to love on us... to smile with us... & in the silence of just being with Him, I felt His smile & basked in His shining... I want to be one that so carries the Presence & Power of God - that my countenance is shining as well. I have gone the route of the religious - & people could see - well, not Grace - on me... but my goal is to let the Love of God flow through me & shine on to others who so need a glimpse of His light!

My prayer is that you too will be marked with grace & blessing!

Shine On!

~Karrilee~

P.S. This also lends itself to the Link Up I am hosting this week on being a Hunter of Beauty and a Finder of Grace...

I'd love to have you join in!
To read what others have discovered this week,
or to add your own findings, click HERE!

A New Link Up - A Hunter of Beauty & a Finder of Grace

"... I am a Hunter of Beauty and a Finder of Grace."

As I was typing this out, all speedy-like and without trying to edit my thoughts, for a Five Minute Friday post last week - it struck me that this is my job description, and it invited me in... like a lovely Challenge - to see if it was true!

It is similar to Counting Gifts... being on the lookout for blessings and unexpected ways you find Him in the ordinary everyday sort of things!

So - I am hosting a link up... and I would love for you to share in a post (or in the comments below) one way that you were a Hunter of Beauty or a Finder of Grace in the past week.

We will meet up here... and encourage each other to fight on... to search for and seek out that which He is pouring all over us already!

Let's count it... 
slow time for a moment or two...
drink it in...

Can't think of anything?  Well - begin now, today... and come back when you have found something to share! This link up will be open all week long! Just jump in and share how He is speaking to you today... where He is showing up for you!

It's so encouraging to hear and see how the Lord is at work... often times for me - it's when I see Him actively involved in someone elses' life, that I begin to clearly see that He is active in my own as well!

So look around you... look within you... and then link up back here and testify of how you are encountering Beauty and Grace!

Speak Life. Be Love. Shine On.

~Karrilee~

A Day trip to Reconnect & Relax - #1000Gifts

This summer... things are different.  

Change is looming large and while for me, I am learning to lean in to it and to embrace the adventure of it (or at least I am attempting to take that approach) - my girlie is not quite there yet.  

This means that she wants All the Things to remain the same... which is clearly not possible.  

She has a job... and that eats into her teenage lifestyle of sleeping during summer.  She needs to deal with college and classes and financial aid. Our normal Vacation is not happening this year... and to top it all off, she has been battling some sort of sickness week after week. (A price she has paid since working with the elderly! She never used to get sick... but almost to the day - she has battled a little bug here, or the stomach flu there... we are ready for THAT to change!)

So - I am drinking in all the moments that we get to relax together... to snuggle in and take it slow, yet I'm hinting at the coming shifts and sowing Seeds of Hope and Faith and Expectation for Good... reminding her of what she already knows: that God is good, and He's in a good mood! That He is for her and not against her... that He will lead and guide her, that He will go before her - He'll be her shield and buckler... and the fire in her midst!

He's got this... all this change that causes her to want to pull the covers up over her head and cuddle in tighter! He's got her... She is not paralyzed by fear... but forward motion is making her motion-sick... so I am finding a balance of releasing and gently guiding her toward what is next!

All of this has taken quite a bit of time and energy and emotion... which means that her precious Daddy has been patiently waiting by our sides - letting us bond and work through some things... giving encouragement and wisdom here and there... however, all of that to say this, we NEEDED a Day Trip.  We needed to just hit the road for a few hours and reconnect and relax together... just us two.

We needed to drink in some togetherness... to sit side by side in the car, holding hands, watching beauty just pass us by... 

This is some of the beauty that we found:

In Linking up with Ann and the Multitudes on Mondays,

I count on... listing gifts, -blessings...

one after another...

#1284 - New contacts waiting to be picked up (& old contacts ready to be thrown out!)

#1287 - New Screen in our Screen door

#1291 - A busy day creatively (editing photo's, word art with Scripture, painting)

#1300 - Nutella Crepes - OH MY

#1301 - Al Fresca enjoying a gorgeous summer eve outdoors!

#1302 - (Gifts in His Word:) I love it whenever it is recorded that Jesus spoke someones' name... I love the reminder that He speaks my name too!

#1307 - Fleece blankets - yes, even in the summertime!

#1310 - Blisters healing up... braving going for a walk this morning (in new shoes)

#1311 - Cars that are reliable and take us places!

#1312 - Green trees - light filtering through the wind.

#1317 - Pedi date with my girlie... pre-tattoo

#1320 - Watching my girlie hug a friend and tell him "Happy Father's Day!" (He's the Dad of one of her good friends... she has grown up with him and I think he needed to hear it!)

#1324 - My Bible - worn out, and falling apart - highlighted, underlined, and notes in the margins... still how He speaks to me and starts up a conversation!

#1337 - (A Gift Bent) - Peonies, heavy on their stems, bloomed wide and full, and bowing down.

#1346 - (A Gift that is Difficult) - Supporting Dreams, but speaking a small dose of reality too (knowing how much is enough!)

#1348 - Knowing when NOT to ask the 20 Questions you want answers to!

#1353 - His words, whenever I pray for Jack... "This is not unto death."

#1355 - Walking in the warm summer rain with my Honey

#1356 - Farmers Markets

#1362 - The soft touch on a warm night... sheets tangled up with a summer breeze.

#1365 - A chilled glass of Reisling and a handful of cold Rainier Cherries - divine!

#1369 - Love Does by Bob Goff... Daring Greatly by Brene Brown... Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist 

Speak Life. Be Love. Shine On.

~Karrilee~

Linking with Ann...

Five Minute Friday - Beautiful

Who even cares if it's a National holiday and families are wondering where we all snuck off to... it is Thursday night, people... surely they should know how to do the Math and figure out that it is time for our weekly rendition of #fmfparty - where a talented gathering of Awesomeness circles around a one word prompt - but while waiting for the word - we circle around each other... (I should say I type this out all boldly - but I bailed before the Word was up to cuddle with the family for bit... still - you get the point!)  This ridiculous, hilarious crowd of creatives feeds my soul and stirs me up... encourages and uplifts me like no other!  This gathering, in and of itself, is sheer beauty!

But - first - the fine print: if you don't know what FMF is!  Five Minute Fridays are hosted by Lisa Jo Baker.  It is open to anyone, so to learn more about it - and to jump in yourself (the more the merrier!) or just to find a linky to see what everyone is writing about today - click HERE!  The idea is to simply write... for Five Minutes flat... no editing, no deep thinking - or at least REthinking, no spell check - just write! Let it flow! We all write using a prompt that Lisa posts at one minute past midnight Friday morning (EST.)  I'm loving the community of amazing bloggers and the creativity that flows from these magical Five Minutes!

So - here goes: Five Minute Friday -BEAUTIFUL ...

{GO}

As someone who creates - whether with a camera in hand, a paintbrush, fingertips to keyboard, or a spatula or scissors grasped with purpose - I look for Beauty all around me.

I hunger for it and oh how Beautiful can just Dance and Swirl around you, Wrap around your Heart and Squeeze Gasps of Air just right clean out of you.  

Beautiful.  Breathless.

I pray to see things from His perspective... to love like He loves... to BE and SPEAK and SHINE... I want to Drink in Blessings, and Count Gifts both Big and Small...

If we but open our eyes, we will see Beautiful surrounds us every day... for Beauty resides within us!  We are Beautiful... YOU are Beautiful - for we are made in His image and let's be honest... have you ever - I mean EVER - seen anything or anyone more Beautiful than Him?

So as I wake and focus and go about my day... I am a Hunter of Beauty and a Finder of Grace.

It's in the simple ways... like how your body craves oxygen and the way your heart pounds faster unexplained in moments of sheer inspiration... moments of divine revelation... when Love walks in and makes Himself at Home in your Heart... 

It's in the flowers reaching towards the sunlight - basking in His glory and giving praise right on back to Him... It's in the giggles of toddler whispers, the pre-teen "I love you, too's" and graduate "I miss you so's"... it's in the way you tilt your head and just bust up laughing, throwing your head back and feeling the fullness of the joy that has overtaken you.  It's in the soft touch and slow love and the warmth of knowing my place, right here beside you.  It's in the purring cat at my feet, and the stack of books on the table...

...and it's in the way He speaks to me Beautiful... 
He says it like it's my name... and it is!
It's your name too... 

{STOP}

Speak Life, Be Love, Shine On!

~Karrilee~

Five Minute Fridays gives us the chance to dive right in and share what He puts on our hearts! Click here to read what others have to say about "BEAUTIFUL"  

Independence Day... It's for freedom that we have been set free!

"It was for freedom that Christ has set us free;

therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again

to a yoke of slavery."

                 ~ Galatians 5:1 NASB

I had plans of writing... 

about America, about freedom, about how it isn't free

and how it is not just for us...

I was going to add some photographs of our trip to DC

and maybe a shot of fireworks... 

But then this, posted by Jen Hatmaker

on Twitter...

Click below to see:

This is 4th of July...

This is my Thank You for serving!

Speak Life. Be Love. Shine On.

~Karrilee~

Things I Learned In June...

Aaaah yeah... today I am linking up with the amazing Emily Freeman over at Chatting at the Sky in reflecting on some random things that we learned throughout the month of June!  This is one of my favorite end of the month posts that she does and she has opened it up for us all to play along... so hop on over HERE to see what everyone has learned and to share some of your own lessons!

Without further ado, here is my random list... in no particular order...


1. Tattoos on the foot really DO hurt... like really REALLY hurt!

We made our daughter wait until she was legal age to get a tattoo... yeah, cuz we're mean like that!  She turned 18 in May and decided that for her first one, she wanted us to get matching tatts... oh boy! I blogged about this (and the meaning behind what we chose HERE) & I figured I would let her choose where to get it so when she picked the foot, I remembered hearing that is the most painful spot to have one - or at least towards the top of the list.  However, I gave birth to her... with no meds... and I have one other tattoo and that one didn't hurt too much so I decided that I could probably handle it. I was secretly hoping she would really not 'enjoy' it so much! Maybe if it hurts - she won't want a dozen others? I am not anti-tattoo, obviously - but I also would prefer that she doesn't get covered in them - especially on a whim, regretting it later!  Well - she did great... she was - shall we say - expressive with her facial features but she didn't make a sound! (I, on the other hand...)

2. "Cancer" is a scary word and the diagnosis of it can appear to be a Giant but faith arises, and do we not serve a God who calls & equips us to be Giant Slayers?  Peace can come in like a flood - instead of the enemy - when we lean in and trust anyway.

3. There is no more LBD (Lizzie Bennett Diaries) sadly...

but there IS The Autobiography of Jane Eyre 

(...and you're welcome!)

4. Never let a little Summer Storm keep you inside...

My Honey and I had planned a walk on a Sunday afternoon but by the time we were ready to head out the door, it was raining.  And not just a little sprinkling - but serious raining.  However, it was warm - and we live in the desert so it never rains for long... we decided to go anyway! It turns out I LOVE walking in the rain... We walked down along a path that meanders by the river and it was divine to just walk hand in hand and enjoy the quiet (because - well - it was raining... so it was pretty secluded!)  Then we decided we were already wet - so we went and strolled around the Farmers Market, bought some fresh fruit and a plant or two... a LOVELY Sunday afternoon that ended with this gorgeous vibrant rainbow!


5.  Reading Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist makes you want to actually DO stuff... like Caramelize Onions!

Which make the house smell DELISH!!!  Mmm...

6.  ...and just because you know to look for 'sink holes' when cooking Risotto doesn't mean you will actually find them - or know how to get them to show up! 

I followed the recipe from the above mentioned book (Bread and Wine - a must read!) for Mushroom Parmesan Risotto - and sure, I overcooked it a bit... but hey - I COOKED it! Next time (yes - there WILL be a next time!) I will watch more carefully! The fam' all still loved it anyway!

7.  So - I love Coconut Oil... I use it for everything... I have a jar in the kitchen of course - but I also have a jar in the bathroom.  Turns out - using coconut oil as moisturizer works great - but also tends to get a bit too flirty with the sun...

 however - if you DO lose all track of time while out on a walk with a friend and a Starbucks, and get a little too red - it turns out - putting coconut oil on it afterwards helps to soothe the skin and (at least for me) it turned to a tan overnight... no peeling or ouchies at all!

8. I hosted my first ever Link Up using LinkyTools... super easy (even for me - a serious techy-challenged Blogger!)

  ... it's still live this week - wrapping up my series on Vacations!


9.  There is something about Summer that makes me think I can Read All the Books!

Right now I am reading 7 or 8 at once! For whatever reason, I would not attempt this in the Bossy days of other seasons! (My current book list: Love Does, Crazy Love, Bread & Wine, Powerful & Free, Daring Greatly, Sparkly Green Earrings, Kingdom Journeys, & You are a Writer)

10.  Graduation Week is survivable... even while staying present in all the moments and feeling all the feelings!

 

We made it through the craziness... the years and years and months and months leading up to this crazy hectic week... looming large with all kinds of Change... all sorts of Ends and Beginnings and I'm-So-Proud-of-You's and I-Can-Hardly-Even-Believe-It's!

My how I love this girlie... she is my favorite!

So - the most important thing that I (re)learned in June is this:

I love my life... this life - right here, right now.  
With all the ups and downs,
the Know for Sure's and the Who Can Know's.
The Changes ahead and the Steadfastness of the Family and God that I love!

I am learning and relearning how to stay present... how to give thanks... how to live fully in this day... right here... right now!

So what about you?  What have you learned in June?

Speak Life. Be Love. Shine On.
~Karrilee~