Mother Love

It’s no secret that I love music.

I don’t play music or write music, but it is absolutely one of my favorite things. I took piano lessons for a few years when I was growing up, but I didn’t continue with it…and it’s something I deeply regret now. I’ve been so tempted to try to take up playing again, but it feels too daunting and hard to be honest. I’m not a self-teacher…meaning I need someone to teach me how to do something if I’m really going to get it. At this stage in life, heading out for an hour long music lesson once a week just isn’t happening…but maybe one day, my kids and I can go to lessons together, hehe.

Music speaks to my soul in ways that nothing else really does, and I connect more with God in music than any other way. On hard days or in hard moments, the best thing for me to do to break through the clouds is to play worship music and sing. There is something powerful in choosing to praise and worship God with music during a hard season, and so many times, it gets me out of my funk. Sometimes it’s honestly one of the last things I feel like doing, but whenever I make the conscious choice to engage in worship in spite of my feelings, it blesses my spirit every time. So today I thought I’d share with you some of my all-time favorite worship/inspirational songs…and I’d love to hear yours! I’m always up for discovering new music, so please do share a favorite or two that you have in the comments.

::a few FAVORITE songs::

What about you: what are some of your favorite songs?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

You know I love my weekends, and this one was no exception!

We had Friday night at home with our favorite dinner and then had some friends/family over later on for dessert and conversation. I was craving something pumpkin (because who isn’t this time of year?!) so I made this pumpkin-yogurt crisp thing and it sorta turned out, and it was a really fun evening with some great friends. We were hoping to spend the evening outside on the patio, but it was too rainy and cool to do that, and really it was RAIN so I didn’t mind at all, hehe.

Saturday was a big home project day and we felt like we got a lot done, which is always a nice thing to feel at the end of a day. We went into Lowe’s in the morning to pick out a new dishwasher and to check out other things for our kitchen remodel…cabinets, countertops, etc. I think we know what we want, so fingers crossed it actually works out that way. The rest of the day was spent mowing, more garage organizing, hauling things to the thrift store donation box (i though we got ride of everything we could when we moved…turns out we still have a lot we don’t really need. downsizing will do that to ya, haha.), and other odds and ends that needed to get done. It was another rainy day, so I made a big pot of chili for supper because it just felt right, Ayla went down for an early bedtime, and we spent the rest of the evening with a movie and snacks. Such a perfect Saturday!

Ben had plans for the day with some of the guys from work, so it was a quiet, slow Sunday for us. We actually slept in until almost eight o’clock (that hardly ever happens around here), and I always get this strange sense of accomplishment when I can stay sleeping past six thirty on the weekends. It just seems like the fun thing to do on the weekend, huh? Ayla and I were just at home for the day, taking naps (well, she did), reading, a little walk in the morning, and being cozy. She has suddenly become so much more interactive and is full of smiles and giggles all day long. I think she is discovering emotions right now because she will go from super-duper happy to super-duper upset in five seconds flat…it’s actually kinda cute, hehe. I really do love seeing her personality emerge more and more, and even if that means we have more attitude to deal with, it’s ok.

Here are five things I love:

– this inspirational act
– this recipe
– this song (on repeat for days)
– this snack
– this perfect cardigan

Have a superb week, dears!