Hello from the porch!

There are some new faces around here, and I want to extend a warm welcome to each of you. I hope that this will be a cozy place for you to find friendship, encouragement, and some good books. Grab a mug filled with your favorite drink and let's chat, shall we?

Let's Catch Up

Last weekend all three of my girls were away on a trip with their youth group, giving my husband and I a weekend to ourselves - and it was our anniversary! We kept it lowkey, binge-watching a show we enjoy, going out to eat, and making cookie dough just to eat it raw (we live life on the wild side, ha!). We celebrated 22 years together! Somehow it feels like we just got married, and yet I can't imagine life not being by his side.

As lovely as the weekend was, the week came at us full-fledged. We found out the transmission on our oldest daughter's car (that she's had for 3 months) needs to be replaced. Other hard things came at us around the same time, and I'll be honest... it was a pretty rough day. My husband and I both went to bed early that night just so the day would be over.

But the Lord's mercies are new every morning, and He was quick to bring peace, encouragement, and solutions. We had a special midweek service at church that I'll be honest... I really didn't want to go. I was tired from the last couple of days and staying home sounded better. Easier. We went anyway, and during worship we sang the song "Praise" by Elevation Worship. (listen to it here)

I'll praise when I feel it

And I'll praise when I don't

I'll praise 'cause I know

You're still in control

Because my praise is a weapon

It's more than a sound

Oh, my praise is the shout

That brings Jericho down

As long as I'm breathing

I've got a reason to

Praise the Lord

Oh, my soul

Those verses hit me so hard! Because I truthfully didn't want to praise. I didn't feel like it. And yet despite my crummy attitude, God showed me His thread of faithfulness through all things. Not only does He have the car/transmission issue under control, but He can also handle physical healings, help us walk through forgiveness, and give us hope for the future. Praising God - recognizing who He is and acknowledging that He holds everything in His capable hands - really can transform a mood or outlook.

Tell Me Something Good

Something I did recently on my Instagram page that I intend on continuing, is sharing something good and asking others to do the same. It is SO easy to focus only on the negative that we forget or lose sight of all the wonderful things around us. For some reason it's a lot easier to pinpoint the stuff that goes wrong or that we don't like, and we have to be more intentional about finding the good. I don't know about you, but I want to be the kind of person that can see the beauty, even when things are perfect.

The Bible tells us, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." (Philippians 4:8)

Let's take a minute to acknowledge something good today. This morning I got to visit a new-to-me cafe with a dear friend. The food and coffee was amazing, the company was lovely, and we both brought our laptops and got to work together for several hours. So many good things! ❤️

I'd love to hear from you and hear what good thing you can identify today. Big or small, let's think on these things!

Writing Update

I'm participating in a writing challenge with my fellow Christian Mommy Writer's this month, and though I have both a drafting and editing goal, truthfully my biggest goal is to get this first draft DONE. I'm so close. I'm working on super emotional scenes at the conclusion of the book... the ones that matter the most. I'll be honest in saying I feel a little inadequate! If you think to do so, I'd love prayers to finish this story strong!

What I'm Reading

I'm between books right now, but read B.R. Goodwin's "Forget Me Knot" recently, and it was so cute! A short and sweet romcom that made me laugh and cry, and really... what more could you ask for? The author is a friend of mine and this was the first book by her that I've read. I will absolutely be reading more!

Are you looking for something to read? Want something FREE to read? Click the graphic below to check out a ton of free books. I haven't read them personally, but have been assured they are all clean. Talk about something good!

Thanks for hanging out with me today, friends! I hope you enjoyed today's break on the porch ❤️

Until next time,