this & that
Summer is in full swing! I’d love to know how you all do your summers. Do you just let the days run their course or do you have a daily schedule? I have to admit, I don’t achieve my ideal summer day every day, which I envision as a balance of scheduled and free time. Schedule takes discipline and that just seems to go out the window when there’s no external accountability for it (like school.) Tips would be appreciated!
For now, I’m going to seize this lazy Saturday morning and browse these links. Join me!
Hello lovely readers.
I hope your week was a good one and that you can enjoy these two days of rest, or whatever we Americans call weekends. They’re hardly restful. But hopefully they’re rejuvenating!
My week was … well … about the same as every other week. Kids do school, kids do soccer, kids play, we get outside, we see friends, I clean, I cook, I resolve conflicts, I negotiate hostage situations talk down toddler tantrums, etc. Some days I do it pretty well, some days I fall pretty low. Those highs and lows seems to be part and parcel of the gig. Sometimes it’s easy; other times, I’ll be honest, my love tank runs on almost empty. There’s a lot of self talk for times like that, but maybe the simplest is, well, someone did it for me. Maybe that’s what we can celebrate this Mother’s Day, that our mothers showed up even when they were low on sleep, stretched thin, over touched, tired of cleaning, or whatever it was. They showed us what it was to love even when they weren’t really feeling the love. I know that’s not the stuff of the grocery store flowers and sappy Hallmark cards, but it maybe it’s more meaningful for all that?
“It was one of those days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.”
Leave it to Charles Dickens to nail a description.
We all hit slumps, right? We all three of us hit a blog slump at the same time. A little bit of holiday overload, some traveling, and a lot of sickness - 2019 came on like a bear and laid us flat just a little bit. But now we’re pulling ourselves up and out of it and kicking off our 2019 … just a month late!
It’s November! Pause for a second and let that blow your mind. Also, momentarily freak out about having less than 8 weeks until Christmas and then remember you have almost 8 weeks and Amazon so there’s nothing to worry about.
This week we celebrated one year in Houston. So much has happened for my family in this past year. New home town, new baby, first year homeschooling, first home purchase. Sometimes I get this uncomfortable feeling that it's all passing too quickly to take it all in.
Ok we're slowly but surely getting back into the swing of things around here. We're having baby baptized tomorrow and then a little luncheon afterwards for close friends. She's really starting to wake up to the world - making eye contact, smiling, staying awake for more than just a few minutes, and seeming to recognize the people around here or at least to be more alert and aware of the surrounding noise (er, chaos.) These are my favorite days, when they're still mostly sleeping and cuddling on you, but starting to show all the promise of their little personalities. It's full of sweetness and anticipation.
We're back! We took a brief hiatus for the month of July for moving/babies/harvesting. Our blog is coming up on its 1st birthday so we'll probably be having a few conversations in the next weeks about what's working, what's not, and where we want to go with it. Reader input is highly valued!
The news has gotten me down this week. The suicides of two hugely successful people makes my heart ache wondering what interior sadness or despair they were carrying. Without turning their tragedies into occasions for commentary or morals-of-the-story, can we still at least appreciate together how a person’s inner life can be so little known even to those closest? May we be compelled to bolster those around us with our love, and to strive to fortress ourselves with true inner peace.
(There’s really no graceful segue into a bunch of relatively trivial links, but isn’t that often the way the transition from reflection and prayer into daily life goes?)
Have a great weekend! Don’t forget to plan out ways to celebrate your husband/dad/grandpa for Fathers Day (and share any ideas you might have, please and thank you!)
June! When did that happen? (Also, does commenting on the rapid passage of time ever become old? It just always seems surprising!)
"Summer" takes on a whole new meaning in Houston. Unrelenting heat and humidity means fewer opportunities for outside play, a lot of watermelon, and pool time every day. We're still learning how to shape our days to beat the heat.
Sorry we missed you last week! That's just real life, I guess. But we're back and at it for your extended Memorial Day weekend. I hope that one extra day gives you a nice break.
Happy mother's day to all you mamas out there! I hope your tomorrow is lovely. And if you're not a mom, happy mother's day to your mother! I hope you call her, at the very least.
Mother's Day is a funny balance of being appreciated for what you do as a mother and just wanting a day off from being a mother. Oh I'm kidding of course. Or am I? I find it to be a tricksy kind of day. I've got some Mother's Day musings coming. Stay tuned.
For now, join us for some Saturday morning reading, Mother's Day edition!
We're in Columbus, Ohio this weekend for a family wedding so I haven't had as much time to gather good links, but I've got a couple to get you through your Saturday breakfast. Speaking of, do you have Saturday breakfast traditions? In my house, it's sweet breakfast on Saturday (pancakes, waffles, crepes, etc) and savory on Sunday (breakfast sandwiches/burritos, omelettes, etc.) Everyone is satisfied ... although that's not too tough in a house full of people who really love breakfast food. Anyway, whatever you're eating, here are some links to get you through!
Last weekend of April! Visions of pools and sunshine and long summer days are starting to look like more of a future reality than a mere pipe dream. Have you all started to plan out your summers yet? Do you like to stick close to home or fill your days with camps and outings and vacations? We're in the middle of house hunting and a big part of me wants a pool because I'm definitely more of a home body. Also I'm 30 weeks pregnant and Texas summers are hot and heavy - a lethargy-inducing combo. The idea of lounging pool side all summer is obsessing me almost as much my craving for chocolate.
We've got a bunch of great links this week so grab your coffee, tea, or whatever you drink to kick off your Saturday and join us!
Another week, another collection of this & that links for your (hopefully) quiet, peaceful Saturday morning. Some weeks seem to trudge by at a vengefully slow pace, don't they? This one passed in a blink for me. Either way the weekend comes as a welcome reprieve. Kick it off with some light internet reading!
This weekend is a busy one over here at Beneath the Crust. Maria is off in California hiking with a childhood friend (at 28 weeks pregnant, mind you)! Her energy and commitment to staying active is truly remarkable. If you missed it before, here's a crash course in Maria's approach to fitness.
If you've noticed how quiet we've been this week, it's because we're all a little burned out by Easter preparation. It doesn't seem to matter how well I schedule my time or how much I do ahead of time, when the day after Easter rolls around I. am. beat. All I want to do is sit and read and eat jelly beans. (Which is a little what I did.) This week has been a good decompress, but it's time to get back to normal - meal plans, grocery lists, dinners more involved and nutritious than mac and cheese. But I'll take full advantage of the weekend first. :)
Happy St. Patrick's Day to you all! May his life be a real inspiration in our lives!
Now, while you're waiting around for the parade to start, or the pub to open (jk! please be safe today), here are a few little tid bits to help you pass the time. Oh yeah, and in case you missed it, we've got some boozy Guinness Bailey's brownies up on the blog, and Sophie's got you recipe conundrum covered with an Irish Soda Bread bake-off!
We are back again with this & that, a round-up of some fun and interesting things on the web! We've been hammering out how we want to format these lists of links, and it's still a work in progress. This week's new development? Breaking the links down into categories. Enjoy!
Changing things up this week (ok just feeling lazy)! I'm going to group the links together according to which sister submitted it. No weaving together some kind of pseudo-narrative between truly random links this time!
We are starting a new series here at Beneath the Crust!
This & That is a Saturday round-up of the things we found interesting on the web.