sparking joy
a pink rose that still bloomed despite all the construction chaos around it
Life is overwhelming sometimes.
One of the things constantly nagging my head is that I’m not posting. Not writing, not sharing photos, not anything. Before you voice your opinions about that, dear reader, I know perfectly well that no one is keeping track. No one really cares if I post or not. And everyone else is also insanely busy and doesn’t need to read anything I have to say. (Don’t bother to argue or you’ll miss my coming point.) No, what’s missing is that I want to be posting. I want to take the time to pause, reflect, collect, and document. (Bold and italics for proper emphasis.)
So here I am. For me. If you find some enjoyment in my posts… hooray! I’m putting aside my need to back up and catch up on all the fun and important things I haven’t documented yet and instead I just grabbed a whole bunch of recent life photos that bring me a smile and spark a little joy when I see and remember them. So without too much explanation, here we go with what’s sparking joy in my life in this season:
A pothos cutting from a friend that I have successfully repotted and hung in my new kitchen. It’s doing so brilliantly.
THINGS I BOOKMARKED
If you want to be creative, learn how to rest – excellent article. Really thought-provoking, scientific, and gives practical tips for structuring your work day.
Collateral Damage – Fantastic article by Sarah Hauser about genuine hospitality and what it costs. “…controlled hospitality can be a selfish version of the welcome we’re meant to show.”
All Christians should listen to Pope Leo on AI – Very profound article by Russell Moore in response to Pope Leo’s encyclical and a thought provoking comparison of technology to Babel.
Stealing Past Watchful Dragons: How Reading the Bible Imaginatively Helps Bypass Our Overfamiliarity – Excellent article by Caleb Woodbridge about our imaginations and the meaning of renewing our whole minds. Really thought-provoking and encouraging.
A Different Kind of Darwinism is Winning – An absolutely brilliant article by Russell Moore about science and faith and the real concerns Christians should be having about Darwinian ethics.
spring blossoms outside a derelict church in Hereford that I enjoyed before my allergies kicked in for the season
THINGS I LISTENED TO
Fools Rush In by She & Him – This is quite old. But I came across it last night while searching an old hard drive for something. It brought back so many nostalgic feelings for when I first listened to it and adored it. And I found myself singing it this morning while washing the morning’s dishes. Joy once again.
The Arcadian Wild – Another older album, but we have all loved their most recent album so much. The other day I was searching and realized I never listened to their earlier stuff. This is on repeat currently for Joanna and myself.
Billie Holiday and Ella on repeat – Jazz is always a comfort listen for me. When I’m cleaning, cooking, or doing anything and just want to chill… I turn to Billie or Ella. The other day I was blasting this Billie album and Joanna came home from something, sighed, and smiled. She said she loves jazz so much and it makes her feel at home and like it’s autumn all the time. My job here is done.
The Illustration Department Podcast – I’ve been listening to a lot of this podcast, especially on lone drives. This was a recent favorite interview with a fave illustrator, Christopher Denise.
a cow taking a knee for who knows what reason. I am not a farmer. I do not understand this behavior or posture and I don’t think it is normal.
THINGS I MADE
I’m working on a deadline currently for a book being published this October (surprise!). More info to come on that when I’m allowed to share, but I’ve been making lots of lino prints when I can. Here’s a recent fun one:
lino print just for my enjoyment. I’m fascinated how the color changed between pulls. I cannot figure out why. I printed it at the Castle during Print Club so likely someone added more red to my ink when I was elsewhere. I prefer the lighter orange.
birthday cake for Genevieve’s 12th. The only request was chocolate everything and the girl loves marzipan, so I created some marzipan pandas for decoration.
The best vegetarian pizza ever. Never would I have ever thought I would love a vegetarian pizza, but this one has 3 of the 4 of us raving.
THINGS I FOUND
green hymnals in a Hereford church
the local Hay Theatre Agatha Christie play “Towards Zero.” Both our girls were in it and it was epic and stunning and nerve-wracking and just the most amazing memory.
an old poem about green shoes
a classic red Mini in town
hedge roads (yes, for two cars) and beautiful views of the Welsh landscape
Genevieve’s birthday party was a small affair with just a couple friends and a climbing adventure. It was dramatic, exciting, and a sweet time of friendship.
Easter eggs that my girls still beg for me to hide and then I laugh at the epic trading and discussion
tulips that surprise us every year in one patch in our back garden with their appearance and variety of color
I hope I never tire of the amount of rainbows we see in Wales. Also, that’s a rapeseed field in bright yellow ahead. The color is unreal.
epic burger plate at Beefy Boys for G’s birthday. I never opt for the gluten free bun as this is just so much better. American friends always tell us Britain can’t make a good burger… Beefy Boys wants a word.
had coffee with a friend at The Treehouse and just loved the vibe
market sign and stall with books in old suitcases
Joanna’s birthday matched her new room colors
Mark found a small picture book for me at a shop, bought it, and then proceeded to read it to us all at dinner. This. is. love.
a new lamp that came in brilliant packaging
attempting a new family adventure…
Genevieve asked to learn to mow.
Christmas in June. A Hallmark Christmas movie was filmed in Hay-on-Wye so parts of town got Christmassy for a week.
Mark and I grabbed a late date night at Old Bank Hay for one of their pop-up weekends.
Joanna freehand crocheted this Mary Poppins for a friend to celebrate their school performance this past weekend. It just astounds me. And you should see all the little pieces inside the carpet bag!
Another play in the books this past weekend with Joanna playing Bert in “Mary” Poppins and Genevieve being a variety of company parts as well as a chimney sweep. (That makes one murder mystery play, one dance showcase, and one musical in 3 months for anyone counting.) One of Joanna’s best friends was Mary and another was Michael so it was so special. It was also really fantastic. There is something so amazingly special to watch your kid do what they’ve dreamed of doing since they could stand and dance.
She also made a small Bert for the other Bert in the doubled cast.
The view from the Castle during Print Club also never gets old.
THINGS AT THE HOUSE
I’m throwing in a new section today. We’ve got so much going on with the house right now it begs its own place for documentation.
Externally, this is where we started.
the before shot
end of May, this all happened
last week!
It’s happening quite fast and is very exciting. Still so much work to do inside and out and then we have to tackle the landscaping too.
And inside updates…
Mark hacked some Ikea cabinets to make these gorgeous built-ins for the dining room.
While we were doing kitchen renovation, we wanted to tackle the Harry Potter cupboard under the stairs. I don’t think we got a proper before picture as it was ugly with just the underside of the stairs covered in cobwebs and walls that needed repairing. But here is after Mark reinforced each stair and then covered them with plywood. We painted, trimmed and redid the flooring too. A fresh, blank canvas!
the almost finished Harry Potter cupboard
The mostly finished Harry Potter cupboard under the stairs in the kitchen. You can’t fully appreciate it without a true before, but at least it is very functional and lovelier now. Still hope to fix the lighting, paint the door, and add a curtain to cover the storage in back.
We got new flooring in the bathroom. This will soon be known as the upstairs bathroom once the extension is complete and we have a second bathroom to be known as the downstairs bathroom!
and Mark hacked these Ikea bookcases to build them in for our bedroom too!
The girls new rooms are close to being done, but little details are waiting and can wait for another post.
Just a typical school run spotting
An epic post for sure. But so much fun to collect joy and share it. I would love to hear what is sparking joy* for you lately. Comment or message me! 💚
*thanks to my lovely friend Hannah for the idea