Friday Favorites // 3

Time for another round of Friday Favorites! This is my last week of summer vacation, so I've been enjoying just relaxing (between 3:00am work shifts, that is...)

// Acacia Rachel posted some tips for how to be more productive here. They are so good. I'm thinking of writing them out and putting them up near my desk as a constant reminder. //

// I love mugs so much. I love these fandom mugs as well as this knitting mug. //

// The Emma Approved series. I've been rewatching it this week and remembering just how much I love Jane Austen, Emma, and this video series. If you've never watched it but are an Austen fan, or even if you aren't. you should watch this series. It's so good and entertaining and adorable and all around amazing. //

// Emily Freeman's new book, Simply Tuesday. I just started it (on Tuesday, actually, but not on purpose) but I already love it. She has so many good thoughts about celebrating the small things in life. The book is only about $9 on Amazon right now, too. //

// And because no Friday Favorites is complete without some sort of fandom reference...go here for some Doctor Who feels, if you're up to it. //

What have you been doing and loving this week? Do you collect mugs?

Thankful Thursday // 6

I want to consciously look for joy in the little things, so this series is a way for me to find things to be thankful for on a daily basis.

76. A short break between summer and fall classes

77. Coworkers who are fun to work and joke around with

78. Good deals at Goodwill.

79. Golden evening light that makes everything look more beautiful, from people to metal buckets to power lines.

80. Listening to podcasts and audiobooks while driving.

81. Little sisters who ask to rewatch Pride and Prejudice.

82. The joy of my parents coming home after they're gone for a few days.

83. Learning that silence is good. Music or movies don't always need to be playing in the background.

84. Inspiring Instagram posts.

85. Having the independence to go pick up silly things at the store like granola bars and crackers.

86. Fun knitting projects that help reignite my love for knitting.

87. Impromptu mall trips with sisters and friends to just try on dresses.

88. New planners and notebooks.

89. Lovely stationary and craft supplies.

90. Buying things on sale instead of paying full price.

Watch your mouth

Proverbs  21:23

"Whoever guards his mouth and tongue

Keeps his soul from troubles."

James 3:8

"But no man can tame the tongue, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison."

The tongue reveals what is in the heart and it cannot be tamed. Guarding the tongue is an active duty, one that must be always on out minds, not something that we can just put on autopilot. The little tongue can work great things for God as well as destroy people, and it is so much easier to destroy than to build up. But as Solomon points out over and over again in Proverbs, the wise person guards their words even though it's hard. To avoid strife, anger, and destruction, we must guard out words.

It's too easy to throw out a criticism or cruel comment without thinking, and I've been guilty of that more times than I could possibly count. I don't have any great words of wisdom or advice for how you can guard your mouth in five easy steps. All I can say is that it takes prayer, God's strength, and a conscientious effort to watch your mouth. We need to stop making excuses for ourselves when we say things we shouldn't or trying to justify our words and admit when we are wrong or have said something we shouldn't have.

The book of Proverbs constantly contrasts the wise man and the foolish man. The foolish man says whatever pops into his head, leading to trouble, but the wise man is careful with his words and only says that which is good and beneficial. We need to be striving, through God's strength, to be like that wise man, because if we try it on our own we will just end up like the foolish man.

Friday Favorites // 2

I think I need to just decide that blog series I think I will do on a weekly basis should become biweekly or monthly posts because I lose track of time far too quickly. *smile*

Anyway, here are some things I have been loving lately:

// Church picnics. I love fellowshipping for hours after the service ends and being able to visit with people I wouldn't always have time to talk to. //

// This bread recipe. It only takes a couple of hours to make (and only 40 minutes of rising time!) and it makes four loaves. It's super simple and my family loved it, and for once homemade bread lasted us more than one day. //

// These adorable crochet patterns for Disney princesses and other little things. I don't crochet a lot, but a friend shared these with me on Facebook and I desperately want to make one. I also love the fact that so many of my Facebook friends post crafty things on my wall. If you have any favorite patterns, tutorials, etc., feel free to share them with me! I love discovering new projects. //

// This Sherlock inspired planner. I love Sherlock and I love planners, so this one is pretty much perfect. //

// "May you never have cold feet" knitting poster. This is just too cute, and I love all the prints in her Etsy shop. //

// Adorable envelopes. I'm a sucker for cute stationary, and I love the simplicity of these. //

// Grace's journals. Her journaling style is so gorgeous and it always inspires me to begin art journaling instead of just writing. //

// Lately I've been rewatching some of my favorite shows, including Sherlock, Merlin, and Doctor Who as I do homework (sometimes it's the only thing that will keep me awake) and then pinning all the things related to those shows. For my fellow fans:

Merlin consistently breaks my heart

Doctor Who makes me laugh and cry simultaneously

So does Sherlock. //

What have you been loving this week?

Anna Karenina and Sherlock

This week, I've been listening to Anna Karenina on audiobook. It makes the 40 minute round trip to work go by much faster, and audiobooks are wonderful when I'm working on more complicated knitting projects like these Sherlock inspired socks. The pattern is "To Knit While Bored" and you can get it for free on Ravelry. 

// Joining up with Ginny's Yarn Along. //

Also: reality? I took these photos on a piece of paper at my desk. A blogger has to do what a blogger has to do.

Loss of routine

I thrive on routine. I enjoy spontaneity and days with no plans, but I do the best when my days have a rhythm to them. I like waking up at the same time, starting my day with devotions and reading, them proceeding about my day with whatever plans I have. 

I struggle to get things done when I don't have a routine. I drift from one thing to the next, never getting everything done that needs to be accomplished. Throughout high school and my first year of college, my days had a fairly consistent pattern to my days, but this summer everything has been turned upside down. I started working at Dunkin Donuts while taking some online college courses. My work schedule is all over the place which makes it hard to balance everything. I like predictability, and right now nothing is predictable. I like to plan ahead and know generally what's coming, but these past several months have taken that away from me. God has me in this season for a reason. It's a totally different summer than the past several that I have spent volunteering at a Christian summer camp for most of the summer. I'm growing up, and that requires taking on more responsibilities. I need to be okay with that instead of fighting it.