making and longing

Reading:

A Tale of Two Cities

Beloved

Wearing:

leggings under skirts to stay warm

cardigans

hot pink

Listening:

The Gaither Vocal Band

movie scores

Frozen music

Seeing:

a new layer of snow covering up the brown slush

exquisite golden skies

quilt threads

mistakes written in pen

Touching:

soft yarn

smooth paper

wet walkways

guache paint

laptop keys

mandolin strings

silky scarves

Knitting:

an aran sweater

cabled fingerless gloves

a hat

Longing for: 

graduation

pretty yarn

more snow, less ice

perfectly white teeth

more free time

more sleep

handknit socks

the ocean

Feeling:

unmotivated

excited

apprehensive

stressed

relieved

unprepared

unsure

Making:

mistakes

paintings in art class

messes

Sometimes I...

Sometimes I...

just want to knit all day, every day

long to curl up with a book on rainy afternoons instead of leaving the house

am envious of some people's artistic talent

read the same sentence several times before focusing long enough to comprehend what it says

wear hot pink pajama sets

worry too much

don't want to go to high school ever again

am terrified to leave high school

have cold hands all day

make a fool out of myself

cuddle with my little sisters

get frustrated at anything and everything

search for a pencil I am holding

use neon colored index cards

leave nail polish on my fingernails for over a month because I'm too lazy to remove it

bake muffins instead of doing homework

have the same things on my to-do list all week

play music instead of doing homework

procrastinate

stay up too late watching Sherlock

sit and just touch soft yarn or knitting things

buy a rug because it was on sale

write long lists

And sometimes, I start an Etsy shop. It's something that I've been wanting to do for quite some time, and I finally took the plunge. Feel free to visit my shop, Goldberry Artisans, and take a look around.

Delight 365 // Days 10-15

Day 10

Chloe, my little funnykins, put on a dance show for me.

Day 11

“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent” 

Victor Hugo

Day 12

Working on some knitting pictures for a soon-to-be-revealed project.

"Ask her what she craved, and she'd get a little frantic about things like books, the woods, music, plants, and seasons. Also freedom." 

Charles Frazier 

Day 13

"Let us come alive to the splendor that is all around us, and see the beauty in ordinary things." 

Thomas Merton 

Day 14

"The earth has music for those who listen." 

George Santayana

Day 15

"The beauty of winter is that it makes you appreciate spring." 

The Story Girl by L.M. Montgomery 

So much has been going on lately. Making plans for the summer (or, at least, thinking over my options), schoolwork (who assigns essays over Christmas vacation?), more schoolwork (AP Statistics. That's all I have to say.), preparing to teach Bible lessons and lead youth group song time, and fangirling over season three of Sherlock with some lovely girls (Grace, Eve, and Mikailah).

But I have had time to read some wonderful blog posts lately. Here are a few of my favorites...

To anyone who is a blogger or that once was: I hope you remember

Just love

Battling shoulds

This morning

Think about your life today

Life won't begin at your next milestone

What posts or articles have you enjoyed recently?

What has kept you busy so far this month?

Hugs,

Emily.

If that isn't love

Lately, I've been loving traditional hymns like "Precious Memories", "If that isn't love", "What a Friend we have in Jesus", and "I know Who holds tomorrow." Those songs seem to have more meaning than a lot of the music written today because of their timelessness. They've been around for years and will keep on being sung, as long as I have breath. 

These songs were written in a time before the internet made it easier to popularize songs, before auto-tune existed to make everything sound perfect, by people who just loved God and weren't afraid to show it. These people didn't write music to get a top selling hit, to get a lot of fans, or to play on television. They focused more on the words and meaning of a song than on creating a catchy tune or good bass line/drum solo/whatever is popular. 

I love all kinds of music, but those hymns mean more to me than any song written today because of their depth and history.

I encourage you to take the time to sing or listen to some of those traditional hymns and timeless gospel songs.

365 challenge // days 1-9

This year, I am attempting another 365 photography challenge with Delight. I tried one last year and didn't make it all the way through the year, but I still enjoyed getting my camera out more often. That's my goal for this year: to have my camera with me everywhere and capture those shots, even if they're not "perfect" or well-lit. So, here are my first photos.

Day 1: New

"Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,

Because His compassions fail not.They are new every morning;Great is Your faithfulness."Lamentations 3:22-23

Day 2

"Seek the Lord and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!
Psalm 105:4

Day 3: Fresh

"Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?" 

Anne of Green Gables 

Day 4: Relax

Day 5: Praise

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of Lights." James 1:17

Day 6: Cold

"Let me warn you that a genuine interest in knitting can keep you fascinated, eagerly pursuing it, and never satisfied, through a lifetime."

Rose Ingalls Wilder

Day 7: Fashion

"For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone." 

Audrey Hepburn 

Day 8: Snow

“One cannot creep upon a journey; one cannot help getting on faster than one has planned: and the pleasure of coming in upon one's friends before the look-out begins is worth a great deal more than any little exertion it needs.” 
Emma 

Day 9

"It's been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will." 

Anne of Green Gables 

transform

Here we are again at the start of another year. I would love to say that by the end of 2014, I will have my life together; I will know what I'm going to do for the rest of my life; I will be the kind, patient, compassionate person that I long to be. But I know this will not be the case. Yes, I want to be changed by the time 2015 rolls around, but I know that I am not perfect and never will be, so I will not be perfect in a year's time. Instead, I am hoping and praying to be transformed. Romans 12:2 says, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

God calls us to be transformed, to "make a thorough and dramatic change", as the dictionary puts it. Transformation is not something that can be achieved half-heartedly or partially; it is a complete change that requires a total commitment. I cannot transform in my own power. I've tried it, but it doesn't last. I need to focus on God, let go of my old habits, and be willing to change and grow.

Will I fail?

Yes.

Will I stumble?

Yes.

Will I lapse back into my old ways sometimes?

Yes.

But by God's grace and through His strength, I can keep transforming for the rest of my life.

"Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed,

Because His compassions fail not,

They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.

'The LORD is my portion,' says my soul,

'Therefore I hope in Him!'

The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,

To the soul who seeks Him.

It is good that one should hope and wait quietly

For the salvation of the LORD."

Lamentations 3:22-26

This passage really sums up what I pray will happen in me this year as I continue my journey of transformation and becoming more like Christ.

2014 is promising to be a year of great change and I know I won't always handle it well, but God's mercies are new every morning.

Day 1 of the Delight 365 challenge.

Word: New

tea cups and mugs

Sometimes I have tea cup days. Those are the days when I long for the feeling of the dainty china in my hands. Those are the slow days, the days where I have time to just sit and sip my tea without worrying about homework. Maybe later I'll knit something lacy, write a letter of two. 

Then I have mug days. These days are more frequent. These are the busy, stressful days where I need lots of warn tea in a sturdy, hard mug to help me get through the day. I need all the support I can get, so if some comes from a firm grasp on a large mug full of steaming tea, so be it.