Headphones and Bird Songs

I sit down, determined to get homework done. As usual, I open my computer and reach for my head phones.

But then I feel the breeze. It finally stopped raining, so this morning I opened up my window. From outside, I can feel the fresh, crisp morning air. Then I hear it - the bird song. Cheerful. Happy. Something I would not have heard if I had chosen to keep my window shut today or plugged in my headphones. 

I gaze out the window, watching the wind play with the pine trees and the way the sun keeps darting behind the clouds. And the bird song continues.

I still need to get that homework done, but today, I choose to listen to the sounds of creation and allow my eyes to wander every so often out the window, breathing in the scent of spring. Instead of filling my ears with other noise, I will listen to the bird song that heralds spring.

Knitting Pattern Giveaway - Goldberry Artisans

Hello, all! I know I have not been blogging very regularly in this little corner of the internet. I do plan to continue to post more personal things here, but I also have a new blog, Goldberry Artisans, which is more about knitting, crafting, and creativity. As some of you may know, I have a little Etsy shop called Goldberry Artisans, so my other blog is an off-shoot of that.

If you're a knitter, I am hosting a giveaway for a knitting pattern this week! I did an interview with a lovely knitwear designer and she offered one of my readers a free pattern, so you can read the interview and enter the giveaway here.

Thank you so much to all of you who follow this blog, even though everyone says that the golden days of blogging are behind us. That may be true, but I still love blogging and reading blogs. But, if you are more of an Instagram person, you can follow my personal account or my Goldberry Artisans account.

Leave a comment below with your blog or Instagram (or both!) if you have them! I would love to follow you.

They don't see

I watch them go by, all these people who are oblivious to the world.

They don't turn to see the bird who flew inside the train station.

They don't hear someone asking if anyone is sitting in that empty seat.

They don't see their friend waving at them from the other side of the street.

They don't hear the joyful bird songs that erupt on warm days.

They turn up the volume when babies cry and people talk.

They are afraid, these people. They are afraid of what thoughts and emotions will rush to the surface if they are quiet for long enough.

I understand. I am this person. I plug in my headphones, I scroll on my phone, I play games on my tablet. These things have a time and a place. Music can be calming, encouraging, invigorating. Podcasts and audiobooks can delight and inform. Games are fun. Talking to other people is good.

But at what cost? How much longer will we keep silencing the world around us and the world inside of us and just focus on that little glowing screen? Why do we feel this need to constantly surround ourselves with noise? What happened to face to face conversations; games played on a table; looking around us while taking a walk; creating something physical with our hands?

I have no answers, and I am as guilty of this as anyone. But maybe it would just take a few of us to decide to close everything down every once in a while and do something different.

Live a holy life

"It is quite true to say - 'I cannot live a holy life', but you can decide to let Jesus Christ make you holy."

-Oswald Chambers-

"The life of faith is lived one day at a time, and it has to be lived - not always looked forward to as though the 'real' living were around the next corner. It is today for which we are responsible. God still owns tomorrow."

-Elisabeth Elliot-

"I have a vision of people who embrace the significance of our small words, knowing that whether they're spoken into microphones or near microwaves, they are all sacred when said in the power of the Spirit."

-Emily Freeman-

We...I

We say we want to be more creative and original, but we copy the work of others out of laziness.

We want to blog, tweet, and generally tell the world about our picturesque adventures while staying home all day, afraid to step out of our comfort zones.

We comment with heart-eyed emojis while being jealous of someone else rather than simply being happy for them and living out our own dreams.

We complain about not having enough time to [insert activity] while we scroll through Pinterest as we watch Netflix.

We sit still for hours, not moving until that "low battery" warning appears for the second or third time.

I generalize my problems and frustrations with my own failings in order to make myself feel better, masking my hypocrisy under the guise of "sympathizing" or "connecting" with other people.

I need to set aside time to be creative.

I need to step out of my warm, safe little bubble in order to discover amazing things.

I need to put others before myself. I need to stop letting my fear of what people will think of me keep me from trying new things or chasing my dreams.

I need to be better at managing my time.

I need to shut down my electronic devices in order to live in the world that's right in front of me, the world that will not wait for me.

Thankful Thursday // 10

126. A house with good heating on cold Maine days.

127. Soup and tea together.

128. Buying sweaters at thrift shops.

129. Those people you can talk about absolutely anything with.

130. People who can make me laugh.

131. Refreshing rain.

132. The children at my Good News Club. They can definitely be rowdy, but I love it when they remember what they have learned.

133. My little sisters saying they're glad I'm doing "online college" so that we can do things together.

134. Small Bible studies.

135. The leaders of Delight & Be who pour so much into the ministry. 

136. Making time to just relax and rest.

Friday Favorites // 7

Another week over, another round up of what I've been loving recently.

1. Reading "Nerd Girl Problems" and "Book Confessions" pins on Pinterest. So many of them are so true and accurate, like this, and this, and this, and this.

2. The Sherlock Christmas special. So eerie but so good. Also the Doctor Who Christmas special. It broke my heart as always but I loved every minute.

3. I'm a big fan of nerdy knitting patterns and yarns, and I recently discovered this "Blue Box Exploding" yarn as well as this "221b Baker Street" yarn. I've decided that I need to save up for it. 

4. London Fog Tea Lattes. I recently discovered this recipe and I love it, since Earl Grey tea is my favorite kind of tea. I haven't made one with lavender yet, but I'm sure it's delicious.

5. And in case this post couldn't get any nerdier...what about this Doctor Who mug? Sadly, this shop is currently taking a break, but I can still look at it... And while we're on the subject, this shop has some perfect nerd mugs. This shop also has some great nerdy items.

6. This card would be perfect for any book lovers in your life, and if anyone you know needs some cheering up, this sweet "Courage, Deer Heart" card will do the trick.

7. My grandparents got a dog right before we visited them after Christmas, and she is so cute. She likes to growl while wagging her tail simultaneously, but we easily forgave that.

Are you a coffee or tea person?

What are your favorite nerdy products?

Thankful Thursday // 9

After Thanksgiving, it's so easy to stop purposely being thankful and focus on the new beginnings that are just around the corner, but the turn of the year is the perfect time to be thankful for what God has done over the past year rather than thinking about how you've failed.

It's been a while sine I've posted one of these, so I'll be catching up for the next few weeks.

111. My church's college and career group.

112. Childhood friends.

113. Sending people letters and care packages.

114. My church family.

115. The love my family shares.

116. Occasionally having the house to myself and enjoying the quiet.

117. The enthusiasm for life that my little sisters have.

118. The vast creative abilities God has given to us.

119. Having the opportunity to minister to children through Good News Club, an after school Bible club, since some of the children that come would not otherwise know about the gospel message.

120. The doors opened and walls broken down while sharing a meal.

121. Laughter around the dinner table.

122. Friends you know you can count on, even if you don't get to see them very often.

123. Local restaurants where everyone knows everyone else.

124. My parents who are constantly pouring out love on everyone around them.

125. New crafting supplies.

Delight and Be Intentional

I've never been good at New Year's posts. I love beginning a brand new year, but I struggle with how to articulate my thoughts about it. Other people have all these beautiful words and thoughts that they post, but I'm just here, enjoying the chance to set new goals and challenge myself.

In the past, I've done various things at the beginning of the year. I've written a list of 50 things I want to accomplish. I've set goals. I've cleaned out my belongings. But over the past few years, I've seen many people choose to focus on a word and all that it means instead of setting a list of resolutions. This year, after Kristin Wall over at Delight & Be challenged us who are in the Facebook group to pray and ask God to show us what word/character attribute He wanted us to grow this year.

After a lot of thought, I chose the word

intentional.

This means spending my time wisely. I must check my mindless social media scrolling and tv show watchng. I want to start my days by spending time with God, not on my phone. I want my relationships with my family and friends to be more intentional; instead of settling for shallow conversations I will purposely spend time cultivating the relationship and really getting to know people. I will cultivate my mind outside of required schoolwork by learning new skills and reading a wider variety of books.

I have already been convicted of not being intentional with my time this year. My hope and prayer this year is to grow as a person, not just check things off a list. That being said, I will be setting a list of goals every month to help me focus on areas of my life and then, at the end of the month, I can see where I have wasted time rather than intentionally working on my goals.

p.s. One of my goals for this month was to launch a knitting/fiber blog connected to my Etsy shop, and I finally did it! You can check it out here.

Thou Who Changest Not

Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day;
Earth's joys grow dim, it's shadows fade away.
Change and decay in all around I see.
Oh, Thou who changest not,
Abide with me.

The truth is, the world is constantly changing, and there is nothing any of us can do to stop that. There are times in my life when it feels as if everything is changing all at once, and it is in those times that my prayer follows along with the lyrics of the old hymn "Abide with me": "Oh, Thou who changest not, abide with me". God is the only One who does not, and will never, change. As this new year dawns and brings a whole new set of challenges, changes, and growth, remember to place your faith in God, not in your own resolutions or goals, as good as they may be.

It's the little things

Little moments pile up every day, and it's so easy to miss them. I'm trying to be more intentional about using my camera to capture some of those moments. As I look through my pictures from the past couple of months, they bring back memories of my little sister drawing pictures for other people and playing with the toys I used to play with. There are images of soccer games and church events. Those are the little things that matter, even though they seem small. It's when we bring glory to God through the little things that we are practicing a life of godliness. When the big events come along, we'll be far more ready to glorify and serve Him if we're in the habit of doing so in the day-to-day business of life.

Crashing

Back in August, I had all these grand ideas about what the school year would look like. I would dedicate a lot of time to my Etsy shop, blog consistently, spend time with people, all while staying on top of my schoolwork and working 25 hours a week. I even planned to do the "Write 31" challenge in October which is where you pick a topic and blog about it every day in October.

But then all of my grand plans came crashing down around me. My courseload took a lot more time than I thought it would. Working at 3:00 am three days completely consumes those days, even though I get out by 12. I haven't blogged in over a month. I haven't added many items to my Etsy shop.

For the past month, I've been gradually feeling more overwhelmed with everything I have to do. Some days I just don't get much crossed off my to-do list. Some days end in tears.

But I keep reminding myself that this is the phase of life I am in. Life will always be crazy, I know, but it won't be like this forever. I need to apply myself and give everything I have to where I am now rather than hoping for it all to pass away. God has me here for a reason, teaching me that not everything goes my way and I can't control everything in my life. 

Friday Favorites // 6

This week has finally felt like fall. Earlier this week, it was so chilly I even pulled out my handknit socks for the first time this season. I wish fall could just stay forever.

Do you ever find that you music preferences change with the seasons? During the summer I listen to more upbeat, acoustic music, but once the cooler months roll around I listen to a lot of Michael Buble, Josh Groban, and Andrea Bocelli. You can listen to a few of my favorites in this playlist.

// This week I finally purchased some tea from Winterwoods Tea Co. They make organic, loose leaf teas, and the flavors I have tried are amazing. //

// I love fandom-related yarns, and I'm not the only one. How about this yarn called Vincent and the Doctor? Or "Little, Big Blue Box? Or, if Austen is more your thing, why not buy some Lizzy and Darcy yarn? //

// And while I'm on the subject...how about this adorable Doctor Who yarn bowl? //

// I'm a big fan of peanut butter, so this poster is so accurate. //

// I've been wanting to learn the entrelac knitting technique, and this tutorial makes it look fairly simple. //

// If you're into crafting or artsy things, you need to check out Creative Bug. For $5 a month, you have unlimited access to so many different crafting and art classes, and you can download one a month to keep for life. I'm so excited to watch some of the classes. //

What have you been loving this week? What are some of your favorite things about fall?

Thankful Thursday // 8

101. A new camera which will allow me to better capture life's little (and big) moments.

102. Discovering new musicians.

103. The way that food can bring people together.

104. God's strength and patience, the only things that keep my mouth closed rather than lashing out.

105. Encouraging words.

106. Beautiful quotes which put into words the things I feel but cannot express.

107. My church family. I love being able to talk to people from several different generations within the span of ten minutes.

108. Desperately needed rain.

109. The quiet of early mornings.

110. Hot chocolate.

What are you thankful for this week?

So much to find out about

"Isn't it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive - it's such an interesting world. It wouldn't be half so interesting if we knew all about everything, would it? There'd be no scope for imagination, then, would there?"

-Anne of Green Gables-

When fall comes around, I find myself pulling out my quote notebook and pulling out all of my Anne quotes which seem to perfectly describe the wonders of this season.

Also, I bought a new camera!!! It's a Nikon D5300, and it's my first dslr. It was the perfect thing to come home to today. I'm still trying to decide on a name. Any suggestions?

Plans change

I should know by now that things don't always (or, rather, hardly ever) go according to my personal plans. God has His own plans for me, and He has been teaching me this past year that I need to stop attempting to control everything. 

I didn't mention it much, but last year I went away to a Christian college about nine hours away from my home. It was an amazing school, I was in a wonderful one-year program called Israel and Archaeology. Once the year was over, my plan was to stay there and get my bachelor's in accounting and then maybe even my master's. I applied for and received a position as an RA, so I would have a job. I was so happy to have the next four-five years of my life planned out.

But then. (How many things turn on those few words?). In between semesters, I started having doubts about where I was headed. As amazing as the school was, it was expensive, as most colleges tend to be. I wasn't sure what exactly I wanted to study. I considered transferring to my sister's Bible college, about an hour and a half away from where I was currently attending school, but as a transfer I wouldn't get the scholarships I needed. So that backup plan was gone.

After many tearful video and phone calls with my parents, I made a decision that would have seemed like a failure to the high school Emily. I decided to move back home and attend community college studying business. Back in high school, it seemed like the "smart students" went away for school while the people who weren't really going anywhere went to school locally. But I needed to realize that what other people, especially mostly disinterested ones, think about my choices does not matter. 

I'm happy with my choice. I haven't had to pay anything for school or textbooks this fall without taking out any loans. I'm saving money and able to work more hours and save more. I still don't have any long-range plans, but at least I'm not taking out thousands of dollars in loans with no plans.

I'm back with my family, my friends, and my church. Do I miss the friendships I made this past year? Yes. Do I miss being that far away from my family? No. Do I regret my decision? No, not at all. Missing something doesn't mean you shouldn't have made the choice or that you made the "wrong" choice. 

This isn't what I had planned, but it's where I am.

Friday Favorites // 5

Here we are again, with another Friday Favorites. I also just realized that the last post I put up was a Friday Favorites. Oops. I promise I have something different scheduled for this weekend. :)

// Any girl who loves music should have this skirt. It's just too cute. The website also has a bunch of other wicked cute clothing. (Sorry, sometimes I have to let my Mainer show). //

// I know I've mentioned this blog and podcast before, but I loved this post over at The Art of Simple about setting autumn resolutions rather than New Year's resolutions. I think I'm going to do this today. //

// Homeward Bound by Allyse Smith. I sang this song in my high school chorus a few years ago and loved it, then my Spotify Discover playlist chose it for me this week and I fell in love with it again. //

// Also, I listened to every song The Gray Havens have on Spotify, especially Gray Flowers and Train Station. Again, thank you Spotify Discover (students only have to pay about $5 a month instead of $9 for Spotify premium. So worth it). //

// I just bought a refurbished Nikon D5300 yesterday. I am so, so excited to get my first dSLR in the mail soon. Also, slightly terrified that I spent that much money on one thing. //

// And in honor of all the tv shows starting up again this fall...any Once fans, particularly Rumbelle shippers will appreciate this pin, And this one. And all of you Whovians (it starts on Saturday!!!): Shut up and just cry your eyes out. //

What have you been loving this week? Are any of your favorite tv shows coming back this fall? 

Friday Favorites // 4

Another week, another round of Friday favorites!

(Also, posts three days in a row? What is this?)

// This headband tutorial looks pretty easy. I need to make some of these. //

// I bought some of these mason jar lids at Target last week. I've been enjoying drinking iced tea out of them as I say good-bye to summer. //

// Felicia's Stash Less series over at The Craft Sessions. They've been making me think about being more purposeful in the yarn and craft supplies I purchase. //

// There's always time for tea. //

// This encouragement to make a real connection with people instead of just surface level connections online. //

// The movie Leap Year. It's so cute, plus the Ireland scenery and accents are gorgeous. //

What have you been loving this week?

Thankful Thursday // 7

91. Technology that allows me to take college courses online.

92. Having people I know come into my work to say hello.

93. Headbands/headscarves for bad hair days.

94. Quiet early morning walks.

95. Ministry opportunities.

96. Fresh beginnings in fall.

97. My family's sense of humor.

98. Little sister giggles.

99. Old pictures that bring back so many good memories.

100. Little sisters (aged 9, 7, and 4) who enjoy watching Jane Austen movies.

Simply Tuesday...on a Wednesday // Yarn Along

Reading and knitting are two of my favorite things, and I love doing them at the same time whenever possible. This book, though, is hard to do that with because I just want to underline so many wonderful quotes in it. Simply Tuesday is an amazing book by Emily Freeman that's all about celebrating the little things. It's one of those books that just has to be read slowly, and that's okay.

These socks are the Anne Socks from an edition of Jane Austen Knits (one of the only knitting magazines I invest in) knit with Cascade Heritage Paints sock yarn, one of my favorite sock yarns.

What have you been reading or knitting lately? What's up next on your list?yarn