Nine Things I Love Right Now

Hello, Friends-

It’s been a long time since I’ve done a Nine Things I Love Right Now post, but I love reading them, so today is the day! But, before we get into that…..

Whoa. It is a snowy, cold blustery day here in Illinois. I’m looking out my office window at bare tree branches, a snow-covered lawn, a forlorn Pearl ( our vintage airstream), and I’m glad I don’t have anywhere I HAVE to go, but thankful I can still get out if I want! Are you snuggled in warm and cozy or fighting the elements? No matter what, I hope your heart is full of joy and abundance!

On to the list….

9 Things I’m Loving Right Now

One: Eagles

A few years ago Eagles started showing up in our county. It was so fun and stirred up a lot of conversation and delight. Since then, the eagle population has grown considerably, and it isn’t rare to see them anymore. Even so, it isn’t commonplace to me yet, and I still get super excited!

In the past week, we have seen these magnificent birds multiple times, including a couple of days ago when a huge one was in the field right behind our house. I happened to look out the kitchen window at just the right time and saw the eagle swooping down in the field to catch a mouse or something. He did that a few times and then spread his enormous wings and flew off with his white head and tail very evident.

Awe-inspiring!

Two: Books

Loving books isn’t anything new for me, but I set a goal to read 52 books this year and I have rediscovered the joy of reading for pleasure. I have about 10 books going at a time-a stack of nonfiction and a memoir.

Books about Paris have been especially attracting my attention and it is so fun to read about places I’ve seen with my own eyeballs and places I hope to travel to one day.

I also have started a book on baptism and am still reading Forest Bathing-want to write an essential oil class on that one!  What should I call it?

Three: Coaching

A year ago last fall, I was part of a business mentoring group with Young Living, and the leader offered 6 months in her life coaching program free. I jumped at the chance and have been a part of Life Mentoring School with Dr. Edie ever since.

It has been so helpful to help me get over some of my disordered thinking, and since Edie is a Believer, her coach is steeped in truth of scripture. Romans tells us that Holy Spirit is renewing our minds. I’ve always been so curious about that, but never understood how it happened.  Of course, prayer and being in the WORD are key, but becoming aware that we have a choice about what to think about is making a big difference for me, too.

Now, I’m in a biz coaching group with my Holy Yoga buddy from way back-Sue Bidstrup, from A Great Big Yes, and I’m learning a ton about serving.

Let me know if you are curious and want to know more!

Check them both out here: Life Mentoring School

And A Great Big Yes

Four: My Office

During covid, I decided to switch some things up here at home. I moved furniture around, got rid of a bunch of stuff, and realized I didn’t need a sewing room anymore. My quilting days seem to be behind me at least for the time being.  but I realized I did need an office.

I have spent many happy hours in this little room that is decorated in a way that pleases me with lots of bright colors and little doodads that I love like pompoms and tassels and wire baskets and old and new things, a comfy chair and great lighting.

Especially joyful for me is being on the second story in front of double windows looking out through bare tree branches at a landscape I love. I can’t wait for my tree to get leaves-it will almost be like being in a tree house!

Five: Easy Recipes

Holy Moly. Quarantine has brought a return of way too much bread and too many sweets, but I’m giving myself some grace that I’ve eaten too much. I want to be healthy and take good care of myself, but I’m not into body shaming or worrying about my fluffier stomach.

This is an easy and very tasty recipe that popped onto my FB feed. I’ve made it a few times now and we really like it.

Six…Valor Deodorant

When you wake-up to all the nasty ingredients in our personal care products, you start to search for better options. If you have ever tried natural deodorants, you probably have discovered they are not all created equal!

I love Valor deodorant from my favorite company, Young Living. It is aluminum-free, paraban-free and includes some of my loved essential oils: Black Spruce, Blue Tansy and Frankincense. Each of those oils have a good benefit for my body.

You should try it. Really! Everything you put on your skin goes into your body and I don’t want aluminum and parabens applied right next to lymph nodes.

Seven…Snow Boots

Do you have snow boots? I just got a new pair that are COMFORTABLE for my picky feet and are warm and I think they are cute, too. They have good traction also which is a BIG deal for me.

When others tell me what to buy because they have done the research and written reviews, I love it. So I’ll share with you.

These are on the pricier side, but Sorel is a great brand and I don’t intend to buy another pair for a long time. Price per wear is already proving these boots to be a great choice.

Here is the pair I bought….Sorel Tofino.

What snow boots are your favs?

Eight…Podcasts

Do you feel like every sentence coming out of your mouth is, “I heard it on a podcast?” #me

These podcast conversations remind me of quietly picking up the telephone when I was a kid to eavesdrop on the conversations of the people on our party line. Olden days.

Some of my current favs:

• A very low key podcast that has given me much to ponder about my faith:  Renovare
• And for all you francophiles out there: Join Us in France

The Travel Bug has bitten me HARD so if you have podcasts about traveling to England, Scotland or Italy, send them my way, please.

This time last year we were preparing for our trip to Israel-what an experience. You can read about it here:  Ten Tips For Visiting Israel

Nine: Invitations

 

Some friends and I would love to invite you to join us for a 6 week study of one of my favorite books of the Bible, Colossians.

Each of us will take the lead each session as we invite Holy Spirit to transform us from the inside out. Our journey to become more and more who God created us to be is our life work and is a beautiful thing. I can see it happening in YOU.

Prepare to be blessed, convicted, challenged, and changed.

Want to join us? Comment below or hit reply to send me a message.

That’s it for today! 

Hit reply and share your 9 things with me, or even better, comment on this post to tell all of the readers.