Ten Favorite Things

 

1. {Bed-head and a daddy who loves her}

2. {Sorry games on Sunday nights. }

It’s becoming tradition.



3. {Giveaway}

Some of you were asking what all was included in the giveaway package.
At the time, I didn’t know. :)
I took a few pictures before the package was sent out.

4. {Food Food Food!}

{Quiche}

Tomato, Feta, & Spinach Quiche, to be exact.
All credit goes to my friend Rochelle, who made it, and I declared it THE best quiche I’ve ever had.

I’ve only made it like, three times, within the past week.
I must remember not to over-do it.

{Crusty Bread}

All credit goes to my friend Shelly, who served it to me in the first place.
Making bread sort of scares me, so it took me a few months to muster up the courage to try it.
And when I did, I made this recipe 4 times within a week. :)
Twice for other people, I have to add that in.

I’m having great fun cooking these days. Which is saying a lot! :)

{Coffee with Whip}
It takes a home-brew to a whole new level. It’s the little things.

5. {New light}

For the kitchen.
Free. Which is always better than cheap.
A bit of a spray paint job over the hunter green, and now it’s a silver.
Almost exactly as i wanted, but just didn’t want to buy.
I love my husband’s remodel jobs. :)

6. {First Blossoms}

Simple things delight me.
Especially when they smell divine.

7. {Spring-ish Winter-ish Mantel}

chalkboard sign inspired by Pinterest

8. {Baby Gifts}

Not for me, for my friends.
The swaddling blankets are my fave,
I make the burp cloths and diaper clutch for My Faire Lady.

9. {Blanket and Mattress Forts}

It makes a disaster, this is true.
But their imaginations can go for it all day long, and it’s worth it.
For a day. :)

 

10. {My little son, at 9 months}


 

Sometimes blogging seems so… trivial and shallow.
After my friend Ruth died, I wondered if I could ever blog again.
How could life ever be the same, when part of me died too?

And the answer, I’m finding, is that life will not ever be the same.
The pain of losing such a treasured friend will always be there.

And yet the legacy of her life, the way in which she lived,
continues to inspire me.

I want to live, and live well.
I want to treasure my days,
to love my family and friends,
to not take a single minute for granted.

And surprisingly, my little blog has been one way for me to do that.
To stop and remember the things that are precious and good,
to honor my God,
to give thanks for the things I’ve been given,
this life I’ve been given,
even when I ache daily with the loss of Ruth.

I find it’s often those little things in a week that make it special.
That phone call, that rainy day at home,
that special little comment from your daughter,
that late-night talk with your husband…

What’s made it special for you?

~ clarita

 

45 Replies to “Ten Favorite Things”

  1. I LIKE posts from you, clarita. :)
    I like the FREE light…it looks amazing!
    LOVE the burp cloths etc. wow. you do an awesome job on those.
    the winter/spring mantel with the chalk board?? well, I LOVE that too!!
    thank you for writing on this Monday! Have a good week, filled with blessing from the One who loves us!!
    (and I agree, the late night talks with hubby are simply wonderful!)

  2. I’m not jealous that you have a first bloom, I’m not jealous that you have a first bloom…I bet you can open your windows in February too!!! ;)
    LOVE your kitchen..I covet your kitchen. (in a good and inspiring way ;)

    You have such a beautiful family. You guys are so full of life and love.
    You are such a sweet person Clarita. =)

    Happy new week to you.
    oh, and YES, you better keep on blogging!!! I love coming over to your little spot.

  3. My girls and I just love your blog!  Everything you post is so beautiful!  I know how the death of a loved one can change your perspective on life.  Since my mom died in May, I’ve realized the importance of enjoying and being thankful for every day. 

    The blooms make me MISS south Georgia! 

    This week I am enjoying the interesting  conversations I’ve had with my husband and our teenage girls, my precious baby’s laughter, and watching my middle four play outside in 60 degree weather and sunshine!

    Your son is one of the cutest little boys I have ever seen! 

  4. Lovely pictures! We play Sorry often too :) And I’ve been blessed with a lot of free items for our house – made it look new with a fresh spray of paint – We’ve enjoyed the curb alerts on Craigslist too – many great items picked up that way.
    Monday here has been hairy – or should I say pulling out hair day! It has poured rain all night and day which for some reason makes the kids crazy moody, irritable and bickering constantly. The leaves on the trees have all popped out overnight though – Azalea’s are blooming as are a few Crepe Myrtle :)
    I’m inspired by your determination to see the good, the joys in life, esp. in times of heartache, times that are not so pretty or enjoyable!

  5. Isn’t artisan bread amazing? I make it several times a week, and wrap it in a towel that looks just like that (is yours from ikea too?). :) It makes me feel like a Queen of Domesticity. Haha!

  6. playing games on a sunday night…. that just makes me all happy and dreamy! i love games with loved ones- it is like the specialist thing ever. :)
    also i want to drink in your kitchen. i have a little creamer cow like you do. yes, i notice little details- hehe. really like your dishtowel as well.
    i like whip on hot drinks too. my girls do as well…. too bad we aren’t neighbors. ;)

    PS. re-read what i wrote. i meant “drink in” as in “take in” your kitchen. not a booze-fest in your kitchen.
    PPS. remembering your friend ruth with you… i cannot imagine.

  7. love your moments and thanks for sharing glimpses of your gifts…
    i am enjoying my husband this evening… the cackles and laughter of my kids because he takes time to be silly with them
    sometimes i like to just sit back and observe and soak it in…and bottle the laughter/giggles in this pure form of no restraint
    a quiche – yum – I haven’t made one in forever – I’ll have to add it to the menu plan

  8. Really enjoy your posts. So homey, so real, so yummy! I, too have hesitated over making the bread, but now I’m encouraged to just give it a try. Thanks for sharing your blessings–you  bring sunshine to my spirit!

  9. So… I was sitting here with only one child up… checking xanga and fb, and drinking my cup of morning coffee in my very favorite pink starbucks mug. And I just had to get up and put some whip on my coffee!:) And then I came back and finished reading.
    And yes. I totally get what you’re talking about. God has been showing me a LOT how there is so much joy in the small things. In just being thankful for what HAS been given and to stop forever wishing that things were different. I had fallen into a trap for a few months of really wondering WHY some of the hard things I’ve been dealing with, must be so, and just feeling a bit overwhelmed with what I’ve been given. But with God’s grace that is changing. I’m not the same person I was six years ago. God has used some of these hard things to change me in big ways.
    Happy Tuesday to you!

  10. @wj3km – craigslist and the free curb thing? i have never heard of that, but it sounds pretty awesome! i’m going to have to check that out! and spray paint and DIY project? yes please! it completely TRANSFORMS! :)

  11. @Amy – Queen of Domesticity – that is exactly how I feel! Which, in the kitchen, is a bit rare for me, so I SAVOR the moment. Ha! :) And yes, the towel is from Ikea – gifted from a friend!

  12. @baileyandme – since I’m not a “boozer” I would never have even thought of it that way. :) and the little cow creamer!! I LOVE it so much! do you have to butter it’s chin too before you pour creamer out of it? if i don’t it just drips everywhere, but the cow is such a great conversation piece! and yes, TOO BAD we aren’t neighbors! :)

  13. I think that we should look at life as ever changing. Every single thing that happens to us changes us in a way that makes us never the same again. We tend to look at the bad things as doing that, like with you after Ruth died, you are not the same. When a person has been sexually assaulted we are always telling their families not to expect them to be the same person they were before, because they are forever changed. They are not the same. But, as I sit here and think about it, that’s not bad. We are not made to be stagnant. We are made to move and grow. The good things forever change us too. Having a baby, forever changes you, there is simply before and after. Marriage. Before and after. And for me, meeting new friends/people. There’s before you knew them, loved them and laughed with them, and there’s after.

    Being changed forever is good. Each of those changes good or bad brings us one step closer to eternity with Jesus. So I say, bring them on. (and always eat the nachos . . .)

  14. always inspired by you, friend.

    and continue to think of you with the loss of ruth.
    i know the space she left is never replaced.
    but yes, i think too she would want you to LIVE! and enjoy doing so~

    love beth’s words above too.
    being forever changed is a good thing!

    xo.

  15. Totally loved this post!! And I liked what you wrote at the end too, about your friend Ruth’s life (and death) being such an inspiration to you.  You are definitely honoring her with that perspective!  That bread looks like some bread that I have been meaning to try that I found on “The Londoner’s” blog.  Maybe I’ll do that tomorrow.

  16. Reading your posts always leaves me feeling happy and inspired! I love that about you! Blogging can feel trivial, but sometimes when I read old posts I realize that blogging is actually a way of helping me to remember what is really important …. life, love, and my family. Because really, the ability to remember is not a trivial thing at all!

    I did kind of stare LONGINGLY at the budding branches. Ice is once again pinging on the windows and their is winter precipitation predicted for the next four days here. Not my idea of transitioning into March. :)

  17. please do sometime soon! i have an appointment on Thursday, but i’ll be around all day tomorrow and all day Friday if you are free to call!:)

  18. Aw what a cute picture of your girly and her daddy
    Sunday afternoons growing up used to be a marathon of games at our house. Good old days!
    There no comparison to homemade bread. It’s SO yummy!
    Love your light!
    I love the first sightings of spring too!
    That verse in Romans is one of my favorites! Nothing can separate me from from HIS love! Such a wonderful promise!
    I’ve been looking for your favorite pens but have yet to come across them…where do you get yours?

  19. I love how your posts are real and beautiful all at the same time. I read a lot and rarely comment. Your spring blooms reminded me that yesterday I was going to pick some for my mom and I forgot. Its a Spring tradition, I always pick those first blooms. Looks like the same kind you have. I just find them beside the road.

  20. @aSeriesofFortunateEvents – wise. that’s what pops into my head about you. and once again as i read your comment above. love those words.

    and while i’m talking here about your wisdom :), i’m remembering what i’ve been wanting to tell you—i think about your words, “packing in the positives” all of the time. and am trying to live that. it was an uplifting perspective on the ____ in my life.

  21. i love my visits here clarita.

    i noticed a little cow on your shelf… and had to laugh as i read jeanette’s comment. it’s a creamer! you both are so awesome with your taste and ideas. i love lists. and your ten favs is a big smile on this fav of days, friday. (i actually love mondays too.) those fresh new blooms are what my heart aches for right now. haha. seriously i am so ready for that. and i hear you about the “new normal.” the loss of your dear friend crosses my mind frequently. hugs to you as you are walking through grief and pursuing LIVE-ing well. i see Jesus in you.

    enjoy your weekend! <3

  22. @SC_girl – I just found these blossoms beside the road too, and I have no idea what they are! They are beautiful and they smell good, so I’m happy! :) And thanks for stopping by and for your kind comment!

  23. you fascinate me! and, i know i’ve said this before, but you make me notice beauty in little places that i might have overlooked before.
    that quiche? oh, my. i want it! and that bread looks wondeful too. love your new light. yep, free is even better than cheap. your little Hudson just shines.

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