by Kimberly | Oct 2, 2017 | 31days, lavish hospitality
“She recalls wanting to be a part of those experiences,
even is she didn’t yet have a palate for the bitter bean.
She understood at that moment that in cultures around the world,
life takes place over mugs and french presses.”
Kinfolk Table: Elizabeth Haddad
Hospitality is easy when we are around people we love and who love us and with those with whom we have much in common. It is harder when we are around strangers, people who are not in harmony with our lives, or those we just don’t know. Maybe the people we need to pour out grace to are the ones who are least like us.
I’m not a coffee drinker. Slowly, I’m becoming one, but its like iced coffee with cream and caramel or a sugary frapp from the corner coffee shop. Maybe if we learn to like things out of our normal sphere (like coffee, or foods we normally wouldn’t eat), we would sharpen our ability to show hospitality.
With my husband: I learn to appreciate classical music. He learns to appreciate Zac Brown Band and Alabama. With my boys: I learn all about fire trucks and dinosaurs.
How can you learn to show lavish hospitality by learning to love things you don’t already love?
by Kimberly | Apr 27, 2017 | Books, mothering, parenting, Women
Ok – I’m not really a coffee fan. My mister wishes I would be, so we could sit at places and have cheap drinks (regular black coffee) and talk for hours on end. But, the drinks I like are 5$ so not quite as cheap.
But, I might go drink coffee after reading the Magic of Motherhood. Let me explain.
When you go to coffee with a friend, a true friend, one who shares your worldview, who champions what you are doing, who rejoices with you in the good, who encourages you even on the hard days. Or maybe its not coffee, but you have a margarita at their house, or enjoy some chips and guac together, or eat a bagel together, or a cupcake…friends you are comfortable with. Yeah, those friends…
That’s how I felt when I was reading The Magic of Motherhood. I felt I was chilling with some close friends, friends who were able to share whatever was on their heart, knowing that they shared the same biblical worldview as me (value of their children, value of being a mother, knowing that God loves them and has a great plan for their lives, knowing that we can’t do this thing called motherhood without the Gospel).
These friends knew they wouldn’t face judgment or shame for sharing what was on their hearts. These friends knew I would encourage them with truth.
My favorite genre of books is memoir/biography. I love the fact that the authors of memoirs feel the freedom to share what has gone on in their lives (the good, the bad, and the stuff you’d like to forget), and not feel that they would be punished for it. They were sharing what was going on in their lives so that others might be encouraged or learn from their lives. In biographies, we often learn that the people we look up to or admire don’t (or didn’t in some cases) have it all together.
In today’s Christian circles, we often feel like we have to put on a show to others like we have it all together. Or, we have to couch everything in quoting Bible verses so people will think that our hearts are saturated with truth (which they hopefully are but sometimes we do this just so people will not see the hurt in our hearts and any doubts we might have). When it comes to parenting, I’ve had experiences of shame and judgment when I’ve shared the struggles that I’ve had with motherhood. And I’ve experienced shame because my kids don’t always act perfect in public.
The Magic of Motherhood was like just sitting, reading, knowing I wasn’t alone, knowing that God is in charge and brings good, and we do go through hard stuff as mothers. And we won’t like every moment of it. And not once did I hear “the days are long but the years are short” or “enjoy every moment of it”. I read about real mamas who were sharing real struggles, real joys, real moments. And they even talked about their jobs and their husbands – knowing that when we are mamas life still goes on outside of our children.
If you are needing some encouragement along the motherhood journey, this is a good quick encouraging, non-notetaking, read. You can sit with a cup of coffee, in your yoga pants, and you don’t have to have a pen.
Thanks Tommy Nelson for this book. And you can win one – just tell me something you find fun about motherhood.
by Kimberly | Sep 22, 2015 | creatives
Oh this is such a happy day on the blogtember challenge. Its where I get to talk about creativity!
God made us in His Image and He is a creator. While we don’t get to be a creator – because we can’t create out of nothing – we aren’t God – we still have a bent toward the creative. And I love that. I love taking the every day and making it creative.
Food: we all have to eat. My motto: “everything important happens around a table” And why not make it fun? I love making meals for people, baking special treats for celebrations and my men, and making hospitality even better with good food. My Dream: to be published on Food Gawker, have a cookbook published one day, and share recipes and desire to cook for your families.
Pray Names: These are name art pieces that I do for people (completely customized) where I get to pray over the person I’m doing it for – as I’m doing it. I just did the ones for my sons – and that was special. I shared our older son’s prayer on the blog last week and I’ll share our younger son’s prayer when it is his birthday next month. I love doing this for people either for births, weddings, adoptions, or special times within the life of the family. My Dream: to get the word into people’s homes. This is completely by donation. I never charge a set amount (over supplies and shipping).
Photography: I’ve loved photography ever since I can remember, which is probably middle school. I was the class historian for our high school and now I love capturing memories for people (and food and nature of course). You can see more of my work here. My Dream: to consistently improve in this area, earn money from it to help our family, and to capture memories for you and our family.
Illustrated Faith: I love sitting down with my Bible and some pens and being able to meditate on what the Word is saying and coloring at the same time. Different verses will come alive in different ways depending on how you draw them. The Spirit speaks through His Word. My Dream: To motivate other woman to get creative while reading their Bible.
Writing: I’ve written some prayer resources that you can find here and I’m working on a daily devotional for moms. I can’t wait to get that to yall! And I write here, at Ungrind, Her View From Home, and other random places on the internet from time to time. My Dream: to be published by Crossway at some point in my life. And to write like Elyse Fitzpatrick
Coffee With: On the blog I love being able to introduce you to creatives that do creative things. All creatives are normal people, some drink coffee, some run, some are married – all are creative. I’ve been doing a series that I ask questions, give you insight into them, and let you see their work. My Dream: keep doing it. Have more creatives to introduce you to and keep community and ideas and encouragement happening.
by Kimberly | Sep 2, 2015 | Uncategorized
I love writing prompts. Sometimes all you need is a little shove in the right direction to get the writing juices flowing.
All month long I’m participating in Blogtember – so follow along, and go encourage other bloggers.
My ideal day. Well, the main components would be water, my misters, and no sin.
Two I think I can get this side of heaven, the third one – well, heaven is coming one day. Sin just messes everything up, right?
First, the water. I think I would wake up (after a long night’s rest of perfect quietness (well, maybe the sound of ocean waves) and kiss the three most important men in my life. I would curl up with all three of them in a king size bed with a white duvet and have breakfast in bed (that I didn’t have to make). Coffee pour over for my mister, apple juice for my little misters, and diet coke for me. Then we would journey to be a big wrap around porch located on the coast. So, that the little misters could run around and love running and the mister and I could snuggle on a porch swing while watching the waves. Then we would all go journey together on the coast.
We would eat lunch at a quaint local place featuring some of the best seafood ever and then lick our lips while eating ice cream cones piled high with textured ice cream (like ice cream with nuts, chocolate, brownie pieces, caramel, something). Then the boys would get a babysitter the rest of the day.
My mister and I would wander around said beach town, holding hands, having afternoon coffee with sweet friends of ours that came in to town just to encourage us and hang out, go one a photo walk with said couple and take photos of whatever our heart’s desired, then we would find a nice place to have dinner on the beach. Maybe a picnic, maybe a fun steakhouse. Then we would just walk and talk – like we did when we didn’t have kids. Hard to do when you have littles who are asleep – you can’t quite leave the house.
So, like I said, it would include water…the misters…and well, maybe good food and good friends, too!
by Kimberly | Dec 31, 2018 | Uncategorized
This is a compilation list of some of my favorite things. Not comprehensive by any means, but I hope you will get inspiration and enjoyment out of this list.
God has been good to us in 2018 as a family. He has grown my business. He has made my husband successful in his. He has grown my children in their education.
2018 hasn’t been without its trials though. I would love to leave those behind. But, God has always been and will continue to be faithful to us.
Books: My goal was to read 60 books this year. That didn’t happen. I only read 52. But, that’s ok. You know. I watched some Netflix, hung out with my family, painted, prepared Bible studies, exercised outside (and I don’t like audible books).
Best Fiction 2018: I decidedly read more fiction this year than non-fiction, probably just because I can read fiction faster. I re-read the Narnia series this year again, which I love to do. I read it every other year and listen to it every other year (so I switch back and forth).
- The Saturday Night Supper Club.
- Five Days in Skye
- Voyage of The Dawn Treader (re-read)
- Gone to Green series
- Goodnight June
Best Non-Fiction
- Even Better Than Eden
- The Advent of the Lamb of God
- Footprints of a Pilgrim
- Roots and Sky
- Women of the Word
Best New Recipes – I cook new recipes all the time. I seldom cook the same thing twice. But, these two have already been made several times and are winners every time
- Cranberry Brie Tarts
- This cake
Best Kids Books
- Goldfish on Vacation
- The Cow Said Neigh
- God Made Me and You
Favorite Podcasts – these are the ones that I listen to almost every episode. There are definitely some popular podcasts that I just can’t listen to – the hosts or the depth of conversation just fall flat for me. I listen to so many each month. These are the ones that stand out for today.
- Signposts
- From the Front Porch – so much so that I want to go visit Thomasville, something I’ve not done since I was a teenager
- Cultivated
Favorite Creatives:
- Love-Lettered
- Ivey Gibb
- Cathy Nugent (we have a new barn door)
Favorite Local Things: (Local to Augusta GA)
- Rooted Coffeehouse
- Takosushi
- Columbia County Library
- Charleston Street
- Diablos
What were some of your favorites from 2018?
Photo from my favorite styled shoot that I got to be a part of: Linda Threadgill Photo
