Slowing Down- Savoring Life

Slowing Down- Savoring Life

by | Oct 11, 2023 | Sunday Scripture

And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts.

Acts 2:46

Fall is always a time of year when I feel the desire to slow down, make my home as cozy as I can, and rest. Of course that’s not to say that this is what occurs every fall- but in my mind I picture this as fall. 

I do this with my life too; picturing the daily practices and rhythms that I wish was part of my everyday life, but that never come to fruition. 

Years ago, before covid, before the talk of all of the corruption of all of the officials, and before war gained a national stage between Ukraine and Russia my husband and I had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Ukraine with our church. 

Preparing to leave for our trip I braced myself for what I might encounter there. This was my first mission’s trip and I had so many people tell me about how it was going to change my life, turn my world upside down, and that I would encounter a way of life so different from my own, that I would be a totally changed person when I came back- 10 days later. 

Well the trip was an experience that I am so grateful I got to do! The people were warm and welcoming, the children wormed their way into our hearts, and I got to experience the world outside of my normal sphere. But no, my world wasn’t turned upside down. I didn’t come back and feel the call to go into mission work full time. But I noticed a few things about their way of life. 

Someone asked me upon my return what stood out to me most about the differences in our cultures- they were probably expecting an answer about poverty, lack of healthcare, or how their schools are still using computers I haven’t seen since kindergarten. Those weren’t what stood out to me though. What impacted me most about their culture? 

They didn’t rush all the time. 

We would have big meals, under a tent in the parsonage’s front yard. The first day us Americans rushed though our meals, and everyone else, (who were Ukrainian) kinda looked at us side-eyed and asked what our rush was- VBS didn’t start for another hour…

We spent a day in Kiev, walking around and touring the city. Part way through the day we needed food. Once again us Americans were busy rushing through our meal while the Ukrainian members of our group were laughing and enjoying the meal. 

They were savoring the experience while we all rushed right through our meal. 

I began to realize that this wasn’t just a mealtime thing. The way they approached life was far more graceful than the frenetic pace at which we usually attack life. In fact how many times have you heard that phrase “plan of attack for the day” or “how are we going to tackle today”? Why do we feel that days are something that needs tackling or attacking? Probably because we shoe horn so much into our days that only by running at it in attack mode do we think we could possibly accomplish everything that we think we need to in a given day. So therefore we don’t rest, we don’t relax, and we fail to savor this one life that we have been given. 

How about you? How do you approach your days? Are you mealtimes something to be rushed through before you run out of the house again or do you savor good food with people you love? 

This fall I hope you make a little time to slow down, and share a simple, slow meal with people you are about. I hope you get a few moments to slow down and do the things that seem like fall to you. I hope you take the opportunity to slow down and savor not just this season, but also this life.

 

 

Disclosure 

Please remember that this post contains affiliate links; that means if you click on the link, I will make a small commission at no extra cost to you. It’s a way to support my blog! I will only ever share an affiliate link if I love the product and think that you just might love it too!

Other Posts You May Enjoy:

Life’s Scraps

Friendship that Refreshes

How to Create a Charcuterie Board

Comfy Cozy Fall Reads

Comfy Cozy Fall Reads

by | Oct 6, 2023 | Book Nook

As the weather turns colder and the leaves start to fall, I always start craving a cozy fall read! Sometimes I just want to read about a small town, kind quirky people, and hear about harvest time and pumpkins. Sometimes I want something a little more sinister, a good mystery that will be just a tad spooky! The following are a few books that have scratched this itch for me this year and I hope they will give you that cozy fall feeling if you are craving that this year too!

Comfy Cozy Fall Reads Set in Modern Day

Pumpkin Everything by Beth Labonte

Sometimes you just need a heartwarming story that follows the same arch as every Hallmark movie you have ever watched- that’s what this book is. Amy Fox is traveling back to Autumnboro New Hampshire to help her grandpa after he has broken wrist- and so he can keep his house, Amy’s childhood home which her mother is only too eager to sell and be rid of. 

The problem is that Amy has become a somewhat famous horror fiction writer… and some, ok most, of the townspeople have made their way into her books in some way shape or form. A  fact which they are none too happy about. Then there is the fact that going home, means Amy will have to face her childhood sweetheart, someone she unfairly abandoned in their hour of need…how will she own up to facing him again? 

First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen

This is a wonderfully atmospheric fall book, with a touch of magic to keep things whimsical and fun. Everyone in this small North Carolina town knows that the Waverley sisters each have something special about them. The Sisters of course know it too- they also know things tend to get a little weird right before the first frost of the year- and First Frost this year is set to arrive on Halloween…

Quiet Clair has found her life turning into a race she can’t keep up with as her candy business achieves national acclaim. Sydney is still desperate to escape her past, and wants yet another new beginning, even though her life is good now. Sydney’s daughter, Bay, has the gift of knowing where things belong and she knows this boy at school belongs with her- of course she should have never told him that…

As First Frost draws near the feelings these women experience intensifies. Then there is the matter of the stranger who appears in town, who could possibly provide some answers about their past; or could possibly ruin their lives as they know it.

Amber Waves of Grace by Jessica Berg

Corrie gave up her job as a journalist when her father suffered a brain injury in a horrific accident, and moved back to her family’s farm where she grew up. However coming home also means that Corrie has to face her old flame, and the secrets she has tried to leave behind. When her ex’s brother starts helping out at Corrie’s farm, Corrie starts to feel like her past is breathing down her neck. Then a young pregnant woman finds her way to Corrie’s farm the family takes her in, but could she be the link to the trouble that starts finding its way to Corrie’s farm? Will Corrie be able to hold it all together, or risk it falling apart and thereby lose everything? 

Comfy Cozy Historical Fiction for Fall

The London Seance Society by Sarah Penner

Let’s pause for just a moment and talk about the title of this book, The London Seance Society, that’s normally not a title I would go anywhere near because I don’t think the occult isn’t a play thing and I hate it when author’s try to make the occult into a play thing. However I really enjoyed Ms Penner’s first book, The Lost Apothecary, and decided to give this a try. This turned out to be much more of a historical fiction murder mystery (my favorite!) than a book of the occult. In the author’s note Ms Penner states that any instances of incantations being said were purely her creation, although the London Seance Society was shaped after The London Ghost Society which was formed and existed in England in the victorian era. Now onto why I like this book! 

Leena Wickes has always rolled her eyes at her little sister, Evie’s, talk about ghosts and the afterlife. Leena does not believe in anything she can’t prove with science. However When Evie is found murdered and the police don’t care to investigate further, Leena takes it upon herself to discover by any means necessary how Evie died. This leads Leen to apprentice under renowned medium Vaudline D’Allaire, a medium known for being able to provide answers to the loved ones of the deceased, and a Medium Evie had studied under before her murder.

What Leena doesn’t plan on is getting pulled into a convoluted case when the London Seance Society calls Vaudline to their headquarters to help them investigate the death of its founding member, however Vaudline’s presence must be a secret- she has already fled the country once because her life was at stake- which this case put her in mortal danger? As Vaudline and Leena begin to parse out the situation they find more and more evidence that not everything is as it seems, and some unexpected ties to Evie….

This I Know by Eldonna Edwards

This is an atmospheric coming of age story of a young girl growing up in a small town, set in the 1960’s. Grace was born with The Knowing, as she calls it. She can still hear her twin brother who died at birth and he talks to her, urging her to have patience with those around her when they don’t understand Grace’s gift of the knowing. Grace knows things about people, especially when she has contact with them. She can sense when one of her sister’s is in danger and tries to warn them. However her father, the preacher of this small town, thinks Grace’s gift is from the devil and won’t stand for any talk about it. Over the years there are a few mysterious disappearances in this small town; girls go missing and are never seen again. The one poor neighbor girl stumbled back home one night so traumatized from something that she has never been able to speak since- could Grace use her gift to help discover what evil is lurking in their small town? 

The Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner

A standalone sequel to The Jane Austen Society, fans of her previous work will greatly enjoy this latest book by Natlie Jenner. Bloomsbury books is a rare bookstore that has always been run by men, and governed by the shop’s rules- 51 of them to be exact. When the shop’s manager falls ill and is forced to take a leave, the women are at last allowed some freedom; and of course once they get a taste of freedom they are reluctant to return to their former roles. Add to this hidden relationships, a secret hunt for a rare book, and a budding relationship all set in 1950s London- and you get a book that makes you want to curl up with your favorite mug of hot tea! 

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Sometimes you get a good book at the wrong time and sometimes you get the right book and at the perfectly right time—that’s what happened with this book! I love a good mystery and, of course, I love a time-setting from the past. I am a little bit of a wimp… I don’t want anything too scary but, that being said, I still want to get a little scared. This is the perfect scariness for me! Ten people are stranded on a stormy island and one by one they start turning up dead which can only mean one thing—the killer is among them! If you want a goose-bump-raising mystery try this one! 

Here’s to cozy fall nights, comfy throw pillows and good books- happy reading! 

 

Disclosure

Please remember that this post contains affiliate links; that means if you click on the link, I will make a small commission at no extra cost to you. It’s a way to support my blog! I will only ever share an affiliate link if I love the product and think that you just might love it too!

 

Other Posts You May Enjoy: 

Comfy Cozy Small Town Reads for Fall

History Mysteries to Curl Up With This Fall

Fall Centerpiece and Vignette Ideas for 2023

 

When We Use Our Gifts

When We Use Our Gifts

by | Sep 27, 2023 | Sunday Scripture

I have been told I am a creative person, and I have come to think of myself as such. This doesn’t mean I can paint or draw (I can’t!), it doesn’t mean if you come over to my house you will see a giant bohemian mismash of decor. But it does mean that I enjoy the act of creating. I enjoy decorating, sewing, crafts, jewelry making, and yes, trying to paint or draw- although they never turn out! 

When I was trying to make a living from making glass beads and jewelry, (see my post The Refining Fire) people would ask me all the time- so where do you get your ideas? They ask me the same thing now too, with this blog, where do you get your ideas from? And the thing is- I don’t know! 

Oh I love creativity and the creative process and I’ve read books on enhancing and developing creativity so yes, technically I know techniques that I can employ to help generate  new ideas, for example: I love pinterest and books stores, and know what settings can help spark that creativity in me- but one can do these things and sometimes an idea will still not result. That’s why you hear stories of writers getting writer’s block.

Creativity is something that God only gave to us humans, the rest of the animal kingdom doesn’t have this gift. But where does it come from? How can we make it show up when we need it to? Sometimes I’m not sure that we can…

People ask me “Where do you get your creativity from?”  and I always start to panic a little, because I don’t know!  What if nothing else shows up for us?  What if I have used up my last creative idea and I’m just done? This feeling makes me want to hoard any creative ideas, to store them away so I have at least one idea left! 

This has kind of been a self fulfilling prophecy in my life. During the times when I don’t feel like I am overflowing with ideas, I get a little stuck and I start to panic and then all the ideas dry up. But. I lean into the ideas that I have and usually they expand. I get more ideas from these ideas and before I know it I have a list of ideas to expand on and the fear of running out of future ideas is momentarily suspended.

I felt a little convicted of this desire to “idea hoard,” when I was reading my bible and came across the parable of the three servants. A rich man is going on a long trip so he calls 3 of his servants and gives the first one 5 bags of silver, 2 bags of silver to the second servant, and one bag of silver to the third servant- amounts determined by their abilities. 

The servant with 5 bags of silver invests his money and ends up doubling his money. The second servant with 2 bags also doubled his income, but that last servant, knowing his master to be a hard man, hid his money in a field. 

When the rich man comes home they all gather together to give him an accounting. The master is pleased that the first two had doubled their money, but to the servant who hid his money the rich man is very displeased. He takes that bag, (the servant could have at least put money in a bank where it could have earned interest!) and gives it to the servant who was originally given the 5 bags. “For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance.” Matthew 25:29 NIV

Why am I trying to hoard the creative ideas that have been given to me? We are given gifts to use them, and when we do they expand! 

Are you using your gifts to their fullest potential? What story have you been telling yourself about the gifts you’ve been given? Is there something that you are afraid to lean into for fear of it evaporating? 

Are afraid that God has only blessed you with so much, and you will not have any more if you try to use that gift? Are you afraid to tithe because you don’t want your budget to end up short that month? Do you neglect to have people over to your home because it’s small, or not as nice as you want it to be? 

God blessed us with these things so that we could use them! God didn’t give us these gifts for them to evaporate as soon as we utilize them, He wants us to use what we have to bless others. 

The next time you feel a prompting to do something, use a gift or ability that God has given you, or have a prompting to help someone who is truly in need, I hope you don’t silence that inner voice. I hope you invest yourself into that blessing and I bet you will be amazed at how God compounds your efforts. 

 

Other Posts You May Enjoy:

Are You In the Right Spot? 

He Knows Us By Name

Unto the Lord

Fall Centerpiece and Vignette Ideas for 2023

Fall Centerpiece and Vignette Ideas for 2023

by | Sep 27, 2023 | Decorating, Homemaking

In my last home making post we covered some home making trends; but what if you are still stalled on ideas of how to create your own fall vignettes? What about if you aren’t an orange person- what about neutral decorating ideas? In this post I am sharing several decorating ideas of how you can create neutral vignettes and centerpieces. 

Color Palettes

You all know I love a good color palette and in my post Fall Decor Trends and Decorating Ideas for 2023
I shared a few sample color palettes for some of the bold colors that are on trend this year. 

Try using a color palette of:

Black, White, Cream, Gray and Beige

Cream, Light Sage Green, White, Dark Green, Light Gray

Dark Brown, Amber, Cream, Wheat, Sage

 

Things to remember when creating a vignette:

  • Bring a sense of cohesiveness
  • Vary heights
  • Vary textures
  • Use an odd number

 A sense of cohesiveness

 

fall centerpiece

Like the amber bottles in the picture above you want to make sure you have some through line or something that brings the elements together. If you have a bunch of plants, are they all in similar color or material pots? If you have picture frames, are they similar at all? Wooden or brown frames? Coordinating one or two elements from your vignette will help pull it all together. 

Use an Odd Number of Items

Generally using 3-5 items, or collection of items that read as one item,  in a vignette is a safe rule of thumb. If you are using books and then set a candle on top of them that will usually read as one item. 

Vary the Height

 

Kitchen fall vignette with teal accents

You want your vignette or centerpiece to look like a picture or landscape- you want peaks and valleys as well as flat connectors.  In this vignette; I have the teal color to act as a through line connecting the different elements. The wood of the picture frame blends with the wood of the tray. The little plant adds organic life to the vignette, and a small blue pottery tray in the front of the vignette acts as a small bridge to let the eye rest as it takes in the whole vignette. 

 

Vary the Texture

Use a variety of textures- you don’t want everything to be super smooth or very rough. You want it to be a nice variety for your eye to take in. 

Ideas

Try creating a vignette using different levels of pillar candles or candle sticks in front of a mirror or painting to create a vignette. 

Use something out of the ordinary to corral your vignette like an old suitcase or briefcase instead of a tray! 

Utilize boring spaces

 

vignette varying height

Maybe you have an end table without much going on on it. I have one really narrow end table that I can’t fit a whole lot on, but still the space is just begging to be used in some small way. I used a pillar candlestick with a pumpkin and vintage books to make a little vignette and I love it! 

Other Items to Add

Here is a list of items that always are great to include in a fall vignette: 

  • Pinecones
  • Deer antlers
  • A candle
  • Vintage books
  • Something organic (like a small plant) 
  • An old picture
  • A pumpkin or gourd
  • Dried  Botanicals

I hope this helps to get you started creating your own beautiful vignettes and centerpieces to enjoy this fall! If you don’t already, be sure to follow me on pinterest @essentiallyemmamarie for daily inspiration! 

 

Disclosure

Please remember that this post contains affiliate links; that means if you click on the link, I will make a small commission at no extra cost to you. It’s a way to support my blog! I will only ever share an affiliate link if I love the product and think that you just might love it too!

Other Posts You May Enjoy:

How to Create A Vignette for Any Room in Your Home

Vignettes: Tell Me a Story

Fall Centerpiece Ideas

How to Add that Cozy Fall Feel to Your Home

If Only We’d Ask

If Only We’d Ask

by | Sep 25, 2023 | Sunday Scripture

You do not have because you do not ask God.

James 4:2b NIV

 

The Story: 

 

It was my first trimester of my pregnancy and I was going to do this pregnancy right! I was going to eat a very healthy diet full of all the nutritional elements a baby needs to grow a healthy brain, muscles, and body, I would give this child every fighting chance it could get! It was a challenge, especially during the fatigue of the first trimester but I was committed. Which is exactly how I came to find myself standing inside a Little Caesars, trying to quickly grab a pizza before I could go home and crash on the couch. 

 

My turn came and I ordered my pizza and, “Breadsticks too, if you have them?” The cashier told me it would be a 15/20 minute wait for breadsticks. “Oh that’s ok then, I’ll just do the pizza please.” 

As I said those words another employee stuck his head out from the back and said, “We have the cheesy breadsticks ready. You ever tried them? They’re really good! They have our garlic butter sauce poured over them, then a bunch of cheese melted all over them.”

 

I should probably mention at this point that not only was I priding myself on a healthy diet, I was also priding myself on not being an easy sell. We have a budget. We plan our spending and if it’s not in the budget then sorry- it doesn’t happen. Given that we stick to a budget, I am not easily susceptible to impulse purchases. I have self control- or so I tell myself. My husband is in the sales industry- it’s like he wants to be sold! Someone starts talking about a really great offer and he starts thinking about it- especially if they are using their sales skills really well. Not me, nope. Try someone else! 

 

All of this is precisely why as the words describing the cheesy, goey, garlic smeared breadsticks were barely out of this guy’s mouth I quickly said, “Ok sounds great- an order of cheesy breadsticks too please!” the employee chuckled and pointed to the cashier saying, “See that! That’s how you upsell!” before tossing the box of breadsticks on the counter and walking back around the corner. I laughed, I knew I had been a really easy upsell! But do you know how many people  never ask for the sale? There’s a saying in the sales industry, “You miss 100% of the sales you don’t ask for.” It’s easy whenever you are trying to make a sale to lay out everything before the prospective buyer and think that by doing so, you have asked for the sale- but you haven’t! You have to actually ask, “Ready to move forward?” 

 

The Lesson I Learned

The reason I am lecturing about basic sales techniques, when all you thought you were getting is an uplifting post while you drink your morning coffee, is because this same principle applies to our prayer life too. 

 

God wants us to bring our requests and petitions before Him. Not to just ask Him something once and then move on, but to pursue Him. In fact there are multiple different instances in the bible where because someone pleaded with God, God changed His mind. In Exodus 32 God was ready to wipe out the Israelites, but Moses pleaded with God and God spared them. 

 

What have you been wanting to happen in your life that you haven’t been asking about? In Luke 11:9, Jesus tells us , “As and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (NIV) The word for ask originally was a word that meant keep on asking, keep on asking, and it will be given to you.

 

Conclusion

 

I am not a heath, wealth, and prosperity evangelist- it doesn’t work like that. Sometimes the answer will still be no. Sometimes the answer will be silence. The bible says in James 4 the Bible says,”You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” you have not because you ask not.  When we come before God humbly, petitioning Him with desire that He has placed on our heart it pleases Him. He wants us to ask. What desire God placed on your heart? If He gave you the desire- don’t you think He wants to give it to you? 

 

Remember that sales principle, You miss 100% of the asks you never make? Sometimes I wonder how many blessings we miss out on because of the requests we never truly make of God. 

 

Disclosure

Please remember that this post contains affiliate links; that means if you click on the link, I will make a small commission at no extra cost to you. It’s a way to support my blog! I will only ever share an affiliate link if I love the product and think that you just might love it too!

 

Other Posts You May Enjoy: 

Try It

The Secret to Being Content

All Those Who are Weary