Saturday, March 23rd, 2019
Our house has been like a wildlife sanctuary lately.
Deer, swans, geese, and pheasants everywhere.
Every morning we have 10-15 hens and 4-5 rooster pheasants in our back field. It’s fun to watch that many of them forage at one time.
Thursday, March 21st, 2019
There’s nothing like opening your eyes to a bald eagle sitting in the tree outside your window!
He didn’t stick around long, just long enough for me to get my camera, but he was magnificent all the same.
Saturday, March 16th, 2019
I think spring is officially around the corner.
This gorgeous weather we’ve been having, and the weather that’s coming within the next week (60 degrees next weekend!!!) is a sure sign. Yes, we had a snowstorm in April last year, but I’m choosing to be an optimist this year because I’m ready for sunshine.
Anyway, moving on. We had quite a few eagles pass through our neck of the woods last spring around this time, and I’ve been noticing them around again. This morning, I looked out my kitchen window to this beautiful pair relaxing at my neighbor’s. They hung out for an hour after I noticed they were there, and it was such a treat to look out the window and see them sitting there as I went about my morning.
Tuesday, March 5th, 2019
A few weeks ago, Paul and I cruised through Lifeway looking for a new Bible study.
For how many they have, not many caught our interest, and it was slightly disappointing. Is a couple’s bible study (not devotional) too much to ask for? They actually eliminated their Marriage section all together, and clumped some marriage books in with the Family section – mostly kid based. I get that it’s hard to compete with Amazon (they have signs everywhere that they’ll price match to Amazon), but it was still disappointing.
After scouring the shelves, we decided on one that focused primarily on Genesis 1:1.
I didn’t really think about just how perfect that would be until we started in on it. The story of creation – duh, perfect fit! In my photographical exploration of creation through this blog, it’s been fascinating to learn about it so in depth with this study.
So far, this study has been a really good fit for us. It’s challenging (the questions aren’t easy gimme ones), the way it’s broken down is good for us (10 week session, broken down into five sections, so one study a weekday), and the points the author makes are really thought provoking.
First question: Who wrote Genesis?
If you knew the answer to that, I am impressed! For those who didn’t know (like me and Paul), Moses actually wrote Genesis!
The author really digs into verses throughout the Bible to explore and backup explanations behind how we were created, who else was present at the time of creation (you thought it was just God, didn’t you?), and for what true purpose were we created (Hint: To help further His purpose is not the answer).
This study has kind of turned my views on creation upside down, and has put me even more in awe of my existence.
It makes it even better that I can once again sit in our sunroom with the morning light coming through our window. The sun’s position and strength are changing, and it helps it feel more like spring!
Saturday, March 2nd, 2019
How many of you took a few extra minutes admiring the frozen beauty out your window this morning? If you know me, you know that Hoar Frost is one of my favorite wintertime weather phenomenons, so I know I sure did!
But you know what I like even better? Green grass. 😉
Thursday, February 14th, 2019
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Valentine’s Day used to be one of my favorite holidays when I was a kid – but probably not for the reason you think.
My horse, Tru Luvs Valentine (known as Val), was born on Valentine’s Day. For a girl in love with her horse, celebrating Valentines Day with her with love and birthdays was perfect.
She’s gone now, passed away nearly eight years ago, but as those of you with heart horses can relate, they never really leave you. Lessons learned, empathy enhanced, responsibilities shouldered, hard work realized, partnerships built, but most of all, she provided me the best example of what it means to be loyal and to deeply love.
While I do still love Valentine’s Day, now with her gone it’s a day of celebrating life and love today while also remembering life and love past.
Tuesday, January 8th, 2019
The perk to travelling backward in time zones when on vacation is that you wake up early feeling like you’ve slept in.
Hawaii is four hours behind Central Time, so even when waking up at 6, you feel like you’ve slept in until ten. During the day, you also feel like it’s later than it is so it’s a great feeling when you get to say “it’s only ten o’clock! It feels like the middle of the afternoon – we still have the entire day ahead of us!”
That also means that you’re ready to go to bed at dinner time, but I’m also an early to bed kind of girl, so being asleep by 8 or 9 is ok with me.
Anyway, back to early rising. I love going out and walking around before the crowds are out. It’s peaceful, and I love feeling like I’ve gotten a head start on everyone else.
This morning on the way to breakfast we walked past the Ilikea Marina, and the stillness of the water and softness of the light felt magical.
Thursday, November 1st, 2018
As the rising sun broke through the clouds this morning, I was walking into my kitchen.
By the end of October, it’s habit for me to look out into the pumpkin patch, looking for parents and kids on the hunt for the perfect one. Many times, especially early in the morning, nothing is out there. Most times, my brain plays tricks on me, and I think I see something, but nothing’s there.
Today was different.
I walked by the window, and almost fell over because I double-taked (is that a word?) so hard. There was either a large dog or huge coyote walking through the pumpkins.
Spoiler alert: it was a massive coyote.
We’ve had huge population issues around our house – my parents have woken up multiple times over the past couple weeks to Henna facing down packs of over 3 coyotes in their front yard. One morning, they were between the house and the barn; for those of you who know their farm layout, that’s basically as in the middle of the farm yard as you could get. They aren’t shy. The opposite is true, actually – they’ve become extremely bold.
I took this image at 8:30 this morning – that’s on the later side for a coyote to be out. He also stood out in the middle of tarnation, right on our driveway, for over a minute. They aren’t afraid. And this one was by itself, so that raises the “bold bar.” He even noticed I was watching him at one point, and didn’t budge.
And, for those of you wondering, no he wasn’t interested in my chickens. Maybe he was interested in the neighbor’s chickens (he was heading that way before he saw me), but I watched him come across the field, and he didn’t even glance in the direction of our coop. That doesn’t mean that in the future he wouldn’t notice it, but at least for this morning, the girls were fine.
Also – don’t take this as fear mongering. The moment I walked outside, he split. A healthy coyote is not a danger to you or your kids. However, I’m not a fan of having so many around. They rotate territories, so soon they’ll move out, but they’ll be back after a few weeks again. Hopefully by then, they’ll have feasted on gut piles left behind by deer hunters, and be satisfied staying out of the farm yard.
Wednesday, October 24th, 2018
It was a beautiful, frosty wonderland this morning, and it lit up my world.
Things as simple as weeds alongside of our driveway looked magical, especially with the morning light.
Monday, October 22nd, 2018
Had these sweet visitors swing by this morning.
Harvested fields mean no cover for them as they move around, which is a bummer for them but good for me!
The pheasants have been out, we’ve seen coyotes, and now deer this morning.
I’m digging being able to see the wildlife again, even if I lost the green landscape. In fact, look at that thin layer of frost on the field!
Tuesday, September 18th, 2018
Our flight to Raleigh this morning was a gorgeous one. So many distinct layers of clouds, pretty ground fog, and flying into the sunrise.
Also, who knew that North Carolina had so many trees!? That sounds like a silly observation, but the trees went all the way up to any water I could see, you couldn’t see the actual roads but could see where they go because they had to cut down thick forests to make them. At one point, I don’t think I could see any open ground, just treetops, for miles.
From Raleigh we flew to Tampa for the night. We got in at 11:30, which was nice because we had the entire afternoon to ourselves. You guys, I know Florida is hot, but it’s mid-September and the temperature was 95, felt like 106. Paul and I walked to a spot for lunch and we were both a sweaty mess when we got there. So after lunch we went straight back to the hotel and jumped in the pool.
After a little swim, a very light overcast layer of clouds moved in (which made the heat so much more tolerable) so we both napped in some lounge chairs poolside, and it was so lovely. After that, I am now fully ready to transition into fall weather once we get home.
Tuesday, July 24th, 2018
God is so good.
When life gets busy, it’s easy for me to forget that. I don’t know about you, but when life is good, it’s also easy for God to find a backseat.
I’ve found myself doing that lately. Going, going, going, and forgetting that I am most centered when I’m searching for God’s beauty and goodness daily. When I start to take life for granted I start to drift from God.
So this weekend when we were all walking in downtown Stillwater, we came across this sweet little local bookshop and stopped in. I found this treasure of a book called “The Tiny Book of Tiny Pleasures.” I started paging through it and fell in love; this book was made for me.
Some examples of the tiny pleasures captured within this book:
-Licking the mixing bowl clean
-A postcard that cheers you up, pinned above your desk
-Decorating a small corner of your life
-Breathing in nature
-Something that falls yet doesn’t break
-Pretty packaging
-Saying no for once (ha!)
-A beautifully laid table
-Bare branches etched in the moonlight
-Shelling your own peas
-Spotting a bird’s nest
There are four hundred pages in this book, and with each little phrase or item is a beautifully illustrated watercolor image that depicts each pleasure. It’s beautiful to page through, and may be my favorite book I’ve ever bought. So many small reminders of what pleasure is, and all of the places we can find it.
This morning was one that contained many small pleasures, all before 9 o-clock:
-Wildflowers
-A walk with a friend
-Morning light
-Two wild turkeys (with chicks!!) on our path
-Fresh summer air
-Greenery everywhere
-Bluebird skies
Then when I made it home, we had two other friends that joined us for breakfast:
-Doughnuts (because duh)
–Good GREAT news
-Lots of laughter, smiling so much my cheeks hurt
Then off to lunch with more beautiful souls:
-Local eats
-Hugs with good friends
-Catching up on life
-God talk
Then back home again to appreciate the special man God made, who became my husband.
God is good, friends. God is good.
Courtney Weinreis // A Borrowed Likeness 