My favorite part of all of Saturday—after a morning of farmer’s market, library, and lake—was curling up on the sofa in the long stretch of quiet afternoon, sipping coffee and perusing a giant stack of library books with my husband. Something that David and I find distractingly restful is learning more about a topic which interests us—even if it has seemingly little relevance to our current life. For instance, I’m reading Sheetrock and Shellac: A Thinking Persons Guide to the Art and Science of Home Improvement, by David Owen.  Do we own a home or a yard?  No.  Do we actually have any idea what we’ll do and where we’ll…

Our hearts are full from a week of reconnecting with friends from church and from Columbia . . . dinners and play dates and lunch meetings, and we look forward to another one ahead of us.  So to recharge from and for all the fun, we declared today “family day.” and judah was thrilled with the declaration! “take my picture, Mommy!” (I don’t think he’s ever said those words before) it’s so fitting that a Carolina farmer’s market be punctuated by a palm tree choosing tomatoes for tonight’s calzones our friend Nick’s coffee company–get the iced coffee, sweetened with milk stopping for made-on-site donuts: the kids love the apple cider and we…

farmer’s market bounty, to tide us over until we can grow our own two handsome guys betsy picked these up at an antique store . . . the kids are enamored! the “black-throated blend,” a good remedy for the olympics hangover rediscovering pretzels lots of contented playing alone for this introvert i made a new friend!

  dal and chappati. Tuesday, July 26, 2011      

  tea party on the balcony. Tuesday, July 26, 2011   Amie and I have been enjoying our three-hour mornings while Judah is at preschool.  We go outside.  We read books.  Watch some Bob the Builder.  And we always make sure to save time for a tea party on the balcony with our friends.    

  sunday. Sunday, July 24, 2011   While you folks in the U.S. are experiencing record heat waves, we are neck-deep in monsoon season, with temps in the high 70’s/low 80’s, breezes, and rain several times a week.  We have a love/hate relationship with our swimming pool, which is been clean and swim-able maybe forty percent of the time we’ve lived here, but this weekend it’s looking gorgeous, so the kids have been begging for a swim.   trying out the water it is freezing cold! . . . but that didn’t stop these kiddos! some curious onlookers (notice the jeans and sweater).  You will find people wearing jackets and…

afternoon routine. Friday, July 22, 2011 A writing desk, a cup of chai, and a quiet hour-and-a-half to study . . . what more could a girl ask for?

  day by day. Wednesday, July 20, 2011   God is leading me step by step and day by day. I am once again in the place of feeling like all is outside my control, that I have no idea what tomorrow holds or what next year holds, that this has to be a walk of faith or nothing. It is still a hard place to be in, just like it was six months ago.  I had hoped – had planned – to have more certainty at this point in our story.  But it doesn’t seem like certainty is God’s will for me right now.  Or maybe it is.  But…