Skirt in the Snow-- Outfit Post

Winter Wonderland--- Rachel Style!

I am a quirky, slightly-nerdy, slightly-posh, black and white, and very intense person.  I love my coffee (or tea) and books.  I love my warm indoors.  But I also love that never-ending TV series that pours into the core of you.  And I also love getting outside and having so much fun that you just can't stay tidy. 

And my last weekend has been so many of my favorite things all heaped together. 

Tis the season

Oh dear, I know... my blogging diligence hasn't been nearly what it should be.  Life has been buzzing with so very, very much to do.  My wonderful little home is decked for the winter season and I just couldn't wait to share pictures!!!

thankful

Here it is. 

That time of year when we gather around and count our blessings. 

Sure, we are thankful for things in other moments throughout our year, but now we are just hours from that set day when we stop and give thanks.

One and a half years...

I can scarcely believe it!  It has been a year and a half since Andrew became my husband!

When Love Takes You In

It is well, it is well...

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll; 

And my heart fills...

She's your sister...

 

She's the one

you've known forever.

Clothing Post-- You are my Sunshine

Dear...

... October skies, 

Sometimes sunny, sometimes stormy.  That has been you this year.  It has very much mirrored my life as of late.  Today you are overcast and cold.  You are changing the leaves into deep brilliance.

And I can't believe that you are nearly gone.

unfolded

I stand in the doorway

between my cozy kitchen and

back balcony;

door wide open,

rain pouring,

wind blowing. 

my people and what we do

My family is the most cherished group of individuals in my life.  Every single member shares some of those same expressions and mannerisms, yet are all so unique from each other.  They show affection in different ways, they challenge me in different ways, and they all make me love them more an more in different ways.

changing of the seasons

 

"Winter is an

etching, Spring

a watercolor,

Summer an oil

painting and

Autumn a

mosaic of

them all."

 

 

come, autumn!

Autumn is my favorite season.  It is a time of crisp mornings, beautiful colors, pumpkin-flavored/scented everything, scarves and hats, rosy cheeks, open windows, and cozy days of reading good books with a steaming mug of coffee.  It all definitely makes up for the amount of allergy medicine I have to take.  :-)

not the end

"Not everything in life has a happy ending...

 but this life is not the end of the story."

~Rick Warren

Psalm 94:17-19

"If the Lord had not been my

help,
My soul would soon have dwelt in the

abode of silence.
If I should say,

'My foot has slipped,'
Your lovingkindness, O Lord, will

hold me up.
When my anxious thoughts

multiply

within me,
Your consolations

delight my

soul."

recent life ~ in pictures

~ apple cinnamon muffins... homemade... a gift from my sister

~ eggs with Italian seasoning

~ cold milk and hot coffee

~ sunlight through the windows in the morning

You Were Worth It

summer-- wild, terrible, beautiful

Summertime in Indiana means hot, sunny, humid days.  This cooler-than-usual-type-of-summer has been filled to the brim. 

My family has escaped several times, sweeping me away with them on two occasions, to Lake Michigan.

this too shall pass

moment by moment

standing on the promises...

One of the difficult things in blogging is knowing what parts of your life to share and what parts to keep private.

Something happened this last week and at first I didn't know if I could write about it here... but I really feel in my heart that this is something too important and life-changing for me to not be open about it.

I also don't know how this is going to affect my future posts for the next couple of weeks, so at least you all will know why now.

I'm not home yet...

Life can be oh so hard, but there are times when the beauty seeps through and you are left breathless, when your heart catches in your throat.

The Closet Revamp!

I suffer from closet blindness.

Yes, that moment when you step up to a row of clothes hanging in your closet and think "I have nothing to wear!" for the next half hour.

And, honestly, I get tired of it!  So recently I decided to revamp my closet.

Now, because I don't have a pile of money to roll around in, this process will take time, effort, and strategy.

Here is a step-by-step process of what I am doing to put together a wardrobe that I adore!

smiles, sweat, stress, and serenity

My life has been all of these things this last week.  This last weekend was all four as my church held a special service at a local camping park (the same beautiful park where Andrew and I were married).  The weather was very nice, which was a blessing as we had no AC.  We had very little time to prepare, but everything turned out wonderfully in the end.

List Burning, Anyone?

When I was single, sometime during highschool, I made three lists.  Each one had certain things listed about what I wanted in a man someday.

The first was the "Must Be" List.  He must be a Christian.  He must hold to the same Theological beliefs as myself.  He must desire purity.  He must love God.  He must want children.  He must believe in homeschooling (or at least be supportive of it).  On this list was the no brainer, duh!, stuff. 

Friday Favorites {No. 34} Midsummer Days

The last few weeks have involved simple, little days of craziness.  I have felt quite busy, yet most days haven't involved a ton of activities.  Maybe it is that sweet laze that is mid summer.

take a trip to my kitchen

Yes, please do.  There are still no curtains on the windows, but everything else is ready for you.  You could come by some morning when I'm still bleary-eyed enough that I don't mind you seeing the dishes in the sink.  I'll make us both some coffee (or tea, if you prefer).  You will have to try a spoonful of our raw honey from out west in your drink, it truly is amazing.

Friday Favorites {No. 33} Free and Brave

Oh yes, it has been forever since I did a Friday Favorites.  Mostly because I didn't feel those posts were too super interesting... I'm over that now though.  ;-) 

My family celebrated the 4th of July with another pastor's family from our church.  We had such an amazing time of fellowship and hilarious fun.

Why today should be celebrated...

Today is so extremely special.

Today marks another year since a baby girl was born who grew into a woman who became a wife and then a mom.

My Mom.

insert creative post title here! ;-)

This is one of those random posts where, to fill the empty space between real posts, I upload some pictures from my life with a few thoughts. 

"I will open my mouth in a parable..."

My People... Drama Group Pictures!

Oh my.  Drama is one of my favorite areas of life.  I love performing in them, directing them, watching them, re-watching them...

Last year I was too busy planning (and having!) my wedding to take part in the VBS dramas like I had the two years prior.  This year I was able to come back and enjoy the pain, sweat, tears, and joy that is drama.  Some of the cast I had worked with in the past, some were brand new!  The ages ranged from 12 to 23 and I don't think there was a single person in the group without a strong personality.  :-)

Vacation Bible School in Pictures

This year's theme was Construction Zone.  It centered around the time of Nehemiah and the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls. 

ordinary days

These days in my life are simple.  Most of the time.  There has been a lot of chaos the last month or so... 

Recipe Time: Yummolicious Stir Fry

This meal calls for lots of fresh veggies and good old chicken!  You can mix and match what veggies you want to use, but this is how I did my stir fry (and it turned out amazing!).

Class of 2013...

Viva la vita

Oh, life.  It is so precious.  Priceless.  It is the little things like a walk with someone you love.

One Year

"What is it about a kiss that makes me feel like this?

What is it that makes my heart beat faster when I'm in your arms?

What is it about your touch that amazes me so much?

Friday Favorites {No. 32} Crazy May!

Natalie and Nana... queens of expressions!

 This last week has included SO much!  It was a great combination of busy, fun, and simple days.  One of the great things I was able to take part in was a Mother/Daughter Banquet last weekend with my sister, Mom, and Nana.

Home Sweet Apartment

Pictures of my new home at last!  I'm the kind of person who doesn't want to post pictures of her house until it looks exactly the way she wants... but this time I've decided to forget that and just share what our home looks like now (with some fun "before" pictures so you can see how far we've come!). 

birthday...

Who is this lil peanut???

This tike with the squeezable face and impish expression???

This is the cutie who grew up to be the man I married.

And he turned twenty-three yesterday!

Friday Favorites {No. 31} SO much to share!

 So, so, so many pictures.  I really tried to level them down to a less-crazy amount.  Hope ya'll enjoy this peek at the last couple of weeks in my life.

when life is full...

 

... sometimes you just don't have the time or energy to write, read, and edit a blog post.

 

This is really one of those times.  :-)

 

This is just one of those "yes, I'm still alive" posts.  The picture is of my hubby and two sisters with me on our new couch in our new apartment!  Moving, plus many other things, have kept me very busy this week, so I haven't had time to do my normal Friday Favorites post.  Hopefully I will be able to do my Modestly Monday post next week.

 

In the meantime, I hope you all have a lovely Sunday.

 

God bless!

Recipe Time: Mexican Beans and Rice!

This has become a favorite of mine!  My sister made it for my family and I was able to taste about a spoonful of the leftovers... and that settled it: I had to have the recipe.

So, here it is for you all to enjoy!  I'm all about cooking the easy way and the yummy way.  This also happens to be a good meal for your body too!  Beans are great and I use brown rice instead of white, which is SO delicious!

auf wiedersehen, goodbye



There comes a point in the moving process when you are just ready to move!

Andrew and I have found that to be the case as we get ready to transfer our possessions and our lives from one apartment to the next.

Andrew walks around the house and we exchange a look that means, "We're so ready to be in our new place, aren't we?"

We sit down on our couch and share an expression that says, "Can't wait to be in our bigger living space with our new extra-plushy couch, chair, and loveseat set!"

twenty

Friday Favorites {No. 30} At the family homestead

It is always so nice to spend days at my family's house.  Because Andrew and I don't know how long we'll live near my family, we value this time a lot.  Here are some pictures from our last visit...

Could You Guess? Survey Answers!!!

Thank you to everyone who took part in my survey this week!  It was fun reading your answers!  I hope as a result of this, you will get to know Andrew and me even better. 

Okay, so let's get started!

brutally honest moment...

I didn't become a pastor's kid until I was in highschool.  My family has come on a long journey that started when my Mom was diagnosed with cancer nearly thirteen years ago.  We saw the church in action during that time.  We saw people with true love in their hearts.  People who mowed our lawn, cooked us meals, and cleaned our toilets.  It was going through that experience that made my parents realize that they wanted more than to just go through life attending church on Sundays.  So, after years of praying and waiting on the Lord's timing, my family moved and my Dad started attending seminary.  I was twelve at this point.

Friday Favorites {No. 29} Little girls can fish too

I'm not a country girl.  I'm totally cool with that.  I grew up the daughter of a city boy.  I enjoy computers, cell phones, shopping, libraries, theatre, etc... but there comes a time when you just have to throw all of that out the window and just enjoy the great outdoors.  Thankfully, my Mom is much more of a country gal and she kept me close to the wonder of simplicity.  I've discovered as I've become older what a fortunate person I am to have such different parents; because of them, I can appreciate both worlds.

Friday Favorites {No. 28} Crazy, Amazing Days

Lots of pictures in this post.  Just to warn ya!

When Good Friday and Easter are piggy-backed by a two-day visit at my family's house playing Mum while my parents are away, there are bound to be lots of pictures.

Hope you enjoy!

Friday Favorite {No. 27} Something's coming, something good...

  After a discouraging, snowy weekend, it has started to warm up here in Indiana.  Snow is melting into mud... which means it is definitely springtime!  :-)

Friday Favorites {No. 26} Step we gaily, on we go!

So, last weekend was such an amazing time of laughter, games, yummy cake, wearing green, eating Irish food, and speaking in Irish accents!  Hope you enjoy these pics from my parents' St. Patrick's Day party!  I had such fun taking these pics... oh, except for the last three, which my Mum took!

My thoughts on Politics...

Okay... so this is a frightening picture of me... but it is pretty accurately shows how I feel when different people I know bring up their many opinions on the subject of politics.  The post below is something I wrote recently on Facebook.  Many blessings!

Maybe it’s because there was an election recently. Maybe it’s because most of the people I know (including myself) don’t like the direction this country has gone and is going… but, as I’ve been reading through the four Gospels this year, one thing has really stood out to me: How Jesus handled political authority. Being under the rule of Caesar and the local Roman soldiers was something far more difficult than anything we as Americans have ever seen. Yet, even when given the opportunity, Jesus never made a big speech criticizing the politicians of His day… in fact, it was the self-righteous religious leaders that He was constantly reproving.

Friday Favorites {No. 25} The magic of ordinary days...

Fun Organizing Ideas...

Our apartment when Andrew and I were first moving in last June...  :-P

I am a pack-rat.  Did any of you know this?

I keep clothes that I haven't worn in a long time on the off-chance that I will need them again someday.  I keep scraps of fabric, bits of lace, random beads, bags of craft supplies... just in case.

So, keeping the house clean (especially in a confined amount of space) can be a challenge.  My parents have a poll barn that we store quite a bit of our stuff in (along with seasonal clothes and some furniture), but what do I do with my craft supplies or my makeup that I need in my house???

Friday Favorites {No. 24} Winter Wonderland!



This post has a couple of pictures taken in the same shoto-shoot as the ones featured in my Wednesday post, Beautiful, and also quite a few outdoor pictures from the recent dumping of snow we've had in northern Indiana!  Hope you enjoy!