This has been a full month of exciting changes in the extended Edmonds family! We celebrated the union of Aaron’s oldest brother, Nathan & Kathy, on September 5th, and then last weekend celebrated the engagement of one of Aaron’s younger brothers, Stephen & Anna. Yes, there are seven boys in his family. We also welcomed a new little niece, Nora Elise Edmonds (that makes four granddaughters to balance out the men a bit!).
Nathan & Kathy Edmonds
I also had the privilege of speaking at the Selah conference, which was an awesome experience (listen to my session here!). Sandwiched between these events, we took a lovely vacation to the Oregon Coast (our favorite spot in Lincoln City) and spent five days as a family just resting, reading, walking the beach, and a bit of shopping.
I am thankful for the ways the Lord has been working and shaping my life this past month. While enduring insomnia and the side-effects of depression, I have experienced the richness of getting away and taking time to plan, set goals, and strategies to complete them. It’s so valuable to schedule in time for such retreats mid-year when I need a refresh boost.
Simply re-committing to rising early, and get dressed before our little ones are up, makes a huge difference on my attitude and the productivity of our home. It’s so easy to get lazy when you are lacking sleep. When I don’t get up early, I don’t have time to spend with the Lord, the most important relationship in my life. When I don’t have a few moments to myself, it is even easier to succumb to moodiness. If you haven’t read Maximize Your Mornings, please do (it’s free)! It is such a great resource for fully utilizing your time most effectively for God’s glory.
The grandkids - Alita, Eva, Karis & Titus - Nora was still in the womb
Another thing the Lord has been encouraging me with is the value of always seeking to learn new things. I want to be faithful in my roles, and yet sometimes it is easy to get discouraged or tired and weary of the same routines. Why not learn something new? A new skill, a new art, a new book. What a huge difference it can make in your attitude! I started dabbing into developing my own sourdough starter, which has been a ton of fun (thanks to Wardeh’s sourdough e-course). I also took a leap and make my first batch of lacto-fermented products (in my case, salsa was a great place to start!). Seeking to learn new things can keep fresh joy and excitement in your homemaking!
So it has been a blessed and rich month, to say the least.
Yes, this is US! They had a photo booth with costumes at the wedding and we all had a blast!
My Bookshelf
Having a nice trip to the beach enabled me to complete some extra reading this month.
Girls Gone Wise in A World Gone Wild by Mary Kassian is a rich and challenging read for women of all ages in our generation. Mary does an amazing job addressing 20 points of contrast between the Proverbs 7 (Woman of Folly – Wild Thing) with the Wise Woman (Wise Thing). She hits the mark and the heart of the matter while addressing the importance of guarding our hearts, counsel, attitude, habits, and lifestyle choices. It is eye-opening and convicting in guiding women in all aspects of life – but especially in understanding our role and the proper manner of interaction with men. Highly recommend!
Depression: A Stubborn Darkness by Ed Welch – I really did not want to read this book, but the Lord kept bringing it to my attention, and I’m still wading through it, but it is a rich read if you deal with any susceptibility to moodiness or depression. How to understand the reality of it and how to deal with it from a beautiful Christ centered approach.
Up next…Heaven at Home by Ginger Plowman!
I wanted to take a moment and thank you all for your continual support and encouragement! We passed our third blog anniversary this month and I totally forgot! It has been an awesome blessing to share with you all through the journey of learning to delight in homemaking. Thank you and many blessings upon you all!