Pages and Projects {Spurgeon Journal, A Family Shaped By Grace and a Pom-pom Wreath} ⋆ A Delightful Glow

I’m listening to the windchime on my front porch as I type this. There’s a bit of a brisk breeze today and it’s swinging my windchime in a merry dance. It’s really pretty outside my windows. Sunshine and warmer temps, but when I stepped outdoors earlier, I thought the moving air had a winter chill with it!

I get cold easily, so I tend to think it’s coldish when other people may not as much!

I woke up yesterday with a scratchy, annoying feel to my throat. Once I was up, it wasn’t so bad. It feels good to drink and I have taken some Advil Cold & Sinus and I’m using an extra amount of Thieves and drinking Ningxia Red. I felt better this morning than yesterday and have a tickle in my throat and chest accompanied with a light cough. Hoping it will soon resign itself away. I’ve noticed ever since we started using essential oils about five years ago, that we definitely get sick less and when we do catch something it generally runs its course in a much shorter time. I love my oils! They aren’t a sure-all-cure-all…..I don’t believe anything is……..but they definitely make a difference for us.

{If you’re interested in essential oils and Young Living, you’ll find my page about them right here.}

Look at this slim journal from B&H/Lifeway. It’s my current review.

It is the Spurgeon Journal.

It’s a smaller size than some journals and I find it easy to grab or pick up and it has a nice feel in my hands……….if that makes any kind of sense! Ha! It does make sense to me, because I am drawn to sensory appeal in many everyday items. There are certain textures and fabrics I am drawn to more than others.

The journal is leather-bound, so it has a soft, smooth and supple feel.

Here’s the inside cover page.

It has quotes from Spurgeon’s sermons scattered within. They aren’t on every page. You’ll find them every so often as you flip through it.

The journal pages are ruled for writing, taking notes, however you want to use it!

This journal was designed with quotes used from Spurgeon’s earlier works that were lost for many years.

Here’s a little bit about the journal pulled from the description of it on bookseller sites.

“This journal contains Spurgeon’s own inspirational words culled from these early sermons. On the page directly following each quote, you’ll find the source—the name and number of one of Spurgeon’s early sermons—for easy reference.”

I wasn’t sure what the journal was going to be like before it arrived and from only a picture of the front cover on the website.

I like the make and feel of it. It would also be a pretty neat gift for anyone who appreciates C.H. Spurgeon’s words and works.

I’ve been flipping through Simple Gatherings. I received this book for Christmas. It’s a simple book chock full of simple and lovely ideas that are easy to pull off for hosting a gathering. I love the ideas because I love setting a pretty table or organizing a cute food table.

A Family Shaped by Grace.

This book is incredible in my opinion and already on my list of favorite reads for 2018. I love the author’s writing style and gentle, easy, and relatable voice.You won’t find this book preaching at you. The author knows what it is to live life life without offering or receiving grace and in the pull of stressful family situations. Gary Morland shares his story and how he learned to love Jesus, reject alcohol and pick up the right tools to use in shaping lasting and loving family relationships.

As I read it, I thought, “I think I’m going to add this book to required reading for my kiddos.” Right on the heels of this thought came another. “No. I think we’ll do it as a read-aloud together while we still have some winter evenings.”

We used to do read-alouds a lot, but not so much anymore. In part, because R&T are teens and quite capable of reading. And also because the last three years have held a lot of pain and hard days for me and sometimes doing the have-tos were all I could manage.

I’m continually amazed to look back and realize how poorly I have felt. As my body does heal and gain strength from back/sciatic issues and pain, I realize how NOT-VERY-GOOD, I’ve felt.

It is fun to read aloud to them again, especially since I believe this book has a very impactful life message.

In an interesting aside, if you’ve ever read Simply Tuesday by Emily P. Freeman or The Nesting Place by Myquillyn Smith, {two favorite, favorites of mine} then it’s a fun fact to know that Gary Morland is their father. Which is, how I heard about the book in the first place. I saw it on Emily and The Nester’s Instagrams as they helped spread the word about its release. 🙂

I just finished UnOffendable. Well. Let’s just say, I’m not unoffendable. This book holds a good message. I totally agree that the Bible doesn’t sanction or give us the right to be angry. This book definitely motivated me to search my heart and think through a few things. There are some things I probably don’t completely agree with, but I very much appreciate the message. Here’s my thing, I think. It’s hard for me to take a book like this and figure out how its message pairs with a book like Boundaries. I very much believe we need healthy boundaries and we can’t necessarily always allow people to push us around or tell us what to do. I think I let books with the messages of loving and being unoffendable and giving grace continually make me feel like I have to be a doormat to anyone and everyone. I DON’T believe that and I don’t think that is the message these books mean to convey. I think I make myself feel that way and then I have a hard time sorting out how to tie it all together. Anyone else?! Ha! 🙂

I haven’t quite finished The Life-Giving Table. I read it some through December and enjoyed reading about food and feasting during the holidays. I really, really like this book. It’s full of positivity and sharing and caring and warmth and hospitality and celebrating the everyday and the extraordinary.