Monthly Archives: November 2013

Friday Stuff (For the I-Am-Not-Going-to-the-Mall-Today-Kind-of-Women)

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Minimalist Baker Pumpkin Pie

We are so grateful! We have had a wonderful time up here in Tennessee this week; our friends have opened their home and hearts to us in such a beautiful way that I honestly feel super spoiled. Not to mention that we have eaten the most amazing food (and just for the record, I am enjoying a slice of pumpkin pie and a cup of Wilbur Cocoa Breeze Blend coffee even now), and had spent so many bonding hours in the kitchen together that I think someone needs to write an ode to the Kitchen soon.

Now some Friday Stuff for those of you who chose to stay at home today instead of going into the craziness of a mall:

On Advent Reading:

There are so many good Advent companions nowadays that I won’t even try to recommend you all of our favorites but here are a few of them:

God Rest Ye Merry: Why Christmas Is the Foundation for Everything by Douglas Wilson

Some other free -and great- online readings for the season are these:

Good News of Great Joy by John Piper

Readings and Devotions for Advent, the Twelve Days of Christmas, and Epiphany

On Christmas Gifts: 

I have not bought one yet,  but hey! I already know how I want to wrap all my gifts! Hope that counts as being a good and on-time planner.

Here are some pretty gift tags that you may want to print -in case you are also hoping to be a good planner this year.

On Disappointments: 

The moment you reach page 167 of a book you are liking a lot and read the words the author -which is a woman- uses to start a paragraph: “A few times a year,  I officiate a wedding…” That, my friends,  is disappointing moment.  I won’t lie, I still love the many words she has right, but I would be very careful when reading her books. All Truth is God’s Truth, but all words to be true must be proved by Truth itself.

On Changes: 

They always come and make us grow. Changes stretch us, and help us see how much we still need to change ourselves.

Changes help us to be challenged, to put in practice what we say we believe, to humble ourselves and raise us up. We must have a heart willing to open the door to them and welcome them into our lives. God will use them for Hid glory and our good.

On Fake Bread:

I am humbled and grateful to be a guest on my friend Diana’s blog. I am writing an exhortation to Pilgrims like me, who at times are tempted to eat fake bread…

“Remember this, dear Pilgrim, the food in exile, the food of self-righteousness, the bread made out of rocks, will never, never, satisfy us. It only feeds the idols of our hearts but never our soul. All bread made with our own efforts will always leave us empty, it never nourishes us, it will always kill us.” Continue reading here.

Praying God will grant you a restful weekend, dear Friends,

Under His Sun and by His grace,

Becky

Retro-Blogging (1st Time I do a Meme on my Blog)

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I miss blogging and I miss you, my dear readers (especially those who are not on FB). But it is OK, your life -and mine- has continued to go on happily with out any of my posts, and that is good. There is so much to read now, right?

But here I am, prompted by my friend Lisa and her idea to go back to the good ol’ days of blogging in which there were no big rules on what to write and what not to write. And, Oh, especially to go back and re-build the community we had. Blogging “just because we enjoy the give-and-take, the community, the conversation” that is a good enough reason to open this space again.  So hopefully, and with no big aspirations at all, and no numbers (like Trisha said) to keep track of, but instead, keeping in mind all the good things and the good friends that come around in this, my little blogging world, I am back. Welcome again, my Friends!

So for the fun of it, and because it is Friday, and because I feel we need an ice-breaker, I will join Lisa in this Meme:

Here’s 7 things you may not know about me:

1. I generally don’t like memes. I remember thinking to myself -more than once- that I would never do one on my blog (or FB).

2. I still have trouble deciding if I should use “in” or “on.” See #1, I changed that “on”  before “my blog” three times. I am still unsure if I made the right choice (I am hoping that you one of the things you already know about me is that English is my second language).

3. The more I travel, the more I wish I could avoid planes and airports. I like window seats so that I can close the window and pretend that I am not flying.

4. I dream with having my own little Café shop-with a wonderful atmosphere, of course- in which I would serve the best breakfast in town (which of course would not be in Mexico City, because you all know we would love to move to some other place….).

5. I am an extrovert and sometimes I wish I would be an introvert. Maybe that is the reason why I LOVE to have introvert friends. I learn so much from them!

6. I don’t have a favorite color, or restaurant, or kind of food, or book, or anything! My little one (9yo) has learned to ask me, “Mom, what is your favorite color *today*?”

7. I love Ann Voskamp and I apologized to her for the words I spoke -and wrote- that were harsh and graceless. There, I said it. So if you see me linking to her blog now and then, please don’t think that I have abandoned the Reformed faith 🙂 As with the rest of my fellow brothers and sisters, Ann and I don’t always agree, but we continually sharpen and encourage each other to live a holy life before God, and that is a blessing.

So, here you go, this was fun and I am happy to be back.

Thanks, Lisa!

Under His Sun and by His grace,

Becky