MarthaKimball

ordering the home

August 8, 2016 MarthaKimball4 Comments

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I heard this song last week while watching Shauna Niequist’s launch party for her book Present over Perfect that releases tomorrow. I can’t stop singing it. It made me cry because Brandon and I have been in the process of looking for our very first home. We have been renters for 10 years and have saved a downpayment many times only to have to spend it on hospital bills, pregnancies, and obscene amounts of car trouble. It has been a long and rocky road, requiring a ton of trust and patience in the Lord’s plan and timing. I am probably more comfortable with waiting at this point than we are with moving forward. It has become normal and it feels safer.

Our lease is up at the end of this month on this rental we’ve been in for the last two years, and our landlord is only willing to sign a six-month lease rather than going month-to-month, so we are back on a holding pattern somewhat, it seems. I trust the Lord’s timing and am thankful that I don’t have to hurriedly pack up a house during this month meanwhile starting my very first year of homeschooling with Phoebe. My sanity is thankful. But my heart longs to have a place that I have the right to call home. We’ve always lived in borrowed spaces and, as grateful as we are for our many many blessings, that does take its toll after so many years.

Anyway, I’m hoping I can sing these words over our new home one day soon. Until then, we call this temporary place our home. It teaches me time and again that my place here in this world is ultimately temporary and God is preparing for us a Home that will be everything our hearts have always been restless for. The longing is piercing, but it isn’t bad to be reminded of the reality of the tension we live in. We really were made for a better place, the paradise of His presence and His perfection, and our souls know our exile.

So it’s been on my heart to get our house in order. Things tend to pile up and clutter when you have three little ones. Mentally I need to quiet the home, declutter, take care of the piles gathering dust here and there, minimize and sell what we don’t need or use. I want to carve out a small space in the home for schooling supplies to make a special little spot for Phoebe.

Phoebe and Noah have been sharing a room since Noah was 3 months old, and they have pretty much loved every minute of it. Philippa has been in her own room. For a long time, Phoebe and Noah have been party animals at night after lights are out, usually coming out to go to the bathroom a handful for times, plus giggling and jumping around out of their beds. Noah seems to be the rabble rouser, and Phoebe, on the healing journey with an autoimmune disease, is the sleepier one who tends to drag during the day because of the late night shenanigans. So we decided to separate them, putting Noah in his own big boy room for the first time, and moving Philippa into Phoebe’s room. Noah and Philippa are little BFFs and if we put them together, they would only keep up the late night party pattern. So, last week we moved beds and furniture around. The kids thought it was great fun, and they’ve been sleeping well in this new arrangement. Noah was a little scared the first night all on his own, but I think he was really proud of himself in the morning and I think as the second-born/middle child, it feels really special to have his own room. We’re still working on moving decorations around and finishing up, which seems sort of silly if we may end up moving soon, but I’m feeling the need to get the house in order and organized as much as possible before school begins. Everyone keeps telling me its only kindergarten and it is really no big deal, but I know it will be adding a sizable chunk to my weekly workload and I will feel more prepared going into it with house projects crossed off my list.

In an ideal world, at least. 😉 Everything is in disarray and disorder for now. I try to make a few small goals a week toward this end, keeping up with all my usual weekly work keeping a home running, always working toward order, and learning to enjoy the inevitable chaos.

yarn along

August 3, 2016 MarthaKimball3 Comments

I finished the sunsuit over the weekend and need to sew on buttons and block, meanwhile I’m knitting the matching bonnet. I absolutely love this set and want to knit one for philippa too! So many ideas, so many things to knit, so little time. I’m hoping to finish this up by this week and send it off to my cousin who requested it as a baby gift for a friend.

I finished The Light between Oceans over the weekend, too, and had a good cry. I almost gave up reading it a couple of times, admittedly, just because it was painful to read in some ways, but I’m glad I saw it through to the end. It was a good book, and I’m excited to see the movie now.

I picked up Come to the Family Table, a book I’m reviewing for the publisher, and am a few chapters in. It’s about resisting the haste of our current day and age, returning to a slower existence around the table as a family, nurturing relationships there, savoring Jesus there. I am already getting some fun ideas to implement in our own home. Each chapter ends with a simple recipe and an easy game to play as a family around the table as well as a devotional to share. It would be a great book to read with your husband together, fairly light and easy reading, but my husband isn’t one to read books with me. I have been bouncing ideas off of him though as I go, and it’s brought some interesting conversation. I asked him the other night if he felt like we have a “refreshing” home, and what is it like for him when he walks in the door from work at the end of the day. He snorted, which launched us into some good natured teasing and laughter. Humor goes a long way in these kinds of discussions! We are looking for the first time to buy our very own home, so it’s neat to be reading this book and thinking about the layout of the kitchen/dining area, and how the layout affects my ability to slow down and enjoy a meal, as well as how it might affect guests. Little things like that can make a big difference.

I’m linking up with Ginny’s weekly yarn along to share what we’re knitting + reading!

the language of flowers

July 29, 2016July 29, 2016 MarthaKimballLeave a comment

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“The earth laughs in flowers.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

A little while ago I typed this question into google: “what is the purpose of a flower?” Interestingly, most of the links that came up talked about the scientific purpose of a flower in the process of reproduction and pollination. In fact, many of the articles said that the “sole purpose” of a flower is for reproduction for the plant. Of course, on a scientific level, that is true! But if I were to ask you what the purpose of a flower is, would that be the first thing that would come to mind? I find that to be a rather sterile view of the world (never mind the irony). Surely art has something of value to say to us and not science only. I was a little surprised that nothing about the cheering effect of flowers was mentioned. Or their smell. How about the way they are used to make perfumes? Or the fact that they have long been acknowledged to have medicinal and therapeutic benefits?

My little Phoebe-girl loves picking flowers and creating little bouquets and arrangements. I asked Brandon to make her a flower press so she can begin keeping them in a more lasting way. Maybe it’s just my quest for permanence, my longing to hold onto these fragile days that are blooming and fading so quickly. How these kids are growing! How I cannot seem to hold them down and keep them still and just this way for just one minute. To keep Noah just as he is, trotting out of bed early in the morning, always playing “lion” and referring to himself as the lion (such as, “the lion wants a snack,” and “lions don’t like thunder,” etc.). Or this game that phoebe and noah play together frequently called “boswell” where noah is the cat, boswell, and phoebe is his owner and walks him around on a “leash.” Or how philippa is talking up a storm and constantly bowling us over with her personality, always trying to keep up with phoebe and noah, loving to read the “fock” (fox) book every night (“I love you Because You’re You”).

These days are so weary and exhausting and full and busy just with the simple work of running a household and keeping everyone fed and happy, and then all of a sudden everyone has grown again and I just want to hold everything down for a minute and keep it still so I can take it in. But the days just keep going, time just keeps ticking away. I suppose thats part of why I snap so many pictures, this quest to hold onto these days and not forget them.

Anyway, as for the press, Brandon made it for phoebe this past weekend and she loves it! She felt pretty special that daddy made something just for her, and she has been busy pressing flowers. I want to get her a little simple journal where she can glue the flowers in, but she also may make some cards with them for thank you notes and such. It’s a simple thing, but one that I think helps her pay attention to the natural world around her, the beautiful things that God created not just for the holy work of reproduction, but also for the holy work of beauty. I can’t wait to use the flower press as a way for Phoebe to begin a nature journal and as a way for her to catalog different plant species in the future for educational purposes. But for now, I want her to pay attention to and simply enjoy the beauty she finds around her.

He created our souls to be moved and affected by beautiful things. It’s why we give flowers to someone who is grieving. It’s why we bring flowers to someone who just had a baby or who accomplished something great. It’s why we spend a fortune on fresh blooms for a wedding, sprinkling them all around, signifying new life is beginning. It’s why a girl gets a fresh bouquet and immediately breathes them in deep.

Beauty has a high and holy power to turn our heads and turn our hearts. It is a beam, a shaft of light in the dark, and if we trace the beam back to the source, we see the beautiful God whose incredible mind created all of us and all of this, and we sing, Glory!

Last weekend my soul was aching to get up into the mountains, to escape the heat wave we’ve been suffering through, and also just to feel like we got away a bit from the house and our ordinary routines. We went with my parents for a picnic on Sunday afternoon to nearby Craggy Gardens. After dinner Noah kept begging us to go for a hike, so we meandered through one of the little hiking trails, walking slow, looking for things to wonder over, exploring and discovering, and phoebe collecting treasures, of course. Feathers, rocks, found string, pretty leaves, flowers. I find her little treasures all over the house, tucked in pockets, drawers, baskets. Fancy that, how to a child, every little thing can be heavy with significance and beauty and purpose.

(If you want to make your own flower press, some simple instructions can be found here or this is a cute one for purchase if you don’t have a handy man around. The book I snapped pictures of is this one here, a seasonally organized simple craft book using everyday items found around the house.)

yarn along

July 27, 2016July 27, 2016 MarthaKimball4 Comments

Still reading The Light Between Oceans and enjoying it, heart-wrenching though it be.

I cast on the bonsai sunsuit as a little commissioned project for a friend. I’ve finished the bloomers portion except for the ribbing around the leg openings and am starting on the bib. Can I just say how much I enjoy knitting baby items? I haven’t knit much with cotton aside from dishcloths. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about it, but I’m liking this yarn so far. It’s super soft and I like the feel of it knitted up.

Joining up with Ginny + her weekly yarn along today to share what we’re currently reading + knitting!

a couple of books

July 25, 2016 MarthaKimballLeave a comment

I am months behind in posting reviews on these two books. (Eek!)

Wild & Free by Jess Connolly and Hayley Morgan

I took this one on my anniversary backpacking trip with Brandon and really savored reading it in the quiet of the wilderness. The subtitle for this one reads: A hope-filled anthem for the woman who feels she is both too much and never enough. I’m not sure I know a woman who couldn’t resonate with that statement! Looking out over the landscape of women today, I see many of my sisters held captive and caged by fear, by desires, by the push and pull of culture, by comparison. I even find that after all these years of walking with Jesus, having come to know Him as a little girl, and then growing up in the church and raised in the Scriptures, these same things often pull me back into bondage in different seasons of my life. This book reminds me of Captivating by Stasi Eldredge, similar message written for a new generation of women. I feel like the author’s target audience was probably the 20 to 30-something year old woman, and also somewhat directed toward a newer Christian, but I still greatly benefited from reading this! Who doesn’t need to revisit the truths of our value as women, our identity, the source of our worth, our motivation, and our definition of success? At first glance, the terms “wild” and “free” both invigorated me and also raised my eyebrows. But I love the direction the author’s went in defining their terms, grounding them in the gospel:

“If God is wild and if God is free, what does that mean for us? The answer we’ve landed on is that we believe we have the liberty to walk out our own wild freedom in pursuit of His kingdom, and He will help us as we go. He is the one who calls us to be wild–walking in who God created us to be. And He is the one who calls us to be free–resting in what Jesus has done for us.”

The authors talk about their own histories of living “small and scared” and living “defensively,” ways that they struggled to understand the freedom we have in Christ. The authors are calling for renewed understanding of what it means to be hidden in Christ and to live a life for Him, calling for revival amongst women in the church today. I think it is an important book and enjoyed reading it. If you want to read an excerpt, you can find one here.

The Prophetess: Deborah’s Story by Jill Eileen Smith

I finished this one months ago. I’m not sure why I’ve lagged to post this review because I really enjoyed it! I read it at a time when I was studying through Judges, and I love to compliment bible study with historical fiction. I find it breathes new life and perspective into a text that can sometimes seem boring. It helps me to remember that these people we are reading about in the pages of Scripture were real human beings with emotions and fears and struggles much like my own.

This book is book 2 in a series by Smith entitled “Daughters of the Promised Land,” and after reading it I will probably read the rest of the series. She writes interestingly and did an impeccable job of telling Deborah’s story with biblical accuracy and a ton of side research on the cultural context. As such, the story of Deborah truly comes to life and sparked a lot of curiosity and fresh perspective for me in thinking about this intriguing, powerful woman used mightily by God in a time when the people of God were far from Him, entangled in idolatry. I especially liked the way she imagined and depicted Deborah’s visions and gift of prophecy, as well as Deborah as a woman–both strong and outspoken, yet battling her own fears and humanity, growing in faith and dependence on God. Deborah was truly a “wild + free” woman! Smith’s imaginative biblical fiction reminded me of Francine Rivers’ Lineage of Grace series. Surely a story to get lost in and one I highly recommend!

Thank you to Revell Publishers + BookLook Bloggers for the opportunity to read these books in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

settling back in

July 23, 2016 MarthaKimball1 Comment

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I love being home. Our family trip to upstate New York was fun and restful in some ways, chaotic and exhausting in others, but regardless, it is always so nice to come home. When we drove in from NY on a Monday afternoon, Brandon had about two hours to quickly unpack and then repack before his flight left for a week-long work trip in California. So, even though we had a week back at home, it didn’t quite fully feel like we were “back to normal” without Brandon around.

This past week it was good to get back into our usual rhythms. I’ve noticed that I don’t quite feel settled into a place until I’ve been cooking or baking in it. Making that first loaf of homemade (gluten-free) bread and filling the house with that smell feels like coming home. I was busy this past week making gelatin gummies for the kids, a big batch of granola for Brandon and I, bread and “snack bars” galore. Phoebe has stopped eating her usual Lara Bar snack in the mornings and so I scramble to find something she will eat in place of it. She is pretty limited with what she will snack on and we are trying so desperately to increase her caloric intake, so for her to drop a favored food always sends me back to the drawing board and results in lots of receipe testing.

Our days have been simple. The weather has been roasting hot and humid (ugh), and the kids have still been busy outside, coming in with cheeks flushed with heat. I don’t love summer, but I try to make the best of it. Picking blueberries and flowers from local farmstands, and savoring the daily afternoon thunderstorms helps me endure it. Our little porch garden hasn’t done very well, and I miss having the larger plot we had at our last rental. Sigh. Dreams for the future. Yesterday we had a really informal “half-birthday” party for Phoebe and Noah at my parent’s neighborhood pool with their favorite little pals. I didn’t snap any pictures (gasp!) but it was fun all the same. Their half-birthday was really back in June (20th and 23rd) so when you celebrate the half-birthday late, what on earth do you call it? It was such a treat for the kids, though, who often find it hard to have a party with their friends around their birthdays (which are the week of Christmas). It was fun for me, too, to see the children playing and swimming together and gather with some of my favorite friends.

I’ve been busy finishing up a few knitted projects. My brother and sister-in-law brought back some yarn from Iceland for my birthday and I knitted some slippers for myself with one ball of it. I’ve tucked them away for winter but I’m already longing for those first cool wisps of fall air. I also finished up the Antartkis shawl that I made for a lady I used to babysit for back in my high school days. It was what I solely worked on during our trip to NY so I was able to finish it fairly quickly (for me) and she picked it up this week. I loved knitting it, especially since there was no purling and it was a really simple/easy pattern and yet still interesting. When I’m knitting something I grow attached to it in some way, all that time spent fingering the yarn and bent over it with concentration and enjoyment. It’s hard to give it away or to attach value to it, but also such a sweet thing to be able to make something special with my hands for someone else!

Phoebe’s homeschool co-op begins in about a month (!!!!!) and so my mind is shifting to all the projects around the house and all my piles of clutter and unfinished business that I hope to have organized before our first year of school begins. A friend has offered to give us a couple of twin beds for the kids, and so I think we’ll be rearranging bedrooms for the children. I’m craving a major house purge. I’m hoping to organize my desk area and clear out a little space that can be for schooling. I’m also hoping to squeeze in a camping trip with some friends before school begins, too. It feels way too soon to be talking about our first child going to school, and the sentimental part of me is resisting this big change, even though I’m super excited to begin, too. So many books to read! Curriculum still to pick out! School supplies! House projects! And still, to fit in time to read long snuggled with children on the couch, to stay up late for fireflies and late evening walks. I want to hurry through summer because fall is my favorite, but also am so mindful that this is our last summer EVER before our lives begin to revolve around school, and so I want to enjoy each muggy, buggy day.

yarn along

July 20, 2016 MarthaKimballLeave a comment

I finished my icelandic slips and cast on this week for a sleep sack for one of my best friend’s baby due in the fall. I really love it so far, almost done with the bodice and about to split for sleeves. Knitting baby items = pure joy.

Also I began reading The Light Between Oceans because I don’t have enough books going already (ha), but I really do need a good novel. I’m probably a third of the way through it and enjoying it though it does have some sad elements and the protagonists keep making decisions that give a sense of dread of what is to come in the book. I guess thats what keeps me reading, though I know heartache is probably ahead.

Joining with Ginny‘s weekly yarn along today.

the very favorites

July 16, 2016July 16, 2016 MarthaKimballLeave a comment

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And yet in all of the festivities, these are the very best moments of all.

Morning coffee on the porch, everyone greeting the day slow, groggy-eyed holding warm mugs and snuggling.

Brothers bent over tackle box.

Auntie feeding nephew.

His little round tummy and bright happy eyes.

Sisters in a row, catching up and catching wind in their hair.

Sibling date (sans our kids!) in the town of Watkins Glen, getting pizza and Ben & Jerry’s and the most delightful little yarn store.

Walking the marina together.

Tubing and wakeboarding and running the boat until it ran dry.

Campfire gatherings in the evening, knitting and talking and playing guitar.

Squirt guns and barefoot bike rides and bubbles.

The boy coloring all over his body and face during nap time, “Line Man” as daddy declared him.

Mom and Dad stealing away for a tandem kayak in the whipping sun and wind.

Nap time watercolor quiet.

All the babies sleeping soundly under quilts.

Early morning glory in the sky and last sunsets set aflame with 4th of July fireworks.

All this glory, all these holy ordinary moments, hemmed in by sunrises and sunsets. Morning and evening, days ticking by, and us trying to squeeze from them every last drop, us trying to savor this never-to-be-repeated now. These are the very best moments of all, the ones we almost miss, the ones we pass over. It’s all good, but these are my favorite.

(Other trip posts here, here, and here.)

origins

July 14, 2016July 14, 2016 MarthaKimball3 Comments

These are among some of my favorite pictures from our New York trip. What special times they were, filled with a lot of significance for this family. One of the goals for our trip was to see Brandon’s family’s roots, the places where his parents grew up and met, the schools and streets they walked, the trails they frequented. Many of these places are also the soil for Brandon’s earliest and happiest memories. For years I have heard stories of all of these places–what a thing to be able to visit them and to watch the next generation running through these familiar fields.

So one day of our trip we spent hiking Watkins Glen State Park right by Seneca Lake, climbing through the moody canyon. The pictures speak for themselves, don’t they? It was gorgeous and when we finished a huge downpour threatened to fall, so we made it out in perfect time.

Another day we drove to Breesport, NY and drove through the rolling country roads to the big yellow house where they spent their first years as a family, caretaking for a big abandoned asylum. This house holds some of their happiest days, the house with the pond and a white duck named Ellen, who came when Brandon’s dad would call and laid eggs for their family to eat. The swing set they played on and the sloping hill that is perfect for sledding. From there we went onto Elmira, seeing Brandon’s grandparent’s home, visiting with them there, walking the grassy trail behind their house to the creek they caught crawdads and splashed in.

I count us fortunate to have been able to see and share these places with Brandon’s parents and grandparents while we still can!

yarn along

July 13, 2016 MarthaKimball2 Comments

I finished the Antarktis shawl for a friend, finished-knit photos to come soon! My brother and sister-in-law brought me back some Lopi yarn (!!!) from their recent honeymoon to Iceland, so I cast on this week for a simple pair of slippers. I think they will be so cozy and special because they truly came from Iceland!

I haven’t been doing a lot of reading lately, it seems. Phoebe and I recently finished up an abridged/illustrated version of Anne of Green Gables during our read-aloud time, and we are five or so chapters into Caddie Woodlawn and enjoying it so far.

Joining with Ginny today to share what we are knitting + reading.

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