It Started With A Walk

I felt like a walk. 

Cooper, my terrier mix, looked bored and I just needed to clear my mind and focus on outdoor stuff. My youngest invited herself along. Knowing she still enjoys being with me, makes me cherish her enthusiasm for a simple walk.

We pick up fallen branches, not to move aside or pick up the roadside, but they spark an idea for mom.  We pile them up so we can get them on our way back.  

We like to walk down to a little lake in a neighboring subdivision. Walk on the rocks, spot turtles and feed ducks in the water. 

As soon as I get away from the house that holds many responsibilities and technology devices that distract me, simple moments instantly present themselves.

Beauty reveals itself.....

I think Cooper was even capturing some tasty simple moments as the ducks swam by....

We picked up our branches on the way home, and I started putting them around the front porch.

This may sound funny, but it was so energizing to bring a new look and personality to my porch. This then led me to climb up in the attic and pull out some fall decorations.  The anticipation of fall and the coming holiday seasons made me childlike. 

My grandma Lucille would change the color of her decorations for each season. Yes, each season had a color. Decorations of all sorts were stored away in every closet of her small house on Pine Street. For fall, the decorations were mainly orange. I'd help grandma put away all the knick knacks, candles, plastic flowers of pink summer and then display the browns and oranges of fall. I loved helping grandma redress her house. 

As I opened up the box with just a few decorations of my own orange, the excitement as a girl all came back, ready to unwrap the items stored a year ago.

I pulled out the pumpkin I bought last year and hung it up along with my branches in front of the window we had replaced from this house & given a new function. I didn't even read the words on the pumpkin until I took a picture of it. I didn't even realize THE word was there....

It's a subtle word. Not bold or fancy. Easily missed. Hidden within the beauty and sparkle of others. But it is there, and it now captures my eye.

I didn't plan on redecorating my porch today. It definitely was not on my to-do list during a very busy week. But a walk led to branches...which led to letting go of distractions...and opened up creativity...and producing a life-filling project for me. Every time I walk out of my house, it's a reminder of God's simple blessings in the simple moments and to give thanks!

It's easy to list moments I want to cherish, but what about the things I want to change?

Will they make my Simple Living list? 

This week I realized they can.... if I look at the other side of those things I want to change. To look at uncertainty as adventure, loneliness as a time to draw near to God, brokenness as a way to healing and transformation, tight budget as a challenge to find simple ways to have fun, unexpected circumstances as opportunities for God to show up, and fear...a path to find the courage within. 

Emily Freeman writes in her latest book Simply Tuesday,

 "What if your big break is you becoming acquainted with the suffering and brokenness of Jesus?"

Not the big break I'm looking for, but I get it. 

The Psalms have become my friends so much that I think I could write my own. My cries to the only One who understands the complexity of my thoughts and emotions. It's an avenue to pour myself out, knowing He understands and can handle the absurd things in my soul. 

This morning I read Psalms 13:14-15,

"I trust in you, O Lord; you are my God. My TIMES are in your hands." 

While I'm holding on, He is holding on to me. When times feel heavy, the strength of his Hands keep me afloat. 

So I'm going to keep going back to King of Pops and trying new flavors...

I'm going to remember what needs to be remembered even though it's painful at times...

I'm going to cherish the touch of a loved one's hand on my lap and forgive the hurt I wish had not happened and would change if I could.

AND celebrate the SIMPLE moments that penetrate the soul, bringing life, and making His presence known...

You never know where a walk will lead you.  Perhaps into a new season dressed in orange and simple.

That's A Wrap!

So I've challenged myself to try a new recipe every month (I know that doesn't sound like much but for me it's a start and a motivation).  Then I'm going to attempt to share it here at View from the Bluff as my "Meal of the Month". You can be sure that the recipes will be easy with few ingredients you can find in your local grocery store.

One of our family's favorite meals is Lettuce Wraps.  I've had this recipe for awhile now, and I can't remember where I got it.  Probably because I take a few ingredients from several different recipes to make my own that fits our liking and my "healthy ingredients" standard.

This meal is one every member of the Deakins' clan enjoys! Trust me, that's hard to find.

Ingredients:

2 inch Ginger Root (peel & grate)

2 cloves of Garlic

2 Green Onions (thinly sliced)

1 can sliced Water Chestnuts

1 cup Cashews

3-4 Chicken Breasts (diced)

Coconut Oil, Sea Salt, Pepper

Romaine or Iceberg Lettuce

Sauce:

2 T Honey

2 T Bragg's Liquid Aminos

Directions:

First toast cashews in a baking dish at 300 degrees for 3-5 min. 

(I like to crush them up a bit)

Warm up a couple spoonfuls of coconut oil in a frying pan, add chicken.  

Season with sea salt and pepper just like my chef here is doing...

After chicken is cooked, add ginger (I use a cheese grater), onions, garlic (I again use a small grater with garlic). Mix well then add chestnuts and cashews & pour in sauce.  

My family likes extra sauce so I usually double the sauce ingredients. 

Keep on low heat for 3-4 minutes to heat through.

Spoon ingredients into lettuce, and as our cousin Avery would say, "Voila!" 

I think.....THAT'S A WRAP!!!!    

And one hungry family now speechless!

The Theme of a Fern, Dr. Seuss, & King of Pops

It's been fun to capture some SIMPLE in my life. God keeps whispering His presence in the ordinary, and it always makes me smile. In fact, inside it feels like my heart smiles too. Can I share some simpleness with you?  It may mean very little to you, but for me there something simply grand in it.

I've started buying the two day old already deemed "not good enough" flowers on clearance for just a few bucks at Kroger to decorate my living room with some yellow sunshine. You should see how these orphan flowers open up and bloom with a little love and attention and bring a touch of brightness to my day! Simple, right?

Writing in Audra's ENO with the sounds of the forest around me. Even though my house is 18 steps away, in the ENO it feels like I'm in another world where imagination takes over.

A new hanging FERN. Again it's simple, but makes a splash in my sunroom.  And my daughter Austyn would say, "I know, right?!!!"

A new friend that let me read my daughters' favorite Dr. Seuss book, "Oh The Thinks You Can Think." This is after being at Revel's house for five minutes. He sure knows how to love.

Celebrating a new baby brother just on Sunday and his mom's birthday today with King of Pops popsicles at Inman Park in Atlanta. Best ever!!!

Life is so much more fun treasuring these small and simple moments. I've decided to start a new list in my gratitude journal. My last list was "One Thousand Gifts" from Ann Voskamp's book, but now this one will be themed "Simple Living".  A list of those simple moments that do something inside me.

It's hard to explain, to put words to it, but this week while reading Psalm 22, God gave me words in verse twenty-five that made sense to me.  David writes in his psalm:

"From You comes the theme of my praise."

That's it!  It's life, ordinary life, turned into praise. An earthly moment transferred into a heavenly connection. The natural result of capturing these simple moments is a heart full of praise.

Not praise to me. These ordinary moments don't tell me what a great life I have. They don't prove anything about me. They aren't moments to brag about. This simple living theme comes from God in this season of life I'm in, and it simply describes my praise to Him. 

It's how my soul honors Him. It's a soul thing, and that's why I struggle to find words to explain how simple times captured brings such joy within. 

Would you like to join me in this quest to bring back the SIMPLE into our lives by creating a "Simple Living" list along with me.  It doesn't seem like much, small really, but it can make a huge impact on your day. Get in tune with what makes you smile. What catches your eye in the ordinary. What stops you in your tracks. Take it in a bit longer than usual and give your soul time to praise!

I'd love to hear some of the simple moments you've captured or the theme God has given you. Share them below in the comments or email me.  Can't wait!

Lettuce Wraps can wait one more week!