Things I Love Thursday

Yep.  Still here in winter.

There are a few things that make me happy inside my house, which is where I spend more time than I would like these days...

The Decemberists. I'm so in love.  To the point that they are my constant companions at home.  If you don't have The King is Dead, you need to stop reading and click here to purchase it.   If you're still unsure, check out one of my favorites, "Rise to Me."  It was inspired by lead singer Colin Meloy's son with autism. I love how life enters art in such beautiful ways.



And then there's my Tyler Candle.

Since this isn't a scratch and sniff blog, here is how it is described:
Floral, woody blend combined with patchouli and vanilla with a heavy musk undertone

I was introduced to  "High Maintenance" at the Urban Cottage in Saugatuck.  Here the owner will woo you with his invented and borderline inappropriate names for the entire Tyler line.  He happens to call this one, "the pot smokin' mama." 

Just to be clear, I don't know if what he refers to is true.  But I'm guessing it's my favorite scent because some days I want to be creative and free and some days I want to be chic and sophisticated.  It speaks to all sides of me.

 
So, no, I'm not thankful for the chill outside.  But the chill vibe inside?  Totally got that going on.  Thankful that all it really takes is a great album and a candle...

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Things I Love Thursday

I love capturing pictures of kids that are forever reminders of their character at that moment in time.  Speaking of character, check out these four kids I got to spend last weekend with in Florida.  Love them.  They are as much fun as they look.

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Things I Love Thursday

 Love it: The path I walk to work when I stay at SpringHill.


Love it: New SpringHill Staff Track Jackets

Here I am with Todd, my first boss at SpringHill  (1999) and my friend.  I love that I work with my friends.

Love it: This book and that our team is always ready to implement change


Love it: Team Pictures


Love it: All the fun our Day Camp team has eating, laughing, playing cards, snowboarding and sharing music while we are together up in Evart, MI for a few days.

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Things I Love Thursday

Sometimes, the greatest spiritual truths are taught from a child's perspective.

Like the creation story.

"Then God said, “Hello animals!” And everyone came out to play. The earth was filled with noisy noises — growling and gobbling and snapping and snorting and happy skerfuffling. “You’re good,” God said. And they were. God saw all that he had made and he loved them. And they were lovely because he loved them. But God saved the best for last.....So God breathed life into Adam and Eve. When they opened their eyes, the first thing they ever saw was God’s face. And when God saw them he was like a new dad. “You look like me,” he said. “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever made!” God loved them with all of his heart. And they were lovely because he loved them."
















And I don't care who you are. Or what your adult theology/philosophy is on the creation story. Every child, every person, every creation needs to know:

You are lovely because He loves you.

Do you know that today?

..........................................................................................................................................
Good, now about my source...

The Jesus Storybook Bible. It's my favorite.

• If you have kids, this is the best bible out there. (See what my friend Kate said about it). Some adults have been known to keep reading it after the kids go to bed, too...
• Even if you're not a Christian, I think you might still appreciate the refreshing writing and illustrating of this story. Art.
  
• If you do kid's programming, this is a great tool. We use it at SpringHill for improv skits. I narrate and my staff perform hilarious renditions of the stories. We love that it clearly and humorously communicates the message of Jesus. Because our God is funny.
  

Image is from the JSB Website. Click here to download the full creation story and other videos!

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Things I Love Thursday

Sometimes, when I'm cleaning, I think, "Oh, just one more surface..."

Seriously.

It wasn't always that way. One day my friends John and Sherry over at Young House Love told me about their obsession with Mrs. Meyer's. Since I'm highly allergic to the WORLD, I'm currently switching over to organic everything. It was fate.

And, oh, y'all need to hear the people talk about Mrs. Meyer's (the Basil Scent in particular). It's almost disturbing. But just wait until you try it. You'll be one of them. I bought mine off of drugstore.com and this review was enough to convince me:
I love Mrs. Meyer's products and I think this scent is probably my favorite. Like the title says... if only I could bathe in it! It makes my daily household chores bearable. I am constantly cleaning after my three munchkins (all four and under) and this gives me that moment I need to breathe in and relax between the craziness of my day. Yes a cleaner really can do that!

Here's my homemade, label-maker version. I took the original bottle and poured a few cap fulls into each recycled spray bottle, then mixed with water. The $7.99 price tags looks a lot better when you realize how far the 32 oz bottle actually goes. I've already made 4 spray bottles and a few floor mixtures.
Plus, did I mention it's just heavenly? And it cleans well. In.Love.

You weren't expecting a cleaning product, were you? :)

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