Autumn Daybook for Wood Cutting Days [look. listen. make. do. ]

We've welcomed November!  Let's celebrate with a few ordinary acts of paying attention to the ways earth's crammed with heaven in this season.  Here's some suggestions to get you started this week, no matter where you live.

-- Wood-Cutting Days --

I will never, ever forget stacking wood for my family's stove and furnace each autumn.  My brother and I (ostensibly) helped my Dad carry the wood inside from the driveway where it had been dumped in a giant, splintery pile.  My Dad would load up our arms, and we'd whine and complain all the way into the dark basement to stack the chopped pieces against the wall in just the perfect pattern so the pile would stand squarely and not tumble down onto the concrete floor. 

I should say I whined.  My brother was practically perfect in every way, so he probably didn't whine at all.  

I remember being annoyed with the way bits and pieces of wood shavings would get caught in my gloves and poke through the flannel work jacket.  I remember sweating through my hood or knitted hat, even though it was cold enough outside to see my breath.  Worse, I remember the dread of picking up a piece of wood to discover some little field mouse had hitched a ride into our cellar.  

But I also remember the good endorphins of that sort of exercise.  Above all, I remember the crackly pops of not-quite-dried logs burning in our fireplace, and the secure feeling of a warm living room.  This experience is one of the closest I'd ever had to "living off the land" -- getting an immediate sense of well-being as a result of a short chain of efforts:  a woodcutter, my Dad and us grumpy woodstackers, keeping the family warm.

  

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Look

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Read

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Listen

Splitting Wood by Claire Guerreso

Listen to my always-evolving Autumn playlist on Spotify

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Make

Table Altar for Thanks: The Tree of Life at Giants & Pilgrims

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Watch

Stacking Wood from Olive Us

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Do

How to Split Firewood at The Art of Manliness

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Share your favorite fall things with me in the comments below, on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest.

{pretty, happy, funny, real} in highs and lows and all hope

| a weekly capturing the contentment in everyday life |

The week is a bit of a blur, what with the time change that always disorients me. Although, I'm such a homebody that earlier darkness just gives me one more excuse to cozy up in my little house.  Austin had crazy rain storms on Friday, and then just like that turned Halloween into a pretty little day.  We'd intended to visit our son in Houston, but had to postpone because the downpour of rain (5" in one hour close to us!) and threats of flash flooding closed roads between us.  Instead, I sat in the rainy dark, and watched a couple black and white movies (A Farewell to Arms, and the slightly depressing Strange Love of Martha Ivers starring a young, milktoasty Kirk Douglas).  The silver lining about missing our Houston trip is that we were home to welcome a couple, extra-special trick-or-treaters, and enjoy walking through our son's neighborhood with the adorable Elayna.  (see pics of her zombie self below).  It was a week of ups and downs, highs and lows, friends and neighbors -- overall, a good week to remember.

A few photos to practice contentment this week

| pretty |

Happy mail and autumn table

My mother knows what to send me when I'm feeling a bit blue -- as I have been, off and on for my whole life the past month: a book she thought I'd like (which I did!), a handwritten wrapper of brown paper, a clever bookmark and a couple of notes tucked into the pages.  Seriously, we all need our mothers, no matter our age.  Dear friend, if you no longer have your mother, I am so sorry, and pray you'll be nurtured in particularly sweet ways this week.  

I also took the opportunity to update our table for November.  Rosehips are a curiosity and wonder to me.  The "So Grateful" book was a gift from my dear sister-in-law JoAnn a couple of Thanksgivings ago.  My table centerpiece plays a valuable role in my life, and I'm grateful for this one right now. 

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Halloween

A These photos really represent happy, funny and real as our weekend plans changed (see above), and we scrambled to get a tiny bit festive.  We'd heard a rumour that our delightful (and costume savvy!) friends, the Taylor and Akel families, might be popping in.  A few weeks ago, Blythe's mom (aka, Phaedra) posted this little exchange they'd had: 

After walking through the neighborhood and getting irritated that all the houses don't have Halloween decorations: 

B: "Mama! You know what!?"  

Phaedra: "What's that?" 

B: (perturbed) "I don't like people just hanging around with houses with no pumpkin stuff!" 

We hurried right up and got some pumpkin stuff!  We also loved seeing Elayna in her best zombie cheerleader get-up.  Poor girl got braces a few weeks before Halloween, which puts a bit of a damper on the candy-eating.  She was fearless walking up to houses that seemed especially dark this year (maybe, I'm just out of practice).  We gave thanks for the people who still leave a porch light on, and welcome kids with cheery greetings and authentic delight at the costumes parading through their flower beds.  A couple porches were a bit scarier looking, though, prompting some help from a grown-up.  (Also, if aren't Amber & Andrew adorable?!?) 

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A serious(ly) funny misunderstanding

My sister Alicia -- who, along with her husband, Richard, is joyfully, gratefully expecting a baby in March -- sent this clever little announcement to share the gender of their little bundle.  As good parents, we wanted to share the scratch-off moment with our kids scattered between Houston, Austin and Dallas.  We videotaped the event, sharing our predictions with the camera, and then, sent the little clip via group text to our kids and my sister. In our minds, what would ensue was a shower of congratulation texts between our adult children and their aunt.  Instead, we got the following thread -- which was partially dismaying, but mostly hilarious.  

Thankfully, my sister and her husband have a great sense of humor and loved it all.   (you'll notice that the thread starts immediately with one of our sons not really catching the gist of the gender-reveal video, as noted by his pithy one-word question: "Who?")

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October 2011 - at a ministry training in Kansas City

All Saints  Day & a committal service

Sunday, November 1, was All Saints Day.  It was also, appropriately, the second anniversary of the death of a good man and good friend, Trey Sellstrom.  I wrote about the shock of his death two years ago (here) only a handful of short months following the sadness of the loss of our friend Dick Chote.  

Dick and Trey and their wives (Eleanor and Cheryl, respectively) were some of our first and quickest friends here in Austin, as we worked together to minister to the relationally and sexually wounded in our congregation at Christ Church.  To be together in that sort of work requires a level of knowing and being known that is, sadly, rather rare in Christian communities.  Yet, here were the three of our families are mostly unknown to each other before October 2011, praying and crying and laughing and encouraging and admonishing and holding accountability week in and week out.  And here, within two years of the start of these rich friendships, both Dick and Trey moved from our presence into the great communion of saints.  

We still miss them, but not even close to the ways their wives and children miss them.  Both Eleanor and Cheryl have taught us what godly suffering looks like, the grief that is real and raw and, yet, welcoming to the rest of us mourning in our own way. Cheryl waited two years before burying Trey's ashes in a family plot.  She had travelled with those ashes as part of her journey of grieving -- leaving some in various places of meaning.  On Sunday, she invited us to join her in this final committal of Trey into the ground.  I don't know how to describe her any other way but radiant in her grief.  I hope to be like her as I face suffering in my life.  

Brian read words of Scripture and prayer and comfort from the Book of Common Prayer, we took turns pouring the remains of a good and beloved man into the ground from which he was formed (Texas ground, at that).  When we'd all had a turn that wanted one, Cheryl stretched out her hands for help with the rest.  And the other widow, Eleanor, stepped forward.  The two knelt together, and in the marvellous mystery of resurrection hope, smiled as they worked together to bury Trey.  

We cried and sang Amazing Grace.  Trey's father -- who also lost his wife this year -- explained that the next day he'd come back alone and bury out a bit more dirt from underneath the small stone to appease the cemetery custodians.  I thought "Even now, he's being a Dad.  Even now, he gives up a part of his day to work for his son."  

This sort of took all the energy I might have used to post anything on the blog for All Saints Day.  I leave you with the collect, and give thanks in memory of our dear friends Dick and Trey and for all the others we've loved who are now part of the Great Cloud of Witnesses: 

Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting.  Amen. (source)

Have YOU captured any contentment this week? 

 I'd love to hear about it!

| Join in at P,H,F,R to see other wonderful people practicing contentment. |

Autumn Daybook for Halloween [look. listen. make. do. ]

We're getting ready to say farewell, October!  Let's celebrate with a few ordinary acts of paying attention to the ways earth's crammed with heaven in this season.  Here's some suggestions to get you started this week, no matter where you live.

  

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Look

Halloween

Grandma Moses, 1955

source

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Read

Halloween Party

BY KENN NESBITT

We’re having a Halloween party at school.

I’m dressed up like Dracula. Man, I look cool!

I dyed my hair black, and I cut off my bangs.

I’m wearing a cape and some fake plastic fangs.

I put on some makeup to paint my face white,

like creatures that only come out in the night.

My fingernails, too, are all pointed and red.

I look like I’m recently back from the dead.

My mom drops me off, and I run into school

and suddenly feel like the world’s biggest fool.

The other kids stare like I’m some kind of freak—

the Halloween party is not till next week.

source

Also: 

Edgar Allen Poe
illustration source

The tell-tale heart and other Edgar Allen Poe short stories

The Raven and other Edgar Allen Poe poems

6 Vintage Kids Books for Autumn

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Listen

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, full Vince Gueraldi soundtrack

Also: Listen to my always-evolving Autumn playlist on Spotify

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Make

Slight disclaimer: Now that my kids are mostly grown, and I have very little pressure on me to do much of anything for Halloween, I find myself getting a wee bit nostalgic -- as the following vintage photos reveal.  I want all you parents running hither and yon for random pieces of costume and party snacks this week to know that I haven't totally forgotten.  My real memories of parenthood at Halloween are described rather perfectly by my friend Anne in this blog post: Ten Reasons to Dislike Halloween.  (Since you probably need a laugh this week, you might want to read her post before going any further in mine.  Or you might want to read hers and skip the rest of mine altogether.  I'll completely understand.)

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Watch

Ghostbusters (on Amazon streaming )
This movie came out just as Brian and were starting high school.  It's completely intertwined with our memories of adolescence, which is why we were shocked (shocked, I tell you!) when our daughter mentioned that she'd never seen it before.  This is the year to remedy that.

Also: 

The Raven, the Simpsons version on Teacher Tube (thanks to my sister, Alicia, for this great idea!)

"Tricks and Treats" episode of Freaks & Geeks (S1:E3) (on Netflix streaming now & one of my favorite individual television episodes of all time!)

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! (of course)

classic monster movies like The Revenge of Frankenstein

and one of the best ever, Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (or rent on Amazon)

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Do

Also:

If you're concerned about free-trade chocolate, may I recommend the informative & reasonable post (which includes a ton of great ideas!) written by my friend Tsh at The Art of Simple:  Chocolate: the industry's hidden truth (and the easy stuff we can do to still enjoy it)

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Share your favorite fall things with me in the comments below, on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest.

{pretty, happy, funny, real} in a roller coaster of a week!

| a weekly capturing the contentment in everyday life |

It's been a roller coaster of a week around here:  cooler, sunshiney days to imagine the possibility of fall, wedding preparations, pumpkin farm trips with adorable preschoolers, unexpected illness, and torrential rain requiring parish retreat plan interventions!  What. A. Week. With all the activity I lost track of blogging plans so here's a little catch up on capturing contentment.

A few photos to practice contentment this week

| pretty |

 

Bridal Shower for Rebekah

We Murphy girls were privileged to be included in the wedding shower with Bekah's family and friends.  I'm still trying to get used to the idea of being a mother-in-law.  Honestly, it feels kind of weird.  When I just imagine it as welcoming Rebekah into our forever family, then it feels absolutely natural and perfect.  I guess it's all in how I think about it.  We're especially grateful to become friends with the Cummins family.  I mean, really.  As a first time mother-in-law, I couldn't be any more fortunate! 

The thrifty "monogrammed" gift bag held a special gift from my mother (now a "grandmother-in-law"?) for the engaged couple: a beautiful candy dish and platter that was given to her 45 years ago at her own wedding.  (Upon seeing the giftwrap, my daughter asked "What's the M for?"  I guess we're all getting used to the way this whole in-law thing works!)

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Godparents Go To the Pumpkin Farm 

Speaking of getting used to new relationships, remember how Brian and I became Godparents this past spring? Talk about good fortune!  Emmett has provided us already with many good stories and lots of happy moments.  Brian has taken especially well to the role of Godfather (in fact, he'd prefer Emmett to just call him The Godfather instead of Brian or Mr. Brian) The first photo above is not posed, and not unusual, in the friendship forming between these two guys.  Emmett's adorable older sister Lucy is actually Kendra's Goddaughter.  I guess that makes us God-grandparents??  (Trying to figure this out reminds me of this scene in You've Got Mail.) 

We'd had to postpone the pumpkin farm trip once, which turned out to be quite providential as the day we visited was relatively empty so the kids could just run from one thing to another.  Also, the temperature didn't get above 85 degrees, which was hot enough for all of us.  The good news is that Brian and I haven't lost all of our skills caring for little ones.  These two sweethearts couldn't have been more well-behaved, and we still took a 3 hour nap after dropping them back home with their parents.  May God bless all you parents of little ones with increased stamina! 

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Pumpkin Farm Outtakes

Lucy cracked me up with her photo opp savvy.  She wanted a photo with the pumpkin she'd painted.  At first I thought she didn't realize I was aiming the camera yet. Then I realized she knew exactly what was going on.  She was also enamored with all the painted cutouts, but unfortunately -- even with a hay bale to stand on -- wasn't quite tall enough for the full effect.  This did not deter one bit.  Her brother, on the other hand, just pulled himself up with his arms and feet to get centered perfectly.  Oh my, they cracked us up. 

I snapped the shot of Brian and the kids walking at the pace we'd kept all morning.  I was not always quite this far behind the pack. Also, we were not the only ones tired out from the excursion. 

Wedding Prep Outtakes

This was Invitation Addressing weekend.  We did our best to work with good humour, as you can tell by the cheerful signage. The designer who created the wedding invitations recommended we do our work with a bit of wine.  We followed her instructions to the letter.  (which may or may not have actually helped, but what happens in the Wedding Zone, stays in the Wedding Zone.)

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Sick Days

Natalie's not been feeling well for quite awhile.  This week we started some doctor appointments to see if we can help her get back to her energetic, vibrant, fun-loving self.  We feel that sometimes an afternoon in Mom's bed, watching The Artistocats is an important part of her health regimen. If you think of it, pray for her? (to be honest, I'll accept prayer for all of my kids!)

Have YOU captured any contentment this week? 

 I'd love to hear about it!

| Join in at P,H,F,R to see other wonderful people practicing contentment. |