June did not saunter in for the Strongs. She burst onto the scene and hollered hurry up! and have you seen the time because you’re late. But as this month winds down, she has relaxed considerably, leaving like a proper summer event that begs of lazy poolside lounging and strawberry popsicle licking.
So it feels good to take a cue from Emily and think about what I learned in the month of June. It’s a hodge podge collection, none of my list drips with seriousness. Some of what I include might make you smile, just like my sweet niece Sophie here.
Sophie, my sister Sara’s daughter. Isn’t she just precious? And she wears glasses like I did as a toddler.
And some of what I include might make you say Hmm, well isn’t that good to know!
Hope, my sister Megan’s daughter. Her eyes are expressive little pools of chocolate, and I love them. And her.
So in the month of June I learned:
1. The best way to eat a cupcake. While in Oklahoma, Sara enlightened me to this and my life hasn’t been the same since. Y’all, this will rock your world. Looky here:
I know, right? No frosting on the nose!
2. No matter how old you are, there will always be something magical about visiting the place of your roots.
3. I *need* Southern Living magazine. Since I haven’t lived in the South for eighteen years, I decided to cancel my subscription a few months ago {I even received it during the Hawaii years when each issue arrived 6 weeks late}. But I’ve missed it enough to feel it, so I resubscribed.
4. I am fascinated with Earnest Hemingway. I read and loved Paula McLain’s The Paris Wife, a fiction novel that tells of real life events centering around Hemingway’s time in 1920’s Paris. It’s written in first person from the perspective of his first wife, Hadley. And I just picked up Hemingway’s own A Moveable Feast from the library. This book takes place in the same time period as The Paris Wife and shows what it was like to be a young and up-in-coming writer in post World War I Paris.
5. When it comes to link-ups, simpler is probably better. So for my future out of the blue posts on Thursdays, there will be no prompt given by me. That means you can write about whatever little surprise the Lord blesses you with and in whatever fashion you choose. Also, while I planned to jump back into out of the blue next week, I forgot next Thursday is July 4th. So, we will resume out of the blue on Thursday, July 11th. I’d be thrilled to have you join in and share a surprise, or rather how God used something right out of the blue to build your faith, give you joy, or encourage your heart in the midst of your day.
6. This little ebook, A Happy Home, is quite the gem. It is a 10 day devotional written by the darling Laura Moore, a fellow military wife who blogs at Embracing this Life . In areas such as marriage, motherhood, hospitality, and never ending to-do’s, this ebook holds sweet encouragement for any homemaker who struggles with finding contentment in her daily calling. Get it free when you subscribe to Laura’s blog here {scroll down just a bit}. It will gently breath fresh air into your perspective.
7. I have a whole lotta country music lovin’ sisters out there.
8. I genuinely love Duck Dynasty. After years of ignoring the show and being more than slightly entertained {and rather perplexed} by the show’s crazy popularity, my husband and I sat down a couple weeks ago to watch an episode. And then we watched another. And then we watched an entire season with the kids. And then David bought Phil Robertson’s book and it made us laugh as much as the show. Have you seen it? If not, I dare you to give it a try and not laugh yourself happy, happy, happy.
Speaking of Duck Dynasty, I think Zac Brown (above left) of the Zac Brown Band could be the fifth Robertson son. When I hear him sing, I see Willie (above right).
9. I can survive even though my best friend {and neighbor} went back to work full time and another good friend moved away. I don’t like it, but when it comes to goodbyes, this ain’t my first rodeo. I’m adjusting to the change faster than in the old days.
10. The NLT translation of Ephesians 3:17 is doing all kinds of beautiful good in my deep down places.
“And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love.” ~Ephesians 3:17
May it be so.
Care to join in the fun and link up your own “what I learned” list? Visit Emily for the details.
**photo credits of Willie Robertson and Zac Brown here and here.
oh wow…you’re right about Zac Brown looking like a Robertson. we also love Duck Dynasty and our girls rate a man’s handsome-ness by how awesome his beard may or may not be!
Loved this link up today~and you may just see my blurry little linky pic on the 11th!
Ooo, I’ll be thrilled to see your darling, gorgeous linky pic on the 11th. Have a great day, Lori.
I’ve totally thought the SAME THING about Zac Brown. He’s my favorite country singer, just for the record. And have you looked at Mac Powell lately. He could be right there with them. I even saw a video of him having some of the Robertsons up on stage during a Third Day concert in Louisiana.
And now I want to go write one of these posts of my own!
So I just googled Mac Powell and you are right on. I never realized beards were so prevalent!
I subscribed to Southern Living for a while and left it out on the table for my “decor” and it made me very happy.
You bring your cupcakes and I’ll have the brownie in a mug. Let’s meet in the middle somewhere….is that Texas?
Kristen, I read The Paris Wife and then the Moveable Feast afterward too. Loved them both. Hemingway is such a mystery, I think that is some of the allure of his writing. And I’m a huge Duck Dynasty fan too. Everyone in my family saddles up for the next episode. Who doesn’t like to laugh, right? Enjoyed your list.
Great list. I love that translation of Ephesians 3:17… that’s going in my journal.
I am stopping by from Emily’s today. 🙂
OMG – the cupcake thing, is brilliance. I hope I remember this the next time I’m in the same room with a cupcake (that day cannot come soon enough lol)
My book club is reading The Paris Wife next month and I am very anxious to finally read it, it’s been on my To Read list for so long now!
I love this! and cupcakes and Hemingway, and the place of your your roots somehow slipped into my list too. Thank you so much for sharing. I am looking forward to visiting Out of the Blue in July. It has been a while since I have stopped by. Blessings! Love, Rachael
Oh Duck Dynasty. I didn’t like that show when I first watched it. And then we kept watching, like you, and now. Well. If it’s on, we’ll probably watch it. And good catch with the Zac Brown look-a-like!
Thanks for linking!
Oh, the good things we learn when visiting Oklahoma! 🙂
I love you!!! I’m so glad you all got to come home!!! Everything is better with family around;) Miss you so much!!!
Kristen,
Enjoyed all the things you learned in the month of June! At last, a way to eat a cupcake without icing up your nose – who would have thought? Welcome back to the Southern Living subscription club…I know you could probably write an article or two on southern hospitality 🙂 Just glad to see you back and writing again…looking forward to linking up!
Blessings and ((hugs)),
Bev
This made my day even sweeter! Thank you for being so kind to me!
This cupcake thing is changing my life already, who knew!?
A Happy Home looks like a really great site. Thanks for sharing her information with us. I love this idea. I am also a fellow country music lover. 🙂
The cupcake thing is amazing! Gotta try it. And I kid you not, I just told my son yesterday while riding in the car when a Zac Brown Band song came on that he reminded me of Willie Robertson. I agree! My son thought I was crazy.
I linked to this post on my blog. My son agrees with me now that he’s seen the pictures. 😉
Love that we both made him a believer. Ha!
I’m from Oklahoma and so glad you figured out how to eat a cupcake while here! Actually, I’ve never eaten one that way, but I will now! I love the idea of this post. May have to join in next month!
This is such a fun Link Up! I am loving all these tips and lessons learned… (I totally eat cupcakes like this, btw and wow – I love that verse in the NLT!) Visiting from Emily’s link up over at Chatting at the Sky!
Hi Kristen!
Number 4 and number 9 caught my attention. Is it sad that I became more interested in Ernest Hemmingway through watching the movie Midnight in Paris recently? 🙂 As much as I’m a fan of books, I can still learn things from movies. And, my best friend moved away this last month, in May, not June. Yes, we definitely survived, too. I learned that you can still be a form of everyday friends with someone who lives across the ocean. Real friendship is a one of the greatest gifts. Hope you are well!