Good Vibes

[MrMoe]

Y'all mind if I praise the Lord?

 

[bèlla]

Bouchée of Happiness to Fill Your Heart

 

[bèlla]

Creating a Handwriting Journal

how i’m working on improving my handwriting. you don’t need all the supplies that i used, but since we’re stuck at home and have more free time than usual, i thought i might as well go all out! if you don’t have a printer, you can practice while using your phone/computer as reference. i hope this is helpful, and, if nothing else, i hope you’re brave enough to be bad at something new!

 

[bèlla]

A Wife to Rush Home To

I wish someone had told me back then, early on, that no matter what the situation was, I could choose to be a light. That even when we were in the pit, I had the light inside me.

So. My number one secret for a happy marriage?

Ask God. Then, obey.

He will give you a verse to cling to. He will show you little ways you can change. He will lead you places you never imagined. He might lead you to a church where your husband’s life will be forever changed, like He did me. He might direct you to a Bible study where you’ll meet an older, wiser woman with Godly advice for you, like He did me. He might lead you to just shut your mouth sometimes, like He did me.

If you ask Him to show you your spouse through His eyes, He will answer.
If you ask Him to show you where you are falling short, Oh boy, will He answer.

Inspirational Message

 

[bèlla]

Crafty Commonplace Book

While searching for a video on a commonplace book for the thread I had an amazing find! It's just what I wanted. But I hadn't encountered it yet. Isn't it incredible how God gives us what we're seeking when we're focused on serving others?

Unlike commonplace books of yore, mine is filled with stickers, washi and more, in order to highlight my book passages, notes, scripture and quotes.

 

[bèlla]

Faith Journaling Process

Are you a journaler or note taker? I have been one since I can remember. I have developed a passion for making my faith journaling more creative by using embellishments, stickers, washi and watercolors, and I wanted to share that creativity with you so you could be inspired to do the same.

If you love the look of Illustrated Faith but are reluctant to create in a bible, this can be a great solution for you! Learn a method to make your notes stand out and give your creativity wings!

 

[bèlla]

Singing You to Sleep

I’m curling up with a book and leaving this behind for anyone who needs a lullaby. Rest well.

 

[bèlla]

Musings

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.

Yesterday was lovely. It was a culmination of God's presence, instruction, self-care and words of encouragement. I accomplished a lot. Though it wasn't the things you'd check off a list. There were a few of course. But the important stuff wasn't listed.

The beauty of our togetherness revealed itself in the task regarding the homeless. Not only in the method—we're doing streams-of-consciousness now—but also its unfolding. I've ministered to the homeless in my neighborhood and the church. Feeding them isn't new to me. I've done it before. Literally and spiritually.

But this iteration is different. He wove the task around my creativity. I have 4 reams of heavy white paper on a metal stand whose weight is like butcher's paper. Or the sort you'd see on Pinterest for gift wrapping. He knows I have a slew of markers and crafting tools to accomplish the mission.

Most importantly, He knows I'll enjoy it. From meal preparation to presentation. He knows His girl and designed the task for me. That's a continuing theme in our relationship. Nothing's random. Everything has a purpose.

Even this. The musings and videos aren't happenstance. He's building the channel and providing direction on the content. I do a lot of this already and there's a few I'd like to try. And He's given me the green light to begin.

That's beauty of waiting on the Lord and not getting ahead of Him. He doesn't go about things the way we do. His methods can seem backwards or too slow for the human mind. But they aren't. They're tailor made to the person, their circumstances, and where He's leading us. We forget sometimes.

And just like that the light came on. It swept away the old and beckoned me close. It's time...don't be afraid He said. I nodded through tear-stained eyes and placed my hands in His. He filled me afresh and I was floating. It was a little surreal. I felt weightless. Like a feather flitting through the air on a summer day while the wind carries it. Bringing it to rest at its rightful place. That's His plan.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. —Jeremiah 29:11

 

[bèlla]

8 Beauty Habits That Boosted My Self-Confidence

 

[bèlla]

Let Plants Be Thy Medicine: Homemade Echinacea (Coneflower) Tincture

 

[bèlla]

5 Ways to Spice Up Your Toast

5 Non-Boring Ways to Eat Toast: Overnight Creme Brulee French Toast, Decorative Toast 7 Ways, Monte Cristo, Tuna Wanpaku Sandwich & Avocado Toast 3 Ways!

 

[bèlla]

My War Binder/Prayer Journal

Faith journaling can be a wonderful way to deepen your relationship with God. It certainly has helped me in my journey of seeking faith! In this video, I share with you my war binder! I describe my set up, how I use it, and a few tips and advice for those who want to get started with their own!

 

[bèlla]

How to Feel Like Anne Shirley Cuthbert — Anne of Green Gables

 

[VanillaLion]

Lovely thread! @bèlla

 

[bèlla]

How to Be An L. M. Montgomery Heroine in a 21st-Century World

A good literary heroine is one worth emulating, and for all of their realistic faults Montgomery’s heroines continue to inspire me long after I’ve finished the novels they inhabit. Sometimes I daydream about having my own farm on Prince Edward Island, but I think what I ultimately wish for is a “Green Gables life” right here where I am now.

To have a Green Gables life in the 21st century, you have to have a worldview that aligns in many ways with Anne’s–or L. M. Montgomery’s. And you have to be the sort of timeless heroine that could be found in either time or place. You could exist in Prince Edward Island in the early 1900s, or now, in your own corner of the world.

What does this kind of heroine look like, and how do you become one?

Tune Your Heart to Recognize Beauty

For the Josie Pyes or May Binnies of this world, life on a Prince Edward Island farm holds no magic. But for the stories’ heroines, a simple farm and a small island are, to quote Jane of Lantern Hill, their “spirit’s home.” Anne and Emily and Pat and Jane find beauty in commonplace chores like roasting potatoes or churning cream.

They’re acquainted with small manifestations of beauty, like spring’s earliest flowers, and with large–like the constellations. For them everything seems enchanted–or can be–and they don’t lose that sense of wonder even when they grow up.

Do you find beauty in the familiar place you live, in the ordinary things you do?

If you don’t, that’s a virtue you can cultivate. Learn all you can about the natural world, especially in your region. Notice the simple pleasures in your daily life, and never take what you have for granted. Open your senses to more fully experience the tasks you do each day.

Learn How To Be Alone

Montgomery’s heroines understand the beauty of solitude in a way that’s foreign to women in our hyper-connected, scheduled lives. Usually, nature is where they go for alone time. When Anne returns from Lover’s Lane or Pat from a ramble in the Secret Field, they feel rejuvenated, content, clear-headed. This is a much deeper form of self care than the shallow “treat yo self” prescriptions of our contemporary self care movement.

If you’re a Montgomery heroine you’ll welcome solitude, whether it’s during those times that you’re learning to navigate loneliness (like all of Montgomery’s heroines do), or you’re simply taking a step back to soak in a full and beautiful life.

Invest Yourself in Your Home

Nature is one of the recurring romances in Montgomery’s novels; home is another. The heroines fall in love with their homes long before they fall in love with their men. Modern readers may find the strong currents of domesticity to be at odds with Montgomery’s more feminist themes, but I don’t think they’re mutually exclusive at all. Investing in your home helps you establish yourself and know yourself better. It gives Montgomery’s heroines a sense of rootedness, pride, and confidence that establishes them in their community and helps them contribute to it.

Be mistress of your kingdom, whether it’s just one room in a shared apartment or your very own many-roomed Ingleside.

Practice Hospitality

Hospitality is a trait that’s sorely lacking in today’s fictional heroines, and it’s not a theme many contemporary novels explore. But I can’t imagine a Montgomery novel without it!

Throughout her novels, you see people opening their homes and firesides, whether it’s for chummy drop-in guests, unwelcome guests, or guests attending lavish parties in the Silver Bush tradition.

Many contemporary heroines don’t practice hospitality because they don’t operate out of a home base or a strong sense of home. Their lifestyles reflect our own mobile culture. Roots are temporary as the heroine focuses on her career–or wanders the globe in search of herself.

Instead, you can be a Montgomery heroine by fostering real-life community with the people around you. This can take many forms and doesn’t have to be a sit-down dinner party! It can be as simple as keeping baked goodies on hand so you can invite a friend over for spontaneous tea.

Find a Friend You Can Love Like a Sister

One thing that draws many of us fans to Montgomery’s novels are her keen portrayals of friendship–especially female friendship. Except for Kilmeny, all of Montgomery’s major heroines are blessed with rich female friendships. These friendships may seem merely serendipitous, but in fact they would’ve been dead ends if the women hadn’t cultivated them. They do this by setting aside their own (or their relatives’) biases, embracing vulnerability, and always offering forgiveness after quarrels.

Any woman today knows that these are critical traits in a flourishing friendship, but we tend to forget that deep friendships require quality time! Don’t let the tyranny of the urgent keep you from tending your friendships. Be like a Montgomery heroine and spend lots of time in each other’s company, and have real conversations on the phone or by letter if you live far away.

Also, don’t forget that sometimes the friend you love like a sister is your sister! And age doesn’t have to be a barrier there: see Pat and Rae!

Be Open to Friendships Outside Your Peers

Unlike many of the girls and boys around them, the heroines of Montgomery’s novels are willing to form friendships with people who are vastly different in wealth, age, or religion. These relationships are mutually enriching and prove something else about the heroines: they possess an open-mindedness and compassion that are classic heroine traits, regardless of time or place.

Cherish the value in unlikely friendships. Don’t close off your circle and be unwilling to bring new people in.

Be Industrious

No one can accuse Montgomery’s heroines of not taking time for leisure. They read, build forts, take long walks, and go to concerts and parties. But they also work with a will, whether that means preparing for an exam or spring cleaning the house from top to bottom. Even an easily-distracted heroine like Anne learns to buckle down when she studies for Queens Academy!

With so many demands that vie for our attention these days, it’s easy to feel like we’re being productive if we’re being busy. But these two aren’t the same thing. Find ways to declutter your schedule, and redeem your time by being industrious at the things that matter most.

Know Yourself

I think many authors today don’t give their heroines enough self knowledge or self respect. Although we first meet most of the Prince Edward Island heroines when they’re very young, these strengths have already taken root, and continue to develop throughout their histories. They’re confident in what they like and don’t like, and they know the kind of respect they deserve from others.

Pay attention to how you tick, and you’ll find life a little easier to navigate, even in adversity.

Let Go of Your Pride

Pride is a mixed trait for Montgomery heroines, just as it is in real life. On the one hand, Emily’s pride in “New Moon traditions” and Pat’s in the Gardiner family name are inspiring and admirable. But pride also cuts them off from blessing–and personal growth. Anne’s pride won’t allow her to be teased about her looks or accept Gilbert’s friendship. Emily endures years of heartache and misunderstanding. Pat’s pride jeopardizes relationships and prevents her from ever accepting her sister-in-law as a sister.

Pride gives us all blindspots, and oftentimes softening our hearts isn’t something we can do at will. But when you feel the twinge that something isn’t as it should be–that your pride could be the barrier–do something about it. Anne, Emily, and Pat let these opportunities slide by, only to find they must face the consequences in the end. Learn from them.

Step Up to the Plate

And finally, if you want to be a heroine, you have to choose to act like one. Life on P.E.I may look like a storybook, but it’s really pretty ordinary. People laugh and quarrel and grieve and gossip…and life goes on, even when the world is changing. That’s how it is today, too, and sometimes it doesn’t feel like we’re doing anything very special.

But there’s always a need for bravery in ordinary circumstances. Emily makes the quiet, misunderstood choice to stay at New Moon rather than chasing fame in New York. Self-absorbed Rilla becomes a bulwark for her family when the war rages abroad. Many times, each heroine in small ways embraces duty and kindness and self sacrifice. They may not see themselves as the glamorous protagonists in the novels they love, yet they are the strong women we love reading about today.

And we can follow in their footsteps.

 

[bèlla]

Lovely thread! @bèlla

Thank you for the compliment. It's a labor of love. I'm glad you like it.

 

[JustSomeBloke]

As you wish. I'll send you my bill. Zelle only!

Please excuse me. May I ask a question? It's been more than 24 hours since I expressed my preferences. Is my affectionate adventurous wife ready for collection? When can I pick her up?

 

[bèlla]

Please excuse me. May I ask a question? It's been more than 24 hours since I expressed my preferences. Is my affectionate adventurous wife ready for collection? When can I pick her up?

My apologies Sir. You didn’t request expedited service. She’s arriving via Pony Express! I hope you’re satisfied with our selection.

Yours, &c

~bella

 

[bèlla]

10 Best Places to Live in France

One of the largest European countries, France is an incredibly diverse destination with a mind-blowing wealth of experiences and an inviting lifestyle on offer. It has always been a firm favorite among the expat crowd seeking to make the big move overseas. And while there are many things to consider before moving to France, deciding where to live may be the hardest decision of all.

When most people think of France, they immediately think of Paris, but that’s not the only city that should be on international citizens’ radars. There are still many towns and cities where day-to-day costs are less of a drain on the pocketbook, while still offering the best that living in France has to offer.

 

[bèlla]

Creative Genius

I finally finished Gods and Kings. I knew it would be a difficult read after watching several documentaries about McQueen. Fashion lost a rare soul. His innovation and creativity have no match. The collections he created were evocative and memorable. I’m in awe of his talent and saddened by his departure. We’ll never get another like him. He was ahead of his time.

The defining moment for me was the turntable. Two robotic arms spray painted a dress while she rotated. It was an ode to the dying swan. I’ve never seen anything like it. We were witnessing greatness.

The Met presented a collection of his work. It made history. Deservedly so. He was one of a kind.