Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

Cinderella Mom

If you think Jesus would have come into your home that day and not issued a strong rebuke to the head of household, you are mistaken. These words of condemnation have been haunting me for days now. They aren’t all that different than the soundtrack I play in my head on an almost-daily basis. It’s…

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This is 40

I am nesting. On Saturday I emptied the refrigerator. Last summer’s homemade pickles in their jars. The bread ends that seem to multiply on every shelf. The eggs. The milk. The fruit and veggies. All of it sat on the floor or the counter as I carefully removed the shelves and wiped them down with…

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Beauty on the Backroads {or Why I Changed the Name of my Blog}

I’ve heard that life is like a highway. And it definitely seems like that sometimes. The pace of life swirls around me at dizzying speeds. We’re all so busy. In such a hurry. Always somewhere to be, something else to do. I’m a get-to-the-point, get-there-quick kind of girl. I don’t like to waste time on…

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Saturday Smiles, week 2

It’s Friday night and I’m home alone. Well, as “alone” as a person can be with two kids in the house. An hour ago I was hardly able to keep my eyes open while putting the kids in bed. The kids were overtired, resisting sleep, and I still had a batch of Rice Krispie treats to make ahead of an all-day marriage retreat/seminar on Saturday.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure I had it in me to write a post about what made me smile this week. Reviewing the list I’ve been compiling all week is already lifting my spirits.

Here are the things I’m smiling about this week.

  • Despicable Me. I laughed out loud. A lot.
  • A 6-year-old telling me she was soo stressed because of school.
  • Isabelle telling me, after she received a notebook from the potty prize box, “I could stay up all night writing.” Oh, do I know the feeling.
  • My husband reaching for my hand during singing in church.
  • Pretty much everything that comes out of Corban’s mouth right now. “Bye, kids” at the Y Kids Korner. “I like puddles” on a rainy day. “I’m just lookin’, Mommy” as he touches everything on the grocery store shelves.
  • Receiving two copies of the One Year Joy and Laughter Devotional in the mail and seeing my name on two of the entries.
  • Playing “ting-tong” (ping pong) with my kids at the seminary while visiting my husband on his lunch break between classes.
  • Making up after a fight.
  • Sandwich King Jeff Mauro. My new favorite Food Network show. Not only does he make sandwiches that sound DELICIOUS, he’s from Chicago and takes viewers on a weekly food tour of the city. I want to download the recipe for everything I’ve seen on the show so far.
  • Making other people smile when I wear my “Super Mom. Super Wife. Super Tired” shirt. This week, it could have been my uniform.
  • VeggieTales humor.
  • My kids’ imaginations. And their giggles.
  • Day trips with friends.
  • Being outside.
  • Flowers.
  • Co-op parenting.
  • Meeting new neighborhood kids.
  • Watching my kids play with their friends.
  • Fall weather. And jeans and sweatshirts.

What’s got you smiling this week?