be still.

my husband was recently reminiscing about some wonderful times hunting and fishing (or anything outdoors) with his grandfather as a younger child. he cherished and still cherishes that sweet time, being with his "Papa Bruce" and him teaching him all he knows about hunting and fishing. he laughs often when he tells me that whenever the two of them were hunting/fishing Papa Bruce would always tell him to "be still" (I think for two reasons). #1: to not scare any of the animals away and #2: to just enjoy the moment and the quietness of being in nature.  I often get tickled thinking about my husband as a very young toddler/child squirming around trying very hard to "be still." priceless.

Papa Bruce and Ro. Then.



Now.

I, for one, still have a difficult time "being still." I get restless, thinking about the things I should be doing in order to have a productive day. my stillness is stolen by wandering thoughts and distractions. I find that more times than not, the times that I have the most trouble "being still" are the times when I need to be still the most.

"be still and know that I am God." psalm 47:10 (one of my very favorites) when my life is busy and I can't even sit still long enough to spend time with the Lord, I try to start out my time with Him by praying for focus, and control of those crazy thoughts spinning around in my head. before I even start reading scripture or devotional for the day, I pray to make the most out of that time by focusing completely on Him. the worst is thoughtlessly reading my devotional and then having no idea what the Lord was trying to teach me. the goal of that time is to become closer to the Lord and form a deeper relationship with him...not mindlessly read a couple lines of the devotional and move on with my day. it takes a lot of prayer and self-control but hopefully one day "being still" will come more naturally. until then, I will keep reminding myself that nothing is more important.

have a good one, friends!

xoxo, Landrum

 

orange + avacodo

=               ....a delicious salsa.   :)

because I love to snack. and because I love apps. I could (and have) on many occasions eat just appetizers for dinner.

here's a scrumptious summertime salsa recipe for ya!

 

orange avacodo salsa:

what you need-

1 tbsp. freshly sqeezed lime juice

1 tbsp. honey

1 garlic clove, minced

2 navel oranges

2 tbsp. red onion, diced

2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

1 ripe avacodo, (pitted and diced)

salt and pepper to taste

the prep-

whisk the lime juice with honey and garlic. set aside.

peel the oranges and remove pith with a paring knife. remove segments and dice into half-inch pieces.

mix the next 3 ingredients in a small bowl and toss w/ oranges. gently fold in the lime mixture and avacodo. season with salt and pepper.

serve immediately with chips OR as a topping for grilled chicken or fish!

the best part (for all you diet-ers) : only 60 calories per serving!!

doesn't it sound so refreshing?! enjoy!



beauty tip #2

I owe this discovery to my sis. she brought this product on a family trip, I used a dab (she would argue half the tub)..and was immediately hooked. get ready for it...St. Ives "timeless skin" collagen elastin moisturizer. absolutely, fantastically fabulous.

rated by Dr. Oz as one of the best anti-aging products. not that I love Dr. Oz, but he is a pretty big celebrity to be recommending such a everyday, affordable product that us everyday folks can actually afford. no need to spend a fortune. at just $4.67 (prices may vary), it is indeed the best deal around.

It is technically a facial moisturizer, but my sister uses it all over as a body lotion as well. It is also supposed to be great for pregnancy stretch marks. and at that great of a price, you can afford to slather it all over your body :)



so go get ya some!! have a wonderful weekend, friends!

xoxo, Landrum

roadtrip up north

my entire family headed up to Pennsylvania for the July 4th holiday this week. not the typical independence day trip for us but absolutely wonderful nonetheless.

after surviving the 12 hour car ride with 6 people and a little dog in one car....(no easy feat) we finally arrived in beautiful, cool PA. we usually travel there in the winter (around Christmas time) so it was neat being there in the summer for once! we were able to do some touristy activities while there...we toured the Amish country in Lancaster, PA. very intriguing, to say the least. the epitome of "the simple life." really cool.  we also stopped in Gettysburg...at which time they were having the 150th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg. and we caught part of the "reenactment" definitely a first for me.

and then, probably the highlight of the trip...we went to the annual 4th of July parade on the street my dad grew up on AND got to go into the house that he grew up in! the house that we spent so many Christmases in growing up. the current owner was standing on his front porch sipping his coffee on the lovely July 4th morning and recognized my Nana as we were walking (more like gawking) by the house. to our pleasant surprise, the nice owner invited us in to take a look around!! it was very bittersweet going from room to room, remembering and reminiscing...my grandparents lived and raised their boys in that house for 41 years. pretty incredible. I have the fondest memories from that house and family there.  ...so much fun!

overall, we really had some sweet visiting time with my amazing grandmother. She is such a inspiration. I love just being around her. I leave, always wishing we were able to stay longer.

a few snapshots...



THE house :)

 

 

great family bonding all around. and a great trip. thankful.

 

 

 

xo,

L