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Happy Go Stuckey

Tethering Grace & Togetherness

What I learned in October.

November 3, 2014 by HappyGoStuckey 7 Comments

#Write31Days in October is O-V-E-R and though I really loved it, I’m joining in the collective sigh that October is completed. To celebrate that November has arrived, I’m linking up with one of my favorite people and writers, Emily P. Freeman over at Chatting at the Sky for What I Learned in October

1. I learned that someone else’s mistake can be my hidden gift. When we took a long weekend in the Blue Ridge Mountains earlier in October, we were excited about the rest, the quiet and the family time. Secretly, I was also planning to get a lot of writing work done while there. I was completely banking on the daily rest time the girls would have, and the early mornings I planned to sneak out of bed and power up the computer and tap away in the quiet. When the listing of the cabin we rented turned out to be a little incorrect, with absolutely no internet and very little cell service, I was pretty frustrated. Naturally, a few minutes of standing out on the deck, breathing the mountain air and looking out into nothing but layers upon layers of brightly colored trees– and I found the calm I was seeking. It was a weekend of deep breaths and rest– and thankfully God knew exactly the form of rest I needed.
IMG_17412. Yellow Jackets REALLY love fresh Mountain Apples. Stuckey Girls really love fresh Mountain Apples. Stuckey Girls do NOT love Yellow Jackets. I learned that you can be smack dab in a picturesque, mountain memory -making moment of Apple picking, and a few stray yellow jackets can really change the mood of those aforementioned little girls and their apples. Add in a little bit of slippery mud, one mommy and her eldest daughter sliding down in the mud and the mood gets even more dicey. Then you take that and raise it with a sudden, and certainly unexpected torrential downpour in the middle of said picturesque Apple orchard– and everything falls apart. You might just find yourself trying to stuff your BetterLife Bag INSIDE your husband’s backpack to save it from being ruined, and then holding your really emotionally charged children under one teeny-tiny cheapo umbrella and trying not to make direct eye contact with your husband so the two of you don’t offend the children by laughing at their extreme hysterics. You might just give up on not laughing and stand in a group hug, in the driving rain and laughing uncontrollably while your children look at you as though you must be either crazy or cruel to take them on such a catastrophic outing. At that moment you will probably take note as to why exactly you married such a ridiculously fun man. 

IMG_1768
the before picture– so serene. 

3. I learned that fresh Apples obtained in such a ridiculous way really do make the best apple pie. And that there is something really magical about standing in your kitchen in a sweater and cozy socks, making the same apple pie for your own family the way the two generations of women before you made it, and knowing Fall has finally arrived– and some things never change. 
IMG_1810

 

4. I learned that I need to throw more candy. Really. Shauna Niequist spoke at Allume on the topic of True Hospitality and though I wrote down practically every little thing she said– because, well, Shauna Niequist– but I wrote these words in my journal in big fat letters, THROW MORE CANDY. She told this personal story about her own realization that she had become someone who was less warm, loving, and giving and more efficient, busy and productive. And wow. I have to be honest and say that it hit me right between the eyes. In an effort to manage all the areas of our family, home and life well– I have easily forgotten how to play. How to laugh on a daily basis. To just enjoy the moments, all of the moments. If you want to hear the entire beautiful keynote, and hear her explain the part about throwing candy– and trust me you do– Go here and listen.  Also, I wrote about my Allume highlights here. 

Allume Moments (2014)
Gerunds & Lately

Comments

  1. Victoria says

    November 4, 2014 at 10:27 am

    I’m here for the link up! 🙂

    That first picture is gorgeous!!! And I love that God had better plans for your vacation and that you were able to stop and enjoy them! 🙂 That sounds like the perfect getaway.

    Your poor girls!!! I can just hear the squeals.

    What a legacy with the pie making! These little things are some of my favorites.

    I just read my first Shauna Niequist book (Cold Tangerines). I’ll be back for more!

    Reply
  2. Karrilee Aggett says

    November 4, 2014 at 9:44 pm

    I love this so much! I love this glimpse into what you have learned and hallelujah for no more daily posting, right? I still need to write my wrap up and now you have me thinking… I may do it What I Learned style, too! 😉

    Reply
  3. Karrilee Aggett says

    November 4, 2014 at 9:44 pm

    I love this so much! I love this glimpse into what you have learned and hallelujah for no more daily posting, right? I still need to write my wrap up and now you have me thinking… I may do it What I Learned style, too! 😉

    Reply
  4. Lauren Metzler Washer says

    November 5, 2014 at 3:41 pm

    I love it when God gives us what we need 🙂 And, that apple pie looks fantastic! I could definitely use some more throwing candy in my life. I tend to get wrapped up in the busyness of taking care of what has to be done, that I don’t stop to enjoy and let my family see the fun side of me. Thanks for the reminder!

    Reply
  5. Lauren Metzler Washer says

    November 5, 2014 at 3:41 pm

    I love it when God gives us what we need 🙂 And, that apple pie looks fantastic! I could definitely use some more throwing candy in my life. I tend to get wrapped up in the busyness of taking care of what has to be done, that I don’t stop to enjoy and let my family see the fun side of me. Thanks for the reminder!

    Reply
  6. Teresa says

    November 6, 2014 at 9:47 pm

    Don’t you just love it when #1 happens – God always know just what we need! Can’t wait to take some time and catch up on the Allume speakers and see what I missed by not going! Maybe next year. Loved catching up with what you learned in October.

    Reply
  7. Teresa says

    November 6, 2014 at 9:47 pm

    Don’t you just love it when #1 happens – God always know just what we need! Can’t wait to take some time and catch up on the Allume speakers and see what I missed by not going! Maybe next year. Loved catching up with what you learned in October.

    Reply

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I'm Cynthia and I'm so glad you're here. I am an introvert with an extrovert's love of gathering people together. I love good books and capturing moments. Whether you visit me here or on my own front porch, I'll be the one holding the Iced Coffee for us both.

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It’s that time of year again! Here in Augusta, e It’s that time of year again! Here in Augusta, everything is shades of green— ⛳️🌿🥬🌳— including some of our favorite foods! Our Masters celebrations look different from year to year, but we ALWAYS have at least one meal made of Pimento Cheese, Arnold Palmers, & Green Jacket Salad. If only we could get someone to smuggle us out a 🍑 Peach Ice Cream Sandwich, we’d be good!!

I’ve linked my favorite recipe for Green Jacket Salad today so you can grab it and bring a little Masters into your meals this week!
Happy Easter from the grateful, hopeful, Stuckeys. Happy Easter from the grateful, hopeful, Stuckeys. He alone is our Peace.

Surely he has borne our griefs
  and carried our sorrows;
 yet we esteemed him stricken,
 smitten by God, and afflicted. 
 
  But he was pierced for our transgressions;
 he was crushed for our iniquities;
 upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
 and with his wounds we are healed. 
 
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When all is well, we often forget to pay attention When all is well, we often forget to pay attention.

We forget to look for daily provisions and mercies as we do when they are life and water to us.

It is not sunny optimism, but hope-filled obstinacy that pushes us to count our gifts instead of our trials.

To know that when the season is hard, and awkward, and everything seems backwards— we are not forgotten.

You may well know, it’s not an easy task. It’s hard work. Like those last few reps of lifting weights— when your muscles burn and you need to quit. What does the coach always say? “Don’t stop. These are the ones that count.”

Perhaps we think of gratefulness like this— It’s still important when we’re sitting with so much grace around us that we hardly remember our thanks.

But when it’s hard?
When it hurts?
When we cannot possibly see the light at the end of this particular tunnel— ✨there✨ is where we make the list of all we know to be true.

That is the place where it counts.
Where we squint if we must, to see what God is doing for us and in us— and definitely in spite of us.

I don’t know about you, but I’ll just be over here filling pages with provision I never want to forget. #solideogloria
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✨Whipped Coffee✨ 
2 TBS. instant espresso
2 TBS. cold water
1 TBS. maple syrup or simple syrup
1-2 glasses of ice and milk

Whip/ Beat the espresso, syrup, and water with an electric beater, immersion blender, or hand-held milk frother until frothy and light in color. Scoop over the milk and ice and enjoy!
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