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Happy Go Stuckey

Tethering Grace & Togetherness

What I Learned in the Spring

May 31, 2017 by HappyGoStuckey 2 Comments

“Is the spring coming?” he said. “What is it like?”…

“It is the sun shining on the rain and the rain falling on the sunshine…”

― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

Here we are, already buying sunscreen en masse and shuffling the pool towels from the dryer to the pool bag and then back to the dryer again. I love the splashy, drippy, days of summer.

But before we dive in, let’s pay homage to our spring lessons, both the fun and the semi-serious. I absolutely feel as though we just shared our Winter lessons yesterday. Here’s that list if you missed it.

So here are four things I learned in the Spring–

I have become a plant lady. 

I’m not sure why I waited so long to welcome house plants into our life. One day, the Nester had an instagram post about how she waters her plants. It was completely un-fancy and un-complicated and she convinced me I could do it. I finally did and I love my little plant friends. Fingers crossed for continued growth and life. (Bonus tip: HomeGoods is the place for pretty planters.)

 

Tomato plants should be watered at the soil level and not as much on the leaves. 

I definitely did not know this. I always watered from overhead because it makes the leaves look pretty and apparently– the least amount of time the leaves can be wet, the better. Rain water is different, and is preferable to hose water. Who knew? We do enjoy summer tomatoes around here– especially in Caprese Salad. (Bonus Tip: grab a bottle of balsamic glaze for the top of your salad. yum.)

I also learned the magic bullet for keeping cut hydrangeas alive for at least a week!

 

An Audible narrator can make or break a listening experience, especially for a classic. 

Audible is one of our favorite things, both for homeschool and for myself personally. I recently listened to Anne of Green Gables with Rachel McAdams narrating and it was simply fabulous. Then I wanted to continue with Anne of Avonlea but had to do my first ever audible return because the new narration was ruining it for me. The Anne of Avonlea narrator was not my favorite because she made Anne sound petty and whiny.

I also learned this month that I’m a bit sensitive about certain childhood heroines— like, ahem, Anne.

Other examples of great audible narrators: Shauna Niequist (Cold Tangerines,) Lauren Graham (Talking as Fast as I Can,) and of course, the entire Harry Potter audiobook series with Jim Dale (A-Mazing.)

 

An “I Can Try” mindset is often a good place to begin. 

This spring I did two things I have never done before. Both of which, scared me a tiny bit. The first was simple, my friend Cherie asked me to bake an apple pie to highlight her floral design. Sure, I said. I can do that. Then I saw the inspiration pie and freaked out a little. Braided crust, I had never done. I even struggle with braided hair every now and then– but braided crust was completely new to me. But guess what? It turned out just fine. And, her gorgeous blooms covered a multitude of first time evidence.

The second thing was starting my own side-hustle of helping other writers with bits of social media design. I truly enjoy making gorgeous graphics to highlight beautiful words. And bonus, it helps me pay for occasional childcare so I might find a few more fringe hours to write my own words. Introducing, Happy Designs.

So, that’s fun. (And, I have space for a couple more clients this summer. If you need an image refresh on your blog, or have particular posts you would like to highlight better, send me a quick email and we can chat. )

Aren’t new things like that sometimes? A crazy potpourri of “Well, this is fun!” and “I have absolutely no business thinking I can do this.”

I’m starting to think that’s the edge of the good stuff when it comes to art and creativity. We should be slightly scared while chasing the fun. Like those first few rickety bumps up a roller coaster.

What is making you slightly scared in a fun way right now? I’d love to know.

This quarterly chance to share What We Learned with Emily Freeman is high on my list of favorite things. I would truly enjoy hearing what you learned these past few months. Feel free to comment below– or, let’s connect on Instagram.

Weekend Favorites
Rainshine. (Why hope & grief are not adversaries.)

Comments

  1. Emma Hughes says

    June 2, 2017 at 6:09 pm

    I never knew that about tomato plants! Great tip 🙂 The caprese salad looks like a restaurant dish and you did very well with that apple pie crust too – very creative! (visiting from Emily’s link-up)

    Reply
    • HappyGoStuckey says

      June 5, 2017 at 10:06 am

      Hi Emma! So nice to meet you. I’m so glad you said hello! I don’t have the best luck with plants so I’m trying to educate myself a little bit! 🙂

      Reply

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Hey There!

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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Throwing it back but not way back: remember last y Throwing it back but not way back: remember last year when we *discovered* the whipped, frothy, goodness of Dalgona Coffee?

I made it again today for the express purpose of seeing if it would still work with less sugar and I rather like my lightened up version!

(Tip: in my opinion, it makes enough for two— especially because I use instant espresso— so it’s pretty strong! Not warm where you are yet?  Tap the little flag to save this post for later.)

✨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!
🪡Do I seamstressed to you?🪡 Really though, 🪡Do I seamstressed to you?🪡 

Really though, after completing my first embroidery project, I feel like it might just be the cheapest, prettiest, stress relief out there. I am officially a believer in relaxing this way. And PS, if I can do it, you can.

Thank you, @thebarmyfox for bringing this lovely art into my life!
Joy is the courage of people who don’t have all Joy is the courage of people who don’t have all the answers, yet.

While you sit in a season of waiting,
the calendar can often be a cruel companion, reminding you that days go by, weeks, months— with what feels like very little change in the right direction.

Perhaps you can easily assent to: 
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

but you strain to see just how it will be when: “...a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12)

Wherever you and I are today— whether we wander, wait, stand firmly planted, or some pressed together combination of all three — we can take heart.

We are not alone.
And this will not be wasted.
What seems to be an unending blank space, an indefinite pause, is a space for new things.

Long before all is made right, and whether or not it all is tied up neatly with a perfectly crafted bow— we can know this:

We do not have to know the outcome to be faithful today.

✨Joy is not disregard for reality as much as it is obstinacy against despair.✨
Hi 👋🏻 I’m Cynthia and I’m a bit weary. T Hi 👋🏻 I’m Cynthia and I’m a bit weary. There. I said it. These days I’m gravitating to the true & the beautiful as rest for my weary self... and I wonder if you are too.

So much so, that I’m starting a new little offering, it’s called “The Feast: Wonder for the Weary” and the first issue goes out this weekend. It’s a bit more personal (okay this first one is WAY more personal. 🤭) It will be a little bit of everything, all with the goal of offering REST to both the feasters & foragers alike. If you’re already a subscriber— no need to do anything, if not— click through my bio to “keep in touch” and join the feast.✨
We are a people of both lament and praise. We hol We are a people of both lament and praise.

We hold questions without answers— yet we hold them in hands already full of good things.

We hold our daily bread, our daily gifts, and we hold the daily closeness of the God Who Sees.

The God who is no stranger to our lament, and Who Is the reason for our every hope.
He does not grow weary of our asking. Of our need to be told again, He will. 

You friend, are not invisible.
You are seen and cared for by the God who does all things well. (Even when they feel anything but.)
Married love ambition: making the kids roll their Married love ambition: making the kids roll their eyes at our “gushy-ness” as often as possible. 

President & CEO of the Lance Stuckey Fan Club— in every season, but especially on days like today.
Rainy day Mocha date, courtesy of our own toasty k Rainy day Mocha date, courtesy of our own toasty kitchen.😍🌧📚

On this chilly Saturday, we spent entirely too long browsing for books at our library and then all came home to a fire, mochas, and cocoa, respectively. Of all the things we do not know at this very moment, we know the gifts abound, and are worth counting.

PS, if you haven’t spread whipped cream on a foil-lined baking sheet to freeze, and then cut out cute shapes with cookie cutters to top your coffee or hot cocoa, may I suggest you get thee on that at once.
“If God sends us on strong paths, we are provide “If God sends us on strong paths, we are provided strong shoes.” — Corrie Ten Boom

✨File under, things to save in a fire.✨

The prayer journal pictured here contains six months of the hard & the sweet.
Six months of prayers asked & answered for ourselves and for others.
Six months of seeing through prayer, not how it changed our circumstances necessarily but how it changed us.

I always appreciate a record like this— being able to clearly see the paths we are led down, rocky though they may be? Priceless.

The ways God has come near us & drawn us to Himself again and again are written on these pages and I’ll treasure it forever.

Also pictured: Psalms Illuminated Scripture Journal. Highly recommend. Thank you always, @allifarnell
“The world is indeed full of peril, and in it th “The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.”
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

While scrolling through my photos today, my heart was heavy to realize how far back “before” was.

Before masks and distancing, before loss, before other, more personal bits of hard. Multitudinous change, neither all bad nor all good.

With our free time, we’ve introduced our girls to Tolkien, Bilbo, Frodo, and especially Samwise the Brave. They are officially hooked and we are delighted to watch them discover another world where evil doesn’t win, and the courage of the small matters much. {they close their eyes at the Orcs and we haven’t had a nightmare yet!}🤞🏻😂😬
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