{ First day of First grade }

   How can it already be time to say hello a new school year? And how can it be that we already  have a first grader living under our roof? Excited for all this year holds for her and for me as one of her teachers. Pintrest has a world of information and resources to offer, which I am loving. But to be really honest, in a lot of ways this school year looks like it's shaping up to be rather crazy with a new baby girl to arrive on the scene any day/week now, and I have to admit that I am feeling more than a little bit intimidated by the challenge of homeschooling while also mothering other the three under three. She's going to be going two full days a week to a local public school that partners with homeschooling families. I am so thankful for this best of both worlds option for her right now. And feel so privileged for the opportunity to be her teacher on the other three days we are at home.  My prayer for her and for myself over the course of this next school year and all the ones to come, as much as I want to foster in her a love of learning and make sure she is up to speed in every subject for her grade and age, that I wouldn't lose sight of what's most important and that we we would before all else " grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. "  2 Pet. 3:18

So here we go1st Grade.
Ready or not, here she comes.
Please be kind.

{ Making cherry pie + a peek into my cheery kitchen }

There is nothing quite so quintessentially summer to me as baking pies. Domestically speaking, that is.

{ List no. 6 - 30 Songs I love }

 { Etsy Print found here }

  Music is a huge part of what defines home for me. I find it to be a powerful mood setter. It's amazing to me how a song can define a feeling or bring back memories from a certain season of life. 
  This is a brief history of our family in song. 
 During our days of falling in love this song was so special to the two of us, and this one to me. And then there was the music we had at our wedding, A Prayer for Home, and How Beautiful. Or the soundtrack to our honeymoon, slow dancing in our teeny tiny cottage kitchen as newlyweds to this song, and then a couple years later, the song Annabelle first started dancing to, by Gwen Stephani which was really popular at the time. We have at least half a dozen videos of her getting down to The Sweet Escape.  This song  reminds me so much of our Black Diamond years. And Everybody by Ingrid Michaelson, makes me think of our first days in Spokane when Jack was just a baby and beginning to dance. I remember" All the Pennies " playing on repeat after having moved into our house on 14th and while still very much in the remodeling process and didn't even " own a bathroom door." And I am pretty sure that I have listened to this song, a thousand times in the months before and after Lucy was born, and have still never tired of it. These days Matt Redman's 10,000 reasons is a family favorite. Lucy especially loves it...she toddles around with both arms raised, cooing like a little songbird. And it's also super sweet how babiest girl gets all excited when it's playing.
 
Thanks to Spotify, I have a hand picked playlist for almost every occasion. There is happy house-cleaning music, and bedtime lullabies and songs of worship, a mean dance lineup, seasonal lists of favorite songs, love songs, and songs for my little ones, and songs by genre...because I might secretly love bluegrass music a little bit. I have my parents thank for that.

  I want my children to grow up and say that worship was the heartbeat of our home. As C.S. Lewis says,  "It is in the process of being worshiped that God communicates His presence to men." Isn't that beautiful?


  So now in no particular order, here are thirty songs that I love to lift my voice and twirl around the the living room with my kids to...

1. 10,000 Reasons, Matt Redman
2. Oh My Stars, Andrew Belle
3. It's a Gift, Andrea Hamilton
4. This Dance, Five for Fighting
5. Filled With Your Glory, Starfield
6. All Will Be Well Gabe Dixon Band
7. This is Just so Beautiful  Jenny + Tyler
8. Your Song,  Ellie Goulding
9. Bloom, The Paper Kites
10. Brand New, Emilie Mover 
11. Happy Lessons, The Vespers
12. Grace for Me, The Michael Gungor band
13. So Deep in Love, Joel Auge
14. Sweetheart, Jont
15. All is Grace, Shaun Groves
16. Joy is in Our Hearts, Sara Groves
17. Old Pine, Ben Howard
18. Forever After Love, Andrew Ripp
19. Angel, Jack Johnson
20. Viva La Vida, Coldplay
21. Friend Like You, Joshua Radin
22. For You, Peter Bradely Adams
23. Bring Me the Sunshine, Jess Penner
24. Little Song, Sarah Jarosz
25. Little Light, ( Our little Lucy's song. Her name means light.)
26. Blue Eyes, Timmy Curran
27. You Are Love, Rend Collective Experiment
28. Take Heart, Hillsong
29. Skyline Hill, Jenny + Tyler
30. Little Song, Sarah  Jarosz

 I would love to hear all about your favorite songs.