{ 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. 

{ List No. 5 - Sweet Summer Fun }

   Back in October I turned thirty and challenged my self to thirty lists of thirty things for my thirtieth year. You can see what a slacker I am, this list being a measly numero 5.  I have been incredibly blessed to be surrounded by some close friends who are amazing about being intentional in how they parent and do life. And it's an area I really want to grow in as a mother. With all the pinterest inspiration out there, none of these things are my original idea but even so I still wanted to take the time to sit down together and plan some fun into our summer. Summer for us means daddy is gone to work the most hours, hence we have the least amount of time together as a family, it's the nature of having a husband who works in road construction. And knowing me, it just won't happen unless it's easy to do on a weekend or week night, inexpensive, and relatively easy to pull off without too much prep work. So with all of these things in mind,  we sat around the table last night at dinnertime and each put in 6 votes for our top 6 fun things to do together this summer. Because, as the saying goes...   

 ( source )

1. meet daddy after work for a picnic ( mommy )
2. blow big bubbles, and here's a how-to, so you can too( Annabelle )
3. lemonade stand( Annabelle )
4. backyard bbq with the neighbors
5. water fight ( daddy )
6. finger paint
7. frozen yogurt run ( Jack )
8. nature hike ( daddy )
9. sleep under the stars ( Annabelle )
10. splash park
11. badmitton ( daddy )
12. day at the lake  
13. outdoor movie night ( Annabelle )
14. fireworks
15. bike riding ( Jack )
16. Saturday morning yard-sale shopping ( Annabelle )
17. baseball in the backyard (fun variation,use water balloons)
18. slip and slide ( Jack )
19. pillow fight ( daddy )
20. aquatic park fun (daddy )
21. pick berries ( mommy )
22. water balloons + squirt gun war ( Jack )
23. concert in the park
24. Vacation Bible School ( Annabelle )
25. ice cream sundaes + Madagascar 3 (Annabelle didn't forget that you promised Poppy :)
26. build a campfire
27. jump rope
28. read, read, read and read some more ( mommy )
29. pick a big bouquet of wild flowers ( mommy )
30. make a living room race track ( Jack )

And a few extras because I couldn't keep it at an even thirty: 
  
a ding dong ditch ( mommy )
glow in the dark bowling ( we are going to put stick glow sticks in clear plastic water bottles and use our glow in the dark soccer ball to knock our pins down ) ( Jack )
cloud watching ( mommy )
make mud pies ( Annabelle )
pintrest craft/art project day
watch the sun set

make jello + fruit salad

bake cherry pie
hot date- patio seating ( daddy )

 

 

( source )

But now I am ever so curious? Tell me, what are your favorite summer traditions? 

Now I better run before I miss out on the first pitch of tonight's back yard baseball game!

List No. 4 - My Favorite Things (one last giveaway + a list of winners)

1. blue mason jars full of garden zinnias*
2. Grannie Annie (  please pray for her if you think of it...she's had a rough last few months )
3. Lucy's thighs
4. red barns, red shoes, red chairs, red doors, red doors, red accents etc.
5. Chocolate*
6. This man with his literal red neck + work stained hands, who loved us, who is strong and good.
7. Jack's quilt that Fairlight made him
8. polka dots
9. One Thousand Gifts *( it's changed my life )
10. Mrs Meyers* ( it's a Spokane thing )
11. my home team ( read the book ...giving it away on Friday)
12. baking bread
13. iced coconut lattes
14. birds nests + robins eggs
15. color
16. Spotify  ( good music*)
17. Annabelle's giggle
18. Listening to sermons
19. my sisters, who are technically sister in laws but only in title
20. kisses from Jack
21. October Afternoon*
22. David's smile
23. reproduction feedsack * fabrics from the 30's + 40's*
24. P.F. Changs
25. buntings*
26. Trader Joes* ( our store is opening here this Friday, Oct. 28th, whoo-hoo!)
27. old houses
28. vintage anything*
29. children's books*
30. this ( it's my way of cheating on this list)

And as a last hurrah I am giving away a box wrapped in brown paper + tied up with string full of things off of my favorite things list. See asterisks for a clue.

To enter this giveaway, please leave a comment telling me about a  random act of kindness that you have either heard of, have done, plan to do, or have had done to you.  

Winner to be chosen and announced Friday, October 21st.

Good luck ladies.
And now for that list of winners...
Winners chosen using Random.org.

Giveaway No. 1:  A pretty pair of earrings from Crystal B. -Deborah said: Her style is beautiful!Very sweet.

Giveaway No. 2:  $20.00 Store Credit from K.Walter Vintage -Fairlightday said: Oh! What loveliness in her shop! I would probably pick one of the tables clothes (since I can't have enough!) or that darling cake saver!

Giveaway No. 3. $30.00 Store Credit to Out of the Blue - Miller Family said: I LOVE the CHRYSANTHEMUM BLOOM necklace!! And also the Baguette Clutch :)

Giveaway No. 4. Fall Leaves Tee from Nostalgic Graphic Tees -Nancy said: This is such a sweet gift! I love the ballerina and the girl with the leaves. I liked and favorited.

Giveaway No. 5. Art print of your choice from Gus + Lula - Katie said: Love her! And I love #3 on your list...reminds me of "a clean house is the sign of a wasted life". :) and I forget whose it is right now. Happy happy day Chelle!

Giveaway No. 6. Black + White Family Rules Art Print -Andi Mae said:  Love love love this! So much! And I love that it is something that I know Erik would like too! :) Favorited the shop + how could I not? Everything in it is so lovely!

Giveaway No.7. Lovely Vintage Moleskin Quote Journal - Becca said: Yes everything Courtney makes is amazing. I also love collecting quotes. Her house should be in a magazine! Oh and of course her shop is already a fave!

 Okay, now that's what I call fun! Thank you for playing along ladies. If you won one of the giveaway's please email your mailing address to seachellegirl@msn.com and I will make sure it gets into the hands of the right person. And thank you Etsy friends for sponsoring these six wonderful giveaways. What fun! And if you haven't won anything yet, keep trying, there are two more giveaways ending on Friday. :)

{ List No. 3 - Books + another Giveaway }

 Image, via Pintrest

Books I am reading , want to read or re-read this year:

1. The Magic of Ordinary Days**
2. Playful Learning**
3. Real Marriage *
4. Bittersweet ***
5. A Long Obedience in the Same Direction*
6. Joy For Beginners*
7. A Meal With Jesus*
8. Gift From the Sea*
9. The Mission of Motherhood*
10. Give Them Grace**
11. Grace For the Good Girl*
12. Romancing Your Husband*
13. Tomorrow Will Be Better*
14. Sala's Gift*
15. Growing Grateful Kids: Teaching them to Appreciate an Extraordinary God in Ordinary Places*
16. The Noticer*
17. Unbroken *
18. I Capture The Castle*
19. The Waiting Place*
20. Suprised By Grace*
21. One Thousand Gifts***
22. The Happiness Project**
23. The Things We Cherished*
24. Steady Days: A Journey Towards Inentional , Professional Motherhood*
25.  The Pioneer Woman, Black Heels To Tractor Wheels
26.  
27.  
28.  
29.  
30.  

{ * Books I want to read this year, ** Books I am currently reading, *** Books I want to re-read this year .}

Leave your comment here with a book recommendation for me to enter your chance to win a copy of...Bittersweet, Thoughts on Change, Grace, and Learning the Hard Way by Shauna Niequist. It was one of my very favorite reads of the past year. Here are a few quotes to give you a idea of just how good this book is:

“Use what you have, use what the world gives you. Use the first day of fall: bright flame before winter's deadness; harvest; orange, gold, amber; cool nights and the smell of fire. Our tree-lined streets are set ablaze, our kitchens filled with the smells of nostalgia: apples bubbling into sauce, roasting squash, cinnamon, nutmeg, cider, warmth itself. The leaves as they spark into wild color just before they die are the world's oldest performance art, and everything we see is celebrating one last violently hued hurrah before the black and white silence of winter.” 

“When things fall apart, the broken pieces allow all sorts of things to enter, and one of them is the presence of God.”

“I believe that suffering is part of the narrative, and that nothing really good gets built when everything's easy. I believe that loss and emptiness and confusion often give way to new fullness and wisdom."

“We sometimes choose the most locked up, dark versions of the story, but what a good friend does is turn on the lights, open the window, and remind us that there are a whole lot of ways to tell the same story.” 

"..sometimes the happiest ending isn't the one you keep longing for, but something you absolutely cannot see from where you are.”

Side Note: Pintrest is my favorite way to catalog and keep track of books these days.

Also, if you haven't already you have until to tomorrow evening to sign up for these fun little happy-birthday-to-me giveaways.

1. A pretty pair of earring from Crystal B.
2. $20.00 Store Credit from K.Walter Vintage
3. $30.00 Store Credit to Out of the Blue
4. Fall Leaves Tee from Nostalgic Graphic Tees
5. Art print of your choice from Gus + Lula
6. Black + White Family Rules Art Print
7. Lovely Vintage Moleskin Quote Journal

Winner of the book to be announced on Friday, October 21st.

{ List No. 2 - Borrowed Words }

1. " Charm is a glow within a woman that cast a most becoming light on others."  J. Mason Brown
2. " Let the wife make the husband glad to come home and let him make her sorry to see him leave. "  - Martin Luther
3. " At the worst, a house unkept cannot be as distressing as life unlived". - Rose Macauly
4. " Time stands still best in moments that look suspiciously like ordinary life." - Brian Andres
5. " I strongly suspect that if we saw all the difference even the tiniest of our prayers to God make, and all the people those little prayers were destined to affect, and all the consequences of those effects down through the centuries, we would be so paralyzed with awe at the power of prayer that we would be unable to get up off our knees for the rest of our lives." -Peter Kreeft 
6. " Humor is the spiciest condiment in the feast of existence. Laugh at your mistakes but learn from them, joke over your troubles but gather strength from them, make a jest of your difficulties but overcome them." -L.M. Montgomery
7. " One reason we struggle with insecurity: we’re comparing our behind the scenes to everyone else’s highlight reel.” -Steven Furtick
8. " The most important work you and I ever do will be within the walls of our own homes. "-Harold B. Lee 
9. " The power of finding beauty in the humblest things makes home happy and life lovely." -Louisa May Alcott
10. " I like light, color, luminosity. I like things full of color and vibrant." Oscar de la Renta
11. I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens, but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string. -L.M. Montgomery 
12. " Sometimes I need only to stand wherever I am to be blessed. -Mary Oliver
13. " When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate. And when life is bitter, say thank you and grow.        - Shauna Niequist 
14. " All earthly delights are but streams. But God is the ocean."  -Johnathan Edwards 
15. " Some people are so much sunshine to the square inch.  -Walt Whitman
16. " It is impossible to give thanks, and simultaneously feel fear.” - Ann Voskamp
17. " Mere colour can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways." -Oscar Wilde
18. " The best thing about a picture is that it never changes, even when the people in it do. " Andy Warhol 
19. "All the world is full of suffering. It is also full of overcoming. " Helen Keller
20. " Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done." C.S Lewis 
21. " Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God."  Madeleine L’Engle
22. "People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone." - Audrey Hepburn
23. " And I learned what is obvious to a child.That life is simply a collection of little lives,each lived one day at a time.That each day should be spent finding beauty in flowers and poetry and talking to animals.That a day spent with dreaming and sunsets and refreshing breezes cannot be bettered.But most of all, I learned that life is about sitting on benches next to ancient creeks with my hand on her knee and sometimes,on good days, for falling in love." -The Notebook
24. " It was love at first sight, at last sight, at ever and ever sight." -From Lolita 
25. " We are all ordinary people. But even an ordinary secretary, or a housewife, or a teenager can within their own small ways turn on a small light in a dark room." -Freedom Writers 
26. "Cheerfulness keeps up a kind of daylight in the mind, and fills it with a steady and perpetual serenity.  -Joseph Addison 
27. "Let us all hope that we are preceded in this world by…a love story. " -Sweet Land 
28. " Ah! Life grows lovely where you are." - Mathilde Blind 
29. " Some people move our souls to dance. They awaken us to new understanding with the passing whisper of their wisdom. Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon. They stay in our lives for awhile, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never ever the same. " -Flavia Weedn 
30. " Joy is the gigantic secret of the Christian."  -G.K. Chesterton