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Summertime is upon us, and we are especially loving life right now. There are walks to be had, parks to visit, friends to play with; the best vegetables and fruit are in season; we will be getting to see family we haven't seen in a long time this month; there are events and parties and get-togethers to look forward to that we really haven't had since the winter holidays. 

That being said, life still hands us our share of difficulties like long days where I begin to feel like I'm going to run out of ideas to keep them entertained. Brett still works long hours and feels the effects of stress very acutely at times. We are grateful for a God who gives us just the right amount of grace we need for every single day. This does not mean that we coast through the day. Trusting in God's provision and care for us continues to be a struggle, and something we (all?) will strive for our whole lives, can I get an AMEN?

The girls have been pretty good about playing with each other or alongside each other and playing by themselves lately. Grace has taken to looking through books and talking to herself. Stella will go into her room and play with her Disney fairies, her animal magnets on the refrigerator, or even her barrettes. There are always many interesting characters (and names) and story lines. I love her imaginative mind.

Eating paleo meatballs and sweet potatoes at Grandma and Grandpa's house on a night that B had to work late

Brett and I are crazy about light roast coffee, which contains more caffeine than dark roast, and we appreciate the lighter yet robustly flavorful notes that a lighter bean offers. We find that a darker roast tastes more bitter and almost even acrid, but to each his own. :)

We always buy whole beans and grind them ourselves in a burr grinder. Our current favorite, surprisingly edging out our long-time mainstay Dogwood coffee, is Peace Coffee - Guatemalan light roast. We buy it at our local natural food store, but Peace Coffee can be found at Whole Foods and Target, albeit I haven't found the Guatemalan light roast at WF or Target.

I love taking the girls on outings, especially now that I don't have to bundle them up in jackets and other winter gear. Recently we headed out to Linden Hills, a beautiful neighborhood, and we visited The Wild Rumpus bookstore. Afterward, we enjoyed some egg and bacon sandwiches (and muffins for the girls) at Dunn Bros. Coffee (I couldn't think of any other kid-friendly places to eat around there). We rounded out the morning at Creative Kid Stuff where I bought a special helium balloon and birthday garland for Stella's birthday party decorations.

the fabulous ballerina balloon in all her glory

I have been reading a lot lately. My most recent favorites include The Shoemaker's Wife and Margot.  I find writing reviews of books to be a very daunting task, so if you are interested, you can look these up online where you will most likely find more polished summaries.

In the last five years or so, I have developed quite the interest in home decorating. Brett and I like to draw on mid-century modern and traditional styles for inspiration. Our favorite places to look for decor are Room & Board, west elm, Etsy, Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn, and World Market. In recent years, I have found myself gravitating to more neutral, airy colors with accents of metal (brass or gold). While we appreciate the mid-century modern aesthetic very much, I don't think we will ever commit one hundred per cent to designing our house this way. We love clean, modern lines yet we love the craftsman look of crown moulding and other sophisticated touches. 

Right now I am into trays, geometric accents, brass, sea glass tones, and scouring the internet for artwork. I'm not sure I like the placement of our main piece of art in our living room. I think we need something bigger and bolder for our large wall, and then I'd like to move our current piece to another wall. 

A west elm employee helped me style this tray at the store, and then I recreated it at home. She suggested stacking/layering some of the objects, and placing them at different heights.

I had to return the big candle because I discovered it was missing a wick, and there is really supposed to be a succulent in the geometric thing, and I had to remove the tea light from the turquoise candle holder because Grace likes to pick at the candle and pull the wick (lol). Our nicer Anthropologie coasters are put away so the girls don't drop and break them, so the  Zara coasters are getting lots of mileage. We replaced our hand-me-down glass-top coffee table for this little beauty from west elm. We love it!

I am on the lookout for a playful tulle skirt for date night or an evening out with girl friends. I snapped this shot from a magazine for ideas:

I tend to go for a pretty basic daily wardrobe as in cropped jeans with a plain t-shirt and a simple necklace. Since I am playing with the girls at home or the park and managing our household, this practical uniform serves its purpose, but there are times that I really long to dress up and look feminine and lovely. I have been looking for sweet summery skirts to wear on dates. 

Right now I am trying to cut back on sugar; the second phase I will focus on drastically scaling back on carbs like bread. I want to lose 35 pounds. There, I said it on the internet. I hate my body right now, and I feel horribly self-conscious about how I look. I imagine people saying of me: has Sarah gained weight recently? I feel miserable about it. Anyway, I am aiming to be more active, cook more, and cut the sugar and junk. I know what to do, but following through is another thing altogether. The days get so long and sometimes I turn to food for comfort. I want to feel good again. I feel pain a lot and feel so tired. My sleep is often disrupted and anxiety often rears its ugly head, and we all know stress is terrible for our health.

Life has indeed been sweet, but hard times or worries are always around the corner or plaguing me (all of us) in varying degrees. Whenever I try to convey this in a spiritual way on the blog, it comes off cloying, corny, or cliched. Just know that I love the Lord my Savior so much, and I pray that you would know him, too, because this life is not all there is. There is hope.