Bright Spots, Vol. 2

garden stuff, local spots, cookbooks, basketball hoops and a spring joy list

Photo by Daria Buharina on Unsplash // That bright yellow daffodil pop

My darlings, my dears! This volume of Bright Spots is brought to you by a tidal wave of procrastination — and we’re going to ride it! I am currently at the mid-point in writing my next talk for Bible study. This means I’ve done an outline, but haven’t gone back through to form it into anything coherent or helpful. My brain is not ready to tackle that particular task tonight, but is apparently up for some casual banter here with my pals.

Before we get into our little internet snacks, a quick life update. Nick had some temporary duty in the states a few weeks ago and we were able to be together for three whole days as a family. Pure bliss! He is back at his post now, and we are awaiting the final date for his return. We are hoping for him to arrive home in time for Easter for an absolute Explosion Of God’s Goodness And Joy — but it could be pushed back later in the month. Join us in prayer that God brings our favorite guy home soon.

Photo by Anton Darius on Unsplash // Tulip magic.

BRIGHT SPOTS.

1. Spring bulbs and garden planning. Is there anything so hopeful in spring as watching our favorite flowers push up through the ground? I love the sight of them. I walk around the yard every day, checking things out. As of today, my first daffodils are opening and the tulips won’t be far behind! I planted out some ranunculus and anemone for the first time this year and I can’t wait to see how they do. Most bulbs are such a low maintenance investment— plant once and watch them come back for years! As for this year’s flower and veg garden at Campus Lot — if you’d asked me a few months ago, I’d have said something along the lines of “I can’t even.” The thought of caring for more living things after six or seven months of intense caregiving was a bridge too far. But with Nick home a few days, I relaxed, we cleaned off our seed starting shelves, and I suddenly had the gumption to get things going. Lots of future bright spots in the making.

2. Eating local. (But really, though). Okay, yes. This is old news! We generally like to eat local when we can already. But recently I’ve felt even more compelled to swap out big biz spots for local ones. Favorite swap recently? Central Perc (or Ghostlight, or Pettibone, or Warehouse 4) for Starbucks.¹ Friends, I love tea. We know this. Why was I not frequenting this most adorable British tea spot more often? There’s an actual tea menu with more than three teas. And scones with jam and clotted cream at the ready. There’s literally no downside.² Next up, weaning off Chikfila and Panera, my girls’ top two favorite eateries..

3. Cookbooks from the library. Deployment life has done a number on my excitement for cooking. The people in this house are always eating. Upwards of three times a day! Exhausting. I’ve moved into more survival-mode style cooking and haven’t been as creative as I have been in other seasons. When I get into ruts like this, I love to get a big stack of cookbooks from the library for inspiration. This does not guarantee actually making food from the aforementioned cookbooks, but there’s a good chance it will lead to something better on the menu than spaghetti. I’ve enjoyed paging through The Modern Proper, Cravings: All Together, and I Dream of Dinner.

4. Our basketball hoop. Something magical happened a few weeks ago. I moved the cars down our driveway so the kids could have more space to play, and they rediscovered the basketball hoop. I couldn’t love it more. It’s something they can do together, friendly to all ages, requires very little. Sports, you guys! Who knew?

5. Making a Spring Joy List. The People of The Internet love a good list, and I join their ranks. Swirly thoughts and plans need permanent places to live! I made a little list of small, medium and big joys that I can reference when I am getting squirrelly this spring. My first impulse when I have a minute in this season of exhaustion is just to numb out with a book³ or my phone. But I want to make the most of my tiny pockets of autonomy before they evaporate into indecision or pointless scrolling. My list includes little things like checking my flowers, lighting a spring candle or making iced tea; medium things like reading fiction in the bath or going to the park; and bigger things like going to a botanical garden or taking a long hike. I’d love to hear what you’d add to your own list.

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash // Get me to this garden!

Before you go, you might have noticed this little publication got a new name: Bright Hope for Today. I thought it was time to upgrade from “Natalie’s Substack.” More on that in a future post!

That’s it from me, dear ones. I hope you’ll take a few moments this week to find a bright spot and thank God for it. May He bless you with a thousand joys.

“In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary.” — Aaron Rose

1. Why am I even going to Starbucks with such lovely local places around? Mainly because I can order ahead and leave Gold in the car while I grab drinks. Also because that baby child loves a cake pop. Breaking the cake pop habit is reason enough to stop going.

2. Unless you want to pay with a card, lol.

3. Not hating on books here. You know I love books! Just admitting that I also use books as an escape mechanism when I am feeling trapped by my circumstances.