Eight Things I'm Loving Right Now

1. <3 My new "niece"  <3 Miss Norah Claire <3 Such a beautiful name <3 My best friend had her baby girl a three weeks ago!!!! I'm in love with her little fingers and toes, face and hair. Both mommy and baby are doing well, and I can't wait to spoil her and cuddle her and give lots and lots of kisses...oh, and Jess, too <3

2. Earlier this month, my church finished a series called "FIT" (having a fit mind, body, and heart). It was brilliant, touching, and perfect for the season I felt God was bringing me through. Now my pastor is in the middle of a "Family Matters" series. It's times like these when I know I am not alone, God listens when I call out to Him. I pray these messages continue touching my heart.

3. Pulling out my spring clothes from storage. I am over with the cold and snow and winter, and I want to see more green, pastels, and less sweaters and mittens. I'm usually a fan of winter, but this season has been very temperamental this year, even for Ohio, and I'm over it. Yesterday was a high of 72 degrees! In March! In northeast Ohio! I'm going straight for my flip-flops.

4. Finding, no making the time for my yoga practice. Every day. Whether it's a full-on 70 minutes of Holy Yoga, a 30-minute leg routine, or a couple of sun salutations. Making time for it daily is one of my top priorities right now. I need to put the books down! <--- I can't believe I just typed that, haha

5. After Mr. B touched up the upstairs hallway with a new coat of white, he painted the doors, their frames, and the built-in cabinet storage all white. We also have cream-colored carpet up there. This winter we decided there was way too much white in that little area. I need color. I love color. I was game for any color. Mr. B chose red. A beautiful red. We painted it a few weekends ago. It's beautiful. It's still white, but not so white.

6. Since Lent, I've been having my "bullet" coffee almost every morning. Just black coffee with a tablespoon of coconut oil. Using my hand mixer, I combine until it's creamy and frothy. It's so deliciously good I should feel guilty. See part of my fasting during this Lenten season, besides fasting one meal a day, I gave up my calorie-laden beverages from Starbucks. (If it's not a black Americano or red eye, or unsweetened tea, it's on hold until after Easter.) Because of the sugar, and lately it's all I've been craving. Caramel macchiatos. Dirty chais. Steamed apple juice with a pump of chai. It's saving me money as well. My bullet coffee easily curbs these sugar cravings.

7. My latest movie love is The Age of Adaline. I don't know why I love this movie so much, but I am in love with this movie. I found it so beautiful. A different kind of love story. I cried. I laughed. I watched it and then watched it again. There was beauty and heartache. And the casting was perfect.

8. All my life I have been a purple girl. I love purple. I want everything purple. Lately, I want pink. All the pink things. I even dug out a pink-patterened VB purse from my closet because I had to have PINK.

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

My Beautiful Month

In case you aren't on Instagram, or don't follow me, here's a peek at my Insta-Life lately.
[*All photos are taken from my Instagram account.]

My step father-in-law turned 61. Time to celebrate!

We're getting Easter eggs. It's so ombre.

One of my favorite childhood memories.

Fun with all things Under the Sea at work.

Enjoying a 60+ degree day with a walk through the park. Mr. Darcy was beyond excited.

My traditional gnocchi Oscars meal. (My food was much better than the Oscars....)

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Music Love

It's time to share some new music love, and this one has me on my knees and in tears. But some days I just sit in silence listening. Listening to the lyrics. Listening to the music. Listening to, hopefully, God's small still voice. Some days I'm belting it at the top of my lungs, hands raised, worshipping the Father.

I hope it moves you, too. I pray it comforts you.

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Lately

Image found on Pinterest

1. I'm okay.

2. Since I deactivated my Facebook account earlier this week, friends have been coming out of the wood-works with all shades of concern. Thank you for your thoughts, questions, and encouragement. Even though I've never been one to constantly post about my goings-on, I found myself getting too caught up in others. Taking a step back from social media has laid heavy on my heart for the past month or so. I committed myself to giving it up for Lent this year. However, I was at church this past weekend, and Pastor Mike recently started a new series called "FIT." He's talking about being fit in various areas of our lives, and last Saturday's sermon was on making your mind/soul "fit." He discussed things that rob us of a fit mind, like anger, worry/fear, comparison, and not forgiving others. His comparison example was, you guessed it, social media. It's like God *lightly* smacked me on the head. Why wait until Lent? Why not start now? My church is also in the midst of a 21-day fast, so this is perfect. I might even go beyond the 21 days.

3. I'm committed to getting back my joy.

4. Adult coloring is quickly becoming that outlet. I find my mind is completely relaxed. I'm not worrying about the future. I'm not going over and over my to-do list, both at home and at work. I'm not even thinking, which is why this new hobby is more peaceful than reading <--- shut the front door! (as my husband likes to exclaim). Mr. B bought me an electric pencil sharpener to aid me in this endeavor.

5. The snow makes me happy. The cold makes me happy. It means less social commitments. More evenings at home by the fireside. More time spent with my Misters. More time in the kitchen. More getting my thoughts straight. More quiet times with God and His Word.

6.And you might find this hard to believe, but I haven't been on my yoga mat since late October. No wonder I'm out of sorts! This must be remedied.


With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Music Love

My latest music obsession.

I went to bed singing it, I woke up singing it. Heck, I think I might have been singing it in my sleep. However, you cannot ask Mr. B to verify this because he's a deep, deep sleeper. I mean, a car could hit our house and he wouldn't know. Oh, wait.... ha ha.

Anyhoo, my latest listener is Maren Morris' "My Church." Finally, the official video came out, so sit back and enjoy her voice and this wonderful country-country song. And turn it up. Loud. LOVE THIS.

Can I get an amen?!

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

My Beautiful Month

In case you aren't on Instagram, or don't follow me, here's a peek at my Insta-Life lately.
[*All photos are taken from my Instagram account.]

Too many books and not enough time. True story.

'Tis the season for hot chocolate, and Starbucks puts crack in theirs. (Well, don't quote me on that, but it's sooo good. I'm sooo addicted.)

Magic Tree House madness at work.

Playing this on the radio?!?!?! Yesssssss!

Oh, I bought a new car. Meet Tara. Tara, this is everyone. (Bonus points if you know her namesake.)

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Currently

I'm currently....

Watching.... My husband has me addicted to the Netflix's sereis, Longmire. It's like the main character was a student of Chuck Norris, but in a much more subtle, mysterious, Wyoming way. And everyone is against Branch, but he's secretly my favorite and everyone needs to be nicer to him!! Mr. B now refuses to call Mr. Darcy anything but Corgmire.

Eating.... For the life of me, I cannot.get.enough.Golden.Delicious.apples. Like.not.enough. Right now they are the sweetest thing. And so juicy. I can't stop eating them. Over the weekend I had four within a 24-hour period. I'm usually more of a Granny Smith kind of girl. I like a good pucker. But these... these are the best thing in life right now.

Planning.... Thanksgiving dinner menu!!! Bring on the sides and the leftovers and not having to cook for two days.

Reading.... Yesterday I started a recently published book, The Bronte Plot. It's labeled as "Christion Fiction", but so far I'm not seeing it. I'm about halfway through and it is good. The main character finds, buys, and sells rare books...but not necessarily in the most honest way. Now she's embarking on a London literary tour of sorts, hoping that going back will help her move forward. I'm a sucker for main characters in book professions, set in book stores, and anything to do with literature. Sucker, I tell ya.

Inspired by.... the children I work with. The things they say, their views and opinions, what they're thankful for, what they are happy about, their smiles... melts my heart <3

Excited about....ummm, I'm off until Monday, y'all! And starting with seeing my family tomorrow, I have a lot planned over the next few days, like Christmas shopping (actually on Black Friday, hence the FRIDAY part), gathering for the Big Game (please come back from your atrocious display last Saturday, Buckeyes! I'm begging you!), and putting out the rest of the Christmas decor, and yes, baking. It's never too early, my friends.

Have a healthy, happy, and blessed Thanksgiving!

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

My Beautiful Month

In case you aren't on Instagram, or don't follow me, here's a peek at my Insta-Life lately.
[*All photos are taken from my Instagram account.]

Having a little fun with a co-worker's office :)

Daddy and I on our coffee date, about to get our GARTH BROOKS on.

Homemade apple butter season.

Not quite the morning person dog.

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Music Love

I'm a huge lover of music.

Country and contemporary Christian are my favorites. Forget all that pop stuff (cough, and I could really do without the pop in my county, cough). With that being said, I wanted to start a new monthly post series featuring my latest music obsession. Right now that is Thomas Rhett's new one, "Die a Happy Man." I just can't get over the beauty of the lyrics and simple guitar chords and the video is beautiful. His wife is GORGEOUS. If you aren't familiar, I hope you enjoy!

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Eight Things I'm Loving Right Now

1.  Everyone is all about the Pumpkin Spice Lattes. All about the PSLs. However, I'm all about the Pumpkin Spice Americanos. I'm all about the #PSAs. I'm starting a movement. Jump on that bandwagon, people! It's delicious.

2. A bandwagon I have jumped on is Shakeology. But I don't like it. I wish I did because so many do. However, it's expensive so Mr. B is glad I don't. I'm trying my hardest to mix the protein packets with whatever fruit, coffee, nut butter, and milk I can find. A few mixtures I can tolerate, others... not so much. BUT, I am loving the CIZE workout program I signed up for with the Shakeology. It's cardio. It's moving. It's dancing. I am having a blast! LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. Now, I'm looking for another program I might want for Christmas....

3.This breakfast obsession has now turned into a quick dinner love affair. I ate this pear, egg, and cheese combo for five meals straight before I actually realized I'd been eating it for five meals straight. Although I'm currently not eating it for every meal, I am returning to it about every other day. I can't help it, these pears are so juicy right now!

4. Now that school is back in session, kids are overtaking the library. I can't help but love searching the stacks and asking question after question until I find a child or parent the book they're looking for. I love going on these little treasure hunts, whether it's for a school assignment or a book to share at bed time, I love finding something the patron will enjoy.

5.It's fall so that means TV shows are back in full swing. And that actually means nothing to me because we don't have cable, but we have some hi-tech bunny ears that give us access to the local channels. And that means I am loving my Hawaii Five-O and Blue Bloods. The only shows I watch. And last seasons' episodes are now on Netflix!! Woot. Woot. I am a big, huge fan of McGarrett. Mr. B is well aware ;)

6. With the weather changing and all, I'm getting back into the routine of using my doterra difuser at night. I'm obsessed with the Cassia; it's cinnamon fragrance is wonderful and calming, which actually helps Mr. Darcy relax more quickly around bed time. It's fantastic.

7. Trader Joe's Pumpkin Spice Rooibos Herbal Tea. In love. I must have a cup in the afternoon at work. I must have a cup in the evening after dinner. I must say, it is fall in a cup.

8. Oh, and do I need to mention FALL. And FOOTBALL. And chilly weather. And the BEAUTIFUL outside scenery. And APPLES, PUMPKINS, and CIDER! I am so blessed to be living in such a lovely state to experience THE best season. Gosh, I cannot tell you all how much it it my favorite.


With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Currently

I'm currently....

Watching.... baseball. BASEBALL. America's favorite pastime.Oh, and the CAVS. In THE FINALS. :)

Eating Drinking.... I've been crazy about my ginger sodas from my local Seven Grains. These are just fabulous and satisfying. My favorite is Reed's Cherry Ginger Brew. My other favorite is their Extra Ginger Brew. Sipping on gingers. All day. I can't get enough.

Planning.... our camping trip this holiday weekend. My parents have rented a space for their camper at a local campsite about 10 minutes from our house. I can't wait! I'm packing and planning snacks and food. Even though it's only a few minutes from the house, Mr. Darcy and I are staying and relaxing and vacationing camping-style. Mr. B will join us when he gets off work on those days, but I plan on staying there. I love camping, and am thrilled Mama and Daddy will be so close. Here's to hoping the skies are clear with no hail, and preferably above 60-degree temperatures, unlike the last time we went camping back in October.

Yep, last time we had hail, rain, a few flurries, and 38 degrees.

Reading.... I'm re-reading the first book in the Outlander series. Actually, I'm listening to the audio book.

Inspired by.... my spa day. It was my first time ever getting a massage, facial, pedicure, and manicure, and it may sound petty, but I'm convinced this is something every woman needs at least once a year. My husband has no idea what he just got himself into with that gift certificate.

Honestly, as I was lying there during my massage, I found my mind kept wandering to things...things I need to do, things I need to add to my to-do list, things at work, things at home, stressful things...and the list goes on. But then I caught myself. I need to shut down and stop every once in awhile. Immediately, I started thanking God for the money for this experience, that we could afford to treat myself and my friend to a much needed day of relaxation. I let go. I gave everything worrying me to God, refusing to take it back from Him as the day went on. I was in a funk these last few weeks and now I feel a thousand times better. And while it was nice, it's not something we can afford often. (Or I should say shouldn't afford often.) But it opened my eyes to how important it is to shut down for a bit and fully relax in His peace and presence. And it shouldn't have to cost a lot of money to do it. I'm inspired to make time for me every week by setting aside an hour to either meditate in His presence on my yoga mat or hide in the bathroom and paint my nails. Maybe a nap will suffice.... Who knows, but I'm committing to this!

Excited about....our mini vacation to Hocking Hills next week!!!! Eeekkk! I have been asking Mr. B to rent a cabin there for years. And we're taking the pup. Eeekkk! :)

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

What I'm Reading

Happy May!!! Let's play what-I've-been-reading-lately-catch-up. Mmm'kay?

A few quickies for y'all: Bill O'Reilly's fourth installment, Killing Patton, was great. Of all the historical figures, Gen. Patton was definitely the man I knew the least about. It wasn't as good as Killing Lincoln, but I liked it as much as the others. A worth picking up if you're a fan of O'Reilly's other books or a WWII fanatic. For this past book club we wanted something light and humorous, so we opted for the memoir Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling (of The Office and The Mindy Project TV fame). My thoughts? Meh. I really wanted to like it, but it's only okay. Mainly because her thoughts on apologizing for being fat and her body image. I would not consider her this and while she's trying to convince me she has good body image and doesn't care what others think, the fact she talks about it so much makes me think she does care. Also, this reads like a diary (and the editing it horrendous)... kind of seems pointless. As the other members agreed, it started off strong and then fell flat on its face. 

My favorite audio book of late is The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Fantastic! I really, really enjoyed the descriptive narration throughout, discussing her love of books, scenery, feelings...it's probably because I'm a librarian and a very visual person, but I felt right at home. But only at the beginning because then things get weird. In a good, mysterious, and entertaining kind of way. In a few sentences, it's about a woman, Margaret, who is hired to be the biographer of a famous ailing author, Vida Winter. Tasked with telling her life story, Margaret discovers Miss Winter's disturbing past. It did stall in a few places, but picked up again. I was quite enthralled with the story so I didn't mind too much. I found the secondary characters stole the show. It's darker than I was aware of when I picked up the book to read as part of a Good Reads' group book choice. Overall, I really liked the ending and all the mysteries swirling about. You must give your full attention to this one!

A few guilty pleasures: The Dandelion Field by Kathryn Springer. Loved, loved, loved this story! It's Christian fiction and I've become addicted and obsessed with this literature. It's a way to get my romance and fairy tale-like endings without the unnecessary bedroom scenes. Which is all I really care about anyway. The courting. The pursuing. The falling in love. All around God and faith. And this book really displayed how God will work sometimes. Always turning evil into something good. It's beautiful standing back and watching God work. And Dan is a sweetheart. This lovely romance is about firefighter Dan falling for the small town's newcomer and single mom, Ginevieve. But Ginevieve is dealing with her daughter's teenaged-pregnancy. It's rocky and passionate. But the ending. Gahhh I wanted to see more of the dialogue between them!!! The discussion questions in the back were a great addition, and I would love to start a Christian book club with this read.

In Barefoot Summer by Denise Hunter, Madison is determined to sail in the regatta for her twin brother, whom she lost years ago in a drowning accident. The town rebel, Beckett, is the man charged with training and helping her accomplish this feat. But there are secrets being kept, hearts falling, and a lot of grace going around. This is definitely my kind of romantic fluff. My kind of guilty pleasure reading. I liked so much about it...the characters, the story line, the faith.... it was a quick read. The main male character, Beckett, was my favorite by far. I just couldn't help rooting for and liking him. Plus, I always love the small, farm town Midwest stories. Feels like home. I'll be reading the second one in this series very soon, I'm sure.

My favorite juvenile pick is A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd. It's been quite a long time since I've come across such a cute, sweet book for young youth. This is just too precious with a snicker of humor and a huge scoop of hope. Loved, loved, LOVED it! In short, it's about a 12-year-old girl, Felicity, who collects words and whose mother is sort of a gypsy (never staying in once place too long), and who finds herself back in her mother's hometown of Midnight Gulch, TN. There is quite the history to that little town and Felicity must discover how to bring back its magic. I was thinking about my favorite words the whole time I listened to it (the audio is an award winner). It's such a beautiful and quaint story, and the writing really places you in the middle of this small and magical town. And who doesn't like a book about magic, words, and ice cream?


With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Lately

1. It's National Don't Go To Work Unless It's Fun Day. Three cheers for that, I say! It's always fun at my job, and today my kiddos are making bunny masks for preschool story time. We're reading books, playing with puppets, practicing rabbit yoga poses, shaking eggs, and jumping and counting. All before noon, I might add. It's FUN. Yes, the library is a RIOT.

2. These past few days my afternoon treat has been a mason jar of iced coffee instead of an iced La Croix. Not sure why the switch; I guess my morning coffee isn't enough. I suspect it may have to do with my busy afternoons and coffee seems more filling than water when I can't grab a snack.

3. Who is ready for Spring Break? Hands waving over here!! I have dreams of sipping an iced beverage on my deck. Maybe weeding the garden. Praying for sunshine. Starting some spring cleaning. Possibly a day trip to who knows where. Ahhh, Spring Break. We get one of those in the adult world, right?

Wait. What?

4. Keith Urban and Eric Church. Love 'em. I'm hoping they perform their new song on the 19th at the ACM Awards. "Raise 'Em Up" is just perfectly wonderful. A beautiful song. The radio needs to play the heck out of this. ASAP.

5. I was super excited to see Brooke Boon featured in May's Yoga Journal. Actually, I squealed. Finally! I was so happy to see YJ highlighting various yoga practices that are available to yogis, like Holy Yoga. This practice is a combination of yoga and scripture, meditating on God's Word. And it's the way I've always practiced even before I was introduced to Holy Yoga last year. I get on my mat to relieve stress, to stay fit, to stretch my body, but mainly it's where I seek my Father. It's where I listen for that still, small voice. It's where I find peace and comfort. It's where I converse, relating my gratitude and fears.

"We practice with our minds set on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy (Phil 4:8), not with our minds emptied. We meditate on the wisdom of God's Word (Psalm 119:9-16, 26-27), not on man's wisdom. We seek the transcendence and glory of God, not our own." (holyyoga.net)

6. Mr. B and I are in desperate need of a date night. And by date night I mean dinner and a movie. By movie I mean an actual theater and not Netflix. I need this because there are so many movies I want to see right now and I don't want to wait. Like Do You Believe? and Insurgent and Furious 7 and Cinderella and do I need to remind you it's almost AVENGERS time?!?!

Has anyone seen any of these?

7. And BASEBALL. Mr. B's Sports Illustrated arrived in the mail predicting the Cleveland Indians will win the World Series this year. Am I dreaming?! You better not have just jinxed our season, SI!

I will hunt you down.

I know people.


With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Currently

I'm currently....

Watching.... The Wizard of Oz. And multiple times, too. My program is next Wednesday. Eight working days until go time...err show time.

Eating.... well, actually, I'm drinking a Matcha Green Tea Frappe from my be-loved Starbucks, and can we say holy crow, this is SWEET. Yikes. My teeth hurt and I was only able to drink a third of it before I stuck it in the freezer to finish later. But I like it. Next time, I'm definitely getting it unsweetened and no whip. It is dessert in a cup for sure.

Planning.... Easter dishes. I know I'm taking a dessert to Grandma's, but as for a side I'm still contemplating. What are y'all Easter plans? Trying anything new or bringing crowd favorites?

Reading.... I just started reading Killing Patton after months and months of being on my library's holds list. I liked his other three, and this is definitely the person/area I know the least about.

Inspired by.... what my church is doing this year. Yesterday, during Sunday service, my pastor announced what our vision is for the year and upcoming plans. Here are SEVEN things Faith Family is up to:
1) a new book
2) getting back on radio and TV
3) online service streaming in prisons
4) debt reduction
5) starting daycare and preschool
6) Tony Dungy is speaking during the NFL Hall of Fame Weekend festivities <--- which means I must move his book to the top of my TBR list.
7) opening new church campuses

To say I'm stoked and excited and blessed to belong to such an amazing church is an UNDERSTATEMENT. Ahhhhhh, so, so ready to see all God has in store! Go. Grow. Give.

Excited about.... SPRING. I'm ready to get elbows deep in my garden. I'm ready to compost. I'm ready to be outside. More walks through the park. More playtime. More activity. Bring.It.On.

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Lately

1. [Wo]man down. These instant temperature changes have me down. Allergies have me down. I missed three days of work... but hey, I caught up on sleep. Go me.

2. And during those three days I parked myself, quite comfortably, on the couch with nonstop episodes of Hawaii Five-O. Re-watching all my favorite episodes. <--- read: all of the episodes. Oh, Steve McGarrett. :)

3. Every day for my afternoon snack I have a La Croix and a rice cake smeared with light cream cheese and all natural almond butter. I. CAN'T. STOP. It's my daily power fix. My guilty pleasure. The day is perfect for 10 minutes. Y'all should try it.

4. Mr. B has been quite the busy bee. He's painting doors, building chicken coops, taking me to Lowe's almost every day (with promises of swinging by Target --- side story, while I was sick he actually asked if I wanted to go to Target to restock my La Croix supply and to get me Starbucks to make me feel better...he's sweet.) where I promptly wanted to buy every piece of deck furniture I laid eyes on. Can you tell we're excited for spring?

5. And the heavens opened up. The angels sang. And I got my new coffee pot. Wait. You mean coffee pots don't take a half an hour to brew six cups? I feel spoiled. Stop it.

And it's programmable! Hello, to waking up to the smells of tall, dark, and strong.

(Oh, and a mug of steaming coffee. ....Of course, I meant Mr. B.)

6. Ummm, this pup will be ONE next week. What?!

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

My Beautiful Month

In case you aren't on Instagram, or don't follow me, here's a peek at my Insta-Life lately.
[*All photos are taken from my Instagram account.]

Excitement for the Garth Brooks' concert!!!!!!!!

Mr. Darcy all dressed up for the Oscars.

Weeding. No space. Librarian problems.

Dr. Seuss love. Happy Birthday!

Cheeseburger salad. Oh, so good.

Why so serious, Misters?

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi