40daythankz

I am behind...so another round up
65. Getting my cook on in the kitchen and crafting something new.
66. Having friends round for a meal
67. Feeling competitive on the lakefront and running 10 miles at a 8:40 pace while pushing Elle
68. Feeling the endorphin rush of a long run
69. Making a list and crossing things off
70. Soap making
71. Planting with Ellery
72. Elle asking me what Im going to be when I get big!
73. Having a busy enough weekend that I feel like I have done something by Monday morning
74. Up before dawn
75. Feeling a sense of connectedness oneness with a greater spirit. A greater sense of community.
76. Living simply. Being challenges to do it more. To live it out...there was a life verse for that at some point..Micah 6:8 getting back to it
77. Richard Rohr and his daily meditations challenging me to live deeply and simply ;)

40daythanks

61.Dinner with Jamie Blass, 62 client visits when it's 60 and sunny, 63 learning new skills and sharing your own (yeah skill swapping) 64 learning how to bless and encourage others

40 day thanks

I was doing so well and now I am so far behind. Here we go-
31. Kids who say thank you and please
32. Creation, getting my creative on
33. Reconnecting with friends from old
34. Babies that are sweet and cuddly that I can give back and skip the diaper change
35. Ideas. Desires. Hopes. Sparks.
36. People who spur you on and direct you toward those desires
37. Richard Rohr
38. Shane Claibourne
40. People who challenge me by living simply and inspiration ally
41. People who swim up stream
42. Friends who never leave your side. Continuity
43. My running shoes and where they take me
44. Learning new ways to live simply and love deeply
45. Co-ops and life sharing of any kids
46. Ottolenghi
47. Learning new ways to cook raw and be closer to my food
48. How the garden plans are shaping up.
49. A latte that tastes like it should (few and far between in this country, we all know I would be in heaven with a flat white!)
50. Single origin Counter culture coffee just appeeared at a store by me!
51. Getting my creative on in the kitchen
52. People who love my children and poor into them
53. New opportunities.
54. Conversations that make you dig deeper and find yourself more
55. Recycled up cycled 2nd hand everything!
56. Not creating waste-rain barrel and compost here we come
57. The warming weather
58. Putting away my snow boots
59. Parents who love me and my children
60. Christina
61. Friends across the miles who know me. Yes really know me
62. People who take risks
63. Angel investors
64. Ideas worth catching
65. Knowledge is power
66. Learning about new things
67. Chasing after my kids at the play ground
68. Whole foods on North
69. Metropolis coffee

40daythanks

22. Avery asking for extra goodnight kisses. 23. My sis being back 24. My garmin 25. My new inspiring friend Meg 26. Saturday mornings in PJs 27. Open books 28. Family close by 29. Great friends who really get you 30. Change. It is possible

40daythanks

19. Baby Avery turning two and insisting on me rocking him to sleep in my lovely lime storytime rocker.
20. Hot vinyasa yoga. Don't knock it to you have tried it and felt the detox effects of sweating and stretching.
21. My daughter gettin on my case to go running. Daily. Mom we need to go for a run, your stressed ;)

40days of thanks

Day 6
10. A creative intelligent brilliant husband. He may have faults, but it's nice to be married to someone stimulating
11. My incredibly intellentional inspiring brother. He is. I am not exaggerating whatsoever
12. Amazing friends in London that helped me understand what it means to live in community
13. Sunrises and sunsets that I am not at work but on my leisure to see and enjoy
14. Lulemon clothes
15. People who devote their lives to helping others find their way. Sainthood
16, mentors. I have had a few over the years but definitely not not recently and feel the void. The power to inspire
17. Gardening! I am so excited to grow some yummy things to eat and cultivate and foster. What a cosmic organic experience
18. Cooking fresh local and new. There is nothing that pleases me more than buying my produce locally and creating something brilliant from it.

*note to self that these thankful items are not ranked, but rather stream of consciousness still of writing

Kombucha

It's a bit of a craze right now, you may have heard of, Kombucha. After struggling for weeks to find an inexpensive, natural elixir that was preferably bubbly to get me through my long days at work, I may have found the answer. This weird alien looking brewing system has seemed to follow me around for months now and I have finally decided to give it a try. So I tried desperately to source some second hand glass wear, but after no luck, I headed to Target (3 of them actually). Don't worry I ran their to minimise the footprint and stopped at several charity shops to verify the unavailability of second hand glass wear. My friend Megan introduced me to the brewing procedures and passed along a little scoby. We brought him home and have now brewed up our irst batch. I think Wade and my kids are slightly more excited then me. I caught Ellery talking to him last night. Hopefully that makes the fizzy batch of fermented black tea even more delicious! Do your stuff little yeast blob scoby!

The Simple Way

Years ago now I read the Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne and it spoke to me. It was speaking to so much that I struggled with in regards to American Christianity. If were not living in the Red Letters then what is it all about.

So I have ebbed and flowed of allowing the spirit to sow seeds and breathe dreams for how and what this means to myself in my walk. This "awakening" has led me in many different directions. However recently that walk has landed my family an I in Chicago. One of the most divided violent and cold cities around (yes okay you can tell I don't exactly have a over flow of love for the city as of yet, grace covers and sustains right now).

We have been here in Chi-city for 6 months now. After a long period of mourning our previous home in London, I am settling in. Digging in to why we are here and what it looks like to live here.

With a new year has revived my originally Shane inspired desire to life simply and generously. I want to get back there. So step one, pray to revive the flame and walk in it! Simple steps...I will journey with that here as well.

Time to grow up

"It's a big world, baby and your little for a little while." A lovely children's song that my kids love. Recently the song spoke to me saying alright Jenn your little while is over. Move on to the next phase. While a never want to lose that childlike wonder and innocence my children challenge and remind me to have, my concerns andp preoccupations left over my youth have to go and usher in the second half of life in refinement of the spirit of things. To that I say welcome.

Evolving vision for community

Community!
A life goal for me is to live in a community. As in physically live with a group of people that are commented to God and to each other to know love as individuals and as a community and as an extension of live to the greater community. I would hope to be a beacon of balance of intentionality and organic movements of the spirit. The community would be about the process of knowing and reflecting a god that is love and moving toward that as a community and extending out from that into the greater community.

I would love for it to include people from all walks of life. Committed to love and moving toward greater depths of love. Living sustainably. Hopefully growing and making things together. Food, clothing, furniture. A community of conscious creators. Sharing and balancing each other and supporting each others giftings...more on my communal vision to come!

40 day Thankful Challenge

My bro is super great as challenging me to go deeper in life and open myself up to new opportunities, vibrancy, direction, purpose. Seriously! I am not exaggerating whatsoever.

So I am starting the challenge today, with my kids...but two days late. I am thankful for a job that pays the bills, for two supportive bosses that are great dynamic people and for health care insurance! To make up for being two days late, here are 6 more
4. My commute (time to collect myself and prepare for my day and preparer for coming home to my family
5. My iPhone, which enables me to stay in touch with family and friends via my commute! Has really made me life amazing.
6. Ellery's ability to point out simplicity and ask beautiful questions about things I take for granted
7. When Avery my super independent son wants to cuddle.
8. Loving supportive parents who truly to give sacraficially and want the best for their children
9. That my sister has moved back to Chicago. So looking forward to sharing life with her!!

I already feel inspired to take on an attitude of gratefulness. A favourite veggie tale of my children is Madame blueberry. I believe my sis loves this one as well...but the Madame learns how meaningless things are and meaningful it is to be grateful and thankful! It delights me to find my children singing 'a thankful heart is a happy heart'. I want to truly say that in the midst of a time of frustration, I still exhibit a heart of thankfulness!

I want to be able to really understand how to be thankful in all things and know in the depths of my heart that I am loved. Thankfulness comes from contentment in that I am loved and will be cared for by a God who is at the core good and knows what is 'best' for me..whatever that means! I am searching for that this Lenten season!

New year resolutions

Weekly kids blog update with photos
Run 4 days a week
No alcohol - January detox with birthday weekend exception
Meditation/contemplation daily in evenings
Yoga weekly
Daily meditation readings
Cherish friendships-email old friend weekly
Send cards to London every other weekend
Call London and pray for London crew regularly
Prayer..balance...find faith...continue to believe in hope and love and power of the message of jc and his crew. Truth and light...

Shane Great New Year Resolutions

http://www.sojo.net/blogs/2012/01/04/shane-claibornes-12-hopes-2012

2012

Vulnerable...weak...frail...strong...supportive...rock...fortress...the mix...the tension...the contrasts...the ups the downs...tension tension

Grace

Peace

Strength

I need to find it. I crave it. Friendship...community...depth...love...grace...peace...strength