Yesterday, I was doing the daily readings when Psalm 139–one I’ve read/heard literally hundreds of times before–stopped me in my tracks. “O Lord, you have probed me and you know me; you know when I sit and when I stand; you understand my thoughts from afar. My journeys and my rest you scrutinize, with all my ways you are familiar.” What a gift it is to be known, isn’t it? I’ve been reminded of this in a few sweet little ways recently. There were the two dear friends I used to spend every day with at work, now gathered on my porch with some of the same snacks we used to share in the office. There was the copy of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, my favorite book, that my mother-in-law keeps on her bookshelf, tucked next to a picture from Dave’s and my wedding. There was Dave, saying exactly what I needed to hear exactly when I needed to hear it. It is almost as if all of those moments were preparing my heart to receive this encouragement from the Lord: I know you. I love you as you are. I hope that rings true to you on this Friday too!

1. As a little first week of school treat, Charlie and I made homemade pop tarts. They were so easy and tasty, and since I had some pie crust in the freezer, they didn’t even require a trip to the store. We just used strawberry jam we had on hand, but I’d love to experiment with some fun flavor combinations next time.

2. We hadn’t attempted to drive straight through from Dave’s parents’ house to ours since our pre-kid days, so when we made the ten-hour drive on Sunday, we kept our expectations LOW. Maybe because of that, we were thrilled by how well it went! The keys to our success, we think: moving Azelie’s car seat to the middle of the backseat so she could see Charlie and I could sit with the kids more comfortably (which I did for the whole trip), and this long, detailed picture book to entertain Charlie.

3. I’ll always have a special place in my heart for engaged couples. What they are navigating right now seems so tough, but it has been both fascinating and inspiring to see the different ways couples have approached re-planning their weddings. Carly’s backyard celebration looks so beautiful!

4. I had never tried using brewer’s yeast to support my milk supply while nursing, but decided to give these lactation energy bites a go a few weeks ago. I’m not sure how much of a difference they made, but they were so yummy, I happily reached for one every afternoon. Planning to make more this weekend!

5. Dave teases me about how I only ever want to watch shows set in England…and it’s kind of true! It is probably no surprise, then, that I’m loving @seatoskyeofficial, a new-to-me Instagram account dedicated to English countryside style. Can’t wait to see what their upcoming website holds!

We are finally painting Charlie’s room this weekend–stay tuned for pictures on Instagram! What’s a recent update you’ve made to your space that you’re loving, or something coming up on your list?