"Snap Shots" from My First Week at Work

Okay, before I get into my post, can some one please explain stick chickens to me? I genuinely do not understand. But I laughed, lol! (And, no, these aren't found at Chick-fil-a. I ducked into Tractor Supply to get out of the rain after work, haha.) I have so many questions. But Tractor Supply has cute layering shirts for somewhere that I didn't even realize sold clothes, hahaha. (And I promise my hand is as cold as it looks in that picture... lol.)

As of last week, I am officially a part-time cashier at Chick-fil-a, and while the transition felt rather intense (especially the first morning I was on my own), I also feel like after just one week I already have a good understanding of the rhythm and am already settled in a good bit - I was ready for this. (And learned much faster than I expected, which has been such a relief to my perfectionistic self... haha!) I know several of you have shown interest in what I am doing, and so I thought you'd enjoy hearing a little bit about the highlights of my first week :).

• First off, major thanks to my Mama, who rescued me the first morning as I tried to iron my uniform and 1. it wouldn't iron and 2. instead the iron was leaking water all over it. I had about 12 minutes to get out the door and was already past the anxious crying stage and at the resigned despair stage when I called on her, but she turned things around so fast and so well. It was honestly amazing.
• Soooo, I briefly considered a job at a coffee shop before applying to Chick-fil-a, but decided against it for several reasons. But get this, the first thing I was trained on at Chick-fil-A... was making iced coffees. Y'all do not know how funny I find this.
• My trainer also showed me how to make shakes quite early on, and she was in shock at how well she thought I did. And the very first strawberry shake I made went to a sweet older lady who popped up at my elbow thirty minutes later just to tell me that it was the best shake she'd ever had (I then admitted to her that it was my first strawberry one, haha!). Coffee, ice cream, and people. If this job description doesn't fit me, I don't know what does. Haha!
• I work with some really great people! I feel like I've already made a few friends. Especially one of the girls who took me "under her wing" if you will, during my first solo day, just to encourage me and fill in some of the gaps, she was so sweet.
• The highlight of my morning shift was when an elderly gentleman heard about the discount for his senior coffee and he was so excited and touched like I had just made his morning with a gift. It definitely paid me back for the panic I felt not knowing how to do the discount the first time it had been ordered, haha!
• The little kids that come up for refills and trading in their toys for ice cream cones are definitely some of my favorite customers, I love all the smiles!
• Yesterday, I had to stay at work just a few minutes late. After I gathered up my belongings to leave, I was heading back to the front of the store when I saw a familiar face. "Mr Robert?!?!" I asked, as I came out the door. My uniform threw him off for about ten seconds, and then his face just totally made my day as he recognized me! Mr Robert was our fill in choir director in Virginia (yes, I said Virginia!), and it had been years since I had seen him! He's moved here to be near his brother, so I shouldn't have been surprised to see him... but I was excited!

It's definitely been a change that we're all getting adjusted to, I think. While my hours aren't long, I was gone last week four days in a row, and the 3rd day, Joey looked at my uniform and asked me, "Why do you always leave?" His little voice made me so sad <3. But now this week he wants me to work as soon as possible, because Mama told him that one morning when I work, she'll take him shopping, sooo, I believe I may have a fair weather friend on my hands, haha ;).

On the whole, I am enjoying it. I definitely feel like it was the right decision and that the Lord is going to use this chapter of my life to grow me and bless me, even though it's one I didn't see when I "skimmed the pages" before. And so I am grateful :)!

Rejoicing in Hope,

Bri <3

Season of the Soul ✽ Poetry in the Air

AUTUMN IS BEGINNING TO COME IN EARNEST HERE. Just if case you were wondering. I mean, sure, it rained all morning, so it wasn't the perfect fall day, haha... But, I am 98% sure the trees outside the shopping center near our home turned red overnight, and I noticed a tree in our own yard going yellow this afternoon. Plus, Mama stopped at the dollar store for fall decor this afternoon, and I'm cold. Why do I always forget that this is an evil that this time of year always brings with it? Haha...

And basically, it has me in the mood for all the fall quotes, and I think I'm just going to share these beauties instead of writing much today <3...

All pictures via Pinterest.

<3

Rejoicing in Hope,

Bri 

Marshmallow Roast ✽ Sunday Evening

Daddy comes in from chopping wood with some nuts he found in the back, and starts cracking them.
Bethi and me: "What kind are they?"
Daddy: "I don't know." *nut isn't cracking*
Me: "Whatever kind it is, it's not worth it if they are that hard to open." (Can you imagine the time it would take to shell enough for all of us?!)
*the nut cracks*
And then this little red-faced grub just pokes up his head to look at Daddy, like, "Excuse me, there had better be a good reason that you took the roof off?"
Apparently there were two others inside as well, but I ran, so I'm just taking Daddy's word for it, haha...

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His marshmallow nose, haha <3.

Daddy set up a marshmallow roast this evening, and we had a delightful time <3. We meant to do it all summer, haha, but it never happened. But today was so nice out! And there were far less bugs! So I think it worked out for the best ;). Mama got Daddy a metal fire pit a couple years ago for Christmas, and it's been so nice to have for things like this! And Andrew has been getting quite capable of use it (and the grill!) himself. Tori asked tonight when Peter would start grilling hamburgers, and Mama asked what Andrew would do when Peter started grilling. Andrew replied that he'd just do the gross parts Peter wouldn't like, and Josiah pipes up, "And *I'll* eat the hamburgers!" Haha!

It's always interesting to see the variety of marshmallows called "toasted". Peter literally wanted his warmed, NOT browned (which is hilarious, given the fact that he's actually eating a burnt one in the picture, haha - it was an extra ;)...). Josiah, when asked how done he wanted his done, answered, "For one minute." Tori said she was trying to toast her's done until it had "warts"... lol! Isaac just slept through the whole thing ;).

It was a nice way to end up our Sunday! Now another week is ahead of us to make use of and to live to the fullest... what are your plans for the week :)?!

Rejoicing in the Hope of Salvation,
Bri <3

Fall Party

Look at that precious little baby <3!

And look at that sky <3! 

We had a respite tonight at the church that I volunteer with, helping out with some of their special needs programs. I've been working with these programs for about two years now, and I absolutely love it! It's definitely something that is dear to my heart. I absolutely love investing in the families that the church reaches out to, and even more so I love investing in the individuals that we serve - it's been such a privilege to be a part of their lives! And the ladies who head up the program are just so sweet, as well, it is a joy to work alongside them.

Tonight we loaded up the church buses and drove over to one of the family's homes - they have a farm, and so it's the perfect setting for outdoor activities! I had actually never been to the farm before (although I hear raving reviews about it all the time ;)!), because I missed the October respite last year, but I am told that the fall party is an annual occurrence, and always a big hit. It was such a neat setting for the evening, with a huge yard big enough for our 50+ group, tables set up outside, and we did a hot dog dinner with sides. And hayrides for everybody in weather that was deliciously fallish, for a SC evening! Then there was a surprise waiting for everybody - one of the ladies has been trying to set up a K-9 unit demonstration for some of our members who are obsessed with K-9s/sheriffs/police cars all summer, and it worked out that she was able to bring them out tonight. That was such a fun addition to the evening!

Several of the group members brought treats to share with their friends. Let me just tell you, if you want to see generousity, this place is the place to go - all the participants share everything they have, and all of the workers share so much of their time and their effort, it's just so inspiring to be around them! There were horses and puppies, bubbles and fall decor and activities set out - and a gorgeous sunset thrown in as well <3! It was a perfect evening for our outing, we were having so much fun that we barely made it back to the church in time for pick ups!

This ministry has been wonderful to be involved with. I started out, hoping to be able to bless others... but I truly get at least as many blessings from getting involved as I could ever give, and it's such a fulfilling way to invest in this passion of mine! While it confirms to me that I do want to pursue doing this further in my life, it's also something that, even if I didn't want to take it further, I would be happy to invest in. And I think that that is important, to find some way to reach out in the community around you and do something that will make an impact in the Lord's kingdom! Isn't it amazing to think that He has given us a part to play in getting His love out to other people? Obviously, He is God... He is all-powerful, and so He doesn't NEED us to help... but He chose to ALLOW us to be able to work along side Him (through Him!). And He made it so meaningful to us to be able to do, not a burden to check off our list... I just find it amazing, and I love it so much :)!

A Look at September ✽ Write 31, 2018

Happy October! It's time for me to share about the past month! This is also the first post in my Write 31 Series this year... because I have decided not to really have a theme this year, I am just going to do one of the free write options ;). I just felt that would be much more manageable this year, and I have several ideas that didn't really relate to each other, so I thought, why not ;)? I'm excited for this year's October blogging challenge :)! For those of you who may be new here thanks to Write 31 - hello! Thank you for stopping by, and feel free to visit my about page and leave a comment to introduce yourself :)!

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Sweet cuddle bear making my work a little more pleasant :)!

Granny gave us these mexican sunflowers this spring, and they 

finally bloomed, haha. They are gorgeous!

Quality time with the two who have been dubbed the twins ;).

I made a taco lasagna, and it was delicious!

Sneak peek at the little blanket set I made for a certain little boy <3. We got pictures of him with it....

but he'd already outgrown the hat. The child won't slow down his growing, haha!

 A terrible picture from my phone, but he smiles the whole ride to church every week, and I love it!!!

 Isaac's beautiful smile <3 <3 <3.

 Josiah waiting very patiently and expectantly for a cookie ;).

Andrew turned 12 yesterday <3!

Our month was really quite wonderful; productive but fairly relaxed, for the most part, barring inventory week for Daddy. I turned 21 (thank you all for the birthday wishes!), and Andrew just turned 12 yesterday! Way back when, he was due the day after my birthday, and I wanted him to come a day early so we could share, but of course he was 17 days late, instead ;). Since his birthday was on a Sunday this year, he and Daddy took his birthday outing (he wanted to go canoeing again) on Saturday, and we made it to church early yesterday to hear our elder's report on the Kenyan mission trip... then we did Andrew's party that evening :). I enjoyed trying out some new recipes this past month (some where a hit, some were... not ;)...), and autumn arrived, so I am very much enjoying all the coziness that I stuff into the season, haha ;). I saw the first leaf shower last week! And I haven't seen one since. But as Mama pointed out, it's still hot, but we CAN sit in the car without the air conditioner running without roasting, so we must really be having a fall this year ;)...

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Noah: *completely scared by thunder and confused as to why "Lighting McQueen" is being so loud tonight*

Noah just a couple weeks later, sees lighting: "Ope, next comes the crash!"

Noah a couple weeks later, as Daddy's camera flashes: "Lightning!!!"
It was a very short lived fear ;).

Peter: "Andrew, how do you spell diary?"
"Why?"
"Someone was rude to me."
Several questions are raised: 1. We call them journals at our house, not diaries. 2. We don't use them that way?!?!?! Where did he get this idea?!

Peter: "Bri should marry."
5 days later, Abbi: "I'm glad Bri is 21 now, that means it's less likely she'll marry."
Twenty. One. And an old maid, hahaha....

Noah, while Mama reads the account of Noah's Ark: "Yeah, I did that."
"Oh, really?"
Tori: "What did you feed the animals?"
Noah: "Tea."

Incidentally, Noah reciting the 7 C's of History is just TOO CUTE. But Noah hearing his own name is just too distracting during bible study, hahaha! The monologue gets longer the more he learns. But, he's listening and retaining. So that's good!

Emmi: "I don't know how to separate eggs. Can someone come do that so I don't ruin the cookies?"
Abbi: "Oh! Oh! I know how, I know how, can I do it for you? Can I do it, Bri?"
*Separates the eggs successfully*
Abbi: "YES!!! I DID know how to do it! I've never done it before, but I watched one time."
Emmi and I: "YOU'D NEVER DONE IT?!?!?!?!"

Bethi, with a touch of concern in her voice: "Would you like me to get you some chocolate?..."
Me: *gestures vaguely at chocolate cookies in the kitchen* "Oh, don't worry. I'm already making me some..."

Josiah eating a new meal: "It's gross, but I like it."
This child is getting worse instead of better as he gets exposed to more foods; he would live off of pizza and cinnamon rolls and cookies if he could, and not much of those foods. So that was actually an A- rating from the Joe, and I felt like I had won, hahaha.

Mama texts me from upstairs: "It's quiet. What happened?"

Me to Bethi: "I put 'start blog post' on my to-do list. If I open blogger and type one line, that is officially starting, right? Please?"

Tori, explains the difference between step siblings and half siblings: "...and then if your mom and new dad have another baby, that baby is your half sister AND your step brother's half sister."
Abbi, so done: "You have to share?"

99% sure I accidentally threw away a paper with 4 funny snippets on it while cleaning out my desk drawers, and it's driving me insane, but it's fine...

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Etsy did some major updating starting in late August, and they finally finalized it a couple weeks ago... and I have to say, I love some of the new changes! There is a new notifications for shops you follow section, which I enjoy, and there was a whole overhaul with the SEO (yep, that again), and it seems so much more streamlined now, it's awesome! I've not created any new products this month, but don't worry! The plan is that you'll be able to see many more items by the end of the month, as I overhaul and add going off of Etsy's new methods! And I'll share a couple of pictures later of two custom orders I am working on right now!

I also mailed out these items:

 Jeremiah 29:11 canvas (link here).

And these dishcloths, requested in a custom color :)! (Link here.)

There are a few new listings added that you can check out at www.etsy.com/shop/underthetapestry, although they are projects that you've already seen revealed before they were official ;).

 Annnnnd, listed today, because, HAPPY OCTOBER!!! is this canvas, one of my all time favorites!

And blog posts from the past month...
-Sunshine Blogger Award
-99 Life Lessons from 21 Years
-Recipe Review: Iced Caramel Macchiatoes
-Summer and Autumn

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And there's a look at my month! Now let's talk about yours! What was one highlight of your September? What is your favorite fall quote? If you are new here, please introduce yourself and leave your blog link down below!

Rejoicing in Hope,
Bri

Summer ✽ Autumn

I somewhat feel like I now have a tag blog, I so often have one of these posts (with one more coming next month!)), but they are so much fun... haha :). So thank you to all those who think of me and my humble little blog when you are tagging people :)!

Today I am going to fill out two tags at once; one very opportunely looks back at summer, and the other is a little questionnaire for September, the beginning of fall, so it seemed the perfect way to combine the two posts and the blending of the seasons that many of us down here in the south are seeing at this time (because fall treats and flip flops are both the norm here right now, right?)

Speaking of which - Happy Autumn, y'all <3!

Blessings of Summer 2018 Tag

THE RULES

*Please thank the person who tagged you! -Thank you, Alyssa :)!!!
*Please include these rules on your blog!
*If it is past the summer, for example: Winter 2019, you can use this tag as “Blessings from Winter 2019 Tag!”
*Write 10+ blessings from God during that season in your post!  Include pictures!
*Tag 4 bloggers!
*If it’s a new season, bloggers can re-tag those who were already tagged a previous season!  (So if this tag circulates, instead of potentially dying off, we can keep it going by using it again each season.  Like, if a blog friend of yours doesn’t get around to doing it till mid-fall, they can re-tag you to do it again for fall 2018!)

BLESSING OF SUMMER 2018...

The hardest part about listing all my blessings is that I always think of all the little moments, and I feel like y'all are probably more interested in the big events... haha :). But, here we go with a few of my favorite things from the past months :)!

Abbi and Emmi enjoying a fun birthday outing!

1. Summer starts and ends with us celebrating family, with 6 birthdays from June to mid-September (Andrew and Tori will take care of our fall birthdays this week, and Bethi and the middle boys take care of spring birthdays - we currently have no winter birthdays in the immediate family!). Each and every member of the family is a gift, so it is wonderful to have a day set aside for each to remind them of how thankful we are for them!

First sibling pic with 10 <3!

2. The most important birthday of our year deserves a special mention all it's own! Isaac Charles Lee joined our family this summer, and has been delighting out family ever since <3. Baby Bear smiled on purpose at 2 days old, and he's been hitting milestones and proving that he's very alert ever since then. He is just the best little snuggle bug, and he's currently sleeping in my lap while I type this. He was the best blessing our family was given this summer <3.

Blueberry picking...

Rock climbing...

Riding ponies for the first time...

I love this picture of Noah!

Our zoo had so many babies this year! Here is the koala...

And if you look really, really, really hard, you might see the baby gorilla, haha :). 

3. Summer obviously isn't summer without enjoying some sunshine! (Although autumn leaves are even better ;).) We enjoyed the outdoors several times this summer with trips to the zoo and going blueberry picking, water fights and a couple picnics in the back yard! And Bethani, Andrew and I enjoyed even more as we tended our garden (which did somewhat better than last year's, but we shall not mention how disappointing it was) and went on walks :).

Father's day outing!

4. One outdoor outing we took was quite unusual. Andrew, Bethi, Daddy and I all went to a state park one night to see the synchronized fireflies! They had a very short trail marked off with lights for main viewing, but we took one of the side trails to get to the lake. The walk there was quite pleasant (for Bethi and I - Daddy and Andrew were attacked by bugs left and right), but coming back was not nearly as fun, as only Daddy could see more than three feet ahead of him, haha. But, it was worth it to see all the fireflies lining the tree tops, all flashing their lights at the same time :)! It was definitely a neat experience!

Peter hit several milestones this summer, including loosing his first 2 teeth, and beginning to read!

5. My summer was filled with several unexpected times of fellowship! Our church held an afternoon for the woman to come together and knit/crochet, which Bethi and I attended and greatly enjoyed! I also met up with a friend last minute when she ended up in town, and reconnected with a friend via blogger  - and I also got to meet Ashley, the sweet blogger from Precious Moments! She and her mom attended a wedding, and on their way by they stopped in at our church, that was so neat :)! Our church friends also blessed us greatly after the arrival of little Isaac, with cards and gifts and meals.

6. Small blessings are always my favorite... we can't forget bible time, coffee, snuggles and books with littles, plants, and all those wonderful things! 

Mama has always homeschooled year-round so that we can take breaks when it's important to us, instead of when other people are used to; it just works better. So several times over the summer, Noah came to do puzzles beside me while I worked on shop to-dos, so he wouldn't be a distraction during reading time :).  

7. With summer came several opportunities for me to volunteer at extra events held by the church that  I work with that has a special needs ministry. It was such a blessing to get to invest in the people that I have come to love a little more, especially since the respites, that I usually help with, are always on break through the summer months.

 Mama stenciled this onsie!

And this blanket <3. 

And these are a few of my favorite personal projects :).

8. No season of life is ever complete for me without a couple of things having been accomplished... crafting, and reading (and probably cleaning out my boxes and drawers, at least quickly). Our summer was filled with a very special reason to craft, preparing for Isaac's arrival! Hand lettering, fabric stamping, crocheting, knitting... there was plenty of everything to keep us plenty busy!

9. There were many books that I enjoyed reading... a couple of my favorites were "Girl Defined" and "Women of the Word", both of which I highly recommend to everybody! I also got some time in for some fun fiction books. Right before Summer ended, several of my siblings, my Mama and I all started going through a bible reading with many, many other ladies through an online ministry that a church runs. It has been so neat to go through it with so many other ladies who each notice different things that the text brings to light. And it has been so much fun to all be at the same place and better able to discuss what we are reading, learning, and noticing for the first time!

Fourth of July.

10. Our summer came to a close with the events of hurricane Florence. Thankfully, but the time it hit land, it had already started to lose it's force, and we and all our friends in it's path were kept safe! Our family personally didn't even lose power, we just had a very rainy, cozy Sunday, which was the perfect day for me to get some cleaning and work done to be ready and caught up a bit for autumn. Despite how blessed we were, though, there were several deaths and damage caused by the storm, and I know that many of those affected would be grateful for continued prayers.

And I realize, looking back at my summer, that I probably want to think about taking more pictures than I do. Actually, it's something I have been working on recently. But. 1. I still don't think about it as much as I would like, because I get too busy/think I have plenty of time later, and 2. My phone camera is really not that great, and so it's not a very great encouragement to remember more when I do remember, haha...

Now it's your turn! Any of you can take this tag and fill it out :)! What blessings do you think of when you look back at your summer?

But, I'll also tag several of you especially :)...

-Kainoa from Kainoa's Corner.
-Ashley from Precious Moments.
-Maddy from Little Bit of Sunshine.
-Hosanna from Having a Heart Like His.

Go ahead and do whatever season you get around to ;). Haha!

Hello September Blog Tag

(Or, you know, the "September means fall and fall lasts longer than the beginning of September, so this tag is still relevant tag" ;)...)

THE RULES

*Thank the person who tagged you. Thank you, Maddy!

*Answer the questions.

*Nominate at least three other bloggers. 

*Write out at least ten new questions or just copy these. 

*Include the guidelines in your post, use the tag picture, and try to avoid nominating bloggers who have already been nominated. 

THE QUESTIONS

Fall or autumn?

Autumn. Always Autumn. I may say fall, because that's just kind of what we call it here in the USA, but I will always think of it as autumn. I promise there is a difference ;).

Favorite fall activity?

Baking spicy sweets and going for a walk when it actually feels/looks like fall :)!

Sweaters or hoodies?

Sweaters. I love sweaters! Although I admit, they are kind of hot down here until about January... haha!

How would you describe the perfect fall day?
The perfect fall day would include baking + doing something crafty, a walk outside with a crisp wind blowing and the colored leaves rustling, followed by a warm cup of coffee + a fall treat enjoyed while reading/watching a fallish book/movie (not a book or movie about fall, because there seem to be few, but a book or movie that has the comrade-ish, beautiful, thoughtful feeling of fall). And then a family supper enjoyed leisurely, and a few moments before bed spent journaling about + thanking God for some of my many blessings :)!

Windy or rainy days?
Windy. That way I can get outside and enjoy it!

Apple pie or pumpkin pie?
Mmmmmm, my mama's pumpkin pie with homemade whipped cream! We actually just had some for Andrew's birthday, delicious!

Do you like apple cider donuts?
I have had them once - we went apple picking with my grandparents, and they "treated" everyone. I was skeptical at first about fruity donuts, but now that I have had one, I kind of want them again every once in a while.

 
Favorite fall time drink?

Warm coffee. What other answer did you think I could give ;)?

If you could go to one state in the USA, just for the fall scenery, where would you go?
Just for the fall scenery? Let's just say Virginia, but the truth is I would do more than look at scenery while I was there, haha (I like to multi-task/do the most productive things when given a choice - if I were taking a trip, it just makes sense to say hello to friends at the same time). BUT, it DOES have such gorgeous colors when fall comes <3. Here in SC, half the trees are pines, and they aren't that fallish, but Virginia has next to none, and they have pretty falls!

What color leaf do you like best?
Hm. That's a tough question. I think orange, but I also love red. Yellow and brown give nice contrast, but I wouldn't want those to be the only colors :).

I tag...

-Alyssa from Here is Love.

-Molly from A Ramble Through the Woods.

-Bethi from Gratefully His.

Here are my questions for you girls! (For what is, I guess, now the Hello Fall tag ;)...)

-What book do you think has the qualities of fall in it? 

-What is the first thing you want to do when autumn gets here?

-What is your favorite fall treat?

-Favorite thing pumpkin?

-What is one thing that most people think is a fall activity that you may or may not indulge in in secret year round?

-Do you like another season better than autumn?

-Is the scenery pretty around you during autumn, or do you have to pretend fall has come?

-What are 3 things you are grateful for?

-Do you enjoy apple picking?

-What is your favorite bible verse about gratefulness?

And now I'm going to wrap up this post... but I will be back very, very soon... because October and Write31 are just around the corner!

Rejoicing in Hope,
Bri