one. Caleb is now 4 months old (4 months old?!?!) and things are so, so much better in the sleep department. Now I actually have something called “free time” a little more regularly in my week. The problem is, when the time appears, I sometimes have energy to be productive, but I don’t know what to do with myself! I end up browsing my Facebook newsfeed or looking at email, which can get old after about 6 minutes. And so, I created a post-it note and labeled it, “when magical free time appears.” No, I literally did, to my husband’s great amusement.

I always think of things at random times that I would love to do if I had a few minutes on my hands, and now when I think of them, I just jot them down for reference later on.

two. I can’t believe it, I’ve now been ahead of the game on not one but two fashion trends. Yes, it’s true. Kendi and Merrick both posted recently about the aztec print sweater, which I happened to snag at a night market in Taipei last winter for about $15, along with those boots I mentioned earlier. Mine is almost exactly like Kendi’s. Now, the pressure is on the next time I go to Taiwan, which looks like it might be this spring!

three. Things are never boring when you spend lots of time with a toddler. These days, Gianna has been into praying. I know when she wants to pray when she says, “for [insert name or thing]?” and then looks at me with her big brown eyes, waiting me to form the words to pray. She wants to pray often for family and friends, but she also wants to pray, with all earnestness, for things like happy birthday cakes, airplane yummies, and most recently, granola bars. I have to keep myself from cracking up when I ask her, “you want to pray for granola bars?” and she replies with a sincere and confident “k.” I then proceed to be creative as I can when I ask God to help us know his sweet (chocolate-y?) love when we eat granola bars. I think God’s okay with prayers like that.

four. Another Gianna moment. The other day I was putting Caleb down for a nap while Gianna entertained herself on the couch in his room. I was distracted with nursing and singing to Caleb, but I happened to look up to see what Gianna was doing. There she was, with her little hands pressed against her cheeks, with huge globs of lotion oozing out from in between. Her eyes caught mine and she said to me matter of fact-ly, “so dry!” I’m glad she’s learning at an early age how to keep her skin nice and soft.

five. Have you heard about the amazing powers of fava bean plants? I read recently that when the tomato season is over, you should plan fava beans in their place. Tomato plants pull lots of nitrogen from the soil, and the roots of fava bean plants restore nitrogen. Pretty cool, huh? I’ve never grown or eaten fava beans before but have been excited about seeing them pop up in our garden bed.

six. I got to bake the other night for the first time in a long time. It made me very, very happy. I made the world’s best chocolate chip cookies! I will be sharing the recipe soon.

seven.  I love reading a good book, especially one that challenges and inspires me. I finished Tattoos on the Heart a little while ago and didn’t know what to pick up next. This week, I was browsing our books and pulled off Practical Justice from the shelf. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about wealth and privilege, as we find ourselves living in the Silicon Valley, an area of the world with a significant amount of power and resources. This kind of book makes me uncomfortable, in a good but hard way, because it reminds me of the radical way that Jesus lived and the challenging calls that he makes to those who follow him.

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