Hey friends! Grant makes these great 3 minute videos to recap our year and it's basically like our video Christmas card to all of you! Here's the third annual video--
January 11, 2015
Showing posts with label show and tell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label show and tell. Show all posts
November 10, 2014
Hey guys, just wanted to announce that my little shop is officially open! Yaaaaaay! Happy Holidays!
The new version (debuted last spring) of the 50 Promises collection has been re-stocked in time for Christmas! They always sell out fast, so come on over and grab one for a gift or for yourself :) Who doesn't love a good set of flash cards? With this collection, you are getting 50 mini prints for the same price as one normally priced print. And these mini prints are loaded with handpicked, faith-building promises that God wants us to be using daily. These are not merely nice tips for nice living, these are the gospel. Believing in Jesus means believing that He keeps His word. 2 Corinthians 1:20 -- all the promises find their Yes in Him! If there is one thing that the Lord has taught me lately it is that faith is the greatest gift, and I'm thankful for the way Jesus has used these promises over the past 3 years to sustain and deepen my faith in Him!
The promises collection makes a sweet, meaningful gift for sisters, moms, friends, new mamas, and anyone who wants to see Jesus prove His faithfulness! :)
God's promises were never meant to be thrown aside as waste paper; He intended that they should be used. Our Heavenly banker delights to cash His own notes. -C. Spurgeon
September 21, 2014
Heyyy! Long time, no see my dear blog friends! I'm sorry I left without a word. Things in life are really great, leaving me little time to sit at the desk and write, but I also wanted to try getting away from this spot for awhile to find out what I would gain or miss. But I'm very active on instagram (@summerharms) with posts about life stuff, food we're eating, things I'm learning, and captive thoughts about growth in Him. So come on over there if you want to catch up!
I wanted to mention to you guys that I'm going to be a part of this lovely project called "Autumn On Purpose" with my sweet, expectant-mama blog friend Laken Nix. I'm so excited and honored! Each Monday morning throughout the fall season you'll receive an email with encouragement about living intentionally and wholeheartedly this autumn. It all starts tomorrow morning! If you'd like to join in, head to peach and humble to read more or sign up -- I'd love to have you be a part of it with me!
I wanted to mention to you guys that I'm going to be a part of this lovely project called "Autumn On Purpose" with my sweet, expectant-mama blog friend Laken Nix. I'm so excited and honored! Each Monday morning throughout the fall season you'll receive an email with encouragement about living intentionally and wholeheartedly this autumn. It all starts tomorrow morning! If you'd like to join in, head to peach and humble to read more or sign up -- I'd love to have you be a part of it with me!
August 19, 2014
Hey! Long time no see!
If you saw us this summer, we probably looked like or might have been doing this.
If you saw us this summer, we probably looked like or might have been doing this.
June 26, 2014
Hey guys! So, last weekend I had the opportunity to speak at Camp Shetek's Ladies Camp event... which explains this mid-sentence photo that my mom snapped of me behind a podium. :) I'm sorry you have to see me looking unenthusiastic and kinda nervous, because it was such a great time and I don't think I stopped smiling all day. I got to talk about food! (you know how I love that.) I talked about the top 10 healthy choices our family makes; the things that we've learned or have put into practice in our household that really, honestly help us. It was really fun and I loved getting to chat with the ladies and my mom and sister (who made the long trip to be there) afterwards! I thought you guys might like to see my presentation also, so here are my slides and speech:
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Hi, I'm Summer Harms! (and this is my family - cue slide with our pictures on it) I get to talk to you about food today. Which I’m really excited about because I love food (obviously) and I love to cook and feeding my family is one of the biggest ways I show them that I love them. I was asked to speak about making healthy choices today, and was having such a hard time trying to nail down a particular topic under this umbrella. I just love it all! Then Grant suggested making a list of the 10 most practical, important things that we’ve learned or that I try to do for my family when it comes to food. I thought this was brilliant. I know I love hearing how other families get through 3 meals a day, so here's how we are doing it. Eating healthy is a lifestyle. And lifestyles are built on little things - the choices we make throughout the day and small changes here and there. So these are some of those little things that have helped our family, or that we’ve learned along the way as we try to be healthier eaters. I share these things not as an expert, just straight from our family’s experience, with the hope that there might be something in the mix that’s helpful to you.
1. If there’s junk in the house, we’ll eat it. So we don’t have junk in the house. Grant helps me with this one a lot because I’m easily tempted at the grocery store and he sticks to the list. We don’t buy much snack stuff at the store because we know we can make our own snacks and treats at home. That way we know exactly what’s going into our bodies and get the most nutrients out of our snacks. (Our favorites are homemade popcorn, bananas or apple slices and nut butter, pickles, nuts, chips and guacamole, homemade muffins or cookies, or trail mix.)
2. Fats are good. And use the good fats. Our brain is 60% fat and the fats we eat strongly influence our levels of brain function, as well as cellular health. Most processed foods contain the harmful kinds of fats, while healthy types of saturated fats provide a major source of energy, the building blocks for cell membranes, vital hormones, and they help your body absorb important vitamins, including A, D, and E. Coconut oil is our favorite for cooking and baking and we love olive oil for dressings and marinades. Just a few other good-for-you fats that we like are avocados, eggs from pastured hens, and grass fed meats. I know from experience that I feel a lot better when I’m eating enough good fats. When we first started eating less processed foods and having a lot more healthy saturated fat (specifically coconut oil), I noticed that I had more energy and better mental clarity, and felt more full and satisfied for a longer time after a meal.
3. Take a good probiotic and fermented food. Gut health is something that has been a really big deal for our family, because we’ve experienced tremendous health recovery benefits by focusing on cultivating good bacteria and forcing harmful bacteria out. You can tilt your balance toward the good bacteria simply by eating more of them, in the form of probiotics, which are live bacteria contained in foods and supplements. We take a strong probiotic supplement and also eat probiotic-rich fermented foods like sauerkraut and pickles and kombucha in order to boost the beneficial bacteria in our guts.
4. Say no to sugar. This is another big one that has dramatically improved how I feel in terms of overall wellness. We’ve learned to stop when we’ve had too much sugar, and try to view it as a treat. We also like to use sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, or even just fruit to make things sweet, instead of using sugar. These alternatives are real foods found in nature that actually contain health-giving properties, where as sugar is so ultra processed that it is stripped of any nutrients. Not only that, but it’s extremely addicting, and it feeds the bad bacteria that live in our gut.
5. Be prepared. Have a plan for dinner- whatever that looks like at your house. At our house, we often have meat thawing in the fridge for tomorrow night’s dinner. When 5:30 rolls around, if there’s not a plan in place, it’s just way too easy to start eating whatever you can find fast. Don’t wait until you’re starving. Also, bringing snacks with you wherever you go has been a big help to us. If we have enough food with us to get by until we get home, we can avoid the drive-thru.
6. Quality foods. We love to know where our food is coming from. We buy organic produce whenever we can, we love to hit the farmers market as much as possible, and we switched to buying local grass-fed beef without hormones or antibiotics.
7. Don’t give up on something- and when in doubt, roast it.
A few years ago I found out that if I cut back on sugar, everything else started tasting better. Before that time, my tastebuds were so trained and dependent on sugar for flavor that I was a really picky eater. I didn’t even realize it at the time, but as my sugar dependency went down, I was so encouraged, because suddenly I started liking so many new things! And now it’s hard for me to find a vegetable that I don’t like- especially when it’s roasted. Roasted vegetables are the big favorite at our house. So if there’s a food or meal that you haven’t liked in the past, I want to encourage you: don’t give up on it. Try preparing it a few different ways- you never know if you’ll find a new favorite. For us, that was the case with brussels sprouts. We tried roasting them one night and now we can’t get enough of them!!
8. Read labels as you shop. If you can’t pronounce the ingredients, you should probably put it back. For me a “proper diet” means eating real food... wholesome, nutrient-dense foods that come from nature. The longer an ingredient list gets, the more likely it is to have undesirable stuff and the less likely it is to be nutrient rich. We try to buy things with as few ingredients as possible or single-ingredient food items like eggs, rice, apples, avocados, etc.
9. Make meals that stretch. If you make dinner big enough, you can use it for lunch the next day. This one is kind of just common sense, but we just put it into practice this past school year and it made a huge difference. At my house, especially on week days, lunch often ends up being a scavenging kind of meal, unless there is something already made. Which is why having leftovers is perfect - it doesn’t get much easier than that. And planning one big meal always beats planning 2.
10. Have the right mindset. Know why you want to eat healthy. A healthy mindset about eating is just as important as the food you are choosing to eat - because eating matters to the Lord. Our motivation for eating well can be found right in 1 Corinthians 6:20: ”You have a body, but it is not yours. You were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
I loved this quote from John Piper that I found the other day about Worshipping Christ through eating.
-Don’t think worship services when you think worship. That is a huge limitation which is not in the Bible. All of life is supposed to be worship. Take breakfast, for example, or midmorning snacks. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Now eating and drinking are about as basic as you get. What could be more real and human?” You are always in a temple. Always worship. -John Piper
-What does worship look like when it comes to eating? It means getting the proper diet your body was designed by God to have. This is how we applaud and enjoy His design and understand that He made us stewards of these bodies. We honor Him when we take care of our bodies!
photo cred: a life lived well, camille styles flower bouquet
May 5, 2014
Grant and I were a sorting machine last night!!! Yep, all of your 50 Promises are hand-sorted and stacked and taped and stuffed at our kitchen table in the late night hours ;) At the moment, I'm crazy behind on laundry, but all caught up on orders! You guys. Thank you, thank you. We are overwhelmed by how many are coming in. If you placed a 50 Promises order this weekend or today, it's headed your way right now! I hope that they'll make a great addition to your arsenal of promises.
And there's still time to get in on our Mother's Day sale, if you haven't yet!
May 2, 2014
Hi friends! I've been staying up late every night this week polishing up these 50 Promises so they're all pretty and fresh for Mother's Day. I picked new colors and fonts and prayed over a handful of new promises to swap in. Let's just say, I love them even more. And I think you will, too!
Because Mother's Day is just about here and your mom might love a set of these, they're on sale for $13.50 -- head over to the shop to get your lovely mama (or yourself) a gift! They'll ship out Monday morning! Also, today only, I'm doing a giveaway on Instagram -- come follow me and enter to win! @summerharms
April 28, 2014
Casper + Hillary / 3 months old
You guys won't believe how crazy this is. My twin sister Haley and I had babies at the same time (!!!) and when they met for the first time we caught them like this! (See top photo for synchronization.) it's going to be so fun to watch our little cousin twins grow up. Aren't they cuties? Haley and I sure think so.
And, just a few more from our Good Friday stay in Omaha...
1. Car ride! Hadley rode silently like this for the first 2 hours, clutching her new purse from Grandma Joens. So sweet. Casper wasn't as happy about the long trip ;)
2. Chipotle at Haley's table! We talked and laughed and passed our babies back and forth. It was awesome. Not pictured: a trip to Trader Joe's (a fave) with my little sister Chels. Love her! And playing Fishbowl with my brothers and sisters after the babies went to bed. So fun.
3. Loving the backyard swing and her cousin Davis. She asked about him for days once we came home.
4. When in Omaha... go to the zoo! It was Hadley's first time at Henry Doorley. And it was my first workout since Casper was born. Seriously, the zoo wiped me out! ;) It was a beautiful weekend we'll remember for a long time. Love my family!
April 8, 2014
You guys, I'm bursting. So much to say and share. My heart has been getting an overhaul lately and I'm dying to put it to words here. I think I may have to start a regular series on these heart issues, because Jesus keeps giving me new stuff to sort out. Also, Grant is the only adult I talk to on a normal day, so my word bank is just plain overflowing. But first, some news and some history..
Last year the Lord laid something on my heart: His promises. If you were reading my blog back then, you saw how He settled my focus. Everything I read seemed to point me back to His promises. I saw Him teaching me how vital and practical they are and I felt him pressing me to know them, claim them, and put them to use. I picked 50 of my favorites and made these cards as a tool to help me do this.
Over the last year, these little cards have been laying in my lap, washi taped to my mirror, flicked through at the table, and propped by our sink. They've been a tangible thing to help turn my mind toward the intangible, something I could physically touch and hold on to. They've been used in sickness, in times of joyful healing, during confusing and scary situations, while I was in labor with Casper, and in times when I was hurting for family members. But most of the time I use them simply because I need Jesus's help to get through the day and fight against sin and be a good mama to my babies. It is in these moments, when I humble myself before Him and see His Word at work, that's when these promises became my passion and big part of who I am. The cards are merely a tool, but they do help get these words down deep into my heart -- to a place where I know I can grab at them whenever I need them.
If you think the 50 Promises would be a helpful tool for you, too, you can hop over to my shop. I brought them back after a few months of maternity leave and they're shipping now! Just in time for spring and Mother's Day and babies and new mamas. (I have a lot of friends on the brink of labor -- can you tell where my mind is?!) We sent out the first spring batch yesterday. Huge thanks to all of you who already placed orders!
Love, Summer
Last year the Lord laid something on my heart: His promises. If you were reading my blog back then, you saw how He settled my focus. Everything I read seemed to point me back to His promises. I saw Him teaching me how vital and practical they are and I felt him pressing me to know them, claim them, and put them to use. I picked 50 of my favorites and made these cards as a tool to help me do this.
Over the last year, these little cards have been laying in my lap, washi taped to my mirror, flicked through at the table, and propped by our sink. They've been a tangible thing to help turn my mind toward the intangible, something I could physically touch and hold on to. They've been used in sickness, in times of joyful healing, during confusing and scary situations, while I was in labor with Casper, and in times when I was hurting for family members. But most of the time I use them simply because I need Jesus's help to get through the day and fight against sin and be a good mama to my babies. It is in these moments, when I humble myself before Him and see His Word at work, that's when these promises became my passion and big part of who I am. The cards are merely a tool, but they do help get these words down deep into my heart -- to a place where I know I can grab at them whenever I need them.
If you think the 50 Promises would be a helpful tool for you, too, you can hop over to my shop. I brought them back after a few months of maternity leave and they're shipping now! Just in time for spring and Mother's Day and babies and new mamas. (I have a lot of friends on the brink of labor -- can you tell where my mind is?!) We sent out the first spring batch yesterday. Huge thanks to all of you who already placed orders!
Love, Summer
April 2, 2014
Hi guys! I took a maternity break after Christmastime to prepare for and spend time with our new babe, but I'm gearing up to re-open the shop now! A new spring shipment of the 50 Promises card collection is on the way. Thanks to all of you who have sent me emails asking when they will be available again!! SOON. In fact, you can start placing orders today! They'll start shipping out sometime next week, I'm just waiting on a few more things to arrive, but I'll be processing any orders that come in starting today.
I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the interest and support I've gotten on this project. You guys. You're the best. Jesus loves to have us treasure and ponder and use His words, His invaluable promises. Thanks for doing this along with me.
December 20, 2013
"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory!"
Isaiah 6:3
The other day the sky was full of these mind blowing snowflakes. Every single one that landed on our car window was a masterpiece. It just made us realize how great our God is. A billion snowflakes were falling that day and each and every one was a teeny, intricate work of art. Only He could do this! Truly, the whole earth is full of His glory. Even the snowflakes sing of it.
Today at noon our Christmas break begins. We are so excited to start the holiday and celebrate our King! We're kicking things off with a Christmas date this afternoon and some last-minute grocery shopping for our Christmas feasting. I hope you guys have a merry weekend!
Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let Earth receive her King! Let ev'ry heart prepare Him room, and heaven and nature sing.
December 5, 2013
Hi friends! Just wanted to pop in with a quick shop announcement in between posts. The 50 Promises memory card collection will be on sale for just one more day-- tomorrow at 3:00 pm Central Time they'll go back to the regular $15 price tag. Please order soon! And thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who has been buying them up so crazy fast. I can hardly keep up. You guys are so wonderful! Merry Christmas to all of you!
xo. Summer
December 4, 2013
Guys!
I'm super excited. Back in the fall, I was contacted by the lovely Ticket Chocolate; the company famous for their gourmet hot chocolate on a stick. They wanted to feature my Have A Cup design as part of their new Cup of Cheer gift set! Eeek! What an honor. I'm happy to tell you that it's officially for sale today, in tote form, in their cute hot chocolate shop. Hop over if you'd like to take a peek!Thanks for being excited with me, friends! And thanks for all the shop love and support that has already been pouring in this Christmas season. Love, Summer
December 2, 2013
Happy Cyber Monday, friends! Just wanted to give you the heads up that my merry little Have A Cup of Cheer 8x10 print is now shipping. So, if you've ordered one in the past couple weeks, it's on its way to you right now! Yay yay yay!!! And if you want to go grab one, they're available in my shop. Only $10!
PS. The 50 Promises are still in stock and on sale for a bit longer, but they're going fast-- please order soon! And a big thank you to everyone who has been snatching them up :) I cannot believe how many have sold and it's only December 1st!
Blogged 1 year ago: Christmas Readiness
Blogged 2 years ago: GAPS diet questions for me
Blogged 3 years ago: Best Granola Ever!
November 27, 2013
Wishing you a sweet Thanksgiving with your family and friends, guys! It's nice and gray and frosty here today, and all I can think about is loading up the car and getting the holiday started. Today we leave for Thanksgiving in Nebraska with my side of the family. I cannot wait to get there! Talking, eating, shopping, hanging up the stockings, and being home for the holidays; what more could I ask for? This year I'm making the green bean casserole and bringing the ingredients for Grant to make this incredible sweet and spicy kettle corn that he's been perfecting. While we're on the road, we'll probably talk about baby names and I have plans to finally start reading a birth book. I'm currently in the middle of week 34 with this babe and feeling both excited and nervous to be approaching the end/beginning.
SHOP NOTE: any orders placed in my shop over the Thanksgiving holiday will be shipped out Monday, December 2nd!
Hadley and I made a Thanksgiving garland last week, based on Casey's cute one. We didn't have pinecones and I wasn't brave enough to introduce glitter to my 2-year-old yet, but it was still fun to make. All I did was gather up some construction paper colors I liked, cut up the paper into feathers and strung them on some white string. If Hadley were old enough to express her gratitude with more than just "Tay!" (Thanks!) we could have written out some things we are thankful for and added them to the garland too. :)
This year on Thanksgiving, I'm especially grateful to the Lord for some simple (huge) things.
a. this new life inside of me
b. new life in Christ
c. a steadfast, sweet, and smart husband
d. healing
e. food on our table and bodies that can enjoy it
f. a daughter to nurture and be my faithful little companion
g. a warm house and clothes on our backs
h. our car that got us to and fro throughout another year
i. family and friends to fellowship with
j. peaceful days
k. opportunities for growth
l. having enough, and then some
Thank you, Lord!
November 22, 2013
Yesterday, as the shop orders came in and it started to snow, we played with the Christmas decorations. They're not "up" yet, so now is the perfect time to play-- before they're plugged in. Hadley is obviously in the middle of a very important sentence of gibberish right here. But to get to my point, huge thanks to everybody who ordered things from the shop yesterday and today!! We've already been busy packing and taping and running to the post office, so thank you.
Just a reminder that The 50 Promises are 10% off right now, but the sale will be ending soon. So order fast! Next week we'll get back to Thanksgiving style posts, I promise. Since it's so late this year, I felt like I needed to get a jump on Christmas! I don't think anyone really minds that much. :)
Have a great weekend! We'll be grocery shopping for my contribution to the Thanksgiving Feast, possibly putting up our Christmas decorations, and possibly making the ice rink in our backyard (Grant).
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