A Perfectly Lovely Weekend

10/05/2009

This past weekend was so wonderful! It started Friday when Jason met me at work with Chick-fil-A for lunch (including chocolate milkshakes.) Then we got on the road towards Valhermoso, Alabama where J was playing guitar in the worship band with our pastor Lindell Cooley at an outdoor festival. Besides the damp chilliness as it got dark, the night was perfect: two hours of worship and dancing and celebrating God, getting to hang out with 2 of my sweet friends and their adorable kiddos, watching our pastor get completely undignified jumping around the stage dancing and worshipping, and ending the night with fireworks! I love fireworks. Here are a few pictures I didn’t take:

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Jason and I absolutely adore that little girl (and her parents are pretty amazing, too)! Getting to hold her always makes our days.

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Her mama adores her too.

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This sweet little boy is going to be a big brother this spring! I love this kid and his mama, too.

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Our husbands, our pastor, and the rest of the band picking out some songs for the night (not that Lindell ever sticks to the setlist!).

Saturday, after sleeping in late, J got together with his bro to work on some recording stuff and us ladies went shopping. Found some great deals at the thrift stores and Macy’s. Had my first real fruit slush from Sonic (Half-price happy hour between 2-4pm – seriously?! My drink cost $0.50! Hello mid-century prices!!)

Later that night we went to PM for sushi with friends and then downtown Nashville to the art crawl. We ended a lovely Saturday falling asleep on the couch in front of Seinfeld in a “Roma-coma”. (Drifting into a peaceful rest after gorging yourself on Roma pizza!)

Sunday after church we had lunch at the brand-new abode of some dear friends; overate and then relaxed on the couch on a peaceful rainy afternoon.

I seriously can’t imagine a more perfect weekend. I am so thankful for our friends, for our church and our pastor, for our family. We don’t normally have a weekend that includes just about EVERYTHING we love: worship, friends, BBQ, music, fireworks, friends, art, sushi, “sleepovers”, church, friends, resting. Ahhh. Thank you Lord!

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Posted by mahlbrandt

Wise Words

08/19/2009

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“I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.” — Psalm 37:25

God is so good! He is always faithful to provide. I’ve never been abandoned by Him. I’ve never gone without food. Our plan as hubby and I embark on a new career endeavor requiring a lot of faith? COMPLETE TRUST.

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Posted by mahlbrandt

Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

08/11/2009

I’m not going to claim that it was my favorite hymn before last week but I’m really loving it now. Originally I saw this video on Design Mom set to Sufjan Stevens’ version of “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” Then I downloaded the song and have been listening to it for days. I’m definitely buying the rest of his Songs for Christmas boxed set this year in time for tree trimming and hot apple cider.

Come, thou Fount of every blessing,
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
mount of thy unchanging love.

Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I’m come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wandering from the fold of God;
he, to rescue me from danger,
interposed his precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor
daily I’m constrained to be!
Let thy grace now, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
seal it for thy courts above.

(I’m highlighting my favorite lines in teal.)

Wondering what Ebenezer means? I was and this answered my question well.

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Posted by mahlbrandt

From the Driver’s Seat

07/21/2009

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Loving the new shoes! (Tho I prob shoulda gotten an 8 rather than a 7.5.) Did I mention I got them half price?? Can’t beat that.

I’ve been taking advantage of the fall-like temperatures the past few days by doing what I did all spring: eating lunch in my car. It’s mid-70’s and breezy. Perfect for rolling down the windows and reading while I eat my salad and delicious peach. Sunshine and solitude. Ahhh…

I’m reading The Power of the Praying Wife. It’s one of those books I just keep coming back to time and time again. I love spending my lunch break talking to God!

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Posted by mahlbrandt

Broken record

07/11/2009

Yesterday I tweet’d this:

Picture 10

I was having a bad morning. Nothing major but for me, bad. I was exhausted and I had a headache. (Why did I drink that Pepsi at 10:30 the night before?) Logged on to my bank account and discovered that I neglected to record a withdrawal last week and got hit with $97 in NSF fees. Dumb. It happens. God has provided more than enough to make up for it. But it’s still frustrating.

Meanwhile, all morning I had a line from a rather annoying song running through my mind. Why was it stuck in my head? I don’t even like that song! After the 10th time, I realized (DUH) maybe God is trying to tell me something:

I’m in a fight not physical,
I’m in a war but not with this world.

I don’t like to over-spiritualize things. I made a mistake. I forgot to record a transaction. I should have balanced the checkbook before auto-paying a bunch of bills. NSF fees are a natural consequence.

But it is nice when God sends me a little reminder: I am in a war. I have an enemy who seeks to kill, steal and destroy; who wants to rob me and take away my joy. Thank God for a Savior who is so much bigger than my problems, who is always faithful to provide, who has had favor on my life!

It’s from a song called “Counting on God” by Desperation Band. Rest of the lyrics here.

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Posted by mahlbrandt

What is MCM?

07/10/2009

I decided to call my new blog my MCM life. Why “mid-century modern”? My life is a mix of modern 2009 luxury, technology and design; AND 1950’s values, relics and design. Half of my belongings are from IKEA, Target, Old Navy and Mac (I’m a graphic designer BTW). The other half are from yard sales, salvage yards, thrift stores, estate sales and off the side of the road in a bad part of town. I like it that way.

mixofIKEAvintage
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Two and a half years ago when hubby and I bought that awesome 1955 atomic ranch pictured in the header, we dove head over heels into mid-century modern design. We love the simplicity, functionality and minimalism; the colors; the low, flat furniture; the unique details; the Danish and Scandinavian influences.

The more we fixed up our house, rifled through thrift stores and bartered with old ladies at estate sales; the more we started thinking about the lives our grandparents lived half a century ago. We realized that we hold many of the same values: hard work, faith and family first, saving money and using cash, fixing things when they break, not wasting anything, watching our consumption, growing our own vegetables, knowing our neighbors, resting on Sundays.

That’s my mid-century modern life the best that I can describe it.

(click • for credit.)

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