Can You Hear Me Now? by Pearl Allard (Look Up Sometimes)

Can You Hear Me Now?

Mornings at our household may or may not resemble a circus getting kids ready for school. (Parents of more than two children – my hat goes off to you.) We prep the night before, but papers teleport, shoes shrink, or clothes disappear. Someone forgets to brush their teeth or hair – or both. Murphy’s Law requires all of these things…

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Butterfly-Sitting & Breakthrough Singing by Pearl Allard (Look Up Sometimes) - the old has gone, the new has come

Butterfly-Sitting & Breakthrough Singing

I had the privilege to butterfly-sit for a friend last week. She was leaving for vacation and afraid the two chrysalises would hatch before she returned. She showed up on my doorstep and delivered two tiny butterfly boxes. All I had to do was hang them by the window, watch the miracle unfold, and release them. The two opaque, mint-colored…

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Pressure, Raw Eggs & Community by Pearl Allard (Look Up Sometimes)

What Raw Eggs Taught Me About Community

My third-grader came home from school on Friday excited to tell me how he watched his teacher walk on eggs. “And she only broke three!” he said. “Hardboiled?” I asked. “Raw! Six dozen,” he answered, smiling. “And,” he continued while heading straight for the fridge, “you can squeeze an egg and it won’t break.” He was already selecting an egg…

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We Interrupt This Regularly Scheduled Program... by Pearl Allard (Look Up Sometimes)

We Interrupt This Regularly Scheduled Program…

Hello Friend! We’ve been sipping tea and absorbing tidbits together this summer, but today I have something different for you. You may have heard the African proverb, “If you want to run fast, run alone. If you want to run far, run together.” I have a tendency to prefer running alone. Group projects at school? Just meant extra work and…

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Tea Party Tidbits #12 - I'll Raise My Teacup to That!

Tea Party Tidbits #12 – I’ll Raise My Teacup to That!

Hello Friend! I apologize for the delayed post! I am on vacation in the rugged beauty of the Pacific Northwest enjoying time with family. Vacation wasn’t supposed to have delayed the post, but forgetting my laptop when we drove to the coast for a few days apparently did. Alas. Vacation has been a lovely adventure, but no adventure is complete…

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Tea Party Tidbits 11 - Need Refreshing by Pearl Allard (Look Up Sometimes)

Tea Party Tidbit #11 – Need Refreshing?

Have you heard of a flowering tea? I hadn’t. Apparently, it’s this hand-stitched piece of artwork from tea bags that expands in a pitcher of water. Think really fancy teabag. I love the description on Teavana’s website: Blooming tea, also known as Flowering tea are beautiful hand-tied tea balls that unfurl as the steep. When they bloom, each artisanal tea…

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Tea Party Tidbits 10 - Feeling Depressed by Pearl Allard (Look Up Sometimes)

Tea Party Tidbit #10 – Feeling Depressed?

Not many words to share with you, friend. Just really needing this verse and thinking that I might not be the only one. Sometimes we know why we feel unsettled, and sometimes we don’t. But the war that wages in the unseen surely takes advantage of our weak moments. This is rather off topic, but then again, it’s not: we…

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Tea Party Tidbits 9 - Got Hope by Pearl Allard (Look Up Sometimes)

Tea Party Tidbits #9 – Got Hope?

My husband warned our kids at lunch today they were doing a terrible job listening. That this was a bad habit gone worse. That if they didn’t correct themselves ASAP and demonstrate they understood what they were supposed to be doing – namely, obeying the first time – that Daddy would be enforcing the good choices they weren’t making. I…

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Tea Party Tidbits 8 - Dangerous Safety -Is It Worth It by Pearl Allard (Look Up Sometimes)

Tea Party Tidbits #8 – Dangerous Safety: Is It Worth It?

I’ve recently grappled with the definition of safety: mine vs God’s. And it makes me really uneasy when I consider how dangerous real safety might be. I mean, I know the story of what happened to Jesus and he’s the one I’m claiming to follow. Where exactly are we going, God? Being free from fear and harm, and feeling certain…

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