finger skateboard

after a long day of recording, this is how my husband unwinds :

yes, this is the ultimate free-time event for josh.  he moves kitchen furniture & builds ramps out of trays & bowls.  last night he told catters, in all seriousness, when she was interfering with his play, "catters, this is a skatepark; it's not for cats."

kicking bird

winter stands with clenched fists, & we are thankful for a home so warm.  we have barely left the house these days (except for a few snowy walks), but have had many guests to brighten up our home.  

meanwhile, the little lady has a new nickname:  kicking bird (must be pronounced in mary mcdonnell's accent in "dances with wolves")

josh & i have been immersed in creation, & his album, in particular, is coming along glowingly.  i have been pouring much time into art, but still have little to show for my efforts.  the thinking + the practicing are laying the groundwork, though, & i hope to have some finished projects by spring!

here are some signs of life around the garrels household:

: mama bird + kicking bird :

i have enjoyed the company of girl-friends lately!  erin & megan came bearing gifts of sunflowers, dark chocolate + oranges (my favorite dessert!), & made a delicious lunch.  megan even changed the litter box for us!  

        

the next day amy & sherwin joined us for the weekend.  while we enjoyed cooking for them, they like cooking even more than we do, & left us with an incredible pot of leftover dahl (amy is from india, so i truly mean incredible) so that i can take a little break from cooking this week!

p.s. neither of us is sick, so i don't even know why people are taking such good care of us!  megan even sent over home-baked ginger cookies, bread, soup, tea, & coffee today.  i guess we just have really amazing friends!  thanks, guys!

provision!

: abundance : (eggs, feathers, fish) :

josh & i have been so amazingly provided for during this season of creation (an album + a baby!).  first of all, it is still unbelievable to us that bill & robin would lend us their house as a home & office space, free of rent.  the initial plan was to stay here for 4-6 months (6 months would be the end of this month), but they have recently invited us to stay through the birth of the baby!  this is such an immense blessing to us--we can't even begin to understand such generosity.    

when God was first making it clear to us that it was time to step out of our role at the church plant in indy, towards music + sustainable development work, he confirmed it even more through financial provision.  not only His words to us, but backing from others to encourage us in our callings.  within a week of deciding to walk forward, without knowing where we were going, 4 people/organizations, unsolicited by us, approached us about supporting josh's work.  jedidiah approached josh about sponsorship, walking on water initiated a friendship & unexpectedly paid him for songs he'd donated to their project, brewing culture asked to endow him with funds to produce his albums, and we received a random financial gift in the mail!  around that same time, bill & robin first offered us their home.

josh & i are now at another pivotal point in our journey, looking & walking towards the future as our time in indiana will draw to a close this summer.  we are beginning to have inklings about upcoming work, & again we feel so much support & confirmation as we move along in our life vocations.  one vehicle of support now in motion is the brewing culture site, which has finally been launched, meaning at some point soon we will begin receiving funds from them to continue our work & travels.  this has all been a long introduction to direct you to the brewing culture website.  josh wrote about it on his website & newsletter, but in case you didn't see it, or didn't know our behind-the-scenes story, here's the link.      

our morning walk