Weekend Musings #031

Glen Powell should play Prince Hans in a Frozen live action. Plus, a note on the peace you seek, shredded chicken, and gluten free tortellini.

Alright, morning sickness (AHEM all day unrelenting nausea) has me in its clutches, but I’m not letting it stop me from writing. In fact, writing is a beautiful distraction. So let’s get down to business.¹

• The biggest difference between this pregnancy and my first pregnancy is my brain capacity. I know I touched on this a little the other week, but it’s continued and I’m actually amazed! Maybe it’s the fact that I’m a mom now and not transitioning into that role? Or maybe it’s a gift from God? Or something unrelated, or all of the above? But with my first, I felt like I was wading through pudding every time I tried to form a thought. In spite of the all-encompassing nausea, I can actually think clearly this time around. I’m ridiculously grateful for it.

• Gratitude for the little things really is a lifeline during hard seasons. I learned this back in college during a really difficult season, and it’s something I come back to every time life presents me with another hard season. I may feel literally awful all the time, but I can still be grateful for the little things! Clear brain, lots of reading time, cuddles with my toddler while watching Frozen for the umpteenth time (okay, maybe I’m not grateful for Frozen, but I am grateful for the cuddles lol). Gratitude for the little things!!

• Speaking of Frozen, I have decided that if Disney ever did a live-action version of this movie, they need to cast Glen Powell as Prince Hans. In all transparency, I literally can’t stand Glen Powell² and this dislike heavily contributes to why I think he should play Prince Hans. He would play the role with disgustingly suave charm and it would be perfection. Tell me a better choice for casting, I dare you.³

• When I first found out I was pregnant, I did a Sam’s Club run for a ton of snacks (as one does). I also got some bulk chicken breast, which I immediately tossed in my slow cooker upon returning home and made bags of shredded chicken to keep in the freezer. THOSE BAGS HAVE BEEN A LIFESAVER FOLKS. Having shredded chicken on hand is the life hack everyone needs, I am telling you.

• Found this deep in my Notes app, from what I’m assuming must have been an Instagram caption I wrote once upon a time: “The peace you seek can only be found in the gentle embrace of the Father, the glorified wounds + Sacred Heart of the Risen Christ, the strength brought by the Holy Spirit. God alone is the source of unshakeable peace, the kind that will stay with you in sweetness & in storms alike as you grow in intimate love with your Creator.” I hope these words can be encouraging to someone today ❤️

• When is Emma M. Lion vol. 9 coming out??? I need volume 9 in my life. PLS BETH BROWER I AM BEGGING YOU A RELEASE DATE OR ANYTHING—

Anyway, moving on…

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What I’m Loving:

1. My youngest sister is in town until the beginning of August and I literally could not be more grateful for the help. I’ve had the luxury of taking things pretty easy thanks to her presence, and it’s been a lifesaver. Good family relationships are a gift from God and I hope I never take them for granted.

2. Gluten free tortellini. Only thing I’ve wanted to eat for lunch the last couple days. Taste Republic has great GF tortellini that doesn’t fall apart! Look for it in the freezer section. Last fall I used it a lot to make this great tortellini soup recipe. Tbh the only reason I am not making it now is because tomatoes make my first trimester symptoms way worse 💀

3. I don’t listen to much flute music anymore (which is so weird because that was my whole life for six years), but… recently I had a hankering to listen to a favorite piece of mine, “Fantasie Brilliante sur Carmen” (more commonly referred to as the Carmen Fantasy). It’s SUCH an insanely fun piece to play, and equally so to listen to as well. This performance by Emmanuel Pahud with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra is gorgeously dramatic. Highly recommend.

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What I’m Reading

Books

• I’m afraid morning sickness has thrown off my summer reading list by a lot — it’s hard to read Shakespeare or Jane Eyre when unrelenting nausea is my constant companion.⁴ But I have been DEVOURING books I’d consider in the “fluff” realm (but not necessarily in a bad way). A friend recommended Sarah Eden’s Seeking Persephone, which got me hooked on the rest of the books about the Lancaster family, which then got me hooked on other books of hers that take place within the same universe. I love when an author’s books reference characters from other books of theirs! It’s so fun.

• I tried to make a second bullet point for this section, but yeah, that’s it, I got nothing else. I have, however, been reading a ton of Substack essays these days. So.

Essays/articles

Quick note: all of these were worth passing along in my book! I’ll leave it at that, and here’s what I’ve been reading…

• Helen Roy’s CALL YOUR MOM: mom of many littles is overwhelmed

• Christina Lynn Wallace’s I’m a Christian creative. Here’s why AI is actually giving me hope for my career.

• Private Revelation & Apparition Subculture Within Traditionalism from Tradition & Renewal

• Christina Book’s Not All of Us Put Off Getting Married

• …and as it turns out, I seemed to have read more notes than essays⁵. If that ain’t a reality check idk what is 🤷🏻‍♀️

1. TO DEFEAT 👏🏻 THE HUNS 👏🏻👏🏻 (I have not watched Mulan in years idk where this is coming from)

2. My husband cannot understand why I dislike him (aka his acting) so much. I cannot either, in all honesty, but all I know is that I can’t stand him. His acting gives me the ick! And that’s saying a lot, because the phrase “gives me the ick” legitimately gives me the… ick.

3. The fact that I’m fan casting a live action Frozen should surely tell you just how many times Frozen is on in our house these days, because I never gave this movie a second thought before my toddler fell in love with it on an airplane. We are in survival mode, ppl!!

4. HELP I’m turning into Mrs. Bennet except instead of “my poor nerves” it’s actually “my poor stomach”

5. At least, according to my Substack history 😒😒😒 RUDE OF IT TO INFORM ME OF THIS