Let me introduce you to my sometimes breakfast smoothie. I say “sometimes” because I am lazy and don’t always feel like pulling out the ingredients or washing a blender. But I never regret having one of these. This smoothie fills me up and it’s made with ingredients that stabilize my blood sugar for hours.

But first, let me tell you about my blender, Montel. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the Montel Williams Healthmaster, made famous on infomercials of yesteryear and purchased by my dear father-in-law, who has a long history of buying items you can only get on television.

Montel languished in one of their cabinets for quite some time and finally found its way to our family many years ago. Do I long for a Vitamix or Blendtec? Of course I do. After all, Montel is the size of a toddler and sounds like a fighter plane. (As in, “Everyone, cover your ears! I’m about to blend!”) But Montel gets the job done and until the Lord calls him home, he makes my smoothies.

Anyhoo, the smoothie usually consists of the following:

• non-dairy milk
• kale or spinach (I personally do not think you can taste it, thanks to all the peanut butter and banana.😉)
• 1-2 scoops of collagen peptides. (I’m not a fan of traditional protein powders as they can be hard on your digestive system and are pretty unnecessary unless you’re a serious athlete.)
• healthy serving of PB or any nut butter
• little bit of cocoa powder if you want a chocolatey flavor
• sprinkle of chia seeds
• frozen banana (about a whole banana, sliced)
• little bit of ice if you like it extra cold and thick

I don’t measure. Just play around with it until you get a smoothie that tastes good to you. I personally want a smoothie that tastes as close to a milkshake as possible and to me, this peanut butter + banana + chocolate blended beverage really does.

Enjoy!

Love,
Marian & Montel

P.S. Not a food blogger, obvs. Drank a fourth of my smoothie before I remembered to take a picture of it. 🙄😂🤷🏻‍♀️

……….

This post is part of a series on Instagram, #OneDayMay, hosted by @laura.tremaine.

Mondays look like…

•rain
•a cancelled golf meet
•barre class
•hand-written notes
•rubber Birkenstocks + joggers
•washed sheets
•Pasta Monday
•asking my 17-year-old “too many questions”
•excessive 7th grade math homework
•turning parenting tips into text messages (I’m a communications director.)
•phone calls
•realizing we’re out of toilet paper, even though I just got groceries

What does your Monday look like?

……….

This post is part of a series on Instagram, #OneDayMay, hosted by @laura.tremaine.

Celebrate.

May has always been my favorite month of the year. Growing up, May meant the end of school and the anticipation of summer + my birthday, which often landed on Memorial Day weekend, making it feel extra celebratory.

Now that I’m a very grown woman with a family of my own, May can feel like way too much. Instead of celebration, May can feel heavy with obligation. But after the year we’ve all had, I’m desperately craving the childlike joy of Mays gone by.

May holds much that is worthy of joy: Mother’s Day, one of my dearest friend’s milestone birthdays, an end-of-season celebration, prom, the anticipation of summer and all that a new season will bring. It doesn’t mean there won’t be tasks galore and moments of stress. But each season extends an invitation to receive or to resent.

This month, I will receive May—month of joy and gateway to summer—with a spirit of childlike celebration.💝

……….

P.S. This is a selfie from a few weeks ago. What you can’t see is the book I’m reading—Share Your Stuff: I’ll Go First by @laura.tremaine. I adore Laura and she’s hosting a challenge on Instagram during the month of May so that we can all share our stuff. I’ll share mine. You can share yours. Why? Because sharing our stuff matters for connection—online or off. Laura’s writing prompts have been my favorites the last couple of years and I hope to join in on IG as many days as I can.

Anyway, the May 1 prompt was: Start with a Selfie. So here you go. A day late. (Totally on brand.)

Join us with the hashtag #OneDayMay and find Laura’s prompts @10ThingsToTellYou.

Today I sit with my morning latte, sipping it slowly at 9:30 while dirty dishes teeter and soiled laundry languishes until later. Dinner will be whatever one can find.

I decided last night that half of today I would rest. I would not exercise and I would not get things done. My phone’s “do not disturb” setting is on and my ringer is off.

This season has been bursting at the seams with tasks and busy-ness. And while much of it has been good, it’s felt as if the “un-cancellations” of the pandemic + our typical spring schedule have conspired to wear me slap out.

Note: they have succeeded.

This rare moment of stillness gently takes my chin in its hands and asks, “How do you feel?” I answer without hesitation, “Like I cannot move.”

Why am I telling you this? Because I know I’m not the only one. We live in a culture that does not honor limits, that considers busy-ness a badge of honor, that worships productivity as a sacred virtue.

I’ve been studying the book of Genesis this year and in one of the first few weeks I learned something I haven’t been able to stop thinking about: Rest is what set God’s people apart. They were to be known by others as a people of rest.

Note: this is not how we are currently known.

In her book, Rhythms of Rest, the late Shelly Miller wrote that “the day God chose to rest is the first time he names something holy.”

Yet here I am on an April Monday, trying hard to shake off the guilt for receiving something God has called holy.

If you need someone tell you it’s okay to press pause, to take a nap instead of doing the dishes, to say no to a good thing because you are at capacity, to spend cash for a sitter so you can sit outside with an iced coffee and stare at the sky, to take a day or three off so you can get your wits about you—consider this post your permission slip.

Sabbath has to show up differently for each of us depending on the season and our vocation, but no one can force you to take it. Only you can accept the gift of rest for yourself. And if it’s a gift you need like I do, receive without guilt, knowing it is both good and holy.

These are the days of real life being real full. I missed last Sunday evening’s weekly retrospective in stories. And I’ll miss today’s too.

Instead, I submit this photo, which I texted to my husband (and had no intention of sharing with the world, but here we are.) It’s from my seat at a coffee shop where I worked from 3-8 today. My to-do list is happy (though still very unfinished.) My back, however, is not.👵🏼

These are the days of working weird hours in weird places. Because these are also the days that require much tending to hearts and home. As it turns out, none of these jobs are 9-5 and I have given up on any semblance of schedule. ☕️🏡❤️

These are the days of squinting behind thrifted turquoise readers in a higher prescription and always opting for sensible shoes. 🤓

These are the days of kitchen counters and coffee tables scattered with March Madness brackets and golf score cards, plastic tees and empty Gatorade bottles.🏌🏼‍♂️

These are the days of counting off calendar squares—desperate for spring break and hopeful for rest. ☀️

These are the days of remembering that I am not called to an extraordinary life. I am simply called to be faithful and true in beautifully ordinary ways, right where I am. 🌎

I haven’t always known this or lived it. But I can tell you with hard-won certainty that peace begets peace as season after season, I practice receiving my right-now life—even as I wait with hope for certain circumstances to be different or less or more. 💝

Wherever you are at the start of a new week, may you have grace to trust God’s timing and provision for all things. And may trust give way to peace, as you relax your grip, give up your (illusion of) control, and reject your limited view of how life should go. May you receive—with palms up and chin tilted toward the sky—the grace and unexpected gifts that come from a posture of surrender and childlike trust. ❤️

P.S. “These are the days” Sunday evening posts, usually on my IG stories, are a weekly practice inspired by @emilypfreeman and the Next Right Thing Journal (which I love and recommend. 😉)

A natural-born skeptic, I spent a long season of my life searching hard for God, daring him to prove his existence in real and tangible ways that my intellect and senses could receive.

Though skepticism may always be a thorn in my flesh, God did show up in the ways I needed, even if they weren’t the ways I expected. He still does.

Instead of proof-texts and desert flames, he sent ordinary people who embodied the heartbeat and service of Christ.

Regular folks who showed up to love us and feed us, to care for our children, to anonymously cover expenses, to listen long, to draw water and let us drink in their counsel, hard-won from their own desert places and barren seasons. Loving community to love us and help us as we were, even if we never became who we hoped to be.

Less like buttoned-up experts telling us how to straighten up and fly right. More like “beggars telling others beggars where to find bread.”

Our needs may look different now, at least for the moment, our life more stable than earlier times of acute crisis and uncertainty. But God continues to reveal that he is there and he is not silent.

I’ve quit pining after air-tight apologetics because he keeps showing up in my life and in the lives of those around me in ways that you simply couldn’t script—always personal and unexpected, like the last batter of the underdog team sliding into home base.

Less like pillars of fire and smoke. More like a dusty victory cloud of Carolina dirt.

If you’ve been squinting toward the horizon or gazing up at ivory towers, desperate for evidence of God from lofty people and places, might I encourage you to look a little closer to home?

Jesus himself, God made flesh, might already be there—loving you through ordinary people, leading you with everyday guidance, sustaining you with daily grace. Against all odds. ❤️

……….

*The graphic quote is inspired from p.73 in The Soul of Shame: Retelling the Stories We Believe about Ourselves by @curtthompsonmd
*Beggar quote attributed to Martin Luther

☀️ Spring has officially sprung (it got up to 79 this week) and she is spectacular. I for one have thrown open the heavy, dusty drapes of the last 12 months and begged her to own the stage. To take up all the space. To prance around uninhibited and dazzle us with her audacious glory.

⛳️ High school golf season is here and seeing both of my boys, 11th grade and 7th grade, in matching uniforms just made me feel all the things. I love watching them play and I continue to thank the Lord for a sport that features babbling brooks and sunsets.

📚 I’m still slowly working my way through The Soul of Shame: Retelling the Stories We Tell Ourselves by Curt Thompson, M.D. It’s not a book to speed read and I’m in no rush.

I also began the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown because my 17 year old begged me to. Real talk: this genre is not usually my thing. (YA, dystopian, mankind colonizing other planets.) But as a very girly-girl kind of mom 😬, I’m always looking for ways to bond with my teenage boys and that usually means shows and stories and food. THEN, I just happened to be watching an IG story from the @thelazygenius and she mentioned this book as one of her all-time favorites. I took that as a sign and jumped all the way in. Will report back.

📺 So, who else watched Oprah interview Harry end Meghan? Y’all. 🤭 They spilled so much tea and I was transfixed. I don’t have any conclusive thoughts other than this: I’m glad they are living their own lives and I am cheering them on.

Also, if you could pick the next person for Oprah to interview, who would it be? I’ll go first. Beth Moore. I think my heart would actually explode. 💗 @oprah and @bethmoorelpm , are you in?

💕 Currently loving: all the @oliveandjune things and painting my nails once a week, sandals, @rxbar bar minis to keep in my purse, smoothies for breakfast (I can’t bring myself to drink them in the winter🤷🏻‍♀️), @bublywater bounce (has 35mg of caffeine), working on the screen porch, daily talks and texts with my college girl, how much my boys make me laugh.

Thank you @kimberlyacoyle for the invite to share my #windowonntheweek.

🌞 The Lord had mercy on our seasonal depression this week and sent sunshine. I claimed the porch as my office for two whole days and began to feel human again.

💝 Related: I’ve had these overalls since the 90s because I struggle to get rid of items I love (and paid full price for.) Mostly this is a terrible condition to have but in the case of these overalls, my sentimentalism (hoarding) came in clutch.

📺 My husband and I finished ‘Better Call Saul” and now nothing else measures up. Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seehorn, you have ruined us. Sometimes we don’t realize mediocre acting and contrived dialogue until we’ve experienced masterful performances. The good news: They’re filming the final season now. The bad news: It won’t air until 2022.

🎵 I busted out Taylor Swift’s “Lover” album this week and forgot how much I love it. (Perhaps because it came out in 2019 and reminds me of life pre-2020.)

💕 Now that my parents have gotten both vaccine shots and had their waiting period, I am beyond grateful to be able to safely see them again. Yesterday I met my mom at Panera and then helped her pick out some furnishings at Home Goods. Such regular things that now feel like the greatest gift! They lost a loved one (their third dear friend) to C*vid this week and it’s yet another reminder that we are not out of the woods. Far from it. Be safe, everyone. And let’s not stop praying for swift and efficient vaccine distribution.

📚 I’m reading The Soul of Shame: Retelling the Stories We Believe About Ourselves by @curt_thompson_md. This is a bold statement, considering the fact that I haven’t finished the book, but here it is: I think it’s going to be in the top 3 non-fiction books I’ve ever read. This is not a book to read lightly, nor is it quick. It will require your full focus. I’m reading a portion every day because it’s content you need to dive into and stay with until you’ve finished. I’ll say more and report back when I’m done.

😢 My oldest child turns 20 in a few days. I already have all the feelings about it.

Thanks to my friend @kimberlyacoyle for this Saturday invitation to share our #windowontheweek.

For weeks I haven’t been able to piece together any meaningful words to share. I blame winter and a back injury that had me, well, on my back. (Anyone else feeling just a general February malaise?)

But my friend @kimberlyacoyle shared a #windowontheweek post and I thought to myself, “This I can do.” Here we go:

❤️ My husband ordered a giant monogram M filled with Valentine’s confections for me back in January. The January before we decided to go off sugar (among other things) for the month of February. Sometimes planning ahead isn’t the move. 😂

👟 He also took me surprise shopping for new running shoes today so I still feel like a winner.

📚 I’m currently reading Brave: A Teen Girl’s Guide to Beating Worry & Anxiety by @sissygoff. Even though I’m a mom to 3 teenagers, this book is actually helping me, a very grown woman. Her guide is helpful for anyone, not just girls, who struggle with worry and anxiety. I’m looking forward to passing this one along to my college daughter who is a Young Life leader for high school girls.

🎧 I’m listening to Will the Circle Be Unbroken?: A Memoir of Learning to Believe You’re Gonna Be Okay by Sean Dietrich (@seanofthesouth) and I already know it’s going to be a favorite for me. His southern drawl that beats all southern drawls makes the audio version an experience, let me tell you.

📺 Since Christmas my husband and I have been making our way through “Better Call Saul.” It’s slow and sneaky and has the best characters. A top TV show of all time for me.

🙏 I’m learning that much of my work these days happens in listening and in prayer. Gone are the days of cutting off sandwich crusts and sorting Legos, work that held a measure of control and predictability. These days I feel around in the dark and pray for a flicker of wisdom (and also for Jesus to just take the wheel already.)

How about you? Give me a window on your week. You can also share on IG using #windowontheweek.

Friday Introductions: Hi! I’m Marian and the natural state of my hair is a tad on the wild side. But you’re probably not here to learn about that. So here’s a little bit about me and what you’ll see in these squares:

💁🏻‍♀️ I’m a wife, mom, and communications director for a local non-profit. I’m also a writer, former American history professor, recovering overthinker, reluctant but happy small-town dweller, INFJ / Enneagram 4. I’ve been writing on the internet for 13 years now.

⭐️ Surprised by: How much I love being a mom to teenagers (we have 3.) My tendency to live beyond my limitations (despite learning the hard way 67,000 times.) How young I still feel on the inside (despite being middle-aged +.)

😍 Smitten with: words, beauty, young children, bougie (as the kids say) beverages, dessert, thrift stores, soft clothes, all things home, my husband of 25 years.

💝 Grateful for: Jesus, seasons, community, artists, that our nation’s history (and specifically racial injustice) is finally receiving the broader attention it deserves, the daily text message thread I have with my 3 younger siblings.

📝 A long time ago, I started a blog called “a la mode: a little scoop for every slice of life.” 13 years later, that still sums up what I share. Artful photos, thoughts on faith, motherhood, home, marriage, women’s work, struggle—all through the lens of “receiving your own life.” If there’s one thing I know, it’s that we can find peace and purpose right where we are. Even our most broken stories can shine with the beauty of redemption.

You can still find me at marianvischer.com. Most of my writing these days is shorter form and happens on Instagram.

I’m so glad you’re here! If you’re new, say hello, tell me about yourself, or feel free to ask a question! And thank you @emilypfreeman for sending some new folks my way this week. 🤍#fridayintroductions