Everyday we will be faced with people that are different from us. We may think they're prettier, smarter, or more talented. We may begin to belittle ourselves through the comparisons we make. We may wish we could be more like them. Have what they have. Be able to do what they do. But friends, when you find your self thinking these discouraging thoughts, remember that God only created one YOU! There is only one person that can fill the call that He has given you. So instead of wasting time trying to be like someone else, embrace your uniqueness! Celebrate your differences! Do a happy dance to the music in your head! Don't waste another moment... Be YOU! Encourage someone today!
0 Comments
Be intentional in your relationship. Don't let complacency find a home there. Your relationship is what you make it. Don't let it slowly wither away under the darkness of selfishness. Don't let pride snuff the life out of it. Be gracious. Be kind. Be thoughtful. Take a stand and protect it. Be on guard against the many things that this wayward world will send your way. God calls us to be keepers of our thoughts... That takes conscious effort every minute of every day. Don't let frustration and weariness take the front seat. Don't let how you "feel" take control. Our feelings are an ever changing tide that can't be trusted. They'll build things up in our minds. They'll rage war on our relationship. We must stand firm in the things we know. Find joy in the little things. Smile for no reason. Laugh at everything. Be friends. Tell each other secrets. Play together. Be goofy. Be spontaneous. Today, lets purpose to take our thoughts captive. Imprison those negative ones. Find something positive to say. Pray for one another. Love one another. Forgive one another. Keep Christ in the middle of it all! Make your relationship unbreechable. Build up towering walls around it. Protect it. Cherish it. Respect it. Enjoy it. Celebrate it. Don't be like the rest of this world... Make your relationship stand out! I pray you will find encouragement today to keep going. To make each day better than the last. To enjoy the little things. To hold hands as you walk through this life together. And may you grow in your relationship with Christ together!
Happy Wedding Day to my wonderful cousin Krista! I'm so happy to welcome Charlie into our crazy family! All my love to you both! ❤️ I am my own worst critic. I have this idea in my mind of the woman I think I should be. The wife I should be. The mother I should be. And I never measure up. I get up each day ready to start over. Ready to do better. To BE better. But then real life happens. One of the Littles throws a temper tantrum. The dog kicks his water bowl over. A can of peanuts gets poured out all over the livingroom rug. Boogie lays her supposedly spill-proof sippy cup full of chocolate milk on my cream colored couch (Don't even ask me why I thought that would be a good color for us). Someone splashes their bathwater all over the bathroom floor. I find clean clothes that have been thrown in with the dirty ones and have to re-wash them. The Littles can't seem to figure out whose turn it is. My Mr. is overworked and in need of inspiration. Dinner is burning. The Littles are screaming. My Mr. is discouraged. I spill sweet tea all over the kitchen floor and all I want to do is cry because I've failed.
Is every day this bad? Absolutely not. Do I always feel like that big of a failure? No I don't. But when these times do come at me, when the negative thoughts that say I'm not enough swim around in my mind, I purpose to remember who I am through Christ. I am a beloved daughter of the one true King. I'm saved by His grace. His mercies for me are new everyday. And I can't help but close my eyes and smile. I embrace the assurance I have through my Savior and I cling to the joy He gives me. I feel the warmth of His love wash over my soul and I gather strength from Him. He never called me to be perfect. He never expected me to have it all together. My heart is open to His instruction in my life, and I know that I need Him every second of every day to be able to fulfill the design He has set out for me. Friends, I want to remind you that YOU ARE ENOUGH! Don't let self-doubt creep into your heart. Stop judging yourself by your own unrealistic expectations. Give yourself the grace to be imperfect. Find those moments to breathe in God's love and mercy. Let it seep into your soul. We will never reach our true potential in Christ if we don't get out of our own way. Allow Him to work in you in order to work through you. And go listen to Jordan Feliz "Beloved". It's my motivational reminder... I jam to it a lot! :-) Be encouraged to be yourself! Forgive yourself! Love yourself! You are precious in the eyes of an Almighty God! Close your eyes, Smile, and make today beautiful! Be Blessed! Hey there friends! I know it's been a while... so very sorry! Our little family has just been so busy... had a lot of changes our way and we've also been gearing up for the Christmas Season. I know you all have probably been overwhelmed with getting ready for the Holidays as well. It's so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season... I certainly have. This year I've allowed myself to become so saturated with stress... stress of a hectic schedule... stress of the ever-growing to-do list... stress of figuring out when we'll be able to make the five and a half hour trek home to see our extended family... stress of not knowing how on earth we're going to afford a decent "Christmas" for our Littles... just STRESS! It's easy now to blurt out "That's not what Christmas is about"... and believe me, in my heart I know that. Yet that doesn't stop my mind from spinning all day and night. I want this year to be special. Our family has gone through a lot of adjustments this year. My Hubby's work is changing a lot while at the same time his classes are getting tougher. K-Man has had a lot going on with school and such. We moved into a new home. Plus my oldest daughter just turned ten, and unless she is an INCREDIBLE actress, she still believes! I know, I'm surprised too! But let's be realistic... this is probably the last year for her. Very bittersweet for sure. She's going to have to become an incredible actress after all though because our youngest is only two! Well I decided that this year I wanted a REAL TREE! New House, New Tradition! (Insert Huge Smiley Face Here) My Husband wasn't really sold on it, but I only had to ask five or six times before he finally caved in! (Insert Even Bigger Smiley Face Here) But I didn't only want a real tree... I wanted the EXPERIENCE too! After a few days spent with my good friend Google, I found a Christmas Tree farm! I was so excited! The cherry on top was when I realized the Littles would be able to see Santa while we were there! Yay! Finally, we were able to take a step back from everything that was overwhelming us and make some priceless memories together... on Bug's TENTH BIRTHDAY! *BONUS!!* So we loaded up in the Hubby's SUV and headed to the farm! It really was a beautiful place! Of course the first thing we had to do was go see Santa. All three of the older Littles knew exactly what they wanted to ask for, but Boogie wasn't having it! She wasn't crying or afraid of him, she just didn't want to participate at all... I promise... no tears were shed in the making of this photograph! The moment I said "Okay" she jumped down, and they all took off to search for the perfect Christmas Tree! We roamed the entire farm for over an hour looking for the perfect one... debating different types. The color, the size, the feel of the branches. At last, we found a winner! A beautiful Leyland Cypress. (Sorry about the glare. I thought that taking it in black and white would lessen the effect of the sun's rays, however I was wrong.) So the men began cutting it down while the ladies held it up with our big girly muscles! (Again with the sun...) The Littles were all so excited! Even Boogie wanted to pitch in and help carry it. The tree wasn't nearly as heavy as I had thought it would be. With each step we took, my personal excitement grew... I was beginning to feel like a little kid on Christmas morning! Once we got it paid for and tied down to the top of the car, I was feeling pretty exhilarated! We couldn't wait to get it home and put some lights on it! And this was the moment I officially fell in love with our tree! (Please note that I have blinking lights, so no matter when I snapped the picture, there was going to be dark areas... also, excuse the junk behind the tree... That's my craft desk.) I personally would have been happy to leave the beautiful tree just like this... however the Littles really wanted to decorate it. Of course it turned out absolutely beautiful! (In my completely un-biased opinion *wink, wink*) Remember... I have blinking lights! (Yes, I am ornery and must never have actual dark spots on my tree... and yes, I'm just ornery enough that I have since rearranged quite a few ornaments. And please overlook the UGLY chandelier... it will be replaced eventually... *wink, wink*)
The end result: I love our Christmas tree... the Mr. loves our Christmas tree... and most importantly, the Littles all love our Christmas tree! We just might never go back to an artificial one! I know this post is rather lengthy, but let's just say that I'm making up for my extended absence... I mean, that's a good excuse, right? Thanks so much to everyone for sticking with me! I've thoroughly missed my writing time! I want to leave you with this... Don't get so deep in the dark waters of hollow Holiday obligations that you miss the bright radiant light of what matters most: cherish the time you have with your loved ones, give a lot more than you receive, and celebrate our Savior's birth above all else! Merry Christmas from Our Family to Yours!!!! God Bless!!! I know my absence has been pretty extensive, but I have a lot to share with you all really soon! My hands have been full and my schedule chaotic, but I'm looking forward to having some time to spend catching everyone up with our ever changing life! Thank you so very much to everyone that has stuck with me through this time! Your patience is appreciated and I will be blogging again soon!
God Bless You All!!! Sometimes we get caught up with our own to-do lists. Our own ideas of things we're supposed to do, be and achieve. We look at those around us and start comparing our list with theirs. That's when we get into trouble. Our checklist for life doesn't look as good as theirs. Or we don't have enough things marked off. We haven't done enough... become enough... achieved enough.
Now consider this... was your list prayerfully created? Did you seek God's wisdom and guidance before you wrote each item down? Or did you make your bucket list on your own? Did you put those things on there simply because you saw them on someone else's list? Our lives aren't supposed to look like anyone else's. God has a very unique plan for your life! Tonight, lets crumple up those lists and throw them out with yesterday's leftovers! Let's stop trying to make our lives look like those around us and focus on what God is calling us to do! His timeline is flawless! Let's just focus each day on being the person He's calling us to be... using the gifts He's given us... waiting on His timing. Our perception of time is so very different than God's! "But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day." 2 Peter 3:8 So stop worrying about all that you haven't accomplished... Focus on what God's doing in your life today! Be present with Him, ready and willing when He calls. God Bless You All! Rejection.
It's my biggest fear. It takes hold and refuses to let go. It cripples my dreams. It reduces my capability. It silences my voice. It sneaks up out of the very core of my being and slithers into every part of who I am. It deprives me of the joy that can only come from fulfilling my God-ordained purpose. It's my most prominent deficiency. It's unpleasant. It's unwanted. It's unacceptable. Most of us have one... a debilitating fear... an undeniable hole in our armor. We try to cover it up. We try to keep it a secret. We don't want anyone to know. We think if we tuck it away deep enough, plaster our shield on tight enough, we just might be able to get by. We might make it through pretending we're not controlled by it. That it doesn't govern the choices we make each and every day. Friends... I think this is our worst mistake. We need to be honest about our shortcomings with one another. To lean on each another. To pray together. These fears we're plagued with are not of God. They don't help us to fulfill our calling when we keep them neatly tucked away. However... if we can open ourselves up... be honest... be transparent... be real... Oh the things God could do through us! Imagine if, in those moments of incapacitating fear, we knew that the woman standing next to us could relate to what we were feeling... would we still tuck our tail and run? Or would we maybe be a little more inclined to grasp their hand and whisper, "Could you come pray with me?"... Would we be more willing to call on our mentor to pray with us? Wouldn't it be easier to quiet the voice of trepidation raging inside us all? We need to come to the understanding that we are all so very flawed... with weakness and fear and troubles... even those that we look up to the most struggle too. There is only one that can conquer those things inside us, and His name is Abba Father! He longs to fill those places with joy and love and peace! He's placed the Godly women that's in your circle of friends for a reason. We all need each other. There's strength in numbers! Let's draw together and call on Christ to take these things from our hearts! Let's find those that we can share our insecurities with and become prayer warriors for one another daily! We can all use a little extra prayer! If there's anything I can pray for you about today, please send me a message! I would love the opportunity to join together with you as we cry out to our Savior! God Bless You Today! So both of the recipes that I posted a couple of weeks ago went over really well with my clan... and that was super surprising because most of them are super picky eaters and very anti-anything new! My oldest has even asked when I'm going to make the Pumpkin French Toast again... and we just had it yesterday! My Mr. even enjoyed it!
If your family has an aversion to trying new things.... do what I did... just don't tell them it has pumpkin in eat until they have thoroughly enjoyed over half of it! Sneaky, I know... but hey! It worked! *insert wicked laugh here* :-) So go ahead... try them out... and please let me know what you think! Also, I'm in the market for more new recipes! If any of you have some holiday favorites you would be willing to share, please post them in the comment section below or just send them to me in a message! I would LOVE to have them! God Bless You! Birthdays, Mother's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Halloween (her favorite), Christmas and the Anniversary of her passing. These are days that I know are coming. Days that I really prepare for. Days that I put time and effort into focusing on the happy memories. I work for weeks in advance on keeping my emotions under control. On holding it together so no one knows how bad it hurts. I remind myself repeatedly that she's in Heaven now and that I'll see her again someday. These are the days I can handle.
But days like today, when the memory of her laughter comes crashing in around me, when I can almost feel her warm embrace, when I close my eyes and try to see her again... these are the days that crush me. They sneak up on me and I can't seem to stop them. And suddenly the weight of all that grief wraps itself around me and the tears begin to fall. My chest get tight and a sharp pain radiates from the center. My breathing gets labored. The sobbing is uncontrollable. I just want to immerse myself in the agony and loneliness. Then there is a tiny voice inside the chaos of my mind calling out to me. Soothing me. Reminding me that things are not as they seem. The mourning starts to quieten. The ache begins to ease. And I feel the love of my Savior envelope me deep in my soul. In the aftermath of my despair I find comfort in Jesus Christ. In his love for me and in his promise to me. I am never alone. I may not have my Momma here anymore, but I will always have the hand of my Redeemer to hang onto. To find solace in. To find rest. My Momma's time on this earth has come and gone. Now she spends each day rejoicing and praising our Lord. One day, I will join her in Glory and that will be a marvelous day! Though I am in NO hurry! :-) My God has given me an amazing life to live with an incredible job to do. And I couldn't be happier! Of course there will still come times when the pain of her absence feels like it is too strong to bear, but I know my God is there for me! He will reach down and touch my heart with the reminder of his grace and suddenly the pain won't be so bad. I'm sure many of you can relate to the sorrow of losing a loved one, maybe some even before we thought they should. My prayer is that you can also relate to the comfort and peace I have found in Jesus. Everyday isn't easy, and there are many struggles that come my way. But even when I find myself wallowing in my despair, God is there to lift me back up. I am so very grateful for that reassuring love. Remember that you never know what someone is going through or what is on their hearts. A smile on the outside isn't always indicative to how a person is really feeling. Try to be a blessing to someone today. And if you feel God placing someone on your heart or mind, stop for a minute and say a prayer for them. Maybe even take it a step further and reach out to them. Even if it's just a text or call to say you're thinking of them. You never know what it might mean. God placed them on your heart for a reason. God Bless You All! Hello again sweet friends! I know, I know... it's been too long! Some of you may have noticed that I haven't blogged in a month... Thirty-one days since I've shared with you. (HUGE shout out to you for sticking with me!) So let me give you a quick update. We have finally MOVED! God placed this wonderful home in our proverbial laps and we couldn't be more excited. So we quickly packed up our house, loaded up our belongings and began the long two mile journey to our new home. (heehee!) We're still trying to finish getting things unpacked and settled in, but it's coming along. I'm looking forward to doing some painting and will share some pictures with you all once we do. In the mean time, Boogie (our youngest babe) has decided that she's ready to start potty training. She rips her diaper off the moment she gets up and doesn't think she needs one on the rest of the day. She really isn't ready to be diaper free, but her independent spirit just won't hear of it. The struggle is real y'all! Doodle Bug made the A-Honor Roll on her report card! (Yay!) K-Man made the A-B Honor Roll! (Woohoo!) Monkey even did well on her report card! (So proud of her! She almost made the honor roll!) I'm assistant coaching K-Man's first ever soccer team. (Whew!) The Mr.'s classes started back a couple of weeks ago as well. Even though things have been super busy around here, I've thoroughly missed my writing time! I'm so glad things are starting to settle down so I can sit down with a cup of coffee and share what's on my heart and mind.
Hello again Autumn! This is my absolute FAVORITE season of all! The cool air, the colorful leaves, the trees becoming bare for all to see. And pumpkin scented EVERYTHING! I absolutely adore this time of year! I've been given a couple of new recipes I'm going to be trying over the next week, and I thought I would share them with y'all. Once I try them myself, I'll take pictures and post them along with my thoughts and how we liked them. Fall Baking is one of my very favorite things! So go ahead and try one. Please let me know what you think! I look forward to hearing from you! God Bless!!! |
AuthorI am a pretty traditional woman living in a very modern world. My husband and I live in south Alabama. W'e are working on our eleventh year of marriage, have four wonderful children, two crazy dogs, and one sassy cat. God is the center of our lives and we strive everyday to grow in His love and wisdom. I rarely get this momma/wife thing right, but I live everyday as well as I can and love with everything I have. My prayer is that someday, something I have to say, will touch someone's heart and draw them closer to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Blogging is a new venture for me so.... Here goes! Archives
February 2016
Categories |