My Resting Rock

'If you cannot be settled within yourself when you are alone, you may seek out a wrong relationship that will increasingly unsettle you.' 

A friend on Facebook shared this quote. It made me think about when I met my husband and of the relationships since we have been together that have come and gone. Not just in our immediate circle of friends, family, and church community but in the world as a whole. Marriage just doesn't seem sacred anymore. Not as God intended it to be. In my life, it was not until I spoke with God and said I was at peace with being alone with him and desired him alone, it was not until then did God give me Chris. It is not always easy, marriage, but when it is Christ-centered, He will see you through if you give it all to him. He is jealous for us; He wants us alone but he also wants to bless his children. He desires for our marriages to last and our children to grow up with their mother and father. For all my life and my marriage, I will rest in my God and seek him out in my times of need and in my times great joy and peace. When I am settled with Him alone, I can be settled in my relationships even if the relationships are not settled. 

Psalm 62: 5-8

"5 Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. 6 Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. 7 My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. 8 Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge." 

Radiating Elegance in a Culture of Magazine Cover Beauty

I love to look at fashion magazines. To see the latest fashions from all the famous designers and how they are being worn. I also love to wander the mall 'window shopping' the latest merchandise. And what woman doesn't like to get 'fancied up' {as my husband would say} to go out on the town. I would also venture to guess that most people love a great bargain! I know I do. Thrift store shopping is one of my most favorite past times. But do the clothes in the mall or in the fashion magazine define beauty? Does the price of something decide what kind of person I am? Who am I aside from the clothes I wear and the price I pay for them? 

Well... I am a child of the one, true God. I am an observer, a listener and a helper. I like simple and traditional looks. I love stripes and polka dots, glitter and ruffles. I strive to be respectful, thoughtful, graceful and elegant.

Let's talk about that last word: Elegant. The dictionary defines Elegant as showing good taste; graceful & attractive; simple & clever; classy & fine. As a woman, these are all descriptive words that I would be taken aback if someone used them to describe me! What a compliment that would be, no? But does that elegance come from what or who I wear? Does it come with the price I paid for what or who I wear? Or does it come from somewhere else? 

I believe elegance radiates from the inside out. I believe you can be the most elegant person in a room in a tee-shirt and jeans if you have grace and class and love on the in side. For those are things of the heart that shine through and people take notice of. 

This is why it is something I strive for ~ elegance ~ and something I will try to pass on to my daughter. What is elegance to you? 

Change is coming in my 2014

Well Hello There Friends! 

It's been a while since I was on here. Welcome to a New Year! I hope your holidays treated you well. Ours was fun and exhausting, full of friends and family and yummy treats. And gifts....! 

So.... 2014

Here we are a couple days in to the new year. Do you create resolutions or goals with the new year? Some say, 'bleh!', to making goals with the new year. I love it! I need it. I am always revisiting it, adding to it, marking things off and rolling things over to my new Goals list. I think it is good and healthy to think back on what you can improve on and to look forward to what you would like to do and learn and invest energy into. And, I like to pick a word for the title of my New Year's Goals. This year's word: 

Change. 

First change that came for my new year: we turned off our Dish service and are going back to bunny ears. That change came two days early! Why? Well, looking back over the past year, I realized God was talking to me through different avenues telling me that it was becoming too important in my life. I realized I had become addicted. I loved my television time. I have my favorite shows and would even watch reruns over and over again, wasting precious time and getting angry if my T.V. time was interrupted. My addiction was effecting our family life negatively. 

Second change to work on this year came to me after I read a post at Hands Free Mama. In her post, About Hands Free, Rachel writes, 

"Finally after years and years of over-commitment and meaningless information overload, I began to see those things for what they were: Daily Distractions. And with much regret, I realized I’d been holding on to “distractions” tighter than I had been to my own family, my own health, my own happiness–my own “things that matter.”

After reading this post and others on her site, I broke down in tears. God was speaking to my heart. I needed to hear this. I had to take a hard, close look at my daily life and swallow that I am not allowing much time for God or what He desires to be important in my life. And no matter how hard it was to read it and admit it [to myself and others], I needed to make some big changes in my life and choices. Thank God for people like Rachel to share these things and Thank God for his perfect timing!

So.... 2014 for me is Change!

Change how I spend my time. Change who I spend my time with. Allow Change to happen naturally and gracefully. Change.....

What is this New Year for you? What is your word for the year? Let God speak to you and stop long enough to truly hear what He is saying. 

Matthew 6: 19-21

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Life... busy, busy life

Hello All! I couldn't believe how long it's been since I wrote last when I logged in! Life...busy, busy life. That's the reason. Lots going on lately. I have been getting ready for the Pick Pocket Molly Event. A weekend consignment sale of women's clothing. I consign items {this year over 130 items!}for sale at the event but I also work at it with my friend, Alice, who puts it on! Man, she can put on a great event! Check her out here, http://pickpocketmolly.com/.

Also, I got a very part time job. I am an Operations Assistant with Fit2B Studio. It is an online gym with a workout video library of over 50 videos and she also is trying to spread Diastasis awareness. I love that I can work from home and help a friend grow her business while she works from home! And it is nice to contribute to the household budget again. : ) Learn about Diastasis and Fit2B Studio here, http://fit2b.us/.

And then there is all the everyday, in-and-out's of a stay-at-home mommy of two young children. Household chores, gardening to do, birthday parties to attend, meals to cook, friends to connect with, basketball to watch { : D }, church to attend, parties to host, small town parades to participate in, workouts to do, wife to be to husband, sunshine to enjoy. It's a good {and busy} life that I love to be living. I try to remember how blessed I am and not take it for granted. At the end of the day, I may be tired and may not get to lay in the hammock like I wanted but I wouldn't trade it in. 

Whatch ya been doing?

Reflecting on Mother's Day ~ the love and pains

Some were concerned about me yesterday after reading my post. What I want to tell you and what I told them is this - 

First, I am good. Please don't worry about me. (But thanks for checking up on me.)  : ) 

Second, what I said was to not only clear my head so I could regroup and move on for myself but for others who may be feeling that same way. I wanted to be open and honest, especially as a stay-at-home mom, so others could see they are not the only ones feeling that same way. I wanted them to know that even with all those thoughts rolling around in their heads and the feelings in their hearts, life does and will go on and it is still good and lovely. 

Third, I hope that some will read it and realize there is so much more going on inside people than the "I'm good." you get when you ask, "How are you?" We all have stuff we are processing through, not wanting to burden others with every single thing but it is especially heavy on Moms, who not only process through everything for themselves but for their children too. Erin at The Humbled Homemaker wrote about remembering not only Mom but the other ladies in our lives in her post, Rejoicing {and Mourning} with Mothers on Mother's Day.  Erin writes beautifully about the balance between rejoicing with the rejoicing and mourning with the mourning. (Romans 12:15) 

"When I think of my {many} friends who have had miscarriages, friends suffering with infertility–and the mom of my friend who went to be with Jesus at age 17 13 1/2 years ago, I realize this: No doubt, Mother’s Day isn’t very easy for them.

At best, it is probably bittersweet, as some have other children along with those they have lost. But with those around them receiving cards and gifts and corsages and hand claps, it’s likely not a day they can ignore.

And as a Christian, I am called to compassion. Even when I can’t understand their pain, I am called to mourn with those who mourn–even on Mother’s Day.

But should our compassion for those hurting supersede our rejoicing with those who rejoice? For those who can revel in the fact–one day per year–that they have birthed babies and help shape souls daily within the four walls of their homes?" 

Erin goes on and lists ways to love on ALL the ladies in the different stages. It is beautiful and encouraging and grace-filled. On this Mother's Day weekend, I encourage you to consider what I have written and what Erin wrote and see how it might change your heart and mind on how you celebrate not only your Mom but the other ladies in your life. Happy Mother's Day all!

To my Mom ~ I love you! Thank you! for everything I know you have done and the things I don't know about that you have done, Thank you. Thanks to God that you are my mom and my kids' Nana! 

My mom and I in Paris in '09.

To all the other beautiful ladies in my life ~ Those that love on me and my kids like their own, Those that want to some day be a mom, Those that will be mom's soon and Those that have been mom's for little to many years and shared your knowledge ~ I thank God for you. I hope God blesses you for being a blessing to me. I love you all too!

Where this woman's heart and mind are at at this moment......

sad                            depressed                     joyless         

      

heart-aching                  lonely                    hurting               

unmotivated 

  

angry                 overwhelmed                  tired

         

I want to cry                I want to yell                    

I want to curl up into a ball with a blanket and movie and not be bothered                          

I want to scream out my every thought about every thing on my mind with no care what other people think

                          

I want to do nothing                    

I want to actually enjoy something                     

I want peace                            I want to feel joy                                      

I want to feel beautiful                                 

I want to feel needed                             I want to feel appreciated          

 I want to be respected                       I want my soul to be on fire               

I want to accomplish every thing I dream about doing and enjoy it                          

I want to be a good mommy                       

I don't want to screw up my kids                                                      

I want to be 'that' good wife                                   

I want to not feel all of this at the same time, all the time, every day                                       

I want to stop complaining about my great life and be able to truly appreciate what I have                                      

I want to be joyful                   I want to be happy 

I want to unabashedly love and be unabashedly loved back

Television Wisdom Wednesday ( a day late): A Good Woman

From the show Duck Dynasty:

Phil Robertson - "If you can find a nice pretty country girl that can cook and carries her bible, now there's a woman."


I think this should be the start to what defines a good woman but somewhere along the way we lost this woman. We traded her in for what is convenient and serves our self, not our family. We need to find the balance. That is my opinion anyway.