Dime Designed DIY- Goodwill Canvas Repurpose

So, This week I've been a crafting maniac. Literally have done about 5 projects. Which is AWESOME!  I guess this no Facebook thing really has benefits. You can click the link to read about that if you want.
But seriously I've had so much time to do things I love and that makes me feel great!!

Anywhoo, I want to share my latest project with you.

It's my....

GOOD WILL CANVAS REDO!!!

This is what they looked like before. I got these babies for $1.50 a pc at Goodwill (IheartGoodwill)

I obviously wasn't in love with these floral beauties, so I decided to try my hand at redoing them with one of my favorite products.

MODPODGE

If you've never used it and you're a crafter..you don't know what you're missing!

So, I grabbed my modpodge, my foam applicator, and some pages from an old book I got at a garage sale like 9 years ago and I went to work.

Following the directions on modpode I applied a thin layer to attach the papers. I ripped them and placed them in various directions.

Then I put a layer on top of each piece as well.

this is what it looked like after I was done. I applied another layer of Modpodge all over the top and sides to keep the papers securely in place.

LET DRY WELL!!!

then I grabbed some cute letters I bought from Micheals. I got a whole tablet full of die cut letters in one pack. 

The letters were not the color I needed to match our master bedroom which is where I planned to hang these. So I decided to use these as stencils.

I traced around each one with light pencil and used Painters Paint Markers from walmart. TO fill in the letters.

I continued on until they both were done!!!

Here's my final product!!!!!!

I love how these turned out. They will be perfect for our Master Bedroom.

I love that I only spent $1.50 a piece!!!

Stay tuned for more Dime Designed DIY ideas!!

Now that I'm facebook free. I'll be doing MUCH more. ;)

Happy Crafting

The Pain of Sacrifice

I was reminded of a saying today that once brought great peace in the midst of a painful circumstance.

Do you ever find yourself in the midst of a trying circumstance? Or maybe in the midst of what feels like a great sacrifice??

I've been there more times than I'd like and I'm sure I'll be there again someday. 

When I'm in the middle of something that feels really hard I can get really down. Sometimes I just feel sad, other times I feel angry. Sometimes I just feel like life isn't fair and I want to cry and stomp my feet at God and remind him how unfair I really feel this situation is.

Can you relate?

This saying was told to me by a dear friend in the midst of one of my pity parties over something I felt was too much of a sacrifice....she said...

"The sting of sacrifice is soothed in His presence"

Man that's a good lil saying packed with a powerful punch.

You see, there will most likely come a time in all Christians lives when God asks something of them that will feel like a sacrifice.

It could be taking a job that scares you, or taking a job that seems "less" than what you deserve.

Maybe it's moving away from family, or shelving a dream of getting married or having children to follow Gods plan for your life.

Maybe God is asking you to cut ties with someone or something that is bringing you down and drawing you away from Him.

Maybe he's asking you to break old habits or come out from the crowd and stand up for something resulting in loss of friendship or status.

 2 Samuel 24:24 states, "I will not offer unto the Lord my God that which costs me nothing."

In that same way I think God often asks us to do things for him that will cost us something and that feels like a mighty sacrifice.

Those "sacrifices" to God are a beautiful offering to HIM, but lets be real honest...it doesn't seem so beautiful when you're the one sacrificing. It hurts, it's uncomfortable, it goes against what feels natural and safe...and yet, God doesn't ever ask us to do something that will not bring Him glory or is for our benefit.

"The Sting of Sacrifice is soothed in HIS PRESENCE"

Does Sacrifice hurt? YEP

Does is sting and feeling uncomfortable? Absolutely.

But you don't have to go through the pain of the sacrifice alone. 

When you spend time in the presence of God it's almost like the Holy Spirit just pours spiritual neosporin all over those aching wounds.

When I start feeling like what God has asked of me, "JUST ISN'T FAIR"....it's time to spend more time in HIS presence.

Only in His presence are we provided the strength to overcome what can be unbearable sacrifice.

When Jesus was about to be betrayed and he knew his crucifixion was near. What did he do??

He went to the garden to pray. He spent ALL night soaking in the presence of God as preparation for the sacrifice he was about to make for us.

I bet Jesus thought it was "PRETTY UNFAIR" when he asked his disciples, his very closest friends to stay awake with him to pray, just to return to find them comfortably sleeping. 

There they lie resting as Jesus prepared for the most horrible thing that he'd have to endure on this earth.

I bet he felt pretty alone.

"The Sting of Sacrifice is Soothed in HIS presence."

To the heart that's lonely from moving away....that ache is soothed in His presence.

To the addict who's craving just another hit or drink.......the cravings are soothed in His presence.

To the single one who's putting aside their desires for marriage and family to serve a greater call...

Those longings are soothed in His presence.

I don't know what type of sacrifice you may feel like you're facing. I don't know what pain and longings torment your heart and mind.

But I do know, that it ALL can be soothed in His presence.

Find comfort in the presence of God today.

xoxo

Pumpkin Cheese Ball with Graham Cracker Crust {includes THM variation}

Well, it's the holiday season and you know what that means!!!!

FOOD!! Lots and LOTS of food along with parties and get togethers. All things that make the holidays so wonderful in my book.

It really is the most wonderful time of the year.

If you're like me, you have lots of places to go that you need to take something to share.

Today I decided to make a pumpkin cheese ball with graham cracker crust to share with our church small group!

This was SOOO easy..and soo delish!!

Here's what I did.

~Two containers of Pumpkin Cream cheese. 

(I got these from Aldi but I saw some at walmart as well.)

~And one package of Graham crackers.

Scoop out all the cream cheese onto a plate and spread it into the shape of a large ball in the center.

I crushed up about 3 full size graham crackers and smushed them all along the sides.

Yes, I said "smushed". :)

THE END RESULT

This was so easy you can whip it together literally within 5 minutes and it makes a lovely dish to take to any holiday event!!!

TRIM HEALTHY MOMMA Version

 Regular or low fat cream cheese, pumpkin puree, a little cinnamon with a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice and stevia or truvia to taste. Mixed well with a mixer. Taste it. Form into a ball and cover with chopped almonds or walnuts for an S dessert. 

Pair together with Gwens Low Carb Cinnamon Dippers and you're golden for a TRIM HEALTHY MOMMA version.

Happy EATING! :)

I'm Bringing Sexy Back

So, I've been thinking. I don't want to be a "Messy Mommy" anymore. I mean, I'm certain that I will continue to be in many, many area's but in the area of my feminine sex appeal I don't want to be a messy mommy.

Oh you know what I mean, or at least I hope you do. Maybe I'm alone in this department, but I'm guessing there is a sea of messy mommies out there that have COMPLETELY forgotten what it feels like to just be a woman.

Having two kids is exhausting and a lot of work. My days pretty much look like, fixing food, cleaning up food, making messes, cleaning messes, shuttling kids around, grocery shopping, cleaning house, changing diapers, cleaning high chairs, playing barbies and coloring....ok maybe throw a work out in there some where.

I gotta say, when I look at that list none of it makes me feel especially feminine OR sexy!!!!!

What happened??? I mean, I'm young. I'm somewhat vibrant.......eh.....ok, I WANT to be somewhat vibrant. I still have energy to laugh and do exhilarating things. How did I get swallowed into the frumpy mommy hole before even turning 30????


I want to be flirty and pretty and I often look like I'm in a perpetual "walk yourself skinny" video. Yoga pants and sweats of all kinds are my favorite....and I repeat...my FAVORITE attire for day to day wear.

Literally, if you see me around town I will most likely be in my black yoga pants with a sweatshirt or my gray sweat pants with a sweatshirt. The lucky few may catch me in jeans...MAYBE, but still probably sportin a sweatshirt. I mean seriously?!?! Is this an adult woman's wardrobe?? Apparently so folks..apparently so. :)

I admit that my day to day 'look' isn't overly flattering or appealing to anyone, anywhere....I'm guessing it's especially unappealing to my husband. Who is wonderful by the way and NEVER says..."so you didn't get dressed today" after returning home from work and I'm STILL in my sweat pants. :)

He's a real keeper. He never complains, He never makes condescending statements and most of all I know he loves me anyways.

Even though my days are clearly not glamorous or warrant any real amount of primping effort and my husband is the gem that he is I'm kinda over feeling like a frumpy momma ALL. THE. TIME.

I mean, there are certainly reasons for yoga pants...like say.....YOGA!
Or cleaning my house...but I've decided that I'm going to make a conscious effort to revive my femininity. It's in there....somewhere.....buried deep. I'm determined to find it.

I keep telling myself that when my kids are grown I'll have more time to worry about me. Or I wont have a one year old drooling all over my shoulder. No joke, I have ZERO shirts that have not been drooled on. It's pretty awesome.. :/.....awesomely GROSS. But it's part of mommy life.

Or I say..when I lose more weight and get back to the size I was pre kids I'll buy some things that make me feel sexy and pretty.
Ok, let's be honest, I'm doing all I can to work on the whole "baby weight" issue that loves me so dearly BUUUUT, the pre kid waistline just may be gone forever unless I get a tummy tuck for Christmas and, I'm not holding my breath. :)

So is that it? I mean am I destined to be in the frumpy mommy zone forever?? I may still have kids at home and drool on my shoulder more times than I'd like and I may not have the jean size I'd like but I think there are some ways I can regain my femininity and sex appeal and I'm ready to try.

So here goes..

1. Exercise- oook, so there's nothing especially feminine about working out, in fact it makes you stinky and sweaty. However, working out increases endorphins which are your feel good hormone. When you feel good you just care a little bit more about everything else. Not to mention the working out will help with the "waist line" issue I mentioned above. Working out, helps your mood and your body. If you're like me, you're in your yoga pants anyways..so take a stroll around the block or do some planks while the kids play on the floor. You'll be glad you did.

2. Do your hair and makeup- I try to be good about this, but I'm not always so great. DO YOUR HAIR EVERYDAY!!! Even if "doing" your hair means pulling it up in a messy bun. Get some cute bobby pins or hair clips to glam it up just a tad. When I say "do your makeup" I don't mean you have to go prom style while you do the dishes. No, just some mascara and lip gloss can be enough to freshen up your face. Plus like I said before, when you feel good about you, your over all attitude improves.

3. Flirt with your husband- This is one of my favorite tips ladies. Think back to how fun flirting with your hubby was before he was your hubby. You would bat your eyes and smile, joke and playfully touch each other. Incorporate that back into your day. Brush your hand over your hunny's hiney as you walk by and give him a little smirk. Send him a text at work saying you're thinking of him, or you think he's cute and can't wait to kiss him. Whatever you did to flirt with him before, try to do it now even the small ways can help you regain some sexy momma territory from the munchkins that have stolen it. :)

4. Seduce Your Husband and Yourself- Ok, so I know that sounds "awkward" but I don't mean that in a weird way. When I say Seduce Yourself, I just mean get yourself ready so that you feel 'sexy'. Let's be honest when you're married with kids sometimes sex is not on the forefront of your mind, if in your mind AT ALL. I don't know about you, but when my minds not into it, I'M not overly into it and it's more like something I need to check off my list than a bonding experience to enjoy. THAT does not a sexy momma make. So, take some time and do what you need to do to feel sexy or mentally prepare yourself for the time with your hubs.
A spray of perfume
A sexy nightie
Thinking about your favorite "moments" together
lighting candles
Whatever you gotta do..do it to help yourself feel desirable and he will probably appreciate that too. Nobody wants their spouse to just go through the motions, I prefer when sex is an intimate time and I feel like a beautiful sexy woman rather than just a "means to an end"...if ya know what I mean. :) *awkward giggle*.....

MOVING ON...

5. HAVE CONFIDENCE- sometimes this one is tough when we don't feel particularly sexy or feminine. But you have wonderful things to offer. You are a beautiful woman and you don't have to look like anyone else to let your feminine sexiness shine through...ESPECIALLY to your husband. Be confident in your best features. If you have great lips...play on that! If you have great eyes, highlight them with a complementing hue.

I think with the over sexualization of our culture as Christian women we want to shy away from 'sexy'. You can be 'sexy' as a woman without being slutty. You can have sex appeal without showing everyone everything. God made the female body beautiful, he designed our feminine ways to be beautiful. The way we laugh, the way we smile, the gentleness in our caress. God designed for you to woo your spouse. You don't have to be afraid of your sex appeal because you don't look like a victoria secret model. Be confident in who God made you to be. I guarantee that your husband would rather you live your life joyfully and confidently just the way you are than have you be the picture of "perfection" trapped by insecurity.
 LET YOUR CONFIDENCE SHINE!

6. Remember who's important- I remember when Tim and I were dating. I had just gotten home from a super long car trip and I was looking..well....a little rough. I have a picture somewhere to prove just how rough I looked, but I'll save you the agony. :) Shortly after returning home Tim called and said he was on his way over and couldn't wait to see me!! STOP THE PRESSES....He can NOT see me like this!! I mean I was in full blown panic mode. I immediately ran to the shower and did the fastest "get ready" routine you've seen in your life.
Why do you suppose I went through all that trouble?? Well, I wanted to impress him of course. I wanted him to remember why he missed me so much the moment he saw me. I wanted him to think, Man she's beautiful and realize that no other woman could make him happy like I could.

Now here we are a few weeks short of 9 years later and believe it or not I STILL want him to think all those things. Except, instead of giving him something beautiful to come home to, I'm usually a disheveled lump of sweats....who may or may not have showered that day. (eeck)

Now I can hear some of you saying..."well, he should love you for who you are not how you look." And I wholeheartedly agree...but even though I know he loves me for who I am. I also know he hasn't gone blind and this world offers no shortage of beautiful women for him to look at. Why can't I be lovely and presentable to him when he gets home.

Maybe I could buy some CUTE comfy pajamas instead of my warm Christmas flannels with the little Scottie dogs on them. I mean, I'm not expert on "SEXY" but I'm thinkin that's probably not it. But they're comfy so I'm not hatin. :) (comfy jammie girls UNITE)  A-hem...moving on.

Or maybe I could buy some new panties with appealing colors or patterns. Maybe even with some lace instead of the faded...elastic falling out....janky undies I've had for...um...EVER!

Come on ladies..you know once you've had kids..the importance of buying yourself new bra's and panties more than once every 3 years comes WAAAY after the other essentials like, baby food, diapers, crayons.....the forth pair of sparkly flip flops for lil susie! Sheesh. It's ok to prioritize our needs and pleasing our husband before buying the latest video game for Junior. I'm just sayin. :)

So, there ya have it. Some practical tips for "BRINGING SEXY BACK" after the joy of children enter your life. It's not too late!! Regain your sexy, regain your femininity and remind your man why he's so lucky to have you. Your life doesn't have to be made up of cheerios and sensible cotton briefs..unless of course that's what floats your boat and in that case...have at it!

You can be flirty and fun with your husband. You don't have to forget how to be a woman because you are also a mom. What better way for us to teach our daughters how a classy, woman who loves her husband and herself acts and prioritizes life. And what better way to teach our sons what a woman who values herself and her man looks like.

I believe there is a beautifully feminine sexy mama inside us all.

Can we all agree to search for her..
I promise to look for the sexy woman in me and I'm determined to find her.

I just hope she's ok with wearing sweats once in a while. :)

Be Blessed. XOXO

The Painful Truth of My Addiction

It's true, I have an addiction.

 I'm not proud of it. I'm shaking at the thought of even blogging about it. But I've spent too much time making excuses, neglecting my family, my husband, my hobbies, my happiness. I'm over it and tonight I made a rash decision.

It's over.


I canceled my facebook. (gasp) I know, I know. I've done it before. But I'm not talkin, deactivate for a month while you get your "priorities" in order than return and be even more engrossed in it than you were previously. I'm talking DELETED, nothing remains. Nothing is left to log into. It's gone. All, however many years of social media archives are lost into the black hole of cyber space where only the exceptionally technological venture.

When I say I'm addicted to facebook it sounds really stupid. Foolish even. I mean, what kind of lame-o gets addicted to a silly social networking site?? This lame-o apparently.

Here's the thing, about three months ago. I knew that I knew the Lord was telling me Facebook was a huge distraction and had become an idol in my life. Seems silly to have facebook as an idol. But I did.
At the time I listened to the leading of the Holy Spirit and deactivated my facebook. It was intended to be indefinitely. It was SOOO HARD! I literally felt like a drug addict having withdrawals. I felt lonely, disconnected, sad. It sounds so lame, but I literally cried actual tears to God about missing facebook. Missing the "interaction" it brought. The first week was a really tough week for me.

This is an entry from my prayer journal from that week to give you an idea where my heart was.

I'm being vulnerable sharing this, but I want to be real.

July 9th
"I turned off my fb, one week ago yesterday. My first day of freedom and the beginning of a battle and struggle with the addiction and god I let creep in and steel my heart away from God. I had set fb up as my hope, my friend when I was bored. My way of interacting, communicating, sharing. I used it to cover my emptiness. When I think about how alone I feel outside the wall of social media. It's been really tough. There are moments of every day that I feel lonely and want to get on fb. For days I've felt addicted and angry. Does no one else long for more than scrolling on our phones or staring at our ipads? does no one else get tired of seeing either "the best" of someone or "the worst"? I feel like an island, cut off from "fitting in" being in "the know". It's lonely. But God is my friend. When I have no one else to turn to. I MUST turn to him."

See what I mean??? Man, just reading that makes me sad. Clearly my worth and peace was wrapped up in something that could not and was not providing anything beneficial for me.

Anyways, back to my story....

After the firs week it got easier. I started not really missing it anymore and I finally felt freedom!! Freedom from the stress of other people's opinions ALL.THE.TIME. Free from the constant pull to check it and see if anyone had "liked" a post or photo I'd added. Free from the mindless scrolling and my time was redeemed. I regained tons of time to do anything else I wanted. Play piano, craft, scrapbook, cook, write, read, sing, play with my kids.

Then, I started this blog...and I really wanted to share it. So, I made the excuse that I would log back into facebook so I could "share" my writing with friends and promote my blog. That was fine at first. But then I thought..."well, I'd been having luck selling things on the city wide sites, I should get back on those and sell some things."  I made the excuse that I have so many friends and family out of town, and it's just the easiest way to communicate with them..blah blah blah.  THEN I started learning about Trim Healthy Mama, and of course THEY TOO have a facebook page...that page has 20,000 members and moves faster than you can type a post. SO MUCH INFO, SO MANY RECIPES....scroll, scroll, scroll, read, read, read, ignore,ignore,ignore....as my kids or husband sits in the dull glow of my phone screen.

Slowly but surely, my past over use and addictive, mindless use of this social media led me deeper and deeper into more and more time wasted and bondage.

I've been feeling the strain. My mind feels cluttered. I don't feel at rest or at peace. Once again I feel trapped by something that it pains me to give up. And I can see how much time it's taking from my family. It's so easy to scroll through fb while sitting on the couch with the kids as they play. Nothing wrong with that right?? Maybe not for some. But I did it EVERY TIME. Or how about in the car while driving with my family?? Gotta look through the fb feed!! RIDICULOUS....I could be talking, or playing silly car games with my family..but instead I'm looking at pictures of what strangers had for dinner, or at pictures of OTHER people enjoying their family time. Watching a show with the hubs and a commercial comes on??? NO fear...just click on fb, no need to have nothing to focus on for 3 minutes til your show returns. Feeling kinda low??? No problem, post something witty to facebook and be reassured of your worth by your friends liking or commenting on your posts. The flip side to that is if NO ONE likes or comments on your posts your sent spiraling even lower because you need the affirmation and apparently THAT post or part of you is not 'worthy' enough.
It's a ridiculous merry-go-round of displaced faith and friendship.
We can spend hours engaging in "other people's lives" as they let us into intimate parts of their day that we would normally have no knowledge of. But we aren't truly engaging in 'relationship' with that person. We are merely...fb stalking them and temporarily filling a need for "interaction" by simply knowing ABOUT someone, rather than actually knowing them.

It's so incredibly dumb!!! I feel like a total reject...but it's my embarrassing reality at the moment.

I can clearly see my need for approval and acceptance as I'm writing this..and admitting that is a bit scary.

So tonight, while laying in bed not able to fall asleep. I made the rash decision to officially completely delete my facebook page.

I feel relieved and anxious all at once. But I want to feel free!

When I deactivated my account in July. God led me to the scripture.

"Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be given to you."

If you want true friendship? Seek first the kingdom of God.

If you're feeling lonely and need acceptance? Seek first the kingdom of God.

If you're lacking peace and joy in life? Seek first the Kingdom of GOD.

It's amazing how different the spiritual climates of our emotions are when we truly put God first and cut out distractions and things that are peace killers....or I dare say, have become an idol in our hearts.

I got a small taste of it during my month of no facebook. I felt freedom. I felt peace and joy and passion return to my soul. I was seeing progress in areas that had been stalled and obsessed over for such a long time.

Then I gave it all back, with excuses. With lies that I "needed" to get back on.

But, it's over now. Its been deleted.

It's not going to be easy. I'm going to have to "detox" all over again. But I am so desperate for Gods peace and fulfillment. I'm so desperate for God to be the first person I talk to when I'm lonely or frustrated or having a bad day. When you can't post your frustrations out to the world...you rely more on God for that 'release'. Venting to God pays bigger dividends than venting to  cyber space anyways.

So, there ya have it. Now you know. I'm a facebook addict. Ashamed and embarrassed to admit it. But ready for my new found freedom!!

I don't know if anyone will even see this since I'm not sharing it on fb. lol. Oh-well. If these blogs are meant to "spread" they will I guess.  I'm not willing to trade my peace for the sake of that.....so I guess I'll just have to deal. :)

Here's my messy addiction God. Please take it and give me something beautiful in return!!!

Am I Giving God a Bad Name??

I think as a Christian we should often ask ourselves this question.

When we give our heart to Christ and we commit our lives to following Him, we are wearing the name "Christian". Which means Christ-Like.  If you've been in church for any length of time you've heard the term..."you represent Christ wherever you go, so represent Him well."

First let me say, I AGREE with that statement. When people know you're a Christian, you ARE a representation of Christ to that person and you should be mindful about how you are portraying Him and yourself.
However, I also think that statement can become a source of condemnation for Gods children and it was never intended to be. It's just like the enemy to take something that was meant for good and twist it to bring frustration and condemnation to the family of God.

I think for many Christians it really is our desire to represent Christ well. To be a good model of Christ's love to the world around us. But we are still human beings, SINFUL human beings who mess up, who get mad and make mistakes. We say hurtful things, and inappropriate things, we don't always handle emotional situations well and sometimes there is a fallout and trail of devastation left by our actions.
We don't intend it..but it happens sometimes.

But what then?? What happens when we hurt people or make mistakes? We certainly are NOT representing Christ's actions in those moments. We aren't responding "in love" as so many think Jesus would.
How, in those moments, can we call ourselves Christians when we are NOT being "Christ-Like"??

I ran across a statement in a book called "Made to Crave" by Lysa Turkeurst that brought freedom from the condemning lies of Satan.

So here it is....

"God does not build the stability of HIS identity on the fragile choices of His children. He just keeps placing the truth in front of us and offers to lead us to His best- Over and OVER and OVER!!"

WOO HOO, Praise the Lord, Doing a hallelujah dance over here!!!

That statement brings freedom!!

I do NOT have to be perfect for GOD'S GREAT NAME to remain great!!

I am NOT responsible for building the reputation of GOD. His reputation has already been built. It is already perfect, it is already GREAT!!!

He desires to use me when I am submitted and willing, but he is NOT completely dependent upon us.

He knows we are imperfect people. He knows we will make mistakes.

Does that give us license to just act inappropriately without repercussions? OF COURSE NOT!!

He wants us to be growing and becoming more like Him every day.

But His grace is sufficient for us when we aren't, when our sinful nature shows through, when our resolve to respond like Christ is feeble at best.

Don't let the enemy lie to you and tell you that because you mess up, you are giving GOD a bad name.

Gods reputation has already been built. It is STABLE, it is SOLID, and it is SECURE.

I hope this brings freedom to your heart today. I know it brings freedom to mine.


God can and will use you in the midst of all your imperfections.

"God does not build the stability of his name on the fragile choices of his children. He just keeps placing the truth in front of us and offers to lead us to His best, over and over and over."

Be Blessed!!

A Reminder for the Helicopter Mom

I'm a member of my local Mops group and let me just say, if you are a mommy of young children who are not yet in school, MOPS is an AWESOME resource for you. It provides a place to get out of the house and connect with other mamma's while learning valuable biblically based lessons that help you with all sorts of areas of life. I truly love my MOPS group. So if you're in need of some adult interaction than I strongly suggest finding a local MOPS group to join. ;)

MOPS infomercial is now done...jk. I just love MOPS!


ANYWHOO-

While at MOPS this morning I was reminded of a great lesson that I wanted to share with you all because it really struck a chord with me and I think it might with you as well.


In our lives as moms we try to create a safe and happy environment for our children to grow and thrive.  We spend energy and worry on protecting our children from harm, from hurt, from anything ugly or wrong with the world. We know how hurtful the world can be and we NEVER want to sit back and watch our kids go through the pain that life sometimes brings.

However, this is what was said today...

"Safe and Happy environments are all nice and good, but they aren't overly realistic. It's not wise to remove the consequences of life from our kids. We need to teach our kids that life is not perfect. It's often messy. Teach them to deal with the struggles and difficulties that it will inevitably bring."


Much more was said, that I couldn't write fast enough to take notes for..but the other thing that stuck out so strongly was this statement.

"You don't become a good sailor by only sailing on smooth waters. If we want our kids to be strong and brave we can't protect them from the rough water realities of the world."

That is SOOOO good. I have been chewing on that ALL day.

We see so many many kids become entitled and spoiled. Relying on their parents for EVERYTHING. Unable to resolve their own conflicts, unable to understand their emotions and failures, always coddled and rewarded just to avoid the bitter sting of disappointment.

This generation has been coined the "Helicopter Parent" Era due to the amount of parents constantly bailing their kids out of the consequences that are true to life. Wanting to always make sure that things are fair and fun for our kids. When the reality is that life is NOT always fair..it's SELDOM fair in fact. Life is disappointing. Life is not always fun, we are NOT always rewarded for things that are expected of us.

We don't realize the negative attitudes we are unknowingly instilling in our kids by some of these practices.

It's ok for your kids to get looked over sometimes, as hard as that is to watch as a parent.
It's ok for our kids to have to work out their own conflicts, or be responsible for consequences of their actions.
It's ok for our kids to NOT be rewarded for tasks that are just their duty to carry out.

It's ok. It's hard. But it's ok.

Our job as a parent is not really about making sure our kids have a fantastic childhood. It's more about teaching them how to function well in the world. In the REAL world, where things will hurt them, where they will be responsible for their actions, where there will be expectations and disappointment.

Doesn't mean life can't be fun. But ensuring our kids are always safe, protected and sheltered from everything that brings emotional or physical discomfort isn't doing them any favors.


"Our children will not learn to be good sailors in life, if they only sail on smooth waters."
Walking with them through the treacherous turbulence of life is how we train them to survive on their own.


This reminder was such a gut check for me.

I hope it speaks to you as well!!

Parenting is a messy job! A Beautifully Messy Job!

We can do this thing, and our kids will be amazing when it's time to sail on their own!

Go get em Mamma! :)

Let Your Light Shine

Matthew 5:14-16, "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot by hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl, instead they put it on it's stand, for all in the house to see. In the same way, let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven."


Have you ever thought about this scripture? When we read it, it sounds so nice and good. "I am the light of the world, let my light shine before men that they may see my good deeds and glorify my Father in Heaven. " I can hear the children's nursery songs playing in my head and it's so light hearted and fun.

I mean wow.... MY good deeds can cause people to glorify my father in heaven??

It sounds prestigious, purposeful and important.

SIGN ME UP FOR SOME OF THAT!!!!!!!!

I can totally be a light on a hill, unhidden and important. Lighting up the whole house and bringing glory to my God. That sounds AH-MAZING

Unfortunately, I'm learning as I journey farther into my walk with Christ, just how DIFFICULT this scripture is.

How hard it is to live out what once seemed so inspiring, so exciting and delightful.

When I think of a light stand, shining into the darkness..I think of hope! I want to be hope..I mean, doesn't every christian WANT to be hope in the darkness?? Sure they do...

But I'm learning that being a light is more than just nice accolades and inspiring scriptures.

Sometimes it's hard. Sometimes, it means standing up for Gods word in a world where Gods word is becoming obsolete.

Sometimes being a light means, speaking in Black and White to a world who is trained from childhood to see Grey.

Sometimes being a light gets you made fun of, poked at, ridiculed, called horrible names.

Sometimes being a light isolates you from friends and family.

Sometimes, being a light is lonely.



It's not always fun, or prestigious, or anything you "think" it will be when you first read this scripture.

So why do it?? Why follow the scriptures advice and be a light at all?
Isn't it just easier to lay low, know what you believe, but stay quiet and let others just live their lives??After all their decisions are "between them and God" right?? who am I to say a word??

IF you've had those thoughts, you're not alone. I have them often!! Is it worth it to stand up for righteousness? Is it worth it to say that the BIBLE is Gods Holy Word and the ONLY standard by which we should live? Is it worth being met with anger and hostility?

Is it worth it?

After thinking long about a light post, this is what I've concluded.

1. A lamp post is often alone. 
- You don't usually see lamp posts all clustered together do you? Nope...But why? Well, because a huge cluster of lamp posts only lights up that one area. If we live in a world that is engulfed in darkness, we often have to shine where no one else is shining.  We may see the light of other lamp posts in the distance and dream of being where they are, but sometimes God calls us to shine in a completely different area, and sometimes it's an area where light has been absent for some time.

2. A lamp post isn't always wanted
- Sometimes, our lamp post is a dim little flicker, and other times it's like a flood light!
We live in a world that lives in perpetual spiritual darkness. The ONLY light we have is Jesus and he has been so far removed from the equation in most situations that nothing but darkness remains.

But what happens when you turn on a bright light when you've been sitting in the dark for a long time?? You flinch, you shut your eyes, you cover your face. It's just our instinct to whence at the light when we've been in the dark. Inside the darkness the absence of light becomes normal, so when the light is returned it hurts. Some people aren't willing to see past the hurt the light initially brings. They are used to the dark, the dark makes sense. The Light is painful and offensive, it seems "unnatural" so they instinctively try to get rid of the light so they can return to what was comfortable.

They are also not wanted because evil can easily be masked in darkness. Why do most crimes happen in dark alleyways instead of in the middle of the street during the day?? Because darkness, conceals, it hides. Light is forth telling, it reveals and exposes.

3. The Light is needed
- Just as there are those who flinch in the light, there are those who are drowning in their darkness and they are frantically searching for hope. When the sun breaks over the horizon the darkness of night fades away and new hope for a new day arises. There are people who are craving a bit of light. They are in such desperate need of hope that they welcome the pain of the light because they can't bare the pain of the darkness any longer. They NEED us to shine.


That is why we do it!!

Because for every 10 people who may reject the light, there are a few that welcome it, that crave it, that NEED IT!!!!
As Christians we go through the loneliness, the hurt feelings and the rejection because we know that somewhere, someone is needing to see our light.

Did you hear me? someWHERE, someONE, is needing to see YOUR LIGHT!

Is it easier to be quiet in the face of controversial issues and not bear the brunt of people ugliness. YES!!!

Is it easier to just keep your relationship with God between you and Him and let others deal with themselves..YES!!!!!!

Is it easier to surround yourself with people who believe just like you and can affirm your own convictions and beliefs instead of constantly questioning and trying them?? YES, YES and YES!!!!!!

It's easier.

But God didn't put a light in us just for us to feel satisfied in our own ability to see. He put a light in us to help show the world that they are in darkness...and that they need a SAVIOR.

Luke 10:16 says: "Than he (Jesus) said to the disciples, He who receives your message is also receiving me. He who rejects your message, is also rejecting me. and anyone who rejects me, is rejecting God who sent me."

John 15:19-21 "If you were of the world, the world would love it's own. Yet because you are not of the world, and I chose you out of the world, the world hates you. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you...for the do not know the one who sent me."

It feels so personal, when people come against you for speaking the Word of God. It feels so personal, when you're called names, called a hypocrite or self righteous as if you have to be perfect to believe that Gods word is the standard by which to live.

Trust me, it hurts. It's never fun and for me it doesn't matter how many times it happens, it's hard.
BUT, I am encouraged knowing that it isn't ME, but rather CHRIST in me that is so offensive.

So when you're faced with the question of ...."Is this worth it"  " Does this issue REALLY matter?"

Remember; If it's based on BIBLICAL truth it is something people need to hear whether they receive it, or reject it.

The light may be offensive to those who love darkness...BUT the light is absolutely imperative to the soul who's desperately needing hope.

Jesus is their hope!

Christ's light is in you!

SO GO SHINE!!!!!!!!!

I love you all, be blessed!!

You Are a Good Mom

Hey all my beautifully messy mommy friends.

October was a CRAZY month for us. Lost going on, very busy, no time for blogging (obviously) :)

But I'm hoping that November is a little more calm, I'm so excited to be Christmas shopping and preparing for the holidays. I L-O-V-E this time of year.

Anywhoo...


I just want to share what's on my heart today, this is something that I think we all need to hear from time to time because we too easily forget.

YOU ARE A GOOD MOM!!!

There I said it. You are a good mom!!

You may not feel like one today, you may have had moments of breakdown, fighting, screaming, spankings, and time outs...But YOU are a good mom.


Don't compare your mothering to anyone elses. Don't compare your kids to anyone elses.

Comparison is NOT a true gauge of your individual worth.

I know for me, when I start to compare myself or my kids to others people's kids I can feel like a crummy mom.

But my friends' kids are different than my kids, my friends' personalities are different than my personality. It's just not fair to ourselves OR to the person we are comparing ourselves to to constantly be holding ourselves to a standard that was not given to us by God.

What works in your home may not work in someone else's and vice versa. Don't allow the enemy to make you think that because your mothering looks differently that it is wrong.

You have to find what works best within your household.

Now, I believe strongly in getting advice from others, or implementing new skills as a parent. We shouldn't use this as an excuse to just let our kids be crazy little hooligans. But there must be balance.

I think more often than not we are made to feel less than adequate, whether it be from lies from the enemy, our own insecurities, or unintentionally by our friends.

BUT YOU ARE DOING A GREAT JOB!!

You love your kids, you're doing your best, and you're making a difference.

I saw a saying recently and absolutely love it.

~BAD MOMENTS, DON'T MAKE BAD MAMMA'S. ~

That is true for me and it's true for you!!

No matter what you may be facing today, YOU are a great mom!!

I pray that your acceptance and knowledge of this truth will fill your heart with peace and joy today!

Be Blessed!