Awesomeness

Happy Monday! I have a few random thoughts running through my mind this morning, so I want to share them with y'all, of course!

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First of all, thank you for all of your sweet comments and feedback with Nancy's birth story -- especially concerning my tearfully joyous "I AM SO AWESOME!" reaction to laboring 8cm sans epidural. I loved hearing snippets of your birth stories too, and the conclusion I've made as a result is that we are all (freaking) awesome. Seriously! Every birth story is beautiful. Whether you got an epidural from the start, had a c-section, naturally labored, a combination of those, water birthed, home birthed...whatever. EVERY birth story is awesome because it's written by a good, loving God. Every human is made in the image of God (Gen 1:27), and we--all of us women--we carry these tiny humans for 9 months, fall in love with them in the womb, and birth them. What a gift! So yeah. Women are awesome. We rock. You rock. The end. :)

I got this precious devotional for new mamas from a sweet family friend (Hi, Patti!), and I decided that the perfect time to read a devotion a day was during my wee-hours-of-the-morning feeding. This was what I read on Saturday. How fitting. :) Amen? You are amazing!

You might've caught the news on Instagram, but if you didn't, we will be calling this house our home sooner than later! We are so excited and very obsessed. We love the curb appeal, the traditional ranch layout...aaaaaand that it needs a little bit of updating. Think so much mustard yellow paint in too many rooms, pink tile in one bathroom and royal blue tile in the other. Oh, and silver glitter all over the master bathroom walls. Like, legit glitter. I'm giddy with design ideas running through my head. How I've missed home and decor blog posts!!! All that to say...many more of those will be coming your way later this summer! HOORAY!
Hope your weekends were fabulous. We spent lots of time at Hope and Spyros' new house. Unpacking, frozen pizza, drinks, and kitchen dance party perfection. Also--I'm determined to get Hope back on the blog radar ASAP. Yes?! Yes.

The Width of Life

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I'd never read this quote until yesterday. (Thanks, Pinterest.) I thought it to be supremely appropriate with our upcoming Euro babymoon...and that daunting to do list that always grows exponentially before leaving town. Speaking of: does anyone else have to make their house sparkle before vacation?! From dusting, to scrubbing, to laundry (and everything else in between), I can't let myself leave without knowing I'm coming back to a clean slate. And somehow cleaning the house is only a sliver of the pre-travel to do list, right?

Even still: I have a smile on my face, joy in my heart, and I truly cannot wait for the week ahead. Instead of merely surviving the length of today, let's live the width of it.

So bring it on, Monday. Let's do this. Well, with a little help...

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Cheers, y'all...cheers to living the width of this glorious day!

Be sure to pop over to Lena's blog -- January's champagne sponsor!

2015 Vision

Mark and I were extremely fortunate to spend 2 weeks in my hometown of Charlotte, NC. They were glorious, filled to the brim, and of course passed all too quickly. During that downtime, I thought a lot about what I want my 2015 to look like. I've pondered a few goals in my head, but when I went to church this past Sunday, I realized all of my ideas fell under one single, higher vision.

 

Live Him.

 

If the key to making Jesus' Truth known is living Him, then I must ensure that I'm doing that! I reflected on some of my weaknesses and chose four strives that I wish to make this year in effort to more brightly live the Truth of Jesus within me.

 

 

Pray More

"Pray without ceasing." 1 Thessalonians 5:17

It's as plain and simple as it sounds. I want to find myself in constant conversation with God throughout the day. I want to seek Him in the big things, the small things, and all things in between. 

Open the Bible

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." Hebrews 4:12 

I am really good about not opening my Bible. Really! It's terrible! I can soak up wisdom and goodness in She Reads Truth studies and devotions every morning without laying a hand on my actual Bible. The perks of technology? Hardly. Yikes!

 

This goal came to me because I thought about what I want Nancy to see when she watches her mommy. I want her to know that I'm in the Word, that I love to study His word, and that it is our absolute Truth and our Book of Life! Time to put down the handy dandy iPad and study the living pages of the Bible.

Show Hospitality

"Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality." Romans 12:13

Remember this SRT study? Or Blue Eyed Bride's series? They convicted me big time. I realized that I'm a horrible inviter. There's not really any particular reason why...it genuinely just does not come naturally to me. Inviting isn't something I think about a lot. I want to commit to showing more hospitality in 2015 -- just like Jesus always did.

Explicitly Express Love + Gratitude

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." John 13:34

Explict: stated clearly and in detail, leaving no room for confusion or doubt. God explicitly reveals what He thinks about me (and you!) in His word. And what wonderful things He has to say about us. We are free to read about His love for us any time. Thank you, Lord, for that freedom!

 

As someone who loves to write, I could stand to explicitly share my love and gratitude with the people I adore most in this world. I want to write a letter or two a month to members of my family (and/or friends who are family) just to tell them how I feel about them. The most regretful words are the ones left unspoken. I am not one to hold back my feelings or emotions (obviously, I know!), but sometimes it's nice to have something written down. I want to record words that someone can hold in his or her hands and look back on for weeks, months, or even years to come.

What about you? Do you have a vision for 2015?

 

Be sure to pop on over to Lena's blog -- January's champagne sponsor!

A Thought [+ Giveaway Winner]

Via

I love that. A little Monday encouragement for us all. :)
Keeping it short + sweet today.
Hope y'all had fabulous, cozy weekends full of love.

The winner of the Pink Slip Boutique giveaway is Sara H. Congrats, girlie! I'll be emailing you soon.

Cheers to [the way you're gonna rock this] Monday!

On Saying "No"

Via

Saying no. It's not as tough for me as it once was. I have to admit, I've become better at saying no without feeling guilty -- guarding time for my family. And this weekend was one of those weekends. Unfortunately, we missed out on some events that I know I would have absolutely adored attending. But sometimes you just have to listen to that little voice inside your head and and say no. 

We traveled to Charlotte last weekend and had the best time visiting our friends and family. And we have two more jam packed (full of fun, nonetheless!) weekends coming up. So instead of filling this past one too...we said "no." Even though I still hated missing out and wished I could be with friends of mine as I saw their gorgeous pictures pop up on Instagram (owning it!)...I know that "no" was still the right choice for us.

Via

This little quote has been floating its way around social media, and I love it. These words epitomize my day yesterday. Yesterday affirmed our choice to stay in town this weekend. It was a day full of peaceful productivity and quality family time.

To me, Sunday, October 4, 2014, was perfect.

We slept in (till 9:30!).

I made Mark a quick breakfast, and he headed to his soccer game.

I put dinner in the crock pot.

And went to Pure Barre.

Came home and meal planned.

And we watched the Panthers (which was a fabulous game to watch!) as a family.

Went on a quick, 2 mile family walk at halftime. 

Did laundry during the 2nd half of the game.

Took a bath.

Went to church. 

Signed up to attend Dave Ramsey class together on finances. 

Came home and ate dinner (that had been cooking all day!). And dessert.

And now here I am typing.

Next I'll probably make some tea, we'll watch a few episodes of The Office, and call it a day.

(Does anyone else watch the series of The Office and then start it all over again when it's over? We do.)

Obviously, yesterday was nothing novel or super eventful. And that was just what I needed. Though I will love and adore these next couple of weekends of joyous festivities and celebrations, this weekend, I just needed to say "no" and press "recharge" -- as a family. Because I want to be intentional about spending quality time together.

What about you? How do you set boundaries for your family? Do you struggle with saying "no?"

Pop on over and visit Nina -- because what girl doesn't love flowers in her hair? :)  

Hope

Via

 

I love the word hope for so many reasons. Hope has a lot to do with Christ, a lot to do with my sister, and a lot to do with my sister's story (Part 1 | Part 2).

And since I'm a little hope-sick (miss you, sissy!), I thought I'd share the above Scripture today. :) That's my prayer for all of us this mighty fine Tuesday morning.

The good news for moi? I'm reunited with my fam (and friends who are fam!) in Charlotte this weekend...for a long weekend. Praise the Lord! I can't wait. I've been itching for a trip home. It has been a while. I finally get my fam fix. CLT bound in T-2 days. Woopwoop!

Wishing you the loveliest day!

 

Pop on over and visit Nina -- because what girl doesn't love flowers in her hair? :) 

"Open Your Bible" With Me!

Morning, y'all!  I wanted to remind/encourage you to read She Read's Truth's "Open Your Bible" series alongside me for these next couple of weeks.

There is no reason not to...

This study is free on the She Reads Truth app.

[Studies are always free via the website.]

And (!!!) they have made the printable journal that coincides with the study "pay what you can."

The breakdown? You can access all of this wonder and wisdom for free!

So do it!!

No excuse not to!

 

If you're thinking, "Where do I go from here?"

She Reads Truth Website

She Reads Truth App

Link to the downloadable, printable journal at the bottom of Day 1!

My favorite part? This series is written for everyone. The skeptic, the new believer, the girl with a lot of questions, the devout studier. Wherever you are in life, let's be in this together...let's be in the Word together. Glory to God!

Who's with me?!

 

Pop on over and visit Nina -- because what girl doesn't love flowers in her hair? :) 

This Is The Day

Via

How lovely and gorgeous is that print?! Etsy is the best.

I hope this little Monday post finds you well and that y'all had wonderful weekends!

Ours wasn't too eventful, and that was appreciated greatly by yours truly. :)

 

However you felt when you rolled out of bed this morning (I know, I know! It's Monday!), let's reset our hearts to this Truth!

P.S. Did anyone read about She Reads Truth's next plan called Open Your Bible?! It begins September 16 (one week from today!), and I'm already so excited!!!! Read more about it here. And do it with me!!

 

This is the day that the Lord has made

Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24

 

Pop on over and visit Nina -- because what girl doesn't love flowers in her hair? :)