Friday, May 31, 2013

fashionista in my head

Im always on Pinterest seeing these super cute looks and dreaming of a day when I can afford to look so styled..haha Not really. I mean if the outfits fell into my lap at a reasonable price then yes, I would totally grab them up and wear them religiously. But no I don't long for them in an unhealthy way! After all they are just clothes but, it is fun to show my personality and dress up once in awhile. If you asked me to some up what my style was in words I would probably just say .... a mixture of different styles combined. Check out the looks I like and give me your feedback! What do you think my style is?


I think its pretty clear I'm a huge fan of slouchy tops, skinny jeans, big bags, neutral colors with one bright color and totally against matchy matchyness.

the good thing....



Why is it that the right thing is usually the hard thing!?!

Probably because the right thing means dying to ourselves not giving in to the flesh which, is no easy task. The flesh which tends to fight against everything God desires for us also fights for everything that temporarily makes life better and easier.

I often wonder how my heart can be so stubborn at times, that I give into my flesh? Even when I know it will amount in no gain. When I know it will only result in me becoming closer to the world and farther from my Father. Which will result in a life filled to the brim with despair and pain running from one thing to another for fulfillment.

It irritates me to an almost unbearable degree, my flesh. I can definitely relate to Pual in Romans 7:15 when he says, "For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate." Its true we often at times hate the sin in our lives but keep on sinning !?! Thinking that our ways will somehow amount to change that we can do what we want, how we want and things will turn out okay.

And no matter how long we attempt we continue to fail.

But this only testifies to the power of Christ and that apart from him we can do nothing. It means that if we are not in his will we are not going to be okay our ways will not be prosperous and we will not bring glory to His name. Well, you might be for a short time that is until something goes wrong. Glory to Christ though, is given when things go wrong and we can remain strong and find our strength in him to carry on.

Galatians 5:13-16 ESV /
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

His desire for us is that we live a blessed life and if we hold that love close to our hearts we will begin to understand.

Monday, May 27, 2013

memorial day thanks and #bachelorette thoughts


First and foremost I want to thank all the soldiers who have and continue to BRAVELY fight for our freedom. You are appreciated. Because of you I was blessed to be able to spend this Monday enjoying time with dear friends and family.

On the Agenda was a last minute cook-out at my grandma's. Pork chops, ribs, brats, hot dogs, macaroni salad, and fruit. YUM YUM YUM. I had a great time playing with my cousins Chris and Danica. At 20 years-old I can say I still thoroughly enjoy hide and go seek. And flying kites or attempting to fly kites HAH!. It was totally the kite old and shoddy. (I said I would never use the word shoddy because it sounds too much like shorty but, look at me eating my words.)Oh well, Next time we will be more prepared with a new kite! Laughing and eating and just being in each others presence its a sure way to fill your heart with JOY. We also celebrated my Uncle Wayne's 59th Birthday, Happy Birthday Uncle Wayne.







Then it was off to Cindy's house for some more grilled food. My belly was getting full but I managed to make room for a hamburger and some potatoes. Realizing I wasn't going to be able to eat much more I passed on salad to be sure I had room for a brownie and ice cream. NO REGRETS! Then after dinner we made time to play a card game. It was the perfect opportunity to teach Greg, Cindy, and Joseph a game I had been playing a lot lately with my boyfriend and his family and so I TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE MOMENT! Warlords and Scumbags, have you played? Its pretty fun. I was feeling pretty confident until they finally caught on and by the end of the game I had went from Warlord to Scumbag. Now my confidence was in that I had adequately succeeded in teaching them. More confirmation that TEACHING is my thing? I think so :)



The cherry on top? The Bachelorette was on and its only one of my favorite shows ever! And for some reason when the guys left especially the magician and knight in shining armor, I was sad to see them go! I almost teared up as corny as they might have been they seemed pretty genuine and most of the time the guys that go home on the first night are just PYSCHO and SCARY or CRAZY AWKWARD.

Good Luck in Love, Magician


and Knight in Shinning Armor ......

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

An update: hatchlings


I was so excited today to see that the entire nest of Eastern Phoebes on my porch had hatched. So little so helpless. Did you know their momma will work around the clock from sun up to sun down, feeding them every ten to fifteen minutes for the next three weeks or until they leave the nest!?!
When I found that out I was shocked!! As a nanny, I know how hard it is feeding one kid 3x times a day but feeding three little mouths upwards of 72x per day now that's a JOB!



Once I checked on those little guys I headed out to my backyard to see if anything had happened in the Robin nest. And to my surprise the three little blue eggs were only two and one hatchling. It was so cute to see it move around.



Before observing these nests I had assumed that they all hatched at once for some reason but,that's actually far from reality. Sometimes it takes another two days for the rest of the nest to fully hatch. The mom also doesn't have all her eggs at once either which explains why that happens. When observing the Eastern Phoebe nest I checked it one day and there were three eggs and the next day there were five.

Its amazing to see their transformation thus far and I imagine that's how God see us in some aspect. I'm sure he relishes in our growth and movement towards him. When we move on from our spiritual milk and begin to eat spiritual food.
1 Peter 2:2 ESV Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—

Friday, May 17, 2013

This is the day


As I look all around me I am blessed to be alive another day.

This is the day the LORD has brought about. We will be happy and rejoice in it.
Despite every worry that pops into my head every thing on my to do list, I am still reminded this is His day not mine. His plans are sure to bring about a good work in me.

The beautiful signs all around me of new life are miraculous. From the bees and butterflies to the birds which I have recently become captivated by, and the bunnies the oh so cute bunnies. Let your heart be blessed and encouraged. New Life.


Mathew 6:25-34 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?



After I posted the blog this morning I was out in the yard and found another little set of blessings check back and i'll keep ya updated on their progress !

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

From a nanny I admire that


After reading a post from the blog: The Gray Matters titled To the Good People of the Grocery Store, With Love I was inspired to write this post. Why? Because it has become increasingly clear to me as nanny of a solid (8 going on 9 years), Parents who stick to their guns are exactly the kind of parents our children need! As did Mrs. Gray.

While her child was crying in the grocery store she shopped on and didn't give in to his tantrum, regardless of the thoughts and stares others were giving her and she has my applaud for that.

Like I said I have been a nanny for children for 8 years and one thing I know is that consistency is what works. They need to know they can't use other people to manipulate their parents into acting a different way or giving into them. You might say well her son was only a toddler but trust me when I say they learn that very very quickly and early.

It seems like parents these days have stopped disciplining which by the way means training and teaching and started pleasing. Which in my opinion sets their children up to fail in life. Life is tough sometimes and if we spend our whole childhood getting pleased by our parents we will expect that from everyone else too and that is just not reality.

When children who have been pleased all their life then, have to deal with difficulties in life they are ill prepared and likely unable to cope in a healthy way.

But let's focus on the positives of this method of parenting. At the end of the shopping trip Mrs. Gray's Son said, "Mom, I'm sorry for hitting. I will make better choices next time." Wow I can't imagine how rewarding that must have been for her to hear. She did the right thing and guess what her son was responsive and learned from it. He learned that he could cry and throw a fit but, that wasn't going to change anything and he even came to the realization that he was wrong. Yes even little ones can assume responsibility. Trust me we underestimate them all too often.

Thank you Mrs. Gray for setting a good example for us all, I admire your parenting!

Thursday, May 9, 2013

friday five ~ my books my babies



Reading for me isn't a mundane task, its an indulgence look out here it comes, I desire to read much more than I actually do. Why? Because its a privilege a lot of people deny themselves. It is an opportunity to dine on the thoughts of others and eat them up or spit them out. Either way you learn more about the world and more about yourself its an extraordinary thing.

I love what the people below have to say about reading.

“A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading.”
― William Styron, Conversations with William Styron

Some books should be tasted, some devoured, but only a few should be chewed and digested thoroughly.”
― Cornelia Funke, Inkheart

“No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.”
― Robert Frost

The following book are ones I highly recommend, they are powerful and life changing!

First and foremost:I have to recommend my all time favorite:
Redeeming Love by:Francine Rivers
This book truly speaks to one's heart about the power of forgiveness.



Next on the list: A Woman after God's Own Heart by: Elizabeth George
This book taught me so much about what it means to be a woman in Christ everything from time management to family life.



Numero 3: Who Do You Think You Are? by: Mark Driscoll
I'm reading this book right now with my mentor and its wowing me! Truly giving me a whole other perspective of who God is and how he so lovingly attends to his sons and daughters.



4.Reshaping It All by. Candace Cameron Bure
This is a Christian book about health and fitness. It was a really helpful tool that I used in overcoming my eating disorder.
Candace candidly shares her struggles with an eating disorder and how God's word spoke truth to her heart about the health of her body.


Last bust not least is the book I want to read once I finish up school for the summer.
Bonhoeffer by:Eric Metaxas
New York Times bestselling author of Amazing Grace, a groundbreaking biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer,a Christian pastor and one of the greatest heroes of the twentieth century, the man who stood up to Hitler. If this is the description I can only imagine what lies within the pages of this man's life biography.



What books have been life changing for you? Please share I'm always looking for new books to read. Also follow me on pinterest to see what other books I love.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

running in circles


I'm so forgetful, but you always remind me you're the only one who brings me Peace

im so forgetful, but you always remind me
youre the only one who brings me peace

so i come, lord
to tell you i love you
to tell you i need you
to tell you theres no better place for me than in your arms
to tell you im sorry for running in circles
for placing my focus on the waves and not your face
By: United Pursuit - Running in Circles

As I sat in my college ministry,(Engage)today and listened to the band play I felt the weight of these lyrics they were exactly what my heart felt. Word for word they echoed my thoughts.

I was frustrated at my week and my stagnant good Christian life. I was upset with my actions and how I had let self pity be my God. I was exhausted at how much I had complained and dwelt on what I didn't have. And instead of getting in God's word I had gone to every other place I could possibly think of for peace. I had desired to be filled by friendships, my boyfriend, my family, my appearance and my job.

When none of these things filled me I was left feeling like a failure. The onset of negative thoughts and a negative attitude had taken over me. I was bitter, angry, sad, lonely, frustrated, and hurt. I wasn't setting a Christ-like example of faith I was responding to my emotions. I was following my will not his and seeing how quickly it was getting me back to the place He has redeemed me from.

You see, only five short years ago I was in the midst of an eating disorder threatening to claim all that God has for me to accomplish here on this earth. He brought me through it though and has given me freedom through his son. He made stronger and grew my relationship with him. He taught me so much. He truly does make everything work together for his GLORY. This week though it was as if I had forgotten all He had done for me and was focusing all that I didn't have.

Realizing what was happening and being involved in a wonderful ministry (Engage) I was blessed to have them pray for me. Pray that my faith would increase exponentially. Pray that I would trust God more; that I would let him use me and grow me to do great things in His name. It is in that moment that my heart softened and I realized I was being filled he was what I had needed and will always need. Its our relationship FIRST. HIS and mine.

If you read my blog, live in my area, and are looking for a college ministry to be involved in, please let me personally recommend Engage Ministry at White River Christian Church (Noblesville, IN).

Friday, May 3, 2013

friday five - wardrobe wishes

Spring is in full swing and that means - freedom for my feet.

As soon as the weather gets above 50 degrees I give myself full permission to bring out the sandals. Which is actually an improvement. In high school I was know for wearing sandals when it was pretty cold out. I'm not a fan of wearing shoes at all and would much rather run around barefoot 24/7 but, because that's not an option sometimes, I have the best excuse to get cute new sandals.

Ideally I would end up with these (5 pairs) if funds allowed :)

1. the sweet and simple


This pair is number one on the list because they are a neutral color and you could dress them up or wear em with a casual outfit.

2. the girly


These would be a must because I'm supper girly and these definitely cater to my need for all things bows.

3. the black

While I'm girly I think my style is also simple and these black sandals would look sweet with a cute summer dress. Not too much just enough.

4. the POP-out


Also necessary is at least one pair of shoes with a pop out color. I have a fear of being matchy matchy.... totally acceptable to rock these with pink shorts and a white top (in my opinion).
5. the special occasion


Now I would probably only wear these twice (I'll admit) but honestly their too cute to pass up! Follow me on PINTEREST to see more of my fashion favorites (Shai Masters)