Friday, March 9, 2012

[Afternoon Tea]

The rain has been steady this morning making it impossible to get outside for a run with the little guy.
He's down for a nap and i'm at the table enjoying pomegranate green tea.

Do you ever have a conversation that sticks with you?  It's hard to shake the contents of what was a simple sentence. 
"This budget is showing oneness in your marriage"
"I never thought we would ever be at this point.  For years..but God.."
{Tears fall}



For the beginning of my marriage it was a very empty place.  I saw it as what can this marriage do for me?  God's authority was not welcome in our home.  We did not attend church, spend time in His word, and hardly a prayer was whispered in the walls of our home.
We were as different as night and day. 
I showed little to no respect for my husband.

We are now in a season rich with love for the other.
I am blown away by how God has blessed us.



I pour myself out to God and tell him no more of me, but to fill my heart with more of Him.  He didn't give me a list of things to do.
No, he scooted me ever so closely and asked if I'd join him daily and listen to him, spend time with him.
I did and day after day as I emptied, the holy spirit was no longer quenched in me.
I desired to be a blessing to Darren.
When he came home from work I wanted this home to be a safe haven. 
I didn't look back but chose to learn and move forward.

He goes to work so that I can stay at home with our son.
That right there is enough for me to love him to pieces!
I clean with a smile, I make his dinner with thanks, because this is where God intended me to be...at home raising our son.
I get to see all of the firsts.  I am blessed to not be a working mother that leaves early in the morning comes home to make dinner, help with homework, put the kids to bed only to have seen them for a few hours.  You have to understand that the sacrifices we make are worth it.  I don't want a big home, fancy clothes, if that means I can't see my Garrett.
(Note that some circumstances make this impossible, i totally get this!)
So right there..Darren has given me enough.  He has shown me love by allowing me to be a stay at home mother.




Darren and I don't work without God. 
We are as different as they come.  My marriage working is a testimony that God is good and does perform miracles still today. 
If i'm not walking with the Lord then everything is off.
I'm short tempered, not kind, self-seeking, and a mess.

Where are you today in your own marriage? Are you just barely getting through? Can you honestly not stand the person that lays beside you at night? 
When was the last time you reached out and put Him before you?
No marriage is perfect but God intended our christian marriages to be a place full of joy and a testimony of His love for the church.
I don't tell you this from a place of perfection in my marriage.  We have a long road ahead of us but I know what it's like to be on the brink of divorce.  I know that lie that satan tells that it will bring freedom.
It doesn't.
Inviting God to come close and change your heart so that you can love your spouse..
Well now THAT brings freedom. 
I stood before God and a room full of people vowing to Darren i'd love him no matter what.
I want to be true to my promises and do whatever it takes.
The biggest gift Darren and I can give to our son is to love each other well i'm learning.

I'm thinking about you today and praying for your homes.









Thursday, March 8, 2012

Sweet Amida..

{Sweet Amida}


Welcome to our family little one.  We are beyond excited to place your photo on our fridge and pray for you often.  The first letter has already been sent and we can't wait to see you grow over the coming years.
My heart is giddy tonight as God reaches out to you through our family.  We don't have much but goodness what a blessing this is for all of us. 
You, sweet one have a special place in my heart now and I can't wait to see what God will do in this.
The mother in me is excited to in a way adopt and nurture you.  I already want to give you the world and protect you from any harm that should ever come your way. 
I love you sweet Amida.


~*~
Oh yes, I've cried over this girl and have felt a heavy burden on my heart to squeeze this into our budget.  It's important to me because it's important to God.  He placed me in a family that did not struggle financially.  I married a man that has a steady job provided by the Lord and we always have shelter, food, and much more.
I've been blessed. 
God reminded me of this recently and my eyes were open to the rest of this world.  My monthly budget may have seemed tight last week but today it's huge compared to the equivalent of $23.00 Amida's family brings home.  So we prayed and considered this option to reach further and through
Compassion International we're able to help this little one know who Jesus is, see she gets an education, food, and is prayed and cared for from across the world. 

~*~
Allergies have taken over in this home and we've lived with a constant runny nose and acquired funny congested voices.  Last night I was going to head to bible study without Darren as he had to study.  He was to keep Garrett and so I was making dinner.
REWIND*I went to walmart to get medicine and since we're on a budget I picked up $0.88 allergy medicine.  I was getting a bargain I thought! We made it home and I popped those two pills as fast as possible...
There I was standing over the stove when my world started to get fuzzy and I started to drift.  I thought, 'whoa am I okay? nope..get to the couch as fast as possible' I called to darren but he was upstairs.  By the time he came down I had drifted asleep completely against my will.  Because all i was thinking was I need to get to bible study! An hour later I came to and darren told me the time and then I went back to sleep again..against my will.
I took an antihistamine..I was not educated in the side effects and the power of TWO of these tiny pink pills. Whoa!
So here's why i'm telling you this.  I was about to head out, in the car to bible study.  If I would have been in the car..well I don't even want to think of what could have happened. But I decided this morning when I finally came to that God had sent angels to protect me last night to sit me down on that couch.
*He MUST have a wonderful plan for my life.*
I'll be more aware from here on out what i'm taking. :)

~*~
And finally this was meant for last night but like I said earlier this girl was out!
A video covering my time in the Book of James.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

I can't muster the courage to admit how much effort and time went into this new layout.  But having things more organized feels wonderful!
Hopefully it's easy to navigate around now! Still have much to learn but this is a start. :)
There are a few more things to do and they will be straightened out this week!

This past Sunday a friend from church told me she has enjoyed reading my blog even though she isn't a military wife and I wanted to say this place is welcome for everyone.  It was nice to hear that she was following along!
Feedback is encouraged!


Last night Darren had duty and I decided to spend the evening doing a project that seemed perfect in my mind but I honestly didn't know how it would end up.
1.Painted boxes
2.Painted plastic shelves from my 'everything Laura loves' room

You need pictures, right?
Don't worry,
I need to finish a few things with the boxes and put things back on the shelves but then I will post the pictures under the {All Things Creative} tab. :)


She is on my 'if we ever met..i'd be humbled' list
Ann Voskamp is a mentor that i've never actually met. But daily (except for Sundays) a warm welcome awaits at her home, and she shares stories of life and love for Jesus, family, and people.  I could sit with a warm cup of coffee all day if I could learning from her.
Her book, 'One Thousand Gifts' is about being thankful in the midst of what may seem mundane.
I decided to take her dare and in a small journal you will find it's filled with gifts from God that are anything from, the way the sun spills across the wood floors to my sweet baby boy who let out the cutest giggle.  It's been an intimate time between the Lord and I as those pages have quickly filled and the numbers add up. 
Today Ann Voskamp writes about meeting Kathy Giffords and being on her show, I wonder if she knows the extent in which God has been using her?
I'm blessed to have handfuls of women in my life that I know personally as well as the ones on my 'I wish we could meet' list.
Her blog is found on the right sidebar, simply click her name and you'll find yourself in a wonderful new place..prepare to be blessed!


All things MAKEUP!

I am SO excited to share this young lady with you.  Megan has such a sweet spirit and is a wonderful teacher.
Honestly makeup is something I decided it was time to learn.  I want to look my best and have no problem with a touch of makeup! I was led to megan's youtube page where she sits down in front of the camera and takes you step by step through practical ways to do your makeup and what products to use.
I've loved that she has reccomended very affordable products since we're on a budget.  If you need some new ideas please take a minute to watch a few of her videos, it will be worth your time!
I need to post a picture of my new makeup routine. :)
The best thing has been the comments recieved about how i've worn my makeup recently.
Here is the link to her channel:
~~~~~*~~~~~

Who encourages you?