My One Word: FEARLESS

When I first began thinking and praying on my one word for 2014 I never imagined that fearless would be revealed to me. In all honesty, when I began thinking along the lines of "fearless" - I had a moment.

 I mean...Fearless?

Really?

You must have the wrong gal.  If there is one thing I am not - it's fearless.

But it kept coming up:

"Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged" (Joshua 8:1).

"For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline" (2 Timothy 1:7)

"So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?" (Hebrews 13:6)

"Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7)

"But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news, that will cause great joy for all people'" (Luke 2:10)

Everywhere I turned, the message of fearlessness, courage, and bravery seemed to be in my face. Why, even the women's Bible study at my church for the new year is "I am BOLDER than..."


So apparently there it is... my word for 2014: Fearless.

To live free from the "what ifs".  Free from worry.  Free from anxiety - about what could happen, might happen, or should happen.

It is trusting. Trusting God's plan for my life. Trusting His word.  Having faith that He has plans to prosper me and not to bring me harm (Jeremiah 29:11).Belief that He came so I could live an abundant life. (John 10:10) That he will supply for all my needs (Philippians 4:19).

It means facing situations and circumstances that scare me.  Taking a deep breath and stepping into the fear - in faith.  Knowing that while I might not be strong or courageous enough on my own, I can do all things through Christ (Philippians 4:13)

Not letting the fear of failure stop me from doing what I feel called to do.  Knowing that if it is meant to be, I can't fail. And if I fall on my face, it wasn't meant to be and the Lord will pick me up and set me back on the right path.

Trusting in God's plan for me.  Walking in obedience.  Using the Lord as my strength and shield. (Psalm 28:7) My refuge and my help (Psalm 91:2).

Living a year of faith, abundance, strength, and obedience.

Fearless.

Waiting to be Lifted

"I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand"
 ~ Psalm 40: 1-2

What is easier to lift?   A child squirming, and fussing - or a child sitting patiently with arms lifted to you?

The second one, right?

But me... I'm not so good at the "waited patiently" part.

I try to wait on the Lord.  I try to trust.  To pray.  To believe.

But I still find myself trying to go my own way.  To handle things my own way.  To do my own thing.

When all I really have to do is wait patiently and cry out to the Lord.  He will hear me and show me the way.  He will lift me and give me a firm place to stand.

If only I can learn to wait patiently for His will and His way.  Not mine.

The Calm After The Storm (Repost)

  *originally posted on December 27, 2011*

Shhh...  do you hear that?  Yeah, neither do I. 

That, my friends, is the sound of silence.  My house is once again quiet.  After all the endless chatter, laughter, people coming and going, and even a little yelling - silence now hangs heavy in the air.  After the madness and mayhem of Christmas I enjoying taking a few minutes to close my eyes, take a deep breath, and feel it all around me.  It's peaceful.  I can hear my own thoughts again. 

My home still looks as if Christmas walked in and threw up in each and every room.  The fridge is still packed full of leftovers which must be dealt with.  And yes, there are still a few gifts that need to be packaged up and delivered.  But all that can wait for a bit.

For just now, I revel in the nothingness of the moment.  

 

 

These People

"These people are grumblers and fault finders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage." ~ Jude 1:16

I know these people...

I have been one of these people...

I'm afraid some most days I am still one of these people.

I pray the Lord will help to not be a grumbler and fault finder.

To follow Him rather than my own ways.  Not to boast about myself; but to give Him the glory. 

Merry Christmas

The Manger Moment

God came into the world on a dark night all those many years ago.  He chose to step down from the glory of His throne in heaven into the ordinary, sin-filled world.  To meet us right here where we were.

He still does.

If we call to Him, He will come and meet us right here.  Where ever we are.  In the darkest night.  Surrounded by animals.  In a place that stinks.  He will be there.  In your world. 

Just like the night He was born of a woman into our world.  Just has He came to save us then - He will save us now.  All we have to do is find room for Him.  A manger within our hearts.

Where and when is your manger moment?  That moment you opened your heart and let Jesus enter into your world. 

Do Not Throw Away Your Confidence

"Do not throw away your confidence..."

Be confident in God.  Be brave with God. Be fearless in obedience. Persevere in doing God's will.

Confident.  Brave.  Fearless.

Fight the good fight.  Run the race. Win the prize.

In Christ...

Through Christ...

With Christ...

The Song In My Heart

What To Do During Cold Winter Days

Winter has arrived.  A new season means a whole new list of things I want to try/accomplish/achieve.  A brand new To-Do list begins.

• Go for a walk in the snow
• Begin working to building up inventory for Queen B's Busy Work
• Make homemade cocoa mix
• Finish at least the first book in the Game of Thrones series
• Work out more frequently
•  Bake some bread (I've got a bread maker around here somewhere)
• Come up with a brilliant Valentine idea to surprise the Man of the House
• Clean out and organize the storage closet (seems like a good project for a cold winter's day)

How I Spent The Autumn Days

If you recall, way back on the first day of Autumn I created a fall to-do list of things I wanted to accomplish before Winter rolled around.  And you may just be wondering how I did on completing that list.  (probably not... but let's pretend, ok? Ok.)  Well, for the curious - here's a little update on the last day of Autumn. 

1. Go on a hike (or two, or three... or five)
2. Go on a hike by myself
3. Make pumpkin muffins (lots of them!)
4. Visit a corn maze
5. Learn to make risotto
6. Start (and finish) some homemade Christmas presents
7. Make pumpkin pancakes from scratch
8. Decorate the porch for autumn  
9. Get a new family portrait 
10. Try out some of the cute fall outfit ideas I have on my Pinterest board
11. Give some old sweaters new life
12. Do some sewing projects
13. Schedule some date nights with the Man of the House
14. Crochet a beautiful new scarf - for myself!
15. Remodel the hall bathroom 

My first ever attempt at making risotto!

Not too bad, all things considered. A few things which I never got around to, but for the most part I feel as if it were a successful fall season. 

Now - on to Winter!  

Naughty and Nice

After reading chambanachik's recent blog entry of "Love/Do Not Love (No. 4: Christmas Edition)" I was inspired to come up with my own little list of what I find naughty and nice about the Christmas season. So, without any further ado - Here we go!

credit: integrityhr.com

Nice:

• Christmas music: any and all... from Silent Night to Jingle Bells.  I enjoy listening.  I enjoy singing along (loudly and off-key) even more!
• Peppermint: It's one of those things that for most of the year I can take it or leave it.  But once Thanksgiving rolls past, I am suddenly all about the mint... peppermint patties, peppermint mocha, peppermint bark, peppermint cocoa, candy canes...  And have you tried the mint M&M's? Yummy!!  (A similar thing happens with candy corn in autumn, and jelly beans around Easter - but that's fodder for another post.)
• Christmas lights: this is where more = better in my opinion.  No, we don't put them up.  But I am so happy others do!  I love driving down the road on some after dark errand and spotting Christmas lights up ahead.  And one of my favorite family traditions is piling everyone in the car to see the Lake Julian Festival of Lights each year.
• Watching Christmas Specials/Movies: Few things take me right back to my childhood like watching all the animated Christmas shows like Rudolph, Frosty, and of course... the Grinch! I also enjoy the non-animated Christmas movies which are an absolute must for viewing at this time of year: A Christmas Story, Christmas Vacation, and Elf are tops on the list. 
• Christmas Cookies: Really?  Do I need to say any more?  
• Festive holiday wear: I am just going to admit it... I have been rocking the red and green color combo for a few weeks now.  And yes.. I own and wear some little jingle bell earrings.  And ones shaped like candy canes.  Fashion don't? Maybe.  But it's only for about a month each year.  And it's just so much darn fun! (and no.. this does not include sweaters with Santa, or animals of any type. See: Naughty)
• Salvation Army Bell Ringers: There they stand,exposed to all the elements, ringing that little bell non-stop for hours on end.  It would be enough to make me insane.  But somehow the ones I pass always seem full of the holiday spirit and wish me a "Merry Christmas" as I walk past - even when I don't stop to drop some change in the bucket.
• Having the Man of the House and the kiddos home for a week: Christmas break.  A time of lazy mornings and staying up late.  No work.  No school.  A lovely escape from day to day life for a while.
• Christmas eve service: I don't know what it is about this church service; but I prefer Christmas eve over Christmas morning.  Maybe I still have a little Catholic girl in me yet.. longing for some midnight mass. 

Naughty:

• Grumpy people: I've already touched on this subject in the entry "A Little Grinch In All of Us", but it bears repeating.  Yes, the stores are crowded.  Yes, we are all busy and in a hurry.  That doesn't give anyone permission to be even more of a Grinch than usual.  
• Gingerbread: Just not a fan.
• Those commercials with the kids asking Santa for a car: What does a 10 year old need with a Ford?  I just don't get it.  
• Unseasonably warm weather: I want to see some snowflakes! I'm not asking for a big ol' snowstorm, but some flurries would be nice. Or a happy little dusting of snow - just enough to give a pretty coating of white to everything.
• Ugly Christmas Sweater parties: and the sweaters which inspired them.  There, I said it. 
• Being away from my sisters: yes, I know they'll be here a few days after Christmas to visit.  But I still miss them on Christmas.  I mean, we were together almost every Christmas for the first 21 years of my life. They are as much a part of my early Christmas' as Santa Claus!

Remind You of Someone? (repost)

**originally posted December 3, 2012**

I have always loved this quote: "Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy."

It recently occurred to me, that sounds a lot like Someone else I know...

Yes, there is a God. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.

Christmas In Print

I am completely obsessed... with printables!

You know... those fun little designs (often "subway art") that show up all over Pinterest.  Many you can find online are free to download and use for personal use.

And believe me... I am taking full advantage of these little gems! I've used one for my new bathroom decor, which I'll share another time.

Right now I want to share some of the lovely Christmas printables I found online. 

I printed these out and placed them in the frames which hang on my lovely handcrafted iron hook rack (made for me by my own father).  Along with a cute cookie press and my pretty little glass "P" they make a festive little display for the dining room wall!

 Sadly.. I didn't thing about bookmarking the places I found the beautiful designs.  And I almost didn't post this because I wasn't able to share the creative designers and give them proper credit.  I feel awful about that.  So, if you recognize your own or someone's design - PLEASE let me know so I can give credit where credit is due!