Easter Prayer

Praying this prayer today.  

I hope  you will do the same.

Father I am so grateful. So grateful. That You love me so much that You would give Your Son for me. That He would willingly bear my shame so that I could live in eternal communion with You. There are no words that can ever adequately convey my thanks. I am humbled, Lord, to know that I could never pay my own way. I could never be good enough or worthy enough in my own right. I could never be holy enough to enter into Your courts on my own. That You gave Christ to be my sin-bearer. I humble myself right now before Your throne and I cry out praises to You, my King. Lord, You are great and greatly to be praised. You are great and greatly to be praised. Oh Father, YOU ARE GREAT, and greatly to be praised. Jesus... Thank you, Jesus. That You gave Your life for me so that I could live with You in eternity. That You became the greatest sacrifice man will ever know so that we would never have to live separate from Your love. Oh Jesus. Messiah. How I praise You. How I thank You. I adore You, Lord. You have loved me with a depth that my heart and mind cannot possibly fathom. I give my life to You. I give myself to You right now and I give You all authority, all power, all dominion. Be the head of my heart and the Lord of my life. May my life be a testimony of gratefulness to You for the greatest act of Love I will ever know. All this in Christ's sweet name. Amen.
— Rosheeda Lee

Have a blessed Easter my friends.

Tried and true

Don' t you hate it when something is hyped up and you get so excited to

 try it but it fails miserably to live up to your expectations?

Yeah, me too.  

You learn pretty quick on Pinterest that just because something says pinner 

said it was the best thing ever, it does not necessarily ring true.

Does that mean you shouldn't try it?

Heck no!

You should still try it for yourself, just know that it might bomb instead of being "the bomb" ;)

Today I thought I'd share some of my Pinterest successes with you.

~ From my "In the Kitchen" Board ~

Snickerdoodle Blondies

These babies were pretty delicious, must have been all that butter and sugar ;)

Substitute Greek Yogurt

I've substituted Greek yogurt for Mayo and sour cream so far and 

I tell ya, 

I don't miss them at all!

Baked Onion Dip

This one is from one of my favorite bloggers...Ruthie!  

I made it for 2 parties over the holidays and it went quick! 

Simple to make but oh so good...perfect!

~ From my Luscious Locks Board ~

Honey and Oil hair treatment

This made my hair so sleek and shiny.  

I do this about every 2-3 weeks.

Double Bun pin-up

This was one of my favorite ways to wear my hair when it was longer.
 Took only minutes to put up and looked totally put together,
that's what I need in the mornings!

~ From my Beauty Board ~

Clean your makeup brushes

It's one of those little science experiments where your grossed out by how dirty your brushes are
but you secretly like seeing how much gunk is coming out.

Oatmeal and Baking soda exfoliant

This works way better than the St. Ives exfoliating scrub I was using.
It leaved my skin feeling so soft!  But only leave it on for a minute like the site says
...cause it can start to burn a bit after that.

So there you have it.
Those are some of my tried and true pins.
Hope you may have found something useful to try!
Do you follow me on Pinterest? You can do so here.
I'd love to see what you're pinning!  Leave me your username!

*given the ending of GFC, I do hope you'll follow me on Bloglovin!

Linking up here today!

It's been a while...

...since I linked up with Carissa for Miscellany Monday.

Here's a little bit of what's been going on in my neck of the woods lately.

1.  Been doing a lot of this lately...taking care of myself and finding time to relax that is.  

Still wish I could work in more soaks in the tub, I'm lucky if I take a bath instead of a shower

once or twice a year.  Got to do it more! 

2. We recently had friends over for an evening of virtual bowling,

 beer, and these sweet little blondies.  Oh my were they good.  I think 

I may have enjoyed eating the batter most ;)  

It's the baker's right to lick the bowl and spoon I say.

3. There is simply WAY TOO MUCH of this.  

I try to keep positive because Spring will indeed come but

the snow and lack of sun is seriously starting to get depressing.

I live vicariously through my IG friends who share their spring pics.

I am just itching to grill out and go on a hike already!

4.  Took the boys to Tractor Supply cruisin' for chicks ;)

We were not disappointed.  These sweeties were my favorite ones.

I seriously want a few chickens in the worst way but I'm not sure how my neighbors 

would feel about that one.  I could maybe give them free eggs?

Alas I don't think I can take on chickens this year *sigh*

One day my sweeties...one day.

5. I let Valentine's Day slip by with out much in the way of decor 

and I refuse to let that happen for Easter!  I started putting out some decorations

and printed out this lovely vintage egg I got off Pinterest
but I have a few more projects I want to finish.
Hopefully I can get them done before Sunday!

 

6. Oh hey...I got dressed up.

Yes it's a big deal for me that's why there's so many pictures ;)
We had an annual fundraiser gala to go to so this was my "one time a year to dress up" night.
Hubsy said why don't you go ahead and buy a new dress rather than wear the same one as last year?
Seriously, what girl would say no?  So I got this Calvin Klein baby at Ross Dress for Less
and it fits like a glove.  I'm happy to report that I have lost 8 pounds since January 1st.
Been trying to eat a lot more healthy and "clean".  Not following any particular diet strictly by any means
which is probably why I have not lost more.  I'm happy that it is starting to come off though...
only 10 more pounds to go!

Have a happy Easter week my dears!
What's up in your neck of the woods?

Spotlight on color | Dusty Rose

This soft and cozy color is hard to resist.  

It is the epitome of femininity.

It represents compassion, nurturing, and unconditional love.

Red is the color of action, passion, and power.  It is tempered by the addition
 of white which is associated with purity and openness.  Depending on which
is the predominant color, the particular shade of pink can have a more energetic feel
as in deep pink or a more calm and complete feel like dusty rose,

giving it a more gentle loving energy.

Pink is romantic, subtle, affectionate, and gentle.
Wearing this calming dusty pink can make you easily approachable.
Surround yourself  with it when you want to feel wrapped in cozy femininity.

Find Dusty Rose in my Etsy Shop

Rose Quartz Bookmark

Caught Ya

"Stop that!"

"Don't hit your brother!"

"Why can't you two just get along?!?"

That was the sound of my house not too long ago.

My boys are quite competitive and often have difficulty getting along.  

I was desperate to find a way to encourage them to treat each other with a little kindness

...and less like butting rams.

I came across this little gem on Pinterest and decided to give it a try.

via

I wanted the boys to focus on the good behaviors they have.
When the jar is full, they will get a small reward.
It's not so much about the reward but it's a tangible way to
let them know they are behaving well, and it is reinforced right then and there.
It has also helped me to focus on all the good they do!

I'd have to say that for the most part it is working well.  Now we just need to work on being humble...
often when they do something good, they ask if they are getting a noodle
(I use raw noodles for each "caught ya" moment to fill up the jar).

Parenthood has done wonders for me to better understand God's love for me.
I often marvel at how he could possibly love me so much in light of all my sin.
But the way I love my boys even when they are not
at their best helps me to have a little better understanding of
God's patience and never-ending love.

I bet God has a caught ya jar for each of us, 
storing up all our good deeds for our ultimate reward in heaven ;)

Constant

 

~ Constant ~

steadfast; firm in mind or purpose; resolute

linking up here

 

Virtual Smashbook | Fashion Loves

{In Honor of Design}

Anna over at IHOD is a master of color and texture.  She recently began a series 

called family threads featuring the adorable stylings of her kiddos too.

She's also expecting her 3rd baby so look to her for some fun fashionable maternity ideas!

{Uber Chic for Cheap}

Madeline at Uber Chic for Cheap amazes me with her ability to totally transform thrift finds.
Oh how I wish I had some sewing skills!
I just know my Goodwill store is full of treasure if only I had her vision and talent.

 {Putting Me Together}

Audrey at Putting Me Together has got the "re-mixing your wardrobe" thing perfected!

Her "Building a Remixable Wardrobe" series is a must read.

I'm even using her "Starter Kit Shopping List" to guide me as I slowly work 

to rebuild/remix my own closet.

{Life in Mod}

Camille at LiM serves up some pretty sweet DIY's for style on the cheap...perfect!

A former model, this mama has style to spare.  

I love her clever and very do-able DIY tutorials!
This one and this one are my favorites :)

Hope you enjoyed a peek into my virtual smashbook at these 

fashionable ladies :)

I hope you found some inspiration here like I did!

Shop sale in honor of Women's Day

Behind the Moon Beadworks Etsy Shop

International Women's Day is celebrated in many countries around the world. 

It is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, 

whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. 

It is an occasion for looking back on past struggles and accomplishments, 

and more importantly, for looking ahead to the untapped potential and 

opportunities that await future generations of women.

I am proud to be an American woman where I am free to have 

a voice and free to be in charge of my own life.

  

Also as a woman business owner, 

I'm so thankful to those who paved the way for our liberties.

So I'm celebrating with a little shop sale for today only!

Just enter code "WOMENS15" at checkout for a nice little discount :)

Join me in taking a moment today to reflect on how far we have come as women

and seek to encourage the accomplishments of our girls in the future.

Silence and Solitude

 This past week or so I've been discovering the benefits of silence and solitude.  

It can be a rare and treasured thing for moms ;)

About a week ago I hit a low point.  Many of you know I have been dealing with 
some health issues lately but it extends beyond that.  
I realized that I have become a very "distracted" person.  
I say that meaning that nothing seems to have my full focus and attention.  
My thoughts are always churning yet I'm constantly forgetting things.
 I have forgotten how to quiet my mind.

It feels like there is constant demand for my attention and
I crave stillness and respite.

Designating some time to enjoy silence and solitude has become 
a blaringly evident necessity for me.

There's all sorts of "noise" we face every day...

from literal noise, to visual noise to, mental noise...
we need to take a break from it all on occasion.

So what are some ways you can embrace silence and solitude?

These days electronics rule. 
Turn off the radio, TV, iphone, or whatever your electronic "vices" are. 
Find a room in your house where you can be alone for a bit.   
Take some deep breathes and let the silence wash over you.
You will feel lighter and calmer almost instantly.

Clutter can cause a lot of visual disturbance.
You're running late and trying to find your grocery list amongst all the
clutter on your counter...not only does it take you longer to find it 
but you'll probably end up frustrated by the task of having to root
through all that "stuff" as well.   
Find my tips on organizing and tidying up here and here.

Somewhat surprisingly, social media can create a lot of mental noise.
Turn it off and take a break.  All that input can overload your brain.
In all reality most posts are not life altering,
take a break and you can pick right back up when you are feeling a bit more refreshed.

There are several benefits to enjoying daily silence and solitude.

* Promotes Inner Peace ~ Be aware of nothing but the sound of your own breathing.

* Promotes Self-discovery ~ Often your inner voice gets drowned out by all the external chatter.  

Silence can be a way of allowing your inner voice to be heard.
* Energizes you ~ Eliminates all the excess stimuli you receive at every moment.

* Boosts Creativity ~ Engages the "non-thinking" mind.

* Brings Focus and Mental Clarity ~ Your brain is automatically pre-programmed
 to investigate every incoming stimulus, which can make it quite easy to be distracted.
Silence eliminates the distractions.

These have certainly proved true in the past week.
I find I am more focused and becoming more relaxed in general.
I think Hubsy and the boys will also appreciate me being
a little less crazy all the time ;)
 

Do you take time out to be alone and enjoy the silence?

What are some of the ways you seek solace?

*Contributing thoughts found here.