Christmas, Family, Grace, Parenting, Priorities, Rest, Stillness

Peace, Christmas, and the Hallmark Channel

I like the Hallmark channel for the same reasons I like pretty Instagram pictures.  It hides the hard struggles.  We can sit and watch a pretty scene while we rest from the trial and pains from our very real lives.   There is the slight danger of a comparison trap, but hasn’t everyone caught on that life isn’t going to always resemble Christmas Town, USA?  While life isn’t perfect and our hearts sometimes crack, it can still be beautiful. 

By the time Christmas Day arrives, I hope to have every single cheesy Christmas movie watched.  Even though I will inwardly cringe at some (most) of them, they will overflow my reindeer antler cup with the Holiday Spirit. Just because real life holidays are not always Hallmark, doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy them.  Dare I say perhaps even learn from them?  

Christmas season is currently the sweetest season for me. However, there have been harder years of loss that haven’t been as sweet, if that is the case for you I offer you this;

“Give grace to your situation.  May we see our sorrow, grief, and difficulties as they are, without trying to extract meaning or closure before their time has come.”

Be gentle with yourself, and give sadness room to breathe even as you wait for joy to come again.  And know that the Prince of Peace will sit with you in your sadness, until you are ready to give it to Him to help heal.  Continue Reading

December 12, 2018 by
Christmas, Fashion, Favorite Things, Gifts, Makeup

A Few of My Favorite Things… 2018

One of my favorite things about weekends spent with my girlfriends is the sharing!  Curling up in pajamas and a glass of wine (or a Dr Pepper…don’t judge), sharing our hearts, beauty finds, and life hacks with each other.  Consider this post a Girlfriend Getaway, grab your movement clothes, snuggle up and get cozy.

For shopping and perusing purposes, click on the title of each item to be directed to the link of the item mentioned!  This is not a sponsored post, although all of the links to Amazon WILL give back to my favorite local animal charity, Fuzzy Friends.


The From Scratch Chick Products

My friend, Candice got me hooked on these products.  They are all natural and made with essential oils. Their Vapor Rub is a household must.  Made with just beeswax, olive oil, and coconut oil. They add peppermint and eucalyptus essential oils…and before you know it, you can breathe again.  The All Purpose Salve could possibly create World Peace.  Or at least soothe it.  It is silky, moisturizing, healing, and repairing. Made with beeswax, coconut oil, and olive oil, plus essential oils known for their anti-bacterial and healing properties.  The Lip Balm is in my car at all times, so if you want to try it…find me around town, just ask first.  Otherwise, it’ll just be awkward.  😉

From Scratch Farm Website

 

Flower Diffuser

As a boy mom, I love anything that makes my house smell good.  These flower diffusers are my FAVORITE!  If you are local, they have a FULL stock at Hinge!  They last forever, and make any room smell delightful.  I have the Linen one (pictured above) in my closet, The Bella Freesia in the powder room, and now they have gorgeous HOLIDAY scents!  Hinge has a full stock of the Holiday scents, candles, car scents, and room sprays.  In case you are not local, you can find my favorite here.  (Our family favorite is the Spruce, there is also a Cinnamon scent.)  Run by Hinge and sniff them all, they make great gifts as well!

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November 12, 2018 by
Busy, Lessons, Priorities, Rest, Stillness

The Glorification of Busy

Do you ever just want to slow down? Who sold us the bill of goods that busy is to be glorified?  Or cool? I’m the fool who bought into the idea when it wasn’t even on sale.

Once, when shopping with a friend, she found a designer necklace she had been wanting, for 50% off. Over the next thirty minutes, she hemmed and hawed on whether to purchase it or not.  Did she love it or just like it?  We all helped her with the pros and cons of this big purchase, the main pro being that it was currently discounted.  The sales lady came over and apologized for the incorrect signage on this cabinet of jewelry, the necklace was actually not on sale, it was full price. I figured this new info would be the decision maker for my friend, and indeed it was.

“I’ll take it!”, she exclaimed.

Which is exactly what I did when I stumbled across the big, beautiful, perfectly lit display of “BUSY!”.   I knew it wasn’t a good deal and yet I raced to the checkout counter with full price payment in hand.  “I’ll take it!”

Oh, the marketing tricks that have fooled us.  We are living with calendars packed to the edges, which is fine as long as we don’t change the posture of our heart to reflect our schedule.  Living with “busy” as the posture of your heart is exhausting.  And eventually, it will break us.  I want to be productive, without the busy.  Which requires paying attention to priorities.

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October 23, 2018 by
Family, Laughter, Lessons, Love, Parenting

The Soundtrack of Parenthood

It’s overwhelming for me to think about a legacy left behind.  I’d rather leave behind a soundtrack.  Like a mixed tape of my life.  The soundtrack to our life with three teenagers and their schedules would give you an eye twitch.  And I know we are not the only ones.

The soundtrack of parenthood is a real doozy.  “I’ll love you forever” lullabies, the soft hymns of rocking those babies, the Barney song and Bob the Builder tied in with a little Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Then comes the BeeBoop Disney Channel of pre-teens, only to ramp up to lyrics and beats that began the eye twitch.  Although, sometimes when they are sleeping, I’ll sneak in, crawl across their floor and still hear the tune “As long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be.” playing softly.

The days are long and the years are short when your children are in the toddler/younger years.  In the teenage years, the days are brief and the years literally evaporate. I’m not kidding when I tell you that one morning you are dropping your darling freshman off for early morning football practice before the sun rises, and the next second you are taking pictures of him walking the stage at graduation.  Brace yourself momma, this is truth.  All the years of their youth are to be cherished.  Not all stages are enjoyable, but cherish the lesson – thus the moment.  We are so lucky to have them. Continue Reading

September 17, 2018 by
Brave, Courage, Grace, Lessons

Let it Go…Pivot on.

“Sometimes the place you are used to is not where you belong.”

I woke up this morning in mental quicksand.  I had a dream that elaborated and twisted about a situation that happened years ago in real-life.  A situation I hadn’t thought of in years.  One that never found fairness in my eyes, because no matter how I explained my intent, I was already found guilty by the other party.  The whole thing left me feeling icky and rotten.

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September 5, 2018 by