Monday Worship Song

Since I missed the Sunday Worship Song, I decided that I would post a Monday Worship Song, instead. I love this song by Citizen Way and the reminder of the high price that Jesus paid for us. It should have been us, but thank God that He sent His Son to take our place. I know that I for one am very thankful for the should've been. Happy Monday, friends!

Yoga Pants and Racerback Tanks...

These are a few of my favorite things! My sweet hubby bought me a super cute gift set from Victoria's Secret for Christmas and I just love it. See for yourself...

I loved it so much that I decided to go out yesterday and get another set...

Take my word on it- these sets are worth the money and are super comfy.

I also got these shirts so that I could have multiple outfits. Who knew I loved yoga pants, tanks, and tees so much? Yay, for new clothes! :)

Ben Howard, I'm in Love with Your Music!

Because I love his music so much, I've decided to dedicate an entire blog post to him. His voice, his lyrics, and his guitar skills are insane! I just so happened to come across him on i Tunes back in early spring, and have been hooked on his music since. Here are some of my favorite songs so far. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!!!

 

 

Merry Christmas, Everyone!!!! I hope you have a blessed day!

The Heart of Christmas

As I have been preparing to host our annual Christmas dinner for our family, I have to admit that at times I get a little overwhelmed. For the most part, things are right on schedule. But then I remember that there are still gifts to be wrapped, tables to be set, and in between all of that I somehow have to get ready myself. I think to myself, "Will my list ever end?" Then I stop and remember the true reason for the season. It's not the dinner, it's not the gifts, it's not whether or not we'll have a white Christmas. No...it's Him. The one who made angels sing, shepherds bow down in reverence, and wise men follow the star. He was the long awaited Messiah, and He is the reason for it all. In the words of Max Lucado, Jesus humbled Himself. He went from commanding angels to sleeping in the straw. From holding stars to clutching Mary's finger. The palm that held the universe took the nail of a soldier. Why? Because that's what love does. The heart of Christmas does have a name, friends.. it's Jesus. May I suggest that we all be very intentional about keeping our focus on Him during these last moments of the Christmas season, and not miss the point? It would be a shame. So, with all that being said, I've decided that there's where I'm going back to... the heart of Christmas, where we read the Christmas story, hold our loved one's a little tighter, laugh a little harder, and love with all that we have. Jesus is the heart of Christmas- don't miss Him.

I can't find the Words...

I have been going over in my head what I could say about the terrible events that unfolded in Connecticut on Friday, but, the truth is, I don't know what to say. What happened was brutal, and I am still having a hard time wrapping my head around it. In all honesty I don't want to believe what happened, or even begin to believe that someone would be capable to commit such a horrendous crime. I read this article by Bob Russell today and wanted to share it with you. He has a way of putting things into a Christian perspective and I was very touched by his words. I couldn't agree with him more when he said, "I am convinced we are in the final stages of history and are witnessing the unraveling of a society that has rejected God. The increase of violence and mass shootings is just one of a number of signals that the Lord’s return is eminent. Just as salmon instinctively swim upstream, God’s people should be looking up, sensing their redemption is drawing near." Please continue to pray for the families of the victims that they may be comforted and be given a peace that only God himself can give.

Sunday Worship Song

I  have been lovng this upbeat Christmas song by Montell Jordan and hope you enjoy it, too! Only 9 more days till Christmas!!!! Happy Sunday, everyone.

I've been Nominated...

I am so excited to announce that Ana from The Lost Apron has nominated me for the Liebster Blog Award. This award is granted to those whom have 200 followers or less and was created as a way to recognize and appreciate other fellow bloggers. The word liebster comes from Germany and is translated as, "dearest." I am so honored that anyone would take time out to read my posts and this award truly means so much to me. Now for the rules...

1.) Post 11 random things about yourself.

2.) Answer the questions that the nominator posted for you.

3.) Create 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate.

4.) Choose 11 blogs that you love (with 200 followers or less) and link them to your post.

5.) No tag back. (However, please leave me a comment so that I know you are aware that you have been chosen.)

11 Random Things About Myself:



1.) I have been married to my wonderful husband, Jeff, for five years. He is my best friend and there is no one else I'd rather be on this journey with.

2.) I looovvveee Christmastime! The music, the lights, the smells....everything. My mom always made Christmas a very special time for our family so I guess it just stuck with me. Not to mention, I come from a long line of aunts and great aunts that are also Christmas crazy!

3.) I love coffee. I can drink it anytime of the day and seem to consume much more in the cold winter months. I am especially fond of the seasonal flavors such as pumpkin spice, peppermint mocha, and gingerbread.

4.) I have one older brother whom I love deeply. He is four years older than me and has always been there for me in thick and thin. We have created memories together that will last a lifetime.

5.) I love music! I once saw a quote that said, "Music is what feeling sounds like." I would have to say that I fully agree. Christian is by far my favorite type of music, but I also enjoy alternative such as Coldplay and Ben Howard.

6.) I have one dog named Starbuck. He is a 4 year old boxer and Jeff and I both love him dearly and have so much fun with him.

7.) I love crafting and baking. I am actually getting ready to attempt making a burlap tree skirt. Just in time for Christmas!

8.) My family and I take a trip to Gatlinburg, TN each year. Talk about quality family time and making memories...we have a blast!

9.) I have a heart for adoption and hope to one day adopt a child of our own.

10.) My Dad and I share the same birthday.

11.) I love candles! My favorite are Slatkin and Co.

Nominator Questions:

1.)What is your favorite holiday tradition that your family does?

Oh my goodness... we have so many! It's really hard to pick one. Something we have done for as long as I can remember is our annual cookie day. My Great-Grandma was from Germany and she passed this cookie recipe down to her daughters, which was then given to their daughters, etc. They are called Lep cookies and they are oh so yummy. Usually my Great-Aunt Norma bakes the cookies and my mom, my aunts, my cousins, and I decorate them. We make a day out of it, starting at around 9am, and ending at 5-6pm. By the end of the day, we probably have a total of 300-400 cookies! Here are a couple of pics from last years event...

2.)What is your favorite type of exercise?

Running! I love to run and ran track in school for 5 years.

3.) Where are you longing to travel to?

My first instinct would be to say Turks and Caicos. I love the beach and would love to travel there someday. However, I do have to say that if someone offered me a trip to anywhere in the world, I would have to choose The Holy Land. I can only imagine how incredible it must be to know that you are standing exactly where Christ was.

4.) What is your pet peeve?

Okay, this may sound really strange or random to some people, but my pet peeve is when people are eating and they pick food out their teeth, look at the food on their finger, and then EAT it!!! This grosses me out SO BAD!

5.) Why did you decide to blog?

Besides the obvious fact that I simply love to write, I began this blog as a way to share my testimony, my love for God, my heart for marriage, craft ideas, recipes, and more. God has done immeasurably more for me than I could have ever imagined and I am forever grateful to Him for all of the many blessings that He has given me. I hope and pray that visitors of this blog would be challenged in their relationship with our sweet Savior, encouraged, and most of all, shown the beautiful love and heartbeat that God has for us all.

6.) What is a special skill that you have?

This is the part where I wish I could say that I have some kind of musical talent...but that's not the case! I have always been a little more on the athletic/outdoors side and believe it or not I really enjoy target practicing. My husband also says I'm a pretty good shot!

7.) What is your favorite pastime?

I love going to the coffee shop with my husband. We have some really great talks over coffee and I simply love the quality time that comes from it.

8.) What is the one thing you do differently than your mom?

I make my own laundry detergent. Not that I think my mom is opposed to making homemade detergent- it's just something that she doesn't do.

9.)  What is one of your time wasters?

This one's easy...Pinterest!

10.) What was your favorite comment on your blog about?

My favorite comment came from one of my Sunday Worship Song posts. It was one of those times when I felt God confirmed what He was doing through this blog and that maybe, just maybe, with His help, I was making a difference. She writes, "So glad I found this blog.... I recently had to file disability retirement from my first grade teaching position.... my immune system has become very weak due to the Infusion Treatments that I have taken over the years and am currently on for severe Rheumatoid Arthritis. I have not been able to go to church and have been watching sermons on tv with my husband, this is a great avenue for worship with women ... thank you for following God's prompting in your life and creating such a blog. God bless and be with you and yours."

11.) What have you made (created) that you are most proud of?

Our Chicken Coop!This was definitely a team project with my husband (he did 90% of the work), and considering we didn't really have a plan or layout from the beginning, I think it turned out quite nicely. We only worked on it during weekends, so it took us about a month to complete. Isn't it cute?! We put our blood (literally..I stepped on a nail in the process), sweat, and tears into this project and were so pleased with the outcome.

Whew! That was a lot of information! If you made it through all of that, thank you :)

Questions for the Nominees:

1.) What is your favorite Bible verse?

2.) Besides Jesus, what Bible character would you love to meet?

3.) Why did you decide to start a blog?

4.) Where is your dream vacation?

5.) Do you prefer salty or sweet snacks?

6.) What would you consider to be a hobby of yours?

7.) Do you have any pets?

8.) What is your favorite genre of music?

9.) What book are you currently reading?

10.) What is your favorite Christmas song/tradition?

11.) Have you ever been on a missions trip?

Now for the Nominees...

Crazy Joy

The General Specific

Heart Reflected

Passionate and Creative Homemaking

Rich Faith Rising (I know she has more than 200 followers, but her blog is great and I think she deserves the award!)

What Joy Is Mine

Woman to Woman

Mary @ Woman to Woman

Women walking in the Spirit of Christ

fanta4two

Adventures of D and V (She also has more than 200 followers...but again, she has a really great blog!)

Thank you all for participating! I look forward to getting to know you better!



Sunday Worship Song

I am loving this new Christmas song by Jason Gray and I would have to say that at this time, it's my favorite. Today while helping my mom get ready for a Christmas dinner, this song came on and we blasted it. (Sorry to my hubby who was trying to nap on the couch...Whoops!) Anyways, I love the part that says something like, "be taken by the wonder that took the whole world by surprise." That is exacly what I would encourage during this Christmas season- that we would all be completely awestruck and taken in by the birth of Christ and the way He came into this world. He could have left us as orphans, but yet He choose to come and dwell among us, and ultimately save us from our sins. Praise the Lord for His goodness and love! Have a wonderful Sunday and a great week ahead.