ATTENTION: No worrying necessary

Ever have one of those weeks where everything seems all sunshine and unicorns and then one small thing throws it all of course?

Well, that's what last week was for me.

Now let me preface this post by saying that by nature, I'm a worrier. I like to know exactly what's going on at all times and anything 'unplanned' or spontaneous makes me anxious. My sweet husband is the 'roll with the punches' kind of guy while I'm like "punches? What punches? AHHHHH!!! PUNCHES!!!" :)

I feel like it's important for you to know this so you know why I react to things the way I do. I like structure and predictability because that's what gives me peace.

And now all that unravels.... :)

I was headed out on Thursday to run some errands and grabbed my mail. There, inside the mailbox, was the piece of paper that through my day into a tailspin. A notice from our mortgage company telling us that our monthly payment would be increasing by $300! GASP! 

In a moment, I flew into panic. I started making phone calls while trying to hold back the tears choking in my throat. "Why is this happening?" "How will we afford this" "What will we do?" were only a few thoughts that went racing through my head. This was piled on top of some other situations that just simply caused my heart to go into panic mode.

In between calls, as I waited for answers, the tears came. As we drove on to our errands, my little girls were asking why I was upset. I gently replied that it wasn't for them to worry about. That there are things that happen and they're for mommy and daddy to worry about and not them. That is when my oldest daughter, Kate, very quickly replied, "No, it's not for you to worry about. It's for God to take care of."

Wow...right? I mean, she's 8 and half. Where does this kind of knowledge come from? I truly believe that God was using her to catch my attention in that moment and man, did He ever.

She was right. He is right.

I battled with emotions, frustrations, and calls all day long and into the evening and Kate's comment just kept coming back to me. As I laid in bed that night, I prayed about the situation. I told God that He asks us to lay every worry, care and concern at His feet and that's what I was doing. After all, this is one of those situations that only He was going to be able to fix. I asked for His intervention and His peace. 

When I woke the next day, I prayed the exact same thing again. Not only that, but I made the decision that I would not be letting this situation be the master of my day. I decided that any time the problem came in my head that day, that I would quickly shut it down and give God praise for something I was thankful for. Not only did that bring the peace I needed throughout the day, but it kept my heart distracted from worry.

And praise be to Him because by 4pm that day, we had our resolution! In a BIG way! Isn't God amazing???

He is the master of making opportunity from our circumstances.

So this is what I want to share with you. The first being is that we have no need to fear. We have no need to be concerned. God is the peacemaker. He is our Father is knows the needs each and every one of us have. Especially for those like me that need to feel like they're in control, letting go and letting God can be a huge challenge, but I can guarantee that His outcome will always be better than anything we can strum up.

The second is that when your heart is troubled, whether it be over finances, an illness, a situation with another person, that one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself is praise. To choose in those quiet moments, when the scary things creep in, to stop and give God praise. Thank him for resolution in those situations or simply give Him praise for something else, but praise Him! He dwells in the praises of His people. 

I want to encourage you, as much as I need to remind myself, that God is in the details. He so desires us to lay our burdens at His feet. To give every tiny fear or unrest to Him. It's in faith that we do this, but in His love for us that He replies. When we feel like our world is out of control, that He is the master of it.

Sweet friends, I want to encourage you today to remember that your life isn't for you to worry about, but for God to take care of. 

-Amanda

From the Word:

6 Don’t worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have. 7 And because you belong to Christ Jesus, God’s peace will stand guard over all your thoughts and feelings. His peace can do this far better than our human minds. Philippians 4:6-7

Don’t worry—I am with you.
    Don’t be afraid—I am your God.
I will make you strong and help you. Isaiah 41:10

People might make many plans, but what the Lord says is what will happen.

Proverbs 19:21

I say this because I know the plans that I have for you.” This message is from the Lord. “I have good plans for you. I don’t plan to hurt you. I plan to give you hope and a good future. Jeremiah 29:11

Remember, I commanded you to be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid, because the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

Target practice

We live in the South. The place where Jesus, family values, good manners and guns are a part of the culture.
Next week I'll be taking a class to get my concealed carry permit. I don't plan on carrying a gun on me any time soon (maybe a taser?), but I thought it would be a good idea to go ahead and take the class. I need to know what I'm doing if I come across a situation where I need to use one to protect my family.
My husband hunts and in an effort to spend time with him, I've gone each season over the last few years. For safety in that environment and for personal protection, experience in handling, loading/unloading and a proper shot is super important. I'm terrified of guns, don't get me wrong. I have a very high respect for them, but if the occasion arose and I didn't have this knowledge, I don't know that I could live with myself. At least like this, I can set that crazy part of my mind at ease.
Anyway, yesterday, in prep, my husband took me down to his father's farm so I could target practice. It was my first time with a 9mm gun. Not bad, eh?

They'd at least bleed. :) Hubby was super proud of me which is all I really needed anyway. 

More importantly, I've been talking to other women who do conceal carry and ask them how they carry those pieces. I mean, a man can use their pockets or a holster on their hip, but as women, our options are fewer. (unless you want to go all on the thigh or in the bra) ;)

Many have said they just keep them in their cars or in their purses, but wish they had something that not only made their gun more accessible, but was actually cute!

So when my company came out with a new style bag for our Fall/Winter launch that met these needs, I was super excited. Not only is it a STUNNING bag, but it has the perfect pocket on the front from left or right. It doesn't have that 'I have a gun inside of me' or tactical look. It's just a gorgeous bag that happens to have a pocket that would fit a full size frame.

So now I have to decide whether I'll continue to carry my sweet Heather in Ocean blue bag that I'm crazy over...

Or grab the new Giselle bag and start packing (when I'm good and ready) is sassy style...

Which would you carry? 

More importantly, I wonder if Ree Drummond over at

  Pioneer Woman would carry one? 

Playing dress up

I've not always been a girly girl. Never a tomboy per say, but not super girly. I never wore makeup and had NO CLUE when it came to styling myself. I was a jeans and t-shirt, hair in a pony tail kind of girl and happy with that. :)
When my company launched our Grace Adele line, I was excited but so intimidated because I didn't know how I was going to be able to sell style when I had none!
Thank goodness that I am exactly who this line is geared towards. A whole system that makes styling simple. Everything matches everything. No fear of looking like a hot mess. It's made it so much easier for me to feel and look put together. Not only is that great for my role in my business because I can present a more professional appearance, but it is also pleasing for my husband who prefers the put together look over yoga pants and tank tops. :) It actually was something we discussed when we reestablished our roles in our marriage this Spring. I didn't realize it was something important to him, but it worded it so well that I couldn't take offense, but saw clearly his point. I always want to make him proud of me and eager to show me off as his wife and to do that, I have to feel and look it and when I look it, I feel it. I also now make sure I look my best for him when he comes home from work each day (if I can). He doesn't ask me to do this, I desire to do it for him.

Now I'm still not a big makeup wearer or fancy schmancy dresser. A typical day means pressed powder, mascara and lip gloss (which suits the hubby just fine especially when it's my Rio Beach gloss ;) and since I'm running around with my littles, it may still be jeans and good  t-shirt, but I've traded flip flops for cute sandals and I always throw on a pair of earrings. It's amazing how a great pair of earrings can dress you up and give you that 'put together' look in an instant.

These are my favorite pair right now. They are called Marguerite. I wear them almost everyday. They go from grocery store to church to dinner to home party and work with everything I own.

Do you consider yourself girly? What one accessory or item makes you feel 'put together'?

Coming next week: 

I'll be having a guest blogger come and share his side of our story. I'm kind of in love with him. ;)

Stay tuned!

We all have that one staple...

This is mine. I adore how I can wear it to church with my dresses or with a polo and jeans like I'm sporting today. We all have that one thing we know we can go to when we want to feel a little pulled together without a lot of work. What's yours?

Sticks and Stones

I have to say that this saying has always driven me crazy. "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."
I realize we use this to build up our children to not let someones attitude about them hurt their spirits, but the fact is, it's so untrue.
Words hurt. Whether said directly to or behind someones back, cruel words hurt.

Just this morning, my daughters and I were doing our weekly grocery shopping in a local store. The girls were behaving well and I was letting them pick our items off the shelves. We turned down an aisle and I asked my oldest to pick up an item we needed. Another lady nearby was needing something in the same area and so I was encouraging Katie to try and hurry up so we weren't in the way. When she couldn't find what I needed, I walked forward and picked up the item and ushered Katie back to our cart. No raised voice, no aggravation, just a simple instruction so we were showing respect to the other shopper.

As I put the item in the cart and we headed down the aisle, a woman approached me and scolded me. She told me that I needed to "chill out", rolled her eyes, stormed off and huffed about me under her breath. I stood there in shock. It was unwarranted and unnecessary. I turned to look at the other patron in the aisle and simply shrugged my shoulders with a look of confusion on my face for lack of something to say. Embarrassed, we went on to finish our shopping. I passed that shopped many times before we left and I could tell she felt bad for me.

Can I tell you what bothered me most about this experience? It wasn't that I didn't deserve it, because I didn't. It was that a total stranger felt it was reasonable to make someone else feel so small. To cut them down and certainly didn't mind doing it in front of her children. In those moments, I questioned my parenting. I racked my brain trying to figure out what I'd done wrong. I walked through the store in shame when no one else, sans the one shopper, saw what happened.
She felt it was okay for her to take, what I assume was a rotten day,  out on me. Someone she didn't even know.

As in all things, I try to pull lessons. On the car ride home, I talked to my girls about how it made me feel and how it's a reminder that we must never make anyone feel like that. That our roles are to uplift and love and support the people around us and to never put them down. It also challenged me to think about how many times one of my bad days was paid for by someone else. Frustrations taken out on my children or spouse or even friends when it had nothing to do with them. How my heart is challenged to keep my heart and my mouth in check.

So yes, sticks and stones may break one's bones....but words hurt just as badly. I will always endeavor to teach my children this and no longer that words cannot hurt them. Because they do and just as others words can hurt them, so can their words to others.



From the Word....

29 When you talk, don’t say anything bad. But say the good things that people need—whatever will help them grow stronger. Then what you say will be a blessing to those who hear you. Ephesians 4:29

21 The tongue can speak words that bring life or death. Those who love to talk must be ready to accept what it brings. Proverbs 18:21

18 But the bad things people say with their mouth come from the way they think. And that’s what can make people wrong. Matthew 15:18

24 Kind words are like honey; they are easy to accept and good for your health. Proverbs 16:24

3 People who are careful about what they say will save their lives, but those who speak without thinking will be destroyed. Proverbs 13:3