Thursday, July 28, 2011

Birthday!!



That's right readers!  Tomorrow's my birthday! Before I sign off for the weekend though, I just wanted to pass on something I hope you'll do in my honor.  Give....... in some way give back.  If I could choose exactly how I would be remembered it would be as one who always gave to others.  As someone who always went out of her way to make sure others were taken care of.  As someone who used all of her available resources to make sure others had what they needed.  Below I'm leaving you with a few options of ways to give back.  Every little bit helps!

CharityWater- "charity: water is a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations." (You can donate to my charity water campaign by clicking here)

TOMS- "With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need.  One for One"

The A21 Campaign- "Abolishing injustice in the 21st century"

I hope that you'll consider donating.  Those that can't go out and physically bring about change, can fund others who are, and take part in their reward.  Think about it....do it....

Here's a little treat for you as I sign off!  I hope you have a wonderful weekend!


Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Bobbie Burgers

Happy Tuesday readers!  Today I want to show you the G-OR-GEOUS home found via Escapade.  If you know me, you know that I'm somewhat yellow obsessed.  So much so, that my kitchen is actually a rather bright shade of yellow.  It's no wonder that the home of Bobbie Burgers immediately caught my eye.


I love the use of color in this home.  Not just yellow, but pretty much every color can be found.  I love that there is no real scheme here.  White background with pops of color all tied in with the gorgeous paintings by Bobbie in each room.  I'm really the anti-floral kind of gal, but these just do it for me.

And this kitchen is absolutely dreamy!  I love EVERYTHING about it.  The white background, the yellow oven door, the artwork, and the use of wood.  It all feels very balanced.


And lastly the patio.  Simple...relaxing.  This is my kind of place.




Thursday, July 21, 2011

London


Another fast fact about me.... I would move to London in a millisecond. There are times where I just sit and daydream about living there. I just love how old the city is, I love the history, I love the fact that the buildings have been there for literally hundreds of years.  I love the people despite their "supposed" grumpiness (and despite the fact that I've never met them).  I love that every band I could ever possibly want to see is REQUIRED to come to London.  Not really... but they do... because they think as I do.. "How could we not go to London?"  I'm just fascinated.

You know the scene at the beginning of Notting Hill where Hugh Grant is walking out of his flat to his book shop? He has to walk through the marketplace to get there.  I want that!  At some point in my life I want to go on an outing with my kids, walk the brick streets, stop at the market and pick up some fresh flowers for the dinner party I'm hosting that evening.   I'm well aware that I will have to cash in my retirement in order to afford a flat in Notting Hill, but it sounds good in my dreams.  It's well worth the money I say!

I think part of it is just that so much has happened in London over the past oh...500 years.  I feel as if there are still remnants of the major events in the air (minus The Plague).  That if I could just get over there, I would be completely engulfed in it.  Does that make me crazy?  It does.... I know it does.  I'm okay with it though.  We all have our secret hopes and dreams right?  This is mine.





For now, I'll continue to focus on saving up the airfare to travel to London for our 10 year anniversary. I've got three years to go....which is a good thing because it will take that long to save up airfare.  Wish me luck!
 




Wednesday, July 20, 2011

The Wilderness

You should know something about me... I'm an avid podcast listener. My job allows me the incredible opportunity to sit on my rear in front of a computer 8 hours a day (bleh), so to pass the time as I peck away on a computer, I listen to podcasts. During my weekly check-in with Gateway Church I heard a sermon that hit me so hard and I wanted to share the gist of it with you guys.

The sermon series was titled "The Wilderness." All of us either have been or are in "The Wilderness". The Wilderness is a just a place in our lives where it seems like we aren't gaining any ground. We aren't progressing at all. It's a place where we can tend to feel frustrated with life, with work, with kids, you name it, and we begin to complain.

Numbers 14 explains the story of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness. God delivered the Israelites out of the land of Egypt where they were slaves. He performed miracle after miracle on their behalf from parting the Red Sea so the Israelites could escape the pursuit of the Egyptians, to causing manna to fall from the sky to feed the people. Pretty soon though, the Israelites began to lose focus on all the God had done for them. They began to grumble and complain because things weren't as they felt they should be.

Let's pick up in verse 26:
"Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "How long must I put up with this wicked community and its complaints about me? Yes, I have heard the complaints the Israelites are making against me. Now tell them this: 'As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very things I heard you say. You will all drop dead in this wilderness! Because you complained against me, every one of you who is twenty years old or older and was included in the registration will die. You will not enter and occupy the land I swore to give you. The only exceptions will be Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. "You said your children would be carried off as plunder. Well, I will bring them safely into the land, and they will enjoy what you have despised. But as for you, you will drop dead in this wilderness. And your children will be like shepherds, wandering in the wilderness for forty years. In this way, they will pay for your faithlessness, until the last of you lies dead in the wilderness."

Umm.. so yeah.. those are pretty serious words. A few observations made by the speaker:

*If you're frustrated about your wilderness, remember that God's just doing with you what He did with His Son. (Matthew 4:1 "Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.)

My personal favorite: "When our perspective is wrong, we look back at the wilderness as a curse. We look back at Egypt, the land of our greatest torment, and it will look more appealing than the wilderness, which is actually the land of our greatest transition."

The Wilderness, for the Israelites, was a place of transition, but they despised (lightly esteemed) it and it began to seem as a curse. Things just weren't happening fast enough. I know I can relate....

Why the wilderness?
1) Because crutches are killed in the wilderness

Deuteronomy 8:2 "Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey His commands."

2) The wilderness is a place your flesh goes to die.

3) The wilderness is your womb for your most expedient development.

Why is it important to war through the wilderness?

So that your finish line can be in the promised land and your children's starting line will be in the promised land.

In summary, the take away point is this, you are going to go through times in your life where you feel alone, you feel frustrated with your current situation, whatever. The point of the wilderness is to allow God to teach us. We have to get to a place where we are so reliant upon God, where we KNOW that things just aren't going to happen unless He does them. We have to put aside the feelings of self-pity, resentment, frustration, anger and instead view the wilderness as a place where we are experiencing "our most expedient development". Development is not a bad thing! It's a good thing actually! Not only does the way that you handle your time in the wilderness affect you, it affects your kids. Let your kids starting line be in The Promised Land!

If you would like to listen to this podcast yourself simply click here

Monday, July 18, 2011

Happy Monday readers!

What a lazy weekend this turned out to be, and MAN was it nice! We ran a few errands here and there, I attended a bridal shower for my lovely sis-in-law yesterday, and finished the weekend off with a great meal with friends. You may recall my mention of said “small gathering” in my last post.

Here was the menu:

Appetizer: Julia Child’s Bruschetta (because it just doesn’t get any better)
Main Course: Homemade pizza with pesto and goat cheese, topped with roasted bell pepper for the adults
Homemade pizza with tomato sauce and sliced mozzarella for the kiddos
Dessert: Brownie Trifle!

I was still full this morning, but I don’t regret eating all that I did. Try the recipes! They were delish (and I can say this because they weren’t my own.)

Have a great Monday!

Hugs,

Jen

Friday, July 15, 2011

Kinfolk

Hi happy followers! Forgive my delay in posting this week. It's been a little nuts...

I have a rather wordy post in the works, but for now I want to take a second and let you know of something absolutely wonderful I just stumbled across.

Kinfolk Magazine

In their own words "Kinfolk is a collaborative effort to encourage a more natural approach to entertaining. It's the marriage of our appreciation for art and our love for spending time with family and friends."

Doesn't it sound lovely?! Give it a go! Peruse the pages and let your mind wander in anticipation for your next small gathering, mine just happens to be this weekend.

Hugs!

Jen

Saturday, July 9, 2011

I'M BACK!

Hi friends! I'm back from a (brief?) hiatus. You may have noticed the name change. Seemed more fitting to me. The former was a bit of a mouth full.

It's currently 3:30 4:09 in the AM and I have to be at community outreach function in T minus 3 2 1/2 hours, but alas, here I am. Here are a few lovely things to help you get your Saturday off to a great start!


This seriously great double hair knot that I hope to add to my rotation very soon. (Spotted at Design Mom)


I'm loving the vintage ladder as a way to show off some cute throws. (Spotted at Cupcakes and Cashmere)



This GORGEOUS mother/son duo spotted at The Glow. Tell me he isn't one handsome little dude! The Blondie shirt cracks me up!


Also, I've found myself completely caught up in the hubbub that is surrounding Hillsong Conference 2011. I'm SERIOUSLY considering saving up money to go next year. Who's with me?!

Have a wonderful weekend!