Satisfaction

I went black Friday shopping with my mom, aunt, cousin, and my cousin's boyfriend this year and although it was CRAZY, we had a good time.  It amazes me what people will do to get a good deal.  With all the scenes of people grabbing stuff the last few days, I have been thinking about the need for satisfaction.  Our culture is obsessed with stuff.  I think we all fall prey to materialism more often than not.  I'm slowing learning that less is more and will hopefully be putting that into practice as Jeremy and I begin to build our home. 

This weekend as I was home in NC for the holidays, I took a good look around my room and realized just how much JUNK I have acquired! I went on a cleaning spree and threw away 11 trash bags full of stuff!  11...that is ridiculous.  How do I get so consumed by things?  I often have to remind myself that this life isn't about what we have but Who we have living inside us.  I live this life for so much more than pretty decorations, piles of magazines, furniture, clothes, books, and whatever else I have collected through the years.  I desire to live every second for Him alone. 

Too much stuff takes too much of my attention.  As I am preparing to make mine and Jeremy's first place a comfortable home for us to enjoy, I don't want to crowd it with too much unnecessary junk.  Even things that I think we will be pretty in our home can be unnecessary. I want to find satisfaction in the needs the Lord supplies and be grateful for the abundance He provides.

Are you satisfied with your stuff?  Do you always wish you had every cool accessory you saw at the store, every cute outfit you see at the mall, or even that new car you've been eyeing?  Be satisfied with the fact that the Lord has provided your needs, and realize that less really is more.  Maybe its time for a purge around your home as well?

Thankful

As I was eating Thanksgiving lunch with my family today I couldn't help but just look around and see all that we have to be thankful for in this life.  We have been blessed beyond measure and so many days I take it all for granted.  Today I am so thankful for life, for salvation, for mercy, for grace, and for His love. I'm thankful for the amazing family He placed me in and thankful for the new family I will soon join.  I pray that each day I can learn to recognize the blessings and have a heart full of praise and thankfulness. 

"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations."

Psalm 100

Headed Home

After work tonight I am headed home to NC to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family.  It seems like forever since I've been back but its only been a little over a month.  Looking forward to spending time with my family, eating a delicious Thanksgiving meal, watching the Macy's day parade, decorating for Christmas, black Friday shopping, and hunting! 

Jeremy was able to go home for Thanksgiving and made the 12 hour drive on Monday.  We are both thankful for the time we get to spend with our families this last year before we get married. 

Hope you are getting to enjoy Thanksgiving with the ones you love!

Sons of Encouragement

Francine Rivers is by far one of my favorite fiction authors.  She has written the popular Redeeming Love (which if you haven't read you need to, it is amazing!), The Last Sin Eater, and tons more books. 

Besides Redeeming Love my favorites are the Lineage of Grace series and the Sons of Encouragement series.  These books are historical fiction about men and women in Scripture.  Rivers has a way of bringing these men and women and their situations to life like you've never experienced.  The Lineage of Grace series is about the 5 women in the lineage of Jesus.  It is eye opening to read about their lives and to put yourself in their position, and to experience what they could have felt emotionally.  I highly recommend these books to you!

The Sons of Encouragement series is about men of faith who served in the shadow of others- Aaron, Caleb, Jonathan, Amos, and Silas.  I am currently reading this series for the first time and have read "The Priest" about Aaron and am currently reading "The Warrior" about Caleb.  In the same manner as the Lineage of Grace series, Rivers sets the scene of Scripture in such a vivid way and brings to life the characters on the pages of Scripture. 

Have you ever thought about the possibility that Aaron was jealous of Moses?  After all, Aaron was the older brother and yet his younger brother grew up in the Egyptian palace while Aaron was a slave of the Pharaoh.  It would have undoubtedly been difficult at times for Aaron to understand it all and to accept God's plan.  The sacrifices and the humble heart Aaron must of had to cultivate are amazing when you REALLY think about their situation. 

The theme of this series is that God used these men in a more "quiet" way than others, but they changed history through their obedience to God. I have learned so much reading these books and hope that you will take the time to read them as well!

Hill City Bride

Although I'm not getting married here in Lynchburg, there is a great local wedding blog that I love to read...Hill City Bride.  Jennifer always post great ideas and I love looking at the vendor photos, etc.  Today she is doing a giveaway of a cute wedding sign.  I'm planning on making some of these for our wedding, so I hope I win!
Here is a photo of the sign:

http://www.hillcitybride.com/2010/11/giveaway-funki-folk-art-2/comment-page-1/#comment-1783

Easy Homemade Biscuits

A lady from back home shared an easy way to make homemade biscuits with my dad a couple of years ago and I love it!  They are super easy and delicious! 

You only need two ingredients:
Heavy Whipping Cream
Self Rising Flour

Directions:
Just put some flour in a bowl and pour some heavy whipping cream. I don't have exact measurements, just add some of each until its a dough consistency.  Roll out and cut biscuits.  Put a little butter on top of each biscuit.  Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes. 

Enjoy!

I made these tonight to send with Jeremy on his trip home for Thanksgiving.  He has a 12 hour ride tomorrow so I wanted to send him off with something to munch on. :)

Memory Verse

Each week I am going to try and post a memory verse on Sundays.  I want to start memorizing more Scripture, so each week I'll be memorizing the memory verse I post.  Why don't you join me in hiding God's Word in your heart?

"For the Lord your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them."

Deuteronomy 4:29

Cheap Treasures

I was browsing Craigslist the other day and stumbled upon an antique sled for sale for $15!  I love pretty much all things antique but I have always wanted one of these sleds to decorate with for Christmas. 

My mom uses my dad's sled from when he was little to decorate outside our garage.  She puts a Christmas swag on it with a ribbon and I have always thought it just looked so good and festive!

So when I saw this one, I just had to have it.  $15 is a pretty good deal I thought!

So now we have an antique sled that I will decorate with next Christmas wherever Jeremy and I may be living.  :)

I'm thinking something like this....

or this...

 
or this...





Oh course, mine is rusty and not red anymore but I like that better because I don't like red.  :)

While I was out in Madison Heights picking up the sled (about a 15 min drive from Lynchburg) I decided to check out their Goodwill.  The Goodwill is really big there, it use to be a RiteAid or something.  I found the book "Lies Women Believe" for .75!  I have wanted this book for a while but it is always like $10-15, so I just never have bought it.  I love Goodwill and their books!

Free Download!

I found this adorable printabe notepad online and love it!  It is from this site.

The "To Do" list is no longer available for download but the blog topics to post list is still available.  That was my favorite one anyway so that ok :).  I always strive to be neat and organized, although I often fail.  One thing that keeps me on track is making a to do list and I think this blog topic list will help me post more regularly because I'll have a plan!

If you would like your own free printable, click here. 

Lots of Giveaways!

The Nester is hosting a HUGE giveaway this week with lots and lots of goodies!  All of her sponsers are giving away something, and I really hope I win.  I enter these blog giveaways all the time but I just never win, hopefully I'll get something this time!  Here are the giveaways I entered, check them out and enter too:

Pure and Lovely $100 Gift Certificate- I would love to win a gorgeous frame like this one


Print from Red Letter Words- I just love this print!


$50 gift certificate to Gussy- I would love to get a couple of these stockings for Jeremy and I for our first Christmas next year!


Lots and lots of goodies at Susie Davis' blog- I loved reading the comments of her gratitude giveaway!

The Vintage Pearl is giving away a $75 gift certificate to her shop- I love the vintage love bird necklace!

Many More Giveaways at http://www.thenester.com/

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last night Jeremy and I were hanging out and I wanted to make a dessert from scratch and decided to make chocolate chip cookies.  I have attempted making chocolate chip cookies probably 2-3 times off of the Toll House chocolate chip package put they have always turned out really really runny and ended up just being one big cookie sheet because they all ran together while cooking.  Aliesha on her blog, Feathers in Our Nest, posted a recipe for chocolate chip cookies a while back and I decided to try out her recipe.  We loved them!  I've written this one down and put in my recipe box and its going to be my go to Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.  If you'd like the recipe, visit her here.

I love that you don't have to use all the cookie dough at once and just put the leftovers in the fridge.  I'm going to just put a few more in the oven this morning for the kids snack at church.  I may freeze the rest.

Home

"Start by making your own home a place where happiness and love abound, through your love for each member of your family and for your neighbor. Try to put in the hearts of your children a love for home. Make them long to be with their families. So much sin could be avoided if our people really love their homes. "
Mother Theresa

Image from Pretties and Posies

Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken

I made this chicken the other night and thought it was fantastic.  I modified the recipe from here.  I didn't have all those ingredients so I just tweaked it to what I had. 

*Note: I only used 2 frozen chicken breast (the kind that come in a bag at Wal-Mart) instead of the 4 suggested, I would add additional spices if you do more chicken breast.  I did cut up my 2 chicken breast into 4 thinner pieces so they would cook faster, but I would still add some more spices if you were making more chicken than 2 big pieces. 

Ingredients:
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 fresh lime
Directions:
In a bowl mix together the spices and then rub over chicken breast. 
Heat butter and olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat
Saute chicken until golden brown and cooked all the way through
Cut fresh lime in half and squeeze juice over chicken breast (You could zest the lime over it too but I don't have a zester)
Let simmer in juice for a few minutes before serving. 

This chicken has a little kick to it and would be fantastic served with rice or chips and salsa.  Kind of reminds me of fiesta lime chicken at Applebee's if it had cheese on top....maybe next time :)

A New Bible Study

Because last week was the final meeting for my Bible study at TRBC, I decided to start a Bible study on my own. I received this workbook last Christmas but just haven't gotten around to doing it yet.  I'm starting "Covenant" by Kay Arthur.  I think this will be a perfect study for this season in my life because through learning about God's covenant's with man, I can learn about making a covenant with Jeremy.  Marriage is too often seen as a contract in today's society that can be easily broken.  God has not and never will break the covenants He makes with us.  The same should be true with marraige.  On June 18th, 2011 I will covenant before God and man to be the wife of one man- Jeremy.  I will promise my love, support, and devotion to him and to him alone.  As I read through the pages of this new Bible study, I wait expectantly for all that God is going to teach me and reveal about His covenants and how precious and important they are to every aspect of Scripture.  I also wait to see what God will teach me about the covenant I'm preparing to make in marriage.  I'm sure there will be plenty to share!

My Job

I am in love with my job!  I had a rough year last year with working at a home improvement company as the secretary.  This summer things just went south with them and I decided it was time to move on.  God graciously provided me with a wonderful job where not only do I feel I am making a difference, it is super fun!  Although it is only a part time job, I am learning much more about money management and enjoy having mornings off. 

I am working at Church Street Bridal here in Lynchburg.  Church Street Bridal (CSB) is part of the YWCA of Central VA and is basically a year round fundraiser for the programs of the YWCA.  We have 3 shops- our regular bridal shop, our formal wear shop, and our Couture shop which houses our higher end designer bridal gowns and formals.  I work in the formal wear shop and sometimes get to work in the bridal shops.  It is so much fun helping girls find the perfect dress, and it is fantastic to know that through the proceeds of the sales, women of the community are being helped! 

All of our dresses are donated to us from shops around the country and then we sell the for a deeply discounted price.  The donors get tax credits and we get beautiful designer dresses!  Currently our biggest donor is Kleinfeld from Say Yes to the Dress on TLC!  Our bridal gowns range from $50-$650 and our formal dresses range from $5-200.  You can't beat our prices and some of our dresses retail for up to $12,000!

I thought I'd share a few photos of our shops...

Above is Church Street Bridal, Too which is the formal shop where I work.

This is the Church Street Couture

And this is Church Street Bridal

If you are ever in Lynchburg and need a bridal gown or formal dress come and see us!
http://www.churchstreetbridal.com/index2.php?v=v1#/home/

Anne of Green Gables Shirt

I found a shirt that I just love on etsy!  Anne of Green Gables is by far one of my favorite movies (I know if I would actually read the books, they would be my favorites too). If anyone is looking for a Christmas present for me, this wouldn't be a bad idea :)  Take a look at Dear Lillie's shop on etsy, such cute things!  And she has a great blog as well.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/60546838/anne-of-green-gables-quote-and

Bowed Knees and an Open Heart

I feel as though I am overflowing with the Spirit of God today after my time in Bible Study this morning at TRBC.  Today was the last day of our Faithful Abundant True study and I am so glad that I decided to do this study with the women's ministry there!  First and foremost, I went to this study hoping to connect with other women who are married and could give me some practical, hands on advice about marriage and being a godly wife.  I had a wonderful table and I did start to form those connections with some of the ladies.  However, I didn't expect God to so powerfully challenge me and soften my heart towards Him during the past seven weeks.

I have learned so much from this study, starting with what I've already posted before.  A godly woman will be a woman of the Word.  If I desire to live a godly lifestyle, if I desire to have joy, if I desire to be hospitable, etc I have to be soaked in Scripture.  Me in my own flesh would never choose those things.  But when we first of all KNOW the Word, and secondly APPLY the Word, God will show up and do amazing things.  I keep thinking how elementary that is, but for me it really hit home.  I don't need to seek all of the how to's from a million books, only the one true Book.

The Lord has impressed my heart with a lot over the last few weeks, but one that He has hit me hard with the last two weeks is the need to bow before Him.  I could probably count on one hand how many times I have prayed bowed.  I have learned today and last week through the speakers and through personal study that bowing is a powerful way to worship and to connect with the Almighty Living God.  It causes me to empty myself of me and to recognize who God is.  It it is a physical manifestation of a heart bowed and surrendered.

As I bowed tonight in prayer, I was overwhelmed with His presence.  He beckoned me to my knees today.  He has been pursuing me and wooing me.  How thankful I am that He doesn't leave us where we are.  Oh the joy of His salvation!  I challenge you to get on your knees and to open your heart to Him.

"Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!"

Psalm 95:6