Hi girls!!! It's been a whirlwind around here with the Feb 2-6th shop opening! You blessed our little shop once again and we are forever grateful for your support. Thank you...thank YOU!! We've been busy stamping and setting like crazy people. In the midst of all that I am so honored and delighted to share something that I'm pretty excited about. My crazy talented friend Courtney wrote another book and I was invited to be a part of her #ShareYourHeart blog tour. WOOT!!!!
I've been too busy to read more than the back cover, but I can't wait to dig into this book. I've read her others and I just know it's going to be good. Big Chick was eyeballing it too. That girl knows a good book when she sees it:)
This is the book trailer. Watch this video! It's the sweetest. And it can easily become a new family tradition:)
To go along with her inspirational trailer, Courtney started a #ShareYourHeart campaign and challenged a bunch of her friends to create their own version of a "paper heart". And naturally because we are in full on cuffing season right now here is my version:)
This cuff will be given away on her blog...go here to learn more:)
Courtney is also giving you a chance to win a pretty amazing PRIZE package!!! All you need to do is find her on Facebook here and SHARE the Paper Hearts Book trailer with your friends... Then enter the Rafflecopter Giveway. Good luck girlies!!
And HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! Spoil those people you love:))
I woke up this morning bright and early. Scratch that...it wasn't bright...it was pitch black. Man I hate that. Getting out of bed is sooooo hard in the winter, never mind the day after the long holiday break. So here I am...the peeps are all out of the house. The routine is in motion and I'm collecting my thoughts. Geesh the house feels quiet. Feeling a little blue:/
I should feel excited. I've been waiting for January. January is the month I'm going to make changes. Turn my life upside down;) Instead I feel a little shell shocked. I have so many goals. So many things I want to accomplish it's freaking me out.
I do have my word though. I always get a word for the year and ironically enough this year the word is...BEGIN. Last year it was rest, this year begin;) You know how there are things you want to do, and you just kinda shove them aside until the time is right?? I've been doing that for a long time. And you know what? The time is never right. In order to get to completion you have to start...to begin and that's where I'm at. Today I will begin to straighten my studio, so tomorrow I might have a clear thought and some inspiration when I sit in there. See there's a plan. There's a beginning and the key is to just do it. The rest will fall into place.
I've also begun something really exciting. I'm fasting. Yep another reason I feel a little shell shocked. My church is doing a Daniel Fast. It's a veggie, fruit and whole grain partial fast. Water only. No meat. No dairy. No caffeine. No fun...nah just kidding. Yesterday was my first day and let me tell you I struggled. I had absolutely NO energy! NONE!!! But I did it and I feel it lines right up with my January. I wanted to set it apart. Seek the Lord...begin a new thing and it's shaping up to be just what I didn't know I needed.
Here was day one. Breakfast was oatmeal with natural peanut butter and a banana. Snack was a grapefruit. Lunch was a veggie burger, baked lentil chips and salsa. Dinner was homemade veggie soup, rice crackers and natural applesauce. All in all it was tasty. The caffeine and sugar withdrawal is the issue. I think by day three the energy should return and the headache will be gone. Looking forward to day three. If you have any questions click here for more information.
Be a blessing.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
934. a new year...a clean slate
935. claritin...seems to be helping my little chick
We are back home after a whirlwind Thanksgiving. We had SO much fun with our stand-in NC family! We ate like kings. The kids played HARD! The grown-ups got all our shopping done and lots of visiting in:) Asheville was amazing. It was good...really good!
I'm kind of exhausted to tell ya the truth. Been traveling ALOT lately, so I'm condensing the pics into a couple of collages...here's a snippet of our weekend. It's a mix of Thanksgiving yumminess, the Biltmore Mansion in all it's grandeur, and a hike to Triple Falls...where the HungerGames was filmed!
Instagram pictures...farmgirlpaints
The trip was full of lots of things to be thankful for, but it also had a couple hiccup moments. We got a speeding ticket on the way to the Hutchinson's house. SO not cool. It was a speed trap. The cop was sitting at the bottom of a steep hill and our cruise was on and...well you know how that isn't the most accurate at keeping your speed on a hill. We got nailed:(
Then when we got home there was another unfortunate surprise. The shipment with my cuff supplies came in the mail and the package was completely EMPTY!! This has happened before:/ Apparently we have a thief at our post office!! Anyway it was not a happy moment for me and I have to admit it completely stole my joy...for more than a day. Grrrrrrrrr. It didn't get resolved. I had to repay to get the order resent, and for my small business that stung...aLOT!
So this morning when I flipped open my Jesus Calling devotional by Sarah Young and these words popped out at me, it was apparent the Lord was trying to get my attention. My Thanksgiving to Him is a sacrifice. Praising Him and keeping focused on the good things...the blessings in my life are an offering. I'd never really thought of it that way before.
Our hearts have to be protected because this world is full of disappointments. Every day will have it's unforeseen challenges and we have to make a concentratedeffort to not let those things distract us from all the good we have. Because WE ARE BLESSED!!!! So so sooooo blessed! I needed that reminder.
Be a blessing.
In case you missed it...Alicia's cute shop is only open until December 15th. She's offering 20%off if you use FARMGIRL20 in the coupon code. Bop over there. Super cute stuff!!!
890. this gorgeous shawl sent to me by my talented IG friend...
891. reminders to slow down
892. turkey, gravy, sweet potato souffle and and and... feasting!!!
When I was a little girl I remember my momma always being on a diet. Her side of the family struggled tremendously with obesity, and it was just the norm for her to be trying something new...to be working on herself. I don't remember the names of them. Heavens back in the day who knows what silly diets they had, but I do recall watching her once chew an enormous bowl of popcorn, and then spit it out after every bite. It makes me sad to think about that now.
As an adult my weight has fluctuated. At one point I weighed more than my Honey! I know!! And you wonder why I keep a close eye on it (#operationzipthosepants). The difference between how I grew up and what we do in our home now is that weight is not discussed. We talk about being healthy...we focus on eating right and moving. We limit sugary sweets, fast food and provide plenty of good stuff to snack on.
Back in the day I don't know if they really knew what to feed us. Seriously Twinkies, Ding Dongs and junk were the norm in my house. My honey grew up eating powdered sugar donuts and hot chocolate for breakfast. He wore Husky jeans...remember those?? Hmmmm wonder why he's so disciplined now?? That husky tag must have scarred him for life;)
I never really liked how my body looked growing up. Obesity ran in our family and I had to really watch it not to fall into that category. I remember hating on myself at my 8th grade graduation. I wasn't even heavy, but I remember crying because of how bad I thought I looked:(
In high school I thinned out, only to gain it all back in our early years of marriage. Have you ever heard of the Master Cleanse? I used to take laxative teas and drink a strange lemonade/cayenne pepper mix to detox and shed weight. Not the best method by the way. All of that to say most of us have some sort of history with food. Most of us have experienced a diet and/or not been happy with our body image. Maybe even done something extreme or dangerous to lose it.
I'm in a different place than I was all those years ago. I don't look at myself and feel sadness or hatred. I look at myself and feel love. Sometimes I get frustrated because my weight doesn't respond to what I'm doing, but it's out of a caring place. I want to eat right and exercise, not only to look good and feel comfortable in my clothes, but because I love my family and want to take care of myself for them. I also do it because I'm aging and I want to be healthy and not struggle with disease.
It can go either way for people...this desire to lose weight. It can obviously become an unhealthy obsession and take over their lives. My friend Emily Wierenga struggled horribly with anorexia. She's one of many of my friends who've experienced an eating disorder.
Emily has written an amazing book called Chasing Silhouettes. I'm so very proud of her for using her history...her past...to help others. It's a valuable resource...if you or someone you love is hurting in this area. She's offering one copy to a reader, but I'd like to encourage you to purchase a copy for your school, church, youth group etc...
You can buy it HERE. Her story could help so many. To enter the give-away just leave me a comment telling me your history with food. Any twitter, facebook, blog post etc...gets another entry:) Thanks for spreading the word.
Hello friends. I wanted to share a few things that I'm waaaay overdue in telling you. Not sure if you've noticed, but I've cut back a little on blogging. Trying to free up my time, and do other stuff as well, but that doesn't mean I don't have just as much to say;) It's just hard fitting it all in.
A while back I got a package in the mail from this reader. She wrote me the sweetest letter and mailed me two necklaces that she handmade. She put owls on it...sooo knows me well...representing big and little chick. She stamped some keys etc... Just really went over the top to personalize and make the gift special. It's so special actually that I have it hanging on my bed. It blessed my heart that she took the time to make me something and to express her feelings. How often do we do that?
Normally I don't talk about gifts from readers because if I accidentally forget to mention someone I might hurt feelings and that would make me feel awful. But this was a pay it forward type linky thing. I'm not going to do the linky thing cause I just don't want to, but I love the premise. If there is someone in your life that blesses you, maybe it's a teacher at school, a blogger, the lady at the post office...someone...and they don't know how much they mean to you I really encourage you to pay it forward and do something special for them. Take a minute and write a letter. Make them something or perhaps bake them something. Anything to bless their socks off. I plan on doing this really soon.
This is me on a lazy Sunday afternoon. It was the first time I'd read a book on my iPad. I've always been hesitant because I love a book in my hand. Flipping the pages, the smell...Barnes and Noble! But I gotta say I loved it. So easy and made me feel really high tech. Ha!
A few weeks ago I mentioned a blogger friend that wrote a book and self published. She was one of my very first readers...God bless her and she's still around;) I downloaded her book and read it the weekend we went to DC. I was floored at how good it was. FLOORED! She wrote a flippin' novel. Had no clue she could do that. I fell in love with the characters...the interesting plot. I couldn't wait to steal away to see what happened and how it would end. It was just written well. So well that I'm wanting to read it again. If you didn't download it the first time when I hadn't read it now you know it's GOOD. I would tell you the storyline, but it would give away too much. Here's the link to get your own. It's only $2.99 on Amazon. Great summer read!
And finally I wanted to talk about my friend Jeanne. I've mentioned her Creatively Made course to you before, but lucky for you she's offering it again for the summer. Yeehaw! I learned so many new ways to create after going through her videos. She just has such a fun carefree way of teaching. Very easy to follow and when you are done you've created some amazing pieces of art.
Here's a few pieces I made after learning some of her techniques. They turned out really cool! I had an amazing teacher:) I SO need to go back through and revisit those videos and take LOTS of notes!!! I highly recommend this course for a fun summer thing to do for yourself. It will bless you. I promise...oh and I have little bitty part in it. I did a vlog for her. Yikes:)
Not long after we moved to Virginia I started a "moving on" class. The first day I sat in the class I did the ugly cry...complete with snot dripping down my face. It wasn't pretty. I was just in such a raw emotional state. I knew from the second that I walked in the room there was no way I was going to be able to hold it together. So from the very beginning these ladies saw the real me...the transparent, vulnerable...extremely emotional me;)
Week after week we shared pieces of ourselves, and week after week I felt something chip away at the pain and loss that I was feeling. See the joy in my face in this picture? That is what it feels like to finally have people know you and love you...to belong again to something and feel apart of a group. There really is nothing better.
These ladies have wiggled into my heart. God used them to plant a seed of hope. Hope that I would make friends. Hope that we made the right decision...that this foreign place could eventually feel like home.
If I go too long without meeting with my moving on class I start backtracking a bit. The loneliness seeps in and depression starts to rear it's ugly head. I'm just a little needy right now I guess. The pieces are still falling into place. There isn't a Kristine or Missy here yet. I don't have that every day best friend and it's a void. I'm not gonna lie. I'm just trusting...waiting.
Today as we wrapped up our class I did the ugly cry once again. These ladies needed to know how much they mean to me. They needed to know what an enormous blessing they've been, and despite the embarrassment of looking awful, crying shamelessly...it had to be said.
BUT this isn't the end. We are starting a book club and meeting every single week. I think we might all be a little needy;) Oh and guess what book we are reading first?? I picked it...Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. If you haven't read it yet...go right now and snatch up a copy. Do the book club with us!!! It's really a good read.
***Don't forget to sign up HERE for Jeanne's awesome camera bag. The winner will be announced on Friday!
I was recently asked to go on a book tour. I was so oblivious. Seriously I was like uh publisher lady...not sure if that will work in my schedule. You know I have kids and a honey right?? She probably thought I was a crazy loon. In fact being on a book tour just meant giving my opinion about the book...not going on tour like a rock star;) DUH! Okay I guess I can squeeze that in...hee hee!
So I get this book (Food Rules by Michael Pollan) in the mail and I start reading and at first I was like this isn't rocket science, it's all very common sense. Then the genius of it all started kicking in. We are so warped by this diet and that report etc...that we have no idea what to do any more regarding food.
This author breaks it down wonderfully into three parts. What should I eat? What kind of food should I eat? How should I eat? His mission was to more or less prove that our grandparents had all the wisdom in this area. Lots of people wrote in and helped him out and he came up with 83 rules.
My favorite part of the book were the illustrations of course. Apparently this is a new edition and the illustrations are a new added improvement. I can only imagine how much they contributed to the original book. The artist Maira Kalman was fantastic. I loved her simple, colorful pages. They drew me in 100%.
The beauty of the Food Rules book is that you don't have to follow every single rule. It's not about that. Even if you change a few bad habits and incorporate some of the rules your health will benefit. My favorite rules were:
40. Make water your beverage of choice.
45. Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself.
50. Avoid ingredients that lie to your body.
56. Eat when you are hungry not when you are bored.
69. Order the small.
79. Treat treats as treats.
I think I have some new "rules" to try and follow;) Great stocking stuffer.
Have a blessed day.
271. hopefully breaking old habits
272. the twinkle of Christmas in my house
273. laundry done once again
274. my girl whose beautiful voice rings out in the dark...when she should be sleeping
275. friends who encourage and lift up 276. creating all day...without my computer on!
I've been in my own little world lately. Christmas orders have been pouring in...yay! It's a good thing, but when that happens other things take a back seat. The house suffers a bit. We eat breakfast for dinner A LOT! I get frazzled. Deadlines make me crazy. I have no idea how people work full time and still do it all.
My Honey's a fixer. I love that about him. If he sees I'm frustrated he rushes in and tries to take care of me. For instance my phone has been bugging me again. I drop calls. It bounces back and forth between 3G and 4G and won't allow me to connect. Cell phones and I have a sordid history. I swear they should hire me and pay me big bucks to find all the kinks. If a cell phone can last a month with me it's golden! Anyway we spent part of the weekend in Best Buy...again. Honey going to bat to get me hooked up. Didn't work, but he tried. Then he worked on a computer issue I was having etc... I love feeling takin' care of. He's really good at that.
To top it all off he was my chick flick stand in. Usually when a new Twilight flick comes out, the girls and I hit the movies for a night out. We go out to dinner and then hit the teenie bopper movie...lusting over Jacob's ripped abs and gushing over Bella and Edward's deep love for each other.
My Honey of course thinks it's weird...and it is;) He really doesn't get the Twilight movie thing, but last night we sat at sweet candlelit restaurant and he feigned interest in the movie just for me. Major brownie points girls! Gotta say out of all those movies I like Breaking Dawn the best. It was pretty slow in some parts, but it was really good. I had no idea how they were going film this particular book, but they pulled it off.
Inside I'm really a 15 year old girl. I swear the thing I got most excited about at the movie was the PREVIEW for the Hunger Games! Have you read that series?? It's written for teenagers, just like the Twilight books. How I got all caught up in these books is beyond me, but they are really interesting.
This is off topic, but do you ever buy cards for yourself? If I see a card I love I buy it...even if I don't really have someone in mind at the time. This one just makes me laugh. The inside says, That's why we're friends. Hello? I personally think it's a good thing being a weirdo. How about you?
Have a blessed day.
247. cafe caturra...pork panini
248. uninterrupted conversation with my best friend
249. saving money when honey figures things out
250. getting spruced up for my man
251. the excitement of my favorite holiday fast approaching
Good morning girlies. It's another gray day here. I'm trying really really hard not to let that bum me out. I'm a sunshine girl. When the sun doesn't shine I have ZERO energy.
Yesterday was the same, but on my way home from the bus stop a neighbor invited me to Zumba. Have you heard of that?? It's a dancy type exercise class. Since I'm in my "yes" period I went. And I have to say initially I was like what in the world am I doing here?? I was one of maybe 9 or so. Beside my neighbor we were definitely the youngest in the group. I cannot for the life of me mirror someone dancing. I just can't! So with Brazilian hottie music playing I awkwardly tried to sway my hips and get down to the beat like the cute little teacher was. Let's just say it wasn't pretty. Oh and to top it off I injured myself! Yep me in there with all the old people and later in the day I can hardly move...the smell of Icy Hot permeating from under my clothes. Sweet!
I bought this book for my girlies so we could have a quick devotion at dinner or before the bus in the morning. I've found though that it's more for me. This morning's devotion made me cry. Shocker...I know I cry at everything, but it was so good. Not only did I hurt my back yesterday I also started getting sick. Burning sinuses, scratchy sore throat...achy. To read that he's with me when I'm tired and hurting...when I feel too overwhelmed and weak to keep it all together....that's just what I needed to hear. I'm not in the best place right now, but he knows that and he's right here with me.
I've been slacking in the creativity department lately. I'm in the place where I make myself do stuff, instead of wanting to do stuff. But sometimes you have to just push through and do it anyway even it you're not feeling it. Hence my owl yesterday. LOVE my owl:) He's winking at me. Almost giving me that little nod...everything's gonna be okay. Hang in!
Recently I've been drawing inspiration from a new blog I found called yes and amen. She's an artist, photographer and Jesus lover too. She's been explaining how to art journal. Encouraging me to sketch...which I never do...and just explore different avenues for creating. Love Junelle.
The first day I stumbled onto her blog I saw this beautiful piece of art. I just loved her messy mixed media look and the words really spoke to my heart. I have my very own creation of hers now. It blesses me SO much when I look at it. It's so happy. You can almost feel her joy as she was creating it. So that's what I'm going to do again today. Create something that makes me happy...sickness or not;) I'm thinking a baby giraffe might do the trick. Wish me luck.
Have a blessed day.
125. a long supportive hug from my honey.
126. steamy cheesy potato soup.
127. paint and brushes
128. self expression
129. not having to go anywhere when i don't feel good.
