how DOG the bounty hunter grounds me...

True confession time...I have a little habit.  I'm thinking it might not be the healthiest one.  After I partake...I'm a little off.  My mind has trouble focusing.  I'm dissatisfied with everything.  I covet.  Which of course is a sin.  Seems small, but hmmmm.  I'm talking about my Hawaii Life addiction.  Have you watched this HGTV show?

A few years back we visited Maui and then the Big Island, and ever since then I've been a little obsessed and basically ruined. This of course is magnified a bit in the winter months, but I just have this yearning to live there at some point in my life.  I think about it too much.  I pick my memory for all the little places we visited.  It's like my mental vacation.  And I know it's probably not the healthiest thing in the world for me, because honestly it does make me wish for something I don't have, to be somewhere I don't live, and that's wrong.  Boo!  But I'm addicted:/

Since I'm all about Hawaii I watch anything to do with it.  I listen to the Descendants CD over and over again.  I even catch myself watching Dog the Bounty Hunter.  I was relaying this to my helpers this week and Adele had never heard of Dog.  WHAT!??  Seriously??  It was our pleasure to get her up to speed about all things Dog and his crazy family.  

So Adele you've never heard of DOG?!  Where you been girl?  Under a rock.  This show is legendary.  People dress up like them at Halloween.  Okay so it's this family of bounty hunters.  And they are rough and raw.  Dog is a Christian, but he's been in prison...oh and he swears like a trucker.  His wife Beth is rough too.  They look like cartoon characters. He's got a bleach blonde mullet. They both are decked out in leather from head to toe and she's very well endowed.  That's the physical.  They go in looking for these meth heads in THE most awful places in Hawaii.  They are hot on the pursuit.  Tasers and handcuffs ready.  It's thrilling.  When they finally find the fugitive, the people are like "whatevs dude...here's my hands, cuff me".  And they still kinda rough them up and throw them in the back of the van...just for intimidation purposes and TV drama.  Then while they are in the car DOG offers them a cig and is like "Bra...it's not too late for you to turn your life over":)  They do a little rehabilitation pep talk on the way to jail and at the end they usually pray with the dazed drugged out dude.  It's good TV.  Every episode is basically the same, but I'm hooked because I'm hoping the criminal will actually run or try to shoot Dog or something tantalizing will happen.  Shame on me.

Here's the point.  I do have one;)  The DOG keeps me grounded.  In my one track mind Hawaii is all lush tropical jungles and rainbows. It's endless beaches and blue.  It's magical light, flipflops and dew rags on my head.  But in reality just like every other "perfect" place, job, man, situation etc...there are good and bad things about it. Everything is not perfect. Work is WORK!  People are flawed.  Hawaii has drugs:/


I think the "grass is greener" mentality can keep us in a state of discontent, and that is a HUGE weapon the enemy uses to distract and discourage us.  Even as I type all this out it doesn't change the fact that deep in my heart I want to escape to Hawaii someday.  But I realize that it is an escape and that I am where I am right now for a purpose.  My heart and mind will be here while I'm here.  There's nothing wrong with dreams.  There's nothing wrong with wanting something else as long as it doesn't keep you from the course God has for your life.  Be present in your real life drama.  You only live it once.

Be a blessing.

happy mail from artbyerinleigh.com 

a week of cuffing.  shop opens MONDAY!!!

my first Big Cartel sales!  

@farmgirlfitness

Okay so I had a brief moment of insanity over the weekend.  I started another Instagram account called farmgirlfitness.  I'm having shallow breathing over it this morning.  I posted a picture of my belly...  Which everyone thought looked great by the way;)  I said it was my weight watchers.  Seriously I've done lost my mind;)


Here's the deal.  When you are close to your goal weight no one gets it.  "You look great!  You're being too hard on yourself.  Just love the way you are."  Hello people.  Taking care of yourself is love.  The only reason I'm "skinny fat" right now is because I haven't completely decided to throw in the towel.


Trust me watching my weight is a constant thing in my life.  I'll be good for a bit, go on a trip, have company, my shop will open, hormones hit etc... and I'm off the wagon.  I go straight to the bottom of my priority list and run on complete survival mode.  If it wasn't for the times I started focusing back in I'd have a big problem and I just don't want to go there. I watch Biggest Loser.  I cry right along with all those contestants.  That fight and determination is inspirational and I could feel it draining from me.

I'm forty now.  I seriously have tried every diet out there.  I only have 10-15 pounds to lose.  That's completely doable right?  Well it's majorly hard because when I look in the mirror I'm not completely disgusted.  My clothes still mostly fit.  And when I'm not naked I look pretty good.  My face isn't too bad in pics.  So where's the motivation?  It's in my memory...  I remember what that last 10 pounds felt like. And I'm not being unreasonable here.  I don't want to be supermodel perfect. I just know my body...my skin and how it feels to be in the right spot.


It's a new year. I kept waiting to get excited about trying again.  But this time I could feel myself throwing in the towel.  I just didn't care.  I was telling myself that I'm older.  It's impossible.  You have to work twice as hard.  And I just didn't WANT to.  What's the point...blah!   You've done it all before.  And I have. Trust me.  It will work a smidgen and then the second I let down my guard it comes back.  It has to be something other than a diet and a crazy workout routine, because I know myself and I will NOT be successful.  I just won't.


I'm a firm believer that as long as you are focused and consistent in making healthy choices you will see results.  My problem has always been a lack of consistency.  So I've started this new IG page to have accountability.  I'm going to document myself make healthy choices.  I hope having an audience will motivate me to move in some way every day.  I'll post other peoples recipes, workouts, before and after pics as well.  Anything to keep my eye on not throwing in the towel.  And after I reach my goal I'll keep it up to stay motivated (to keep that switch flipped)...to continue cheering others on:)

Are you with me?  
Do you need a little accountability??
Join in. 
Share your story.  
Let's move and make healthy choices together.  

Be a blessing.

dare

(Photo courtesy of Tamara) 

I'm super aware of how fast time is flying lately.  I think my sentimental heart started beating twice as fast at Big Chick's high school orientation meeting the other night.  I knew it was coming...high school.  But for some reason it still felt years away.  I'm living in denial people.  It's this Fall!  And then the countdown starts.  Several people on IG told me...don't blink.  Once they hit high school it's o.v.e.r. in the flash of an instant.  Well crap!  Seriously I don't need to hear that stuff...I KNOW!!!

Is it weird to be in a state of empty nest syndrome years before it happens??  I know I don't have the grace for that day yet, so why am I freaking about it now?  Live today!  Focus on the NOW.  BE PRESENT...dangit!!!  I keep telling myself that, but all of a sudden every second matters.  Shoot I shouldn't even be on this computer right now.  What a time zap;)

Okay so enough of that I'm getting all choked up.  I was thinking about my word for the year recently.  It's been on my heart.  Oh the pressure;)  But seriously I do usually have some sort of revelation word.  Something I felt came from the Lord just for me.  And this year it literally popped off the wall at me when we were down in Florida.  It was in a Nike campaign sentence.  And the word was DARE.  I kept staring at it.  With laser like focus that's all I could see d.a.r.e.  Well what's that about Lord?!  Are you daring me?  What's that mean??

dare

: to have enough courage or confidence to do something : to not be too afraid to do something

: to do (something that is difficult or that people are usually afraid to do)

: to tell (someone) to do something especially as a way of showing courage

I think for me it means:
dare to believe 100% that I've got you covered.
dare to do what I've called you to do.
dare to believe it's all going to work out.
dare to be BOLD.
dare to live LARGE.
dare to go out on that limb.
dare to DO IT AFRAID.
dare to be YOU Becky...because there is only one you!
dare to be brave and fearless and don't look down cause I AM YOUR SAFETY NET.
don't.look.down...DARE!

This past year has been a whole lot of question marks...honey's job situation, the growing pains of my business, different dreams I've wanted to see come to pass, the girls and their constant changing needs.  It's always going to be this way.  Whether there is a steady stream of reassurance and affirmation or if it's crickets...we are going to have to dare to trust.  Dare to boldly believe that it will work out.  Because the future is his.  He holds it and all my peeps in the palm of his hands and that's just fine with me.  I don't want to be in charge.  His timing is ultimately perfect.  I'm putting on this new title.  I'm living with reckless abandon...unafraid.  I'm daring!  Yep that's me;)

*pictures from Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens and our first snow day;)

Have a blessed day.

 my honey/IT department...love how he helps me!

 a whole day alone with my girls! bliss:))

 the project from you know where is complete.  13 ft floating door desk...pics to come soon.

i finally opened the BIG CARTEL shop.  find my prints there;)

what's your stew?

Sunday Pastor Stan gave a message at church that to this day I'm still thinking about.  That's when you know it's a good one.  Do you remember the story of Jacob and Esau?  Esau gave away his birthright for a bowl of stew?


WHAT!  First of all I didn't recall that and I didn't really grasp the significance of what went down.  Jacob was the little brother.  He was more nurturing...liked to cook and be a homebody.  Esau was an outdoors man and hunted.  Esau came in starving after being gone a couple of days and NEEDED to eat in a bad way.  This is where the story gets interesting.  Jacob being the stinker little brother said okay you can have the stew IF you give me your birthright.  WHOA!  Way to barter there little brother.

A birthright was HUGE in that culture.  It gave the wealth of the family to the oldest.  And in this case Esau wouldn't have to worry about funds for the rest of his life.  It also gave ultimate power and position.  Every important family matter and decision would be decided by him alone.  It was major!!!  But because Esau was so focused on his hunger, and his appetite was so blown out of proportion he couldn't think clearly and gave away his most important prize position ever...His future!

31Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”

32“Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”

33But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.

34Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.  Genesis 25:31-34

It changed history.  The future scripture became...

14God said to Moses, “I am who I am.^c This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ”

15God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord,^d the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’

“This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation.

It doesn't say God of Esau...it says JACOB!!!!  He had no idea what God had planned for his future.  So he gambled with his life and gave away everything in his weakness.    

Pastor Stan talked about appetites and that God created them and that sin distorted them.  Whether it be the need for achievement, food, to be loved etc...we all have appetites.  We need to learn to manage them and pray for wisdom.  Then he asked this question at the end.

What's your bowl of stew?  

What's keeping you from fulfilling God's plan for your life?  Is it laziness??  Is it distraction?  Is it the hunger for temporary earthly things??  What is keeping us from our legacy?  Because we ALL have one!  Every one of us has something great to contribute.  Something great TO DO!  I know I don't want mess that up.  I want Him to use me...every gift, every talent, every ounce of me for His purpose and plan.  Life is so very short.  Eternity is forever.  Something to chew on...

Be a blessing.

joy written on her face

my patient honey who loves me so very well

that we saw some alligators...at a DISTANCE;)
cool projects come to pass
our first snow