What I Wore Wednesday and a Proverb to Clothe Yourself in

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy for What I Wore Wednesday

Ladies, I want to encourage you to take a couple of minutes to put yourself together each day.  You are a child of God and so loved.  True beauty comes from the inside, but what we wear does affect how we feel.  It doesn't have to cost a lot... just take some time to put on something that makes you feel special.

Here are a few outfits from the week... most of my clothes are thrifted or gotten a super low prices.


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I love this dress!  I haven't bought clothes in a long time... but I stopped in Forever 21 last week and came out with this dress.  It was under $15 and came with the belt.  I love it because it is so versitile and comfy too.  I wore it a second time this week to church with tights but no sweater!

this is just a simple black tee with a beige lighweight cardi 

paired with a statement necklace - I can wear it with jeans or a skirt

This is a super casual outfit for doing a ton of work around the house... I made the initial necklace (it has the first initials for each of my kiddos).

I like how it makes even a super casual outfit put together.  

note:  the picture doesn't show the initials as clear as they are on the necklace

Hope you are inspired to take a chance and put some outfits together!

And, here is a Proverb to cloth your soul in: 

 "For the Lord gives wisdom; 

 from His mouth come knowledge and understanding"

Proverbs 2:6

Praying you have many blessings and much joy!

Kristen

Tortoise Tuesday - Priorities

As a woman, I often feel deluged with requests and things to do - and not enough to time to do them all. Many of those things seem good...noble even.  But if I am not intentional about my priorities, I am missing out on what is most important for the sake of "good things".

This is what I want my priorities to be (in order of importance):

~ God first, always
~ my husband and our marriage
~ my children and raising them as God wants me to
~ my home and making it a welcoming place of love and safety
~ my work - teaching children is my passion whether at school or youth group
~exercise
~ this blog
~ creative outlets

This, however, doesn't always happen due to so many variables.  If I am not intentional, life takes hold and I am soon running and putting out fires... just trying to keep my head above water.  Every time I say "yes" to one thing, I say "no" to another. The older I get, the more I am learning this lesson.  My stress level is one pretty reliable indicator if I am keeping my priorities in proper order or if I am neglecting one area in favor of another.  When I am keeping my priorities in their rightful spot, I have peace.  Yes, there may be stress but there is also peace.  When my priorities are out of order, high stress and a lack of peace ensues.

The last two weeks, my priorities have been in a jumble.  So, today I am taking a breath and reflecting on my priorities and commitments.  This verse is helping me.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness,

 and all these things will be given to you as well. 

Matthew 6:33

What are your priorities?  How to you keep them in order in your life?  I would love to hear from you.  You can leave comments right in the comment section at the end of this post.

Praying you have many blessings and much joy!

Kristen

Do Not Be Anxious - Faith-filled Friday (a day late)

"Do not be anxious about anything,

 but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,

 present your requests to God.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,

 will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:6-7

 

 

Yesterday was a stressful day... by the end of the day, I was worn out... depleted. weary.  A couple of situations weighed heavily on my mind.  Hard situations involving people I love.  Situations, I could do nothing about.. I struggled, I cried, I prayed... but still there it sat heavy on my shoulders and there was nothing I could do to help. I prayed about these situations - I did.   But, I didn't let go of them completely and hand them over to the One who could do something about them.  See, I don't want to see people I love suffer.  The mother in me wants to help, nurture, fix.  While, those traits may seem admirable, really they are not if not first surrendered to Jesus.  That is why I had no peace.  I was anxious and stressed.  I was trying to do things on my own strength.  Do you ever do that? 
In Philippians, we are told to not be anxious but rather pray, request, ,and give thanks to the Lord.  In doing this, we surrender control of what hold to so dearly and place it in the hands of Jesus - where it should be anyway.  Our emotions give us good clues that tell us if we are surrendering situations to Him or clinging too tightly.  This is not to say that once we pray and surrender things that we will no longer feel stress.  Stress is a normal feeling.  It does however mean, that once we truly leave things in Jesus' hands - we will feel that peace.  It is supernatural this peace that "transcends" understanding.  So today, I am doing just that knowing and trusting Jesus's hands are the best place to be.

Praying you have many blessings and much joy!
Kristen



 

 

 

Think About It Thursday - Stop the Comparisons

Good Morning!

Today I want to share what is on my heart about this blog

This is what I want for this blog

I want it to be a place...

~ to encourage
~ to inspire
~ to spark creativity
~ to encourage
~ to share joys and sorrows
~ to wrestle through hard things
~ to build faith
~ to instill in each of us how precious we are to Jesus
~ to try
~ to love
~ to bloom

What I don't want for this blog

~ to judge
~ to compare
~ to discourage
~ to be unkind
~ to belittle
~ to set up unrealistic expectations for any of us


I feel that burning in my heart is the need to say:  we need to stop comparing ourselves to others.   I am talking about that comparison game a lot of us play... a game that doesn't build us up, but rather breaks us down.  I play it myself all too often.  Here are some of the things that run through my mind when I compare myself to others: "She is so talented... my talents don't measure up", "She is so creative and I am not", "How does she get it all done... and look beautiful while doing that", "They are so ____________ (fill in the blank)... and I am not.", "I should _________________  (fill in the blank).  I know I am not alone in this.

We need to stop the comparisons!  Life is both joyful and sorrowful.  Some days are downright hard... crushing.  We need to celebrate our gifts and the gifts of others.  The game of comparison doesn't do that.  In fact, it does the exact opposite. This game blocks us from seeing our own gift.  It also hides the struggles in others.  I am hear to tell you something I am sure of... we all have gifts and we all have weaknesses.  The comparison game doesn't tell us that.   The truth is, we all have issues.  None of us have it all together. 

This is not to say that we cannot look to others and see things in them that inspire us to grow and change.  We can all learn from each other.  We are unique,  precious, and loved.   We all have something to offer.  And, we will only bloom when we are ourselves - not trying to be someone else.

 

“Today you are You, that is truer than true.
There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” 

 Dr. Suess

Praying you have many blessings and much joy!
Kristen

What I Wore Wednesday - And a Proverb to Clothe Yourself In

I am linking up with Lindsey from The Pleated Poppy  for What I Wore Wednesday.  Taking a few minutes each day to put outfits together has made such a difference for me.  It really does makes me feel good.   And, it also makes me try new combinations.  I didn't realize how far my wardrobe could go just by switching up accessories and the pieces I pair together.  I am challenging you to do this too... I bet you will have a little extra spring in your step.

And, here is a Proverb to clothe yourself in...  good for us and for our children

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Hear, my child, your father’s instruction,
    and do not reject your mother’s teaching;
for they are a fair garland for your head,
    and pendants for your neck.

Proverbs 1:8-9



Here are some outfits I wore this week:



love these flats...

 I got them at Target last year and am glad the weather is warming up so I can wear them again

my youngest photo bombed this pic:)

love this jacket... got it on clearance at Forever 21... they have some great clothing!

 I got this sweater on sale at Old Navy in the Fall and wear it often... it goes with so much!  Love the sequins tank underneath that I got for my birthday in the Fall (Old Navy)

I made the skirt just in time for Easter

Can't help but wear Spring colors now:)

This is my youngest, Kim

She made this dress herself - She amazes me:)

Each morning (or night before if mornings are rushed for you), take a few minutes to pick out something special to wear.  You are worth it!

Praying you have many blessings and much joy!

Kristen

Tortoise Tuesday - Reverse To Do List (and a project update)

How often do we all look at our to do list with things left undone only to feel discouraged.  I know I do it far too often.  I am a list maker, an organizer, a label crazy girl.  These parts of me serve me well and I get great enjoyment from orderliness.  But, these things can also weigh me down... entangling me with unrealistic expectations.  I often do not see all I have accomplished,  but rather all I haven't.

In light of my hope to be more tortoise-like and less hare-like, I am coming up with ways to help me change my perspective.  One way I have found to adjust my focus is by reflecting and using what I call "a reverse to do list".  In those moments when I am most overwhelmed and frustrated by things left undone, reflecting helps me to see things differently.  I see what I have done and where I have spent my time. 


Here's the difference:

My To Do List for This Past Weekend

~ finish painting trim and wainscoting in my kitchen
~ exercise twice
~ write three drafts of blog posts
~clean house
~sew skirts for Easter
~ cook
~ clean out my fridge
~ clean the house
~ use the china for Easter dinner
~ bead a bracelet
~ set up the patio
~ buy Easter egg decorating kit


What I Actually Did:


~ finished shopping for my son's birthday presents

~ sewed two skirts

~ laundry

~ cooked Easter dinner

~ worshipped on Easter

~ watched a movie with my family 

~ decorated Easter eggs (with only green and orange because I never did get the kit)

~ spent time talking with my family

~ took pictures

~ made memories

~ ate Easter candy

~ walked twice (once at a beautiful bike path I have never been to before)

(if you look closely at the graffiti on this building, it says Jesus)










~ sat around the fire pit, roasted marshmallows, and made s'smores.

~ prayed
~ read a good book

My house didn't get completely cleaned.  The trim and painting are still not complete.  We didn't use china for our Easter dinner.  My bracelet needs to be restrung.  My fridge needs to be cleaned.  I have dust bunnies.

We sat around the fire pit making s'mores while some of the patio furniture remained in the shed.
We had a delicious dinner that reminded me of Easters past at my Polish grandmother's house - no china needed.  We laughed as we decorated Easter eggs.  We cuddled while watching The Wizard of Oz.  We enjoyed a beautiful afternoon walking at the bike path.  We worshipped Our Risen Lord. 
 

While I will never completely let go of my to do lists,  reflecting on how I spend my days sure lets me see what is really important... experiences and relationships that are worth oh so much more than checking off items on my to do list. 

 

So, take a moment and instead of being dismayed by all of the things left on your to do list; choose to see where you are really spending your time!

 

Project Update:   By the way, I started painting my trim and wainscoting in the kitchen 2 weeks ago... as of this morning, I am more than half done.  Not as far along as I would like but it is progress!

 

Praying you have many blessings and much joy!

Kristen

Money-Stretching Monday - hutch before and after

Wanted to show  you a little before and after.  Paint on furniture can make a huge difference!  And, you can save oodles of money by loving what you have.

I have had a love/hate relationship with this hutch:

Before

I love the shape, the lines, and the wire screens I used in place of the glass doors.  This piece is great for storing our china and other things in our kitchen.  What I hate about it, is how dark it is in the corner.    The stain makes it look heavy and bulky; it also hides the beautiful detailing on the hutch. 

I was thinking about replacing it with something more airy and light.  That option isn't budget-friendly at this point.  Then I found this beautiful shade of aqua... it makes me smile just looking at it.

 

 

 

I got this 8 oz Valspar paint sample at Lowe's for free.  Yep, had a coupon for a free sample and they mixed the color right there for me at the store.  Without a coupon, this size is just under $3 - so not a big cost at all.  And, this is what I ended up with...



 

 

After

 

 

Now, I love my hutch... the color is fresh, bright, and cheery.  The beauty of the lines of the hutch now pop.   It is now one of my favorite pieces of furniture in my house. 

 

All I needed for this project was the paint sample and a piece of sandpaper to prep the surface for painting.  I love the result.  This piece looks fresh and new.  And, I still have some paint leftover in the sample for another little project. 

 

Take another look at the furniture in your home.  It is it tired and worn out?  Imagine what a little paint could do for you. For about $3 you could have a whole new piece.   Now that is money-stretching for sure!

 

Praying you have many blessings and much joy!

Kristen



p.s. we are working on painting the interior of our house... I am thinking a vintage yellow for the kitchen - I think it would go beautifully with my hutch:)