four friday faves.

Since parenting is the toughest job, I have read many books on the subject over the last several years. I wouldn't call any of them perfect, but they are all based on scripture, so there are many valuable things I've learned from each one. Here are three of my favorites, and one that will arrive in the mail tomorrow. :)

[1] Give Them Grace ... This one teaches that raising "good" kids completely misses the mark; teaching our kids the gospel and grace of God is what matters the most.
[2] The Heart of Anger ... I don't love this cover, and I'm not even half-way through it yet, but this is such a great book. Whether or not you think anger is a real issue in your home, this has been very eye-opening. It dissects the Bible verse - "Fathers do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." [Ephesians 4:6] There are so many ways I never knew I have provoked our children to anger. Highly recommend.
[3] Shepherding a Child's Heart ... It has been a long time since I've read this one, but it's really good. It gives Biblical approaches to training up our children. I want/need to re-read it!
[4] The Ministry of Motherhood ... A good friend just recommended this one, and after reading this synopsis, I ordered it immediately. "A mother’s day is packed with a multitude of tasks that require energy and time: preparing meals, washing clothes, straightening and cleaning the house, and caring for children. These jobs all are necessary and crucially important. But in the dailyness of providing for a child’s physical, emotional, and social needs, vital opportunities for spiritual nurture and training can be overlooked. This doesn’t have to be the case. You can focus your energy on what matters most."

four friday faves.

[1] The Celebrity Apprentice .... so excited this show is back on again.
[2] Little Owl's Night ... Hollis received this precious + pretty book for Christmas, and we have loved reading it over and over again.
[3] TOMS for Target tee ... this made my list of favorite Christmas gifts I received. [p.s. the entire TOMS line is now on clearance!]
[4] Quilted slippers from the Gap ... hooray for cute and comfy slippers that, most importantly, don't make my feet sweat :)

twenty-fifteen.

I love it when the calendar rolls to a new year ... I love a fresh start; a new day; a chance to make some changes ... So I love coming up with some goals to strive for.

#1 Read more. I read some great books in 2014, but I also have books that are waiting to be picked up off our bookshelf ... Kisses From Katie by Katie Davis, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, and Gifted Hands by Ben Carson are just a few on my reading list this year. I also want to read more to the kids. We go in and out of phases where I read aloud to them. We all love it, and I want to make that more of a habit around here.
#2 Serve more. I want to have eyes that are open and a heart this is willing to serve others this year in ways I never have before - whether in big or small ways ... and I want to teach our children to do the same, leading by example.
#3 Prioritize more. I am guilty of letting whatever I mark off my chalkboard wall to-do list determine how I measure my daily success. Working hard, managing a home, and providing clean clothes for my family are certainly very important, but I don't want to ever communicate to my family that my to-do list is more important than them. Instead, I want to go to bed each night knowing that in some way I showed Gus and the kids that they are such a treasure to me.
#4 Run more. I really love to exercise, and going for a run has been my very favorite. But after falling twice last year, I cut back for fear of falling again. I want to get over that fear, and run some races as well this year ... including a 10K.
#5 Listen more. This one is really hard for me when it comes to Gus and the kids. I'm not good at turning off my brain or putting my phone down when they want to tell me something. And I like to think I'm pretty good at pretending I'm listening when I'm actually thinking about something else. Truth is, I need to be listening to them ... I need to hear  Gus and the kids need to know I care about what they have to say, no matter if I'm really interested or not.

So these aren't necessarily my "new years resolutions" that tend to be broken by mid-January. It's about baby steps to changing some things about myself or making time for the most important in life. Thank goodness "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." [Matthew 19:26]

four friday faves.

[1] Pinterest ... endless ideas that push my creativity or simply give great ideas when I don't feel like coming up with my own.
[2] Klove.com Christmas music channel ... This plays from my kitchen laptop all through the season - starting today :)
[3] Destroyed jeans from LOFT ... I've been wanting a pair for months now, but fit & price were always the issue. When these were 40% off last week, I snatched them up.
[4] Gold earrings ... always spruce up any outfit.



                 

 

four friday faves.

[1] Target scarf ... recently found this on clearance for just $5!
[2] Lemon-lime Gatorade ... so not glamorous, but the only thing I truly love this week since our household was hit with the dreaded stomach bug.
[3] Lolomag.com ... blog for beauty, fashion, etc.
[4] Clarisonic facial cleansing brush ... this is going on my Christmas list. I've heard great things for a few years now, and since I'm inching closer to 40 ... I think it will be worth the price tag.

four friday faves.

[1] In honor of TobyMac turning 50 [crazy!] this week, I had to include him ... we all love him & this is one of our favorite songs.

[2] Target ... need I say more? :)

[3] A couple of squares from a Ghirardelli dark chocolate bar is my go-to when I want something sweet ... they're always on sale @ Publix too!
[4] I plan on writing a separate post on this book [The Duggars: 20 and Counting!] @ some point soon ... call me old-fashioned, but there is so much wisdom to grasp & apply to our family of six :)

four friday faves.

[1] This great book was given to us a few years ago ... a parent-must.

[2] Unrefined Coconut Oil from Whole Foods ... I use it as a night-time moisturizer about once a week, but my favorite use: eye makeup remover.

[3] Blow-dry hair clips from Sephora ... just a fun little splurge :)

[4] "Fall in Line" nail polish ... I've always admired non-traditional polish on others, but never thought my toes could pull it off until now. 

inspired.

I'm a major fan of E! News. I know a lot of it is unimportant celebrity news, but I enjoy it when I can. It's just a nice little break from "real" news I guess. Anyway, several weeks ago Giuliana Rancic [love her] casually mentioned something about Jason Kennedy [another E! News journalist] and his faith. I had to google him, of course. I found out he's a fellow Floridian & is engaged to a girl named Lauren Scruggs who was in a horrific accident almost 3 years ago... this really intrigued me, so I dug deeper. I was stunned as I read several articles about how she stepped into a plane propeller & lost her left hand + eye. Apparently the accident caught national attention, but I hadn't heard about it. So, I bought her book: Still Lolo. I could have easily read it in a day if I had the time. It's that good. Her determination, her beauty, and her trust in Jesus through her darkest days inspires me more than I could ever articulate. Even more inspiring, it's a story of the enormous power of God.

house vs. a home

I recently read this book & LOVED it. What instantly drew me to The Nesting Place was the topic of decorating + the beautiful pictures throughout. I believe life has suppressed a lot of my decorating creativity the last few years ... and that's okay. It's the season of life with little kids & a tight budget. I'm certainly content & happy with our home, but I've wanted it to reflect my style more [which has changed over the years] ... and suit the needs of our family better.

What's great about this book is that it not only offers great decorating tips that won't exhaust the bank account. Myquillin [the adorable author ... I wish I knew how to pronounce her name correctly!] also shares so much wisdom on making your house a home. Here are just a few of the things I learned & don't want to forget:

1. I need to stop apologizing for the state of our home whenever it's clearly cluttered with legos & pretzel crumbs... "Imperfections bear witness to the fact that we are normal, approachable, real people."
2. I need to consider the true purpose of our rooms when re-decorating... "I get to decide what would work best for our family right now."
3. I need to take more risks... "The key to creating a beautiful home isn't knowing what you are doing; it's taking a risk even if you don't know what you are doing. There is no wrong way to create beauty."