Chosen.

Being CHOSEN.

The idea of being chosen might bring up really wonderful memories, or it might bring back a solid mixture of bad memories.  I remember being chosen on teams during recess or P.E. that I really didn't want to be a part of.  I remember being chosen to do several jobs that I severely didn't want to do.  I remember being chosen to go FIRST on a class discussion that I was clueless on (NOT a good memory!).  However, I also remember being chosen to be part of groups that excited me and got me prepared for my future in college and thereafter.  I remember being chosen because of votes being tallied and feeling accepted and respected.   Being chosen in either of those dynamics can host a lot of different emotions, because, frankly, what if we don't WANT to be chosen for the job that is being asked of us?

You might know this, but a long time ago, a young girl named Mary, was chosen.  She was chosen for a divine job that carried the hope of the human race and the hope of the world.  A job that would change history and people's lives forever.  A job that gave birth to reckless grace and beautiful, unthinkable forgiveness.  A job that carried so much weight and scrutiny that it was almost unbearable.  A job that became the greatest story every told: The Birth of Jesus.

I'm a Christmas lover.  Everything about it I love, but now as the season is coming to the day it is mostly about, I've been pulled to scripture more than ever before.  This Christmas season, Mary has captured my heart, so, I figured why not do a little studying on this strong and courageous woman of The Lord.

Life changed for Mary when she was a teenager; when the angel Gabriel came to visit her to tell her the news that she was to conceive a son (Luke 1:31).  She might have been about 13 years old, which in those times, was the age to get engaged and to be married.  She was of nobility, in the lineage of King David, but even so, her family was poor due to Israel's captivity.  I love that part, personally.  Think of it: normal, average, a family just trying to make it from day to day.  The one girl that probably wouldn't have been thought of in society to take on such a job as to bring forth The Messiah to this world.

While she and other girls then were raised to take care of the home and learn duties to nurture a family, she was rare in her strength, obedience, and wisdom.  She was rare in the fact that she was incredibly rooted and had been trained in scripture.  The Bible is faithful to show us her wisdom and faithfulness in Luke 1:46-56: The Song of Mary.   She truly knew the Lord and trusted in His promises, "And holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him," (Luke 1:50).  The Lord knew that He needed someone who could refer to the scriptures for guidance, confidence, reassurance, and something to hold on to while things got rough. The Lord, simply, looks at the heart.  He knew the heart of Mary, and Mary had an obedient spirit who loved God deeply.

In listening to the birth story of Jesus in church and in growing up, I always remember seeing Mary as this meek and mild young girl who probably said yes at the drop of a hat.  However, with more studying, I believe that couldn't have been further from the truth.  Mary was incredibly courageous , yet troubled with Gabriel's message, "But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying," Luke 1:29.  She was troubled! Well, yes, I imagine so!  If it were me, I would have most likely run off, disregarded the entire transaction, pretended it didn't happen, and would try to get on with my normal, everyday life.  Mary though, even as she was troubled, didn't run.  She stayed and listened; then, responded, "May it be done to me according to your word," Luke 1:38.

Rare strength and obedience.

She was that faithful.  She was so faithful that she looked that angel in the eyes, despite her longing to run in the other direction, and said, "YES".  If that's not strength, I don't know what is.

I'm the type of person that tries to put myself in other's shoes as much as I can.  How do they feel?  What is it like?  Do they hurt?  Do they fear?  In short: Are they okay?? I have tried to put myself in Mary's shoes several times and I can only imagine the shunning and the suffering that followed because of her obedience.  An unwed mother, a dishonor to her family, and unbeknownst to her, a future that carried her 90 miles to Bethlehem to give birth in a stable to her first born who she would later watch get cruelly murdered on a cross at 34 years of age.

Rare strength and obedience?  I think so.

What also catches me at a loss is the fact that Mary was the only one that saw Jesus take His first AND last breath of life.  When I actually process that Biblical fact, tears immediately well and I almost become nauseous, but yet, at the same time so very grateful and humbled.

Not only was Mary chosen to carry the hope of the world, she was chosen to raise Him as well.  Let us not forget that.  Her job wasn't over when He cried His first cry.  Even after Jesus' death, she continues!  It shows us in Acts 1:14 that her following and love for the Lord stayed strong as she attended the prayer meeting in the Upper Room, "These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers."  This is, what I would call, devout following.

Edith Deen, author of All of the Women of the Bible, said it best, "Though she never traveled farther than from Palestine to Egypt, and then by donkey, her story still travels to the farthest corners of the Earth."

So, what's the point in me summarizing where it began with Mary?  I'll tell you.

What job have you been called to?  What is that one job that you feel God has laid upon you? Is it a dream?  Is it a shove from The Holy Spirit?  Is it that one feeling of, "I need to do that, but I am scared to…"?  Is it as simple as making a change in your daily life?  Or is it as hard as accepting a job that you don't want to take responsibility for at this time in your life?  And more importantly, do you want to run in the other direction?

I can bet your bottom dollar Mary wanted to run.  But because of her faith, she listened and said yes.   Because of that one simple "yes", she has reached thousands upon thousands with her story of sacrifice and submission in bringing The Messiah, the hope of all nations, into this world.

I am so thankful for Mary's yes.  I'm so thankful that God chose her to show us how a normal girl who loves the Lord can make such a life altering difference in this world.

My prayer is when God derails our worldly plan, and chooses us for 'that' job, whatever job that happens to be, that we will not run.  My prayer is that we will plant our feet firmly in the ground and in scripture, and boldly say, "let it be to me, according to Your word."

Merry, MERRY Christmas to you and yours this season!

Essential Ideas for a Farmhouse Look

Who doesn't love the farmhouse look?

I guess there are actual people that don't, so if that's you, this post might bore you, gross you out, or what have you, but this farmhouse decor/'Chip and Joanna Gaines look' is totally my jam.

I used to think that you had to have the actual structure of your house, inside and out, to look and feel like an old farmhouse.  That is a non-truth, folks!  Our house is fairly new, but it took just a few additions of what I consider essentials to get that farmhouse feel!

(This post contains affiliate links)

1. Let's start with white.  White is classic.  Always has been, always will be.  I transformed my mugs, dishes, and other things that aren't put away in a cabinet, to white.  I love the simplicity and 'no fuss' of it.  This pitcher is truly one of my favorite things in the kitchen.

Click HERE for the pitcher or on the picture below. 

Find another farmhouse pitcher HERE .

2. I also think that mason jars and anything galvanized are a MUST.  The more galvanizing, the better!  

Here is a similar oval galvanized tray that can be used for the same purpose: 

Get your mason jars for a great price HERE.

3. Lighting.  My house has plenty of 'regular' lighting, but if you had to pick one area in your house to put some great lighting that showcases the farmhouse look, choose the kitchen.  We searched high and low for good unique lighting and happened to stumble upon some pendants that we fell in love with.  This is the ONLY lighting we have in the house that would be considered 'farmhouse', and it's just perfect. Don't feel like you have to go overboard with the farmhouse lighting in order to change the vibe and feel of your house.  

I have found FOUR similar farmhouse inspired lighting that can be found HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

4. Last, but not least, a farmhouse table, you guys!  I would say to make your kitchen really ooze with some farmhouse love, get a farmhouse table.  There are so many out there that are just lovely! 

I love our table.  It is just what we needed to bring in the farmhouse feel to our home!   

We had a family member that made this for us, but if that doesn't exist for you, you can find a similar table HERE, HERE, or HERE.

This is just the beginning of our 'home tour' adventure together.  Stay tuned for more posts on the farmhouse decor that will be featured in the future! 

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8 Tips When You're Going to Disney

Yep.  That's what I said! The six letter word: DISNEY!

We went against everything normal and ordinary and hit Disney not too long ago.  Those that know me know that this was hard for me to do.  Not because I didn't want to go, but because once I hit schedules and structured days, I typically like to stay in them.   My lovely and wonderful husband talked me OUT of this.  Lord knows how he did that; I'm still trying to figure that whole thing out.  I'm proud, and slightly enamored by him for that reason.  Seriously!  I'm in awe that he somehow got me to agree to this whole idea.

So, fast forward to the 'after-post' of the Disney trip.  Did we have a blast? OH. MY. GOSH. We LOVED IT!  I cannot imagine NOT taking my kids and not going.  You know all those people that say, "You HAVE to take your kids to Disney!".  I was one of those people-parents that said, "No I don't.  Stop telling me what to do.  I don't HAVE to take my kids anywhere, thank you very much."  I'm here to say, really, you HAVE to take your kids to Disney!  My mindset has totally changed.  It was amazingly exhausting, but amazingly magical.

Because of this, I have a few tips to give you, my busy momma friend!

1.  Get a Disney planner.  As a working mom, there is no possible way I could have planned a Disney trip.  Not a stitch of it, my friend.  We had a phenomenal planner; Heather with Off to Neverland Travel.  She was amazing and even saved us a couple hundred in the whole planning process! Everything was perfectly planned; even the location of things as we traveled from one show to the next, and to one dinner to the next event.  I couldn't have done it; not even close.  And, to top it off, she supplied us with Disney ears BEFORE our trip!  It made it even more exciting!

2.  Get iron on transferable images for shirts.  Boy, I wanted those family matching shirts.  The sweet "everyone has the same shirt" get-up. However, I didn't want to pay $25 a pop for them.  So, instead, I searched on Etsy for iron on downloads.  This saved me you guys.  I could go anywhere for a plain white or gray shirt.  I ended up snatching some from Target and other places on the cheap and just ironed on those downloadable transfers.  I probably saved us about $100+, and they looked just as cute as anyone else's.

3. Take your camera.  Do I even have to say this?  But when I say take your camera, I mean TAKE YOUR CAMERA.  It's a pain to wag the thing around, but my goodness, those pictures.  I am already having extreme nostalgia when looking back on them.  Bite the bullet and take your real live big camera every stinkin' place you go.  I still took pictures with my phone, but the pictures from my camera just don't do the phone pics justice.  Even with today's amazing camera-phone technology.

4. Surprise your kids.  If you can. If this is the first trip for you, I say go all out and surprise them.  Now, this is the one time I actually splurged on shirts.  I wanted them to have great shirts the day we took off.  But, I still took to Etsy for these.  We woke our kids up one morning and said, "hey…do you want to board a plane and go to Disney!?!"  Listen, I have a son that is very much like me.  He loves to know what's about to happen (he's a scheduler like "yours truly").  However, he LOVED this surprise! My kids are 5 and 11.  I don't want to say there is a perfect age to take your kids to Disney, because, heck, I'm 36 and I loved it!  I will say though, the 5+ age and the 11+ age seemed perfect for our family to take in the whole experience and not kill each other in the process.

5.  Do it all.  We packed a lot into 4 small and short days.  We were dead exhausted every single night.  But we didn't leave one minute unturned.  There were times where the Coach and I would look at each other and say, "should we"? And we did.  Was it worth it?  YES.  We were happy exhausted at the end of the day if that makes sense.  We did everything we could.  I waited with the little firecracker while the man and boy rode rides we couldn't, we tried many different snacks that we didn't and did like, we saw shows that we loved, we experienced things that we probably would divert next time.  With that being said, we came home loving the entire experience!  Every single moment.

6.  Pack light and be comfortable.  I would love to say that we actually did pack light.  I'm not sure my husband would agree, but I think I did pretty well!  Here's the thing, y'all.  We all want to believe we will look adorable in Disney.  And while you may, you still want to be comfy without packing 6 different pairs of shoes or 10 different shorts.   To add to that, who knows about that weather??  Florida weather can be unpredictable so I always packed a hat in my bag as well as a poncho. Every. Single.  Day.   When I packed, I literally got myself prepared to be comfortable and packed more caps than I did outfits.  And you know what?  That absolutely did the job, and with our somewhat matchy iron on shirts, we looked great enjoying Disney!  I hate to break it to ya', but no one cares what you wear or look like in Disney!

7. Take a stroller.  I say this to people that have kids up to at least 6.  Heck, if I could've gotten a stroller, I would've!  We made the mistake of leaving ours the first day and ended up renting one.  While the one we rented was great, I couldn't imagine renting one every single day!  While it's a pain to travel and fly with a stroller, it will save you some serious cash!

8.  Pack the dress.  Do you have a girl? If so, pack the dress.  Yep, I said it.  Pack those princess dresses up!  I don't have an extremely girly girl, but she does like her share of princess movies.  Right before our princess dinner, we put on her Elsa dress.  At first, she didn't want to, so I had to make the executive move of putting the dress on her.  This was one of those parent moments where 'mommy knows best'.  She was so glad she wore it to our dinner and didn't want to take it off afterward!

So there you have it my dear lovely friends! That's our Disney Wrap-Up!  If you haven't yet gone, even if time restricts, try to find a long weekend to take off and go.  Take your kiddos and enjoy every moment.  No matter how short, no matter the circumstance, stop the hamster wheel and go.  Personally, I'm great at spinning that hamster wheel and had to stop, leave it behind, and take off.  It truly was memories made for a lifetime.

How to Throw a Doggone Good Birthday Party

Doggone it! I have failed so many times at parties.  I have had major dreams and big visions on what I want to do for my kids' birthdays.  Sometimes they turn out, sometimes they don't.  But, I can't cry over spilt milk, right?  I move on and continue the big hopes for the next year.

Birthday parties have always been a big deal in the family I grew up in.  It wasn't your BIRTH DAY, it was your BIRTH MONTH! We celebrated all month long.  I didn't get what I wanted every live long day of course, but I do remember being celebrated and appreciated.  I think my parents did a good job with the balance of keeping me humbled, but also letting me know that the day I was born was important to them; and not only that, should be important to me in order to seek out the Lord's will in my life!

So, naturally, I want my kids to feel the same!  I want them to know that the day they were born was a game changer!  A new life.  A new plan from God.  What is it that they will do with their one and only beautiful life?

I'm not sure of that answer, but the answer I do know is that I want to celebrate the day that they came into this world.

Enter: the request for a birthday party from Little Firework.

Don't worry, I don't near give my kids what they want at the drop of a dime.  No way!  Trust me, I want nothing more than to master the response of "NO" with my children.  I take my kids' ideas and balance it to see if it will work with our finances and schedules.  If it does?  Bonus.  The Little Firework threw the dog party idea out there, and I estimated if it was cost efficient and… SIMPLE. Simple it was and simple it will be!

I made my list, did my shopping (thanks to Mr. Coach), and got it all done in one fell swoop. How's that for easy?!

Let's start with the obvious. You need an invitation! Here is the super simple, super DIGITAL invite! While I love to send out invites in the mail, digital invites are all the rage and are much cheaper!  You can find this invitation HERE.

I have had this chalkboard for I don't know how long.  It used to hang in my kitchen and now has found it's way into the garage! It is perfect for a party.  

 Sidewalk chalk for the entry!  Sidewalk chalk is cheap and easy.  And dog prints are even easier! 

When the girls arrived, they got a set of dog ears to set the theme!  While I think I could have probably made these myself, I did not have the time, nor the patience.  I got them for a GREAT and fair price HERE. 

Hobby Lobby is a great friend of mine!  I bought these little leathery yarn strips along with some cheap-o dog tags (for what I think is for gifts, etc.).  The girls were SO excited to make a collar! 

I also got some dog themed beads and others for the collars.  I mean, a collar has to be embellished a tad, right? 

I got this basket from Walmart as well as the puppies!  Thanks, Wally World!  Not expensive and serves the purpose wonderfully! 

Once the girls chose their puppy, that is when they made a collar for the puppy.  Before they left the party, they got to name their puppy and officially adopt it.  They got a seal (a paw stamp) of approval that he/she is their puppy to keep forever! 

The paw stamp is from Hobby Lobby and the certificate is from a precious website. You can find the puppy party certificate and other documents FUH-REE (I love that word!!!) HERE.

And then of course, pin the tail on the puppy!  I found an image off of the internet, sent it off to FedEx printing down the road, and enlarged it quite a bit. Cheap and easy.  

Eating time, y'all! I downloaded some free borders and fonts from Pinterest and began to make our dog party menu.  

How cute are these??  These little hot dog holders are AWESOME, y'all.  Not only great, but INEXPENSIVE.  Another favorite word of mine.  You can find them HERE.

Of course, a dog party menu is not complete without toilet water! How about Hawaiian punch equally mixed with Sprite? Sounds good to me. 

We also don't need to be messy…so, wipe your paws, y'all.  

Who doesn't like a good puppy chow recipe?  I know I do! You can find the one I used HERE.

 Along with the puppy chow, we also had chips and dip, fruit, etc.  Rightly named Paw-tato chips and Ruff-age! 

Here is the table setting.  For the cake, I told our bakery to just add hints of pink, green, and lavender along with a dog bone on top with paw prints surrounding in some form or fashion.  They absolutely knocked it straight out of the park.  Thanks to the historic Bluebonnet Bakery!

And to top it all off, I have a dear and sweet friend who runs a yard card business, and it was truly the icing on the cake!  Who doesn't love a special message in their front yard?!?  

Find and use their service HERE.

So, next time you are in the party throwing business for your own little ones or for someone else, think about this dog party! We had a small crowd, food was a hit, and the dog activities were so fun and age appropriate.  It was definitely a doggone good time!

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