I have mixed feelings about the Christmas season. I dislike that there is plenty of advertising about finding the perfect gift, making it seem like it’s all about getting and giving stuff. It can get stressful trying to get the actual gatherings of your family members set up. There are all the decorations and the pressure to make your house like Pinterest. It can all be overwhelming. Yet, I love the true meaning behind Christmas, celebrating the birth of Jesus. I love the special moments and traditions my family does each year. I wish my focus could solely be on the simplicity of Christ and family and delving deeper into those relationships. But how? This is something that I think about every year.  I brainstorm how I can add special little touches to make my family and friends feel loved and like they matter. This is something that can easily get lost in all the hustle and bustle of trying to find the perfect gift or set the perfect table. It takes intentionality. We have to check in with ourselves, to see if we are being a Martha or Mary this Christmas season. Are we busy doing a bunch of things, going to a bunch of events that we aren't taking the time to sit at the feet of our Savior and intentionally engage in great moments with our loved ones? There are a myriad of ways that we can spend our time in this short few weeks and I don't want to miss the opportunity to have precious moments with those I love. 

Here are three tips for adding in those thoughtful touches that will create more precious moments this year:

1. Hand write letters and cards to your loved ones. I know almost everyone sends out holiday greeting cards with pictures of their families, but why not write a personalized note on the back or get some blank Christmas cards? (Target has a ton of cute ones in the dollar spot!) Write out a note about what you love and appreciate about a friend or family member, especially if you don't get to see them very often.

2. Make it a point to talk about what you are thankful for each day. This might be easy to continue if you have been doing something like the Thankful Tree during Thanksgiving. Through all the ads, commercials, and the stacking lists of wants that can come with the Christmas season, it can be easy to forget that we are already blessed with so much. A great time to talk about this is  during your bedtime routine with your kids, we try to do this, it’s not everyday but its a great note to end the day on.  It can help focus their little hearts on all their blessings instead of all the toys that get slammed in their faces during errands and the constant question of what they are asking Santa for Christmas. 

3. Use these handy Que Cards from Of Noble to inspire great conversations during your Christmas gatherings. I busted these out during my Friendsgiving and they were a hit! It’s easy to get stuck in ruts of conversations with people you are familiar with or hard to start conversations with relatives you don’t see very often. Having a guide handy can break up any awkward moments and help you go deeper and discover things that you never knew about your loved ones. During friendsgiving, we found out one friend’s passion for a national ice cream holiday! The questions on the cue cards inspired many great laughs that night. 

I hope these tips inspire you to add a little something special to your Christmas this year. If you try any of them out please let me know! 

AND As a special treat Of Noble is offering my readers a special coupon code for the Que Cards! You are not going to want to have Christmas dinner without these, many great conversations and laughs await you! Use the code SEWZIP to get 25% off your purchase of the Que Cards, this means that you will get both the printable AND the digital version for $7.50!! Run and grab some for your celebrations this year, the code will be available until Midnight on Christmas Eve but don’t wait that long to get them! 

What meaningful things are you going to do this season?

Holiday Planning with the Bullet Journal

The Christmas season can come with tidings of great joy and....stress! There are many activities we can get involved in and it is hard to keep track of them all. One thing that has been a time saver/brain saver/sanity keeper for me is my bullet journal. Have you heard about the bujo (hipster slang for bullet journal) craze? If not, check out the official bullet journal's site for all the basic information. I decided to make a short video of my favorite bullet journal pages and tell you a little bit about how I use it in my holiday planning. This is my first video and I feel a little awkward about it, but we all gotta start out somewhere! I shared my video on my Facebook page, you can check it by clicking HERE!

Meanwhile these are some details from the video:

My Monthly Layout for December, find the free printable here. 

My monthly December task list and my weekly setup. 

My bullet journal and my favorite pens: 

TomBow Dual Brush Pen, Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen, & Pilot G-2 0.38 Pen. 

Another great resource in starting a bullet journal is Boho Berry, she has great videos and tutorials. 

What is something that has helped you in your holiday planning? 

Two Reads for Fall

It’s officially Fall where I live, the trees have finally changed colors and they cover the ground in crunchy little piles that are perfect for stepping on. When the weather gets like this, all I want to do is cuddle on my couch with a soft blanket, a cup of hot coffee, and a good book! It’s difficult to leave the house for work some days when that’s all I want to do. Thankfully, I work at a Library and I still get to be around books!

If the fall weather has you dreaming of snuggling up with a book like me, then here are two books that I recommend for your reading pleasure. 

First up is  After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid. This is a book about marriage and what happens to a couple, Lauren and Ryan, after they have been together for 10 years. It’s an unconventional story and not predictable, that’s what I love about it. It’s funny and honest. I laughed out loud and cried a few tears. Her characters aren’t unbelievable, it feels like they could be your real friends. There is some mild language and a few sexy parts but nothing like other romance novels that are out there. It’s an inspiring read that pushes on what you might think about your own marriage. If you like to read stories that are relatable to your own life, then this is definitely a book that you should check out! 

This second one, You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up, by Annabelle Gurwitch and Jeff Kahn is a very honest and hilarious telling one of couple’s marriage. I have just started this and I have been laughing out loud. It definitely has a lot of foul language, so if that bothers you, I wouldn't recommend it. Once I finish it, I’ll share more of my thoughts about it on Instagram. 

If you can’t tell, I like to read things about marriage and I like them to be funny, because if you can’t laugh about some of the hard stuff you’ll end up crying! If you check out either of these books, let me know what you think of them. If you’d like more book recommendations, let me know that as well and I will make this a regular feature!

Happy Reading :) 

One Easy Way to Focus on Thanksgiving

It’s beginning to look a like Christmas everywhere I go this month! While I absolutely love Christmas (it’s my favorite holiday), I’m not quite ready for it to be here yet. I think there is a temptation once Halloween is over to jump right into the Christmas season. To begin making wish lists, to assess what we don't have and what we want. While I am still planning ahead for all the fun holiday activities, parties, and gifts, I don't want to miss out on this fall season, on the season of Thanksgiving. I wanted to do something to keep my family focused on it, to be grateful for where we are and what we have right now. I thought up a fun way that we can display what we are thankful for and I wanted to share it with you all! 

I present to you the “Thankful Tree!” This is fairly simple project and you probably have all the things you need already in your house.

Whatcha need:

-markers (black & fall colors)

-roll of kraft paper (you can get this at your local dollar store!)

-scissors

-tape

How to put it together:

1. Cut off a piece of the kraft paper, whatever size you want. I made mine 30in by 32in to fit this space in my kitchen.
2. Tape the kraft paper to the wall.
3. Using the black marker, draw a tree outline, leave out the leaves.

Boom! Done, all set up. Now each day you & your family can write on the tree what you are thankful for using the fall colored markers. I had big plans of cutting out leaf shapes or writing on actually leaves, but that just didn't happen. I like how it turned out just writing on the kraft paper, especially in different fall colors! My kids love doing this and my oldest daughter likes to write out the letters for her thankful thought of the day. 

If you try it let me know! How are you trying to remain present in the Thanksgiving season?

Birthday GIVEAWAY!

Guess what guys? It’s my birthday this week and I want to celebrate by doing a giveaway! My favorite things are coffee (duh!) and journaling. Therefore, I present you with a chance to win a $10 gift card to Starbucks, a cute little journal and my absolute favorite pens to write with! 

Ready to enter to win these goodies? Sign up in the obnoxious big box to the right! You can submit more than one entry by visiting me on Facebook, leaving a comment on any blog post, and answering a question about your favorite things to read about. The winner will be contacted by email on November 9th! 

Good luck!

How To Use Essential Oils For The Everyday Family, Guest Post from Blissful Intent

Have you ever wanted to use essential oils and can't decide where to start because all of the information is purely overwhelming? Everyone seems to have an opinion on which essential oil company is the best or has the purest oils. You have options for multi-level marketing as well as your standard run of the mill company. You can buy oils online, in stores, and through catalogs. The amount of information seems to be endless and so are the opinions that go along with them. I researched essential oils and their uses for months before deciding to buy. I reached out to friends who I knew used them and got their take on the subject. I asked how they used them and what brand they trusted.

It wasn't until we were well within flu season that I decided to pull the trigger and purchase my first kit. I bought a $150 kit of about 10 oils through a friend. My second daughter was around 5 months old and had recently started daycare. My 5-year-old was prone to illness and asthmatic episodes. It was then that I decided it was now or never. By the time I ordered my oils and they came in the mail both of my girls had come down with a cold. They were suffering from your typical runny nose and coughing symptoms. As soon as the oils were dropped on my doorstep I put the knowledge to the test that I had attained from my months of research.

Since then I have fallen in love with oils and have found numerous ways to use them. Here are a few that I love.

How to use essential oils around the home:

Diffuse

I diffuse an immune boosting and germ fighting blends to build immunity against illnesses spreading around daycare and school. We all know those places are Petri dishes just waiting for someone to lick the water fountain and put the toys in their mouths. When my girls get home in the afternoon I diffuse 3 drops in 100 mL of water for about 30 minutes off and on until the diffuser is empty. I use the guide that came with my diffuser on how much oil to put in the diffuser based on the table for kids. I really like the KidSafe oils you can find out there. We have a small business where we live that sells them and it's easy to just pop in and pick up what I need.

I also diffuse peppermint, eucalyptus, oregano, lavender and lemon on a routine basis. During this time of year, I am very prone to sinus issues so I diffuse peppermint, eucalyptus and oregano in my bedroom at night. Not all together but based on my need. I use oregano to help break down sinus infections and kill the bacteria. One of my friends told me about this little technique. I am happy to say in my opinion I feel the difference when I diffuse the oregano. I use peppermint and eucalyptus to help open up my passageways and allow me to breathe easier.

Another tip I would recommend is to drop a few drops of either oil on a cotton ball and put it in the shower with you. I put mine on a shelf I have that's up and out of the way of the water but allows for the steam to penetrate it. It really helps to open up those sinuses.

I diffuse lavender to calm the kids down and lemon for a deodorizer. I have found that lemon is especially good for getting rid of odors from fried foods. There are many oils that can be used for this purpose but lemon is my favorite. I also use lemon oil to deodorize my trash can. Goodbye, terrible smells! I take a cotton ball and drop several drops on it and throw it in the bottom of my trash can under the trash bag. This helps to keep the odors down that tend to creep out of the can.

There are many different ways to clean around your home with essential oils. If you mix them in a glass bottle they will stay better for longer and give you the best boost in cleaning. You can read here about different methods for cleaning with oils.

I love to use lemon essential oil in my dishwasher to help boost the cleaning cycle. I drop 2 drops in with my soap pod in the dispenser when before I run it. Not only does it help clean the dishes but the heat and steam from the dishwasher amplifies the smell of the essential oil. It's like having a built in diffuser!

When you are shopping for oils you will notice a variety in the selection. You have single oils that can be used for a variety of purposes either mixed or individually. Then you have blends that are a variety of oils already mixed for you. Follow the dilution tables based on the need for your situation or desired result.

Roll on

While in the midst of researching for my new journey into essential oils I learned you could dilute them into roller balls and roll them on. This can help get the oils directly into the body but at a safe level. I wanted to be able to fight off illnesses, help my babies sleep better (hello 4-month sleep regression), soothe upset bellies and relax sore muscles. Do you remember when I said there were a lot of differing opinions out there regarding all things oils? Well, there are a lot of opinions on dilution rates so I went straight to the source. I jumped online and searched for essential oil companies and Plant Therapy was the first to pop up. Despite the fact that my first starter kit didn't come from them I still used their dilution tables. You can find those here.

I then proceeded to purchase roller balls and fractionated coconut oil (or FCO as you may see around the web) and diluted my oils for each of the following uses:

Upset belly- 1 roller for adults and 1 roller for children

Sore muscles- 1 roller for adults (this is a synergy or blend that contains hot oils not recommended for kids)

Nighttime calm- 1 roller for children

I followed the 1% guide for children and I started at the 2.5% guide for adults but worked my way up to 3.5%. It is recommended that you do not exceed 5% dilution for adults.

Bath time

I love to take hot baths in the winter and what better way to relax after a super long day of work and chasing babies? So I use a variety of oils depending on my desired effect. The most common go to is lavender oil. I run my bath, drop in Epsom salts and about 6-8 drops of oils. I have a large tub and a water overflow stopper to get my tub to hold more water. I fill it up as high as I can and sink in.

I have also used an oil that's meant for upset stomachs and one for muscle aches to soak in. Again it just depends on the desired effect.

That's how I use essential oils within my family.

Have you used essential oils in your family? What is your favorite way to use them?

I got to see Jen Hatmaker speak!

Last month, I had the privilege of going to see Jen Hatmaker speak about her book, For The Love. It was a great experience. The ladies who put on the event did a great job of making the place look beautiful and they even provided snacks and coffee! Kim Walker-Smith from Jesus Culture was also there leading worship, which was just amazing.

The thing I love about Jen Hatmaker is that she doesn't shy away from sharing the truth but she does it in such a way that makes you cry from laughing. She’s gifted that way. For The Love is like that, just makes you laugh out loud but also tugs at your heart. It makes you think about what Jesus really wants for his followers. I highly recommend it. 

In every bathroom stall they had quotes from her book, loved this one! 

Here are a few quotes from her talk that just resonated with me:

“We were just busy serving saved people and blessing blessed people.” She said this in reference to getting out of the Christian bubble that we can sometimes get stuck in and to encourage us to do what Jesus has called us to do which is love the people in the margins: the widow, the orphan, and the foreigner. 

“Be obedient on our own street.” This was about doing what Jesus said right where we are. Loving our neighbors, our literal neighbors. 

After the conference was over, I was thinking about what my greatest take away would be and I think that it is this: 

Use our gifts passionately and use them to benefit others. 

I was struck by this as I watched Kim Walker-Smith lead worship. She was immensely passionate about worshipping the Lord and leading others in worship. I think that if we all did things with such passion that a lot of problems in the world would be solved. What I mean is let’s get rid of all the “shoulds’ and just do what gets us fired up! Let’s stop comparing and just do what is put on our hearts. Not worrying about if it looks like what other people are doing and just do it even if it feels scary. 

Have you read anything by Jen Hatmaker or heard any worship songs by Kim Walker-Smith? I’d love to hear your thoughts! 

Working on my selfie game on the way to the event! ;)

You are Loved.

Every night, my daughter likes me to tell her how much I love her. It goes something like this: “I love you up to the sky and back down, forever, always, no matter what, whether you are good or bad, happy or sad. I love you.” If we have had a rough day and I ask her if she knows how much I love her, her little face gets downcast and she tells me, “I don’t know.” Then as I repeat how much I love her, I see her face blossom into a smile. She feels sure of my love once again. It makes me realize that sometimes we all can have rough days and need to be reminded that we are loved, no matter what. 

For this very same reason, I got this tattoo. The word “Loved” right where I can see it on a daily basis. Life can be tough and it’s easy to forget that we are loved through it all. Hosea 11:4 says, “I drew them with gentle cords, with bonds of love, and I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them.”

Jesus came down to our level, right where we were in need. He is gentle to us and draws us near with his love. If you are hearing a harsh voice today, I can assure you that is not from the Lord. You are precious and cherished by our Savior. Remember that today, friend. 

Being Seen

        

"Mommy, look at my picture!"

       One phrase I hear everyday from my kids is “Look at me! Mommy watch me!” and it won’t stop until I have turned my eyes, face and body towards my child. Then when I have watched the thing, we can continue on to the rest of our day. It can be looking at them eating a spoonful of yogurt or jumping off the couch or writing a letter. Big and small things, my girls want me to see them. It reminds me how I want to be seen too. I want to have people look at me, care about who I am and what I am doing. I crave that validation. 

But sometimes, no one sees me or validates what I am doing. Which makes me feel sad and alone. Like my kids, I cry out to Jesus, “Look at me!” And when I tell him that I feel lonely or alone or like no one cares; He shows up for me. It’s happened through a friend reaching out to me or seeing a sign that gives me encouragement. He shows up every time. He never fails to see me, to know me and what I care about. 

If I feel this way sometimes, I know that there are others out there who feel it too.   I think about how God can use me to help others feel seen, known and loved. To be that friend that reaches out or smiles or says hello. Jesus says that we are to see those in need, whether it be spiritual needs or physical needs. 

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’  {Matthew 25:35-40}

We all get thoughts that cross our mind about unique ways we can help people or something can bring a certain person to our mind. Act on those thoughts! It might be scary to make that first move, but that person might be dying to be seen, known, and loved! 

How has Jesus helped you feel known? How can you help others feel seen? 

The Power of the Swap

I'm not shy about admitting that life as a mom can be hard. It seems like there is always a million things to be done and then they have to get done again. (Hi, Laundry!) I feel like I am constantly looking for ways to make my life easier and I have found one that I just want to tell everyone about.

The Swap.

Yes. It's a simple as it sounds, you get together with a bunch of other moms/people and share a task so you can all get it done. It's amazing. I just experienced the power of the swap when I participated in a quiet book swap with the Quiet Book Queen.  Every lady in the swap made 20 copies of the same page for a quiet book and then we got together and swapped 'em. The end result was two quiet books with 20 fun pages! (If you are confused about what a quiet book is, it's a book made from felt that keeps your kids busy!) Now I have Christmas presents for my kids finished in September #winning.

Now that you know this information, I challenge you to participate in a swap or even organize one! I've heard of babysitting swaps and freezer meal swaps, I wonder if anyone would participate in a laundry swap or a coffee delivery swap?

Let me know of any swap ideas you come up with!

Music and the Body of Christ

At church last Sunday, we were talking about how it’s important to worship and sing together as the gathered body of Christ. Naturally, I began to focus on the music when it came time to worship. I have a soft spot for the bass line because back in the day I used to play the bass clarinet. I always think of it as the anchor line, Its steady and constant and repeated underneath the melody in a piece. As I was listening to it, I was struck by how living in the body of christ is like music. There are many different instruments, they all have different parts, they all make different sounds, and play different notes. Some notes are more noticeable than others. Some are in the background and you really have to listen to hear them, but when they are all playing together they make a beautiful melody. It’s so beautiful that it can bring people to tears, it can make hearts burst, it moves people. I think that is how God intended the body of Christ to be. To all be playing our different parts and notes together as one, creating a beautiful picture of God’s word that moves the people’s hearts.I don't think that is how the world is seeing believers. They might be hearing a harsh, off key sound clash that is making them cringe and cover their ears. That way they can’t hear it anymore. 

We weren’t meant to play our parts alone. Do you know what the bass line sounds like by itself? Bump, bump, bump…or some variation on that. No fun to listen to all by itself or even play by yourself. It only gets interesting and exciting when you join the other instruments and hear your sounds blending together. I used to get goosebumps when I played my clarinet during band practice because the sound was rich and beautiful that my body couldn’t help responding. I wish that the body of Christ could unify under the mission of spreading the gospel like that.  Then, we could give the world goosebumps instead of making them cover their ears. 

I leave you with this gem. You're welcome. 

Praying for Your Marriage

Getting married was a bit of a reality check for me (I wrote about that HERE.) As a newlywed, I took my complaints and whining to a wise friend and she recommended that I read the Power of the Praying Wife and that the best advice from that book was to shut up and pray. A lot easier said than done but I decided to give it a try. I needed a place to start so I looked up every verse in my Bible’s concordance that mentioned wives, love, and marriage. Then I created this list to pray over my marriage.

-Be one.

Genesis 2:24

-Honor my marriage bed and be faithful to my husband.

Hebrews 13:4

-Know the enemy of our unity, not each other but the devil.

1 Peter 5:8-9

-Rejoice in each other.

Proverbs 5:18

-Use my actions instead of words. Be free from Fear.

1 Peter 3:1-6

-Do not nag.

Proverbs 27:15

-Love.

1 Corinthians 13

-Work Hard and take care of home & children.

Proverbs 31

-Give my body freely.

1 Corinthians 7:3-5

-Be excellent.

Proverbs 12:4

-Submit as I do to Christ.

Ephesians 5:22-24

-Respect my husband.

Ephesians 5:33

1 Peter 3:1-6

-For This Life.

Romans 7:2

1 Corinthians 7:10

Matthew 22:30

I can honestly say that God has answered so many of these prayers for my marriage, that I forgot to keep praying for them. I recently found the original page I made with this list of verses and it reminded me that I need to keep praying for my marriage and my husband. Hopefully this can be an encouraging list for you as well. 

Maybe grab some friends together and make fun bookmarks for your Bibles with these verses on it as a reminder to keep praying for your marriage. It might spark some great conversations! I know it did for me and my friends. 

Not Waiting for Perfection

There is this beautiful teal wall near my house and every time I drive by it, I think about how I want to take pictures there. I have planned many photo shoots in my mind. I kept putting it off, even though I really wanted to do it. I was forcing myself to wait until I deemed the circumstances (and kid’s outfits) perfect. Then one day, I decided to just do it, to go take some pictures of the girls by the beloved teal wall. 

And the pictures turned out precious and darling. They are some of my favorites of the girls and they aren’t even wearing perfectly coordinated clothes! This got me to thinking about waiting and the reasons I wait. 

I usually am waiting until things are lined up just how I want them to be. I scramble around trying to make things perfect: my kids, my house, my schedule, my body. It’s exhausting trying to keep up because sometimes no matter how hard I try, things still fall apart or don’t happen how I want them to. My kids still fight and disobey me, there is still laundry, and I am still late to some event. 

Waiting is hard enough as it, {as I mentioned here} that we don’t need to add more waiting into our lives. The bible says in Isaiah 40:31, 

but those who hope in the Lord

    will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

    they will run and not grow weary,

    they will walk and not be faint.

When we are waiting on God, he gives us strength to endure, to become the people He created us to be, to do the things He has called us to do. BUT, when we wait on ourselves, on trying to be perfect and in control, we get weak and exhausted. Have you ever felt that? When I wait for everything to be perfect, most of the time I am mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically exhausted. I can’t keep up, I can’t control everything. Now, that I have realized that I am weak and that I have limitations, I am able to tap into God’s strength to act on what he has placed in my heart even though it might not be my plan or in my timing. 

What are you waiting for? Go do that thing that he has called you to do, that you can’t stop thinking about. Don’t wait until you think everything is perfect to act. Do it in spite of the imperfections and it just might turn out better than you imagined. 

What’s keeping you from pursuing those things in your heart? 

Six Things in Six Years of Marriage

I always feel reflective around birthdays, anniversaries, and milestones. I am about to celebrate 6 years of marriage with my husband and it got me thinking about what I had learned since my wedding day. So without further ado I give you…

Six Things I have learned in Six years of Marriage:

1. Stuff gets real fast, there is a reason fairy tales cut off after the wedding, no one wants to see Cinderella and Prince Charming hashing out the budget.
2. Communication: learn about it. It’s not just talking.
3. Let go of your expectations, learn to work with what you got, not what you thought you got. 
4. Have kids if you want to re-learn about communication, but while you are exhausted.
5. Time spent apart to pursue things you each enjoy is a good thing for your relationship. 
6. Weekly time together aka a date night is important to reconnect and communicate, especially if you have kids.

All that I have learned about marriage in 6 years can be summed up in one word: communication. With each new change or challenge in our lives, my husband and I have had to talk it through. It’s not always easy, it’s sometimes difficult and awkward, but it’s a relief when we  done and feel closer together. 

What’s something that you have learned during your marriage?