don't waste today

Rays of Laughter  by Jenny Highsmith

this print is is my top three choices for the large print in my new office (at least 20 x30). i just love this reminder. live well & laugh often (even at my mistakes and shortcomings) good stuff. 

HAPPY WEEKEND!

1000 gifts // chapter ten

If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light 

rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually 

and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be 

like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

Isaiah 58:10-11

CHAPTER TEN: EMPTY TO FILL

i am reminded of an illustration my paster uses in church - we need to be pipes not buckets. yes we need to be filled with grace, poured into by His love, soaking up His truth... but it all needs to go somewhere. we cannot hold it all in our bucket. it gets stale, stagnant, lukewarm. when we are filled with grace, we need to pass it on - to empty it into others. we are pipes. carrying God through our lives. 

to live joy filled we must learn to pass it on. to live a thankful life knowing we are blessed and then BEING the blessing. the Lord uses people. i bet one of the biggest ways the Lord has blessed you He has used at least one other person to help bless you in that moment. it is His joy to use us and we find joy in that. 

"God can enter into me, even me, and use these hands, these feet, to be His love, a love that goes on and on and on forever, endless cycle of grace" 

(page 200)

they say giving is better than receiving and they say that for a reason. it is true. we all feel that warm fuzzy inside when we are able to meet a need or provide that perfect gift but now even science is proving it. we were made to glorify the Lord. to be His hands and feet. to serve. 

it is the result of thanksgiving and of blessing. it makes doing the laundry an act of service for the Lord and not man. and same with changing diapers, entering data, vacuuming, making beds, running errands, working at your job - it is all in service for Him. 

HOW DO WE APPLY THIS: give, serve, love

- pay for the person behind you in the drive through line

- make dinner without complaining (and tidy the kitchen)

- call up an old friend

- write a heartfelt letter to someone who you know is hurting

- buy your coworker her favorite treat

- find a charity and an organization that you can stand behind and support them monthly (and/ or support me in the Walk for Life)

- give a hug

use me then, my Savior, for whatever purposes and in whatever way you may require. here is my poor heart, an empty vessel; fill it with your grace. 

- D.L. Moody

tips & tricks for the Whole30

as most of you know, the mister and i just got done with the whole30 and it has changed the way we live, eat, and grocery shop. for real. you can follow our journey to healthier living here. many of you have asked how we made it 30 days without sugar, sweets, dairy, grains, rolls, and all that goodness. granted some moments were hard but it was surprisingly easy to beat the cravings. here are some of my go-to tips with fighting the temptation to eat cookie dough or give up on the cleanse:

1. GO FRUITY: when you are craving sweets you might be surprised how easily that craving can be met with fruit. i am a huge dessert person and every night after dinner i wanted a little more something before bed. i came up with a couple go-to desserts for those sweet cravings

- toasted coconut.
- baked apple slices with cinnamon sprinkled on top
- a bowl of apple sauce with cinnamon and raspberries
- a cup of juice or some iced tea with frozen berries in it

bruce loved the toasted coconut, where i loved the baked apple slices. find your treat and enjoy it! (guilt free!!)

2. HOME MAKE IT: when you are missing those potato chips or that mayo in your chicken salad, try to think (or google) if you can make that with approved ingredients on your own. we made burgers one night and i realized i could just bake sliced potatoes and we could eat chips with our burgers!! also, we made many chicken, tuna, and egg salads with some of our homemade mayo (this is the best recipe for this stuff!!) i never even liked mayo until we made our own. so fluffy and delicious!

3. TRY NEW THINGS: if you have a salad for every meal you are going to want to give up day three. so mix things up. buy new kinds of meat at the store - like lamb or ground turkey or salmon and experiment a bit (and look up recipes).  try new veggies and new fruits. find a local food co-op like bountiful baskets - you sign up for basket and you don't know what fruits & veggies you'll get but it is exciting to see what you get each week!

4. TAKE SELFIES: this is just fun.

these four things were huge in our whole30 adventure (well, mostly just the first three things)! it carried us through the thirty days. and even now as i write this post i am eating a bowl of apple sauce with cinnamon and raspberries. this beats a bowl of ice cream (fills so much better in my tummy) and satisfies my sweet & cold craving before bedtime.

on that note,
happy eating & healthy living!

what are your tricks of the trade?

inspiration board // office space

so bruce & i spent some time moving things around in our house this weekend. we wanted to make a little space for me in his office so that i wouldn't be blogging in the other room while he played battle field on mumble with his besties. we call it "computer time" and it is very important for both of our sanity. it is our time doing things we love. but we also love being together so we can share winning moments or cute blog posts with each other. the furiture is placed (and we are loving how open the room feels) yet the walls and decor still need a little (a lot of ) work.

sometimes i get discouraged about house stuff. do you? i look on pinterest and follow other blogs and feel like it would be easy to create a pinterest worthy home in a matter of seconds. also on a budget. gah. bruce is my reality man. he gives me wine when i start to cry and just sits with me as i vent (and even say some kinda hurtful things). i need this man to remind me that it is not my "wifely duty" to make a perfect home. and to be able to pin-interest (because what guy says pinterest correctly?!) my entire house.

on that note, i am still dreaming. but it is okay if my room never looks like any of these pictures or it takes me a couple weeks to get it all set up (because hey, i work at least 40 hours a week and i make social time a priority!) dream with me:

what things do i NEED in my new space?

one. two. three. four. five. six. seven.