22 Aug 2016

Sunflowers and Mondays

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Make mondays beautiful

Aren’t sunflowers happy and bright?  I think they make a perfect flower for a Monday.  And I love surprising people with flowers, especially when my local Trader Joes has such a variety of pretty stems for such a great price.

Mondays are often a hard day for folks.  Whether its a return to normalcy (I didn’t do any dishes yesterday so I have a sink full), alarm clocks (yup, mine went off early this morning), or just because you are sad the weekend is over…Mondays often get a bad rap.

  1.  Plan something beautiful.  Whether its a coffee date with another creative, a play date with a friend, or blow-drying your hair and putting on make up, plan something for every Monday that helps bring extra beauty in to your day.
  2. Make a list of happies for your Monday.  It can be some quiet time to regroup from the weekend, special lunch date with your littles, find special things to be grateful for and write them down!
  3. Buy flowers.  Most Mondays include a trip to Trader Joes for me (or us, my littles and me).  We love the relationships we’ve formed there over 2 years of going every Monday, produce to start our weeks out on a healthy note (to detox from the weekend), and the pretty flowers that greet us when we walk in the door.  This week, the flower of choice was sunflowers.
  4. Breathe.  Yup.  Its that easy.  Sometimes just taking time to breathe, whether you are sitting in traffic or practicing yoga, breathing helps bring life into our whole bodies.  Remember, God breathed life into dirt to form man and gave him a soul to long after Him.  Breathing is crucial to our well-being.

Enjoy your Monday friends.

 

10 Sep 2014

Midweek Link Love

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old salem

Hump days are no reason not to search out fun things on the internet – so here you go!  Have fun and tell me what you are finding interesting out there!

I really would love to go to this.  Its not possible, but still I’d love to go.

I’m doing some series-planning in my head about boys and books.  Here is a good list according to age.  What books do you read to your children under 3 and how do you keep them sitting still?

All you “I have to do everything” people out there (hello, me) read this by my friend Sharon.

A girl I was briefly able to know during my time in Louisville – is such a breath of fresh air in the blog world.  I love her mom-real-ness, her creativity, and everything else.

This 20-something chose to describe herself in 5 words: what would your five words be:  Mine would be: introvert, creative, loyal, emotional, lover-of-my-men (1 husband, 2 boys)

I missed a great blogging conference with friends in Arkansas – but a friend posted her thoughts on food blogging.

 

24 Jun 2014

What I Learned Today:

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blue hydrangea

I love living life with people and catching up with friends.  Today was one of those days.  And for me, catching up and hanging out usually teaches me something.  Today was no different.

I’m so glad friends are in our lives.  Especially during a season with much pain, I’m thankful for those friends that brighten your day and soothe you and make you feel right at home: no matter where you are.

Three things I learned today:

1.  Being known is something that is sweet – but you don’t want everyone to know you.  I really love having honest relationships with people (and even here on the blog). I love living life with folks and knowing what goes on in their lives and what God is teaching them – what they are walking through.  But, there are times when being known hurts and is painful.  You can do one of two things at that moment – and I think you have to know which moment you are in : walk away or persevere.  You have to decide for yourself with much prayer which one you should do in any given moment.  Walk away – maybe the relationship is a harmful one for you – you need to walk away.  But, in the most important relationships: your marriage, family, or tried and true friends – you persevere.

2. What do you want to be known for? How do people describe you to others? What do you want to be known for to either friends or strangers? There are some adjectives that I would love to be described as – and then there are some, that right now I’m not, but I want to be – so I know what areas I need to work on.

3. Travel – I love it. My friend travels for her job. She is not married and has the luxury of doing so. She packs up and heads out and pours into the community she is in for any given time. I love to travel and see the world. It is much harder with a husband and kids. But, I love living a life of an adventure. That’s why we are always in the car (except during nap time). I want to explore my area – which is ATL and is amazing to explore.

What are you learning right now?

5 Feb 2014

Bloggers in Bloom Recap (AFGS2014 Giveaway)

by | posted in: Arkansas, creatives, Events, Festivals, Uncategorized | 10

AFGS2014

(This post has a giveaway at the end!  Please comment for a chance to win.  The AFGS provided me with these tickets at no cost to me and all opinions are my own.  Thankful for their generosity and I look forward to the event to see the beauty that will be displayed.)

All day the city of Little Rock looked like a frozen glass house.  Ice was on every tree limb and wire.  But, at a blogging and flower and foodie event: it was warm and colorful inside.

Last night I went to a wonderful event hosted at a lovely home here in Little Rock.  It was all about flowers, food, spring, the Arkansas Flower and Garden Show (coming up in a few weeks), warm weather, friends, and wine & food pairings.  What a night filled with beautiful color and helpful information and prime rib and salmon (oh the salmon)!

AFGS 2014

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For me, the night was about color.

Yellow is such an inviting color.  Have it in your guest room, your entry way, or anywhere in your home where you would like people to feel completely welcome.Art can make a statement.

The owners of the home we were invited in to love art.  There was a piece on every wall.  Gorgeous ways to bring in color to your home.

Strawberries and black pepper – new fave combination!

I had on a pink scarf and there was so much purple in the room – love it!  All these different hues found everywhere at the event!

I’ve been reading in Exodus in my devotions about how God was detailing the colors for the tabernacle.  I love God gave us colors and instructed us to use them in worshiping Him!  He is a colorful, creative God!

The last thing I learned was later when I was talking with my husband about the event: make sure your home tells what is really the most important thing in life.  When people come in your home – what will they remember?  What will their takeaway be?

And I have a giveaway for you!!!  Thankful for the free tickets to the Arkansas Flower and Garden Show.  I have three pairs to giveaway to readers!  So, if you are going to be able to attend the event at the Statehouse in a few weeks, leave a comment below (only blog comments will count) about your favorite flower and how you bring it into your home to brighten up the blah months of winter.  I will pick three winners who will each get a pair of tickets to the event.  Thank you AFGS!!!  I can’t wait to attend the event on Friday morning with my family!  And if you have Sunday afternoon available – it is going to be a great time for the youngest gardeners out there!

So thankful for the Arkansas Flower and Garden Show, the owners of Colonial Wine and Spirits, Chris Olson and his talents for making flowers come to life inside your home, and the Arkansas Women Bloggers, and all those who gave us such lovely SWAG for this wonderful event.

 

7 Dec 2013

Hello December 7: Loved and Welcomed

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Elyse Fitzpatrick has a new book entitled Found in Him. I love the introduction where she talks about feelings of isolation and aloneness and self-condemnation. No matter how surrounded we are by friends and family, especially at the holiday, I think most of us feel that way at some point. Know that no matter how much you make a mess of things or feel like you aren’t loved, or no matter how you spend the holidays, God loves and welcomes you through Jesus.
Loved and Welcomed