Being in a place of emptiness is teaching me a valuable lesson. What I am putting into my mind and heart is what will come out. For the last few weeks I have been trying to write blogs and be more loving and encouraging to my family. Instead, I have found that I am mentally and emotionally dry, used up and exhausted. But why? After going through the She Reads Truth Lent Bible study, I stopped reading my Bible. I got busy and tired, and my daily reading of inspiration and truth fell out …
Inspirational
Autism Awareness ~ One Mother’s Story
“Through the blur, I wondered if I was alone or if other parents felt the same way I did - that everything involving our children was painful in some way. The emotions, whether they were joy, sorrow, love or pride, were so deep and sharp that in the end they left you raw, exposed and yes, in pain. The human heart was not designed to beat outside the human body and yet, each child represented just that - a parent's heart bared, beating forever outside its chest.” ― Debra …
Favorite Things Giveaway!!!
FAVORITE THINGS GIVEAWAY CONTINUES!!! Enter {HERE} One lucky winner will be chosen and they will receive their choice of our Spring 2016 Lifestyle Apparel Line for Week #2 of our Favorite Things Giveaway! We kicked off April with Silk & Stone Designs Jewelry in our Insta-Loop Giveaway and we are thrilled to announce the winner is.... Ashley will receive this lovely wrap bracelet as the winner of our week one Insta-Loop Giveaway! Congratulations Ashely! …
The Pursuit of Happiness
Confession: I get inspiration from the sides of Lulu Lemon shopping bags. I admit it--I’m compelled to live in light of the words on the bag. There’s one part of Lulu Lemon’s “manifesto” that leaves me feeling more discouraged than inspired, though. The saying says, “The pursuit of happiness is the source of all unhappiness.” I think I understand where the Lulu team is coming from--I agree we could all learn to be a little more content and grateful right where we are. Another Better …
5 Ways to Take the Hassle Out of the Holidays
If you are busy and often take on a lot at once (and don’t we all?), then the holidays can be a really stressful time of year. Here are some reminders and ideas on how to survive the season and the fast approaching New Year ahead. 1. Plan ahead: If you are able to prepare, usually life goes a lot smother. What kind of things during the holidays might you plan for? One obvious one is gifts. Make a list of whom you need to give to and plan accordingly. I also suggest that you have a few gifts …
Adventures in Meal Prepping
When I first decided to attempt meal prepping, it was out of complete necessity...aaaand a tiny bit of desperation. Just a tiny bit! (Don't ask my husband to confirm that.) My family's schedule was getting increasingly hectic, and with growing frequency, I would find myself completely unprepared and staring into the refridgerator at dinner time asking myself, "What the heck am I going to make that takes 10 minutes?!" Eggs. Yep. More often than not, the answer was some variety of churched up …
How to Start a Non-Profit- PART 3: Legalities!
This is Part 3 of How to Start a Non-Profit and you can view Part 1 ~ where we talked about the importance of defining your mission, vision, and values & Part 2 ~ explaining in depth what vision, mission, values, and differentiators are! Now we move on to the nitty-gritty administrative legalities for starting a non-profit! The steps below are for the state of California. Many of these steps can be broken down into their own blog posts, but here’s enough info to get you headed in the …
Cancer – A Spiritual Battle
One sunny crisp morning, I headed into one of my local Starbucks, aka, my happy place, and ordered a giant hot tea and oatmeal. As I chatted with the barista, a young man about the age of 27 (ok, when it’s a man, do you say, baristo?) and with the usual small talk, he asked me, “So, any fun plans this weekend?” My response came very naturally, without any self-pity or woe, I said with a chuckle, “uh, no. I’ll be at the children’s hospital all weekend.” He then asked, with causal curiosity, “Oh …
Young Mother’s battle with Cancer
On the afternoon of Friday March 27th; 10 days after my 27th Birthday, 6 days after my 5 year Wedding Anniversary, 4 days shy of starting the paperwork to buy our first home, a month shy of my oldest child turning 5, and less than two weeks away from undergoing our first deployment as a family… I was diagnosed with Stage 2B Hodgkin's Lymphoma. The feelings that I experienced at that time were unexplainable. I have had so many angry feelings & emotions running through me that as I sit here …
Awareness: Acknowledging the Battle Many Women Fight
The image of my sister waiting in anger, bitterness and bewilderment will always haunt me as she was wheeled into the operating room for a life altering surgery. Stage four breast cancer at age twenty-seven. Never married. No kids. A double mastectomy eleven days after being diagnosed; three weeks later a round of intense chemotherapy treatments began stripping my sister of all that identifies the female body. Radiation would also take place to attack the aggressive, BRCA 2 positive gene …