I Resolve...

By nature, I am a planner.
I am not usually one to venture out into the unknown.
I do not take risks.
I make calculated decisions.
I am overly cautious.

But if I have learned anything over the last two years... it is that my life rarely goes as planned.

It's unpredictable.

So this year... I am throwing all of my "plans" out the window. 

I want to wake up each morning with the expectation that God is going to do something unforeseen... something that will leave me breathless... and wholly awestruck with who He is. 

There is a certain wildness about God- something that cannot be tamed- and I long to know this side of my Savior. He is drawing me out of my place of comfort and into the unknown. He is beckoning me to leave behind a life that is safe, and exchange it for something unfamiliar and mysterious. Where this adventure will take me, I do not know. But I trust the One leading the way.

What are you resolving to do in this New Year?

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

Wow. It seems like AGES since I have posted anything on the blog! 

Okay- it has been ages. But I've had a good excuse :)

I've been busy prepping the new blog and I cannot WAIT for you to see it when I'm finally finished!

In the meantime, I thought I would appease you by posting a few of my favorites from 

our recent family photo shoot. 

 The Cousins.

From left to right: Seth, Sadie, Hayden, Rylan and Skylar

Greg was attempting to make the kids laugh while Kate was taking the pictures.

Apparently Seth did not find it funny :)

 Grandma and Grandpa with all of their grand-kids.

 Tender moments with the babies.

 Rylan's face- priceless.

 Grandpa with his boys!

 Our little family.

 Me and my man.

 Aren't we cute?!

Our photogenic child.

  

They really do love each other.

 My favorite photo of Rylan. Ever.

Be still my heart.

Which one is your favorite?

Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today begins my final year as a twenty-something! Wow... time sure flies when you are having fun! 

I'm going to compile a list of 30 things that I would like to do this year before I turn the big 3-0, but I need your help because I'm honestly not that creative. hahaha!

So... what 30 things would you do before turning 30?

WARNING: Flu Season in Progress

Seems about right....

With all of the coughing I have done this week, I should have a six pack by now.

With Love

Merry Christmas!

{Photos courtesy of Kate Reynolds Photography}

With love,

Greg, Megan, Hayden, and Rylan Card

As the Nation Weeps: A Day of Silence for Newton, Connecticut

Out of respect for Newtown, Connecticut, I am participating in a day of silence.

Please, take a moment if you will, and pray for the families who will be laying their loved ones to rest this week.

May the Wonderful Counselor draw near and give them peace.

Source

I Place My Trust in the Rock Eternal

Tragedy...

The loss of innocence...

Grief-stricken...

A nation in mourning...

Bereft of hope...

Somehow- these words do not seem to bear the full weight of the emotions that arise from the depth of my soul, when I dwell on the events that took place in Connecticut and in China. Though I am not directly connected to either set of circumstances, my heart is in mourning for those families who have lost their loved ones. My soul is crying out in anguish, "How long, O Lord, until you avenge the innocent blood that has been shed? How long must we wait for Your return- to be liberated from this depravity?"  And in my anguished state, though it is nothing, I am sure, to those who have been torn from those they love; I have found refuge and solace in God's word. It is my hope, that you too, will be comforted.

I find great comfort in that I can press into, and lean on, the Lord's strength- especially when it seems that the world around me is spinning into utter chaos. I am grateful that I do not have to understand the events and circumstance surrounding me... that I need not rely on my own insight, as it is limited at best.

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the Lord.

Isaiah 55:8

Trust in the Lord forever, for the LORD, the LORD is the Rock eternal.

Isaiah 26:4

Praise God, that we can trust in, and be confident in, the Lord our God, for He is the Rock eternal. His ways are trustworthy; unshakable; unchangeable; and most especially- they are good. I know that in light of the events that have taken place, one could easily question God's goodness. 

But I for one, am choosing to believe that God is Who He says He is- and He is good.

Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, 

"therefore I hope in Him!"

Lamentations 3:22-24

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

Deuteronomy 31:8

"God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new."

Revelation 21:4-5 NKJV

May the Light of His Presence envelope you during these dark days. 

Kiki La' Rue

If you follow me via Instagram or Twitter, you've already heard me talk about my love for

 Kiki La' Rue. 

Their stuff is darling. It's fashionable. And best of all- it's affordable. 

I made my first Kiki La' Rue purchase about a month ago and it was love at first sight!

 I purchased the Lenore scarf in mustard yellow (I'm wearing it in my profile picture) and the dark grey Piko top (also worn in my profile picture, but less noticeable). 

Both are top sellers, and I can see why- they are adorable!

My next purchase was the Kenzie dress, which I am modeling in the pictures below.

{Please excuse my poor modeling skills. I've been running on only a few hours of sleep each night, taking care of a sick kiddo}

Becka just added some more items last night that I am dying to get my hands on! 

But... I was reminded that I have a birthday coming up next week, as well as Christmas. 

So I must be patient. Haha!

So, what do you think? 

What boutiques are you currently crushing on right now?!?

*This is NOT a sponsored post. I was not asked to write a review for Kiki La' Rue. I just really love their stuff and wanted to give Becka the shout out she deserves!

Pain Too Deep For Words

I apologize for my extended absence from the blog as of late.

My first-born has the flu, so naturally, taking care of him is my first priority.

***

As I write this, the news coming out of Newtown, Connecticut is alarming.

I cannot seem to catch my breath... my heart is aching so badly for this community.

As a parent of a Kindergartner, I have no words to describe the pain that I am feeling for those parents who have just lost their babies. I so desperately want to wrap my arms around them and mourn with them.

This should not happen.

School is supposed to be a safe environment for our children.

These young ones should not be fearful of going to school.

They should not walk their halls with the knowledge that this too, could happen to them. 

We live in a fallen and corrupt world.

Though I cannot wrap my head around this- though I cannot fathom what would drive a young man to do such a thing- I know that my God is Sovereign... even over tragedies such as these. So I will continue to groan along with all of creation for Jesus to return and liberate us from this depravity. 

Please join me in praying for all who are involved. 

And if you are a parent... hold your little ones a little tighter tonight.

"... for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for the saints with groanings too deep for words."

Romans 8:26 (emphasis mine)

A Little Christmas Cheer

Thank you, Office Max, for this hilarious app!

Preparing for 2013

Just a heads up- I will be taking the remainder of the week off from writing in order to pray and seek God's direction for the blog in 2013.

Fingers crossed, I will have the new blog/blog domain up and running by January, but I will definitely let all of you know if it looks like that may change. Designing and transferring content over to a new space without the assistance of an expert is challenging, so I will keep you all posted in regards to its progress.

God has been stirring some things up in my heart and I want to be sure that I am in the center of God's will regarding the best use of my little corner of the blog-sphere. If you are a prayer warrior, would you mind praying for me during this transition? God has put some BIG dreams on my heart and the blog is a crucial component. I want more than anything to start off the new year trekking in the right direction. Know what I mean? 

Thank you in advance! I truly appreciate you! 

I tell everyone all of the time that I really do have the best readers on the face of this earth.

Y'all have greatly blessed me. More than you may ever know.

Card Family Photo Shoot: Sneak Peek!

If you are in the Texarkana, Texas area, I HIGHLY recommend Kate Reynolds Photography!

Here is a sneak peek of our recent photo shoot.

Aren't my Mother-n-law and two nieces adorable?!
And don't get me started on the picture of all the cousins together. Precious!
Swoon...

Symptoms of those Wonderstruck by God

Margaret recently posted a great warning on her site that those who have read Wonderstruck 

display the following characteristics: 

And from what I've seen, they’re all true! 

How do you plan to #livewonderstruck? 

Homemade Brown Sugar Scrub

I had originally planned to post this recipe after Christmas (as I intend to give these as gifts this year). However, after mentioning it on Twitter, I had several people request a blog post because they too would like to use it as gifts. So, I caved and posted it early. Ask and you shall receive.

For the guys who read my blog: If you are on a tight budget this year, but still desire that jaw dropping, high-pitched squeal of delight from your wife/girlfriend/Mom/Grandmother... this is for you! It's easy, budget friendly, and will only take a few minutes of your time. And if you really want to impress her... tell her that you made it yourself-just for her. Guaranteed hit, my friend. Trust.Me.

And lastly, if you are a close friend or family member, and you want to act be surprised when you open your present, I would stop reading. Don't say I didn't warn you! Haha! 

Homemade Brown Sugar Scrub

Ingredients:

Glass jar
(I re-purposed a small pickle jar because I'm cheap like that. But you could use a mason jar or small decorative glass jar found at Michael's, Hobby Lobby or Jo Ann's for around $1 a piece.)
3 cups of brown sugar
1 cup of organic coconut oil
(I use coconut oil on a daily basis for it's varied health benefits and recommend the brand Spectrum. If you do not have any coconut oil on hand, you can substitute it with extra virgin olive oil.)
2-3 Tbsp of local organic honey
1 tsp of vanilla extract (you may also substitute the vanilla extract with a few drops of your favorite essential oil)

Tip- Feel free to change up the measurements in order to achieve your desired consistency and texture. Personally, I add an additional 1/2 cup of coconut oil to mine, but this is a great starting point-especially if it is your first time to make it.

Directions:

Mix together coconut oil, honey, and vanilla extract. Blend well. Slowly add in the brown sugar to the mixture until you achieve your desired consistency. Add contents to glass jar. Enjoy!

You can use this brown sugar scrub daily. It makes your skin feel luxurious and smells heavenly!

Note: The oil in this scrub will cause your bath/shower to become slippery. Use caution when getting out. We don't want any injuries! Also, if you choose to use the coconut oil, it will cause your skin to feel oily when you first get out of the bath/shower. Simply pat down your body to dry off and massage the oil into your skin (like you would do with lotion). The coconut oil leaves your skin feeling as soft as a newborn! And if you are a fibromyalgia sufferer like I am, the coconut oil helps sooth my pain as well.

Easy-peasy. Enjoy, my friends! 

Are you making homemade gifts this year? If so, what are you making?!

Are you Wonderstruck by God?

As you've heard, my dear friend, Margaret Feinberg, has a new book and 7-session Bible study entitled Wonderstruck: Awaken to the Nearness of God  that releases Christmas day. I have been profoundly impacted my Margaret's writing and her desire to encounter God- to literally savor, caress, even capture Him so to speak- in all of His glory. Margaret's work is refreshing and will challenge you to reshape your image of God based on Biblical principles.


Wonderstruck will help you:

·         Recognize the presence of God in the midst of your routine

·         Unearth extraordinary moments on ordinary days

·         Develop a renewed passion for God

·         Identify what’s holding you back in prayer

·         Discover joy in knowing you’re wildly loved

If you will permit me, I'd like to share a personal story of how I have been recently wonderstruck by God.

Essential background information crucial to our story:

The fuel indicator sensor on our Trailblazer has been faulty for months. Whenever we fill the car with gasoline-no matter how much we put into the tank- the fuel indicator inevitably falls to empty as soon as we pull away from the gas station. The rate at which the indicator moves from its correct standing on the gas gauge to empty varies. Though Greg has been clever enough to come up with a system to read the gas gauge  so that we do not wind up stranded on the side of the road- truthfully, the sensor needs to be replaced.

The natural follow up question would be, "Well, then why don't you just get it replaced?"

It's $400.

Now, $400 may not seem like much to some of you, but to Greg and I- in our current financial standing- it might as well be $4,000. We simply do not have the additional funds in our bank account to cover the cost of repairing the sensor. So while it is not an ideal scenario, we have learned to make do.

Fast-forward to the present:

I have recently been re-reading Believing God by Beth Moore alongside of my advanced copy of Wonderstruck: Awake to the Nearness of God by Margaret Feinberg. So it seems that God has had an immense desire to orchestrate circumstances in my life that will not only strengthen my faith, but will allow me to truly stand in awe of Who He is. Hence- the faulty fuel indicator sensor, among many other things.

Last Tuesday, as I was on my way home from dropping the kids off at school, I stopped by the gas station nearest our house to put $30 worth of gasoline in the car. It was all we had left in our bank account without causing it to overdraw and I praised God that payday was but a few days away. We only own one vehicle at this time, so $30 worth of gasoline will only last us for two-maybe three-days (if we are extra conservative with our driving).

A worrier by nature, I was tempted to break down in tears right there at the gas station, overwhelmed with the knowledge that there was no way we were going to be able to stretch this supply of gasoline out over the course of the week, judging by all of the demands currently placed on our schedule. But I firmly believe that God is Who He says He is and His word tells me that He is my Provider; so I earnestly prayed that He would multiply the supply of gasoline in our gas tank to sustain us until payday.

 He did. And then some.

What should have only lasted us two or three days turned into six! This seemingly small, miraculous act of God, has awaken my soul in ways that I cannot seem to adequately articulate. I have searched for days to find the proper word or phrase that could describe to you the transformation my faith has undergone in such as short amount of time. This has shaken me to the very core of my being.

I am unashamedly, wildly, irrevocably wonderstruck by God.

I realize that this post is growing dangerously long, so I will leave you with this final question to ponder- where have you seen the wonder of God in your life? 

With an Open Heart Giveaway Winner

And the winner is....

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations, Julie T!! An email requesting your mailing information will be sent to you shortly, so please be on the look out for it. Thank you to all who participated in the giveaway!