I am a Follower of Christ...

Here are five things that I've been thinking about that I believe we should work on if we are going to call ourselves Christ followers.


We Need To Learn To Listen Better
Talk Less. Keep your opinions silent. Everyone has an opinion, but it doesn't mean all opinions are meant to be spoken.

Don’t Label
Using terms to put people into boxes is generally offensive to people. We are all people, let’s stop making neat little categories for each other. It's stupid and pointless.

Don’t Be So Smart
No body loves a know it all. These people personally drive me nuts. Don’t pretend to have all the answers. If you are not sure, just say so. We have a saying around here “We don’t have all the answers, but we believe in a God who does."

Put Yourself In Other Peoples Shoes
People generally just want other people to understand what they have gone through. This allows for a better connection point.

Fight The Three Second Rule
Within 3 seconds people form their first impressions and don't give a fare chance to get to know the person who we are looking at.

The Next Right Thing

Panic. Stress. Mayhem. Confusion. Insecurity.

We've all been there. It's never our proudest moments in life, but they can turn into defining moments. I'm only 26 years old and I've already had my fair share of crisis'. There are many different kinds; a poor health diagnoses, a family emergency, getting pulled into sticky situations by your, "friends." The possibilities are endless.

The usual first reaction is shock, panic and a repeating question in your mind, "What am I going to do?!" Your mind scatters to a million different directions. When the happens to me, I always tend to try to jump from point A to point Z. Start to finish. Pronto. I want to get to the solution ASAP. Don't we all? The whole, 'let's just get it over with' mentality. This thought pattern leads to even more frustration because you can't just wiggle your nose and solve whatever is going on.

The way you react can show your character or lack thereof. Do you stay calm and collected, looking at all possible solutions before taking the next step? Or, do you get upset, allowing your mind and temper to take control? All of my life I've been the latter. I've never handled stressful situations well. My mother says I'm the queen of worrying and panic. But I've had a revelation lately. It's not about who can fix it first and get it over with the fastest...it's about how you respond.

Something I've learned to ask myself when these situations arise and my mind tries to race in 37 different directions is, "What is the right next thing to do?" You always have the choice to react a million different ways, but usually there is only one right way. I ask myself this question every step of the way. I pray about it each step. And it works!

I also try to keep in mind that at all times there is at least one person watching you. Noticing how you act and react. The language you use. It all affects your witness to them. And that's something I take very seriously, don't you?

Got Hope?

Hope is a funny feeling isn't it? The word has four letters, yet the feeling has such an immense power. A recent situation compelled me to write a little bit about hope. 2010 has been a tough year for a ton of people, me included. Think about all the struggles you've heard about over this past year.

Here are a couple categories that I'm sure you've heard a ton about this last year; health, finances, business, lack of faith, family issues, depression... the list goes on and on. Most of the time, hope is all we have, and if a person loses hope, what is left? Last month  was the begining of a new year. It's the one time it seems that everyone sets out to try to "start over fresh." If your hope tank is empty, then take the next few days to fill it. It doesn't have to be the new year.

The Bible tells us that:

“Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each day.” -Lamentations 3:23

EACH DAY!!! Praise God!  I am praying for you. I don't know you, but I am praying that 2011 is an awesome year for you! I pray that your plans succeed, and friendships improve. I am praying for supernatural healings for you and your family.. I am praying that you find the job of your dreams, or the man/woman of your dreams. I am praying that relationships/marriages are everything God made them to be. I'll leave you with this:

"As long as we have hope,

we have direction,

the energy to move,

and the map to move by.

We have a hundred alternatives,

a thousand paths and infinity of dreams.

Hopeful, we are halfway to where we want to go;

Hopeless, we are lost forever."

-Hong Kong Proverb

These are a Few of My Favorite Things...

Everyone has a mental list of certain things they just like. You know, just like the song! Here's a bit of my list:

the smell of soap
especially Dove or Caress! Mmmmm.


warm hugs
Does this need an explaination?! But only from people I know, I don't like random hugs from people I don't know, that's just creepy.

rainy days
I love the smell, the sound and the calmness I feel from it.  Perfect day to curl up in a blanket and read!

blankets
I ALWAYS have a blanket nearby, even in the 110* Texas summers.

buttons
I don't know if I can explain this, I just like them.

anything with pocket
 I just like 'em.

storage containers
my mom jokes that I'm like a squirrel. I love everything having a place to go and organizing.

getting a letter or card in the mail
It's so easy to email or text someone, but to take the time to write a note and mail it says you care!

old bookstores
There's nothing more charming that an independantly owned bookstore. They are so cozy and hold so many hidden treasures, not just what's popular at the moment.

naps
Ahhhhh! So relaxing and peaceful, what's not to love?!

new makeup
It's probably the artist in me, it's so fun to play with and come up with new ways of putting it on.

getting my hair done
What girl doesn't love this? Anything from a shampoo and style to a cut and dye job....sign me up!

my black sweatpants
Anyone that knows me knows that I own a ton of these and practically live in them.

Apple products
Nuff said!

the smell of a clean house
Freshly laundered drapes, Windex on the windows, Pledge on the furniture....ahhh! Nothing better.

Diet Coke
Growing up that's all that my mom drank, I was allowed to have one soda a week once I was 9, I always looked forward to whichever day it was that my mom would let me have one.

What are a few of your favorite things?

Gluten Free Eeeeek!

So over this past year I've had some mysterious medical issues. In attempt to try to solve certain issues, my GI doctor recommended me to go on a gluten-free diet. For those of you that don't know, gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. Some people have certain conditions where their body can't process gluten and having even the slightest contact with it can make you violently ill. Gluten is in everything, from food to lotions to shampoos and conditioners, even instant tea.  It's what makes food taste GOOD!

Here is an example of a gluten free frozen dinner:

Looks terrible, right? This is actually one of the better looking g-free meals. Just so you know, those little chunks on the green spinach is cheese. Yep, that's right....cheese. Go ahead and look at the box again, I didn't believe it myself. Now, have a peek of what's on the inside:

Ah Ha ha! Oh the thoughts that went through my head when I pulled this out of the box. But, I'm a Christian lady and quickly corrected myself. Suddenly I wasn't so hungry-HA! But, I thought to myself, "It'll look better once it's cooked and ready to serve."

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right?

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I mean

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How bad could it be?!

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The answer is

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BAD

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VERY BAD:

Oy vey! All I can say is PRAISE THE LORD that I don't have to eat gluten free any longer!!!!

Just thought I'd share my little pointless blurb. Hope you're having a blessed week!

SNOW!

YeeeHaw!!

Now, THAT'S what I'm talkin' about! In my part of Texas, we almost never see snow. Although my blog title says, "SNOW!," the word ice is probably more truthful.

Here's the thing, if it falls out of the sky and leaves a white puddle, we call it snow around here. Even though 99%  of the time it's just ice. It's still fun as long as you don't have to drive through it. It seems like where I live, no one can handle any sort of precipitation while driving. Rain, sleet, snow....none of that. It causes a mass panic. Here's a pic of our "snow"

Surprise Gifts for the Girls

Here's the pics of the packages I put together for Tim's nieces along with pics of the card I made them. I've really been enjoying getting back in the swing of crafting!

Here's the front of their card:

 

And the inside:

 Here's a more detailed picture of the wrapped packages. I LOVE the way they look! I just wraped the boxes in hemp cording made for jewelry. I strung the hemp through one button hole until it was halfway in. Then I "cross-stitched" through all the holes then wrapped the cord around the box and knotted it in the back. I think it looks kinda charming.

Here's a close up view of those nail things I was telling you about. I originally had just a set of pink and a set of red, but, after some thinking I decided they needed something with a little more pizzazz. Since everything was already wrapped I just threw these in a Target sack and told Tim to give it to the girls after they open their boxes.

After Tim gave them to his nieces, his sister Facebooked me telling me how much the girls loved them...wahoo! Turns out that one absolutely loves owls and the other adores houndstooth. Boy did I get lucky!