As I type this, it’s pouring down rain, dreary and cold. *sigh* Word around town is the sun is supposed to make an appearance tomorrow- hoping this comes true!
Here’s my list of things I’m thankful for this week:
Got a “healthy” bill of health from the doctor!
I get to see my honorary niece tonight. SO excited!
The opportunity to be a leader at church with so many wonderful people
Gas prices are slowly going down! FINALLY!
Have you caught yourself taking the time to think about what YOU are thankful for today? I would love to hear what’s on your list!
Take care, blog friends…..I’ll talk with you soon.
Recently I’ve heard a saying that I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. “If your dreams don’t scare you they aren’t big enough”. When I first heard it, I dismissed it. Of course I have big dreams! Then I got to thinking, what ARE my dreams? What are my goals in life? Hmm, this question was a lot bigger than I had originally thought.
{pondering for a few weeks}
Of course I have the usual dreams of getting married and possibly having kids (which kind of terrifies me, if I’m being honest), but what are my other dreams? Yes, I had some other ones, but only a couple truly scared me. I suppose that’s a start….
Do you all have dreams, or maybe you’d rather call them goals? If so, I would love to hear them if you’re willing to share.
In closing, I want to encourage all of us to dream big. Our time on earth is short, we should make the most of it. :)
Have an awesome rest of your Wednesday. I’ll talk with you all later!
Oh my, this weekend here in Washington we had GORGEOUS weather. The sun was shining, it was fairly warm and I got to spend time with friends. Definitely a win-win-win in my book.
Recently, at youth church (where I’m a leader), we have been doing a “Truth Is… series”. It’s been such a good series. The first week the title was Truth Is…that fair is a fairytale. The second week it was Truth Is…people do change. And last week it was Truth Is…It’s Free not cheap (referencing God’s grace).
The whole concept of God’s grace on us still baffles me. How could someone love me enough to die on the cross for MY sins? In my selfish, sinful being, this is such a hard concept for me to grasp. In the past, I definitely took His grace for granted. If I made a mistake, it was easy for me to think “oh, God will forgive me” no matter what I do. Yes, this is true, but I want to make sure I’m not abusing this special gift of grace He has given.
In the same way, I’ve been thinking a lot about grace is general. Over the years, it’s been easy for me withhold grace to certain people if they “didn’t deserve it” in my book. Then I’m reminded, if God could pour out His grace on a sinner like me, I need to do the same to those around me. Granted, I’m not going to let people walk all over me, but I need to be more gracious and willing to forgive and move on.
It’s definitely not an easy thing to do, but I know this is something I need to work on. I know it’ll be a process, but that’s what our time on earth is, right?
It’s Thursday and that means it’s time for another Thankful Thursday here on the blog. As I’m typing this, I realize how often I live life day to day and sometimes forget to reflect on my blessings. I’m so glad that I started this little segment- it really forces me to think about what I’m thankful for (and express it).
Amazing and encouraging blog followers
My 4 day work weeks
Iced Carmel Macchiatos- my favorite Starbucks drink
My wonderful co-worker Rebeka who is full of wisdom and humor
I hope that today you’ll take time to reflect on what you are thankful for. I would love to hear what your list is today- feel free to post it if you feel like sharing. :)
Before I start with my post, I want to say thanks to those who left a comment on my last post. You all were so real and honest and I truly appreciate that. I know that some may be okay with putting on a show, but those days are behind me. I want to be REAL and not always “sugar coat” everything. Granted, there’s a time and place to say things, and sometimes it’s not appropriate to be completely blunt, but there are times when that is okay. :)
Okay, now we’re going to get personal. Pretty personal, in fact…..
I have suffered from low self esteem pretty much all my life. It may be the perfectionist in me, but I never really thought I “measured up” and reached my full potential in a lot of aspects of my life. When I moved out a few years back, it got even worse.
As many of you who have read my fitness blog know, I gained a whopping 60 pounds in a year. This in itself made me feel not attractive, even though people still said I was. However, there were a few people that started saying really mean things that really got in my head. My fiance at the time (one of the worst ideas ever) had some friends that started to get pretty vocal about my weight gain. To make matters worse, they said it on MySpace. (Remember that site?) They would say I was ugly and fat, that I looked like a man, he was better off without me…. I saw these things and they started to really affect my thinking, and still do to this day.
I know in my head that I shouldn’t seek self worth in people, but in God, but it is definitely not easy. My mom and boyfriend are constantly telling me “you are beautiful”, but I still struggle with believing them.
I don’t really know the point of this post. It might be just to let you in on a little piece of my life, or how I think, or it might be to say that words can definitely be hurtful (and stay with people even six years later). You can take whatever you want from it.
Thanks for stopping by today. Have a wonderful rest of your day.
You all are so sweet. Thank you to those who left a comment on my last post. I honestly was a little worried that you all would say “no” to making this a more personal blog. After all, I started this blog with the intention of it being solely crafts, with small tidbits of my personal life. It’s crazy how things can change.
I wanted to start a new feature here on the blog called Thankful Thursday. Recently I’ve just been reflecting on how much I have to be thankful for, so I thought I’d share some of these things with you. (It’ll also be a great thing to look back on.) Granted, sometimes they may be silly, but it’s okay to be grateful for silly things too!
My two sweet younger brothers who make me laugh
A boyfriend who loves me despite my many flaws
The sunny weather we have been having
That my health is starting to get stable again
I could go on and on, but those are the things I’m most grateful for today. What about you? What are you thankful for today?
So, it’s not a craft blog post this time around. I actually just wanted to ask a question to my amazing blog readers. It’s something that I’ve been going back and forth on, but I figured I would just ask you all since YOU are the readers.
As you may have noticed, I haven’t been posting many cards and crafts lately. Since just about all of my cards are created for the DeNami blog, I don’t post them here. (Don’t think you want to see them twice)
There are so many times when I want to type up a post, but then I don’t because I don’t have a card to post too.
Please be honest, I totally don’t mind! :) Looking forward to hearing what you wonderful readers say.
The Craft’s Meow- Celebrating You (used) $12 SOLD Happiness Is…(used) $12
Papertrey Ink–
Bird Watching Addition (used) $10 Wonderfully Whimsical (lightly used) $10 Holiday Spirit Sentiments (used) $10 Vintage Labels (used) $18 Take Note (used) $18 SOLD Signature Series: Flower Mini (used) $3SOLD For the Graduate (used) $10 SOLD Tea For Two Additions (used) $10 SOLD Mat Stack 4 Collection (used) $18 SOLD Dark Chocolate felt (some used) $3SOLD Botanical Silhouettes SPECIAL EDITION $20 SOLD Mat Stack 3 Collection (lightly used) $18 SOLD Banner Builder Collection dies (used once) $20 SOLD Hawaiian Shores felt (some used) $3 SOLD Four Of A Kind SPECIAL EDITION $20 SOLD Tag Sale#2 die $3 SOLD Tag Sale #4 $6 SOLD
Fillable Frames #1 and DIE (used) $8 SOLD
Fillable Frames #3 and DIE (used) $8 SOLD
Fillable Frames #9 (used) $3 SOLD Background Basics: Text Style II (used)- $10 SOLD
I don’t have a card for you all today, however I thought I would just pop in and update you on what’s new in my life.
Being as a BIG part of my life is work, I thought I’d start out with that topic. :)
If you follow DeNami Design, you know that we have had lots of new and exciting things happening there. At the beginning of March we released a new collection, which also happened to be our very first time doing cling stamps. It’s been so neat to see your excitement over the new format.
Have you all heard of Pinterest? It’s the greatest thing ever for creative/ crafty people. You can pin items that inspire you and have various “boards” so they stay nice and organized. I’ve been on Pinterest for a little while and let me say, it’s ADDICTING. Being as I’m striving to keep DeNami current on everything, we now have an account there! We hope you’ll follow us there!
In other news….. have I mentioned that I started dating someone? My guy is pretty incredible, if I do say so myself. We met at church (yet another reason why I love my church) and hit it off really well. So far we’ve been together for six months- here’s hoping to we have many, many more!
I have fallen deeply off the weight loss journey. Me + stress= lots of stress eating. I’m trying to stop this habit, but honestly, it’s one of the hardest things to do. While I haven’t gained a ton of weight back, I have gained a few pounds. This isn’t particularly good when I’m still wanting to go the other direction (as in 15 more pounds the other way). Hoping to gain back motivation pronto!
I know I haven’t been very good at updating this blog very often. It’s hard to post new cards when just about all of my cards are created for the DeNami blog. If you still would like to see my work, I’d suggest following that blog as well. :) I’m going to wrap this up. Thanks so much for checking on. Have a great Saturday!
Well, my dear friends, it’s time for the DeNami Birthday Blog Hop! I’ve been excited about this one- it’s always fun to create birthday cards, especially with our stamps. (I may be a bit biased, but I think we have some great designs) ;)
If you started the hop from the beginning, you should be coming from my fellow Washingtonian Suzanne Bier’s blog. Should you get lost along the way, we have the complete listing of participants on the DeNami blog.
To be completely honest, I had a card all ready for the blog hop, but then realized our new designs would be out by the time this hop went live. Silly me! I just HAD to create a new card using the new stamps, right? I’m glad I did too- this card is eons better than the other one I had made. :)
I think this little ice cream cone is utterly adorable. It was so fun to create this background! The cone is from the new Birthday Celebration I set, which also happens to have some other great little stamps in there. (complete supply list at the bottom of my post)
I know there are many other stops, so I’ll end this post. Next up: Kristy Smith’s blog! Remember, we have DeNami GC’s up for grabs, so be sure to leave a comment on each blog for your highest chance of winning. With the new release available now, this will definitely come in handy!
Thanks for joining me today- I’ll talk with you all later.
