Thursday, February 26, 2015

Livvy's Princess Party





My sweet Olivia Grace turned 6 a few weeks ago and we had a Princess dress-up party.  Before I give you too many details of the party I just have to give all credit to my mother for the adorable decorations!  I asked her to help me with a few things and she went above and beyond, as usual.  Thank you mom!  This was such a fun party and we were so grateful to all who were able to help us celebrate Livvy. 



 Here are the glitter crowns my mom made. Aren't they adorable?! And we can't forget about the adorable "Happy Birthday Livvy" banner my sister Sarah, from Life{Sweet}Life, designed!


 This sweet area was our dress-up station. The girls had a blast trying on hats, sunglasses, boas and more. Again my mom gets the credit for this one!  In case you are wondering, she hung a shower rod with curtains over our entertainment center...genius!


 A few pics of my sweet Liv and me before the party began. You will notice she had this adorable Mustard Pie dress on in the first pics then she insisted on changing into a red glitter dress(don't get me started on how she owns that) for the actual party.  But, I decided to let the birthday girl have her day and wear whatever she wanted. :)
A few pics of the food table. Lots of sweets and a few veggies & fruits thrown in! :) 

How cute are these edible nail polishes that my mom made?!  They were super simple...base is a marshmallow rolled in colored icing and sugar sprinkles. Then a tootsie roll on top.  They were a big hit!  This is my older daughter, Ellie, wanting to eat them all before the party started. :) 


Here is the sweet birthday girl(in her new red dress) all ready to eat some snacks and cake. 

In our formal dining area the girls had a Princess Feast and sang Happy Birthday to Livvy. 



All the girls dressed up before the surprise arrives!



And then came the BIG surprise....a horse drawn carriage for the princesses!  This was the coolest and sweetest thing ever!  The company asked if I wanted them to dress them up in our party colors and make them unicorns...yes please!  




The looks on the girls faces were priceless!!






Carriage ride fun!





Since only 8 girls could ride the carriage at a time the other girls jumped on the trampoline and did a photo shoot while waiting for their turn.  Here are just a few pics of the cuties all dressed up. :)







And of course a party wouldn't be complete without some princess favors. I ordered the carriages online and filled them with candy, a ring pop and clip on earrings.  


Last, but certainly not least, my wonderful mom who made this party so adorable!  Thank you again mom for making Livvy's day so special!  


Friday, February 13, 2015

5 Minute Friday: When?!

It's been a while since I've joined in on the 5 Minute Friday fun!  If you aren't familiar with it, each Friday there is a new word given and you get 5 minutes to write on that with no editing, just writing and sharing what God immediately puts on your heart.


Today's word is "WHEN".  When I saw the word I kind of chuckled because God has already been speaking to me so much about this word lately.  The first thought that comes into my head is how many times God must hear his people cry out "WHEN God, WHEN??!!"  

There is not one person alive who has not struggled with wanting something now.  We don't want to wait on God's timing.  It's much like a toddler who wants the piece of candy now rather than waiting until he has eaten all his vegetables.  If he would just finish his veggies promptly, and not throw a fit, he would receive his candy.  However, when the toddler chooses to lay down throw a fit and demand the candy NOW, he created a very prolonged process in receiving his candy.  The candy still exists but mom or dad chose to wait to give it to the child when he has calmed down, can follow instructions and be grateful for the candy.

I have definitely thrown my fair share of fits when my "when" didn't line up with God's "when".  You see, much like that toddler needing something healthy before he eats in candy, God knows we need to be in a place of being full on the right things before he can entrust some things to us.  Have you been praying for that dream job, house, car or spouse?  Begging and pleading for God to have it NOW will prolong the process of receiving it because we simply aren't ready for that responsibility if we aren't able to follow simple rules from God and wait on Him.  I wish I could say this is a principle I have mastered but every time I find myself in the restless mode of wanting something I feel God remind me to be still and wait on Him.  

Wouldn't you know I already had an image saved that goes perfectly with this writing prompt:

Just as Ecclesiastes 3:11 reminds us that He makes everything beautiful in it's time.  Trust God with the timing today and give your "when" to him!  

Thursday, February 12, 2015

{Insert Controversial Topic or DIY Project Here}

Hi friends!

This might be the most random post I've written but God dropped it on my heart as I was falling asleep last night and I have learned that when He does that it's because I am supposed to write about it.  

So what's up with my blog title "Insert controversial topic or DIY project here"?  If you are a blogger you may understand the tempation there is to let what's popular or gains a high level of followers drive what you write about.  I have to admit I have caught myself thinking about what to write based on what would get the most shares.  Hear me when I say there is nothing wrong with having a large following or getting your article shared and pinned thousands of times.  There is also nothing wrong with DIY blogs because believe me this girl NEEDS those kind of blogs in my life. :)

But for me, I started this blog only because I began to feel God tell me to start writing.  I didn't set out to make a business out of it or gain thousands of followers over night. I also do not have the gift of creating new and exciting crafts or made from scratch party favors so if I allow myself to go chase that bunny trail it will end with horrible posts of random projects I tried to make happen.  

My mission is simple: to empower people to live life outside of their shell(also known as comfort zone) and be all God called them to be.  I feel lead to do that through sharing stories God puts on my heart, writing a short devotional, sharing some fitness/nutrition tips(since that is also a passion of mine) and sometimes just some fun posts about my family and our life.  

I believe the most powerful tool we have is the word of our testimony.  Revelation 12:11 says "But they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony."

Whether you blog or not, your testimony matters and is powerful.  I am not just talking about your salvation story(which is very powerful and important) but also your daily testimonies of God's faithfulness when you did something that He called you to that was so much bigger than yourself.  

Do you have a testimony of a time you had a "life outside the shell" moment and you saw God move in a mighty way?  I would love to hear your story and feature you on a blog post(I can keep it anonymous if you ask me to).  Please contact me or follow my Facebook page and message me with your story.  

We all have a story, now is the time to own yours and share it to inspire others around you!  

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Squats and the Word of God

Have you ever had so much on your schedule that it gives you heart palpitations just to look at your calendar?  I know I sure have.  In fact, I am in one of those seasons now and I don't like being here because I know it's not God's best for me and my family.   As I was praying about how I got to this place, because I was doing so good at limiting the things I said "yes" to, God dropped a great visual illustration on my heart that I want to share with you.  

You may already know this about me but I have been teaching group fitness classes for close to ten years.  God speaks to me in many ways but he often does it in the form of exercise(it's like He knows me or something). :)  I see so many parallels to our physical and spiritual beings and I just love it. 

As I was praying about how my life somehow got too busy God reminded me of something I often see in participants who take my class.  Every single time I have my participants do squats I have to remind at least one of them to look up.  When you do squats and you stare at the ground it causes your body to follow...before you know it your weight is in the balls of your feet, your back is hunched forward and you may feel a little wobbly or fall down if they weight on your back is really heavy.  All my classes know what I mean when I say "where your eyes go there your body will follow".  It is their quick cue to look up.  

God showed me this squat form is true in our everyday life.  When we stop reading His word and praying we are looking down and our actions begin to follow. Before too long our life is out of alignment and if we are carrying a heavy weight we may even fall down.  Matthew 6:22 reminds us of the value of our eyes and what we focus on:
Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light.
I am guilty of not getting in God's word on a daily basis.  Somehow that "superhuman" mode turns on in me and I think I can run on fumes.  The truth is that we can't run on fumes, we must continually fill ourselves with the word.  If you can relate to this at all please join me in praying for a hunger for God's word, begin looking up again and ask God to help arrange your schedule the way He intended in the first place. :)