lady of faith

"Your hope cannot be put in some dreamed-up future. It must be in the God who knows your past, present and future, and loves you enough to give you the best." (page 43)

chapter 3 starts off with which states have an abundance of men, you know if you were spouse-hunting. and just in case you were wondering those states are Alaska, Montana and Florida...where i do not live...but i really don't think that is the issue.

i enjoyed the story about a lady who went to a Christian college assuming she would find Mr.Right while there. she didn't and her Mr.Right ended up being someone from her small hometown. i know i've addressed this before but i sometimes have the fear/thought that if i would have attended the Christian college with all my friends, i would totally be married by now...but it's nice to be reminded that surely isn't a guarantee. 

a main point of this chapter is that we (single women) should not just attend events and participate in activities where we think there is a good chance of meeting someone. While it's totally good to be an active participant, we need to examine our motives for attending. i really, really liked this point and i'm not going to lie...i am definitely guilty of trying to find the cute, single boy at most events. i mean i just like to know who it's going to be. so i need to work on this...especially the examining my motives for attending different events. i will say i think i've gotten a little better with this concept but i know it was definitely one of the first things i thought about 2-ish years ago.

"You may wonder, "How can I be a Lady of Faith when I feel so insecure deep in my heart that God will deliver the goods? What if  I have faith in God and end up being 98 and unmarried?" Of course, you would never outright admit that you're not sure you can trust God. That would appear too ungodly! But there's that sneaking fear in the back of your ming: "If I really give up my search and have 'eyes of faith,' God might not give me what I desire, like a husband, a home and children." God knows when your heart aches for these precious things. But he also knows that these earthly things will not make you secure." (page 43-44)

the above was a fairly long passage to include, but i thought it really explained what i'm sometimes feeling. i mean most days i'm pretty sure that i'll end up married and everything. and it's honestly not a constant fear of mine that i'll be alone, 98 and unmarried. but i think it's only natural that every once in a while i think the above thoughts. i think the main thing i take away from the above passage (and really this entire book) is that finding a guy won't "fix" everything else that isn't quite right in my life. and i think that ultimately this is a message that all young women need to be hearing. i also think that the above passage might have been a little too 'real' for me to read 7 or so years ago. i was definitely not a point where i would even want to consider being unmarried and 30 (much less 98). i mean no one young girl wants to think about what-if she never gets married. and the majority of those girls totally will...but everyone could stand to hear that the boy doesn't make you more secure in your skin...or closer to God.

the best line/phrase in this chapter is the following "If Jesus wants you married, he will orchestrate the encounter." (page 45) The book goes on to say that Jesus has our best interest at heart. okay so that concept alone is mind-boggling...but it makes me feel so much better about looking for the right guy...and really just life in general. 

the chapter closes with short stories about women keeping their 'eyes of faith' and how Mr.Right was brought into their lives. 

"Don't fear or resent the waiting periods in your life. They are the very gardens where the seeds of faith blossom." (page 48)

[chapter 3 Lady in Waiting]

gameday saturday

lady of diligence

"Although a single woman may long for the "chaos" of a family, she must not waste her time wishing for it." (page 25)

so i might end up saying this about each chapter but i really enjoyed this chapter. one of the things that i liked best about this chapter was the discussion about how single women should be using their free time to become more involved. during this "life stage" we naturally have more freedom and less distractions so we should take advantage of this and not become more emotionally distracted than a mom of many children. there are so many ways that we can serve if we just take that step of faith and get out there. i will totally admit that i'm really bad at taking this step. [currently i justify this thought with not really knowing what i'm doing/where i'm going to be in my life within the next few months...and i really like to think that once i'm settled somewhere i'll be really involved. i do know how much i loved when people my age-ish did activities with me in high school (confused yet?) so i definitely think i'd make an extra effort to do the same]

"Some singles see the lack of a mate as God denying them something for a more "noble purpose"-a cross to bear! Our selfish nature tends to focus on what we do not have rather than what we do have-free time-that can be used for others and ourselves. Is your life on hold until you have someone to hold? (page 28)

this above passage struck me as very interesting, especially the cross to bear part. i had never thought of being single like that, and i really hope that i ever won't think like that. however, it is something i could see myself rationalizing, especially if i'm in a similar state 7 years from now. (but that's 7 years away so it's all good) i also don't really think of God as denying me something. sure i want something that i don't currently have but i don't think that God is actively denying me this. i just think he knows that i'm not ready yet (or i like to think that the boy's just not ready yet) and that's okay. 

there was also a short story about a woman who dated incessantly in college but remained single longer than most expected her too. She would tell people that what helped her to remain satisfied was a "full place setting." One day she realized that she didn't need to be eating off of paper plates when she had good china and flatware in her hope chest. i laughed a little when i read this. it's totally not the same thing at all but my mom always tells me that i'm not getting a kitchen aid mixer until i register for one. it's such a small way in which i can relate to this story but it just makes me laugh. also because i like that this person decided she didn't have to wait until she had a mate to start living her life. i mean i totally plan on buying all sorts of nicer things once i have a job and an apartment. (i may also have a small yet insane desire to start a box (or closet) for my very unborn children...yup that might be the most insane thing you read all week...)

"Have you neglected some mission or ministry opportunities because you feared prolonging your unmarried state?" (page 30)

confession time--okay so i've never neglected a mission or ministry opportunity but i've certainly picked some over others in hopes of meeting "the one". and yes i do need to be active and not just pinning things all day, every day. but i should examine my motives for doing something or attending a certain event.

The chapter then talks about different ministry areas. some of my favorite ones listed are diligence and the ministry of writing, diligence and the ministry of hospitality, diligence and the ministry of teaching and diligence and the ministry of service. one of my favorite quotes from the entire book came from the diligence and the ministry of service section.

"your single state may not be permanent, but it definitely is not to be a comatose state until your Prince Charming arrives and whisks you off to his castle. Single women are not "sleeping beauties" waiting for their prince to fight his way through the thorns and past the wicked witch to finally kiss them awake. That is an allusion often used by the enemy to defraud women." (page 33)

"If all of our serving is before others, we will be shallow people indeed." (page 26)

(chapter 2 of lady in waiting)

Wordless Wednesday [growing up Clemson]

(sorry for the picture overload...but Clemson's kind of important...)

trunk or treat [simple] craft ideas

trunk or treat is saturday night...i obviously think it would be super cool to have the cutest little crafty area. however i'm also a realist and considering it's outside and i can't control the weather, not to mention whether to plan for 20 or 200 kids, i really need to keep it super simple. but super simple with the crafting i am not. i'm 99.9% sure it's just going to be a coloring table (unless it's really windy and then maybe just no craft area at all)

but here are a few simple halloween ideas that if you were doing crafts for a smaller group of kids could be really fun

(found here)

i think that instead of making it into a yard stake, i would just leave the pumpkin as is. or you could always just glue the sticks to a piece of paper...and have the sticks painted orange already if you were in a time crunch

(found here)

again this is pretty easy but really cute...and the circles could definitely be made ahead of time in order to hurry this project along

(found here)

this could take a little longer than the first two but i think that a wider age range of kids would enjoy this

(found here)

i think this is adorable and it would be so cute to make a couple of these and line them up somewhere...or fill a vase up with them

(found here)

faux stained glass candy corn...really cute and the tissue paper and pattern could be cut out before hand

(found here)

again you could have the tissue paper ready ahead of time and it would still be fun and pretty simple

i'm still looking for a cute halloween printable to use Saturday night. if all else fails, i think an orange circle with a green stem (both construction paper) would be pretty obvious as a blank pumpkin to create however each kid desires

i'll be sure to let you know what i end up doing!

lady of reckless abandonment

"A woman is not born a woman. Nor does she become one when she marries a man, bears a child and does their dirty linen, not even when she joins a woman's liberation movement. A woman becomes a woman when she becomes what God wants her to be."

(page 13)

Ruth is frequently mentioned throughout the book and in this chapter three areas of her life are examined. these areas were affected when she recklessly abandoned her life to God. 

new friends: "you mirror those who influence you" (page 17) find people who will encourage your want to be a dedicated single woman, not those who undermine or criticize your drive. mediocre or non-christians might not understand your desire for a deep commitment but remember that who you spend your time with can (and will) affect your relationship with Jesus. 

new surroundings: "part of reckless abandonment is realizing how much our culture has affected our behavior patterns you want to be Christlike, but your lifestyle is a reflections of Vogue magazine or Cosmopolitan rather than a new creation in Christ. A.W. Tozer said, "a whole new generation of Christians has come up believing that it is possible to 'accept' Christ without forsaking the world." Ruth had to forsake the familiar and comfortable in order to receive God's best for her life." (page 18)

new faith: develop a deep relationship with Jesus, not just meaningless rituals, create a vital love relationship with Jesus

[the missing puzzle piece]

hint: it's not Mr. Right...and it's not a dream career or even motherhood

you can never be fully satisfied until you truly understand that you are complete in God

important note: the incompleteness and feeling of being unsatisfied is not due to being single but instead not being full of Jesus---so if two incomplete singles are married, they are not suddenly both complete. and a woman who is not complete in Jesus and gets married will then be a drain on her husband. a woman cannot expect her husband to fill the space that only Jesus can.

and for a closing thought, a good goal for every day really...

"Choose right now to put mediocrity behind you; courageously determine to pursue Jesus with your whole heart, soul, and mind. As a single woman, this is the perfect moment to establish a radical relationship with Jesus and remove any tokenism from your Christian walk."

(page 22)

Lady in Waiting (take one)

[i'm trying to find blog-worthy events but that seems to be a slightly daunting task. in the mean time i'll be writing about some of my favorite books/bible studies. today will be part one (of many, i'm sure) from Lady in Waiting by Jackie Kendall & Debby Jones)


i started reading lady in waiting during my senior year of college, so about two years ago. i can honestly say that it is one of my favorite books (like we are talking top 5 books and favorite bible study). okay so i've only used lady in waiting as an individual study. i think it would be a fantastic small group study book but i'd also have some reservations. i'm sure i'll talk more about this throughout this walk with lady in waiting but basically this book is very real and honest. i'd have to be in just the right small group for it to be an effective study for me (i think). 


anyways, i thought i would start out with an overview of the book. the full title is lady in waiting, becoming God's best while waiting for Mr. Right. each chapter is about a different lady, for example a lady of diligence, a lady of virtue and a lady of security. while i have read the entire book multiple times, there are definite chapters that i have read very frequently, depending on my current mood. i'm thinking that i might talk about each chapter individually. so this might get to be a little tedious but we'll see how it goes. 


the preface begins by stating that this isn't just another book for singles because it focuses on the state of a woman's heart, not her status. one of the hardest (but also greatest and truest) points made in the book is that the ache in your heart isn't really for a man, that getting married and having kids (following the "script") won't make everything okay. the longing can only be satisfied by Jesus, the ultimate bridegroom. 


i mean i know i've heard that idea/concept many times before. but i don't think it ever really clicked for me until reading this book. i can't explain why that is, but i'm glad that it finally did click. i think that's one reason i can reread this book and still enjoy it so. i NEED to be reminded that meeting someone and getting married isn't going to just make everything okay (not that everything isn't okay right now). so that's my message for today. and i think it could be my message everyday

gameday in death valley

yay for being back home again!!! Go Tigers!!

Wordless Wednesday [siblings]

life reminder {4}

(via)

(via)

odds of your name appearing in a commercial for McDonald's...

it's gameday

1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4 C-L-E-M-S-O-N T-I-G-E-R-S Fight Tigers Fight Tigers, Fight Fight Fight!

six months

I feel like it's somewhat fitting for me to do a 6 month retrospective post today. These past 6 months have just flown by and things have changed for me. There are also a lot of things that have turned out quite differently than I might have imagined just 6 months ago. 

I've mentioned my favorite twins before but today they are six months old. But they have not really contributed to the craziness...just to the cuteness. And if I wasn't already obsessed with looking at the baby section every time I shopped, well now I certainly am. I mean I totally have a reason to buy things now. So April 13 was pretty cool because Jackson and Riggs arrived.

April 13 was also pretty important because it was the day that I sat for the first part of the CPA exam (Financial). I would later find out that I PASSED this section. I was (and still am actually) pretty proud of this. Financial was the section that I was terrified of the most and then add on that it was the first part we take, it was crazy stressful. But seeing the passing score made it all worth it. But now I have 18 months from April 13 to pass all 4 sections (I have one left currently...yay!). So it's a semi-convenient date because I have until Jackson and Riggs are exactly 18 months old to pass everything.

Back in April I was certainly expecting to have a job by now. And I don't. I feel oddly at peace with this. Maybe because I know (hope) that something is just around the corner. And that this will be the perfect job for me. Plus I've got to spend the last month with the twins, which was definitely better than any accounting job. I also would have never thought that I was going to almost not graduate. I seriously can't imagine how things would be currently if I had not made that A. But I'm so thankful that I did and graduation happened as planned.

It's so weird to no longer be in Clemson. Even when I'm hanging out in the upstate, it's odd not to be heading to campus for class all the time. But that's just life and I think 5 years was as much college as I was going to get out of my dad. That's totally okay too, it's kind of fun to not be in school.

When I think back to taking Financial, I really think that it was a blessing (for me at least, Cindy would disagree) that she ended up in the hospital the day before. I know I would have been having major panic attacks about Financial but somehow that wasn't important at all because the babies might be coming. And I was pretty excited to meet them. It's just so funny to look back and see how everything worked out. I would have never guessed when I scheduled the exam in February what all would be happening on that day. But now I'll never forget their birthday...or the day I passed Financial and really started this whole crazy CPA business. 

Happy 6 month birthday Jackson and Riggs. Auntie Staci is pretty excited to finish up studying and head back to see you again. Plus, at 6 months, it's definitely time to start learning letters...and maybe colors & numbers too!

Wordless Wednesday [a blast from the past]

kitchen envy

again this post came from one of my pinterest boards...titled kitchen envy. i really, really love kitchen appliances and gadgets. i am super excited to get all of mine out of storage and into an apartment one day (soon, hopefully!). But i also have a wish list of kitchen appliances/gadgets that i'm excited to purchase, you know once i have a job and everything.

this is a cutting board and scale all in one. i think this just looks really cool and would be a good thing to have handy.

(here)

words do not exist to explain how much i would use this EVERY DAY of my life. (okay so maybe not every day but i would certainly use it once a week) this is a cupcake corer and i honestly feel like it is a must have for me (i could also use some people who would like to receive cupcakes weekly)

(here)

a mini pie makes thanks to william-sonoma. i've made mini pies in a mini muffin pan and those turned out super cute. these would obviously be larger than those. and i can obviously make mini pies without this maker, but really who would it hurt if i also had this pie maker?

(here)

this is a baggy holder. one day i have dreams of having all sorts of freezer meals and i just think this would be super helpful in that quest. especially when i'll filling the bags up with soup, especially cheddar potato soup...

(here)

life reminders {3}

(via)

(via)

oh your THAT mom...

I like to joke that I'm totally going to be THAT mom one day. I'm probably unreasonably excited about planning birthday parties, being a homeroom mom and running kids in 15 directions so they can make it to dance, soccer and baseball practice.
I have a pinterest board focused on this general idea and maybe these pictures will give you a better idea of what I mean by the whole "oh your THAT mom" statement.

tights

I LOVE tights. Tights are one of my favorite things about fall/winter and I can't wait to break mine out. Currently they are at home (along with all my sweater dresses and boots) in a plastic container, just waiting to be worn again. I'm not sure how many pairs I have but I know I have plenty. My favorite pairs/colors include hot pink, purple, cream and purple with a black design on them. In honor of the cooler, totally tight appropriate weather, I thought I'd post a few of my favorite pinned outfits that include tights.

(pinned here)

*I actually need to get a pair of gray tights...Target here I come!

(pinned here)

(pinned here)