I Am A Whore. {But God}

How many times do I run away from the Lover of my soul back to things that satisfy my sinful nature?  Over and over and over and over I reject God, yet He welcomes me back.

Adultery is one of the most destructive things a human can ever take part in.  It produces in us a greater despair than what we know.  That's basically what I'm taking part in when I choose other 'lovers,' or things over my God.

There's a story in the Bible about a highly respected, holy man (a prophet) named Hosea.  God told him to marry a prostitute.  That's ridiculous, right?  This woman was a whore.  She rejected her husband's love and went to other lovers over and over again.  But Hosea stood  firm and did not relent in pursuing his wife.

This story is about me, ya'll!  It tells me that I am rotten to the core.  But God has extended to me His unfailing love.  It is bountiful and beautiful and life-giving.  And regardless of how many times I screw up, my Father does not relent in pursuing me.

Why do I try to fill my heart with things not of God?  Only He can fill it.
(Ecc. 3:10) He has put eternity into the heart of man.

I desire to chase after only the affection of Christ.  No other thing.

Knowing God and being in relationship with Him is the only thing that will meet and satisfy the deepest longing of my heart, the deepest need of my soul

Feeling Blessed

Lydia is 9 months old and has discovered the joy in clapping.  She now says "dada" and points to objects.  She is quite the snuggler and loves her momma.  She prefers French-kissing and is happiest when included in whatever big sister is doing.  She waves to strangers and laughs easily.

Vera is 2 years old + 3 months and her favorite phrase is "No, no, Lydia.  Vera do it."  She loves the classic Little Golden Books and especially the ones about being a mommy or big sister or caretaker of some kind.  She is Miss Independent and wants to do everything herself right now; changing clothes multiple times a day, making her bed, brushing her teeth, feeding Lydia and Marlow, getting the mail, and more.  Her favorite snack as of lately has been a smoothie.

2012 Resolutions

Brush my kids' teeth more consistently.

Add flax seed more often.

Log my runs.

Cook through my recipe box.

Get the doors on the laundry cabinets.

DIY Fail

Dang, friends.  I was trying to be all thrifty and not spend money but it back fired on me.  I should have done some research first before jumping right in.

With the little updating kick I've been on lately around my house, I decided that I wanted white lamp shades for the one in our living room and the two in our bedroom. They were a boring cream color that kind of blended in with the walls.

So I painted them white.  (If you already knew what I wish I would have, a melodramatic "wah wah" noise now would be appropriate.)

Painted lamp shades are in fact the antithesis of what I was going for--brighter lit rooms.  Now I know.

They actually make the room much darker because the light doesn't shine as easily through the shade.

Learn from me.  Don't paint your lamp shades.

Cooking Goal in 2012

When I got married 6 1/2 years ago, I was given quite the collection of recipes from family and friends. I store them in a little box and rarely look through them.  But I want to change that!  So I figured I would challenge myself this year to cook through the whole box. Maybe I'll conquer my fear of casseroles through this experience.  Kidding.  I don't have a fear of casseroles, for Heaven's sake.  I'm an equal opportunity eater, folks.  You know me.

I digress.

I reserve the right to tweak the recipes though, such as making my own crust instead of buying pre made. I'm sure I will share with you some thoughts along the way.

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Do you have a similar collection of recipes? Do you use them or do they collect dust, like mine? I'm hoping to find some stellar dishes that I didn't know about.

Why I Hate Religion

We Gained A Drawer In The Kitchen

Simple, but a nice change.

Found it here.

What I Did Today During Naptime {The Great Switcheroo}

I've been doing lots of switcheroo-ing 'round these parts lately.  The goal being to spend very little money if any at all, but to get my 'freshing up' fix.

I took our master bathroom mirror, painted it white, put hooks on it and hung it in the laundry room.

I took the mirror caddy that was on the laundry room wall previously and positioned it in our front entryway.  I removed a dark console table that was there, too, to open it up.  When friends come over, there's always this awkward moment of Where do I go?  We both don't fit? and a little shuffling around happens.  But now I like both the laundry room space and entryway better.

If you're still tracking with me, imagine if you will, the now laundry room mirror in the master bathroom (below).  It was the mirror that came with the "kit" and matched everything else.  I'm discovering about myself that I'm not a fan of matchy-matchy stuff.

The current mirror in the master bathroom (painted turquoise awhile back) was in the entryway of the house (confused yet?).  Now that it's in the master bathroom, I find the pop of color refreshing.

I Kind of Have a Thing for Lobal Decor

Hi, my name is Carey and I have an earring addiction.

When I was a little girl, pre-pierced ears, I would yearn for the pretty things that hung from cooler, older girls' earlobes.  I specifically remember an afternoon I was shopping at my all-time favorite preteen jewelry store and decided I was a 'dangly earrings' kinda girl.  I like studs and all, but I really liked the look of big, dangling, colorful, bright, unique earrings.  After much anticipation, my mom finally let me get my ears pierced at age 12.  I kept in the default cubic zirconia studs in my ears for the recommended 6 weeks, turned them every day and cleaned them gently with hydrogen peroxide.  Then at last the day arrived that I could remove those boring studs and don my sparkly girly dangly earrings.  I was a happy girl.  The end.

Annie said that you're never fully dressed without a smile, but I say, you're never fully dressed without earrings.  How about that?  Ha.

In a continued effort to reorganize, I took my jewelry box and found a way to display my earrings.  I'm thinking I'll be wearing them more often now.

(before)

(after)

I copied this idea from her.  I went to both Lowe's and Home Depot today and neither store had the decorative radiator plates that she mentioned, so I used this instead.  Now our bathroom wall is girl-ified.  :)

If I Used Groupon

Do you subscribe to daily deal sites?  I get alerts through my email and phone about the local deals going on in my area.  I occasionally look through them to see if anything peaks my interest, but I've only about about 2 Groupons before.

If I actually used the site and had endless discretionary funds to spend, here are a few things I'd do:

* a beginner's improv, sketch, and comedy-writing class

* admission to a trampoline park

* fitness boot camp

* teeth whitening services

* segway tour of Austin

* voice lessons

Reorg: Pantry Shelf

I declare 2012 as the year of organization in my home.  I'm energized to spruce things up and change things around.  I'd like to get rid of stuff and simplify.  First project was a cluttered shelf in our pantry.  I bought a tiered expanding shelf today and reorganized a bit.

before

 

after

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Have you got any organization goals this year?