simple blog


A simple blog about seeking the Lord, savoring life and joyfully serving.


Sunday, March 31, 2019

🎯 Take Immediate Action🎯

When you set your goals the single MOST important thing is to do something IMMEDIATELY to take action. It’s imperative for you to do something immediately so you automatically feel accomplished and that you’re moving toward your goals.
🎯 🎯 Target 🎯 🎯
You must write down your goals. When you write your goals, your brain has something focus on, something to target for and when you immediately take action, it’s a motivating victory and your brain says 🧠 “Hey, we doin’ this!” πŸ’ͺ🏼

I mentioned in this post how encouraging it is to see my written goals from 2017 being fulfilled today! 


If you want to create a difference for yourself in the future then you will have to think differently than you did in the past. Set big goals. Do not put limits on yourself. Think of the person you want to be and start making decisions as if you are already that person. That is the only way you will become that person. Think like you ARE her and then you will make the decisions like she would which is the key to becoming her. 

My brother (who is now a doctorπŸ‘) says, “You know, it sounds clichΓ© but it’s true...when you shoot for the moon you land among the stars.” Dream big, write it down and then go hard until you reach your goal.

I had a close friend ask me recently what that would look like for her goal to lose weight. 
My example is if you want to work out twice a day then as soon as you finish writing down your goals, work out. Just do it. There’s a reason that is a slogan for a fitness company. If you’re writing down your goals to lose weight, next immediately write down your food plan and then make a shopping list for the foods you will eat (or just order those foods online for delivery like I).You need to write out your plan every day for the next seven days and just stick to it, do not eat anything that is not on the plan.

I have a written plan of what I will eat this week and have purchased healthy snacks to be sure I am pressing on toward my fitness goals.
Health is important to me and if I am going to stay healthy during this insanely busy season then it won't happen by accident. I plan for it.
Focus on 5-7 days and it will give you enough momentum to see results and stay on track from there. 


That brings me to my next idea and that is set a deadline. Tasks will expand to the time you allow for them. Trust me when I say this is absolutely true for us. We never set a time frame for our home to be finished but once I said, hey, let's shoot for two weeks. We took action that day, we now have a goal to shoot for (Lord, please let it be next Friday). Believe it in your mind, believe that it is possible and you will reprogram your brain. Revisit that goal every single day.

Speaking of which, it is time for me to hit it hard, y'all!
Thank you for reading.
Grace & peace,




Friday, March 29, 2019

5 Friday Favorites

Happy Friday! I have a quick list to dive into today because I have to get to our field trip and then more painting :D

  1. My first favorite is my Journal. I am a firm believer in the benefits of journaling. Oh what  joy to find old journals. I love answered prayers and written goals. I found a journal this week that I wrote in September 2017. I wrote a 12 step, 5 year business plan. To find out how we took massive action and are completing our five year plan in only 18 months, read this post. 


  2. Garden OF Life Fitness Bar. So these bars are not as delicious as a candy bar but they are so satisfying and kept me going w tons of clean energy while I was painting my house this week. They have 14g of organic plant based (peas) protein. They do not upset my tummy like a lot of whey (dairy) based protein bars do. They are easy to digest and only have 11 net carbs and 200 calories. The best price I’ve found is the subscribe and save price on Amazon here. These are the perfect afternoon pick-me-up snack.
  3. My Pot Filler!!!πŸ™ŒπŸ™Œ I’ve always wanted a pot filler! If you don’t know what it is, it’s basically a faucet that is installed over your stove so you can easily fill large pots w water. It’s the ultimate lazy cook tool πŸ˜„πŸ‘also my husband is my favorite. He can do anything, y’all! And he’s wonderful. 


  1. Corrie Ten Boom. The story below impacted me deeply and still speaks to my heart.
The  excerpt is from a book called The Hiding Place. It is one of my all time favorites. The Hiding Place changed my life. It taught me how I wanted to love and serve others. I prayed for the Lord to make me like the momma in the Hiding Place. Actually, Casper Ten Boom, the poppa, Corrie and her sister, Betsie inspire me as well. So often when reading that book I’d pause and marvel at the family’s bravery, faith and kindness. I cried. I prayed. I was deeply moved and will read this book over and over again. If you have not read the Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom then please get a copy today. It’s a true story about a family during the holocaust. Words cannot describe the  prolific wisdom and encouragement found in this book. Find a beautiful copy here.
  1. Aimee. My SIL is the beauty on the right. She helped me paint my house this week, kept my kids and cooked for all of us multiple times. I luv her 😍😍😍I’m also thankful for Peewee in the middle. She will tell you like it is every timeπŸ˜†πŸ€£πŸ˜†πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘ love her. 
 We have a trip to the symphony planned plus I have a house paint today so I better run!
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.
Thank you for stopping by.
Grace & Peace,
Adoring Family 





Friday, March 22, 2019

5 on Friday

Hey guys, I hope everyone has had a wonderful week. My week has been exciting, challenging yet filled with gratitude. I am so thankful for what God is doing in our lives. It is so fulfilling to see the last bits of our home project coming together and planning for renters! Today I have compiled a list of five favorites for you this week...


1.Living Communally 

I am so blessed to have such an amazing tribe. I have my family, friends that may as well be family, our church community and our Classical Conversations Community. Oh, and our baseball community! I'm just blessed beyond what I could ever dream. 



2.πŸŽ‰ SlacklineπŸŽ‰

Does anyone else have one of these?
 I have to admit, they are a blasty blast! My kids will bounce, balance and do tricks on this thing for hours.
At first I couldn't get what was so fun about it until I actually tried walking the tightrope contraption myself. I was pretty much hooked after that. It's a really great way to get the whole family playing together and getting some exercise as an added bonus. It is a core strengthener and improves balance. We purchased ours from Amazon here.

3.πŸ’• Another Grove Collaborative OrderπŸ’•.
I love Grove Collab! This is my second order and this time I purchased Caldrea's Sea Salt & Neroli candle which smells wonderful. I also got the bubble up suds brush, another glass bottle & two concentrated cleaning tubes, a lavender soap, and the Caldrea Sea Salt Neroli Counter Spray. If you have never ordered from Grove.co you will get a Mrs. Myers 5 piece git set for free when you click the link below. I got the Mrs. Meyers Basil fragrance. I LOVE cleaning with these products, they just smell wonderful and I really enjoy spraying my counters and smelling this beautiful scent.  You spend $20 to get the free gift set but I think I spent twice as much and ended up getting a ton more free. I love their cleaning products and there is just something therapeutic about cleaning with fun products that make your house smell amazing.  
Get a 5 piece gift set free when you click on this link. I do want to let you know that if you use my link, you get a free gift set and Grove  will give me a $10 credit (which I will use immediately to buy more fun home productsπŸ˜‹πŸ’•). 

4. Finally picking a backsplash! I bought wayyyyy too much of this marble subway tile for my bathroom but it turned out to be a really good thing. I love the way it matches my granite so I am going to use it in my kitchen as well. I love how light and bright it is and think it will be a perfect addition to our kitchen. 


5. My last favorite is this mug. Such a beautiful little reminder.
   "delight in Jehovah is a strong refuge." Χ—ֶΧ“ְΧ•ַ֥Χͺ

Looking at this verse in context makes it so much more meaningful to me during hard times. Ezra, the Priest and Scribe, was reading the Law to the Israelites. The Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded for Israel had not been followed for many generations due to wicked kings but it was recovered during King Josiah's reign. Ezra read the Law to the Israelites who mourned and wept over their lack of adherence. Nehemiah, the governor, told the Israelites, “This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the Law. Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."
The people had tender hearts towards the Lord. Their lament was something to celebrate.
Matthew Henry says that "their strength consisted in joy in the Lord. The better we understand God's word, the more comfort we find in it; the darkness of trouble arises from the darkness of ignorance."

I have to be completely transparent with you and tell you I have struggled this past week. I have had anxious thoughts and struggled with self worth. I've had thoughts like I'm not good enough for my kids and a lot of anxiety about what my friends think of me. I feel like I have let so many people down lately because we are just so focused on getting this house finished so our family can rest. But I know that God IS for me, I know that greater is He that is in me than he that is in this world, I know that God has called me to motherhood and He will equip me and there is no one out there better for my kids than I because He knit those babies in MY womb. I hope if you have ever struggled that you know that as well. God has made me enough and He made you enough, too. When I am going through a dark time, I have to remember to be the Light. I cannot let the circumstances of this world snuff out what shines in me, the Light of the Lord. His joy must be strength and pull me through the hard. 

I'm pretty sure this isn't what you expected when you clicked on my 5 on Friday post but I want people to know that life may look so fun and easy for some people but those same people struggle too. I just am so grateful for my God ,Who pursues me and pulls me up. He puts beautiful people in my life to hold me up.

Thank you for reading. Blessings to you.
Grace & peace,
Adoring Family 

Linking up with WhitneyErika and Andrea.
http://polka-dottyplace.blogspot.com/

 meetatthebarre.com


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Friday, March 15, 2019

5 Friday Favs

Hey guys! πŸŽ‰ It's FriYay!πŸ™ŒπŸ™Œ It's been a long, hard week.

 I'm exhausted and never thought I'd get tired of picking out stuff for our new build but it has finally happened. I'm just over it and ready to move in. I think we are going to move in before I have my vent hood picked out because I just cannot decide what I want and we are ready to get in our new house. 
So without further ado, I have compiled my 5 Friday Favorites for you... 

1. Isotoner Leopard Print Slippers
πŸ’• I'm so loving these little house slippers. πŸ’•They are feminine and sleek. I usually don't love most house slippers because they can be so bulky but these are satin and form fitting. They will be perfect for these next few Spring months of Texas' unpredictable weather (pleeeease give me lots of sunshine). 


This has been a favorite book/journal of mine since September of 2013. I have purchased SEVEN copies of this book and given it as a gift 6 times, I love this book that much! It is an amazing guided prayer journal that will deepen your prayer life. Full post on this coming next week. πŸ™πŸΌπŸ™πŸΌπŸ™πŸΌ I will usually start going through it and someone will come to mind that I think might enjoy it and I will get them a copy. It is part of my morning basket that I talk about in my 5:30 a.m. Morning Routine post.



3. Staying Hydrated w this Times of Day Water Bottle
My SIL's mom (My SIL is in the pic above, top left) gave me this water bottle from Amazon last week. 

It makes it so easy to get my daily water intake in. The times of day are marked on the bottle as a reminder. She said it is better for your pancreas when you sip water in increments. Of course I add a splash of cranberry juice πŸ˜‹ so refreshing and detoxing (read this to learn more). 




4. Soft Perfume Oil

This is my favorite perfume oil.It is the concentrated perfume oil in a roll on form. The fragrance is called Soft and the smell is indeed a soft, feminine aroma. There is something almost magical about this formula. Every time I put it on it evokes am incredible response from those around me. Everyone asks what I'm wearing! You have to try it and wear it for a few minutes. It's amazing and impossible to describe but it's under $10 so if you are looking for a new perfume you should give it a try. 

5.  This song by Tal & Acacia
This song is such a fun, light and upbeat tune and perfectly describes how I've been feeling lately. I am sitting on Shoulders not my own right now, y'all. It's just a hard season. We are scrambling to get into our house and its just one thing after another. One of my fav lines is when they say, "If you're tired and you are weak He says come..."
It does make me happy and it's a great reminder of where I need to be drawing my strength.

Thank you for reading! Hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Grace & Peace,
Adoring Family

Linking up with WhitneyErika and Andrea.

https://brightonabudget.com, meetatthebarre.com

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