the Pearl blog ... sharing my love for Jesus, and inspiring women to find joy in all things

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2013-04-01T17:01:00.001-04:00

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We moved... follow me at thepearlblog.com

2013-03-12T09:01:00.004-04:00

in case you have not been to the new blog...
i would love for you to join me over at my new home

there is a lot going on over there and i don't want you to miss out...

or you can click here to subscribe to my newest posts...

testing....

2013-01-16T10:27:00.001-05:00

Free Fonts...

2013-01-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

I love fonts, i have a slight massive obsession with them
I also love sharing great font finds with my friends
I especially adore these fonts for making chalkboard prints..
but they look great as everyday fonts as well..

I hope you enjoy these fonts as much as I do! Happy Downloading!

the chalkboard wall is finished...

2013-01-14T05:00:00.000-05:00

I love my chalkboard..
I have been anxiously waiting to show you the finished product..

This project only took me a day to complete and i could not be happier about it.
I shared with you HERE my plans for this wall
and today i get to show how it got from point a to point b!

don't get me wrong.. i have a special place in my heart for my empty frame wall
and was seriously sad to see it go.
but when you are rockin a 835 sq ft house something has to go when something new wants to come in.

I removed all the frames, even the oval one that i may ~~or may not~~ have hot glued to the wall.
i patched up all the holes, sanded it and painted a fresh coat of the wall color...

the center is still dirty because I knew the chalkboard would go there
no need to paint it more than needed!

I used a level to mark out my chalkboard, drew the lines with a light colored pencil
i taped the outside of the lines with blue painters tape.

4 coats of good ole' chalkboard paint later...

now to the fun part..
i mean yeah a chalkboard on the wall is cool and i liked it
it just needed something else to make it pop

I hand drew a frame around the chalkboard with a pencil
and with a kids paint brush I painted over the pencil

I don't want to toot my own horn here but I love the way it turned out.
I did not want straight lines or something too busy
i think i found the perfect in between

the actual frame only took me a few minutes to paint on...
the little loops look forever.
i used such a small brush but it was so worth it in the end.

I have plans to only use my chalkboard pen on the board
but i thought i would at least try regular chalk once..

what do you think...
i did ask the hubby if i could paint more frames around it
but he thought ones was good!
so i painted 2 in the kids room for them instead!

Friday Letters...

2013-01-11T13:52:00.000-05:00

Dear God... I am sorry for not always putting you first. Each time I do you always bless me in an amazing ways. Please continue to give me the desire to seek you more. I love you father, thank you for your gifts
of grace and forgiveness.

Dear husband... This past week has been pretty great. I am so proud if you. Working full time and going to school all while juggling a needy wife and kids is not easy. We want to tell you that you are handling it great.

Dear friends... I have learned a lot this past week. What it means to be a friend, what ruins friendships, and how to care for ones that are special. I learned that I have a lot to work on to be a better friend. and that's just what I plan on doing. I want to be the friend to you that you deserve.

Dear les mis... you were a great movie, I enjoyed the whole thing. I love the story of redemption and grace. God was definitely glorified through out the entire movie. I however did not get emotional at all. I saw pictures of people crying on instagram, read tweets about how people were needing space to process. What did i miss, what am i not understanding. the singing was fine and did not bother me one bit. I am just not sure how I did not overcome with emotion. maybe i was trying to hard, spending too much time worrying about how i was supposed to feel instead of just "feeling". forgive me.

Dear kids... I am so excited that you are enjoying my smoothies. I am hoping to be a better example to you and start eating better. Once my sugar fast is over we will make some really yummy dessert smoothies. hypocrite i know!

Dear readers... Have you changed your rss subscription? I am going to switch to thePEARLblog.com permanently soon. I would hate to have you miss out on what's going on. I have already changed the rss links so if u chose them now you will be subscribed to the correct location. If you are already at thePEARLblog.com, yeah make sure you are subscribing to the latest posts.

Dear winter... I generally do not care for you but I am missing the piles of snow. we have not had to have the snow plows ONCE this year on our street. The kids have only went sledding once. could you give us one good "bury" before you go? thanks so much!

chalkboard wall...

2013-01-07T22:18:00.000-05:00

i love a good home decor project...
and i love all things chalkboard right now.
what can i say i am a trend follower..
moving on..

I have shared with you my frame wall from start to finish.. (here, and here)
but with limited wall space in mi casa
if i want to add something new, something old must go.

I wanted a space where I could write a weekly memory verse, or a scripture that was speaking to me .
and I felt this wall was the perfect spot..
so time to say goodbye to my beloved frame wall...

I took all the frames down..
and yes the long oval frame with the TP art in is GLUED to the wall..
hey sometimes you just do what needs to be done!
I waited to take that frame down in case hubby was not keen on my new idea.

It feels all sorts of weird in here

staring at an empty wall is not okay

kinda of creeps me out really..

My plans for this wall are to paint a large chalkboard directly on the wall

and frame it with a hand painted frame.

Of course I created an entire pinterest board dedicated to the project...

you can check it out here..

I love the look of these hand drawn frames:

Source: ukandu.com via Chrissy Boerman @ on Pinterest

Source: feltsocute.wordpress.com via Chrissy Boerman @ on Pinterest

Source: pinterest.com via Chrissy Boerman @ on Pinterest

Source: dandee-designs.com via Chrissy Boerman @ on Pinterest

I used Photoshop to make a few mock ideas of what it would look like.
I only had a limited amount of hand drawn frame brushes to use.
I am not sure i really like any of these
but it helps give me an idea of what works/size/line thickness/ect

I am going to go and buy the paint tomorrow..
I can not wait to show you!

So what do you think?

do you have a chalkboard frame/wall/ both?

Discovering my style... Part 2

2013-01-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

Back in November I shared with you my excitement about learning to dress with less fuss
thanks to Hayley Morgan's (The Tiny Twig) The No Brainer Wardrobe book.

I did not think it would take be a few months to get back to you on the next step in that process.
but it did and here we are...

I am thrilled by the change having matching hangers makes..
Hayley suggested this in her book..

below is the before picture:

one thing I have not fully narrowed down is the way i will organize my closet.
Hayley suggests doing it by how you get dressed..
(by color or article of clothing)

oh the choices #firstworldproblems

I finally completed the dreaded task of going through my clothes.
wedding out the too small (aka keep dreaming), the not so pretty (aka what was i thinking), and the plain i just don't wear.

I then laid out my clothes and looked at what I had.
i decided that I had a decent amount of pieces that could be used in multiple ways but was missing a few staple items..

again i relied on my pinterest board here... for inspiration.

here is the list of items I decided were on the "need" list:

black/white striped long sleeve
chambray shirt
mustard yellow cardigan
black flats
blazer
brown flats
colored skinny jeans (mustard)
teal cardigan
leopard cardi or blouse
purple cardigan
navy blue cardigan
tall brown boots
floral scarf
hoodie/sweater
see-thru button up

I was blessed with some Christmas Money so off to the stores I went
(mind you i was still determined to use sale racks, clearance, coupons and thrift stores)

I am happy to say that based off my list here is what is left:

~~black/white striped long sleeve~~
~~chambray shirt~~
mustard yellow cardigan
~~black flats~~
leopard cardi or blouse
~~blazer~~
~~brown flats~~
~~colored skinny jeans (mustard)~~
~~teal cardigan~~
purple cardigan
navy blue cardigan
~~tall brown boots~~
~~floral scarf~~
~~hoodie/sweater~~
see-thru button up

I'd say i did pretty good... and that I have an obsession with stripes!
stay tuned for step 3 ...

What are staple items for your wardrobe?

Silent Sunday...

2013-01-06T21:20:00.000-05:00

Source: typographicverses.com via Chrissy Boerman @ on Pinterest

Friday Letters...

2013-01-04T16:56:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends...thank you for coming back for another friday with me. It's been craziness over here and I love when you stop by to visit.

Dear God... you again showed up in major ways this week for me. I love that you are always there. I love having you by my side wen difficult situations arise.

Dear Hubby... it's been a great week. I have enjoyed having you home a few extra days this week. The Lord has been so good to us. The Lord has especially blessed me with such a hardworking husband. We are so thankful for all you do to provide for us.

Dear Self... I am glad you finally decided to talk to God about where you needed to be. and right now you need to stay on your meds. Next time you should seek counsel before you go cold turkey.

Dear Doctor... thank you for the great check up this week. I will see you back in 6 more weeks for my final post surgical check! I do not however look forward to the 50.00 copay for a 3 minute visit. I guess it could be worse and i would have to pay for the whole appointment.

Dear Friends... I wanted to make sure you are getting what you are looking for here.Is this place feeding you? I hope so. I am trying to make this blog less of a true niche.. more just life. I hope that means you still stick around.

Choose joy event...

2013-01-04T08:58:00.001-05:00

I'm Emmy, I'm 35, and I'm infertile.

Wait, let me back up. I'm Emmy. Chrissy has been so sweet to allow me to invade her space for the day. I own Much Ado About You {where I used to sell printed day planners, and now I just sell printables}, I occasionally blog {Confesstions of a Paper Freak}, and I incessantly Instagram {@itsjustemmy}. I am married to my high school sweetheart and as of this year we have been together for more than half our lives.

Almost 11 years ago I got pregnant for the first time. Nathan and I were so excited, and immediately started planning that child's future. We were thinking of names... wondering if it would be a boy or a girl... hoping its due date of December 26th would not mean we were going to have a Christmas baby.

But just a few days later I started bleeding heavily, and knew in an instant that that baby was gone.

We had only just begun trying to get pregnant, but I had so many friends experiencing infertility and I begged God to spare us from that roller coaster.

Our doctor told us that since we were so early in the pregnancy I would not need a D & C, and that technically I could get pregnant as soon as my next cycle.

Which I did.

That pregnancy was such a relief, and I vividly remember thanking God that I was never going to have to walk that long and painful road of infertility.

A year after Beau was born we decided to start trying for a second baby. We wanted four, so we thought we'd better get going!

God had different plans for our family.

The next six years were spent going from one doctor's appointment to the next... from one surgery to the next... all in an effort to figure out why my young and seemingly healthy body was not working.

I have Endometriosis, a condition that basically destroys your body from the inside out. During my final surgery my doctor made the painful decision to remove both of my non-functioning fallopian tubes, hoping it would increase the chance of my third and final IVF {invitro-fertilization} treatment being successful.

The next month we had our final IVF procedure. It failed. We were done.

We were physically {well mostly me on that one}, emotionally, and financially spent. The chance of a natural pregnancy was eliminated with the removal of my tubes. I was officially STERILE. It is still strange to say those words. I am a woman that cannot do what I was created to do... bear children. That is a very strange reality to be faced with.

I spent seven dark years in the thick of my infertility {I say "my" infertility because the issues were mine... with another woman my husband could have had more children... more salt in the wounds}. For some of those years Nathan and I were not on the same page. He didn't understand my desperation for a child when I already was a mom. Those years I struggled with a deep loneliness that I had never known. It is so hard to explain what infertility feels like to someone that has never experienced it, but the bottom line is... IT SUCKS.

However, God also used those seven years to challenge my character and bring me to a place of total trust and reliance on His plan for my life. I came to a point where I had to say, "God, I love you and I trust you, and I know that {while very different from mine} Your plan is the best plan for my life. So even if I never have another baby I will praise you and be thankful for whatever it is that you call me to do."

And I really was at peace. Without tubes I no longer had to live in two week cycles, wondering if each late period was the one. I had an incredible eight year old that was the joy of my life, a loving, supportive husband, a thriving business... life was good.

Now since I have already babbled on for quite some time {and probably lost most of you} I will leave this next part of the story short and sweet {if you would like to read the whole story, you can find it here}. Through miraculous circumstances, in March of 2011 we brought home the most beautiful baby girl that looks nothing like us.

And in the instant that I met her I understood every no that God had placed in my path.

If you are in a season of not understanding the circumstances of your life, please be encouraged that someday you may understand and even appreciate the painful path that you are walking.

Since experiencing infertility and adoption I have a heart for encouraging hurting women. Several months ago I felt a calling on my life to do something to help other women that are experiencing similar trials, and the Choose Joy event was born.

Choose Joy is a one-day conference in Southern California for women and couples that are experiencing infertility and/or desire to grow their families through adoption. I have somehow convinced several other women from all over the country to come and be a part of this event. We have speakers on topics such as "God's Heart for the Hurting; Waiting Hurts, Waiting Perfects", "Having a Heart of Hope: Overcoming the Hurt of Infertility", "The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly of International Adoption", and much, much more. My desire is for this to be a day of connection and community, and for women to open their minds to the plan that God has for their family.

The event will include a luncheon and a dessert, and at the end we will be raffling off a cash prize to help someone grow their family.

Tickets are on sale for $30 through the 25th of January. {After that the price goes up to $40, so don't delay!} Please visit the website for all the details on the location and schedule, bios on each speaker, and to register for the event.

If you aren't experiencing infertility, statistics say that someone you know is. Please pass this website on to your friends or family that could use some support.

Thanks for reading my story.

XOXO,

Emmy

Christmas home tour 2012

2013-01-03T01:00:00.000-05:00

I love getting to peak into other's houses
yes, i am the creeper that looks in your windows when i drive buy.
i love seeing paint colors and fun wall decor.

It's always fun especially around the holidays to see how people decorate.
I loved these Christmas home tours:

So i thought I would add my little home to the list..
here is how we decorate...simple.. and cheap!

our tree..

it's about 4 ft tall, pre-lit and perfect for the space we have for it.
this is before the "organized chaos" hit...

this is after the kids decorate it themselves..
I do "manage" this chaos by only getting out ornaments of the same color scheme.. (green, white, red and silver, gold) I do allow a few of hubbies childhood, but that's it!

I do not have a place to add decorations in the kitchen so this is as "festive" as that room gets.
and to be honest i will not do that again next year. it felt tacky and forced!

on the opposite wall hangs this wreath, nestled with a few snowflakes from my Apples of Gold Mentor Mom.

the wall the joins the kitchen and living room is where my gallery wall lives!
this is my joy banner from last year.. and a another wreath..

my "mantle" aka is where i keep my white coffee filter flowers, I love these and they work with every season.
I added a small circle Christmas doily under our scenty warmer.

I bought this vase a good will last year and love it for filling with ornaments.
silver and red of course!

my first ever printable... and still my favorite!

the "mantle" as a whole...

on top of my computer armoire is the little wooden trees we made last year.
O also added a dollar store wooden Santa and some people dressed for winter ( from hubbies childhood)

I took this photo on Dec 4th.. this is out card wall..

and I took this photo on Dec 28th.

lots of love from family and friends..
you can check out a previous Christmas home tour here

Did you share any Christmas home tour pictures..

I would love to see them..

finding my"brand" ...{ part 2 }

2013-01-02T02:00:00.000-05:00

i was blessed by such positive feedback from the post finding my"brand" ...{ part 1 }
(you can find it here).
thank you everyone!

i eagerly anticipated writing post 2.
once i started to write I concluded
it's going to take me an entire post to describe how I narrowed down my fonts.

Let's the game begin...
or something like that

i shared in part one that i created a Pinterest board of inspiration
that was no different when choosing my fonts
initially i created a board of just random fonts i found online.

Yeah that's pretty much overwhelming
I'd like to call this board font vomit...
This board made me get an anxious and start to hyperventilate
time to take a step back..

I really had to envision my overall brand look based on my final inspiration board
so side-by-side with my overwhelming font board and my final inspiration board i was able to narrow down the fonts that i felt worked best with my brand.

I created a smaller font board based on the ones that I like
whether or not they were going to work for my brand or on the blog

ahh.. that's a lot easier to work with!

For my brand's logo i knew that the PEARL font was going to be the most important
it would be the one that would never change.
After looking over my final inspiration board I noticed that stripes and dots were very prominent .

i saw that there was a perfect striped font for my logoon the final font board

i instantly felt like "this was it"..
it was clean block-ie and had stripes
Check, check, check

when originally re-branding, my blog was just going to be named PEARL
and i really liked that
i felt passionate about the word pearl.for my blog
it was based on the Bible verse that I chose during the influence conference.
(more on that later)

after referencing the blog by name a few times
i didn't like the one syllable sound of it
so i decided to add "the" before it
I know, that's never been before, i am a genius

from time to time I like to refer to it as the PEARL blog.
oh yeah getting crazy with 3 syllables!

this helps me distinguish between the PEARL blog the PEARL design and the PEARL simply created shop
moving on...

I needed a font that would work well for the in my header
the font needed to be contrasting to the PEARL font.

source

I wanted something curly but not too girly and also needed to be easy to read.

I decided on the front Clementine sketch
I like the script look of it but it has a very unique feel.
It's easy to read and it stands out

i've added the bible reference John 15:5-17 to my blog header
i knew that this Bible verse and my signature should be a similar front
i needed something close to the PEARL logo font but more narrow
i chose mayonnaise. i love that it is similar to VILLADIDOT
it has a similar stripes but it looks nice in a small font size.

this all being said I know I mentioned that two or three fonts is what is recommended
i felt like the three fonts that I chose were not good for my post body text
and i like to be a rebel and chose a fourth font.
I wanted a font that worked well for the body of a post as well as graphics
something that was simple, clean, and easy for anybody to read, wasn't trendy, and would always be around

thanks to Aimee of byAimee.com for the amazing recommendation
this may be my new favorite font of all time.
Who knew something so simple would seem so eye-catching.

century gothic | VILLA DIDOT | MAYONAISE | clementine sketch

what do you think?
do they work together?
i would love to hear your suggestions or criticism.
coming up next will be part three of finding my brand
choosing my layout, sidebar elements, and how to add color when using a black-and-white brand logo.

***again these ideas on how to brand are not mine, Haley Morgan's no-brainer blog book was my guide. this blog series is to share the process i went on following the steps Hayley set for us! ***

5 random things...

2013-01-01T01:00:00.000-05:00

I'm joining Nicole at the style hatch for five random things link up.

my 5 random things:

#1: I'm trying to redefine my style" with the help of the no brainer wardrobe by Hayley Morgan I'm starting to try new looks and see what works for me. This does have my husband slightly terrified of some of the styles I want to try make him a little uncomfortable.

#2: as I write this I am watching UFC ultimate fighting club with my husband and yes I completely enjoyed it.

#3: I really love hot cocoa but it makes my tummy upset which really stinks because the kids love to have it often and making it for them makes me want more.

#4: I have to bite my tongue when the kids decorate our Christmas tree I do however control the chaos by getting all the ornaments out that match and not giving them an option for anything else. I call this organized chaos.

#5 I think I loved doing the elf the shelf more than my kids. #sheldonwashere

thanks Nicole for hosting... this sure was fun!
check out Nicole's post and a few of her friends as well here

it's time my voice was heard

2012-12-31T10:54:00.000-05:00

one of my biggest regrets from the influence conference was not attending the writers workshop.

i have struggled over here at the Pearl to find my voice.
i've struggled with trying to write like I speak, but in a more descriptive way so you can hear the emphasis in my voice by reading my words.

I want you to share my voice in every post I write
the ones were my heart hurts as I share my failures
the ones that I share how I learned to forgive and the forgiveness I received for my heavenly father.
I want you to hear my voice in sponsored posts I want you to feel my excitement and enthusiasm over each item/blog/shop/store that i'm sharing with you.
I want my voice to be heard in my mommy moment posts, I want you to be able to see the scene as if you were part of my home,
like the fly on the wall hearing the noises, feeling the cuddles, and embracing the chaos around me.
I want my recipe posts to be full of flavor, i want you to smell what I'm making.
I want you to <strong>want</strong> to come back. I want you to know my voice.

on a side note...
I want you to know that I promise to not share a sponsored post with you that I do not fully support.
I don't like reading blog posts by people who are writing just for money
I want to write so you can have a great product or see a great show or read a great book.
I don't want to write posts just to make a few extra bucks.
But don't get me wrong, I appreciate the money that my blog makes. We have been very blessed by the money from sponsor posts.
But that does not mean I will write just for money. all sponsored post are 100% endorsed by me, products that I like, I care about, and I want you to have in your home.

what about you do struggle finding your voice?
do struggle with how to balance sponsored posts and life posts?
do you struggle with sharing your faith, being genuine but not sounding hypocritical.
Share with me what you're going through.

Silent Sunday...

2012-12-30T05:00:00.000-05:00

Source: jesustotheworld.tumblr.com via Chrissy Boerman @ on Pinterest

friday letters...

2012-12-28T19:50:00.000-05:00

I again slacked on my Friday coffee date vlog.. I am sorry.. I was all excited to try it again but then my oldest wanted to go shopping and the weather was going to be bad after lunch so off to the stores i went.. with 4 kids
3 under 6...

let's jut say that will not be happening again anytime soon..

Dear God, thank you for the power of prayer. Thank you for listening to us as we seek your help and guidance, thank you for answering your children. we are forever grateful for you. Thank you for letting me know that what matters to me matter to you.

Dear husband, what a week... I am so thankful for you. thankful that you chose to seek God's help when we were not sure where to turn. thank you for not giving up on me , even when i made it almost impossible not to. thank you for loving me for better or worse and sorry this last week was one for the worse.

Dear R&C, thank you for listening when i needed it. thank you for not judging, for not trying to "fix" the problem but for listening. God knew that we needed some mediation and he used instagram to set that up! we are so blessed by you and I look forward to seeing how God will grow us closer in 2013.

Dear friends, I want you to know "i am back". I had a really off past 2 weeks and happy to say i am back. I will share more of those personal details later next week. just know that your comments, calls, texts, and emails were heard and greatly appreciated.

Dear self, you did it... you sought help when you needed it and I am proud of you. I know it was not easy to share he ugly, but you did and now you can heal, move on, and grow. remember to lean on God and he will guide your path...

Dear kids, I had a good time making pancakes with you this week. They were yummy, and i love how i have to cut you off because you eat too many. Thank you for being patient with me as i figure my mess out. You are all so wonderful and I love you all.

Dear Kohl's, Target, TJ Maxx, and Maurices, you are welcome. at least i know you will not be going out of business anytime soon.

Dear God, you are such a wonderful Dad. Your love is abounding in faithfulness, and for that I will forever be blessed.

#sheldonwashere {our elf on the shelf adventure}

2012-12-27T03:00:00.000-05:00

We had so much having Sheldon with us to countdown to Christmas.

Our family does not "do Santa" but my kids enjoyed Sheldon just as much.

They even followed the rules of the book and did not touch him ONCE!

I am looking forward to next year with Sheldon!

pancakes for breakfast

2012-12-27T02:00:00.000-05:00

i need to be better at intentionally spending time with my kids.

in our home mornings are not the prettiest.

Okay let's be really honest mornings include: yelling, rushing, arguing, and nagging

and most of that is all done by me.

I can sit here and say it' because of my kids and: their lack of listening, their attitudes, their ages,

but in reality I am responsible.

I did good all summer in that I got up at 6 AM: got dressed, did my devotions; all before everyone was awake.

I even continued this for September and most of October.

When I started to get sick again, I got really tired achy and was not willing to suck it up.

I slept in till the kids needed to leave for school

I woke up and stayed in my pajamas all day. Did you know that when you stay in your pajamas all day it's very hard to be motivated to do anything.

Now that I'm feeling better what's my excuse.

I really don't have one besides being lazy

This week I promised myself that I would be a better mom, that I would be up when they are up

that I would be around

that I wouldn't always be on the computer or the iPad or an iPod

that I would be interested in what they're doing, watching the games are playing, listening to the songs they want me to hear, and watching the dances that they repeated 20 times already.

I also want to be more intentional at breakfast time

intentional on not just getting them a bowl of cereal every morning or just telling them to do it himself.

I'm not against having them get their breakfast because really that makes life easier and teaches them responsibility.

I want to have fun mornings a when we make crazy looking pancakes.

I want mornings when we just eat something outrageous that normally wouldn't be excepted on a school day morning.

I want them to know that I'm thankful for them

I'm thankful that God chose me to raise them before he takes them back home.

I want them to know what God looks like through me,

no matter if I'm feeling well, if I'm tired, or feeling too overwhelmed to play at the moment.

I just want to be a better.

I know this is not going to be easy, I know Satan is going to tell me lies, he is going to tell me I'm failing, cause me to become sick and push me down any chance he can.

So I just want to rally together as moms, as women, to pray for each other, to be intentional on encouraging one another, to be strong women, strong mothers, strong children of God.

am i alone in this?
are you with me, let's pray for each other..
leave your name and email in the comments and I will get you added to my prayer list.

when things catch you by surprise...

2012-12-26T13:30:00.000-05:00

I found myself crying watching elf this evening...

it was near the end of the movie when Santa had to explain to the Micheal that people needed to believe in the miracle of Christmas in order for the sleigh to fly. (enter chasing scene)
Micheal joins his family in the town square.
he begins telling people on the news to believe in Santa in order to help him out.
the news people thought he was joking so they turn the cameras off.
meanwhile Jovie, remembers Buddy telling her that the fastest way to spread Christmas cheer is by singing, singing in a public place.
she stands on a carriage and starts singing Santa Claus is coming to town.
slowly one by one everyone starts to sing, the news cameras turned back on and the people watching the TV start singing.
suddenly Santa sleigh begins to fly, he is out of danger and Christmas is not ruined.
in the wake of the tragedy Connecticut I couldn't help but me reminded of how much praising God with song lifts my spirit and reminds me of his awesomeness.
i started to question myself in the midst of so much disbelief, anger and frustration.
would I be willing to embrace embarrassment.
would I stand up in a room and start worshiping my Savior.
what I be ashamed or scared to offend anyone?
the answer is I don't know, i don't know if I'm strong enough
I do know I would not be ashamed or worry about offending anyone
but I do know embarrassment is an issue for me.
embarrassment, judgment, and criticism scare the crap out of me.
surprise people
i have very low self-esteem regardless of the amount of self-portraits I take for my outfit posts.

I need to be reminded daily that worship is a command and not a suggestion

Ephesians 5:19

Speak to each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your hearts to the Lord.

this verse tells us we should use worship/singing to be a form of communication to tell a story, to tell his story to others.

Psalm 30:4

Sing praises to the Lord, you who belong to him; praise his holy name.

reminds me that I belong to him no matter what is happening here on earth
i belong to him and one day he will bring me home, to my internal home, where he has been creating a special room just for me.

Colossians 3:16

Let the teaching of Christ live in you richly. Use all wisdom to teach and instruct each other by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

this verse gives a clear picture on why I need to get rid of my fear of singing
if i love others enough to share Christ with them and I should obey his method of teaching others.
this lesson is hard for me but it's so clear that the Lord has laid it on my heart and I need to obey him.

I want to share with you one of my favorite worship songs
this song always brings me closer to God no matter what life brings.
i encourage you to really listen to the lyrics...

what are your fears?

Friday letters... ( on saturday)

2012-12-22T14:45:00.002-05:00

This is my first time linking up for Friday letters ( on Saturday lol)
I thought it would be a fun idea since I didn't have time to do my coffee date vlog for you today.

Dear God I just want you to know that I'm holding tight to you right now. I'm trying to change some things but it's getting really difficult. I realize how dependent I was on other things and I'm learning to completely rely on you. Please be patient with me as a try to be a better child to you. Thank you

Dear husband I am so sorry for my attitude. Sorry for my crazy mood swings, lack of patience, my short attention span, and my increased volume when speaking. I love you and I appreciate all that you do for our family. Thank you for never giving up on me and always reminding me to stay focused on Christ.

Dear kids forgive me for being a crummy mom lately. I shouldn't yell I shouldn't scream and I shouldn't be so demanding. I'm going to work on these things and try to be better to all of you. Thank you for all your help keeping the house clean. I look forward to spending this next two weeks at home with the family hanging out and doing fun stuff.

Dear friends sorry for my lack of blogging lately. I have been going through some things. i was trying to handle this on my own without asking for help or telling anybody. And I realize it puts me in a little bit of a slump and the first thing that gets neglected is the blog. So here I am asking for your forgiveness and promising to at least try to do better next week.

Dear Starbucks could you please lower your prices a little bit. This way I wouldn't feel so guilty stopping by to visit you a couple times a week.

Dear friends have you been following Sheldon and his crazy adventures. I really think that he's been good for our family. We don't do Santa at our house but my kids seem just as excited daily to see what Sheldon's going to do. even know they know I'm the one doing it. It's also been nice not to have to hide wrapped presents because they know that I am the one giving them. So stay tuned there is a possibility that Sheldon may soon visit you in book form.

you can follow him via the #sheldonwashere on instagram

Dear self, remember to not be so hard on you. Remember to take time to pray and ask for help when you're stressed. Remember to reach out to all the people that care about you when you need a break. Don't forget to get up early and get dressed before the kids to help start the day good for everyone.

Dear God thank you for sending your son Jesus to be born in a manger. Thank you for the miracle that he is. thank you for allowing him to become flesh to die to be raised to life after three days so that I may have eternal life. Thank you that we can openly praise you worship you and glorify you here in America. Thank you. Thank you for letting us know that we are never alone you'll always be here for us.

A day to remember those who were taken away...

2012-12-17T08:35:00.001-05:00

Friday Coffee Date...

2012-12-14T12:50:00.000-05:00

Good Afternoon Friends...
I am so sorry that I don't have an extremely awkward vlog to share with you.
but I would still love to sit and have a cup of coffee with you today...

Let's crag a drink first.
what will you have? coffee? tea? soda? crystal light? ice water?
I'll have some peach tea crystal light for now, and if I am still thirsty I'll make a cup of coffee
and turn it the perfect creamy white with an obsessively over done amount of creamer!

Now we can sit and chat...
I put a movie on for the kiddos, we have a few minutes of uninterrupted adult time.
Did you want to know what movie they are watching?
Oh just one of my favorite movie series EVER...
TINKERBELL..
I know it's for littles but I love it...
right now on netflix you can watch 3 of the 4 TinkerBell movies..

yup all 3 are there right now and lined up in our instant queue
and after we watch all these for the 50th time we will probably go out and rent the newest one again

okay so i completely went off on a childlike tangent there sorry, Tink does that to me sometimes...

back to reality...

how are? I am sorry I was not able to join you for coffee last week.
i has still recovering from my surgery.
speaking of surgery.. I am doing great.
things are healing up nicely, slow but good.
i am still needing gentle reminders from my husband to take it easy.
i am very thankful for all your prayers and well wishes.

are you all ready for Christmas? I am not.
i only have a few gifts purchased, the worst part is
i have not made a list of what i need to buy yet.. that can be a problem.
I am really looking forward to Christmas being less about presents this year
and more about being present!
we have decided to not do gifts our extended family Christmas.
instead each family is to come up with a game (made up or bought) for the kids to play.
i like the idea of us all being more intentional about being with the kids...

speaking of gifts my youngest wants a purple wig..
you read that right.. she want to look like a popstar..
but not just any popstar.. this popstar..

Barbie's princess and the popstar::Keira
we'll see if I can find one for a decent price..

This week Alissa asked us to share three things we would tell our younger self if we could go back in time.
one came to mind right away but i really had to think about the other two..

1. Find Jesus and make him Lord of your life ASAP. (I was not a Christian until I was about 24) the Lord will comfort you, protect you and and never leave you.
that is a perfect segway into #2.

2. Seek God's love and not love from men. I mad a lot of mistakes growing up seeking attention from all he wrong places. and had i know that the Lord could satisfy all my needs, life would have been a lot easier.

3. actually do your homework. i know it's a pain in the butt and seems worthless (still does sometimes), but if you suck it up and complete it, complete it well, you will develop a healthy work habit!

4. procrastination is NOT attractive. it's ugly, it's frustrating, it's overwhelming, and a bad habit. stay focused, get a planner, use it, use it often, for everything! it will help make life so much easier.

and for kicks..a #5 ..be the kind of friend you want to have. this will save a life of heart-ache and misery!

what about you? what would you tell your younger self. I can not wait to hear..

if you need a refill please go visit my other coffee date friends..

Alissa from Rags to Stitches, Gussy from Gussy sews, and Nicole form the style hatch,

Thanks Alissa for hosting a great link up!

finding my "brand" ...

2012-12-13T02:00:00.000-05:00

after attending the influence conference

i have been trying to find my "brand"

something that is pleasing to the eye and says Chrissy.

those go hand in hand, right...right?!?

normally when designing for my personal blog I always chose neutrals

soft comfortable colors that seem restful to the eye.

but let's be honest,

if you look at my closet that's not really what you see.

i love black

i love white

i love gray

i love to add pops of color with jewelry, scarves, and make up.

i knew that if I was going to re-design my blog for the last time.

it had to reflect me my personality, my likes, things that i enjoy looking at.

starting the re-branding process was overwhelming.

i didn't know which direction I wanted to go in.

did I want it to be bright and colorful.
did I want it to be simple.
did I want it to be flashy and something unexpected.

to try to solidify a design I created a Pinterest board of pictures of things I really liked.

I filled the board with pictures of people's homes, fabric, colors, paintings, and patterns

that I thought represented me and things that I like.

I also added fonts that I felt drawn to.

after a few days of pinning inspirations

i looked over the entire board

i looked at the things that stood out the most to me

the things that seem to be repeated in pictures

next I made a smaller inspiration board.

i also broke down the different patterns and elements that seem to stand out

from those pictures and created a board for those.

the most difficult part for me was choosing fonts

i have a strong obsession with fonts

and that's putting it mildly

i love girly fonts, bold fonts, all capitals, all lowercase, swirly, stripes, polka dotted, chalkboard,

and everything in between.

This made it laborious when narrowing down the main fonts for my blog/brand.
After reading Haley Morgan's no-brainer blog book

I knew I had to slim down my list of fonts to about two or three

Choosing my color scheme was actually fun

Here you see where I created the color palettes for my favorite pictures of my inspiration board

I looked over the colors and narrowed down the most common ones..

I took all the information from the different inspiration boards and created a final inspiration board.

okay that's enough inspiration talk for one post..

I will finish up my re-branding post later in the week!

Modern Christmas Cards { RLPCo.}

2012-12-12T13:00:00.000-05:00

It's Christmas card time.
And I love Christmas card season.
yes i called it a season
I eagerly await the mailman every morning.
I may or may not get anxious if I don't hear him by 9:35 AM.
Yes he is usually here at the exact time every day.

I generally create a photo card each year.
but sometimes I just want a Christmas card
no family picture no Christmas letter no top 10 moments of the year
just something cute to say Merry Christmas and I'm thinking about you.
But.
But I want it to be clever, cute, unique, and not covered in Santa, teddy bears, poinsettias and Christmas trees.
Enter Red Letter Paper Company (RLPCo.)

"Christian Cards, Modern Edge"

I am completely smitten over these cards..
and yes I do own them.. can I get a amen..
here is a closer look..

Yes those are tweets.. but not just any tweets..
tweets from shepherds, angels, wise men and even earth! HA
this is the inside of the card...

Oh yes that is a hashtag...

You know that I have a love for all things social media
so these cards are perfect for me
it's kind of like she made them just for me but decided to sell them to other people.
RLPCo. also has a variety of other "traditional" cards for those of you who don't get hashtags.
I use the term traditional loosely here..
these cards are far better than your average Christmas Card.

Head over to RLPCo. today to order some cards for the family and friends on your list.

And trust me you will not be disappointed.