lets. get. creative!

I love being creative and having fun! And I love shopping... Especially at thrift stores and antique stores and flea markets. I love a good find and in the last 6months I have found a lot of them... So I have decided to start blogging about the things that my sister and I find, re-do and things that we decorate. I hope that you enjoy reading about and seeing it as much as I enjoy doing it! (Oh.. And reader beware... this is a little bit of a lengthy post)

My style has changed a lot in the last 10years but the staples seem to stay the same. I like simple.
elegant.
feminine.
antique.
modern.
chic.
whites.
brights.
clean lines.
distressed furniture.
curves.
among other things that you will learn about in my blogs.

When my husband and I first got married we fell in love with some bedding we saw at Pottery Barn but as newlyweds we could not afford it so we improvised and bought the pieces that we loved at places like Marshalls, TJMaxx, Ross, etc. We ended up having a very similar bed for less than half the price of the Pottery Barn bedding. We have khaki sheets, pale blue comforter, khaki, white, and blue pillows and topped it off with some throw pillows that had iridescent beading on it. We were so proud of ourselves!! Our next venture I went with DEEP DARK colors... That didn't last too long because as much as I loved the dark colors, I much preferred the brights and whites and the energy that seemed to come from decorating in an open and airy style. Sticking with one "style" or "theme" is hard for me because I can find something I LOVE from any style, this goes from bedding, to decor to clothing and music, I'm a pretty interesting person, but I like to think that that's part of my charm :). So I will leave you with a few things that inspire my decorative side and some things that I just plain out like. And with that... I bid you au revoir or for you southerners out there "Ya'll come back now ya' hear?!"

...And hopefully you will continue with me on my blogs journey through life, projects, decorating and my mindless ramblings...


Here are a few blogs and sites that I like/love to follow for decorating tips, inspiration, etc:
www.modernchichome.com
www.anthropologie.com
www.vintagegeneral.com
www.laniebethsinclair.com
www.onekingslane.com
www.hgtv.com
www.junkinlady.blogspot.com
www.vintagebellastudio.blogspot.com
www.coastalliving.com
www.shoeboxdecor.blogspot.com
www.chichomeblog.com
www.shabbychichomeblog.com
www.littlecrowninteriors.com
www.shabbiestchic.blogspot.com
www.thedeskofannie.blogspot.com
www.potterybarnkids.com
www.potterybarn.com
www.crateandbarrel.com
www.restorationhardware.com
www.yesyoumaigh.blogspot.com
www.ericaharless.blogspot.com


And here are some images that I love and inspire me in decorating, as well:

Why is it that Christians are the best at making people feel isolated, unloved, unaccepted and unlovable?

The title of this blog is from my twitter a few days ago and I've really been thinking about it a lot lately... And just pondering on why I really feel that way and I wanted to elaborate on it for everyone. Part of what got me thinking was a friend of mine tweeted back and asked me if I had gone to high school? Sooo... Here is my explanation.

In school I never really felt that way, my friends really accepted me and loved on me and high school was a really hard time for me in a lot of ways because my mom was in a nursing home, she died and my dad remarried... All within the years I was in high school and I had the most loving and supportive friends a girl could have asked for... I had some of the most fun of my life my senior year of high school and it was every bit because of the friends that I had at my school. I felt more accepted and loved at school than I did at church, and that's not something I had ever thought about until I started feeling that way again recently.

See... I don't think that churches should have exclusive cliques, especially when it comes to adults. What are we teaching our kids? I love church and Bible study and interaction with other believers but it's not something that seems to come along with being unconditionally loved, accepted, etc. I can hang out with my friends that aren't in church every week and who prefer to go out and party and feel more accepted than I do when I go to church. Those friends will call, text, or email me to see if I want to hang out, go to lunch, go to a movie or to see where I was when everyone got together the last time because I was missed.

Now... Is it just me or is the above situation how it's supposed to be? Because I thought that the church and other believers should be the ones that are reaching out and encouraging others and edifying the body of believers. It's no wonder that the bars are fuller than the churches when people act like that. People want to be loved and accepted, people want to be missed and encouraged and to feel like they belong to something.

The Bible says in Hebrews 10:25 "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Now I'm pretty sure that this is talking about believers getting together and spending time in fellowship with one another, not believers getting together with non believers because they don't feel accepted in the church. Don't get me wrong, I have a few friends from church that I hang out with, not all from my church where I attend but that's okay with me. My husband and I have always wanted the types of friends that are talked about in the Bible, David & Jonathan, iron sharpening iron, etc but we have never really had that and I think that its sad, especially since my husband and I have both grown up in the church and we are raising our kids in the church. I'm not bashing my church or any church that I have ever gone to or my friends that I have past or present... I'm simply stating that with the exception of a few people this is what we have found to be true. And we aren't the only ones who feel and have felt that way, within our own church, other local churches and outside of the church.

Just with the scenario that we have experienced in our personal lives, I can relate to why there are some people that want nothing to do with the church and with Christians. And as a Christian that frustrates me... If we can't encourage, love and minister to each other, how can we expect to do that to others that don't know HIM or have a relationship with Christ? Why would someone want to go to church where they have no friends and feel left out when they can go hang out and "party" with their "friends" and feel accepted and wanted? And even if they come to church and come to know Christ, whats to keep them from going back to that lifestyle if we aren't there creating relationships and loving on them and encouraging them? As the body of Christ we are called to love and to show love and if we aren't then we are sinning, it's simple as that. If you cause a brother to stumble than are you not just as guilty? If by not showing love and acceptance and encouragement to another believer causes them to go out and return to the lifestyle that they were seeking salvation from are we not to blame for not showing them Christ's love? unconditional love and acceptance?

Just a little something to think about... And hopefully encourage and inspire you to go out and be the change that you want to see!!

to give or not to give??? WWJD

So I ended the year 2009 a bit frustrated and sad... I had attempted to help out some families have Christmas that wouldn't have it without help from others and only one of those families was able to have Christmas. I sat and read status updates and twitter updates about all the excess that people got and then thought about the families that weren't getting anything and the fact that only $5 has been donated to help these families and it makes me sick to my stomach. We are such a spoiled society. If it were your family, would you not want someone to help your kids have Christmas?

This year was hard for us as we strived to stick to a budget on our Christmas but what made it easier was knowing that we were helping out other families with the excess that we didn't spend. It hurts my heart to see people and churches spend so much on things that don't really matter and then there are hurting people that don't get reached with Christ's love, especially on the season that we celebrate His birth.

I will still be, a long with several others, collecting money, clothing, toys, furnishings, food and other things for these families as their need is still great even after Christmas. Please consider helping in some way shape or form, even if it's just your time to help fix some things at one of the homes that needs to be repaired. We have all been blessed beyond measure and there is no reason why we shouldn't be a part in being a blessing in someone else's life.

SIX more days!!

Hey Everyone -

Please help us help some less fortunate families this year. We started out just trying to help out two families but God has placed four more on our hearts to help out. We have been in need to the point where we literally didn't know where the next meal was coming from, except that God would provide it... So PLEASE help us help these families!!

Please go to: http://whenbadthingshappen2goodpeople.blogspot.com and donate to help us help these families. Money will go towards Christmas gifts, clothes, grocery store gift cards and paying bills for these families. PLEASE help us help others this Christmas season and year round.

Merry Christmas!!!

Please help out a family in need this season... Only 8 days till Christmas!!

Hey Guys!!

I have posted something about this once already, and I'm going to do it again because it's something that I really feel strongly about and because I have been there, as a mom and as a kid. And so far we have only had $5.00 donated to help these families. Please spread the word and help make Christmas happen for someone else!!

We have 3 families that we are trying to help out this year. Please go check out http://whenbadthingshappen2goodpeople.blogspot.com and donate to help us help these families. You can donate monetarily by clicking on the donate button on the right hand side of the screen or you can leave a comment with your email address for any other donations you may want to make.

Thank you!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

music

I. LOVE. MUSIC.

And... If you know anything about me, at all, you know this to be true. I sing in the car. In the shower. While I'm cleaning. With my children. At church. At the grocery store. At the gym. In restaurants. And I LOVE all types of music, I can't really think of any type that I hate. There is some music I don't particularly care for but I appreciate the creative process that goes into creating music, from the lyrics to the sounds.

My husband runs www.rockthecross.net which is a music news and reviews website. We review music. All of our reviewers have different taste in music, which in my opinion, gives us the most honest input on our reviews that are posted to the site. Not everyone likes everything and quite honestly, there are people that only like one type of music and never broaden their "musical vocabulary."

That being said, there are a few things that I don't get when it comes to music reviewers and musicians that are being reviewed. We'll call the musicians "m" and the music reviewers "ma" :)

1: ma: make sure you review & address EVERY aspect of the album, ie. the lyrics, the message, the sound, the effects, the story behind the music. don't just say, "meh, I don't like this band, never have, never will, they suck." actually take time for the review and make it at least sound like you did your homework and researched the band, the album, the songs, the sounds, etc.

2: m: don't take it personal, not everyone is going to love you. there is a reason that we are all different and talented in different ways. some will LOVE hard rock and some will love classic jazz sounds, it's okay.

3: ma: if you work for a Christian music site, try to judge your reviews biblically. part of a music reviewers job is to be a critic, but more importantly, as Christians we need to run things through what the Word of God says. Ephesians 4:29 says 'Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.' In laymen terms: if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. We need to review the music, objectively, but we also need to be mindful that we are the body of Christ and we need to uplift each other and encourage each other, especially those that are in front of hundreds of thousands of people trying to reach them for Christ.

4: m: please, if you say you are a Christian artist and you are out there wanting to reach other, please maintain that no matter what... stick to your guns, there are a lot of people out there that look up to you and not to sound mean or rude but, whether you like it or not, you are leading by example. we've met bands that the only reason they are in the Christian genre is because it was "easier" to get in to, this is saddening to me and it makes it hard to encourage people to listen to your music.

I'm leaving at only those points because I feel like those are a few of the major things that review sites run in to. Like I said, I love music and I love meeting artists and listening to new music. I just feel like there are a few things that everyone should know about some of it.

And now...........

For my shameless plug of my husbands website :)
Check out:

WWW.ROCKTHECROSS.NET for all your music news, reviews, concerts, concert photography, and the BEST contests and prizes around!!!

the church

If you follow me on twitter you probably saw me twitter that the reason most people don't want to step into the church, is because of the church... and I really, very strongly feel this way.

I got the chance to talk to someone today and it was pretty neat. The reason she hasn't been in church a lot recently is because of the church and her experience with the church... Which is VERY sad. If we would just love on people the way Jesus did we couldn't keep people away from "the church", meaning the body of Christ.