November 6th-Election Day and Remembering

I shared my story on a friend's blog last week. My story of  loss and love. My story of Hope! It's been an interesting week listening to what is going on in our country and the memories of the last 10 years of my own life.  As I glanced through all the Facebook posts and TV ads about today being Election Day for our country, I was struck with a thought. "I'm not worried at all about the outcome of the elections!" Because on this day, 10 years ago my world was ripped a part and my life changed forever. I have looked back on my life and the ups and downs, the bad choices, the sad endings, the happy times, and realize one thing-MY HOPE is ANCHORED in GOD! It doesn't matter who is running this country, it doesn't matter the outcome good or bad of a day, what matters is the Father who loves me and us with an never ending love is still King, He is still Lord, and nothing not the little details of my life or the details of a country's future takes Him by surprise. It really doesn't matter if people believe He exists or not, He is still God- and our unbelief or the worlds trust in Man will Never EVER Keep him from being who He has said He is over and over.

I have been meditating on this Psalm since yesterday and find it has bound itself to my heart during this week, especially verse 7!

Psalm 20

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

¹ 

May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;

    may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.

² 

May he send you help from the sanctuary

    and grant you support from Zion.

³ 

May he remember all your sacrifices

    and accept your burnt offerings.^[b]

⁴ 

May he give you the desire of your heart

    and make all your plans succeed.

⁵ 

May we shout for joy over your victory

    and lift up our banners in the name of our God.

May the Lord grant all your requests.

⁶ 

Now this I know:

    The Lord gives victory to his anointed.

He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary

    with the victorious power of his right hand.

⁷ 

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,

    but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

⁸ 

They are brought to their knees and fall,

    but we rise up and stand firm.

⁹ 

Lord, give victory to the king!

    Answer us when we call!

sugar and spice

What are little girls made of?
"Sugar and spice and all things nice
That's what little girls are made of!"

Today is the last day of 3rd grade for The Peddler's little girl. It's amazing how time goes by so quickly and how all of a sudden we are leaving another school year, getting ready to embark on one more epic summer adventure.  

The little peddler is full of all the sweetness of life and the innocence of youth, but at the same time her sassy humor and questioning mind flavors our life day after day.  I am so honored to be in her little world and have the privilege of watching her heart unfold into a beautiful woman. 

I was terrified 3 years ago when I first met her, afraid she would not like me, nervous I would not have what it takes, plagued by the stories of Disney and the portrayal of the evil step mom. But all of those emotions and fears were only smoke screens of reality. From day one the little peddler and I fell in love. Don't get me wrong we have had our challenges and I know there are many ahead, but it has been an amazing transition for both of us. I love truly love her with every bit of my heart and can't imagine my life without her in it!   

pulling weeds

So we are the care takers of the 3 units in our complex, the yard work, the shoveling, the small maintenance (including the kicked out sliding screen door from our 3 year old neighbor's kids every month) and taking out the rubbish and recycling. Anyway there are many Saturdays we spend mowing the lawn, weed eating and pulling weeds. Yard work is NOT my favorite house hold duty but since it knocks off a few bucks on our rent, I put a smile on my face and I pull away. 

A few weeks ago as I was sitting and hacking away at lots of nasty pesty green demons  in the front of  the complex, I had noticed that these certain dandelion weeds, (the really big ones) had these massive thorns all around them, so the only way I could get to them was by chopping them off close to the ground and then pull them out by the roots. I also was surprised how the roots of my nemesis were not very deep and quite easy to pull out, even though they were massive. The hardest part of pulling them was the huge thorns around them made it difficult to get a good grip. In the middle of my conquest I heard the Father whisper to my heart about the weeds. "These weeds are  like the lies in your heart!" My first reaction to hearing this was "Oh great now I am one of those people who have some spiritual metaphor for gardening!" HAHA...but as I started thinking about it and asking the Holy Spirit to reveal more, it hit me. The lies that are contrary to the truth of who the Father says I am, they are like weeds in my life. They produce some kind of flowery looking thing but it just gets blown away in the wind. The root of the lie do not go very deep, or at least it might go deep but it's super easy to pull out, but there are so many thorns blocking the root, that it makes it so difficult to pull it out. The thorns are those things that other people get hurt by when they get close. For instance my husband, or friends. The Peddler always refers to these as "pricklies". It's true we all have some form of prickles... they are those rough edges that when people walk away from encounters with each other they might think, "ugh that was not fun", or "ouch that kind of hurt", or "man what's her deal?"

 My friend Robin talks about some of these lies as the  difference between facts and Truth. Sometimes we take thing in our hearts that are facts, but it is not necessarily the Truth of the Father. Here is an example-when I left my time in Whistler, Canada, I had been very concerned with the economic state of the United States. You see, I had been raising financial support for almost 10 years and I was not sure what I was supposed to do with the next season. I felt as though I needed to not ask people for money any longer but to get a job and leave the life of missions (the kind you have to raise financial support for). The "fact" was, yes the U.S. was and still is in economic struggle but the TRUTH is, God is my provider, He is the one that owns the cattle on a thousand hills, he is the one that gives and takes away. The funny part is my sweet husband has been saying to be for a few years, "I really want to be in full time ministry." Every time I heard him say it, I cringed, I freaked out, I would be anxious internally and immediately shut the idea down. My thorns were seen and felt.  I allowed the weed to grow that said, because the economic status of the United States was poor, I could not, and would not ask anyone for financial support to do full time ministry any more. I have been growing this weed in my heart for a long time, I honestly thought it was good, because it looked like there was some kind of flower and growth, but every time my husband and I talked about it, he got hurt and I felt like a fish out of waster.  My heart beats for people and I love ministry so why would I shut the door to it? Because that's what weeds do, they mask themselves as flowers in the garden of our hearts and keep us from being the beauty we are intended for. 

I am not sure what will happen with our lives and what the Father has in store for our future, it might be full time ministry, or continuing down the road of business, or even having 12 kids and living on  farm, who knows, but I do know this...I want to live in Truth and not in it's weedy counterfeit. It's pretty easy actually, just to ask the Holy Spirit if there are weeds in our heart, and He will point them out and pull them out if we ask, and always being true to His nature, he will plant something beautiful and true. 

beauty breathed into our DNA

I have been obsessed lately with a band called Gungor..they have actually been around for a while but I just have discovered them. The creative soul that flows out of this band is so inspiring, you can't help but want to raise your hands in the middle of Starbucks while you are listening to them via ear phones and start worshiping..haha. I didn't do it but I am greatly tempted:) 
The song Beautiful Things is on repeat right now on my Itunes I can't get the line"You make beautiful things, beautiful things out of dust, you make beautiful things of us!"I am taken back at the thought that as humanity this is our heritage.  Genesis 2:5-7 "At the time God made Earth and Heaven, before any grasses or shrubs had sprouted from the ground—God hadn't yet sent rain on Earth, nor was there anyone around to work the ground (the whole Earth was watered by underground springs)—God formed Man out of  the dust  from the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life. The Man came alive—a living soul! (the message)

I think every day we see in a small scale the Father making beautiful things from the dust of our circumstances, choices, chaos, the hardened ground of our hearts. But I think it's hard to see the beautiful in the midst of the sh** of life,  but imagine if we spend a few minutes in our day to meditate on the reality of our origins, we couldn't help but relish and rest in the overwhelming possibility of the gorgeous life the Father has breathed on us everyday. Maybe one of the traps we are snared with is living in our "dusty" selves and not in the beauty that has been breathed into our DNA. Yeah, I like that " beauty was breathed into our DNA!" I think I am going to change my post title to that.  Watch the YouTube video, and as you do I pray the Holy Spirit breathes His beauty into our dustiness today! 

I want to read

I love to read, but I hardly ever have time! To me it's a luxury to sit down with a good book and let your self get lost in it's pages for hours and hours. I am really excited to do that with this up and coming book Stones Of Remembrance. The book has not been released yet but I cannot wait to get my hands on it. The author Julie Presley is fantastic and although I have only read her blogs and the summary of her books I can tell I am going to love it. So check out her website and like her on Facebook!                                

                                                      Read the preview below! 

Stones of Remembrance-Author-Julie Presley

It’s been 2 years since Allaya Sheldon’s sister’s life was stolen, and she knows it’s time to deal with the pain of her loss, the fear of being without, and most importantly the blame she’s placed on God. She heads to the only place she knows that peace resides in the midst of the storm. When her childhood friend Finn Meyers shows up unannounced, the two of them are equally floored by the attraction that ignites between them. Allaya struggles with letting go of one heartache, and the possibility of stumbling into a new one as she wrestles with her heart and her God.

Finn has his own issues to deal with, and it becomes apparent that the two of them can not figure their lives out side by side.

Allaya has only the promise of her Father to go on, that He has good gifts for her, and that His timing is perfect. With one eye on the clock, she returns to her life in the city, holding out hope that Finn will show up soon, gift wrapped with a tag that reads, “Love Your Father.”

Sleep is a prerequisite

So I have been auditing an abnormal behavior and pastoral counseling class through Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. There have been 3 weekends of classes in the past 3 months and one more weekend to go. I have been learning so much and my mind is quite overwhelmed but I have enjoyed every single minute. I wanted to share a few things on the importance of sleep that the professor shared on Friday.  

Sleep Deprivation

• Irritability

• Depressed mood

• Memory impairment

• Low energy

• Decreased concentration, Impaired problem solving

• Increase rate of accidents

• Impaired immune system functioning

• Increase weight gain

• Decreased longevity

Habits that Disturb Sleep

~Caffeine 

~Tobacco

~Alcohol

~Sedentary lifestyle -(happens because of tv, electricity...our choices over ride our bodies) Basically our bodies have no idea what is going to happen when we lay down at night, are we going to watch a show on the laptop, read a book, play on our phones.)

~Sleep disturbing bedroom-(For many of us our room is a laundry room, an office, a nursery, etc, not a place of rest and quiet)

~Erratic schedule-( Not having the same bed time every day)

~Unresolved conflict-(another reason to not let the sun go down on your anger)

~Stress

~Over-stimulation-(phones, music, computers, lights, you get the idea)

Sleep Hygiene Guidelines

*Maintain consistent sleep schedule

*Exercise regularly

*Establish relaxing pre-sleep rituals 

*Avoid caffeine within 4 – 6 hours of bedtime

*Avoid eating, nicotine, &/or alcohol within 2 hours of bedtime or during the night

*Do not lie awake in bed –( If unable to fall asleep within 15 – 20 minutes, leave the bedroom, and do a non stimulating activity, including not turning all the lights back on – *return to bed when drowsy)

*Relaxation, Imagery (Psalm 23 is a great verse to do this with)

*Use bedroom only for sleep and sex-(The Peddler and I decided when we first got married to not have a TV in our room because his mom made this comment to us and we totally agreed!) 

Alright then, on that note I am off to sleep! Good night ya'll!

Goat cheese and strawberry spread

So it's Monday and our fridge is bare. I am patiently waiting for my peapod order to arrive. 

I have to be honest, I secretly love when my fridge and cupboards are deplete of anything nutritious, I find I do my best creative cooking in these moments. 

For lunch  today I used the last strip of bacon, a little bit of pepper jack cheese and slices of apple and combined with bread for a decadent grilled cheese sandwich;)

As I stared in my fridge I noticed the half eaten package of goat cheese and a few strawberries that were starting to shrivel, (they were just staring at me with such sadness begging to be put out of their misery) and a full brick of cream cheese and my mind starting turning. Here is the recipe I just whipped together and I have to say it was yummy! 

1/2 a loaf of goat cheese

1/2 brick of cream cheese

4 or 5 strawberries-chopped small

Mix 2 cheeses together till smooth and add the strawberries and stir till mixed well.

Place a slice of apple over a cracker and dollop a small amount of the mixture on top.

Drizzle lightly with honey(I didn't have any honey but I can imagine it would be tasty)

Febphotoaday #29

Well I made it through the photo challenge and I only missed a couple days. 

Here is the last day

What are you listening to?

Listening to the Peddler's daughter read her home work which happens to be an American Girl book. I loved these book when I was her age and it's so fun to hear her read them! 

Febphotoaday 22,23, 25 and 27

Day 22-Where you work

Day 23-Shoes

Day 25-Green

Day 27-Dinner

Febphotoaday #21

~ A favorite photo of you~

This photo was taken by my good friend Anastasia Chomlack about 5 years ago. 

Febphotoaday #19 and 20

#19 something you hate to do....dishes!

#20 handwriting

Febphotoaday #18

Drink

Febphotoaday #17

-Time-

For me saving time is super important! We have a pretty busy life in our home and one of duties I like the least is grocery shopping. I am not a fan of going into a supermarket...the people, the lines,and I buy so much stuff I don't actually need just because it is on sale! So my solution has been Peapod. An online grocery store! I sit down on a Thursday morning with a cup of coffee, coupons and a cookbook or Real Simple magazine and do my grocery shopping. It not only saves me time but makes the whole grocery shopping experience less stressful.

 So if you are interested click here and we both will get $10 off our orders:)

*Areas of delivery: Chicagoland, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia

Febphotoaday #16

-Something new-
The Nordstrom spring look book came in the mail today...I always like going through and day dreaming about all the great clothes and shoes:)

Febphotoaday #15

-phone-
There has been an going rivalry in our house about the IPhone vs. the Blackberry. The iPhone won a few months ago but the Blackberry is never far behind.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I think Valentine's day has readily become my favorite holiday. It has a bit  to do with the romance aspect, but if I am honest, most of it is because I get to embrace my girlishness and have an excuse to take photos of hearts, write sappy cards, buy flowers for the Peddlers daughter and eat lots of candy, all for the sake of love.

 Even in my single days, I secretly loved it, I was not one of those girls who was annoyed when the day came around (I just acted indifferent) but deep inside I would get excited for this day. I love all the colors-red, pink, purple, seeing all the people bustle about to buy flowers, watching my friend's kids come home from school with a homemade container full of Valentine's. To me it doesn't matter if you are single or in a relationship this day should be celebrated by everyone, a day to tell your parents they mean the world to you or take a friend coffee.

 I am also fond of this day because the Peddler and I had our first date in Las Vegas on this day of love...(yeah talk about an awkward first date) Have you ever been to Vegas on Valentine's day? It is a lot of pressure for 2 people who are in the new born stages of their relationship. But even as cheesy as it is I love that we can look at this day and smile knowing that it marks the moment of something amazing!

I made this Valentine on Picnik. So sad it is closing down. 

Febphotoaday #14

~Heart~

I love this little heart ninja! Thanks to Simple City Life's middle kid for letting me use one of the Valentine's he received today!  

Febphotoaday #13

~blue~
Our favorite game in our house is SORRY!

Febphotoaday #12

Inside my closet
We really like shoes!

Febphotoaday #11

~makes me happy~sleep~goodnight

Febphotoaday #10

Self Portrait

This is me...about 30 years ago!

Febphotoaday #9

Our front door

Febphotoaday #8

Sun

Febphotoaday #7

Button

I love when I press the shiny red button on my espresso machine and it makes it's starting noise.

..apple of my eye...

I just wanted to share a moment from this past weekend. First let me say I love the relationship between The Peddler and his daughter and watching them interact always brings a bit of healing to my own personal little girl heart.

Sunday as he was driving her to her mom's house he asked her-"Do you know what it means when I say you are the apple of my eye?" Of course the little 9 year old responded-"Nope!"

The peddler asked her to tell him why she likes apples so much.  She responded-"They are yummy, they taste so good, they are really sweet, they are red and shiny, they are my favorite, they make me HAPPY!"

The Peddler went on to tell her that when he say's, "You are the apple of my eye," that what he means is..."She is his favorite, she makes him happy, she is so sweet and shiny." Of course the 9 year old just looked at him and smiled.

Psalm 17:7-9

 Show me the wonders of your great love, 

   you who save by your right hand 

   those who take refuge in you from their foes. 

Keep me as the apple of your eye; 

   hide me in the shadow of your wings 

Febphotoaday #6

Dinner

Febphotoaday #5

10am or close enough...

Febphotoaday

A stranger

Febphotoaday #3

Hands

Febphotoaday #2 Words

February 1st- Your View Today

February Photo of the Day

Have you seen this passing through the social/cyber world?

I am going to attempt to do this for the month but knowing me it will only last a few days..here's to hoping;)

confessions of a cryer

Hi my name is Abbie and I am a crier!

 I can't believe I am admitting it in a public place.  Something has happened to me since I have been in my 30's. I Cry a LOT, and over the silliest things. Now some people probably chalk it up to hormones, but I think I have just gotten soft in my old age. Don't get me wrong I have never been opposed to crying, even though it is the most unattractive look I posses. The splotchy cheeks, the snot the swollen lip, yeah not pretty! But I have been known to shed a few tears here and there in front of people, but to be  honest the past 3 years it seems as though I have no strength to stop the water works. As women we  sometimes tend to be more emotional than our male counterparts but I feel as though I have become a blubbering ball of snot and tears.  The crying does not just come at horrible, depressing moments but in every day moments...reading some article, talking with a friend about what they are learning from the Father, hearing an inspiring story, watching a movie...the list goes on.

 I was at a wedding this past fall and I sat and watched my sister being seated (she was the mom of the bride) and as soon as I saw her walking down the aisle, I lost it!! I cried through the whole entire ceremony. My cousin leaned over to me and said "since when do you start crying at weddings?" To be honest I felt super defensive and thought "I have always been a softy." This is true, I have always had a soft spot but I guess I never cried in response to it.  I keep thinking I need to find a cure, to take some vitamin or change my diet or just "suck it up" but I think the real answer is I need  to embrace it.  Maybe it's part of getting older, part of embracing being a woman of compassion and just pray that the emotions don't rule my life but are a response to the beauties around me.  Whatever the reason I feel a tug in my heart to be thankful for the tears and to try so hard to stop them. 

So if anyone out there relates I would love to hear your comments, suggestions and concerns. If you have found some secret formula to control the tears and keep them at bay at inappropriate moments that too, I would be appreciative to hear. Or maybe like me you just need say the confessions of a crier then go ahead, confess away.