My sweet escape

After a month and half of being MIA, you get two posts from me in the course of three days!!!  How lucky are you??  lol 

I sat here on Tuesday evening determined to take the night off.  I've been going full steam, non-stop for, well, ever (or so it seems) and I just knew that I had to force myself to take a break.  I figured I'd just sit and do nothing all night, maybe hang out on Facebook, peruse Pinterest and probably stalk Instagram.  Then I realized, that's not truly a break!  It's fun, mind you, but not the break that I was needing.  After pecking out a quick update post I had the impulsive idea to text my sweet friend Shawn, who lives around the corner to see what she was up to.  She has the best farmhouse around and I pass it five out of seven days.  Her wrap-around porch and rocking chairs call my name each and every time I pass by!  It was calling my name from a mile and half away and I jumped to respond!!!

She was out when I texted but would be home soon.  That was my opportunity to doubt my impulsive self and spiral downward into a little pit of self-pity.  But......I saw that one coming and dodged it, explaining to her why I was texting.  She was game and I was ready!!!  This will probably embarrass her, and I don't mean it to, but she is the cutest, darn, country gal I know (she uses gal instead of girl and it just adds to the cuteness).  I pull in to her horse-shoe drive way and there she is in cute blue, denim overalls, Wellies (green rubber boots that are customary foot attire in these parts), her hair pulled back, pushing a wheelbarrow full of, I think dirt and tools!

First thing I said when I got out of the car was "You are so stinkin' cute, I can't stand it!!!", to which she laughed (embarrassedly) and gave me a big hug!  She and her home offer me such a deep, beautiful, peace that I almost can't handle it!  We settled on having a cuppa hot tea and as she went in to prepare that, I wandered around a small part of her property and snapped pictures.  It was such a beautiful evening, the space was quiet and freshly manicured and I could just deeply breathe and exhale.  It was exactly what I needed.

 

There is so much life and creativity in this yard that it's hard to not capture it and freeze it in time!

 

 

I have always joked with Shawn, that one day she was going to come home from work and find me sitting in her back yard!  I don't know why I've waited so long to do that!!  I felt God in every detail, every plant and structure. 

 

I told Shawn that I was taking the night off and didn't want to talk about anything "work" related.  My mind needed to rest and this was place to do it!

 

Instead of the front/side porch we sat at this private little table tucked in the back side yard.  It was more perfect that rocking chairs. 

 

We talked, and talked, and talked.

 

I took a little walk across a little bridge to visit with Justin and Emily (Shawn's sweet little donkeys)

 

They were a little wary at first, then I got down on their level.  Justin stayed back, but Emily couldn't resist a little girl time!!!  We girls just love to get together, don't we.  They are so sweet!!

 

I had to capture her pretty, little mane <3

Looking back from the pasture at the house.  Shawn and her husband Steve, have done such a wonderful job recreating this home and property into such a beautiful get-away.  I can't get enough of it!!



 

I don't know what kind of tea we had, but it was perfect!  We chatted until well after the sun went down, with no thought of time or schedule.  I have to admit, though, we did end up talking a little bit about "work".  We discussed my plans and ideas for the wedding in May that I'm decorating for.  Shawn has some great organic ideas and the resources to help me pull it all together.  After relaxing for so many hours, talking plans didn't seem like work at all, rather it was fun, refreshing and stress free!!!  The way that it should be!

 

We ended the evening praying for each other and just praising and thanking God for His goodness!   Both of our husbands find themselves in work positions that they/we never would have imagined.  Our futures are somewhat uncertain and that can leave a "gal" feeling tired and worn.  Though our circumstances change and are shakey, our God doesn't change and He is the only sure thing that we can stand on, so that's what we did!!

 

I woke up this morning (wednesday) feeling well rested, refreshed, renewed and ready to face my day and all of the "jobs" that God has set me to do!  I am planning on escaping more frequently.  Finding a quiet, peaceful, loving place to sit, explore and soak in God's goodness is the way to go!

 

Tell me, where and/or what is your sweet escape?  I'd love to know how you refresh, renew and recharge!!!

 

God bless <3 Lorraine

 

Hello?? Anybody there?? Hellooooooo!!!!

 

Hey friends, anyone interested in gathering again?  I may have to clean out some cobwebs and find us a place to sit!!  It's been a month and a half since I last stopped in!  I just wanted to give a quick little picture update as to what has been going on around these parts over the past weeks!!!

 

 

I scored that burlap-ish lamp shade at a thrift store today!!!  Psyched!!!  I also found some happy mugs, and these ugly, large owl lamps that are going to be a fun makeover project!!  I also got them cheaper than they were priced - double score!!!

 

I painted this ugly, pink room a nice creamy, tan color!  The picture doesn't do it justice.....think Pepto-Bismol....I kid you not!!!!  Not in my house, mind you.....someone elses!

 

 

I had a beach day with friends (I NEVER do this, EVER)

 

 



I'm decorating for a wedding in this barn, in May!!  I'm super DUPER excited, and nervous!!

 

 

Someone is about to get their driver's permit!!!!!  A gift from God <3

 

I found these cute chevron shoes!!!  Just enough spring color to brighten any outfit!!

 

AAaannnd this sweet, little purse!!!!

 

Finally got our Sub back - so we can all ride to church together again!!!!  Four months of driving two vehicles to church on sunday and switching between vehicles through the week to save on gas!!!  Another gift from God and some pretty awesome friends <3

 

 



This is the wedding shower that led to my "gig" decorating the barn wedding!  It was so much fun creating a rustic setting for this shower and I can't wait to do it again!!

 

There has been so much more than what is shown here, but I didn't want to bore you!  I thought I just stop in to say hello!!!  I promise I will be back again, SOON!!!! 

 

I pray your spring is off to a fantastic start!!!!

 

God bless <3 Lorraine

Whatcha Readin'?

Hey guys - I've been pretty busy lately, but I'm not gonna bore you with that story again. Today I wanted to talk about the books I'm currently reading! I'm not super impressed with any of them, but without further ado...

I started reading this book a looooong time ago. I love Francine Rivers books, but this one has been a little slow. I can't seem to get into it. You can find the book on Amazon here. You can also read the story summary there, it's really not a terrible book and a friend has promised me that it's really good at the ending, I just can't seem to get into the story.


The Harbinger has gotten a lot of publicity in the past few months and the story is really quite captivating. I have to say, though, that I was very skeptical when I first started reading this, I went in with an image already conjured up in my head; go in with an open mind!! That's all I'm going to say. The message throughout the story is so very critical, I would definitely recommend this book. However, I feel like I sizzled out a little bit at the end, I need to get myself together and just read! Read more about the book and author here!


A few friends and I started reading this book together. It's a fictional novel based on the storylines of Job and Dinah. I love how the book makes the characters come alive and I'm excited to get farther into the book. It's really hard for me to read extra stuff right now because of my school work, but this is something that I want to finish! The book is available on Amazon, here!

That's all that I'm reading at the moment! I've never done anything like this on the blog before, but it might be something that I'll do again. Leave a comment telling me what you're reading right now!!

~ Jessica

 

The Light

Hey guys - I'm on spring break and getting back into the swing of blogging! Between midterms and papers being due, I've been busy! But, I'm back to blogging and couldn't be more excited. Without further ado.....

 

"The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome (understood) it." - John 1:5

A week or so ago I started reading through the book of John, and not only 10 verses in, I came across the above verse. I've read it dozens of times, and oftentimes I dismiss it; however, this time it struck me. The darkness can't understand or overcome the light. A picture popped into my head, I imagined a flashlight. Ironically, the same day I came across this verse, our electricity wasn't working. As we looked for a flashlight, in the dark, I realized that when you shine a flashlight in broad daylight, you can't see the light coming from it. All you see is the flashlight. But, when you shine your flashlight in a pitch-black room, the light shines brighter than ever.

 

God gives us a light, His light, and it is illuminated by the darkness and the trials that we go through. A flashlight without some source of power behind it means nothing. But when that flashlight, equipped with batteries and power, is turned on in the dark no amount of darkness can diminish the light. How bright is your light shining? Did you turn it off when the darkness surrounded you or did you continue to keep it shining bright?

 

~ Jessica

weary and worn

Sometimes things get just a bit too heavy to hold.  Sometimes in the midst of the hope that you carry, you just become worn out and weary.  Sometimes, you have to acknowledge the baggage so that you can lay it down again.  Sometimes, we need to empty our hands and our hearts so that they can be filled up again, not with the burdens, but with the Hope of Glory.

My hope is not wavering, my heart is just weary.  It's been a tough 2 plus years, the Lord has been beyond faithful and I've not doubt that He will continue to be faithful until the end!  But friends, can I be honest with you?  I'm tired.  I'm tired of running every day, I'm tired of struggling financially. I'm tired of trying to keep my focus on the right things.  I'm tired of seeing people I know and love, and frankly, seeing people that I don't know, suffer. 

(I pulled over to the side of the road, in case you were wondering)

I'm tired of the politics, the pain, the injustices.  I'm tired of the loss, the mourning, the suffering.  I'm tired of saying "no" I can't, we can't, you can't.  I'm tired........I'm ready for the skies to break open or at least my current situation to break open and for change to come. 

At the same time, I am relieved that I do not have to carry the weight of these burdens.  I am relieved that I love and serve a God who is in the midst of these situations and who is actively working in them.  Even if I cannot see it.  He is there.  I am relieved that I have the ability to voice my pains and frustrations and that it will all be alright.  That God does not judge me based on the things that I cannot carry.  I can only carry them so far and then turn them over and  He will pick them up and carry them for me.  For that I am thankful.

Here's a song from Tenth Avenue North....it's kind of where I am today.  If you're feeling worn out, I pray that this lifts you and that the Spirit of God fills you up!!!!  Thank you for letting me get this off my heart.

Have a blessed weekend friends!!  God bless <3 Lorraine

I Wouldn't Trade You for the World

I need to write something. I need to just start typing and see what comes out. I've sat down a few times this week and stared at this page. I've tried to conjure up some sort of recap of my week, craft post, something inspirational, anything! But nothing has come out. I'm near the middle of the semester, I have spring break in a week or so, midterms, papers, all of that good stuff. I'm also finishing up my General Psychology course (it was a half-semester course) and so I have a paper to write for that. I'm at that place where there is no "Creative Thinking" section of my brain left. Right now, I'm renting that area out to "Get 'er Done". So, today I come to you with not a whole lot.

Last night my friend and I were struggling through a bad mood and this morning I woke up happy, how that works, I don't know. Anyway, the first thing that came to mind this morning was a verse. Of course, I texted it to my friend and encouraged her for the day, told her I'll be praying for her. So I'm going to be a terd face and redirect you to another blog I wrote about this particular verse, and I'm going to encourage you to read it and let it sink in for the day. Yup... I just went there.

"That's how much you mean to me! That's how much I love you! I'd sell the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you." - Isaiah 43:4 (MSG)

Go ahead, click on the picture... you know you want to.

 

~ Jessica

It's time to make the...........

 

 

SMOOTHIES!!!!!  It's time to make the Smoothies, not Donuts!!!  (How many of you said donuts?)

 

Back in, I think, January, my hubbs wanted to purchase a good blender so that he/we could start making fruit and vegetable smoothies.  We'd been watching all of these documentaries about eating and health, juicing, etc.  Close friends of ours had started doing this and he was amped up and ready to try it for himself.  So we purchased the Ninja Kitchen Mate, a few bags of frozen fruit and a few bags of greens, collard greens and spinach to be exact.

 

I wasn't really sure about the whole thing.....fruit and veggies???  If you know me, then you know that my history with either of these is kinda shady and it's only been in the past 10 years or so that I've really started to heal that shady relationship, but together, in a drink?  Ummmmmm, ew.  But I really, really wanted to love it!  It's sooooo good for you and I could stand to benefit from a few of those wonderful heath gems.  I tried his and it was, um, gross!  It took me a week before I jumped on board and tried it for myself!

 

I'll have you know, that I haven't gone all crazy wild with large varieties of fruits or veggies....I'm a comfort zone kind of girl. So I pretty much stick with what I know and that is - Strawberries and Bananas.  I knew that the collards were too tart so I tried the spinach, and ya know what????  YOU CAN'T TASTE IT!!!!!  BINGOOOOOOO!!!  I'm in!!!  I may never try anything different, but at least I'm in!!!!

 

You can't see the bananas in the shot above because they're swimming in the milk, but trust me, they are there!!  We typically have a bag of frozen strawberries and a bag of mixed fruit; strawberries, peaches, mangoes and I think pineapple.  I decided to go crazy and try the mixed fruit!!!  Gasp, I know!!  How crazy can a girl get??  Haha!!  I actually liked it, no loved it, I loved it!!!  It was light and fresh and tropical and it makes me even more ready for spring and summer!!!!

 

 

The smoothie replaces breakfast and it's starting to inch out coffee as well!!!  We don't make as much coffee anymore because we're really not drinking it.  I may have a small cup after my smoothie, but I don't typically finish it!  I am full until lunch time.  It's completely satisfying and oh so yummy!  Of course since four out of six of us are doing the smoothie thing, I thought it only fair and appropriate to have a smoothie station! 

 

It's nothing fancy, I just put away the hot cocoa station and replaced it with the Ninja, 6 of our Coca-Cola glasses, a container of bright, fun straws and the accessories for the Ninja!  It's helpful to have everything you need right there on the counter!!  I really, really look forward to my morning smoothie and against large parts of my mind, I am looking forward to branching out and trying different combinations!  There are soo many benefits to eating drinking fruits and veggies, that I'd be silly not to try it!!

 

This is a very, very sad sight.  I have to keep myself from making seconds!!! 

 

Bill also adds sunflower seeds to his.  I know that he'd like to get Chia seeds, we hear that they are very good for you as well.  There's no magic formula to this smoothie thing, I mean, I'm sure there are tons of wonderful recipes out there, but for us, for now, there's just this.....a handful of frozen or fresh fruit, a handful of greens, a few sunflowers and a dash of milk or water and blend away!  That's it!!  For me, there's the cute straw as well :)  It's gotta be cute or I ain't doin it!!!! lol

 

 

Seriously though, who wouldn't want to top it off with a fun swirly straw??  I found these on clearance at Target!!!  Thank You!!!  I may have to find some little umbrellas as spring approaches and turns into summer!  I could have a lot of fun with this!!!!

 

Other than the smoothies, life has been crazy as always!!  It's the best kind of crazy a girl could ask for though!!!

 

*My Joe (#3) turned 13 this month

*I picked up a few new shirts at Plato's Closet and thus can begin working on finding my style!!

*Disney Movie Night - Love themed; candle light dinner

*Student Leadership - Promoters, fun, loud, outgoing kids

*stealing moments with my baby girl; she's gonna be nine this summer!!!!!!!!

*lots of movie watching and down time; always cherishing the down time

*youth group; aka being right where God wants me

*leaning on God and trusting in His plan and His never ending love

*and so much more!!!!!

 

 

 

Until next time!!!! <3 God bless

Lorraine





February Disney Movie Night

I totally planned on posting Tuesday, but I never got around to it. I thought, "Hey, I'll just post Thursday" and then I was puking. And now I'm sitting here on Friday, wondering if I should even try. I have school work surrounding me, thoughts of quiet time plaguing my brain, and homeschooling to finish up. I'm almost done my psychology class and should probably start writing that research paper.

Anyway, this isn't going to be all about my school work... how boring would that be! Last Saturday a few most of my friends came over for our monthly Disney movie night! This month, since it was close to Valentine's day, we watched Lady & the Tramp and Enchanted. Well... some of us watched Lady & the Tramp, most of us slept through it... oops!

 

For dinner, we had an awkwardly lovely candle light dinner with spaghetti, garlic bread, and all of that fun stuff. Then, for dessert we had brownies & icecream. We were too stuffed to eat the goldfish and chips with onion dip!

Of course, Sunday we made sure to go to Plato's Closet and go get frozen yogurt (froyo, yogo, berry creamy, whatever you wish to call it). We also made sure to pack up our onion dip, chips, and goldfish and we ate them in the car! Oh, and by the way... I got a J.Crew sweater/hoodie for $14... say whaaaa??

 

 

Disney movie nights have been the thing to look forward to every month! I love hanging out with my friends and looking back at the memories from each month.

 

~ Jessica



 

 

So many cookies, so little time

Has it only been one week or two since I've been on here??  I don't even know, honest...it feels like a looong time friends!!!  Three weeks ago I played around with the idea of offering sugar cookies for sale.  We make them for our family at the holidays and have offered them for fundraising needs.  They are usually a big hit!!  I was asked to make them for an engagement party in December and so I guess I'm making a name for myself and my cookies!!! 

I no sooner got the thought out of my mind and off of my lips and there was a message requesting 3 dozen valentine's day cookies for the following week!!  So, I figured what the heck??!!  Well 24 dozen cookies later, I think I am comatose!!!  I've been sitting on a stool in the corner of my kitchen, nestled againts the counter and cabinets making delicate little heart shaped cookies for the past five days!!!  It pretty much took over my life!!!  It was crazy!  It was exhausting!  It was time consuming and it was so. much. FUN!!!!

I am glad that I decided to keep the ugly 1970's credenza in my kitchen!!  It has served me well in this monster baking endeavor!!!!  Thanks Jessica for the idea of clearing it off and lining them up!!  It was perfect!!

 

I was able to bring over a dozen at a time to the counter to decorate them.  I only had one decorator bag, so this took more time than it should have!  I had made 4 different colors to decorate with and had to either empty and clean the bag multiple times or have the forsight to know what I wanted to do on dozens of cookies so that I could use it up before starting over!

 

 

I am so thankful for Pinterest for all of the great ideas!!  Some I copied exactly and some I came up with on my own!  I definitely had a blast being creative, it felt like I was doodling, which I love to do!!

 

I could drown this post with pictures of cookies!!!  Different styles, stages, locations, packaging, etc.  I really want to, but I'll spare you!!! I need to look into packaging ideas that are cost effective.  I have typically used aluminum pans that can be thrown away.  The dollar store had these great tupperware-ish containers that I decided to use for the bulk of the orders.  They worked really well, but looked impractical!!

 

Here is the first batch of cookies, packaged and ready to go!!  This was my staging area for completed orders!!  See the containers on the left?  Those are the dollar store ones, they're great!!

Just when I thought I was finished and had cleaned up, I got a few more orders!!!  LOL, I joke about not wanting to go back into the kitchen, but I am truly am thankful for each and every order! 

 

I decided to use these cute paper punches to keep track of my orders!!  Hey, if it can be done in a cute way, I'm alllll about it!!!!!

 

After completing all of the orders (I have one dozen that needs to be delivered today), I had to go back to the kitchen and make a birthday cake for my lil Valentine!!!!  My Joe turned 13 yesterday!!!  It truly feels like yesterday that he came into this world!!  He's such a great kid, thoughtful, quiet, creative.....its been amazing watching him grow over the years and we're excited to see what the next few years bring for him!!!

 

 

 

I also threw together a little Valentine's Day fun for my love bugs!!!  I seriously mean "threw"!!!  I don't typically pull off Valentine's Day anything because of the birthday, but I've been feeling really inspired to take that day back and do "something" fun and special!! With the fact that I've literally been in the kitchen from morning til night for five days straight, I knew I couldn't do a whole lot and I didn't have any money to spend towards it, so I had to work with what I had.....not a whole lot!!

 

 

Luckily, you don't need a whole lot to be inspired and move forward!!!  So I gathered what ideas I came up with and just asked God to help me make it happen.  Typically when I get something in my head, I don't give up until I make it happen....I was sure that this was going to kick in for my surprise!!  A friend from church had given me a bag of wooden painted hearts, they've been in the garage for a few months.  I decided to have the kids paint them for me (heh heh heh) in chalkboard paint...they'd be the perfect little charger!!! 

 

Next, I knew I had some old Starbucks bottles on hand and thought it'd be cute to fill them with chocolate and strawberry milk.  I had just picked up some new red mugs from the dollar store and decided to make cake in a cup for them!!  I also had some small heart cookies left over, picked up the traditional "SweetHearts" for them and threw a few strawberry wafer cookies in the mix!!

 

I could have done so much more, and I'm not lying when I say that I am still fighting the urge to be discontent!  Some things die slowly.  The funny thing is, no one likes strawberry wafer cookies!!  The buttercream icing on the cakes was too sweet and gave them tummy aches, so they barely touched them.....they did drink their milk though!!!  That was a score.  I was highly disappointed in the response to this little shin dig.....the enemy knows my weak spots.  It's not pin worthy, it's barely blog worthy, but ya know what?  I don't care!!  I don't.  I could have done nothing at all, I could have used the excuse that I didn't have the time (I barely had the time) or that it wasn't important in the first place. 

But God gave me the desire, He gave me the means and He helped me make it happen.  I know that they enjoyed the treat, even if it didn't look like it.  I have to remember that what I do, I do for the Lord and not for man (or children) anyway.  I want to be obedient and pleasing to my Heavenly Father, and so I'm content.

I know that He delights in me, that I make Him smile when I am serving Him.  He is my sunshine and I am His <3  And that's all I need!!  I love the chalkboard hearts, I don't know where I'll use them after this, but I can't wait to see what we come up with!!! 

We moved on with our day, had french toast and bacon for dinner as per the birthday boys request!  He loved his little Creeper cake!!  He loved his gifts and he was surrounded with the people who love him the most!!  Isn't that what it's all about?  Knowing that you're loved, being surrounded with people who love you and falling into bed at the end of the day knowing you did a job well done!!

So I actually have to get back to the kitchen :/  I need to make some brownies.  Joe is have a friend or two over to hang out tonight and he's requested baked goods!!!  So back I go....to the one place that I typically spend very little time!!!!  If you need me you know where to find me!!!! 

Happy Friday friends!!  I pray you have a blessed weekend!!  Ours is packed with activity, as usual, but I wouldn't trade it for anything!!!!!

God Bless <3 Lorraine