things i love #33

As you know, Mother's day is coming up. I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't looking forward to celebrating my first mother's day ever as a mommy. I am actually extremely excited about it. If you're needing some ideas for what to get one of the special women in your life, here's a little collection.

1 ceramic cellars / 2 owl spoon-rests

3 you're my favorite mom card / 4 you are my sunshine pillow / 5 pen and paint art print

And of course there are some adorable pouches HERE! :)

new-mom anxiety, or finding peace and joy (+ a printable)

– Download this printable here –

The opposite of joy is hopelessness & the opposite of peace is anxiety.

{In an effort to be more sincere on this blog, I want to start sharing more of the things that are on my heart, the good and the bad.}

Today I'm going to share with you one of my struggles: anxiety. Specifically, new-mom anxiety. I've always been a worrier, but since having a baby my worries have only magnified. Thoughts creep in when I'm drifting off to sleep, when I'm backing out of my drive-way, or when I leave Henry in his crib while I take a shower.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:4-8 (ESV)

The keyword in this is thanksgiving and the answer is to thank God when you make any and all of your requests. It is to say, no matter what I want, I would rather Your will be done and I am thankful that You are in control.

Tim Keller says, "Peace is confidence and trust in God's wise control of your life."

One of my aha-moments was when I heard Wayne Grudem's teaching of the doctrine of prayer, which helped me realize the key to trust. He said, "God delights in being trusted." I sat for several minutes just soaking that in. I urge you to soak that in, too. He loves it when we trust Him. When I thought about it from this new perspective: not about myself and what trust does for me, but about God and what it does for Him, it made it so much easier. And let me tell you, when you realize this and you truly begin to put your trust in Him, the peace is so, so sweet. 

I remind myself of this every time the anxieties start to creep back in. It's a growing process, but the difference in how I now respond to these feelings is remarkable. 

happy birthday, dad

This is a few weeks late...

Tyson turned 29 at the beginning of this month. (Only one year before the big 30!). He took the day off from work. We had a huge breakfast at Cracker Barrel, which has become a little birthday tradition in our little family. We hung out as a family for the rest of the day, lounging around the house and taking a walk at the park. It's amazing how our priorities have changed since we've had Henry.

Now more than ever, we prefer simplicity above all else. 

Once again, happy birthday Tyson –you're such an amazing husband and daddy.

inspiration from CS Lewis

As some of you know, and as the Huffington Post pointed out, this year marks the 50th Anniversary of C.S. Lewis' death. Since I read the article it inspired me to read through some of his quotes. He is just so darn quotable. Seriously, though, brilliant man. I highly recommend any of his books, but if you don't have time it is still beneficial to read some of his quotations.

“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance, the only thing it cannot be is moderately important.” ― C.S. Lewis

This is something that has only recently become real to me. And now it is the most real thing I've ever known.

I should really bring back my weekly words of wisdom. *writing that down* :)

things i love #32

I hope you're Tuesday is off to a good start. Here's a collection of some of my new Etsy favorites. 

#1 - Plush Fox Pillow / #2 Heart Shaped Bowl / #3 Yellow Cake Banner / #4 Yellow Heart Art Print / #5 Yellow Chevron Studs

currently

Remember that one night I stayed up long after my baby went to sleep and long past my bedtime reading @prodigalsam tweets and cry-laughing like a creep? Oh yeah. But seriously. If you share my humor, the kind that is a little off and dry, you should follow this guy on twitter. And you can follow me while you're at it. If you want.

I thought I'd do a little "currently" post of what I'm up to. :)

Reading:
The Most Misused Verses in the Bible

This book takes some of the most commonly quoted verses and explains them in their rightful context. I've learned that I misuse some of these verses. It's important to not just take a verse out of the bible and use it to fit our situations and desires. Context is super important.

I've actually been really interested in and reading a lot about theology lately (totally inspired by my husband—blame him ;).

Listening to:
A lot of podcasts (Tim Keller and Wayne Grudem to name a couple). And Iron and Wine on vinyl. Henry loooves watching the records spin.

Watching:
Tyson and I started watching Freaks and Geeks on Netflix. We're only a few episodes in, but I'm already bracing myself for the end. Why was only one season made?! :(

What have you been reading/listening to/watching lately? I'd love some recommendations.