Are you Content?

Well, It's been over a month since I've written...My computer has been down UGH!!!! I finally found a dusty old laptop that we had put away and pulled it out because I needed to write some thoughts!

I stumbled across this free ebook for Kindle this week and decided I needed to grab it!
You see, I struggle with Anxiety and Panic Attacks. It is under control but something I deal with from time to time. After reading the first chapter, I decided I wanted to share some things I took away from it!


Am I content? Well of course, I am so blessed with a wonderful husband, 3 healthy children, a house, clothes, food.....but DEEP DOWN do I wish for more? A bigger house? more clothes? the newest technology? to be skinny? the list could go on and on...you see, I don't know that I'm truly content. I WANT to be content with all the God's blessed me with but how?

From Calm My Anxious Heart, by Linda Dillow

Contentment begins with an Eternal Perspective

• When we have God's perspecitve, we view our lives and evaluate what is important from HIS viewpoint

Contentment happens on the Inside

Most of us base our contentment (including ME) on our circumstances, on our feelings, or on other people. However, true contentment is separate from our circumstances. Contentment is a state of the heart, not a state of affairs.

The apostle Paul an amazing statement in the book of Phillipians:

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:11-13)

Paul's life was anything but perfect and controlled, yet he said he had LEARNED to be content...

Can we learn to be content? if so, HOW?

Phil. 4:13 "I am able to face anything by the one who makes me able" another translation

I am strong for all things in the ONE who constanly infuses strength in me

At ALL times, in ALL circumstances, Christ is able and willing to provide the strenth we need to be content

HOW??? He infuses contentment into us through His Word. As it seeps into our minds, it transforms us. Just as a cup of tea gets stronger when it give it time to seep, so we become more content when we spend time in God's Word and allow it to seep into our lives, transforming us to be like Him!

I'll leave you with the words of wisdom of a Missionary (found in her diary)

*Never allow yourself to complain about anything--not even the weather

*Never picture yourself in any other circumstance or someplace else

*Never compare your lot with another's

*Never allow yourself to wish this or that had been otherwise

*Never dwell on tomorrow--remember that tomorrow is God's not ours

WOW! Her secret was that her eyes were fixed on eternity. Her tomorrow belonged to God. She had given them to Him. And because all her tomorrows were nestled in God's strong arms, she was free to live today. One day at a time she could make the right choices and grow to possess the holy habit of contentment.

Can I be invited to this Party???

Can We say YES PLEASE??? Look at this centerpiece! Love how they etched the Monogram in the Hurricane...And to fill it with Chocolate around the Roses? How adorable. To keep the roses fresh, they place a smaller glass jar inside with water and fill the outside around it with the candy!

What would you do if your Honey walked in holding this beautiful bouquet? I would be in LOVE all over again! Carnations never excited me but in this gorgeous urn and precious bow I think I could learn to really like them!

The brown satin ribbon tied around the glass dress me up plate really brings it all together...And do you see the little ramekin sitting on a Hershey Bar? Please can I be invited???

LOVE is in the air....or at least on the TABLE!!

Until Next time..."Sweet Dreams"

Thanks Willow House for the Inspiration!!

I Linked this post with Beth@The Stories of A 2 Z.

Mantel 101

MANTEL 101:

Have I told you how much I LOVE my company! Willow House has beautiful products and at great prices...So many benefits that I can't put all in one post so I will just share a little here and there...One I love is the RESOURCES they give the consultants! I am going to share a little of that with you today!

A Mantle is a natural focus point for a room, but its slim profile can be intimidating. A few handy tricks can help you feel comfortable with tackling this area and tying your room together.

1. Start with a clean slate. Take everything off the mantle

2. Be Inspired. Pull a collection of decorative items from throughout your home and put them in the floor in front of the mantle....be sure to choose items that coordinate with the color palette you've established in your room. Pay attention to how the pieces play off each other and experiment with grouping them in different ways.

3. Get Centered. Choose your center focal piece. It can be a great mirror, a favorite piece of art, or it can be two interesting pieces put together to create one dynamic show-stopping piece (like our clock and window pane above)

4. Work Inside to Outside. From your focal point, work outward, much like you would when setting a table...with the largest item in the middle, use scale and proportion to gradually bring the eye down on each side. Try using matching pieces (like our sconces above) to emphasize the symmetry of the mantelscape.

5. Add personality. Introduce color, texture and seasonal touches. Take your cues from your color palette when determining accent colors for your mantel.

Thanks WILLOW HOUSE for such great resources...I love sharing all the ideas and products.
Speaking of products....

Jen @ Tatertots and Jello
is hosting a $50 Willow House Giveaway for me...Go check it out!

Baby Girl's Room & Closet Clean Up!

I Can't believe I had let her room get this bad....and she's ONLY 4 months old! She had still been sleeping in the bassinet in our room and I had to begun to pile clean clothes in there, along with all the clothes she has already outgrown with other random stuff! Her room had become a "junk room"....Well, I was SO excited to see that Tracy @ beneathmyheart.net was having an Organizing your Heart and Home party through the month of January! I needed a little incentive and accountability to start getting my house back in order after a new baby and the holidays! So here are some Before pictures....

****Apology....these pics were taken with my phone (my camera was misplaced at this time) so excuse the bad photos but it gives you an idea of how bad it was! LOL

Yes, that is her changing table...Could you change a diaper here? NO!!!! This had become the place we were placing all the clean clothes instead of putting them UP!! Do you do that? Is it Laziness or what? Who knows!
Here is her closet before...again bad picture but you get the idea, just stuff thrown in there
AWWW...The clothes are now hung up! The trash is cleaned out...looks a little better. My goal is to get cute baskets for the shelves but no extra money right now = working with what you got!
I think Baby Girl is happy with her new CLEAN room...she can actually sleep in her OWN bed and get her diaper changed on the table that was designed for that!
My walls were still bare so I rounded up some picture frames and scrapbook paper...hot glued some ribbon the the back and viola! Looks SO much better than an empty wall! Again...Had to work with what I had...but I think it actually WORKED!
I also didn't have anything on the wall above her changing table so I hung this up to hold her cute bows/flowers and headbands...and the next is just to prove NO clothes!

The next pics are just of her room....Now that it's clean and organized I think it's pretty adorable...Of course I'm a little biased! Now off to go organize MORE...

"How do you eat an elephant?" my husband always asks me when I am feeling overwhelmed....I always respond "One bite at a time"....So, hopefully I'll have a productive weekend and be back to Tracy's party before Sunday...Until next time!

Looks for Less!!!

Here are just a few examples of how you can have the Look for Less in your home!

LANTERNS

They are great statement pieces. They look beautiful alone, as a centerpiece on a table, welcoming your guests at your front door, around your fireplace...the ideas are endless! Lanterns are popular items in the decorative world right now!

Willow House Bradford Lattice Lanterns (set of 2) $145.96 compared to Pottery Barn Park Hill Window Pane Lantern (medium and large) $258....Savings of over $100!!!

LARGE VASES

Another great statement piece...The colors of these vases are earthly greens and blues, fantastic for large leaves, flowers or branches or just stand-alone pieces!

Willow House Lady Jane Bottleneck Vases $49.96-79.96 compared to Pottery Barn Found Oversized Wine Bottles $99-$279....Savings of $50-$200!!

Hurricanes

Hurricanes are classic! They come in many shapes and sizes. I LOVE to use them seasonally by changing out what is inside them {from ornaments or cranberries at Christmas, Easter eggs for Spring, Candy Corns for Halloween and pumpkins and gourds for Fall}

In addition, they are beautiful vases for fresh flowers or for candlelit centerpieces...Everyone needs a few Hurricanes!

Willow House Hemingway Hurricane $34.96 compared to Williams Sonoma Classic Glass Hurricane $68....savings of $33

Decorative Clocks

These clocks are great to bring your style to your walls (and a functional piece as well). Both of these clocks are 18" in diameter and are similar in style...

Willow House Marisol Clock $89.96 compared to Ballard Designs Sheffield Clock $129....Savings of $39

Firescreens

Both of these firescreens have clean, classic lines that will work with any decor.

Every Fireplace needs one...of course it's functional but adds an added sense of warmth to the room along with a decorative touch!

Willow House Cordova Firescreen $99.96 compared to Pottery Barn Triple Screen Fireplace collection $199...Savings of $100
In addition to getting these looks for less with Willow House you can get these looks for FREE and deeply discounted! January is Double Hostess month (meaning you earn twice amount of FREE items). There is NO better time to host...Re-decorate your homes after the holidays with our GORGEOUS new catalog! I'd love to help you do just that! Email me and I'll give you more information!

Until next time.....

furniture redo

This is my most favorite piece of furniture in my whole house! I love the worn, distressed look...it has a whole lot of character! However, I had let it become the collector of JUNK over the past year! Placed next to the kitchen table it just became a "catch all" over time. Well, I had had enough...since I'm in the process of moving things around after Christmas I decided to just clean this baby out and start from scratch! So here she is......

And here is just some of the random items that she has been holding...cookbooks, work stuff, my kiddos art work and YES ROCKS...I found 3 rocks on one of the shelves...
Back to the good stuff~ Look at the posts. It looks like an old porch post was cut in half and attached to both ends of the shelf. There is old paint still there...It gives it a great texture!
Here is another view of the shelves (just in case you crafty people in blog land want to try and recreate this beauty). It looks like beadboard paneling is attached to the back of the shelf.
I love the scalloped edges at the top as well....all in all a gorgeous piece! My mom had it as a display in a store she used to own and gave it to me when she sold the store...Thanks Mom~!!
So, after gathering items I already had around the house it is much more pleasing to the eye!

Spent nothing and got a FRESH, NEW look!

I am now in love with this beauty all over again!

*I linked this post @ThriftyDecorChik

New Beginnings!

Well...2011 is HERE! Really???? YES REALLY!!!

It just seems like yesterday we were getting out the Christmas decorations and now they are all put away....my house is NOT back in order but no signs of Christmas decor...My little boy was so sad to see it go! Well, with a new year comes new beginnings! A FRESH start! That's what we all need after the hustle and bustle of the holidays. So, once again I'll make my resolutions and hopefully keep them { for a few months anyway}

One of my favorite things to do each year is change out my Cary Collins calendar! I have gotten one of these the past several years...I LOVE THEM! Each month has a bible verse and a creative design by Cary. I keep mine in a frame in the kitchen and LOVE reading God's word every time I glance at it....These make great gifts (I get my mom one every year for her birthday) and she also has other great items as well! Check her out ...Speaking of God's word, I need MORE OF IT!! I pray that I put that top priority in my life this year. God has been SO good to our family and surprised us with some incredible blessings at the end of 2010....He never seems to amaze me...His unconditional LOVE, Grace and Mercy....His sovereignty...His plans for me...I could go on and on...all I know is that I want MORE!!
OK now things to accomplish this year: ORGANIZATION!!! Numero Uno on the list:

GARAGE...It is the winter months and my car can't even fit into the garage! Oh if I had a bunch of MONEY I would go spend it all at the Container Store! I will be sure to post before and after pictures...I'm hoping those pictures will be sooner than later! I also have many other home projects that I need to accomplish and you will hear about those later I am sure!
EXERCISE....I.MUST.GET.OFF.MY.BUTT!! After having baby #3 in August I think it's TIME! I am ready to get off this baby weight...I am So out of shape that I am gonna start Slow...just 10 minutes a day the commercial says! Hopefully I can increase that over time but surely I can start there! I actually did the 10 minute Cardio last night and let's say I can tell I did something! Tony Horton you better do me right! Maybe I'll graduate to P90X someday!
To help me in the fight to lose this extra weight, I am going to try Arbonne's Figure 8 system.

One of my dear friends is a consultant so Sarah, here I go! I have actually had the products for a couple of months just staring at them every time I go into the kitchen to find something to eat!!!

A couple of other sites that I will frequent are: Gina's Skinny Recipes (lots of great recipes) and DrAxe.com (lots of great articles and videos regarding health and well being). Well, I'm hoping that me posting these goals that It will hold me accountable! I am hopefully going on a cruise in June (one I'll earn with Willow House) and my hubby's 20 year class reunion is coming up...this should be motivation enough...right? I sure HOPE!!

Here is to 2011!!!