To Pray for Shoes

If you know me at all, you know that "thrifty" could have been a perfect middle name for me.  I'm all about saving money any way possible.  So, I shop with coupons, and I'm the first in line at garage sales and know when even the Goodwill is having a sale. 

I have always loved to stretch my dollar, and then to discover how much I saved!  I have never been much of a spender, but in the past year, God has really taught me the importance of spending my money wisely.  Any money that God allows to come into this family is His.  He is entrusting me with it, to make wise decisions and to use it in a way that is pleasing to Him.  For me, I feel like one of those ways is to use coupons, and to buy toys, clothes, and books for our daughter at garage sales and thrift stores.  I still love the good deals, but it is even sweeter to me knowing that God is pleased when He sees our effort to spend our money wisely.

It seems like overnight, but Mackenzie's lil' feet hit a growth spurt, so we were in need of some new shoes for her.  So I began to pray that God would allow us to find some at a really good price.  I could honestly care less about the brand name, just wanted something to cover and support her feet : ) Last night, we went to Goodwill to look and we found 2 pairs of shoes! We were so excited about the Lord answering our prayer! We were also surprised to find a pair of "nike brand" shoes! We prayed for shoes and God gave us Nikes!?!?! So cool! God is always good and like Ephesians 3 says, "He is able to do far more than all we ask or imagine!"

Easter!

We had such a wonderful weekend! Lots of family time! But mostly importantly, we got to spend time rejoicing about the 'gift' that Christ gave us! We are so thankful for Christ's death and resurrection! We loved getting to celebrate with the Body of Christ!

This was our first family Easter! This time last year, I was pregnant, huge, and ready to have my baby girl here! This Easter, I got to give her lots of hugs and kisses and dress her in an Easter dress : )  She ended up hating her dress because it got in her way when she was crawling.  So we snapped a few pictures after church then quickly changed her to put her out of her misery : )

This is one of Mackenzie's cousins.  They are partners in crime : ) I love this picture of them!

Girl's Night In!

Tonight Dan is attending his friend's bachelor party.  Dan is one of the groomsmen in the wedding at the end of April.  The groom has been a life long friend of Dan's.  He currently is serving as a youth pastor in northern Ohio.

While the guys are getting their fill of pizza and wings, I figured Kenzie and I would have a little girl's night in! : ) In preparation for our night we went on a walk to the grocery store to pick up some of Kenzie's favorite foods.  She loves watermelon, mango, and string cheese.  So that was dinner for her.  I tried to sneak in a few peas but she is too smart! : )

We had fun playing together and eating our "special dinner" (I had a pasta dish, not just finger food haha) But we do miss Dan.  Kenzie and I are so blessed to have Dan/ Daddy in our life.  He is a wonderful and godly man.  We thank the Lord for Him everyday!

Hope you had a great friday evening as well!  

Etsy Sale!!!

EVERYTHING in my Etsy shop,  Stitched In Love  in on SALE on Monday, April 11th, 2011!!!! Just enter the coupon code, "MONDAY15" at the checkout to get 15% off of your purchase!!!

Self Worth

The well-known company, "Dove" has recently come out with a commercial promoting their products.  The commercial typically features a celebrity telling their story.  At the end of the commercial the celebrity states Dove's new slogan, "I am {filling in the celeb's name} and I am comfortable in my own skin".

This commercial has got me thinking, and If truth be told, we all know that at some time in our lives we have not felt "comfortable in our own skin".  And if that celebrity were to be brutally honest with themselves, I guarantee they would say the same thing.

Self worth is a huge issue among our society, and perhaps even more prominent among women.  We desire to be loved, accepted, successful, and simply know we are worth something to someone.  We often look to jobs, relationships, extra-curricular activities, kids, etc. to fill that hole of self worth.

The reality is, none of those can actually fill that void.  You see, in Christ we have the ultimate love and acceptance. It's like no other.  If you are His, then you are loved and accepted by the Most High God and that is more than anyone or any earthly thing could ever offer.

Like the rest of the human race, self worth and acceptance is something I have battled all my life.  My foundation for life is built upon Christ, but when I struggle is when my focus shifts off of Christ and onto meaningless things. 

Christ is the my everything.  All I could ever need or want is found solely in Him.

Are you comfortable in your own skin?

Busy

For the past week Dan has been on spring break.  Which we have absolutely loved! It was great to have some time together as a family.  We did a lot of traveling so it seemed to go too fast, and made for a few sad faces this morning... but only 2 months until summer break! : )

Since we have been gone for the better part of a week, I have not had a lot of time to dedicate to my Etsy Shop, Stitched In Love but I am looking forward to getting back into it this week! I have lots of ideas in my mind, just need to work them out on my sewing machine : )  Have a happy monday!

Spring : )

I LOVE warm weather! If it weren't for both my husband and I's families being in the midwest, I think we would be tempted to move south! Spring is always like a "fresh start" in my mind.  No matter how harsh the winter was, the promise of spring and warm sunny days are ahead.  It reminds me of God's faithfulness.  No matter what life brings, God is always in control.  There will be harsh days or periods of life, but God never leaves us during those times and He is always faithful to bring us through it.

It hit 65 degrees this week, so without a second thought, Kenzie and I took several walks and went to the playground! Kenzie loves being pushed in the swing.  She is a very busy girl... always moving about.  She always has been, even when I was pregnant with her : ) But when she is swinging, she is just so content to sit there and take it all in.  Here is a picture I took.  I love this one!