Kenya Dig It!!!

I'm thrilled to tell you I have an opportunity
to share Life this summer in Kenya with
a group from my church, Bridgeway.

We will be working with a nonprofit organization
called Maisha - it means LIFE!
Maisha was started by the lovely Beatrice Williamson.

Maisha is "committed to bringing hope to the hopeless
and light to the darkness." They minister to orphans, widows
& those living with HIV/AIDS.

We will leave July 12th and return July 22nd

While our team is there we will partner with Maisha
in feeding orphans & widows, organize a soccer camp,
minister to people who are HIV-positive and
help with construction projects.

There is nothing more exciting to me than
living out the scriptures ~
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure
and faultless is this: to look after orphans
and widows in their distress and to keep
oneself from being polluted by the world."
~James 1:27~

What an incredible opportunity we have as followers of
Christ...He allows US to care for those in need,
to be His hands and feet,
to take part in His plan,
to make His name know among the nations....
WHAT A PRIVILEGE!!!

I know not everyone is called to go on the mission field
but I do know that we are all able to make a difference.

God uses each one of us in unique ways to reach the nations.
Some go, some pray & some send...all very vital roles
in helping God's Kingdom come.

With that said...I ask for prayer
prayer as we prepare to go

prayer for my heart...that I would
hear God's voice & have eyes to see what
the Holy Spirit wants me to see,
wisdom in how to minister to each person
I come in contact with.

prayer for protection from any attacks
the enemy may have planned...in the
past he's physically tried to take me out
at the knees.

prayer as I raise support...
total cost of this trip is ranging between
$3100-$3900 depending on the flights
This will cover flight, transportation on ground,
food on sight, lodging & project costs.

I have to have $1700 by April 1st
and the rest by June 3rd

God has ALWAYS been faithful to provide for me
through the generous hearts of people He's placed
in my life and I'm continually blown away
each time He does it!

If you would like to support me leave a comment
with your e-mail address and I'll send you details.

I look forward to posting updates during this fundraising process
and once I return from the trip...I'm sure you'll see TONS
of pics :-)

Thank you in advance for your prayers!

I'm also selling Maisha t-shirts for $25, proceeds
go towards my trip. They are black t-shirts with
this gorgeous design.


If you would like one...please leave me a comment
with your e-mail & I'll give you the information
on how you can get one

~

"and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your
light will rise in the darkness, and your night
will become like the noonday."
~Isaiah 58:10~

Minted & a $25 Credit...

I'm a journal freak...
I have to literally talk myself out
of purchasing one any time
I'm at a book store
or in the stationery aisle
at Target

Step away from the journals, Alecia...
step away from the journals.

Well, my favorite blogger, Paige,
from Simple Thoughts posted
about these gorgeous journals
from Minted

And if it wasn't enough that they're
stinkin' cute...you can personalize them!

AND...If you sign up with them
through the link I've posted
you get an instant $25 credit on your
purchase of $30 or more!!!

Soooo...I COULDN'T pass this by!

At $16 a journal...it's a great deal

Take a look...these are wonderful gift ideas...
and with Valentine's Day & Easter coming up
who isn't in need of ideas!

Lovin' this Chair

This gorgeous chair was featured on one of my favorite blogs, abode love.

I loved it so much, I HAD to post about it...
Isn't she pretty...such character!

I have a feeling, with my love of design & Pinterest...
you may see more posts from me!

Grafton Chair, Flora Dora

Laurel-Dawn is an incredibly talented designer and
I think you'll enjoy her blog...check her out!

She not only posts beautiful stuff but she's funny too.

Beautiful Sunday Afternoon with This Lovely Fam!

My dear friend asked me to come out and shoot
a few pics of her family....
they had a mix up with their photographer...
sad for them but great for me!

I love any chance I can to get behind the camera
and practice.

They are a sweet family, very dear to my heart...
their girls are just PRECIOUS!

Grace Flows Down...

"...as I go, I comfort myself with the thought that when I come

to the gate of the City, the Ruler of the City will easily

recognize me since I have this coat on my back—

a coat He freely gave me the day He stripped me of my rags"

~ Pilgrim's Progress ~

Sorry I'm so late in posting my follow up to the previous post.

I had a WONDERFUL trip to visit my family.

If you recall...God heavily put it on my heart

to confess my sin to those I've hurt over the years

and ask their forgiveness.

That's a VERY humbling thing but I was eager

and excited to share what God had revealed to me

and to get everything off my chest...it was a burden

I had carried around for far too long.

Also, the freedom I was feeling from all that

God had revealed and worked out in me

the weeks leading up to this moment

was overwhelming...in a good way!

So, I arrived Saturday afternoon and

realized if I had arrived a few minutes later

I would've missed the chance to talk to my Step-Dad

since he was leaving to spend the weekend

with his mom & brothers.

A little history on our relationship....

My SD came into my life 21 years ago

at a very difficult time and

for that I've harbored resentment

and anger in my heart toward him.

Now...never mind that my SD was nothing but

sweet, loving, kind and would do ANYTHING

for me...I couldn't get past my own hurt

to receive that love.

When I sat down to tell him what God

had revealed, confess my sin, apologize and

ask for his forgiveness, I was FLOORED

with his gentle spirit, loving words

and GRACE that was extended to me.

I certainly didn't deserve it but he was very

quick to give it....much like my Heavenly Father!

The next day I was throwing a baby shower

with my mom for my brother's girlfriend.

A little history there, she's been around

the family for over eight years and

through a series of events I lost all

respect for her for some decisions

she made in her life that I disagreed with.

Like any normal person not walking

around in blatant sin...

you would just agree to disagree and move on...

clearly, that was not the case with me!

I was walking around in judgment toward her

and, you know...that makes everything better!

Not so much...I can honestly say I've spent

the last eight years ignoring her...to the point

that I couldn't even LOOK at her.

Imagine family birthdays & holidays with

that awkwardness.

Well, before the shower started, I was eager

to confess my sin to her and ask her forgiveness.

She was very understanding of why I may have acted

the way I did but I quickly explained there is

no excuse for my behavior.

I was not loving her as Christ would love her.

She, too, quickly and kindly

extended grace to me.

It's humbling to sit here and right this...to confess to

you all just how ugly & deep this sin in my life was

and that I let it go on for YEARS!

But, praise God, my story doesn't end there.

As I drove back to OKC I reflected on what just happened

that weekend.

Both of these people, whom I had NOT loved well

over the years, whom I had not shown the love

and grace of Christ that was so freely given to me,

just POURED out grace to me.

I was humbled by their kindness and even more humbled

by God's kindness. I've done nothing to deserve it...

but grace has been given to me...

it's not the first time & it won't be the last!

Thank you Lord for stripping me of my rags and

placing a coat of grace on my back....

May I be mindful of this and quick to extend grace to others.

Blind to Sin....

The following quote sums up what the
Lord has been teaching me the past few weeks:

“Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating.
By judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil
and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are.”

~Dietrich Bonhoeffer~

Man...I couldn't have said it any better myself, Mr. Bonhoeffer!

I'm in a Bible study at church called

Freedom in Christ...

I took this class back in the spring

and I'm co-leading one of the

groups this fall....

I learned sooo much last time

and God is faithful, as usual, to

continue pruning me and making me

in His image...as I sit in The Fire.

Two weeks ago the lesson was on Forgiveness...

this is by FAR my favorite lesson in the entire course.

It's such a powerful night for all involved...

it's a night where we go and sit on our own

and work through repenting of our sin

then on paper writing out everything we would ever

want to say to the people that have hurt us...

then giving it back to the Lord and saying...

I forgive you to that person that hurt you.
Once we're finished we put it through the shredder
never to think about it again.

God had been working on me for a couple of weeks
prior to this lesson.

As I sat there listening to the two women give their
testimonies of how they've forgiven...I sat there
with tears streaming down my face and I couldn't
wait to get to the exercise...I was ready to spill
my guts and forgive the person
God had put on my heart...
which led to two others I needed to forgive as well.

I sat down with my pen and paper and began writing...
as the words appeared on the paper
God gently revealed to me how I had been blind
to my own sin....
how I've spent YEARS judging each one of these
precious people in my life...
harboring ill feelings and anger toward them...
it had gotten so bad I could hardly look
them in the face...
the worst thing about all this is that I was so
deep in my sin that I couldn't even see how I
was wrong or how I was hurting them.

God graciously softened my heart for this very moment...
to reveal my sin and change my heart toward
each one of these people.

He's also given me the heart to sit down
with each one of them
and confess my sin.
If you think about it...say a prayer...
I'll be doing that this weekend.

I can't WAIT to see them, love them and extend
the same grace & forgiveness that
Christ so graciously extended to me.
I pray through this, they will see
Christ's work in me and receive His love
through me...
To God be the Glory...
Great things He has done!!!

My Long Awaited & Over Due Bedroom Redesign

It all started back in December of last year...I came across this lovely picture.

Within a half an hour I had an entire bedroom redesigned in my mind!
The gray, the white, the pop of yellow...I LOVED IT ALL!

I was now on the hunt for the perfect wall color...
the bedding...
the accent lamp...
the fabric for my curtains &
tufted headboard (yes, with the help of my
amazing family...we MADE the headboard!)
Thanks to this wonderful tutorial you can find here.
It was very helpful and
it is 27 pages
of step-by-step goodness!

This was a work in progress
over the next few months
gathering things as
my budget allowed,
waiting for bedding to go on sale,
finding great deals at flea markets,
waiting for the ever failthful
40% off coupon from
Hobby Lobby,
looking for just the right color
and fabric for the
Tufted Beauty.

In July, thanks to friends & family
We made it happen...
Let the fun begin!

Here are the before pictures....
The dark green was killing me...
never mind the fact that I've had the same
comforter set since 2001! Don't get me wrong,
it's a great set that I got at Dillard's and enjoyed the
years of mix matching sheets...but it was time to
MOVE ON!

(I didn't think about before pictures until we
were literally in the process of moving stuff)

The cute desk I purchased with the money I got
for my birthday (Yay for still getting birthday money)
It was only $89 and I found it a really cute
Antique Market here in Oklahoma City
called The Rink Gallery
It's a really fun place and on Sunday's
they have Live Music and Free Refreshments
while you shop!

OK...you get the picture...
This room needed HELP!

Currently, I rent a home with a couple of friends.
I knew I had to get approval from the landlord
to paint.

I sent them my top three and they happened to pick
my favorite color!
Martha Stewart Sharkey Gray- You can find
it at your local Home Depot
Painting the room, alone, made a HUGE difference!
With the help of my sweet roomie...
we had the room painted in a matter
of a few hours one Sunday evening.

My very talented Graphics Designer friend
Amanda came & spent 2.5 hours drawing
the outline and button placement
for the headboard...
what a blessing & what a sweet friend!
I don't work well with numbers...
without her help, it would've been a disaster,
I'm sure of it.

Thanks friend!

My wonderful grandparents drove from
Tulsa to help me make it all happen...
They are very talented and AMAZING!

I had the wonderful task of making
each button

My grandma is an incredibly talented seamstress...
She, along with the help of my great grandmother,
made my curtains, shower curtain
and a couple of accent pillows.
They spent over 100 hours in between
the 2 Saturdays sewing!!
That is LOVE.

Now for the after pictures!
I'm very pleased with how it all turned out.
We did this in 1.5 Saturdays
It's still a work in progress...
I'm waiting for my rug to go on sale
and I'll be painting my nightstand. I'll
post pics once I have that completed.

I was inspired by Kasey Buick's lovely
gallery wall over at Lola B's
It's not as grand as hers
but I worked with
the space I had and am pleased
with it.

Cleaned up the dresser, put ball caps
where they go, on a hook in the closet
and got rid of the clutter.

I had to add a crown to the room...
I LOVE crowns...
I AM a daughter of the King
after all :-)

Here's a close up of the curtains



My sweet & talented blog friend Paige
over at Simple Thoughts
took this picture.

BONUS...We had extra material
and my grandma made this
Anthropologie inspired shower
curtain for me!

You can see all of my inspiration and
details on where I purchased everything
on my Pinterest.

Cove & Grey: Villa Tre Ville

A favorite blog of mine just posted about the most gorgeous house she found in Architectural Digest....it was too good not to share....Enjoy!

Cove & Grey: Villa Tre Ville: "I am loving all the homes featured in this months Architectural Digest. One really jumped out at me...it feels so crisp and relaxing. gor..."

True Love.....

In my quiet time this week I'm reading through
the events leading up to Christ's Crucifixion and Resurrection...

In Luke 23:4 it says,
'Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds,
"I find no guilt in this man."'

I couldn't get over this verse.
I've read it numerous times in my life
but it really stuck out to me this morning.

Christ was GUILTLESS.
Here is the man who LOVED...
He loved so much He was willing to
leave His throne and the Father,
to walk the Earth in the flesh and
take on the sin and shame that belonged to
everyone BUT Him!
He died a sinners death on the cross...
But...it doesn't end there!!!
HE ROSE FROM THE DEAD!

SO that,
we wouldn't have to pay the penalty for our sins...
I don't have to pay the penalty...
which is DEATH & separation from Him for
eternity!

Romans 3:23
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

This just points out WE are NOT Guiltless.
I fall short EVERYDAY!
But by the grace of God, I have a savior
who paid the price for my sin
and because of that...
I don't have to be
separated from
Him!

For God so loved the WORLD (my emphasis)
that He gave His only Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish
but have eternal life.
John 3:16

I put the emphasis on World here because
He came for ALL.

For Christ [the Messiah Himself] died for sins once for all,
the Righteous for the unrighteous
(the Just for the unjust, the Innocent for the guilty),
that He might bring us to God.
In His human body He was put to death,
but He was made alive in the spirit,
1 Peter 3:18 (Amplified)


If you don't know Christ as
your Lord & Savior
You can...
He did this for YOU!!

What does it look like to receive
Christ YOUR Savior?

I was involved in Campus Crusade for Christ
They have a wonderful tool
The 4 Spiritual Laws
I've used some of that information below
I've linked it above if you would like
to read more.


We must believe in Him

because, if you confess with your mouth
that Jesus is Lord and believe
in your heart that God raised him
from the dead,
you will be saved.
Romans 10:9

We must Receive Him

John 1:12
As many as received Him,
to them He gave the right to become
children of God, even to those
who believe in His name.

Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith.
And this is not your own doing;
it is the gift of God,
not a result of works,
so that no one may boast.

The only thing in this process that is left up to us
is the invitation to let Christ in

Behold, I stand at the door and knock.
If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,
I will come in to him and eat with him,
and he with me.
Revelation 3:20

If these words are speaking to you,
my prayer is that you will
invite
Him
in!

Lord Jesus, I need you. Thank You for
dying on the cross for my sins.
I open the door of my life adn receive You as
my Savior and Lord.
Thank you for forgiving my sins
and giving me eternal life.
Take control of the throne of my life.
Make me the kind of person You want me to be.
In Jesus name, Amen

If you prayed that prayer, Christ in in your life!
What an amazing Easter this will be for you!

There is more information
here
If you prefer to talk to someone
Please feel free to contact me!

I leave you with a beautiful song by
Phil Wickham
True Love

Blog Redesign

Thanks to my sweet friend Christa over at One Cheap Mama I was inspired....

I wanted to redesign my blog....

I've been in the mood to redesign a LOT these days!

I found my new blog background and header over at

The Background Fairy

as suggested by Christa.

What's great about The Background Fairy....

she has TONS of designs to choose from

as well as step-by-step instructions

for how to apply them to your blog...

This is PERFECT for the

technologically challenged

like myself!

I also added a few of my favorite blogs

to my MUST VISIT section...

check them out...you will NOT be disappointed!

Hope you get inspired...

Now if ONLY my bedroom redesign

could go this fast!!!