good morning.

    
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vlog//girl behind the blog.

Yay! 

It's that time again.

The time that you get to listen to my southern accent.

The time to count all of my um's and uh's.

(nevermind, please don't. there's probably way too many to count anyways :)

The time to think of another spot to video so that your listeners don't get bored with the same spot every month....;D

Yeah, it's that time.

And I'm completely excited about it because.....

drum roll, please.....

we're talking about food this month.
(uh huh, got your attention didn't I, guys?)

Linking up with Ashley at 5ohwifey, here it goes.....

And now for the yummy Popcorn Cake recipe.



And, yes, I totally filmed this during Sunday afternoon nap time when all the fam jam was asleep...
oops.

                                                                     

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Just some bloggy stats:

Google Friend Connect Followers: 191

Instagram: 271

Pinterest: 120

Bloglovin': 19

Pageviews Last Month: 2,736

blog lovin'.

I have heard that the little followers gadget over there,

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

on my sidebar, is eventually being done away with.

So,

I am hopping on the blog lovin' wagon and enjoying the ride.

Want to enjoy it with me?

Click on the blog lovin' button under my profile picture

<<<<<<<

and enjoy the rest of my ride called life.

<3

made with the awesome app called Ddlcam.

beautiful.

 
                               
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Happy first day of spring everybody!

This weather is making me so happy.

Smile, your day is filled with great things. :)

My day will be filled with school, chiro appointment, cleaning my SUV, and Bible study at church tonight.

What are you doing the first day of spring?

(whoops, this post was totally supposed to post today, Wednesday March 20. Not yesterday, Tuesday the 19th. Today (Wednesday) is the first day of spring... ;)

Joyfully at Home: Chapter Eleven

Overcoming a False View of God's Sovereignty & Embracing the Bigger Picture

Jasmine Baucham shares:

"I desire to get married, so I know I will!"

"The Lord does not give us more than we can bear, and I am not wired for a life of singleness, so I will get married."

These sentiments have all been uttered to me at one point or another by young women who desire to get married. They have been uttered by sixteen-year-olds who are convinced that the Lord will send them a husband by their eighteenth birthday. They have been uttered by twenty-eight-year-olds who just know that the Lord would not have them to be single in their thirties. They have been uttered by young women in their thirties who have become embittered towards the Lord because He has not kept His promise to give them the desires of their hearts.

In so many ways, this issue is the crux of discontentment. This is why I worry when I see a young woman at the tender age of eighteen becoming despondent because no one has asked for her hand in marriage yet. She is worried that something is wrong with her, and that this silence will set the pattern for years to come. 

I worry for the girl ten years her senior, who has had men come and go, but does not think any of them have been the right man for her. She is wondering if she should settle for the next guy that asks her, because, let's face it, she's not getting any younger.

I worry for the girl who knows a young man that she would jump at the chance to marry, if only he would glance at her. She is turning down perfectly acceptable, godly young men because of the one guy whose attention she can't get, and she's perfectly convinced that God will send her the one she wants.

...I am not arguing that that godly young women will not have moments of battling with discontentment. 
But I am arguing that it should be a battle! So many of us have given up fighting. 
We have accepted discontentment as the status quo. 
And while I know that many of us receive encouragement from our mothers, fathers, and mentors, I want to offer a bit of encouragement as someone who doesn't "remember all to well" what it's like to be in that single season--she's still right there with you...


In so many ways, understanding this point is solving the root of our discontentment problem:
We don't truly trust in the Lord's sovereignty.
While it's easy to say, "I trust the Lord to bring me a husband in his sovereign timing," it's harder to live those words out--to live, day by day, joyfully trusting Him. And while we might pretend to hold our dreams in open palms instead of clenched fists, and our lips may be saying, "I trust the Lord's sovereign will," our hearts scream out at the possibility that His sovereign will may not include a spouse in the near future--or at all. We "trust God's sovereign will" on our own terms:
If He gives us what we want, He's a good and loving God; if what we want doesn't end up aligning with His will, we play the blame game.

And instead of turning to Him for comfort, we turn to a daydream.
Whether your dream proposal includes Dean Martin crooning Volare while you sail through Venice on a gondola or you're thinking you'd like to go the Hollywood route and get proposed to in the rain on your front porch, our desire for marriage becomes the seat of our emotions. 
Our every waking thought is directed towards someday, and we lose sight of today.
Worse, we lose sight of the Author of today.
And yet we still expect Him to satiate our longing for an idea that has become an idol.


Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Ps. 37:4

So many of us disregard the first part of that passage and cling hungrily to the second. "He will give me the desires of my heart!!" If I desire a husband, I'll get one, because husbands are good things, my God is a good God, my God is able, and He will not withhold my desires from me!
We completely miss the command in that promise:
delight yourself in the Lord.
Which entails placing our desires at the foot of the cross.
Which means placing our hope and trust solely in Him--squarely in His hands.
And when we trust the Lord with all of our hearts
(Prov. 3:5),
when we entrust our desires to Him, what we most wish for would be that 
His will be done, 
even if His will for us does not include marriage.
It's a lesson that we'll have to embrace throughout our lives, even if we get married tomorrow:
Truly trusting God's sovereignty means letting go of our plans in light of His will....

read more.

if you would have told me...

...this time last year that we would be running 5k's almost every weekend, I would have thought you to be nuts.

If you told me that we would run our first 10k on March 16, 2013, I would have really thought that to be crazy.

Welllll, ladies and gentlemen, we did it.

We ran our first 10k.

a 10k race

We wake up.

It's 5:30 a.m.

We don our running gear, throw on some make-up and straighten our hair 

(which will just be pulled back into a ponytail anyways :).

Eating a breakfast of peanut butter, banana, and a biscuit, we head out the door.

Daddy is along for the ride too--our greatest cheerleader.

Trying to point out legit reasons of getting up so early to run a 10k 

(yes, we thought we were crazy too), 

we pointed the blessings out...

the beautiful sunrise we were able to see

the food that awaited us at the end of the race (that was the sister's blessing ;P)

a nap that we would be able to enjoy later that day

Yes, blessings abounded.

We arrive at our destination.

Many runners are already there.

We are impressed that so many runners have showed to the Shamrock Shuffle.

We pin our numbers on and start our stretches.

We are ready.

running buddies

The horn buzzes and we're off.

We set our paces and pray that we'll make it the coming 6.2 miles.

(Note: Mom has run about 5 miles a few times at home, but the farthest run that the sister and I have ever done was maybe 4 miles when running at home. So, this was literally double what we were ever used to running.)

The first mile passes....the second....third....fourth....number five eventually passes.

By the time I got to the 6th mile I was pumped.

"I can do this! I'm actually doing this!!"

Trying not to get too excited and using up the little energy I had left, I kept my pace and kept running.

Mom and sister had already passed me at the beginning so I knew in my mind that they were at the finish line...waiting for me along with daddy.

I see it. Our starting point.

Just a few more yards and I would be crossing the finish line.

I speed it up a notch a pass a few people.

The balloons over the finish line are in view and I am thankful.

I round the last bend and see them.

My sister and daddy are yelling for me to finish--cheering me on home.

My sister runs up beside me and sprints the last few feet with me.

We did it.

a sister to cheer me on

High fives are exchanged and hugs are received between the mother and daughters.

Mom wins second in her category and the sister wins first 

(sister was the only one in her age category...she would have probably won anyways...man, she's good! ;).

Our first 10k....(wow), is complete.

Blessings abound.

a picture with the Publix dinosaur just because

//More blessings.//

Stats for my info:

Chip Time: 1:16:38

Gun Time: 1:16:42

Overall Place: 195 out of 259

Age Division: 20-24

Place: 5th out of the 7 in my age group

youer than you.

                                                                                                                                                       
                                             
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Did anybody notice the date of today?

It's 03-13-13.

Pretty cool, huh?

another 5k.

Mom is on fire.

She is loving these 5k's!

A week before...

Mom asks, "You want to run in this 5k?"

"Sure, why not."

She sends in the entry fee and the threesome are signed up.

We arrive at the school. A high school. 

This race is to help the FFA.

(Future Farmers of America)

We receive our packets and complete our stretches.

We are ready.

Blessings abound.

We take our places at the starting line.

The horn buzzes and the runners are off.

The Cow Patty Trot has begun.

I set my pace and settle in for the 3.1 miles ahead of me.

People pass me. I pass others.

We run by cow fields.

Smoke from a burn pile.

A house that smells strongly of dogs.
The country scenes.

I round the bend and the finish line is in sight.

Going too fast, I feel weak.

(low blood sugar. another story for another day.)

 I slow down and then, seeing the family, I kick it into high gear.

I cross the finish line.

Blessings abound.

Mom and the sister come in first in their age category.

I couldn't be more happier for them.

//More blessings.//

Stats for my info:

Chip Time: 33:01

Gun Time: 33:03

Overall Place: 86 out of 159

Age Division: 20-29

Place: 7th out of the 16 in my age group

winn-dixie with the girls.

The threesome have a break.

This Saturday morning isn't rushed with having to don our running gear and rush off to a 5k race.

Nope.

We sleep in. This Saturday (like all Saturday's) is going to be good.

We have made plans.

Blessings abound.

One has straight hair, one has braids, and the other curls.

We load up in the white Sub and head out....anxiously awaiting the adventures that are sure to be had--

just us and mom.

Blessings abound.

The Gas Station and a Car Wash.

The New Black Clothing Store.

Wally World.

Then it's to Chick-fil-A to meet Daddy.

Radio Shack.

Rue 21.

Bath and Body Works.

Shoe Station.

And then it's off to Winn-Dixie for groceries.

We enter the grocery store and memories come flooding...

being little girls, helping mom calculate the best deals on the giant calculator and putting the item into the grocery cart.

not seeing the perfect head of lettuce and asking for a fresher one from the back of the store.

developing relationships with the workers where they know us by name.

standing on the massive scale/slipping up behind the brother or sister and stepping on the edge, making the needle skyrocket.

looking forward to the sucker bucket at the check-out.

receiving those coupons.

the sis and I growing up and being able to drive ourselves to the store to tackle the trip alone.

sales papers.

cookie samples from the bakery.

a sock monkey Easter basket.

the beef-smelling and freezing back of the store.
popsicles and frozen dinners.

This trip is different. Almost sad.

I am more than thankful for all the memories that the three of us have in this place called Winn-Dixie.

But, I realize that our trips to town together will soon become very few and far between.

People grow up. People get married.

Our little girl-selves are no longer....little.

We're in a different phase in our life.

A new, exciting
(and maybe scary)
 phase.

So, (*tear*)
even though we may sometimes wish that we could completely stop time
(and maybe even reverse it just a little),
here is to the future.

The future of us being big girls now.

Blessings abound.

Oh, and God, thanks for the snow flurry's this past trip.

We were quite excited...to say the least. 

(we only got a few weird stares from other people)

bored.

                                       
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i'm over there today.

Hey guys.

I'm super excited to be featured over here today.

Thank you, R 16:16 for having me! I'm so honored.

Joyfully at Home: Chapter Ten

Overcoming a False View of Singleness

Jasmine Baucham states:

Why don't we enjoy our single years?

Instead of wringing our hands in helpless, lonely melancholy, or conversely, allowing ourselves to become distracted and discouraged by the list of things that we must achieve before we can get married, as if marital preparation were some sort of checklist that we could mark off with a gold sticker awaiting us at the end (enter: tall, dark, and handsome), let's understand that, while honest evaluation of our level of growth can be sober and spur us onward as we mature in Christ, that maturity in Christ is the goal here--

not matrimony.

You could be married nine months from now, or you could be married nine years from now. The Lord might purpose for you to never marry. There is no way that you can know exactly when or to whom you will wed. But here's what we do know: The Lord has given us life, perhaps an unmarried one at this point, and has given us a mission to carry out, single or married (Matt. 28:18-20), and is constantly sanctifying us, single or married, and has called us to a purpose, single or married...

And that's a wonderful thing!

I am not suggesting that we should not actively prepare to be capable wives and mothers...but daughterhood is the best training ground. Checklists aside, yes, we should have goals in mind, but not superficial goals that will crumble and waver with every unmarried year that passes. Our goals should be spiritual ones, ones that we can strive for whether we are getting married next year of getting married ten years from now, goals that can serve the Lord if He calls us to a life of singleness or whether we end of having eight children. Our goal should be to bless others in whatever sphere of influence the Lord has placed us--in whatever context He has called us to live out the biblical womanhood that He has called us to.

To spend my unmarried years discontentedly counting the moments until I'm married, missing out on all of the blessings and opportunities the Lord has provided for me here and now, for His glory...that would truly be a waste.

...trust in the Lord's sovereign timing as you look towards the future.

check it out.