playing dress-up

When we were little, very little, my Granny gave us a trunk full of dress up clothes for Christmas and I guess that's where it began. We have video footage of my sisters and I strutting around in big hats and feathered boas and gloves up to our elbows. We giggled and oohed and ahhed as we pulled sparkly bright colored garments out of boxes. Keila wasn't even born yet so I couldn't have been 18 months old. And as we walked around, the adults in the room played up our glamorous ensembles by applauding and congratulating us on our beauty. And we (based on our response in the video) loved it. We knew we were cherished and loved so deeply - first by a thoughtful gift and then by trusted family members instilling in us this truth: You are beautiful to me.
I read this blog post this past week, which probably started this thought process but I was thinking about it today as we, yet again, were found with a few occasions to play dress up. Today I was able to spend a little time with some of my closest friends and family picking out the perfect outfit combinations - using some of their items and some of mine, we pieced together outfits that both reflected the person and made them feel beautiful. This kind of "work" brings me much joy. It forced me to pause and reflect on how thankful I am to be brought up in a family that cherished beauty and instilled in me a sense of confidence in my own beauty.
Growing up, we did fashion shows after ever shopping trip and we knew that my dad thought us to be the most beautiful girls in the world (second only to Mama - I mean who could blame him???).  And I am filled with great thankfulness for his love for me and the way that reflects the Fathers. I am also thankful for reasons to dress up and celebrate and be girly. This morning was a gift and I know this evening will be for each of us as well.

Here's to celebrating beauty!

Thanks for Being My Friend

Today I am so thankful for old friends who know the truth and aren't afraid to speak it. I sat at dinner tonight with a girl I have known for most of my life. We met around the third grade when I wished that I could be her because she had way better hair than me (beautiful, thick, red hair) and could still a crowd with her voice. She was given (completely deserved) the lead in our church musical and I was overcome with jealousy. I sometimes think that I am more gifted in the singing department than I actually am and in the third grade, when she got to sing the solo in "Thanks for Being My Friend," I thought my life was over. It wasn't. I survived and we moved on and became inseparable in early high school. Since then our paths have crossed at divine times. She boldly speaks truth into mine and I laugh hysterically at her stories and her passion. She loves the Lord.
Tonight I was letting her in on my struggle with discontentment and consistent wondering if I am making the right decisions and she calmly listened and replied that we have much to be thankful for because our decisions don't really matter. This, of course, caused me pause because I have developed the destructive habit of thinking that my decisions absolutely have the power to perfect or destroy my life. Oh how wrong I have been. My decisions do not determine my joy (just imagine the turmoil that would cause); it is the Lord who is constantly at work in me for his glory alone. Hallelujah. She quoted to me Isaiah 54:10 (which I am now looking up in my Bible):

"For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed," says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

In other words, regardless of your situation or circumstance, no matter where you find yourself or what turmoil is occurring around you, the Lord is steadfast. He has compassion on you and he will not remove his covenant of peace. His covenant of peace... I don't understand this completely, but I am confident that it is truth and I am choosing to remind myself to be thankful - for grace and mercy and peace - all given to me regardless of my ridiculous mess or behavior or anxiety.
For Jesus said:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.

Peace, dear friends. Today, I am thankful for peace.

Twenty-one Days of Thanksgiving

Starting today there are 21 days until Thanksgiving! TWENTY ONE DAYS?! That just doesn't seem possible. Maybe it's because September and October have sort of turned into a blur. As I was sitting at my house last Sunday afternoon by myself watching Meet Me In St. Louis, which happens to be one of my favorites, I was filled with gratitude toward a month that celebrates Thanksgiving. I couldn't express how important giving thanks is and I am glad about that. I want to be a person who looks for gifts and finds a something to be thankful for around every turn. There is much to be thankful for and if I spent the rest of my life naming things, I don't think I could get them all. Some days it is easy to forget to look for things to be thankful for. We are creatures of habit and somehow it is so easy to adopt an attitude of bitterness or discontent, but I read a book one time (that I have referenced before here) about giving thanks and the life-changing impact it had on this author. I keep coming back to it in my life and I think she might be on to something. I have gone back and re-read my blogs from September and October and although there were good times and moments in those rapid months, there was also a lot of unrest and discontentment. Well today I am declaring war on that tendency in me to be frustrated and unsettled and the only way I know how to do that is to continue to give thanks, even for the little things and even in tough situations.

The most important part of thanksgiving is that it gives the credit somewhere else. So it stops being about how great I am or how incredible is this life, that I mistakenly believe, I have created for myself. No. Thanksgiving says "How great You are. And how incredible this life You have given to me." Thanksgiving recognizes the gift and the giver and we need to practice it. Because this life is not a story about me. And the more I can pound that into my ridiculously stubborn and selfish brain, the better off I'll be.

I am going to attempt something pretty bold. I read a blog yesterday by a pretty incredible woman named Ashley. Throughout the month of October, she blogged about peace. Some of the blogs were pretty heartfelt and others were just a quick snapshot. Using her as inspiration, I plan to spend the next 21 days blogging about thankfulness - what I'm learning about it, how simple or complex it can be, how my heart feels, how gratitude can affect even the smallest of moments, and how difficult it all is. I don't expect it to be easy, but I do think it will be good. So, come along with me on a journey to developing a thankful heart. I can't think of many better way to invest my time.

Photo Credit

making a list.. checking it twice...

wait that's the wrong holiday...
maybe what I mean to say is... is... are there Halloween songs? I feel like there should be but now I can't think of any... hmmm. well anyway.
I made a list last week on the blog and have had a fun and enlightening week of checking it off. (Literally I kept forgetting what was on the list so I checked it way more than twice...) And this blog post will complete it. I had fun completing all of the things, but I also realized some things along the way... The always funny thing about me is that I think I can fix me. I think that making a list or a change, getting my hair cut or my nails done, drinking more coffee or having a glass of wine, might change me, but I was / am / foreverwillbe mistaken. If I think that it is possible to add value or purpose to my life by making a small list, I've lost track of what I really need. This week was a completely broken and sweet reminder of that. I cannot change simply by adding things to my To Do list. I need a heart change. And that doesn't come from me. I used to wish it was that easy - that I could just do a couple of quick things and I'd be fine, but I know that if I could change myself - if something I did could add value to me, I would lose sight of something so much more important. And that is the fact that there is someone much more powerful than me, who created me, who loves me, and He alone not only says I am valuable, but he makes me valuable (when let's face it, I am the ultimate suck *Thank you 8th grade Bible study for that lesson*). And even though I don't always understand those things and I don't always feel like they are true, I know in the deepest parts of who I am that they most definitely are true. The Creator of the Universe called me and He can see better than anyone else how much of a mess I am and still he covers it - not because he doesn't know it's there, but because he loves me and knows that I could never be enough. Only Jesus is enough. And that reminder was so painful to get to this week, but I know it is true and I will make the effort to be faithful in the small things and try to trust that He is at work in me. It's true. It's true. It's true. It's true. It's true. It's true.

The cool part about a list like this is that, even though there were meltdown moments this week, there were also some really fun moments. Even though a list like this doesn't fix my circumstance or heart, most of these items caused me to slow down and take a deep breath and evaluate and enjoy life - and that was the point. So, make your own list and bravely check things off. Force yourself to take a step outside of yourself and actually see the world around you. I don't think you'll regret it...
I don't have pictures of everything on the list, but I did manage to snag a few:

Here is a picture of Scarecrow Treats. Got this recipe from here - It's Mix and Match Mama :) I have referenced Shay's blog before and truly she has become my go to for fun and simple treats. I did burn my finger on this one, but it healed nicely and I know these were a hit at my sister's Halloween party tonight :) I also made these Sweet and Salty Oreos (not pictured which is unfortunate because they turned out so pretty!) and they were super easy!!!

Here are a couple from the Dallas Arboretum. I am seriously considering becoming a member! It was so wonderful - despite the ridiculous traffic on 635 that made me want to die. Luckily I was in good company and we had wine with us so as soon as we found a spot to "set up camp" we opened a bottle of wine and it was smooth sailing from there!

LOOK AT THESE COLORS!!!! (photo cred to Deb :)

This is my current background on my work computer, which just makes me happy :)

Pumpkin carving was an adventure too... I tend to be a little ambitious when it comes to pumpkin carving... but I usually have a stencil. This time not so much. I just drew it on the pumpkin and started carving. There were panic moments along the way, but overall we were so pleased with all of the pumpkins!

Then last night I had a relaxing hour or so to walk around the children's department of Barnes and Noble. I love that place. It is happy :) The first book I read, I just fell in love with...
Here it is pictured... It's called "The I'm Not Scared Book." I figured I would like it just based on the title alone. And it did not disappoint.
The last page was my favorite:
Sometimes we are scared of things because we don't understand them.
When you are afraid, tell someone why and maybe you won't be scared anymore. The End. Love, Todd
How true and such a good reminder, especially for me :)


And then I got to end my evening with a cup of decaf pumpkin spice - it was glorious, as Ali would say. I want to be clear that even though this list was great and honestly fun to complete, it is not what fulfills me. The list does not complete any part of me and there were still rough moments of this week, as I imagine there always will be... But I am so glad I did it. Sometimes it is so nice to take a step back and re-evaluate and do things that you know are good for you. Like drink coffee and read children's books. Simple. Precious. Life.

PS

jar salad caution

So I found a great pin on Pinterest a few weeks ago: Jar Salad. Jar Salad! How has this never been invented before?! Am I right??? The idea is so simple and looked like it would really ease the stress of work week lunches so I jumped on board. I made four jar salads on Monday evening for the week. Typically I do not re-use recipes. I make things one time and then move on to others. Of course there will always be the defaults: spaghetti, burrito bowl, roasted vegetables, but most of my recipes are one hit wonders and never appear on stage again. And not because I don't enjoy cooking them or because they are just too big of a pain, but mostly because I just don't want to do it again. The jar salads, however, would be different. I decided that this was a genius way to pack lunch for the week once and then not have to think about it. I got all my ingredients together, made quinoa (I know, impressive) and the whole process took less than 30 minutes. I was so pleased. And my jars were so pretty! LOOK!

So I went on my merry way to work on Tuesday and loved lunch. It was so easy and cute and fun. And it tasted great! The dressing goes in the very bottom (point being it doesn't touch the lettuce until you are ready to eat it) so it didn't get wilty or anything. Gold Star for this recipe :) And clearly, I enjoyed it...

But then the week happened and it was a busy week for all of us. I brought the salad on Wednesday and Thursday and even Friday. Yay me! Gold Star for Katie :) On Friday, however, the salad looked... well... different. And I was concerned so decided that I just couldn't eat the salad again. I'm sure it would have been fine and I'm sure this is not because of my extreme concern with food going bad or my despise of leftovers, but something was happening to the onions throughout the week as they sat in the dressing and it was not pretty. The beautiful salads I had made had turned questionable at best and I just couldn't.
So I threw it away :( I think maybe the oil in the fridge was a problem too... The only word I can think to use is that it was congealing... (ew. insert medical mask emoticon here).

I still think you should try this method. Maybe without dressing in it? Or maybe only making 2-3 jars at a time. Don't go nuts like I did... Use Caution- with food prep, it'll be one of your best allies...

the longest month of my life

I was thinking yesterday that this has got to be the longest month ever! October seems to be neverending, which normally would be okay with me. I love fall weather and pumpkin everything. But for some reason this year I am having a hard time getting into the fall spirit. Maybe it's because the pumpkin spice latte came out in August this year (curse you, Starbucks!) :( :( :( okay I take it back. I know better than that. Never, ever curse Starbucks... But seriously something weird is happening this October and it seems to be the month that goes on and on and on and on and on and on... Today I woke up and much to my despair realized there is still A WHOLE NOTHER week left in this blessed month. I started out being super frustrated with this discovery, but realize there's nothing I can do about it so the only other option was to figure out a way to enjoy it. And I want to really enjoy it because I know myself and about the time it's over, I am going to be wishing for October again. Oh my restless heart. 

So since I want to really live it up this October, I am making an "end of October bucket list" You may recall my recent victories with short term goals. Well, this will be similar to short term goal setting, but better :) I am so excited to present to you my last week bucket list. 

Katie's Plan to Celebrate October

1. Make fun Halloween Treats

2. Drink a pumpkin spice latte in a "for here" mug

3. Go to the Arboretum

4. Make butternut squash soup

5. Be outside for a consecutive 15 minutes (at least) everyday

6. Watch You've Got Mail (most likely with Keila)

7. Carve a pumpkin

8. Watch Football
9. Write 2 blog posts

10. Enjoy pre-daylight savings time with a glass of wine on a patio.
11. Spend some time in the children's book section of Barnes and Noble.

So next week, I will update you on my progress with this list as I celebrate the last week of this ridiculously long month. Don't forget to celebrate the end of October this year! Chances are, you will be a completely new person by the time it comes around again :)



saying see ya, September!

maybe a little late ish considering we're a week into October... but still...
September was a month comprised with ups and downs. I thought that there was no way to redeem a month of that much turmoil, but it turns out that even the hardest months can have some redemption. The last week of September came with the small amount of relief that I needed to still have faith in Septembers. And it was awesome.

The week began with the kick off to a much anticipated season. Autumn had finally arrived. To commemorate the day, my roommates and I had planned a Happy Fall Party! We totally stole the idea from one of my favorite blogs: shullfamily.blogspot.com
Shay Shull is a super sweet, really down to earth girl, who has a heartbeat for cooking, her family and the Lord (not quite in that order!) She is great and you should read her blog too. I have tried out several of her ideas, but this one was by far my favorite. Every year she and her friends do a post Labor Day scarf exchange (think white elephant gift exchange). I told my roommates about it and we just couldn't handle it; so we hosted a scarf exchange of our own! And it was way too much fun. We had it in our home and made lots of fun Fall desserts and snacks. We had almost 20 girls come and bring scarves and we laughed as we exchanged them. There were some super cute scarves and these women were ruthless about stealing. (Well most of them. My sweet friend, Brittany, didn't want to steal because she thought that the scarf looked so good on one of the other girls :) I love my friends!!! We had the best time :) The group was made up of different people from different parts of our lives so as their number came up, each girl had to share who they were and how they were connected to the group. It was so fun to bring together women from all different parts of our lives to hang out for one evening. A huge THANK YOU to Shay for this awesome idea :)
Here we are at the end of the party with our new scarves:

Then the week flew by and I could tell that a change in weather was coming. I was housesitting for my parents and loving the quietness and comfort of the house I grew up in - the only house I can remember from my childhood.

On Friday night, my oldest sister, Abby came into town. Now, I love my family. Anyone who knows me knows that, and I absolutely treasure any time we all get to spend together, but every once in a while a weekend happens that is unreal. We just click and understand each other and things flow so easily. It all just seems simple. And this was one of those. We had sibling dinner at Ali's comfortable home and then went out for pumpkin spice lattes (decaf and in "for here" mugs) and laughed some but mostly cried because sometimes life is more complicated than we expect and sometimes there is more pain than we are willing to let on to just anyone. But in the safety of these sisters, there is comfort and rest - not because of us, but because of the Lord. The One who created us and placed each of us in our family carefully orchestrated each of our minds to be at certain points for that moment and there was pain, but there was also hope. We chatted for a couple of hours that night before we had to head back to my parents to welcome them home from vacation. And then the rest of the weekend was peaceful and joyful. My grandparents joined us and my aunt and her family. We celebrated my favorite man on earth and rejoiced in the fact that he was born 56 years ago and graciously given to us as a Dad. Little man pulled up on one of his push toys and took a few steps with the help of the toy on wheels and the women went to a craft show while the men watched football. And for the weekend everything just was fine - better than fine, actually it was great. We have a gracious God and the love of family and couldn't have asked for more. All of us had endured pretty rotten Septembers. We needed some relief and some hope and just some home - to remind us who we are and who we want to be. And it was given to us. We left that weekend so sad to go, but so thankful for the gift to have had time together again.

September was a rough month and I was so ready to say goodbye, but the last weekend truly redeemed a whole month of questioning and uncertainty. I am thankful for Fall, for cool weather and change, for football and family and friends, and for a God who loves me and meets a need before I can speak a want.

Still, I was okay with saying "See ya, September!" And so happy to move on to October. The weather is remarkable and the people seem refreshed (probably from not having to endure 100 degrees on their drive to work). Maybe a week late, but Happy October, World! I hope you were as happy to see it coming and I was :)