Wednesday Walk - Working Hard for God

We're all there or have been there... We're in a job that is not ideal. We feel its getting us by financially and that's what matters OR its a temporary placement until we land our dream job/promotion.

I'd like to change your mentality a bit. Is it going to make you like your job more? Maybe not and most likely not right away, but it will change your way of thinking and how you view your worth in the work place. That is the goal.

Presence. Passion. Prayer. Purpose.

Before, after, and during your shifts practice being present and in the moment at all times. Bring passion into every single detail of your job description no matter what and I mean NO matter what the task is. Pray that God gives you strength and peace to get through the work day. To give off positive energy to your coworkers and clients. Give gratitude to God for having the job to begin with and you will really start to appreciate subtle and small parts of your job that you might be overlooking. Through your positive outlook and energy, you might help a coworker get through a difficult task with your help and encouragement or make a client's day with your uplifting attitude. It will give you purpose for your hard day of work.

You can also look at your job as work for the Lord. In EVERYTHING you do, do it for God. That's the ultimate goal in this life anyway.

2 Timothy 15 & 20-21

Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. 

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In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special occasions, and the cheap ones are used for everyday use. If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.

What this new outlook will do is empower you on a daily basis. You'll be surprised how your entire life changes with this shift. All of a sudden, new ideas will pop into your head that will expand your wallet. You'll think of great suggestions to present to your boss and you will be heard because you have the confidence to back it up.

Take the first step. Practice being present in each moment. Every little thing you do. Do it with purpose and passion. Watch your life change and be thankful.

My Creative Work

I finally have some new items in my shop that I'm PUMPED about! I have started to work not just with burlap fabrics to make roses, but regular cotton fabrics to incorporate more color and patterns into my work.

My first creation outside of my burlap box is my Tiffany Something Blue Bouquet. -->
Tiffany Something Blue Bouquet

I also added my rosette headbands that I LOVE wearing. I can't believe I didn't add them sooner. You can find 8 or 9 listings in my shop (link below). MANY more to come! -->
Jane's Daughters Etsy Shop

I will soon have pillows, garters, other intricate beading hair pieces, and many more fabric bouquets!!!! I'm praying that God blesses my shop because I can't contain how much I love love love making every single item. I love customizing orders for clients as well. Its the greatest feeling giving someone a product that will never be duplicated. My mother has had her home decor business since the early 90s but has never taken it to the interwebs!!! Can you believe it?! Its time, Mama! I can't wait to share more of her items in the shop!

**PROMO TIME!**
1st Promo - If you share my etsy shop link on your facebook, twitter or instagram accounts, snap a screen shot or send me a link to your account and I will message you a code to receive $5 off any purchase of $15 or more for Jane's Daughters items.

2nd Promo - If you either HAVE a blog or have a friend who writes a blog with more than 1,000 followers/readers, inquire/write a blog about my shop and receive a burlap rose bunch of 6 roses of your color choice (white, ivory, natural, sage, brown, or red - you can also mix colors) FOR FREE (including free shipping)!!!!! If one of your best buds is the blogger, he/she would receive the same FREE gift as well!!

3rd Promo - Get 20 of your friends to LIKE my Jane's Daughters Facebook Page, and I will send you one burlap rose of your color choice, FOR FREE (including free shipping). All you would need to do is send me the list of names of your friends that liked the page.

Thank you for all of the support and I hope you enjoy my shop!

Filled with LOVE,

Lindsey

We Got Married!

In about eight hours it will be exactly 1 week ago that we decided to go ahead and tie that knot! We had talked about getting married before our actual wedding/reception/party later this year but had no plans yet. David's Mom, Sylvia, was coming into town and we thought, "Why not?"

Come Tuesday morning we were at the courthouse in Lancaster, PA getting our marriage license. The license became valid on Friday February 1st and we wanted to find a magistrate/officiant to marry us that day! This was surprisingly difficult. I guess, long gone are the days of just showing up to the courthouse and getting hitched (at least in PA)! You have to make appointments. After many phone calls, we made one with Robert Green, the "Marrying Mayor" of York County Pennsylvania.

Robb recommended getting hitched at Chickies Rock Park under a pretty white gazebo at noon that Friday. It was almost 60 degrees the day we planned this so naturally we loved the idea and went there to check it out. What we didn't do was check the weather for Friday... Cold. Very cold. And windy. Very very windy. With a dusting of snow.

Luckily the ceremony was short and sweet and 10 minutes long. Perfect for us. Robb was great. I would highly recommend him if you're located in southern PA and looking to do what David and I did. He doesn't charge a specific fee. Just a donation (so cool)!

My Mom, brother Andy, Dad, my Grandparents Geemaw and Pappy, David's Mom Sylvia, Katie, Michele, and TYSON were in attendance. To our family members and friends that we would have loved to be there, we apologize for not keeping all of you informed. It was planned quickly and we didn't want to take away from the celebration we are still having later this year by trying to get everyone to town and making it a bigger production. That being said, in hindsight, I would have at least made it known to all of our loved ones BEFORE putting it out to the facebook/instagram/twitter world. I just couldn't contain myself and in the moment, I was only thinking of David... My HUSBAND... And wanted to shout it to the universe!

After the short and cold ceremony, we went to JB Dawson's in Lancaster for a small celebration dinner. Champagne toast, pics (because it was way too cold do take any more at Chickies Rock), and our first dance as a married couple.

I feel blessed beyond what I ever thought I deserved. I feel a sense of peace that I've never felt before. God gave me everything and more. The love of my life, David.

Our good boy, Tyson. Yes, Dad (David) put a tie on him.

Ceremony.

Freezing. You can see my poor Geemaw shivering in the background.

The kiss.

My bouquet I made (www.etsy.com/shop/janes2daughters) and the "champagne" bubbles that our sweet Katie brought.

Bride.

Groom.

Love.

Champagne.

First dance.

I love this man.

Husband and wife.

Twirl it.

Happily Ever After...

Wednesday Walk - He knows

God knows exactly what you need. He knows way before you do.
To anyone who feels a bit lost...
To anyone who is in a very tough situation...
To anyone who feels hopeless
To anyone who feels like there is nothing than can make their situation better...
Take a day. Just one day... And put all of your trust in the Lord. Just like you would an earthly superior. Trust that He will make everything better. It might not be an instant change, but God's timing is perfect.
It will change your mood and therefore change the outcome of your day.

... Remember... When you're down, just pray.

My Hunger Game... Portion Control

So when you move around the holidays, a few days of eating crap (and lots of it) becomes about a month. Lots of Chinese take out, pizza, and David's ridiculously awesome cooking skills have stretched even my yoga pants a bit. 

Am I about to tell you about this awesome new diet I'm going to try? Um, NO. In my opinion, diets don't work. At all. I don't care what diet it is. You need will power. Will power = change. That's it, folks. 

What I AM going to practice is strict portion control. What is helping me? Healthy Choice. 

Yeah, yeah, yeah... Say all you want about frozen meals. They aren't really that healthy. We've all heard... BUT the meals really DO help with portion control. So until I can call myself a master, I'm using this method. BONUS, most grocery stores always have sales for healthy choice products. I can get them for $2 each right now with my bonus card. Eventually, I want to cook all natural organic small meals myself and stay away from anything in a box, but we have to start somewhere. 

THIS I can do. I find them to be yummy in my tummy. I'm not watching my carbs, fat (even though almost all of them are low in fat anyway), sodium, etc. I will be able to control my calorie intake by knowing exactly what I'm putting into my body for lunch and dinner. Most of the meals contain no preservatives. 

For breakfast, I'm sticking to my egg white omelettes with basil and spinach and a half of a grapefruit OR my oatmeal bars with half of a grapefruit. Easy breezy and delicious!

For snacks, I'm sticking to fruits, veggies or 100 calorie packs. AGAIN, I know they are not always the healthiest option, but I'm talking about portions. Once you eat a little 100 calorie pack snack, you're done. 

I'm ready to get back to this...

Anyone want to join in? Support group? 

Wednesday Walk - The Every Day Test

Tests. Who likes them? I know many who do, actually, but I do not. Tests make me anxious. Make me feel I'm not in control unless I know that I know that I KNOW the correct answers. 

When we walk in faith, we are tested EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. 

Tested by God Himself and the enemy. 

We have to KNOW our God and grow in that relationship to pass this test with flying colors. 

Some of us have a hard time with that. Some of us struggle day to day just to get by. Just getting through one 24 hour period to the next is tough for some people. I have had those days, but I've noticed a slow change within me. One that I have needed my whole life.

I am truly walking in faith. Every step I take when my feet hit the floor in the morning until I crawl back into bed at night, I am learning to trust with my whole heart. Trust that this is God's plan and his path for me. Its not my own. When you can really embrace that, you will see a transformation within yourself. 

For me, its been slow... I'm not going to sugarcoat the process. Its not instant for everyone. Especially since the enemy is very real. he thrives off of our inconsistency. Heck, he CREATES it. Draws our thought process from positivity and God driven, to that of worry and helplessness. Making us feel unworthy of all that God has already intended for us to have. All that He wants to give us. 

Paul's Prayer for Spiritual Growth in Ephesians 3 has helped enlighten me. I SHOULD be reading it every day for the extra boost of daily confidence (new year resolution list #537)... It says:

When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. 

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen. 

New Year... New Everything

I haven't been hiding, I swear.
I've been Living.
And as much as I like to write about life, I took a step back and just enjoyed it.
The good, the bad, the strange, the unknown. I really have been living in the moment.
Kind of like my second to last blog post! I've been discovering what God has on the horizon for me.

Don't get me wrong...
I've spent many hours being worried sick about whats to come next...
But sometimes when you really have no clue whats going on in your life half the time, you're able to throw your hands up, let go and flow.

The biggest news that I've already announced... I'M ENGAGED!
I love saying that. I never get sick of it.
I never get sick of looking over at David (my fiance) and thinking, "Oh my God. I can't believe he's going to be my husband. Thank you, God."
I never get sick of looking down at my left hand.
David catches me often and calls me out on it. At that point my 5-year-old self comes out and I'm all, "Stoooooooooooppp-aaaaaa! I like looking at iiiiiiiiiitttt-aaaa!"

In other news... A lot of people have suspected or heard through the grapevine that I have moved from Nashville and the truth is, yes I have.
I moved to Pennsylvania.
Not where I'm originally from in PA but about an hour southwest from Lancaster.
I feel great about it. Not once have I questioned or second guessed the decision.
The reasons are many!
1) I love Nashville, but I needed a change.
2) David fell in love with Pennsylvania when we went to visit last Christmas. Its surprisingly lovely to love a man who loved my home state and could see himself settling there someday.
3) As I'm growing in my relationship with God, He is changing my heart and my passions for the greater good of His plan.
4) No, that does not mean I am no longer a singer/songwriter. I will always be a singer/songwriter. Its a talent God gave me on purpose. I just think its meant to make a difference and not to become famously successful and all that THAT entails.
5) I'm still writing. Writing music, books (I have 3 ideas in the works right now that I am pumped about), and just writing to write. To get it out. That's what I'm good at. That's what I know.

So what am I pursuing now? New business ventures!
I started a new branch of a company with my Mom from a business that she has had for years and years.
Its called Jane's Daughters!
Yes, I stole my blog title.
We will eventually be branching out with different ideas, but for right now it is a custom handmade wedding decor shop!
You can find our creations on Etsy at www.etsy.com/shop/janes2daughters
It would be lovely to have your support on our facebook page as well at www.facebook.com/janesdaughters
I love creating no matter what facet of my imagination I'm tampering with!
I love the action of creating custom bridal bouquets for bride's-to-be. Especially since I've become one! AAAAAH!
If you ARE a bride-to-be or KNOW a bride-to-be, please share my shop and share my contact information: janesdaughters@gmail.com.

Not sure how many of you watched The Attempters DIY videos (www.youtube.com/theattemptersdiy), but they are coming back!
Ashlyne Huff Revelette and I filmed about 6 more home decor DIY videos that we can't wait to share with you!
Life has just been so exciting and unpredictable for all of us (that includes David since he shoots AND edits each vid) that we haven't had the time to really get them done for your viewing pleasure.
One of the videos is a tutorial of how to make my burlap roses!
That will be released soon and featured on my dear friend's blog, www.hottmessmommie.com. Check her out! She's a hoot and a half!

That's my life bundled up in a ball. I'm not sure how exciting my life will continue to read from here on out, but I enjoy writing and keeping anyone updated who cares to know!
I may not be on a tour bus traveling the country much these days, but I have a wonderful life. A life built on Christ and love.
That's all I personally need. And because of that, I get so much more.

I'm sure I could literally write a book right now and go on and on and on about my new house, living by my family again (it rocks), my dog, time change, wedding planning, my soon-to-be family, new friends, etc etc etc... But I will save them all up for later entries.

God bless and goodnight, Bloggers.