tidbits of life.

>> polaroid of the beautiful daffodils.

>> sunshine + favorite scarf + jean vest + dslr = happiness.

>> i finally got to wear my snow boots!

>> this came in the mail and i am so excited to work through it in hopes of jump-starting new creativity.

>> pretty new washi tape from the plaid barn.

>> dark chocolate almond milk. so good.

ice ice, baby.

 ice + half day of work = pretty pictures and keeping warm under blankets while watching castle.

 today has turned out to be quite awesome, and it's not even noon yet.

whiter than snow.

there is something so beautiful about the quietness that accompanies snow flurries.

i'm reminded of the seventh verse of the fifty-first psalm:  

purify me from my sins, and i will be clean; wash me, and i will be whiter than snow.

king david wrote this psalm when he realized his sin with bathsheba. 

broken and guilt-ridden, he called on nathan the prophet and poured out his soul. 

snow is a humble reminder of God's forgiveness.

His grace covers me, and He washes me whiter than snow. 

though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow.

isaiah 1:18

bloom.

yesterday was a great day that i won't soon forget. i spent the afternoon in the pasture after discovering the daffodils and red flower bush were blooming. i was dancing around, praising God for His beauty. all the while, reveling in His merciful grace.

 if you know the name of this, please let me know! i call it a red bud bush, but i don't think that's what it is.

"i am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God! 

for He has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. 

i am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit or a bride with her jewels.  

the Sovereign Lord will show His justice to the nations of the world. everyone will praise Him!  

His righteousness will be like a garden in early spring, with plants springing up everywhere." 

[isaiah 61:10-11]

sweethearts' party.

i celebrated valentine's day evening with two lovely ladies, lauren & bandy. 

we had great conversation & yummy food. i am so thankful for these sisters in Christ!

here is my valentine's day, in pictures:

coffee date.

 there are a few new followers to this little blog, so grab your favorite drink and let's have a coffee date! 

[1] what are you drinking today?
[2] any big plans for valentine's day?
[3] name one thing you are looking forward to in the coming weeks.
[4] what is one of your goals for 2013?
[5] what book are you currently reading?

[1] i am drinking coffee with a shot of french vanilla creamer and a splash of sugar.

[2] yes! i will be having a girls' night with two lovely ladies. baking + girl time + chocolate = so excited!

[3] spring. i can't even describe my excitement for spring flowers. my camera will be working overtime.

[4] memorizing scripture.

[5] the duck commander family. great show, great people, great book.


if we were having our coffee date in a coffee shop, i'd tell you how busy work has been lately. tax season always gets crazy around this time. i am taking on more work so my mama and grandma can focus on taxes.
i'd tell you how excited i am that we are meeting in an actual coffee shop, as i have never done that before. always the drive-thru.
i'd tell you about what God is doing in my life - teaching me to serve without abandon, let go of the notions i've had and just love others, and take it one day at a time.
i'd tell you how this season of my life has been about learning and diving deeper into the bible.
and i'd tell you how, even in the moments where i want to throw my hands up and walk away, i am learning to trust and believe what God says about me and my life instead of trusting my circumstances or feelings.
and i'd want to hear how you are doing, give you a big hug, and probably instagram my coffee.

caught up in grace like an avalanche.

i bought a new toy yesterday. isn't it purdy?

ps: walmart has this on sale ($10 off!) right now.

when i look at this camera, i can't help but reminisce about my grandma gracie. she always had a camera in her hand, evident by the tubs of polaroids and pictures we have stored away. thinking back brings a smile to my face. 

i also wonder if she would be proud of who i am. she has had so much influence in my life since her death. i attribute that to her life; the way she lived, what she stood for, and the way she loved others. those are qualities i want to possess. she loved Jesus so much and let everyone know. it was evident in her everyday life. 

when people see me and my life, do they see Jesus? i'd like to say yes, but there are days when the answer is a big n-o. those days are when His grace is most apparent in my life. 

i've been learning a lot about legalism lately. following rules won't earn God's grace or love. Christ settled everything on the cross. nothing i do will ever change how He feels about me. He loves me as much today as He did when He created the stars. all He asks of me is to love Him with all my heart, soul, & mind and to love others. His grace covers me when i fail.

"and i find myself here on my knees again, caught up in grace like an avalanche.

nothing compares to this love burning in my heart." hillsong

tidbits of life.

>> a peppermint mocha on a rainy saturday while shopping with mama.

>> chick-fil-a grilled nuggets. heaven in a bowl.

>> daddy bought an rv for parts, but i thought it made a great picture.

>> bricks.

>> new boots. my mama said they look like granny's boots from the beverly hillbillies. i'd have to agree!

>> the redbud bush has the tiniest of blooms, and i literally could cry because i love spring flowers. be still, my soul.

celebrate love.

 

it's february, which means one thing: valentine's day. for me, it means girl scout cookies, which are 10x better because flowers wilt and die & sometimes you bite into a chocolate that has nasty filling. i know what i'm getting with thin mints: bliss.

i used to loathe the day of love. i walked around with a scowl and rolled my eyes at anything that resembled love or hearts or cupid. my mama used to warn me when we'd go into walmart, "amber, their valentine's items are out now. behave yourself."
no joke, i was a hater. 

i changed my tune last year when i decided to stop feeling sorry for myself. i focused my energy on hating v-day so much that i was missing the blessings of the love i currently have in my life: my Savior, my parents, my brother, my friends...the list goes on.

being single in today's society has become a 'thing'. i feel like so many girls have this assumption that their life begins when they get married; that the ultimate goal is to have a husband and children and a house with a white picket fence. it's great to have dreams and desires, but when they take the place of Jesus, it becomes an idol. a boyfriend won't cure your loneliness and a husband won't take all your problems away. only Jesus can do that. His love will sustain you and satisfy you.

i want to share a secret i've only shared with God and my mama: i have deep-rooted trust issues. i literally cannot fathom that a man can be faithful to me forever. heartbreak after heartache of cheating boyfriends took a toll on my heart. this is something that i have given to God and am trusting He will change. i'm not opposed to advice, friends.  
there is one piece of advice that i am opposed to though. my biggest annoyance is when a married lady says to me: "honey. just keep waiting. i know how you feel." . . . you know how i feel?! you got married at 19... i'm 26. how the heck do you know how it feels to go through an extra seven years of your life as a single woman? oh wait, that's right... YOU DON'T. so please don't come at me with that mess. (as you can tell, it really bothers me).

marriage is such a blessing and not something i take lightly. i have shifted my thinking from waiting on a husband to the notion that if i can better serve God with a boyfriend right now, i'd have one. if He wanted me to be married, i'd have a ring on my finger. in the meantime, i want to live my life; i don't want to waste my energy on things i have no control over.

i choose to celebrate love, in whatever form it comes.

sweetness itself.

i am being featured on sweetness itself! erin is just precious. i love her ministry and heart for the Lord.
head on over to read more and learn five facts that you may not know!

sugar-coating is for candy, not the Gospel.

i am so over the feel-good fluff that has crept its way into books, blogs, and pinterest boards; the self-help, do what feels right, i'm okay, you're okay, we're all okay mentality. newsflash: we are all sinners and we are broken and we are not  okay. evil lurks around every corner, waiting to devour our hearts and minds. we live in a society that celebrates sin and worships itself, yet we continue to ignore it and seek the pleasures that make us feel good about ourselves.

we need to stop pinning quotes to live by and open our bibles to seek the One who died to give us abundant and eternal life.
we need to stop feeding our minds with sugar-coated morsels of feel-good words, and get back to the truth of the Gospel.
we need to get back to Jesus, who is the way, the truth, and the life. the ONLY way. the ONLY truth. the ONLY life.

i love this quote by charles spurgeon:
"avoid a sugar-coated gospel. seek the gospel that rips up, wounds and even kills, for that's the gospel that makes alive again."

i want truth. the kind of truth that kicks me right in the shins and brings me to my knees in repentance.
conviction brought forth from truth. the Truth.

i started blogging HERE now! make sure to follow along!

tidbits of life.

>> the daffodils i found in the pasture last year are starting to grow and my heart could burst. i love spring.

>> i had a moment in the cookie aisle when i saw the new mega stuf oreos.

>> "Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds."

>> top knot.

>> dried-up sunflowers can still make a pretty picture.

>> mint julep masque. i randomly found this online and had to buy it. i used this all the time in high school! 

>> winter nature.

>> gorgeous hand-painted pillowcases made by my great-grandmother.