2013 Beauty Favorites

Once again, my apologies for being such a bad blogger!

Anyway... a few years ago, I posted my favorite beauty products, and I thought I would share some with you again.  As many of you know, I'm a beauty addict... I love makeup, hair care, skincare... all of it.  And I love to help friends find products that work for them.  In that spirit, here are some of my very favorite products from 2013.

1. Not Your Mothers Clean Freak Dry Shampoo - Besides color-treating my hair, I'm also a busy mom.  I'm lucky to get a shower every day.  But dirty hair ain't cute.  So I spray this baby near my roots, let it set while I wash my face, and then rub it through my hair.  It helps with the oil, adds some great volume and gets me another day or two before I have to wash my hair.  It's cheap, too.  BONUS! I get mine at Ulta - and at $5.99, you have to try it!

2. True Blue Spa Fresh Foaming Body Buff - I have dry skin, baby.  Whether it's the cold Midwest air, or the heat of the summer months, my skin needs some TLC.  So once a week, I bring this in the shower with me, and pour some of my loofah.  The scent is light, it lathers up nicely and it helps scrub the dry skin away and preps my skin to soak up moisturizer.  Also, if you like to self tan, this is a great product to prep your skin.  Pick it up at Bath and Body Works - save your coupons, cause this retails for $20, but will last you about a year.

3. O'Keefe's Working Hands - Raise your hands if you have dry, cracked hands!  I do too, between the cold weather and washing my hands a thousand times a day, my hands and cuticles are seriously messed up.  My sister had this out a few months ago when she was visiting and I loved it the first time I used it. This is a great odorless moisturizer that will keep dry cracked hands from becoming a major deal.  My husband loves it, too!  He works outside for a good portion of his shift, and this has prevented the bleeding and cracking that he usually experiences in the winter.  I get my O'Keefe's cream from Amazon.  Have a Prime Membership?  Then stock up, cause these are just $6.99! One tub will last hubby and I a little over a month.

4. Glamglow Super Clearing Treatment Mud Mask - My skin goes absolutely bananas after babies.  Hands-down, worse acne than I experienced as a teenager.  Glamglow is the best mask I've used - filled with great ingredients! Glycolic acid, salicylic acid and lactic acid helps to improve skin texture, clear pores, moisturize and helps with collagen stimulation.  It's pricey - nearly $70, but I get mine from Amazon for around $40, and it's worth every penny.

5. Rosebud Strawberry Lip Balm - Ok, so there's nothing super fancy about this stuff.  But it works.  And it smells like strawberries.  I use this on my lips and cuticles.  It lasts forever, and I haven't been without it since I discovered it a few years back.  You can pick it up at Sephora for $7.  It's usually in those bins near the register.  Pop one in your purse and get another one for next to your bed.

6. Real Techniques Expert Face Brush - If you're going to spend money on makeup and want the best results from it, you have to use good tools.  I have a decent makeup brush collection and have tried brushes from many different brands.  Real Techniques brushes were designed by a UK makeup artist and beauty blogger. Nic Champman knows her stuff and has created a solid collection of synthetic brushes.  Synthetic brushes are great because they are easy to clean, don't trap bacteria as badly as natural bristles and are much cheaper than natural hair brushes.  The Expert Face brush does a great job of putting on liquid foundation and cream products.  This is a great buy at $8.99.  You can find them at Ulta.

7. Chanel Ombre Essentielle Soft Touch Eyeshadow in Fauve -  Oh, Chanel.  I heart Thee.  This is new to my collection this year.  Fauve is a great mid-tone purple with taupe undertones and a hint of shimmer.  This is my go-to color for a quick eye look.  I use a flat brush and place it on my lid and then buff it out with a fluffy brush.  For a more dramatic look, I'll use a pencil brush and place it underneath the eye at my lash line.  A little goes a long way as it's pretty pigmented so this will last me years.  It's $28 at Chanel.

8. MAC Prep and Prime Highlighter in Radiant Rose - Momma's got some dark circles.  I need all the help I can get and traditional concealer, on it's own, just doesn't do enough for me. After I'm done with my concealer and foundation, I grab this little gem and run it underneath my eyes, down the center of my nose and one top of my cheek bones.  This helps to brighten underneath my eyes, and highlight the areas on my face that I want to pop. I'd recommend using clean fingers to work it into the skin or a sponge like the Beauty Blender.  This comes in several different shades, depending on your skin-tone and what you're trying to achieve. I get mine at my local MAC counter, but you can also find it online here for $25.

9. Make Up Forever Mat Velvet + Foundation - One of the many awesome changes that happens to me post-baby is oily skin.  Like a freakin' oil slick, friend.  We were on vacation this summer, just 2 months after John was born, and my normally dry skin became an oil field.  I went to their local Sephora and picked this skin savior up.  If you're oily or have combination skin, this may be for you.  This will help control oil while providing medium to full, buildable coverage. I would recommend using the Real Techniques buffing brush with it or a Beauty Blender sponge to get the best results.  Sephora is the exclusive retailer for Make Up Forever - you can purchase it for $36.

10. Chanel Rouge Allure in Gracile (89) - Can I just be honest?  I have a ridiculous amount of lipstick and lipgloss.  I'm always on the hunt for my perfect color.  Chanel's Gracile is pretty close to my perfect lipstick.  It's a midtone peachy pink - perfect for every day wear or can be paired with a soft smoky eye.  It's hydrating but not too slick.  The Rouge Allure is $34 and can be found at a Chanel counter or online.

11. Tarte's Amazonian Clay Long-Wear Blush in Amused - I feel that a great blush can pull any makeup look together.  And a great bright blush can help waken up a tired mommy face.  I love Tarte's Amazonian Clay blushes - they have great pigmentation, are long-wearing and are not chalky.  It's a natural finish and Amused is a great bright pink blush - the kind of rosy cheek you get when you've been outside on a winter day.  You can pick these up at Ulta or Sephora for $26.

12. Chanel's Glossimer in Paillettes - Look in any beauty hoarder's makeup bag and I'm sure you'll find a Chanel Glossimer.  They are divine.  Hydrating, not too sticky, and beautiful colors.  Chanel's Paillettes is my perfect pink and is one of my favorites and is near empty, so I need to get on it and buy another one.  This is a staple I'll have with me until they stop making it.  Find yours at a Chanel counter for $29.50 or online.

13. MAC Pro Longwear Concealer - I found this concealer two years ago while pregnant with John.  My skin went absolutely crazy - I suspect I developed rosacea.  I had lots of bright red patches on my face that I couldn't get covered with my normal concealer and foundation.  MAC came through once again and rescued my face.  Well, this didn't cure my rosacea, but it did cover it up so it wasn't completely obvious. I'm still not without it - it covers undereye dark circles without creasing, covers any blemishes and dark spots.  I like to use a small stippling brush to work it into the skin before I layer on my foundation.  You can pick this up at your MAC counter or online for $19.50.  I would recommend getting color matched before purchasing!

(Here I am last week wearing MAC Pro Longwear Concelear (NW20), Tarte's Amazonian Clay in Amused, MAC Prep and Prime Highlighter in Radiant Rose and Chanel's Eyeshadow in Fauve.)

What products did you reach for time and time again this year?  Do you like drugstore or do you buy most of your stuff at a department store?  I'd love to know!



NOTE: I am not sponsored by any brand or store.  These products were purchased by me.

My Postpartum Funk

After (mostly) successfully surviving the newborn stage with Grace and Autumn, I thought it would be smooth sailing the third time around.

After a incredibly easy labor and delivery, I dealt with all the normal post-delivery transitions with John.  I healed quickly and he adjusted to life with us without a problem.

The first few months went by... the normal middle-of-the-night wakings, diaper changes, doctor's appointments, sweet family time, juggling time with all three kids, and constant eye bags... everything, I thought, was normal.  It felt normal.  We were walking through the normal things.

Toward the end of the summer, I saw a friend for a play date/catch-up-on-life session.  She asked me how my summer was.  Horrible was my reply.

For the next several minutes I began to say words I hadn't heard in my head until that point... I was sad... I felt angry... I just wanted to stay in bed... I felt disconnected with Joel... I didn't want to do stuff with the kids... I wanted to stay home... My quiet times with the Lord were out of sync... I couldn't pray... I didn't feel like me.

Her response?  I wish I had known.  Me too!

Seriously, I didn't know I was feeling... experiencing all those things until I was on my way out of the funk that hung over me for the first few months of John's life.  How could I have been struggling so much and not know it, until I started feeling normal again?

Poor Joel has felt the brunt of my postpartum funk.  I've told friends in our church small group that I've been feeling crazy.  Crazy is a good word.  I have not been myself... and my sweet husband has stood next to me, being abundantly patient with a crazy woman.  All at once, I've been mad, sad, apathetic and hysterical.  Not to say, I'm normally totally sane, but the last four months have had a few near bi-polar outbursts on my part.

I'm thankful for a man who is understanding even when I'm sure he is confused by me and wondering where Jill's gone.

So, I'm walking on the path out of this funk.  Now that I see that I've been struggling, I've had some very honest conversations with those who have been innocent bystanders in all of this.  I'm reading through the Psalms and cherishing the words that David says - saying exactly what my heart feels.  I've asked a thousand times for God to heal my heart, calm my emotions and remind me of His Joy.

I'm taking each day as it comes... realizing that the postpartum funk can sometimes come out of nowhere, that I need to ask for help and cherish each day that I have with my little Blessings.

Mr J's First Blog Day Out

I know it's been quiet around A Troop's Girl the last few months.  We've been busy!  But before time got too far away, I wanted to share our sweet baby boy with you - Our sweet little John.  John was born May 14th and is 3 months old today!

He is an amazing baby - very content and seems to just love watching his sisters play around him... and he doesn't mind the occasional giant Autumn face getting very close to his.  (She is very interested in "Baby JA-OHN".) Joel and I are just in love with him, and as tiring as this baby-stage is, we wouldn't trade it.

So, enjoy those sweet baby cheeks.  I am!

More posts coming soon!

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Good Friday - An Opportunity to Teach Your Children

Grace's Lent Book - age 7

Like most moms, I often think back at missed opportunities with my kids.  You know, those moments that the doors are wide open to teach your kid something important that you either fail to see at the time or figure it really isn't all that important?  Times when I should have taught about grace, forgiveness, patience... there have been many.

Yesterday I had a conversation with our pastor and a friend about this weekend's Easter services.  We discussed the Good Friday service and some of the plans that were underway, including showing a video and picture of aspects of the crucifixion.  We were trying to decide whether those things would be too-graphic for children who may be in attendance.  My immediate response was "yes!" - that's too much for my 7 year-old.  As we discussed further about the service and the heavy significance of Good Friday, my heart began to change.

Yes, Grace is 7 and we are probably more conservative than most parents about what our kids see and are exposed to.  But she knows about Jesus.  She asked Him into her life 2 years ago and can clearly tell you about who is is, why he came and what the cross meant.  I'm sure she's seen images of Jesus on a cross - probably the super-clean, gleaming-pale skin Jesus-on-the-cross picture... you know the ones.

Grace can also tell you about the Resurrection.  We actually just sat down at breakfast this week and talked about how awesome it was that Christ rose from the dead and the promise and hope that gives those who believe in him.

But I realized during my discussion with my friend and pastor that I've missed an important opportunity to talk about the cross with Grace.  We've never discussed the brutality of his death - all that he went through... how he was beaten, bloody, exhausted, tormented... She doesn't know that Jesus-on-the-cross story.

It wasn't until I was an adult, that I began to understand the weight of the cross.  As a kid, we never had Good Friday services.  There was one gentleman in our church that would share during a communion service about the physical brutality of the crucifixion.  But until I was an adult, no one helped draw a picture for me about the realities of the cross.

When you begin to understand the severity of the cross - the gruesome torture and death Christ went through for us, you then start to realize the significance of your own sin and the beauty of Christ's sacrifice.  Watching The Passion of the Christ in 2004 did that for me.  I wept through most of the movie and those images will be with me forever and have helped change my heart toward my Loving Savior.

So last night, after discussing things over with Joel, I decided Grace and I needed to talk about what Christ really did on his way to the cross and at Calvary.

Before I said anything, she said she wanted to read out of her Children's Bible - and she, on her own, chose the story of Christ's death.  I was blown away by how God was working out the details of our important conversation.  He was with us.

So after she finished reading to me, I began asking her questions about the cross and told her I wanted to share with her what Christ actually went through from the time he was taken by the Roman soldiers to the moment he died.  We talked about his sorrow, his open wounds, the people insulting him, the crown of thorns, the weakness in his body... his cry out to God.  It was incredibly powerful.

I don't expect Grace at 7 to fully understand what her Savior did for her that day.  As an adult, and Christian for nearly 30 years, I still don't understand how much Christ suffered for us... for me.  But my prayer is that starting with yesterday, Grace will understand fully how much her Savior loves her, the weight of sin and the price he paid for us.

I'm so humbled to be a part of her understanding of the Cross.

But he was pierced for our transgressions;

he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

and with his wounds we are healed

 - Isaiah 53:5

My Face in His Hands

There are plenty of times as a mom, when I kneel down in front of one of my little ones, and place my hands on each side of their sweet face.  It may be during a time of correction or punishment, oftentimes it's just to get them to be still and listen to me.  But sometimes it's because I need to encourage them and I want to make sure I have their attention.  Whatever it may be, those time are just ours.  For a moment in time, distractions fade and I have their attention.

Recently, I've felt God's hands on my cheeks - as He tries to get me to look at Him, to be still and to just listen to what He has to say.  He is looking into my eyes and into my heart, trying to speak to me, to get my attention.

He's been working on my heart in big ways the last several months - showing me the importance of His grace and living with the sweet, sweet Gospel in sight.  Somewhere, somehow, I lost the beauty of the Gospel.

The last several weeks, He's been holding me close, reminding me of where's I've lost focus - where I've lost track of His holiness, His beauty and grace.  My quiet times have been incredibly special and absolutely life-changing.

There are so many times throughout the day, when I feel Him grabbing a hold of me, pulling my face in His direction.  He is telling me to be still, remember who He is, what He has done and what He created me to be.  He has been like a loving parent, gently speaking to my heart - that I've lost focus and I need to look in His eyes.

God's grace does not fade, when we lose our focus.  He will, once again, bend down, grab hold of us, and speak, as only a loving Heavenly Father could.

"But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear." - Matthew 13:16

Proud Mommy Moments: Autumn's Reflection

If you've been following for a while or know me personally, you know I've had my share of struggles with body image.  If you don't know the story, here's a post I wrote about my struggles with control, anxiety and purging.

As a mom to two girls, I know that I have a major role in how they see themselves and how they see themselves in light of what God created them for and to do.  Grace and I have had many talks about true beauty and how God created her perfectly (Psalm 139:13-18).  The world has already taught her about calories, health, exercise and the "fear of fat".  Autumn is just now paying attention to her reflection in the mirror.

Something I've tried to teach my girls, is to speak Truth to themselves.  One way I have done this, is to ask them to say "perfect" when they see themselves in the mirror.  Just a small way of reminding themselves that God has made them perfectly.  I do it too - not because I think I'm gorgeous, but because in God's eyes, He has made me perfect.

This week, while Autumn and I were having a super fun hang-out session reading books in my bed, she slid off the bed and went to the long mirror I have in my closet.  She looked at herself in the mirror for a few moments, smiled and pointed to her belly and said "Autumn.  Perfect".  It made my heart smile and I'm sure God's did, too.

Remember, whatever you're struggling with, however you see yourself, God has created you in His image.  He has known you from the beginning of time, and knit you together perfectly in your mother's womb!  We have a great God who loves us more than we could ever measure or imagine!

The Nice Civilian Feeling

Next month will mark two years since Joel came back from his last tour in Iraq.  Two years.  That's the longest he's been home since Grace was born.  In four years, he was deployed three times.  Our life for a while was centered around his short times at home and the anticipation of his time away...

I started noticing this fall how "normal" life feels right now.  Although Joel's active duty, he's at a Guard base, so we life off-base.  He goes to work, comes home.  We have family time, church activities, hang-out times with friends.  Life feels really settled.  Normal.  Civilian.

Besides wearing his uniform when he leaves the house and the fact that there is always a pair of combat boots by our front door, life doesn't feel as military-focused as it has in the past.  It's been nice.

It's also been good for us - for our relationship.  Although we have grown so much as a couple and individuals through Joel's various deployments, it is really nice to do life with Joel on a day-to-day basis.  We are connected.  We are raising our children together - learning each day how to parent better.  We are pushing each other to grow in all areas of our life.

I've enjoyed this two years of togetherness.

But I've been struggling with some anxiety about what's next... It's been a strange feeling to feel like a civilian family... but it's almost like I can't seem to stay in the moment and enjoy now without thinking of the prospects of him leaving for an extended training or deployment.  It's like this has all been too good to be true.  That God must have something on the horizon for him - that Joel's just going to leave again, because life has been too good with him home.

Yesterday as I had some quiet time with the Lord, I read this in one of my devotionals - (it's called Jesus Calling and I would highly recommend it as a devotional to start your day and help you focus your heart...)

"I AM above all things: your problems, your pain, and the swirling events in this ever-changing world.  When you behold My Face, you rise above the circumstances and rest with Me in heavenly realms.  This is the way of Peace, living in the Light of My Presence.  I guarantee that you will always have problems in this life, but they must not become your focus.  When you feel yourself sinking in the sea of circumstances, say "Help me, Jesus!" and I will draw you back to Me.  If you have to say that thousands of times daily, don't be discouraged.  I know your weakness, and I meet you in that very place."

So, today I say "Help me, Jesus!" - help me to rest in the place you have us in right now, trusting in you daily that you hold today and tomorrow in Your Hands.

Our Financial Freedom Journey: 16 month check-up

Happy New Year!  Hope you all had a truly beautiful Christmas with those you love the most...

I realized at the end of the last month, as I was working on our finances, that's it's been forever since I've done a check-up on our road toward Financial Freedom.  The last time I did a check-up, it was last February, and we were just 6 months into all of this.  Now, we're starting off our 16th month... 16 months!  It's time to let you all know how we've been doing.

First off, this journey has gotten easier since we started in September 2011.  It has been easier to "do without" some things in order to stay focused on our goal of living without debt.  Joel and I are much better accountability partners in this area of our lives than we've ever been.  And that's been a vital part - to have your spouse continually remind you of your mutual goals and cheer each other on as your debt shrinks.

At this point, we are rounding the corner.  I'm hoping in the next several months, I'll be able to share a post with you that says we're debt free - that we did it!  We still have a little ways to go, but as I tally our debt pay-off each month, that number inspires both Joel and I to work harder and to finish this whole adventure strong.

So, here's the exciting part... Over the last 16 months of Joel working two jobs, us living on a budget (mostly but not perfectly) and us saying "no" to things that aren't necessary to survival, this military family of four has paid off $19,686.00!

If you've followed our story here on my blog or know us personally, you know that this has taken a lot of sacrifice - a lot of time with Joel away from us (for a short while) in order to help secure financial peace (long term).  Our thought the entire time is that we we're going to jump in with both feet until we were out of debt so we no longer had to live barely making it each month, hardly being able to save, with a large debt-number hanging above us.  We've made some bad choices that has gotten us here - we have bought too much, gone out too frequently, saved too little when we could have saved a lot and did not start our marriage with complete financial honesty and transparency.  It is because of several bad decisions, that we had to wake-up and drastically change the way we were living.

We realized 16 months ago, that in many ways, our children were going to have to deal with the consequences of our bad financial decisions.  We knew, if we continued to live with too much, that we wouldn't be able to move to a larger home, afford vacations, have a sizable savings for life-happenings and be able to save for college.  I'm not saying those are necessary for a happy childhood.  But I'm simply trying to say that our poor financial decisions was not only having a negative impact on the two of us, but the four of us.  Through this process, we've been able to teach Grace about savings, working hard and handling the money God has given us with wisdom.  I know she's only 6, but she can tell you why we're doing all of this.  And she's learned the importance of saying "no" today so we can say "yes" in the future.

If you're sick of living month-to-month, of living with anxiety about what's in your bank account and what you're financial future may look like, all I can say if we can do it, so can you!  Dave Ramsey has some great tools on his website, including this great budget tool.  On his site, you can look at the steps toward becoming debt free.  We didn't follow his 7 Baby Steps completely - we did follow his basic principle of living with the bare minimum and how he suggest you snowball debt.

Feel free to contact me with any questions!  We have really enjoyed sharing this journey - I've been so encouraged by the stories of others who have made this decision to live radically now so you can live freely later.

Proud Mommy Moments: Hugs

I know.  I know.  I've once again, been a very naughty blogger... I promise there will be more to come.  I thought It would be fun to come out of blogger hiding with a Proud Mommy Moment courtesy of Miss Autumn.

Let me first say that Autumn is a pure joy.  She's 2 1/2 and so far we've managed to miss the terrible-two stage.  *knock on all the wood I can find around me* She's funny, brave, smart and just a lover.

Earlier this week Autumn and I were on a search around town for peanut-free pecans.  I had a recipe I wanted to make and was searching high and low for a store and company who had pecans that wouldn't kill me with traces of peanuts.  I was frustrated, worn out and tired at being at yet another store (I really, really dislike grocery shopping and I get really tired of not being able to find peanut-free products).  After a last-ditch effort looking through a large organic section, to no avail, I was done.  Suddenly, Autumn decides she needed a hug.  A big-old, giant, squeeze-me-super tight, Autumn hug.  The thing is, she wouldn't let go.  So, I pushed her through the store for the next 30 minutes with her arms tight around my neck.  We got lots of weird looks... but I needed that big hug and I'm thankful she knew I needed it.

We never did find pecans.  But a big Autumn-size hug seemed to make up for it.

If you need an Autumn-size hug today, maybe a pic will do.  Here she is cheesing it up with my glasses...

Any proud (or not so proud) mommy moments you'd like to share.  Comment below or link up with Emmy Mom!

Proud Mommy Moments: Abs

On Thursday, I was catching up on some intellectual literature by reading the latest issue of Marie Claire.  Don't judge...

Anyway, Autumn decided to join me.  She sat on my lap and pointed to Gwen Stefani, on the cover, and said "momma".  Does that look like Momma??  Yea.

Good answer.  Especially considering Gwen's rock-hard abs are clearly visible and I haven't seen mine sine 2005.

So, on we go, reading brain-stimulating articles.  Then comes up another picture, which Autumn points to and again says "momma".

Oooo.  Burn.

It was Pamela Anderson.

And at that moment, my bubble burst.

Vertical Church: Chapter 4 An Epic Failure

The church in North America is fading - fast.  If you are a Christian that sentence should hit you hard.  If it didn't, please take a look at some numbers that James MacDonald lays out in this chapter (pg. 130):

• 6,000 churches close their doors every year
• Only 1 in 10 pastors retire while still in the ministry
• Less than 20% of Americans regularly attend church
• Only 15% of churches are growing numerically in the U.S.
• 800 new church plants survive each year
• 10,000 new churches would be needed each year to keep up with population growth

If you are a numbers-person like I am, than those numbers should hurt.  If you're a growing Christian who is sold-out for Christ, you should be concerned.  If you love the Church, you should want better.  We need better.

We've tried the horizontal approach.  We've welcomed business leadership principles, man-centered strategies and entrepreneurship to teach us how to reach customers - the unsaved.  We have replaced lethargic legalism with competency church.  Our approach has been wrong. (p. 134)

I urge you to pick up a copy of this book.  I read this chapter 3 times, and it hurt every time to read it.  I'm not a pastor, I'm not an elder or a deacon.  But I'm sold out for Christ and I want the church to be healthy, growing, thriving and making disciples.  I want that for you.  And I want that in my church.

If you've followed our story, than you know that this winter Joel and I found Harvest Bible Chapel.  Our lives have been changed as we work alongside other sold-out Christians to plant a church near where we live.  We are excited to be part of a church that is ridiculously excited to build a Christ-focused church where people are saved, lives are changed, disciples are made and God is glorified.

I don't know where you are in life as you're reading this - if you go to church, if you're growing in your church - maybe you're church homeless right now.  But God wants you in a church where He is welcomed, His Word is preached and the Great Commission is fulfilled.  So, how do you know if you need to look for a new church home?  I sat down with our pastor and we discussed some Biblical reasons for leaving a church. I pray that these reasons may give you some guidance and peace.


When to leave a church...

1. When a church isn't preaching the Gospel.  Either the Gospel isn't been proclaimed on Sunday or the church has adopted a false version of the Gospel.  (Gal. 1:6-9)
2. When a church is not preaching/teaching sound Biblical doctrine.  (Romans 16:17)
3. When the church leadership does not model or promote a Biblical lifestyle.  (Phil. 3:17, I Pt. 5:3)
4. When the church refuses to practice church discipline.  (I Cor. 5:6-8)
5. When your spiritual gifts are not being used.  (Romans 12:3-8)
6. When you're not growing in your walk under the leadership of the church.

If you're a Christian, Sunday should be your favorite day of the week.  You should look forward to Sunday morning all week - and you should leave the church doors saying I can't wait to go back.  My prayer is that would be your experience, if not, pray what God would have for you.

10 Things to Smile About: August

Well, summer seemed to come and go way too fast.  We had a great time together as a family and made some very special memories.  But I have to admit, the last two weeks before school started were hard - lots of meltdowns from my oldest min-me.  She was ready for school.  And I was ready for a routine.

Here are 10 things that made me smile in August:

1. Seeing the Stanley Cup with some good friends.

2. Starbucks' Refresher in Very Berry Hibiscus - amazing!

3.  Some haircuts before school

4.  Crossing some important to-dos off my list for our church launch.

5. Rescuing my parents from an unfortunate my-keys-fell-in-the-river incident and coming across this sign...

6.  Some incredible quiet time reading My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers - every day the message speaks right to my heart.  

7.  One last hoorah before school started - took Gracie to her first baseball game

8.  OPI's Germany collection.... I thought it would be very un-German of me not to buy at least a few

9.  Hunger Games on DVD!

10.  School started & my 1st grader finally has her routine back - and so does her very happy momma

What did you love the most about August?  Link up with my friend EmmyMom!

7-Day Cleanse: My Thoughts and Results

Last week, I started a seven day cleanse.  Some of you may have followed along with my results on Facebook... I've received a lot of questions about my experience and thought it may be useful to put them in a post for you.

First off, I've been asked why I decided to do this?  Well, Grace started school last week so I'm trying to get back into the routine of getting to the gym regularly.  I thought the cleanse would be a good jump-start to working out 4-5 times a week.

Here's the guide that I used for last week - What do you think of the GM diet?   The link has the food schedule for Sunday - Saturday with a recipe for a special soup and then some other guidelines and things to consider.

So, onto my daily diet:
Sunday - all fruits except bananas
I loved the first day!  I ate a ton of melon, some grapes and two fruit smoothies - I love the Naked smoothies.  This day I drank over 90 ounces of water.
By the end of day one I was down exactly 3 pounds.

Monday - all vegetables
This was a hard day for me.  I started out with the recommended baked potato for breakfast - I put a tiny bit of butter and salt and pepper on top.  For lunch I grilled a mix of onions, garlic, mushrooms and tomatoes - a batch I ate throughout the day.  By about 4:00 I was extremely weak.  So I went out and got the ingredients for spaghetti squash marinara and felt much better after dinner.  I drank about 80 ounces of water and 2 cups of black coffee.

Tuesday - all fruits and vegetables
I had 2 more of the Naked fruit smoothies, and the leftovers of the spaghetti squash marinara and the grilled vegetables.  I drank about 80 ounces of water and 2 cups of black coffee.

Wednesday - bananas and milk
I started the day with 2 cups of coffee with a splash of 1% milk.  During the day I drank 3 glasses of 1% milk and ate about 4 large bananas.  I drank about 80 ounces of water and had 2 cups of black coffee.  Surprisingly I felt full and satisfied and noticed my cravings for salt and sweets start to fade.

Thursday - feast day - beef, tomatoes and lots of water
They call this feast day.  I think I would give it a different name!  By day four, I was ready for some protein, although I could not eat the amount of beef they recommended.  I made three hamburger patties made from ground sirloin, a little salt and pepper and some sun-dried tomatoes.  I ate 2 bowls of vegetable soup.  I had about 3 tomatoes with some onion salt on them and drank over 90 ounces of water.  I also had a glass of unsweetened iced green tea.

Friday - beef and vegetables
Again, not my favorite day.  Although I felt full, I remember wanting fruit on day 5.  On day 6 I sauteed some beef tips with salt and pepper and a tad of oil.  As for vegetables, I ate some more tomatoes, corn and green beans and also had a bowl of vegetable soup.  I drank over 90 ounces of water and had 1 cup of black coffee.

Saturday - brown rice, fruit juices and vegetables
I was excited about the last day!  On day 7 I made a batch of brown rice and had peas, carrots, mushroom, green beans and tomatoes.  I also had one Naked fruit smoothie.  I drank about 80 ounces of water and had 2 cups of black coffee.  That night, I slipped and had a McDonald's cheeseburger for dinner.

By Sunday morning, day 8, I was down a total of 8.6 pounds!

Some things I've noticed this week is that my cravings for sweets has really gone down.  I'm also drinking a whole lot more water than normal - trying to maintain about 80 ounces a day.  I may consider doing the cleanse again, but most likely will choose a few days a month to just eat fruits and vegetables.

On the link above, it gives a recipe for "special soup".  Nothing about it sounded good to me and I heard that it tasted horrible.  So my special soup consisted of vegetable broth, onions, carrots and tomatoes.  I put in some salt and pepper and a few bay leaves and let it come together for about 45 minutes.

Tough Truth for Military Kids

Yesterday afternoon, Grace and I had this conversation in the car on the way home from school...

Grace:  Do we still use canons?
Me: I don't know.  That's a daddy-question.
Grace:  Do they have canons at Daddy's work?
Me:  I don't think so.  But they have bombs.
Grace:  Bombs?  Like Fruit Ninja?
Me:  Exactly

Tonight during dinner, out of the blue Grace asks me this question...

Grace:  When will Daddy have to go back to Iraq?
Me:  Iraq?  I hope never again.  The war there is over for us.
Grace:  There aren't more wars?
Me:  Well, yes there are still wars going on.  But Daddy doesn't have to go right now to fight in those.
Grace:  Daddy goes there to fight for us, right?
Me:  Yep!  Daddy wants us all to be safe.
Grace:  I wish there weren't wars.  Aren't you glad Daddy didn't die when he was away?
Me:  Oh my gosh, yes.  I'm so happy Daddy came home to us.

These are such hard conversations.  These topics don't come up often.  Joel's been home now 1 1/2 years - the longest stretch since Grace has been born.  So topics like war, soldiers dying and people being killed overseas don't come up in our house too often.  For the past 1 1/2 years, life here has seemed normal.  Not quite civilian-life normal, but still pretty quiet.

I just pray that God would grant me wisdom for these hard conversations.  These aren't things I would have ever dreamed to talk about with my 6 year old.

Do any of you military moms have advice for how to handle these hard topics?

Vertical Church: Chapter 3 Glory

to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus

throughout all generations, 

forever and ever.  Amen.  Ephesians 3:21

In February, I sat in a hotel conference room with about 40 other people.  We were all there to find out one thing - to find out more about this church plant we all had heard about.  We all came from various churches all around our area - God drew us together that night.  As our pastor was speaking and sharing about the vision for this new church, one word stood out to me - glory.  Now, glory is something we Christians hear about often and say and sing about frequently.  But there was something about the way our pastor spoke about glory that made me think.  Why is he so passionate about bringing God's glory to this town?  Isn't that what every church ultimately works for?

James MacDonald sums-up this big God-word in chapter 3:  Remember that glory is any manifestation of God, glory is evidence for God, it is proof of God's existence.  Glory is when we see something that could not be by itself, which is everything our eyes fall upon.  And while the creation is whispering His glory and the saved are singing His glory, the gospel of the Son is heralding the message:  there's a God, there's a God, there's a God! (pg. 99)

So, glory is a God word.  It's a church word.  We use it a lot.  We say we're doing it in the church. But are we really glorifying the Almighty?  Church has become a horizontal pursuit - proclaiming truth while ignoring grace, avoiding truth while teaching an ubiblical view of grace, clinging to personal comfort in worship, allowing preaching on the pastor's thoughts and experiences rather than proclaiming God's word... these are all part of the horizontal church (John 1:14, John 7:18, Mark 12:30).  But God never intended the church to be horizontal.  It is supposed to be Vertical - man seeking God's glory and God displaying His manifest presence.

Let's stop making church about me.  Let's put an end to seeking out our comfort zones within the church walls.  Let's stop using church to pursue our own desires, our ambitions.  Let's start proclaiming God's glory.  Let's start seeking it.

Show us your glory, Lord!

Our Summer in Photos

Since I've been a very naughty blogger, I haven't shared a lot about our summer.  So, I thought I'd give you a glimpse into our full and very fun summer in pictures.  Hope you had a wonderful few months!

Lots of time at our zoo

1st ride on a train in New Hampshire

A unusual smile from el Hub

End of a great 5K

1st trip to the ocean for the girls

Love lighthouses & this one was perfect

Many trips to the dairy farm in New Hampshire for yummy milk and eggs

Visiting my best friend from college & her awesomely patient husband. Love Seattle!

Did you know Bison & Buffalo are different???

God's awesome creation - Mt Rainier

Yummy Oreo martinis

Grace's 1st riding lessons

Our sweet friends and their new little one

4-wheeling with my best friend

Celebrating 9 years of marriage - and he even (kinda) smiled

Autumn sorting toys - love it!

Seeing the Stanley Cup

Hair cuts before school starts

One last "hoorah" this summer at a baseball game

1st Grade

Grace started 1st grade on Monday.  Each year, from preschool to now, I'm surprised that it's possible that she's old enough for school.  Why is my baby growing up???  It's a hard thing for me, as I'm gathering from all your Twitter and Facebook posts, is a hard thing for most of you, too.

Grace and I packed her school bag weeks ago - carefully reading and re-reading her list, labeling her name on about a thousand different items and packing and re-packing, until her bag was just right.  Her clothes have been washed and hung up in her closet.  Shoes have been bought and put aside so they aren't marked up until the last-possible minute.  All of this planning and organizing, and you would think that I would have remembered earlier than a week before school that I planned to work on her spelling and math with her this summer.  I bought a workbook the first week in June to go over with her... and now school has started, and we haven't even begun her "summer" workbook.  Oh, well.  We had fun at the pool, the park and New Hampshire... and fun is what summer is about anyway.

It was a good first day.  She goes to a very small school, so all but two of the students this year were in her Kindergarten class.  Grace seems to love her new teacher and is loving being in a school routine again.  That girl THRIVES on routine.

Can't wait to see how much she learns and grows this school year.  I can't wait to see her continue to grow in confidence.

And since her first day of school was a great success, I thought she deserved a treat...

Vertical Church: Chapter 2 Manifest Presence

"Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory." Psalm 115:1

Last week, I wrote about Chapter 1 - God's transcendence... that yearning inside of all of us for the eternal.

This week the topic isn't any lighter.  God's glory and manifest presence.  I'll be honest, this chapter has a lot of weight to it.  I've read it several times now and my pages are covered in highlighter ink.  As I've read the pages again and again, I've come to realize how important these truths are and how central they are to the church.

As I've thought about His manifest presence and glory, I've come to realize how necessary both are to the church and in our daily walk with the Lord.  Let me share with you one example of God's manifest presence in my life...

In February of 2007, Joel left for his first tour in Iraq.  This was our first deployment as a couple, and my jaded understanding that being married to a military man was all fun and romantic quickly shifted.  I didn't know how I was going to cope as a "single mom" while he was away at war, let alone how I was going to deal with the gravity of what Joel was about to do while deployed.  My emotions were up, down and completely unpredictable.  The weight of all of the unknowns was almost too much to bear.

D-day came.  The day us military wives dread.  I cried on and off all day, but tried to keep things as positive as I could for Joel and our then 11 month old Grace.  Soon, Joel's best friend came to the house to bring Joel to the base.  We said our goodbyes, I shed a few tears and soon he was out of the house, down the driveway, and gone from sight.  

I remember Grace standing in the middle of our living room floor in her footie pajamas, like it was just another night.  As she giggled and played, I fell to pieces.  Before long, I was balled-up in the middle of our living room, on the floor, weeping.  I still can feel how my whole body shook - as I thought about the man I loved on his way to many, many months of unknowns.  In those few moments, I felt alone, afraid and without strength.

I called out to God.  Please Lord, help me.  I need You.  I can't do this without You.  Be with me.

For those of you who know God's manifest presence - who've felt it - it won't surprise you to know that in that moment of complete weakness and helplessness, God's presence fell on me.  He was near.

In the few hours that followed, God was with me as I talked with Gracie.  He was with me as I loved on her, read to her and tucked her into bed.  His presence was with me and before me as I carried on those many months.  He carried me through.  He was near.

Sometime, in the middle of that deployment, I came across a sign at a local store that summed up my prayer... my prayer for that deployment, the two that came after that one, and for all the times in between.  It hangs in my kitchen, and is a constant reminder of my yearning for God's presence in my life, His nearness.

We need His manifest presence.  It should be our desire as a church to have His presence, His nearness on us and with us each Sunday.  That's what I want in a church, and He wants that, too.  In Exodus 33, we see a glimpse of a conversation between God and Moses.  Moses was a great man of God, a great man of faith.  But in these verses we see that Moses didn't want to go anywhere that God wasn't.  God continued to remind Moses, to calm him by saying My presence will go with you.

I don't want to take one step in my life without the presence of God with me and before me.  I don't want to go to a church where God doesn't show up.  I need Him with me.  I want His weight on me.

Vertical Church: Chapter 1

In high school, while at a Christian youth conference, I sat in an auditorium surrounded by kids my age.  Most of us in that room had heard of Christ before.  Most of us knew what salvation was and I would imagine, most of us had accepted Christ as a young child.  So there I sat, a teenager secure in her salvation - going on about 10 years as a "Christian".  We sang songs together, listened to a message... some of us took notes.  At the end of that night, the speaker prayed the "sinner's prayer".  You know the one...

If you are tired of living a life apart from God... 

If you realize that you are a sinner in need of Divine grace...  

If you want to accept Christ's free gift and follow Him...

 pray this prayer with me...

It was a prayer I heard so often as a young Christian who went to church every week with my family.  I knew the prayer.  I knew the Gospel.

But something happened at that moment.  While the speaker was asking us to accept Christ, my world shifted.  In that moment, my soul yearned for something greater - greater than my mediocre, lazy Christian life.  I knew of Him, but I didn't know Him.  I loved Him, but my love for Him was shallow.  The life that I lead as a Christian girl was dull.

At that moment my heart hurt.  I wanted more.  I wanted more of Him.  I wanted to know Him better.  To serve Him better.  To love Him with all that I had.

A few minutes later, I found myself sitting between my sister and my youth group leader, weeping.  I  was literally crying out to God.  I wanted the God of the universe, the Almighty, to fall on me, take over my life and rule my heart.

My life was forever changed at that moment.  Although I had many times of falling back into a lazy Christian life - when I became content in the knowledge of God and not His heart - when I was satisfied with living half for Him...  But God always took a hold of me.  Whether it was during times witnessing to Joel before he got saved, or when an initial positive result for cancer came back negative the next day... or the moment I held my daughters for the first time, or even last spring, when God started peeling away the layers of my heart.  I yearn for God's transcendence, for eternity.  You do, too.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that "he has put eternity into man's heart".  It's in all of us - we long for a God that cannot be measured.

James MacDonald discusses this further in chapter one, and perfectly sums up where my struggles have been with my relationship with God:
The dilemma of the human race is not that we are unaware of God but that when push comes to shove, we value ourselves more highly than we value God.  The core of humanity's sin problem is not a horizontal behavior to be corrected, but a Vertical relationship to be restored... All are aware of a God, but most do not acknowledge His rightful place.  (pg. 56)

When I struggle with how I see God, my relationship with Him shifts.  And always for the worse.

A Longing in Our Church
The thing I'm most excited for with our new church is seeing lives changed.  I can't wait to see what happens when our Eternal God changes the hearts of men, women and children in our church.

When God shows up, lives are changed.