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Cleaning out a closet is a daunting, emotional and exhausting task!! As I embark on tackling the years old accumulation of clutter and clothing I know I have to pace myself or I'll be sleeping on the floor due to what should be hidden away thrown out in the open and laid all over my bed!
As I dig through the piles, I'm finding lost treasures from years past, baby clothes from my babies that are no longer babies, shoes from high school, clothes that were my moms and dads and grandparents that I've hung onto, clothes from early marriage. My emotions are so torn, I want to keep it all and revisit it in another walk down memory lane in the future, but I'm also drowning in 'stuff' and some things have to go!! If I want to continue wearing clothes that I've outgrown and are no longer in fashion then I can keep them, if I'd rather grow up and move on to more sophisticated apparel, I need to move on.
Our spiritual closets are identical to our physical ones. Cluttered and full of things we have outgrown. We try to squeeze ourselves into old lifestyles, old prayers and infantile learning, but we must put those things aside if we want to grow in the Lord. It can be very hard taking all this from our spiritual closets; the things we've kept hidden away, now laid bare for all to see but we must make room for the fullness of God's word, we must get rid of the old from our lives and feel the freedom that physical and spiritual decluttering bring.
"This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" 2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT
I Updated My Blog!!
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| I LOVE the new Layout!! It's just so pretty! |
I enjoy YouTube tremendously and it has become a great hobby, but I would love if all of this could become more. I know it seems like a bit of a pipe dream; that an old girl from the sticks who's never done too much with her life, could become successful in such a modern field. But I truly believe the Lord has given these talents to me for a purpose and if I don't at least try, I won't have been too good a steward of the gifts he has given me; now would I?
I ain't gonna lie, it's going to be HARD! It's already been hard. I wear so many different hats in my life that I am stretched very thin and am just flat out exhausted every day. I burn the candle at both ends most days and it has worn on me, especially of late. I am a wife and mother and those things themselves are full time jobs (major props to SAHMs, I know y'all are working your tails off!) I'm also a youth leader and the treasurer at our church. But on top of that I have a full time job (shout out to all the working Mommas out there; You. Are. Amazing!...) My job comes with heavy responsibilities, like hard stuff that, being fully transparent, makes me cry nearly every day at work. I'm not looking for pity, it's a good job and I love my coworkers, but man, it's hard, it tests every thing within me and with my biggest fear being failure, I leave there nearly every day completely down trodden because I feel that I have failed in so many ways. Ok, Ok.. Enough of that, that took a quick/unintentional turn ... I realize I have the power of the keyboard and could just erase it but it's pretty important to me to be real, and since that just flowed out, I'd better just leave it be...
As I was saying, it's gonna be hard to keep up with a blog and my YouTube channel, and try to post to social media outlets, and, and, and.. you get it... In spite of the difficulty; I want to try. I have to! Am I a glutton for punishment? Maybe! But I think it will be worth it. I'm a night owl and don't mind burning the midnight oil, it's getting up in the morning that gets hard, HA!
But- I will survive and I do believe I will thrive! For anyone reading this, thank you! Thank you in advance for your support and for subscribing to my brand and for 'Liking' 'Sharing' 'Commenting', all the new fangled words that go along with this business! But mostly, thank you for reading and watching and listening.
My tag line is : "From My Heart to Yours" and that doesn't come without reason, as I said above, I want to be real, I want to share what's on my heart so that maybe, just maybe, God can use my ramblings and goings on to touch you in some way, to know that you're not alone, that even when you feel lonely, not only can someone (I) relate, but that hopefully some how you will know that God is with you and that He is for you! He has created each of us for a purpose and part of mine is certainly this.
Ok, that's probably quite enough. If anyone has stuck with me this long, may God bless you sweetly! If you've made it to the end, leave me a sparkling heart emoji in the comments! 💖
Thank you for stopping by my blog today!
Love Always,
Ivy
Taking down Christmas decorations is always such a mix of emotion. On one hand, it's nice to have a clean slate and feel fresh and decluttered, on the other hand, it seems like they just went up and now they're leaving.
If we switch our thinking we can allow it to be a very simple reminder to slow down, live in the moment and not take a moment for granted, cherish each day and the things that the Lord blesses you with in your life.
"And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you." Philippians 4:8-9 NLT
It's a new year! Having a new year means a fresh start, a clean slate, 365 new days to make a change or take a stand in our lives for Christ. In full reality, every single day is a day just like that, we can make a change at any time! We can become resolute without a new year's resolution, we must simply decide that as a child of God we want to live according to his plan for our lives and change whatever bad habit (or implement additional good habits) at any time and on any day or the year!
I pray this year that each of us find ways to surrender to God's call on our lives, to stand firm on our resolve to follow him and better ourselves each day and that any declaration for change made on January first will also be observed on every other day of 2021, adding to those declarations throughout the year to be an ever steady example of Christ to the people in your lives.
"The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning." Lamentations 3:22-23
"Great is Thy faithfulness!" Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy hand hath provide. "Great is Thy faithfulness, " Lord, unto me! -Thomas Chisholm
Here are the recipes for Bohemian Kolaches and Gaston's Tavern Cinnamon rolls I made in my latest YouTube Video.
I hope you enjoy! Please let me know if you make any of these recipes!
Much Love,
Ivy
We had such a wonderful Christmas week. I got to spend more time with my family at Christmas than ever before, I took 2 extra days off work and we had such a wonderful time baking and wrapping and talking and laughing, it was a huge gift to me since I've had to spend so much time working lately.
My heart longs for moments like these daily and God made a way to fulfill my desire. We don't always see all the little gifts God gives to us, we most of the time, get hung up on the big things, but God works in all kinds of ways daily in our lives, both big and small. Take a moment today to sit peacefully and reflect on some of the small blessings that God has given you recently and Thank him for them.
"Delight yourself also in the Lord , And He shall give you the desires of your heart." Psalms 37:4 NKJV
Hey y'all! Here is the recipe from my recent Vlog. I hope you enjoy these as much as we do.
Make sure to let me know if you try them!
Much Love,
Ivy
Watch me prepare them on YouTube:
View or print the recipe Here: Earthquake Ginger Cookies
I Love Christmas. Every single thing about it! Jesus, the nativity, the story, Church, programs, lights, music, decorations, parties, food, gifts, shopping, movies, baking, friends, family, letters, cards, joy, smiling, love, laughter. I seriously could go on and on, I feel a bit like Julie Andrews listing just a few of my favorite things.
I believe I'm fairly well known for saying "it's always Christmas in my heart" mostly referring to my year round listening to Christmas music, however, its true, with Jesus in my heart, it is a wonderful thing to celebrate his birth all year long, so when its finally His actual birthday I become overjoyed! I love Jesus and I love sharing my love for Jesus with others through kindness, smiles, hugs, gifts. Jesus is the best gift anyone can ever receive and since He is the gift that keeps on giving, we must remember to share him and celebrate Him all year round! Merry Christmas Everyone!
11 years! Wow. How can 11 whole years go by so fast? Ayden has blessed our lives so much! He is a precious son, a faithful brother and a loyal friend. He always has a kind word and has such a tender heart. We thank the Lord he has Blessed us with Ayden.
I love decorating for Christmas, so much nostalgia in each tucked away box of décor. Ornaments commemorating marriage, new babies and their milestones; family vacations and loved ones who have gone to be with the Lord. As each ornament is taken from its year long resting place and put in a new place of honor on this year's tree, a story is remembered and told. Such special, blessed times spent with our children remembering years past. I hope as you prepare your hearts and home for Christmas, you too are able to share these special times and memories with your loved ones.
"I remember the days of old. I ponder all your great works and think about what you have done." Psalms 143:5 NLT
I want to use my article space this week to thank the Ladies of Mountain Bible Church!
Last week was such a blessed day, having fellowship with our church family, all the food was absolutely delicious and it was a perfect way to kick off the holiday season. In addition I want to thank those who served lunch and cleaned up afterward! What a blessing that you saw a need and sprang into action, serving others and our Lord. By the time I finished accounting, the family was served, by the time I finished eating, cleanup had begun!!! I love serving our church family and know beyond a shadow of doubt that God has me here, but to be served this year was a blessing that's kept my spirits bright all week!! I love you Ladies of Mountain, thank you for your servants hearts!
With Thanksgiving this week I thought it'd be nice to start a challenge. Make an acronym and fill in what you are thankful for this year. It could be a great family project! Mine is below.
T - The wonderful grace of Jesus H - How He forgives a sinner like me A - All of my family and friends N - New mercies everyday K - Kindness shown to & from strangers S - Salvation so full and free G - Grandchildren I - I'm alive in Christ V - Venison! Yum! I - Ivy, my unique name! N - New babies, all babies! G - Grandparents (my parents)
Driving in the rain can be a stressful task, especially for those of us with less than perfect eyesight. The rain makes things, seen through the window, have a smudged effect, the windows fog and lights become glowing orbs, throw in some darkness and it becomes nearly impossible. However, if I simply put on my glasses instead of trusting my contacts, all things become much clearer and it literally helps weather the storm.
This becomes a perfect illustration for trying to live our lives in sin. We trust in ourselves to get us through, we see with our physical eyes instead of trying to see things as God sees them and the events around us become foggy and unclear. God is the only one that can make things clear for us, we must trust his to guide us through all the storms in life.
"Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." Hebrews 4:13
With the state of our nation currently in political limbo as to what the future holds and what that means for each of us. We as Christians must stand firm on our Faith. Knowing that whatever the outcome of this election or any other event in our lives, God knows the answers, He alone can bring change to a person, a heart, a nation. We must pray continually not only for the outcome that God wills but also for our own hearts that no matter the outcome that we be at peace with it because it IS God's will.
"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid." John 14:27
As I sit in my living room, all warm and cozy, I'm gazing out the window at a beautiful fall day. The wind is gently blowing, the leaves are slowly floating down from the trees and tumbling across the yard. I can hardly imagine a more perfect day.
The fact of the matter is, there will be a more perfect day, the day Jesus returns to take us to heaven with him, that will be the most perfect day. We create thoughts and hopes and scenarios of what a perfect day would be like but we need not look any further than scripture. We may not know the day or time but we can look forward to a one true perfect day.
"While we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed." Titus 2:13 NLT
Did we skip fall? I feel like we skipped fall. I know, I know, this happens most years; days go from hot to cold without too much mild in-between. I think with this year specifically it's just amplified since so much of this year has been out of sorts, why would winter not also be?
We've come to expect things to go a certain way because that's the way we have always done it so when a curve ball comes our way and things don't go as planned we get flustered and anxious. Scripture tells us in Ecclesiastes 3:1 "For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven."
When scripture tells us something it is then our job to have faith to just continue on, even in the uncertainties. We may not know what weather we will have tomorrow, we may not know who our president will be next week, but what we do know is that in each season of life, God has a plan and He is in control. He can and will bring us through it and we can find comfort and wisdom on how to endure each season through the promises of His word.
