messy heart

This morning Nicole wrote about the messes in her life and it led me to thinking about the mess in my life.

My mess isn't my laundry pile, my kitchen or my back porch.

Its my heart.

Its not fully living in grace and extending grace to others.  And when I don't live in grace..oh the messes that come abounding out from every which direction of my heart. Its nasty!

The bad attitudes when husband suggests we bless someone in an over and above kind of way.

The relationships that I desperately long to have and in an attempt to fix things I only mess it up more.

The unmet expectations- enough said. 

  

The insecurity's that control me. 

My prayer is this....
                                                      Create in me a pure heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me from your presence

or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation

and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

 -Psalms 51
 

refreshing summer drink.

Its been a hot summer and so what could possibly be better then a refreshing drink! Good Girl Moonshine to the rescue! I first heard about this drink when I started reading the book Trim Healthy Mama. ( you do not need to be a mama or making plans to be one to follow this way of eating.) I was unsure of how anything could possibly be good with ginger and apple cider vinegar in it. After a couple sips I was hooked! And since then I've had so much fun making different flavors.

 

 Fill a quart sized jar with water and ice.
Add a generous drizzle of raw apple cider vinegar (I use 1-2 Tbs).
Add 1 tsp of ginger powder
Add a few shakes of pure stevia extract powder or truvia to taste

Add 5-8 mint leaves  

Serve over Ice and with a fresh strawberry

So refreshing and yummy! And the best part is there are so many health benefits to this drink! 

Some of the goodness apple cider vinegar has to offer are-

-It is abundant in potassium which is imperative for growth and building muscles, the transmission of nerve impulses, heart activity and preventing brittle teeth and hair loss.

-It encourages weight loss by breaking down fats to be used instead of stored in your adipose tissue.

-It is loaded with acetic acid which slows the digestion of starch and lowers the rise in glucose levels that occur post mealtime.

-It lowers bad cholesterol and helps to regulate blood pressure.

-It is a powerful detox tool and improves bowel function

-It clarifies the skin

And ginger has a long list of benefits as well! Yay for yummy healthy living!

my week in photos.

Last Friday I had my wisdom teeth pulled + 1 other random tooth that needed to go. I've been dreading the process for the past few months and I am so thankful it's finally over. My dear husband did a fabulous job taking care of me and my dear mom even brought me some yummy food I could eat. It was better then just eating yogurt all weekend. 

I've been following the #shereadstruth plan and this month it's about women of the bible. soso good! follow along at shereadstruth.com--you wouldn't regret it! 

I made a quick trip to a local farmers market this past weekend to stock up on fresh veggies. Recently Nate and I have become passionate about supporting local business's instead of making the big corporations richer with our weekly grocery runs. So farmers markets feel like a good place to start. And yay for fresh eats! I love summer! 

Husband has been home this week and its been amazing. Late night fro-yo dates and early morning cuddle times. Ohh so dreamy! 

It's been so hot this week. I love Iowa summers- but oh are they ever humid and sticky! An afternoon at the pool is in order for weeks like this! 

july 4th weekend.

 Last Monday Husband and I road tripped it out to Pennsylvania. There are diffidently perks to marrying someone from another state and one of them being frequent road trips / visits. After wrapping up some business and a meeting with our employees on Wednesday. We shut down our computers and phones kicked off our long holiday weekend. And what a blissful time it was. Sleeping in every morning and then heading down to our favorite little cafe in town for coffee and breakfast was often how we started our day.   

 

Our friends hosted a big party on the 4th, Lots of yummy food and drinks were consumed through out the day. And what better way to end the day then with fireworks. The 4th goes down as one of my favorite holidays and this year was no different.

 I also got to attend a wedding with this guy. I adore weddings and then having someone to attend them with. Total Score!! Sometimes I feel a sadness at the fact that you only get one shot at planning your wedding. I would love to plan mine all over again and marry the same guy all over again too.

june parties.

Later this month my friend Olivia is getting married so a couple of her friends and I threw her a bridal shower. During our brainstorming process one of us had the idea to do a 50's theme. Because really what's more fun then a themed party!? And we knew how much Olivia loves the 50's.

   The food was of course amazing. Root beer floats, fruit cups, pigs in a blanket and a couple kinds of cake all graced the menu. 

Pretty flowers and a beautiful bride to be! 

Also half the fun was finding an outfit. I found my whole outfit at a thrift store for a total of $8. Heck yes! And also I am convinced we ought to wear lipstick and  hats more often! It's just way to much fun! 

Also later that week I had the privilege of helping with a tea party for the ladies from our small group at church. Amanda graciously opened her home and what a beautiful spot it was for a wonderful evening of yummy food and encouragement! 

     Everything turned out so perfectly! 

  Beautiful ladies! Unfortunately I didn't get a group shot. 

                     Amanda and I. She is a dear and I feel honored to call her a dear friend.

There is something about planning and throwing parties that just brings joy to my heart! I look forward to the day when I am not limited by space and can freely open our home for large get-to-gathers. I grew up be accustom to hosting and having guest's over quite often and that is something I want to be common in our household. I believe that hosting is really quite a privilege and gift. It can be lots of work, but I don't really think it needs to be. It shouldn't be something we stress about for weeks or feel panic at needing to make sure our house is perfect. A warm, inviting home can go a long way!

 I envision many bbq's, birthday parties, tea parties and just big ol parties in my future! 

What are some of your favorite hosting / party planning tips?    

week/end in review.

Husband wasn't home this past weekend, so I did my best to stay busy. I don't mind being home during the week- but when the weekend rolls around my attitude often changes and its a fight to hold the tears back. But really there are far worst things in life then being without my babe for a few days, I remind myself often of that and count my blessings. Because I am blessed! 

 

I got to have breakfast at one of my all time favorite diners. The conversation was sososo encouraging and the service was top notch! After breakfast we took a quick stroll downtown to the farmers market. We ran into friends from church and a lot of awesomeness. Like yummy veggies and fresh flowers. I will definitely be visiting the farmers market a lot more often this summer! 

And I have I mentioned how much I

love all the thrift/vintage junk stores in our area. I made time for a little of that over the weekend. It's refreshing to my heart! 

I also enjoyed a little spa time. Hubs loves coming home to shiny nails and I don't have any problems obliging. 

I also had to do a little shopping. I needed to find a dress for a wedding we 

have this weekend and let me tell you, me and dress shopping are not friends. I am reallyreallyreally picky when it comes to dresses. It's basically annoying. Maybe someday I'll get over my picky habits. I must have sent husband a half dozen photos before we agreed on a dress we both liked and even then he didn't really like the color. Oh wellz. At least I have something to wear! 

Also my dear friend heidi came over for lunch and what a wonderful time it was! We had so much to catch up on and her baby girl is basically the cutest! I only wish we could see each other more often! 

Overall it was a great week/end. I also took in some live music downtown and the movie "the help" with friends. Awesome movie! Go see it if you haven't!!