Just Me, JC - Scarves

This week's Just Me, JC post is one of my absolute favorites - scarves!

I'm sure you've seen a bazillion scarves across the blogsphere lately because it's such a popular accessory this time of year. But scarves are definitely a part of everyday JC.

Here are some of my favorite Pinterest finds:

(Make sure you follow along on Pinterest with me!)

I have this Zara blanket scarf. Luvs it!

And this one!

Here are a few of my favorites from my personal collection:

It's an addiction...

And how about this cute graphic I found on how to tie scarves several different ways

For those of you (like me) that can't figure out how to tie a blanket scarf, refer to this gal's blog for the easiest demo I've come across yet! 

Don't you love Pinterest Told me To?

See you tomorrow!

January Book Club!

We all remember the Just Me, JC post on books, right? This year I'm trying to be a little more selective with my purchases. Mainly because I'm running out of bookshelf space, and they are now feeding over into storage containers and stuffed in drawers. And by "selective" purchases I mean downloading to the Kindle. Like I'm gonna give up buying books?! 

For January's Good Reads, I've linked them all to Amazon where you can check out purchase information for yourselves. Below the link is my personal review.

You can also follow along with me on Instagram #goodreads.

The Heiresses

We all know I'm a big fan of the Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard. I bought The Heiresses on a whim because I like her writing, and this book did not disappoint! The Heiresses is a novel about the Saybrooks family, a diamond business family blessed with beauty and fortune. They are also plagued by a string of tragic and mysterious deaths. The Heiresses finally uncover the dark truth about their family after losing a main character out of the blue. I loved this book for sure!

Lord, I Want to Know You

So much confusion and pain results because we don't know God, who He is and how He works in our lives. In this book, you learn about God more fully by studying His names - Creator, Healer, Protector, Provider...
I found strength for times of trial, comfort for pain and provision for my deepest needs. This is one EVERY Christian needs to read.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette?


Bernadette Fox is a notorious oddball. She's opinionated, disgraceful to some and an architectural genius. But to her best friend, 15 year old Bee, she's simply Mom. Then Bernadette disappears. Bee compiles emails, all documents and correspondence and eventually even visits Antarctica looking for her mother. All evidence is compiled in this fun story about a misplaced genius and a mother and daughter's role in this crazy world.

The Secret Life of Bees

Set in the Civil Rights era, this book tells the story of Lily whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed. When Lily's abrasive black "mammy" insults the town's most vicious racists, they have to escape to Tiburon, South Carolina and find that the town holds a secret to Lily's mother's past.

The Case for Christianity

This book is a quicker read, one that all Christians would benefit from reading. The Q&A format helps readers understand how to effectively defend their faith. 

The Old House

I am never moving again.

We all know that's not true, but it's definitely going to be awhile! I knew I had a lot of stuff, but... The best part of moving is the possibility of what's to come. I have a bigger house to decorate. It's on the lake (On which there is this cattle egret that squawks and Peanut goes nuts. It's hilarious...). It's closer to work and church. Lots of new, fun possibilities.

But I'm sad that I've left the old house. I LOVED that house. If I was a house, I would look just like it. Split levels, blue walls, pink counters... It sounds crazy, but it looked great. I figured I would do a quick recap of the old house to set the tone for the new house decoration posts to come!

The first time I walked into the house and saw these aqua blue walls I knew it was the home for me.

I matched my furniture and decor to the walls (instead of painting to coordinate with my furnishings!)

I had a gigantic laundry room with walk in closet. And room for...

\

The shoe collection!

I hated the pink marble sinks at first, but they kinda grew on me.

My cross wall at the top of the stairs.

Master bedroom

Master bath

I never fully decorated the guest room.

And a nice big fenced in backyard for P! (And it kept his buddies out.)

P.S. That was his girlfriend. That my dad accidentally ran over...

Hopefully I will have the new house ready for a home tour soon! 

I'd love to hear some of your moving horrors in the comments!

What's On Your Bucket List?

If you remember my post on New Year's Resolutions, one of the things I really want to do this year is start checking some things off my bucket list. Now I realize this won't be the year to see the pyramids, or even Mickey Mouse for that matter (unless Publisher's Clearing House shows up at my door!), but there are several things I can do in 2015. I went to Pinterest to see what other people have on their bucket lists and wound up adding a few more things to my own list!  

Here are a few things I want to be able to do in the future:

This has been on my bucket list since I saw The Little Mermaid for the first time in the late 80s! Somebody, please, help me make this happen!

Don't judge...I've been to Space Camp 4 times. I absolutely loved it! I wanted to be an astronaut so, so bad. Unfortunately, I don't have the brains of a scientist or medical doctor, nor did I want to join the military to be a pilot. One way or the other, I just want to experience zero gravity.

I definitely want to do this, but Antarctica will probably be the one I never hit.  You can't just fly there. 

You never know, though.

I have absolutely no fear of heights or jumping out of an airplane! 

(I do, however, have a fear of the airbag not opening...)

The closest I've come is the Rainforest Cafe. In Minneapolis, Minnesota. Doesn't quite count.

Over halfway there!

This will be so amazing! I can't wait!

Cause I wanna "Walk Like an Egyptian". It's in your head now, isn't it?!

These have always fascinated me!

Silly, I know! But I really want to try it! 

Who has a cow? This is South Mississippi after all. Someone has to have one...!

What's on your bucket lists? Do you have any suggestions for me to add to mine?
You can see my bucket list Pin-board here!

Motivation for Your Ministry - Part 3

This is our last Motivation for Your Ministry post. I hope you've all enjoyed this series learning how to get more motivated about ministry. It's what we're here for after all!

III. Motivated by being a new creation in Christ

I do what I do because of What He has made me to be.

Since He died for me, since I've died to myself, since I am no longer living according to the flesh but according to the Spirit…

I am in Christ and He has made me a new Creation.

I do what I do because of who I serve,

I do what I do because of what He's done for me,

But I also do what I do because of what He's made me.

What does it mean that I am a new Creation in Christ? It means that everything about me has changed. The old man is dead, crucified with Christ; all things are new.

A. New head

I think differently – I don't think like the rest of the world, now I think like Jesus. My thoughts, my desires, my ambitions, all change. Paul tells the church at Rome to be transformed by the renewing of their minds. New creations think differently than old creations. How do they think? They think in consonance, in harmony with God. All things, are from God. Everything new will come from God not from me.

B. New hands

I act differently – you can't have a transformed mind without your actions following suite. When someone claims to have a transformed mind, but their actions don't match their claim, we call that person a hypocrite. They are not really changed, they just want people to think they are. But when there is a real transformation, when Jesus makes us a new creation, everything about us changes, and that includes our actions.

C. New home

I perceive differently – Focus is not on this world but on Heaven. My destination is different. I'm not looking to this world and all it has to offer. As G.Campbell Morgan once said, the person who is made new in Christ, "sees the touch of decay on all the glory that men admire."  I have lost my admiration for the things of this earth. My desires and affections are set upon things above not on things below. Not for the things which are seen and temporal, but for that which is unseen and eternal.

D. New heart

I am different – My character, my nature, my very soul has been changed. I am a new man, not only on the outside, but one the inside. What I am on the inside determines how I act on the outside. Therefore, since I am a new creation, my heart is different.

I am not only motivated by a reverential fear of God, by the knowledge that someday I will stand before Him and give an account for my life. I am not only motivated by the reality of all that He has done for me, by the love that He demonstrated so painfully and yet so powerfully on Calvary's cross, I am motivated by the reality that since He has made me a new creation, since all things have changed in my life, I cannot live a life that is out of keeping with who He has made me to be. I do what I do because I am what I am and I cannot help it.

Have a great week!

Friday Favorites!

Happy Friday, friends! Today I'm linking up with Andrea, Narci and Erica at three of my favorite daily reads. Check them out! 

So what's new this week? Oh, so much! I made a New Year's Resolution to be more "in the moment" and so far I'm hanging in there. And - I knocked a big goal off my resolutions this week!

#shamelessselfie with this cutie!

I had a fun night out with my friend Misty listening to a band.

I tried to take a selfie here with Peanut, and look at that tongue! I couldn't recreate this photo if I tried. How stinkin' cute is he?!

Here's the big resolution...I cut 9" of hair and donated it to cancer patients. It was a DRASTIC change, but I'm happy with it. 

Kenneth, The Lighthouse director and I visited with a church updating them on the ministry of The Lighthouse.

Speaking of The Lighthouse, soooo much has happened lately. We have our newest residents, new promotional literature and the building/grounds look so good!  Please come by and check it out!

They finally bought me a nice desk for my office at work. (Just when I got adjusted to my plastic card table!) I went to Target and loaded up on some gold and acrylic desk accessories. That dog tape dispenser is too cute!

And as random as this is, these pens make me so happy! 

I know I'm silly, but these are my Favorites from the week! Follow along every day on

Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

See you Monday for our final installment of Motivation for Your Ministry!