World Rocked.

Last week stunk majorly.
"Stunk" is not adequate to describe the soul-hurts that happened to loved ones last week. So many losses and sadness.

My world got rocked. My little bubble of target, popcorn, and what I thought was sadness got shook up and new priorities got thrown into the mix.

God took some special people home from people I love. He knows best and I'm so thankful they are in the best place, the Kingdom. I can't go into all the details, but at one point, usually when I was driving, my 2 pairs of glasses (yes, I wear 2 at once because I'm that cool) would get fogged up with tears as I would shout in my heart, "Lord your Kingdom come!" That happened several times this past week and weekend. At one point, as I was heart-crying out for one of my sisterfriends, "Lord, not her! Why her!?" I really felt the Lord say to my heart: "Now she will have that much more to speak with me about." I don't know why, but it comforted me. I didn't see anything but goodness in those words.

There is a new daddy with the Daddy in Heaven now. Sadly, it's one of my dearest friend's. Do we say 'sadly' even if it was a graduation into the Kingdom? Yes and no. That's the whole balance and error type thinking of this world, right? It's unnatural and hard, but I will trust You and will continue to pray for my loved ones to feel Your presence and to have Your strength daily.

I'm Challenged.

So I've mentioned that I challenged myself to read a book a week.


This is me reading Prayer: Does it Really Make a Difference. This is a real living thing called a "Blobfish" NO LIE!!! They exist at crazy deep subsea surfaces. Leelah and John are obsessed with it right now.

Yeah, I got a little perturbed at the book I was reading, Prayer: Does it really make a difference by Phillip Yancey and also got sent into a downward spiral of sadness over it (excuses!), ergo my timeline got a little screwy with it. I ALREADY HAD QUESTIONS. I DON'T WANT TO READ ABOUT MORE QUESTIONS!!!!! I tried y'all. I got to chapter 18 and mentally threw up. As my mom-in-love always says, "There are too many good books out there." Plus, she's a high school librarian! How's that for credibility!?

Back on track now with Jackie Kendall (a firecracker of a person- love her!) and her book: Free Yourself to Love: The Liberating Power of Forgiveness. I've even been asked by a friend to review it on her blog! Which I'm a little over-excited about. So far in a word: inspiring! Yes, it's got some heavy stuff she has dealt with, but so do I and it's put out there with an attempt to get it moving and get towards healing. Not just dropped on the table like a bowl of sadness staring at you (Phillip Yancey!). I'm sorry! I respect him as an author and respect his education, but and period.

Here's some books on my list for the summer:
-Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier(Mom-in-love's rec)
-Overcoming Emotions that Destroy by Chip Ingram (whatever do you mean? I don't have those kind of emotions? Sarcasm on full capacity)
-The Help by Kathryn Stockett
-The Same Kind of Different As Me by Denver Moore and Ron Hall (my Aunt-in-love knows the authors!?!)
-The Mom Factor by Cloud and Townsend
-Maybe a sci-fi book that John would recommend (trying to read some of my friend's favorites)
-Authentic Faith by Gary Thomas
-Truly Fed by Gari Meacham (Thankfully I don't have an eating disorder, but I sure do feel comfortable going to food when I'm sad, happy, mad, bored, etc.)
-Living a Prayer Life by Jennifer Kennedy Dean (Want to get on the JKD bus!)

So I'm open to suggestions here. I don't want to deter anyone from commenting although I think my blog might have some kind of stank on it anyway that deters people naturally, but please don't say Francine Rivers. I've tried. She goes to places I can't go. Places that I don't understand why anyone else would want to go with her.

As far as life stuff. Glurgh. I've been "holy benched" it seems. Not really doing much of anything with a purpose: to grieve. Mainly I just have pity parties. Does that count as grieving? Or I sit around with my arms crossed whining, "But it's summer and I don't wanna grieeeeeve!"

My counselor told me a genius piece of advice: schedule heavy thinking times everyday. Just one time (hr, 30min) a day to journal it all out, cry to God, talk to Him, vent to Him. And then done. Now, my brain always wants to open up the HT time throughout the day, I have to tell it "No! We'll think about this tomorrow!" And write it down if it's just so pressing for retrospection tomorrow. What do you think? Let me tell you, the day I don't have my HT times and let my grieving heart run a marathon all over my brain- is not a good day. Not a good day for anyone in my home sadly. Just thought I'd share!

Taking A Stand

I have to say it. I am disgusted by the hyper-sexualization of our little girls. As displayed today in clothing options for them


(swimsuit sold at Academy for a SEVEN YEAR OLD by O'Neill), tv show options (J. Lo shaking her stuff on American Idol finale anyone?), movies (that just spell out the title plain as day SEX in the City, Kick-A**), books and magazines listing all the previous as "trends". It makes me sick. I know I'm not new in this viewpoint. I'm just so very sad and assaulted by it that I have to mention it: STOP ATTACKING OUR GIRLS!
One of my very best friends on the earth and, who as God would have it also has a soon to be 5 yr old, I were shopping for swimsuits for our girls today when we saw the above atrocity. You may see that and think what is the big deal? Here's the big deal:
-Put that on your seven year old daughter. Your niece. Your granddaughter. Would you be comfortable taking them to the splashpad or waterpark in that? Still not understanding?
-Think about the girl that can't fit into that, so she's going to start dieting to fit into in time for the next event. And so an eating disorder begins.
-Think about the little girl who sees that and rationalizes that it must be okay because it's displayed front and center above the other options in a store where her best friends shop.
-And if that doesn't do it, think about the little boys who are watching. Think about the not-so-little boys.
Doesn't make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, but maybe the truth shouldn't.
This is our world. Thank God we are "not of it". But would you please take a stand with me and at least voice your opinion to people with power: store managers, buyers, corporate offices, swimsuit designers, etc. And mostly to your daughters!!! You look beautiful! You are lovely!
Completely aware of the fact I just soapboxed, lectured, vented, and threw up my morals and beliefs on you. If enough of us do, then maybe this will not be a "trend".

Some "Afters" Around the Nichols Cottage...

NO, really we have a sign outside our door that says: "The Nichols Cottage". Made with something I found at KCM.

So we took care of that pesky say-nothing wall which is kind of the first little 'hello' you see as you enter into our home...
Before:

After:

John was a MAJOR help with this. Now we just need to add the pictures and it will be complete.
Oh and new curtains! I am in love with their Froot Loopyness.

I did some scrounging for some finds at Katy Christian Ministries resale store. No need to scrounge really, cute things abound there! Like my new mantel topiaries and new fireplace screen thingy.

And I've been mentally crafting this project for a while. It's our little family tree. Also made with some fireplace or umbrella holder thingy I spray painted and made some paper flowers for. But the best part is the leaf pics.



Still working on that shower... We did get the insulation though- yay!
Not really sure what inspired this post. Guess it's a little of what's going on with us lately.
What else is happening...
I've started the Praying Daily for my Husband for the entire month of June Challenge! Day 3- oops need to pray right now! I'm going off of Stormie Omartian's book, Power of a Praying Wife.
And another self-imposed challenge: reading a book a week. I know I'm sick. No really, I'm sick I have a crazy stomach infection I got loads of meds for yesterday. The GI said it was something I ate probably on that vacay where I talked all about the food I was going to eat... Irony. It's a part of my life daily. Like when I left my kid on a bench in a small, contained bookstore only to hear a grown man meowing in a corner nearby her. THE ONE TIME I LEAVE HER BY HERSELF A CRAZY PERSON IS LURKING ABOUT MEOWING. Thank God for that hedge right?