Currently...

Hi Friends! I began four different blog posts yesterday!!! None of them worked and it was quite frustrating! I'm sure most of you know what that's like! I finally decided to just fill you in on what's currently going on in my world. :) SO currently, I am...

Working... on designing new sparklies. I was hit with an inspiration stick last night and didn't go to bed 'til 2AM cause I wanted to take advantage of it. Lots of new ideas. More intentional direction.

Reading... Pride & Prejudice for the third time AND I just bought a copy of Longbourne by Jo Baker. I think this might deserve a blog post in the future. I'm going to read both at the same time. That should be really interesting! Same characters, two different authors. If Baker measures up to half of Austen's greatness, she'll have succeeded.

Discovering... How good it feels to be satisfied with who I am. I don't think I could have even said that before now. The aesthetic of my new brand (I'm sorry, the details are still a secret 'til they're in place, but I'm really close!) is coming together in a way that incorporates more of who I am and that authenticity feels great!

Buying... More gemstones and chain!

Excited about... The website that's underway. I can't wait to unveil this to you! I saw the details fall into place in a more concrete way this week and I'm stoked! Stoked, I say!

Watching... Fixer Upper. I just announced to my mom and sister that I wanted to be Joanna Gaines when I grow up. I wrote a post about her here actually.

Eating... I don't feel good about this, but I last night, I ate copious amounts of s'mores dip. Have you ever had that? I may have to do a blog post about that too...

Listening to... I had the song Invincible by Kelly Clarkson on repeat yesterday. Girl power songs can be annoying, but the lyrics for this one just resonated. And she's a powerhouse, so she pulls it off. :)

Realizing... How sleepy I am after that 2AM bedtime.

Tell me what you're up to, please and thank you! Anna out! :)

Song

"New Year's Resolutions Check-In"

Remember those resolutions we made at the beginning of the year? ME NEITHER! That is, I couldn't tell you what all of them were before I began writing this blog post. Hopefully, you still kept your list like I did and can now look back at it mid-year.

Join me today in pondering your resolutions, praying over them, weeding out the ones that no longer apply and possibly adding some for the remainder of the year. We made these for a reason y'all. At one time earlier this year (a sparkly, enchanting, firework-filled time), all of these were the wishes for our futures. If we want to take them seriously, we should look at them more than once. :)

Here are mine:

-Be thankful...daily connection with the Lord through his Word and prayer

-Be active...exercise 3-5 days/week

-Be gracious...small goals over time = big goals, baby steps

-Be healthy...eat REAL food

-Be focused...center on God and the work He's given me to do in all aspects of my life

-Be present...things will eventually change, enjoy THIS moment

-Be hydrated...drink 6 BKRs or 8 glasses/day

-Be respectful...give family & authority figures their due

-Be rested...bedtime's at 10:30

-Be loving...throw kindness around like confetti, don't be a miser with love

-Be refreshed...take time to enjoy beautiful, FUN and relaxing things

What are your mid-year resolutions? :)


-Song

The Ways We Learn God's Lessons

 

"For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."

- Philippians 2:13

After recently working at a homeschool convention in Sandusky, Ohio... I came home feeling different. It's how I usually feel after a trip. I am stretched and changed when placed in new environments and situations; I believe travel is one of the ways God works in me. For example, this time around I felt like I became a student of humility, teamwork, and trust just because of some of the circumstances experienced during the convention weekend.

In thinking more about how travel affects me, I began considering the different ways that God employs to teach His people. It's been argued (in my hearing) that you don't truly learn unless you've suffered long and hard. It's been argued that you won't know God's character unless you've basically been through hell on earth.

I understand that the soul wrenching moments in life will shape you like nothing else. I've been through some scary ones myself. But, in my opinion, it's often very relative to the personality of the individual. There are some who are wired to need a more significant life change in order to grasp something. Others need the passage of time. And often, it's true, God may need to lead someone through suffering before they learn the lesson He's trying to teach. But, there are those who will be changed by the whisper of an idea from God, and that can come by most any means.

In my case, my life has been changed, my heart shifted, because of watching YouTube videos, seeing a movie, reading a blog post, attending a webinar. I'm not exaggerating. There have been tears, my personality has changed, I have felt God's grace in incredibly real ways from things that were technically painless. And that's a reality.

The point of this post is more or less to ask you what ways you feel God employs to tug on your heartstrings? How sensitive are you to lessons? What off-the-wall or mundane things has He used to get your attention and reveal His character to you? And did He whisper or shout? Care to share?

-Song