Honey Mustard

My day was great. I was happy, energetic, excited about life and then I got home. Then my sweet, enduring husband went to get me some food for me and this tiny baby inside me and while he was gone, I anxiously awaited my Chik-fil-A sandwich and fries with HONEY MUSTARD. I was very hungry and excited about tasting this food. He got home and brought food to me and I was like, "where's my honey mustard, Honey?" (Surely it was just in the bag and he forgot to give it to me.) "They didn't have any," says my enduring man. "What do you mean they didn't have any?!!" "They were out of honey mustard."

All kinds of emotions are flowing through me at this point...anger, sadness, rage, hunger, anxiety...to name a few. I really just couldn't believe it. To top it all off, we had no condiments in the house. NONE. I had JUST thrown away a pack of honey mustard a few days before while cleaning furiously in my kitchen. I said to myself, "yeah, just throw it away, you can always get more when you go back to eat there." My friends, just don't throw anything away! Especially not the honey mustard.

I ate my meal and it filled me up just fine. It wasn't the same at all but I'm pretty sure God is preparing me for this thing called MOTHERHOOD. I don't think I'll be getting much of what I want for a while, but I'll have a beautiful boy or girl to love and what more could you want. I'm thankful that I'm healthy and so is this baby. I have everything I need and more than I deserve so take that honey mustard.

This isn't my typical post but I needed to let that out into the world. One day I'll feel normal again :) Until then, stay tuned for more hormonal outbreaks about food from yours truly.

Goodnight and take Love with you everywhere you go.

Getaway

Sometimes you just need to getaway. Take a moment to reflect on your life and your dreams, your hopes, your fears. That's what this weekend was for me. I am blessed to have so many friends, friends who refresh you and carry the presence of God with them. Just a recap of my favorite parts:

Thursday-
Driving with my husband, singing at the top of our lungs and sounding BAD because it's so fun to do it that way, staying up late, eating leftovers, getting under the warm covers with my best friend.

Friday-
sleeping till 11:30 and thinking it was 8:30, eating breakfast with some of my favorite people, getting my haircut, drinking a caramel latte from Panera, eating at Mellow Mushroom with 23 people at ONE table! and trying my new favorite pizza the Philosopher's Pie (O-mazing), catching up with a true, old friend Brittany.

                                                            Brittany and I
Saturday-
Having a Smith Christmas, getting soft pajamas and chocolate and my first Snowman collectible, eating so much food you can't breathe, staring into my husbands eyes and feeling like I'm the luckiest girl in the world, kisses in the cold, and good conversation with beyond incredible friends.

                                                     The love of my life

Sunday-
realizing the depth of the man of God my husband truly is, seeing him take action when there is a need, feeling the presence of God in the most unlikely places, having clarity for the first time in a while, being refreshed by one of the most amazing women on the planet, watching a movie on the laptop in the Sonic drive in, going to bed early.

Looking back over this small weekend in my big long year, I know that I am truly blessed and that no matter where I am, I can be content and complete in God's presence. I have to count my blessings, name them one by one. I have to leave an account of all that God has done for me, to remember in the hard times how good He is. His love endures forever.

I'm looking forward to seeing family for Christmas this week and for more times of refreshing!

Judgement

I've just been thinking about being a better me.  God created me to be ME. So how can I be a better me? How can I make God look better. He is the artist and I am the masterpiece.....Hmm...I guess if you put it that way, I am ALREADY the masterpiece. When God looks at me, I am His work of art, in a gallery with so many other fascinating pieces. In that gallery, you or I might not like this piece or that piece but we can all appreciate and respect those pieces anyway.

I think that's how life should be. We shouldn't judge people based on our opinions or emotions when we look at them. Maybe we should look a little deeper and see the work of art God created.

I look around at all the people. I pass them in the streets, I enter their information into the computer, I even get frustrated with them but we are all creations of the great Creator and we can respect each other for that. Even if we don't see eye to eye.

I really want to have more peace and joy and patience and gentleness, kindness, self-control....I need more of the Spirit of God in my every day life. I really can't live without it.

I need more.
Jacque

Countdown

Sometimes I think my whole life is a countdown. I countdown the days of the week until Friday afternoon at 12 pm when I get off work. My weekend has begun! During the day I countdown the hours until lunch and when I get back from lunch I countdown the hours until I get to go home. Exciting things are waiting to happen in the countdown. We countdown the days til vacation, til babies are born, til we get to see our far-away family. There is so much to look forward to in life.

I wonder if Mary counted down the days til Jesus was born. Was she tired of being pregnant or was she storing up those moments in her heart? Did her feet hurt, her back hurt from carrying this child who would save the world one day? I wonder what her days were like on this earth.

This year I made my own Advent calendar because I am married now and have to start my own traditions. I'll miss my mom's cute little calendar with the mouse that's older than me, jumping from day to day until Christmas. But, I'm excited about what is to come. What will happen as we remember the birth of Jesus and remember what His life means in our every day, counting down til the day He returns to redeem us? What will happen in this new year? Sometimes I forget to rejoice in the journey, in the countdown, but there is so much to be thankful for right now.

So as I wait for this CHRISTmas to arrive, as I countdown for my family to arrive and for the yummy food and fun things we'll do, I'll remember that he came to give life NOW. It's all going to be worth it!

My Advent calendar:

Have a HOLY Jolly Christmas!
Jacque

http://www.thenester.com/2010/11/coming-up-at-the-nest.html/3-8

Sing

I love to sing and so does my sister in law Kaleigh. She has an amazing voice and I can't wait til she shares it with the whole world. One day she will!

It was Kaleigh's birthday on Thanksgiving day. She's 18 and has become such an amazing woman. She's come through lots of obstacles in the last year and I'm so proud of her. I hope this painting I did for her reminds her to always SING through the hard times, to always worship God in her heart no matter what!

I hope your birthday was awesome Kaleigh! I loved sharing it with you and giving thanks with my new family this year. We have alot to be thankful for. Here are just a few things I am thankful for...even if it is AFTER Thangsgiving! (http://www.youversion.com/bible/niv/eph/5/20)

I'm thankful for:
1. My husband-there are no words to say how he has changed my life. He is my kinsman redeemer.
2. My family-I don't know where I would be without them. They bring such joy to my life.
3. My new family-you are teaching me more things about family, different things and we laugh SOOO much together!
4. My adopted families-you know who you are and I wouldn't be me without you.

and last but no least...and I could go on and on and on but I won't...
5. I'm thankful for having everything I need right now. God is faithful and always true to His word. He is my provider and the I AM. He's everything I will ever need!

Happy Holy-days!!

Jacque

Saturday Mornings

I love Saturday mornings. They are usually always laid back and relaxing. This morning I had breakfast with my friend Laura (check out her new blog, www.sewlaura.blogspot.com) and we had a great time talking about our dreams and where we want to be one day. We always end up talking about...staying at home and taking care of our husbands and homes. So we brought our notebooks and talked about our creative ideas to make money and stay at home. It's a start, right?

It was a lovely time with a good friend. I'm thankful for friends who believe in me, who believe in themselves and the gifts that God has given them. We really can be everything we were created to be. I was encouraged this morning. I can pursue my dreams. I'm tired of sitting back and watching everyone else so what I have in my heart to do. I want to be fulfilled in every area of my life.

My hope and dream is to someday have my own art studio. One side will be a gallery to sell art and the other side will be a classroom to teach and have fun painting and creating things. I want to teach young children how to draw or paint because it might change their lives forever. They might find what they are passionate about in one of my classes and if not, hopefully they had fun!

I want my gallery to be filled with art pieces painted by me and also donated by other artists who want to give towards missions. We could have one organization or family that we would give proceeds to help them. Missions has always been in my heart, a major passion of mine but I didn't feel like I was going to be a full-time missionary. This is a way to give to others.

I am excited about this new journey or really this old journey I'm on. I'm thankful that God gives us something new along the road. I know this is kind of a random post but that's me :) I hope whoever reads this has a wonderful day!!!

Jacque S.

Sneak Peak

It's been a busy week and I'm hoping to post some new art this weekend. Here are some sneak peaks of what I've been up to this week.



Monday: I started posting art to sell on www.etsy.com/shop/jq5885 . It's a little scary but definitely exciting. You should check it out and tell your art loving friends about it.

Here are some leftover paint doodles:

I'm working on this piece of art:

And here are some other mysteries...we will see what becomes of them.

This is my favorite artist of the week. Check out her Etsy page! www.etsy.com/shop/ModernHouseArt

Check this weekend for more art!

Jacque