Winter 10x10 Takeaways

Now that I am a few days out of wearing the same 10 things for the last 10 days I can say I really enjoyed it.  There are definitely some takeaways from simplifying what you can wear and limiting your options.  If you are someone who has an overstuffed closet or struggles with what to wear- doing an exercise like this would really help!  If you are ready to simplify your closet I have a post here about how I did that a few years ago.  Ok, here are a few things I learned over the last 10 days..

Having less options/choices makes the decision simpler.  Isn't that the case for all things in life?  Something Justin and I have talked about lately is the fact that we (as a culture) are just inundated with choices.  We have limitless options over cheese...cereal...shoes...socks...coffee mugs...the list goes on.  So.many.things.  All the things can quickly cloud our judgement or distract us from the task at hand.  Simple is a lot of times better.  I love this verse - "This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.."Jeremiah 6:16

 Why complicate the choice?  The old path is good and true.  Ya'll I just used my outfits to talk about the Bible. I'm calling that a win today.

I think sometimes we feel like we need all the choices to not feel restricted.  But in reality when we have less we find we have more.  More time to focus on what's important, more chances to be creative with what you have and more value placed in it.  All I can say is God is always at work..even in the everyday things.

Enjoy The Ordinary

ENJOY.  That is my word of the year this year.  Honestly I haven't always picked out a word, but this year I really felt the need to do so.  God has pressed upon my heart the need for enjoyment in daily life.  I shared a few weeks ago about our last year, one that I am thankful for but - I know I didn't always enjoy the time God blessed me with and allowed fear and anxiety to fill in some gaps.  Through scripture God is showing me that he has created us to find satisfaction and enjoyment in this life on earth now....and even in the ordinary, everyday things.

Ecclesiastes is not a book I have found myself ever really drawn to until this past month.  But I am learning how to cherish every word written.  Ecclesiastes is realistic...life is full of emptiness, futile things, suffering but also teaches us we are supposed to enjoy everyday life.  Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us that God gives us time to find satisfaction in our work - whether you are a salaried person or mom at home with the kids...there is joy God intends for us to to experience from that.  

And how do we do this? How do we find real satisfaction in the ordinary? By understanding there is nothing better on this earth than knowing and loving Jesus.  I love the ending of Ecclesiastes - "the conclusion of the whole matter is this, fear God and keep his commandments for this is the whole duty of man."  When we have a right perspective of God, we can find satisfaction in everyday life.  We can enjoy the mundane moments, we can be content without knowing what our future holds because we trust God, we can appreciate the beauty of his creation like the rain falling and be reminded of his grace.  We can enjoy our toast and eggs we eat every single morning and see them as a gift to be enjoyed because God has provided our daily needs.  Enjoyment in life is found in each fleeting breath.  

We have eternity set in our hearts, that's how we were created.  When we stop and reflect just what this means it really give us a better perspective on life.  We are created beings who have a Creator.  We are not gods and we don't have all of the answers.  We cannot master time nor do we know what the future will hold. There are many things beyond our ability.  So we humble ourselves daily and remember WHO IS.  And in turn we are thankful that we have received this gift of life.  We are thankful we can live it to the full and reflect God's glory to the world around us.  We can find joy in the ordinary things.  

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31  

Remodeled Tees Are Here!

I'm so excited to start a new chapter in The Remodeled Life today! We have tees available starting now! And baseball tees at that.  I love a 3/4" sleeve so much and love that I can now share a new one here with you. 

These are great quality shirts printed from bonfire and are available for a limited time!  "Remodeled" is an idea I have kind of adopted over the last several years of having this blog and I always cannot help but be drawn to  2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.  Its such an amazing truth to know and hold fast to and more than just a blog name for me.  So for me, these shirts are meaningful and purposeful.  They hold tight to a truth we know when we put our faith in Christ.

(jeans, shoes, watch, sunglasses)

Ordering a shirt is simple just visit my link here - Remodeled Tee and choose a color and size!  Shirts are available until Feb 8th!  After orders are in, the shirts will be printed and sent...about 7-14 days after the final ordering date of Feb 8th. 

Color choices are below-- Heather Gray, Indigo, Vintage Royal, Black & Pink

Yay! Its a fun day, here's to new adventures! 

Winter 10 x 10 Challenge

A couple of years ago I was really feeling the desire to simplify and declutter a lot of different things in our home and life.  One of those big things was my wardrobe.  I paired down my closet significantly and shared all about my simplified closet here.  It has ebbed and flowed throughout the last couple of years but in general I have tried to keep it simple.  I love it when fun challenges come along when it comes to being creative with what you already have -instead of adding a bunch of new and unnecessary things.  Plus it helps keep you on the right track.  Starting today, Style Bee and Unfancy are hosting a fun Winter 10x10 challenge for those of us who enjoy being creative with less.

Simply its 10 items, 10 outfits, 10 days.  Its a way to be creative with what you own and work within a micro capsule to find new ideas and styles you might not have ever thought of.  Above are my chosen 10 items I will be working with over the next 10 days.   Some of these pieces are my absolute favorites I wear all of the time and some are things I haven't worn in a while.  

1. Black Ankle Boots (similar, similar)

2. Denim Skinny Jeans

3. Black Skinny Jeans

4. Brown Ankle Boots (similar, similar)

5. Gray Sweater (similar)

6. Maroon Turtleneck (similar)

7. Plaid Tunic Top

8. Pink Flannel (similar, similar)

9. Black Vest (similar)

10. Gray Knit Blazer (similar)

Accessories are not part of the 10, so by all means - accessorize away!

I love it when I get a chance to wear a pair of earrings from Panama.  I love a big earring.

Also I had no time to worry with my hair so I quickly tucked it back into my headband.  Its super simple and I have a little post about it here.

If you want to join in come and follow along on Instagram! I will be posting daily in my story and you can use the hashtag and check out what everyone is coming up with.  Let me know so I can follow you too!  At the end I will be following up on the blog to let you know how it all goes so stay tuned for that in a little over a week.  

Enjoy what you already have today!

DIY Simple Farmhouse Wreath

We got the most beautiful snow here yesterday.  I have always loved the snow, it brings such a calm when it comes.  I love going out and exploring and I also love being inside in the warmth and coziness of our home.  Snow days and winter days are a great time to sit and use your hands to make something.  I love baking in the winter, decorating for the seasons and also getting my craft on.  So today I have a super simple diy wreath to share with you.

I love making these wreaths because they are usually almost free (I refuse to throw any sort of fabric scrap away) and they are simple and quick.  All my favorite things when it comes to making a craft.

I have been slowly decorating after Christmas this year.  I haven't been in so much of a rush.  This is what my little shelves currently hold in the living room.  I'm still moving it all around so I'll share a completed post soon when I get settled on it.  But I love the addition of the little wreath!

The instructions are easy - cut and tie - done.  I think the hardest part was choosing which colors I was going to use together.  I decided to go with naturals but I have done colorful ones in the past too.

I'm really into neutrals right now..I think after Christmas I am just wanting simple and calm.

Hope you can have a calm and simple day today!  If you are home try making something new!

Updating an Old Light Fixture

Slow design is something I have really embraced over the last several years.  It makes sense to me - living somewhere for a while helps you really start to see and understand what you like and need in a space.  I'm the kind of person who isn't scared of making changes in our home, especially ones like paint because they can easily be redone if we don't like it.  Not too long ago I was really needing a change with our kitchen Ceiling light.  The one I had chosen ( at the time)  I loved but over time just wasn't working for our space.  I can't tell you how many people banged their heads on that light and after living with it for a while, I just felt like it wasn't the right light for the space I was slowly putting together.  I was ready for a change but here is the big issue..I didn't really want to spend a ton of money on a new light.  After thinking about it, I really thought I could update something old to fit our space and be something I really liked.  I feel like you can always get creative and figure out a solution.

Wow, so this pic below goes way back.  This is our kitchen when we moved in...I hated this space so much but over time and making changes slowly - I absolutely love this space, its probably my favorite in our whole house.  At first we had this big and bulky ceiling fan in our kitchen...I could not get this thing out quick enough.

So much better right?  A lot of paint, a new light and some decorations helped a ton.  Now this light is not bad, I really did like it.  But after living with it and people bumping their heads on it...it just wasn't functional for us.  I was on the hunt for something I could make work. 

Sometimes it pays to wait, to not rush into a decision just to buy something now. My parents were changing out some things in their house a little while back and had this little brass chandelier light they were tossing out.  Their trash was my treasure!  I gobbled up the light and got to work. Free = the best.  If it didn't work I had not invested much besides the cost of spray paint.

It really didn't take a lot to update the light.  First I sprayed painted it with oil rubbed bronze (and I did take pics but can't find them for the life of me).  Next, the only other thing I did to change it was to get the round shaped light bulbs instead of the traditional pointy ones that people usually use.  It's really fun how a light bulb shape can make a huge difference.  I also threw on some wood beads I had and wasn't using just for fun and texture.  I may leave them on, I may take them off...I like them for now. And that was it - probably took me and afternoon to paint a couple of light coats of paint and it was a quick install.

Another awesome bonus with this light is the dimmer Justin installed...the round bulbs tend to be a lot brighter so we really needed it.

In addition to this space we have a new tile floor, new kitchen chairs, new wall paint and I painted our mirror.  All things we have slowly added and changed over time.  

I really love the updated light in our kitchen! It really feels like it fits the feel of our house so much better and no one ever bumps their head anymore.  Eventually if I want to switch it up again I won't feel guilty because this really cost almost nothing to change.  One of the reasons why I love doing this blog is to show people you don't have to spend a fortune to create a space you really love and enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by today and Happy Friday!

A New Start

It has been over a year since I sat down to write a post...and its been an interesting year.  Looking back I can say I feel like I have grown a lot personally as our life has shifted and changed some over these months.  I'm happy to be sitting here to pick back up and get a new start on my blog, doing something I really enjoy and have truly missed.

Since my last post some things have changed a lot, some things are just the same.  The biggest change for our family over the last year has been the change of my husband's job at our church.  For the last 12 years (about) we have been serving in our church very specifically in student ministry.  Those 12 years were some of - and will remain some of the best years of our lives.  God taught us so much.  Its funny for us to think back on those early years fumbling our way through how to handle issues like students who bring gorilla suits to change into and scare people in the corn maze you brought your group to (without you knowing),  students who are hyper, loud and jump into your babies crib (before the baby is born) to more difficult and real issues like students who are questioning their faith or are struggling with self worth.  All we can say is God.  God's grace, God's provision, God's equipping, God's love.  Its amazing what God has allowed us to be a part of and what He has taught us through it all.  Its amazing the relationships we formed and still have and it's amazing the lasting impact serving in that way will have on us. We are humbled when we look back and now expectant as we look forward.

Now our roll has shifted, we are still at our church that we love so much, we are still serving in ministry but our focus has widened.  Instead of specifically being with teenagers, Justin's new roll is families and group life.  What exactly that means was a little vague at first for us but God has been clearly settling it in our hearts.  Total honesty, this was not an easy change for us at first and downright difficult at times.  This was a totally new position at our church with Justin being the first person to fill it.  For me its been hard to find my place in it all but God is faithful. We knew this was where God was moving us into, we didn't doubt that.  But we are still human, we have human tendencies and change can expose some of the things you may be pushing deep down inside.  I have a tendency to let fear take over, to feel ill-equipped and freeze.  I have had to really turn to God's word, to pray more, to seek out discipleship and to put into practice all of those things I say I believe.  Something Justin tells me a lot is that anything that's worth something will be hard.  I can truly say over the last year, God has done so much work in our hearts.  Our marriage has strengthened and we have a clear and almost new found understanding of our purpose.  I am learning to fight fear with love, God's word says - There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love (1 John 4:18) - and learning that God has and will equip me whenever he calls me - All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17) -  and learning that sitting in fear gets you nowhere - Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10).  I can say I'm so thankful and excited for this new season in our life.  Already God has been pruning us and teaching us. This new place has given way to growth I don't think we knew we needed but God in His goodness knew exactly what we needed.  I'm thankful for a church family that has been so gracious to us to allow us to follow God's lead, to help build us up, to encourage us, and lift us up in prayer and love us through it all.  We are still learning and growing, we are still finding our way and we are so humbled to be here right now in this moment.

So what does all of that mean for this blog?!  I think I'm finally at a place where I'm ready to be open again, I'm ready to share little things that probably no one cares about and to just have fun with it.  I have had so much fun over the last few months just updating a few things on the page and creating a new look and feel for this site.  I have a lot more things I'm still working on and hoping to start putting it out there soon.  So I have a new found enjoyment and excitement to be here and to share with all of you.  

Thank you to everyone who has read this blog in the past and to those who are still sticking around to see where all of this is going. Thank you for allowing me to be open to share some of my heart and share my home with you.  Truly your encouraging words and support mean so much to me!  I can't wait to keep going and share where we are with our house updates again and all of the little things in between.  Its a new year and a new start to this blog!