I HEART these!!! My February FAVORITES!

Happy LOVE month! And even though that little groundhog saw his shadow and we will have 6 more weeks of winter (at least!) I have found some AWESOME things for you to enjoy!

1. Jesus. My number 1 man...always. if you have never taken the time to build a relationship with Him...this is YOUR chance! He is the BEST Valentine you could ask for. He loves you when you are messy,and raw, and hurting, and happy. True love. TRUE.

2. Sharpie Pens. WHY has it taken me so long to find and adore these pens? They are perfection.

3. My kiddos. I know, I know...you can't have them...but I just really really love them. Motherhood is HARD and exhausting and happy and fun at the same time. Love on your kids, girls. LOVE on them as much as you can. They will thank you for it when they are older. I promise you that.

4. Moleskin notebooks. All of them. I am using a Moleskin calendar for all of my "out of the house" activities, and LOVE it's portability. I also love that each week has the "day grid" but also a FULL blank page for notes. AND....for someone who is ALWAYS writing something down...I just love it to infinity!
My current journal  (I burn through  about  1 per month) is the Moleskin grid paper kind. It's a nifty spin on regular writing lines. Loving it!

5. KLOVE radio.
It's no secret that I LOVE me some Christian Contemporary Music. Well...a game changer occurred this past summer and KLOVE began broadcasting on a local signal that I could receive at HOME! I have loved KLOVE on road trips etc. and I love it even MORE now that I can listen to it all day long! Want to take the 30 day challenge? Listen to nothing but Christian music for 30 days and see how much it impacts your life! www.klove.com

6.Nonnie Blankies. Again...you can't get one. But they are our favorite snuggle friend during this chilly season. My mom made all of the kids a blanket for Christmas last year, as well as my sister and I.  We LOVE these blankets. It's as if my Mama sewed a bit of her heart right into them. My boys say that "Nonnie is hugging them" when they curl up with their blankie.

7. Kindle Fire HDX.
Again, no secret that I am anti-apple. [the electronics NOT the fruit!!! Phew]
So, when I was in the market for a tablet- to use for homeschooling  tasks, music, video and reading- I did a TON of research. The reviews pointed to Amazon.
I am obsessed with all things Amazon. (Duh, where else can you avoid going out into the frozen tundra to get dishwasher soap and have it delivered to your doorstep 24 hours later? YUP...just did that) So....Amazon Kindle Fire HDX it was! And it is every single bit as brilliant as all of the reviews said it would be. I am in love. ♡

8. JAMBERRY NAILS!
I have always had a nail polish obsession. I have blogged about many of my "favorite" nail products. Don't get me wrong, I DO love all of the previous mentioned products, BUT...Jamberry is a GAME CHANGER. NO chemicals in them, on them or when taking them off. A bazillion  designs. Safe, easy, fun. 1 sheet of nails gets you  FOUR mani/pedis!!! $15 for FOUR!?!...I will take that ANY day! AND When you buy 3 you get one FREE....always. LOVE.
www.daniteeple.jamberry.com

9. Jen Hatmaker.
Period.
Talk about a woman completely  WRECKED for Jesus. Jen has been writing Christian books for a while now. She has been making her rounds on the speaker circuit, and recently filmed an HGTV special- highliting the renovation of her new home alongside her Pastor husband Brandon. One of Jens books that has REALLY impacted the way I "do life" is
INTERRUPTED . Jen  released an updated version of the book a few months back and I recommend reading it to ANYONE who wants to deepen their relationship with the Lord, and live a more intentional life.
www.jenhatmaker.com

10.  Pen and Paper
We live in a digital world. There is no way around it. However, the physical act of putting pen to paper is one that is therapeutic in a way that goes MUCH deeper than "You just don't like change".
Here are some stats:

• writing things down, pen to paper, aids in brain development  and cognitive processing
• it actually slows you down. ..which is GOOD FOR YOU. We live in such a GO GO GO world, that it is "expected" of you to always be moving. Writing things long hand vs typing slows you down in a way that will make you think and process your thoughts.
• limits distractions! Just now...as I am typing this, I got a beep for facebook, a beep for Instagram a beep for email and and text message. Turn off your electronics and curl up with your journal. You never know what you  could create!
• CREATIVITY. Goodness...creativity is my favorite personal attribute. It is my favorite trait of my children...my favorite aspect of education, that I am able to preserve by homeschooling them. When nothing is distracting your focus...you CAN delve into the depths of your imagination and BE CREATIVE.

That's it for this month, my friends. Take some time to enjoy LOVING yourself. You will be amazed by how much easier it is to love on everyone else...when you love yourself.

{beBlessed} and have a GREAT day!
♡

He is almost here!

Hello my friends!
I hope that the last 19 days has been peaceful, joyous,  happy and meaningful for all of you.
I have been spending my days teaching my children and trying to stayed grounded- amidst the chaos that surrounds us all during this season.
I don't know if I am just getting OLD or if it is something more profound in my heart, but whatever it is...I find myself drawn to my own home with my own family this year.
I used to be the fool waiting in line with the masses at Rockefeller plaza for that massive tree to be lit,  the first one in lone to see Santa at Macy's...with my children perfectly outfitted for photos.
This year though, I have enjoyed so much more. Something different. Home. Our giant tree that we cut down as a family. The gingerbread houses that we made with such a MESS! The singing of Christmas songs and memorizing scripture for the Christmas play, the handmade ornaments, the world vision gifts and the feeling of contentment has overwhelmed me.
Family.
A family is what we are celebrating this season. The beginning of real family.
A family of three. An unlikely family of three.
Mary was pregnant,  Joseph KNEW the baby was not his.  But, God came through.  He showed Joseph that His love was SO strong, SO safe, SO pure.  He helped Joseph to see that it didn't matter what anyone else thought. That HE was the only judge that mattered, and that HIS love was safe.-That HE would provide.

Joseph believe in God. Joseph believed in salvation. And, because Joseph believed...a family was born.  In a tiny manger,  in the little town of Bethlehem, the City of David.

The only twinkling lights were stars, the only gifts were those given to the Babe in honor of what HE was going to GIVE us.

He gave us FAMILY.  A family of believers. A family with love and light and hope. A family who looks towards the JOY of this season, as the birth of our salvation.

Pray with me?
Lord, guide our hearts in the same way that you guided Joseph's heart so many years ago. That we may feel Your safe, true love.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.

{beBlessed} and have a GREAT day!

An Attitude of Gratitude...

I couldn't enter into the month of November, without my blog theme centering around some form of being thankful.  We ALL have SO much to be thankful for. If you are reading this- you:
#1 know HOW to read
#2 have access to a computer or smart phone
#3 have internet access
#4 have ELECTRICITY
You also,  most likely, have running water, an indoor plumbing, a car, a home with heat, clothing, possibly designer clothing, an education, ... and my list could continue.

If you live in the US, you have freedoms that others can only DREAM about! [Shout out to my readers in Germany, France, Canada, and Australia...you are blessed with many liberties, as well]

WE are SO BLESSED.

The reality is, though, there are more people living "without" than we think.

We can't escape the news media.  We can SEE and HEAR the terrible things that are happening in countries that don't have the freedoms that we do.

We see commercials with starving children, who don't know when they are going to get their first meal.

There are families right HERE in our country, who have lost their homes, lost their jobs, lost their families, lost EVERYTHING.


We, by showing true GRATITUDE for what we HAVE...can ultimately bless someone else.

Yes. you read that correctly.  If WE, express our pure GRATITUDE to our Lord, giving thanks for all that we HAVE, We have the ability to BLESS others.

You see, showing gratitude, or giving thanks, or being thankful, or saying thank-you is SO much more than a quick action.

Saying "thank you" is an action.  A verb. Something that is done quickly.  When I wake up in the morning, I open my journal to do my devotions and I write out all of the things that I am thankful for-all of my blessings. Then, I close my journal and go about my day.
Saying thank you is the first step to expressing gratitude, but it is not the ONLY step.

Gratitude,  as defined in the Webster's dictionary, is the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

the QUALITY of being thankful, the READINESS to SHOW appreciation for and to return KINDNESS.

What is my definition of gratitude?

GRATITUDE: The readiness and ability to show kindness to all of God's creation.  To demonstrate a quality of life through the appreciation of others' actions and their NEEDS.

You see, we can not truly express gratitude by simply saying "thanks for helping me."  We don't show REAL gratitude for this life, until we are able to say, "Hey, is there anything that I can help YOU with?"

Hebrews 12:28 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,

Psalm 96: 1-3

1 Sing to the Lord a new song;
    sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord, praise his name;
    proclaim his salvation day after day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,

   

Matthew 20:28  28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Ephesians 6:7  7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people.

If we are truly expressing our thanks to our Lord, we must also then SERVE Him in the ways in which he instructed us to do so. He tells us to go out, share the gospel, share the truth, share the life of Christ.

ThanksGIVING.  

Let us all take this month of November. Make sure that we offer our thanks to the Lord for ALL of our blessings. But, also, let us go out and SERVE. What can YOU do to share the love of Christ? What does YOUR service look like? Do you have the heart for street ministry?  Do you have an extra hour each week to sit at the nursing home and read from the Word? Do you have a voice to share music?  Do you have the means to bless a family with winter coats? Do you have the means to travel to another continent and care for the sick and hungry? What ever YOUR abilities are, use them to SERVE. Not only our Lord, but EACH OTHER.

I think that we have A LOT to be thankful for. Amen?

{beBlessed} and have a GREAT day!

Conforming to fact and therefore worthy of trust, reliance, or belief...

I am a terrible blogger. Seriously, I am.

There are some days that are SO hard for me to even function as a human being, that my commitment to writing feels like an unreachable task.
Cushings Syndrome sucks. It does.  there is no easy way around it.  There is no real cure.  There are herbs and oils that are helping to lessen my symptoms, BUT no matter what I am doing to counteract the effects of the over production of cortisol, if I am adding STRESS, nothing is going to help.

This season = stress.

Stress from being the only adult that is parenting my children during this season.
Stress due the only intelligent conversations that I am having on a daily basis, occur with a 6 a 5 and a 1 year old.
Stress because when the man I love works more than 80 hours per week, the last thing he wants to do is deal with a crying, tired child, or a crying tired wife.
Stress because I feel like a failure as a follower of Christ. I know that I should just trust the Lord to take control and take care of us.  But, the exhaustion of this disease is REAL.  The emotions are REAL.  The work is REAL.
To many, I look normal.  I can muster up enough "pretty and poise" to go out in "public" and seem put together. I'm not
. 

This. Season. Sucks.

We all have them.

I know that we all have  crummy seasons in life. I know that every single person in this world does NOT live an instagram perfect life. Sometimes, I wish that more people would commit themselves to living an honest, authentic life. To portray their TRUTH via social media, instead of a fantasy.


 Dont get me wrong, everyone deserves to have a fantasy. Shoot, in my fantasy, I would look the way I looked 10 years ago, my children would be perfectly behaved and my husband would leave his job and wisk us all off to a week in Disney World! But, as awesome as that sounds. (man a week at Disney is SO needed right now) It is NOT my TRUTH.

My truth is this:
My name is Danielle
I love Jesus.
I live in a small, small, small town on a gorgeous apple farm.
I am married to the most wonderful man and he is my best friend. He works day and night to provide for our family.
I have 3 precious gifts from the Lord.  They are smart, and funny and loving...and crazy, and exhausting and hard.

I am committed to giving my children a life full of love, and faith and exploration and truth.
I don't have the outward appearance that I would like to have, but I am content with who I am.
I am always tired.  I am always dreaming. I am always wishing that I could be whisked away to someplace fantasmical.
But, when the day is done, I am Danielle, I love Jesus and I love my family.

We were meant to live this life in community with others. HOW can we find a community of others LIKE us, if we are not being authentic with our portrayal of ourselves?

I challenge you to be real.  Be You. Be tired.  Be natural. Be messy-haired. Be yoga pants and tank top. Be YOUR TRUTH.

This is me, right now, 4:30PM on Tuesday.  Yoga pants, tank top, no make-up, bags under my eyes. But what you can't see in the photo, is that I have an adorable baby at my feet, an inquisitive 5 years old chatting with me while I type and a smart 6 year old laying on the couch reading. Truth, may not be pretty, but it sure is BEAUTIFUL to me.

Use Social Media to help create authentic community. Don't contribute to the illusion of "perfect".

This season, is a season of TRUTH.



{beBlessed} and have a GREAT day.

Do you remember when...

This week, I spent a majority of my time remembering EXACTLY what I was doing when I went in to labor with The Dude, what I was doing at hour 10...hour 20...hour 28...His 1st cry...first snuggle...His smell. I remember it all. I LOVE that I can remember it. How could I ever forget? It has "only" been 6 years. (Only. Where have the years gone?) But, seriously, only 6 years. What will I remember at year 20? Year 40? Maybe I should write it all down?

This week is special for more reasons than just the anniversary of my first born coming into this crazy world.  It is Holy Week.

Do you remember? If not...it's written down! Right there in your Bible.

At sundown, I was imagining the disciples reclining around the table, our Savior washing their feet,  knowing one of them was to betray Him.

Now, at 9pm, do you think He had gone to the garden yet? Was the betrayal close?

I find myself thinking about these events, as if I were there watching. As if I could help Him somehow, as if they had happened merely...6 years ago...not over 2000 years.

This man, this Son of our God, has embarked on a journey to end all journeys.  The road to Calvary is the most significant journey of our world history, and yet, we, benefit from the outcome every single day our lives.

Do you remember? If not, pick up your Bible and travel back 2000 years. Absorb the text. Pray on its depth.  Be thankful.

Enjoy this video as you remember.

Were You There (feat. Russ Taff)~Selah: http://youtu.be/EfNlmefplsQ

{beBlessed} and have GREAT night.

Everybody's workin'for the weekend

"You want a piece of my heart?
You better start from the start
You want to be in the show?
C'mon baby, let's go"... (guitar riff.....awesomeness)

Are you singing it now????

This week is both never ending and flying by.  I feel Iike there aren't enough hours in the day to get my many tasks done...yet, the weekend seems like a mirage in the distance!

Anyone else feeling this way?

I have the Dude's report card due this week, amongst other home-school "business" that needs to be filed,  his Chuck E. Cheese birthday party on Saturdy, Palm Sunday, Holy Week, Phantom of the Opera Education stuff, Easter and THEN...A surprise trip to Lancaster, PA to Sight and Sound with an additional SURPRISE adventure after that! I hate to wish the days way, but I AM EXCITED for the end of the month!

So, as I sit here writing...while I should be finishing an IHIP, -kiddos playing sweetly, I wonder.
I wonder if Jesus wished the days away.
I wonder if He wanted "it" to be done with...get on with it....stop worrying about it.
For it to be...finished.

My guess...is no. He loved us all so much, that although He knew what had to happen,  He wanted to teach us and show us as much as He could,  before dying for us on the cross.

I am going to redirect my thoughts, get excited for the little things...like painting Easter eggs with my kiddos in about 10 minutes.

Looking at the big picture...we are not here for long. Our babies don't stay babies forever and we need to enjoy EVERY second.

{beBlessed} and have a GREAT day!

What we do down here, only gets us further along up there...

We are 20 days into our Lenten season. The halfway mark to the greatest celebration that we, as Christians, experience together. "He Lives! " and every year on Easter we glorify this fact. I just love it!

During thus lenten season, the Farmer and I are participating in a Bible study centered around Adam Hamilton ' s book 24 Hours that Changed The World. In this book, Pastor Adam, takes us on the journey that Jesus took during His last 24 hours of life. Powerful stuff.

Last night, while working in a small group,  we were discussing the topic of judgement. The Sanhedrin judged Jesus, Pilot judged Jesus and the people judged Jesus.
Man, this is such a weighted word. We discussed how the feelings of fear, jealosy, anxiety and others destructive emotions, cause us, as humans, to judge one another. The "people" chose to free Barabas, instead of freeing Jesus out of FEAR. How many times have you passed judgement on someone because you feared what they were capable of...because they were different than you?

I then shared with the group that I, have been working VERY hard not to cast judgement in others,  but most difficult, has been my goal of not worrying [or fearing] what others are "judging" about ME. My God, is the only one who has the right to judge me, and, when my time comes...He will.

We then went a a step further and discussed "Judgement Day". We, as Christians,  trust in the fact that if we proclaim the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and ask for forgivess, that we will go to Heaven. Now...here is the gray area that I have always struggled with: If I have accepted Jesus as my Savior and have asked forgiveness for all of my sins, and subsequently made it to Heaven, would I still have my day of judgement?

The answer is YES.

...this is why we need to let go of judging others and worrying about others judging us while we are still here on Earth. It IS GOING TO HAPPEN IN HEAVEN...and THAT is the only judgement that matters...

My good friend, who also happens to be a pastor,  helped me understand her interpretation of our passage to eternal bliss.
"How far you get yourself HERE, helps you out when you get to Heaven. There is still judgement in Heaven, no matter how much repentance you have accomplished. It is still a bit of journey once there."

☆☆☆she is one WISE woman. ♡☆☆☆

So, here is where we are. We are HERE for a short period of time (in relation to all eternity) We can choose to live our lives according to the law,  accepting the Lord Jesus as our Savior, training our children according to the Word and LOVING one another a WHOLE lot.

Galatians 5: 22-26 tells us;

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature and its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other."

The Holy Spirit bears us these Fruits. We need to embrace them, live them, share them and be thankful for them. Instead of judgement,  let us pass Joy.

{beBlessed} and have a GREAT day!