Tag Archives: 5 things

5 Things

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5 things - brownies

1. I made brownies last night. For no reason at all. From a box. Because really, brownies are the one thing that I honestly think just turn out better from a box than from scratch (and I have tried several different recipes hoping to disprove this trend). So if you have a from-scratch recipe that you think is better, send it my way!

2. Have you considered joining me for the Graffiti Summer Study and Do challenge? You definitely should. It’s going to be good.

3. I’m reading the book of Nehemiah right now with the She Reads Truth community. I did a quick read-through of the book a few weeks ago as I was anticipating reading through it slowly on my own. And yes, when I start a new book of the Bible during my daily time with the Lord, I typically do a quick reading of the entire book first for context before I slow it way down. But when I noticed the #shereadstruth plan was Nehemiah, I decided to read along with their 17-day plan (with the YouVersion app).

It’s been great so far, and I have been so encouraged by Nehemiah’s commitment to prayer through every life situation. He prayed boldly, fervently, specifically, expectantly, and often. Such a powerful example!

4. I’m going to see Iron Man 3 this weekend. What movies have you seen lately?

5. Happy Memorial Day weekend!

5 Things

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5things - railroad crossing

1. I took this photo last night when my roommate, B, and I were stopped for the slowest. train. ever. on the way home from dinner last night. I kinda love it.

2. If we’re friends on Facebook, you may have noticed that I posted a status about dreams not too long ago. Basically, I’m considering writing a post or two about dreams/hopes/plans for the future. I’ve never considered myself much of a dreamer, but lately, I find myself dreaming about and considering “big” things for the future a lot. And it’s a little uncomfortable.

I suppose I’m hesitant to become what I consider a dreamer because I don’t want to leave the Lord out of my dreams for the future or not give Him room to move and re-direct in their midst.

Something about naming a dream and putting a hope for the future into words makes it seem like a real thing, too. As in, if it’s truly a dream or desire I have, it might require action on my part, and it may not be easy. But maybe the Lord gives dreams … or at least works through them? Maybe there’s something to delighting yourself in Him and being given the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4)? Maybe the closer we move towards Him, the more our hearts align with His, and the dreams of our hearts reflect His heart?

I don’t know. I don’t have a schedule for this yet. And I’m sure I won’t get it right. But I’m interested in talking about it and exploring it if you’re willing to come along for the ride.

3. Remember that baby dedication I mentioned in last month’s “5 Things” post? Well, my friend (and favorite photographer. no lie. except for these boys. they still top my list.) let me use her good camera (uh, I was a little nervous, but it was super fun!) to take a few shots of the event, and ended up using a few in this post of my favorite 9 month old (I promise she’s incredibly cute!!). Check it out. And take a few minutes to look at some other photos while you’re over at her blog. Beautiful, right?!

4. This verse has been swirling around in my heart and mind ever since I read it a couple of weeks ago…

“They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them.”
Nehemiah 9:17 (ESV)

5. According to the official WordPress count (which means feed readers aren’t included…), I’m ONE blog subscriber away from 100. I know. Numbers don’t mean that much and that particular number is not really anything to write home about. But if you read my blog with some degree of regularity, would you consider subscribing to receive updates via email? (note: I blog twice a week.)

If so, see the sidebar to the right, type in your email address, and click the ‘Yes, please!’ button. If I make it over 100, I could even be convinced to have another giveaway to honor the occasion.

And just for the record, I so appreciate each and every one of you! Whether you subscribe or not. Whether you comment or not. I’m just grateful you read here and pray you walk away encouraged and filled with truth. So there.

5 Things

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5things (grandparents)

1. Two weeks ago, my mom and I headed up to Northern Virginia to see my grandparents  and uncle for the weekend. Even though we discovered a minor leak in their basement that required immediate repair, we had a great time just spending time together for a couple of days. One of the days we were there, I did my make-up in my grandparents’ bedroom (the light was better in there…) while MeMaw was still getting ready in there, too. I may be 27, but there was still something kind of special about that.

5things (baby dedication)

2. Last weekend, I had the amazing privilege of attending a baby dedication for little miss Kenzie (held by two of her grandparents in the above photo above and totally giving her mommy a look that says, “Hey, Mom, are we about done with all these photos?” ha! She really was a trooper and so happy the whole time!). This sweet family is just precious to me. I am beyond grateful to call them friends, and have loved watching them step into this role as parents. It was pure joy to be a part of this commitment to raise Kenzie in a way that honors and glorifies God and points her to her own relationship with Christ as Savior and Lord.

5things (wedding)

3. Speaking of privileges, last night I attended a beautiful wedding of a beautiful couple. Such a sweet ceremony and fun evening with friends.

5things (speak truth)

4. This verse (and this message) is still on my heart. I love how the Lord is stirring some of your hearts in the same way!

5things (cookies)

5. And now, I’m off to check my kitchen to make sure I have the ingredients on hand for these Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk cookies that I found on Pinterest this morning. They look SO good!

5 Things

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5things

1. I may have more stories of Holy Spirit moments from Guatemala to share at some point (because trust me, it was such a Holy Spirit led and filled trip that there are still many of them!), but my heart needed a break from sharing in this space. So because it’s Friday, a catch-all 5 things post seemed in order.

2. But speaking of Guatemala, have you read this post yet? You should. Seriously. The message is so far beyond me and the story is so worth hearing.

3. Have you noticed there’s a new schedule around here? The goal is new posts on Tuesdays and Fridays with the occasional third post thrown in if necessary. It’s a recent shift, but I like the rhythm of it so far. Tuesdays will be for devo thoughts and Fridays will be for anything goes.

4. It snowed last weekend, y’all! In typical Charlotte style, it snowed on Saturday afternoon and was pretty much completely melted by Sunday afternoon, but it was beautiful while it lasted. The photo is the view out my kitchen window.

5. This verse has been extremely close to my heart all week…

“…for we walk by faith, not by sight.”
2 Corinthians 5:7 (ESV)

5 Things

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1. The beach is pretty much my favorite place. Ever.

2. This here blog has a new look. Nothing too drastic, but if you usually read through a feed reader or via email, you should click over and check it out!

3. There’s just something about watering plants on a Saturday evening that makes me want to embrace my inner child and play in the hose.

4. This makes my heart happy and is just plain goodness:

“Blessed be the Lord! For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.

The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.”

- Psalm 28:6-7

5. I’m currently eating a bowl of cocoa puffs (yes, at 10:30pm) and watching the season premiere of Covert Affairs (love that show!), so I’m gonna get back to that now. . .good night!

5 Things

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1. Hey, Friends!

2. Last week while my parents were out of town, I had to make a quick stop at their house one evening. They have several small dogs (Toy Poodles and a Pomeranian) – who were of course excited to see me! – so even though they were being well taken care of by pet-sitters, I let them all out of their crates to play for about half an hour while I found the info I needed. When I was ready to go, I grabbed a handful of little milkbones to signal my intent, and watched them all hurry to their respective crates to await their treat. Or so I thought. I started handing out treats and closing crate doors until I got to almost the last one only to realize I had closed the door of an empty crate. I walked around to the other side of the kitchen and found Omega hiding behind the trashcan. Ha!

3. Speaking of parents, my mom is a gift-giving genius! True story.

4. This is one of the few pictures I have that proves I was actually in Charleston, SC a couple of weeks ago…even if it is from inside the hotel room. I still kinda love this mirror!

5. I had a rather important meeting earlier this week (which went great!), and in the 24 hours or so leading up to it, as my excitement began to increase, so did my nerves and I found myself craving familiar promises in Scripture. To hear the whole story behind my love for this passage go read this post, but I’ll leave you with my favorite couple of verses that never cease to restore calm and provide comfort as they remind me of God’s Faithfulness and Sovereignty:

“This God – his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?”

- 2 Samuel 22:31-32 (ESV)

5 Things

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1. I cleaned my bathroom yesterday, and somewhere in between cleaning the sink and the tub (the. very. worst. part. can I get an amen?), I ended up totally distracted by a nail that’s only been on the wall above the toilet for about 3.5 years. I was so distracted by it’s unsightlyness (I think I just made up a word…) that I went and found a spare frame collecting dust under my bed, put a fabric swatch in it (it was all I could come up with in 5 minutes), and hung it on the wall to hide the old nail hole. It may not be perfect, but it looks so better than a blank wall with a nail sticking out of the center!

2. I’ve been studying Genesis 3 (well, technically Genesis 2-4 for context) in depth this past week for Bible Study. And y’all, the Serpent (aka: the devil, Satan, the beast, the dragon, the evil one) is no joke! I have a whole new appreciation for this verse after my studies over the past several days:

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” – 1 Peter 5:8 (ESV)

3. I’m thinking of doubling the photo of the week with a recipe on Friday. Is that cheating?

4. Fun fact: the ceramic fish in the above photo is from the Christmas store (St. Nick Nack’s) in Calabash, NC. My sweet mom got it for me when I first moved into my apartment in college.

5. I discovered Words with Friends this weekend. Oh, dear…