Repurposed casserole server

I had 2 casserole servers and couldn't figure out what to do with them..then one day I thought of making them into chalkboards!! I used a jig saw to cut a piece of wood to fit..it was my first time using it and I have to say I'm excited now to cut more of my ideas!! I used a chalkboard paint from home depot and attached a piece of chalk using a piece of twine! This will be super cute in a tea house or shabby chic room or kitchen! Can also be hung on the wall using picture frame wire! Have fun creating!

It's not just about the meatloaf

Today I had an opportune time to have what I'd call "me time" however after picking up the house I soon found myself making a meatloaf. I laugh out loud and  I said to myself "how did my "me time" turn into making a meatloaf?" 

After laughing, I soon put on my Pandora music station and started worshiping the Lord while chopping my celery, bell pepper,and onion. Soon enough I had all my ingredients mixed together.. Ready to put my ketchup on top I stopped and laughed again as I wrote with the ketchup "meatloaf" on top of my prepared loaf.

My daughter would think I'm silly but this is the way the Lord allows me to enjoy what I do. I thought about it for a bit and knew I needed to blog about it because there are ladies out there that are housewives and at home with the little ones..maybe you feel like you are in a slump, maybe feeling dull and lacking laughter,  and my encouragement to you today is try to laugh and enjoy your moments to the fullest The Bible says "a happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones. (Proverbs 17:22)

Maybe today you need to bake a cake "just because"...

Maybe you need to slip a note in your husband's lunch and say...
"can't wait to see ya tonite..wink wink!

Or maybe you just need to sit down and laugh or have a good dance with your kids!

Don't be afraid to enjoy life..God has created you that your joy may be full! (John 15:11) 

Now I'm going to send a text to my husband with my meatloaf picture..."honey guess what's for dinner?" Meatloaf! 

Be blessed and be full of joy today!
Love KimmyG

How God gets my attention...

Sure id like to think that God has my full attention all the time but just like all of us at times the busyness of our lives can distract us from what God is really trying to do. 

Yesterday was one of those days...I woke up with MY strategic plan. First coffee and then I knew i could tackle the cleaning that needed to be done for the open house and still make it in time for an appt with my hairstylist for a much needed adjustment of my hair color. (lets just say it was a bit too orangey for me but going from black to brown was probably a bit much) lesson learned.

I had just arrived to the hair salon and i changed into a robe when her assistant gave me a delicious cup of coffee.
I took a deep breath and sat back in the chair. It was at that moment I noticed a young girl walk in the salon. .She asked if they were hiring and the assisant tells her no. She walks out and starts crying. I immediately knew i needed to talk to her so I watch her as she wipes her tears and goes into the next business. Talk about determination. I assume she asks again if they are hiring and soon comes out wiping her eyes again.
So here iam standing outside, in a robe with "orange hair" calling out for this girl to talk to me. Now that i think about it i was deperately trying to get her attention but if I took a look at the BIG picture... I know this was actually Gods way of getting MY attention! (I'll explain later)
I told her I seen her crying. and I asked her what was wrong? She bursts into tears and shares with me that her daughter had been taken from her. She crys and says she needs a job..she continues to cry so i hugged her and we talked for a bit...
Eventually she went on her way with my phone number and i sat in the stylists chair knowing that God had just placed her in my path for a reason.Do you see the BIG picture?  It wasn't about my hair at all.
Just like I was desperately trying to get her attention...He had been trying to get mine. To remind me of what he has called me to do...minister to women. After all it does say in Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

God is always reminding  me that there are ladies out there dealing with worse...and how they need to know that His love is near and to give them encouragement to make it through!
I'm sure you can relate, and maybe you too have been so busy that the Lord is trying to get your attention..maybe even through this post!! Does He have your attention? What is it that the Lord is saying to you right now?

Through the Seasons

It's been such a long time since I've blogged I guess you can say I was in a "season"..a busy one! This morning meditating on Ecclesiastes 3 I realized that it's so true, there IS a season for EVERYTHING under heaven. (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

For the last year I went through a wonderful season of growth being the director of the Life Builder Women's Resource Center. I have to say it was an AMAZING season that God took me through.

I can still remember the day that I was there alone, an empty building, dirty floors, so quiet i could almost hear my own breath echo in the building because it was so empty...

I remember saying to the Lord, "Why do you have me here?"
(being a stay at home mom for 11 years and enjoying it, I was a little curious!) and He said, "Because I want you to see that you can do this from the ground up"

Wow, talk about a season! A season of true growth..we went from empty to overflowing.

 

I met so many wonderful ladies, which many became my friends. As I sit here thinking about this season I can only imagine what the seasons were for them and what was truly nurtured in that season in their lives. (Ecclesiastes 3:2 a time to plant and a time for harvest) I have to believe that what was planted for both them and I , one day will be a wonderful harvest!

There were such great times there... it makes me smile thinking "it's true when you love what your doing, it doesn't seem like work!" It never once felt like "work".

At the center ladies learned how to manage their finances, how to start their own business, some ladies came to do 1 on 1 computer training, ladies even came out to have a fun night of zumba! I was just reminded that even the zumba instructor learned that she could do a zumba class! (that story brings tears to my eyes because she was grieving her moms death when she came in my office.)

I remember it like it was yesterday..She said, "I can't volunteer right now, but when I'm better id love to help." The Lord prompt me to ask her, "What is it that you like to do?" She said, "Zumba, I have my zumba certificate to be an instructor when I retire!" I said, "Well when your ready you can do a zumba class for us! She said, "wow really? Ive never done a class before." I told her, "Than this would be a perfect place to start! You'll be in a safe place!"

For her it was a season of new things, being ready to retire, she was ready to dance! (Ecclesiastes 3:4 a time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance.)

The year was full of so much good stuff it would take me forever to share..

But in early October an injury to my neck would put me in a whole new season, a season of healing. (Ecclesiastes 3:3 a time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up)

On November 12, I walked into the center to tear it down, pack up and get stuff ready to go to storage. Our rent free lease for 1 year was up...no new building yet, so we decided to store everything until a new building was found. It was definitely an Ecclesiastes 3:5-6 time...it was time to scatter, time to gather, time to embrace, and time to turn away, there was a time of searching and a time to quit searching, a time to keep and a time to throw away.

I find myself now in late November out at the ranch believing for rest and complete healing. In another season, Ecclesiastes 3:7 a time to tear and a time to mend. a time to be quiet and a time to speak.

Wanting nothing but to mend and be back to my old self. I have to be honest with you..I find myself asking God "Is it the old self i want or the new that I should look forward to? In this season... I'm believing for an even "better me." 
If you've ever been in so much pain, you know that at times you really don't even want to speak. And at times I thought it was better that I NOT speak, fear of saying something I really didn't mean. So i stayed quiet. (that's a new me!) ;)

Though this season has been rough (pain wise) my marriage has even healed in the midst of so much pain, because there were those Ecclesiastes 3:8 moments... "a time to love and a time for hate. a time for war and a time for peace."

My husband has been so supporting in this season, and I was so surprised and proud when he mentioned and encouraged all the couples at a recent couples event, "We need to support each other in these seasons, one moment you can be lifting up your spouse and the next moment he could be lifting you up!" We need eachother!

Although we go through seasons, some good and some bad, we have to believe that God has made everything beautiful for it's own time. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

Pain, grief, unemployment, arguments, graduations, births, deaths, new opportunities, a finished assignment, all those things, every single one of them under heaven...has a purpose, and even though we can't see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end, we should truly find a way to enjoy and embrace EVERYTHING... for IN them are the gifts from God.

"Listen my daughter, this season shall pass, and I will continue to show you all the things that I have for you, be of good cheer, be strong and courageous, don't look to the left or to the right, but look to me, I am the one who will heal you, I am the one who loves you, I am the one who will guide you, the healing is yours, the victory is yours. Look to me."

My Pinterest Inspired Idea!

Recently I've been so inspired by things posted on Pinterest, especially in the area of recycling and craft ideas. I about flipped over a simple but so cute of an idea pinned by Desperate Craftwives 

Yes, it's a recycled parchment paper box!!

 

so I held on to a freezer paper box,
just for the day that I could do this!

 

 

I used some scrapbook paper, a hole punch and some ribbon!

Oh and baked some amazing cookies from Six Sister Stuff.

 

well, I had 6 cookies that wouldn't fit in the box,
so I scrambled around looking for an empty box....

and what a perfect box for my "tea buddy"

 

so how cute is this???

I discovered a "cookie dispenser" lol

 

I quickly threw out all the tea bags
(you know you're going to do the same!)
covered the box in some scrapbook paper,

and cut a hole for the cookie to escape!

 

 

 

 Needless to say it was an absolute hit

when my bff stopped by for a quick visit!

 

Now, I pray I've inspired you to bless someone with your creativity!
 

 

  

 

Save The Date!

I'm really looking forward to speaking with these two

wonderful women of God on June 30th.

Get Your Tickets Today!

How To Win!

After the gym this morning I read an article in the Parade magazine about how presidents win the nominations. I thought it was very interesting and I asked myself, "Now how can I use this info to better myself today?"

The article mentioned 6 things that you must do...

1.) Observe the incumbent, then be the opposite. Basically the more different you can be from the guy who is currently in office the better. It also said that Americans crave honesty.

What I got out of that is this: Be different from everyone else (the world), be bold enough to stand out for Christ and with all your might be honest.

Luke 16:10 - "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much."

2) Be able to deliver your message in seven seconds.

I've heard this before..."have an elevator speech."
Basically the amount of time that you are in the elevator with someone, you should be able to tell someone what you do (business/ministry) or what you believe in. ( practice this!)

3) Show some humanity. The article stated that people are skeptical of anything a political candidate says, so its more important to be human than perfect. David Axelrod said of Perry, "He looks comfortable in his own skin."

wow, do you feel comfortable in your own skin?? we should!! because the bible says that we are fearfully and wonderfully made; and His works are wonderful. Psalm 139:14
I think one of the things us ladies need to do is believe like God believes in us! and if we did that we would be more than comfortable in our skin and be more radiant than any skin care commercial!

4) Be Bold.

Enough said! Be Bold! Be Confident!

Hebrews 10:35 -36 So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

5) Prepare for the Big Moments

Wow, what can I say about this??? Prepare! Prepare! Prepare! Are you prepared? Are you prepared for the outpouring that God is going to do in your life? What will you do when those floodgates of heaven open up?
2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 

Malachi 3:10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. 

This one truly excites me!!!

6) Always be a happy warrior
One of the things the article said is that running for president is brutal- its like running naked through a cactus patch on fire. That the process is designed to crush you and see what you are made of...

As Christians sometimes it feels just like that! However God truly wants to know what are you made of, who will you stand for, will you be crushed? Or will you stand? Will you persevere?
I love to be reminded that we are more than conquerors in christ Jesus (Romans 8:37), that we are the head and not the tail (Deuteronomy 28:13), that we don't need to be the victim but that we are the VICTOR! So be strong and courageous and that warrior that God has created you to be! You truly are a winner!


So I encourage you today, ask yourself am I set up to win? What do I have to do to win? Do I have changes to make? Then Pray and Do it! You are a winner! Be blessed today my friends!

Will You Carry Your Cross?

"Carry Your Cross"

We complain about the cross we bear

but don't realize it is preparing us for the

dip in the road that God can see and we cannot.

Whatever your cross,

whatever your pain,

there will always be sunshine,

after the rain....

Perhaps you may stumble,

perhaps even fall;

But God's always ready,

to answer your call....

He knows every heartache,

sees every tear,

a word from His lips,

can calm every fear...

Your sorrows may linger,

throughout the night,

But suddenly vanish,

dawn's early light...

The Savior is waiting,

somewhere above,

to give you His grace,

and send you His love...

-Shared by Alexandria Kucha

What Will You Sacrifice?

There's something about the story of Hannah, a story of a lady who was barren that I'd like to share with you. A woman who knew what sacrifice meant. In 1 Samuel Chapter 1 it says the Lord had closed her womb. She was not able to bear any children. This problem caused her alot of heartache and in verse 10 it says she was greatly distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. 

There are things to think about when reading this story:

1) He will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

2) He knows your thoughts

Psalm 139:2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.


Proverbs 16:3 (Amplified) Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.


Okay so in 1 Samuel 1:13 it says she was speaking in her heart, only her lips were moving but her voice was not heard.

Have you ever prayed to God about something and wondered if He heard you? Note to you: don’t ever doubt or wonder if God hears you…if He can hear from a woman that no words came out he can hear from you too!

Hannah wanted to have a baby so bad that she was willing on sacrificing it to the Lord if he would allow her to give birth.

Stop and think about it....Before she even had the baby she was willing on sacrificing it!

Ask yourself, what is it in your life that you are willing on sacrificing to the Lord to have one of your desires of your heart or dreams become a reality?

Something else I wanted you to see…

In 1Samuel 1:24 the bible talks about how she weaned the child before she took him to be sacrificed. I believe not only did she wean him, but she wean herself! If you have given birth to a baby you know how hard it is to go back to work when your child is small, or little alone when they go to preschool or kindergarten for the first time! ( I cried more than she did!) It wasn’t something that Hannah was able to do right away, it took her sometime. I believe she had to wean herself and him!

And I think that speaks to certain people, maybe you’re having a hard time to stop drinking or smoking but you want to sacrifice it for the Lord, who knows maybe your addicted to something else. Maybe you know God wants you to deal with this anger you have, before you can move to the next level.
Don’t get discourage! You can do it! Wean yourself! Delight yourself in the Lord!

The next thing I wanted you to see was that not only did she take up her son as a sacrifice, she aslo took up a 3year old bull and one enaph of flour and a jug of wine. (One ephah of flour = Seven gallons and a half.) imagine that!

I believe because she knew that it was God that had allowed her to conceive, that she was not just going to to give what she had promised but because she was so happy, and so grateful for what God had done for her that she would give even more!
You see we have to be different from the normal person, because a normal person would just give what they said they would sacrifice but someone who knows and can truly see that what you have is not yours and what you have is because of the Lord….then that is when you should give even more!

Hannah in 1Samuel 2:21 she understood this…and because of her sacrificing she was able to give birth to three sons and two daughters and meanwhile her son Samuel grew before the Lord. and not only that but in 2Samuel 2:26 it says that Samuel was growing in stature and in favor both with the Lord and with men.

In closing I'd like to share with you that Samuel means “God has heard” or "God heard"

What is the Samuel in your life? Let’s post a comment on that... what would you want to sacrifice to God, and let’s agree to keep eachother in prayer, that just as God heard Hannah with the words not even coming out of her voice that He would hear us too! I believe God wants to do something incredible in your life and I pray you believe that too!  Be blessed today and know that God is listening...

 

What's new with "That's Life By KimmyG"

Wow,didnt realize how long it's been since I last blogged! So I'll take this time now to update you on what's going on with the bible study on www.momtv.com/thats-life . Last week we started a bible study using the book "The Husband Project" by a friend of mine, Kathi Lipp. This book encourages ladies to focus on their husbands. The book reads, "It's about love. It's about respect. It's about letting your husband know you still think he's hot! So that's what were doing! Were on Project Status! A Husband Project!

Come Join Us, Every Thursday Live at 10am (pst) ,

www.momtv.com/thats-life

Join the chat, we always have a giveaway at the end of the study!  

When You're Still

Ever notice when you're still that you hear things that you normally would'nt hear? That you see things that you would not normally see in a busy day? Take a moment right now and silence the tv, put down your phone, lower your radio. (wait just 1 minute, okay 30 seconds)
Just close your eyes and listen...What did you hear?

I heard my water fountain outside, and a few birds passing by.

In today's society it's hard to have a moment of silence, little alone be still. Because if you're anything like me my cell phone is constantly getting texts or notifications, and twitters etc. My house is always full of sounds. Let's face it, it's even hard now a days to have a conversation with someone because they are constantly doing something on their phones. (agree?)

Sometimes we wonder why we don't see God in our situations, why we don't hear God in our lives. Could it be that we are too busy? Too busy making things happen... and not being still?

The word still in the dictionary means the following:

1. remaining in place or at rest; motionless; stationary: to stand still.


2. free from sound or noise, as a place or persons; silent: to keep still about a matter.

3. subdued or low in sound; hushed: a still, small voice.

Think about it, when you are NOT still, you're to busy to listen...
when you are NOT still you are trying to do it on your own..

But when you ARE still you allow God to do His part, you allow God to take over.

Picture yourself still... are you laying on a couch? a lounge chair? are your arms limp? are your feet kicked up? No worries?

That is kind of how God wants us to be when he calls for us to be still. Still enough for Him to do what he needs to do. (Not being lazy, but just still) Waiting on the Lord. Listening to Him!

Psalm 27:14
Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

Psalm 46:10
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

It is when we are still that we know that He is God... when we allow Him to take on our cares, when we allow Him to go to battle for us and when we allow Him to heal us.

This blog is for me too, I can get really busy and though I try to be guided by him daily, there are situations I sometime just want to take care of right now.

But it's when you know that He is saying "Be Still", that's when you need to just trust in him.

Philippians 1:6 says it best.. "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

So today I encourage you to be still.

As a kid we were taught to Stop, Drop and Roll the fire out, today I challenge you to "Stop", Listen, and Let God!" be still and be blessed!

Did You Yawn Today?

By now I know you "yawned". A yawn is a reflex of simultaneous inhalation of air and stretching of the eardrums, followed by exhalation of breath. Yawning is associated with tiredness, stress, overwork, lack of stimulation, and boredom.  In humans, yawning has an infectious quality (i.e., seeing a person yawning, talking to someone on the phone who is yawning, or just thinking of yawning can trigger yawning)

You're probably "yawning" right now!

So what is this blog about? a "YAWN"

The word Yawn dates to c.1300

from Old English 'Ginian' and 'Gionian' meaning to

"Open the mouth wide, gape,"

This morning I was reading and ran across the scripture Psalm 81:10

I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt.

Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.

I thought to myself...WOW! Open your mouth wide, when we open our mouth wide it's like a yawn.

When we yawn we INHALE then EXHALE!

So here goes my visual thinking, the YAWN!

We need to YAWN, acronym: You Allow Words N (the N sounds like IN!)

First of all, we need to allow words, the WORD of God in us, then we can start to exhale them!

After this morning's reading time with the Lord, I know I'll actually think more about "yawning".

You see I yawn everytime I wake up...

I yawn when Im tired...

and I yawn just before going to bed at night.

So from now on when I "yawn",

I'll ask myself and I hope you ask yourself...

As I open my mouth and yawn in bed...

"Did I inhale his words this morning?"

Psalm 119:147 

Mid-day when I yawn, I'll ask myself... 

"Do I need a little something from the Lord right now

because I'm getting tired"

and He says He will be my strength when Iam weak.

Isaiah 40:29

At night before resting my head upon my bed, and I yawn...

I will make sure that my last inhale will be full of Him,

so my sleep will be so peaceful.

Psalm 4:8

This is just my thought today on a "yawn" be blessed and encouraged in all you do and remember to YAWN! Inhale to exhale all for Jesus!

You Allow Words N (IN!)

 

"Okay God, I Get It!" Submissions

As many of you may know, I have a book in development called "Okay God, I Get It". This book is going to be a compilation of stories that people have had where they finally get to the point in their lives where they say,
"Okay God, I Get It".

I'm sure many of you can tell me stories for hours like this and that's why I believe this book needs to be written. The uniqueness of this book is going to show how God speaks or shows up in each persons lives in so many different ways. For one of you it may be a small still voice and to another it may be a bus that passes by and the advertisement says something that makes you click and say "Okay God, I Get it!"

I'm going to ask you to look at the BIG picture with me for a minute, imagine you or someone walking into a tea/coffee house and there sitting on the table is this book, "Okay God, I Get It!" For one it draws curiosity...then the reader picks it up..flips through this book and inside are pages and pages of short stories. This book will not only encourage people but will make their "Okay God, I Get it" moment more real to them.  We all have them, now let's share them!

I'm always looking for new stories and hope you have some for me to consider. If you are interested in participating, you can submit your story by emailing me. PS. If your story gets picked to be in the book, you will get a FREE copy! Let's do this!

My Dream Reminded Me

   Have you ever had a dream and you wake up and wonder,

"What was that dream about?"

That is what happened to me this morning, and this is how the dream went:

I was actually attending a Teen Challenge women's event, it's funny but I remember actually seeing Janie Cookes! (too funny, only God knows what that means!) In my dream I forgot my camcorder so I went back to my truck to get it. While on my way to the truck I seen this big-headed ferocious pitbull heading towards me.

As he came closer I could hear him barking, and I thought to myself "Oh my, I think he's going to bite me!" Well he did! He bit my hand, but the strange thing was...it didn't hurt! As strange as it sounds, he actually seemed soothed and calm with my hand in his mouth. With my hand in his mouth, I was actually able to continue what I was doing. I was amazed that I wasn't in pain as I could see his sharp teeth in my hand. Then I woke up!

Laying on my bed I asked God, "What was that dream all about?" In my spirit I felt like this dream was to remind me of Luke 10:19

Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over all the power that the enemy [possesses]; and nothing shall in any way harm you.

I felt encouraged to walk in the power that the Lord has given me, to not fear even though at times I feel like I face such BIG ferocious bites! But in actuality I am the one the enemy shall fear! (amen!)

Just thought I'd share my dream with you, and encourage you to remember that our God has given us the power to conquer all situations and things that try to defeat us! You have been equipped with everything you need to accomplish your warfare; everything you need to combat the enemy and not just combat him but to be victorious over him.

So I ask you this question today...if you possess this power, then what are you waiting for? Arise in power and take authority! love yah!