Post-It Worthy Moments....

Hello lovelies!  I know, I know... I have missed you too!! I am really trying to get back into the swing of the blog world... I have had SEVERAL post-it worthy moments since my last post... so I thought I'd share a few....

What are some of YOUR post-it worthy moments?!

Latest craft....

Hey lovelies!  

So here is a short update:

I have really been feeling like I need to invest more time soaking in the Lord's promises... I grew up in a Christian home, and know the usual stories... however... I don't always live life as if I deep deep down truly believe His promises.  I was challenged by Beth Moore at her 'So Long Insecurities' conference to make a spiral of notecards with several of His promises on them- with the hopes to truly allow the Lord to change my heart.  

The current video study that my ladies group is going through is put on by Beth Moore as well.  She poses a very sobering question... "Do you believe in your heart of hearts that God is a giver or a taker".  This was really revolutionizing for me.  She asked... "Have you ever thought, 'I'm not sure I want to do this whole 'God thing'; how much will he take from me in able to receive His glory out of me?".... I have never thought about that exact thought... but wow... I have believed that He is a taker rather than a giver- more than once.  Praise the Lord, He IS a GIVER- NOT A TAKER!  That will be a promise on one of my pretty cards.

OK... that was longer than I intended.... now for the craft:

It started with a stack of beautiful scrapbook paper (this was my favorite one!)

Now time to cut the paper into 'index card' size pieces- with the help of my lovely assistant, Jen!  I made a few of these creations a couple of weeks ago.. and tonight- girls night- we decided to make her one and I could always use more!

Adorable, right?! I decided that the square edges weren't doing anything for me... so I rounded the edges with one of my handy scrapbook tools! 

The next step is to place double sided tape on one and tape 2 pieces together- they are much stronger- and way cuter!

This was my first batch- with the cute ring for easy portability!

I ended up with enough to make 2- so here they are!!

OK... so you noticed I don't have any verses/promises on them yet.... I'm still trying to decide how I want to put those on there- I'm not gifted in the 'hand-writting' arena... so I'll be using the good ol' cute fonts and printer option... however- I'm thinking about crinkling the pages and making them look vintage before I put them on... but I'm still trying to come up with all options!  

So... basically what I'm trying to say is... 

.....to be continued......

Hope you have a wonderful wednesday, lovelies! 

What I've been up to...

A few weeks ago Scott and I went to my favorite BBQ - Jack Stack! YUM!  My favorite location is at the plaza- hands. down.

Well... so pictures are not allowed of this amazing sandwich... or maybe as soon as the plate was put in front of me... I could not think about anything else but enjoying every last bite... not sure.  But there was a beautiful turkey sandwich on that plate...

They bring you out the original BBQ sauce as well as some of the hot sauce... both are wonderful

These are the MUST HAVE sides- Bakes BBQ beans and Cheesy Corn! yum!

Ok... on to other adventures... I recently visited my Alma Mater for my brother-in-law's college graduation... well after some begging- Scott and I got in town early enough that morning to get breakfast at my FAVORITE place downtown Bolivar, MO- if you ever travel through- you must stop by (between 11-2) and get some french toast and coffee (doesn't matter if you like coffee or not... you. must. have. some.)

So many study sessions behind those doors... ahhh.. college memories

Ok... on to my final adventure for this post... my front yard...

Ok... here is where my ANTI-green thumb starts showing itself... as these weird plant/treewannabe things were growing in the area around my tree- I was really concerned as to what they would look like once they were in full bloom- I really thought they were mini trees before they started growing those little bulbs.... I wanted Scott to yank them out... but boy am I glad I decided to wait until I could see what they really were first...

UHHH.... I. KNOW. RIGHT?!  THIS is what came from those once ugly treewannabe plant things... oh my word... absolutely breath taking- when I saw the first one bloom... I was floored!  Well needless to say... I'm obsessed with my beautiful Lilies that live under the tree in my front yard...

I can't wait until they have ALL bloomed!!!

God is so good.  These remind me of how beautiful I am to Him as one of His own... and yet how ugly with sin I was before He saved me... I love that He reminds me of this truth- with. a. flower.  wow.

And now I can't get enough of them... The color... just so amazing.

There are beautiful white lilies too!!! 

These things have made my day.... what makes your day?

To Do in 2010 update...

Dear internet,
I am sadly behind in completing my 'To Do in 2010' list.  As you recall from my last update... I have completed a few of my 2010 bucket list... I wish I could report that I have EVEN more to cross off than I did last time... but I cannot.  However, I do have a few to cross off:


#1- Mend an old friendship-  Yes, I feel like I have accomplished this!  It feels wonderful. 


#2- frame the amazing painting my brother got me in Florence, Italy- I finally found a home for this beautiful painting!  I got it stretched at good ol' Hobby Lobby a month or two ago.  It is beautifully displayed on my white shelves in my living room!

#5- Work out routinely- Ok... this is kind of true... I would like to at least acknowledge my progress! Scott and I have been playing tennis lately... lets just say... I. LOVE. TENNIS. I didn't have a very good year last season... and this year I'm starting off with a bang- which helps the desire to play more!  This has been a great work out!

#16- daily find something I'm thankful for and praise the Lord for it- The last week or so I have really been overwhelmed with these daily thankful things... and I wanted to share a few with you.. (in no particular order) :) 

   * Old friends- they are some of the BEST gifts a person can have

   * Husband- the list as to why could be endless here- so I'll just leave you with how bless I feel to have Scott as a part of my life- God totally knows what He is doing!

   * Youth-  The past 6 months or so Scott and I have been sponsors for our youth group and I feel SO blessed to live life with these youngsters!  I learn so much from them... to be honest- I was expecting to do more of the teaching than the learning

   * Family- they are ALWAYS there.  I often take this fact for granted. sadly. 

   * Lilies- K... I thought I had weird weed/plant/tree things growing in the area around my tree in the front yard- well good thing I didn't have Scott yank them out- they are LILIES! They are so stinkin' BEAUTIFUL!!!

Ok... well I will leave you with these- I am still working on most of the rest!  I'd love to hear some of your favorite things... or something you should be proud of for completing in 2010!! 

Post-it worthy moments...

I'd love to hear some of YOUR post-it worthy moments of this week!?!

So long insecurities....

Confession:  I have been avoiding you.  I know… horrible right?  Let me explain…. I have been putting off a very important issue that my heart has really been dealing with lately…. I knew my next post HAD to be a ‘Real Ray’ moment… and 15 days later… (I’m a little stubborn…) here I am.  Transparent.

I struggle with insecurity.  There it is… I said it. 

What do I mean by ‘insecurity’?  Beth Moore expresses it so well in her book, So Long Insecurities…

“Insecurity refers to a profound sense of self-doubt—a deep feeling of uncertainty about our basic worth and our place in the world.  Insecurity is associated with chronic self-consciousness, along with a chronic lake of confidence in ourselves and anxiety about our relationships.  The insecure man or woman lives in constant fear of rejection and a deep uncertainty about whether his or her own feelings and desires are legitimate.”

Beth goes on to suggest that not ALL of this definition has to be true to you in order to be insecure… so if there is even one ounce of truth that touches your core… whether you want to admit it or not… you MUST set your insecurities aside (or place a paper bag over your head) and GO GET THIS BOOK.  This book has seriously challenged me to the core…. I have been putting this post off partly because by putting this ‘out there’ I am promising to attempt to change… which is kind of scary- worth it… but scary.

“ Most of us have what I’ll call a prominent false positive: one thing that we think would make us more secure in all things.”

When I read this… a few ‘false positives’ immediately came to mind…

1.     Ideal weight

2.     Perfect clothes

3.     Perfect hair

4.     Ideal beauty

I absolutely love my Thursday night group of (6-8) girls because we are all VERY different and yet we have developed such a strong bond with one another.  Some of us have the same false positives… some of us don’t… but regardless I am more challenged after the night is over than I would be just reading the book by myself. This is why I think it is SO important to live life with one another… to experience these new revelations – big or small- with one another… to challenge each other… to be kept accountable by one another.  I know that if I miss a Thursday night… that I am missed… I know that someone will be checking up with me… whether it’s to be sure everything is ok… or to be sure I wasn’t ‘skipping out’ to avoid some un-wanted accountability…. I’ve been guilty of that.  BUT.. I’m so blessed to have a group like this… there is real transparency within this group… which is so beautiful. 

Chapter 9 REALLY impacted me- to my core.  This chapter prepares you for a time of silence and solitude with the Lord.  I usually don’t tend to like it when authors ask their reader to ‘do’ things during the book… but I decided to ACTUALLY participate and it truly blessed me.  Beth provides a prayer that in fact touched me.  Over and over I kept thinking, ‘Lord..  You had her share this prayer JUST for me… didn’t You?’ 

Well… I could go on and on about all the amazing things from this book…. BUT I’d rather just give you a taste and entice you to grab a copy at your local Borders and read it yourselves.  If you do… I would LOVE to hear your thoughts as you go through the book.  If you’ve already read the book… I’d love to hear about the parts that touched you the most!

Have a wonderful week, lovelies!

Open the Gates...

Thinking of taking a trip to Kansas City?!  Want to try the best barbeque from the HOME of BBQ?! Well... let me share with you the top 3 barbeque joints in KC!

Top 3... in order:

1. Jack Stack BBQ

2. Gates BBQ

3. Oklahoma Joe's BBQ

Now... if you mention this order to Scott... he'd tell you I have it all wrong... his favorite is Gates!  Well tonight he was feeling the itching for some true KC BBQ... so we hopped in the car and went down to Gates!  It's a win-win for me... b/c it is right by one of my favorite features of Kansas City... THE PLAZA!

Don't worry... this isn't going to be a boring picture-less post... I had to bring Mr. Sony so that I could take you on our adventure! :)

So...In true "Show Me" fashion...

Tonight... we visit #2 Gates Barbeque!

A couple of things you should know beforehand:

1. the quote on this tray "Hi, may I help you?" That IS what they are yelling at you ... really it is.

2. They are not rude... they are just playing the part... Gates is KNOWN for this atmosphere... and knowing that before you visit makes the experience much better!

#3. You think you have the entire line to figure out what you want... not so much... they will continue to take orders way before you get to the counter... so be ready! - Don't be scared... really.

#4. TOTALLY. WORTH. IT.

Wow.... I know... I'll wait as you get a towel for the drool...

K.. glad you're back :)

THIS is my favorite thing at Gates. Single Turkey... and an order of fries.  Now.. this picture is actually of Scott's plate which is a Regular Turkey- which is WAY bigger than what I can handle... and we have to share the fries... look at that plate full! YUM!  

They have AMAZING smoked turkey... words can't describe...

Scott is totally and completely in love with their fries... he would describe them as "the perfectly crunch outside, with the smoothest soft inside"

Scott's first bite... look at that face... pure glee.  (k... it may not really look like 'pure glee'... but trust me.. it's there) 

#5. You'll need to be sure and have several of these...

Empty plate... on to the fries dipped in his favorite barbeque sauce.

Scott's tummy is full... MISSION. ACCOMPLISHED. 

What is YOUR favorite BBQ?