Before and Afters: Upstairs Hallway

Welcome!

We are moving upstairs this week to look at the transformation in our hallway. The before pictures were taken about 2 years ago, while we were still finishing up trim paint and such. hopefully you will notice a a few small changes...

BEFORE:

AFTER:

It always amazes me what a little paint and a few pictures can accomplish! Don't ever believe the lie that you have to spend a ton of money to make a space beautiful, we are an abundantly blessed people take a look around you, there might just be something you could repurpose to make your space more inviting or lovely. 

Have a blessed Saturday Friends, thanks for stopping by!

Living Room: Before and After

Hello Friends! 

It is OH SO good to see the sun shining today, I hope it is shining by you too! 

As some of you may have read, our house is going through a little reno do to last winters ice damage. We are nearing the end of the renovations ( just painting and decorating left to do!) so in honor of the current fixing up going on,  I thought some of you might like to see some before and after's of our house, since we moved in 2 years ago, until the present. 

At the end of this series of before and After's I will reveal the dining room and guest bedroom transformations. that are currently underway. I am getting excited just thinking about it, which is why this post series is pretty much just a glorified motivation speech for myself! 

Hope you Enjoy!

BEFORE...

 This picture was taken just after the hole was cut into the living room/ dining room wall, you are looking into the dining room from the living room in this picture.

 This was post- paint and a few pieces of furniture, pretty much everything you see here was given to us, I have to smile at this picture, because my color choices and style has changed so much, but I also smile, because it is such a practical example of how blessed we were and are.

 Before our entertainment center was installed, I LOVED reading here...

 Front entry...

                  

 Ok, now for some after shots...or present day shots....Christmas is just around the corner, so soon there will be a tree involved...

AFTER...

Again, so many things in this picture, given or repurposed. Trust me when I say you can do A LOT of change on a little budget! 

 

 New and improved reading nook...

Remember that hole in the wall??

 The entertainment center (still needs door knobs, will post when I find the ones I am envisioning)

Hope you enjoyed the little tour of our living room, stay tuned for the next room on the tour, 

coming soon!

Have a blessed day!

Finding the Quiet

I'm thankful for the snow. 

I'm in awe of how it forces me to slow down. Gone are the days of summer and fall where I can drive some where, anywhere without giving it a second thought. Here I sit today, cozy warm in my house, no where to go, all commitments canceled. Thankful for the snow. Thankful for its powerful ability to re orient my whole day, my day I had planned out before the snow arrived in a flurry. God had this day my day all planned out too.

"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand." Proverbs 19:21 (ESV)

This idea of slowing down, has been something that continues to surface itself in my heart these days. I think it has something to do with that wall, the one that is my heart, which was stripped bare. In my brokenness God is pulling out all sorts of things, and in the process He is revealing areas of quiet that have always existed, but rarely noticed.

Hear me, oh please hear me when I say, that I have plenty of "quiet" moments in this little white house with a green door. When I am home in the evenings, I come home to quiet. Chase and I don't create a lot of noisy chaos. Sure our little Marley likes to voice his opinions at times (isn't that what dogs are supposed to do?) but for the majority of the time, our house is quiet, as far as the noise level goes.

So here is where I struggle. I wrestle with being quiet. Quiet on the inside. When I have the time to sit still, I rarely take it. I like to get things done, busy myself with unnecessary tasks, (such as search every online store known to man for the warmest most durable winter boots out there. NO JOKE) I am distracted on so many levels, my mind being pulled in so many rabbit trial directions, I forget that being quiet, the holy kind of quiet, is the most productive thing I can do.

This brings me back to winter. As the snow blew in late last week, and has continued to fall, my initial reaction was less than pleasant. I was grumbly. Then, as if God positioned me right back in front of the barren wall, my grumbly spirit was hushed, and broken I stood again.

Eucharisteo! Euchariseto! Eucahristeo! Cries my heart.

This fluffy white snow and the black icy roads are my euchairsteo for today. They are a physical reminder of the change God is doing within. For today, I have been given the gift of true quiet time, which might not be so tomorrow or the next day as I, along with many of you, adventure to vocations, meetings, gatherings and so much more.

To be completely open with you, today I was scared to be gifted so much time. I know myself well enough to know that I struggle to use my time in an un- busy, un-hurried way. "Help me Lord!" was my plea,  "Give me the grace and strength to be quiet today, I desire to be a good steward of the time you have given, but I so easily wander. Guide me Lord, lead me back to the cross all day long. Put your Holy Words before me, the life breathing, better than anything on this earth words!"

The fact that you are reading these very post, shows that the LORD is answering my cries for a quiet spirit today. Typically I can't sit still until late evening to write. My presence here on this blog, is a practice in quiet. It is here that I wrestle, grow and submit to HIS WAYS. Written words help me to see what I feel in my heart. Writing it down, solidifies for me what it is that Lord is doing in me.

In my quiet, the Lord is leading me, showing up in the still places of my heart and beckoning me to come. To Be Still. And so today, I'm praying on your behalf for safety on the roads, clarity of mind and the humility to find and relish in the quiet with me.

To GOD be the Glory!

Stripped Bare

This picture is me.

 Yes, you heard that right, I am this picture. Ok, technically I am in the reflection of the window, you got me there, but I am claiming that the stripped down, emptied out, vulnerable room you see, is in fact a very raw look into my life. 

The Room. 

Before I go off, spilling out my heart and what I am learning during this season in life, let me quickly catch you up to speed on the demo situation going on above. You may recall a certain harsh winter we Michiganders experienced survived last year. Well, our lovely home decided enough was enough and began to cave, quite literally! Now, fast-forward to this week, our trusty fix-it man is here repairing the under-the-surface damages done by the ice and snow. (Just in time for it to hit again, but rest assured we are prepared this time around!) 

My Heart. 

When I walked into our guest bedroom last night and saw this, I had to take a snap shot. Yes, because it's only right to document change, moments in the life of your house; but if I'm honest I needed  to take this picture because of what it reveals about me, my heart and soul in this season. 

God is breaking me, and it is beautiful. He is emptying the rotting parts of my heart and filling me with Himself, fresh and anew. He is building me up to display His beauty, as only He can. 

Change is never very easy at first, but I am learning that it is a beautiful experience when God is the one making the changes. He is stripping me down in small ways, like the fact that my house is in total disarray right now, everything out of place, yet I am ok with it. Yes, I am really looking forward to putting the pieces of my home back into working order, but the fact that I can sit in this space and not go crazy is an act of God. 

He is also working on revealing my discomforts and securities in bigger ways. Last month I attended a conference in Greenville, South Carolina where I knew exactly one person going into the multitude of faces. I don't necessarily enjoy being put into situations where I know basically no one, but let me just tell you that sacred things happen when we go where He calls. The beauty of stepping out in faith is that God never pushes you some place, without already being present there Himself. 

You see, there have been times in my life when I have walked through an entire season of questioning God, while wearing weak lenses that are out of focus. In those times it is impossible to see the big picture. God's picture. 

This season isn't like that though. By God's grace alone, I am wearing lenses custom fit by my Abba. My heart is in sync with His, and I can see clearly. By faith I am walking like Abraham, unsure of the final destination, but willing to follow and trust Him to lead me the entire way. The more I lean into Him, the clearer my vision becomes. This season is absolutely still a journey. I fail daily. He picks me up, sets me back on track, and reminds me again and again that I am HIS. 

I am overwhelmed by all the ways he is moving me, and can't wait to share more! For now I want to encourage you to stay tuned! Changes are on the way with the bedroom above included. You may even see some of those changes taking place right here on my blog, and I can hardly wait!

You are cherished my friend, You were created by the King of Kings! Won't you please let that truth  sink deep into your soul for a moment?

Wherever He has you right now, He knows what He is doing. Our days are filled-to-the-brim with unknowns and uncertainties. We are all being stripped down in one way or another. For today though, won't you choose to rest in His embrace with me? Let's lay down our fears again this morning and face today with arms open wide, ready to receive His blessing for today; even if that means being our guest bedroom wall, broken wide open and vulnerable. 

Race Day: An Inside Look

Chase and I ran the Park2park 1/2 marathon last Saturday and it was a gorgeous day to say the least! I am still in awe of how lovely it was, especially for the end of September! This was our second year participating in this race and I speak for myself, but I hope to run it again next year and the year after that, because by then it's practically a tradition right!?!

Running roughly 200 miles while training for this race, adds up to several hours of alone-in-my-head- time. To be honest with you, those hours have been some of the most Spirit moving hours I've experienced in the last several weeks. Something happens when you get quiet, with no spoken words or vocal conversations. The Spirit moves. This is something I've touched on before and I could go more in-depth still, but there will be plenty of posts like that to come!

Tonight I thought it would be fun to give you a quick little snapshot of what was going on inside my head, mile by mile through the 1/2 marathon. I have always been rather curious what goes on inside the mind of a runner, and gets them from the races start all the way to its finish line. Hopefully You've been equally as curious, because ready or not here my thoughts come!

Mile 1: Horn blasts, everyone cheers, runners EVERYWHERE. (I have always loved the adrenaline that comes with the start of a race, but NEVER the congestion.) Turning up my Toby Mac radio, sending Chase a swift "good luck" with my eyes and we are off. Now, literally 10 seconds past the start and as I look to my back right someone has already fallen down. Immediately I feel for her, my heart says make sure she gets up but my runner legs and mind say, "keep going and watch your step otherwise you're next!" And so here we go!

Clarification: When you see the word "we" from here on out,  I'm not even sure who I am referring too, occasionally it's Chase and I, other times all runners are included and then in some moments it's just me and myself. Try not to judge, remember this is a completely raw and unedited version of what took place in my head as I went! Ok back to the race...

Mile 2: We are really doing this, we have less than 13.1 miles to go, woohoo! I am thankful the beginning chaos has lessened some, but we are all still running a little close for comfort. I can still hear and see many people cheering us on.

Mile 3: I feel like we found our pace, and I have a my personal bubble back. I hear the runners around me talking, Chase is smiling and we are right with the 8:00 Minute pacers. The sun is starting to peak through the clouds.

Mile 4: Rolling up my sleeves, we are now in Waukazoo woods ( my old stomping grounds) and I feel right at home. ~Mile 4 is the first time I spoke during the race, and all I had to say was, "My parents are right up this dirt road, I mean their house is, not them right now." Literally that is what I said word after confusing word.

Mile 5: WOW mile 5 already? starting to feel that I am running. We are over 1/3rd of the way done. Sun in full force, still behind us at this point. Now headed towards the State Park, we see Kellen (our FAST friend!) coming OUT of the State Park on our way IN. We yell to him like crazy people with fists in the air, he sees us, I'm satisfied.

Mile 6: Water, beautiful fresh lake water. I LOVE running on/near the beach, I'm in awe. Must keep running, taking several mental snapshots and hiding them away. The sun is blinding, now exiting the beach and back to reality. I see my strong friend Lisa cheering us on. ( she was a serious shot of encouragement to me several times on the race course. LOVE you friend!!)

Mile 7: Well, the 8 minute pacers left me in the dust but my tracker says I'm still averaging under an 8 minute mile, so I am confused. Ah, shade! back into the woods on Lakeshore and extremely happy! Over half way through! You can do this Lindsey! come on, keep your next mile under 8 minutes, breathe in, and out. Keep a steady pace.

Mile 8: Ok, the shade was great for the first 5 minutes, but now my soul needs the sun. Where is everyone? Running by myself for the first time, I'm hitting my wall, need to break through. It's dark, I'm tired and I NEED some serious motivation. "Pray." Who Lord? Who do you want me to pray for this mile? I'M THE ONE WHO NEEDS PRAYER! " Listen Daughter, quiet your thoughts." Ok Lord....Silence..... Oh,yes she is going through a dark lonely (at times) road of life right now, kinda like me out here on mile 8. Ok Lord, I'll pray!

Mile 9: Approaching Tunnel Park, I think? yes, I hear and see people, I'm almost there. The question is to stop at the bathrooms or not? I did last year, but I really don't have to go....but this is my last chance before the finish. Ugh...make up your mind Lindsey! Pull yourself together. No. I'm not stopping. DEEP BREATH. Please Don't fail me now bladder!

Mile 10: Oh these neighborhoods again?!? Last year I wanted to walk here, Oh I needed to so bad. STOP stop that silly talk, You got this, that was then, this is now. FOCUS! Oh good, new song, yes! I love this one! awe look at all the people at the end of their driveways.....if they only knew....yep, yep smile and nod, smile and nod.

Mile 11: I'm really doing this. less than a 5k left. Time to focus, really focus. Here come the tummy crummies, fight through it! One step at a time. Oh is that Lisa again? yes I think so, YES it is! She has her phone out, oh boy! better look happy, smile. wave. thumbs up. What did she just say? " You got this, you're doing awesome!" I needed to hear that, right this second. How did she know? Thanks Lisa, I'll find you when I can breathe again and give you a hug!

Mile 12: Back to the woods I go, no stopping now. Oh a water station, wonderful! These people look really happy AND wet. Thank you water people, you all get  a A+++ in my book!

Mile 13: LESS than a mile! Oh I sure hope I run through the finish line, my legs are really feeling it LORD HELP me sprint to the end, praising you! Here is the gate, oh man, everyone can see me, open field, running on the grass...grass? why is the finish in this grass and gravel?? Oh well, I am ALMOST done! bananas here I come! closer, closer, ok sprint Lindsey, sprint with everything in you! It's here! the FINISH! Raising my fist, pointing to heaven, THANK YOU LORD FOR CARRYING ME THROUGH!!

Fall Decorating and Image Bearing

This week holds the very first official day of Fall and to celebrate I am sipping on a latte, wearing one of my favorite fall jackets and sitting in the corner of a coffee shop with my favorite guy.

Even though fall technically starts this week, I have been embracing and anticipating this fall season now for several weeks. Yes, I am keenly aware that I may be among the minority in this, but my excitement for the season is not easily quenched!

Last weekend I took all of my pent up fall lovin' and let it explode all over our home. It began with a pot of chili and homemade bread, then moved on to the dining room with pumpkin centerpieces and pinecones, it continued with football and a sweatshirt, then ended with homemade applesauce and a good book. Cozy and satisfied. Every last fiber of my being was exactly that.

I posted a few pictures of my fall-crazed materializations and thought nothing of it. No one really took interest in my home decor ideas right? That was my thought anyway, until Tuesday morning came along.

 My beautiful friend caught me off guard when I received a text with a job for me to consider. I'm usually up for a challenge, so I responded with a somewhat hesitant, "sure, what did you have in mind?" I wasn't expecting what came next but oh boy was I in for a treat!

In all my life this little "job" was something that I have literally dreamed about, and my Pinterest board would tell you the same!

My task: Make her home look like fall, on a budget.

After the initial elation subsided and I was able to think like a sane person, I agreed and began forming a plan. If I was going to do this job well, I had to get a vision for what my "client" ( feels silly calling her that but for the purposes of this post I'm going to roll with it.) wanted to feel and see when she walked into her transformed space.

This fun little decorating task was a confidence builder for me. Deep down, I desperately want to use my passion for design and the creative eye that Lord has given me, and be the very best steward I can be.

Honestly though, if I can be completely candid, I struggle to see myself in the eyes of the Lord. Often times I dismiss the compliments and encouragement far too quickly without acknowledging that I might actually in-fact be good at something. It's because I forget to remember in the forefront who gave me these passions and gifts in the first place.

My sweet Savior made me in his image. HIS IMAGE! How many times have I failed to recognize the beauty of how intricately God made me? My creativity comes directly from Him. When I use this gift of creativity it is a direct reflection that I am indeed created in the image of God.

It's amazing to me how God can use something as simple as fall decorations to bring me back to Him. I am unashamedly humbled and astonished by His constant weaving in and through my everyday life as he reveals His Glory to me in the simple-deep moments. Truly astounding!

The colors of Autumn are brilliant to me, I think that is why I am so inthralled by this season. Today I am  Thankful for a creative God who shares pieces of His splendor with me!

Running: with feet fit for the path

Here we are, almost ready to say good-bye to another summer month. I seem to be experiencing that phrase: "the older you get, the faster time goes." But for the next hour, on Friday, July 25th I am here writing. It is so good for my heart to intentionally take time to be still and be a thinker, an author, a dreamer and reflector.

Chase and I are in Chicago today, getting ready to fly out to Washington in just a few short hours. This will be our first trip, just the two of us, out to visit Chase's brother, his wife Alysia and their ever-growing daughter Emilyn. I'm thankful for a weeks worth of uninterrupted quality time with them. I have felt rather spoiled in the past year, as this will mark my fourth visit with them. Even still I will savor each moment we have, because certainly there will be years and seasons when four whole visits to and from the other side of the Country won't be feasible. But for today I'm thankful for the time we do have. So grateful for relationships and friendships that are so rich and blessed. I'm sure I'll have many pictures to share in a week!

Amidst many other summer activities, Chase and I have enjoyed our runs this summer. I say this partly because I can count on one hand the times that we have had to run in the scorching heat, and for that I am grateful! Recently I have been reflecting on how running has truly been a life-giving exercise for me.

 When I am running, I enter an entirely different world. A world where I forget that other people can still see me. For instance, If you are ever driving down South Shore, you may just see me with hands raised high to the sky or see fist pumps in the air. No need to call for help! I am just having my own little worship service as I run along my route. Like clock work, it is almost a guarantee that no matter what state my heart, mind, body, or soul are in when I take that first step of my run, by the last step I have changed more internally then outwardly.

God has dealt with my heart in some beautiful ways during my runs. Sometimes that looks like releasing strongholds and other times it is undesired circumstances or fears, and for some reason running helps me open up my heart to him in the most freeing way. One evening this summer, Chase and I were headed out for a run and it was just one of those days where I had NO MOTIVATION and part of that was not feeling great physically. As we were stretching in our driveway and talking about how far we would go, I voiced to Chase how I wasn't excited about the run and that I would probably be slow that night. I remember then thinking I should just go back inside and "rest" (having a pity party is more like it). Thankfully there was this deep nudging voice inside me that said: "Don't go inside, go for a run. I have work to do in you." Clinging to that voice, we headed out. We ended up going 5 miles that night, when initially I didn't think I would make it past our street! God is so gracious to me. He uncovered and restored some things in my heart that night, and had I not gone on that run, I would have missed out on the blessing of praising His name and being freed in that particular way.

Hopefully you are seeing that my passion for running goes far beyond the physical act and into something much deeper. Certainly there are many runs where it is much more focused on business.
Especially when training for a race or striving to reach a new PR. I do enjoy the competitive side of running sure, but that isn't WHY I run. I run because of the heart stuff that happens there. The biggest test for me though, is to take away what I've experienced on my runs and live it out in the "race" of life. I desire to be a person who has feet fit for the path. Whatever the path. A bold statement? Absolutely.

I want my life for Christ to be bold. The ironic thing I am learning about "living bold" is that often times the boldness comes out of little moments and ordinary conversations. As I was praying with three of the dearest little kiddos in my life, before tucking them into bed the other night, I asked them where they saw God in their day. Each of them, after taking time in their young hearts and minds to process the question, answered in sincerity. Receiving their heartfelt response was such a joy. A simple question. Three simple responses. One Awesome God.

Oh Lord, my prayer today. Give me feet for the path. Give those whose path is so much more difficult than mine feet for their path too. Let us live BOLDY for You!