Black, Gray, and White

The past month or so I have been praying about taking my faith to the next level.  The one area of my life that I haven't given over to God completely is the TV shows that I watch.  Every week at church I come away feeling like God wants to me to let go of this area of my life and let Him guide what I watch.  This past Sunday our pastor talked about not letting even a hint of immorality into your life, which includes laughing at coarse jokes.  Well, we all know that TV is chock full of coarse jokes.  Even some of the most innocent shows have parts of crude humor.  I have been talking to my husband about this and he agrees but is also struggling with completely letting go of some show that we have been watching for years.  It's like being in the middle of a book and having to put it down and not know the ending.  It's not exactly easy.  So we decided to put the shows we like into categories.  Black shows are the ones with very blatant sexual themes or characters that have anti-Christian beliefs.  Gray shows are the ones where the story line doesn't revolve around sin but there are small amounts of sexual content or violence in side stories within the show.  White shows are plainly just shows that we feel comfortable watching with our kids in the room.  We decided to completely remove the black shows, keep the gray shows only on the TV in our bedroom and the white shows on the TV in the family room.  It sounds easy enough but it is not.  It has been one week and we have already cheated and watched a few of the black shows.  The goal of course is to watch less TV, spend more time with my kids and husband,  read more books, and grow more in my walk with God.  I think most people's black, gray, and white lists might be different based on your struggles and what God lays on your heart.  I am sure you are wondering what is on our lists and I am happy to share a few.

Black shows:  Grey's Anatomy, Modern Family, Mike & Molly, How I Met Your Mother, Glee, 2 Broke Girls, anything on MTV.
Gray shows: Mentalist, Hart of Dixie, Pretty Little Liars, the Bachelor
White shows: American Idol, Survivor, Amazing Race, HGTV, ESPN, Pioneer Woman, Once Upon a Time

There are a few more but I can't remember them now.  It is so easy in our lives to just let things slip in and have an influence over us without even realizing it.  Many of these shows seem so innocent but they really do impact the way you think and view the world.  I want to live a life that pleases God, and often time that will require sacrifice.  If I have to sacrifice a few TV shows to get there, it is definitely worth it.

Bargain Furniture Makeovers

So as you know I have recently gotten into upcycling old furniture pieces to make them more modern and fun!  Last weekend while my husband was painting the tallest wall in our house a beautiful blue I was doing some painting of my own.  Over the past few weeks I found a child size rocking chair and a "phone table" from the sixties at Goodwill and a garage sale.  I also found an awesome end table on the side of the road.  I sanded them and painted them and they are like new!  It is so fun to transform something unwanted and distressed into something beautiful! :)

Rocking Chair (before):

 Rocking Chair (after):

 Phone Table (before):

 Phone Table (after):

End table (before):  This is the only pic I took. It had green legs and a wood top.

End table (after):  

I absolutely am loving these little projects!  If you have an old piece of furniture, don't give up on it!! Give it a new coat of paint and you might just find it will become your favorite piece!! :)

February, already?!

Hi friends,
I apologize for my absence from the blog world.  The Christmas season, although wonderful and full of blessed memories, was exhausting!  January has been my month of recuperating and figuring out what kind of year I hope 2012 to be.  More than anything I want this year to glorify God.  Our family started going to a new church at the end of last year and we have felt ourselves being challenged daily to consider how our actions, thoughts, motives, and hopes reflect God's will for our lives.  It's exciting and difficult at the same time.  Seeking God daily means being continuously accountable for your actions.  I have been struck lately with just how quickly this life is going to go by and how important it is to live every single day for HIM and not just myself.  At the end of each day I have been reflecting on what went well and what can be improved upon, it is a constant journey that will never end.  This week in particular I am potty training my 2 year old and PATIENCE is definitely the first thing on my to do list.   If you have ever potty trained a child, you know exactly what I mean.  And if you haven't, well, consider yourself blessed :)

In other news, I have been exploring the idea of opening up my own little etsy shop!  Over the last year I have really gotten into restoring old furniture and making it look vintage, shabby chic, or just colorful.  I have quite a few pieces I am working on now and will hopefully start selling in the next month or two.  I will put a link to my shop on here once I list them.  I'm also making and selling those Alphabet magnets I posted on here a while back so let me know if you are interested in a set.  I do all colors and they are SO cute :)  I will be selling those on my etsy shop too soon.

I hope that all of you are having a good beginning to 2012!!  Time sure does go by quickly!  Make the most of every opportunity and ask God each day what He has in store for you!  I will be back soon!

Many Blessings,
Jamie