FRIDAY FAVES

 Hey! I am back with another Friday Favorites- if you’re new here .. every Friday I make a short, random list of things that I have been loving lately! 

SHOP THE LIST HERE

Reusable Starbucks Cups—

I am thankful that my husband makes me iced coffee every morning and has pretty much perfected it to make it taste like my Starbucks order! So these cups have me saving money & feeling like I went to my fave coffee shop. Win win!

Scale + App—

I am loving this scale! It has an app that connects to your scale to track your progress! It has been so motivating!

LMNT Electrolyte Drink—

My favorite flavor is the raspberry salt! I also love the fact that they come in little packets so it’s easy to travel with! 

Cutie Sun Hat—

I personally took the brown band off and I love just the plain natural color! It’s a perfect size and super comfortable & affordable!

Let me know in the comments what you have been loving lately! 

Talk soon!

Forgiving Past Hurts

Hey Guys! I was gone for a full weekend to a Woman's retreat with my church and the place we went had absolutely no service! It was so great and so refreshing to not have to worry about looking at my phone all the time. It gives you the opportunity to actually talk and hangout with people and have the best time because you aren't distracted by social media! 

Woman's retreat is something my mom and I do every year and it's one of my all time favorite weekends! This year, I was asked to speak at the retreat, there was a moment of panic but I so enjoyed sharing Jesus with everyone! I have posted what I taught below so y'all could read it too! 

LOVE LEADS TO FORGIVING

Today I wanted to talk about Forgiving past hurts. I have to be honest, when my mom told me Mrs. Jo wanted me to speak this weekend, there was a moment of sheer panic, although I am still a little panicked, I am very excited to be doing this. Another thing I was scared and excited about was this topic. Scared because It’s something we all struggle with, but I was so excited to see what God showed me while I studied His word. I wanted to start by sharing my experiences with hurt and forgiveness. I have heard the saying “People that are closest to you have the ability to hurt you the most” and I have experienced that before in my life, as well as probably everyone else in this room. When you are hurt by someone that hasn't made a big impact on your life it’s so much easier to just shake it off. However, when you are hurt by someone you care about, that’s when forgiveness takes major strength. All of us have been hurt in the past. A lot of times people use words to hurt, I personally have been hurt by words. and If you let them, negative words can define you but I am learning through God’s word how to handle things. You can accept those words or you can choose to believe who you are in Christ. After I graduated from high school I was so excited because I started Esthetician School. A little back ground story- I have always struggled with acne which led to a big time struggle with insecurity. I began seeing an esthetician in middle school and my skin improved more and more each time. Finally, it was my senior year, by that point I was much more confident and I had such a passion for skin care and desired to have an impact on someones self esteem. So for me, Esthetician school was a no brainer. Well, one night one of my friends started making mean comments about my career choice, and the school that I chose. Even though they were joking, I was really hurt by it. In that moment I had some choices to make. I don't know if anyone else is like me, but I can take one comment and turn it into a million different things. For instance,  I could have let their words define me. I could have felt like a complete failure, I could have questioned why I didn't choose a  University, I could have believed that I wont accomplish much at all. Or I could ignore their words and listen to what God says about me instead. So What did I do? I took what the bible says about turning the other cheek very literally and I walked away. Forgiveness is more than just letting your friend or that random rude stranger off the hook. It’s so important because it’s about our own spiritual growth in Christ. I have narrowed it down to this, Forgiveness should be defined as loving someone like Christ loves us- I actually titled this whole message, “Love leads to forgiveness”. I want to focus on how God views us even when we mess up, how Jesus is our perfect example on how to forgive, and finally what the Bible says about how we should treat those who have wronged us. 

One of my all time favorite stories in the bible is found in John chapter 8 verses 1-6. This story is not necessarily about forgiving others but its a perfect look at how Jesus views us and gives us grace upon grace. 

1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” I feel like this is such a good example of what we do in our own lives. We don't necessarily stone people but  when people hurt us its like we forget every bad thing we have ever done, we want them to be shamed, we want revenge, when want them to “get what they deserve” I heard a pastor say it this way once WE ALWAYS WANT GRACE FOR US AND JUSTICE FOR EVERYONE ELSE 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

11 “No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” 

Another perfect example of how we should forgive is found in Luke 23:33-34

“When they came to the place called the Skull they crucified him there, along with the criminals- one on his right and one on his left.Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing”.

I absolutely love that verse— its a perfect image of grace. After going through complete and utter torture - Jesus looked upon all of us undeserving people and simply said “Forgive them”. I cant help but think that’s exactly what Jesus wants us to say towards every person that has wronged us “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing”. 

The last verse I want to read is found in Romans chapter 12 verse 20 “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty give him something to drink. In doing this you will heap burning coals on his head”. Growing up I never really liked when My mom would always tell me to “be the better person” and I have now found a bible verse to back that statement up. Honestly though, I am so thankful for her telling me that over and over and over because it has helped me grow as a person. I want to close with this last statement— I am learning that the moment we decide to live a life devoted to sharing the love of Christ, forgiveness is no longer and option.

I hope you enjoyed this post and some of the hilarious pictures I shared with you guys as well! 

Have a wonderful day! 

Thanks for Visiting

xoxo

Praying for Your Future Husband

No matter if you're single, dating, or like me, engaged; praying for your future husband is extremely important. I would say it is one of the most important steps. It helps lay down the foundation for a healthy, God-centered relationship/marriage even before it begins! I will admit, this is something I struggle with. I tend to want to fix things myself and I am not always patient enough to sit, pray, and trust God's timing (I'm working on it). I hope someone out there is touched by this blog post but really and truly, it is a reminder/encourager for myself.

We are human, our future spouse is human. My point? Glad you asked, my point is that we are all going to mess up. No relationship is perfect; how boring would that be?! Another thing I struggle with is what's called "unrealistic expectations" with everything. I have the ability to take something simple and twist it in my head to be the most amazing, Disney fairytale, pixie dust covered, something. Not everything in life is over the top but when I expect it to be, I'm disappointed and end up missing the good stuff aka the little things. Honestly, I have grown to love the little or "simple" things in life. I say all of this because it important for us to realize that we are not perfect. While preparing for our future marriage, and praying for our future husband, it's important to know it doesn't stop there; we start by praying for ourselves. If there is something I have learned, it's that there is always room for God to do more in us and there is always room for us to grow. 

Prayers for myself: 

- To grow in Christ

- Patience 

- Obedience to Christ

- Good Listener

- Constantly changing & growing my heart to love like Christ

Prayers for my future husband:

-To grow in Christ

-Patience

-To love me like Christ loves the church

- Grow everyday into the man God desires him to be

-Change and growth of his heart for others 

You see my prayers for each are very similar and your prayers may be the same as mine or totally different, it's all awesome! I am working on staying in the word more and praying these prayers over my life and future. I am preparing myself to be the person I want, wants. Does that make sense? I'm preparing myself to be that Godly, that patient, that loving, that good listener, that encouraging woman. I'm preparing myself to be all of those things, because those are the exact same characteristic I want in my future husband. You see? Prepare yourself to be the person you want, wants. (I read this tip in this book here, which is a great read for dating/engaged couples) 

Don't get discouraged if you haven't found your person yet. Don't get me wrong, I love my relationship but if you're single, that is something to rejoice about too. That is the perfect time for growth and preparation. Don't loose hope, trust God's timing, pray, prepare, and be patient. When the time is right, God will send you the most perfect imperfect person for you specifically. 

For all my dating, engaged, or even married people out there, I have to share this book that Christian and I have been doing together and we love it. It's about a 2 minute read a day and each day gives you a fun/new way to show love to one another. I really really really recommend it! You can get it here !

Thanks for Visiting

xoxo

Engagement Photos Sneak Peek

Our engagement photos turned out to be everything I imagined! Let's be honest Pinterest helped big time with planning how I wanted to decorate our pictures! Who else is addicted to Pinterest?! 

Love is so fun y'all. Christian is my best friend and we have so much fun together (y'all should have seen the picture bloopers... priceless). As the wedding gets closer there's a ton we have been realizing about relationships and a few things we are both working on daily and I wanted to share a short little list of those things with you all today!

1. Love like Jesus does.

2. Laugh a lot.

3. Do little acts of kindness for one another.

4. Dance

5. Have fun.

6. Be kind.

7. Find a new reason you love them each day!  

Yes to Boldness

I love to shop in my pajamas; meaning, I love me some online shopping. Who else knows first hand how dangerous online shopping can be? Also, who else has noticed how creepy the internet can be? The way it picks up on things, or products, or stores you've looked at and after that every add you see will be regarding that certain item that you like. It creeps me out honestly, but that's just how companies work. They know if we see something enough, we will cave and buy it. Why do they know that tactic works? Well, us humans are never really content with what we have. We always want the next best thing, that new outfit, that new job, the iPhone 17; we are never really content with what we have or where we are at in life. The more I thought about that concept, the more I began to wonder why we always seem to be so content with where we are in our walk with Christ. I find myself wanting, wanting, wanting, everything else this world says I need and totally neglecting the one thing I need to live a full and joyful life.

Comfort. I love comfort, I like being where I feel safe, I don't really enjoy big changes, I like to know what's going to happen and how, heck I even need my clothes to be comfortable. I'm beginning to realize this truth though, being a Christian isn't comfortable. That scares me, so if it scares you you're not alone. We are called to trust God fully, knowing that He sees the big picture, in the highs and even the lows called to worship Him, we are called to follow Him wherever He leads us-- none of those things have a promise attached to them that says "I promise you will be comfortable" but I can promise you that your life will be more full and more joyful following God's plans than your own. 

Now that we have discussed "comfort", let's go back to the first topic. The more we continue to seek after earthly things, the less we seek after Jesus. Now I am by no means telling you that shopping online is a terrible thing because its not AT ALL. It's that view of needing more that is really just getting my point across here. We were created with this void because His desire is for us to crave more of Him. We mess up by trying to fill that void with earthly things. We look for satisfaction in money, appearance, drugs, relationships, jobs, people and we wonder why we are left wanting more and more and more and feeling more empty then when we started. That's because Jesus  is the only thing that can satisfy that void in our life. We continue to seek more of the things this world says will make us happy and we are left exhausted and lukewarm in the end. People, we are not called to be lukewarm, weak, and exhausted. We are called to be sold out, strong, and bold. Let's throw away the idea of living a comfortable life and replace it with a life sold out to Christ; a life full of boldness and adventure. Who's with me? 

Joshua 1:9

Have I not commanded you? "Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." 

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."

Thanks for Visiting

xoxo

7 Cheap Date Ideas

Hello Loves! I hope everyone has had an amazing weekend, I am really looking forward to the LONGGGG weekend ahead of me!

So, sometimes Christian and I get tired of doing the same things all the time, but we don't always want to drop $50 + on a date night and I know we can't be the only ones! So I compiled a little list of some cheap, fun, and creative date ideas for y'all to try and for us to look at when we want to do something. ENJOY (:

1. Picnic, need I say more? Pack up your favorite sandwiches or in our case we love crackers, cheese, and meat, bring some fruit, and your favorite drinks of choice. Next step, find the perfect picnic spot! If you're in the Baton Rouge area... our favorite is the back of Perkins Rowe, they have the cutest picnic spot and its very quiet.

2. Be Tourist in a city nearby! This is super fun and the best part is a lot of museums and stuff are very inexpensive or sometimes even free!

3. Farmer's Market! We Love love the Farmer's Market downtown! They have such amazing food, the best honey, the best milk, and flowers.. it's so fun to go early on a Saturday morning!

4. Get a white T-Shirt you don't really care about and some paint and have a color paint fight! This sounds so fun to me and I think it will be a summer to-do for us this year!

5. Go to an Antique Village, can I tell you that this is one of my absolute favorite things to do EVER! I love everything about Antique stores, it's so fun to think of creative ways to decorate or make something with what we find.

6.  Go play tennis, I admit sometimes I am too lazy to do this one lol. However, this is where Christian and I met and it's fun to relive those beginning days and just go out and have fun!

7. Go to the nearest beach! We love the beach, relaxing, and just hanging out. I would live at the beach forever if I could! Depending on how close you live to a beach, you can make a day trip to one! Make sure you bring water, sunscreen, food, radio, a volleyball or soccer ball, towels, and some sunnies- those are our necessities for a quick beach day!

I really hope you enjoyed this quick little blog and if you and your date try out any of these ideas post them to Instagram with the #dateideasfromtay so I can see how much fun y'all have :)

Thanks for Visiting

xoxo

Will You Be My Bridesmaid Boxes

Hey Everyone! Oh, I love crafting but wedding crafts are much more fun (and time consuming lol). I was looking on Pinterest trying to figure out how in the world I wanted to ask people to be in my wedding and I found a couple of these "bridesmaid box" ideas. I used some of those ideas and added a little bit of my own touches to them and voila. I know some of y'all are planning a wedding too so I wanted to share what I put in these boxes and close up pics so you can see! 

Here is an overview of what the inside and outside of the boxes look like! These were just plain wooden boxes I found at Joanns Fabric Store. Painted them pink and the inside white!

I wrote their initial on the front so I would know whose is who and I wrote my question on the inside of the box! Painting it first made it so much easier to write on then just the wood! 

These were some plain wooden initials that I also got from Joanns. I used some gold glitter paint to add the perfect pop when you open the box. Also, I am a big fan of play on words, my mom and her super creative self came up with this one!

I made these little "Mark the Date" cards so the girls will know when to take off and I also got some card stock paper in all of my wedding colors and put them together so they could get an idea of what they would be wearing. 

Here is another play on words! I just loved this idea that I saw on Pinterest! 

I got a ring and so do they! What is a bridesmaid proposal without a ring pop?! 

My little sister was so so so happy to be in my wedding!

I chose my grandma as my Matron of Honor and I put a couple of different things in her box! I gave her a small "Tyler" candle and some "Jane Iredale" lip products that she loves!

I really wanted these to be special and extremely cute! I was very happy with how they turned out and I really hope this gives all of you soon to be brides out there some fun ideas!

Thanks for Visiting

xoxo