Imagine those days when you are COMPLETELY STRESSED OUT. Kids, business, life… and all you want at the end of those days is a soft place to land. It is my great desire to be my people’s SAFE PLACE TO LAND. No criticism or “you shoulda’s”… Just to offer the people I love a little grace at the end of each day. I know what it is like to come home after an awful day to more baloney. It’s not safe and It’s not what God wants for us. Every day He gives us a fresh dose of grace and its always the exact amount we need to make it through the day. What a blessing!! What in the heck is stopping us from giving that to our partners, kids, parents & friends???  It’s way too easy to get selfish & critical cause I’m worn out & stressed out, too.

Not long ago my Mom asked me what I meant when I used the word Grace. Then I reminded her of all of the times I disappointed her & she loved me anyway. That’s GRACE.

We are God’s children. He loves us 1000 x more than we can imagine loving our own children. It’s a remarkable love. And its something we are called to give. I will have to bend & stretch to love & forgive that way, all day, every day… But the rewards for loving so compassionately & being a SAFE PLACE to LAND go far beyond the effort. IT’S A RARE GIFT TO GIVE. I’M going to try my damnedest to do it. Imagine being people’s one place they could go to for an “It’s OK” at the end of each day??

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” {Colossians 3:12, NIV}

My prayer this morning…

Dear God, I am going to screw up royally today. And so are my boys & my mom & my friends & my partner… We are just silly humans, we can’t help ourselves. Please give me your same unbridled grace to love & forgive every screw up. Please make me the safe place my people can land.  In your son’s name, AMEN.

RUSTIC+SOIREE #22… I’m going to have a cocktail party just so I can offer a RUSTIC CHEESE TABLE
e-x-a-c-t-l-y like this one!! raise your hand if you LOVE CHEESE.

Image via Pinterest right HERE.

Rustic Weddings are the new way to tie the knot and with spring in the air there are tons of fresh RUSTIC+SOIREE ideas!!  Our favorites are often from the Rustic Wedding Chic but I thought this May we’d pass along some of her amazing ideas, plus others floating around… there are definitely no wedding bells in my future but I love taking these ideas and translating them to any rustic party you might be planning… birthdays, family reunions, summer bonfires…

For more RUSTIC+SOIREE ideas visit our Pinterest Board HERE.

It has been on my heart the last couple of days to commit myself to overflow with gratitude…. it is so easy in our culture of Powerballs and Jones’s to always be seeking MORE.  But what if every time we thought “I WISH” we turned it into “God, THANK YOU for…”  He blesses us with so much it’s easy to take things for granted and wish for more, but we are called to be grateful and not to covet.  We are called to be thankful for what we have in our lives in the moment, instead of wondering what would make our lives better.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.  His love endures forever.” {Psalm 136:1, NIV}

My prayer this morning…

God, thank you for the giant white van that sucks gas like a hog.  I am so grateful for the wheels and freedom to go anywhere I need to go.

God, thank you for the $8 in my bank account.  Thank you for the skills to make that $8 grow.

God, thank you for my boys who can turn a perfectly clean room into a disaster zone in 10 minutes.  Thank you for their health and joy and the toys they have to make the disaster.

God, thank you for the people in my life who occasionally drive me to madness.  Those are the same people who would rescue me in a heart beat if I made the call.

In your Son’s name, AMEN… 

RUSTIC+SOIREE #21… HAY BALE SEATING {with cloth so the hay doesn’t prick you, brilliant!!}

Image via Simply Bloom Photography right HERE.

Rustic Weddings are the new way to tie the knot and with spring in the air there are tons of fresh RUSTIC+SOIREE ideas!!  Our favorites are often from the Rustic Wedding Chic but I thought this May we’d pass along some of her amazing ideas, plus others floating around… there are definitely no wedding bells in my future but I love taking these ideas and translating them to any rustic party you might be planning… birthdays, family reunions, summer bonfires…

For more RUSTIC+SOIREE ideas visit our Pinterest Board HERE.

all I have on my heart tonight is Oklahoma… tears + love + prayers + peace

RUSTIC+SOIREE #16… LOVING the idea of party/wedding cake-to-go for your guests… cause we’re usually too full of buffet & cocktails to enjoy it properly… or at least I’m usually too full, not sure about you.

Image via Etsy right HERE.

Rustic Weddings are the new way to tie the knot and with spring in the air there are tons of fresh RUSTIC+SOIREE ideas!!  Our favorites are often from the Rustic Wedding Chic but I thought this May we’d pass along some of her amazing ideas, plus others floating around… there are definitely no wedding bells in my future but I love taking these ideas and translating them to any rustic party you might be planning… birthdays, family reunions, summer bonfires…

For more RUSTIC+SOIREE ideas visit our Pinterest Board HERE.

The VW Club will have all of their VOLKSWAGENS in Weston, MO this weekend!! I love it when they come to town… so fun to see the cool vintage VWs.  Hope to see your face, too if you’re in the neighborhood!!

RUSTIC+SOIREE #15… rustic table meets beautiful cake + flowers… LOVE the juxtaposition

Image via Wedding Chicks right HERE.

Rustic Weddings are the new way to tie the knot and with spring in the air there are tons of fresh RUSTIC+SOIREE ideas!!  Our favorites are often from the Rustic Wedding Chic but I thought this May we’d pass along some of her amazing ideas, plus others floating around… there are definitely no wedding bells in my future but I love taking these ideas and translating them to any rustic party you might be planning… birthdays, family reunions, summer bonfires…

For more RUSTIC+SOIREE ideas visit our Pinterest Board HERE.

RUSTIC+SOIREE #12… vintage canteen = rustic vase for wild flowers

Image via Raised in Cotton right HERE.

Rustic Weddings are the new way to tie the knot and with spring in the air there are tons of fresh RUSTIC+SOIREE ideas!!  Our favorites are often from the Rustic Wedding Chic but I thought this May we’d pass along some of her amazing ideas, plus others floating around… there are definitely no wedding bells in my future but I love taking these ideas and translating them to any rustic party you might be planning… birthdays, family reunions, summer bonfires…

For more RUSTIC+SOIREE ideas visit our Pinterest Board HERE.

Happy Mama’s Day to every mom + step mom + grandma + aunt + friend + teacher… it really does take a village to make a difference in a child’s life blessings to every woman who has ever loved, prayed & cared for a kiddo.