Happy Friday, friends and welcome to round #2 of Favorite Bloggers Friday! I am SO excited to introduce to you more of some of my favorite bloggers out there in blogland and give you a head's up on a giveaway for next week that you DO NOT want to miss!

First, some of my favorite bloggers...

 

 

 

 

SHAUNNA | Perfectly Imperfect

 

First up is Shaunna from Perfectly Imperfect! Let me just begin by saying that you just may see a little bit of a trend here this week...most if not all of the bloggers featured this week are SOUTHERN. I just MAY be a little biased but I invite you to check out each of their blogs and judge for yourselves.

 

Back to Shaunna. She is amazing. Not only does she author an amazing blog but she also owns a shop in Alabama that is just perfection! If you are in the state you should definitely take time to stop by to say hello to her and purchase something amazing from her brick and mortar!

I seriously admire this lady! Beautiful inside and out!

 

 

 

 CHRISTI | Burlap and Basil

 

I've followed Christi for a while and was so thrilled when I found her on Instagram. She cooks up one of a kind recipes and meals that just about anyone could duplicate at home and even features recipes for those with special diet needs like gluten free and dairy free! So good! Hop on over and check her out and be sure to follow along with her on her foodie journey!

 

 

 

 

 

SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY | Rhoda

 

Next is Rhoda from Southern Hospitality! I have literally followed Rhoda since the beginning and it has been such a blessing to watch her grow, enrich and inspire the lives of SO many bloggers! She is truly amazingly talented, generous, creative...the list goes on and on.

Head on over to her place to meet her and see more of what she offers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

DON'T DISTURB THIS GROOVE | Brandi

 

Last but not least, Brandi from Don't Disturb this Groove. I can't help but think of the late 80's tune each and every time I visit her  blog! OMG, thanks Brandi! As a matter of fact, if I am honest...as I was typing this I had to Google the song just so I could hear it. You know, for old time's sake!  I am really just getting to know her but love all that I see from her and enjoy our brief online convos. Looking forward to meeting and getting to know her better!  

 

 

I hope you'll visit these ladies and join them on their adventures! You will not regret it!

 

And what else was I going to talk to you about??? Oh yeah...that's right...the GIVEAWAY!!

 

 

SO...are you following me on Instagram?

If not, you missed this...

 

 

I posted this pic a couple of days back. My new friend Jennifer from Décor Createur makes these lovely signs and so much more and has offered to give a set away to one lucky follower. You'll want to follow RHI on Instagram if you don't already. More details about this giveaway on Monday so come on back!

 

 

And here's a little tune to jumpstart your weekend...I just couldn't help myself!

 

 

 

 

 

Get your groove on,



I know it's really late on this Sunday so for this week we'll call this the "Sunday Night-Monday Morning Inspiration". We've had a full weekend of sports and time with friends. Lots of laughing, wrestling, talking, praying, dreaming...and thinking.

Today while I was out for a bit I had the opportunity to bless some really special friends of ours with an anniversary gift. I wasn't stumped one bit when I thought about what to get them for their anniversary. As a matter of fact, the choices were abundant but I settled on a sweet quote throw pillow for their bedroom and some gourmet dark chocolate salted caramels for the two of them to share. While there was no slim picking, I was pretty particular about the items I purchased. I wanted them to be just right. It was, after all, their 14th anniversary.

Anyone who knows me knows that one of my love languages is "gifts".
{Admittedly, it's probably number one, eh hm.} And while receiving them is fun, no doubt, giving them for me is just as amazing. I love it!

Today, as the lady at the shop packaged everything up for me I felt the excitement growing as I thought about the look on our friends' faces when they opened up the gift we'd purchased for them. I couldn't take it...the excitement continued to build and the time that passed from the time of purchase to the glorious opening was approximately...five. long. hours.

 

There is, of course, a reason that I share the details of my day and the thrill I get each and every time I have the opportunity to give to someone I know or a stranger a gift.

 

Today, as I drove home from the mall I and thought about WHY I was SO excited to give and why in the world enjoy it so much.
I was then reminded of the amazing Gift Giver Himself...Jesus.
The ultimate exchange...thje ultimate sacrifice.

 

He {Jesus}has given us a great gift. As a matter of fact, it's the greatest of all. Life.

 

Real. True. Pure. Full. Blessed. Abundant...LIFE.  

 

And why do we give? Because He did and He does. Why do I get so excited about giving? Well, because He does. Don't believe me?

He gave...

After supper He took another cup of wine and said, "This cup is the new covenant between God and His people-an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you. -Luke 22:20

And He loves doing it...even more than me...or you.
If your little girl asks for an egg, do you trick her with a spider? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing—you’re at least decent to your own children. And don’t you think the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask him?” -Luke 11:13
 

He thought about you then, thinks about you and me now and planned our great destinies...

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, {Yup, He was thinking of you even then} that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons... -Ephesians 1:3-5

 

Not only does He think about us, love us, cheer for us, comfort us...He is purposeful and thoughtful in His giving of gifts and He has given us GREAT PURPOSE to, through Him, live an empowered life with open hands and hearts that are willing to give just because He did.

 

 

 

Let the adventure begin,

What are you passionate about? What drives you? Brings you to life?

For me, there's nothing like a good design magazine and a warm mug of coffee or tea to begin or end the day. Or, walking into a 3,000 square foot warehouse full or fabric and finishing details to take that design project over the top.

But, for the past few months I've been thinking. A lot.

"Kennesha, what REALLY drives you?" "What REALLY gives you that passion for color, symmetry, design and pattern?" "WHO has given you that keen eye for design, the refinishing of furniture and adding just the right detail in just the right spot?"

Truth is. I've forgotten.

And there is nothing like the Holy Spirit to gently remind you, love you, woo you into a place where you are once again reminded...

To ask yourself...

What are you passionately pursuing?

In a culture that tells us to "follow your dreams", "do what your heart feels", "listen to that inner voice" I feel ever so compelled in this season to focus not on what others are doing with their businesses or life but rather to place my attention on pursuing those dreams and desires that God placed on MY heart.

Don't misinterpret. I am NOT saying that pursuing these things are bad. Of course I'm not. I, of all people, love the industry and all the things design, DIY, refurb.

What I am simply saying is that, for me, it cannot be the focus of my life. And in some ways, if I am honest, it has been.

This is what I know:
If I put Him first in my life. Always. He will direct my steps according to His purpose for my life {Matthew 6:33}

If I TRUST Him with my life. He will handle the rest. {Proverbs 3:5-6}

Meanwhile, He is all the while working in my favor to perform GOOD works for His glory. Can't beat that.

So what do I do while I wait for those dreams and desires to manifest? I passionately pursue the things of Christ. I passionately pursue His presence...for without it, I can do nothing.

With it, I am empowered and inspired to make a difference in this world whether it be through a simple blog post, a brush stroke of paint onto a piece of forgotten furniture, or just sit back, relax and soak in His presence.

xoxoxoxo,

Today's the final day of the  Home for the Holidays linky party! I hope you all have had a chance to either hop around to some of the other girls' blogs participating in the party or, even better, link up and share some of your projects and ideas!

 

At first, I really didn't know what I was going to share for this and, honestly, this season has been so full of things that we HAVE to do, we haven't made a TON of time to do things that we just LIKE to do so when we have a moment to squeeze in precious family time or traditions, we jump on it.

 

I feel like the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays are a great time, amongst others of course, to build new family traditions and take that extra time to spend with loved ones and other people in your life whom God has blessed you with.

 

We jumped on the opportunity this year to purchase our Christmas tree a bit earlier than we normally do and bought it only a couple of days after Thanksgiving.

 

Last year we trekked up to a tree farm and longed for the experience of cutting our own tree and all that comes along with the idea of that. It really wasn't a bad experience but kinda left us longing for more so we decided we'd still buy a live tree but, instead, we opted to shop a local market (grocer) instead of traveling to the tree farm.

 

We weren't disappointed. We got a live tree. We still put it on top of the car. The kids were still able to decorate{ish}. We were all happy in the end.

 

 

Especially this guy. This is Caleb, our eldest. This was his stance as he decided where to place the first ornament that he hung. As you can see, the ornaments are pretty spread out and random here. Which, well...I just couldn't let go untampered.

 

 

 

There's a bit of a story behind that.

 

Growing up, our trees were always perfect. Literally. Every ornament and light had strategic placement. Every piece of tinsel (which we actually didn't use often) hung PERFECTLY.

 

Fast forwarding 20 years later, I've carried many of those same Christmas tree "traditions" with me. When we first had kids it wasn't much of an issue. They were too young to have any desire to decorate the tree and that was fine with me. Eh, hm. Confession...

 

Of course, as they've grown older, they want to take part in the festivities. And why shouldn't they? Every child should have the memory of decorating their Christmas tree, right? Right?

 

So, this year, my hubby suggested letting them help. (Yes, that was a real conversation that we had that involved real emotion) We settled on letting them decorate the tree however they wanted and then later I would rearrange the tree to make it look the way I thought it should. That's a compromise, isn't it?

 

I know some of you out there are probably scoffing right now but this is real growth for me.

 

Some of you may wonder if our kids were hurt or scarred by my rearranging.

 

The answer is, not a bit...I totally involved them in that process too.

 

Let's just say I lent a gentle, guiding hand along the way.

 

 

See...they're still excited. Still happy to be helping. Still a sense of wonder and amazement.

 

This is what we ended up with after the kids helped.

 

I still can't figure out if he was looking at the tree in wonder or confusion. Ha!

 

 

What I took away from this:

I am learning how to slowly relinquish control in the area of decorating MY Christmas tree. Next year, they get their own to decorate however they please.

 

What our children took away from this experience:

Lots of laughs and fun as they "helped" hang their ornaments on the tree and a memory that will last a lifetime.

 

 

 

Wishing you a PERFECT Christmas! *wink*

 

 

Be sure to hope on over to This, That and Life's blog and link up your family traditions!