Beauty of Barrenness

Roger & I have been married for 10 years now and one thing we've definitely learned is that we need friendship. 2015 was a hard year, I mean, when is life nor marriage not hard? You'll always face new challenges. I wish someone would've told us on our wedding day how important it is to stay friends in your marriage.  I honestly don't know when we lost that important factor of our marriage, but I guess once marriage happened, it was all about figuring out how to make it through life.We stopped asking questions. Stopped getting to know each other & we began to just conform to this normality of what we thought marriage was supposed to be. A Relational Retirement.  Last year, Roger & I literally felt like we came to a point where our marriage was going to end. Not because someone cheated or because we didn't get along. Most people I know would probably conclude & compromise at the fact that they "fell out of love" with each other. For us...

I was cleaning up the kitchen yesterday & for some odd reason I felt inspired to start creating. I instantly remembered that a dear friend of mine had sent me inspiration pictures for a cute vintage button necklace. This was 2 years ago that she had reached out to me. It was during a time where I was very enthusiastic about the thought of opening up my very own Etsy shop selling handmade items. In between the past 2 years, I just didn't quite feel like it was the right timing yet. Nor did I feel like it was something that God was calling me towards.  I still enjoy creating things & getting my hands into DIY projects. I just didn't quite feel like selling lil handmade accessories was all that God had planned out for me. This doesn't mean that I don't absolutely love the process behind making & creating beautiful & productive things. Below is the inspiration picture that my friend sent me & you'll see that what I made is not a replica of the o...

Good Morning, you may have found yourself in a season of waiting. Whether it be for a new job, new opportunity, a long awaited child, or the return of a loved one. Maybe not by choice nor by plan. But by God's plan. I know how hard that may be. To completely have full trust in Him. It's easier said than done. It seems impossible right? Trust me, there are days where infertility leaves me feeling so lost & confused. Thankfully the Holy Spirit works in us & around us daily. Boy oh boy, do I need His daily reminders.  If you find yourself in a season of complete stillness & you're having to learn to wait on the Lord, I hope some of these truths encourage you today. Prayer is important. But most times, we're so desperate for quick answers from the Lord, that our prayers become desperate demands. Often times, it even seems as if our prayers aren't being heard nor answered and this results in feeling like our faith is fading away. We have to be careful...

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."- Matthew 6: 19-21 Have you ever heard well known Christian Artist, Toby Mac's song, "Lose My Soul"? This song played in my mind as I was attempting to clean up & declutter my so called walk-in closet. Ever feel completely overwhelmed over the fact that you've consumed so much that  you don't even know where to begin? "I don't want to gain the whole world & lose my soul.." Those were the lyrics that floated about my thoughts as I observed the overall area that most definitely needed some attention.  Truth be told, I got sick. Not literally but literally. I was so sick of how much I had hoarded over the years of my marriage. I mean I...

Sometimes, I fall into the trap of thinking that its okay to feel alone. Or maybe being alone is best. But over & over again, God reminds me of His heart for community. These past few days, my heart has been super heavy based on this topic. Is it selfish to desire a loving community? Is it wrong to surround yourself with positive influences? Do you ever feel like you're in an obligated relationship with your current community?  I love reading & learning more about how to become inspiring & influential. A lot of resources I've subscribed to or have skimmed through, talk a whole lot about filtering through the people you surround yourself with. Making healthy decisions for your relationships. I find this quite difficult actually. I don't want to hurt or offend anyone's feelings in the process of doing so. So, I guess I just never get around to it. I mean, there isn't really a handbook on how to surround yourself with positive & genuine loving pe...

Good Morning! This week we got curious & found out that there was a bigger story behind how our clothes are made. I shared tips on how to create awareness & also how to shop intentionally. Today, I'm going to share some ideas on how you can dispose of your clothes responsibly. Sell Image by golocalprov.com If your clothes are stylish and still in good condition, sell them at your neighborhood vintage shop or Buffalo Exchange . You can also resell on ebay . Or you can even download shop apps on your phone & it'll let you create your very own online shop. It'll show you step-by-step how to get your images up & figure out prices for each item. Some examples are: Poshmark , Twice , Threadup , & Tradesy . They're all legitimate & you can even read reviews on sellers just to make sure! See? You can even earn a couple bucks by thoughtfully disposing your clothes through selling decent pieces.  Hand-down I'm sure we've all recei...

Alright! We've looked at many way to start a Fashion Revolution. Now, there is really no need to wait until you have a bigger following in social media or be of great influence. If one thing you do is share to just one other person about this movement, you have already brought awareness to your own corner of the world. You see? It doesn't take much right? And I'm not asking for much either. You can either read my posts & ignore them afterwards, but you'll no longer be the same. Why? Because you now have knowledge of what is really going on in the world.  Today, lets look into how we can tweak our ways of purchasing & using clothes. Some ways of shopping ethically is to always be curious. Always wonder how your clothes are made, where they're made, & what exactly are you supporting? When you shop with awareness, you are shopping intentionally. Slowly but surely, lives will be freed when the need for more production & distribution slows down.  Thri...

If you've been following the last few posts that I've published, you will know that I am going through a series of posts that hopefully walks you step-by-step through what you can do to become a Fashion Revolutionist. It can be as simple as tweaking the way you shop, use, and dispose of your clothing. Today, we're going to find out how we can change some of the ways we consume clothes in a more ethical & Eco-friendly way. Buy Less Ask yourself what is it that you really need. Is it really necessary to hoard the most current trends while your walk-in closets overflow? Believe me, I was completely guilty of doing this. I was a bargain shopper. It was all about quantity over quality. I'd shop clearance racks & walk out of stores with a few items for the price of one! Although it seemed as if I was walking away with a deal, I was just collecting & consuming more than I needed. After years of excessive bargain shopping, I could no longer find anything to wear ...

Since we've decided not to just sit around, lets start doing something. Anything. You will be amazed when you find out that it doesn't take much to make a difference. Lets start by taking a step further. Lets get to know our clothes even better! Pull out an article of clothing that you love to wear. Preferably from your favorite shopping store/boutique. See the wavy seam & the loose ends of threads that have been cut off? These are traces of the work done by people who made your clothes.  Take a look at the label. On the label, you will find out what materials have been used to create your clothes. Whether it be cotton or polyester. Your label will also be able to tell you exactly where that piece was made from. So if its not obvious enough already, your clothing may have been cut & stitched together in Bangladesh, China, Cambodia, Romania, or any country for that matter. What your label wont tell you is where in the world the cotton farm is located, or where the...

I think I speak on behalf of most women, when I say that I love fashion! From head to toe. I love being able to express myself in the clothing that I creatively pick out for each day (unless I choose to stay in with leggings & a sweater). Not only that, I also love a good bargain. I love dressing chic on a small budget. This leads me to where I am now. I grew up watching my mom sew some of her own clothes & even design cultural clothing for us as well. I always admired her creativity. In my eyes, she invented the re-cycle & re-vamp clothing idea. I remember days where she would walk into her sewing room with a not-so-pleasantly looking item, & return later with a new and stylish piece! Even though it didn't fit me, I'd wishfully hope that someday I would be able to wear it. Through the years,as I grew older, I've seen fashion move in such a speed that seems inhumane. Not only have we gone through different style phases & unending trend setters, but...

If you read my blog, then you know I don't have children. None of my own anyways. But about 5 years ago I was given the opportunity to receive a child into my life. My home. My family (Roger & myself.) As I sat there at a women's conference, formerly known as " Women of Faith" , the host had just announced that under our chairs were children waiting to be loved & cared for. Now, at this point, we were well aware that my PCOS made it much more difficult for us to start a family. It had become so real to me. I knew that it wasn't impossible.  But I also knew that it wasn't going to be easy. We had prayed over and over again, together & apart and it just seemed like our prayers would float up into space & bounce off the ceilings. There were times where we just couldn't talk about it. During that time in our lives, all we wanted was to desperately bear children of our own. I mean, every one around us, who had gotten married after  us were we...

Continuing on with the topic of creativity, I finally took some time to re-do a little side table that I had sitting around. Its completely outdated & was in need of an update. My sister in law gave this table to me about 6 years ago. It's been used as many things, but for the last year or so, it's just been sadly sitting in my bedroom with no functionality whatsoever.  I was watching thesorrygirls from Youtube & was inspired to change this plain table into something more eye catching & functional to my space. They created a DIY on turning just about any plain surface into "faux marble." Real marble is just too costly & I just can't afford it. So why not? Plus, if all else fails, I can always just sand it down & repaint it a solid color.  Here are some of the items I used. I didn't have to go out to buy anything since I already had these materials on hand.  This is the before. It was cute, but bland.    ...