Sneak Peek...

... linking up to (in)courage's (in)spired deals on August 17th to review these awesome back-to-school items from DaySpring! I can't wait to share how my family will be using these products and what they mean to us! 

(photo taken with Instagram.)

Feeling really "(in)couraged" today...

Have you visited the (in)courage beach house lately? There are some really exciting things going on over there, and I am hoping and praying that I will have the opportunity to be a part of the fun!

(in)courage is hosting an open call for community leaders, women like you and I, from all walks of life and all across the map, to partner with them in leading unique communities within the (in)courage community. Did this girl apply? Of course, I did! (Fingers crossed!) I would be so thankful, to be a part of something so wonderful! Real life, with real women, just lifting each other up and pouring love into each other's hearts... such a blessing! 

I will also be reviewing the Jesus is My BFF and DWEEBER U-Neeks sets, part of Dayspring's back to school line, as part of (in)spired deals. I'll be linking up on that page on August 17th, so be sure to visit here and check out my review, as well as the reviews of others who were lucky enough to receive these products for review from Dayspring. You can purchase them online and in select retailers. I saw them in our local Walmart just a few nights ago, and can't wait for ours to arrive. They will be fun little reminders of God's love, and I know the kids will love them!

I hope you all have a week full of blessings, and if your kiddos, like mine, are returning to school, that their first week back is wonderful!

Thankful for YOU,
Courtney 

The Pink Magnolia

I'm on Tumblr now, too! Please visit me at The Pink Magnolia! If you're on Tumblr, please leave a comment here letting me know that you are, I would love to follow you!

Hugs, 

Courtney 

Days like these...

Days like these usually start out on the right foot. Wake up, kiss the husband goodbye, scramble eggs and cook turkey bacon. Pop a few slices of bread in the toaster. Brew a pot of coffee. The kids take turns saying a blessing and thank God for each other and we enjoy our breakfast at the table as a family. Read a devotional while the kids play awhile. Check the posts on (in)courage. Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter. Then...

Madison (yelling) : "MOM!! JORDAN TOLD ME TO SHUT UP!"
Jordan (yelling) : "NO I DIDN'T! LIAR!"
Me (yelling) : "STOP BEING UGLY TO EACH OTHER! DON'T TELL YOUR SISTER TO SHUT UP! LEAVE YOUR BROTHER ALONE! GO TO YOUR ROOMS!"
Both (protesting) : "THAT'S NOT FAIR!" "I DIDN'T EVEN DO ANYTHING!" ...

Why are they always yelling? 
Wait... 
What? 
Why am I always yelling?
Maybe that's why they're yelling at each other...
I just don't understand why they always have to yell... 
Why can't we all just get along? 

Sound familiar? Surely, if you're a mother, you've been in this situation before. Your blissful coffee-and- scripture-filled morning suddenly becomes the scene of a battle, and even after the yelling stops and the kids forget why they were mad at each other in the first place, no matter how loud you turn up the volume on that Kari Jobe song you love so much, you can still hear the sound of your conscience nagging you.

You said you wouldn't yell at the kids anymore, didn't you? 
You're such a failure... so impatient, so imperfect... 
what kind of mother are you?

The human kind. The kind who makes mistakes, who will make plenty more before her children are grown. The kind who sometimes yells when she shouldn't, and knows she's done wrong and feels like she'll never be as patient or soft-spoken as she should be.

Fear not, there is hope for you yet.

Joyce Meyer says "If you've made mistakes, don't spend half the day beating yourself up. Sincerely repent and go on." 

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. - Acts 3:19 (NIV)

Sincerely repent and go on. Be refreshed. 

If you truly recognize your mistakes and repent, don't worry about a thing... God's got this. God's got you. You're already forgiven. That's the wonderful thing about God's grace. We're covered in it always. Not just on good days, but on days like these, too.

Be still...

"Do you spend too much time running around and not enough time at home? You cannot grow spiritually, train your children properly or enjoy caring for your home if you are always on the run. Things do not have time to sink in if you are always on the go. Busyness makes us feel rattled, stressed and tired. Maybe it is time to cut back on the play dates, the extra curricular activities or the oodles of trips to the store." - an excerpt from this blog post at GMG. (Emphasis mine, not the author's.)

... wow. As I read these words, I wondered, when was the last time I posted on my blog? Didn't I say, in the last post I made, that I was going to update my list of gratitude everyday? Have I updated it since then? Ummm.... no. (shamefully hanging my head, here, friends.) I think maybe the Lord was speaking right to me this morning, through Jen's words, and telling me to slow down. To be still. In the past week, we have had Kindergarten graduation festivities, a school carnival, chaos at home... all busyness that has definitely made me feel rattled, stressed, tired, and completely unfocused. All the going, going, going and worrying over the small things made me forget for a moment to just. be. still. I need to be still to draw closer to God. As much as I see him in the beauty of His creation, all around me, everyday, I can't truly grow spiritually if "stuff" is always in the way. Putting all the "stuff" aside for a moment to thank him for everything he's blessed me with this week... 

#11. My sweet girl's graduation day - full of parties, friends, family, fun, and smiles... and okay, a few joyful tears, too. 
#12. beautiful, sunny weather for the kids to enjoy the carnival on Tuesday. 
#13. a hot cup of tea in the morning.
#14. GMG and the Proverbs 31 woman, for giving us something to aspire to this summer as we read the word together. 
#15. My sweet Brandi, for being a beautiful Christian woman, for having a giving heart and a sweet spirit. Thank you for going on this journey with me. 

Thursday Thoughts...

... things I'm thankful for today:

#1. beautiful, uplifting music with a message... instant mood lifter!

#2. gorgeous, sunshine-y, 60 degree weather that's perfect for taking a walk around the neighborhood

#3. a warm cup of coffee

#4. Buttercups Cupcakes - this morning, Blueberry Muffin cupcake. Yum! 

#5. a wonderful day with my Jordan yesterday - doctors appointment and all.

#6. the smile on my Maddy's face yesterday when I picked her up from school and asked her how spa day went (nails, hair, lip gloss... every little girl's dream, right?) and... 

#7... her upcoming graduation from kindergarten. monday's the day, y'all. this mama will cry. that's a fact. happy tears, though. happy tears. 

#8. waking up to "spare change" in my bank account from Thirty-One. I mean, I get to earn money for selling cute bags? Really? Awesome. 

#9. the fact that Mandisa is singing to me right now... technically, I'm listening to her on Pandora. But anyway... she's the bombdiggity. Srsly. 

 #10. this blog. everyone who is following me. i am thankful for you. and i am praying God's blessings over you today and everyday. you give me someone to talk to in the quiet moments before laundry, dishes and picking up messes consume my day, so thank you for "listening" to my randomness. 

I'm planning on adding to this list EVERYDAY... if you notice that I haven't updated my list on any given day, feel free to shoot me an email at courtneylfanning@gmail.com and remind me... my mama brain gets scrambled sometimes and I get off track. Keep me accountable, let's be thankful together. :) 

Wishing you all a bright, beautiful, blessed day... unless you are in Seattle or something, in which case I think you are really cool, because I love the rain and the grey and I am a firm believer that you can have a bright, beautiful, blessed grey-ish day just as easily as you can have a bright, beautiful, sunshine-y one. Okay, I'm done rambling. :) 

His beauty surrounds us...

I felt completely surrounded by God's presence yesterday as I took in beautiful works of art and the beauty of nature. A few of my favorite pics from the gardens at the R.W. Norton Art Gallery... 

The main walkway is lined with beautiful magnolia trees. 

One of the ponds in the art gallery's gardens. 

I loved this pretty little water lily!