Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Jessica Catherine Designs // Interview & Giveaway!

I've got a special treat for you today: an interview and giveaway from Jessica of Jessica Catherine Designs! 


Let me just start by saying this about Jessica: She is so talented and kindhearted. She loves people, and points everyone she comes in contact with towards Jesus. I am lucky to call her my friend, and so excited to introduce you to her today! Her etsy shop, Jessica Catherine Designs, is definitely worth checking out. Her glitter mason jars are literally the cutest things ever. I even have one of her mason jars on my desk as work, and get compliments on it all the time.

Be sure to scroll to the bottom, there's an exciting giveaway waiting for you!


JL: What does a typical day in your life look like?

JCD: Prior to my graduation, two weeks ago, my life looked a lot like any other student trying to balance a job and college classes. The majority of my etsy career consisted of juggling science classes, glitter, paint, and mason jars. Depending on my class schedule, I would usually go to class, and then come home, get into my comfy clothes, make a pot of tea, and get to crafting! Sometimes I would use my etsy crafting as a study break during long cram sessions.  Everyone really does need a creative outlet.

JL: What prompted you to start your etsy shop?

JCD: I actually started my shop when I was contacted about selling "pre-med" paraphernalia. I opened my etsy shop and initially posted some science major goodies, a few diabetes keychains and mugs, and the "pre-med" paraphernalia. Once I got the hang of online sales, I started posting my mason jars. I had already been making the mason jars for myself and friends, but thought they might do well in my etsy shop. It turns out I was right; the glitter mason jars are my most popular items in the shop!




JL: What's the best advice you've ever gotten?

JCD: I honestly don't have one specific piece of advice that stands out to me as "the best", but I do know that the more I read the Bible, the more discernment I have. The Bible, and the knowledge I gain from it, helps me make better decisions in all aspects of my life. Studying the Word of God is a never ending adventure that fills my heart with truth, and continues to show me that my life is not my own. That simple, yet complex truth is life giving, and provides so much peace and joy for my soul.

JL: What is the hardest part about running your own shop? And the best?

JCD: The hardest part about running my own shop is probably that orders come in waves; one week will be super slow, and the next week I'm pulling two all-nighters trying to get four different mason jar orders filled for four weddings! I definitely work unconventional hours. But, the BEST part about owning Jessica Catherine Designs is the feeling I get when I see my products, especially my mason jars, being used in weddings, at baby showers, and at other special events. It's really sweet that people trust me to be a small part of their big days! It's genuinely such an honor, and something that I never expected when I opened Jessica Catherine Designs.

JL: What advice would you give to 15-year-old Jessica?

JCD: To find your identity in Christ, not other people.


JL: What are you looking forward to in 2015?

JCD: I am thrilled to have just graduated with an undergraduate degree in biology, so I'm hopeful that 2015 will be a year of "big girl job" employment and new adventures!

JL: As you know, I'm currently in the early stages of a reading challenge with several of my friends. What's one book you think everyone needs to read?

JCD: The Great Divorce, by C.S. Lewis.

JL: You mentioned earlier that you drink tea a lot while working on etsy orders, what's your current favorite tea?

JCD: Lately, I've been drinking a lot of Japanese Sencha.


Thank you so much Jessica! Not only has Jessica been sweet enough to talk to us about owning her own small business, but she's also been kind enough to give away two of her beautiful mason jars! You can enter the giveaway below. Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway




Tuesday, December 30, 2014

What I Did In 2014

Oh my goodness. I seriously cannot believe we're down to the final days of 2014. I feel like I say this at the end of every year, but this year has truly just flown by! Below is a recap of how awesome this year has been:

January // I started the year off by spending over 10 hours trying to get home during the first #Snowpocalypse. Yes, that's right, over 10 hours. While iced in, I read The Fault In Our Stars, and cried my eyes out.



February // Tyler celebrated his 24th birthday, and we went to the circus (my first time ever). There was another #Snowpocalypse. This time, I left work at the first signs of snow and made it home in a little over an hour. My favorite all-girls competition cheer squad also took home first place at Cheer Sport - gotta love those owls!


March // By March, tax busy season was in full swing, but I didn't let that stop me from having fun! I finally learned how to ride a bike. Yes, it took me 23 years to learn how to ride a bike. And, I took Sissy to see Miley Cyrus!


April // I basically moved into my aunt's condo so that I wouldn't have to keep driving so far to get home as the tax deadline approached, but I made it! I survived my first busy season as a real accountant! And to celebrate, I got to go cheer on my favorite competition cheer squad at Nationals!


May // I surprised Sissy with an ah-mazing 22nd birthday bash. She 100% did not see it coming, and I can't believe we totally pulled off the surprise!


June // I celebrated my 24th birthday with a Roaring 20's themed birthday party, complete with flapper dresses and plenty of champagne. And of course, fireworks. Right after my birthday, I packed my bags and took my high schoolers to camp for a week. While there, we cheered on Team USA in the World Cup!


July // July brought one of my most favorite holidays: Independence Day! I celebrated with good friends, by floating the river and watching fireworks. At the end of July, I moved into my own sweet little apartment. And then learned how hard setting up the internet is.

August // My little family grew by one at the very beginning of August, because I rescued Luna! It was terrifying and wonderful all at once. I also unlocked the Pumpkin Spice Latte in midtown. You're welcome Atlanta.


September // Once again, I packed my bags and headed to the mountains with my high schoolers for weekend camp. Sharp Top Cove is one of my most favorite places, and it's so special to get to take my high school friends to the same camp that I went to in high school.


October // The final tax deadline of the year came and went! I survived a full year of tax deadlines as a grown up accountant! At the end of October, on a beautiful fall day, my sweet friend, Amanda, married the love of her life. I was lucky enough to get to stand beside her and she took this big step in her life.


November // Another month, another wedding! My sweet friend, Lauren, married the love of her life. She was a beautiful bride and it was such an honor to stand by her side on her special day. I also celebrated Thanksgiving three times (oh my goodness, so. much. turkey.).


December // I launched this sweet little blog! At the end of the month, I took some time off from work to soak up the holidays with my family. As an early Christmas present, I bought Sissy and I matching onsies. On Christmas Eve, Mom, Sissy, and I broke in our new Christmas jammies and had a photo shoot!

Monday, December 29, 2014

2015, Your Year to Choose Joy

My junior year of high school, my English teacher made our class watch a video about the Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle.  The next day, we had a quiz about the main points of the video. My friend Sarah and I came up with a little song to help us remember these main points. While I'm not going to sing the song for you, I am going to share the main points of the video with you, because they have stuck with me all these years:

1. Play
2. Make their day
3. Be there
4. Choose your attitude

Basically, my teacher was trying to help each of us understand that we could choose to make her class fun, or we could choose to hate it. But it was our choice. We could play around and have fun, support one another, be present, and choose to be positive. Or we could dredge through class, only focus on ourselves, be distracted by the outside world, and decide to be negative.

What a great life lesson to impart on a sixteen-year-old. That our attitude is, at it's core, our choice.


Some days it is truly impossible to choose joy. It's impossible to feel like you can finish your day in victory. You get a speeding ticket on your way to work, which makes you late, then your boss gets onto you for being late, you spill coffee on your fancy dry clean only pants, you get in a huge fight with your boyfriend, and to top it all off, your internet is out. There are terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days.

But, that doesn't mean we can't go into this new year deciding to choose joy. As often as possible. And here's the best part: while there are days that choosing joy feels impossible, there are so many more days where it's so easy. Where your life is an overflowing, abundence of blessings and good and pure joy.

We were never meant to live a life of anything less than joy. Jesus came to rescue us, so that could have a full life here and now. We were never made to be overwhelmed, or bogged down, or depressed, or defeated. We were made for joy and for victory. So decide now that 2015 will be your year to choose joy. In the face of everything, when the world says otherwise, choose joy. It will make all the difference.

Thursday, December 25, 2014

Merry Christmas!


Merry Christmas sweet friends!

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light."
- Isaiah 9:2

I hope you're soaking time up with your family, eating lots of yummy food, and rejoicing in the birth of our Savior! 

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

The Truth About My Square Life

I love instagram as much as the next person, really I do. But, you guys, I need to confess something to you: my instagram is full of half-truths and best-foot-forwardness. It's the highlight reel of my life. I know, you're shocked. Because your instagram always shows the full truth of your life, right?

No, of course not. It would feel silly, or mellow dramatic, or mundane, to post pictures of the boring, less fun parts of our lives: doing the dishes, scrubbing the toilet, the two boxes of tissues I've used up trying to get over this sinus infection. But it doesn't mean those parts of our lives don't exist.

And even though I know this. I know that my instagram is a highlight reel of my life, I find myself comparing the square versions of other peoples' lives against my real life. I find myself acting like other peoples' highlight reels are their whole stories.  And I'm left feeling like I just don't quite measure up.  Like my life is a little more messy than everyone else's, that I just need to suck it up and get my life together. And it's exhausting. Comparison is exhausting. And it truly is the thief of my joy. Is comparison stealing your joy too?

So let's stop that. Let's stop pretending that the highlight reel of instagram is the real thing. In this series, The Truth About My Square Life, I'm going to pull old instagram posts, and confess to you two things:

1. What it looks like the picture is communicating
2. What was actually going on. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

The week that I adopted Luna, I posted this photo:



With the caption,  "My sweet girl resting after an eventful day. #LunaTheGreyhound accidentally locked me out of the apartment."

What it looks like is going on: We're a sweet little family, in my cute little apartment. Also, I care about dogs more than you, because I rescued this greyhound from her sad racer life. Sometimes we get into silly situations like today, when she accidentally locked me out, but don't worry,  I got right back in! I have my life together, so much so that I can care for another living thing.

The truth behind this picture: I popped home real quick to check on Luna, it was the first day I was leaving her home alone, only to find I couldn't get into my apartment. There is a second deadbolt inside my apartment, that can only be locked from the inside, which Luna had jumped up and managed to lock. Maintenance had to come break into my apartment, which took over an hour. When I finally got in, I found that Luna had gone to the bathroom everywhere. Both ways. She had also broken my blinds. I ended up taking the day off from work, crying on the phone with my vet for 45 minutes, being so sure that I would never be able to leave the apartment again, and seriously thinking I had made the biggest mistake of my life thinking I could take care of a dog. I even called my mom to talk with her about maybe needing to give Luna back so she could find a home where someone could take better care of her than me.

Instagram is not bad, it's probably my favorite social media platform. But comparison is stealing our joy, and that's not okay. Don't be so hard on yourself, your real life is never meant to measure up to someone else's square life.




Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Last Second Gift Ideas

Oh no! You totally forgot to pick up a gift for your brother-in-law! Or you just need one more thing for your best gal pal! Not sure which stores to run out to for your last second gifting, try one of these ideas.  The best part, everything is less than $25, and can most likely be found in your local Target or mall!

Last Second Gifts For Her



Water Bottle // Minimergency Kit // Cozy Socks //

Tory Burch Perfume Roller // The Best Hand Lotion Ever // Holiday Scented Candle //

Sugar Paper For Target Planner //

Last Second Gifts For Him





Monday, December 22, 2014

The First Gift of Christmas



My family has more Christmas traditions than I can count, but by far one of my most favorite traditions comes around every Christmas Eve.  After spending the night watching classic Christmas movies, my sister and I climb into bed together, and Mom reads The Polar Express to us.

Even now, at 24 years old, my Mom reads to me on Christmas Eve.

I've always loved The Polar Express.  The story is so sweet, and the illustrations are amazing.  My favorite part of the story is smack in the middle; the Polar Express has arrived at the North Pole, and Santa has picked our narrator to receive the first gift of Christmas.  And our sweet narrator picks a bell from Santa's sleigh.  Santa then holds the bell high in the air, and proclaims, "This is the first gift of Christmas!"

That line has always stuck with me.  This is the first gift of Christmas.  What does the first gift of Christmas look like in my life?  In yours?

The true first gift of Christmas was our savior, Jesus.  And I don't ever want my Christmastime to lose sight of that fact.  I want the first gift that I give on Christmas to honor the gift God has given us.

Before all the chaos, before the joy of giving and receiving gifts from family, before the laughter and the shouting, I want to quiet my heart and give Jesus just a little more of myself.

For me, it means taking the time to get real honest with myself about where I'm holding onto my life too tightly, and forgetting that those things I'm holding onto aren't mine to begin with.  It's ugly, and messy, and a struggle, but I have nothing else to give Jesus besides myself.  And He is so worth it.