Update With The Style Six

Just when I thought Spring was officially here, the Lord decided to send us a little cooler weather. This past weekend was in the 50s here in da boot and had me scrounging my closet for longer sleeves and more layers. So thankful that I had not fully transitioned my closet from winter. If Wayne had been home, I would have seriously asked for a fire Saturday night. Seriously. 

But I seem to be getting my walking mojo back and have enjoyed being outside in the evenings. I won't mention any names, but two people especially are killing my time, but I'm trying to enjoy the company and not complain. I plan to be back up to three miles next week with or without them. 

My anxiety got the best of me this weekend. I had a state-wide C-19 conference call before I left the Mother Ship Friday afternoon as well as some not so good news from a colleague. I simply could not shake the fear and anxiety. I think I was pretty darn close to having another panic attack. I was still up and wide awake at 2am Saturday morning with my mind racing. I tried going to the grocery store at 9am, but just circled the parking lot and came back home (there weren't any parking spaces, anyway! I could not get over the number of people at the grocery store that early in the morning!). All I could think about were empty shelves and people everywhere and I just couldn't face that. 

On the way home, I had the idea of making a list (I hardly ever make lists!). I listed three things that I needed to get done that day and three "fun" things that Laura wanted to do (around the house, of course). With lots of prayer and with a new focus, my anxiety subsided.

I am still going into the office these days, but that may change very soon. We're being screened for the virus every day before we are allowed in our building. My staff have not all been approved to work from home yet, so I don't feel that it's fair for me to do so and not them. I am SO stinking proud of our team at the Mother Ship! Some of them are my dearest friends and it is amazing to see them stepping up and putting their lives on the line for us each and every day. If that isn't Christ-like love, I don't know what is. Please, friends. Stay home. Together, we can flatten this curve. 

Thanks for letting me share today. 

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Daily Affirmations ~ Vignette 3

In the early 90's - before the praise and worship style of music that we have today - there was a singer/songwriter by the name of Twila Paris. She had a string of contemporary Christian hits including the song, Warrior Is A Child. 

The lyrics are about falling down, being wounded, retreating and wanting to giving up. So many times, I've wanted to simply throw in the towel during the battles of my life. I've asked myself, is it even worth it? Or, why do I even try? This Christian life we live is not easy and disappointment and discouragement are two of my weakest links. 

And that's why I have to remind myself to,

"Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil." 

And actually, it's the entire passage of Ephesians 6:11-18 that I focus on. Twice in this passage it is mentioned to put on the full armor of God. Must be pretty important. For me, this verse is a daily reminder that God has given me everything I need to fight my battles and He is always with me. Always there to pick me up when I fall down. I ask Him every day to clothe me with the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the sandals of the gospel and peace, the helmet of salvation, and most of all, the shield of Faith. It's every piece. Every day. But before I can be dressed, I have to make the conscious decision to stand firm. Not run. Not give up. Some days, standing is hard. And some days standing, "firm," is even harder. But sometimes, simply standing is half the battle.

Deep inside this armor, the warrior is a child. 

Vignette 1

Vignette 2 

Daily Affirmations ~ Vignette 2

The first time I sat for the CPA exam, I failed. My scores were so ridiculously low that I was embarrassed whenever someone asked me how I did. How could this be? I graduated cum laude with a degree in accounting and was on the President's List every semester. Failure was not something that this new staff accountant was use to. As a matter of fact, the word, "failure," was not in my vocabulary.

I took the exam again six months later and failed. Again. My heart was broken and for the first time, my newlywed self faced a bout of depression of the likes I had never known. I was so discouraged because all I could see were my college friends thriving in their new careers and passing parts of the exam while I was stuck in a podunk CPA firm that didn't even offer retirement benefits!

A few weeks later, I received a card in the mail - from the most unlikely person, I might add! - and written inside was the verse:

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."  

From that day forward, Jeremiah 29:11 became my life verse and it was my source of strength to keep going and to keep studying for that crazy exam. A year later, after absolutely NO social life and driving thirty miles one way, twice a week, to take a review course (so that I was caught up on all the latest financial rulings and pronouncements), i finally passed that exam! Wayne likes to tell everyone that he helped me study so much that even HE could have passed it (yea, right!)! 

To this day, I still don't understand why God said no. For a whole year, I had to wait on Him and His timing. But, oh, the future He has given me! I had to let go of my dreams in order to live His plan for my life, and yet He has filled my future with so much hope.

This picture was taken in March 1999 at the Louisiana State induction for CPAs. This Spring I will be recognized as having been a CPA for 20 years. I am truly blessed. One of the many dreams that God gave me came true. 

Shake Your Shamrocks With The Style Six

We're five days into this quarantine gig, Friends. How are you holding up? I think I would feel better about all this if only the sun would shine more. I spent the majority of St. Patrick's Day 2020 cleaning up my desk and preparing to begin working from home. The good thing about COVID-19, is that it has pretty much taken the pressure off me at the Mother Ship. All focus is on our patients right now and budget planning has been put on the back burner for now.

Speaking of St. Patty's Day, my friends and I were recently talking about the whole ancestry thing and whether or not we were interested in taking "the test." Have you done this? The closest thing to lineage research that I've done is prepare a poster board in eighth grade Louisiana history. I had a great-grandmother named Blanche (which, to this day, I think is so cool!) and learned that I am an Irish girl. After Wayne and I were married, we researched the Horton family crest and learned that he is Scottish (so am I!). But that's about as close to researching our ancestry as I plan to get. 

So when I saw my gal pals, Andrea and Kellyann sporting this fun tee from Amazon, I knew I had to have one, too, because you know us Irish girls have to stick together! Of course, both the weather and my photographer were in a foul mood and not very obliging this past weekend when they took these photos.

My family absolutely can NOT stand this leopard skirt. They laugh and think it's the most hideous thing. I've told them that I really don't care what they think and that they will be seeing lots of it this Spring and Summer. Did I mention that they were my foul photographers, too?

Can you tell I'm leaning in this photo? My heels were sinking in the mud! Our yard is a disaster! Back behind me is where Wayne got stuck while trying to mow a few weeks ago. Obviously it was still too wet. Just keeping it real, friends.

I had a last minute Girls Night Out this past Saturday evening and wore my new tee with white jeans and leopard heels. I am SO glad that we were able to get together because now, all the restaurants in our state are closed and only serving drive thru or curb side. We also celebrated National Pi Day with some delicious slices of pie (to each his own!). 

I hope you are well and staying C-19 free! Wash your hands! Can you see I'm giving you a virtual wave from my couch!?

WELCOME TO OUR WEEKLY 

STYLE SIX FASHION LINK-UP

Our Party Rules Are Simple

~Please Only Link Posts related to Fashion, Beauty or Shopping

~Please Link No More than 3 Posts

~ Please visit other Linkers and Show them your love

~We’d LOVE it if you followed all our Blogs and Socials

Listed Clockwise from our GRAPHIC

Chrissy from Granola & Grace

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Lisa from Coast to Coast

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Andrea from Living in Cloud Nine

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Shelly from The Queen In Between

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Laura from The Horton Family

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Kellyann from This Blonde’s Shopping Bag

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Daily Affirmations ~ Vignette 1

One morning last November during my quiet time, I felt lead to write down five key Bible verses that I could begin using daily to strengthen my walk with Christ. They weren't necessarily my favorite verses, but ones that quickly came to mind as I began writing and so I believe they are truly God inspired. The Lord speaks to us in different ways, but His primary way is through his written word and that is why it is so important to read and study scripture. 

This post has been rolling around for months in my head and I just haven't had the time that I felt I needed to write it with a sincere heart and total concentration. Busyness is the biggest time buster for me and Satan knows it. I had originally planned to write one post containing all five affirmations. But all that changed when I had the idea to just share them as short vignettes over the remainder of March. I don't know about you, but I don't necessarily enjoy long posts anymore (Remember, busyness?). I'll be sharing my favorite affirmations in no particular order and on no certain day, but I want to be able to be honest and share my heart.

So let's begin with this one! The scripture reference is Luke 10:27:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself.

If I were grading myself on this particular verse, I would give myself a C-. The fact is, I truly want to love the Lord with all my heart, soul, strength, and mind, but I fall so short. So extremely short. I allow people and things to steal my joy of loving God the way I'm suppose to. I allow my emotions and attitude - dare I say my busyness and the need to please - rob me of the greatest commandment. Yet I know, in order to live out this verse, I have to make a conscious effort to stop doing the things I do in order to allow myself to put Christ first. It's a conscious effort. Daily. Minute by minute. 

Recently I have felt God press upon my heart the word, "pause," and actually we've talked about it alot during my prayers and quiet time. This is a new word for me in my life because it is most assuredly something I do not do. I'm simply too busy and I'm a re-actor. I like to control things. But I'm learning to make a conscious effort to pause throughout the day and when uncontrollable circumstances arise, I just simply pause and take a long breath. I'm teaching myself to find God in even the most mundane areas of my life and say, I love you, Lord. I'm learning to say, no, so that I can say, yes, to Christ. 

Out of all five affirmations that I'll be sharing over the next few weeks, this one is by far the hardest for me. It's easy to put my husband's or my daughter's desires and needs ahead of mine, but oh so much harder to make Christ a priority in my life. And I think that's why he had me write down this scripture back in November because He knew that it was a command that I needed his grace and mercy to achieve.