ON FAITH | LINEN AND LACE

last but defiantly not least of this weeks guest posting on faith... 

is the sweet and loving mama Brittani!

although i can't remember how brittani and my blogging paths crossed, she has become a dear blogging-buddy, wonderful supporter and just all around inspirational mama!

. . . . . . . . . . 

Hi to all of you readers! I'm Brittani and blog over at linen and lace. 

I'm so excited to be able to share my thoughts with you today on this sweet blog.

I began blogging about a year ago with the intentions of taking perfect pictures, having all sorts of DIY projects, to -die-for desserts and launching my small business and Etsy shop. 

Well, some of those things are still true today,

 but

why I blog has changed.

I blog because it makes me stop and look at the world around me for just a minute or two. 

It has taught me to appreciate all of the goodness of this life.

With the goodness of this life came a deeper appreciation for my family, my boys and a way to put my soul out there for whoever chooses to see.

Happy or boring, beautiful or funny. 

I blog to be raw, real and to hopefully inspire someone along the way.

When I think about why  I choose to blog about my faith it stumps me.

Why wouldn't I?

I don't think I ever made a conscious decision to declare my love for Him or to shout it from the rooftops. 

This is my space to share my heart

and He is my heart.

He has blessed me with more than I could begin to think I deserve.

How could I leave him out? 

I don't have a perfect life, my blog isn't bursting at the seams with followers or comments, but it's my little story to share with you.

I feel that the Lord has led me to {hopefully} inspire you in your own life. To get excited about the things present and also to come for you and your family.

Our God is so good, how can we not sing his praises?

And who do I think I am to not listen when he says "speak"

I hope that you feel empowered, excited and ready to embrace whatever season of life that you are in.

 It is only for a season.

 It will pass and the time will slip away. 

All that will be left is the memories and the glory that you give Him.

Shout it out, lift it up and see the beauty of all that He has given us.

Love to you, my friends!

. . . . . . . . . . 

be sure to stop by and show brittani some love!

and you don't want to miss out on her darling etsy shop : linen and lace ! 


thank you to the three lovely ladies and women of God who agreed to guest post here this week, but more importantly, thank you to each of them for sharing their faith and writing from the heat- we need more women like Amanda, Brittany and Brittani to utilize the space in the blogging world to spread the GOOD NEWS and God's love for each of us!!!

ON FAITH | HAPPY IS A CHOICE

it's wednesday - you've made it half why through the week!

continuing with another great guest post on faith....

today the darling newlywed Brittany is taking over the blog! 

i have been following 'happy is a choice' since before her engagement and wedding to her amazing husband and man of God! her words of wisdom on 'praying for your boyfriend' is what got me hooked!

. . . . . . . . . . 

Hello Life of the Lane Fans! Our gorgeous girl TheLane is enjoying a couples getaway and she invited me to keep her blog, and you company this week.

My name is Brittany and I blog over at Happy Is A Choice. My blog is a lifestyle blog where you will read about my life as a newlywed, running,  my faith, and everything in between. I am a follower of Jesus and my one true goal and intent to my blog is to glorify Him in everything I write.

Sharing my faith on my blog is scary at times. I feel pressured to please everyone, to be funny and make readers laugh, and to write posts that people will like. But the one thing I’ve learned from following Christ is that we are called to be counter cultural. To live differently than the rest of the world, and shine His light in such a way people know there is something different about us.

There are a lot of people that don’t want to read about Jesus and how He’s working in my life. But I am not writing for them. I am writing solely to honor God. My words might get bypassed by 99% of readers, but if they touch one person, if they give hope to someone who is hopeless or remind one person how desperately loved they are, then I will continue writing what God writes on my heart. He works in the craziest, most magnificent of ways and I feel like I can use my space, my audience, my corner on the intent to speak truth and life and freedom into the lives of women.

Sharing our faith doesn’t have to mean a long explanation of what the bible says about a certain subject, or taking on a hot button issue, or sharing your testimony. It CAN be all of those things, but instead, when you make God the center of your life and allow Him in to the smallest moments of your day, you will find Him woven through your everyday posts in a beautiful way.

You can find Him in the beauty of nature on a walk with a friend, you can notice His provision and perfect timing when you get that new job or promotion. He is with you in those hard conversations with loved ones, and is the calm to your anxious and stormy heart.

You see, God isn’t in a box that we pick up for thirty minutes a day when we read our bible, and he’s not in the once a week blog post where I write about my “faith.” God is in every minute of every day, and I can’t help but talk about Him in my blog posts because I blog about this beautiful life He has blessed me with. Whether or not I write about faith as a topic, or mention His name, my one goal is to glorify Him. Every day before I hit publish, I ask myself if I am bringing honor to Him or not. And sometimes, it takes me stepping away and getting some perspective about whether or not I need to be posting that specific post on the internet, influencing and touching the lives of my readers.


Blog || Twitter || Instagram || Facebook

ON FAITH | THE LADY OKIE

good morning sweet readers!

as promised, this week the blog is full of a few of my favorite bloggers to have taken to sharing their faith on their own blogs- and have inspired me to do the same!

today my sweet friend amanda is taking over the blog and I know you will just adore her. 

i have been following 'the lady okie' for probably almost two years now and i keep going back for more! amanda is an avid runner (wish i had the desire to run like this chick does!) 

but also an avid Christ lover!

. . . . . . . . . . 

'It is not easy for me to share about my faith on my blog. I wonder if people will think I’m foolish. I worry they will stop following me or leave me a rude comment. I don’t blog about faith a lot, but it is very important to me that people who come to my blog know that I am a Christian.

One of my goals for 2014 was to spend more time in daily intentional prayer. (You can read about my index card system here.) I pray for my husband, my friends, and my family, and recently I was also convicted about praying for the people who visit my blog.

I know there are people who read my blog who aren't a Christian, and I forget sometimes that I have a unique opportunity to be a witness through my words to people across the country and even around the world. When I get scared to publish a post about my faith, I pray for peace and tell myself that it doesn't matter whether or not someone unfollows my blog or leaves a mean comment. I need to speak boldly and be like Paul, who says in Romans 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel." So I pray for those who read my blog, and I pray that they will be encouraged and that they will see Christ through my words.

If you're interested in reading a few of my favorite posts that I've written on faith, I direct you here and here.' 

. . . . . . . 

ok ladies, head over to Amanda's blog, time to be inspired!

thank you sweet girl for being my guest blogger today- it's such an honor to have you:)

xo

THE JOSHUA CODE | WEEK 8

we are on week 8 of the JOSHUA CODE - but if you want to catch up on the first few verses you can do so here, here and here and last weeks two catch-up verses here and week 7 is here.  

take it one verse at a time, or feel free to just pick it up with us this week!

>> important information: READ THE VERY BOTTOM OF THIS POST :: EXCITING NEWS!!! <<

Here is last weeks and this weeks verses:

w e e k -  e i g h t

"Ask, and it will be given to you;

Seek, and you will find; 

Knock, and it will be opened for you."

m a t t h e w   7 : 7

. . . 

THREE LEVELS OF PRAYER:

THE LEVEL OF PRESENTING A PETITION :  'Ask, and it will be given to you.'

THE LEVEL OF PRESSING A PETITION :  'Seek, and you will find.'

THE LEVEL OF PERSISTING WITH A PETITION : 'Knock, and it will be opened for you,'

. . .

'As you memorize this verse this week, meditate on these three different levels of prayer - and don't simply ask, but seek. And yes, keep on knocking. Never give up. 

We have HIs precious promises: "It will be given to you... you will find... it will be opened to you". '

(The Joshua Code, pg. 54).

i love what Hawkins says in the introduction of this book talking about the 'Joshua Code':

'The Joshua Code  is a challenge to keep God's Word in our mouths through memorization and to keep it in our hearts through meditation "day and night"'. 

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night,  that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success" 

 j o s h u a  1 : 8 

I pray that you continue to come back to the blog for the weekly verses as we learn and memorize scripture verses together and grow in faith and love together!

Do you want a copy of your own JOSHUA CODE to read along and go more in depth every week? Get your copy HERE!

>> and now for the EXCITING NEWS! <<

I have asked three of my favorite bloggers, the very ones that originally inspired me to start sharing my faith on my blog, to guest blog here this week for you! they will be sharing their love for the Lord and why they felt lead to share their faith on their own blogs! 

I am so very thankful these lovely ladies agreed to be a guest on my blog this week - but sure to show them a little love!!

THE JOSHUA CODE | WEEK 7

starting monday off right can impact the rest of your week!

i like to think that for the most part i try to stick to this simple routine: 

first things first:

W O R D  I N 

W O R K   O U T

W O R K  P L A N 

i try to wake up, spend time in the word

get in my workout for the day 

and then get the days work done. 

priorities!

we are on week 7 of the JOSHUA CODE - but if you want to catch up on the first few verses you can do so here, here and here and last weeks two catch-up verses here. take it one verse at a time, or feel free to just pick it up with us this week!

Here is last weeks and this weeks verses:

w e e k -  s e v e n 

All we like sheep have gone astray; 

We have turned, every one, to his own way;

And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquities of us all. 

i s a i a h  5 3 : 6 

. . . 

sheep are dumb

sheep are directionless

sheep are defenseless 

. . .

"Since we find ourselves like sheep - dumb, directionless and defenseless 

(and 'since we have turned, every one, to his own way') God has come to our rescue. 

(The Joshua Code, pg. 49).

"As you memorize this verse this week, meditate on that fact that 'God demonstrates His own love towards us, 

in that while we were sinners, Christ dies for us' (Romans 5:8). 

God does not have simply A remedy; 

He has the ONLY remedy for our sin."

(The Joshua Code, pg 49).

i love what Hawkins says in the introduction of this book talking about the 'Joshua Code':

'The Joshua Code  is a challenge to keep God's Word in our mouths through memorization and to keep it in our hearts through meditation "day and night"'. 

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night,  that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success" 

 j o s h u a  1 : 8 

I pray that you continue to come back to the blog for the weekly verses as we learn and memorize scripture verses together and grow in faith and love together!

Do you want a copy of your own JOSHUA CODE to read along and go more in depth every week? Get your copy HERE!

BACHELORETTE WEEKEND | THE LADIES

thanks for following along this week with all things #bachelorette weekend for my sister!

it has been so fun to share all the details with you lovely little readers.

here's a quick recap: the invitations || the details || oh shit kit + glitter 

and now for a few of my favorite pictures from the weekend with the leading lady and her lovely bridesmaids who made everything so memorable and made the bride smile all weekend long!

me and my sis, the bride! 

and the BRIDE discovering her 'groom-to-be' sent up a few chilled bottles to toast to the weekend!

after a lovely brunch with $2 mimosas!

beautiful ladies in matching shirts!

all did up and ready to take on the town!

thanks for hosting us PALOMAR dallas- so many highlights that were included in our stay!

we will be back:)

 

this is probably my favorite picture of the weekend!

the BRIDE, all dressed up, living in the moment and dancing the night away!!

we went out for drinks at SYMTH. everyone got a specialized drink and a personalized picture ;)

secret location, secret-never to be recreated drinks - oh what a night!

#laneletsloose

thanks to all of her 'maids' for making a memorable weekend happen!

so excited to celebrate THE DAY with my sister and all of her favorite people in just a few weeks!

BACHELORETTE WEEKEND | OH SHIT KIT

have you ever heard on an 'oh shit kit'!?

a few months a go i stumbled across one of these and thought it was just the cutest idea ever for the bride to have with her for the day of the wedding!

i thought about purchasing one, but then i saw the price... and thought again. 

so i figured i would go about making my own for my sister.

... now i know why the price was so high! getting all of the ingredients together is no joke!

i asked my friend at southern belle monograms to personalized the bag for me, then i went about filling it with all of the fun details!

i n s i d e   t h e  'o h   s h i t   k i t' :

chalk

floss

q-tips

eye drops

safety pins (different sizes)

top stick

tweezers

aspirin 

matches

mini first-aid kit

breath mints

baby lips

brush set

mini sewing-set

mouth wash

toothbrush + paste

tissues

razor + shaving cream

blotting paper

hair spray

hand lotion

hand sanitizer 

static spray

pen 

baby power

deodorant 

tums

lint roller

another fun detail from the weekend was all things with gold glitter!

i covered several cloth pins with glitter- we used these to 'pin the panties' at the lingerie shower. 

i also purchased the really simple champagne flutes from ikea and covered them with glitter -

it made for a very girly and personal table when we sat down for sinner at SAVOR!

#laneletsloose

BACHELORETTE PARTY | THE DETAILS

its all about my sister bachelorette party on the blog this week!

yesterday i shared with you the perfect invitations that set the mood for the whole weekend. today i am sharing with you a look into some of the details that shaped this party into a perfectly girly pink and gold wonderland!

we framed the invitations and placed them on the front entry table along with the gifts my sister made for all of her little bridesmaids!

matching shirts with BM (bridesmaid) on the front and then her hashtag for the weekend #laneletsloose across the back of the shirts. the shirts were wrapped around a personalized jewelry bag for each girl!

since i wanted to make all the girls feel special, and thank them for making the perfect weekend happen for my sister.. i had a cute gift bag for each of them with a personalized lingerie bags! 

(white with gold stitching of course!)

as for the bride- she didn't want just another hot pink and black bachelorette sash.. so i made her a very special one... vintage lace personalized with 'future mrs. richards'!

all of the personalized details are thanks to my amazing at southern belle monograms.

anything monogram, personalized she should be your go-to girl:)

 

these cups were such a hit!

i love that they combined the brides favorite quote and were a take-away for everyone at the party to remind them of all the fun, even after the weekend was over!

the cups were such a fun project to collaborate with my friend over at gunn promotionals with. 

for the lingerie shower there was no shortage of PINK and GOLD!

my mom and i made a darling felt 'pin the panties' banner.. 

my dear friend caroline's mom helped us with the oh-so delicious cake-pops! 

(this was the only 'dirty' side of the party;) !!)

we had perfect pink sofia minis for everyone chilled, a yummy cheese tray, and jd's chippery cookies!

it was so fun to see all the details come together!

i just love that everything was in-keeping with the theme and even down to the wrapping,

everything was perfectly girly and PINK and GOLD!

 p r e t t y  l i t t l e  d e t a i l s: 

{brown gift bags and leopard tissue-paper-- hobby lobby}

{gold alphabet stickers -- target} 

{invitations - LOCDesignandPaperie}

{pink shirts - target}

{sash and lingerie bags - southern belle monograms}

personalized cups - gunn promotionals}

{mini sofia champagne cans - francis ford coppola winery}

BACHELORETTE PARTY | THE INVITATIONS

putting together my sisters bachelorette weekend was not a light task!

but having amazing vendors and lots of helping hands made it such a fun experience!

first things first, i wanted to find the cutest invitations. i knew etsy.com was going to be the place to start, little did i know i would find these perfect invitations!

working with kristin at LOCDesignandPaperie was so great- she totally customized the details and colors - and i must say the light pink and gold turned out exactly as i expected!

the theme throughout the weekend was all things gold, pink and girly!

these invitations were the perfect way to kick things off!

addressing envelops and sending snail mail has always been a favorite of mine. 

so i wanted to do something personal and cute on the envelopes for these invitations as well. 

i found these darling washi-tape at cute-tape - it was just what the envelopes needed to add that special something!

stay tuned this week for more girly details from the bachelorette weekend!

#laneletsloose

THE JOSHUA CODE | WEEK 5 & 6

to say last week was stressful is an understatement. i take full blame though- i fully, 100% overcommitted myself and was running around like a crazy person. somehow though, i kept breathing and trusting God for His strength to get me through the week in one piece. and no surprise there, He came through on His promises! 

being so busy last week, meant i total ignored the blog though, so we are going to catch up on two scripture verses together this week!

if you want to catch up on the first few verses you can do so here, here and here. take it one verse at a time, or feel free to just pick it up with us this week!

Here is last weeks and this weeks verses:

w e e k -  f i v e

And we know that all things work together

for good to those who love God, to those

who are the called according to His purpose 

r o m a n s  8 : 2 8 

THE FAMILY SECRET IS CONFIDENTIAL : 'And WE know...'

THE FAMILY SECRET IS CONSTRUCTIVE: 'things work together for good'

THE FAMILY SECRET IS COMPREHENSIVE: 'ALL THINGS work together for good'

THE FAMILY SECRET IS CONDITIONAL: 

'to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

w e e k - s i x 

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for

righteousness, for they shall be filled.

m a t t h e w   5 : 6

THE PATHWAY TOWARD THE LIFE BLESSING: matthew 5:3-5

THE PASSAGEWAY INTO THE LIFE OF BLESSINGS: matthew 5:6

THE PROOFS ISSUING OUT OF THE LIFE OF BLESSINGS: matthew 5:7-10

I love what Hawkins says in the introduction of this book talking about the 'Joshua Code':

'The Joshua Code  is a challenge to keep God's Word in our mouths through memorization and to keep it in our hearts through meditation "day and night"'. 

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, 

that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success" 

 j o s h u a  1 : 8 

I pray that you continue to come back to the blog for the weekly verses as we learn and memorize scripture verses together and grow in faith and love together!

Do you want a copy of your own JOSHUA CODE to read along and go more in depth every week? Get your copy HERE!