French Inspired First Birthday Party ~ Maddie

You might remember Maddie from her newborn session here.
She was a little princess then, and that has certainly not changed one bit in a year!

Her momma organized, planned and created an amazing French-inspired birthday party.
Every detail was perfection, and I am so excited to show you all the hard work Nicole did in making a perfect little one-year birthday party for a perfectly adorable little princess.

Happy Birthday sweet baby girl!

a year ago and my trust level

it was just one year ago this month, that i was up late at night, trying to decide if i should take my 10 year old to the emergency room, or tell him to shake it off. 
i am normally the shake-it-off kind of mom, but this time was different.
(like the time i told my 2-year-old to shake it off when he had rolled out of bed and wouldn't stop crying! i mean, alright already! oh wait...what's that, doctor? he broke his collar bone? oh. ok then. carry on with your crying, riley!)
aj was in a lot of pain, and it was clear that he needed some medical attention.
you can read about him and his appendicitis here.

what happened after that was interesting.
first of all, one of his incisions became infected and he had to have a couple more procedures that were pretty painful. also, around the time that aj was in the hospital, a worker was arrested for infecting patients with hepatitis c through contaminated syringes.
you can imagine my reaction when i first got the letter in the mail saying that aj had to be tested!
we decided not to tell aj what was happening, and why he needed to get blood drawn months after his surgery! we didn't think it would really prove anything for him to worry!
his initial results came back negative, and it was a huge relief.
i then received a phone call telling me that since it had not been six months since the surgery they couldn't be sure that they would have been able to accurately determine if he had hep c or not.
back to the hospital for more blood work.
a couple days later...we found out that he tested negative.
and we were relieved again and thankful that it was finally over!

dealing with your own health issues is one thing.
dealing with potential health problems for your kids can be terrifying!
no one wants to see their child go through any pain!

it was a reminder to me of the fact that there are some things we have NO control over.
and while this may seem like the kind of thing that would make you worry and be fearful...
it actually does quite the opposite for me.

see...i have a God.
an amazingly loving, compassionate Father.
who created me. who knows what is best. and who directs my steps.

it was a reminder to me of the fact that trusting this amazing God?
is the best place i could ever be.

i think i will stay here in this place.
this place of worry-free, stress-free, peaceful living.
yep. it feels good to be here.



philippians 4:6
"don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all He has done."

a boy and his guns

some mom's are totally against their kids playing with guns.
i don't really see the harm in it.
the way i see it -
the amount of time i am investing into making sure they know what God requires of them?

(to act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with God)

will be everything they need to teach them how to handle a gun, a relationship, their money, and everything else they are ever going to need in life.

one of aj and riley's favorite parts of the new house is their "clubroom" which is like a little hard-to-explain room in between the bedrooms.
there is a little closet which riley has claimed as his gun cabinet.

i thought it was so cute to see him drilling screws into it so he could hang everything up.

he now has more stuff in there and i think it is so cute to watch him and aj playing with them.

so yes. my boys have guns.
yes. i let them play with them.
and no. i am not worried about it.

what should i write...what should i write...

i first started my little bloggity in 2005.
i only wrote 19 posts, and the following 2 years i wrote a total of 3 big ones.
i mean come on though...i had 2 little boys. we had started and sold a business. we moved - 3 times, i think? we went on a few missions trips, and a few million other things.

so here i am now. i blog about many different things.
my family.
my faith.
my photography.
my every day life.

there are days that i have a blog post just screaming inside my head and i know i have to write it down.
there are other days when i just want to post about something lighthearted.
sometimes i am excited to showcase some awesome photo shoot i just had!
i can see that a lot of people read my posts (thanks to google analytics.)
and i can see what brings them there.

honestly? my goal with my blog is not to attract more clients for my business,
although it has sometimes done that.
it is to be able to be an approachable person who can share the love of Christ who affects my life in every way with YOU. my readers.
i want for you to see that the Bible is sufficient.
all you need. for all your life. forever.

and that is my goal.
sometimes i wonder if i bore people. or if i annoy people with the way i write.
but the good thing about computers, is you don't have to read this!
you can go right up to the top of the page and get rid of what is in front of you.
and i don't even have to know you did it!
so i will continue to write a little bit about deep stuff.
a little bit about totally random family things.
a little bit about my photography.

and just keep plugging away.

and for tonight. i was going to write about something really basic yet convicting that God taught me.
but you can rest easy. i'm not gonna go deep tonight.
i think i will leave that for another day.

so i will just give you a little me-and-adam story.
when we were in high school together, we would stop at mcdonalds a lot after soccer games.
healthy, right?
i was kind of known for having a big appetite.
after one soccer game in concord, i remember ordering a big mac, mcchicken...or was it 2 mcchickens? a large fry and a soda. i just like to eat, people!

so last night. i was feeling kind of emotional. and just tired out.
i was so in the mood for mcdonalds. and trust me...that is really saying something.
we do NOT do this...like..ever.
if we stop at mcyd's i always get a grilled chicken wrap and a side salad.
but last night was different, and i wanted to relive my past.
so adam and i ordered....

yep. you got it.
judge if you want to. but i have got to say...i felt like i was 17 all over again.
it was amazing.
weird? yes...weird what food can do to you. how it can bring back all kinds of memories.
oh ya, and bring on some major weight gain too! ha!
well...sometimes you just gotta not be concerned with unimportant things like fat grams and calories. i mean. i wouldn't suggest doing this very often, but hey. it was fun.
and don't worry. we had diet coke.
i mean come on now! you didn't think we were going to totally blow it, did you?

good night everyone!

once upon a time...

there was this girl who didn't know she was missing anything.
her life was going along fine.
and then she met these girls who were super sweet and nice.
they were pretty cool.
she didn't really know that these very girls were going to become some of her closest friends.
girls that would get her through some rough times.
girls that were exactly what God had known...in advance...that she would need.
exactly when she needed it.

i love that about God.

oh ya. and that girl was me.
and those other girls? are some of my pursuit 31 peeps,
and i got to hang out with some of them at my 1940's styled shoot at my very own house today!
aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!
that is pretty much what i was doing all day long!

so here are just a few from today's amazing shoot!
we had an amazing make up artist tina. you can check her out here
and some GORGEOUS models!

amazing day. so much fun to be a part of.
i am so honored to be a leader of this group of girls!
love them all so so much.

and this ends my story of the day. ♥ 

son of a monkey's uncle

this saying took on a whole entire new meaning when my uncle came from texas to see our new house last week.

it was snowing.
i don't think he likes snow.
or cold.
or driving straight.

while i was inside painting, i was lucky enough to catch the following view for some comic relief.

don't worry. i think it only took about 30 minutes, a trip to a friend's house to get a chain, and some hard core man power to get this bad boy out!

ohhhhhhh uncle.
i loved having you and torrey come to visit!
but next time?
maybe you should come in the summer.
:)

why i expect my boys to obey

my kids are not perfect.
and i have never tried to paint the picture that they are.
i do, however, expect obedience from my boys all the time.
i just expect it.

there are 2 reasons i do.

the first reason, is because my believing and expecting them to do right gives them confidence to do so. if i am always showing them that a bad attitude or bad response is..well, what i see coming?
i think that they will start doubting their own actions and reactions.

the second reason is because i work really hard at preparing my boys.
how do i do that you ask?
thanks for asking!

well, i like the way this quote says it...

the Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the Bible!

i have started preparing my boys for this battleground called life since they started talking.

psalm 119:11 says it this way.
i have stored up your WORD in my heart, that i might not sin against you.
and so.

we teach our boys to store up, or hide God's Word in their hearts!

they can tell me that children need to obey their parents.
they can tell me that they should be slow to speak and quick to listen.
they can tell me that a fool shows his annoyance at once.
they can tell me that bad company corrupts good manners.
they can tell me that a man who shows self control is better than the mighty.
and a lot of other things too.
can you see how these things are going to prepare them for life?
how these things are going to show them that obedience is expected of them...
not only from me and adam. but also from their teachers. their authorities. their bosses. and on and on it goes.
it also reminds them that God blesses obedience!

a couple of things that i do with my boys to help them memorize verses

*write down a verse on paper and cut it out into squares with 1 word for each square.
have them put the "puzzle" together.

*write down just the first letters of each word and have them try to say it that way.

*and sometimes i make up songs with the verses. sometimes i dance. sometimes i rap.
sometimes i like to make my kids laugh. haha!

i love watching my kids grow and learn.
i have loved watching them read their Bibles with the readings that all the adults at church are doing. most nights they ask me if they can stay up a little longer and read their Bibles!
um...YES, please!!

the more they read. the more they know.
the more they know. the more they do.
and that is why i expect my boys to obey.
you should try it with your kids too!

the benefits of music

when i was growing up, we always had music playing.
i hate to even say it, but it was sometimes with records! oh jeez...could i be any older?
i remember listening to the peterson sisters, bj thomas, and every maranatha singers cassette tape there was. i think there was like 9!
there were always truths being played in the background all day.
i remember dancing to it, singing into my spatula/microphone to it, vacuuming to it...i just remember it playing constantly.

i have to say it affected me so much.
sometimes we just need to get our minds off ourselves. our problems. our finances. our LIFE!
and focus on God.
the giver of life.
i look back now at my mom...pastor's wife. mother of 4. living in a tiny home. with very little money. very few true friends. and yet she decided to have truth being played, sung, spoken into our lives from a very early age.
what a gift she gave us.

too many times, i allow the tv to be on instead of the music.
really. i confess it!
even as i think back to my day today...i should have had music playing way more.
i want my boys to be able to look back and remember hearing these truths...constantly.

music does affect you. don't even try to tell me otherwise.
it can affect your mood, your attitude and therefore your feelings and your actions.

try a little experiment.
play some music tomorrow all day.
i mean...some good, solid, worship music...hillsong, matt redmond, meredith andrews

let this verse be true for you...

when you are feeling down.
when you are feeling overwhelmed. ya know, at the fact that we woke up to this

this morning!!

it's ok! let God be the one who lifts up your head.
let your heart be just a little bit lighter when you understand that He will never leave you alone.
let that music fill your home and fill your heart.
but be warned...it will make you feel better!

revenge of the wallpaper

working on an old house is pretty exciting.

you just never know what you're going to find! we literally found an entire room we did not even know existed until after we closed on the house! the boys are having so much fun exploring!

one of the rooms upstairs was covered in this really hideous wallpaper.

adam took on the project of scraping it off.

imagine his excitement when he found another layer of wallpaper underneath!

oh and just to keep things new and fun...another layer under that layer!

oh jeez! who does that?!?!

it actually reminded me of what we do in our own lives sometimes.

instead of taking the time to remove the wrong things we do, we kind of just cover over them. hoping that the new "wallpaper" will cover everything up and make people believe that there was never anything there in the first place! this may work for a while, but eventually the truth is going to come out, and our ugliness is going to show and need to be fixed anyways!

sometimes it does take a little bit longer to get rid of the ugly wallpaper in the first place, but it is worth it in the end when we see how good the whole room looks!

the same with our lives...it is always better to just keep everything current in our relationships with others, and our relationship with GOD. keep things up to date now, so we don't have to scrape everything off and start all over again later!

*we are still in the process of scraping, painting and cleaning. but i did want to give a quick before and after. the after is not quite decorated and finished, but i thought some of you (aunt tracy) would appreciate a picture :) 

this is my library and i can not wait to have all of you over to come sit and have a cup of coffee!

 and this is a picture of the entrance we use which leads into the kitchen.
this picture was the first picture i saw online which made me fall in love with it!

photography 101 ~ quick pullback and photography lesson

i have had several people ask about the possibility of offering a photography class, or one-on-one mentoring.
while i will probably offer that sometime soon, i thought i would give a quick tip to start with that can help you where you are now.

if you are one of those people who have just bought a nice, new, shiny dslr and just really don't know where to start. listen up!

first of all - congratulations!! i remember the day i got my first "good camera". i could not have been more excited... and i don't think my boys could have been more annoyed! haha! my new models were expected to pose all day and half the night!
but it is pretty exciting to get a new camera, and i know it can be a little bit overwhelming.

so just take it one step at a time.
one of the most important things to start doing is training your eyes to find good lighting!
so much of getting a good shot is getting good, natural light!
sometimes, you may be surprised where that light can be!

this weekend i shot a 1st birthday party (which i can not wait to share the pictures from!)
it was in a place where there was not a lot of natural light.
i was able to find a spot upstairs, in a very small space, where there was some pretty great natural light streaming in!

here is a pull back shot of what i started with...and then what the finished product looks like!

and this party was literally crawling with adorable little models...so here are a couple i took using this same set up.

so...the tip for today: i know it might seem really basic, but it can really make a big difference!
take a deep breath. and go look for some good lighting!

fighting mommy guilt

i have talked to so many mom's lately.
stay at home moms, working moms, single moms, married moms...
and i am hearing the same issue in every single conversation.

guilt.

that horrible feeling in the pit of your stomach when...

you see that pile of laundry sitting on the floor for days.
you see your kids reacting the wrong way and you feel responsible.
you read all these stupid blogs of all these "super moms" and feel like - how do they have it all together and i can barely remember to have milk in the fridge.

and in case you are not a mom and are thinking you can check out now...don't worry.
you can feel guilt over anything.
dude. i am the queen of guilt. and i am not proud of that, but i really am.
i will be eating ice cream, and with each bite be saying...i should not be eating this.
i go grocery shopping, put something in the cart and think...i should not be buying this.
i can't even enjoy half of what i do because of the stinking rotten guilt!

ok. so we've all been there, right? (please say yes!)
i started wondering what this whole guilt thing was all about.
i mean..is it sin? is it something i have control over?

here are my thoughts on it.
guilt is a feeling. a feeling that comes in. and just sits there. and festers.
it doesn't really go anywhere.  it only makes you feel horrible.

then there is another feeling we can have that is similar, but it actually serves a purpose.
it's called conviction.
conviction is also a feeling. but it is a feeling that comes in. and it drives you to action.
it drives you to God...to a place where you apologize for something you've done wrong and you make it right. then you move on. it frees you.

one thing to remember is that we have an enemy who loves to make us feel guilty.
revelation 12 says that he makes accusations against us to God day and night.
did you know that??
wow. that is pretty intense, right?
it's like seriously? i think God can pretty much see everything i'm doing wrong here without any help! jeez!

when we start feeling guilty, we are thinking of...guess who?
ourselves. yep. it's basically a form of pride, although we can almost pin it as humility!
ya know...i am such a bad mom, i am so lazy, i am such a failure. and on and on.
and in reality? who are we even comparing ourselves to?
(because seriously. i have seen some pretty horrible moms. haha! i joke. the answer to this problem is not comparing yourself to worse moms!)

so here's my break-it-down portion of this post.
and congrats if you have hung with me this long!

the next time you start to feel guilty.
ask yourself.
am i sinning?
is there something that i am doing, or have done wrong that is making me feel this way?
if there is, then ask God to forgive you (He promises he will)
ask forgiveness of the person if it is necessary.
and accept God's forgiveness... realize that He sees you as clean and forgiven.
and keep going!

(*little side note. ask yourself specifics. sometimes i think i can brush off my own sin by accident. like...i do not think i am a lazy person. but. i think i can be lazy in certain areas. so i need to ask myself for example..when it comes to homeschooling, am i being lazy there? do i need to put more effort in that area?)

if you aren't sinning? then you better realize that is a trap and a trick to get you down!
see it as just a FEELING and just push that annoying, destructive, deceptive thought right the heck out of your mind!

i mean for real..am i right here?!? so yes i do have control over it! how freeing!
instead of spending my morning thinking about what a failure i am, which actually drives me to...
my computer. or chocolate...which in turn makes me feel fat...which then makes me feel depressed. and on and on the cycle goes.
i can start focusing my mind on what God wants me to do today.
on the people and things that are in my life right now.
and i can move forward. and that in turn makes me feel peace. and joy. and happiness!
i like those feelings much better!
i love seeing who i am as God sees me.
and when i see myself the way God sees me?
it motivates me.
it motivates me to be better.
to be more loving. more forgiving.
less critical. less cynical.

let's all try for a guilt-free day tomorrow. sound like a plan?
i mean, who even has time for that junk anyways?

*chapter of the week. psalm 119.
it's long, but you can break it up...it is so. so. good.

you better get it right with yourself first!

i have been loving reading through psalm 119.

if you have never been a Bible-reading kind of person, and just don't know where to start?

just try psalms. it is so beautiful and refreshing!

i love how david talks about how much he loves God's law. i mean, over and over he says how much he trusts in God's commands, his laws, statutes!

while i do love psalms, if i was going to pick a favorite old testament book, i would have to say deuteronomy is by far my favorite.

it is amazing.

it is just filled to the brim with reminders of how we should live, and reminders of the kind of God we have.

he is loving. merciful. compassionate. just. kind.

it is so easy to find a boost in deuteronomy!

here is my encouragement for the day.

read deutereonomy.

chapter 4 verse 9 says this.

Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them

here's the main part. watch yourself.

you. not your friend, not your husband, not your kids...y-o-u.

why? 

so that we don't forget what God has done! 

there is the trap. we get so busy in our every day lives that we actually and literally forget what God has done for us.

how dare we!

and this is where deutereonomy blasts this into our minds...

watch yourself. then you can worry about the teaching part.

but if you don't get it right in yourself, you are never going to be able to teach it to your kids.

so in case you haven't had your morning coffee yet, let me break it down for ya.

1. pick up your Bible.

2. read deuteronomy 4-6.

3. pick up a notebook and start writing down all the amazing things God has done for you.

(don't be lazy! i'm talking about your very breath, your clothes, your health, your ability to be writing in a notebook...you name it!)

4. remind yourself all day today of these things you have written down.

5. once you have been doing this all day...you start teaching it to your children...telling them to do the same thing. reminding them of all the things God has done for them! right down to their favorite stuffed animal. everything - a gift from God our creator.

don't fall into a trap of forgetting! 

when we start forgetting God, we start replacing God.

when we start replacing God, we are putting ourselves in a very dangerous position! 

the end of verse 9 of chapter 6 says in the king james version, 

lest they depart from your heart all the days of thy heart.

wow. can they depart from my heart forever?

imagine what my life would look like if i was not spending time remembering what God has done for me? imagine what my outlook on life would be if i was forgetting that every single thing i have comes from Him? 

if i let these things depart from me, how can i teach my boys?

i better get it right with myself first. and guess what?

you better get it right with yourself first too!

i have to go and read me some more deuteronomy.

reliving the 1940's

as many of you know i am part of an incredible group of almost 3,000 christian, women photographers led by my super sweet friend karen stott.

i was honored this year to be asked to be the northern new england leader.

it has already been an incredible 3 months!

i have gotten to know the most amazing women who have been such a blessing to me.

i am beyond excited to be hosting a workshop at the end of this month!

i have decided to have a 1940's styled shoot, which will include 4 models, make up artists, hair dressers, tons of vintage clothing and props and many local photographers!

i am even a little more excited to be hosting it at my new home, which will be the absolutely perfect setting!

i am always looking for an excuse to go antiquing, and this has made it even easier to justify it! ha!

so. what i am looking for from my peeps here, is any old 40's looking prop, jewelry, clothing, magazines, you name it...that i can borrow for the day!

i would LOVE to try and be the coolest leader in the u.s. by even having a vintage car on the property to use! 

come one...someone must know somebody dying to show off their vintage car, right?!?!

i have all kinds of different spots in the house that are going to be accessorized and i.am.dying.

like...dying of excitement with the very thought of it! seriously! i am giddy right now!

if you have anything or know of anyone that has anything i could borrow, please let me know! 

the shoot will be on the 23rd of march.

i already have a lot off stuff, but you can never have too much!

oh...and please don't leave a comment through facebook since i am not on fb right now.

email me at 

info @ rachellechasephotography.com

or leave a comment here!

here's a very small sneak peek of what i have. 

i mean, come on! i don't want to give too much away!

one more thing. i am currently accepting "applications" for one more model for the day.

i would prefer is she was in high school. anyone interested? 

email me for a chance to win!

if you're at all interested in a little history of the 1940's, 

(like the fact that in 1940 the average price of a car was $850.00!!!)

check out some fun facts here!

can't wait to spend the day reliving the 1940's!!

turning off the bad noise so you can hear the good noise

ya know how sometimes there is noise going on in the background, but you don't really realize it? so you kind of just start talking louder?
i've done that before when i am driving in the car, and i am trying to carry on a conversation when i realize that the radio is on a commercial, and it is blaring!
so then i shut it off, and it's like.
ahhhh.
quietness!
i can think! i can talk!
today was oddly quiet.
it was like i had shut off the radio, and all i was hearing was what God wanted me to hear.
i shut off facebook and all the "noise" from the voices i was hearing there...were stopped.
it was like...peaceful and refreshing.

now, in case you are thinking - oh! she must have had a relaxing, lay-in-bed and watch tv kind of a day.
nope.

i spent about an hour painting at our new house.

the principal took over with the math teaching,

while i some much needed time with my mom...including a delicious lunch at the loaf and ladle.

then i spent over 2 hours in one of the loudest places in town...The Porch seriously. check out the video on our website here. it is pretty loud. (another post for another time about what those kids at the porch mean to me. i can't even tell you how crazy i am about all of them!)

then i had praise team practice,

and then went straight from there to lead our young adults group.

during the day, i had 16 different people texting me...some asking for advice.
a lot asking for prayer..

and that was my peaceful, quiet day.

because the noise was the noise that God wanted to be in my life.
does that make sense?
i think i have been allowing whatever and whoever to be having their voice heard and maybe it's not even what God wanted me to be hearing!

so i am enjoying this little time away from the wrong kind of noise.
this week...i only want to hear the noise God knows i can handle!

turning off the extra noise allows me to hear the good noise of
my boys giggling while they wrestle
the verses i read in psalm 119:69-72
the kids at the porch calling my name (and asking for more food!)
my husband as he teaches God's word at our group
this amazing song we are singing sunday

and on and on it goes.

are there any noises that you need to shut off so you can hear the good noise?
it is so amazingly refreshing. just try it!

family photographer ~ Epping, NH

i don't know why, but i never blogged this family session!
this day was a fu-reezing cold day.
i mean. so cold i was literally numb by the time the 15 minute session was over!

but i sure had a lot of fun with this super fun family!

oh i'm sorry...i can't hear you over my screaming voice

ok. so here we go.
several months ago, i started feeling this little feeling every once in a while that was like...
maybe you should get rid of your facebook (aka wastebook) account.
i brushed it off.

a little bit later, i started to "hear" the same thing.

i decided to take a little hiatus. i had adam change my password so i was not tempted to check it just out of habit!

it was actually quite refreshing.
refreshing to just think about my own life, and my circle of real. live. friends.

a few other times i have had the feeling (normally after a church service, or fbi class) that i should really take another break. maybe this time even longer than a week.

then i heard myself saying that i really couldn't get rid of it because of my business page.
i mean...that is how i advertise, and get clients and blah blah blah.
to which, my sweet friends would nod their heads in agreement with my very wise words of business knowledge.

notice...i am hearing my own loud voice. which, by the way, can drown out other more important voices. like...ya know. God's?

while all the voices i hear are not necessarily bad? it's just that when i am listening to so many of them, i can kind of get confused as to which ones are helpful and which ones just plain aren't needed!
they are starting to just fill up my mind with non-important things.

and so. i was feeling this push.
this gentle...well. maybe firm push.

it's called God's voice.
but i was so busy screaming over him, that i'm pretty sure he was just sighing and nodding his head.
i think i do that a lot.

if you know me at all, you know that i am fast.
with everything.
(well, everything except for getting it sometimes!)

i am a fast walker. a fast talker. i type fast, i clean fast, i am just fast.
i can check all 3 email accounts, my facebook, instagram and text messages in 3 minutes flat.

but for some reason, i have been slow at listening.
which is a horrible quality to have, by the way.

listen... i want to grow and i want to change.
honestly in my heart of hearts i do.
but when i am so busy checking every other person's lives.
i start to kind of miss out on what God might have for my life.

just today, a sweet friend of mine reminded me of this fact - God is the one bringing me my photography clients, not facebook! - it was like God was saying...
yo.
rachelle. dude.
if you're not going to sit still long enough to hear my voice.
would you listen to your friend's?
(which, by the way, is why it is so incredibly important to be closest friends with people who are on the same page as you are, and who are going to be encouraging you to be a better, more godly person! they will come in really handy!)

see..i have a feeling that something huge is about to happen.
i mean huge.
i can just sense it.
but i have just had this feeling that maybe God wants to do something big? but i am getting in his way. like...he needs me to be still long enough to hear His voice, so he can work!

i pray this over my boys all the time - God. please help my boys to hear your Holy Spirit's voice louder than any other voice that they are going to hear.

but today.
i am going to pray that same prayer for myself.
i want to clean out and de-clutter my mind long enough to give God the place He deserves.
first.
and so. i am unplugging from instagram and facebook until Easter.
it literally almost scares me to even see that in print.
how lame can you get?

i will continue to blog (which automatically comes up in my newsfeed)
but i will trust that if God wants me to get more business, it will come to me through my website.

i will stop using excuses to cover over God's loving voice that just wants me to grow and be more like Him.
i would love to get an inbox filled with emails so i feel like i can still connect with people -haha! (since that was one of my lame excuses to not cut facebook out...i do love to email teens from town, and other people as well!)

so here we go! i can't wait to see what God is going to do!
i am so thankful for a loving, patient God who deals with fast talkers and slow learners!

oh david...you're so fly

i love reading the psalms.
sometimes, when i am just feeling down or maybe needing something that refreshes and encourages me, i find myself flipping to the middle of my Bible.

david kept it real, yo.
i mean. for reals.

he's all like...Godddddd, people are so mean to me! i'm doing the right thing!
then he says - let destruction come upon them!
um. say what?! is that ok to say that, dave my man?
that's what i mean about keeping it real!
he does still say in psalm 35 (much to my convicted heart's chagrin) that when his enemy suffers, he hurts and prays for them. ouch.

and he totally talks to himself! phew...i'm not alone! ha!
psalm 42 he is like. why am i discouraged? why am i so sad? trust in God!
then he goes...i will put my hope in God. yes...that's what i'll do! i will trust God!
can't you just hear his voice crying out...WHYYYYY am i so stinking saddddd???!!!
i love how God give us real. live. people.
with emotions and feelings, just like us!

it is chock-a-bock full with reminders of God's love.
his mercy.
his compassion.
his rewards to people who honor Him.

just amazing.
i love a guy who can just be straight with us.

it's like a love letter straight to my heart from my Father.
saying.


dear rachelle,

i know that life is so hard. people are going to be hurtful. circumstances are going to be hard to go through. you may not have everything you want. but ya know what?
i am enough.
i will never stop loving you, and if you fix your heart on me? if you choose to hold on to me?
you will never. ever. regret it.
not ever.
possessions, relationships - even the good ones- feelings...all those things? they are temporary!
i want you to understand what your life will be like if you just trust me!!
it will be filled with joy, peace, incredible hope and contentment.
i take care of everything.
don't forget that my Word has given you life, and my faithfulness, mercy and love will hold you tight forever.

oh, and i think He would sign it.

love you.
xoxo

so if you need a to feel like you're not alone. check out my man david.
he is a pretty cool dude.
and the way he keeps it real makes you feel like maybe.
just maybe...if he can do it? you can do it!

the upside to being a pack rat

i tend to be a little bit of a...how do i say...saver-of-all-things.
ok ok. you can call it a pack rat.
well, pack rat actually means someone who collects useless things.
and the things i hold on to are not useless.
at least not to me.

here is my very good reasoning for doing this.

some days it's easy to get so caught up in the stresses of your everyday life that you can forget things that happened in the past.
things that, at the time, meant everything to you!

see...this might look like just a pile of junk to you...
but to me?
they remind me of so many things.
memories, and good times in my life.
kind of random sometimes, sure.
but still. things that make me laugh, make me smile, and sometimes make me well up a little.

a post card from one of my sunday school kids.
a reminder of a really bad day at school, and my friend brought a piece of pizza to my house to cheer me up.
a note from a girl in high school on a rough day.
a card from my grampy, who is now in heaven.
my first college id card.
coloring page from my sweet niece.
my wedding countdown.
and letters from friends telling me how much they love me.

that little dopey watch face? seems small right?
but it reminds me of the day i left for college.
leaving my little 11 and 12 year old brother and sister behind. we were all crying.
they saved up their money together and bought me a watch. i could cry right now remembering their sweet sacrifice.
letters from home from my uncle and family, college classes, and pictures of friends who i haven't seen in years.

it doesn't take up a lot of space.
and it makes for a fun snowy-day-activity.
i always want to be moving forward in my life.
but i still want to be able to look back and see the things that God has allowed in my life.
the people that have affected and inspired and loved me.
the silly, crazy, fun, meaningful memories.
the amazing life that God has blessed me with.

and just from the time that i have been digging through my container of *stuff*
it makes me all happy, and thankful, and smiley.

and that is the upside to being a pack rat.

dealing with disappointment: the sequel

so 7 months ago i wrote this post here about dealing with disappointment.

i opened up a little bit about where me and adam were when it came to wanting to buy a house.
and the disappointment we felt when God shut the door.

well. the sequal to the story is this.
God never stops writing your story. ever.
and he is always working behind the scenes even when we don't see it.
and he hadn't said no after all!
not that i am saying he always ends us giving us our way, but in this case...he truly blessed us and we are very overwhelmed.

we put an offer on this house we fell in love with on march 5th,  2012.
we closed on it march 7th, 2013!!
we ended up paying thousands of dollars less than we would have if we had signed last year.

to say we are excited is a pretty big understatement!

we have a decent amount of work to do before we move in and i can't wait to show a bunch of before and after pictures!
thank you so so much to everyone who has been with us all the way through this.
we honestly have the most amazing family and friends.
my phone has been buzzing all day long...makes me smile every time it does.

i just love when the second part of the story is better than the first :)

preemptive living

i don't think it's a secret that i am a huge fan of intentional parenting.
i am constantly seeing anything but parents who are intentionally doing anything!
everything is blamed on a stage, and it is just assumed that certain ages will bring certain actions.
and we figure there is nothing we can do about it.

i use the term "we" loosely, because i am not one of those "we"!

i just want to encourage some of my mom friends today.
you do not have to live your life with the mind set of just hanging on tight until....
you name it:

the terrible 2's are over
the talking back stage is over
the pre-teen bad attitude phase is done.
and on and on the stages go

if we live our lives that way, we are kind of in for a big let down, right?
i mean...what comes after the so-called terrible 2's?
the 3's! and then the 4's...and each new age comes with new challenges!

what if we were preemptive about things?
what if we decide that before our kids turn fill-in-the-blank, we have a plan?
i think that things would be a lot different.

i decided before my kids could even speak that whining was not going to be tolerated in our home!
i mean for my sanity alone that was how it was going to work!
i set the standard early, with consequences when they tried it, and we just trudged ahead.

because my boys are getting older, i know we are right on the edge of all kinds of potential issues when it comes to girls.

i have set aside a list of Bible verses that my boys are going to have memorized...ya know, like ammunition.
see - we know that they are going to face problems and situations in life. right?
we can't protect them forever.
do i want them to be unarmed?
of course not!

the things that i see going at the public school in my town are really just blowing me away.
but the thing is, i think that they can be prevented!
if i am teaching my 10-year-old right now to have self control over emotions...
if i am giving him the tools he needs to control himself...
when he is put in a difficult situation, he is already prepared!
he will know how to handle it!

will he always do the right thing?
of course not!
but he will be more likely to if he knows ahead of time what is coming.

we do that in every little area of our lives, don't we?
don't we check the weather before planning a trip?
don't we check our bank balance before going shopping?
don't we scurry around trying to wash our hands and get our flu shots before flu season?

we need to do the same with our kids.
arm them!
give them what they need before the situation even arises!

let's work together here moms!
give our kids what they need, and give them the confidence by expecting them to do right!

here are my favorite easily-memorizable verses for toddlers:

ephesians 6:1 - children obey (easy for even a 2-year-old!) you can add the your parents in the Lord for this is right when they are a little bit older.
ephesians 4:32 - be kind. (you can add one to another later)

for older kids:

james 1:19 everyone should be quick to listen slow to speak and slow to become angry

proverbs 12:16 a fool shows his annoyance at once but a prudent man overlooks an insult

for pre-teen boys (and girls!)

psalm 101:3 i will set no wicked thing before my eyes

psalm 19:14 let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight o Lord.

encourage them to find their own verses...verses that will help them with their own personal struggles. write them down. carry them in a 3x5 card in their pocket! save it on their phone.
whatever is going to help them the most!

and then remind them of philippians 4:13! i can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength!

if you really want to push yourself, memorize these verses with them!
tell them you are going to be praying for them, and really do it!
show them you have the confidence that if they strive to do things God's way, you have NO DOUBT that they will succeed!

we can do this together!
we can change this town.

let's try and become known for being the town with the respectable, self-controlled, motivated kids.
who's with me???

don't look up the hill when you run

i have run a lot of miles.
a lot.

there were mornings i would get up when it was still dark out, meet my dad at his house,
and prepare to run 20 miles.

it was daunting to even think about it sometimes, when i was still exhausted from running around all week with a 1 and a 3 year old!
ya.

because i live in a very hilly area, i learned something real quick.

whenever there was a hill coming up, i would just look down at the pavement and take it
one.step.at.a.time.

i didn't look up and see how ever-loving long it was.
i didn't look up and remind myself that i could never make it.

i just kept my eyes down. at my feet.
see, when i did that...it just looked like my feet were hitting the pavement.
which they were.
it was just the same.
it was a run.
period.
it didn't look any different going up, it was just my feet taking one step and then another.

because, honestly it would not have mattered if i had seen the size of the hill.
i was still gonna run it, because i had to finish my run.
i had to get home!

it is so exactly the same in our lives.

what does it matter to worry and look up and see how difficult the road ahead is going to be?
maybe it is true.
maybe it is super long.
maybe it is super hard.
maybe.

but maybe if i just look down at my feet...my every day life.
i can just take one step at a time.
and i can make it!
i know that God is ultimately in control, and He is not going to give me more than i can handle.

so forget that hill.
forget that huge problem that is coming up in front of you that makes you feel like you will never be able to make it.

just live your life today.
get through this step.
then worry about the next one.

just put one foot in front of the other.
and before you know it?
you're gonna be on top of the hill looking back at what you just accomplished.

you can do it!
run on.

happy birthday adam!

so tomorrow is adam's birthday.
i'm pretty sure he hates the idea of it.
mostly because it means he is now the "same age" as me.

most of you know our little love story that started in kindergarten.
but if you're a new follower you can read it here.

i am so incredibly blessed that God put us together.
in some ways we are so completely different.
like, for example, our speed.
if you know us at all. you know exactly what i mean.

he does everything in what seems like slow motion, in comparison to my
utterly crazy hyper super fast...ness.

but there are many things we are alike with.
we love watching sports.
we both enjoy shopping. honestly - he is my favorite to go shopping with!
we love antiquing.
we love teenagers, and anything to do with ministry...we both thrive on it.
and we love our family.

he is an incredible person, and i really don't think anyone has ever met him and not liked him.
he has a way of making anyone feel comfortable.
he truly cares about other people and their needs.
he puts the needs of me and the boys above his...all the time.
he is totally committed to God. i mean totally.
i can not tell you what that means to me.
i have seen my two little boys stay up late at night with a flash light JUST to make sure they get their Bible reading in.
he is a dreamer. and i love that about him.
he believes in me and encourages me to dream big too.

he is an incredible leader.
he makes me laugh. mostly when i am annoyed and don't feel like laughing :)
he can talk anyone down at a yard sale. haha!

he is amazing. and i know how lucky i am to have him.

happy birthday adam!
thank you for choosing me.
i love you. ♥ 

awk.ward.

i don't normally post pictures of myself... as if i'm a 12-year-old in front of the mirror, forever looking for just one more profile pic. ha!

but a few weeks ago, i was able to have my friend alicia of no eye has seen photography take some head shots of me for my website.
sweet.

it is so different being the one in front of the camera.
i am so used to giving directions and instructing people how to pose, how to move their head, how to put the weight on your back leg, and blah blah blah...that i didn't even know what to do!

but anyways...here are a few pictures of me that are now gracing my website.

and here are a couple of me doing what i L-O-V-E doing...speaking to women about the truths of God's Word.
i pray that i have more and more opportunities to do this!

*thank you alicia! you are an amazing photographer, and an amazing friend. xo

a deal-finding kinda day...

adam and i love antiquing together, and the boys really enjoy it too!
you just never know what you're going to find!

we left this morning and started hitting up our favorite shops.

i was looking for a few things for a 1940s style shoot i am planning for the end of the month.

riley had some birthday money and was looking for anything western or something to go with his rock collection.

adam was looking for just anything.

and aj was looking for a lava lamp. ha...which we ended up getting at target at the end of the day.

so. here are a few of our exciting finds!

i didn't add aj's find of a cool dollar bill holder to go with a foreign dollar bill he got from his nanna,
or adam's vintage measuring tape.

but the rest is our antique shop finds.
we had a great day together and just look at all the deals we got!