Not Quite There Link Up


Welcome back to the link up unlike any other...
Not Quite There Yet!

This link up is specifically for non-mommy and/ or unmarried bloggers.
(We still love all you married with kids folks!)
This will be a weekly link up rotating through different social media outlets for us to connect through. I hope that this link up will facilitate the making of many new friendships and partnerships. We are all in the same boat, let's get to know each other and support each other through life's twists and turns.

Alright, let's kick this thing off!
We will be linking up our Twitter accounts this week.

You know the drill...
1. Follow your host. That's me! :D

2. Follow ALL of your co-hosts. please and thank you!

Tarole from One Haole Girl
Rachael from held by His hand
&
Danette from All My Love For All My Days


3. Link up your Twitter account.
Next week we will be linking up our Instagram accounts!

4. Find some other great bloggers and follow along.
And be sure to tag us in a tweet so we can all follow you back!

5. Button up and spread the word!
Share this post on Twitter & Facebook!

Photobucket

If you are interested in co-hosting email me at 
dalayna {dot} dillon {at} gmail {dot} com.











4

Donate Your Organs...Save Lives

I recently had a friend pass away who was an organ recipient of a liver.  She was able to live for five more months because of this donation.

We got one more Christmas with her.
One more movie.
One more laugh.
One more hug.
One more chance to be with her...

...and it was worth it all.

If you're looking for more information on organ donation go to www.organdonor.gov.

If you're not an organ donor please consider becoming one and watch this video.


4

Making Circles


I have a confession to make.  

No, it's not that I'm a shoe-a-holic (although I am) and it's not that I love the smell of gun powder.  (Don't judge.)  It's not even that I believe in Big Foot and in the possibility of aliens.  (It is possible.)

I'm terrible at navigation.

If you ever spot a little red Ford Fusion stopped on the side of the road with a woman looking at her phone trying to recalculate her position, there's a good chance that's me.  I'm just terrible at directions.  Turning
around two, three, even four times because I've missed a turn is not uncommon for me.  

But there are few things that drive me crazier than when I'm lost on a highway and can't find the exit I'm supposed to take.  Even worse, when I'm lost on a turn-a-bout with other vehicles headed straight for me.  I don't know where I'm going.  Am I supposed to yield or are they?  Why did that car just pass me on my right?  What's going on?

Maybe you've been there to--frantically looking for your turn and second guessing which one you're supposed to take.  You find yourself circling again and again.  Is this the one?  No that one.  No, no, no.  It's this one.

I've found that life can be very similar to that monotonous circling looking for the correct turn, but never finding it.  So round and round you continue to go.  Moving is better than standing still, at least that's what they say.  But the point is that you're moving just to stay alive but never leaving the dizzying circle.  

For a while, making those circles can be entertaining...fun even.  But eventually the merry-go-round of life looses it's flavor and all you want to do is get off of the ride.

But how?  Which turn is the correct turn?  And how did we get on this never ending turn-about anyway.

First, we can't be paralyzed by fear.

Fear might be the most effective of all robbers in the world.  Fear will absolutely de-habilitate us leaving us paralyzed inside our own mind.  The Bible says that "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind."  John wrote that God's perfect love for us cast other all fear.

Because of His love we don't have to be afraid of that car headed straight for us.  That's just an illusion.  That car that we think we'll strike head on is enter the turn-a-bout too.  We're safe if we'll follow the directions.

Second, we have to keep an open mind and avoid a critical attitude.

I have found myself becoming so critical of other people.  It's wrong and I know it and it keeps me from moving on to my destiny.  I judge people for having, what I consider, double standards.  And I am enraged with those double standard.

I get so angry and I don't know how to deal with that anger.

But...it's none of my business.  They're the ones who'll answer for their actions.  Not me.  I'll have to give an account for my actions.  I'll have to answer for why I let that judgmental, critical attitude grow into anger and even hate.  I'll be judged because I didn't act in love.  

The Bible is very clear on this.  It says, "Judge not or you too will be judged" (Matthew 7:1).  Jesus said that people would know we were His disciples by our love for one another.  If you're judgin' we're not lovin'. 

Kill that critical spirit and learn to act in love.

Third, remember that we've got to let go of the past.

The enemy's greatest trick is the lie of condemnation.  Over and over again we rehash what we did wrong and how we could have changed it, but we fail to realize that the past can't be changed.  We must work hard to forgive ourselves and move on.

In Romans 8:1, Paul writes, "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because through Christ Jesus (and His redeeming work on the cross) I've been set free from the law of sin and death."



So let's break this down again.  How are we going to avoid the stagnant, unmoving circles that can come our way and keep us from moving towards or our God-given purpose?

Here's a "cheat sheet" to help you out.

click to download




9

Link Love

+  Have you ever wondered what celebrity bride you are most like?  Take the quiz.

+  I'm in love with these paper designs from Griottes!  They make me want to live in a fairy tale.

+  This reminds me of my one of my new favorite Psalms...Psalm 39.

+  When I saw this Valentine's table runner on It's Overflowing it was instant love.  Valentine's may be over, but this design can easily be used year round.

+  This magazine is so encouraging, enriching, and beautiful.  Check out Life:Beautiful.

+  Blogging has done several things in my life.  For one, it's opened my eyes to an entire world of people and information I never knew existed.  Interior design has always been an interest of mine.  That's why when I found House of Turquoise I knew it was love.  Did you see this house?  Love it.

Did you find any posts or articles that you enjoyed?  Maybe you wrote a post that you're especially proud of.  Leave them in the comments.  I'd love to read them.

Have a wonderful weekend!
5

Warm You Up Potato Soup



There are few things better than soup on cold days.  And potato soup is always a standard, but sometimes it might seem slightly unimaginative.  That can only mean one thing.  It's time to warm it up with a few unexpected additions.

Here ya go...


3 large potatoes
1 medium onion
3 cloves of garlic
2 stalks of celery
1 cup plus 2/3 cup of milk
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup sour cream
salt & pepper 


   Here's the process for you...

After you've skinned, washed, and chopped the potatoes, bring them to a bowl.  In the meantime, get busy cutting the celery, onions, and garlic.  Sautee the veggies in a little olive oil.  When the potatoes are soft, take them off the heat and strain the water off of them.  Mash the potatoes and add the veggies.

After those have melted together, add 1 cup of milk and bay leaves.  Let that come to a simmer, but be careful for the soup to NOT boil.  Whisk sour cream and the remainder of the milk.

After adding the sour cream mixture it's ready to be served.  Top off with you own additions or enjoy this sweet soup plain.  It's good both ways.  I added peppered bacon and sharp cheddar cheese.


8

February Must List


I'm slightly addicted to Kate Spade right now and I hear electric blue and sea foam green is all the rage.  Red lipstick will always be popular.

I've surrounded myself with all things Paris in preparation for my September trip.

There's one last piece of furniture that I would like for my bedroom.  I'm currently getting rid of the television.  Because my room is also my home office I need it to be free of distractions and full of multi-functioning pieces hence this chest of drawers.

Follow the links below to find more these items.

1/2/3/4/5

12

GFC Blog Hop



It's Tuesday again which means it's time for the GFC Blog Hop!

When I want to follow a blog the first thing I look for is GFC (Google Friend Connect), it's so easy and  nice to be able to go and see all of the blogs you follow in one spot. It's really a great tool to have. 

One side note- Did you know you can follow through GFC using your Twitter Account? TRUE, it's definitely an option!

Ok, so let's get to the party, shall we?

RULES are simple:

1. Follow your host via GFC
The First link below

2. Follow your co-hosts via GFC
The Next 8 links below

3. Link up below using your main blog url not a specific post.

4. Make sure to visit some of the blogs in the link up and follow them via GFC 
and if you want to leave them a comment, I'm sure they'd appreciate that as well.

5. Tweet about this blog hop

6. Share about this blog hop by grabbing a button and putting it on your sidebar!



*After 6 months of the waiting list to cohost being extra long, I finally have paid cohost spots available! Email me if you're interested at melissa@thelifeofanotsoordinarywife.com

Post Sponsor Ad:



12

Guest Post from Melissa of The Life of a Not So Ordinary Wife

All My Love for All My Days Readers,  

I wanted to share with you a guest post from Melissa of The Life of a Not So Ordinary Wife.  I know that have grown significantly from the GFC Blog Hop.  I assume that many of us have.  I'm very appreciative of the support that she has given me.  

Melissa recently launched a new business that I think you could benefit from.  She just started the Life of a Not So Ordinary Wife Designs!

You're really going to enjoy looking over her designs.  She is very reasonably priced and you might just find that Melissa is the perfect designer for you.  Plus, there's a promo code for you to use!  Read all the way to the end.

Thank you readers,

Danette



Hello Everyone! I am Melissa from The Life of a Not So Ordinary Wife and I am so exited to be guest posting today.

I have had some really exciting things happening lately and I can't wait to share it with the world, well at least the blogging world!

I have over 10 years experience with graphic and web design and do it for a living, so when I started designing some blog layouts for myself and some friends it came really natural for me and was actually super fun! I have been doing some designs under the radar for the past year and thought maybe it was time I made a small business out of it! What's that? A Business that I LOVE? SIGN ME UP!

So... I am happy to introduce to you...



Not So Ordinary Designs is a place where YOU and I can come together as a team and create something FABULOUS!! 


I will work with you to design an amazing fully custom layout, 
social media backgrounds, shop banners and so much more!

Click here to check out my portfolio, packages and prices.

A SPECIAL GIFT FOR YOU!
Use the promocode 25OFF to get 25% off any package.
5

Major Cute

I have to share this insanely adorable video with you.  The ladies of Small Fry have out done themselves yet again.

I hope you enjoy.


1

Beautiful Things...a look at the couture world



After viewing the pictures of the arrivals at the Grammys one word comes to mind.  Disappointment.  With the exception of Carrie Underwood and Rihanna, the artists, in my opinion, looked kinda, well...trashy.

But we need not fear.  We still have one more big show left in the season.  I was so inspired by the video on the making of couture gowns, I knew it had to be shared.


What strikes me most about this video is the care that is put into making one single gown.  These artisans take special care to design the fabric and dresses for one person to where down the runway or red carpet.

I believe this is an image of God's love for us.  He cares so greatly for each of us.  He's molded and made us into His grand design. Somehow, out of the scraps of life God creates a couture, special design, gown that fits only you.  Someone else might try to put the dress on, but it will never fit them just right.  It wasn't made for them.  It was made for you.

Hope you enjoyed the video.  And remember where your gown with pride.  It's so beautiful.
1

Moroccan Warmth

I've been really inspired by the colors of Moroccan design, so inspired that I've started collecting images.

Morocco is a country on the west side of the African continent. It shares shores with both the Atlantic and Mediterran Ocean.  It's location created a melting pot blending Arab, French, Middle Eastern and Spanish cultures.  This style lends itself to warm, bright colors and absolutely beautiful designs.

Below are a few pictures.  I've had a few problems sourcing some of the photos, but they are beautiful.









+  A great wall covering is a great place to start and how could you make a more powerful statement than to gold leaf a wall.  The gold will reflect light and make the room look big, but also keep the colors warm.  It's a great choice.  Bonus?  It can double as artwork.

+  Find an awesome couch and floor coverings with jewel tones.  Mix up the shapes and patterns.  We don't want your room to look matchy-matchy, but we must have all the pieces working together.

+  The more pillows the better especially when they carry over the jewel tones.  And feathers.  Love feathers.  In someways the feather element has gone the way of all fads, but they add so much to this style.  If you can find them, get them.

+  Lighting is key.  Focus on lighting fixtures that represent a middle eastern look.  Remember this style is the merging of African, Spanish, and Middle Eastern cultures.

5

the Road to Your Dreams

Memories are a powerful thing.  They have the power to enable us to do explotes freeing us from every limitation we've ever felt.  But memories also have to the power to cripple us leaving us broken in the shadows of our past.  The past sneaks around in the secluded crevasses of life haunting our every move.

Maybe it haunts you too.  The idle words spoken to injure.

"Oh honey, that's not your gifts."

"That's the most ridiculous idea I've ever heard."

"Well, that may be a good idea, but it will never work.  Where are you going to get the money from?"

"You are so stupid."

You are  ___________________.  Fill in the blank.  We've all heard it before.

But it's vital that you remember, if the vision...if the dream...you carry in your heart is from God they can say whatever they want to about you and your dream.  God's the master of your vision and He's orchestrating its completion.

There are three principles that we find in Moses's life that can really teach us about staying true to our God-given dreams.  The story of Moses is found in Exodus, but most of these points are outlined from Exodus 5 and 6.  If you a chance read those chapters.  But first, let me point these out for you.

1.  When God gives a dream or a vision or a purposes there will be opposition.

It seemed that there is nothing Moses could do that would make the Israelites happy.  When they were in slavery they complained because they were slaves.  When Moses obeyed God, went to Pharaoh, and demanded their freedom, they complained because of the retaliation from Pharaoh.  When they were freed, miraculously,  they complained when they looked behind them to see that the Egyptian army coming after them.   It's almost as if they forgot every work that God had just done to make a way for their escape.

When God parted the Red Sea and they walked across of dry ground, when God caused the Sea to come crashing back down on the Egyptians...when God performed a miracle of deliverance they complained to Moses.

Moses carried the weight of their murmurs very intensely.  The deliverance of the Hebrews was, after all, the dream that God had called Moses to see completed.  No doubt he became discouraged and mad and even violent at one or two times.  It seemed, regardless of how many times Moses told the Israelites that God had freedom for them, they wanted the
knowledge of their slavery more than that unknown of freedom.  So their discouragement bred discouragement and their bondage led to more bondage.

Despite the Hebrews' decision to remain in their slave mentality, Moses still remembered the dream of the Promise Land, and even if the Hebrews were unsure of the need for freedom Moses continued to lead them to their land of promise.  He remained dependent of God in the face of the opposition.  Which brings us to the second point.

2.  When God gives a dream or a vision or a purpose your dependence on Christ and the Holy Spirit must increase.

When it comes to us contending for the dream that God has given us, we must, must, must stay dependent on God.  Whether the force of opposition is natural or supernatural really doesn't matter.  We must sell out and believe that God has given us this dream and He will see it through to the end.

More often than not we expect instant results, but that's not how things work in God's Kingdom.  God intrusts us with a vision.  We are responsible for our obedience to His vision.  He is responsible for the results.  That's a difficult concept to grasp because of our culture, but it's true.

Moses was responsible to go to Pharaoh, say what he was commanded to say, and trust God to move supernaturally for the deliverance of the His people.  Moses was responsible to be the leader--to give the people a direction--to point them to their God.  God was responsible for the rest.

When faced with the Red Sea, Moses was responsible to hold up his staff.  God was responsible to part the water making that dry path they could cross.

When only the supernatural will do your dependence the Supernatural One must be greater.  In our cultural battle, we forget that we serve an all-knowing, all-loving, all-powerful God.  We are none of those things.  When we're standing at the Red Seas in our life it's unlikely that our money or our knowledge or our name dropping or our science will solve any of our problems.  Only God can and that's His responsibility.  We do what we've been asked to do and we are dependent of God to do the rest.

3.  When God gives a dream or a vision or a purpose He will complete it.

We forget that Moses never actually got to lead the Hebrews into the Promise Land.  He messed that up when he got angry and disobeyed a direct order from God.  However, Moses did get to see the Promise Land.  It was the land of his destiny.



At the end of life, I can imagine the thoughts that possibly could have swept over Moses's hopeful mind that maybe--just maybe--he might get to step into this land of promise.  But Moses also knew of God's person.  He knew His sovereignty.  The timing for entry into the Promise Land really stank for Moses, but even though he never entered the Promise Land, God held Himself accountable to His Word and brought them victoriously, miraculously, into the Land of Promise.


Here's the truth.  When working to complete God's plan in your life you will face opposition, you must remain dependent of God, and He will finish His work.  The Bible says in Philippians 1:6 that God will complete the good plan He started in You.  And we know according to 2 Peter 3:9 that God is not slack concerning His promises especially the ones enabling us to reach our ultimate destiny.  Psalm 37:23 says that He orders the steps of the upright in His Word.  We know that God hears the effectual, fervent prayers of His people because in James 5:6 His Word tells us so.

God is working out His plan in your life.  You will face opposition, but stay dependent of Him and believe in His sovereign timing.

Linking Up With
Women Living Well
5

Interesting...

pictures to animation


+  Did you see this Before & After feature on Traditional Home's site?  It's so pretty.  I want to live in a house like this someday.

+  These linen napkins from SMITH Handmade are fresh and contemporary.  I'll take two.

+  I stumbled upon this vimeo video from Jordan Bruner.  Love the design and the song is great too. Good job, Jordan.

+  If you're in the blogosphere then it is unlikely that you missed all of the tweets and talk about the ALT Summit that happened last week in Salt Lake City.  I learned so much just from tweets and blog posts I've decided that I've got to find a way to attend.

In preparation for the Summit, A Pair of Pears made these promotional cards.  The take your normal business card to the next level.

I'm a big fan of A Pair of Pears.  Check out their blog and design work on Etsy.  I think you're going to like them too.

+  A what?  A pianobell.  Yes, I was just as confused.

+  These paper cutouts are magical.  Absolutely magical.

0

Happy {February} + Free Download

It's February!  The month of love.  Here's you February desktop calendar created for your enjoyment and usefulness.  Just download the size that fits your screen best.

Enjoy and live love.


2560X1440          1600X1000          1024X640




Linking Up With
7

Search This Blog

Powered by Blogger.

Labels