I'm so fancy

Yesterday it was a Monday. So much so that I woke up this AM and went I never finished my weekend Re-Cap. Oops.

This weekend we decided to be anti-social. Sometimes we really just need a weekend with just the two of us. To reconnect and enjoy each other without interruptions from the rest of the World. So we told the friends and fam sorry catch you next week!

Saturday we decided we both needed new church clothes. I LOVE dress shopping. I rarely get to dress girly. I work in the automotive field with 20 guys so it is usually jeans and a cute shirt or yoga pants and tank tops or t shirts. Then on the weekends I am in riding attire.

Seriously, this is typical attire.

We went to his manly store first. I will not name names because it was a horrible experience. We told the consultant we needed nice but casual. CASUAL. The man comes out with sports jackets and blazers and ties. Nope. He finally brought out  some nice choices that fit our needs and Chris looked pretty snazzy. He never told us prices though. He just kept saying they are all buy one get one. This is my fault I probably should have demanded he be more upfront but I thought " BOGO... It can't be that bad."

Wrong. Four pants and four shirts later we are at $700.00. That is after the BOGO. Keep in mind, we are not buying tuxedos or even suits. This is khakis and polos and button ups. WTH? Then the guy gives us all the wrong sizes to take home. Needless, to say Chris didn't get church clothes from there.

My shopping experience was much better. Marshall's 4 dresses... $75.00. That is how it's done folks! I would post pictures but I think you guys will have to wait for some OOTD posts.

After that we went to hit the antique stores. If you know us you know my husband is a hardcore nerd/history buff. If it happened before 1930 he can tell you all about it. He has also always dreamed of a library full of old books. One of the antique stores we went into he zigged left and I zagged right. Right into his version of heaven.  There were floor to ceiling shelves with the oldest books I have EVER seen.


I quickly grabbed Chris and sat back and smiled as he poured over all the books. He is so cute in his element.

Bottom Left: 1695! It was gorgeous. 

I admit I was amazed by some of them. Some of them were dated 1695... 1770 (complete with a Preface letter to the KING!) and 1640. Some of them were medical books from the 1800's. There were first editions from pretty much everyone including Twain and a few others. They all had prices like $375...$700...$5000. Yes, for the amount I could buy a new horse my hubby can buy a book. But I admit,  I felt fancy in that old book collection. I just needed brandy and pearls. Maybe I will let him convert the basement into his dream library and when I want to feel fancy I will grab brandy and pearls and retire to a fainting sofa to read.

The reason my name could NEVER be Grace....

Remember when you were little and you played house or barbies and you ALWAYS chose a name other than your actual name? 

Am I the only one who did that? I always wanted to be a Stacey or Lilly, but my favorite name was Grace. Why did mom name me Mallory and not Grace? All the Grace's I new were adorable, dressed well and had the best toys. And they got away with more because their sweet name played tricks on people. 

Okay so I only knew one Grace, but the brat was living large. I mean I was spoiled rotten, but she was spoiled and petted on by all the teachers. 

I found out last weekend why my name could never be Grace. 

Ugh..  this is embarrassing but here goes... I broke my toe. Here is where I should make up a story... I fell was thrown off a wild stallion, my foot was ran over by a car while I saved a fellow pedestrian, I was in a bar fight in stilettos. Nope. 

The truth is, I broke my toe at a church retreat. I was sitting down when it happened. We were sitting at tables and some of our backs were to the speakers so we had to turn our chairs so we were not rude. The speaker at the time was the Priest. Okay, best behavior time. I listened attentively and when it was time for group discussion I kind of picked up my chair but kept my butt in it. I then proceeded to put the chair on the toe and plop down oh so gracefully. Then, because the Priest was behind me and I could not shout profanities I did this number....

I am pretty sure my face really caught fire. As soon as I could I ran to the restroom to check my wounds. I was gushing blood and was the first person to use the new meeting facilities first aid kit. I am a legend, I tell you. I spent the rest of the weekend limping every where we had to go. It was really cute and graceful.

 My husband tried to look concerned when I got home but he then he busted out laughing. It's okay, I milked it and he cleaned Casper's stall for a week. Laugh away Chris, Laugh away. 

So that is why my mom was right in not naming me Grace, but instead opting for Mallory, which in some baby books means "unlucky". Come to think of it, the next Grace I knew was a terror so she can keep her lovely name. It doesn't work for me anyways. 

 

Lesson in Love

Hello lovelies. Here lately I have been trying to be more centered. Centered in life, love and spirituality. I feel more connected to myself, my husband, my riding and God and it is amazing. Part of this centering is eating healthy, yoga and my daily devotional.

Today's I opened my app and this is what I read:

 "My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God , namely, Christ.
- Colossians 2:2

The app went on to talk about seeking community and love, but my mind wandered to my marriage and how united we have been lately. You may remember how I have talked about the fact that our marriage isn't all peaches and cream , but lately I have been really trying and I think we are the strongest we have ever been. It all falls back to seeking love and being life giving.

Life giving? What is that? Read on...

My husband's church required us to go to pre-marriage counseling and the main thing I took away from it is to be life-giving daily. What does it mean to be life-giving? It means doing the small, self-sacrificing things for one another and not only doing those things but at the end of the day thanking one another for doing those things. God sacrificed for us and showed us the ultimate love and by sacrificing, even a little, we show a glimmer of that love.

Some examples...
-When I stop on the way to work and get him a limeade from Sonic just because I know he loves them and it will make his day.

-When he does the dishes so I can get in 5 more minutes of blogging.

-When I send him an encouraging text through a rough day.

-When he cleans my horse's stall so I can soak in the tub.

All of those are life-giving moments. It breathes life into the relationship. It gives the other person a boost in life. It shows love. We thank one another for these moments because we know they are not necessary. I encourage you to do something life-giving for someone you care for. And remember, if someone does something life-giving for you, thank them for showing you love.

I stumbled across this link up at Running in Stilettos and thought it was adorable. So I am giving it a go! 

... loves horses, like a little girl loves ponies. My horses are my passion.  

... treats her dogs like  her children. Proof.

... dances to bluegrass in the kitchen while cooking when I am alone. 

... is trying to get addicted to healthy eating and working out. Wish me luck. 

... can't say "no" to a glass of sweet tea. 

... says "Bless your heart", "ya'll" "my oh my" and "well, I'll be..." way to much

... wears yoga pants 90% of the time. 

... loves to cook. I put everything I got into every meal. It's my outlet. 

... loves cars. Old cars. Fast cars. I just love them. 

... loves lace. I have to have lace curtains in my home somewhere at all times. And I love lace clothes and scarves and... you get it. 

... does a happy dance when the first daffodil sprouts. 

... counts down the days until spring. Actually, my friend Rachel keeps up the countdown for me. My southern blood cannot handle temperatures below 70 degrees. 

... dances and plays in summer rain. 

... feels at home in my little white, one room church 

... would rather snuggle with her family and watch movies and talk over pie, then be out with friends. 

"C" is for Church

photo credit

"C" was a hard one for me. I had a few ideas. Chaos seemed to fit, but I can't even pinpoint where the chaos starts. Then I realized the only way I break through all the chaos is my little church and my strong faith. So "C" is for church.

I love my little church. The safety and love that it brings into my life. The family I have there, both through faith and through blood. The blessing that have been recieved there. I love it. It's a little one room church on a country road. It looks preety basic, but once inside you realize that the love and spirit flowing through the place is undeniable and beautiful.

I am not preachy in my religion. In fact, I am quite the opposite because I don't feel like a am a perfect Christian. I have a bit of a potty mouth, I lived with my husband before we were married, ect. However, when the going gets tough I tend to stay calm and collected. I have learned to turn my worries over to God and trust that he will guide me. I am thankful for my realtionship with Him  and the fact that i truly know Him

The past two weeks have been difficult. I have prayed more the past two weeks then I have in a long time. My car was trashed and impounded because of a relative. I prayed for the power to fix it, move on and forgive him. I am still working on the forgiving part. Three relatives were in the hospital, one of the passed away. I prayed for healing and closure. My ex-boss, who I actually really admired, passed away. I prayed for his family. My husband's family friend died in a fire. I prayed for her family. When My husband got stressed out and snapped at me, I prayed for his peace and strength for our marriage.

Then, I got to thinking. I haven't been going like I should. I haven't lived perfectly, but God still loves me. He still allows me to see the miracles, the souls saved, the baptisms. He still gives me the strength, love and security I need. That to me is truly amazing.

"C" is for church. I am blessed.

Weekend blessings.

Autumn (the baby cousin) and me at the baptizing. 

This weekend, my church held Revival. I had to miss most of the week because of work, but I did get to go to the baptism on Sunday. 

I love to go to baptisms. There is something so intimate and so beautiful. There is no better feeling in the world than to be there with the church family, celebrating. 

It was a beautiful day and I got to see my little cousins, who I have missed here lately. It was Ms. Autumn's  first Revival that she kind of knew what was going on and she kept saying, " I want to swim!" So cute. She makes it hard to not want a baby TODAY!