Thankful Thursday #2

Holy Moses it is already the middle of January, who told 2014 it could go by so quickly??

Well, despite 2014s quick start I am so happy to see so many of you sticking to your goals and resolutions. I know I didn't last long on a few but have really stuck to a couple pretty good. 

But really the biggest thing for me this year is to continue to teach myself to be thankful. 

I hope you join me in this project, a couple of you have and I LOVE seeing the different daily blessings from each of you :) 

Now that this is the first week where others have joined in the project I thought we could start doing some round ups. So first this is what I've been learning from the Thankful Project this week: 

1. Being productive is inspiring. Cheesy yes. But man getting up and doing things like cleaning the house, getting dinner ready really makes the whole day seem worth it some times. Thankful for the ability to have time to do this.

2. I worked in my studio/shop a lot this week. Not only did I FINALLY get it organized but I realized that I've been so blessed with each tool in there. I've worked really hard to purchase a few but most of them are hand-me-downs and that is HUGE. So thankful for those tools. 

3. Again, working in the studio/shop I was thinking about how God blesses us with the small things so we can appreciate what He hands us later. Working on a refurb project was so frustrating not having the tool I wanted. But I realized the tool I was using, and my little studio space is just the first small step in God trusting me. Thankful for His goodness! 

Here are a few posts from some of you fabulous peeps joining me in this journey!

4. Alecia has a goal to visit each and every state park in South Carolina. (talk about a rad goal right?!) She has shared loads of pictures from her visits and they are all stunning!
5. Stephanie was super appreciative of the small things (like rain) that may be annoying but when you really stop are so important to our life.
6. Sara joined us and shared the perfect quote for this project:

"You can rewire your brain to be happy by simply recalling 3 things

you're grateful for every day for 21 days" 

I love that she shared this because that is EXACTLY what I am hoping to do. I want to rewire my way of thinking to be a constant feed of nothing but thankful thoughts :) 

Now join me this week by linking up to the Instagram Hop below! This way you can follow and get inspired by some of the other peeps involved with the Thankful Project. Instagram is a great tool to use in building inspiration and friendships and I hope you all decide to get to know each other while "rewiring" your brain to be a little more thankful these days :)

PS> don't forget to use #KTAthankful so we can see what you are up to! 

Instagram Thankful Project

Its been awhile since I talked about the thankful project. And with all you new friends I figured I would do an update and let y'all know what is up with my daily #KTAthankful.

Back at the beginning of the year I challenged myself to find the importance in the little things.
I wanted to be thankful for all of the blessings in my life, specifically the ones that are forgotten on a daily basis. So what I did was decide to create a "Thankful Project", every day I would do a count down along with 1 thing I was thankful for.

I'm pretty sure sure my count is off but that isn't the important thing. It has been harder than I ever thought to remind myself to be thankful for something everyday. But voicing those little blessing has made my attitude so much better! I've found the beauty in things like my driveway, hot showers, and yes even the hard times of waiting. Being reminded that everything has a purpose and is part of a plan that He has for me is what I hope to make a daily impact on.

Heres the deal, I challenged my friends to do this with me, and we got a little bit but not a ton of interaction. I know its hard to post something everyday, but I know the majority of you check Instagram or Facebook AT-LEAST once a day. So I challenge each of you to find the things that you are thankful for. Don't wait until you get a new car or something pretty and shiny, those things are great but the point of this project is to find it in the EVERYDAY. So for the rest of the day or tomorrow be paying attention to your surroundings and remind yourself that you are surrounded with blessings. Pick one and share it with me! 

Just use the hashtag #KTAthankful and I will be checking it and will share a few each Friday! I keep track of the days that I have been thankful but you don't have to if you don't want :)

Here are some examples of my Thankful posts for those of you that don't follow along on Instagram :)

I hope a few of you, if not all of you, will join me in this project. It is amazing how once you notice your surroundings how much you learn about your life and how blessed you are.

Come find me on Instagram and join in the Thankful Project by using #KTAthankful  :)

Blessing poured out!

This isn't the post I had scheduled for today (yes I'm trying to be a good blogger and write posts a head of time ) but I felt like this needed to be addressed sooner than later :) 

So yesterday was a hard day. I don't know what it is other than lack of a schedule but I get really frustrated some days with feeling worthless and very unproductive. It doesn't matter how many projects I have going on it still creeps up on me. It hits me hardest when I am trying with all my might to figure out what I am doing here. This move has been awesome, I have more time for projects than ever, but that time is eating me up! I don't like not bringing in money for our family, Reed can more than support us but I feel guilty with every trip to Lowes. 

So yesterday was hard. It hit me like a 2x4. I looked for jobs, and looked for jobs, and researched how to better my blog and Etsy shop. Then I cried because it all seemed so far away. Reed came in for lunch which made it worse. I was just really struggling with being patient. 

I posted this as my thankful-gram yesterday knowing that the time I have been blessed with should be taken as a BLESSING. When else am I ever going to have this much time to myself to do MY projects?! Then I made myself be productive and had my music blaring. 

At first I listened to Arms Open Wide by Hillsong for like an hour. This line is really what I wanted to sing over and over. 

"Take my moments and my days Let each breath that I take Be ever only for you oh God" 
-Hillsong United 

I needed that reminder that my moments and my days should always be praising to Him. And that includes the unproductive and hard ones. 
Then I stumbled upon Yet Rejoice by Rachel Kelly. First it's beautiful. She has an amazing voice so its just a fun song to sing really loud while working on a project :) But mostly everything she said is exactly what I needed. I'm not gonna try to explain so here is the entire song, I couldn't find a link for you to listen sorry. Yes you should thank Nova (one of my most faithful readers and friends) because she found a link for me to share this amazing song with you!! Click HERE to listen 

Praise the Lord, O my soul!

Do not faint within me

Do not grow cold

Praise the Lord, O my soul!

Forget not all He's done

Nor what He's told

Yet rejoice, rejoice, rejoice

Remember His goodness

Yet rejoice, rejoice, rejoice

Stand firm on His goodness

And the hope that you lost

Is restored by His promise 

When your joy breathes its last He gives

Live in abundance

And the tears that fell fast

Are soaked up by His kindness

When your courage hangs worn, He grants 

Strength in abundance

Just beautiful. Needless to say  my day got better after that. I became productive, my heart wasn't so worn. And I kid you not just moments after the 5th time i sang through this song I got 2 Etsy orders :) God is the best provider!!

And then as I was sitting here writing the post that was meant to be for today I heard the tractor pull up. I didn't think anything of it because, well its become normal now :) But I realized it was going REALLY slow so I looked out the window and what did I see?? 

A STUDIO!! 

I literally jumped for joy, ran out side and video taped the entire process :) 

It may not look good now but I love it and I can't believe that I have been given a 12x12 space to call my own!

So what I wanted to share was this. God is good. He wants to bless His children and He will bless you when you give Him your life. Your ENTIRE life, that means frustrations with money, and trusting Him with time. I can't explain any other way how a day full of tears and heart ache ended with shouts of joy and praise!

Literally PRAISE THE LORD :)

Soul Settling

We have officially been York, SC residence for 3 weeks and 4 days. I've finished the kitchen {mostly, I still plan on painting the floor, getting a spice rack, and possibly refacing the cabinets. But those are all projects for down the road.} finished the living room {except covering our big chair} and bathroom. I've still got a LOT to do for the studio/guest room and mostly just cosmetic fun stuff in the bedroom. I promised Reed that I would try and mash our two styles better this time, at the tiny house I basically just hung my art and all my funky colors easily took over the house. Having the attic is helping a lot, because I don't feel like all of my stuff has to be up on a wall. We have the space to store it for later, ya know like this winter when I decide to redecorate :) 

Sunflower field on the Ranch 

So I realized that I've shared the house and how the make overs are happening but I haven't shared much about life in general. If you follow me on Instagram then you see pictures of the Farm/Ranch pretty often. It is stunning and I absolutely LOVE living some place that has such spectacular views. But unless you are one of my closest friends you probably haven't heard much else.

I realized on Wednesday that I've pretended to be settled in the house. I've had fun decorating, painting, and crafting like always but I haven't totally settled. This hit me when I forced myself to do a load of laundry (that wasn't sheets or towels) and unpack my clothes. Yep it had been 3 weeks and I was STILL not unpacked. I don't know what I have been doing. But I know I wasn't really settled.

I thought it may do me good to share why I feel that I haven't totally settled in my soul. 

Old Town, Rock Hill 

I think most of it has to do with what my future looks like. I'm a planner and I love planning. I like knowing what is coming next and that I'm gonna be busy for the next however long. But moving here I dropped all of that. I didn't have a plan, I don't have things I HAVE to do. I've learned that if I don't have set projects or goals for the day that I literally do nothing. Even when dishes are stacking up in the sink and I could easily wash every dish in the house 700 times in the day because thats how bored I am, I still do nothing. I'm not good at taking care of the house. Usually I have a clean house, and I cook dinner, and take showers, and do productive things. But I've found that if I don't have a reason  like a project, or class, or work to get up and do, that I don't DO anything. Right now I look around the house and I've pulled the back cushions off the sofa, dishes are all over the kitchen, all the floors need a good sweeping, and some how Reed and I have 10 dirty towels that haven't gotten washed all hanging on the bathroom door. I have lots to do but I can't force myself to do them. I need to but I don't.

After talking to a friend about this we decided that laziness strikes like a sly and sneaky snake. It sneaks up, I know I'm not doing anything and yeah thats lazy but I think laziness really becomes an issue when you KNOW and acknowledge you are just being lazy and STILL refuse to get up. I'm struggling, like seriously. The things I want to get up and do require money, and after the move we just don't have it in our budget for me to go out and buy all new curtains, or even fabric to make any! Its hard not having my creative juices flowing everyday just for a few hours. I watch HGTV and get so annoyed that I can't have that, not always the house but that job! I want to be able to redecorate, repurpose, and  be creative every day with some one else's stuff and money!

This has been the first time that my thankful instagram posts have been pretty forced. I'm glad I'm keeping it going but man I don't feel thankful like I should. We have been so blessed by this job. How many college graduates get there dream job that they could keep as a life long career 2 weeks after graduation? Not many, but Reed did. I'm so thankful, he has worked so hard to get to where he is and he loves it. He has worked odd jobs that he has enjoyed and some that he hasn't enjoyed. So having a job that is hard, challenging, and different everyday is everything he could have asked for. Then on top of the amazing job he has made friends with his boss, they eat lunch together almost everyday and have a cold beer together at the end of each day. I'm so glad that he has found a mentor and friend, its so unbelievable to know that we are taken care of and that the people WANT Reed here and will help us make that happen. 

 {I got to ride around with Reed one morning to count the cows,  it was a sweet time seeing what he does daily}

Not only have we been blessed by a dream job, but its a job that comes with a home. It may not be everything I ever dreamed but it is a home that I get to do as I please with AND not pay rent. Reed and I are going to be able to really practice saving and tithing in this stage of life and are so excited to see how we can learn from that for the future. Not paying rent not only allows us to save and tithe but gives me the chance to find what I want. I'm not pressured to find a job so we can live. Obviously more money is nice but at this point we aren't feeling the pressure that we are gonna miss rent or not be able to get groceries and gas. 

Our back yard 

The Front porch 

I want a job, I'm unhappy and have become lazy because I'm bored. 

I hate this. Not where we are, this is something I never could have even thought to ask for. Being blessed with time to be bored is unreal! Now I need to honor this blessing by making something of my time! I've got to learn how to be a better wife and clean the house and do the laundry and cook dinner even when I don't want to. I need to show Reed that I'm proud of him and that I support him working so hard every day and I can do that by making our house a home and someplace he wants to come home to and invite friends over. I can use this time to make more art! I've always wanted time to grow my blog and etsy store, and now that I'm blessed with time I need to do it! I need to better my body, not that I'm unhappy with it but if I get in the habit of taking better care of it with small little work outs and runs then later in the future I wont have to worry so much. And mostly I need to make a habit of spending time with the Lord each day. He is the one who has blessed us. He has taken care of us better than anyone ever could have. And by being lazy and bored I'm slapping him in the face, basically not being grateful for the blessing he has so generously given us.

I'm starting to get better, I'm forcing myself to do things through out the day. I hope I get busy soon and I pray that I can handle it when it happens. I'm thankful for everything we have and for the summer that has given me the chance to learn and grow already. Hopefully I will finish up some of the other projects around the house and share more with you soon. I'm thankful to have y'all hear to talk to, sorry if this was long and wasn't fun and creative like you were hoping :)

My heart overflows

This morning my heart is overflowing with joy. 

I am able to sit and linger in this knowing that come this afternoon I will be diving head first in to a week full of all nighters and plenty of break downs in preparation for my first ever art show. 

Last night Reed and I got to celebrate a sweet friends new life as Man and Wife.

It was so fun to enjoy the beauty of marriage and the joy that good friends and music creates. 

So this morning after a long night I got to sleep in.

(not real late and not with Reed but still it was so refreshing!)

Waking up with the birds chirping outside was fabulous. I know I need to be working on my projects and getting ready for the show but I just wanted to take a minute and make a list of things telling yall why life is so worth living and that we should linger in the joy as often as we can!

1. Sitting with my warm puppy on the sofa as I type. She still is always touching and just sitting leaning against my legs.

2. It is nice enough to leave all of the doors and windows open in the house. I love spring!

3. I'm working towards something that I love and can't wait to continue making. Art is great!

4. In less than a month I get to celebrate another milestone with my man. 

Graduating college on the same day is going to be long but perfect!

5. The quite ability to sit and praise the one who makes this all possible. 

If you know me at all, you probably are extremely surprised that 5 days until my show goes up and I'm sitting here blabbing on about how much I love life. I know I'm surprised and I can't believe how calm I am!! If I was myself right now I would be running around like a chicken with my head cut off. 

BUT I am not myself because the Lord tells us not to worry. 

that everything has its time and that he takes care of the birds of the air and the flowers of the field so just imagine how much more he will take care of us! 

Because I know these things in my heart, I can linger in the small moments of my life being fully confident that this is exactly what I am supposed to be doing :)

Reasons to be thankful wk. 3

Sorry that this week is a little late. 

This weekend has been so relaxing and I just didn't feel like sitting in front of the computer. 

This weekend I am SO thankful for the beautiful down time with my family. 

I know I say this every week but I really like to see what each of you post on Instagram. 

There are so many things that are just completely beautiful, yet we rarely notice. 

Thank you for noticing the beautiful things and sharing with us :) 

@ssclaude, @shandaughtry, @aenglun, @lucysatt, @mckennahersh, @mika_murray, @achewni

I was thinking about Instagram today. 

And why it is that we are so obsessed with sharing everything. 

Sometimes its annoying, we don't need play by plays of every ones life. 

But these social networks and new apps have created a world that is smaller and more intimate. 

I love sharing my life with y'all and I want to see yours! 

Instagram allows you to share the beauty around you instantly. 

How to play: download the picture you see below (right click to save to your computer, or save image or screenshot on your phone), post it on Instagram to get started! Then when you post your thankful picture each day, simply tag it with #KTAthankful and @gracielathrop so we can see! Each friday I will go through all of the posts from the week and share a few favorites!! 

Looking forward to seeing what you post! 

Thankful. (Instagram recap)

Hey guys, it's officially been 2 weeks of logging what you are thankful for. I really love seeing how God is blessing each one of you.

I'm laying in bed right now unable to sleep.

Thinking about how blessed I am to have the man of my dreams snoring next to me. I am also able to read my bible and track my progress right on my phone! Right here in bed. We are such a blessed society. I can fit my bible, calendar, phone, computer, and watch all in my back pocket.

I've been reading in Matthew and thinking about the passage in chapter 6 about worry.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? (Matthew 6:25 NIV)

I'm a constant worrier. I also want to know my next step and how it will work out. But recently God has been working on my heart and is allowing me to be thankful for the small things.

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. (Matthew 6: 28 NIV)

God gives us no reason to worry. He created us and all that we see. Literally the world is in his hand.

" If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? (Matthew 6:30 NIV)

God holds me and you. He knows what our next step is and what the next year, month or day of our life looks like. He created us to be like Him!! After all that how can he not love us more than the flowers of the fields and the birds of the air?!

Just remember these things so that you can notice the small things that are blessing your life. Be thankful for all that God has done and continues to do for you.


I hope that more of you continue to join us but for right now check out what these lovely ladies posted this week!
@ssclaude, @mckennahersh, @ cwalpole, @ lucysatt, @aenglun, and @mika_murray
Thank y'all for sharing with us!!

This week I hope all of you can join us in thanking God and sharing with our little Kitchen Table family. I enjoy seeing the blessings in your life :)

Recap of this weeks Thankful Things!

Alright, on Monday I challenged y'all to post a picture of something your thankful for each day. 

I am personally taking a picture daily, and plan to do this for the entire year. 

I hope you can join me!!

I'm so happy that people like the idea, so lets keep it going! 

Don't forget to tell your friends to join in the fun this week :)

These are a few of the photos shared this week. 

Photos by: @cwalpole, @alie515, @mltd54, @lucysatt, and @ssclaude

Thanks for sharing!!

Alright readers! 

Heres the deal for the rest of the week be posting pictures of the things you find your thankful for. 

To play along and have a chance to be shown in the weekly recap you need to play along. 

How to play: download the picture you see below (right click to save to your computer, or save image or screenshot on your phone), post it on Instagram to get started! Then when you post your thankful picture each day, simply tag it with #KTAthankful and @gracielathrop so we can see! Each friday I will go through all of the posts from the week and share my favorites!! 

Thankful

This year I decided I wanted to find 

the importance in the mundane,

the beauty in the everyday, 

the little things that I couldn't live with out. 

Basically, I want to be truly thankful for my life and every aspect that I've been blessed with. 

I decided to do a post on Instragram each day all under the hashtag #thankful. 

Sometimes I feel kinda cheesy but doing this really makes me think throughout the entire day about all the things that I'm thankful for. It has been more of a challenge choosing just one each day. 

I think it would be great if we could start this every week. 

How about y'all start finding what YOUR thankful for tag me @gracielathrop and use the hashtag #KTAthankful. 

Then every Friday we can do a week recap right here on the blog to share with everyone!! 

Here is a recap of my #thankful challenge. 

DAY 1: Thankful for a handy and crafty husband. 

DAY 2: Thankful for soft tissues and Chapstick

DAY 3: Thankful for breakfast in bed :) 

DAY 4: thankful that I can be home in 2 hours 

DAY 5: Thankful for a dirt road lifestyle.  

DAY 6: Thankful for car rides and 2 hours to hold hands. 

DAY 7: Thankful that my options today are to paint some scarves or cuddle in bed and read.

DAY 8: thankful for our sweet baby Tepe! 

DAY 9: Thankful that my tough Reed is the one spoiling our puppy. 

DAY 10: Thankful for good friends, puppies and southern winters.  

DAY 11: thankful for such a precious sleeper

DAY 12: thankful for a new blogger buddy! 

DAY 13: thankful that Christ has died and Christ is risen, Christ will come again! 

DAY 14: thankful that school is testing fabric stiffener sculptures. 

DAY 15: thankful for late classes and cuddle time on a rainy day

DAY 16: Thankful for hot showers on a rainy day 

DAY 17: its small but its my studio! Sooooo thankful!!! 

DAY 18: Thankful for nights where I get to be girly! 

DAY 19: Thankful that however uncertain my future is I kno wart will always be a part of it.

DAY 20: Thankful that in the darkness Gods light shines! 

Alright, from here on out I'm going to do a thankful recap every Friday. 

How to play: download the picture you see below (right click to save to your computer, or save image or screenshot on your phone), post it on Instagram to get started! Then when you post your picture each day, simply tag it with #KTAthankful and @gracielathrop so we can see! Each friday I will go through all of the posts from the week and share my favorites!! 

Can't wait to see what you guys are thankful for!!