the great unplug

I should've done it in the summer.
I knew I was suppose to.
But I didn't.
I think I was afraid of missing some things.
Unimportant things, that is.

But, today's a new day, and I did it.
I deactivated my Facebook account.
And life is a much happier place.

[Here's the only time you'll ever see politics on this blog]
The election was the straw. 
I literally, could not care less about the political process. Either side. 
American Government was my lest favorite subject in high school. 
I would've much rather been in Home Economics.
I believe in the power of the Holy Spirit and the Sovereignty of God.
I believe that The Spirit is capable [without our help]  enough to guide our individual roads. I also believe that FB statuses & RT's will not stop the inevitable . . . things will get worse, no matter who is elected into office. If you believe in the second coming of Jesus, I'd say you would have to believe that as well. The way the Bible is taken out of context & twisted to back others opinions these days, is almost comical [except it's not.]
It's ok to have different interpretations of scripture [that's what the Spirit does!] but it's not ok to tell others that their's is false & you are right. [Hello, Pharisees!]

Me, I'd rather welcome His return with him finding me about his Father's business. I'd rather him say, "You cared for me when I was sick. You fed me when I was hungry, You clothed me when I was naked"  . . . . You gave me cake on my birthday beside the camp I built under the bridge downtown. You brought food to me & my pregnant wife, who are just getting back on our feet from years of drug addiction. You formed a friendship with me instead of just complaining about how I'm living off of welfare. 

I'd rather Him find me trying to shorten the plank in my own eye, than looking around for dust bunnies.

Maybe that's not enough for you [and that's ok!], but it's more than enough for me.

Back to the great unplug!

After convorsations with some friends about above issuse [Again, LOVE the peeps of White Stone Church!] I realized that I'm not alone.

So, I'm initiating the . . .

Unplug. Deactivate.

For the rest of 2012.
Do life with your friends. Your actual friends.
You know those people who you actually see, like all the time.
Enjoy your little goblins all dressed up on the 31st.
Enjoy a season of being thankful [really, really grateful] for what you have.
Make a thankful tree for your table. Make pies. Lots of pies. Go Black Friday shopping. Watch football games. Skip a meal here & there and take it to someone who doesn't have one.
Enjoy the Advent season. Do Advent devotions everyday. Make ornaments. Heck, make gifts!
Kiss under misletoe. Eat candy canes. Drink lots of peppermint mochas. . . .
. . . and do all of these things without turning them into your status. 

I have a feeling we won't regret it.
In fact, I think [know] we'll realize how much better we are without it.

It's just a couple of months of not having to try so hard & living in the moments you've been given.

Wanna join me? Tell a friend!

*comments are closed on this post because I'm not looking for talk. It's my blog. It's my opinions. I'm not saying I'm right and no one forced you to read it, m'kay. 

haiti pt. 2 [every doorway bears a story]

Well, I think I've waited long enough to write the pt. 2, don'tcha think??!!

Getting back into the school grove takes me a little while, but I think I'm finally getting there. So, hence the blogging restart.

In the video collage that I made from this trip, I used the song "Sing Along" by Christy Nockels on Passion's White Flag album.
I used this song for many reasons, but the one line that I kept hearing over & over in my head is the line
 "every doorway bears a story."
My favorite part of being in Haiti were the walks around the local villages.
Because White Stone has been working in this area for a while, most people know these little mountainous communities like their own neighborhoods. It was really a neat thing to witness.
We'd walk up to a house & they would greet us with hugs & smiles.
They were quick to invite us through their doorway or bring chairs outside for us to sit on.

The walks are crucial to ministry there.
It lets you see, first hand, the poverty on this island.
It also makes you wonder what it would have been like to be Jesus.
When we would walk through, we would gather people along the way.
They just walked with us. Wanting to know what we were doing. Maybe we had something we could give them? Maybe they just wanted to see where we would go? Maybe they just needed to be reminded that God hasn't forgotten about them.
That's what Jesus did.
His life's story is about reminding us that God hasn't forgotten about us.

So, if I had to name a favorite part, it'd have to be the walks. Although, I'm certain that I develop what I've dubbed "Haitian Asthma" during these walks. Not to be mistaken for being out of shape, people. I'm thinking this is a real diagnoses.
But I'm not a doctor.

things I'm bad at

I struggle with vulnerability. It's really hard for me to admit to others my struggles, yet I seem to be content with carrying around a whole lot of guilt & shame because I'm afraid of what others might think of me, if I admitted that I'm weak. And tired. all. the. time. And numb. And strongly guarded. Even with my husband & my children. 

I can't cook . . .well. I can cook. You know your basics {ie:anything with cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup} I'd love to be the wife & mom who fed her family super healthy meals for breakfast & dinner. But well, it's expensive & sometimes cereal is easier & eating out means not having to clean up. But, I try. I really make an effort. That's gotta count for something, right?! I resolute to changing this pattern all the time but apparently, I'm bad at keeping resolutions too. Ehh.

I sweat the petty stuff. I will analyze the most insignificant conversations I've had, wondering if I said something stupid, or rude, or weird. In crowds, I feel like everyone is out to get me or staring at me thinking I'm someone who doesn't have it all together. I'm the awkward dork who laughs at the wrong time & nods during conversations when I have no idea what anyone is talking about.

But, rest assured, I do not pet the sweaty stuff.

I wrestle everyday wondering if one.single.small parenting decision I've made will screw my kids up for life. That's when my loving husband reminds me that WE are their parents, so we can pretty much bank on that one.

Things I'm bad at . . . remembering that I have a Savior who's grace is big enough to cover all the things I'm bad at. He's the gap filler.

And He, well . . . He's really good at making good out of bad.  

[please excuse the blog break. life=crazy busy right now. i'm resulting to getting back on track . .  but we can see from this post, that may not come with any promise ;) ]

what's that you say?

oh, you were wanting to talk about the greatest show on television??!! Gotcha!  

{source}

No joke. 

Scandals. Forbidden love. WW1. Brits. English accents. Fashion. Royalty. Class division.

It's fascinating to watch a world that seems almost nonexistent anymore.  

I ran across an episode briefly several months ago, caught maybe the last five minutes - needless to say, I was very intrigued. And then, I hit the jackpot when I realized that Season 1 is on Netflix. I think I watched the entire season in a three days time. 

Season 2 just ended - and went out with a bang! 

Seriously, you should watch it. You'll thank me.

Now, I just have to figure out what I'm gonna do until Season 3 . . . sigh.

no privacy . . . .

Well, hello there! As you can see, we're not private. I changed my mind. I decided that I had no reason to do so. I hadn't done or said anything on here that I don't stand behind or feel was wrong. The choice to go private was made out of  anger & letting other peoples opinions of me out weigh who I am in Christ and what He thinks about me. Although, I do still think it can be a scary thing! And may change my mind again soon. :)
I will make no apologies for saying on here how grateful I am for His faithfulness to me & my family.
So, there you have it. I'm staying public for right now. And as my girl Lindsey said it, "Haters be hatin'!" So let 'em hate - I'll have no part in that.

.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  

On to way better things . . . . CHRISTMAS is here! It's my absoluuuute favorite time of year!!! And I'm super excited because we are getting a real tree this year! We've never had a real tree! I'll have a whole tour post coming soon of our winter wonderland here at the Tharpe home . . . and I'll leave you with a sneak peek at a sign I made for our mantle . . . 

and the necessities needed for decking the halls . . . .

{Pandora+Starbucks=perfect combination}

Brock's in Haiti this week - 20 people from our church are spreading the Gospel throughout the mountains of Coq Chante & Belloc this Christmas season! Please pray for Haitians souls this week & a safe return for each of our people.

just needed to say . . .

. . . that I absolutely l.o.v.e. White Stone Church and the people that make it up. It has become a place of restoration & freedom for me from several years of not feeling like I could "be myself" bondage. An eclectic and unique group of people who genuinely care for each other & who stand firmly on the Word and freedom. Thank you White Stone Church for not being a place that throws a bunch of rules & regulations, guilts & condemnations at people but who show others how to live a life {to the fullest} that runs hard after a grace filled Savior. 

{picture doesn't have anything to do with post . . . I'm just not a fan of pictureless post :) }

these are my mountains . . .

we all have that place.

your place.

the place where you feel at home. connected.

a little part of you comes alive when you're there.

for brock, it's the ocean. he loves everything about it.

me  . . .  not so much.

my place? my place is the mountains.

i know it may sound silly, but it's my place.

maybe it's my native american roots or that i have so many good memories there.

it is, after all, where brock & i went on our first date.

could be the history geek lover inside of me that loves to imagine early life there and what that must of have been like.

maybe it's just an accumulation of all.

we spent the whole day there yesterday - climbing, exploring, playing and ohhing & ahhing over all the vibrant colors.

i hope, as my kids grow, that my mountains become their mountains too.

{caution: picture overload}

can you spot the kid? :)

 no salt water & sand for this girl . . . i'd rather have my feet here all day.

on decor . . .

To be honest, I still haven't figured out what my exact decor taste is - it's a bit eclectic, to say the least. I know that I am most definitely not a lover of contemporary decor {with the exception of appliances}. I don't like the minimalist, sterile white feel, but on the other extreme, I'm not a fan of dark corners & dark walls.

I love the look of wood {floors. yes. walls. no . . . unless it's painted}

Mountain stones? Absolutely.

Galvanised buckets? Lots please.

Chalkboard paint? yep.

Furniture that looks like it's been beat to death? all over my house.

Rusty Rustic goodies all around? you bet.

vases & expensive glasses? heck no! that's what Mason jars are for.

My point to all the rambling?? I read a whole lot of decor blogs & the conculsion I've come to is a very simple one and that is this: your home should reflect you. It should be the place that reminds you of who you are & where you came from. I think it can also tell you a lot about the person that you are just by looking around your house & your style of decor.

{please ignore the empty picture frames & the absence of wall art above Ella's bed}

For me: I see someone who dreams of days gone by. I value my marriage & my children: I enjoy making a house into our home, believing that my best & most important work can be done within our walls. I enjoy making our beds & our meals. Call me old fashion . . . I don't mind. In fact, I'm glad to be called that. I love surrounding myself with items & pieces that have a story. Inviting it in to be apart of our story.

What is your style? Who do you see when you look at your home?

recent favorites . . . in no particular order

{1} Moondough. 

My friend, Nikki, got this for the girls birthday. I'll admit, I was a bit skeptical because we had done the Moonsand and I hated it. It was messy & a pain in the b.u.t.t. to clean up . . . not the case with Moondough.

I l.o.v.e. it and so do the kids! It's so much better than play dough - it's stays together well & molds well and never dries out, but the best part . . . it cleans up fantastic! Really. Clean up time is all of about 1 minute of sweeping and we're done.  

{2} Welcome to Moe's

As if I needed anymore reason to love this place, now they have gone and revamped their whole menu & food quality.

{source}

And who doesn't love a place with an all you can eat salsa bar?! I love hearing the words "Welcome to Moe's!" If you are looking for a place to eat out that you won't feel bad about, eat here! Plus, they usually run a Kids Eat Free night during the week. {Ours is Mondays 5-9 pm}

{3} DanActive

Drinks. Strawberry Banana please. Good for the body. I'm no doctor, but I haven't been sick all winter. {of course I will now, since I just typed that}

{4} Dollar General

{source}

Never knew who shopped at these stores until we moved out to the country {30 mins from the nearest Wal-Mart or Target}. But now I know . . . me. I am the person who shops at the Dollar General. I love it because it's 5 minutes up the road, but it is very easy to spend too much $ there. I kind of have the 'well, it's just 2 dollars' mentality & that's not good to have. 



{5} When cool things happen

Almost a year ago, I dropped my camera {lens first} and jammed the lens. I was heartbroken. I put my beloved Canon lens away & was using a generic lens on my camera. Well, I stumbled across my lens  several weeks ago - got it out & tried messing with it for a second when wouldn't you know it . . . I fixed it! Complete joy.