Three Things I'm Loving – February Edition

I’m kind of obsessed with these three things right now and I wanted to share that love with you; maybe you’ll be obsessed too. I may even turn this into a fun monthly series.

1)These gorgeous glass jars.

From Target, of course. In the dollar bin section y’all. I just love the pretty pattern.
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I don’t even have a place to put them but they hopped into my cart before I could protest so…… guess it was meant to be. And they have a rubber seal in the lid so you could use them in your kitchen to store your flax seed or flour or whatever else it is you domestic types store in the kitchen.

2) This precious, precious book:

When God Made Light By Matthew Paul Turner

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And if you ever feel scared
in the darkness of night,
remember the shadows are no match for God’s light.
Climb into bed,
sleep soundly and dream,
and know that inside you God’s glow is agleam.

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 ‘Cause You’re just like the sun and moon in the sky,

as lustrous as twinkles that dazzle the eye.

You’re as splendid as lightning when it flashes so bright,

’cause on the day you were born, God said, “Let there be light!”

Gah. I mean come on. Those words are so precious and I’ve been reading this to Charlotte each day since it arrived.
Charlie is my sweet worrier. The mothering instinct inside her is so strong, she just can’t help but hover and coddle think of every worst case scenario possible. Her little anxious mind is always tripping over ‘what ifs’. I’m constantly second guessing myself as a mother. Am I giving her the comfort she needs? Am I actually feeding these fears rather then helping her cope with them? Am I saying the right things? This book is so encouraging for both of us!
God is so big and so good. His light is what brings life and it’s only in Him where we can really settle in and let all those fears go. This book {and the one that came before: When God Made You} has the sweetest pictures and focuses on reminding kiddos {ahem, and adults} that we have a purpose, our lives have meaning, and we have a light that needs sharing. It is very life-affirming and encouraging. Hands down my favorite thing right now. Plus, the illustrations are just fabulous and make me chuckle.


 

3) My thieves cleaner:

I’m trying not to turn into a germaphobe, but it’s really an impossible task right now with all the flu and virus strains going around.
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And with me being immunocompromised after my transplant, I just can’t risk it.  I’ve also been trying to get all the toxic chemical cleaners out of our home for a while now, and my newfound focus on all things anti-germ has given me the perfect push to just kick the yucky chemicals out the front door.
 
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This glass bottle full of cleaner was given to me as a gift from a generous friend before my transplant when I was desperate to stay healthy so we wouldn’t have to postpone surgery.  Isn’t it cute? I use this cleaner pretty much everywhere.
(Thieves is also great for getting sticky residue off of that new thing you bought and tried to pull the label off of and failed miserably. Manufacturers are laughing at us all.)
You can get Young Living oils and this cleaner here. Pretty amber glass bottles here. Vinyl labels here.
In addition to using this cleaner I’ve got pure thieves oil, thieves spray, and thieves hand purifier stashed away in every nook and cranny. I even put some on the inside of my face mask when I’m forced to head out and be around people. Most of whom are living, breathing, coughing germ sharers. Adding Thieves to the inside of my mask helps alleviate any respiratory ‘panic’ I may start to experience from wearing a mask for long periods of time. Most importantly though, all of the oils that go into making thieves (Clove, Lemon, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus Radiata, and Rosemary) have some sort of impact on the immune system, whether it’s antibacterial, antiviral, antiseptic, or antioxidant.
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Have you also tried any of these three favorite things? What are your favorite things right now? I want to know!
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Fighting for Lovely (+ my HOPE Spotify mix)

I’m now 5 weeks post-transplant. Things are getting better every day.  My new kidney is adorable and working like the energizer bunny, clearing my body of toxins and being all-around awesome. My kidney is, after all, only 24 years old, so I’m practically a ‘youth’ again. At my last transplant clinic visit I graduated to every-other-week visits!
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Only one new organ was added to my body, but it seriously feels like I got a whole new body. Everything is so different. Much of that has to do with the medications {they just barge in and jack stuff up all over the place} and some of it is simply what happens to the human body when you have major surgery…. like your eyelashes fall out and your hair gets a new texture. oh goody.
This past week I’ve been struggling with emotional side effects from my medication.
This is me on prednisone. The aggressive, irritable diva porcupine….
 

Now, please don’t take offense if you’ve spent any time with me this past week! I wouldn’t have let you near me if I didn’t want your company or conversation. You’re safe from my wrath. And if I did snarl at you, I swear –  it’s not you, it’s totally me. It is SO me and these drugs. They’re the worst. and also the best because they are keeping me alive.
To combat this aggressive porcupine thing I’ve got going on, I’ve been immersing myself in prayer and reading scripture because I want to make sure God’s promises to me remain in the forefront of my mind. Promises about who He is and who He says I am. I’ve also had my Spotify HOPE mix on repeat. Trying to let the words soak in deep. Fighting to stay lovely. I hope it helps you too, in whatever you’re struggling with right now.
{click on the little green Spotify button and it will take you to the Spotify register/log in page}

 
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I made a video!

Last time I checked in with y’all about my kidney transplant adventure I had just finished a whole day of medical tests and meetings with the surgeon and transplant team {you can read about that here}. The next step was searching for a potential living donor. Since then a lot has happened and I haven’t been able to organize my thoughts well enough to get anything written down to share with you guys so I decided to try a video today. I can’t even begin to tell you how hard it was to post this with no makeup on but I seriously do not have the energy to do it again. I can’t put forth effort for that today. I. Can’t. Even. So here it is.

Xoxo, Ashley Xoxo, Ashley