Tuesday, March 29

dream BIG

The weekend of March 25 - 26, 2011 has forever changed my life. Attending Career Conference with thousands of my Mary Kay sisters completely opened my eyes and forever sealed this amazing company in my heart. Being a Red Jacket, I had a special training session that began Friday afternoon. Within minutes I realized that the speakers that were going to be in my space for the weekend were going to impact my business, my life and my team.

Of course I won't ramble on about their teachings, I'll hit some key factors that sent me spinning into a new path:
+ God wants to bless your life! But have you cluttered it up so much that His blessings are passing you by?

+ You are the CEO of your company... Are you acting like it?

+ This opportunity is a gift! Yes it takes work, but the rewards are greater the harder you work! "God feeds the birds, but He doesn't put the food in the nest."

My brain was going a thousand miles per hour when I left Saturday afternoon. I spent Sunday revamping my office and started making my plan of action. First things first! If we are going to push to become our own team, we MUST have a name and logo right? Well, ladies & gentlemen, I am proud to introduce our future unit:


Inspired by our wonderful director and where we began, this logo also keeps my favorite saying at heart... "Go BIG or go home!". As an acronym, the BIG reminds us of what we all strive to be - Beautiful, Inspirational and Giving.

We are starting the spring STRONG and are so excited to debut our team this summer! We ask for prayers as we strive to reach these goals. Pray for guidance and blessings as each of us tackle new mountains that we are starting to climb.

If you feel that God is bringing you to our path, then we welcome you to the sisterhood of Mary Kay with open arms! Remember, this opportunity is a gift and YOU deserve it! I'll be more than happy to answer questions you have.

Much love and blessings! Dream BIG,
Steph

Friday, March 25

Why do You Love Jesus?

What a question, right? It seems so easy, but when you stop and seriously dig deep to answer it, amazing things happen.

This week at Small Group our leader started the discussion with this question. As I sat there, I realized that I had never truly answered. As a child we say we love Jesus because he loves us and that is what we are taught, but when the time comes as an adult, what answer do you have? I sat as the stories filled the room causing me to rest on the question. And when my realization came it absolutely broke me.

I’m continually amazed at the “light bulb moments” I have these days along my faith journey. It’s empowering and I’m so blessed to have such an amazing small group family (because they are SO much more than friends) to help me along the way!

Tuesday, March 8

Answers...

Finally, after five long months of pain and illness, I have received answers. Yesterday, I went back to my rheumatologist to find out the results of my blood work. Nervous did not even justify my feelings. Just think about it, after five months of ups and downs, I was at my wits end, walking into the doctor’s office was an ending to an issue and the beginning of recovery... at least that is what I was praying for.

The diagnosis is a good one – it isn’t anything severely debilitating! Praise GOD! There are two possible arthritic conditions that I could be suffering from. The problem is now that they are both so similar, we cannot be sure which one it is. I have the genetic marker (HLA-B27) for both Reactive Arthritis, which I could’ve developed after having Salmonella, and Psoriatic Arthritis, which normally occurs in people who have psoriasis. The problem here is that I do not have, nor have been diagnosed with psoriasis; however, 15% of the time the arthritis can show before the skin disorder. Luckily for me, the medicines to treat both forms of arthritis are the same!

The doctor said my GFree diet will only help me to feel better too. By the way, I lost 5lbs after week 1. Me likey!

Although this road to recovery is not over yet, I should only be feeling better each day. Knowing that I have answers to the way I’ve been feeling is more of a gift than I ever thought it would be.

Praise the Lord for my answers and for all of my family and friends who have been so supportive and caring throughout this entire ordeal. I am such a blessed girl!

Much love,

Friday, March 4

Week 1: under my belt

As week 1 of my new g-free lifestyle (note I said lifestyle there because that is what all the books refer to it as... Not a diet a lifestyle. Whatever right?!) cones to an end I have a few reflections I would like to make:

1. Living G-Free really isn't as hard as you'd think. Seriously! If I had heard "you have to go gluten free meaning you can have loads of fresh foods, make amazing brownies using new flours, spend a few extra minutes making meals and ensuring that they are healthy for you" rather than "you have to go gluten free meaning you can't have wheat, barley, rye or oats" my state of severe anxiety would've been nothing. It's all in the way it is presented. I started researching about the things I couldn't have and became so overwhelmed I binged on the very thing I was supposed to stop eating! I will be honest, I had my moments! It's hard learning how to adapt to a totally new lifestyle after being comfortably set in my ways for nearly 27 years.

2. There is a TON of information out there for us GFree newbies. I've read three books thus far - all with their good points and bad points. Twitter is swarming with hashtags (#GFree #gf) and people who have been exactly where I'm at. There are blogs with advice and recipes; forums for chatting. Heck, there is even a "Facebook style" site for gluten free-ers. (That one is a little much for me.)

3. Non-GFree people are so accommodating! This week I have been pleasantly surprised with the overwhelming kindness others have had when asking questions, preparing my food and drink or just chatting. It's so nice to actually have people be nice for a change! :)

I've had others throughout the week, but these are the main three... Now that I've gotten a handle on GFree, it's time to start experimenting with new foods & jumpstart a diet in the mix...

Stay tuned y'all!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Thursday, March 3

M.D's Vintage Finds

I'm so excited to announce that I am going to be teaming up with my ever fabulous mom along with one if my bestests and her mom in our new booth:



Although the mom's of M.D's love the old, the older an the oldest of things, I think us "D's" are going to bring a fresh appeal to the newly renamed booth. It's pretty exciting to think that I have a spot to share my crafts and my bargain finds with Gwinnett County y'all! Woo!

See, long ago when I decided to scoot off to college, my mom said she needed a hobby. With the support of her group of girlfriends, they joined forces and started an antique booth at a lovely shop called Vintage Village located in Snellville, Georgia. Through the years, the booth has flourished and has become a staple in my mom's life.

The cool part is that effective April 1, I'm joining the fun! (I know, like I have spare time). Due to life, and we all know how that is sometimes, one of my mom's partners has decided to step down leaving a space for me & my best to jump on in! I'm excited and plan on making a few crafts to jumpstart my sales... Some earring holders to be exact. I've blogged about making them before, so I'll revisit when the time comes.

Until then, it's time to prep with sales tickets and items! Come on down in April for a look at the place.

Location:Snellville, GA