Anyone else have a busy, fun and maybe a little exhausting week this week?
That stretch of days where May slides into home plate and June jumps into full speed running towards first always leaves me a little dizzy.
Anyone else?
This week in particular is always a busy and blurry string of days for our family.
No sooner do we ride the wave in from kicking off Summer fun in our happy place, we turn the page and jump into birthday mode.
On Wednesday we celebrated our middle daughter, Maci’s 10th birthday and today Shawn and I celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary.
In case you missed it this morning on social…I sweet talked my hubs last night into re-creating the final scene from my all-time favorite movie ever.
I am still shocked he went along with it.
I mean 16 years of marriage is just asking for a “Sixteen Candles” kind of celebration, am I right?
Just check out my real life Jake Ryan..isn’t he cute…not to mention a good sport?
The bloopers on my IG stories are my favorite.
We laughed SO HARD.
Needless to say it is all good stuff.
But even good stuff can be a little tiring.
Here’s the thing.
I don’t keep up with any of this real life grind in my own strength.
Every single day I am handing it over to the Lord and asking Him for strength and wisdom to order my day, establish the work of my hands and here’s the big one…to guard my tongue.
This life…it’t not easy.
There are so many distractions, deadlines, bills, aging parents, demanding children, hiccups, broken appliances, bumped cars, sick pets and people…so much.
And even the good stuff still requires so much…of YOU.
There is only so much of ourselves we can spend…until we write a personal strength check that will bounce.
Friend…there is good news…
When we come to the end of ourselves…there is a place to rest.
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28 NLT
I read just this morning about how we often mistakenly visualize Jesus sitting up in Heaven twiddling His thumbs just waiting for God to give him the go-ahead to return…and then He will get busy and get to work.
Wrong.
I love how this devotional depicts Jesus and The Holy Spirit as our powerhouse prayer team.
There with you in the room when we decide to come to God in prayer.
When we decide to stop functioning on autopilot out of our own strength…we not only find rest…we find help and energy to keep going in the right direction He has laid out for us.
And?
Wisdom to know what to set down and release from our grip.
We were never meant or designed to hold it all together with both hands full of chaos.
“Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.”
Ecclesiastes 4:6 NIV
Friend…everyday we wake up we go to battle…and most of the war is fought on the messy and marred battlefield of our mind.
Make no mistake…mind games are real and if we don’t know where to focus our eyes we can lose the big game.
Talk about a mind game…
Spending a day at our favorite amusement park this past week quickly reminded me of how powerful our minds are…and how much fear and anxiety want to steal the leading roles.
I am going to go out on a limb and say you know what it is like to try to encourage a little one to ride the roller coaster that has always scared them.
As I stood in line with my anxious seven year old about to make a beeline out of line to where Grandma was patiently sitting I reminded her that fear is actually a good thing. God gave us fear to keep us safe and help us to understand how dangerous it is to run out into the street without looking both ways or to keep our hands away from a hot pot on the stove.
But fear can also rob us if we trade the understudy role for the leading role…it can hold us back from the good stuff God has invited us to be a part of.
Bob Goff says it like this:
“God gave us fear for a reason. It keeps us from walking down that dark alley where a bunch of hoodlums are standing around….(continued).
The problems comes when fear misfires. If you let it go unchecked, fear will push you into a corner and lie to you about your worth. It’ll steal your lunch money while you’re distracted…..Give fear too much power and it will rob you of your life. In a word, don’t let fear punk you.”
Bob Goff – Live in Grace, Walk in Love – a 365 Day devotional
After my sweet girl considered in her own mind what she wanted to do she decided she was ready for her first big roller coaster ride.
The result?
She loved it.
You know how the story goes.
She loved it so much that she wanted to get back in line and smash that fear to the ground again because it felt SO good.
And then?
Later in the day?
It was my turn to walk the walk I had just talked the talk of to my little girl.
The Birthday girl presented her request for me to ride the “Hershey Triple Tower.”
My autopilot reply?
“I love you Maci but that ride is not meant for Mommy’s.”
In my defense…
Let’s review the facts of this ride from the Hershey Park website shall we?
Standing at 189 feet high, our tallest drop tower features two gravity-defying experiences, Space Shot & Turbo Drop, which rockets riders to the top before blasting back to the bottom at 45 miles per hour!
Exactly.
But?
If I am going to talk the talk to my littles…I must walk the walk and suit up for the battlefield of the mind.
And so…
I stood line watching this death tower rise and fall as brave riders flew through the air.
And then it was my turn.
I buckled in next to my birthday girl (pink shoes) and her big sister on the other side of her. My husband (in the green sneakers swinging his feet) buckled in around the curve and I waited for the tower to turbo boost me into the sky.
Those few moments that felt like years waiting for the ride to burst up?
Total mind game.
Sound effects filling my ears of turbo air thrusts pumping…heart beating out of my chest…
I deep breathed and prayed my way through every single heart racing milisecond until the ride stopped.
You can watch it here.
All I know is that so much of life is like the day we spent at this amusement park.
So much to see.
So much to do.
So much noise whistling past your ears, side conversations you hear broken bits of.
So many distractions telling you to ride this, play this, eat this, pay for this.
And then?
Add a little fear on top of the noise to the our everyday soundtrack of life why don’t we?
It is A LOT to handle.
And…so much of it really is GOOD stuff.
But even a lot of good stuff…can get complicated in our minds.
I don’t know all that you are facing today…but chances are…I bet it is A LOT.
And as you look around you on social or at your workplace or across the street…it may seem that everyone else is riding the wave of life or rollar coaster like this:
Yes that is my brave husband.
And while there are days when we are that guy, buckled in and brave…
There are also days when we are bound up in fears, anxieties and worries that are attacking our minds.
Just the other night as I was trying to fall asleep…my brain pounced a picture in my head.
A backdrop of all black with images of question marks and dollar signs floating in stark white against the black taunting me.
And you know what I did?
I said to myself…
“You can go to sleep now because God sees this too.”
No…this mind game thing is not easy.
It is exhausting and it never takes a vacation.
It is ready to greet us the moment we blink open our eyes.
One EASY thing that helps me?
The You version Bible app on my phone is purposefully placed in between two social apps.
I open this app FIRST every morning before I allow myself to open the social apps.
There is a quick short-read devotion and 1 minute video teaching waiting for you every single morning.
Suit up friend before we go into battle.
It’s up to us to suit up with the full armor of God and go to battle…because it is not in our own strength…but in His that we fight the mind games of the day that wait for us ahead.
“And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no weekend war that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.”
Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.”
Ephesians 6:10-20 The Message Translation
Home with Heather Updates!
It’s been an exciting launch season for my new Interior Styling Business many thanks to so many of YOU!
I was honored and humbled to have Home with Heather featured in the May edition of The Commerce Connection from the Harford County Chamber of Commerce!
You can read the article and the full edition here!
Home with Heather Gift Certificates are now available!
Email me to reserve yours!
New HwH Style Packages Available!
See the HwH Packages and Pricing Here
New Client Consults starting at $129 and additional Add-On services such as Collage Mood Board and 3D Mood Boards Designs starting at $199!
More info HERE.
Please note consult appointments are booking 2-3 weeks out!
If you are interested in scheduling a consult, please email me: [email protected]
Home & Business staging and rearranging available!
Use what you already have and make it feel new!
I had so much fun with the owners of John’s Men’s Clothing yesterday!
This fabulous mother-daughter team is bursting at the seams of their adorable boutique just off of Main Street in downtown Bel Air and needed a little assistance rearranging and making the most out of their space.
An hour later they loved the new layout which gave them energy to restyle their beautiful merchandise just in time for Father’s day shopping!
You can check out their IG stories here to see their fantastic shop and what we did yesterday to give their boutique a refresh utilizing everything they already had!
Be sure to Shop Small at John’s for the special father’s in your life! And they have women’s too!
LOVE LOVE LOVE John’s!
It’s been three months since I launched my interior styling business…AND?
People are talking and here’s what they are saying about
Home with Heather
Read More Testimonials Here
“Heather is warm, kind and brings light to any room and home. I worked with her recently on creating the perfect space for myself. I have 3 kids and need a space to call my own. In just one meeting, she was able to hear what I wanted and needed. She created mood boards that were SPOT ON. I didn’t even realize what I wanted until I saw the mood boards…YES!! I am finally making big strides in a room that sat completely bare with only a couch. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!”
Julia Chang
“Heather Krout and her business Home with Heather, are a class act. I rate her 5 out of 5 stars for sure! I recommend her services to any and everyone. I have been following Heather’s blog for a while and I always loved her decor and aesthetic. I was thrilled to see her business launch because I feel like she launched it FOR ME and MY NEEDS!! Home with Heather is exactly what I was looking for. I have good bones in my home and rooms that I like, but something was missing. The thing is, I did not know what or how to fix it. I shared my thoughts, concerns and ideas with Heather so she knew what my decor pain points were. She had a game plan before I even met her and she saw the space in person.
Heather is flexible and super easy to work with. Her style packages appeal to all budgets and needs, and quite frankly, Heather provided much more value and insight to me than I even purchased in my chosen package. Our style session wasn’t buttoned up, stressful or fussy. It was casual, friendly, warm and easy breezy. Exactly like Heather, and exactly what me and my home needed. She provided on the spot suggestions and feedback that made me feel like I’m on the right track with my decorating ideas but added exploration of other options that I never even thought of. After the style session, she sent a detailed recap of our meeting which included links to items we discussed I might want to purchase, and paint colors as well. Truly, she covered everything I needed and more.
No matter your rooms or design style, I am confident that booking a design package with Home with Heather is a step in the right direction for your space to feel like a cozy home.”
Britt Fischer
Read More Testimonials HERE.
Home with Heather is on Facebook!
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Friends…I can’t thank you enough for all of the love and support you have shown me in both the comments of this blog space, personal messages and your belief in me as so many of you have already hired me as your interior consultant and stylist!
THANK YOU for showing up here with your eyes and your open heart as I continue to buckle up and be brave.
God,
Thank you for continuing to provide for my every need. I want to be used by you. Lord, empty me of anything that is not of you and drench me in your Spirit.
I thank you that you are an active God who sent His Son for me. Not to passively watch but to actively participate through the power of your Holy Spirit.
Thank you for your abundance and blessings.
Thank you for reassuring me that when all I see are the floating question marks dancing in my head, that you ease my mind that you see them too.
It is in you that I will rest because I know that you are good and my trust is in you.
Amen.
Living on a prayer,
Heather
Love this post! Each day brings so many things to our plates. You are so right to give it to God. It’s the one things we can do. We worry sometimes, too much, but He’s with us and sees it all! Thanks for the Monday morning encouragement!
Hi Kim! So glad to hear that you connected with this! I so appreciate you being part of this blog community and sharing here in the comments! Amen and Amen to all that you said above!! XO, Heather