Respecting my Husband: His Kingdom (Home)

I'm doing a 31 day series about Respecting my Husband! To read about why I should respect him and go to a list of all 31 days, please visit my 31 Days of Respecting my Husband post.

Day 8: Respecting His Kingdom (Home)
My husband has told me that he thinks of our house as his kingdom. As his queen, I feel a huge responsibility towards that kingdom. If I respect his kingdom, I will take good care of it.
This is probably what I need to work on the most. That's hard to pick, because I need a LOT of work in everything I'm talking about this month, but this one in particular is difficult for me. I'll just say it - I'm a messy person.
You know how you always hear wives complaining about how messy their husbands are? How they just can't seem to get those dirty clothes in the laundry basket? (First of all, should we revisit this post? haha) Well in this marriage, Jordan could be the one complaining about me to his friends. I am the one who leaves the clothes on the floor. The dishes in the sink. The books and notebooks all over the table. That's me.
My biggest motivation for cleaning up is when people are coming over. Isn't that terrible? I'm just being honest. If I respect my husband, then I need to respect his kingdom! I want to make his home a peaceful environment for him. A place that makes him feel comfortable. Where he can calm his mind and body, getting rejuvenated. 
It's easy for me to look at all the stuff that needs to get done in our house and become overwhelmed. Instead of doing everything it makes me want to do nothing. My friend Katelyn (who is an inspiration to me as a wife & mother) posted on Instagram yesterday a picture of her kitchen and said in her caption, "Giving thanks for all the small things this morning, including this clean kitchen. I am thankful for God encouraging my heart to face one task at a time." That spoke to me so deeply! One task at a time. And not only that, but giving it to God. It's more natural for me to give big life issues to God, but to talk to him about cleaning my house? I've hardly done that. But why not? 
Y'all, I don't even have kids yet. Some wives tell me they understand and that this is a struggle for them too...but usually those wives have tiny humans running around. So if you have my same issue and you aren't a mom yet, by all means let me know that I'm not alone!
I don't need my house to be perfect. I don't want perfect. I can't be perfect, in anything, ever. (Except Guitar Hero. I used to be able to get 100% on some of the songs.) Instead of perfect, I want to be full of grace. Full of love. And I want my house to be like that too. Not perfect, but an outward sign of the respect I have for the ruler of our little kingdom. 


This isn't our house. It's a random door in downtown Raleigh. But it's pretty, isn't it? :)

Show and Tell: Home Edition

Today I'm participating in From Mrs. to Mama's "Show and Tell: Home Edition".

I thought it would be appropriate since we've been house searching. :)

Here are her questions:

1. If you were searching for a home now, tell me what would be on your "MUST" list
2. Show me your favorite room in a home {either your home, or any home, i.e. kitchen}.
3. If you could have any room redone, tell me which one would it be and what would you like done?
4. Tell me where your favorite stores are to shop for home decor.
5. Show me your dream home {it can be your home, if you already have your dream home}

(1) Must List.

1. Counter space in the kitchen!

Right now I don't have much of that. (I alluded to that in one of my favorite past posts EVER)

This is a must for me because I want to be able to spread all of my ingredients out, to have multiple dishes going on at once, and to have a bar for people to sit and casually eat. 

2. Closet space.

Right now Jordan and I share one little closet. I don't need the best closets ever, just more space to keep things TIDY! And yes, I still haven't bought clothing in 2012. (I'll give you an update on that later.) So no, I am not continually stuffing more things in there. This closet just wasn't meant for 2 people.

3. At least three bedrooms, preferably four.

For lots of space now, and room for growth later. :)

4. A decently sized, private yard.
For cookouts and games and room to play.

5. Good living and dining areas to entertain. With a fireplace.

We LOVE to have people over for game nights and such, and we plan on having the youth group over a lot now that it's about to begin for fall. Along with this is the fact that we won't have someone living below us who hates any type of noise (including us simply walking). So that'll be nice.

(2) Favorite Room in a Home.

Any eating/gathering area. Centered around family and fellowship.

Source: lauracaseyinteriors.com via Taylor on Pinterest

I love exposed brick and beams by the way.

(3) Renovated Room.

Well, when we have a house, the first room I'd want to "renovate" would be the living room.

Just some paint and our furniture and decorating touches will make it OURS. 

And it would have to be perfect for Christmas decorating!

Source: annawalker1992.blogspot.com via Nikki on Pinterest

With lots of WHITE and light colors. I love love love bright and white and airy.


(4) Favorite Decor Stores.

My #1 store is The Nest hands down. It's in downtown Burlington, NC. SUCH GREAT STUFF. Vintage, renovated, gorgeous pieces for good prices. Ahhh I love it. It's been too long since I've been. When people compliment anything at our place, it's usually from The Nest. And let's not even talk about their Christmas stuff or we'll be here all night.

I also love HomeGoods and TJMaxx. But we really haven't had to buy much because we were given so much furniture by wonderful people. What a blessing. :)


(5) Dream Home.

I have no idea what my dream home would really look like, because anywhere we move together will be a dream. Sounds cheesy but it's for real. I'll guess I'll have to choose the place that's been my dream home since the age of 5.

With this library of course!

Thank you to Becky for having this link-up! Let me know if you link up too so I can see your answers. :)

From the Office of Ashley Shelley.

We've had quite a productive weekend. Since we haven't been home for many weekends at all in the past couple months, we've definitely taken advantage of this long one. It's been FABULOUS.
We went out on a date to a lovely, fancy Italian place using a gift card we got for Christmas. (Yes, it was about time we used that thing.) If you live in the Raleigh area, Cafe Tiramisu is the place to go! But you will probably need a reservation so don't just pop on over there, haha.
We got some SLEEP, finally. We worked out. We went to the pool. Got to hang out with my bro who's home from college. (YAY) We got to fellowship with believers and then minister at a retirement village on Sunday. It's been such a good break.
But the main reason it was productive is because we got to CLEAN our messy apartment. But not just clean - organize. There's definitely a difference. 
While I was organizing in our bedroom, Jordan surprised me by completely cleaning out the nook area that's attached to our kitchen. It's been used for random items - guitar stuff, card table & chairs, and lots of things that we just needed to go through. 
Well Jordan took that little space and made it into "my office". :) 
There was already a desk here that was cluttered with items. Now, it is the home of our new desktop computer! Ahhh I'm so excited!
Let me tell you about its awesomeness. It's one of those all-in-one computers that doesn't have a tower or anything. It's a Lenovo. There are hardly any cords. The screen is big. It's also touch screen. (Which although unnecessary, is actually really nice!) It's cool to use a mouse now which I'm only used to doing at work. It is all beautiful. 
Jordan told me that there is one condition with this office though....I have to actually BLOG. Haha. Remember this post about my man wanting me to blog? He is such an excellent blog supporter. He and my mom have been pleading with me to blog lately so HERE IT IS. :) Thanks to finally being home and my new office! He even told the guy at Best Buy about the blog and how I love to write. Have I declared to the world recently how much I love this man??? I LOVE THIS MAN.
Here's my little space thus far.

I got that little drawer thing for the printer at The Container Store along with a couple of other desk items. I sure do love that place. Just breathing the air in there makes me feel more organized.

I hope y'all had a wonderful weekend too! Here's to hoping this is the end of my blogging lull! :)

Home Shopping/Buying Advice, Please!

Okay, people. I need some advice. 
There are a lot of smart, helpful people in the blogosphere and in my life so I knew I could ask y'all.
We're starting to look for houses! :)
We're not in any hurry, we're praying about it, we're not trying to get our own place ASAP. But we know it can be a long process, so we're starting to search and shop around and such.
We've looked at some really nice townhouses that are currently being built, but we're also open to regular houses as well. We're not looking for the house we're going to be in when we're 70 or anything, more of a starter home that could be sold later in life.

source

So here are my questions for you:
1. Do you have a "I'm SO glad we did this" story about buying your first home? It could be about the home itself, the process, financing, etc.
2. Do you have a "This was awful" story about buying your first home?
3. Anything you wish you would have known beforehand? Or done differently?
4. Any random pieces of advice for me?

I appreciate it SO much. And I'll be updating y'all on how it's going! 
Jordan is a wonderful leader and planner for us and I fully trust him in this process. (And we are trusting our Lord because He knows where we need to be!) I just know it helps to hear other people's stories and advice when they've been there and done that! 
Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Guest posting about my hometown - Raleigh!

I seriously just typed, "Happy Friday, y'all" and then realized it is in fact NOT Friday. My brain is just not working right today. Well, Happy Thursday, anyway! 

Today I'm guest posting at henning love about my hometown! So if you'd like to hear about where I'd take her for the day in Raleigh, NC, then hop on over there and check it out. You really should check out her blog anyway because Meg is quite the inspiration. You'll love it. :)

Meanwhile I'm on my way to Greensboro for the NCCSA 3A State Tournament! Have a great day my dears!

InstaFriday: Vintage Decorations!

InstaFriday: Decorations

I've gotten a few new little items from The Nest - my favorite vintage and shabby chic store in downtown Burlington - thanks to Granma and Grandaddy Shelley! They gave me a gift certificate for Christmas. :)

I collect antique Ball mason jars and I LOVE the blue ones. 

This is on a shelf in our kitchen nook.

Since the Christmas decorations are gone (sad!) - I put together a new coffee table arrangement. That little bucket can hold our remotes/a game controller. 

I am SO GLAD I bought that tray from The Nest. I couldn't decide how I would use it, but the grays and blues on it look perfect in our living room.

Can you tell I love using old Readers Digest books? (Inherited that love from my favorite decorator - my mother!)

The patterns on them are so lovely - and I've actually read out of some of them too. For one or two dollars a piece at antique stores, they're hard to beat.

This chalkboard also came from The Nest. I was going to make one, but this was the perfect size I was looking for with just the right color gray for the frame. And I couldn't make one that size for less than $12!

That verse always reminds me of God's amazing peace. Why do I worry about the future? The Lord of all creation has it under control.

I tend to freak out about things (just ask Jordan!), so I knew this would be an excellent verse displayed for me to see every day.

So thankful for that promise - I hope it can encourage you today as well.

I linked up with Life Rearranged!

Happy Friday :)

our first Christmas decorations.

I'm going to show you some of our Christmas decorations for this year! I LOVE decorating for Christmas and have been overjoyed to display them for our first holiday season. :)

The centerpiece on our table - made by a precious relative of mine, Mrs. Kim Woodall! She's SO talented. I love the milk glass base for the tree.

My mom gave me that Joy nativity this year so I could have my first nativity scene. Her mom gave her one for her first married Christmas. Maybe one day I can give my daughter one! My middle name was Joy so that's why it's so prevalent in our household. It's also an excellent reminder of the joy we have through Christ too of course!

The sweet picture in the frame came from one of my favorite stores The Nest. 

The gold snowman is holding a flower that a homeless man made for me out of leaves on our honeymoon. I have those candles (also from The Nest) out all of the time, but now they're surrounded by ornaments and Christmas tree candles. They're sitting in a tray that Josh and Danielle gave us from their trip to Thailand. So special!

I LOVE this Christmas carol candles. Yes, they're from The Nest, too! 

This ornament is from Hawaii (obviously). We want to collect ornaments from all of the states we visit...we never knew that we'd get to go to Hawaii so soon in our marriage! God had some crazy awesome plans for us this year. :) And yes....I accidentally made Jordan the girl turtle. Sorry, Jordan.

One of my best friends and bridesmaids Morgan gave me this ornament last year. :) I was so excited to finally get to use it!

These next two are from my mom. So pretty and special. 

Granma and Grandaddy Shelley gave us these last year. How cute!

My sister in law Anna gave Jordan this from China. I honestly have no idea what it means but I'm sure it's something nice.

Here's the Jesse tree from my mother in law that I talked about yesterday. 

On top of our fridge - some pretty ornaments on a cake plate. 

Our Christmas card holder on our pantry door. The Shelleys have a tradition of taking turns reading their different Christmas cards they've received out loud and then praying for the people in them. We are definitely going to be doing this as well. :)

On our coffee table I have a burlap table runner, a cake plate, another one of those Christmas carol candles, and some ice skating birds. So cute!

Had to hang some mistletoe of course! :) I love that sign that I ordered off Etsy, but it came in really late so I couldn't use it for the wedding. I was not pleased. Therefore I'm not going to tell you who made it, haha. Still love it though.

Love these sparkly ornaments and birds' nests!

This little shepherd is so sweet. That was also made by the amazing Kim Woodall!

This sleigh with ornaments in it and greenery is on top of our medicine cabinet above our toilet. 

This is also in our bathroom. Our bathroom is already gray, red, and black - so the extra pops of red added a lot!

Yes, this is a snowman nativity scene. Complete with a little snowman baby Jesus. I know this is kinda weird. But I like it.

And last but not least - our first Christmas tree! It turned out perfectly. I adore that smell of a real Christmas tree when we walk in. It was so fun to pick it out with my man!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!

special Advent calendars.

I love counting down the days 'til Christmas. There's just something about knowing that you're one day closer...maybe it's because I'm all about anticipation. (Even with little things.)
Ever since I was little I've adored Advent calendars. My mom always had a little tree for me and my brother that we put a new tiny, numbered ornament on every day leading up to Christmas. I loved that tradition.
This year we've been starting our own Advent traditions. Last year at Hallmark I got this ridiculously cute magnetic cookie sheet calendar after Christmas for 75% off. :) Each day you put a new cookie and get closer and closer to 25!

It's on our fridge next to our busy December calendar.

How cute is that? My mom spotted it first...but she was ever so sweet to let me get it. :) Since she has about 18,000 different Christmas decorations and I'm just starting out.
Our Advent calendar that is most special to us is our Jesse tree. It's a Shelley family tradition that I'm honored to begin for our new family. My mother-in-law handcrafted ours this year so we could have it for our first Christmas. One day if God blesses us with children they'll be able to participate in this tradition that's been passed down in the family. :)

So let me explain the Jesse tree. It's named after the line of Christ - his great, great, great, great, great, lots of greats grandfather was Jesse, King David's father. You can read about the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1. It's amazing to be able to trace Jesus' family tree back hundreds of years.
Each day we put a new "ornament" on the tree starting from the bottom. As you can see in the bottom left hand corner we started with the world - creation. With each addition to the tree there is a section of Scripture to read and a few thought provoking questions to go along with it. The first day we read in Genesis  and talked about how amazing creation is. 
The second day (the bottom middle) was the piece of fruit that Satan tempted Eve with. We read about the fall and how sin separated mankind from God. We talked about how we are ALL sinners and are in desperate need for a Savior!
It goes on each day through the Bible leading up to the birth of that Savior who took the punishment for our sins - Jesus. Jordan and his siblings always bickered over who would have the honor of placing baby Jesus at the top of the tree on Christmas day. Last year he did it.

Jordan and I have been taking turns and he says I can put baby Jesus up since it's my first Christmas doing the Jesse tree. :) :) 
I love this tradition and how special and important it is. The focus of Christmas needs to be on our Savior and how He came to earth to redeem us and show us amazing grace. Because of what Jesus did, we can have a relationship with Him. PRAISE THE LORD! 
It also looks wonderful on our wall which is an added bonus.

I've also been using another calendar to count down to Christmas. I probably shouldn't hang this one on the wall or the fridge though...

Yeah....it just kinda worked out that way. 

Do you have any special Advent calendars that you use? Or any other ways to count down to Christmas?