perfect peace :)

It is a wonderful thing to feel chosen!  

This is a verse that has just been on my heart for the last few days.

such a wonderful promise

I don't need to worry about the future - just keep my mind on Him!

this is the question that has been on my mind the last few days -- is Jesus merely useful to me or is He ultimately beautiful to me?

When I think of Jesus being useful to me it really comes down to what He can do for me and waiting for something bad to happen before I call on Him to make it better - our conversations and my prayer time becomes all about me - how He can move my world.

There is no relationship when Jesus is merely useful to me.

When Jesus is ultimately beautiful to me - things begin to change.  I enter into prayer and worship with my eyes fixed on Him - and a relationship is opened - He is included.  I want to know what is on His heart - what He is thinking, what He feeling.  I begin to get excited about the bible more - through being close to Him my heart changes and this is what causes change in my world.  Jesus in me.

Beautiful.  Jesus is beautiful.

God is always calling us deeper and further - it's not about us being able to do for for Him, but if we want to go deeper - if we fight for the relationship - that is when He can do more through us.  

That my faith would be made stronger in the presence of my savior

painting in the sun :)

I woke up yesterday just needing to paint

You are soooo LOVED!!! Don't ever forget it - and if you do forget it then take a breath, pause for a minute and remind yourself that you are more loved than you an ever know by a God who is absoutely crazy about you!

That should help :)

As I was painting this I was remembering the first time I ever felt the love of Jesus.  It was during a worship service at a girl's conference and the band was playing a song and and one point the song just repeated "I am so loved" and over and over I sang that line and I felt nothing and I remember looking around and just being so frustrated that I was missing out on something I had never even experienced before - so I asked Jesus if I could feel His love for me and I remember each time I sang that line I felt a little bit more and then a little bit more.  

When I remember this moment I fully believe this time must have gone on for about 10 mins of singing "I am so loved" and at the end I was just a mess of tears and joy and this feeling of unconditional love, this love that I had never felt anything else like it before, this love that from that moment on my life has never been the same.   

may fun characterize your day,

ashleigh :)

Mittens :)

I do so love my new mittens!  They are my first mittens I have ever knit and they were super easy!  You can check out the free pattern here.  Knitting has never been my most favorite thing to do - mostly 

I think it's because I have never truly learned how to knit in the round... so basically everything I make is either a scarf... or something I knitted flat and cheated by crocheting together :)  

I think the most annoying thing about making things in pairs is that once you finish one it is super exciting - but then you have another whole one to make... worst...

I hope you enjoy the pictures of my nubby mittens and they inspire you to make them like they had inspired me!

starting to make a dent in my large stash of needlepoint yarn!

honestly, who knew that this weird shape would turn into a mitten!!

I haven't decided if I will call them my watermelon or strawberry mittens yet... but who nicknames mittens after summer fruit anyways...

So my hair is getting crazy long!  It's at the point where if I am sitting it pretty much touches the seat.  I am beginning to question if I am one of those weird long haired people... I think I may have to go in for a trim soon....

while this photo was being taken kyle was throwing snowballs at me... thanks bud!

Loving this song right now -- 

yours till the crow flies or the flies crow :)

ashleigh