lazy sunday!

I did some organizing this afternoon in my sewing room! now its all clean and tidy and makes me just want to start some new projects and lock myself away down there!

Some of my yarn stash...

my patterns and what nots 

so while i was in my cleaning zone - i had some music playing and this song came on and in the middle there is spoken word that totally surprised me and it got my heart racing and made me excited - christ is risen!

what does that poor Jewish man, dying on a roman tree two thousand years ago have to do with me?

Christ came and died to marry his Bride to be - and although death could kill the groom it could not kill the ring! God made us one with Christ and life in matrimony's cling! and now the undying church - his everliving wife can sing - oh death where is your sting, oh grave where is your victory!

the body is rising - we are the risen church!

 so I thought I would share!

happy sunday! -- ashleigh

a pretty little dress for a beautiful little girl!

Hey guys - just wanted to share this little flutter sleeve dress I made a few weeks ago!  I had been holding onto this fabric for ages and once I saw this pattern I knew it would be the cutest little dress ever!


hope you think so too!

take care now- bye bye then -- ashleigh

on my heart...

hey guys - its been a while since i've posted last - its been a crazy time these last few weeks!

I felt challenged to pay a bit more attention to lent this year - and giving up hot chocolate may not be a huge sacrifice but for me its basically the same as a coffee addiction! and i wanted to choose something totally attainable and at the end feel like it was an offering. I totally feel the need to have it every morning has gone - I actually forgot my mug in the car this morning and forgot to bring it into work!

Also for the six weeks I wanted to explore a little more about what sacrifice means - when we sacrifice  we are giving up something valued for something else more worthy - and i was really challenged to find what I valued as worthy.

I started with changing around my personal space so basically at some point in my day I would be able to focus more about what I am passionate about and would help me re focus my mind towards Jesus.

I covered my car with truths, promises and encouraging words! At first I was soo nervous about this because well bright yellow post it notes posted all over the dash would kinda draw attention and for awhile I felt like no one really noticed! Then all of a sudden almost everywhere I was parked someone would be reading them while i was trying to get into my car - but after one or two I didn't feel so self conscious any more - it was actually kinda exciting!

I wanted to see this verse every morning Romans 12:1-2 -- and to be challenged for each day to be a sacrifice

"take your everyday ordinary life - your sleeping, eating, going-to-work and walking-around life and place it before God as an offering" and i totally felt like wow - i don't think i've ever read this before - He wants my life - he wants all of my nothing extremely important life given to him as an offering

the verses later go on to say this "Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him." 

- this just simplified making God happy soo much 

- embracing what he does for us makes him happy!

"don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God.  You will be changed from the inside out."

- this sometimes is really hard for me 

-so with all these reminders set everywhere for me I did find it was much easier to keep my attention on God and I've decided to keep them up for as long as I feel I need to have such extreme reminders in my life - to see my life align with Jesus and not my world

and this kinda became my prayer mirror - while getting ready each morning it was easy to pray because everything was just right in front me!

It was actually really fun to creatively bring more of Jesus into my life! 

--ashleigh

car seat organizer

I love when things are organized, and I love when things look pretty - so when I couldn't find any organizers that I liked I thought I might as well make my own! and this is what turned out - I love it!

this is everything i wanted to fit in it...

some sweet fabric

my empty organizer

and now my nicely filled organizer where I have a place for everything!

have a delightful day -- ashleigh

joy dare : #43 - 42

43 - drawing from a little friend of mine tucked away in my locket

44 - time

45 - a beloved mango smoothie with a friend

46 - a friend finally guessing my draw something picture... sometimes i am an awful drawer

47 - a lady I work with finally seeing the big picture - in the midst of a bad day - smiling!

48 - an elderly couple walking hand in hand for a morning walk

49 - "Count me in Im amazed this loves for me Lord"

50 - that Kony needs to be stopped - those children deserve to be safe

51 - feelig God's love for me

52 - "The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing" Zep 3:17

53 - "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart" Ps. 37:4

54 - "The Lord will fight for you, you only need to be still" Ex. 14:14

55 - the delightful cupcakes topped with green icing my mom made for dessert!

56 - coastal weather is never dull - snow, sun, rain, snow sun

57- tonight i'm going on a treasure hunt with God - praying already!

58 - the dew on the top of newly flowered daffodils 

59 - the fudge drizzled on my popcorn snack

60 - the fading reminder of God's love on my hand

61 - the snow that fell down today

62 - after spending the weekend sharing a room with four girls it made me miss slumber parties and just the funny things girls do at night!

63 - my new phone case...

i'm going on a treasure hunt...

As some of you know - i'm currently doing the bethel school of supernatural studies through correspondence here in Powell River.  This school is totally challenging me is every aspect in my relationship with Jesus and it has been just so awesome.  

About a week ago in our class we did something that certainly took me out of my comfort zone - we went of a treasure hunt.  I had done this before in ywam, but its one thing to walk up to people in another country and say "This may seem a little weird, but we're on a treasure hunt and we think you are on the list" but to do this here in my small town where I am bound to know the person definitely was stretching me.

So how treasure hunting works is you pray and ask for words of knowledge regarding the location, their name, appearance, what they might need prayer for and anything unusual. You write down all your words and then you head out.

So we broke up into small groups, prayed, and then went out into the town - and Jesus came and something cool happened!

So in my group we each had a word - the two other people brought us to out location and all I heard was something blue.  So we walked into the restaurant (which happened to be unusually extremely busy) and started looking for the words we had each received and I kid you not everyone seemed to be dressed in such dark colors of grey and black and in the back corner was the treasure - dressed head to toe in blue.  

We walked over and Jesus clearly knew we were going to show up because three empty chairs were already pulled up to the table - so we asked if we could sit down and began talking to our new friends.  Our blue lady began telling us how she had called her friend up and asked her out to pray for her daughter and how they were both planning to be somewhere else that night but felt they just needed to meet together to pray.  We asked if we could pray for her as as well and just let her know she was God's treasure and the desires of her heart to see her daughter healed were His as well - and continued to encourage her and remind her how important she is to her Father God.  The night was awesome!

I was soo fearful heading into this night - but being obedient, and trusting God was so freeing!  

and that testimony alone would have been awesome enough to tell of how creative and loving God is but he had more in plan for that meeting - there was some more love he wanted to share.

Last night I found out that the table beside us was listening and one of the ladies heart was so touched by God she went to her place of work the next day and began telling this story of a group of people that went out into the town on a treasure hunt.  She was so intrigued by what she had saw and heard that she decided she needed to hear more about this God.  So she grabbed three of her friends and went out to the healing rooms that day after lunch.  On that visit she gave her life to the Lord and all four of them left with Bibles!! How cool is God!!

Honestly the idea of treasure hunting was soo scary for me - I was so afraid to give my word our of fear that it would be wrong that I almost was just going to keep it to myself.  I am so thankful that I spoke up and listened to God and got to be a part of his amazing plans!

So go out and try something out of your comfort zone and be encouraged!!

let me leave you with my new favorite song at the moment as a thank you for reading this long post!

This is what you do -- Matt Stinton

try not to catch the cold like me -- ashleigh

joy dare : week 2 #22 - 42

22 -- this morning I woke up and it was soo bright out - turned over and saw it was only 7... too bad this was the morning I could sleep in...
23 -- pic coming
24 -- pic coming
25 -- crocheting
26 -- watching an elderly couple taking a early morning walk hand in hand
27 -- my friends while watching survivor
28 -- sour keys
29 -- amazing new smoothies at mcdonalds
30 -- nice tall mug of hotchocolate
31 -- daffodils
32 -- ketchup and mustard bible
33 -- highlighted scripture
34 -- old glow in the dark stickers on my ceiling
35 -- softest violet sheets ever
36 -- orange juice! but still wishing it was hot chocolate...
37 -- my sister listening to loud music
38 -- cars driving by
39 -- hail
40 -- he called me lovely
41 -- the cross
42 -- through testimonies