Truths

I've found that it's really easy for me to get discouraged lately.
And Sunday, I decided I was tired of that being the case.
So I decided to do something about it.
More specifically, I decided to make a list.
A Truths list.

I'm still working on it. I figured I can keep adding to it randomly.
But I thought I'd share a few random ones:

1. You are with me, close; You will not leave me.
- Zeph. 3:17, "The LORD your God is with you; He is mighty to save..."
- Josh. 1:9, "... The LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
- Ps. 139:7 "...Where can I flee from Your presence?"

2. You know what's in store for me.
- Jer. 29:11 "For I know the plans I have..."
- Isa. 40:27-28 "Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God"? Do you not know?... The LORD is the everlasting God... His understanding no one can fathom."

3. I am precious to You.
- Isa. 43:4 "... you are precious and honored in my sight, and... I love you."
- Ps. 17:8 "Keep me as the apple of Your eye..."

4. You have bought me, at a very large price. I was not cheap.
- Isa. 43:1 "... Fear not, for I have redeemed you..."
- Isa. 53:2 "...He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we esteemed Him not."

5. You have already written my story. Every bit of it, every detail.
- Ps. 139:16 "... All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be."

6. You think of me often.
- Ps. 139:17-18 "How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand..."

7. You are trustworthy / I can trust You.
- Prov. 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart... and He will make your paths straight."
- Ps. 46:1-2 "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea."
- Ps. 34:10 "The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who fear the LORD lack no good thing."

8. You want to fill my heart with desires... and fill them.
- Ps. 37:4 "Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart."

9. You desire my honor; it is beautiful to You.
- Ps. 45:11 "The King is enthralled by your beauty; honor Him, for He is your Lord."

10. You are Comforter.
- Ps. 34:18 "The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
- Ps. 147:3 "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."

Hope your weekend is full of lovely moments and deep conversations.

Love,

              Casey

This Christmas Week

So, if you couldn't tell, I have recently discovered my phone's ability to shoot in with Hipstamatic. I really like the slightly-blurred look, and the color variation, but I'm not used to it yet.

But I've been practicing. ;)

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Hope ya'll have had a lovely Christmas week, and have some splendid plans for the New Year's weekend!!

Merry Christmas

hope your day was full of warmth, and family, and good things to eat,

and that you were refreshed with the ever-present 

lovingkindness of our Savior.

Merry Christmas.

Anticipation

Hope your Christmas Eve is full of fuzzy slippers, egg nog, and lots of laughter.

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"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid." John 14:27

Style{in} Skirts: Something Different

I wore this skirt (here) with denim and red, but I felt like trying something a bit different this time. Not only did I use different colors, but this is one of the only times I've tried the cardi-over-button-down look. I wouldn't have even thought of trying, but I was on stage this morning with the worship team, and the cardi kept me from being self-conscious about wearing such a fitted shirt in front of lots of people.

Shirt: Rue21 //  Cardi: TJMaxx (pretty sure)  //  Skirt: Old Navy  //  Boots: Thrift Store

It's so easy for me to be discouraged, or dismayed, in this weird in-between season I'm in. But this morning I was reminded of how simple it can all be to just be in the presence of my King.

Because being immersed in the presence of my King is home.

It's peace.

It's comfort.

And hope.

Even when things look grim, 

even when I don't know what I'm doing

or where I'm going,

even when I'm disappointed,

I know the King. And I know who I am to the King.

And there's nothing grim in that.

Be immersed in the Presence this week. And know who you are to Him. Cuz that's all that matters.
Love,
           Case

(Linkin' up here)

GET FLUFFY

I am a firm believer in the notion that the holidays are a time to celebrate, be with your favorite people and get fat.
Yup.
It's a time to throw out the diet and simply enjoy yourself.
This does absolutely nothing to my self-esteem, considering all the added layers brought on by the cold already make me feel a bit more rotund, but what else are New Year's resolutions for?

Just sayin', I think this is gonna be my first January with "Go to the gym" on my resolutions list... haha!

But for serious. This fattening season has encouraged me to find some goodies that are scrumptious but also don't tempt me to toss my allergy symptoms out the window.
Which is lame. I can disregard the calorie content, but not the ingredients. :/

So, in light of this ramble, my goal is to find some fattening gluten-, dairy-, and egg-free lovelies.

This is the first one: GF Magic Bars are what they're called,
and yes,
they are magic.
Alas, that is why I had to steal these pictures from Life as Mom, because I finished the whole pan so darn fast....

Double Chocolate Magic Bars (original recipe here)
1 & 1/2 cups Oreo cookie crumbs (we used crushed gluten free graham crackers)
1 stick melted butter
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 can sweetened condensed milk (I have found easy recipes for soy and almond sweetened condensed milk, but have not tried them yet)

- Pour melted butter into a 9 x 13 pan, and combine with cookie (or graham cracker) crumbs.
- Press lightly to form a crust-like layer.
- Sprinkle the chocolate chips on; then the coconut.
- Cover with sweetened condensed milk.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Super easy; super fattening. Which makes it great for getting fluffy over the holidays ;)
Also, these beauties freeze well, too, cut into squares and layered in a container with wax paper.
Honestly, though, after you've tried them, they'll be gone as soon as you've cut them ;)

Try 'em out, and let me know what you think!
And GET FLUFFY ;)
Love,
               Casey

Bethany

Yesterday I got to spend a whole, terrific afternoon with this gal.  We spent hours at a coffee shop, simply catching up; then we walked around by Waterside, walked through the mall, lost our car, and laughed at how nothing has changed.
It was grand. :)

Hope ya'll have a lovely Friday. It's the weekend!!

Love,
             Casey

The Kind that Creeps

Just a thought, here, but I feel like there are two dominant types of death:

1. the kind that comes out of nowhere, and

2. the kind that creeps in over a long period of time.

I have been incredibly blessed that the first type has been kept away almost completely from my little world of 18 years, but I do know the second type. We all do, on some level or another, I think.

This is scriptural, too: "The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace," (Romans 8:6). The verse that precedes this verse says further that "those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires," (meaning, death is not only in the mind, but in the actions as well).

I cannot control the first form of death, but I can control the second. However, I think I have become a bit lax in that lately. Especially in light of the past few months and the developments within, I have not been vigilant in keeping thoughts of death at bay.

Bottom line: what I think overflows into my daily life.
Therefore, I should be careful about what I think.

I am not referring to suicidal thoughts. I am referring to the mind of sin that hones in on untruths and despair, which is death. A mind that is only focused on negative, degrading untruths is incapable of life on any level; practical, physical, mental, emotional, or relational.

I've gotten to the point where I'm tired of the lack of life in my little world, in my life, in me. And that means something needs to change.

But I'm learning a lot of things about myself. And I'm really grateful for my family and close friends who have to be the environment in which I learn about myself.

Untruths are hard to reverse until you identify them. So I've been identifying a few over the past few days. Some are silly. Some are serious. Some are unearthing some hidden hurts I've been carrying around a long time.

All this to say, I want a mind "controlled by the Spirit" that "is life and peace." Because if I can live a thought life that is full of life and peace, than it only follows that my physical life will also grow to be full of life and peace.

"... those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires." Ro. 8:5

Give me a set mind, Lord. An unwavering mind's eye that is in constant contact with Yours.

Manly Coffee and Guilty Pleasures

So my day started out great: a bit of sleeping in, dairy-free creamer in my coffee, yoga class.
However, notice how "breakfast" was never scratched off the list.
Yeah.
Don't work-out without breakfast...

Also, notice how NO WHERE on that list is:

"MAKE POPCORN AND WATCH YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW WHILE THE HOUSE IS EMPTY."

Yet, that's what I did...

Popcorn for one, and my guilty pleasure in the form of Netflix. 

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On a whole different note, my mind is also being blown by Come to Me by Jenn Johnson. Such a simple worship song, yet soooo powerful...

Anyways, hope your Tuesday is great. Full of guilty pleasures, mind-blowing worship, and cozy times.
Even if you know you're being less productive than you should be.
After all... it's the holidays ;)

Love,
             Casey

Ugly Sweater Party!

((my ugly sweater // half of the group // "curses" // Erric // Mary on the guitar // 

Brooke's awesome sweater + scarf + jeans situation // Timothy and JBow))

This past Friday my friend Hannah had an Ugly Sweater Party. This was especially a big deal for me because Hannah will be moving soon, and it was one of the last times I will see her for a while.

I didn't take many pictures, but we had a BLAST. Hannah is a great hostess; we played a hilarious game called Curses, laughed around a bonfire, watched A Christmas Story, and pulled out a few instruments toward the end to sing some tunes.

We'll miss you lots, HanBan! You're something terrific ;)

(you can see more pictures from Friday on Faith's blog here)

Five Minutes

I took a few minutes to have a quick "photo shoot" with the kiddos yesterday. It was quick, because it was cold and most of us didn't have shoes on, but we had a lot of fun.

Ain't they precious? ;)