Never Alone

Our small group met tonight and it was awesome. The study "What on Earth are We Here For?" has been so helpful and enlightening. I can't get out of my head what we discussed tonight. The session was about fellowship and being formed for God's family. God wants us to know and love each other. He wants us to share our experiences and support with each other. The book gave this verse and I love it: Acts 2:44 "All the believers met together constantly and shared everything with each other." I love that the verse says "shared everything with each other." God wants us to share our joys AND our sufferings with others. He doesn't want us to go through hardships alone. He wants us to be able to share our hearts. As much as God wants me to grow in my relationship with Him; He desires I do the same with others. God wants us to develop relationships with people He has placed in our lives. My goal is to give of my time and to be intentional with investing in these God-given relationships. I will strive to not allow my fear of getting hurt stop me from allowing God to work in and through my life and my relationships.

I encourage you to check out this book! Thanks so much for reading.-AGM

Family, Friends, and Fun

 We have had many visitors this month! I am actually getting ready for my mom and dad to visit this week. It has been fun sharing our "new" city with friends and family. My sister was able to come out for a couple of days. It was so adorable to see Giana get so excited to see her Auntie. Ashley even took some great pictures of our family.We all had a wonderful time together.

Rudy loves Ashley

We loved their chai's!

Auntie and Giana reading before bedtime

  Here's a glimpse of Auntie Ashley's pictures of our family:

Our friends Jon and Noelle visited this past weekend. It was great seeing them and having our kids play together. Their little boy Zachary is in love with Giana. (The pics will prove it!) We also had our friends Trevor and Carrie visit. These two couples are a part of our launch team. Our launch team will be a strong part of our church plant. We are so thankful for their faithfulness to God's calling on their lives! (I will share more about our church plant in future posts.)

It's Amore!

Giana and Zachary at church

Downtown Noblesville

              

Fantastic Pizza Place!

Garden pizza? yes, please!

Noelle and I

It was Noelle's b-day so I made this Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Check out the recipe: Here

Thanks for reading! -AGM

What on Earth Am I Here For?

Last week, our church launched a 40 day Spiritual Growth Journey called, "Discovering My Calling: What on Earth Am I Here For?" Through small group study and weekly messages, we will be exploring our purpose in this life. Jared and I started our small group this past Tuesday and are excited to learn and grow with our new friends. We will be studying Pastor Rick Warren's book "What on Earth am I Here For?" The first week of reading has been awesome. Jared and I love Chapter four of the book called Made to Last Forever. I loved this sentence in the chapter: "Measured against eternity, our time on earth is just a blink of an eye, but the consequences of it will last forever. The deeds of this life are the destiny of the next."-Wow! Looking at life as preparation for eternity should change so many of my priorities. The chapter shares that I (we) will place a higher value on relationships and character instead of fame, wealth, and achievement when we live our lives in light of eternity. (pg.40) Spending time with our small group is more important than watching our favorite Tuesday night TV shows. Or on a more personal note, my Bible reading needs to take more priority than 30 minutes on the elliptical...ouch! The chapter gave this verse: "This world is fading away, along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God, you will live forever." (1 John 2:17) 

Have a great day! -AGM

Fabulous Finds

            One thing that I love is a great deal. I have been introduced to some adorable antique malls that are filled with fabulous finds. I love to just roam around each booth to get ideas for future projects. Sometimes, I am lucky to find a great deal. I have been looking for a little side table for Giana's new big girl room. I really don't like the thought of her growing up; but the planner in me wants to get everything ready for when baby boy makes his arrival.

 Here is what I was looking for in regards to a bedside table:

I absolutely loved this piece but not the price of it. $160.

I have been searching around to find a piece that resembles it.

Here is what I found:

I am going to redo this little table and add a basket for storage. It is only missing a little drawer but I can work with it! It was only $15! Love this fabulous find. ;)

This was redone sewing machine desk. I couldn't pass it up for only $24! I put it in our kitchen nook because the kitchen colors are blues, yellows, and reds. I may want to use it as a desk when Giana gets older.

Hope you have enjoyed my fabulous finds! I will share the finished product of the red side table soon! -AGM

Love is in the air!

 I love the month of February! This year, I wanted to add a few Valentine's Day decorations around the house. I had extra burlap from Giana's first birthday party, so I decided to make a "love" banner for the fireplace. I used twine, acrylic paint, and letter/heart stencils to make it. I also made a mini "love" banner for my yarn wreath. The yarn wreath was a Christmas present that my sister made for me. I love it! To make the wreath appropriate for Valentine's Day, I took off the Christmas decor and added fabric flowers and the "love" banner. I love that the wreath can be used throughout the year! FYI, It is super easy to make fabric flowers. I just found a tutorial on Pinterest to learn how to make them. For some reason I am obsessed with glass domes. To add a touch of love, I placed the glass dome on a red charger and added red flowers to the potted plant. I hope you enjoy the simple touches of love around our house! Happy February!

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a 

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

Love, 

AGM