Get your red nose on! #rednoseday #may21st

Red Nose Day {May 21st}

       One thing that I am most passionate about is children. Especially tending to their needs. As most of you know, I am an adoptive mother. Throughout our adoption process, our eyes have truly been open to what occurs behind the scenes. What really happens in those homes. Children placed in situations they cannot control. Children being passed between multiple, sometimes twenty different homes. Jesus help us. 

       Before the process our hearts were broken by the stories we heard, now we have seen some of those stories unfold and it breaks our hearts to a much greater height. The magnitude of the issues that happen just around the block are serious. It is hard to see it if your eyes are closed. My one wish is that I could just save all these kiddos, but the truth is I can't. However, I can help. 

       Red nose day is a way. 

       Comic relief, Inc. (also known as America Gives Back, Inc), is a public charity in which stemmed from the UK. Comic Relief UK started 30 years ago in response to the famine in East Africa. Now they are partnering with NBCUniversal to start the first Red Nose Day in the United States for 2015 (www.rednoseday.org). 

       Red Nose Day is dedicated to raising money for children and young people in poverty. How? By having fun! 

       

       On May 21st, now coined the inaugural Red Nose Day, NBC will be holding a 3 hour TV show of the most well known comedians and entertainers coming together to have fun and to raise money for children and young people living in poverty. 

       How can you donate? Watch NBC on May 21st for information. If you are unable to watch, you can send your check addressed to Red Nose Day to The Red Nose Day Fund, PO Box 5514, Carol Stream, IL, 60197-5514. I started helping by giving a small portion with my very simple purchase at Walgreen's. In return, I received the cutest Red Nose to wear on Red Nose Day. Do you think people will ask me what it is for? Of course they will. BINGO!

       Also, get your kids involved. There is nothing sweeter than children helping children. It gives them a new perspective on life, of what is really occurring our the world. Especially more insight on how our world needs Jesus. 

       Call this a typical "she got that off the Internet post" if you want, sure. This information is provided by rednoseday.org. However, there are children living in poverty while we are living in fancy houses not doing a darn thing about it. Plus, its fun. If any child would want you to raise awareness, and the funds, it would be the fun way. With these funds you are helping provide education to those who don't have it, funding health facilities and allowing access to health care, reducing the levels of violence and increasing safety.... many ways. 

How do you wear your red nose?

Having Funds for kids,

Heather

Im blogging while wearing my red nose.

Red Nose Day is partnered by Walgreen's and M&Ms. See rednoseday.org for more information.

Vulnerably Broken- Fragile Clay

Vulnerably Broken- Fragile Clay

I love my profession. I thank the Lord every day he directed me to be a nurse. There are hard days. There are amazing days. Days where I just want to go home, and days that drive me even more as a nurse. Today was one of those days. 

It was mid day and time to see my last patient before lunch time. I was starving. I was exhausted. However, before I entered that patients door my heart broke in two. Vulnerably broken. The Lord knew it was my time to make a difference. 

I knocked on the door and was shortly and frantically welcomed by a sweet middle aged woman and her little dog. She was all over the place. The first thing she said was, "I am so sorry. It took me so long to answer the door. I have been trying to get everything ready before I leave and….." 

She pulled out a chair for me at the table, and was still frantically running around. Minutes later she sat down and immediately started apologizing again. I calmly looked at her and said, "Its really okay. How are you feeling?" 

The stories starting flowing from her mind and she immediately starting busting into tears. I just sat there and listened. 

It is the day after mothers day. She lost her mom two years ago. She was infertile. Single. Motherless. Alone. Broken.

Flowers sat on the table that she couldn't put on her moms grave because of the rain… because she didn't have a support system. Stuck at home, ill and depressed. Her skin was covered in lesions that was out of her control. There was emotional damage and physical damage. 

I listened to her heart. I listened to her tears. I gave her all of my time. 

"Its okay to be hurting right now. You lost your mother. Yesterday was Mothers Day. You are at home and don't feel very good. You have every right to be upset right now. It is okay to cry. It is okay to hurt right now". 

She looked at me in shock. Like she had been waiting for someone to tell her that all these years. I covered her body with medication and wrapped every limb and patch of skin with saran wrap. Red, large lesions that left this lady feeling visibly scarred. 

The stories continued… People ran away from her in public. Mothers wouldn't let their children near her. Men had no interest. But she was beautiful. 

The Lord broke my heart in that moment and reminded me of this verse..

2 Corinthians 4:7-18

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Jars of clay are fragile, empty, and easily broken. All creation was formed by the Makers hands. Every one of us significant, fragile, and easily broken. He formed us knowing we would be easily broken. Easily shattered so that our hearts will be vulnerable to HIM and allow his glory to come in and redesign us. 

The Lord takes our broken, empty, fragile clay and redesigns us. 

Society may see the lesions that overtake this woman's body, but the Lord sees a renewal. 
She feels fragmented, isolated, and wretched but the Lord is filling her jar with treasures. 

She had no idea, but her vulnerable brokenness reminded me of the Lord and the reason for different seasons in our lives. Let yourself be broken.

So take heart friends, it may seem impossible right now but the Lord is manifesting his life in you, allowing you room to grow, and allowing his glory in our broken world.. In our broken bodies. 

Growing with you,

Heather

May 9, 2015 Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive

Stamp Out Hunger

Yes, I know it is crazy late. Especially for this mommy! However, I do not want to miss an opportunity or miss something so important in our community. 

As most of you probably have noticed today, you received a paper bag in your mailbox. No, this was not placed with your mail on accident. When I saw this, I thought the same exact thing. Then I got to looking and researching. 

There are many opportunities that we have in our lives to be like Jesus. Unfortunately, sometimes we are unable to be there physically when we desperately want to be. This has been heavy on my heart lately. 

I pulled the bag out of my mailbox, looked at it and thought, "Thank you Lord". What a simple and EASY way to be like Jesus. Our pantries are full of nonperishable foods we do not eat. In fact, half of the cans in our cabinets are overlooked. What are we going to do with them? Nothing. What can you do with them now? Give them to someone who desperately needs them. 

So here is the deal. Saturday, May 9th, your local letter carrier will be at YOUR house to drop off your mail. All you have to do is:

1) Collect and bag nonperishable food items. 

2) Place your bag by your mailbox for the letter carrier to deliver to the local food bank or pantry. 

You don't even have to drive it to the food pantry. These sweet mail carriers will do that for you. 

So if you have a moment tonight, tomorrow, or Saturday morning before the mail carrier runs, look in your cabinets or even run to the store.

Feel free to thank your local mail carrier for all their hard work. 

Fill a bag with food.

Bring hope to someone in need. 

Giving back,

Heather 

**Stamp out hunger food drive sponsored by The National Association of Letter Carriers, The United States Postal Service, The National Rural Letter Carriers Association, United Way, AFL-CIO, Feeding America. 

DIY photo pendant: Mothers day giveaway!

DIY photo pendant: Mothers day giveaway!

Mothers day is just around the corner. How could I NOT do a giveaway for you hard working women out there! 

Detail of the giveaway will follow. First, let me show you how to make this darling necklace. It is inexpensive and EASY. 

What you need:

• Clear small tile, or clear stone with flat backing
• Necklace chain (length of your choice)
• Super glue
• Gloss mod podge
• A bail (the thing that goes on the back)
• Scissors or exacto knife 
• Heavy duty paper
• Small paint brush

Step one: Choose your photo! This was the hardest part for me. For social media purposes, I chose a picture of our adoption announcement. Resize your image before printing. You can do this project with various sizes of tile. I used a one inch round tile. I resized my image to about 2x3 and cut it down from there. 

Step two: Cut your image to fit the tile. 

An exacto knife can be used, but if you are like me and have a toddler running around, thinking of an exacto knife is out of the picture. Scissors it is! 

Step three: With a small paint brush, glaze the flat part of the tile with glossy mod podge. 

Step four: Carefully place the cut out, picture side touching mod podge, on the tile. Make sure you do not move the picture back and forth as this may smear the photo itself. Let this dry for at least 30 minutes. 

Step five: Cover the back side of the cut out, after it is dried on the tile, with another layer of mod lodge. Let this dry for at least another 30 minutes.

Tip: Do not drench the cut out in mod podge. It will take much longer to dry, and will reveal lines after drying. 

Step six: After the cut out has dried, grab the super glue, apply a layer of super glue on the bail, and hold it on the back of the cut out that is completely dried onto the tile. 

Step seven: Again, let this dry dry dry.. Hold the bail on for at least one minute before letting go. You want to make sure to place the bail at the top of your photo so it hangs right on your necklace. 

Step eight: Place your pendant on the chain of your choice! 

Last step: Enjoy! Show off your family!

These pendants are versatile. You can spruce things up with extra charms, beads, or whatever you like. I added a vintage S pendant to mine. 

***Due to the rounded tile I used, a glare was noted when taking a photo. 

Now for the GIVEAWAY part. 

This includes ALL moms. What do I mean by that?

Some of you either:

• Have a healthy child (or children)
• Deal with infertility and are waiting to become a mother
• Grieving loss of a child
• Rekindling a lost relationship with your child
• Experiencing pregnancy loss
• Raising children through family, foster and/or adoption

One or more of these, no matter what, you are a mother. Friends, I know what you feel. Some of you want this day to be over with, others of you adore mothers day. Awful or amazing, you are a mother. I want to bless you with a sweet memory. You deserve something.

So I know who you wonderful ladies are, here is how you can enter. 

1) Share this post and like The Shabby Shak on Facebook so other mothers can enter! 

2) Comment below #iamamother 

3) Feel free to follow The Shabby Shak on Instagram (@theshabbyshak). However, this is not required.

The winner will be contacted for further details. On Saturday evening, the winner will be announced! 

Best of luck to all of you wonderful mothers! 

Remembering you this Mothers Day,

Heather

Thanks to Amber Adcock for these wonderful reveal photos. 

Recovery- 4 ingredient peanut butter granola

Recovering

Well, as many of you know I was just admitted and discharged from the hospital. Not exactly how one wants to spend their weekend, especially a busy wife/mom/nurse. I spent most of friday along with the morning and afternoon of Saturday in a hospital bed getting poked every 4 hours, hooked up to multiple monitors, nearly tanking due to pain and blood loss, and doctors ringing my ears about possible surgery and blood transfusions. However, I did not need surgery and I did not need any blood transfusions. How?

Because of your prayers.

I was sent home Saturday in extreme pain, and now on Tuesday my pain is mild. The dizziness has not subsided but hey, its one step at a time right? 

Thank you friends for your prayers and for taking care of me. A friend sat with me while my husband was out, other friends watched over our sweet girl, others called, texted, and made sure we had all we needed for me to feel better. My parents came to visit with me, and just sat with me for awhile. Not to mention by boss and office staff have made sure my work away from home was covered. I am loved. 

When surgeons contemplate surgery, they place you on an NPO status. Nothing by mouth. That means no water, no food… nothing. So, what does a normal human being think of during that time? Food. All things food. 

When your recovering, under higher circumstances, it is important to watch what is put in your body. When your in bed for almost 5 days straight, the muscle and glycogen stores in your body deplete, and the body becomes dehydrated. Outside of consuming massive amounts of water, my food intake has not been too pretty. Protein is difficult to consume on a sensitive stomach. Plus, who would rather eat cupcakes and ice cream? That would be me. 

In researching snack ideas, I wanted to share a new recipe. Easy on the stomach, protein friendly, and fairly light on the calories (just watch the honey).

4- Ingredient Peanut Butter Granola 

Ingredients:

5 cups old fashioned oats

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the over to 275 degrees. Place oats in a large bowl. Combine the honey and peanut butter in small bowl or liquid measuring cup. Heat in the microwave for about 45 seconds or until the peanut butter is lightly melted. Whisk peanut butter and honey together. Add vanilla and whisk until mixed.

Pour peanut butter mix over oats. Stir until well combined; this may take awhile. 

Pour mixture into baking sheet with raised edges. Bake for 20 minutes, stir, and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until granola is lightly crisp. You can store in airtight container for up to 2 weeks. 

Now if your like me, eating straight up granola may be kind of gross (however this is pretty good). I topped mine with almonds, bananas, and added some milk. 

It settled well on my stomach, and is very filling. Husband approved. 

If you give it a try, let me know how it goes! Feel free to share on pinterest, separate from the IV of course! 

In recovery,

Heather S

Welcome!

Welcome sweet friends! 

As most of you know, my wonderful husband and I have began what has been one of the most amazing journeys of our life; adopting a sweet little girl. We have received so much support and love from so many people we are continuously astonished. What a blessing you all have been. 

In the beginning of our journey it was not easy, and throughout this process we have learned more about Gods grace and plan than we ever imagined. Throughout the support we received many suggestions and ways to make this special for us, and for others. One way that has been sticking to my heart was writing and sharing our journey with others. Our struggles and triumphs are used for Gods glory, and we feel as if they will inspire someone else. 

So here it goes; the introduction.

My name is Heather: A youth pastors wife, sister, daughter, aunt, photographer, homemaker, vintage fanatic, and lover of the Lord. Newest addition to the list: MOMMY. I am far from a writer and probably will make more grammatical mistakes than feasible to most of you. If you know my husband and I, you can probably tell our personalities straight up. I am the quiet and sincere girl who sits and observes a lot of life, while silently fierce. My husband, Bill, is the wacky crazy man that some of you might question his maturity. However, he is he most wonderful, caring, gentle, and hard working man I have ever had the privilege of living life with. 

Ill stop myself before the post becomes too gushy. 

I want to encourage those in the same journey, bring insight to those on the outside, and share DIY homemaker creativity from our little Arkansas home. So, to start I am going to share with you a recent article I wrote for our church beacon. If you don't attend our church, this is an article that goes out monthly with words of encouragement and wisdom, including events, prayer requests, and praise reports. I hope you enjoy it, or take something from it. 

His Mercies

I look down at her sweet face, with wide blue eyes staring deep into mine. The day had been rough and all we wanted was some sleep. 

Can you stay here with me Mommy? Will you sleep next to me? I love you. She says. 

This small little girl, so pure, loved, beautiful.. yet so petrified. 

Of course baby. I will never leave you. I replied.

What seems to be such a small picture reminds me of the greater picture Christ has for us. 

As we settle into the month of February, filling out valentines and scheduling dates with our loves, my heart is reminded of a superior love through Christ. The superior love that shows us grace throughout all seasons of life. 

We saunter through life with this unwavering fear of what is going to happen next.  Depictions of our daily steps fall apart, and in those moments the questioning and outrage ensue against God. 

Why, must you do this to me? Why did you let this happen? We argue. 

In 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Paul was quoting Jesus when he said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Paul goes on to say, therefor, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses so that Christ power may reside in me. So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, catastrophes, persecutions, and in pressures, because of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 

Just as the day came to an end, my daughter realized that through her struggles she needed her mom in that defenseless moment. The petrified moment that left her feeling like she could not possibly be left alone. As she recognized her weaknesses, we should do the same. In our defenseless moments we need Christ. To lay down our troubles at daddy Gods feet is where his grace becomes profound.  

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” Hebrews 4:16

So when life seems to be dwindling to pieces, raise your head and hang on to your confidence in Christ. His mercies are new every morning, and his grace never fails. 

Hanging there with you,

Heather S


**Photos by Amber Adcock