Hi guys! I am so thankful we have made it to another Friday and that you’ve landed back here at Seven Graces. Last week, I missed my typical Friday post because we were traveling, but I’m happy to keep the Currently Confessing / Five On Friday going this week. I have some fun things to talk about and some not so fun things to talk about, so here it goes…
ONE.
Reading…
“O Come, Let Us Adore Him.” This She Reads Truth Advent Daily Devotional is blowing my socks off. I love any devotional where its only requirements are to read and soak in the words. I missed out on the pretty book/hard copy, but I love the She Reads Truth app! It’s only $1.99 to purchase the Advent devotional, and I can already tell you that it is so worth it. Here’s an example of what I’ve already taken away from it: Did you know that it was “prophesied for Bethlehem to be the setting for the moment Heaven came to Earth?” Did you know that Bethlehem means in Hebrew “bread house”? Are you following that? The Bread of Life (Jesus) was actually born in the Bread House. God is so clever. All of that info was just in yesterday’s reading. I can’t wait for the rest of the days! We’re only on Day 6 if you want to join in.
 |
| what the app looks like |
TWO.
Also reading…
This wonderful scratch-and-sniff book, The Sweet Smell of Christmas. It is currently Charlotte’s favorite book. She loves scratching the stickers and smelling the scents. It’s pretty hilarious, because she’ll even scratch things on the pages that aren’t stickers and tries to smell them, too. There is a page where Mama Bear and Papa Bear are waving to Baby Bear, and Charlotte waves back saying, “Bye! Bye!” Apparently, this is the best interactive book we’ve seen in her lifetime. Beat that iPad!
THREE.
Making…
Semi-Paleo Recipes. After Thanksgiving, we needed a little break from all the heavy food. Each day this week, we’ve had a Paleo (or in this case, semi-Paleo) dinner. My favorite recipe of the week is this Honey-Glazed Mahi Mahi. It’s delicious! I’ve adapted the recipe from Allrecipes.com. Here’s my version:
Marinade
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons Leo’s Balsamic Vinaigrette
2 cloves minced garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 (4-6 oz) pieces of Mahi Mahi fillets
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1. Mix all marinade ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Season fish with salt and pepper.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet/frying pan over med-high heat.
4. Place fish skin side down in pan.
5. Pour all of the marinade over the fish and into the pan.
6. Cook fish for 4-6 minutes on each side, only flipping once. Fish should flake easily when done.
7. Serve fish with marinade drizzled over it.
8. Serve with cauliflower “rice” and a vegetable of your choice.
FOUR.
Loving…
Canvas On Demand. I love their customer service and their products! I’m just now beginning my gallery wall thanks to the awesome deals this company runs: 2 16×20 canvases for $48. Yes, please! They have flash deals on Facebook, and I have been lucky enough to snap up a couple of them. However, like most flash deals, it has a “must use by” date. I have skipped two of my deadlines by accident because life. I emailed them and asked very kindly if I could have my voucher extended, and they have told me twice, “Sure thing!” Woohoo! Now I have until next week to order our next two.
Now onto the heavy stuff…
FIVE.
Dealing with…
Depression. I was hesitant to share this on the blog, but since I’ve always prided myself on being honest here in this space, I figured it was time. I briefly touched on my history with depression in this post, but I haven’t brought it up since then because I didn’t think I needed to. It was just a memory. But that’s no longer the case.
The reason I have the courage to share today is because of a Facebook blogging group I’m part of called The Peony Project. First you need to understand what the group is all about. It’s an online community of Christian bloggers where we support each other’s blogs, ask blogging questions and life questions, and also pray for each other. This is some of what I wrote on our group’s wall yesterday:
Sisters, I’m coming to you all asking for lots of prayers. I’m very hesitant to share, but I figured the truth shall set me free. To make a very long story as short as it can be, I’m a battler of depression. It was first brought upon me in 2006 through Hypothyroidism. I went off my anti-depressants the moment I found out I was pregnant in 2012 and I’ve been off of them ever since. Praise be to God! But just recently, it’s crept back in. It’s rearing its ugly head, and I hate it. I thought it was my thyroid to blame, but my lab work came back as fine as fine could be. So, I go to the doctor on Monday and am hoping to find some answers….Please pray that I find them, and that my depression goes back into remission. Thank you and love to you all.
The amount of people that responded not only with prayers and words of encouragement but with similar stories of battling depression blew me away. It’s so strange how it’s just something that no one ever really talks about.
I could write an entire blog post about my journey with depression, but I’m going to keep it short right now. I just wanted you all to be in the loop of what was going on with me. It’s probably why I only had 10 blog posts last month versus 18 from the month before. I think it’s been back the last two to three weeks, but since I know how to recognize it, I’m dealing with it the best way I know how. I’m getting through it, and I’m leaning on my faith like no other. This last week has been better, but I’m still not 100%. Blogging helps me focus on the positives in my life, and I am so thankful for that.
Well, that’s about the size of it. That’s what’s been going on with me. Fun things and serious things and all the in betweens. Life is brutiful isn’t it?
We have a fun weekend lined up, and I’m definitely excited for all that’s in store. I hope you all have a wonderfully blessed one! Thanks for reading, sister! You are beautiful.
P.S. You can follow me on Instagram to see our weekend shenanigans. And if you missed our Christmas decorations, you can check that out here.
You can see where I’m linking up on this page.
I can’t wait to start SRT’s advent study even though I am a bit behind! I’m finishing their “open your bible” study which is amazing!!! I love that last print by the way, amazing! happy Friday! xoxo
Katie
It’s been wonderful. I got behind this weekend, but that’s the beauty about a doing the studies on your own. You can pick up right where you left off. Hope you had a great weekend!
I saw Canvas on Demand’s Cyber Monday deal on facebook and if I would’ve known the right spot in our house to put one, I would’ve ordered. It was a really great deal! Glad to know they have good customer service too. I will definitely be praying for you – so sorry to hear about your struggles and really hope for a good doctor’s appointment on Monday.
I just saw the same deal running again somewhere on Facebook. I’ve been wanting to fill up this wall for a long time now, so I’m happy to finally be getting it done.
And thanks so much! I appreciate it. :)
I can't wait to start SRT's advent study even though I am a bit behind! I'm finishing their "open your bible" study which is amazing!!! I love that last print by the way, amazing! happy Friday! xoxo
Katie
God will use your faith and perseverance to save the lives of many other women. There are so many times you could have given up, but instead you used this as an opportunity to grow close to God and THAT is very admirable. (Food is inspiring & tasty-looking, baby is precious, sniffy books FTW + I WANT that devotional now!) :)
Thank you so much for your kind words, Holly! It’s definitely humbling and makes me cling to Him always. I do try to stay positive, but sometimes it’s really, really hard. Being human is just grand, isn’t it? ;) Hope you had a great weekend!
1. I want that devotional! God is so clever! :-)
2. I will be trying your fish recipe. I made a sauce similar like that this week. I put it over pork. Everyone loved it. There is just something magical about honey and soy sauce mixed together.
3. Love love love canvases! I think they are such a fun way to personalize a home.
4. I am sending prayers your way! If God brings you to it, he can get you through it. Hang in there! You have tons of supporters and prayer angels in your corner.
5. I hope you have a great weekend!
Aww, Amanda, you are too sweet. :) Hope you had a great weekend, too!
Bless you for sharing your battle! It’s amazing how supportive others are once we let them in on our troubles. I pray your struggle isn’t long, and that you are feeling better quickly.
I love your canvases. I may have to follow them on Facebook to snatch up a few flash deals.
Thanks so much, Jennifer! I hope so too. It was a good weekend. :)
I don’t think it’s from their direct page, but somehow the ad runs on my newsfeed. Got to love Facebook algorithms.
Sending prayers and good thoughts your way!! Thank you for making me smile with your reminder of The Sweet Smell of Christmas!! Absolutely loved this book growing up! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Thanks, Melissa! And you are so welcome. We love this book in our house now. :) Hope you had a great weekend!
I saw Canvas on Demand's Cyber Monday deal on facebook and if I would've known the right spot in our house to put one, I would've ordered. It was a really great deal! Glad to know they have good customer service too. I will definitely be praying for you – so sorry to hear about your struggles and really hope for a good doctor's appointment on Monday.
God will use your faith and perseverance to save the lives of many other women. There are so many times you could have given up, but instead you used this as an opportunity to grow close to God and THAT is very admirable. (Food is inspiring & tasty-looking, baby is precious, sniffy books FTW + I WANT that devotional now!) :)
1. I want that devotional! God is so clever! :-)
2. I will be trying your fish recipe. I made a sauce similar like that this week. I put it over pork. Everyone loved it. There is just something magical about honey and soy sauce mixed together.
3. Love love love canvases! I think they are such a fun way to personalize a home.
4. I am sending prayers your way! If God brings you to it, he can get you through it. Hang in there! You have tons of supporters and prayer angels in your corner.
5. I hope you have a great weekend!
Bless you for sharing your battle! It's amazing how supportive others are once we let them in on our troubles. I pray your struggle isn't long, and that you are feeling better quickly.
I love your canvases. I may have to follow them on Facebook to snatch up a few flash deals.
Sending prayers and good thoughts your way!! Thank you for making me smile with your reminder of The Sweet Smell of Christmas!! Absolutely loved this book growing up! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Way to go for sharing your struggle on here! I’ve learned over the years with my battle that God wants me to share what I’m battling with others so they can share my burden and bring it to the Lord with me. You are not in this battle alone.
I also love those canvas photos!
Thanks so much for your words, Kari! One of my favorite bloggers turned authors, Glennon Doyle from Momastery, always says, “We’re in it together.” And I think we are. I really believe it. That’s why I share my stories, big and small.
Hope you had a great weekend!
Way to go for sharing your struggle on here! I've learned over the years with my battle that God wants me to share what I'm battling with others so they can share my burden and bring it to the Lord with me. You are not in this battle alone.
I also love those canvas photos!
It's been wonderful. I got behind this weekend, but that's the beauty about a doing the studies on your own. You can pick up right where you left off. Hope you had a great weekend!
I just saw the same deal running again somewhere on Facebook. I've been wanting to fill up this wall for a long time now, so I'm happy to finally be getting it done.
And thanks so much! I appreciate it. :)
Thank you so much for your kind words, Holly! It's definitely humbling and makes me cling to Him always. I do try to stay positive, but sometimes it's really, really hard. Being human is just grand, isn't it? ;) Hope you had a great weekend!
Aww, Amanda, you are too sweet. :) Hope you had a great weekend, too!
Thanks so much, Jennifer! I hope so too. It was a good weekend. :)
I don't think it's from their direct page, but somehow the ad runs on my newsfeed. Got to love Facebook algorithms.
Thanks, Melissa! And you are so welcome. We love this book in our house now. :) Hope you had a great weekend!
Thanks so much for your words, Kari! One of my favorite bloggers turned authors, Glennon Doyle from Momastery, always says, "We're in it together." And I think we are. I really believe it. That's why I share my stories, big and small.
Hope you had a great weekend!
That’s so brave of you to open up about your struggles on your blog, and it just endears you to us even more. I’m so sorry to hear that you are going through this but I’m glad that you are acknowledging it, having faith, and being proactive. Sending you lots and lots of healing thoughts and a big bear hug too!
I can feel the hug! Thanks, Jessica!
It’s definitely a weird spot to be sharing such an unshiny part of my life, but I just felt like I could talk about it here with my sisters. I hope to talk about it more once it goes away, because I know it will. Until then, I’m trying to stay as positive as I can and help others see the positives in their day, too. :) Hugs sent back to you!
Praying for you friend! That scripture and print is so perfect for the topic of struggle and depression. Know that you are surrounded by so many people who can relate and who can help you through this. Thanks for being brave and vulnerable and sharing this with us!
Thanks so much, Jenna! I appreciate your very kind words. And I love that scripture. It is pretty perfect, isn’t it? I saw it just when I needed to, and I hope someone else sees it and thinks the same thing. :)
That's so brave of you to open up about your struggles on your blog, and it just endears you to us even more. I'm so sorry to hear that you are going through this but I'm glad that you are acknowledging it, having faith, and being proactive. Sending you lots and lots of healing thoughts and a big bear hug too!
Praying for you friend! That scripture and print is so perfect for the topic of struggle and depression. Know that you are surrounded by so many people who can relate and who can help you through this. Thanks for being brave and vulnerable and sharing this with us!
I can feel the hug! Thanks, Jessica!
It's definitely a weird spot to be sharing such an unshiny part of my life, but I just felt like I could talk about it here with my sisters. I hope to talk about it more once it goes away, because I know it will. Until then, I'm trying to stay as positive as I can and help others see the positives in their day, too. :) Hugs sent back to you!
Thanks so much, Jenna! I appreciate your very kind words. And I love that scripture. It is pretty perfect, isn't it? I saw it just when I needed to, and I hope someone else sees it and thinks the same thing. :)