Dealing with Feelings of Rejection

Feelings of rejection aren't just reserved for our teenage years, as long as you have a heart beat I'm sure at some point in your life you will feel the sting of rejection. It doesn't matter if you're an adult, sometimes you still feel rejection from time to time.

Resting in Christ means being secure with who he made you to be. Knowing that he made you for a purpose, and that purpose is good and God divined.

In my experience feelings of rejection are simply a manifestation of our own insecurities and fears about ourselves. Last year my husband and I felt this rejecting feeling when we applied for a ministry position that we interviewed for and didn't end up going past the first initial interview.

There was disappointment, sadness and ultimately feelings of rejection that followed. Those were our initial feelings during this time, and that's OK. We're allowed to have a feeling and a response to what happens to us in our lives.

I think a lot of times as Christians and believers we think that we have to be above all these feelings. We tend to think that since God has given us his grace and that we shouldn't feel this way or that we feel like we should be "above" all this if we believe Jesus saved and redeemed us. The problem with that is that our feelings then can become a real struggle. But the reality is that we're allowed to feel things, we're allowed to have a reaction God created us this way as humans to feel things.

But it's what we do with our reaction that is most important in these times. The following are some ways that I deal with these feelings in my own life. In all things I've realized that we have to keep our perspective. When you look through the lens of Godly perspective on our lives, everything changes.

PRAY without ceasing......
We pray because it's our way to communicate our feelings to Christ, and it brings us closer to Him. As I said you're allowed to feel, this is a natural process that all people have. God created us with feelings, he created us to feel life. But it's a fine line between letting those feelings take over your heart and emotions and GIVING those feelings to Christ and let him work them out. How do we do this? WE PRAY. We pray without ceasing and bring these feelings to Christ.

Read the word, be in the WORD......
When you're praying and in the word daily (read your Bible) and consistently we're armed and ready to deal with whatever feelings that come our way. We're better prepared to take those feelings to God.

SEPARATE the feelings from the REALITY.....
In our case we felt feelings of rejection over being passed up for a job. I had to remind myself that even though I felt rejection that the reality is I wasn't rejected, we were not rejected. We just weren't a good fit for this job.

We have to be careful with our feelings and not let them over run our reality or the truth in situations.

The enemy would love to lie to us, play off our feelings and make us think things are bigger than they are.

He would love nothing more than for us to go down a rabbit hole of emotions. In those cases we have to remember who Christ made us to be.

The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still. Exodus 14:14

Listen, you can not apologize for who you are. You can't apologize for just being yourself. Sometimes you just aren't a good fit for something and that's OK.

I'm confident in who I am in Christ, I am confident in my husband and myself. I need to remind myself of these things when I start to feel this way, and want to have a pity party for myself. A pity party only brings you down and magnifies your feelings. Instead I want to be confident in who I am in Christ and bring those things to the surface.

Favorite Social Media & Why I Love Them

I love social media. Some might say that as a society we're way to connected or involved in social media, but I believe everything in moderation. These tools have become my faves for connecting with family, friends and other bloggers. So today a run down of my favorite social media outlets and why I love them. 

1. Instagram (@worleyhouse)

I love pictures, I always have. I probably use Instagram the most these days. I love being able to share a quick picture and now video with everyone. Quick fun snippets of life. 

2. Twitter (@worleyhouse)

Twitter used to be my #1 but now it's a close second. I love that you can have quick conversations with people about issues or topics that are important to you. I love that I've been able to talk with favorite bloggers and even a few celebs that have replied to me. :) I also love sharing articles and blog posts this way. Choosing your words wisely is my favorite part as you've only got 140 characters to do it in!

3. Facebook (/worleyhouseblog)

There was a time when I had no intention and didn't want to join Facebook but when I moved away from family strait outta college I decided that Facebook was a great way to keep in touch. Now, it's become a fave tool of mine to not only keep in touch but it's helped my business and blog grow.

What are some of your fave social media apps and how do you use them? Leave your handles below so I can follow you too! 

Making Your Own Baby Food

I've been making my own baby food since Ava was a little baby. I really enjoy making my own and it's a lot simpler than you think. The best parts is that you can control what goes into your food, you know the ingredients and that is something I really feel good about. 

Also, you can make big batches a freeze for later saving you both time and money. Here's a quick run down of how I make mine, for this example we're using sweet potatoes. 

Chop up your veggies into small cubes, place in a pot with water. Bring to a boiling, until they are tender.

Then transfer to your food processor. You don't need any fancy tools like a baby bullet just a food processor. Save your starchy cooking water, don't throw that away. Blend till you get a smooth not chuncky consistency. Use the cooking water to add it back into your puree to thin it out.

Next I like to put them in these 1 oz containers and freeze them. These containers are called Baby Cubes and they come with a tray to sit them in for the freezer. They are wonderful and just the right portion size. Tip: fill them below the "max" line or else they will expand in pop open when frozen leaving the lid open and your food exposed. You can buy baby cubes here on Amazon. 

Fill up your trays, pop them in the freezer and you're good to go! Healthy, preservative free baby food. I also love to blend up fruit into anything. And just about every veggie is great pureed for baby food. Some other combinations we love (and when I say we, I mean Baby Z.) 

banana + avocado

banana + zucchini

Have you made your own baby food before? If so, tell me what your fave combinations are? 

Coffee Date // A Little Bit About My Week

Happy Friday friends! If we were having coffee this week I would tell you that I didn't have time for a video this week. It's been kinda crazy, and here's a few reasons why;

* Zane turned 9 months old on Monday! 9 months, can you believe it? I can't, where has the time gone?

*Wednesday I killed a giant scorpion in my house. I nearly had a heart attack trying to do so. Also on Wednesday I nearly got into a car accident because a belt on my car went out and my power steering went out. 

All I could think of was get off the high way somehow. I didn't want to be stranded on the high way with 2 kiddos in 100+ degree heat!

If we we're having coffee today, I would tell you that I miss this crew terribly! I'm so thankful I got to see my siblings this past July when we visited them in Iowa.

One of my brother's turns 25 next week, which makes me feel very old because less than a month later I will be 31, and my sister will turn 32 a month after that. Then my next youngest brother will be 23 in January. Weren't they just little boys I was taking on ice cream dates when I was in high school? Yes, yes they were. 

Can I tell you something? They all live in Iowa, within a five mile radius of each other. Yes, true story. It's really hard living far away from family almost. all. the time! For me anyway, it is. There's a lot of things that I love about where we live and the life we have here. But there are a lot of things we miss out on living so far away and that my friends is hard. 

It makes trips home all the more treasured because I don't get the chance to see them everyday. 

If we were having coffee today I'd tell you that I'm looking forward to Saturday morning pankcakes & waffles. It's becoming our Saturday thing to make a big breakfast, crank up the radio and have a dance party while I cook breakfast. 

I love these lazy days. I love watching my family together. 

If we were having coffee today, what would you tell me about your week? Happy Friday! 

5 Questions: Maggie from Gussy Sews

Today's 5 Questions comes from handmade business owner, blogger and new mama Maggie from Gussy Sews! I love reading Maggie's blog and her heart. She has a passion for the handmade world, and an evident heart for people.

Check out Maggie's answers below;



Connect with Maggie;

BLOG// SHOP// FACEBOOK// PINTEREST

My Fitness Journey Part 3: The Day I Stop Hating Exercising

When I first started on the journey I really didn't know how much making a healthier me would change so many aspects of my life. It's opened my eyes towards health and how to be healthier. It has made me realize that I want to be healthier for my family. For my children, and my Husband so that we can live the best life. In order to live life like I want to I knew that we needed to be a family focused on living healthy. A life that includes eating right, and being active.

Ava loves working out with Mommy. 

When I started working out that first day doing the 30 Day Shred, I wanted to die! I didn't think that I could get through it but I did. And each day after that was easier, and I got stronger in the process. The more research that I did on food and eating the more my mind changed. The more I started to see food as fuel for my body and not the enemy for the state I was in.

The more I started to exercise the less I wanted to stop and the easier it became. I stopped hating to work out and started to look forward to my daily workout. I stopped hating exercising. I started to appreciate what eating the right foods to fuel and nourish my body could do.

I stopped hating food and realized it wasn't the problem. I was, and how I using food was not fueling my body. I wasn't eating the right things, I wasn't making the most healthy options I could. As soon as I changed my eating habits I began to see these changes in my body. Less headaches, less fatigue. I started sleeping better, and overall feeling better about myself.

It was the day that I realized that it's a good thing to take care of this one body that I have. I wanted to put the right things in it as much as I can and make my body work and do all that it is capable of. I stopped looking at exercise as a punishment and stopped hating it. When I realized that I was hurting myself by not taking the very best care of me my mindset changed. I believe this is an important part in my journey, realizing that it's not a negative thing or a punishment to work out and take care of myself.

me time. 

Working out is not a punishment for your body. It's not a punishment because you ate ice cream or something else you feel guilty about. It is the start of changing your life and becoming a better and healthier you.

Taking these steps has allowed me to loose the weight that was unhealthy for my body, develop better habits that effect my over all lifestyle and completely change my body and mind set.

Pretty Embellished Toed Flats

I have a thing for flats! I used to be a high heels all the time gal, but working to many years wearing to many high heels I decided to give my feet a break and I've been loving flats for a while now.

I especially love ones with fun patterns and embellished toes! They add some fun and pizzazz to your feet. I really love anything with glitter, metallics and studs!

Today I've rounded up a few of my faves perfect for any budget!

Jessica Simpson flat, $115 / Round toe flat / Gold ballet flat / Forever 21 pointed flat / Ballet shoes flat / Ballet pumps / ALDO patent ballet flat / Sole Society colorblock shoes / Sole Society ballet pumps / Sole Society peep toe shoes / ALDO round toe flat

Sole Society has become on of my newest places to shop for shoes. Julianna Hough has a line with them and all of her shoes are adorable. Plus if you sign up for their newsletter you a 20% off coupon & free shipping off your order! How can you beat that, sign up here. 

Ok, so what about you? Are you a flats girl like myself? Or do you love wedges and heels? What's your favorite place to shop for shoes?

*contains affiliate link*

Coffee Date// 9.13.13

Happy Friday friends!!

It's been a good week. 

more info about the #LetHopeIn book here.

My necklace is from JulietheFish on Etsy here.

What have you been up to this week? Tell me in the comments below! 

Have a great weekend friends! 

20+ Awesome NON Carving Ideas for Pumpkins

I love Fall, it's truly one of my favorite seasons and the one that I miss the most now that we live in the Southwest. Fall in Arizona just isn't the same as it is up North. This time of year has me longing for crisp air, leaves that change color, hot drinks while strolling through the pumpkin patch.

I love carving pumpkins. Today I've rounded up 20+ ideas for your pumpkins that don't have anything to do with carving. This year it's all about painting those pumpkins with paint, glitter, bright colors and whatever your heart desires. You can really customize your decor this way, and it's a lot of fun! Last year we painted pumpkins with each of the kids initials. We let Ava pick out pumpkins for herself and her unborn brother at the time, she painted both of them!

1. Black & White Pumpkins 
2. Black, White & Gold 
3. Monogrammed Pumpkins
4. Argyle Painted Pumpkins
5. Polka Dot Pumpkins
6. Glitter Covered Pumpkins
7. Modge Podge Pumpkins
8. House Number Pumpkins
9. Give Thanks Painted Pumpkins
10. Chevron Painted Pumpkins
11. Mini Painted Pumpkins
12. Pink & Gold Painted Pumpkins
13. Burberry Painted Pumpkin
14. Color Block Painted Pumpkins
15. Puff Painted Pumpkins
16. Paint Splattered Pumpkins
17. Spooky Words on Pumpkins
18. "Hello" Painted Pumpkin
19. Glossy Spray Painted Pumpkins
20. Bright Color Painted Pumpkins
21. Knit Covered Pumpkins
22. Paint Dipped Pumpkins
23. Mascot Painted Pumpkin
24. Ikat Pumpkin
25. Countdown to Halloween Painted Pumpkin

Refresh Your Home with Renuzit Air Fresheners #choosethemall

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client.

With the changing of the seasons it has me longing to change the decor in my home and getting excited for Fall in my home. When the seasons change so do the scents in my home. I love complimenting my home with the "smells of the season."

Nothing says Fall like warm apple pie! I think one of the easiest and quickest ways to chance the atmosphere of your home is with the scents that you can bring in your home. Renuzit has lots of new scents to help you do just that in your home. Renuzit has a brand new look to their air fresheners that I love. They have been around for a while but I love the brand new sleek design they have, and how you can incorporate them into your already existing decor.

I headed to Wal-Mart to pick up some of these awesome scents, I wanted to fill out home with all sorts of yummy scents for Fall. I love the Fall season, and since it's still blazes hot here in Arizona it doesn't quite feel like Fall yet, but picking up a few apple & cinnamon Renuzit cones makes my home smell just like Fall.

These are perfect in my kid's room, where they need an extra, ahem.....scent. Especially, the nursery where there's all kinds of stinky things going on. I loved that I could add them into my decor and the cones didn't distract from my already existing decor. The sleek new design lends to this I think, also taking the labels off helped as well.

I love that these cones come in both white and black making it even easier for you to add them to decor. This white went nicely in Zane's nursery, and I choose the apple cinnamon scent that smells yummy and helps refresh the room when there's a lot of diaper changes going on in this room. 

In Ava's room I placed a black cone with an awesome coconut scent.

If you'd like to try out the new Renuzit design and scents email me and I will send you a $1 off coupon so you can try them out for yourself! andreaworley@live.com

I shopped and found mine at Wal-Mart but you can also find them at Target & Kroger! Visit Renuzit on Facebook for more info and check out the Scent Gents and other contest there as well.

Tips for Starting Your Own Healthy Living & Weight Loss Journey

The past few months have been eye opening and challenging. I've learned so much about myself through this process, and I wanted to share some of the things that I've learned and have helped me along the way.

First I want to say, that I am not a fitness or nutritional expert. These are just my own thoughts and some things that have helped me along the way reach my goals, change my lifestyle and helped me loose 50+ pounds so far.

1. Be Motivated
I've talked about this before. I really believe the first step to changing is the want and desire to change! Tell your spouse, your friends and family about your desire and goals and ask them to encourage you along this journey as well. This can be a great motivator for you and help hold you accountable as well, which I think both are important on this journey.

2. Create small & attainable goals
Don't overwhelm yourself with a bunch of goals that are out of your reach. Sit down and make a list of some small goals you want to accomplish. When I first started this the original goal was to loose 30+ pounds of weight that I packed on while pregnant. I wanted to loose that weight, I made a small goal of ten pounds at a time. I made a goal to workout at least 3 times a week. I didn't know how much I could do, but I made it a goal to at least do that. After I met that goal, I made some other ones. Creating small and attainable goals helps you stay on track and helps you stay motivated. Also give yourself small rewards along the way to help keep you motivated.

3. Move your body
You can not expect to loose weight if you don't move your body. Believe me I've tried. I've tried a lot of fad diets, pills and other things to loose weight. But it's the combination of healthy eating and regular exercise that you see results with. There is NOT a substitution for hard work! I know you want a quick fix (I did too!) maybe you can't work out everyday but you can work out at least 3 times a week. Make it a goal to workout and move your body for at least 20 minutes a day.

4. Make Yourself the priority
With all the roles we have as women (wife, mother, employee, business owner, etc.) it can be easy to put yourself at the bottom of the list sometimes. In order to successfully start a journey like this you NEED to make yourself a priority. I realized that taking care of myself and my body not only helped myself but helped me be a better wife and mother. When you do this you teach yourself and your children valuable lessons about taking care of the body God gave you.

5. Take account of what you're putting into your body
This goes along with #3, along with moving your body you need to be aware of what you're putting into your body. Fat doesn't make you fat, sugar makes you fat. Eating crap makes you fat, sluggish, tired and then you feel bad about yourself. When I started I kept a food journal so that I could see what I was eating and evaluate it, then I switched to the My Fitness Pal App (free) and I realized I what I was eating and what I could cut out quickly. I started to make better choices with what I was putting into my body. More fruits and veggies and less refined sugar. More healthy options, not processed foods. Weight loss is more about what you eat and are putting into your body. Be accountable for how you're fueling your body, and make sure your fueling it with the right things. Am I saying that you can never have a cookie again? No, but you need to have a balanced and healthy diet and get rid of the junk.

What tips would you add to this list? I want to hear your stories and your encouragement too about your own journey. Leave them in the comments below. 

Coffee Date// Night owl status, the weekend, and other ramblings!

Hi Friends! Happy Friday. 

Did this week fly by fast for you because of having Monday off? I did for me, which is AWESOME because I LOVE Fridays! 

Let's get to it!

ps- 10 points if you can name the intro song, first one to guess correctly gets a prize (no, seriously.)

Linking up here with Alissa from Rags to Stitches

Inspirational Running Play List

I've heard a lot of runners say that running is like free therapy, and I agree. When I run I pray a lot, it gives me time to clear my thoughts that are swirling in my head. Gain some perspective about the day and talk to God. 

I also love a good play list when I run. And I love finding inspirational songs that help motivate me and keep God's message on my heart. Here's a few of my rotating faves that are currently playing on my Ipod as I hit the pavement.

• All for You - Mikes Chair
• All This Time - Britt Nicole
• Cast My Cares - Tim Timmons
• Enough - Jason Castro
• Forever Reign - One Sonic Society
• Free - Dara Maclean
• Get Up - Building 429
• He Moves You Move - Audio Adrenaline
• Keep Changing the World - Mikes Chair & Lecrae
• Life is Beautiful - The Afters
• Live Like That - Sidewalk Prophets
• Promises - Sanctus Real
• This Is The Stuff - Francesca Battistelli
• Strangely Dim - Francesca Battistelli
• What A Savior - Laura Story
• Awaken - Natalie Grant
• Something Beautiful - Natalie Grant
• Keep On Shining - Natalie Grant
• God's Not Dead - Newsboys
• Good Morning - Mandisa
• Overcomer - Mandisa
• Steady My Heart - Kari Jobe

What are some of your favorite songs?

Happiness vs. Contentment

Can I tell you something about myself? 

It took me a long time to realize that contentment and happiness are not the same thing. 

Can I tell you something else? It took me a long time to truly be content in my life. To come to a place of peace and contentment. 

Our happiness is based on the good things that happen to us. It's based on how good these emotions make us feel. 

I feel really good when my Husband brings me flowers, it makes me happy. But the question is, would I still feel this way if he never brought me another bouquet of flowers again? Would I be content knowing that he loves me?

Being content means that I know he loves me even if he never brought me flowers again as an extra gesture of his love. 

Being content means that you have a peace that only Christ can give and no matter what circumstances you might find yourself in life you will always come back to God's love for you and his plan for your life.

I really struggled with this and I didn't even know it. I didn't know it until my husband really opened my eyes to it. During a period in my life where I had every reason to question our circumstances I made a choice to know God's love for me was much bigger than my circumstances, and that if I allowed him he'd take that mess and make something glorious out of it. 

If you want to breed un happiness in your life focus on what you don't have. Focus on what your friends have that you wish you did. Compare yourself, your families and your lives and you will surely be unhappy, and maybe a little depressed. 

I learned that contentment meant relying on Christ and that my happiness was not determined by the circumstances of my life. 

Philippians 4:12 (NIV)

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

Nope, life is not perfect and it still throws so much at me on a daily basis but I've changed my heart and kept my perspective on Christ. It has made all the difference in living a content life and knowing that my life is NOT determined by my feelings alone. 

As I pursue my relationship with the Lord I believe one of the overflowings of that is a content spirit. 

1 Timothy 6:6 (KJV)

But godliness with contentment is great gain.

I encourage you today if you're struggling with this today to pray and seek God's wisdom. I pray that you would be able to find the source of your discontent, and that it would be replaced with JOY.