Celebrating 25!

Check out who is queen for the day...

Sugar

Best kept secret in Charleston, SC= Sugar Bakeshop. This weekend I indulged in one of these beauties. So why do they beat all the other cupcake chain bakeries? They taste like they came straight from your Mom's kitchen instead of the grocery bakery. Even ED couldn't stop me from the enjoying this treat!

Next time you visit the streets of downtown be sure to pick you up a sweet treat!

XOXO,

JM

TGIF

This has been the longest week ever! The fam, two dogs, and I are off to Charleston to stay with my sweet sister (have you looked at her blog lately?) and brother-in-law. The rest of the fam will be joining us on Saturday for the celebration. When asked what do you want to do this year for your birthday...on request...Tea party at Fuschia! Its my favorite little spot downtown and the perfect place for afternoon tea and cupcakes. I am obsessed with this best kept secret in Charleston. So excited that Buddy will be joining us for teas as well. Hopefully some spring shopping will be thrown in there as well! Cheers to a great weekend! (yes...I do love being the princess for one day of the year!)
XOXO,
JM

Spring Fever

I am so excited to be heading to Charleston tomorrow to celebrate the big 2-5! The weather is gorgeous today...but the blizzard is unfortunately approaching and I have a bad case of spring fever today. I busted out one of my new Lilly headbands today just to brighten my day. I have a little feeling this may be coming my way very soon... too bad its only January 28th and I have a long time till I can wear it.
This picture does not do anything for this dress...so much cuter in person and the ruffle stands up a lot more. Remember my obession with ruffles!
Oh another must have this weekend:

Cupcakes make me far happier than cakes!
XOXO,
JM

God can use our failure to bring new growth.

My devotion for today says this:
"We can always start again when we turn our will and life over to God and allow God's power to quietly work."
Do you ever feel like your life is a jumbled mess? You just can't seem to get anything together and nothing seems to be completed? This coming from a girl who is obsessively organized and labels all tupperware... is making me feel like I am a big pile of mess or like my devotion says, a pile of old garbage. Thankfully, God can use our failures to bring new growth just like he can turn a pile of vegetable scraps, old leaves, and other garbage into fertile soil making a heap of compost.

At Carolina House, we used to take turns taking our leftovers and scrapes to the compost in the garden. I despised this task because I thought it was absolutely disgusting. There were bugs and other "critters" that I did not want to have anything to do with. I remember thinking to myself who would want this in their yard? As time went on, I saw the beauty that came out of the compost. Our chef would show us the rich and nutrient-filled soil that "old scrapes" turned into and how it helped our seeds and little garden and moldy bread grow into lush plants. Now that is a miracle from God. Only He could turn yucky banana peelings into such beautiful things.

God can turn my jumbled life into something beautiful as well and I can not forget this with each day. "He has made everything beautiful in its time." -Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV) Only with God can my life have meaning and true pleasure. Without him nothing satisfies, but with him we find satisfaction and enjoyment.

XOXO,
JM

trapped...

Another start to a new week. I am probably one of the few people that like Mondays, because I always look at this day as a new beginning and I need one now more than ever. I can't believe it but a week from yesterday (January 31st) I will turn 25!!!! AHHHHH that just seems so very strange to me. Part of me is of course excited to begin the celebration and then another part of me wants to take three years back from my life. I am not at all where I thought I would be in life at 25. I will give me credit that I am on my way to doing my ambition in life (teaching youngsters), but I feel very trapped right now. I feel almost like I am suffocating in my own body!

There are so many things I want to do right now and places I want to see, but too many things are obstacles in my way. My biggest goal for the future is to be able to live by myself in my own spic-n-span apartment/small house. Don't get me wrong, my Mom and Dad are my best friends, but our house is getting smaller and smaller with each day. We are finding it very difficult to live together and I desperately want my own space and privacy. WHY you ask I HAVE NONE!

Now before my Mother reads this and goes wack-o, I will be happy to admit that it is completely my fault that I have no privacy because I am not the most trustworthy person when it comes to my illness. What I hate most is that I am starting to get really angry inside almost to the point that I want to throw one of my temper tantrums like I used to when I was 5 or maybe 15 (remember I have redhair)! I want all of this negativity to vanish and me to be free. I want to be free of the burdens of having an eating disorder. I want to be able to leave the house without telling anyone where I am going. I want to be able to keep a bowl of Dove Dark chocolate on the coffee table. I want my mother to be able to get a full nights sleep and know that I will wake up the next morning. Most of all I want to enjoy life and unlock the cage that I have been living in for two years...
"The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:5-6.

XOXO,
JM

Look what the mailman brought today!

This week I won my very first blog giveaway! A special thanks to Looking4Lilly for my adorable new hair accessories! I can't believe she makes all of these wonderful things out of Lilly fabric.

I hope everyone had a great Saturday. Today I worked at Pink on Main and unpacked lots of the new spring collection. One word comes to mind...AMAZING! Once again, Lilly puts out another great season!

Have a good weekend and GO TIGERS!!
XOXO,
JM

A rainy day means...

Wearing my new pink wellies! Ok, yes I am a huge dork, but I have been waiting for it to rain ever since Christmas so that I could wear these puppies. Today it is pouring and cold, but I have a smile on my face because my boots are just so darn cute! Its the little things that can make your day. Ok, I must pay attention in class now instead of blogging and taking pictures of my wellies.
xoxo,
JM

Procastination

Ughhh...I am knee deep in kiddie lit! I have an integrated thematic unit due tomorrow that I thought would be no big deal finding all of my literature for. WrOnG! So until tomorrow friends...hope you enjoy your Wednesday evening!
XOXO,
JM

This needs to be on a cocktail napkin!

Ok I heard the best thing today. We girls all know what 'PMS' stands for, but this has to be the cutest way to put it...from now on I will officially call it the PRINCESS MUST SCREAM syndrome. How freaking adorable is that???!!! Unfortunately I can't take the credit for coming up with this, but I think it would be a total hit on cocktail napkins! I am so contacting Mary Phillips asap!
XOXO,
JM

Devotion overload

Every morning my inbox is filled with various e-devotions that I try to read each day. Some I make a point to always read and others I skim through if the topic strikes my fancy. I don't know if any of you subscribe to Proverbs 31 Ministries (if you do not, I highly reccommend it!) but one of the women who writes a blog shared some really encouraging words to her readers about her struggles with food. Even though our problems may be different, we all can get consumed with food and the thin ideal. Lysa says:
"Getting thin wears thin as a motivational factor. I even used my faith as an excuse. When getting thin was my only motivation, I felt good in saying, "You know, it's really kind-of vain to even care what my body looks like. I think it's more Christian to care about the inside not the outside."
And my favorite line:
Sweet sisters, God made us to consume food.

He did not make food to consume us. Like Deuteronomy 2:3 says, “You have circled this mountain long enough. Now turn north."
I love this scripture...there are so many things in my life that I just need to get over and turn to God. I need to let go, and let God be in control. Thanks Lysa for sharing! Visit Lysa's blog!
XOXO,
JM

Ruffles Galore!

Mom and I watched the Golden Globes last night (until I fell asleep) and the look for 2010 is definately RUFFLES! Second to big bows, I absolutely adore ruffles in all shapes and forms. Even though I would tweak the color a bit, I am obsessed with Chloe Sevigny's cascading ruffles and also Anna Kendrick's one shoulder number. I am hoping for lots more ruffles to come for the spring!
XOXO,
JM
PS...Today I am so thankful for MLK holiday with no school and sleeping in till 8am!

excuses, excuses..."I'll do better tomorrow"

If you are like me, this little voice is often repeated often inside of your head, "I'll do better tomorrow." This was the topic of one of my devotionals today. It explains that our motto should be "I am made for more!"

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones."
Whenever you are faced with temptation...READ PROVERBS 3:5-8!!

We should trust in the Lord that we were made for more. In all our ways acknowledge him! Hold tight to the Lord and flee from temptations because we were made for more! This will bring health and nourishment to you and help you find victory in this struggle-we were made for more!

Thanks Proverbs 31 Ministries for putting this in my inbox today!
XOXO,
JM

Post Secret

Please tell me that you have heard of Frank Warren and the PostSecret Project! I am obsessed with reading these secrets. They always give me so much to think about and often disturb me at times thinking about all of the secrets that we keep from one another. I know I am guilty of such. If you have to get one off of your chest. Mail it to Frank Warren and he will publish it for the whole world to read!
I really liked this one probably because my parents have spent tons on therapy for me and usually the best counseling comes from random places!
XOXO,
JM

I have ESP!

Crawling into bed last night, I thought to myself, gosh I wish Lilly would do bedding again because I would love to have some new Lilly sheets! And guess what I just found out...tomorrow Garnet Hill is launching their new line of Lilly Pulitzer Bedding! Oh how excited I am! Good thing, my birthday is very very soon (hint hint).
Sweet Dreams from soon to be colorful bed,
JM

Looking for a designer?

I not only happen to know the fabulous, but also have her as my dear sister...Meet the newest entrepreneur in Charleston...Elizabeth Newman Interior Designs! If you like traditional and antique pieces with a modern twist, Liz is your gal. Please visit her website and new blog to find out more!

Envy, jealousy, and just plain wanting what others have...

Oh its Monday again and boy has my mind been bombarded with all sorts of thoughts and feelings today. I can't seem to relax at all. I guess I am finally getting around to determining what my new year's resolutions will be and actually tackling my "need to fix it" list.

Tonight I picked up my Mom's January issue of Good Housekeeping. Normally when these arrive in the mail, I briefly skim through it and check out any good pictures or organization tips (there goes my OCD again...). But instead my Mom encouraged me to read an article titled "Taming ENVY" by Lesley Dormen. Now if you ever read the Good Advice section of this particular magazine you will find that the subtitle states "staying centered, coping, and living fully." As you know my motto is to live one moment at a time which is a big joke because I am the worst at doing this. The article this month really hit home to me, because I will be the first to admit that I suffer from jealousy and often even worse I covet what I do not have. From clothes, cars, homes, and all the other materialistic items; to far more important things such as a husband, children, a steady career, and a devout relationship with God. (Oh and how can I forget...a cure for eating disorders).

So what does Good Housekeeping suggest? First we should "accept that the feeling of envy is part of being a human." Everyone suffers from it and we must learn to stop punishing ourselves for having these thoughts and "learn to recognize envy's distorted thinking." Easy said than done right? We must realize that we are having envious thoughts and see how unimportant they usually are.

Next step, we must MASTER envious thinking!! This means we must "reconsider our assumptions about what makes us a worthy person." Is buying this new dress really going to benefit me in the long run, or do I want it just because Sally Joe looks so darn cute?? Then we have to use envy as a diagnostic tool- "determining what's missing from our lives by paying attention to what you envy, and whom."

So what did I take away from reading all this??? "Envy is recognizing and accepting our strengths as well as our flaws." I need to appreciate the many gifts that God has provided us all and not get so distracted by the gifts I do not have. Time will tell...God has a plan for both you and me. He will reveal to me in his own time where my Mr. Right is and teach me that having the best outfit with the perfect handbag or having the skinniest body will not fill me with contentment and peace.
Until next time,
JM

Wedding Bells!

Happy wedding day to The Company She Keeps! I am so excited to be in Charlotte for her big day. Here's to a fun day!
XOXO,
JM

A Bit late...

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Please pardon my month long hiatus...its been a busy holiday season. Cheers to a new year full of hope and peace to my family and friends.