A Little Kiss!

So I just had to share something with you...

After my last post about my great moment of bath and body discipline, today I received a gift out of the blue for a purchase I made for my job.  (I purchased a ridiculous amount of perfumes that will be gifts for our reps hitting their weekly sales goal!)  The perfume rep included a gift for me in the box and look what it is...

Just in case you can't read well... it's ORIGINS body wash and whipped body cream in Ginger!  It smells divine but honestly, I really don't care what it smells like because I believe it was a little kiss from the Lord to say "you did good Ash!"  The body wash is a travel size so I get the impression that He is still testing me to see if I can be "faithful with little" (literally) but maybe my next kiss will be a gigantic bottle of something!  Ha!

Carry on!
Ashley

My Latest Confession...

Well, first things first... Happy Late Valentine's Day!  I actually wrote this on V-Day but forgot to post it so pretend for a minute, that it's last Friday again...

My table is decorated with a few cheap things from Hobby Lobby and my family is coming over for a little love party.. yay!  I'm making 'Skinny Mom Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff' (if you haven't discovered the www.skinnymom.com site yet, you need to!)  (And no, I'm not getting paid to say that- I wish!!!)

So, I cheated.  Kind of.  A friend from church inspired me at our home group the other night to check out the store 'Kid to Kid'.  Her daughter was wearing the most adorable dress and I was shocked to hear it came from a consignment store.  Yet, another challenge and opportunity to shift my perspective when it comes to shopping... but, ANYWAYS!  I went to the one by my house this week to check it out and I was pleasantly surprised by some of what they offered.  I was excited to find a pair of adorable floral print leggings with a ruffle from the gap, with tags still attached.  Originally priced at the gap for $14.99 and this store had them priced at $2.99!  Does Addy truly NEED leggings right now?  Probably not, but she is growing like a weed and she wears leggings almost every day of the week!  And, I tried to call Kory but he was in a meeting and couldn't be reached.  I had to make a decision... I figured, hey- these will be used a lot and I'm being a good steward with $3!  AND... I used the $3 from my grocery budget!  I just chalked it up to 'research' on my journey of changing my heart towards spending! 

Here's another victory in my belt as of day 11 on the fast...  I was taking a bath the other night and realized that I was still using peppermint scented shower gel and lotion.  This really bothered me and I'm sure you know why.  Everyone knows that peppermint is the smell of Christmas, not February!  As each new season arrives, one of my favorite things to do is go buy a new scent!  For certain seasons, I prefer certain scents.  At this time of year it would be somewhere around 'Warm Vanilla Sugar' or 'Cashmere Glow' but I don't have either of those right now.  So I did what I never do... I pulled out my plastic tub FULL of bath and body products that are half full with goo on the lid and dug around until I found one that will work.  Twilight something or another will just have to do.  It wasn't as fun as going and getting a brand new scent to brand this winter BUT, I felt happy inside that I was sticking to my commitment and using up some perfectly good overpriced soap.

“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities."

Luke 16:10 NLT 

Happy Love Day!

~Ashley

A Look in My Closet

 
<sup>Hello again!  So many of you have made such sweet comments and I've already heard several of you have taken the challenge yourself to fast shopping for a time!  Yay and thank you for your support!

First of all, I've had a few victories I'd like to share over the past few days!  Yesterday, I needed to get groceries and I purposely made the decision to shop at Wal-Mart instead of Target!  I knew I would be tempted by nothing "extra" at Wal-Mart!  And I wasn't of course... actually, I was once.  It was very, very brief.  They had a sale on a two pack of blanket sleepers for my daughter for $9.97 and I picked it up to check it out and here are the exact thoughts that I had... "she already has 200 blanket sleepers, put it back!"  And, I did.  I literally threw it with violent passion back on the shelf.  And then straightened it to make sure I didn't have to do a blog about respect and character next time.  I digress...

I had to go to Anthropologie today to exchange a shirt I got (before the blog people, calm down!)  I walked up to the counter, took care of business, and walked away.  The end.  VICTORY!

So, although it is fun to share my strength of will for 3 days, I don't really deserve a trophy yet.  Let me take you a little deeper into my closet...  My issue with materialism does not start or end with buying myself clothes, shoes, beauty products, cheap jewelry and other lovely pretties.  I also love to buy my daughter stuff.  Lots and lots of stuff.  MORE... pj's, outfits with ruffles, shoes, bows, you get my point. 

In case you're wondering, I am not using money from our income or our family budget when I shop.  Here's the funny thing about this story... I married a very frugal man.  I used to say "cheap" and many would snicker and say that is a great description of him.  However, over the years he has taught me more about what it means to truly steward your money in a Biblical way and I'm forever changed by it.  We have a very structured budget with categories, subcategories, graphs, and charts!  I work hard to honor him, the Lord, and our family by keeping receipts, managing my part of the budget well and not over spending.  Are you totally confused yet???  About now, I bet you're asking yourself "and why is this chic writing a blog about overspending... and why am I still reading it?"  Don't give up on me yet.

My shopping addiction is brought to life by extra spending money that I get outside of my normal paycheck- there are several ways I get this extra money throughout the course of a year.  Don't panic, I'm not doing anything shady!  The point is that I blow through this money so fast, it scares me. The really bizarre thing about it all is that I think it's because I utilize discipline (as I should) with our income and budget.  So then, when I get anything extra that is just mine, I go the extreme opposite direction and get out of control.  I love being able to spend whatever on whatever, whenever with no accountability.  This is where the enemy sees a crack.  He knows he can't tempt me with other "worldly" things (how foolish we are when we say things like that... as if materialism isn't among the "worldliest" of things!)  But this, he knows is a weakness.  A sin lasting through generations waiting for a radical deliverance.  An all consuming desire to serve myself, even if for just a moment.

And so, here I am.  I have lived a life committed to God and His principals my entire life.  I have served Him, loved Him, and worshipped Him for as long as I can remember.  I know the scriptures, I can pray the prettiest of prayers with authority, I can even lead others in a moment of salvation... but I can't keep my card in my purse.  It's truth.  It's a crack in the foundation and I'm going to take the time to rebuild it because I want to have life, and "life more abundantly" and I am learning that life is found one way.  Not by accumulating, but by having open hands.  Serving, giving, and finding everything- literally everything in God and God alone.

Still with me?  Sure hope so.
Ashley</sup>

^{Don't love money; be satisfied with what you have.  For God has said, "I will never fail you.  I will never abandon you."}

^{Hebrews 13:5 NLT}



Day 1- Shopping Fast Has Begun!

Greetings!  Glad you're here... hope while you stay you'll be inspired, challenged, and entertained! 

If you know me at all, you know one thing for sure and that is this: I am honest.  Actually, too honest most of the time.  It can be both offensive and endearing, but it is me.  On one hand, my honesty causes me to say too much about things nobody else would ever say.  On the other hand, I seem to be willing to be extremely open about my own junk.  Which brings me to this blog...

I've decided to do a fast.  Not a food fast (although my butt could really benefit from that!)  Not a media fast (I should definitely do this sometime though- next blog?)  No, I am going radical people... I am fasting shopping!  For 90 days, I have vowed not to spend money on anything I don't truly need.  And, if I think I need something I have decided I will run it by my husband, Kory and get his thoughts and (hopefully) his approval!  *Just fyi- that was totally my idea to exercise true submission to my sweet husband on a topic that is a weakness for me and a strength for him so please don't be hating on him like he's a controlling money hoarder.  K, thanks. 

Where was I... oh yeah, hello, my name is Ashley and I'm a shopaholic.  I actually shop for a living in my career as the director of the incentives program for a team of 180 sales reps (who happen to be all women!)  It's my job to spend money.  It's my responsibility to be familiar with all the latest trends in fashion, beauty, technology, home décor, and accessories.  Needless to say, the temptation to "want" is ever growing.  I come from a long line of shoppers.  All very generous, godly people... that like to shop.  A lot.  But over time, this has become my own bondage, my own addiction, my own issue.

And here's the truth: I am not a vein woman.  I like to be put together, fix my hair cute and do my makeup well.  But, when I walk out the door, I literally never think about how I look again (unless someone happens to take a picture of me and then I have to see it and evaluate, of course!)  I never look at the back of my hair.  I don't care what it looks like because I can't see it.  I forget to reapply my lip gloss most of the time after I eat or drink.  I never check my teeth or my nose for pepper or wispy boogers.  I should, this is not a good trait in me, but this blog is about honesty. 

Fortunately, I don't struggle with comparison either.  I am confident in who I am and I can sincerely say I don't feel threatened by other women's beauty or their material things.  Here's the deal- I love to shop because I have a sincere passion for fashion!  I love to put outfits together and accessorize!  I love to do this just as much for others as myself, in fact there are at least 10 people in my life that ask me to shop with or for them on a regular basis!  I love it, it's like art to me- a hobby if you will!  The problem is it's out of balance and ultimately, not God's best for my life.   

So, I decided to start a blog this week because my hope is that my willingness to be "honest" will 1)keep me accountable to my commitment as I share my journey with you and 2) hopefully inspire other women to take off the mask we so often wear as good, Christian women and get honest with ourselves on this taboo topic of materialism. 

For some reason I think we church girls are terrified to be completely honest with each other (and ourselves) about our struggles with materialism.  For you, it may not be clothes.  It may be stuff for your kids, stuff for your house, crafts, or jewelry!  It's simply an out of balance desire for stuff that ultimately you don't need to be happy but you think you do! 

God is challenging me "for such a time as this" to press in to Him for total and complete fullness of joy.  That I will find freedom in needing nothing but Him and a heart full of gratitude for the blessings He has poured out on my life.  It's a heart check.  It's a gut check.  It's a moment of silence with my credit card.  To literally fast the thing that has slowly crept into my life and built a wall between me and the intimacy that could be with the Lord. 

So, today on February 3rd 2014, I declare that I will gain victory over this stronghold.  I will persevere in the hard moments at Target, when I'm there to buy groceries and I find myself looking at jewelry.  I will press in when I am just doing my job and in doing so, I discover the cutest shoes I've ever seen!  I will keep driving when I see Marshall's, the mall and Nordstrom Rack.  And, wait for it... I will only go to Lonestar Antique Mall to eat lunch!  (In case you don't know... Betty Jane's Boutique is in the back of that antique mall and is literally my most favorite place to shop in all the land and if you don't struggle with shopping and need a new outfit, you should totally go there!  Today.  Right now.  No...  I meant don't go.) 

I'd be honored if you would take this journey with me and hopefully, be challenged at the expense of my crazy honesty.  It's okay to laugh at me as long as you're getting the tiniest revelation for yourself.  I'm willing to air out my dirty laundry (and let me tell you, I have a LOT of laundry!) if it means just one woman will be set free from this silent but scary stronghold so many of us good girls face!

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be." 

Matthew 6:20-21 (NLT)

Talk soon,
Ashley