2017 Reader Survey + A Chance to Win a Free Print!

Hey, y'all and happy MONDAY! We are closing in on the end of this month, and I'm sitting here wondering how it's already almost February!? 

First, I wanted to really just thank you for your support this past year. In 2016 I remember my exact thoughts when launching this blog were to see first, would I enjoy it? And secondly, would it bring inspiration to women; which was my biggest hope. Here we are, it's 2017, and I am most definitely enjoying writing and documenting life in this space. AND, I have had so many of you e-mail me, comment, share on Facebook and social media platforms, which tells me YES, some of you are getting encouragement + inspiration through many of these posts. My intention and prayer is that I will continue to be able to do this, and that God will continue to lead my path in this writing journey. 

Since this is my goal, I thought it would be a great time to pick your brain, and see honestly, how YOU think I'm doing. At the heart of this survey, I really want to know how you've been touched by the words and posts here, and what are some ways this blog can improve? I seriously thank you for every comment you've written, the personal e-mails, the sweet things you have said on Instagram and Facebook. As every writer experiences, there are some insecurities that exist while running this; I'm literally sharing my very personal words among the vastly wide space of the Internet and guys, this can be scary! YOUR encouragement and words of affirmation are what keep me going. 

This space has been a great outlet for me. I absolutely love writing about motherhood, marriage, and really our daily life, struggles, and blessings we've been given. You are a huge chunk of my inspiration; your thoughts, ideas, some of your vulnerability with sharing YOUR personal stories, and really, I wouldn't be where I am without you!

So with all of this being said, here is the: 

2017 Ashley Glass Reader Survey

I will be collecting your surveys today through Sunday. As a huge thank you for your time, I am teaming up with my friend Chelcey Tate, and we are offering you a FREE 8x10 print from our Beloved collection. Fill out the survey, and you'll automatically be put into a drawing to win this lovely print. 

Print reads: I aspire to be an empowered woman with vision and grace. Soft-hearted but strong, self aware + sure, respected for my mind, admired for my heart, and above all, always honest, open, and raw.

 

 

The Dishes Can Wait: Let's Talk

What is ONE thing you need to hear from someone today? I mean seriously. Stop what you're doing for a second (well, keep reading...) and just think. How would you feel if someone checked in with you like this:

I'm proud of you. 
How are you doing today? 
You are so beautiful. 
Thanks for being so great. 
Do you need a hug? 
Hey, do you want to go see a movie? 
Let's grab dinner. 
You are so incredibly strong. 
I just love you!

As I've gotten older, I can't believe what a 'words of affirmation' gal I've turned into. Yesterday I scaled a rock climbing wall.. When I entered that gymnasium and looked all the way to the top, I didn't think for a SECOND it would be me ringing the bell at the very TOP. But when I heard my husband cheering from below, I heard him say, "Reese is going to be SO proud of you, Ash! Ring the bell!" I looked to my right and saw the next rock. I took a slow and deep breath, and I reached so high for that glorious bell. DING, DING, DING!!!! High fives and hugs greeted me at the bottom, my friend Liz (aka BEST workout buddy) beamed with excitement. I mean encouragement, y'all--isn't it great?! 

I think most days we just move through our routines. We go to school or work, put our kids on the bus or send them off to the sitter; some of us are homeschooling our preschoolers--making breakfasts and lunches and ordering toys and rooms to be cleaned up, and naps to be had. Our husbands come home and we are tired; hair untouched, teeth lucky to be brushed. The pets have been cared for, house is put together, kids are still alive, but it's now what we moms like to call witching hour; and we are TIRED. We check Instagram and scroll, scroll, scroll. Maybe we throw in a double tap for a 'like' if it's a photo that spoke to us. We check Facebook; scroll, scroll, scroll. Sometimes we comment when something is funny or there's a cute photo we like. We'll like each other's statuses all day long, but often we forget to text our husbands, "Hey Babe, I am proud of you. Thanks for loving me." We forget to call or message our family and ask, "How are you doing? Is there anything you need this week?" To check in with our friends, "Is there a time that would work in the next couple of weeks to get together? Let's get dinner and catch up. In the mean time, how can I pray for you?" 

We are busy creatures, somewhat stir crazy in our souls. The days can be hectic and the nights long. We have babies and young children who don't yet know the importance of a GOOD nights sleep, and the thoughts that rattle through our minds when our feet need to hit the floor to start all over; well, they aren't always the most pleasant. I wrote a post a while back about finding God in the crazy--to seek Him first and to pray more often. To speak to HIM, more often. I think I've improved greatly with this, but Lordy how there's room to grow. And thinking outside of that, of the prayers that need to be had, the more scripture that YES, I do need to read...is ensuring that we as a community are caring for one another. 

Who haven't you reached out to in a while? What face pops into your mind as your read this and you think, 'hey...I wonder how ______ is doing.' Don't just wonder, find out. I swear I probably have 10-15 women pop into my head all day long. Heck, as I sit here writing it's like boom, boom, boom!!! Name after name, just flying through my tired mind! My pregnant hair dresser, Michelle, seriously, so many prayers are said for you. Same for my preggo girlfriend Britney! My sister in laws, my brother, my DAD, women from our old church... I mean really, the list could go on! I don't think we are all destined to be best friends with one another and I don't think that's ever the expectation within friendships. But I think we could do better at staying in touch with the women and friends that we love. Stephanie who came to dinner, I loved you! I'm SO glad that you're 28 and we have that in common and that you love dogs and animals as much as I do. Chelcey who does my web design and helps me form emails and newsletters and is my soundboard for life in GENERAL. Peg, my childhood best friend who I dream about living closer to, with your two boys and husband; laughing with you is quite possibly the best thing EVER. Lisa who lives in Boston, who spent a season living in Kentucky WITH me. Jerrica, who is quite possibly my earthly angel, you're my everything!! 

No, I won't list every single person that I love here in this space, because there's just too many of you and my mind is too fuzzy for that anyway. But I wanted to just throw this out there, that you, whoever you are and wherever you may be, I bet it really means a lot when you hear someone tell you that they are proud of you. It feels GOOD to feel strong and beautiful, radiant and loved. 

Can I encourage you today to think about the top three people that keep popping into your head? Outside perhaps from the regular people you talk to on a consistent basis (aka my husband and my mom hear from me 300 times a day...) Who are those people?  Ask them how they are. What about them makes you proud? What do they do well that they would love to hear from YOU? And then keep going about your day! The clothes to be washed, dishes to cleaned, tables to be wiped off, prayers to be said, books to be read, kids to be tucked in...it's all still waiting for you. I even bet that somewhere along the way, you'll feel more energized and recharged to DO those things, BECAUSE you took the time to brighten someone else's day. Those dishes can wait, for all of 2.1 seconds, am I right? Let's love the heck out of each other because frankly, we're worth it. 

Cried Out Eyes + Living Loved

It's late. My eyes are swollen and tired from not one, but two evenings spent crying. Not gonna lie, being a female doesn't particularly help this time of the month [I literally will sob over spilled milk], but you know what? I'm just tired. Tired of living unloved. Of not believing the Truth, of not claiming it. Of not living it. 

Have you been there? 

I have the very best women surrounding me in this season. I inherited sisters eight years ago and a sister was never something I had growing up. I have supportive parents. A prayer warrior of a mom. A loving husband. I even have a very large community of women here in this space, within Instagram and this blog, that I absolutely love and adore. So why then is my immediate reaction to conclude, "She doesn't love me." 

This afternoon I took a chance to share something vulnerable and immediately walked away from the computer in tears. I put words in their mouth, that never came from the person I contacted. I was convinced that I had made a mistake, that they thought I was silly or immature, and that surely they wouldn't love me as much after reading what I had to say. And then I was reminded of Lysa TerKeurst's words in Uninvited regarding the woman at the gym, "...obviously I don't know what went through her head, but it has me thinking about all the many times I assign thoughts to others that they never actually think. I hold them accountable to harsh judgements they never make. And I own a rejection from them they never gave me" (29). 

There were a few moments of silence, of no response, and suddenly a, 'Hey let me get back to you later!' and I was ready to hit the ground running. Except not really running. I sat. And cried. And felt panicked and at a loss. I hugged my husband as I choked on words, "I still can't handle some of my friendships losses, I can't believe that we don't hang out anymore. Why doesn't she want to be closer friends?!" And how all THAT baggage related to what I was presently going through--I have NO idea. Except that I do this often. It's a BIG reason I started seeing a counselor months ago, because deep down in my heart I knew that I was loved, and yet, I couldn't stop these negative thoughts. 

These negative thoughts should have zero place in my mind or heart. None. "You are a dearly loved sister, a dearly loved daughter to the mighty and kind KING," my brother's wife texted me recently. Is that hard for any of you to fully grasp, like it is for me? My counselor did some exercises with me and one of the methods we did was visually decorating a giant sign that said STOP. And any time I started to feel myself turn negative, or go down the irrational rabbit trail, I would say, "STOP, Ashley! This is NOT helping!" Sometimes, if I'm like really on it mentally and emotionally, that helps. But 75% of the time, truthfully it doesn't. 

Lysa said, "Live from abundant place that you are LOVED and you won't find yourself begging others for scraps of love." Ouch. (There's a reason I'm hosting a book talk for this book!) With every chapter I've been convicted and reminded of God's saving grace. Of how He loves me, calls me, encourages me to sit quietly at His feet. Or crying at His feet. However I am, He'll take me.

I, like you, live in a day and age where life is just hectic. Either we have kids to care for, rooms to pick up, meals to prep, exercise to be had, pictures to be posted, e-mails to respond to, stories to share, friends to hang out with, families to love on. Which all means, just how easily distracted are we? I want to be better at living more securely. I want to be able to do all of the above, but also when it gets hard and I'm sitting in my daughter's bedroom crying, of silencing myself at His feet. At feeling His love. I want to hear the words coming from the women in my life; from my parents, my husband, my own children, and to walk and LIVE that way:

Cherished.
Appreciated.
Valued. 
Loved.

Do you long for this too? Of dwelling in His trust that life doesn't have to be perfect; there can and will be conflict, moments of pause, friends who need to wait to respond. And that none of that means you are loved ANY less? I'm not sure how to help one another, other than maybe being one giant support group, but heck, maybe that's what we need? Anyone want to create a Facebook group for living loved? Ha. If you do, add me to it! But regardless, let's pray for one another, cheer each other on, and walk through this life together. Sister, you may be hundreds or thousands of miles away but I'm right here holding your hand.. Comment, e-mail, share with someone who needs this reminder today and please know; you are loved. 

ps: I was reminded after a *very* long phone call (aka cry fest) with my mom yesterday: the job will never be done. It will never be over. There will be days that we feel like we're put back together, our pieces picked up, like we're doing GREAT; and then we'll be left feeling unloved all over again and we will HAVE to remind ourself of the Truths from our Creator. Thanks, Mom. For always loving me, counseling me, and sharing a heart with me.

Mommy Put Me Down, AGAIN?!

January 7th of last year, I wrote a post titled, "Mommy Put Me Down," and my husband stumbled across it this week from his 'On this day' via Facebook. 

This is STILL going on. That is WAY too long, he said. I agree, I laughed. It's really kind of silly!

Those four words are ritualistic and haven't ceased for an entire YEAR. "Mommy put me down!" Well okay, they've expanded a little because both our kids have an excellent vocabulary. So it's more like, "Mom, are you going to put me down tonight?" or, "Mom, can you PLEASE put me down?" When it's one of their turns (we switch every night), they jokingly sneer at one another, "Ha ha, Mommy's going to put ME down tonight!!!!" 

What is this?!?!?!  

It's incredibly rare that my husband loses his temper in our household. But ME on the other hand, guys. I mean for crying out loud I literally told them yesterday morning in our mad chaos attempt to get out the door, "You guys are being JERKS right now, I don't want to hear another word!" [Nooooot a proud mothering moment right there, but hey, at least I didn't use the S word, maybe...??! Kidding, kidding!!]. 

But my point IS, is that my husband is a really awesome father. Not just a little bit awesome, a LOT awesome. And he really doesn't get nearly enough credit. 

With teacher hours, he is able to have time with our kids that a lot of parents in general, don't get. He's completely hands on with them, it's incredible to watch. And I'm the rule follower, the one who says, "Calm down, it's BED time! Don't get them all rowdy!" I guess I'm also the debbie downer in that sense then? But seriously! The laughter in our household is many thanks to him. He knows how to get us out of our funks, switch our bad moods, and inspires us to be positive. He's the guy who is determined to plan a big spring or summer camping trip; hiking, exploring, trying new things, getting out there. It's my kids' dad. 

Whenever the kids get sick, I'm always way too quick to remind him exactly what they "need." Comfy pillows, the puke pan nearby, all the medicines, essential oils, diffusers, humidifiers, blankets, waters, thermometer and temps taken often--but I don't have to do this. He literally runs the fort and has the same exact instincts that I do when it comes to our three and four-year olds. He knows by feeling their heads when they're running a 99° or higher temp. 

He's not absent, ever. More often than not I have photography gigs on weekends or after work; especially during wedding seasons! And it STILL usually is me who ends up "needing a break" because they wear me OUT like nothing I can even explain! I've never been certain HOW he can keep such a patient and level head, but he does. On a daily basis. And then here I am, calling my kids jerks. [Lord, forgive me!] 

But I think that though these days still look like our kids wanting me 99.9% of the time, that's largely due to their ages. And I know without a doubt that they adore their father. He's the one who "throws them high," turns on Just Dance in the living room, teaches them how to build the biggest Lego towers, fixes toys, and who by far, has the best singing voice. This stage of life is still very much 'mommy put me down,' but the kids are also crazy about their daddy. 

**How about you and your family? What does your husband do that you love, kids or not. Are there roles you switch off on (cooking, cleaning)? Is there something he's super helpful with? And if you're a mama, does this sound like you? One of my good friends Ashlee wrote a post called Velcro Baby and I just LOVED it; my daughter is glued to my HIP, y'all. And while it's sometimes frustrating, it's more so just really sweet because I still don't want to think about the day when my kids don't fit quite right on my hips and in my arms. Comment below, I'd love to hear from YOU!**

Here's a little flash back that we recently discovered: Pierson and his Daddy. A reminder of just how present my sweet husband is with our ever growing kiddos. [Even the 'I told you so' comment at the end has me swooning over him, ha ha!!]