Stacey Thacker's Blog, page 5

10 Totally Better Things to Say to a Weary Mom Instead of “You Look Tired.”

I am a weary mom. Obviously. I know, many days, ok most days, my messy ponytail and dark circles scream it in more ways than one. It doesn’t matter how much make-up I wear, it is written all over my face.

Just in case you are looking for some other things to say to me, or any other weary mom you meet, here are 10 Totally Better Things to Say Instead:

1. How are you? (And mean it.)

2. I’m buying you coffee. (Buy me fancy overpriced coffee and you are my BFF4Ever.)

3.  Can I watch your kids or send over a babysitter so you can get a break?(A friend did this for me once and it changed my life. For real.)

4. What is one thing you really need right now? (So many times moms just run on empty and don’t identify their own needs. She has them, too.)

5. Tell me one thing your kids did you are proud of. (We need to be reminded our kids are great and some people want to hear about it.)

6. How can I pray for you? (This may cause her to tear up, but tears are ok. Prayer shows you love her.)

7. The dishes can wait. (Moms need permission to let some things go for a time. Especially during the holidays or busy seasons. Be that person.)

8. Do you want to grab lunch sometime? (Show her you are interested in her and spending real time together.)

9.  I really like your shirt, shoes, earrings, etc.  (Find something to compliment authentically so she knows you SEE her.)

10.  You are doing a great job. (We all doubt this. You can’t tell us this enough. So repeat it, often.)

Proverbs 18:21 says, “Words have power in matters of life and death, and those who love them will savor their fruit.”  Words spoken with grace can breathe life. The next time you see a weary mom who looks it in every way, speak life and watch her shoulders lift a little and her eyes brighten. And if that weary mom happens to be me start with #2. Because, coffee is one of my love my love languages. 

xo,

Stacey

P.S. What would you like to hear? Leave a comment!

Have you checked out my newest book written with Brooke McGlothlin –  The Hope for the Weary Mom Devotional? Find out more here.

What I Wore

Happy Wednesday! Y’all, I took pictures this week.  The fact that I remembered while having Christmas brain is significant. You know all about Christmas brain I’m sure. You have list upon lists all over the house but you have no idea what you are supposed to be doing. Relate? Please tell me you do. Anyway, these pictures aren’t the best because my phone is not behaving well as a camera. This is really the only thing I miss about my iPhone.

So here is what I wore this week!

Left: Jacket, shirt, pants (Loft), Shoes (Target), Necklace (Kory Lane)

I wore this Sunday to sing during church. I know it isn’t “Christmassy but I haven’t worn this jacket in a while.

Left Center: Shirt (Loft), Jeans (American Eagle), Shoes (DSW) Cuff (Farmgirl Paints), Necklace (Foreverlly)

It was 82 degrees yesterday. Which for us feels like jeans weather. But you really need to have short sleeves. I try not to wear a graphic t-shirt every day and I like this shirt – not to dressy, not to casual.

Right Center: Shirt (Target), Scarf (Kohls) Jeans (American Eagle), Boots (gifted)

I wore this for a school dinner. Love this shirt with the colored scarf! The shirt is “thick” which makes it look great, but I was a little warm. Still, I really loved this look! Plus I ate lasagna and that was awesome.

Right: Sweater (Banana Rep Factory Outlet), Shirt (Mercy House Kenya), Jeans (American Eagle), Shoes (gifted)

So I’m singing in our church Christmas program and the name of the game is comfort. So we need to wear jeans, t-shirts, and sturdy shoes. I always toss on a cardigan or jacket — not because it is cold but because this time of year you can without being too hot usually. Oh, I should mention to sing our choir climbs into gigantic Christmas Trees with little gold capes so we look like ornaments. So you don’t see anything other than my cape. See…

Sparkly!!

This will probably be my last What I Wore of 2015 unless I do a best of post after Christmas. Those are always fun! You can be sure I’ll be back with more What I Wore in 2016!

xo,

Stacey

Rumor Has it “Hope” is On Its Way!

Rumor has it this new book is shipping out a few weeks early. I think that is perfect because I don’t know a mama who isn’t weary at Christmas. So we rejoice because Jesus, the Hope of all the World came.  He brings good news for all of us, even weary moms!

This is my prayer for this little book:

“Lord I hold up this book as an offering for you. It is your heart for moms. I thank you I can be part of the story. And I give it to you to use as you see fit. I have no idea what you want to do through it. But I’m asking you to  do more than we can ask for or imagine through it. Would you bless it? Place it into the hands of weary moms who need an encouraging Word to know you are for them, You see them, You are Hope and you are coming for them — ever day.

You have come for them.

Do a mighty work, Lord.”

Amen.

Would you join me in that prayer?

xo,

Stacey

P.S. To grab a copy for your own weary mom heart, go here. 

 

Sometimes the Right Response is Silence

Maybe like me you have noticed the world seems to be raging and quaking. You read social media  and watch the news. You think about it when you drink your morning coffee and you pray. You may ask yourself the question, “Should I speak up? Do I need to add my voice to the truth-tellers?” I wonder this at times. Sometimes the answer is yes. But more often than not, I think silence may be the right move.

I’ve been in the book of Habakkuk this past year. This farmer-prophet has landed himself square in the middle of my new book (Coming September 2016) and my heart. Here is just one reason why:

 

“In the midst of declaring his faith, Habakkuk was once again made aware of the evil in the world around him. Isn’t that usually the case? When we take a stand for Jesus, the whole world looks like it is doing its level best to defy God. Habakkuk seemed to ramble on and on about “soul empty” men who cheat, murder, and steal to get ahead. He recognized the idolatry of their self-filled lives and knew it would bring nothing but woe. In stark contrast to that misery, he declared that the glory of the Lord would fill the entire earth. And what would be Habakkuk’s response to such glory? He said, “The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him” (2:20). Habakkuk responded to God’s presence with silence. Astounding.

The prophet who had so much to say in the opening pages of his book is now without words. In support of Habakkuk’s response, Matthew Henry commented that “It is the duty of [God’s] people to attend him with silent adoring, and patiently wait for his appearing to save them in his own way and time.”

And so Habakkuk—the prophet, the word speaker, the truth teller—is left speechless in the presence of the Lord, confident that in his own sovereign timing the Lord will save his people. It is almost as if you can feel Habakkuk exhale. When was the last time you exhaled the craziness of life and sat before the Lord in silent adoration? Isn’t it unbelievable to think that, of all we could say to and do for the Lord, sometimes he just wants our silent presence with him? As we approach God in worship, silence can be more than golden. It can be the space we need in order to receive grace.”

 

As we look toward Christmas. The stable. The baby who came to save us and defeat the powers of a dark, dark world. May we consider,sometimes the right response is silence mixed with awe inspiring worship.

xo,

Stacey

 

What I Wore

Hey there friends! I hope you are having a better time getting your Christmas shopping finished than I am. I just.can’t.get.it.done. Oh well, we have lots of time still right?

Monday I was really feeling this shirt:

( I found this at Marshalls not too long ago. Suits a Monday right?)

I tend to drink coffee by the pot, so it seemed like the right baseball t’shirt for me.

I also wore other things beside the coffee shirt, even though it really worked for all the days:

Highlights:

Jeans: These are skinny jeans from American Eagle. I wear them almost everyday even after I SAID I was breaking up with them awhile ago.

Boots: My friend Angie gave me these boots. If it dips into the 70’s here, I wear them.

Left: Shirt (Loft), Scarf (Dayspring), Shoes (Target)

Middle: Shirt (Loft), Necklace (large pendant – American Eagle), Beads (Ornaments for Orphans), Cuff (Farmgirl Paints)

Right: Shirt (I shopped my friend Marion’s closet), Necklace (Foreverly)

Also I feel like I should tell you the day I wore the scarf I went to Panera and the sweet sales girl said she liked it. I felt that was a scarf win for me.

Have a super week!

Stacey

What I Wore

The links in this post contain affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link.Hey there friends! Happy 1st Wednesday in December! I really can’t wrap my mind around the fact that it is already that time of year. I spent the whole Cyber Monday trying to sit down and shop and then spent all of Tuesday kicking myself because I didn’t. I still didn’t shop. I did however make Buckeyes for our cookie of the week. So that was a good decision

My husband fished out my SD card from my computer so I have a couple fun “winterish” outfits to share with you! Here is what I wore!

 

Left: Cardigan (Target), Flannel (Target), Tank (Grace and Lace), Leggings (Loft), Boots (gift), Cuff (Farmgirl paints)

I love everything about this outfit. Except I don’t get to wear it very much. We had a tiny bit of cool weather and yesterday it was 80 again. Sigh. If I lived in a cooler climate you would get really tired of this outfit because I would wear it daily. It would be my mom uniform this time of year!

Right: Shirt (American Eagle), T-shirt (Loft), Jeans (American Eagle), Boots (same)

I love the denim on denim look on other people. This look actually is better than others I’ve tried to achieve with the same idea. I like the v-neck t’shirt with it. I love this denim shirt for the most part I just *wish* it were a little bit longer. It has the cutest red material inside the collar though. Adorable.

Oh and this is so fun! My new cuff close up:

Thank you Becky! (Farmgirl Paints Shop)

It says “Mercy is the theme of my song” – and it comes from this hymn. I fell in love with this hymn when I was writing Fresh Out of Amazing, added it to my play list and tucked it nicely into the last chapter of my book. So, to celebrate turning in my manuscript I purchased a black cuff. Loving it!

Thanks for stopping in today. I hope you have a great Wednesday!

xo,

Stacey

P.S. Because so many of my items came from Target this week, you might want to know they are having 30% off clothing until 12/5 (yay) and free shipping on everything until Christmas Day! You can shop here. I’m excited to be adding Target to my affiliate team. If you click and shop I get a tiny commission that costs you nothing! Thanks sweet friends!

 

 

 

 

What I Wore

I wasn’t going to to do a What I Wore post this week because it is Thanksgiving week. But then I changed my mind when I was drinking my tea yesterday and not thinking of cooking my turkey.

I grabbed my SD Card (that is fancy talk for little disk thingy that you put in your computer and upload your photos to your hard drive) and realized immediately that I made a big mistake. I put the tiny SD card in my disc drive.

Nice.

What that means essentially is my super kind and patient husband is going to take my Mac Book Pro apart to retrieve the disc. It was a moment for sure. So, I have only one outfit to share with you this week. I took this with my phone, which I should have just gone with the whole week. You can’t accidently put your phone “in” your disc drive so therefore it is probably safer for me.

{I wore this outfit on Monday. My daughter and I had an appointment and I bought her a reward smoothie and me a reward salad at my favorite salad place.}

Shirt: Nordstrom Rack

Jeans: American Eagle

Boots: (Gifted from a friend)

Cuff: Farmgirl Paints

Necklace: Conference gear “Wild Obedience”

If my SD Card was not stuck in my computer, I also wore my flannel shirt twice and my new Grace and Lace Tank top twice. Once with black leggings and once with my jeans.

This week I pray you enjoy your family and if you make it out to Black Friday Shopping be sure to take your grace with you. Enjoy it for the sport and people watching extravaganza it is. I may be tucked in safely at home watching my Christmas tree show off and shopping from my computer in my PJ’s.  I’m still thinking on it.

Happy. Happy Thanksgiving.

Xo,

Stacey

 

P.S. I’ve been looking for a new cross body purse. Fashionable has a gorgeous one I’m thinking of asking for as a gift this Christmas. If my “Santa” shops this weekend, he can get it 20% off and free shipping using the code “Holiday”. So that is pretty awesome. Just have your Santa click the affiliate banner below to shop. When you do you can take advantage of the deal and at no extra cost to you, I get a little help for my Santa. That is how this affiliate thing works. Thank you by the way. xoxo.

He is Mindful of You

I have a deep affection for the book of Hebrews. I found myself in a pit years ago and when I reached the very bottom Jesus was there . What He breathed into my heart was his message of hope found in this New Testament book without an author to claim it. Works out better that way I suppose. There is no doubt in my heart that the author is Lord Himself. He wrote it hurting hearts in the middle of a trial trying to high tail it back to what felt comfortable. So you can see the application it was for me immediately.

I made my way back there a few weeks ago after I completed the Fresh Out of Amazing manuscript and sent it off. The invitation was quiet. “Meet me here, friend.” He whispered over and over. This book comes in like a lion for the heart that is wounded. Jesus. He is on every page. And of course that is what my heart needed most.

A few days sitting at his feet in awestruck wonder of the One who “keeps the world from dissolving” (thank you Charles Spurgeon for that) I was struck by this:

“What is man, that you are mindful of him,

    or the son of man, that you care for him?” Hebrews 2:6

 

He is mindful of us.

He remembers me.

He calls you to mind.

Does that surprise you? I love how Job put it:

“What is man, that you make so much of him,

and that you set your heart on him,” Job 7:17

You know Job, right? He was being all kinds of faithful and when the enemy was looking for someone to devour, God Himself said, “Have you considered my servant, Job?”

God recommended him for the job…so to speak.

And smack in the middle of losing it all Job found a truth you and I can cling to as well.

When we are in the middle of a soul-wrenching trial God makes much of you. He sets his heart on you. He is mindful of you.

Over and over in Scripture God was mindful of his people:

Noah Gen 8:1
Abraham – Gen 19:29
Rachel – Gen 30:22
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – Ex 2:24 –
Hannah – 1 Samuel 1:19
to name only a few

I don’t know what this truth does for your heart, but let me tell you what it does for me. It reduces me to tears. Not the sad I’m in over my head tears. It brings tears of gratitude to my heart. Thankfulness overwhelms me.

Jesus is mindful of me the daughter who misses her daddy.

The wife who wonders if she will ever pray enough for her husband.

The weary mom who can’t keep up with her dishes to save her life.

The widow who cries in the shower.

The little girl facing challenges bigger than her little body can handle.

The broken beautiful heart who releases her will to the only one who is truly amazing.

Jesus calls that girl to mind.

And I think that maybe this week as we look for things to be thankful for, we don’t need twenty things.

We could just claim this one thing and it covers it all. We could take a good long look at Jesus and breathe deep.

He is mindful of us.

We are not consumed.

Looking Forward,

Stacey

 

 

 

 

 

 

What I Wore

Happy What I Wore Day! Y’all it happened. We had 10 minutes of Fall!

I even put this on Instagram to document it.

It was so nice. But then it was 80 degrees yesterday. My friend Emily who lives in Colorado had big snow today. So I’m really not going to fuss too much.

Here is some of  what I wore this past week!

Left: Top (Loft), Jeans (AE) Shoes (Target – old).

I love this top! It has a cute drawstring and you can wear it up or down. I have realized though I really need a waist defined so the half-tuck wins. Also the shoes were given to me by a friend.

Left Center: Jacket and dress (Stitch Fix), Necklace (Kohls), Boots (gifted)

These are by far my fave Stitch Fix pieces. Also I have not to my knowledge worn these boots with the dress. But Fall happened as you know and so did taking my Sweet 16 girl to see “Cinderella” on stage. See:

She looks just like her dad, by the way.

Right Center: Dress (gifted), Jeans (AE), Boots (gifted).

I have really generous friends. They give me stuff they can’t wear. This dress is from Banana Republic. My friend Tiffany gave it to me. I love it. Now that I’ve lost (ahem) a few pounds it fits great. Yay for sweet friends! I wore this to church Sunday!

Right: Shirt (Target), Jeans (AE), Shoes (DSW)

I just recently picked up this shirt from Target. It is on the thick side and has a cute zipper in the back. I’ve been looking for a striped shirt and I think this one is a good one!

Maybe on my Christmas List:  a new cross body purse and a pair of go-to all around flats.

I’ll keep you posted on what I find!

xo,

Stacey

P.S. Did you see Cents of Style is having a BOOT sale?

Today ONLY (Wed 11/18/15) Boot Clearance!! – Starting at $19.99 – 30% off lowest marked price w/code BOOTUP click here to shop!

Lots of cuteness here:

Remember code enter BOOTUP at checkout  click here to shop!

The Write It Girl Show Episode 1

Write it girl is back! Whatever is on your heart, whatever is going on in your life. Write it, girl. I am a writer; make that declaration. Regardless of your background, your gifts, your grammar. Write it, girl. Write with confidence in your space; that little corner of the web He’s given you. Ask Him to give you a vision for what He wants with your words and write it, girl. Come and share your words, bring it to this safe place where you can write what is on your heart, and encourage others in their writing, as well. Write it, Girl! Have a word on your heart?

Go. Now. Write it, girl…

What started as a blog and a writing challenge to other #writeitgirl girls is now a live show with my dear  friend and co-creator Katie Orr. But don’t worry if you missed it, you can catch the playback right here:

 

In this episode we talk about:

How it all began in November 2011
Your calling as a #writeitgirl
Your dreams
God may use you to call out the gift in another woman — do it!
Hindrances to being a #writeitgirl (fear of failure, finding the time)
Know that being a writer does not have to LOOK a certain way
Preview of our next episode on ‘Spark’

Let go of what you THINK a writer should be: We need to see what Writers can be.

We can be regular girls writing down words. We can write during haptime. We can write at Soccer fields.

We can be a #writeitgirl right now. 

Hope you enjoy Episode 1!

xo,

Stacey