2. I read the. book " Breaking Free from Body Shame: Dare to Reclaim What God Has Named Good ," by Jess Connolly. It was given to me at the *perfect* time. I highly recommend it, if this is something you struggle with.

I couldn’t focus at work. I was anxious about simple tasks — all tasks, really. At the end of the day, the simple walk from my car into the house, felt like a marathon, leaving me completely drained. My fuse was short. I was irritable about everything (sorry Cor!). I felt like a worthless mom. I blamed myself for everything. I didn’t know how to handle the two kids I had, but desperately wanted another, and, for that reason, felt broken. I was convinced my family would be better off without me. I wondered if I had the energy to go on.

Selflessness. Oh man, I struggle with this one but truly WANT to be better. We live in a “me first” society, but the Bible calls us to be selfless.

My pregnancy had been smooth sailing. Besides a crappy first trimester, I LOVED being pregnant — watching my belly grow, feeling baby move and kick, and planning for his arrival.

Have you ever had similar thoughts? It’s so easy to be envious of other people’s gifts or wonder if you can truly do anything special with your own gifts. But I have to remind myself that we are all given gifts for a purpose and each one is VALUABLE. So let’s talk about being creative and making things pretty (since that is the focus of this-here-blog): We were created BY a creator in HIS IMAGE (Genesis 1:27). That means we were made to create and enjoy beauty just. like. God. does. How cool is that?! By creating beauty in our homes, or simply FINDING beauty in our homes, we are reflecting the Creator! Mic drop.