baguettes and beginnings.

“See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.”

— Isaiah 43:19

For the past several years, I’ve been wanting to write consistently. Just to share thoughts and fun things and deep things too. I’ve always seemed to have roadblocks, whether outside circumstances prevented me or my own mind and fears. I’ve just felt held back in one way or another. I put a lot of pressure on myself, and I feel like if I can’t do something the way I envision it, there is no point in doing it at all. I basically want to start out perfect and not have to go through the disciplines, the failures, and the learning it takes to actually be good at something…even something like writing a blog once a week. I know that I suck at consistency. I have no idea how to design things to make them pretty. I also feel like I have nothing to say when I actually sit down to produce something. I basically already know I’m going to fail, or not live up to my expectations, so why start anyway?

I trust/believe myself more than anything or anyone to a fault. If I don’t think I can do something, I can’t. If I believe I can, I can. What I think about myself is what matters most to me, which I know produces wounds in my own heart. I have some deep rooted wrong beliefs, even about the Lord’s kindness and graciousness to me. I have a hard time believing His truths and promises over my life. It’s also one of the reasons why compliments are hard for me. If I don’t believe what you are saying for myself, I am inclined to think people are just being nice instead of genuine. What a weird, self-deprecating pride, to dismiss kindness, generosity, and love because I believe I’m the only one who can be right about who I am. I’ve been asking the Lord to soften my heart recently. Soften it to Him, to others speaking His truth to me, and to myself.

So anyways, this blog is a step in being vulnerable, opening myself up to weakness, a way to trust God over myself. What I want for this space is a weekly newsletter of sorts. I’ll be sharing thoughts I’ve been mulling over, scripture that the Lord is teaching me through, favorite recipes and products. Maybe even some funny memes…I have a pretty weird/great sense of humor that doesn’t come out that often. So I hope you find comfort and encouragement here.

-Kate

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I met with a friend, Jess, for a date night last week; and yes, you can have a date with your bestie. We had not spent time together just the two of us in a while and really needed that community. When she asked if we could hang out, my first response was, “Can I bring bread?” Jess is my friend that loves food as much as me. We are always sharing recipes and talking about things we want to try. Anytime I make something new, I gotta give some to Jess to get her feedback. So food is always involved when we get together. I’ve been making lots of breads lately and recently saw a recipe for whipped feta that I knew would go great with a baguette. So I made baguettes, whipped some feta, and roasted some tomatoes, and we enjoyed a fancy charcuterie board with wine outside on her balcony and talked for hours. And both the conversation and the food were good for the soul.

Whipped Feta:

Feta block
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
drizzle of olive oil
salt and pepper
1 drop Lemon oil
fresh rosemary - for garnish

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and whip until combined.

Roasted cherry tomatoes:

1 pint cheery tomatoes
drizzle of olive oil
salt and pepper
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 400. Combine all ingredients in a small oven safe dish, where the tomatoes are just barely in one layer. Roast for about 25 minutes, until bubbly and soft.

Grab a baguette, slice it up, top with feta then tomatoes for a delectable treat.

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One product I have been LOVING lately, is CBD Beauty Boost. This soothing combination of CBD, rose essential oil, tamanu oil, and grapeseed oil works to maintain an even skin tone and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. I love adding it to my DIY Glow Serum (with blue tansy and frankincense). It is super moisturizing and has even helped with sunburns. I literally cannot get enough of it. It smells heavenly and makes my skin look and feel so much better.

Check out the lush ingredients that makes up this beauty:

• CBD: Pure, potent CBD adds an element of luxury and calm to this blend. As always, our CBD products have 0.0% THC.

• Rose essential oil: The queen of floral essential oils provides a calming aroma and moisturizes the skin. You’ll feel as fresh as a bud in May!

• Tamanu oil: This smooth, luxurious oil is rich in fatty acids. It has skin-conditioning agents to help you pamper your complexion. Nothing complex about that!

• Grapeseed oil: This luxuriant oil is rich in omega-6 fatty acids and antioxidants. Grapeseed oil absorbs quickly without leaving skin feeling greasy. Say hello to moisture!

Grab a bottle for $84.95 and I'll send you a facial roller to go with it. Just shoot me an email at katesconcepts@gmail.com and I’ll help you order!

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And finally, here’s this gem. Because you know I’m watching Twilight. #teamedward

Me fighting every urge to watch the twilight series for the 500000th time this year now that it’s on Netflix pic.twitter.com/8yNOZKtYmM

— Princess Mia ☾ (@lunavxoxo) July 16, 2021

why I jumped on the bandwagon.

I have been forced to come to the realization that I have become an emotional wreck. Going through pregnancy and nursing twice has left me a little hormonally unbalanced, or a lot. I have weeks of feeling like I'm in a pit that I can't get out of. Anger and frustration that I've never experienced in my life. Overwhelming sadness. Fear and panic at the littlest things.

Honestly, I had been afraid to talk about it, even to my husband. I would try to hint at how I was feeling, but felt shame over how I really felt on the inside. I am married to a pastor; we do ministry every day. And this is where a lot of my shame has come from. There is a lot of pressure to have everything together when you are leading people in Christ. And sadly, judgment when you don't.

I've had this voice in my head, "You aren't praying enough, trusting enough, reading scripture enough, finding joy in Christ enough."

And though that is always true, there is so much more to grow in Christ; I knew I needed some extra support. I'm pretty to blessed to have the husband I have, though. He graciously brought it up to me that he felt like something was wrong. And I confessed that I had been feeling the same thing. He told me to start searching for ways to help.

I was actually already in a group about essential oils at this time. The very next day after this conversation with my husband, the group discussed how oils support emotional health. I was so intrigued by the research and the personal stories behind them. Oils could be a natural way to help without the side-effects of other options.

Let me tell you, I was super skeptical, but pleasantly surprised. I got the Young Living Premium Starter kit (11 oils), and then ordered a few more that I felt would be beneficial for me during this time. Young Living has a line specifically for emotional support. They really have promoted emotional balance in me in just the month that I have been using them.

I was so surprised with the uses beyond just emotional support (sleep, sickness, kiddos!) that I wanted to share with others what has been working for our family.

Have you been wondering what essential oils are all about? I'd love to be here for you to answer any questions; I have some great friends that know a lot more than me too, so I can ask them if I don't know the answer.

Want to try something out for a specific area? I'd love to order something and send it your way! Some of my favorites are:

• lavender and cedarwood for sleep
• bergamot and grapefruit for uplifting
• Gentle Baby for all things baby
• Progessence Plus for hormonal balance
• Thieves for immune support and just about everything

What's in the starter kit?? 11 oils, a diffuser, and lots of fun samples.

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You can grab the kit for yourself here: https://www.youngliving.com/vo/#/signup/start?site=US&sponsorid=10917669&enrollerid=10917669

We all have struggles in different areas, and I believe one of the best ways to overcome is to tell a trusted friend. Community does wonders for the things we feel shame about. When we stay in isolation, we give more power to those things. I pray that if you have something you are concerned about, you will reach out to someone to help you battle it head on. I am also here if any of you would like someone to listen; I've been told I have good ears!

In truth,

Kate

When I Can't Protect My Children.

This thought has been on my mind a lot lately. It seems like every other day I see a sad story of a 2 year old on the news. It hits me hard. I never want anything to happen to my precious little two year olds.

Missing, abducted, neglected, abused, dying. Scared and alone, yearning for love. I ask God why He isn't protecting them, loving them? If He could just give them to me, I would love. I would protect.

As parents we do all that we can to protect our children. Sometimes it works, sometimes we go overboard and they rebel. Sometimes we fail. And still other times we have no idea what to even do to protect them. My kids know that outlets are dangerous, the stove is hot, and not to chase a ball that rolls into the street. We hold hands in the parking lot, I buckle their car seats, they wear sunscreen.

But I can't stop sickness, disease, heartbreak or failure. I can't stop fear and spiritual warfare.

I'm not in control.

And this is where I am right now. Our son has had trouble sleeping throughout his life. But not the typical "my kids don't sleep" type of not sleeping. My husband and I believe fully that it is spiritual warfare. Satan knows that if you want to make a parent weak, attack their children. When he was younger, Jack would wake up numerous times a night terrified. Shushing, bouncing, lullabies...nothing seemed to help. We didn't know what was going on. And in our delusional, sleep-deprived state, we could not muster up a prayer more than "Lord, let him sleep."

After several months, we got serious about praying knowing it was the only thing that could help. But Jack did everything he could do to stop us. Anytime we prayed, sang spiritual songs, or read scripture, he covered our mouths, kicked and screamed, and pushed us away. It remained intense for a couple of weeks but then miraculously stopped.

It has been almost a year since he has been attacked, but he started being scared again last week. His reactions this time are different and I am thankful. Instead of rejecting God, he's embracing him. He asks for prayer and even prays himself. We will walk in and his hands are clasped and he is talking away, then he says "amen." He asks us to sing and also sleeps with his "Jesus Book" (the Bible) almost every night. He knows Who to turn to for comfort when he is alone.

One night after Jack had been crying for over an hour, I went back in to comfort him again. I told him I would be right outside the door, always there to protect him.

But then it hit me. I can't always protect him. It was then that I bursted into tears and could only say, "God will protect you...God will protect you."

And I must trust Him to do so.

I can try to prevent what I can, and prepare them for life's challenges, but the most powerful thing I can do is pray. Pray for His protection, pray for His peace, pray for His assurance when I feel He is absent. He is not. And I must trust.

God protects in ways we cannot understand. Though I may watch the news and wonder where God is, He is there.

He cares for His children. He loves them. He protects them...in a more extravagant way than I can imagine or attempt on my own.

I am so thankful for the Lord, my Protector.

Thanks for the read. -Kate