a little fall inspiration

it's october 1st and there was a chill in the air this morning. i've been waiting all year for this. fall makes me smile and these are the reasons why:

1. pumpkin spice and gingerbread lattes

2. really cool scarfs (and boots)

3. baked goods in excess

4. cheaper electric bills

5. and football :)

God has been working on my heart lately. i've been sorting through some areas of my life that need change, growth, breakthrough, conviction, perseverance and patience. especially patience. i've been spending more time just being still. listening. which most of you know is not one of my strong points :) but wow. it's amazing what God can do when you get quiet before Him. it's humbling. it's peaceful. it's life transforming.

i've been studying 1 Peter this week. these are some verses that really spoke to me:

1 Peter 3: 8-12

⁸ Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters.^{a]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">[a]} Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. ⁹ Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it. ¹⁰ For the Scriptures say,“If you want to enjoy lifeand see many happy days,keep your tongue from speaking eviland your lips from telling lies.¹¹ Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.¹² The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right,and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his faceagainst those who do evil.”

1 Peter 4: 7-8

⁷ The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. ⁸ Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.

i want to love people well. really love them. it's so easy to get caught up in your own world and selfishness. i want to be a better daughter, sister and friend. "continue to show deep love for each other for love covers a multitude of sins"...we're called to love, whether we want to or not. the more time i spend loving God, the more love i have to give to others. you're really loving someone when there's a genuine inner readiness and longing to secure the good in them.

....back to my fall antics. below is a precious little girl who stole my heart at first glance. she's wearing an adorably fun vintage-looking fall dress. her mom made this dress out of an old skirt. i'm.in.LOVE. and inspired.

special thanks to Kalleen (precious little girl's mommy) for the images. check out her blog :)

truth.hope.love.

just this past monday i attended a charity golf event for Place of Hope. 100% of the proceeds from the event are going toward the annual operational expenses for Place of Hope. i'm personally fond of this organization and what it's all about. "Place of Hope is a unique faith-based, state-licensed child welfare organization providing family-style foster care (emergency and long-term); family outreach and intervention; transitional housing and support services; adoption and foster care recruitment and support; hope and healing opportunities for children and families who have been traumatized by abuse and neglect throughout our region."

they provide stable, loving, and nurturing environments and support for foster children. as well as supporting healthy and productive lives, free of fear, endangerment, and most of all abuse. "children and families can find dignity, guidance, and hope through various programs and efforts at Place of Hope -Placing Hope in a Child's Future."

these children are given an opportunity to experience love. God's love. it brings me to tears thinking about how truly life transforming Place of Hope has been in our community. for the first time in their lives- these kids now have hope.

they are making a real impact in the lives of our children and we can all be apart of it.

10% of all sales for ilythreads will be given to Place of Hope. it is truly a blessing to be apart of something so special.

procrastination.

for those of you that know me- you know that i move entirely too often. that's right. i've moved again for the 58569 time in the past 3 years. i hate moving with a passion. i get settled and organized and then i move and i'm disorganized all over again. i probably wasn't really organized to begin with but that's beside the point and another blog post. point is, i've been stressed. a lot going on in a short period of time. and all you entrepreneurs out there know how hard it is to keep things in balance. sometimes it feels impossible.

well, i've decided that i refuse to let the launch of this line fall behind. i vow to blog,twitter,and facebook to keep you posted on what's going on and when this launch date will be. the first order is currently in the middle of production and i should be receiving it by the end of next week. i'm shooting for the launch date to be in mid may. i'm getting kinda antsy. this has been a LONG time coming. the website will be finished as soon as i receive product. website photos will be by the fabulous Rebekah Hood. She is a great friend of mine and is EXTREMELY talented. i can hardly wait!

progress is being made people, i promise :)

introducing: ilythreads :)

hi people :) my name is amanda and i'm getting ready to launch a "little people" clothing line. baby and children's threads that is. i'm pretty excited about it. it's been a passion of mine for quite some time now. after years of procrastination and lot's of new lil guys coming into this world, i've decided that now is the time.

this line will consist of clothing that reflects our own personal unique and trendy style. frilly and cutesy drives me nuts. i look around at some of these kids and i'm thinking, "really, why would you do that to your child?"...it's just not right. so, i'm bringing a little something different to the table. this line is super fun but there is so much more meaning behind it.

ilythreads derived from a big dream. a dream that would inevitably enlighten and encourage others to follow theirs. we all have a passion placed on our hearts and it’s up to us to follow through with our divine destiny. ilythreads is about life and the adventure experienced along the way. it is about love and the very meaning of the word. love is the very essence of our being; an essential part of our nature. we were created out of love. God’s love. and ilythreads is a reflection of that love and what is right and good. ilythreads is based on integrity and truth. its about the pursuit of a life that perseveres through affliction; pouring light onto others. i’ve been inspired to design a line that will bring wonder and imagination back into your lives. something truly captivating.

my mission is to create an infant/children's clothing line that would inspire everyone to honor the free spirits of children and to remember and unveil the playful nature we all once had.

we are in the process of wrapping up a few designs and placing the first big order. the launch date is to be announced. stay tuned.

and thank you for joining me on this journey. :)