The Suede Sofa Blog

What Gets Me Through

I was given a devotional a few months ago (from a very thoughtful and great friend!) and it has cHanGed my life in so many ways. In case you are needing a spiritual boost, help with calming your anxiety, or a reminder that God has good pLaNs for you (even if you currently don’t believe Him!), this is a book I highly recommend!

: SOURCE

There is a devotion for every day and I read it every morning. The devotions are only a couple of paragraphs long–it only takes a second to read–yet it will help you ALL day long!

Here are a couple of my favorites:

January 17- “Come to Me with a Thankful Heart, so that you can enjoy My Presence. This is the day that I have made. I want you to rejoice today, refusing to worry about tomorrow. Search for all that I have prepared for you, anticipating abundant blessings and accepting difficulties as they come. I can weave miracles into the most mundane day if you keep your focus on me….”

April 16-“…When you criticize or complain, you are acting as if you think you could run the world better than I do. From your limited human perspective, it may look as if I’m mismanaging things. But you don’t know what I know or see what I see. If I pulled back the curtain to allow you to view heavenly realms, you would understand much more. However, I have designed you to live by faith, not by sight…“

This book also makes a great gift! I have purchased this book for others by going here. I also purchased it on Google Books so Doug can have it on his smartphone!

Maybe a good Father’s Day gift to consider :)

Blessings!

Lara

Gardening Money Saver

I love gardening, but buying annuals and potting soil can add up when you hit the cash register. This year to save money on potting soil when planting in large containers, I started filling the empty space at the bottoms with old balls that my kids no longer play with. This worked out beautifully because I saved MoNeY on soil, my pots were much lighter, and I have fewer balls to pick up at the end of the day (shhh…don’t tell my kids)!

HaPpY GaRdEnInG

~Robyn (Jersey Girl)

Easy {And Yummy-licious!} Cornbread

Boy do I love this cornbread recipe!! I got it from my little {6’0} brother who lives half way around the world from me. It is so awesome I knew I had to share!!

Easy Cornbread

2 pkgs. Jiffy cornbread mix
3 eggs
1 can cream-style corn
2 T. sugar
1/2 c. oil
8 oz. (1 cup) sour cream

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into a greased 13 x 9 -inch pan. Bake for approximately 25 to 30 minutes at 375 degrees.

Butter and eat while hot!!

Robynn

A Mother’s Love

There are so many moments when I look into my daughter’s eyes and see glimpses of the past where I almost feel like I am looking at myself and am overcome with a feeling of “I’ve seen that face before.” Then there are times when my mind shifts to a place where I wonder what the future will be like for my little princess. This Mother’s Day, we would like to share some of our favorite MoThEr & DaUgHtEr MoMeNtS with you!

~Robyn (Jersey Girl)

robynn, sophie, bella — Robynn, Sophia, & Isabella
Source: Portrait Designs By Lasha

We couldn’t think of a more fitting song for such a special day…please enjoy one of our FaVoRiTeS!

In My Daughter’s Eyes by Martina McBride

HaPpY MoThEr’S DaY

You Have 2 Choices

Do you have a desire to try something new or achieve a lifelong dream but can’t muster up enough CouRage to give it a try? At the beginning of the movie “The Mighty Macs” the woman asks two questions that I will never forget:

Could I deal with rejection and temporary pain

Should I suffer a life filled with regret because I was afraid to take the risk?

: SOURCE

I can think of numerous times that I tried to talk myself out of trying something new because I feared negative feedback, failure or embarrassment. I have learned that these brief moments of feeling uncomfortable are well worth the satisfaction and confidence you experience by working toward something you LOVE.

I have been running my Letter Block Shop business for almost 4 years now. I can honestly say that majority of the days I LOVE what I do and get excited to watch how much it has grown. It is only a handful of days per year that I actually experience the “not fun/uncomfortable” stuff. Wouldn’t you say it is well worth it? The good days definitely outweigh the bad!

So, what are you waiting for? Don’t live a life filled with regret! Take the risk and start Living-It today!

~Lara

Thank A Teacher

I couldn’t let the week go by without sending out a great BIG ThAnK YoU to all of our readers who are teachers! As our country celebrates National Teacher Appreciation Week I want to remind you all that whether you are teaching first graders (as I did for 8 years!), Sunday school, high school, music, art, coaching little league, teaching your granddaughter to sew, or your children how to plant a garden…YoU ArE making a difference in the life of a child!

A truly special teacher is very wise, and sees tomorrow in every child’s eyes. ~Author Unknown

~Robyn (Jersey Girl)

{My Published Book}

If you’ve been following the Suede Sofa, you are no doubt familiar with what we call the “LiVe-It LiSt” which is similar to a bucket list but with the focus on living every day to the full rather than on dying. With the “Live-It List” I was DeTeRmiNeD to take care of all my “unfinished business” in 2012. One of those items was to PubLiSh a book that has been saved on my computer for nearly three years. Well, I can now check that item off my list. My books were delivered to my house this past Friday. What made this accomplished goal even SwEeTeR is that my family, father-in-law, and Lara’s family were there to witness me cutting open the box and seeing my book for the very first time. A very sweet moment indeed.

My book, “The Truth Behind Real Success”, compares the definition of success given to us by our society and culture with that of real, AuThEnTiC success. For more information you can check it out at Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-truth-behind-real-success-robynn-k-coates/1110419766?ean=9781619969445

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=%22The+truth+behind+real+success%22

Put Your Blinders On

Do you make decisions based on the people around you? DeeP dOwN did you decide to buy a new car because all your friends and family recently upgraded theirs? Did you put your kid in t-ball because you felt the pressure from the other parents? Have you recently felt the need to go on an extreme diet because you bumped into an old classmate that lost a bunch of weight?

Whether it is what you buy, the vocation you choose, how you raise your kids, or the way you live your life, we must ask ourselves this question:

If I couldn’t see others and what they are doing, would I still be making the same decisions?

So many times we forget to think on our own because we are heavily influenced by other people. Doug and I talk about this a lot. In our decison making we have to constantly remind ourselves that, if we didn’t care what others thought, would we still go down the same path?

Taking buying a home for example. Would you have purchased your home if you didn’t know what type of home everyone else lived in? Without thinking about it, you went house hunting feeling obligated to want certain things because you knew what other people have. Even though they weren’t there, the influence talked you into buying an expensive home, and you are left with the stress of keeping up with the payments. (If you are in a financial struggle, read our finance posts for help)

When you are at a crossroad to make a decision, ask yourself WHO you are doing it for. Like a race horse with blinders on, tune out what’s going on around you and focus on what YOU want. It isn’t always easy, but living YOUR life will be the ulimate pRiZe when reaching the finish line.

~Lara

Tired of keeping up with the Jonses? Read my post called Goodbye Jonses! Hello Freedom!

Are You Focused?

Have you stayed focused on the goals you set for yourself to accomplish before the summer months hit? Are there areas you need to target as the weather warms up and the BBQ’s get grilling? I think we all start out with great intentions to succeed, but somehow LiFe just gets in the way of achieving our goals.

For me the struggle continues to be diet and exercise. I’m not going to lie…It’s been weeks since I wrote a post about starting The Lazy Girls Workout and this lazy girl has not worked out OnCe since that day. That is unless you count a few games of freeze tag around the yard with my son, but other than that…NoThInG!

I think when life gets too hectic to find time for ourselves or when we are finding it hard to get moving (in my case literally GeT MoViNg!) it is important to find things to use a motivators. For me it is going to be my new right out of the box Lands End bathing suit. Don’t give up on your goals…we all have time to get back in the GaMe!

~Robyn (Jersey Girl)

{Fish Tacos}

I must admit I’m not a big fish person. But when Scott came up with this twist on fish tacos I knew this was one fish recipe I could enjoy. (It’s healthy too!)

Fish Tacos

Makes about 6 tacos.

1.) Corn Tortillas – Scott made these from scratch. (Just follow the directions on the back of corn masa flour if you want the more authentic version.)