Happy Bloggy Birthday

Update:Thanks to all of you for celebrating my bloggy birthday with me! And congratulations to Kristina! The random number generator chose her comment as the winner for the necklace below. Kristina is a sweet friend of mine and I know you'll love her blog as much as I do so I hope you'll stop by to say hello! The necklace is still on sale at www.dayspring.com and you can use my friends and family code (holley20) for an extra 20% off too.

 

I'm heading to the She Speaks conference in North Carolina. While I'm there my blog will celebrate a birthday! I kicked it all off with this post so I'm sharing it again...

 

I recently read a story about a newly discovered underground cave. One scientist called the cave “a beautiful anomaly.” An anomaly is something unusual, or in other words, weird. The scientists were delighted with this cave and dubbed it a national treasure.

Through that story, God got me thinking about how we all have underground caves in our lives. They may be quirks, regrets, hidden habits, or any number of things.

We usually work hard to keep people away from them. But perhaps they’re actually “beautiful anomalies” (or that’s what God can make them) and we should invite people into those places.

So I’ve decided to kick off this blog by sharing some of my underground cave stuff with you. It ranges from silly to serious.

My Top Ten Beautiful Anomalies

1. I change the lyrics to eighties songs and sing them to my dog.
2. I eat really weird, spicy things that make my friends shriek “Holley!” in the middle of restaurants. 
3. When I’m thinking really hard about something I totally zone out. For example, the other day I put deodorant on my lips instead of chapstick.
4. I have trouble getting out of bed on time. I even put chocolate on my alarm clock and it still didn’t work.
5. I’m more afraid of failure than I am of snakes or spiders.
6. I wasn’t “popular” in high school…and I wanted to be.
7. I have a baby in heaven.
8. I’m unusually fond of turtles and short, fat dogs.
9. I’m named after my Grandpa Hollie and he’s my hero.
10. When I get really nervous, I sweat and think there’s something in my nose.

(By the way, all of the above are still true. I could add a few more like "11. I have an embarassing tendency to wander into the men's room--especially at conferences." Good thing there won't be any men at She Speaks!) 

Just in case you’re beginning to wonder, the point of all this is to declare up front that I don’t have it all together—and no one who comes to this blog is required to either.

Yes, I’m a Christian greeting card writer. But I’m also a wife, daughter, friend, and mixed up, messed up, saved-by-grace girl who gets by in spite of herself every day.

I imagine (or at least hope) you’re a lot like me too.

And you know what? God loves us that way. He knows all about our underground caves, our quirks, the things we think make us weird. Those anomalies may even be part of the story He is writing and we are living out.

I believe God has “beautiful anomalies” too. And His infinite capacity to love us as we are will always be one of my favorites.

What birthday would be complete without a gift? This one is for you--my fabulous readers! I'm giving away one of these sterling silver God's Heart for You necklaces from DaySpring...

It comes with a mini-card I helped create that has this message...

In God’s heart, you are…

created
I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. PSALM 139:14 NIV

chosen
The Lord has chosen you to be His treasured possession. DEUTERONOMY 14:2 NIV

celebrated
He will take great delight in you…
He will rejoice over you with singing. ZEPHANIAH 3:17 NIV

cherished
I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. JEREMIAH 31:3 NIV

Just leave a comment or become a subscriber by midnight on Sunday and you'll be entered!

 

I recently read a story about a newly discovered underground cave. One scientist called the cave “a beautiful anomaly.” An anomaly is something unusual, or in other words, weird. The scientists were delighted with this cave and dubbed it a national treasure.

Through that story, God got me thinking about how we all have underground caves in our lives. They may be quirks, regrets, hidden habits, or any number of things.

We usually work hard to keep people away from them. But perhaps they’re actually “beautiful anomalies” (or that’s what God can make them) and we should invite people into those places.

So I’ve decided to kick off this blog by sharing some of my underground cave stuff with you. It ranges from silly to serious.

My Top Ten Beautiful Anomalies

1. I change the lyrics to eighties songs and sing them to my dog.
2. I eat really weird, spicy things that make my friends shriek “Holley!” in the middle of restaurants. 
3. When I’m thinking really hard about something I totally zone out. For example, the other day I put deodorant on my lips instead of chapstick.
4. I have trouble getting out of bed on time. I even put chocolate on my alarm clock and it still didn’t work.
5. I’m more afraid of failure than I am of snakes or spiders.
6. I wasn’t “popular” in high school…and I wanted to be.
7. I have a baby in heaven.
8. I’m unusually fond of turtles and short, fat dogs.
9. I’m named after my Grandpa Hollie and he’s my hero.
10. When I get really nervous, I sweat and think there’s something in my nose.

More Beautiful Anomalies (Fancy Name for Weird Stuff I Do)

In my first post on this blog I wrote about beautiful anomalies. They're the things about ourselves that we're perhaps a bit embarrassed of but can also (hopefully) be a bit endearing--at least to God. For example, the way your friend snorts when she laughs is a beautiful anomaly.

My beautiful anomalies tend to get worse when I'm busy. This week they have been in full force. I thought about hiding in the closet but decided to share them with you instead...

1) Burn, Baby, Burn - Although I'm not a chef by any means, cooking does relax me when I'm a bit stressed. The drawback to that is that I start thinking while I'm cooking, zone out, and the next thing you know I'm smelling smoke. Last night I made Red Beans and Rice. One side of the little sausage pieces stayed perfectly pink. The other side was beyond "blackened."

2) Did I Just Run Into a Door? - When my brain is preoccupied, my body goes on autopilot. When my husband does this, he's like a 747 with a super computer system. All is well. When I do that, I'm like the little 4-seater plane that really shouldn't be getting off the ground. I run into door frames, get paper cuts, and bruise myself on tables I've had for years. Nothing serious but a tad humiliating, I must say.

3) Giggles - Fortunately, all this busyness is good stuff and I'm happy. When I'm happy I sometimes giggle in my sleep. Yes, it's true. I've woken myself up at times. The weird thing is, I'm not really a giggler during my waking hours. Sure, I laugh. But it's not the bizarre sound that emerges in the middle of the night.

So there you have it, my friends. The latest chapter in my beautiful anomalies. As always, I love hearing yours too. Otherwise I feel even weirder than I already am. And believe me, that's awfully weird at times (just ask my husband and the dog).

In the beginning…

I recently read a story about a newly discovered underground cave. One scientist called the cave “a beautiful anomaly.” An anomaly is something unusual, or in other words, weird. The scientists were delighted with this cave and dubbed it a national treasure.

Through that story, God got me thinking about how we all have underground caves in our lives. They may be quirks, regrets, hidden habits, or any number of things.

We usually work hard to keep people away from them. But perhaps they’re actually “beautiful anomalies” (or that’s what God can make them) and we should invite people into those places.

So I’ve decided to kick off this blog by sharing some of my underground cave stuff with you. It ranges from silly to serious.

My Top Ten Beautiful Anomalies

1. I change the lyrics to eighties songs and sing them to my dog.
2. I eat really weird, spicy things that make my friends shriek “Holley!” in the middle of restaurants. 
3. When I’m thinking really hard about something I totally zone out. For example, the other day I put deodorant on my lips instead of chapstick.
4. I have trouble getting out of bed on time. I even put chocolate on my alarm clock and it still didn’t work.
5. I’m more afraid of failure than I am of snakes or spiders.
6. I wasn’t “popular” in high school…and I wanted to be.
7. I have a baby in heaven.
8. I’m unusually fond of turtles and short, fat dogs.
9. I’m named after my Grandpa Hollie and he’s my hero.
10. When I get really nervous, I sweat and think there’s something in my nose.

Just in case you’re beginning to wonder, the point of all this is to declare up front that I don’t have it all together—and no one who comes to this blog is required to either.

Yes, I’m a Christian greeting card writer. But I’m also a wife, daughter, friend, and mixed up, messed up, saved-by-grace girl who gets by in spite of herself every day.

I imagine (or at least hope) you’re a lot like me too.

And you know what? God loves us that way. He knows all about our underground caves, our quirks, the things we think make us weird. Those anomalies may even be part of the story He is writing and we are living out.

I believe God has “beautiful anomalies” too. And His infinite capacity to love us as we are will always be one of my favorites.

So, what are some of your “beautiful anomalies”?