Adorable pieces from Magnolia Boutique

 I went back home to Indiana for a week to visit my sister and brother in law at their lake house on Big Chapman Lake.  I was born and raised in Indiana on Lake Tippecanoe so it was great being back on the lake if only for a week. About two hours south of where they live there is the great city of Indianapolis which is where you can find Magnolia Boutiique  They have full line of great tops, bottoms, dresses and much more.  Below you will see three of their beautiful pieces.

This is their Gardenia Floral Print Peasant Dress.  I fell in love with is the minute I saw it.  It's not only perfect for spring and summer but transitions beautifully right into fall.  You could wear it not with sandals and throw on a pair of booties for fall.

Here it is from the back which is just as pretty from the front.

DRESS:  Gardenia Florida Print Peasant Dress

This kimono is just perfect.  I love the soft floral print and the colors all flow so nicely together.  You can wear this now with shorts or a skirt or in fall with jeans.

KIMONO:  Garden Rose Kimono

This off the shoulder striped top is adorable.  Just check out the multi layers on the sleeves.  It's romantic and totally in trend right now with the bell sleeves and scroll down to the next picture to see a sweet surprise on the back.

 Look at this . . is this just the cutest.  A bow on the back to complete the look.  What more can you ask for in a top . . stripes, bows, bell sleeves . . . PERFECT :-)  TOP:  Striped OTS Blue Top

So the next time you are in Indy stop by Magnolia Boutique and if you are too far away to visit check them out here:  Magnolia Boutique

Featuring Three Pieces from the SUGARFIX by Bauble Bar Line

I was so excited when Bauble Bar reached out to me about featuring three of their Sugar Fix pieces which is sold exclusively at Target.   When you visit your Target store or Target.com you will find gorgeous earrings, necklaces, bracelets and ring sets all prices under $30.  To view more information about the three pieces featured here click on link below each picture and it will take you directly to the item.  

This necklace is currently sold out but I linked a similar one below.

Necklace:  Floral Statement Necklace with Fringe Detail

These earrings are currently sold out but I linked a similar pair below.
EARRINGS:  Tassel Drop Earrings
 

Necklace:    

Crystal Warrior Bib Necklace 

Sunday Morning Minute

Sunday Morning Minute - Just as it is important to eat meals every day it is just as important to feed your body on God's Word. Proverbs 4:22 tells us that God's words are 'life to those who find them and health to all their flesh'. Reading the Word also helps to grow your faith. I read once that faith has no life without the word. It's what faith trusts. And without a continual feeding of God's wisdom and truth, faith has no fan to flame it. So take a few minutes each day and just like you feed your body a meal feed your body words of wisdom from the Lord. And as you do watch and see how your faith grows and is strengthened which is what need when we are going through times of trial, pain and hardship. So feed onthe Word and let the Lord bring you the hope, faith and the strength you need to keep on believing that your answer is coming right at the perfect time. Lastly, the more you read the Word the more you will want to read it.  The words of God fills you and then your soul, spirit, mind and body starts to crave for more of the living, breathing Word of God.  ❤️Have a super Sunday. ❤️

The Perfect Kimono And Floral Tank From Pink Blush

Two huge trends this summer are floral kimonos and tunics and I love them both!   In this blog post I am featuring two pieces from the trendy online boutique Pink Blush that nail both trends.  The first is this gorgeous light pink abstract floral print chiffon kimono!  I am loving this kimono the beautiful print and soft colors. Another feature I love about this kimono are the side slits.  You know sometimes kimonos are boxy and they don't give you any shape at all, but with the side slits they not only give character to the piece but shape too.  Here is a direct link to this exact item.

KIMONO:  ShopPinkBlush

This next piece from ShopPinkBlush is a pretty black floral print tank.   This classic floral print tank gives you the most versatile top for an effortlessly stylish ensemble.  I wore this other day to work and received a ton of compliments.   It's lightweight, super soft and the perfect length. The floral print is so pretty with the soft colors of green, pink, lavender and grey.  Here is a direct link to this item:

Floral Tank:  Shop Pink Blush 

Head over to their website and check out all their amazing clothes.  I know you will find more than one thing that you will love .. . I know I did.  Shop Pink Blush 

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Amazon Prime Day - JORD Woodwatch

The JORD watch I currently own is available on Amazon for Amazon Prime Day!  Now is the perfect time to order this gorgeous wood watch.  I love mine and I receive complements all the time.  Today you will 30% off every JORD watch once you put it in your cart.  Order now before AMAZON PRIME is over!

• JORD is the top selling premium wood watch brand in the world. The Frankie Series minimalist watch is an ultra-slim sophisticated design. Zebrawood offers accentuated grain patterns that contrast the golden brown base. All wood is hand sanded and polished to a smooth, durable finish. Accented with a champagne gold dial with gold hands and hour indicators.
• HAND-MADE CONSTRUCTION -- features 100% natural zebrawood, sustainably sourced from West Africa. Genuine sapphire crystal. Battery-powered (silver oxide 364 included) quartz crystal analog movement powers gold hands for ultra-accurate time keeping. Dual locking deployment buckle and reinforced clasp secure adjustable wood bracelet (removable metal pins secure links together).
• COMFORTABLE, NATURAL and DURABLE -- Protected and sealed with tung oil (splash-proof). Unlike leather bands and low-quality metals, our hand-selected, premium hardwoods do not deteriorate or become brittle due to every day wear. Wood colors are naturally derived and do not contain any stains, dyes or harsh chemicals. Size can be adjusted by adding or removing links with at-home sizing kit, by local jeweler, or by JORD (mail-in).
• UNISEX -- Worn by both men and women
• INCLUDED IN PACKAGE -- (1) Frankie Series Wood Watch Champagne and Zebrawood. (1) Cedar Valet humidor watch box. (1) Boveda 2-way Humidity Pack (1) cleaning cloth (1) JORD Preserve citrus oil cleaning pen (1) instruction booklet and supplementary information (1) micro-fiber glass cleaning cloth (1) Retail JORD shipping box. FULL 1 YEAR FACTORY WARRANTY
  Click on the image below to be taken right to this watch!

*I am a participant in the Amazon LLX Associates Program, an affiliate program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Cheesy Pasta Meatball Bake

I tried a new recipe called Cheesy Pasta Meatball Bake. It was very good and super EASY to make. It was actually even better the second night. :-)

Ingredients
1 (1 pound bag) of fully cooked frozen (or refrigerated!) Italian-style meatballs (either pork, turkey or chicken)
1 (pound box) of penne pasta (I used whole wheat)
2 (16 oz) cans of tomato sauce
1 (14 oz) can of diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
grated Parmesan cheese to garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Lightly spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Add all of your fully cooked and frozen (or refrigerated!) meatballs to the baking dish and spread them out. Set baking dish aside.

Bring a large pot of water up to a boil. Drop your pasta in and cook for 7 to 8 minutes. Drain water from pasta once it’s cooked and reserve cooked pasta.

In a mixing bowl, stir together your tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and Italian seasoning. Pour this tomato mixture down over your hot, cooked pasta and toss together. Pour your pasta with the sauce down over your meatballs in the baking dish. 

The Perfect Tassel Earring!

When your earrings match your pool you wear them 👗. These earrings by @sugarfix are absolutely perfect. They can be dressed up or dressed down and I think they are the perfect size. I would also wear these with a black top or dress but actually, the possibilities are endless. Grab a pair for yourself today they are on clearanc  @target for under $10!  Click on link under bottom pic. 👗 

1. EARRINGS:  Target Tassel Earrings

Digging Deep Into The Word Sunday - A Look at Psalm 22

This morning in my devotion time with the Lord I read Psalm 22. In this psalm we read of how Jesus gave His life for us and gives us a close look of Calvary and the crucifixion. We get a picture of the cross and can hear the cries of our beautiful, dying Savior. There is no other Scripture that more clearly portrays the crucifixion than Psalm 22. As the Psalm begins you hear the Lord cry out in His darkest moment, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.?" The chapter closes with the words, "He has done it!" but in the original Hebrew it says, "It is finished!" which was the last cry of Jesus as stated in John 19:30.

Verse 6 tells us of the offense of the cross when Jesus says, "But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people."

Verse 14 speaks of His great perspiring because of the physical torture He was going through. It also indicates the breaking of Jesus' heart. "I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax, it has melted within me." In Psalm 69:20 we read why His heart was broken, "Their insults have broken my heart and I am in despair." We really don't hear of many cases where a broken heart caused by intense suffering and agony results in the death of someone but that is exactly what happened to our Lord for He bore the reproach and shame for others. Taking our sins upon Him is what hid Him from HIs Father's face and this is what truly broke His heart. 

Verse 15 describes Jesus intense thirst where He says, "My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth." In John 19:28-30 it says, "knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty," A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it to His lips. When Jesus had tasted it He said, "It is finished!" Then he bowed His head and gave up His spirit." 

When you have time read Psalm 22, Psalm 69 and John 19 to remind yourself of everything Jesus did and poured out for us. All He asks for in return is our love and simple obedience.

Two Of My Favorite Summer Beauty Favorites!

Since we are now in the dog days of summer I thought I would share with you two of my favorite beauty products. They are both by Dr. Denese  and I have used both of them for many years. In the hot summer months I love to use her SPF 30 Defense Day Cream tinted moisturizer. On the days when I don't want to wear a full face of make up I'll just use this cream on my face instead of using foundation.  The great thing about this product is that any skin color can use it. I also use three times a week her Advanced Firming Facial Pads. These peel pads are wonderful and can actually be used daily to exfoliate your skin. Exfoliation is so important when it comes to good skin care and these  pads are gentle enough to use daily or multiple times a week. What is your go to beauty product during the summer month? 💙💛 

Facial Pads:  Advanced Firming Facial Pads   Day Cream:  SPF 30 Defense Day Cream
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The Original SIX!

I like to call us the "Original Six"   This is how, as my dad likes to call all 28 of us, the "The Whole Catastrophe"  This is where it all began!  I am the oldest of the four siblings.  My parents had two boys prior to me that they lost to miscarriage.  My mom had incompetent cervix and wasn't diagnosed until after she lost the second baby.  I always say thank the Lord they finally caught it because if not I might not be here typing today.  We were all born and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana where were lived  for most of our childhood but when I was a freshman in high school we moved year round up to our lake house at Lake Tippecanoe.  

Let me introduce you to my siblings.  Stephanie, who is standing next to my dad is next in line as far as age.  She is married to my brother in law Todd and has 3 children and one sweet daughter in love.  They all live in Indiana where I was born and raised.  Then is my sister Michelle!  She is married to my brother in law Joe and they have 3 children.  They currently reside in Apopka, Florida.  Also, my two sisters are both Lip Sense Distributors so if you are interested in learning more about lipgloss that never rubs off let me know and I can put you in contact with them.  

 Then finally is my baby brother Andrew.  I remember before he was born praying for a brother.  I told my mom that I was praying for a brother and she said to me, "Emily, we are not having anymore babies."  Well, I told her I was still going to pray and I did.  I'll never forget the day about a year later when she came to me and said, "Emily, either I am dying or I am pregnant!"  Well, you can see she wasn't dying but was pregnant with my brother Andrew.  It's been rumored that when my dad found out that he had a son after my mom delivered Andrew he was running through the halls of Parkview 

Memorial Hospital in Fort Wayne, Indiana yelling, "It's a boy!  It's a boy!"  :-)  

I am very close to all my siblings but my brother and I have always had a special connection.  The Lord used me during his time growing up to save him from injury.  I remember one time he was just about 9 months old.  He and my mom were in the kitchen and I was in the family room.  All of a sudden I felt the urge to go to the kitchen.  When I walked in I saw my mom had the fridge door open and she was taking out things for breakfast.  Andrew was trying to climb up into the fridge.  I picked him up and as I did my mom was pulling out a Cranberry Juice Cocktail glass container.  (Back in those days they were glass and not plastic)  As she pulled it out and as I walked away with Andrew in my arms the bottle of cranberry juice broke at the neck and fell right where Andrew had been.  There were other times too that the Lord protected Andrew from death or injury.  The Lord has had His hand on his life!  My brother is married to my sister in law Heidi and they have 3 children.  They reside in Clermont, Florida where my brother is a financial planner and advisor with Edward Jones.  

I was blessed to be raised by two amazing parents.  They taught us so many things such as the importance of family, being organized, determined, saving money and having the perseverance and determination to live out our dreams.  They also instilled in us a love for the Lord and the importance of having a relationship with Him.   My dad is full blooded Greek so when we were little we attended the Greek Orthodox Church.   We eventually switched to Blackhawk Baptist Church were Pastor David Jeremiah use to pastor.  My parents were born and again and that is where I asked Jesus into my heart too as well as the rest of my siblings.  We eventually ended up at Calvary Temple in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  

Fast forward to today and all of my siblings are or have been in ministry.  The Lord has used us in many ways.  Now, some are back in the marketplace and others like myself still in full time ministry. But either way, we all still love the Lord with all heart, mind, soul and strength and try to be a witness to others of the amazing love the Lord has for each and every one of us.  

Independence Day Fashion and Dessert Inspiration plus a few family pics from our 4th of July!

Independence Day is one of my favorite holidays.  I love celebrating America's birthday and our freedom.   We are so blessed to live in this nation.   One of our sons, Landon, flew in from California to spend the week with us.  Also, our daughter Sierra was here and our daughter Alexia and our grandson came over too.  We just hung out at the pool and eating some fun patriotic desserts.  I have included below 3 different style inspirations and pictures of the desserts we had during our day.

Top:  ROSS  Shorts and Shoes:  TJMaxx Watch:  Oceanaut Watches

Tank:  TJMaxx  Shorts:  STS Blue Shorts  

VEST and Clutch:  Target  

Dab into the pool :-)

Our grandsons Isaac and Caden

My attempt at dabbing into the pool :-)

The boys are ready for the fireworks!

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Do you have smelly laundry? If so, read below!

My husband and I as well as our five children are into fitness, competitive sports and working out so that means a lot of smelly laundry comes through my laundry room. We have soccer players, swimmers, a cheerleader, runners, basketball players, racquet ball players and more.  I need a laundry detergent that isn't going to mask the smells with heavy fragrance but one that truly cleans the odors out.  I also need one that is going to wash our fitness gear with high quality ingredients. HEX Performance does just that. I've had the opportunity to try the detergent and the laundry booster and I have to say I'm very impressed. Our laundry has come out clean and totally odor free. I want to encourage you to try HEX and truly experience what it means to have clean clothes. 

Also, if you use code emilysarmohex20 you will receive 20% off your total order for the next two weeks plus free shipping with order over $25 (US ONLY).   Check out all their awesome products here -  HEX Performance  

My Family!

This is my family and this is the last family picture I have of all of us ....it's over a year old.  It is very hard to get us all together because some of our kids live all over the country.  For those who don't know me well let me introduce you to them all to you.

Starting at the far left is Landon Thomas.  He is 21 years old and is living in Anaheim, California where he is doing an internship at Influence Church.  He has attended Bible School and did a Missions School with the missions organization YWAM in New Zealand.  

Next to me is my husband of 30 years, Carlos!  He and I have been in full time ministry for 31 years and together founded and are the directors of the Orlando House of Prayer  We are one of three Houses of Prayer in the US that operate 24/7.  We never close our doors.  Carlos and I also travel all over the US and South America teaching and ministering at different churches and ministries. 

Then next to Carlos is our son Taylor Christian who is 24 years old.  Taylor was living in Los Angeles where he was pursuing a career in acting and post production for the last 4 years.  Recently, he made a career change and recently moved to Indianapolis, Indiana where he lives with his cousin Travis.

Next to Taylor we have our oldest, Jordan Daniel, who is 29 years old.  Jordan lives in Anaheim and is in the music industry.  He completed music school and now tours as a keys player with many worship leaders from IHOPKC and Bethel.  He also is on staff at Influence Church and plays an active role in song and music writing with Influence Music.  

Next to Jordan we have Alexia Nicole who is 27 years old.  Alexia is currently working for Disney and a t-shirt company.  She is also the mother to our grandsons Caden and Isaac and lives in Ocoee near OHOP.

We then have Sierra Michelle who is 17 years old and is the baby of the family.  She is a senior in high school and is the only one of our children living at home.   Sierra is a varsity cheerleader, soccer player and swims on the swim team.  She also has an incredible voice, plays keys, electric, acoustic and bass.

On the far right is our son in law Matt.  He and Alexia were married about 7 years ago.  Matt was worship leader at IHOPKC for ten years.  That is where he met Alexia and they fell in love.  About 4 years ago they moved to Orlando where he became the worship director of OHOP.  Matt is a very anointed, talented and gifted worship leader, vocalist and pianist.  He also travels all over world leading worship at churches, conferences, camp and other ministries.  

Then in the front we have the two cutest of the bunch - our grandsons - Caden Samuel and Isaac Matthew.  They are 5 years old and are going to Kindergarten this fall.  They are the absolute sweetest little boys I have ever met.  They call me Gemmy and my husband Papa. 

 On a sad side note, my daughter and son in law are having marital problems.  Please keep them all four in your prayers.  We are believing for God to restore their marriage and family.

Well, that just about does it.  That is my family and I love them all very much.