2016 Sugar Paper Planner Review (For My Planner Girls)

Recently, I have been into paper planning to try to help myself stay organized.  Paper planning is basically using an actual planner to plan and write out your day as opposed to some type of electronic device. Paper planning isn't for everyone.  A lot of people these days just prefer to keep up with things on their phones.  I love to write so actually writing things out in a planner is right up my alley! YouTube helped me to discover that there is whole planner community.  There are many types and brands of planners.  Prices can range anywhere from $10 - $80.  The more expensive planners are very nice, however; the way my bank account is set up...lol.  Last year, I actually did purchase one of the more expensive and well known brands.  It was very nice and customized but in the end I felt like I wasted money because it just did not work for me.  It was just too much going on.  

For 2016, I wanted to find something that worked for me.  I stalked every popular planner brand's website and Instagram pages for the last couple months in 2015. I was two weeks into January and still had not made a choice.  I wasn't really feeling spending a ton of money so one day I just decided to see what Target had to offer.  That's when I discovered the Sugar Paper Planner line.  I was able to find a functional planner that fit MY needs and it only costs $10!  So far, I have been LOVING my new planner.  I was skeptical at first because it was so cheap.  But so far, so good.  It has a weekly and monthly layout so that I can plan my entire month as well as each week.  It also has a notes section in the back which I love.  If you're interested in the Sugar Paper Planner, there are a couple YouTube videos you can check out or you can head to your local Target.  I think it is a great planner for the price and it is very functional.  I'll see how it holds up throughout the year!

With Gallons of Love,

J.G.

6 Months & Counting...

Today, I would like to wish the love of my life, my best friend, MY husband a Happy 6 Month Anniversary!! Yay!!! I thank God for my husband. He is truly an amazing man and he is absolutely perfect for this girl right here lol. He puts up with me which sometimes isn't the easiest thing to do so I've heard lol. He is a very kind and strong man. I am so very proud of him. I have seen him grow in so many ways. We have had some ups and downs in our relationship, yet he has remained constant.  He is a great supporter and I can truly say that he has my back.  We have each other's back and God is in the center.

Some may not celebrate 6 month anniversaries but I enjoy celebrating the small things.  Some marriages are headed for a downward spiral at 6 months and I can speak from a past experience.  So the fact that my husband and I are very happy at this point is worth celebrating in my book!  We took the day off from work and just hung out with each other.  We went to lunch, ran errands, watched some Netflix and chilled ;-) It was a great day!  I asked my husband how he thought the first six months were and he said that it has been "interesting yet fun."  I would have to agree with him. It can be very interesting living with a person for the first time.  You get to know them in ways that you haven't known them before and learn things about him that you may not have known.  We're learning to just go with the flow and adjust as necessary.  The fun part is experiencing life together.  Being able to be with your best friend everyday.  Making memories.  Living, Laughing and Loving Together.  It's a great time.

I'm looking forward to the next 6 months.  I pray that God continues to bless our union and continues to help us grow together as one.  Happy Anniversary Mr. Gallon!! I love you to the moon and back.  I enjoy doing life with you.  Forever your Mrs!

With Gallons of Love,

J.G.

A New Thing!

Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:18-19

Well we are off into the new year of 2016 yayy!!!  I love the start of the new year because it represents new beginnings and a fresh start.  It's a time to set new goals and dream new dreams for the upcoming year.  A time to start anew.  I love anything that represents newness...ah it's just so refreshing.  Refreshing to know that regardless of how many times we may have fallen or failed, we have been blessed with another opportunity to get it right.  Another opportunity to reach those goals and dream those dreams.  Another opportunity to walk in purpose and live the life that God is calling us to live.

I love how God tells us in the above verse to not remember the former things nor consider the things of old.  In turn, He is saying forget about the past!  The past can be such a stumbling block.  We sit there and just dwell on past mistakes, failures and bad things that may have happened to us.  We relive them over and over in our minds.  Thinking about should've, could've, would've.  Asking why and how.  Dwelling on the past keeps us from living in the present and clouds our future.  God could be trying to show us great and marvelous things but we can't see because we are so focused on looking back.  It's time for us to stop allowing those things from the past to hold us back. 

The next part of the verse says behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth, shall you not know it?  God is saying that He will do something new our in lives.  He is restorer and a redeemer. He can make all things new. When He asks shall you not know it, I believe God is asking us if we will even recognize that He's doing new things or are we too focused on what's been.  Are we too preoccupied with our past and current circumstances and situations to have the faith to believe that God can make all things new?  The rest of the verse says  I will make roads in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.  I believe God is saying that where there has been lack and barrenness He will turn it into abundance and fruitfulness.     

So, as we embark on our journeys in this new year, I encourage everyone to seek God for His direction.  Ask Him what it is that He wants you to do this upcoming year.  Whether it's following a dream that you've been putting off for years, working on your attitude, or letting go of things from the past.  God will work in our lives, but we also can't forget that we play a part in this thing too.  We have to be willing to be obedient and follow God's leading.  We can't expect to not put in any effort. Let's leave all of those old habits, mindsets, hurts and pains in the past and focus on the NEW things that God has in store for us!!

With Gallons of Love,

J.G.

Christmas Blessings!

Merry Christmas...I hope that everyone had a Very Merry Christmas!  I love this time of the year. Despite all of the bad things that are going on in the world, Christmas feels so magical to me.  It's probably my favorite holiday of the year.  I love everything about the season from all of the movies to the decorations.  I absolutely love decorating my home for Christmas.  The day after Thanksgiving I'm ready to go!  The season started off a little sad for me because I thought I wasn't going to be able to decorate due to financial reasons.  I was down because this was me and my husbands first Christmas as a married couple and I wanted to make our home special for the holidays.  But I told myself that I wasn't going to worry about it and that it would work out.  My youngest brother gave me a call and told me that he would take me shopping for decorations.  Ahhh...oh the joy!! I guess he felt sorry for me because he knew how much I was looking forward to decorating.  I was so very excited.  Once they were up, my husband told me that he saw the extra effort that I was putting into making our first Christmas in our apartment special and that he appreciated it.  That made me even happier!  I was so thankful that God laid it on his heart to do that for me lol.

My husband and I wanted to do a random act of kindness for someone this year.  We chose an elderly family that lives in our complex.  It's a son and a mother and the son cares for his mom who is 100+ years old.  We have never met the mom but we have met the son.  He is a very nice man. My husband says that he is the nicest person that he has ever met in his entire life.  Through conversation we learned that he loves Target.  So for Christmas, we bought them a Target gift card and put it inside of a Christmas card.  We were so excited to give it to him.  The first day we stopped by his house there was no answer.  The second and third time we went by there was no answer either.  My husband told me not to worry about it and that he would catch.  We were literally stalking his apt lol.  My husband finally caught up with him and oh his reaction was priceless!  He was so grateful and thankful that we thought of them.  There is no feeling like being a blessing to others.  It is one of the greatest feelings ever.

Another thing that I enjoy about the Christmas holiday is my family's Christmas morning tradition that started when we were very young children.  My parents, siblings, and I would all gather around the Christmas tree first thing in the morning and my dad would say a prayer of Thanksgiving.  We would then begin to exchange gifts.  We still continue this tradition and it was a blessing to have my husband  and stepson there with us this year.  I look forward to our family continuing to grow and continuing our tradition.  It's a blessing to be able to spend the holidays with family.  That means more to me than any material gift ever will!

With Gallons of Love,

J.G.

Happy Happy Birthday!

On Friday, December 11 the Lord blessed me to celebrate my 34th Birthday!  It's always a blessing to have the opportunity to live to see another birthday.  I give God all of the praises for allowing me to continue to grow in wisdom and for allowing me to the opportunity to continue to fulfill the purpose that He has placed on the inside of me.

I was blessed to celebrate with my wonderful husband on Friday.  He woke me up with kisses as he told me how much he loved me.  He then told me that I could sleep in and that he would make his own breakfast and lunch.  I was very grateful for that lol but I got up and helped him out anyways. While at work, my sister, who is also my supervisor, presented me with a balloon and gift card.  After work my husband presented me with several pairs of beautiful earrings that he picked out all by himself lol.  He took me to dinner and we had a wonderful time talking and laughing.  It was a great night!

On Sunday, we were able to celebrate with the entire family.  We have several birthdays in December so we had a party for everyone.  I'm sending Happy Birthday shout outs to my dad, my uncle, and my father-in-law!!!  Needless to say, we had a great time at our party.  Good food, fun, & laughs!  I love mi familia,

I thank God for the blessings of these birthday & I pray that he allows us to see many more!!!

With Gallons of Love,

J.G.

Suddenly & Abundantly

Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over what God had prepared for the people, because the thing came about suddenly. 2 Chronicles 29:36

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us. Ephesians 3:20

Recently, there has been a lot of social media attention surrounding a video in which a guy gave his opinion on a product that was made by a famous singer.  The video went viral and brought a lot of attention to the singer's product. As a result the singer was able to make tons of money off of the product.  I was already following the guy that made the video because he is very talented and funny.  But this video in particular changed his life. Social media of course, chose to focus on the negative and debate about whether or not the singer owed the young man money for boosting sales.

I however, chose to look at things from another vantage point.  I didn't focus on the debates about money and what not.  I was too busy being in awe of how God was working in this young mans life.  How quickly God catapulted this young man's career...overnight!  This young man was just doing what he loves to do, which is making videos to make others laugh.  And it opened doors for him that he probably never dreamed. I'm sure he didn't have any idea that this one video would change his life forever.  I continue to follow him and the opportunities that he is being blessed with are amazing.    

Following his story has strengthened my own faith as it made me think of God's amazing abilities. How we could be just going about our day-to-day as usual, then suddenly God opens a door that changes our lives forever.  God has the ability to do amazing things far above what we could have ever imagined and he has the ability to do it quickly.  Life can get a little tough at times as we face various tests and trials.  Sometimes life can feel boring and mundane...even purposeless.  But if our hope and trust is in God, He has the ability to do great and mighty things in us, through us, and for us.  One touch from God and our seemingly impossible situations can be turned around in an instant.  God can not only turn our situations around suddenly, He can far exceed our expectations.  Cause our wildest dreams to become a reality.  He is miracle working God!   Whether you are facing tumultuous situations or just wanting more out of life, invite God in and allow Him to work on your behalf.  He is able to work suddenly and abundantly!

With Gallons of Love,

J.G.

Give Thanks

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. Ps. 118:1

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I look forward to the three "f's"...Food, Family, & Fun! Typically, my family gathers at my parents house and we enjoy a big family dinner with amazing food and lots of laughs.  I love my family and spending time with them is one of favorite things to do. I have so much to be thankful for this holiday season.  My family and I are alive, well, and healthy. This will be my husband & I's first Thanksgiving as a married couple!  I am excited to spend the day with my family as well as some of my husband's family that will be joining us this year.
As we embark on this holiday season, I give THANKS to the Lord because He has been so incredibly good to us.  I thank Him for blessing me with a wonderful family and allowing me another opportunity to spend this holiday season with them.  Family is everything and worth more than any type of material thing.  So I thank you so much Lord for the Blessing of Family.

Happy Thanksgiving from My Family to Yours!

With Gallons of Love,

J. G.