When I Feel Cleany....

I. Am. A. Horrible (with a capital H, sir). Blogger.

Everytime I have gotten on here to read through my blog roll, I think, Oh I'll write that post that's been brewing in my head for days. Psshh. That NEVER happens. Ever. So here I am with a post about today and the past few days and several random tangents from posts I should have written ages ago. Amen. Hang in there folks:).


So, this Saturday I stayed home. Those of you who know me realize that this is a serious accomplishment because if I have nothing important going on, I go to Jennie's house and craft, love on her babies, and live out my life goal with the help of her kids....  


I stayed home with the intention of sleeping in. At Jennie's house, sleeping in is 8:00 AM. I had been exhausted all week, so this was NOT happening. Guess what time I woke up?


Smarties. 8:00 AM. Grrr. I was not happy.

Anyways. My mom wasn't home so I started with laundry. Finished. Then dishes. Finished. Then clutter. Finished. Then I started cleaning things I didn't know could be cleaned. Amen.

This week has resulted in me going to bed at 9:30- 9:45 every night. It's lovely, try it:). I've gone through all of my clothes, twice. Gotten rid of a HUGE stack. I've dusted my entire room. I swept under my bed tonight and got rid of a big bag of trash and a bag of stuff that can be taken to the GW boutique (Goodwill).

I feel accomplished. Now for the "good stuff".

Random tangent #1:

Last weekend I was at Jennie's and her mom, Brenda, lives right next door. She put up the trampoline and her grandkids and I (yes, I was involved) jumped until I felt like my cardio workout was satisfactory. The littles and I went inside and drank a lot of water. Then, her older two girls and I played sour apple. I was swept back into the years of my childhood with my dozen cousins. We used to play sour apple at Granny's house.

Sour Apple = game on the trampoline in which one cannot touch the ball that is bouncing about. If one does, he/she is out for that round. If one catches the ball, he/she is not out, but gets to do a cool trick while throwing the ball back in. If the ball were to roll off of the trampoline, the last person to do a bottom buster (and lick the trampoline at Granny's) has to go and get it.

Now you are informed.

Random Tangent #2: I miss Kelsey. She's a college student now and doesn't live near me:(. And she is taking a summer job at a co-ed camp in Michigan (?) and I will only see her the first week of the summer and the last. I'm sad. Eating grease slaw and dandelions won't be the same without you, dear :'(.

Random Tangent #3: I am soooooo excited for camp. Ludlow Falls (woot-woot) is the most special (I'm not sure if that was said properly) church camp in the history of them all. Revival happens every year. Covenants are made each year. Friends are reunited and tea is drunken in surplus amounts.

Random Tangent #4: My two best friends and I went to Goodwill the other day in the hopes of finding our summer attire. Kristen and I looked hard, there wasn't much to be found (Bailey was just in it for the frappe). I made out of there with more decorations for my non-existent house, a black and white, pleated, houndstooth skirt!, and a swimcover-up turned dress with leggings. I called it a successful day and left with a smile:).

I'm done now. If you made it this far, I'm proud of you. I know who my true blogbuds are now:). Just kidding, but really. My internet is also being a tad bit silly, so no pictures for now, lo siento:(.

Peace out girl scouts.

We've Reached the Horizon

This weekend my youth group and I attended Aquire the Fire in Muncie, Indiana. I didn't like it. ILOVEDITSOMUCH!!!!!!

This was my third year going to this weekend long youth event. Although my favorite band from years past, Unhindered, was not there, the worship was amazing!!!!

Check out the lead band, School of Worship. They have some amazing worship songs.

For me, worship is what connects me to God. The sermon will affect most of the time as well, but generally I react to worship and I'm not afraid to look like an absolute idiot. Amen.

In other news, my basil sprouted this week! I tried to grow herbs last year and someone put them out in the sun after I had watered them and they fried. Gone. But these new ones are not going to breathe outdoor air this year! Amen. I also planted Cilantro (uh, yum!). I will find a way to put it in everything. Anyone have a dessert with cilantro in it?

Pumped to eat it up:).

Peace out girl scouts.

Life on the Horizon

Can anyone say warm? Not so much today as yesterday, but still! It's lovely. I came home from school yesterday and decided it was a photo-opy kind of afternoon.

There's life on the horizon folks:

Isn't our tiny sprout so cute?

Isn't this picture amazing? Amongst all of the dead and lifelessness of this part of our flower bed, there is life. New life. It's not deniable. It's all up in your face for you to see it.

Sometimes this is how I think our world is. Our lives can run like this lifelessness also. But amongst the spiritually dead world WE can be the life, the light, and beacons for the Lord. God restores all. It's just something he does and always has and always will. Our God is sooo amazing! This undeniable life in the dead could bring someone else to life.

People should be asking you, "Why are you so different?" if you truly love the Lord and are living your life for Him! I'll be the first to admit that I've got dead pieces of life in my days. Everyone does. But our God restores!!!

"So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up."

Galatians 6:9

This verse is the perfect reminder of what God has promised for us in His kingdom. Now, don't misread ths verse. Doing good deeds is NOT, I repeat, NOT what gets us to heaven. Heaven is a gift! God is a gift. We don't deserve it at all!!! But God sent his one and only son to die for us. If we confess our sins, live a Christ-like life, then and only then will we make it through those pearly gates.

Ephesians 2:8 says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the GIFT OF GOD-"

Can I get a Hallelujah??? I know there'd be no way I'd be going to heaven if it weren't for His Amazing Grace!

Even in the pool of this dead plant, the new one is sprouting. As a Christian, my job is to plant seeds. God job is to make them grow and be beautiful and full and vibrant!

So, if your life is dead, take up your cross and follow Him, the only one who can make it grow again. He can bring new life to ANYTHING! He does not care what you've done. He will wash your sins away like sand on the beach. He will carry you...

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,
since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.
It is the Lord Christ you are serving."

Colossians 3:23-24

Rainbow Birthday Cake Jars

So, February the 23rd was my lovely cousin, Kelsey's, day of birth! Yippee!!! She and I were texting each other a few days prior and she sent me a picture of what she wanted her birthday present to be. Cake in jars. Layered, rainbow cake. And she thought she could challenge me... ha.

So, I spent a few hours putting these lovely gems together:)!

Here's how:

You will need a box of white cake mix, food coloring(yellow, pink, turquoise, purple, and green; I found that the neon food colors worked best), 4 one-pint canning jars, 1 can of vanilla frosting or you could make your own, and rainbow sprinkles of course!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray your jars with non-stick cooking spray. Make the cake mix as directed. Separate the batter into five bowls/containers evenly. I did about 3/4 C. roughly measured for each bowl. Add and mix in food coloring to each bowl until the color is very vibrant!

Spoon around 3-4 Tbs of purple batter into each jar. Repeat with other colors while layering them.

Place the jars in a baking pan filled with 1/4 inch of water and place in the oven.

Bake for 30-40 minutes. It is okay if the cake overflows. It's cleanable. Is that a word?

Remove the jars and let them cool completely before spooning out a small bit of your cake to taste-test allow room for lots of icing!

Add your icing and sprinkles and voila! Delicioso:). Refrigerate them or plop on some lids and send them to your cousin at college far far away for her birthday:)

Happy Caking y'all.

Peace out girl scouts!

My Crafty Monday

So, as I was reading the blogs I follow (I wish I could show you a list on my blog. but, it won't let me. Jennie I need your help!) I read on FPFG about a new blog call Beautifully Rooted. It's a combination of a bunch of different writers who are all moms, wives, and Christian women. I am so blessed to be able to read from these women. Words of wisdom for my future.

Anyways. While on there I saw a tutorial for an Embroidered Ombre Mobile. It looked so cool! So I had to try it. I just linked the tutorial so you can read the original directions. Mine turned out great!

It's now hanging above my bed all pretty and such:) So worth the time!

More crafty Monday to come tomorow!

my 5 loves lately

1. Crafting!!!
Don't you just love the feeling when you a project and it actually turns out nice?! I've had this happen a lot lately and it's wonderful! I made a ombre mobile yesterday and today and it turned out so well! More details on that to come tomorrow:).

2. Peppermint bark

When I opened our package of peppermint bark I started to sing "I've got a golden ticket" from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory! Love that movie and peppermint bark! It's not too strong and that's why I like it because peppermint is not one of my favorite flavors out there.

3. Love Spell by Victoria's Secret

Yum!!!! It smells sooo good:). I don't like perfume because it makes my head hurt so I stick to certain body sprays:). Love Spell is fabulous! Go getchoosome.

 I also have the lotion that I got for 98 cents with my secret reward card:) yes!!

4. NCIS

I love me a good crime show. NCIS has been one of my families favorites for a while. It makes me nervous, but I still watch it because it's so good! And funny too. Dinozzo and his McGee jokes and Ziva always messes up American phrases. And the classic Gibbs head slap. And Ducky talks to the corpses like they're alive. And Abby is just a beast. Does anyone know if she got her spider tat removed!? We can't find it anymore. Anyways, watch it and love it, please? I'm being bossy tonight.Vance is a jerkish director. No me gusta.

Abby is being all Abbyish in this picture:). yes! Oh, and she's addicted to caff-pow! I just love Abby!

5. Avacado and Muenster Grilled Cheese.

All I have to say is yum. FPFG gave me this idea a few weeks ago and I've had 4 of them so far. They're fabulous!

Okay so I lied, there are 6.

6. Green Stuff.

This is a seasoning mix that we use on everything! We have no idea what is in it either. A few years ago at Ludlow Falls Church Camp a missionary couple left a bunch of stuff from Germany in our cabin. It was so sweet of them! Included was the green stuff:

To question the use of green stuff upon any savory dish is an incredulous insult. It doesn't get questioned, it just gets put. Everywhere. Chicken salad? Green stuff. Steak? Green stuff. Spaghetti? Green stuff. Don't ask, just sprinkle. Getchoosome here.

Peace out girlscouts!







Mr. and Mrs. Stevely

That awkward moment when you are at a wedding and one of the songs won't play...

SORRY!!!! I'm a terrible blogger. Slacky really. But I'm back! Anywhoo.

Two weekends ago Mim, Dad, and I went to our friend Kelsey's wedding. It was so cool and awesome! (cliche tween phrase) It was a lovely classy evening (more acceptable phrase). I got to sit with some friends I have't seen in a while! We caught up and Morgan and I bounced wedding ideas off of each other. She's getting married in September and I'm theoretically getting married tomorrow(only in my mind).

The father daughter dance was great! They started out with "Just the Way You Look Tonight" and then went into an 80's dance medley and finished off with the original song. I was later told that they couldn't find a song that Mark wouldn't cry all the way through and this was the perfect solution. It was adorable:).

This is the maid of honor and myself.

My lovely parentals.

And that ladies and gents is the best moment of any wedding. That look on the groom's face is priceless! Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Stevely!