all these things

The last couple of weeks I've found myself cleaning out my life.  All of the things that I've put in piles and boxes are things that I loved.  I still love them.  I still think they are beautiful and nice and neat.  I just don't need them in my life anymore.

I'm sure my Facebook friends are getting tried of the online garage sale thing I've got going, but now that I've cleaned the clutter it's just sitting in my house with no where to go.  That drives me crazy too.  (Who am I kidding? It's a short trip to crazy for where I sit.)

Sure, I could take it to Goodwill or some other charity.  But if I sell it to my friends, I know who has it and how they'll use it.  I know that one day it will probably be in one of their garage sales, but until then it will be sitting on their mantle or hanging on their walls.  Hopefully they'll experience the same joy these things brought me.

And there's the problem.

Things will never really bring lasting joy.

For a while they'll be fun.  They'll brighten your room and when you look at them you might sigh just a little bit, but eventually, they're going to drive you crazy too.  They'll loose their esthetic appeal as your personal tastes change.  They'll got out of style.  They'll start to collect dust.  They'll end up in a box in the corner of your catch all room or in a garage or in an attic until they make it to your garage sale.  These things...

It sounds like a sad way to go to me.

But isn't that often how we treat family and friends in our lives.  They make us laugh.  They make us cry.  They bring true joy.  They get to stay.  But then, it's hard and we don't love them as much anymore and we replace them with someone new.

I can honestly say, "I've been there."  But sadly I can also say, "I've done that."

I resolve, and I hope you will to, to treat things just as they are: Temporary. Useful for a season.  They will change.  They will break.  They are unfixable.  And to treat people and family and friends as they truly are: Eternal.  A picture of the image of God.  Breakable, but fixable.

It's going to be a challenge, but all things in the world are never worth the people in your life.

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Cultivate Community

The older I become the more I realize we were never meant to live alone.

As a way of life, I love the freedom of being my own person. During creation God gave each of us free will. He gave us the freedom to choose to obey Him. He gave us the freedom to make decisions of our own accord. But, in all the free will and choices He gave mankind, He did not give us the choice of community.

In Genesis 2:18, after God has
created all of the earth, he looked at Adam and said, "It is not good for man to be alone.  I will make him a helper."  And then God created Eve.  Now, I know that in the end, Eve wasn't as helpful as she could have been.  But in the beginning God created her to be a helper for Adam.  God did not want Adam to be alone.

And He doesn't want us to be alone either.  He wants us to live together in community with each other.  I'm not going to lie.  Developing community takes work and a lo
t of it, but it will be worth it.

I like what Shauna Niequist wrote in her book Bread and Wine, "We don't learn to love each other well in the easy moments.  Anyone is good company at a cocktail party.  But love is born when we misunderstand one another and make it right, when we cry in the kitchen, when we show up uninvited with magazine and granola bars, in an effort to say, I love you."

No.  Cultivating community is hard work because we have to expose the deepest, ugliest parts of who we are and why were are the way we are.  Sometimes it hurts (1 Corinthians 6:1-8).  It challenges who we are (Proverbs 27:17). We are held accountable for our actions and our words (James 5:6).  But it's still worth it.

Why?

Because, in community, we find encouragement.  We find people who will pray with us.  We find people who will help us.  We share hardships.  Because, in community, we become more like Christ.  And ultimately, becoming more like Him should always be the goal.

So where do we start now?  How can we begin to develop community in our homes and in our churches?  In our lives?

First, be friendly.  It sounds kind of obvious, but you might be surprised.  Don't wait to be invited.  Do the inviting.  Open up your home.  And then, actually care about the people who come in.  The world quite revolving around you when you could use the restroom by yourself.  (Harsh?  Sorry.)  Lastly, show grace.  Recognize that we are all on a path leading in the same direction.  Yes, sometimes correction is needed, but more than correction, we need to share grace with people.  We're all broken and we all need God's grace.

It is this kind of community that points spiritually lost people to Christ.  It's when we respond with grace.  It's when we act in His love.

So, I encourage you, open your door to a friend and you'll find you've opened the door to community.

...it isn't about perfection, and it isn't about performance.  You'll miss the richest moments in life--the sacred moments when we feel God's grace and presence through the actual faces and hands of the people we love--if you're too scared or too ashamed to open the door.

Shauna Niequish, Bread and Wine

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Short & Sweet

via

It's hard to expect anything meaningful to come from funny man Mark Lowry, but last Friday night we made this statement which jarred me into action.  Make a difference in the life of someone today.  Impact eternity because you can change the future.

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Mocktail Mondays ~ Strawberry Fizz

I'm learning that mocktails are pretty simple. Pretty much you can just take any fruit juice or combination of fruit juices and add some ginger ale or 7Up and viola. You have a mocktail. Having the courage to try new combinations can be tricky.  Think about it. More often than not, when going to your favorite restaurant you can easily find yourself recycling the same dishes. Or maybe that's just me...

Here's a combination that I decided to try. You know what? I like it. A lot.

Here's what you'll need:
Strawberry Daiquiri mix for the frozen section
Ginger Ale
Strawberries to garnish

Mix the daiquiri mix with a slightly frozen ginger ale.  Add a strawberry to garnish and there you have it: a strawberry fizz.

I hope you are enjoying trying these new drinks.  They are great for summer entertaining.  Make sure to come back next Monday!

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short and sweet

via

Anything can happen to a person who believes what God believes about them.

3

Mirror, Mirror ~ DIY Dressing Up a Vanity Mirror

Last week I ambitiously took on a small painting project and decided to paint my antique vanity with milk paint.  Lucky for me, I took all of the fixtures off of the vanity and decided to replace them with new fixtures.  That left me with a pretty little mirror all alone.

Taking a cue from one of my pins, I decided to add a little something-something and see what happened.

I'm pretty happy with the results.

Want to make a similar mirror?  Here's what you'll need:
Paper or Fabric Flowers (Another crafting opportunity?)
Buttons
Gem Stones
Various 'Extras'
Hot Glue
Mirror

First, you'll want to map out exactly where you want each design element to be placed.  After you've positioned all of your design elements, use the hot glue to affix them to the mirror. If you're afraid of how permanent the hot glue is just use tacky tape.  Make sure to let the glue cool.  Clean the mirror and display.

See? Simple. Just trust your creative eye and you'll find yourself looking in a beautiful mirror in no time at all!

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Mocktail Mondays ~ Creamy Peach Fizz

There are few things that signal summertime more than peaches.  As a child, my great-uncle owned a peach orchard.  I always stayed at least a week with my grandparents and during that week we make our way to the orchard where we picked up the overripes.

These trips were followed by hours of pealing, cutting, and freeze bushels of peaches.  

There's two things my grandma is known for: her strawberry milkshakes and creamy peach smoothies.

While I love grandma's version, I think I like my version of the Creamy Peach Fizz better.  Here's how you make it.

(Make sure to read to the end.  There's a giveaway.)

Ingredients

1 part peach puree (Peach nectar is acceptable, but it will not have the same consistency.)

1 part sparkling white grape juice

Puree your peaches in a blender.  The riper the peaches the sweeter you puree will be.  After you have pureed your peaches divide into parts.  Follow with an equal part of sparkling WHITE grape juice. 

Drink and enjoy.

Make sure to stop by every Monday for Monday Mocktails.

I'm participating in a giveaway on Living Lavender and I thought you might like the opportunity to win also.  Don't forget to read to the end. 

I am supper excited about the NEW Erin Condren Life Planners! They look amazing. I am so exited, I thought a life planner would be the perfect prize for this month's giveaway. Be sure to enter below for your chance to win one!

I'd like to introduce you to your giveaway ho

Living Lavender // All My Love For All My Days

Hearts & Stuff // Where The Heart Is // A Sorta Fairytale

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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DIY Sea Shell Napkin Rings

I love the ocean, but I live in land locked Oklahoma.  It's true that we do have a lot of lakes and there is lots of shoreline to walk, but nothing--NOTHING--can beat the sound of the waves rushing in.  Nothing can replace the feel of the sand between your toes.  Nothings can beat the water splashing against your feet.  Nothing.

I may not be able to go to the ocean...at least not right now.  That only leaves one option for me.  I've got to bring the ocean to me.

These napkin rings are super simple to make and
they allow for a lot of creativity of your own.  Here's what you need.

4- 5 inch strips of burlap ribbon
Assorted Sea Shells
Small Pieces of Felt
Hot Glue

1.  Affix one of the small pieces of felt to the back of the sea shells.  This is help provide stability to the shell and make adorning the burlap ribbon much easier.
2.  After the hot glue is dry, attach the shell to the burlap ribbon.  I used hot glue again.
3.  After the sea shell has been affixed and if dry, hot glue the two ends of the ribbon together forming a circle.  If you wanted, you could make the burlap ribbon strips a little longer and then simply tie the ends together.  I like the finality of glueing the ribbon ends together.
4.  To prevent burning your fingers and also to provide more stability to your ring, I suggest affixing one of piece of felt underneath the ring over the glue.  The felt acts as a binder.

See?  Super simple and one step closer to the ocean.  Stay tuned the rest of the week.  I'll be sharing how I used these napkin rings in my summer tablescape.  I think you will enjoy it.  In the meantime, did you miss yesterdays Summer Sunrise Mocktail recipe?  Here's a link for you.

Linking Up With

You're Gonna Love It

Tuesday To Do

In and Out of the Kitchen

Craftastic Monday

Making Monday

DIY Inspired

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Summer Mocktail ~ Summer Sunrise

There are few things prettier than a drink in a beautiful glass.  But let's face facts.  Drinking may be popular, but it's not always the best choice.  Personally, I don't drink alcohol, but that doesn't mean that I can't enjoy a mixed beverage.

Over the next weeks, you'll find a new mixed drink recipe--a MOCKTAIL recipe--right here on Mondays.

I hope that you enjoy these recipes because you can rest assure I did and do and will continue to and...well, you get the picture.

Summer Sunrise
Makes about 5 servings

This particular drink would be
nice at a bunch or with breakfast, but it's delicious anytime.

1 cup pineapple juice

1/2 cup orange juice
1/3 cup Country Time lemonade

1/4 cup grapefruit juice

1 cup ice
1/2 cup of ginger ale or 7Up for each glass

Grapefruit slices for garnish

Mint leaves for garnish (optional)

In a blender, blend the pineapple juice, orange juice, lemonade mix, grapefruit juice, and ice until frothy.  Make sure that all of the ice blends in.  This is determine how strong the lemonade taste will be.  Before you pour the juice mix into a tall glass add 1/2 cup of ginger ale or 7Up to each 12 oz. glass.  This gives ya just a little bit of tingle.  Garnish with grapefruit slices and mint.  The grapefruit slices will sink to the bottom.  I love that part.

I look forward to "seeing" you back here next Monday for another Mocktail Mixer.

Linking Up With

You're Gonna Love It

Tuesday To Do

In and Out of the Kitchen

Craftastic Monday

Making Monday

DIY Inspired

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