Be encouraged.

Life has been a little crazy (but good) since returning to school. It has been so nice to reunite with old friends and get re-adjusted back into college life. I can already tell that God has His hand on this school year and already is and will continue to work mightily. I pray that the habits I cultivated this summer of boldly approaching His throne of grace daily will continue as my schedule begins to fill with assignments due, tests to be studied for, clinical hours to be observed, and fun times to be had. I am only halfway through the second week of school and have realized how much I need to say, "Give me Jesus" everyday. Navigating through His Word and seeking to understand it more in order to be a better reflection of Him is so, so important in this season of life. I pray that I would be encouraged this year by His faithfulness and love and learn to be an encourager of the same. I pray that when I grow weary, I would turn immediately to Christ and be filled with His deep, unexplainable joy! My whole-hearted desire is to know and be known by the One who is fully enough for me!

I don't know what these next few weeks will look like as far as regular postings, as I am figuring out my school, observation, and work schedules. Hopefully, I'll find a rhythm and be able to post some fun things for you! I hope you'll be patient and stick around as I navigate this new season :)

Weekly Truth:
"But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made this Sovereign LORD my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do."
-Psalm 73:28

Printable Scripture Cards.

Hello, friends!
This is my last week at home before starting my junior year of college. (That's so crazy that I am a junior in college now!) I have been learning so much this summer about myself and God and His purpose for me. In order to keep my mind focused on Christ while I am at school and just in general, I thought I would place some verses in the places I spend a lot of time (car, agenda, etc.). I made this printable that you can print out and cut apart. You could also place the cards on top of some scrapbook paper for some added pizazz! Hopefully, you can find some of these verses helpful and good reminders to be a reflection of Christ!

// Faithfulness Breeds Faithfulness //

Just right-click on the image, save it to your computer, and print! :)

Recipe Share: Saltine Cracker Toffee.

Since I've posted a few days late this week, I thought I would still share a new recipe. This one is so good and almost IS addicting, so be cautious! Saltine Cracker Toffee is so easy to make and so delicious (it also makes a great gift for friends and family at Christmas). Enough with the talking and lets get to the recipe! I hope you'll make it and share it with your friends :)

Join me next week for a new post and a fun printable!

Weekly Truth:
"The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms." -Deuteronomy 33:27

Just Sit Back & Relax.

Some days life can get busy and you need to take a moment to breathe. The new school year is quickly approaching and already seems as if it will be full of things to do. In an effort to provide myself with some comfort and relaxation in the midst of new schedules and assignments and other activities, I thought I would make a list of things that are calming and help me unwind. Hopefully, you can find some of these tips helpful if you are in a busy season.

Baths //
I love to take a bath every once in a while. I usually will go to Lush and pick out a bath bomb that smells good and then fill up my tub, light a candle, and read a good book or watch a relaxing show while I take a bath. My favorite time to take a bath is at Christmas break because I am free of school work until new classes start in January and I don't feel rushed.

Showers before bed //
I am a morning shower-er by habit (and it seems to work out best for my hair and face too). I love waking up and feeling fresh after a shower, but sometimes you just need to have two showers in a day! This summer I have discovered that taking a shower before bed every so often is very relaxing. I love the scent of my rose shampoo on my hair as I go to sleep and the warm water is quiet and relaxing as I get ready for bed.

Baking //
Baking is very therapeutic for me. It's so nice to just be quiet and mix together various ingredients that turn into something delicious. If you're not a scratch baker, even mixing together a box mix is calming. The other morning I turned on some Hawaiian music and ocean sounds, lit a candle, and made coconut chocolate chip scones. It was so nice to enjoy that quiet moment while it rained outside.

A cup of tea and a good story //
If you know me at all, you know my absolute favorite author is Robin Jones Gunn. Anything she writes is wonderful! I am reading through the Glenbrooke series for the 3rd or 4th time and they are still as good as the first time I read them. Reading those books makes me wish Glenbrooke was a real place and that I could be sitting in a comfy chair by a fireplace in a cottage reading a RJG book. Each time I read her books I feel compelled to make a cup of tea and find a cozy spot to sit and enjoy it in. This is one of my favorite things to do and makes me feel relaxed.

Arranging flowers //
If I weren't going to be a teacher after I graduate, I would be a florist or the owner of a B&B. (Who knows...maybe I still will be ;) ). I've always loved flowers and arranging them is fun and relaxing. If I need to be cheered up, I'll probably buy a group of different flowers and arrange them in a bouquet in my favorite little polka-dot pitcher or a mason jar. I recently made 3 arrangements for my mom's birthday and that was so fun. (a little picture is below) If you need a little cheer in your home, buy some flowers and get to it!

A truth that I find comforting and calming is found in Psalm 91:2. It says,
"This I declare about the LORD: 
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; 
he is my God, and I trust him."
I love that we can come and rest in Christ. He is the place where we can go where we are always safe and can fully relax and unwind. He is so good and so sovereign. What a blessing it is to sit at His feet and worship Him and study His Word! I'm so thankful that He is my place of refuge.

I hope you enjoyed this post and will join me next week for another post! Sorry for my posts being a few days off this week. Look for a recipe post tomorrow!

Step into the darkness.

I have been enjoying these last few weeks of summer before I head back into a new school year. God has really been working this summer and showing me who I am in Him and how I can better live my life according to His purpose and to recognize Him in everything. I've mentioned before how much I love reading anything written by Robin Jones Gunn and I just finished "Christy and Todd: The College Years" and the first book in "The Married Years" (which was wonderful!). The thing I love most about Robin's writings is that she intertwines God and scriptures so exquisitely into her books. It really provokes my thoughts about faith and God and is sort of like a mini-Bible study. The first book when Christy and Todd are married is focused on remaining faithful in Christ and trusting that He is present in every situation. I really enjoyed all of the scripture passages that went along with this book, which led to many quality devotion times with God. These times also provided me with hope and joy for the upcoming school year. I know that I can depend on God for every little thing and that He always provides for me. I love the passage in Exodus 20:21 where Moses has just received the 10 commandments and the people were still doubting that God would take care of them. The part that I love is when it says, "As the people stood in the distance, Moses approached the dark cloud where God was." Moses stepped out into the darkness not knowing where he would go or what would happen, but he trusted God. The lesson I gleaned from this passage was to not be afraid to step out in to the "darkness" and to trust that God is ALWAYS there and ALWAYS has a plan and purpose for us.

My hope and prayer for you and me is that we would boldly trust Christ and step out into the darkness. Whether you are heading back to school, starting a new job, or embarking on a new and unknown journey, you can rest in the fact that God is with you. He will never forsake you and provides for every need. When we don't know what is next, we can have confidence that God is waiting there for us in the midst of the unknown darkness.

"To the King and His Kingdom. To His mysterious ways and His perfect timing!" -RJG

Be blessed this week, dear children of God!

Recipe Share Thursday: Cheesy Chicken Roll-Ups.

Hello friends! Today is the first in a series of recipe sharing posts. I love to cook and bake and finding new recipes that are delicious is even more fun! I recently shared a banana muffin recipe (not part of this series) that I found on Pinterest and I hope you get a chance to make it. The first recipe I want to share if from my favorite vlogger, Rachel Earls. She recently made this recipe for her husband and I thought it looked good so I decided to make it for my family! It was super easy and relatively quick to make for a weeknight dinner. I made a little graphic with the recipe on it if you want to print it or have something cuter to follow than plain text when making it. Without further ado...here is the recipe for Cheesy Chicken Roll-Ups!

Cheesy Chicken Roll-Ups
Servings: 4-8 servings (It made 2 per each person)
Prep & Cook Time: 1 hour
Temp: 350 F

Ingredients:
6 oz cooked chicken breast, shredded
1 can crescent rolls
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheese

Directions:
Mix together milk, soup and cheese -- set aside. Separate crescent rolls into 8 triangles. Spread about 1/3 cup of soup mixture in bottom of 9x13 dish. Top the large part of the crescent triangle with the shredded chicken. Top each crescent roll with 1/2 TBS of soup mixture. Roll crescent rolls up and place in dish (2 rows of 4). Pour remaining soup mixture over crescent rolls. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

This dish pairs well with green beans as a side. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family did and have a wonderful weekend! (Also if you are looking for a good movie to watch this weekend, "The Hunters" on Netflix is good! It's a modern-day treasure hunting movie about a family looking for fairytale artifacts around the globe. It's a Hallmark movie, which are usually good!)

Pursuing God Everyday.

God loves it when we seek Him out in everything. Whether we’re walking the dog, doing the dishes, cleaning the bathroom, chopping vegetables, searching for a parking spot, conversing with friends, or even taking a shower, we can choose to sweetly converse with and worship Christ. For a while I thought that prayer had a certain posture, one that was rigid and stiff. But the reality I found was that we can come to God with our petitions and praises anytime. Alongside this freedom to call out to Christ in the midst of anything, He asks to meet with us in private. 

Matthew 6:6 says, “But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” 

Personally, I have found that I can hear the Lord speaking best when I am quiet and alone with Him away from all distractions. The place I have found in my house where I can be with Christ and go unbothered is in my closet on the floor. All I take with me is my Bible and prayer journal. This is the place where I can pour out my heart’s desires to Christ and my petitions to know what His Will is for me. I recommend that everyone find a spot to meet God and consistently meet Him there. Sometimes our schedules become busy and we have to find alternate ways to meet Christ. I’ve come up with 5 ways that you can converse daily with Christ and hopefully they can inspire you to meet Christ more frequently. (In a Bible study I am following, I learned that faithfulness breeds faithfulness. God is always faithful to meet us and if we are faithful to meet Him he will fill us with His love that will in turn spill out onto others!)

While you walk.

I love to listen to sermons when I walk with my dog. It is a time that I am by myself aside from waving “hello” to the maintenance people or neighbors on their porches. It gives me a chance to listen to the teaching of God’s Word, to pray for our world and the neighbors whose houses I am walking past.

While you shower.

Worshiping, thinking, and praying in the shower are THE best. You are definitely by yourself in there and can just be quiet while you worship the One True King. Just turn on the Pandora Hillsong radio, jump in the shower, and begin to worship and pray!

While you eat.

Of course you pray before you eat, but you can also spend this time reflecting on God’s goodness. I really enjoy eating my breakfast in a quiet place by myself when I am at home. It is nice to sit and be still while getting some nourishment for the day. I have a little spiral-bound 3x5 card thing that I have written verses on that stuck out to me and that is nice to go through while I am eating breakfast.

When you relax.

Sometimes life gets busy and you have to do something nice for yourself. Get your nails done or paint them yourself, take a bath, read a good book, play the piano, bake something wonderful! I love those moments of quietness where I can just talk to God and listen to what He has to tell me.

When you run errands.

Running errands can be tedious sometimes, but choosing to focus on Christ and what He has blessed you with makes things a lot better. And driving is more fun with worship music!

I hope you enjoyed this little list of ways to worship and pursue God daily. I pray that you will be able to incorporate some of these ideas into your everyday schedule or maybe be inspired to find a different way to pursue Christ everyday.

I would like to begin a new thing where I share a recipe I have tried recently every Thursday. This will most likely be inconsistent with school starting soon, but I hope to share a recipe every Thursday until that happens! Join me next week for another post and have an AWESOME day!

Top 5 Right Now.

Book: “Christy & Todd: the College Years” by Robin Jones Gunn

I have never been much of a reader (as in it isn’t my go to hobby or thing to do during my down time), but when I was in middle school my sister read the Sierra Jensen series by the same author and I became interested. I couldn’t get into that series (and I still haven’t read it haha), but I found the Christy Miller series, written by the same author, while shopping at a Lifeway in Kansas City. I immediately became enthralled with the series and connected with the characters. I have read the entire series at least 4 times over. I have also read the Katie Weldon series (Christy’s best friend), the Glenbrooke series, and the Sisterchick series. Needless to say, Robin Jones Gunn is my all time favorite author and is just as wonderful in person as she is on paper. I love how she intertwines faith and day-to-day struggles of the Christian teen turned adult into her whimsical love stories. Her Christmas novellas are wonderfully romantic as well. Basically anything she writes is great! Go check her out J

Recipe: Banana Pecan Crunch Muffins from Spend with Pennies

I made these muffins this evening because we had 3 overripe bananas (perfect for baking) and I didn’t want to waste them. Now I am rather picky when it comes to breads, muffins, and cookies. I never seem to find just the right recipe that turns out perfectly the first time, but this time was different! These muffins were soooo good and easy to make! I tell ya… baking is my love language. The muffins had the perfect amount of sweetness paired with the delicious crunchy, brown sugary, buttery, oat-y, nutty topping. I’d say they are perfect partners in crime…like Lucy and Ethel or chocolate and peanut butter or whatever you want to put together. I’ll be making this recipe again and again. It's perfect for bible studies or morning breakfasts on the go!

Activity: Walking my dog around the neighborhood and counting my steps!

Did she just say walking? That’s probably what you’re asking yourself, but yes… it’s true. (Truer than when my sister says that running is fun….now, I know that’s a lie! Ha) I like to get in my exercise by going for a power walk around my neighborhood (I try to get in close to 2 miles each time). I love seeing how each neighbor has decorated their porch in an effort to make it their own. My favorite porch has a red bench, two yellow chairs, two blue chairs, colorful pillows, a chippy yellow trunk, old white shutters and cute little flowers & plants. It’s the perfect combo of bright colors and vintage-ness. Meg Duerksen would be proud.

Blog: There is a toss-up for this category. I love my friend Caroline’s “Caroline’s Corner” blog, but I also get a kick out of reading Meg Duerksen’s “Whatever” blog and Shannan Martin’s “Shannan Martin Writes” blog. They are so funny and always have something funny to share or cute to share. Read Shannan’s “Kicking Consumerism in the Teeth” for a good laugh and DIY garland idea and Caroline's blog for fun DIY projects and tips!

Instagram Account: Life Lived Beautifully @lifelivedbeautifully  Her blog (LINK)

Gretchen Saffles has to be one of the sweetest women on this earth. She radiates such joy and is rooted in biblical truth. Her pictures of flowers and Scripture are so wonderful and always make my day. She is a true inspiration! She also recently filmed a video Bible study on the book of Ruth. (I believe you can watch it via Facebook)

Weekly Truth:

“Oh, that you would burst form the heavens and come down!... For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!” 

Isaiah 64:1, 4 (NLT)

I love these verse and how joy-filled they are! Imagine a heart so fixated on Christ that it is just begging for God to burst through the clouds and reveal his Glory. Oftentimes I have an image of what I think God looks like in my mind, but I know it is nothing compared to His actual beauty and splendor. I love the part that says He works for those who wait for Him. That thought of waiting on Christ in full submission to the will He has set out for us and His working on our behalf is awesome! I pray for myself and each one of you that we can experience God in a new way that allows us to fall deeper into a loving relationship with Him! 

There’s my top 5 & Truth for the week! Let me know what you’re enjoying this week by leaving me a comment. I would love to hear from you! Join me next week for another post and remember to love God & love people!

Easy DIY Rustic Bow Frame.

I guess this will be the summer of DIY projects! I love looking at all of the fun ideas on Pinterest and seeing if I can recreate them. For a few years I’ve really liked those cute, rustic-looking frames with the burlap bows on them. You can buy them lots of places, but I never feel like spending 15 plus dollars for one. So I finally made one for myself! I bought a 4x6 wooden frame in the craft section of Walmart (you could use one you already have that you don’t use anymore or just needs an update) and some brown wax paint and cream-colored chalk paint. According to many websites, you’re supposed to use chalk paint first and then layer the wax over it… but that’s not how I wanted mine. Here’s the how-to on making this fun frame!

The “ingredients” for this project: chalk paint, wax paint, paint brush (I used a sponge brush and old cloth), frame, and newspaper.

First, lay out some newspaper to keep your work area paint-free. Then remove the backing and glass from the frame and paint the top, sides, and inside edges of the frame with the brown wax paint. Remember to paint WITH the grain of the wood, not against it. My frame looked as if I had stained it (which was cool and a good ideas for another project).

Next, take an old cloth and dip it in the chalk paint and begin to rub it onto the frame with the grain again. Your frame should begin to look vintage like mine did! If you want more of a rustic look, you could rub some of the white paint off with sandpaper or something else that is rough.

Finally, add a bow of your choice to the top of the frame with hot glue. I chose to use burlap because I thought it complimented the frame well.

After everything is dry, add you favorite picture and enjoy your new frame! You can mix it up with any color of paint and/or ribbon to match your style.

Weekly Truth:

“Yes, indeed – God is my salvation. I trust, I won’t be afraid. God – yes God! – is my strength and song, best of all, my salvation! Joyfully you’ll pull up buckets of water from the walls of salvation. And as you do it, you’ll say, ‘Give thanks to God. Call out his name. Ask him anything! Shout to the nations, tell them what he’s done, spread the news of his great reputation!’”

-Isaiah 12:2-4 (MSG)

I love the focus of this passage being joyful in trusting the Lord! We don’t have to be afraid of anything because God is always THE constant in every situation. My favorite part is that we can “call out his name.” I love that we can audibly call on the name of Jesus and He will listen to our cries for help, our shouts of joy because of His great works, and even our simplest or most complex thoughts! He is so exquisite in His creation and intricate in how He created us to live in communication with Him. God is so great! I pray that you find encouragement and joy this week in knowing that you can call on the name of the Lord wherever you are. You are so dearly loved and cherished!

I hope you enjoyed this post and will join me again next week!

Whatever.

I love thinking. Thinking about life, God, crafts, the future, cooking, love, school, memories, seasons changing... you name it (well...most of it), I love to think about it. I love to think about how God has so lovingly crafted us with imaginations and minds to think about wonderful things that fill our hearts with joy. (side note: God is AMAZING)!

Recently, I've been thinking about all of these wonderful crafts and diy projects I want to do and new recipes I want to make and I just thought about how amazing God is to inspire such wonderful thoughts. He has provided me with a gift to create and I want to use it for His glory.

One of my favorite blogs and instagram accounts belongs to Meg Duerksen (all images are hers). I love her love and use of color in everything. Her blog is so full of joy and every time she posts pictures of her beautiful home or flower-filled backyard I want to happy dance because it is so pretty! Her blog is called "Whatever..." and at first I was like "....well alright then. That's an interesting name." Then I realized that it was named after a verse found in Philippians.

"And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your eyes on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." // Philippians 4:8 (NLT)

I love how she focuses on things that are so lovely and joy-filled. I admire her zeal for life and the pleasures of everyday. I pray that each person (including myself) would seek out the joy in everyday amidst the brokenness of this world. People and the news tend to focus on the negative aspects of this world, but forget to remember one thing...God is STILL sovereign and He is coming again! This is hope for the future and brings unfathomable peace and joy to me. God is so good and so faithful!

I pray that each of you would choose to seek out the joy in the everyday and to focus on God's goodness!

Weekly Truth:
"And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your eyes on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." // Philippians 4:8 (NLT)

I hope you enjoyed this post and received some encouragement from it! Check back next week for another post :)

DIY French Macarons

Ever since I went to Paris with my family, I have been interested in macarons. We bought some Pierre Hermé ones in Paris that weren’t too great, but I was convinced they weren’t all that bad. The best macarons I’ve had so far are where I used to live in in Wiesbaden, Germany, at L’ArteSucré. My favorite flavor was the hazelnut chocolate, so if you’re ever in Wiesbaden be sure to stop by this cute patisserie! Today, I’ll be sharing a macaron recipe that I tried yesterday. I would recommend giving this recipe a try if you’re looking for something new to try in the kitchen.

French Macarons adapted from Food Network

First, lets start with the ingredients!

1 ¾ cups powdered sugar

1 cup almond flour (also called almond meal)

3 large egg whites, at room temperature

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

Pinch of salt

¼ cup sugar

2 to 3 drops food coloring

½ teaspoon vanilla, almond or mint extract

Filling of choice

Now for the instructions!

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with silicone mats. I used my silicon mat and some of the macarons didn’t peel off smoothly or broke (probably because I didn’t let them cool all the way). Measure the confectioners’ sugar and almond flour, transfer to a bowl and whisk to combine.

After you have whisked the sugar and almond mixture, sift the mixture thoroughly with a rubber spatula. This will take a while and if there are pieces of almond or sugar left, just toss them (you don’t need that negativity in your life…haha)!

Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt with a mixer on medium high speed until frothy. Then turn up the speed to high and slowly add your granulated sugar and beat on high for about 5 minutes until the stiff and shiny.

Gradually fold in the sugar-almond mixture by drawing a spatula through the middle and gently folding it over and then giving the bowl a quarter turn, and repeat until all combined. Next add the food coloring and flavoring and fold in until combined. The consistency should be like molten lava.

Now take a plastic Ziploc bag and pour the mixture into the bag and snip the tip of the bag and begin piping your macarons onto the baking sheet. Once you finish this, firmly tap the baking sheets on the counter to loosen any air bubbles that might be in the cookies. The cookies then need to sit at room temperature for 30-45ish minutes in order to form a “skin” for baking.  

Bake the first batch of cookies until they are shiny and form a “foot”, about 20 minutes (mine took 17). Slip another cookie sheet on the rack beneath the cookies while baking to protect the cookies from the heat. After the cookies are done, let them cool on the silicone mat on the cooling rack. Once cool, carefully peel them off the mats and place a thin layer of filling on one cookie and sandwich one more.

I used a regular buttercream with a heaping spoonful of Nutella for the filling. You could use any filling that you like. Next time I would probably use a hazelnut ganache or something similar.

This week I also made a YouTube video tutorial of how to make these macarons. I hope you’ll watch the video and try this recipe out for yourself and leave me comment on how it turns out!

Weekly Truth:

“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use well to serve one another.” 1 Peter 4:10 (NLT)

Use your talents to glorify God in whatever way possible! He loves us so very much and is so blessed when we honor Him with the gifts He has given us. Take a moment today and thank Him for all He has blessed us with!

I hope you enjoyed this post and the video and will join me next week for another post! Thanks J