Cheer up, buttercup.

Summer is time for fun, relaxation, and recuperation before school starts again. Usually I can find something or already have something fun planned for the day, but sometimes I need a little boost to get going. I love the verses in the Bible that talk about having a cheerful heart. The Message translation is more of a paraphrase/commentary of other versions, but I like to read it sometimes. The two verses about cheerfulness I like in this version are:

Proverbs 15:13

“A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face; a sad heart makes it hard to get through the day.”

Proverbs 15:15

“A miserable heart means a miserable life; a cheerful hear fills the day with song."

I’ve come up with a short list of things to help cheer up your day. Enjoy!

1.  Flowers

I love fresh-cut flowers around my house. They are so beautiful and always make me smile when I look at them. As a good Southern girl, I love trying my hand at arranging them. Sometimes it does not always work out the way I had envisioned, but that’s why it is a learning process. I bought some pink carnations and arranged them in a vase I got in Poland over Christmas break. 

(I put the pitcher of flowers next to my bed 

to enjoy when I wake up in the morning)

2. Baking (or Buying)

I love to bake! It has always been fun and therapeutic to me. Summer is the perfect time to try new recipes and I have already found some I like so far. My most recent baking adventure was making copycat molten lavacakes from Chili’s. I thought they turned out well, but they weren’t quite as good as the original. If there are some things that are just too difficult to make at home or you have a favorite spot that sells them, that’s all right too. In the past few years living overseas, I discovered a love for macarons. They are very popular right now, especially among bloggers, photographers, and bakeries. My favorite place to buy them where I used to live is called L’ArtSucré. It was a litte French patisserie tucked in a cute side alley of downtown Wiesbaden. I’ve had macarons in Paris, and to be honest these were better. My mom and I used to go downtown just for macarons and hot tea or hot chocolate. Now we live back in Texas and thankfully my favorite grocery store sells them in the bakery (HEB is the best grocery store in Texas!).

(Molten Lava Cake I made the other day)

(Front of L'Art Sucré in Wiesbaden)

(The castle-esque thing at the end 

of the alley by L'Art Sucré)

Hazelnut, Lemon, and White Chocolate Macarons from HEB

3. Music

Listening to music can cheer up anyone’s mood! I love listening to worship music, pop music, and country music. It really depends on my mood and what I’m up for. I like listening to worship music in the morning when I get up. My favorite worship Pandora station is Derek Johnson and my favorite worship song at the moment is “Fierce” by Jesus Culture.

I hope you enjoyed this post and will join me next week for another post! I hope to have a fun project or DIY up soon, so be looking for that. Continue to enjoy your summer break and leave me a comment or shoot me an email!

Remember to live a life of faith courageously and love God, love people, make a difference, and be thankful!