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