My Pinterest Summer: Project # 6 & 7

My beautiful, best friend, Miriah, finally turned 21!

In celebration of such a fun event, we decided to make some delicious things which just so happened to fit into My Pinterest Summer!

My sixth Pinterest project:

Berry-Peach Sangria!

Unfortunately, I do not have pictures of this fantastic drink, but I will tell you that it was sooooo good!

Here's what you need:

-A bottle of white wine of your preference (we used Barefoot Riesling)

-Two peaches

-Two containers of raspberries

-A container of strawberries

-Lemon-lime soda

Here's what you do:

-Cut up peaches and strawberries

-Put all fruit into a gallon pitcher

-Pour your lovely bottle of wine into pitcher

-Add lemon-lime soda to taste

-Stir

-Refrigerate (let it sit overnight for extra tastiness)

The Pinspiration!

I think this has easily become mine and Miriah's favorite drink! It is so easy and inexpensive to make!

And now for my seventh Pinterest project: 

Chocolate cake!

I found this recipe for making a box cake taste like a cake straight from the bakery, so I had to try it!

Here's what you need:

-Cake mix of your choice (I used Milk Chocolate)

-Ingredients the cake mix calls for

-An extra egg

-Butter

-Milk

Here's what you do:

-Read cake mix directions

-Add an extra egg

-Use melted butter instead of oil and double the amount

-Use milk instead of water

-Follow cake mix directions for baking

The Pinspiration!

This cake turned out amazing! It was delicious and moist and rich. Mmmmm(:

Here's the finished product:

Thanks to Tom and James for taking lead on the frosting when I ran out of time!

We had an amazing time celebrating Miriah's 21st birthday with some great friends!

 Make a wish!

 Good times with great friends!

Being our usual selves!

I even took her out at midnight for her first 'official' drink! 

Happy Birthday to my best friend/sister/soulmate! You are such an amazing woman of God and I am so blessed to have you there to put up with all of my craziness! Luff chew!

bestillandsmile

My Pinterest Summer: Project #5

And here it is...

My fifth Pinterest project!

Here's what you need:
-Canvas (I used two different sizes)
-3-D letter stickers (you could use wood letters instead)
-Paint (any color of your choice)
-Glue
-Scrapbook paper (I used a black and white vintage pattern)
-Felt birds (I picked these up at Michael's, you could use anything 3-D you fancy)

Here's what you do:
-Cut scrapbook paper to size of canvas' then glue paper to canvas
-Lay stickers out how you want them (for bird ones, I glued the birds to the canvas)
-Paint over everything with the color of your choice
(This is where I decided to be creative. I painted the letters/birds fully, but painted the background lightly so you could see the scrapbook paper through it)
-Let dry
-Enjoy your beautiful artwork!

The Pinspiration!

I really enjoyed doing this project. It took a bit longer than my other ones, but I love making things up as I go, which is exactly what I did here! I went into this project with another idea and this is what I got!

bestillandsmile
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My Pinterest Summer: Project #4

Well, hey there! 

It's been awhile! 

I have been incredibly busy

Here's what I've been up to:

Caught this beautiful moment on the way
back from the gym a few days ago

Who doesn't love Star Wars fruit snacks?!

Gave blood the other day!

Even in the midst of the crazy, fun life I'm going about living, I have finished a few projects. (Yay!)

My fourth Pinterest project of the summer: 
Mirror, mirror, on the wall...

Prettified my mirror!
(Sorry for the mess of my room you see in the mirror!)

Here's what you need:
-A mirror (I used a full-length mirror from Walmart $5.00)
-Streamer (Any color you want! Got mine at Party City $.89)
-I found the "sail away" piece at Michael's for $1!
-Glue
-Hot glue gun

Here's what you do:
-Take a strip of streamer, begin rolling it like a cinnamon roll (or a rose...) (bunch streamer as you roll)
-Glue the end to keep it together
(You can use shorter pieces for smaller flowers, longer pieces for larger flowers)
-Make desired amount of flowers (I used a variety of sizes)
-Take a hot glue gun, glue them to mirror in the layout you wish
(At this point, you can use your own judgement, I added the "sail away" sign, but you could continue with flowers, or whatever you have laying around you think will look cute!)
-Attach the "sail away" sign to the mirror with a hot glue gun
-Take a look at that gorgeous person staring back at you in the mirror!

The Pinspiration!

This has been one of my favorite projects so far! It was so simple! I'm glad I learned how to make those flowers, you could use them on so many other projects!


I have completed a few projects, so keep a lookout for more posts to come soon!

bestillandsmile

Psalm 100

Another week of Elevate has come and gone.

Every year Elevate is bound to change everyone's lives in some way. Whether it be renewal, surrender, reflection, or all of the above; I'd experienced it all. Well, I thought I'd experienced it all.

I would be lying to you if I said that the reoccurring theme I experienced all week was this new-found passion and fire for life and God. I so desperately wish that's what I felt. I went through the week, my heart so heavy it exhausted me even more than the long days running around! I felt robbed of that typical spiritual high from camp. Everyone else was experiencing it, so why wasn't I? Don't get me wrong, it was absolutely incredible to witness so many baptisms and stories of people feeling God's presence, but I couldn't help but see it as bittersweet. I was filled with joy to welcome new brothers and sisters into the Kingdom and to listen to beaming friends as they were rejuvenated in the presence of God, but I couldn't shake the distance I felt from it all. I felt like a spectator; like I was watching God touch so many lives and change so many hearts, but that's it, I was just watching. God had me sitting this game out.

But I wanted to play.

I was that kid sitting on the sideline with that hopeful grin saying, "put me in, coach!"

I kept asking begging God to just break into my heart and do work. It didn't make any sense to me that this huge God of the universe that loves the unlovable and reaches the unreachable couldn't or wouldn't grab ahold of me.

In hopes of sorting through what was on my heart, I spoke with a friend, needing the words to just flow like water. She was so sweet as I sat there and rambled stuff that I can't even remember at this point, but nothing I said made sense and I couldn't find that peace I had been searching for.

I wonder why...

I had been looking in all the wrong places. I was trying to find inner peace from the people around me.  I'm a very relational person. The relationships I have with people mean the world to me. And I love these people so much, but they aren't my peace. They shouldn't be the place I go to for comfort when I feel alone. No matter how hard they try or want to, they will never be able to fix my problems, pick up my pieces, or make me whole. My worth is not determined by how many friends I have, whether or not there is a guy pining for me, or how pretty people think I am. None of that matters. My worth is so much more than all of that.

"It is He who made us, we are His."

Goodness gracious, Jessica Ann.

I read that passage so many times during the week. I knew what it said. I knew what it meant. But for some reason, it just wasn't sticking. I would read it, acknowledge it, then forget about it.

He made me

and I am His

I think I finally realized what my heart God was trying to tell me all week. While I don't think being a relational person is a bad thing, I was putting the wrong relationships first. I serve a jealous God. He wants all of me. Not what's left of me.

I am His

bestillandsmile