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

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Short & Sweet

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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

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

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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.)

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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

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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

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