Colossians 3:17

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And Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. 

No matter what you are doing this week, give thanks :)

(I really wish my cubicle looked like this.)

A Clean Room

This weekend I cleaned my room. There is something so comforting about a clean room. It is quite the rarity for my room to be clean, but when it is, it is blissful. And, it can stay clean for about a day. Gotta love that one day. 

My room has changed a bit since this picture. And, it is still evolving. I will have an updated picture soon....well, once it is clean again.

Taste

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I am in love with this quote. I can totally relate. And, I have to admit, I am going through this process. I can't quite say I, or anyone, will be able to overcome the gap. But, I am loving the fight. 

A Striping Good Time

Chevron Stripes. 

They are super fun and cute. I kind of love them. The add some flair to the normal run of the mill stripe (I am still a huge fan of classic stripes). 

So, I decided to create some of my own. They couldn't be that hard, right? A couple hours, maybe. It is just a simple stripe. Well, I was wrong. Two days later: I am one happy stripe lovin' girl. 

Remember this picture:

They make those giant openings worlds different!

Aren't they great!? I am pretty happy with them. 

Here is how I did it: 

 Step one: created a template. I took two pieces of construction paper and taped them together and sketched it on my canvas. 

Step two: after each drawn line, I followed with painters tape. This takes absolutely FOREVER if you don't have 90 degree angles, just forewarning. It requires cutting each and every piece of tape to the angle of your stripe.

Step three: I carefully added the paint. This required a couple of coats. 

Step four: After the paint completely dries, I pulled up the tape. Eeek. The paint seeped beneath the tape (does anyone have a solution to this???). So I took a small flat paint brush and hand painted the edges. 

And what do you know? I killed two birds with one stone. 

30. Paint 15 canvases. I know I painted two, but they are counting as one since it is one project.

99. Make 20 things I see in Pinterest/Blogs. I definitely took this idea from the top picture.

This Season

I am a huge fan of television. I am beyond excited about the fall schedule that began tonight, especially after seeing all the hoopla at the Emmy's!

Shows I am most forward to watching this season:

1. New Girl: This looks like it is going to be hilarious!

2. Parks and Recreation Chris Pratt says that Season 4 is going to be the best one yet!

3. Modern Family: They just swept the Emmys, this season is bound to be amazing. 

I am also pumped for Community, Gossip Girl, Grey's Anatomy, The Office, Revenge, Castle, Glee & HIMYM. 

Should be good!!

Blogging Inspirations

I just wanted to recognize some of the amazing blogs out there that I always feel absolutely, stylishly inspired by  at the end of each of their posts. 

Little Green Notebook

Jenny from Little Green Notebook is so clever with her resources. She has created an absolutely gorgeous home with a realistic budget. I cannot begin to describe how helpful that is. When it comes to decorating and designing a room, you don't need to spend a million dollars for it to look classy and purposeful.  

Birch + Bird

Rachel and Lily are really unique, which I feel is pretty hard in the blogging/pinterest world. This might seem like an oxymoron since most of their pictures come from other sites that inspire them, but there is just something so simple and refreshing about the composition of their posts. I love them. 

Elements of Style

Erin brings a sense of clean lines and freshness to her posts. She mixes her love for interior design with her love for fashion. Overall, I have a hard core crush on her style. She is able to comb through the vast internet jungle and pull together some stellar design pieces to show her followers. 

Oh Happy Day

Jordan is originally from San Francisco, but recently moved to the romantic Paris. Her photography and ideas are just what I need after a draining day.  I want to be her friend.

There are much, much more, but I am out of time. Hope you enjoy!

Pie!

One of my most random memories from my senior year of college was my craving for pie. For pretty much the whole year, all I wanted was pie. Any kind. I love pie. It is one of the very best desserts out there. And, yes, this is coming from a person who eats sweets for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. In college, I don't know who started it, but my roommates (other friends? I can't remember) and I would just randomly yell, "PIE." Why? I have no idea. That was just the kind of house we lived in. Why not yell, "Pie!" in the middle of someone's conversation? We were very easily entertained...clearly.

I haven't strayed much from my cravings for pie since college. Recently, it has been Peanut Butter Pie in particular. So I have deemed this recipe the Reese's Peanut Butter Pie. I got the idea from looking at a couple of different recipes mixed with watching the way my mom used to make chocolate pies growing up.

Ingredients:

1 9" Graham Cracker Pie Crust

1 16oz container cool whip

1 pkg instant chocolate pudding (4 servings)

8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened

2/3 cup Peanut Butter

1 cup Powdered Sugar

1/3 cup milk

2 packages of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (4 pb cups total)

Step 1: Beat the Peanut Butter and the Cream Cheese.

Step 2: Add in the powdered sugar and milk and continue beating.

Step 3: Mix in the pudding mix and fold in 4 oz. Cool Whip.

Step 4: Pour it into the Pie Crust and cover with the remaining Cool Whip.

Step 5: Mash up the Peanut Butter Cups and top the pie. Go ahead and freeze it for about 30 minutes.

Step 6: Take out of the freezer and thoroughly Enjoy this amazingly creamy pie that took you a total of 40 minutes including freeze time to make. 

This pie is perfect for the last minute get together, or the "Oh, No! I forgot to make something for tomorrow's event!" situations. I hope you like it!

Have any of y'all had any recent cravings?

(Next time I will take more pictures, I promise!)

Around This Time Ten Years Ago

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Tuesday, September 11, 2001. 

Can you remember what you were doing this morning? This question has been asked a lot recently. For me, it was my first dose of American Tragedy. It was my first time to see America come together in a powerful way. It was my first time to have my faith truly tested. 

Rewind to Friday, September 7, 2001. I am in eighth grade. After complaining to my mom for a week or two about a small lump that had popped up on my left arm, I finally made it to the doctor. Immediately, the doctor sends me to a specialist who immediately schedules me for surgery September 11, 2001 at 11:00a.m. 

I distinctly remember that morning. I was terrified. I barely slept the night before. I had no idea what was the matter with my arm. My step dad and I had planned our schedule. We would drop my little brother off at school and then run by my intermediate school to pick up the school work. As we were dropping off my brother, someone came on the radio announcing that the World Trade Center had been hit by a plane. We assumed that it was an accident and went about our schedule. By the time we got home, the world was in complete chaos. 

As I was lying in the pre-op room, with needles in my arm, I watched the footage in wonder and confusion. The second tower had just been hit. This was clearly no accident. Every television in the outpatient center was on watching the coverage, trying to grasp what on earth was happening. Who would want to harm America? Was the world going to have completely changed by the time I got out of surgery?

My surgery took much longer than expected. The doctor had tears in his eyes as he let my parents know they had performed a live biopsy which returned positive for sarcoma. I had cancer. The world was crumbling down around us, and I just had a cancerous tumor removed from my left bicep. A cancer that could kill me within the year.

The next four days I prepared for the worst. My parents had my godmother, who was a school counselor, sit me down and explain the situation. I quickly began to research what I was about to encounter, all the while sticking close to the television to watch America come together in a time of crisis. My parents contacted everyone in my church, family and friends around the country. Everyone was praying for me. I couldn't have been more blessed. 

I don't remember crying. I do remember being hopeful. My faith was truly tested during this time. I had the option to fall into a state of hopeless despair or to completely trust that the Lord was in control.  The frozen biopsy came back four days later. The tumor was benign (All praise be to Jesus). It had been caused by Cat Scratch Fever. The Lord had truly performed a miracle in the midst of sheer terror and vulnerability. 

This miracle changed my life. Plain and Simple. As the world was uncertain, I couldn't help but realize that God had a bigger plan in mind. Through tragedy, He brought people closer to Him. The lost were found, the weak became strong. People across the United States were vigorously praying for me all the while praying for the victims of this tragic act. I could not help but praise His name. Jeremiah 29:11 became real to me. The Lord has a purpose for me, for our nation. We are here for a reason. 

Now, whenever I am discouraged and downtrodden, I look at the scar on my left arm and remember all the Lord has done for me. He is good. He is powerful. Without Him, I wouldn't be here. So, I leave you with Psalm 146. What Joy, What Peace we have in the Lord's name. 

A Quick Update

This past week on my staycation, I made a slight dent in my List of 100 things. More like a scratch in the grand scheme of things. I still have a ways to go. Luckily, I have a ways to go....about two years.

Now, this week I intended to get a lot more done, but I figured I would just go with the flow and not make any plans (this is completely out of character for me, I make a new plan every. single. day.). I attempted a list at the very beginning, but promptly threw it away. Staycations are not about the lists of a million and one things to do. They are about finding life's simple joys without the hustle and bustle of a schedule.

Things I accomplished (or came close to accomplishing):

 #53. Reorganize our shelves upstairs. These still need a lot of work. A lot of it. But I am okay with them for now. Give me a couple of weeks/months and they will change again. 

Which leads to #99. Create 20 Things I have seen/loved on Pinterest. One down, nineteen more to go. 

 #41. Learned to play football. This was very entertaining for everyone in attendance. I can't say that I have completely learned this, but I have made a little progress. 

#74. Comment on Great Customer Service. I will most definitely be doing this again. 

Mary at REI was so incredibly helpful. She saw me aimlessly wandering throughout the store, completely out of my element and provided excellent customer service. She kept my price range in mind, and took into consideration that I was shopping for the triathlon. I couldn't have been more happy with my experience there. 

#4. Refurbish a chair. I am so close to being done I can almost taste it! The final reveal is coming soon!

Miss Me?

Tonight marks the end of my glorious Staycation...not to be confused with a vacation. Tomorrow is back to the grinder. Womp. Womp. More excitingly known as the beginning of my second year at my company.

(name that movie!)

This past week was just what the doctor ordered (well, not really, but whatevs). Working everyday can be Exhausting with a capital E. It can be exhausting without even realizing it is exhausting. Whenever the weekend comes all I want to do is unwind and do absolutely nothing. I would prefer not to think about all the projects I want to start/complete. So I did it. I took off a full 4 days. I read, I caught up on TV, I cleaned places that haven't been cleaned in months, I painted, I sewed, I sanded, I sweat, I learned, I prayed...you get the point. It was a successful week. I can't wait to share everything with you! 

The best part of this Staycation: I am actually rested enough to want to go back to work. I'm not stressed from coming home and having to unpack and mentally prepare myself for the upcoming week. No, I have been preparing for it all week! It just feels like one kind of long weekend. 

Some Aggie Inspiration

This Sunday was the beginning of Aggie Football. Whoop! It ended in a very sweet win, and even sweeter inspiration.

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81. Create a Mood Board.



What better way to celebrate the 12th man's first win of the season than creating a room inspired by the maroon and white colors of Texas A&M? I found this wonderful website called Olioboard. I am a huge fan.

Top 3 reasons why I would love to have this room in my house:

1. The Brick Wall. I die. Give me a nice brick wall and I become weak at the knees. This treatment gives a room a sense of history and exposure. I am a huge fan.

2. This rug from Anthropologie. It has just enough Maroon and White to make it stand out, but not enough to overpower the overall color of the room. It contributes a sense of unity to the room, as well as some eye candy.

3. The mirrors. My overall theme of this room was pretty eclectic. I love how unique they are. They add not only art but function. Set against a brick wall they really make a statement.

Happy Labor Day!

Sorry for not posting yesterday, I got caught up in the nice three day weekend...and some college football (more on that later). 

Hope everyone has a lovely Labor Day! Enjoy it with the people you love. 

Green with Envy

I have been noticing something lately. Well, okay, maybe my whole life. The thing is, I love the color green. No matter what, it almost always wins. This has nothing to do with the fact that there is this fine color, you might have heard of it, called Kelly Green. I may or may not have thought this color was named after me growing up. And, I may or may not have tried to convince people that I had personal ownership of said color. 

I especially love the color green when used just the right way in a room. Green decor makes me swoon. 

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