Currently {June 2018}

💮 Planning... We actually just booked our vacation for autumn & not summer, so we have a lot of time on our hands to do some fun stuff close to home.  I'm hoping to snag some free Atlanta museum passes that are available for check-out at our local library, so we can enjoy a day trip or 2.

💮 Watching... This is weird, but I've somehow gotten hooked on watching The Tim Tracker Show on YouTube.  I don't know what it is, but I love watching this fun-loving/Disney/theme-park couple's adventures!  We've also just gotten into Travel Channel's Hotel Impossible.

💮 Reading... Just finished an excellent little young adult read that's gotten me back into fiction.  I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars! {Anybody Shining by Frances O'Roark Dowell}

💮 Praying... for peace + health for me & mine + for Dan & I to be wise stewards of God's blessings in our lives.

💮 Praising... God for good doctor's reports + all the blessings!  He is sooo good to me!

💮 Dreaming... of one day when we'll have our own house + our own separate full bathrooms! 😉  But...

💮 Thankful... for the beautiful apartment where we live + our very important 1 & a 1/2 bathrooms {which is pretty darn fancy for a 1 bedroom apartment, if you ask me}!

💮 Eating... yogurt & these yummy {+ good for you} tortillas with deli meat, shredded cheese, & lettuce stashed inside.  Basically trying to get back into healthiness... but then there's ice cream, too. 😏

How to Clean Your Wedding Rings {At Home!}

What You Need:
▲ a soft bristle tooth brush {this can be an old one that you've disinfected with boiling water}
▲ liquid dish soap {the jeweler where Dan bought one of my rings said Dawn is the best brand for this}
▲ warm to hot water
▲ a mug or bowl to let your rings soak in

What You Do:
Add about 1-4 drops of liquid dish soap into your mug or bowl, then add your warm to hot water {you don't need much}, + your rings.  Let your rings soak for a few minutes {anywhere from 10 minutes on - the dirtier the more time you want to add} & then remove.  With your soft bristle tooth brush, gently scrub the little nooks & crannies of your ring{s}.  Lastly, rinse your rings in your mug or bowl using clean warm water {or put them back on your finger + rinse off in the sink}.

P.S.: As it's summertime, here's a bonus tip... Don't wear your rings in the swimming pool or at the beach.  Both chlorine & sand aren't good for your bling!

Remember

Sometimes I need reminding...

I need to hear those good, good words of what Jesus did for me once more.  For little messed-up, still-in-as-much-need-of-Him-as-when-I-first-breathed-this-mortal-air, me.  The story is so embedded into my head knowledge, but sometimes my heart could use a refresher course.  I forget all the details, the wonder, the Truth, the freedom, the impact, the gratitude.  And in my place of complacency my great need for Him is only magnified.  I will forever need You, Lord, I surely can't do this on my own.  So, I pray for fresh ears & refreshed faith, because I've forgotten the grace & goodness & joy that are mine in Him, bought at an inconceivable price.  I am forgiven & free & hallelujah & thanksgiving should live on my lips.  But I am forgetful, too.  Just like the Israelites grumbling through their wilderness wandering before me.  The pounding of this world can cause me to take my eyes off Jesus &, just like that, I've forgotten whose I am, how valuable He says I am, & how the story ends.  So I return to the cross & to the One who hung there for me, & stay close this time, & remember, & pray for fresh ears & refreshed faith once more.

Today, I need to remember.

Recently, I heard this song on the radio from Steven Curtis Chapman & I just had to add it here. It speaks of remembering all God has brought you through & how's He's lovingly carried you all this way. It reminds me to remember to remember.

 

Gifts // Vol. 26

1,775. a husband who cheers me up even when I don't want to be

1,781. sunshine

1,787. that my {truly almost empty} car made it to the gas station

1,790. my mom's CD playing in the car the whole way there {to the doctor} & back & all the time after

1,796. the flowers he brought me

1,808. Your faithfulness

1,815. leaving a love "note" on his car while he was at the movies

1,823. a rainbow - thank You for reminding me all Your promises are true

1,825. walking hand-in-hand

1,826. raindrops bringing cooler temperatures

Dollar Store Upcycle // Slogan Straw Hat

 

Have you seen those hats popping up all over the place?  The straw kind with slogans & cutesy sayings all over the brim?  Did you know you can DIY your own for only a couple bucks?!

Here's how...

I found all the materials for this upcycle at my local Dollar Tree {straw hat - it already came with the black ribbon tied around it, black sequin ribbon, & tacky glue}!  Figure out what your slogan is going to be first.  Here's some ideas:

• do not disturb
• hello sunshine
• out of office
• beach vibes
• aloha
• bonjour
• peachy keen

Next, take your sequin ribbon & practice spelling out your phrase.  Beware of overly scrolly script - you don't want your hat to be hard to read, or, even worse, misread.  Also, try out the placement of your slogan on your hat.  Once you're happy with it, go ahead & start gluing it down.  I used Aleene's Original Tacky Glue {from the Dollar Tree} & it worked like a charm.  I tried both hot glue & super glue previously & got poor results.  The tacky glue is pretty easy & forgiving if a readjustment is needed, it dries clear, & has a strong hold.  Let your hat dry until all the glue is clear {this could take a couple hours}.  Once dried find a sunny spot to put on that fancy + wordy hat!  I love how this easy DIY takes a simple summer staple {the beloved floppy hat} & turns it into a real statement!

What would your hat say?

P.S.: Thanks Dan for taking the perfect hat shots! 
P.P.S.: You are the best husband this girl could ask for!

My Summer Faves // 2018

This Time & Tru swimsuit from Walmart is only $9.96!  I ordered mine online {in the blissful blue color} & got it shipped free to my local store.  I love the halter front + the back on this one-piece!

Sally Hansen leg makeup is my go-to for my super pale legs.  The medium glow shade gives me some nice color + helps camouflage blemishes + it's waterproof!  Win-win!

These frozen pineapple bars are my new favorite sweet thing! {P.S.: They're only 90 calories a pop + no high fructose corn syrup!} In a tiny way, they remind me of Disney & dole whips.

Coral nail polish is one of my favorites for summer.  I really like this coral reef shade from Sally Hansen!

These Skechers' sandals in gold are chic + comfy... which just happen to be my 2 requirements for summer, 'er life. 😉

Date Night Ideas // June 2018

💑 Visit the closest rest stop that has visitor info & go pick out some brochures together that interest you both.  Go home & research  + make some plans together for future someday-soon nearby adventures... & make a pact that you actually go & do some of these things this summer!

💑 Revisit a place that is meaningful to you as a couple.  Whether it's the 1st place you ever went on a date, the spot of your 1st kiss, where you got married, etc.  Go there together & make some new memories while you fondly remember the old.

💑 Have a classic old movie night-in!  Snuggle up, pop some popcorn, & watch something from the golden age of Hollywood... be it comedy, drama, or somewhere in-between.  Bonus Idea: Afterwards, discuss how you think your relationship would be if you lived in the bygone era from the movie you watched.

💑 Know about the painted rock craze?  Click here for more.  Paint some rocks together & go hide them around your city.  Be sure to check Facebook & Instagram to see if your city has a painted rock page to join - or you could create one of your own. {Dan & I ❤ hiding + hunting rocks!}

💑 Find some outdoor games to play together.  Click here for lots of options from Walmart!

💑 Find the nearest creek, lake, or beach that's safe to splash in + explore.  Enjoy an afternoon of water + sun + fun!

Monthly Recap // May 2018

➴   ➶   ➴   ➶   ➴   ➶   ➴   ➶   ➴

➵ Received the unexpected diagnosis of PCOS & now working on trusting Jesus moment-by-moment as Dan & I seek to start our family.  Dan brought me the sweetest potted flowers + card after work that day.  He knows the way to his girl's heart, & I thank God for him.

➵ Spent the 1st Mother's Day not with my mom {because of school I decided not to make a rushed trip, but wait until summer where I could spend more time} + with this new unknown of PCOS.  Honesty here... it wasn't my best day.

➵ Finished up the school year in a mini long term sub position in kindergarten.  So thankful school's out!  Hooray!

➵ Enjoyed date nights {& days} of getting ice cream, dinners out, walking downtown {where I found a beautiful golden unicorn I could never afford}, + walks along the river, finding + hiding painted rocks here & there, a visit to our city's prayer tower, & enjoying snow cones!

➵ Had a picnic {just the two of us} on Memorial Day + went to a new-to-me park & swung on the swings for awhile, until Dan insisted we leave because he thought this guy was creepily watching us from his car. {I'm thankful for a protective husband. 😉} Then we went to see the new Han Solo movie {wearing our Star Wars tees, of course}.  I must confess, it wasn't my favorite.

➵ Started attending a new women's study at our church on the book Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver.  It is so good, guys!

Top 3 Brave Posts of the Month:

An Unexpected Diagnosis: PCOS

When Mother's Day Isn't Easy

Gifts // Vol. 25