You Can't Get Fresher Than This!

Hi all! I'm so sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything. These last few weeks I have been trying to find activities to keep my summer busy and you know what, it's working. I've been so busy I can't seem to find the time to write a new post.  But that is going to change soon. I have so many new projects planned for the next few months and I can't wait to share them all with you.

Last weekend my Mom and I went to our local farmer's market and we came home with so many healthy goodies. You can see all of the delicious and FRESH food we bought in the picture above. YUM!  Also, it's a hint about what a few of my upcoming post will be about. I'm hoping to share with you all some of the ways I used the yummy food we picked out.

Have you ever gone a farmer's market? What's your favorite fruit? Or vegetable?

Thank You Garlands of Grace

There is a really neat online shop called Garlands of Grace that sells the cutest hair accessories. For the longest time I have wanted to buy one of the many hair wraps they sell.  I'm so cheap though. For me twenty dollars is a lot to spend on an accessory for your hair. But I knew that eventually I would splurge and buy myself something from their shop, it was only a matter of time.  

Well, that time finally came.  After my spring job came to an end I figured I could use some of my money to treat myself.  Today my package came and I just had to share with you all how excited I am!



Once I opened the package I excitedly peeked inside.  Reaching my hand inside I pulled out a small parcel wrapped in tissue paper (pictured above).  It was so pretty I almost didn't want to open it. But I was even more anxious to see what was inside of it.   After I took a quick picture I began to untie the ribbon.

It's so special to receive something in the mail that has obviously been carefully put together by loving hands. I felt really special to receive such a lovely package today.

To my delight I found my "Cecily's Garden Party Chiffon" inside the parcel.  Along with it was also a small card of bible verses and a sweet thank you note.  

Of course I couldn't wait to try on my new hair wrap.  I'm in love with the rose design.  Anyone who knows me well will tell you that its a a perfect fit.  

You can also have the extra material hang over the back of your hair to give it a different twist.

If you have never heard of Garlands of Grace, you need to check them out.  Even if all you'll end up doing is browsing through their products, you won't be disappointed.   

Thank you Garlands of Grace for this lovely new hair accessory! This is going to be a new favorite hair style of mine!

For Everything There is a Season

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven," Ecclesiastes 3:1

I am saddened to think that the short season when my family works for Rock-N-Water, a christian living history camp, has come to an end.  But looking back on these past few months I am filled with only good memories.  Memories that make me laugh, and memories that will always bring a smile to my face, even when I know that I may not have been able to smile when that memory was being made.

I have learned so much through working at this special place.  Not only have I grown in more ways than one over these past two months, but I have made so many wonderful friendships that I know will last forever.

Below are some of the highlights from the last month of Rock-N-Water (May).

 We dressed up as Indians for the Maidu trip

Setting up stations for the Maidu trip 

 

 Taking a break after a day of hard, but fun, work

This was my attempt to create an outfit that was half Indian and half pioneer

 Cutting leather for one of the stations

Lots of hands helping to restock the gold vials for gold panning

My brother all ready for his trip

My brother being silly, no actually, he's just being himself

 

Doing candle station with my group

My dear friend Sarah on the Indian grinding rock 

I'm going to miss all of these wonderful people

I'm so thankful for the wonderful season we had at Rock-N-Water these last two months. Now that it has come to and end, I am looking forward to an even better season next year!

If any of my Rock-N-Water family sees this post I just want to tell you all thanks so much for an AMAZING year!  

Enjoying Life

"Don’t try so hard
To move past the moment
These days go by
And they’re gone before you know it
So come on, open your window
Let the light shine in
This is life don’t miss it"
~Francesca Battistelli

Today I have been busy working on one of my sewing projects; I'm making a Christmas blouse to go with my prairie skirt for an upcoming event we are going to after Thanksgiving.  When  I spend long hours in the craft room I like to listen to my music to keep me company while I work.  Lately I've been trying to listen more to Christian songs because they are always so much more uplifting and as I sing the lyrics and contemplate the words I find them to be so encouraging.  

I listened to the song "Don't Miss It"  by Frencesca Battistelli and I have to say I just love that song. It is a wonderful reminder to take time each day to go outside and enjoy life.  

It is so easy to get so caught up in social media that it's all we think about. I've been there and I find it is still a constant struggle for me to just put my iPod (since I don't have a phone) down. Or maybe we get overwhelmed by working ourselves to hard. We need to remember life is too short to waste on things that don't matter in the long run. I want to make each day of my life count.  

On Monday my family (well everyone minus my Dad who was working) went on a short trip to Monterey to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  We've been to the aquarium so many times before so it wasn't anything special.  What made this trip special to me was being able to spend time with my family.  We made many memories that day and I am so blessed because I could not have asked for a better family to share life with.

I took plenty of pictures as well since, as I've said before, photography is one of my favorite hobbies.

Everyday I'm amazed at Gods amazing creation and I think Gods creativity is best displayed in the creatures of the sea.  I feel so privileged to have been able to take pictures of such amazing creatures.

My camera was driving me crazy the whole time because of the low light conditions and the fish never staying still but I managed to get quite a few pictures that I'm really happy with.

  

  

I found Nemo! and he actually stayed still enough for me to get a good picture.  I also found Dory!

This picture is my favorite.  The special exhibit at the aquarium had octopuses, cuttlefish, and squids. I was able to capture this picture of a squid and I'm so happy that it's not blurry.  I'm spellbound at how big and intricate the squids eyes are.  Gods unique design is clearly seen in this creature.  

I know this is not a "Fish"  but this puffin (At least I'm pretty sure it was a puffin) posed so cute for me in this picture that I had to share it. I also really like the picture below of the same puffin because I think it gives a completely different story to same subject.  I love how you can see the puffins feet underwater and how you can see the water drops making it clear that the puffin is behind glass and living in captivity.

Anyway, with Thanksgiving just around the corner it's time for me to start counting my blessings.  I have so much to be thankful for and my family is at the top of my list. 

I'm doing my best each day to find the little blessings of life, ones that are often overlooked, and thank God for them.  

I hope you enjoy these pictures ;)

Welcome November!

November is finally here.  I love November!  It's my favorite month (I do have a particular reason for liking this month so much, hehe, but I'm not gonna tell yet).  

I can't believe that Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner. I'm getting excited just thinking about how happy I'm gonna be when Christmas music is all I listen to and cuddling up in front of a warm fire with a warm drink in my hands is an often occurrence. 

Today is a beautiful rainy day and rainy days are always a good day to stay inside and clean. I have a closet full of costumes and the funny thing is I don't even store them in my closet. I've had my costumes hanging up in my parent's closet the past few years.  

My mom said she wants her closet space back so today I packed all of my costumes into bins and labeled them.  It always feels so good to get some cleaning and organizing done.

Last Saturday was Halloween and I wanna share some pictures of our fun outing that night.  

I've always wondered if celebrating Halloween and trick or treating was bad.  My family used to never called Halloween, Halloween.  We always called it Harvest Day.  We used go to harvest festivals at our church but the past few years we haven't really done much at all.    

Yesterday my family went to a local Halloween event in town.  We walked around town and it was really fun to see everyone in their costumes.  I decided to wear my Astrid Cosplay since I've never worn it in public before.  

My sister wore her airsoft gear and my brother dressed up in a military uniform from the Vietnam war that we found at the thrift store.  The last time he wore the uniform it was huge on him because he used to be so little.  I don't know what happened.  Now he's so tall and grown up.

People kept complimenting me on my costume and asking for a picture of my costume.  I loved how the little kids would recognize me as Astrid.  To them I really was Astrid.  I even found a little girl who dressed up as Astrid from the first movie.

They had a costume contest that was fun to participate in.  I was bummed my costume didn't get any of the places but all the compliments I got made up for my disappointment.

Anyway, I hope you're enjoy these pictures and I hope your just as excited as I am about Thanksgiving and Christmas!  The best time of the year has finally arrived!

Learning to Notice the Little Things...

God is good to me.

Sometimes I need to constantly remind myself of this because life doesn't always go how I want it. I have my good days and my bad days and each day I'm faced with a boatload of new feelings and important choices to make.

But one thing I will always be able to do, no matter the circumstances, is look back at my life and see how much God has blessed me. Even when I find myself facing trying times I know that God is always right beside me all the way.

I've come to realized that it's not only the obvious things in life that can cause one to feel blessed by God.  Though those moments when God makes Himself so clearly known are quite incredible, it's important that we find God also in the simple and rather ordinary happenings of life. I'm learning that God is very present in my life and He wants me to notice Him in the small areas in my life.

A year ago after I graduated from High school I was really anxious about what to do with my life (I still am, hehe). I was feeling overwhelmed by the closing of one chapter in my life and the opening of another.  I was hoping to maybe find a part-time job because I knew college wasn't the next step for me. Things didn't go my way and it wasn't until I surrendered and came to a point where I could truthfully say I was content with the point in life I was at (which was staying at home and serving my family) that God opened the door for a local job.  The fact that God didn't choose to change my circumstances until I was happy and content with where He had me in my life at the moment had a huge impact on me. It showed me that God truly did care for me. He was not distant from me but, like I said above, right beside me the whole time.

That job only lasted a month and turned out to be a hard and trying experience for me.  But God had opened the door, and I can now see that God used that job to teach me some very important things about myself.

Too often I get so overwhelmed by the busyness of life.  And then when life is the opposite and I'm not busy I feel unproductive. Regardless of which way I feel, I can always find peace in my morning devotions. Before I start the day I usually read a passage from the Bible (I'm currently reading through the book of Job) along with reading a chapter from a book about Christian living. One morning I was again struggling with being content and I was feeling really anxious about the future. In my devotion that day I read Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  That verse was just what I needed to hear that morning. I prayed to God He replaced my anxiety with peace.

God continues to bless me in these small, yet wonderful ways. I can't tell you how many times the sermon on Sunday has been exactly what I needed to hear; or I finish a project and the next thing I know God opens the door just in time for me to start my next project.

It's the little moments like these in my life that cause me to stop and feel the blessings of God pour down around me. 

I'm still at a point in life where I still struggle with learning to be content with God's plan for my life.  I'm anxious about not knowing what's next.  Sometimes it's hard to be content.  But I have to take it one day at a time and keep my eyes focused on God as I wait to see where He chooses to bless me next. One blink, one look away, One short second of taking my eye's of off God causing me to give into my doubts and insecurities and I might miss the next blessing God sends my way.

God does care for me (and you) and I'm learning that each day it's the little things in life that cause me to feel the most blessed.

God is so good to me!



...Oh, and  by the way, since I'm done with my Astrid cosplay, I don't know what to do on here next.  Maybe I'll make another tutorial, Or maybe I could share a story I've written.  I guess you could say I have a collection of short stories and I'd be more than happy to share them. Hmm, what shall I post next...?  

Book Review Time

     

Okay, time for some book reviews!  Remember that post from awhile ago when I shared all the books I had bought?  I promised some book reviews - so here we go!

First, out of all the books I bought, I read Perfectly Unique by Annie f. Downs.   The title of this book reminded me so much of the title I chose for my blog!  This book was actually recommended to me by a friend so I guess you can say I felt a little bit obligated to read it first.

One thing you just can't help but love about this book is how fun the author is - Annie is so personal and funny!  I love the kind of writing that just makes you laugh out loud.  It's everywhere in this book. She is not afraid to share her stories no matter how embarrassing they may be.

I loved how she broke down this book into chapters on the different body parts and how we can use each body part to bring glory and praise to God.  My favorite chapter was the chapter about the heart.

I really enjoyed this book. This is a great book especially for girls who are struggling with accepting themselves for who they are.  It was fun and full of lots of truths and lessons that will benefit most girls.

The next book I read was The New Lady in Waiting by Jackie Kendall.  This book focuses on the story of Ruth and it just so happened that I had decided to read the book of Ruth a few days prior. I love it when little things in my life line up like that. It makes it clear to me that God is in control of everything and He cares for even the little details of my life.

Considering that this book focuses on the story of Ruth this would be a great book to read alongside a Bible study of Ruth.  I knew that Ruth's example was helpful and applicable to young women but I didn't know how much you can learn from  Ruth's story until I read this book.  

I've read a lot of books about waiting for that day when you meet that special someone and guarding your heart until that day.  This one has to be my favorite - so far.  It wasn't too hard to understand. It made sense and had great insights. It was full of Bible verses and other references.  Plus, the questions at the end of each chapter helped to make me think about how I can apply what I was learning to my everyday life.

So, if  anyone is looking for a good and worthwhile book about waiting for 'that special day' and what to do while waiting, The New Lady in Waiting is a good choice.  

Life Goes on Amidst the Busyness...

Seems one form of busyness ends and another type of busyness comes.  But being busy is good.  Lately I've been working on small sewing projects, helping around the house with chores, and trying to tackle a piano piece that is most likely a bit above my skill level (playing slowly and lots of patience is key).  Also, I'm trying to make a dent in my reading plans for this year (I challenged myself to read 50 books this year and I have only read 9 *Gulp*).  And then summer is pretty much here and thinking about summer plans takes up some of my time as well.  I've been wanting to make an Astrid (from How to Train Your Dragon) cosplay for some time now and I believe this summer is the time to do it. A cosplay means dressing up as someone, so in other words, it's a costume. I will be sure to take lots of pictures and to post a tutorial here on my blog.

When I'm in the car, in my sewing room, in the kitchen, or in my bed on my computer (pretty much whatever I'm doing) I like to listen to music.  I've been a bit obsessed with Francesca Battistelli lately.  I found that I can relate to so many of her songs.  I wanted to share one of her songs.  It's so beautiful!  It's like a prayer to God.  Whenever I hear it I like to make the words of the song my prayer and sing them to God.   

Oh, and keep your eyes peeled for my next post on the fruit of the spirit; Gentleness.  It will be coming soon.

You are my forever love

You are my forever love

You are my forever love

You are my forever love

From the bottom of my heart I'll sing to You

From the depths of who I am I love You

With everything inside I'll run to You

'Cause all that I've become I owe to You

You are my forever love

You are my forever love

You are my forever love

You are my forever love

From the bottom of my heart I'll sing to You

From the depths of who I am I love You

With everything inside I'll run to You

'Cause all that I've become I owe to You

You are my forever love

You are my forever love

You are my forever love

You are my forever love

Nothing in this world could ever separate us

I will love You more than anyone on earth

Nothing I desire could ever

Satisfy me the way that You do

From the bottom of my heart I'll sing to You

From the depths of who I am I love You

With everything inside I'll run to You

'Cause all that I've become I owe to You

You are my forever love

You are my forever love

You are my forever love

Summer Reading Plans

So, lately I've been thinking  about my future.  I think about my future a lot but it seems that just recently I've been thinking about the future more than I usually do.  So I decided since I can't tell myself to stop thinking and dreaming about the future I needed some help in keeping my thoughts focused. My solution was to buy myself some books to help prepare me for my future.  My goal in reading these books is grow in my walk with God and to be more prepared for when my dreams someday do come true.

So this means that I'm going to be busy reading this summer.  But I can't wait to read these books.  I love reading books that encourage me to grow in my walk with God.  And you can look forward to lots of books reviews coming soon to this blog.

Here's all the books I bought: 

Perfectly Unique: Praising God from Head to Foot by Annie Downs

Authentic Beauty by Leslie Ludy

Set-Apart Feminity by Leslie Ludy

A Young Womens Call to Prayer by Elizabeth George

The New Lady in Waiting by Jackie Kendall

Before You Meet Prince Charming by Sarah Mally 

(Note: I Actually have read "Before you Meet..." before, but I look forward to reading it again)

Another thing I'm looking forward to trying is a new form of scrap-booking. I bought myself a smashbook and I'm very excited to try it out.  It's just like small scrapbook but it's meant to be messy and quick.  I'm all about saving memories.  I tend to be the type of person to stuff something in a drawer because I just can't bring myself to throw it away because I often think of the memories it might bring me later.  

So for under ten dollars I bought this Smashbook and I'm hoping to fill it's pages with memories.

There was this neat poem inside the book which sums up what it means to use your Smashbook.  Sounds like so much fun!  And the pages are so pretty!  And this is the coolest part -  The pen it comes with is a pen on one side and a glue stick on the other. Awesome! 

Update Time

Okay, wow, it's been a while since my last post.  The busiest time of the year for my family has come (April and May).  But it's also the best time of the year and I'm gonna tell you why.

I have the best job ever!!! I work at Rock-n-water (a Christian living history camp) during the spring.  I get to dress up and time-travel to 1854 to teach 4th graders about the Gold Rush and about God.  I love teaching the kids about history but the main reason I just love my job at Rock-n-Water is because I get to make a difference in the world and teach kids and their parents about the most important thing - God.  That is my greatest aim in life.  To make a difference in the world by sharing God's love with others.

So as April comes to an end I sadly realize that there is only one more month to this wonderful season. And though I'm glad that the busyness will come to an end, I'm far from ready to say goodbye to my job until next year.  I feel so blessed to be able to work at this wonderful place and each day I'm learning and growing more and more in my walk with God.   

Due to being so busy I have not been able to post much but I still plan on continuing my series on the Fruit of the Spirit.  It may have to be put off a little longer but I plan to write the next segment as soon as I find the time.

I Belong to God ~ Poem

I really what to be active in my blog and keep posting often.  These past few day's I've been brainstorming ideas of what I could post.  I would love to do another tutorial but I've been so busy lately.  I don't plan on my life slowing down in the next few months either.  At this time of the year I have a lot of things on my plate so it's hard for me to find the time to write, or create something with my hands.  

Then I came across this poem I wrote a few years ago. I don't normally write poems but I have tried a few times.  I probably broke most, if not all the rules of poetry.  And I know there are rules to poetry, I took a class on poetry one year. 

Anyway, here is my poem.  I won't criticize myself anymore and I'll let you decide for yourself what you think.   I need to not say anymore or else I might decide not to post this ;)

I Belong to God

by Sydney R

My heart isn't mine

It belongs to God

So let me treasure it

I won't give it to just anyone

I will wait patiently

Until I meet the right man

Then I will present it to him

Pure and spotless as it is

My life isn't mine

It belongs to God

So let me live for Him

I won't settle for anything less

I will serve God

Until the day I die

Then I will go to heaven

And meet Him face to face

I hope this poem encourages you to wait patiently for love to find you in God's perfect timing and for you to live every day of your life for God.