Good-bye Spring, Hello Summer

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."

As one season comes to an end, a new one begins.  Spring is over and summer is almost here. Every spring I work at a living history camp (Rock-N-Water). At this camp I pretend I'm from 1854 and teach kids about the Gold Rush.  This year was my fourth year working at this amazing place.  To me Rock-N-Water is a ministry because each day I am able to teach others about God and serve God in such a fun and unique way.

Even though I'm sad the camp is over, I'm choosing to be happy for all the fun I had and all the lessons I learned.   Memories are an amazing thing and I choose to treasure them. There's a huge smile on my face because I know that God is so good to me and He has blessed me so much through this camp.

Now as the green grass slowly fades to brown, and the temperatures begin to rise, I'm reminded that summer is here again.  To be honest with you all, summer isn't my favorite season, mainly because of the heat.  Who enjoys the heat?  I'd rather have cold weather.  But there is nothing I can do, summer has arrived once again.  

Do I have any summer plans?  I wish I could give you a list of things I am planning to accomplish this summer, but I don't. And, you know what, that's okay.  Each day comes and I'm learning to trust God in the uncertainty of the future.  I'm learning to live my life day by day, step by step.  The truth is that it's okay to not have a long list of summer plans and accomplishments.  I know God has great plans for me and I can't wait to see what He will teach me this summer!

Do you have any fun plans for summer?  

Hello Spring

"No matter how long the winter is Spring is sure to follow"

It's been a long winter, but spring has finally arrived!  Today the warm sun is shining down on the earth and there is no chance of rain in sight.  The snow is melting and all the flowers are beginning to bloom.  Yes, spring is here, and it makes me so happy.  Do you know why?  Because spring is my favorite season! 

The other day, with my camera in hand, I found a lovely cherry tree in full bloom. Of course I then proceeded to take pictures of the beautiful pink blossoms.

Spring is the time of fresh starts and new beginnings... and pink flowers!  I honestly think that the best part of spring is the pink cherry blossoms.  I look forward to taking pictures of these little flowers every year.

"For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come." Song of Solomon 2:11-12

I can't wait until more flowers begin to appear.  My camera is ready to capture the beauty of each flower that blooms. 

I hope you are having a lovely day. Enjoy the sun and always take time to notice the little things in life.  Sometimes all we need is to take a break and smell the flowers.

30 Days Of Bible Lettering Challenge (First Five Days)

It's always fun to challenge yourself.  On Instagram I love to participate in various lettering challenges.  Last month (February) I enjoyed participating in a watercolor challenge. I did my best but  I missed most of the days due to always being busy or running out of inspiration. But I did my best and you can see the few watercolor creations I made on my Instagram: @uniquelyhis4ever.  If you haven't followed me yet on Instagram, I'd love it if you'd give me a follow, I try to post daily.  

This month I'm excited to be participating in round 4 of the 30 Days of Bible Lettering challenge.  If you haven't heard of this lettering challenge I encourage you to check out the 30 Days of Bible Lettering website.  It's never too late to join in the challenge.

Believe it or not, it's already five days into March, which means, I have five Bible verses lettered. I'm really excited to share with you all the the first five verses I lettered for this challenge.

Day one - "Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance." Romans 5:3

Day two - "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Matthew 5:4

Day Three - "As it is written, 'I have made you the father of many nations'—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist." Romans 4:17

Day four - "Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Ephesians 5:1-2

Day Five - "In God, whose word I praise-- in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?" Psalm 56:4

I wish I could say I'm always on top of things but to to be honest with you, most of the time I find myself falling behind on these challenges.  All I can do is to do my best.  There is no shame in having a day dedicated to catching up on all the days I missed.

I can't wait to see what verses I will be able to letter next in this challenge.  I'll be sure to post more as continue working on the challenge. 

Finishing Touches (Bathroom Remodel)

This post is a little late, but I suppose it's about time I let you all know that I finished remodeling my bathroom.  I should have put this post together way back in the summer but better late than never, right?

After Painting the bathroom and staining the cabinets, all that was left was to add decorations.  I decided to make most of the decorations.  For the wall I took apart a pallet to make a wood sign.  

I painted mason jars to match the bathroom and used them to hold cotton balls and q-tips.  I also found plenty of seashells to use for decorations.

Now that the bathroom is done, and has been done for a while, I guess it's time to find another project to share with you all. 

I feel like I say this in all my post, but I really hope to post more often.  I really want to be active and update you all weekly.  It seems I'm always running low on inspiration.  I'm usually very active on Instagram.  If you have an Instagram please check out my account: @uniquelyhis4ever 

I promise, there will be more posts coming in the near future ;)

God Is In Control

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,

the people whom He has chosen as His heritage" - Psalm 33:12

Today is big day for our nation. Today we get a new president. Looking back over the past year and all the drama that took place with the two candidates, I'm relieved that it's over.

I can't say I'm thrilled about our new president, but I know one thing, and this one thing has been my only comfort throughout the election - God is in control. My hope is not in this country, or in the leaders, my hope is in God.

"Many are the plans in the mind of a man,

but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand." - Proverbs 19:21

Here I am, Lord, Send Me

"And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send and who will go for Us?' Then I said, 'Here I am, send me.' " - Isaiah 6:8 

Hello!  I'm back.  It's a new year! I wish I could say that it's going to be a better year for my blog and that I will be posting more regularly.  I promise, I will try. But one thing I'm learning is that I have no control over each day.  I make plans, but it is God's plans that ultimately succeed.  It's already halfway through January and this week is the first week in a long time that actually feels normal.

I am beyond blessed in so may ways this new year.  This morning I had a wonderful quiet time with God as I read Isaiah 6.  Lately, I have been struggling with my morning devotions.  But God was very near to me this morning as I studied His word. Isaiah isn't the easiest book to understand but with the help of a commentary God revealed to me so many little nuggets of truth from His word. I just have to share.

It was with a humble heart Isaiah willingly cried out to God, 'Here I am, send me.' He was ready and willing to do whatever God would ask of him. But it was only after Isaiah realized how unworthy he was and after God cleansed him that he was ready to serve God in this way.

Just like Isaiah, we need to be humbled before we can be used by God.  God isn't looking for mighty men and women who are capable of everything and never fail.  God wants the willing, the humble, the weak.  He wants sinners saved by His amazing grace.  Each day I am in awe at how amazing God is and disgusted at how unworthy I am.  But God loves me even though I fail Him everyday.  And God loves you no matter how far you think you have fallen.

God doesn't look for those who are equipped.  I love the saying,  'God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called.'  God is looking for volunteers, not robots.  When we humbly cry out to God with a willing heart God hears and God answers.  God wants to use you.  He wants to use me. But we need to be willing to go wherever it is that God will take us.

 Oh, may that be my cry also, "God teach me to be humble. Thank you for saving me even though I don't deserve Your love. Fill me Lord with a willing spirit that longs to do Your will. May I cry out to you each day, here I am, Lord, send me."

Finding the Perfect Tree

For as long as I can remember my family has always done fake Christmas trees.  We've never had a real tree.  Yes, fake is easy, and it is probably cheaper, but I think there is something special about going to a Christmas tree farm with the family and picking out a real fir tree.

I guess all my persistence in the past has paid off because this year I was finally able to convince my family that we should do a real tree. It's crazy to think that we live less than twenty minutes away from dozens of family-owned tree farms and we've always done a fake tree.

On Friday we all loaded up in our car and headed out on the search to find our tree.

Since this was our first time picking out a real tree none of us really knew what to expect.

There were so many trees to pick from, it was almost overwhelming.  Trees of all kinds, different shapes and sizes.

After about an hour and a half of looking we finally found our tree! And our tree ended up being over ten feet tall!

Our outing was a wonderful success.  We found our tree and even though it took longer than we expected, we all had a wonderful time together as a family.  Lots of memories were made.

Now I can finally say that it feels like Christmas at our house. Hopefully picking out a real tree each year will become a new family tradition. 

What are some of your favorite Christmas traditions?  Which is better, a real tree or a fake better tree? Why?