A Recipe and Wreath Tutorial

I have two things I want to share with you...a recipe and a wreath project! Both ideas came from Pinterst. First, I want to share with you a recipe I found and loved! These are cake batter balls. You can find the recipe here:

 Next, I made a new wreath for my front door:

I found ideas from here and here

It was very easy to make! Wrapping the wreath in yarn however, was very time consuming.

First, I hot glued burlap rosettes onto cardboard and then spray painted them. I let them dry while I wrapped the wreath:

 The instructions I found online said to buy a foam wreath...well those were $11.99 and the one below was only $4.99! I left the wreath in the package that way it was easier to wrap the yarn around it.

 And several hours later...I had a yarn wrapped wreath! (Seriously watched The Parent Trap and Lion King while wrapping the wreath)

 Now the chalkboard...I hot glued it to the wreath

 Then I hot glued the rosettes to the wreath and now it's finished!

Photo Dump Friday...a Day Late

Photo Dump Friday...a Day Late!

Sorry for the small pictures...if I make them bigger they are real blurry...hopefully I will get that figured out by next week :)

We had a yummy meal with some amazing friends!

I organized all of my fingernail polish!

Getting ready for friends to come eat

Peaceful Sunday morning in God's word

Gooby Goo...cutest baby ever!

Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas

Today I choose Joy!

Sonic + Bath and Body Works Sale

More fingernail polish!

I hope you had a great week!!

Today I Choose Joy

Many of you have probably seen these photos on Pinterest lately: 

I even had this one posted on my blog...found here:

It wasn't until recently that I fully understood what it meant to "choose joy." I would like to think of myself as a happy person. I usually try to find happiness in the small things, but I realized that I don't often choose joy. I get stressed and angry real easy...over small things. I sometimes look for  happiness in material things or try to find security in other people. Of course those things will let me down at some point. I'm also really bad at holding grudges, which is awful. God showed me so much while we were in China. He taught me that I can't find happiness in material possessions or in others and I cannot hold grudges. I knew these things, but it wasn't until recently that I fully understood it and felt it. 

We moved into our new house a week before we left for China. Before China, I was so consumed with what my house looked like or what we needed to buy. I was consumed with needing everyones approval. God showed me that you can be happy without all of those things. For example, these people are so happy and they don't have money or nice things:

I've been reading Ecclesiastes the past two weeks and it is one of the best books I've read!! The first heading in Ecclesiastes says "Everything is Meaningless." All of the little things I worry about it life are meaningless! Money, homes, drama everything is meaningless! I love 8:15 "So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun." The side note in my bible says "Everyone has a choice to live in anger and despair over all the inequities of life or choose joy."

Today, I choose joy!!

And I hope you will too...

Pinterest Recipes

I am constantly pinning recipes on Pinterest so I decided it was time to start putting those recipes to use! Here are some of my favorite recipes I have found from Pinterest so far:

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Brownies: Recipe

Crock-pot Italian Chicken: Recipe

My favorite...Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas: Recipe

You should try them out!!

Photo Dump Friday

Jonathan and I just got back from China, yes China! I will post pictures from our trip very soon and tell you all about it! For now, I would like to start a new series called Photo Dump Friday. I am constantly taking pictures and I would like to share pictures from my week. It is summer and I am not working so I should have plenty of time to get back into blogging!! Here are some pictures from my week:

 Our front door...I finally planted some flowers

 We tried out some new tea that we bought in China

 My favorite pups

Some souvenirs we bought in China

I missed them while we were gone!

Jonathan surprised me with french toast this morning!

We found these cute guys in our backyard

Hershey's new favorite spot in the house

Awesome verse I read this week...such a great reminder!

Chalkboard I made out of an extra cabinet door we had sitting around

Shelf I painted and hung in the extra bathroom


I hope you all had a great week!!