In the Rain

Good Evening!

I pray this finds you having a good week thus far :).

I had...a mini Revelation today 

that I would like to share with you.

We had a Rainy Day at the YMCA today...

which basically means we follow the same agenda as usual

we just have to do everything indoors.

With the exception of swimming...

As long as there is no thunder and/or lightning,

the kiddos still swim in our outdoor pool rain or shine.

The weather was on the cool side,

but that didn't stop my daring little people from diving right in!

Now, that being said...

those of us who DIDN'T "dive right in"

about FROZE TO DEATH out in that rain!

On of my fellow counselors shook her head and said, 

"I cannot believe these kids are swimming in the rain."

That simple statement spawned my revelation

(yeah, I'm one of those people who can get revelation from just about anywhere...

God spoke to me through "High School Musical" once...not kidding...)

We've all heard the adage,

"Life isn't about waiting for the storms to pass...

its about learning to DANCE in the RAIN."

I agree with that statement.

But I also think there's more to it than that.

I personally do not believe that all rain is "bad". 

Sure, I've been through storms that I didn't enjoy

and wished would hurry up and move on.

But the point is THAT I GOT THROUGH THEM.

And that they benefited me in the end.

Rain nourishes the Earth and replenishes life itself.

Rain may not always be enjoyable when it is falling

(in fact, it wasn't that enjoyable today when I was freezing and stuck out in it),

but it always serves a purpose...a purpose ordained by God Himself.

I submit to you that life is about more than learning how to DANCE in the rain.

I think its about learning to be who you are...in the rain.

About going on and doing what you do...in the rain.

About seeing what the rain really is...REFRESHMENT after a long, hot journey.

A cool, gentle touch after a sunburn.

Edification after correction's pruning.

To say it simply,

I view rain and life's storms as blessings.

Blessings that can be received the moment we open our hands.

I don't know if my mini Revelation will affect anyone else like it did me,

but that's okay...I just wanted to share it :). 

Thank you for reading! 

Please visit again soon!

P.S. Speaking of "rain" and "refreshment"...
this is an AWESOME song
that has become a prayer for me.

An A"DORA"ABLE 4th Birthday Party!

Good Evening!

Tonight I would like to share the events of last Friday evening.

I was privileged to attend the 4th Birthday Party 

of one of my favorite little people,

Tiara Marie.

You can find a little bit of the miraculous story
of Tiara's introduction to our family here. 

Even though, Tiara and her brother, Dustin, and her sister, Myah,
do not officially belong to our family (and, unfortunately, may never...),
they have completely stolen our hearts
and will always be apart of us no matter what happens.

Please enjoy Tiara's A"DORA"ABLE 4th Birthday Party!

The SWEET Birthday Girl! <3

Tiara's party was SUPPOSED to be a water party.
Complete with a new sprinkler and water guns...
a thunderstorm came along to help out...:)

Dustin had the time of his life playing in the rain!

The sun did make an appearance later 

and the water games let lose in full force! :)

She has a squirt gun...and she's NOT AFRAID TO USE IT!!!!

I have a "thing" for baby toes...<3

The Birthday Girl had a GREAT time!

CAKE TIME!!!!

A "Dora the Explorer" cake...compliments of Mama Lutz! <3

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TIARA!!!!

Blowing out her candles!

Birthday Girl opted for a chocolate cupcake instead of a piece of the Orange Dora Cake...

Somehow, I think the frosting was her favorite part...:)

Chatting with Aunt Beckey

THE PRESENTS!!!!
She made out like a BANDIT!!!! :)

FAMILY FUN!!!!

Cousin Xander was all smiles!

Dustin and cousin, Ruben, playing cars.

Handsome Ruben!

A little bit of partying can go a long way...:(

Happy Birthday, Tiara!
I love you with all my heart!

Thank you for sharing her special day!

Long Live Summer!!!!

Alright, alright!

Anyone who knows me 

knows that summer is NOT my favorite season.

To put it simply, I am not made for heat!

Or more accurately, HUMIDITY!

I hate, loathe, and DESPISE humidity!

It always makes me feel gross from head to toe!

And for that reason, I have been dreaming of fall 

these last few weeks. 

Seriously, I'm fantasizing about sweaters and boots; 

leggings and scarves; pumpkins and bonfires.

This sticky summer heat is DRIVING me to it!

However, today, we here in Central Illinois,

had a break from the heat and humidity. 

It was a perfect day.

The sun played peek-a-boo behind some fluffy clouds 

that the pleasant breeze sent in and the temperature was in the low 80s. 

Like I said, it was a PERFECT day.

Today, along with my darling YMCA Summer Camp Children 

and my trusty camera,

I got to ENJOY summer.

For a few moments, I was able to lose myself 

in the beauty of God's Creation.

God's Summery Creation to be exact.

Take a look! :)

Nothing says "summer" quite like Queen Anne's Lace! <3

Bright, red "Bunny berries" as one of my kiddos so cutely called them :)

I've told you before that I have a "thing" for trees...well, I'm in LOVE with this one!

One of my favorite things about Summertime is the GREEN!
Green Everywhere!
As you can see, I wasn't the only one
appreciating God's Summery Creation today...

Honestly, these little guys aren't posed...they were just standing there...taking in the GREEN <3

That's one thing I LOVE about kids:
they are sensitive to things that adults often overlook.
Like the beauty of God in nature.
They are also very sweet and charming when they put their minds to it.
My sweet kiddos made a team effort to pick me some "flowers" today...

And one little girl's sassy sense of style
inspired today's blog post title:

Even though I personally cannot wait for fall
and the coolness it brings,
I know there are many of you who do not share my sentiments.
So on your behalf,
I was exclaim,
"LONG LIVE SUMMER!" <3

Thank you for reading!
I sincerely hope you are enjoying your summer
and I would love to hear what you have up to!
Also, what (or who) inspires you to find beauty of God?

P.S. I've got some very exciting things in the works for this ole' blog!
STAY TUNED!

I was READY for New Look!

No, not me personally...:)

Although, this Roller-Coaster Life does have an effect on my appearance...
I mean my mounted shelf in my bedroom. 

I LOVE my shelf

(hence why I agreed to have it mounted on my wall...)

but I was beyond tired of the overall cluttered and non-cute look of it.

Take a look for yourself:

This is what my shelf has looked like for...

well, longer than I'd like to admit.

Let's just say WAY TOO LONG!!!!

So, of course, my first move was to clean it off.

I was debating with myself about removing the "bangles"...

in some ways, I was tired of them too

but they had sentimental value to me.

In the end, I decided to remove them.

And, since there's no use ignoring "the Elephant in the Room"...

Your eyes are NOT deceiving you...

that IS a wall-mounted, hand-crank pencil sharpener on my wall.

It too has sentimental value which is why I've left it up so long.

My Poppy Kinney (Grandpa) came to live with my mother and I when I was fifteen.

OBVIOUSLY I am NOT 15 in this photo...this photo was taken when Poppy came to visit us when I was 6 or 7 :)

 He was an avid worker of crossword puzzles.

Therefore, he was CONSTANTLY in needed of sharpened pencils.

And since my room became his room while he was staying with us,

HE mounted the pencil sharpener on the wall.

And since he passed away in 2003, in a weird way it has been a connection to him.

But it was HIGH time for it to go.

There are OODLES AND OODLES of things that are connections to him

elsewhere in my house/room.

Then came the big question of how to decorate my shelf.

For inspiration, I went to several different FABULOUS blogs that I follow.
Namely:

DimplesandTangles

OurFifthHouse

TheCottageat341South

EllaClaire

(If you haven't checked out these blogs, YOU SHOULD!!!!)
To say the least, these LOVELY LADIES have DEFINITELY influenced
my decorating skills for the better!!!! :)
 My shelf has now been "CUTIFIED"
(that's my new word I've been using...)
THANKS to them!!!!
CHECK IT OUT!!!!
I am SSSSOOOO proud of it!

Now, if we can just do something about that wood panelling...
But THAT'S another project for another time :).

Quickly before I close, I wanted to share my
"Tissue-Paper Decoupage Vase Project" with you
(You can see the finished product sitting on my "Cutified" Shelf)

I started with a glass Starbuck's Frappacino Bottle,
Bright Yellow Tissue Paper,
and some Decoupage and WENT TO TOWN! :)

What blogs inspire your decorating STYLE?
What "up-cycle" projects have you got going right now?

Thanks for viewing!