Blackberry Grapefruit Popsicle

It's been so hot here in Arkansas we finally broke down and bought an 8 foot blow up pool for our little family. So far we love it, we spent most of the morning in it yesterday. Anyway, you know what goes great with Summer besides a pool? Popsicles. I love a good popsicle on a hot day...so refreshing right? I came up with a really delicious and basically calorie free popsicle the other day! I had two giant grapefruits sitting in the fruit bowl with every good intention of eating them for breakfasts; but lets face it, that wasn't going to happen so I decided to use them as the main ingredient...

Blackberry Grapefruit Popsicle

(yields 6)

INGREDIENTS

First you need popsicle molds. I think mine are from ikea, they were a gift. 

2 grapefruits - juice those babies

1- 2 tbsp. honey (mix into juice of grapefruits - taste as you sweeten)

12 blackberries - mash them a little put two in the bottom of each popsicle mold)

Then pour the grapefruit juice with honey mixed in into the molds

freeze

& enjoy!

I might be biased but this is literally the best tasting homemade popsicle I've ever had. 

Try it! Let me know what you think!

Outside All the Time.

I'm lucky enough to be at home with my kiddo everyday so we've been finding ourselves outside more often than not which means I've found projects for myself. I've already planted my flowers for the Summer, finally finished painting our iron table and chairs, and have decided that we need, NEED stone laid for a makeshift front porch (that'll surely make for another blog post soon).

Anyway, I've come into a plethora of flower pots from my parents and I came up with the bright idea that they should definitely be painted because I love to come up with more work for myself. I'm in love with lime green, teal, yellow, and gray so now I just need to figure out which colors to use or how to incorporate them all. Of course I've already been perusing pinterest! Check out my inspiration below! 

Source: witandwhistle.com via Mandy on Pinterest

Source: redonline.co.uk via Mandy on Pinterest

Source: google.ca via Mandy on Pinterest

Source: abeautifulmess.typepad.com via Mandy on Pinterest

I'm super excited to pick out paint and get started tomorrow. I can't wait to share the final products!

Take Every Thought Captive

I'm reading The Fear of the Lord by John Bevere and in Chapter 3 he mentions Psalm 139:17-18.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!

How vast is the sum of them! 

If I would count them, they are more than the sand...

Wow! God's thoughts are more than the grains of sand on earth and they are ALL precious. This made me think about my own thoughts. How do mine add up? Are they all worthless? Do any have value? Then I remembered a few verses that will help me get my mind right!

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. 

                                                                                                                            2 Corinthians 10:5

I'm supposed to take my thoughts captive, like prisoners, when they don't align with God's word. I need to be on high alert watching for those sneaky thoughts that try to bring me down. You know the ones, they come up and make you feel inadequate, they leave you worried about something out of your control, they are any negative thought you can think of. God doesn't leave us hanging! He tells us what to think about...

Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 

                                                                                                                            Philippians 4:8

Sometimes it's easier to think about our troubles, even POTENTIAL troubles. I'm talking about myself here, I'm the world's worst when it comes to thinking about the future and all the things that could go wrong. What a lack of faith and a waste of time! Let's face it, it's more difficult for some of us to think positively and to believe things are going to work out for good but wouldn't life be SO MUCH BETTER if we did?! We just need to believe what God's word says and DO it. 

Therefore I tell you do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field how they grow: they neither toil or spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all of his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the gentiles seek after these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. 
                                                                                                                                   Matthew 6:25-34


Fear not little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with money bags that do not grow old, with a treasure in heavens that do not fail, where no thief approaches, and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 
                                                                                                                                  Luke 12:32-34

God doesn't want me to be anxious about what he considers small issues like food, drink, or clothing. He wants me to be concerned with greater things!! Like giving to the needy; to whom food, drink, and clothing do not come as easily. He wants me to gather up for myself treasure in heaven that will last unlike everything this world has to offer. God's word is steadfast and doesn't change with the times. The world is always changing; nothing lasts, in the end his word will still be standing strong. 

I want my heart to be where the REAL treasure is. So for goodness sake! I'm going to take every thought captive, think on the lovely, pure, excellent, noble things! And quit being anxious about things that are going to be burned up in the end anyway so that I can focus on what will last. I know I'm not perfect and that I will have days where those unwelcome thoughts come but hopefully these verses will come to mind. :)


Mandy






{photos taken by me}

Color Inspiration for Spring Products

I've got a couple of craft fairs coming up at the end of April and of course I have NOTHING made because I haven't been inspired lately and I'm a procrastinator (I always say I'll stop procrastinating when it stops working for me. hehe). Then one day I made something for myself and I've gotten the itch to create again! However, I couldn't decide what colors I want to display in my products so I looked to Pinterest for help.

I just typed the words SPRING COLORS in Pinterest's search box and re-pinned my faves. Here's a few of 'em.

                                                            Source: refinedstyle.tumblr.com via Mandy on Pinterest

                                                                    Source: matchbookmag.com via Mandy on Pinterest

                                                               Source: reasonstobreathe.tumblr.com via Mandy on Pinterest

I guess my favorite color combos for spring are aqua + bright yellow, mint + soft yellow, and teal + pink/coral! 

What are some of your favorite color combos for this Spring? 

Wordless Wednesday - Baby Goats, Easter Cookies, & Friends

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1. sweet photo of Dallas putting Noah to bed. 2. planning stages of a tote for myself 3. we found some moss while we were playing outside :) 4. i love my new anthropologie mug! i couldn't help myself it's just so cute! 5. finished product of #2! the ruffle did noooot look good at the bottom like i had planned. i love it though! it's my farmers market/library/craft tote. :)

I'm planning on making a sunglasses case to match, which means a DIY post in the near future! I would've DIY'd the tote but I'm a bad girl, I didn't measure my pieces and I just don't know how to condense a project like that for a blog post.

Fitness

I try to exercise everyday except for one day a week, at the most two, but very rarely. My husband recently bought Zumba fitness for the Wii which I LOVE. I've been obsessed with it, especially since it tells you how many calories you've burned at the end of the workout. I definitely recommend it if you DON'T like to exercise but you DO like to dance. If you're like me you're more likely to exercise if you like the form. I love dancing, pilates, yoga, walking, biking; that about sums it up for me. I don't really like strength training but I also don't like being squishy so I'm trying to incorporate more of it into my workouts. I'm a petite girl but trust me, I'm squishy and I have jiggly parts. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to lose weight or get 'skinny' I just want to be healthy and toned.

Are you on Pinterest? I am and I started a Fitness board recently to help motivate me to try new workouts. Go check it out if you want!

I completed 3 new workouts from my board today! One for legs, one for abs, and one for arms. I'll go ahead and just pat myself on the back now for trying something new! I'll admit it I thought the moves were boring but I'm loving the feeling of endorphins kicking in so it was definitely worth it.

What are your fitness goals? What workouts are you doing right now?

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I want to be healthy now and stay healthy so I won't live in regret later and have to work that much harder.