Come Clean

Today there was a torrential downpour that caused massive flooding like this:


Image Source here
  

And during the thunderstorm I kept having the urge to lay down in a room full of candles or finding myself staring out the window into the rain thinking things  like, "Let it wash away my sanity", "I wanna feel the thunder", "I wanna scream", "I'm coming clean"

Let's throw it back to some classic Hilary Duff(who, I admit, I still call Lizzie McGuire sometimes...) for giving us such great rainy day lyrics

I've Been Framed!

Or more accurately I've been completely obsessed lately with all of the picture frame crafts floating around pinterest. Who knew there were so many uses for a plain ol' picture frame?

And so I've decided to draw inspiration from the craftiness of pinterest and do some picture frame projects for my room in my apartment at school!

Getting in the right frame of mind to do some crafting

The crafting adventure begins with a trip the local goodwill, where I found a plethora of picture frames.

I wanted to get frames in a variety of shapes and sizes so I can arrange them in cool ways on the wall. And I've decided that Picture Frame Project #1 is.....a wire/clothespin picture holder(a very creative name, I know)

For this project I chose a medium sized picture frame and spray painted it.(Side note: I'm so old now that I can legally go to the store and buy spray paint on my own, which means I'm really old.)

The next step was to attach the wire. I just used jewelry wire, which is pretty easy to bend but still holds its shape.The picture frame I used is plastic and had projections where screws were suppose to go. I was able to use these to wrap the wire around and tie it off on each end of the picture frame. I put a drop of hot glue on each knot to hold it down. If you frame is flat on the back you can try attaching the wire with just hot glue.

Add as many wires as you want, and wah-lah! You have a wonderful place to hang pictures.

Super easy and simple, right?? And super cute. Be on the look out for more picture frame projects to come!



Stripe Lovin'

I'll be the first to confess it. I have a problem. A stripe problem.
I like stripes. A lot. I'm willing to say that 50% of the items in my closet are striped. As of a recent count I have 5 striped shirts, 7 striped dresses(yeah....7), 5 pairs of striped socks, and even a pair of striped shorts. You would think that this overwhelming amount of striped clothing would turn me off from buying more, but nope, every time I enter a store I beeline towards the those magnificent lines of alternating color. Striped dresses are especially a problem (its gotten to the point that I actually have a friend who I call anytime I'm on the verge on buying one so she can talk me out of it).

A sampling of the striped items in my closet

Horizontal or vertical, thick or thin, even seersucker, I love 'em all. And I don't see that changing anytime in the near future. There might be some strange psychological reason I like stripes so much, but for now we're just going to stick with the fact(yes, fact) that stripes are super cute, so its only natural to want them!

He is jealous for me



The song "How He Loves" is one of my absolute favorites(listen to it here). The opening verse "He is jealous for me" never fails to bring a smile to face. It  is such a mind blowing truth that I too easily forget. God, the creator of heaven and earth, the maker of all things, is jealous for me, a sinful human.
Our God is a jealous god( Exodus 34:14). His is a Righteous jealously, not earthly, sinful jealousy. God's jealously is one of protectiveness. The word jealous can also be translated as zeal. God wants to, is zealous in protecting what is precious to Him, me and you. When we stray and seek fulfillment in worldly things and false idols, God becomes jealous for us and our devotion. He knows that safest, most fulfilling place for us is in Him and only in Him.

Easy As Pie

Pie: a pretty delicious dessert. And when you throw in that its apple pie it becomes an American classic. There are tow sides to every pie though, the making and the eating. And these can cause very different emotions.

Eating Apple Pie: nothing better. Who doesn't love pie?(I know you're out there, you strange person who doesn't like pie, but I am choosing to disregard you right now). I mean, it's in the name( it's a little known fact that the name pie actually has its origins as the acronym for Particularly Incredible Eating experience).

Making Apple Pie: a slightly different experience. It can be a time consuming undertaking that involves a lot of cutting and rolling and mixing. Maybe I should let Ryan explain-





Oh Ryan, always the charmer

However, the fruits of the labor (hehe get it?) are ALWAYS worth it. That's why when my family began to get a craving for an apple pie, I was quick to get to the cutting and rolling and mixing.

The pie recipe is from my girl Paula Deen and can be found here.

 

And just like that a pie is born. It was delicious and got the seal of approval from my dad(the pie connoisseur) and my brother(a.k.a. the bottomless pit). You should give it a shot! Who knows, maybe for you it really will be "easy as pie".



Mother's Day Crafting Fun

Rain, Rain, Go Away

I woke up this morning, brimming with excitement to go outside and do everything I had planned for the day. The inside of my head was like the opening song to High School Musical 2. With every beath I took I could hear Troy Bolton's whispers of "Summer....Summer...Summer" gradually growing louder and with more urgency. Summer was upon me and I needed to take full advantage of it! I hopped out of bed, skipped over to my window and found this:

Rain. Coming down hard. Mother Nature apparently never watched High School Musical 2 and missed the memo that this was the part when I was suppose run out into the sunshine and break into song. For a minute I was ready to concede my plans and just go curl up in bed with a good book, but then I thought, "Ya know what? I'm going to show this rain who's boss". After pulling on rain boots and jacket and I went out to give the rain a talking to.


Ready for the rain

 

Rain stare down.

 My intimidation tactics seemed to work because an hour later the sun came out and it was an absolutely GORGEOUS day. Needless to say, it was thoroughly enjoyed.

It may seem a little strange that my blog is called Sunny Side Up, yet my first post is all about rain, but, as it turns out, it is actually completely fitting. It is not the light from the sun that I depend on to guide me and bring me joy, but rather the light of the Lord! He has brought me out of darkness and into His wonderful light( 1 Peter 2:19) and it is His word that is the lamp to my feet that guides me along my path (Psalm 119:105). A little fall of rain(nor anything else for that matter) will never extinguish His everlasting light. In Him I have every reason to always wake up with the excitement of a beautiful day, to always look on the bright side of things, and to always live with the sunny side up.