Beautiful Things

I've had the song "Beautiful Things" by Gungor on repeat. It's become part of my life's soundtrack lately. The lyrics are so simple, yet powerful. I mainly like the chorus and find my self humming, "You make me new, You are making me new" all throughout the day. 

It reminds me of  2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

I designed the above quote desktop/screensaver. Feel free to download and use as your own beautiful reminder. I took this photo last summer while driving past a field that caused me to pull over just to capture the beauty of it all. 

My heart has been heavy for those going through difficult times. Sickness. Divorce. Death. Loss. Broken relationships. Life is hard. It's also beautiful. It's only by the grace of God that we get to experience both. 

A reoccurring truth that's been so impressed upon me lately is that He is still my Jesus, no matter what's going on in this life. It sounds so elementary. Through the good and the bad, He is God. In blessings and in pain, He is faithful. When my heart is overflowing with joy and when I can't hold back the tears, He is the same. Yesterday, today and forever. His love never fails. Never. Not once. 

We may not see or understand it, but His plans are always beautiful and always good. "All around hope is springing up from this old ground. Out of chaos life is being found in You."

Beautiful Things - Gungor

All this pain
I wonder if I'll ever find my way
I wonder if my life could really change at all
All this earth
Could all that is lost ever be found
Could a garden come up from this ground at all

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of us

All around
Hope is springing up from this old ground
Out of chaos life is being found in you

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of us

You make me new, You are making me new

You make me new, You are making me new

It's May

Somehow, it's already the Month of May. I somewhat, unintentionally, took over a month off from blogging. I'm sorry friends! I'm still here. Life is moving right along. The days seem to be passing fast, yet slow, if that makes any sense. My schedule has been a bit busy lately. And I've been taking some time just to "be". 

I've been happy to be working on a few wedding invitations. I'm also a volunteer on our Church's graphics team, which is fun. I get to use my design skills in a different capacity and feel like I'm making a difference in our church community. I recently helped design the backdrop theme for a Sunday sermon, which was new for me and pretty exciting. 

Last week, I completed my first 5-day clean eating challenge. All my meals and snacks were planned out, along with LOTS of water drinking and exercising 25 minutes a day. At the end of it, I felt great, and I've adapted some new healthy habits. I haven't had dessert in 9 days! What?! I've turned down cookies, brownies, ice cream and the like. Mostly to see if I could do it and to break my need for sweets on a regular basis. I feel better about what I'm eating, I actually have more energy and I'm sleeping better at night. I'm hoping to keep it up (with some cheat days, of course). I'm not about to swear off sweets permanently, or anything like that. You should be worried if I said I was. Everything in moderation. 

We've reached the other side of a looooong winter and a not-so-spring-like spring. I was thankful that the sun was shining today, even if there still was a very cool breeze. I picked a few flowers from my yard and admired them on my kitchen windowsill. The buds are blossoming on the trees - at last! Warmer days are on the way, I can feel it. 

We went to Pennsylvania for Easter and got to spend time with family, which is always nice. On a side note, my hair is getting really long again. I think I'm about due for a summer trim to spruce things up a bit - nothing too drastic though. I'm still loving the peek-a-boo highlights I got in November. 

Besides the business of life, my blogging has taken a bit of a backseat simply because I haven't had a ton to share lately and I haven't felt very inspired. I think it's definitely good to take a break now and then. I want my posts to be meaningful, useful or interesting. Sometimes, I've got nothin'. Plain as that. Plus, I often wonder if anyone is really reading this or if it's just a creative outlet for me. 

I do want to say a sincere thank you to those of you, faithful readers (you know who you are!), who loyally follow my blog, and miss it enough to tell me. That means a lot to me! I treasure your support and kind words.

xoxo
Sarah

Mexican Style Spaghetti Squash

I like trying new recipes that incorporate lots of veggies - and actually taste really good. I was perusing Printerest, looking for dinner ideas, and found this recipe that sparked my interest. I didn't feel like cooking the vegetables or using as many ingredients, so I put my own spin on it and came up with: a Mexican style roasted spaghetti squash bowl topped with fresh salsa and black beans. That's a mouthful. I'm somewhat obsessed with the combination of avocado, lime and cilantro. Cilantro is the crowing jewel to any dish for me. I can't get enough of the stuff! I also like black beans. The flavors are so fresh! You can use whatever veggies you like. 

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash
1-2 ripe avocados
1-2 Roma tomatoes
Half a yellow bell pepper
Half a small onion (or less, the flavor is strong)
1 can black beans, drained (or better yet, Caribbean seasoned black beans)
Half a lime
Fresh Cilantro
Olive Oil 
Salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray. Cut spaghetti squash into 4 pieces. Rub squash flesh with a little olive oil and sprinkle a little salt on pieces. Roast squash, skin side down on baking sheet, for 50 minutes or until strands are tender. 

10 minutes before squash is done roasting, make fresh salsa topping. Drain can of black beans. Dice avocados, tomato, bell pepper, onion and tear pieces of cilantro. Add beans and vegetables to a bowl. Squeeze juice of half a lime into bowl. Drizzle with light amount of olive oil. Sprinkle a tiny bit of salt. Gently mix everything together. 

When squash is done roasting, let cool for 10 minutes or until it's easy to handle. Scrape 1 section of squash into a bowl, fluff strands and top with a few spoonfuls of fresh salsa. Enjoy! 

Makes 4 servings. Or, if you're like me, you'll eat two helpings, because it's that good! Refrigerate squash and salsa separately if you have leftovers and enjoy the next day.

Oliver Blanket Set

I made a baby boy blanket, bib and burp cloth set, for my friend (and coworker), Hilary. Sweet little Oliver (such a cute name!) arrived a week ago. He is so cute in photos! I can't wait to meet him in person. 

Hilary is the tiniest little thing and the most graceful expectant Mom I've ever seen. I thought this simple gray chevron would be cute for her baby boy. Hilary and I share a love of chevron. 

The bibs and burps are fun to make. The blankets seem to try my patience. They have quickly become a limited edition. 

I packaged it up in a green basket with cute nautical rope handles, wrapped some cellophane around it and tied it with a ribbon. I hope Oliver likes it! 

This is the pink leopard baby girl blanket set I made. So cute.

Spring Birthday

It's that time of year again...my birthday and the first day of spring! Although, by the looks of it outside, winter isn't going to leave without a fight. 

I thought I'd give you a special TBT photo. For those of you who are challenged by acronyms like I am, TBT stands for "Throw Back Thursday." Not to be confused with "Truth Be Told," like I initially thought it meant. 

This is my class picture from 4th or 5th grade (for some reason, I can't quite remember, and if it's not written on the back of the photo, I have to guess). I'm pretty sure it was around 1991, so 9 or 10 years old. I'm wearing my FAVORITE pink and navy polkadot dress at the time - complete with a bow, front and center. Pearls I wore in my sister's wedding. This is pre-braces. My teeth needed some serious orthodontics (thanks Mom & Dad!). And, last but not least, my WORST. haircut. EVER. It's SO short. Slicked back, swooped on top, and all kinds of not-what-I-wanted. This is why I've never come close to cutting my hair that short ever again. But, it was in style at the time I guess, right? I wanted to try it. And now I can look back, remember and laugh. 

My husband spoiled me this birthday week - dining out, shopping, a new watch. I am one lucky lady! I'm thankful for the thoughtful cards, sweet gifts and wishes from family and friends. My heart is blessed by all of you. You sure know how to make me feel special! I thank God for every one of you. Thank you for being in my life. 

I'm looking forward to whatever God had in store for me this year! 

Tangerine Chair

Meet my "new" vintage tangerine chair. There's a bold addition to my living room and I love it! I don't know why, but this chair makes me so happy. 

It completes the corner of the room and feels like it was made for it. 

Originally, I had a pair of tan arm chairs in here, but one has since taken residence in my home office, leaving room for a replacement. I've been on the lookout for a Queen Anne chair with some character, for a loooong time. But, I wouldn't settle until I found the right one. Plus (as always), the price had to be right.

A couple Saturday's ago, I was perusing Craigslist, and came across this chair listing at a newly discovered second hand shop. As you can see, the photo isn't the greatest. I couldn't tell what shape it was in or the exact color. That afternoon, I had to see it in person. I walked through the shop a few times, trying to decide. It was only $30! Could I pass it up? Would I really like it in my house? Was it too risky? It was in very good condition. The chair kept calling to me. I had to take it home. Call me crazy. And impulsive. 

I considered putting it in my office, but once I got it home, it matched too perfectly with the living room to put it anywhere else. You should have seen me, I was so excited! 

The touches of orange accents already in the room tie it all together. 

The fabric is a soft velour in really good condition. It's comfortable too! This piece was a gem on many levels. I was giddy. It reminds me of my parents velour chairs. It also reminds me of the orange carpet, orange couch and orange checkered wallpaper in the kitchen of the house I grew up in. That might explain what I'm not afraid of orange. 

Don't you just want to sip a cup of tea and read a book here? 

If you're looking for new-to-you furniture, I am a fan of checking Craigslist before dropping a large amount of money on something brand new. Check often and don't get discouraged. Sometimes you might find exactly what you're looking for. I usually email first and ask a few questions, such as: Is it from a smoke-free, pet-free home? Is there any major damage to it or repair needed? Does it need to be cleaned?

This time I really lucked out because I discovered a second hand shop that I didn't know existed. The shop people told me that they know who the chair came from and they will be very happy to know it's going to a good home. That makes me feel ever better about my purchase. Welcome to your new home.  

Snow Day

My office let us go home early today, due to a severe blizzard warning and winter travel advisories. Yikes. Not the type of weather I enjoy driving in. The crazy thing is, yesterday finally felt like a spring day - almost all traces of snow were melted, the temperature climbed around 50 degrees and I actually walked outside without a coat part of the day. What a tease! 

This March is living up to it's "in like a lion" reputation. Hopefully it exits "like a lamb". 

I miss going for walks in the park and just sitting outside. I look forward to not having to wear 9 layers of clothing, coats, hats, boots and scarfs. I stepped outside briefly to snap a couple photos and this is how deep the snow currently is on our deck. 

I'll admit, there is a quiet and peaceful beauty about fresh snow. Tree branches laden with white. The crunch under your feet. Snowflakes on your eyelashes. Everything appears to be sleeping, so to speak. I like it better when I'm looking at it from inside my warm house. Brushing off my car, scraping ice off my windshield and praying I don't slip on the ice is another story! 

The first day of spring is next week, March 20th (also my birthday). I've always loved that my birthday coincides with the welcoming in of Spring. Even if winter is still hanging around, it marks the start of new life, growth and warmer days ahead. Come quickly spring!