I am excited to be doing my first ever Friday Favorites along with Andrea, Erika, and Narci! As a new blogger, I have really enjoyed reading their blogs filled with Jesus and inspiration...definitely check them out! :-)
1. Visits From My Family!
This past weekend my mom brought my youngest siblings Faith and Zac to come visit Brooke and I in Bloomington. My babies are 8 and 6 now and they seem so much more grown up every time I see them! I don't get to see them nearly enough, but when I do my heart is completely overwhelmed with joy. Mitchell was also in town so he joined us for lunch at one of our favorite local restaurants, Yogi's! We always get the chips & beer cheese for an appetizer and it is sooo yummy!
We were able to snap these at lunch (and let me tell you Mitchell is NOT a fan of pics)...little did he know we were about to have a photo shoot when we got back to the apartment haha!
The boys settled down after lunch with some "Clash of Clans." Apparently this is Mitch's new "thing" right now. He has quite the clan going and I think his addiction might be getting a little out of hand ;-) These two completely melt my heart!
After lunch we had to go by CVS because my mom had some pictures she needed to get developed. Zac was a sneaky little thing and wanted to pick something out for Brooke and I for Valentine's day. My mom had us go out to warm up the car and shortly after, Zac came out with a stuffed puppy and a chocolate rose for me and a stuffed lion and chocolate rose for Brooke. He asked us to be his Valentines. He has got to be the sweetest little man EVER. Always treating his mama and 3 sisters like royalty!
2. Shadow Box
Recently, I made this shadow box as a gift for Mitch. We have accumulated quite the ticket collection over the years and I had been keeping all of our ticket stubs in an old envelope. I had seen some shadow box ideas on Pinterest and decided it was time to come up with a cute way to display all of our memories we've made! My friend Julie from school also wanted to do something similar for her boyfriend. We went to Hobby Lobby and found tons of shadow boxes. There were all kinds of shapes and sizes and they were all marked 50% off! We also found these cute wooden letters marked down to $2 each and super glued them inside. We matted three pictures onto printed paper and pinned them onto some thin rope with mini clothespins. We attached the string with mini push pins and dropped the tickets in...the boys loved them!! By the way, I think this would be the perfect idea for Valentine's day, which happens to be right around the corner ;-)
3. Favorite Verse(s) This Week
Matthew 11:28-30
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
This semester has been extra challenging for me. With graduation right around the corner, I often find myself stressed about what is to come and how I am even going to make it there. I find myself praying for strength, wisdom, and direction constantly. But often times, I get discouraged when God feels distant or isn't answering the way I feel like He should be. I am learning the importance of being still and resting assured that God has a plan and he will lead me to where I need to be. I believe I am exactly where I need to be in this moment and these verses have offered me a lot of comfort this week knowing the Lord offers rest!
I pray to pursue what God wants for my life, rather than what I'd like to see happen. I pray to completely surrender myself and trust that God will ALWAYS provide.
4. Furry Scarves!
My sister Brooke had found this scarf last season at Windsor on sale! Earlier this winter, I was going through her closet (I am notorious for this...oops) and I stumbled across what was soon to be my favorite scarf. I found myself wearing it ALL the time and I think she was starting to realize she wasn't going to get it back ;-) I started pairing it with everything! I really loved how it looks next to black and it's also cute with over-sized sweaters.
My siblings and I draw names for Christmas and this year, Brooke drew my name. She was very smart in her decision to buy me my very own furry scarf. It's maroon, which has been my FAVORITE color to wear this winter so I quickly fell in love! I don't have any pictures wearing this scarf, but I was in Charlotte Russe earlier this week and found them in maroon, black and white! The maroon one is currently on sale here for $2.99!! Can't beat that ;-)
5. Baby Pink Nail Polish
I got my nails done in a very neutral, baby pink color. I loved the simplicity of this shade and the fact that it literally goes with everything I wear! It's super classy and offers a professional look in the workplace. I'll definitely be getting this color again!
This adorable shade called "In the Spotlight Pink" by OPI can be found here.
It's Friday, yay!! Have a great weekend everyone :-)
