Currently....

Hey Y'all! I haven't posted a Currently in a while, maybe last month, but I like to do them in the beginning of the month to share what I'm currently up to! Here we go:

Making: All sorts of essential oil concoctions! I can't wait to share some of the recipes with you guys, and possibly sell a couple on Etsy, so be on the look out for that announcement soon. 

Cooking: Lots of shopping my own freezer and pantry to use up things that have been in there a while. I printed out nice food inventory sheets that I found on Pinterest & have been filling them out. It actually helps when meal planning for the week! 

Clicking: Lots of blogging going on around these parts. I may be jumping the gun here, but the end of the year is always busy with traveling to see families for the holidays. I want to have the rest of the year blog posts COMPLETE... yes, you heard me right. That's my huge goal is to plan and write them up, and hopefully scheduled until the end of the year! I'm slowly but surely completing them. Go me! 

Drinking: Dragon fruit Devotion from Teavana. LOVE THIS STUFF! Last January, I came across their annual clearance sale, and I bought 2 pounds of Dragon fruit Devotion for half price! Sadly, it's only September, and I'm having to ration my supply until this coming January. AND, that's IF they have the sale again since Starbucks bought them recently. I may have to bite the bullet and buy it regular price. (insert sad face here, folks)

Reading: Divergent! I talked about this yesterday, but I finally watched the movie and loved it. I immediately jumped on the ipad and reserved the books from the local library. I'm so excited about this series! And I'm only 1/3 through Divergent, so please no spoilers into the next books! 

Wanting: A huge room sized essential oil diffuser. Yoga teacher had one, and it puts my little personal diffuser to shame! I'd love one for the living room.

Playing: BANGO! Or Bingo, if you say it normally. I don't know why, but the Bingo app I downloaded is lots of fun right now. 

Wishing: My body would keep up with my brain's demands! I am running on fumes here, folks.

Enjoying: Not having cable TV! I know it may sound foreign to some, but it's really nice to break the chains to the TVs and all the Tivo-ed shows! I'm getting lots done! 

Waiting: For the holidays so I can love on all my family! 

Liking: The weather cooling off a tad. Still not quite open windows all day time, but we're getting close! 

Wondering: How much I will get done today! I have tons of blog posts to write! 

Loving: My Mr., my sweet Ginny, and the high thread count sheet set we bought for our anniversary! FYI, 2nd year traditional anniversary gift is cotton. 

Needing: A new body! But, I will settle for some quality time with those I love. 

Smelling: My Spa Room personal diffuser with about 15 drops of lavender in that baby.

Wearing: Lounge wear. I did get up, shower, and change out of my PJ's, but didn't get too ambitious and put on lounge wear. But hey, it's something! 

Following:  All of my new bloggie friends! 

Noticing: Even when life gets hard, God's there for me if I only slow down the "Poor me internal chatter" enough to hear him. 

Watching: NOTHING!  It's great to not turn on the TV, scroll through the guide at hundreds of channels and settle on something! When I need a break, I go turn the TV on and out of the 26 channels we catch with the antenna, if there isn't anything I want to watch, I turn it off and go find something else to do! I'm getting a lot of back work done! It's awesome! Disclaimer, we do have Netflix and use that to catch up on our favorite TV shows. I'm thinking about getting into Dr. Who, any thoughts on that show?

Obsessing over: My lavender essential oil. I have been jumping into the essential oils pretty hardcore for the last couple of months, but lavender continues to be my favorite. 

Shopping for: Nothing really. We are discussing a move in the future, (not sure exactly when but years time frame) and buying tons of land and building a container home! Well, it will be 3-4 containers together, but it will still be less space than we've ever been in. So we are pairing down and de-cluttering a lot of our stuff. 

Learning: All I can about essential oils. I'm in love, folks. 

Wasting time on: Nothing now that the TV is less enticing. 

Praying for: My Doctor to figure out what's zapping my energy and making me feel pain all the time! 

Working on: Getting all the extra supplies and stuff that I no longer want on etsy or eBay to sell. It's harder than you think to keep up with all the listings! 

Looking forward to: This weekend when the Mr. and I have a date day planned and then my yoga classes! I've finally found a teacher I like! My goal is to get to her class at least twice a week, maybe even 3 times a week if I'm having a good pain day! OH YEAH!

If you've read them all and made it to this point, congrats and thanks for reading my ramblings! You are a trooper! And if you have any thoughts on the Dr. Who series, please leave them in the comments! 

Grace Upon Grace, The one with Divergent

Good Monday Morning! I am a little late this morning due to staying up to late.... reading Divergent! I'm behind the game here, but I'm reading the first book now, so no spoilers please! It's awesome! Anyway, yes, I kept thinking that "just one more chapter," was a good idea many times, and that equals sleeping in! Double edged sword, I tell ya!

Anyway, let's get down to God's amazing graze!
Y'all, I adore this link up! Check out what Jordyn has to say about it, from her blog She Who Fears, " I may be biased but Grace Upon Grace is my fave linkup out of all of the linkups in the land, and since it's that time again, I am really just excited about today. If you haven't been here before, Grace Upon Grace is a linkup that takes place every other Monday where us bloggers come together and share the ways that God is doing big things in our lives. The small community of grateful women that it has created encourages me every single day and I would love for you to be a part this week!" 

So, here we go:

+ One: I'm so thankful that the good Lord gave me a bookworm mentality. We recently (finally) watched Divergent and I fell in love! I immediately jumped on the ipad to reserve the books at the local library! I even reserved the movie soundtrack! Yes, our library lets us check out Cd's! How cool is that? Plus, I've discovered the author lives in the Chicago area! So hopefully, I will get to meet her one day if she does a book signing around the area! (Insert nerd girl squeal here)

+Two:   God's grace for me is so much more than I deserve. Recently, things in my life have been a little hectic and my body just isn't able to keep up with the demands. There will be more about this in the future, but let's just say that my body not being able to keep up with what I want to do may be the new normal. If that's the case, lots of things will have to be adjusted. Please shoot up a prayer or two for me.

+Three:  I'm so thankful that I am in a position where people come to me to talk. I really am. No matter what's going on in my life, I am instantly humbled when people choose me to confide in. And I love it. I love to comfort people, it seems natural to me. My life hasn't always been this easy and breezy. And for my short 29.3 years on this earth, I've been through more than most, which gives me insight on what someone else may be going through. I just pray each and every time that God allows me to speak the words He wants these folks to hear. 

+Four:  Can I just be thankful of my puppy here? Poor little Ginny is suffering through seasonal allergies, and is all flushed and itchy, but she still gives love all day long. I'm especially thankful that she does this during the painful hours of the day. That little girl exudes love out of her pores and I thank God each day for that.  

And that's all! 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this link up! You guys need to slap down 4 points that God is showing grace to you and link up ASAP! Jordyn keeps this link open for 7 days, so you have 6 more days to post & link up! You won't regret it!

What's some ways you are seeing God's grace in your life today? 

Sponsor Shout Out, August/September Edition

Hi guys! I get so excited for these Sponsor Shout Out posts. I get to share with you the lovely ladies that grace my sidebar all month! These ladies are extraordinary, and I absolutely love getting to know them over the month they hang out on my blog!

Let me show you how awesome they are.... meet the Sponsors!

Meet Charlene, who blogs over at From Bisons to Buckeyes

Hi, I'm Charlene and I blog at From Bisons to Buckeyes. I'm a follower of Christ, watcher of SciFi, reader of fantasy, singer of show tunes, and lover of my husband! I started this blog to keep in touch with family when the husband and I moved 500+ miles away from everyone and everything we knew for him to start grad school at The Ohio State University. Since then it has turned into so much more. I blog about our life, our love, and our faith.

I asked Charlene, "What is one Summer activity you want to do before Fall is upon is?”
 Her answer:

" I would love to go on a late night swim in our apartment complex pool or take a trip to the lake with Pip our dog. I still don't know if he likes to swim or not!"

Don't forget to follow her on her social media channels:

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook


Meet Dani from Disowned

A little about me: 

I'm Dani, a really uptight free spirit who just traded the hustle and bustle of  NYC in exchange for a laid back married life in England. I love to cook, travel, dabble in photography, and document our happy hectic move across the pond. I'm obsessed with vintage fashion, both wearing and selling (my Etsy store is currently on "vacation mode," due to the move and everything being shipped over here in boxes, but it will be up and running again soon, I promise!) My favorite hobbies are aimless wandering in new places, concocting recipes to feed my family and followers, and thrifting for retro dresses and mid-century furniture.

“What is one Summer activity you want to do before Fall is upon us?”

I really want to get to the beach one last time! I ordered a custom made 1950's-inspired swimsuit earlier this summer, but it arrived just before we moved, and I've only been able to wear it once. I'd love to flaunt it one last time before packing it away for the winter. Oh, and I need to discover a way to import all of my beloved pumpkin-spiced things before fall arrives! Apparently, it's a strictly American obsession, and I'm dying for a pumpkin spice latte over here, already. 

Don't forget to follow her on her social media channels:

Instagram

Facebook 

Etsy

Meet Teresa from The Crafty Wife

Hey y'all!  I am Teresa and I blog over at Crafty Wife.  I'm a  twenty-something southern gal loves a great book and a hot cup of coffee.  I am obsessed with Jesus, my husband, Disney, photography, travel, creating, and sweet tea. Crafty Wife is a creative lifestyle blog where I share my love of all things handmade and beautiful.  Join me on my journey to creative bliss!

“What is one Summer activity you want to do before Fall is upon us?” Go to the beach!  It's the one thing we haven't been able to do yet.

Don't forget to follow her on her social media links:
 Facebook
 Instagram
Bloglovin

Meet Fin!

Hi! I'm Finley or Fin for short as I’m most commonly called!  I’m 32 yo, married and from Brisbane Australia.   I am constantly learning about who I am in this big wide world even after 32 years.  Especially so in my journey of faith, which is the reason I started blogging in the first place.  I have learnt more than I ever though through this online space and so many wonderful people too! Some quick facts about me - I’m a Christian, twin, food nerd, homemaker, vinegar lover, TTC lady and obsessed with all things wings!  All of which you will find on my little blog home and more - so stop by and say hi!

What is one summer activity you want to do before Fall is upon us?  I’d love it to be Autumn again but alas, I am upside down and just started Spring! I’d love this summer to be filled with lots of beach visits, mountain trips - in the name of husband/wife bonding…why not!

Don't forget to check out her social media links!

Instagram

Facebook

Twitter

Meet Betsy!

I just started the blog "Mommy of 2 Embracing Life" to share with my readers deals I find, as well as ways to save and make money from home.  As a stay at home mom of 2, I am constantly looking for ways to save money so I can continue to stay home with my precious children.  It's been such a blessing to be able to be home with them.  I post regularly about online deals, coupons, store deals, giveaways and more.  I hope my blog can help you save money as well!

Summer activity I'd like to do:

I live in Florida, and believe it or not, I have not been to the beach yet this summer!  My husband's work schedule has been crazy, but before Fall hits I definitely want to take a family trip to the beach.

Check out her social media links:

Facebook

Twitter

Google+

Meet Jessica!

Hi Everyone!  My name is Jessica and I blog over at Bucktown Grayce, I am a wife to a special fella named Terry and mother to three beautiful girls.  We live in Ellijay in the North Georgia Mountains so you can expect lots of beautiful fall photographs on the blog.  This blogging thing is very new to me so I am trying to get into the groove.  Can't wait to meet a lot of other bloggers and learn from all of you!  I will be posting craft tutorials, recipes, and other everyday life ramblings.  

What is one Summer activity you want to do before Fall is upon us? 

I would like to make some homemade ice cream, I may transition into fall with a special pumpkin ice cream recipe!

Check out her social media links:

Facebook:

Blog Lovin

Twitter

Aren't they amazing gals? Stop by and tell them Hi!

FBF AND European Tour, Day 10 Venice to Roma!

I'm combining my usual Find Beauty Friday hosted by the gracious Aimee from This Darling Day, with my European Tour Series! Genius, right? 

Continuing our Europe Trip from 2013, 

Check out the previous adventures below: 

Day 1 & 2, Bruges & Amsterdam

Day 3 Amsterdam- Berlin

Day 4 & 5 Berlin 

Day 6 Prague

Day 7, Bratislava

Day 7 Continued, Bratislava to Vienna

Day 8 & 9 from Ljubljana to Venice

Ah, Roma, you lived up to your reputation beautifully. Your history has always captivated my imagination, and you did not disappoint. 

This is what Expat Explore website says about Day 10- "Continuing on your Italian leg of your Europe tour, the vibe of Venice will suddenly be substituted by the richness of Rome! After a picturesque drive through the Italian countryside, the Italian capital looms. Centuries old Rome will make you feel like you have stepped back in time! The Italian capital buzzes with activity, tradition, passion, and an energy of its own. Your local Roman tour guide, can’t wait to introduce you to the locations which make this city so beloved and famous, on an evening walking tour of the city. The Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Roman Forum and the Coliseum...just for starters! Whilst at the Trevi Fountain, toss a coin over your shoulder. Legend has it, that you will return to Rome again one day. (what a great investment!) On the way back to your accommodation for the evening, you can start to plan what to do with your free day. Enjoy your meal - Bon Appetite!

Breakfast, dinner. Overnight accommodation."

We started out in Venice that morning. Typical breakfast and then loading of the suitcases. Our tour leader told us it would be a long driving day, I believe 6 hours or something. We would only stop for lunch, no other sightseeing breaks. Honestly, I think it was like a gas station/truck stop sort of food. And at this point, I was really into the whole Fall of Angels book series so I had my nose in the ipad Kindle app most of the time! 

After arriving in Venice, we stayed at the Camping Village Roma which was little cabins, sort of like gypsy-ish style camping. We had a little bit of time to drop our bags and freshen up, then it was back to the bus to be dropped off in ROME! 

Once dropped off, our tour guide led us to the Spanish Steps, meeting our tour guide there. He was an older, Italian man, who had the tiniest microphone and a fanny pack speaker. It was needed as there seemed to be a lot of tours going by and a lot of locals just sitting on the steps hanging out. After the steps, we went Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Roman Forum, ending at the Colosseum. All of the sights were amazing. I felt a bit rushed and tired at this point, so I really was ready for a good nights sleep! The next day we could venture out, so we all headed back to our camping village.

Dinner that night was a buffet style dinner in the main bar/dining area of the camping ground. It was pretty traditional type of stuff. We all sat around and had a couple of glasses of wine. There were a few new people join our tour here, so we sat and tried to bond with them a bit before we all retired to our little camping trailers for quick showers and bed. 

During the ride to Rome, we were asked if we wanted to take an additional trip out to Pompeii. Of course there were a couple of us that wanted to! When in Rome, right? (sorry, you know that phrase was going to be said at some point)  This was an additional excursion because it wasn't planned or price included in your trip, but you could decide to have the free day in Rome or go to Pompeii. I'd say around 100 euros per person. And it was so worth it! Check back for Day 11- Pompeii! 

Rome is one of the places we will try to get back to. So many things to see and such rich history that we will probably be back there more than once.

I hope you guys have a great weekend!

Welcome to the very first....

Sharing Scripture link up! You guys are awesome, creative little beings, and I wanted to create a central place for everyone to share what creative ways you've come up with to display scripture! I don't mind at all if it's something you do to sell, or if it's just your way to brighten up your home!

Here's the low down:

• This will be on the first Thursday of every month, for now. I know a few ladies said they get overwhelmed with weekly link-ups, so once a month should work great for everyone! 
• You are to follow your host, me (for right now, there aren't any co-hosts), on Bloglovin'.
• You are to link specifically to the blog post about scripture. If you link just to your blog, your link will be deleted.
• Spread the love! Comment on the person who linked up before you, at least! You can comment on how many ever blogs you'd like, but let's play nice and leave encouragement on the person in front of you.
• IF you are sharing something that you've created to sell, please do not link up to your Etsy page. Feature your items on your blog, then link up that specific blog post. We want to hear what inspired you to make something! 
• Lastly, put the "Sharing Scripture" link up button somewhere in your blog post so others will learn of this cool little link up and join us! The link up will stay open for 7 days, so plenty of time to link up if you're running a little late!   This one is so important, ladies. I want to promote you, but I also want to get the word out about this cool little link up! So, I hate to say it, but your post may be deleted if you're not putting the link up button on your post, somewhere, anywhere, it just needs to be there! Thanks for understanding. 

That's it! Now, let's get started Sharing Scripture! 

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An InLinkz Link-up

A little hopping and creamer talk

Today, I've hopped over to another blog! You can find me at Prayerful Bloggers, asking the question, Are your circle of relationships beneficial? I've posted on this topic before, but it remains one of my most popular posts, and it needs to be shared even more!

But, here on The Artsy Cajun, I wanted to share my new love... coffee creamer! Well, more specifically, homemade healthy coffee creamer!

The beginning of this year, my doctor told me to clean up my diet due to my high cholesterol, (thanks parents.) So I began to look at everything, and pay special attention to the ingredients. If I couldn't pronounce it, I didn't want it in my body. Coffee creamer was a HUGE no-no according to my doc. It is basically oily milk, but not even milk because it clearly says on the package, "Non-Dairy." There was no way I was going to drink my coffee black, so I began to research may different recipes on this concept. It was worth a shot. Plus, I'd get to buy (and use) one of the cute glass milk jugs I'd eyed at Target the week before!

I managed to find a couple recipes, but just ended up adjusting the recipes to what I preferred. Which is simple....


Healthy Coffee Creamer Recipe

1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk, Low fat
Equal part milk of your choice, I use low fat milk
1 tbsp vanilla

Now, I love pumpkin anything, so I add 1 tbsp pumpkin spice seasoning to the mix. I've noticed a couple of recipes that told you to add pureed pumpkin into the creamer, but I find it makes it a bit too lumpy for me, so I'll just stick to the seasonings for now.

Y'all, this stuff tastes delicious! You know everything that's going into it, so you can control what chemicals you are ingesting. Not to mention it cuts the calories to a third of what is in the premade creamers!

Now, I'm not saying this is the only thing contributing to my weight loss, but just by using this recipe and Truvia instead of sugar in my 2 cups of coffee daily has cut out 500 calories from my diet EVERY.SINGLE.DAY! Do you know how much it takes to burn off 500 calories? Livestrong.com says this- " 140-pound person burns 500 calories on an elliptical in just under 40 minutes"


You are welcome.

DIY, How to cheaply recover chairs

You all have them, the ugly chairs that came with the table years ago. If you're like me, there are no cleaning products on the earth that can get these babies looking like new again. That wasn't acceptable to me!

This started when I repainted my table aka desk. The chairs were just down right ugly and I wanted new ones. Turns out, it's hard to find the perfect chair height and comfort level. I decided I needed extra support and some snazzy new fabric to reupholster them. MUCH cheaper option than purchasing new chairs!

I took off to Joann Fabrics and found a heavy cotton knit. Sort of between regular quilting fabric and a blue jean. I didn't purchase the fancy upholstery fabric because those are so expensive! And, honestly, who knows when I will get the itch to change the colors again, so I went with the cheaper option. I purchased two yards of the fabric, one yard for each chair.

Not only did I want to change the fabric, but I wanted more support as well. You'll need to measure the seat part of the chair to make sure you buy enough foam. I bought the 2" high density foam. Or, if the chair's cushion is still okay, you can skip this part.

Now, when you get home, gather all supplies:
Staple gun & staples
scissors
fabric
foam (if applicable)
measuring tape
screw driver

Chances are, your chair's seat is screwed in to the chair frame. Find the 4 screws, and take them out. If you want, you can pull off the old fabric, but I just left mine.

Lay out the fabric on the floor, with the good side facing down. You want the fabric at least 4" longer on each side of the seat. .

Next, put the foam in place. if you need to cut the foam, measure it exactly the same size as your seat. I made the foam wider on one chair than the other, I wasn't sure which one would be more comfortable with my back, but you should be able to have it the same size as your seat.

After the foam is centered on top of the fabric, put the seat, face down, on the foam.

Then, gently pull one side of the fabric to the top of the seat and staple to the seat.

Try not to slide this all around on the floor, but go to the opposite side of what you just stapled, and pull that to the top to staple. This is the tricky part, you want a snug pull, but you don't want to pull the fabric so hard that it squishes the foam too much. You don't want any ripples or unnatural looking bubbles in the foam when you flip it over. If you've pulled it too taught, grab a flat head screw driver and pop the staples out, try stapling the fabric with a little less pull.

Then, I folded the ends kind of like you would when wrapping a present. Pull the rest of the fabric, on that side, up and staple.

Go directly to the opposite side and do the same.

Should be looking good by this point! Make sure the fabric is taught, but not overly.

I didn't add the extra coverage fabric to mine, but if you want it to be completely finished and professional looking, add a piece of fabric that will cover the center. Just cut it out to fit over the edges and staple it to the chair seat. If it looks good, go ahead and screw the seat back on the chair frame!

And voila! You're done!

 $4.99 per foam cushion
 $5.99 per yard of fabric
Total cost- $21.96!

Plus, if you download the Joann Fabric app on your phone, you can use their current coupons for a discount! If you are a little more of a planner, they also accept Hobby Lobby and Michael's coupons as long as they're similar!


What projects are you working on now?

Weekly Wishes, The One With The Announcement

Hey Y'all! Happy Labor Day! I'm currently working hard, trying to get caught up on the blog and orders since we had a bit of a crazy month in August. I have to say, I schedule wayyyyy too much stuff for myself! I need to remember to pace myself!

Anyway, getting back on track here. I hope you guys are enjoying the outdoors today, filled with family and friends, and having a good time! We will most likely be taking it easy today as I'm still a bit under the weather due to wearing myself out with my to-do list! I won't complain though, hopefully today will be filled with nature, maybe an ice cream cone, and plenty of Mr. and Ginny snuggles!

So, today is the day I share with you my Weekly Wishes. I'm so happy Melyssa from The Nectar Collective came up with this link up! It's a great way to list your to-do list online, and hold yourself accountable!

Last week, (check it out here) I completed most of the items on my list. I didn't add to it because I knew I was about to hit the wall, and I was correct! This week, I'll add a couple to the list, but the best is the announcement at the end that I know you guys will L-O-V-E!


1. Schedule blog posts a week out. I had this done for vacation, and sadly, I didn't keep it up. So now, here I am, flying by the seat of my pants again. I really admire the folks who write like this! I feel so pressured and anxious about having nothing ready to go! I need to get at least a couple of days scheduled, then I'll feel better.

2. List all books and Vera Bradley on ebay.  I have tons of Vera still left from the factory sale back in the Spring. It's just not selling on Instagram, so I'm moving it to ebay! Sounds like a great idea right? Let's hope it gets out of my office soon, I'm kinda tired of lugging that bag around when I need to move it. (click here if you want to see what's still available)

3. START SCHOOL!  Yes, you read that right. I haven't even started school yet. I've been so worn out and distracted with so much to do, that there is no way I can sit and study now! Thankfully, the courses start when you want them to, so I haven't been in trouble about not starting. Hopefully next week will be quieter and I can focus.

4. Set up "Sharing Scripture" Link up!  YEAH! I shared a little about this last week here, but I really loveeee all of the hand lettering and typography I've been seeing floating around everywhere, and thought- WE NEED A LINK UP! I'm going to start it the first Thursday of every month, and see how well that works with everyone. You can link up your personal doodles, your amazing photoshop skills, or anything with scripture that you've made! It can even be items you do for sale! Amazing idea right? So, it'll be the basic rules, link only to a specific post, follow your host, moi, put the Sharing Scripture link up button on your post,  and go spread some love on the person before you! Easy Peasy! Set a reminder for you, it will be up this Thursday, 9/4 and will be open for a week.  I'm so excited to see every one's creative sides!

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I hope everyone has a great Labor Day!