Summer Nails for 2013 and Other Ways to Brighten Your Life

Proverbs 15:13

A glad heart makes a cheerful face...

That's right, there's nothing more beautiful than a glowing smile brought on by pure happiness in your heart. I might even go as far as saying that we may not need to wear makeup if we felt so much joy on the inside. Of course, I'd still wear mine *wink*! 

Try to find little ways to add "pops of color" into your every day lives and the lives of others. It could be calling up a friend for lunch, doing an unexpected favor for someone or writing a sweet note telling someone how you feel. Go outside, lift your arms up to the sky and look at the beauty God has created in this world. That alone should put a smile on your face. And while you're doing that, take a peek at your fabulous nails against that gorgeous blue sky!

 

What better way to celebrate the arrival of Summer than treating yourself to a pop of color on your fingers and toes?

We can't all afford a fabulous new wardrobe every time the seasons change, but you can update your looks affordably with some chic nail polish. These are my personal picks for Summer 2013:

Ciate in Big Yellow Taxi  $15 Nordstrom.com

Essie in Bottle Service $8 online or at Walgreens

Maybelline Color Show in Tenacious Teal $2.99 anywhere that sells Maybelline

Zoya in Sharon $9 zoya.com 

When it comes to color these days, it seems like none of them are out of style and you can change your nail colors as much as you change your moods. I mean, we are female, are we not? Try something daring, or go with a different shade of an old standby. No matter what, have fun with it!

Nutella Popsicles + A Word on Patience

“Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them– every day begin the task anew.”  ~ Francis de Sales

This quote really hits home for me. It's important that if you have a goal in mind, that every day you take one step closer to achieving it. Don't look too far ahead or the task may seem too big. That makes it so much easier to give up. Instead, take it one day at a time. The days will pass whether you do it or not. It only takes 17 days to create a habit and before you know it, you will look back and say, look what I've accomplished! And if you fall one day, you get back up and do it all over the next day. It CAN be done!! It's a lot easier to be patient when you're working towards something, rather than waiting for it to happen.

Speaking of patience, have you ever sat around waiting for popsicles to freeze? That's practically what I did today. I couldn't wait to show you all the Nutella Popsicles I made. 

By the way, if you like the taste of Nutella, but find it too rich, you will LOVE these popsicles. If you are already an all-around Nutella lover, you shall remain one. 

I was inspired by this recipe, doubled it, and instead of using full fat milk, I used 1%. They came out deliciously amazing! Here's what you'll need:

 

A bowl, 2/3 cup of Nutella, 2 cups of milk, a popsicle mold and a blender.

You can use any milk you'd like. Coconut milk would be delicious, and soy milk would work just as well. Blend the two ingredients together and pour into the mold. The mold I purchased is by Norpro and I got it on Amazon(my home away from home).

 

Stick it in the freezer and wait....tick, tock, tick, tock. Try and find something productive to do. Don't spend all day wiggling the sticks to see if they're set yet! Not that I know anyone who would do such a thing(eh hem).

Once they're set you get this:

These looked so delicious, I had to take a bite before I took a picture. I'd pick these over store-bought fudgesicles any day!

Cake Pushpops You Will Love + Advice on Prayer

                  P.U.S.H.

                  Pray

                  Until

                  Something

                  Happens

How many of us only pray when bad things happen, or when things simply aren't going our way? How many of us don't pray at all because we either think we won't receive an answer, or we don't have to time to wait for one?

By the way, whether it's quick or not, God answers prayer. This is something I am 100% sure of. I know this because I've received answers to my prayers numerous times and I used to be a "prayer skeptic." The truth is, God has his own timing. We have to be patient. Just know that whatever the answer is and whenever He gives it, it is the RIGHT answer! I've waited years for some of my prayers to be answered, and some of mine have been answered within minutes. You have to trust Him! He knows what's best for you, and no matter how hard you try to control everything in your life, He is truly The One in control. So, my advice to you is that you keep praying and pray often! Praying doesn't have to be kneeling by the side of your bed, either. You can have a constant dialogue with Him in your head. Just mean it. Pray with all of your heart. Let Him know you love Him and let Him know about all of the things you are thankful for. After that, all you have to do is LISTEN. 

So, along with our P.U.S.H. theme, we have something that has hit Pinterest by storm.

Cake pushpops! How cute are these? The best part is, you can experiment with so many flavors, ice creams, cakes, frostings...anything! Just search for "cake pushpops" on Pinterest and be amazed. Ours are chocolate cake(box) with this amazing peanut butter frosting. When I say amazing, I mean OUT OF THIS WORLD and yes, it includes an entire stick of butter.

Here's how we did it. First, we bought the containers on Amazon.com. These were $8 for 6 pushpop containers. You can buy bigger lots and save money, if you so choose. These would be GREAT for a party!

Mix your cake according to your recipe, or in our case, the directions on the box. Find a sheet pan with sides and bake. Our cake only took 20 minutes to bake this way, so keep your eye on it!

Make your frosting. Once your cake has completely cooled(cooling is important!!), punch out circles using the pushpop container.

Assemble your cake pops by alternating cake and icing. Ours ended perfectly with cake so we could ice the tops nice and high. Also, we used piece of styrofoam to work these. So much easier than holding them.

There you have it! It's THAT easy! We decorated ours with a tiny Reese's Peanut Butter Cup on top.

Enjoy!