This Week

Hey everybody! I hope you all had a good week. This week I helped out with a VBS with my youth group. It was a lot of work and early mornings, but so so fun also! It was a great learning experience.

I taught Bible with two other people from my youth group. We had three different age groups, and then we split those into three groups, so we each had groups of about 6 to teach. I was so nervous about teaching Bible. I didn't even have to write the lessons, someone else did that, but I knew that for some of these kids it would be the first time they heard the gospel; that's a lot of pressure! I just had to do what I could and pray that God would do the rest. There were one or two kids who seemed very interested in what I was teaching them and asked a lot of questions, but they just didn't understand it fully and I didn't know how to get across to them properly! I pray that our VBS left some kind of impression on them!

There was one dear girl who was so affectionate. She loved hugs and being held, and if she saw another kid on my lap she would start crying. Not even throwing a fit- she just would seem so hurt. That breaks my heart, because I don't know her home situation and I don't know who's going to show her God's love now that VBS is over.

I also got to know my youth group better. We've known each other for a long time, but for a few of them I've never really crossed that threshold to friendship. Now I feel closer to many of them. It was truly a great experience and I'm so glad I was able to do it!

What did you do this week?

5 things to do when you're not feeling well

We all have those days where we feel lazy, bored, stressed, tired, grumpy... the list goes on and on. I know I have my fair share of them, and I must say that they are no fun. When the inevitable happens and one of these bad days come around, these 5 things help to get me feeling on top again.

1. Get dressed up. I find that when I'm in my pajamas all day or when I'm just not really trying too hard with my outfit, I will feel lazy and tired. But if I get dressed I will have a much better outlook on life in general. I feel how I dress, I suppose- If I'm dressed nice I'll feel nice, if I'm dressed lazy I'll feel lazy.

2. Get active. Do some stretches, play around with a jump rope, dance around your house to good music. I've heard that being active actually improves your mood. I would say it's worth a try!

3. Take a shower or a bath. I find that showers and baths are both very relaxing in different ways. Showers are great if you want to think, and baths are great if you want to read or relax for a while. Plus, either way you come out clean and yummy smelling and who doesn't love that?

4. Take some 'you' time. If you've been overworked or had a particularly stressful week, it's important to take some time and relax. Pamper yourself. Do your nails or your makeup. Has a book been sitting on your bedside table? Read it. Movie you've been wanting to watch? Go ahead and watch it!

5. Do something. Pampering can be a lot of fun and feel awesome, but being productive has its place too. Finishing a project or being able to check something off of that days to do list can give you a wonderul sense of accomplishment. Besides, it doesn't have to be all work and no play- blast your favorite tunes, grab a snack, and get down to business! (I have Mulan stuck in my head now.)

Oh Mr. Sunshine

Hey lovelies! Did you have a good weekend? I went to my friends birthday party and then spent the night at another friends house. It was really fun! 

 My sunglasses made an appearance. It was really sunny out there, guys.

button down - walmart // 

dress, worn as a skirt - hand me down // 

converse - thrift store // 

necklace, worn as a headband - hand me down //
shades - walmart //

What did you guys do last weekend? 

Going Green

*posh voice* Good evening, everybody! *end posh voice* Today I'm entering my dear friend Paige's blog event. The theme is Retro Summer, so my outfit is loosely inspired by the 1950's.

sunglasses - walmart // tank - walmart // t-shirt - kohls // dress, worn as skirt - thrift store // shoes - famous footwear

You should all go enter Paige's Retro Summer Blog Party. It's truly awesome and so much fun! 

I hope you all have a lovely evening, 

-Ashley

DIY Perfectly Lovely Sendable Envelopes

Ever wondered how to make your own adorable envelopes? I have, so the other day I looked up a few tutorials (here's the one I used.*) and decided to make some envelopes! I like making envelopes instead of using store bought ones because they are absolutely adorable and you can personalize them however you want! Here's how I made mine:

*The Origami Square Envelope. I modified mine from that tutorial a bit.

Step 1: Look up the requirements for envelope size with your local postal service. You want to be sure that your envelopes can be sent!

Step 2:  Gather supplies! I used a 12" x 12" piece of square scrapbook paper and tape. If you don't have scrapbook paper and are cutting a square out of something else, you're going to want a ruler and a pair of scissors as well.

Step 3: Starting from the opposite side that you want showing (for me the blank side), fold from corner to corner to make a triangle shape.

Step 4: Unfold it and do the same with the other two corners. Unfold again and you should end up with the last picture.

Step 5: Turn it so that a corner is facing you. Fold the corner up so that the tip is touching where the two creases in your paper meet.

Step 6: Fold up the length of the piece you folded in step 5.

Step 7: Fold the end over so that it's just a little beyond the crease.

Step 8: To the same to the other side.

Step 9: Tape it down.

And you're done!