a late post of another macaron adventure.

and the macaron craze continues! about a month ago (sad that i am just getting around to posting) allison, bekah, and i made some delicious macarons. we all love nutella, so we thought that it would be the perfect filling to sandwich the cookies together. it saved a bunch of time because we didn't have to make the filling, we simply used a trusty jar of nutella! click here to see allison's post ((and the full recipe)) about this baking adventure!

macarons can be fussy...we made our first two batches without any cracks in the shells, but ours came out cracked this batch. experts say these french cookies are very unpredictable because any slight change in humidity can cause them to crack while baking in the oven. we're unsure why this happened this time, but we still thought they were cute! even more importantly, they were completely delicious. 

we paired these delicious treats with macaron branded pinot noir...the perfect combo for an afternoon with your girlfriends. ((add in some pink lipstick to match your macarons.))

yay! 

secret agents, tea tree oil, & the days you have an overwhelming desire to look like lisa frank.

1. due to my recent “alias” kick, i have dreams where i am a secret agent all the time. so far, i have been successful on all my missions...i even threatened a bad guy with a knife. it felt pretty good, because then he left me alone. not only do i have the dreams, but when i am alone at night, i actually (silently) dare any creepers to try and attack me (but not really) because i think i have a shot at taking them down.

**disclaimer: when a woman dares you to do something, she’s really saying, “do this and you’ll be sorry” which is what i mean when i say i “dare” someone to attack me. i do not actually want anyone to attack me, ever. didn’t think i needed to clear that up, but you never know. 

2. tea tree oil is the remedy for everything! it cleans bacteria and soothes skin. when i had my nose pierced, i used it to prevent infection. currently, im using it on my nail beds to sooth pain from hangnails. my pain instantly goes away when i apply it. i got my bottle from whole foods market. it always comes in handy!

3. let’s face it, every little girl wanted the latest lisa frank folders, pencils, “trapperkeepers,” and accessories. going back to school was bearable for me as a child, because at least all my school supplies would be lisa frank. secret: i still love her. and sometimes i just want my world to be swirling with rainbows and hot pink cheetahs. enter hair chalking. i found this lovely trick on the glitter guide. you simply get some oil pastel chalk (i got a huge pack from hobby lobby for $7) and wet your hair. then color random strands of your wet hair until you get the desired color. then blow dry so the heat will set the color. this is great if you want colored tresses for just a night, because it washes out with shampoo! and yes, you can look like a character from lisa frank! 

so to sum it up... if you are a creeper, i might distract you with my rainbow hair and chuck a bottle of tea tree oil at your head and then sprint away. you have been warned. 

"i look up to the sky and say 'You're beautiful.'"

date night at the loveland bike trail...God's glory is all around! 

marveling at the wonder of the Creator... and sneaking in a smooch or two when the bikers have cleared the path. 

eating brick oven barbecue chicken pizza! nom. 

after all this fun, we went to kroger. when you're married, sometimes you have to add grocery shopping to your quality time together. ((warning: when you take your husband grocery shopping with you, he will intentionally embarrass you in front of as many people as possible. you will also buy much more junk food when he is with you. however, he'll let you ride on the end of the cart and push you around...this makes up for everything else.))

we ended the night with some ice cream, a comfortable couch, and "alias" on dvd... a recent obsession thanks to my friend allison! 

date nights are my favorite night of the week. i love ya, boo! 

i thank my God every time i remember you...

the end of this summer for me is so bittersweet. being in youth ministry, graduating seniors and sending them off is a norm. but these specific girls that are leaving for college are so special to me. these precious girls have been coming over to my house every friday to study the Word, talk, laugh, and pray together for a year and a half. it has been amazing watching God grow and absolutely transform them. i am humbled and blown away that God would allow me to be a part of what He is doing in each of them. 

last night was our farewell celebration as it was our last meeting with everyone together before they start leaving for college. we celebrated with some salsa dancing on fountain square (they do this for free every thursday night during the summer!) and eating at a delicious mexican restaurant, nada. the food there is so yummy!

((they are all so beautiful!!!))

after some great food and dancing (attempting to/watching), we came back to my house for a sleepover. the girls sat me down and surprised me with this beautiful scrapbook! each girl created a page with an encouraging note and pictures. i am so blown away by it... this is truly one of the best gifts i have ever received. i will cherish this forever :)

i also wanted to send the girls off with something special, so i put together a little somethin' for them. 

i wanted to give them some items to remind them about their identities as daughters of the King. each item represents something about who they are in Christ. the above description may be hard to read, but says: 

A reminder about who you are...

Jesus has ERASED your sin (eraser) and made you a DAUGHTER OF THE KING, also known as a PRINCESS (princess wand). He has MARKED you with a seal (tattoo), His promised Holy Spirit. He is WRITING a beautiful story (pencil) that He asks you to be a part of. POUR OUT YOUR HEART to Him (journal) in thanksgiving, gladness, and joy. The King is enthralled with the perfect BEAUTY He has bestowed upon you (mirror). 

after exchanging gifts we prayed over one another and indulged in a yummy purple ombre cake. 

each of these girls have walked through some hard times and have never wavered in their faith and pursuit of Jesus. this is so encouraging to me. i have a crazy amount of confidence in their walk with Him and how they will be used to impact the Kingdom. He will be faithful to complete the good work He started in each of them! i am so thankful.

"i thank my God every time i remember you." philippians 1:3