This entire summer has not exactly been what I expected it to be. I was expecting goal reaching, dreaming, and plenty of spare time. Now I'm not saying there hasn't been any of that, I'm just saying there hasn't been as much as expected. This summer has proved to be more of laundry, dishes, babysitting my little sister, cross country practices, preparing for school, and many other things. Although it may seem boring, this summer has proven to be one of the best. Not only that, but it has also reminded me that things never go as planned and I am most definitely not in control of my future. God has His own plans for me and I often forget that I should not expect anything but His fantastic ideas. My summer has been...radical! :) How is yours? -Rachel Jenkins. <3

As I was saying in my previous article, I have fully and completely swamped myself with the plans and becomings of my not-too-far-in-the-future birthday party! Today I'll be going shopping for all the decorations, knick knacks, and other things of that nature. So naturally, this means that there should be a multitude of pictures coming once it is all set up. For about a week now I had been making a point to make my invitations and mail them out and so yesterday I finally sat down and worked on them...they took about an eternity (and then another) to make! AND, they didn't even turn out the way I wanted! But, needless to say, I mailed them, tried to forget about them, and am now back to scribbling little ideas into my journal so that maybe at least the actual party itself will look the way I want. Anywho, here is a picture of just my invitations! You can't really see what they say (or really tell what they look like...) but you can catch the gist of it. I hope you all have a stupendously divine day! -Rachel Jenkins. <3

I'm sure you don't need me to tell you, but just in case you do, it's finally SUMMER! Bring on the tea parties, book reading, summer homework, to do lists, picture taking, blog updating, birthday planning kind of days! I am still in the process of creating my summer list of things to do, but I've been a little distracted by my birthday party planning. I usually don't do anything huge or cute, just have a couple of close friends over and hang out. But for some odd reason, this year I got the idea of making it a little more interesting. I want to make it more of a crafty, adorable, home made brithday party! Anywho, back to my original point! It's summer, so all of my ideas that I have been longing to put into action are finally going to happen! So in honor of summer, I took a couple of pictures. <3 (I promise, my blogging will get more interesting as the summer progresses. I'll have more time and hopefully more ideas. This article was a little rushed...I just really needed to blog. It has been much too long. Thanks for hanging in there with me!)

I am in love with summer sunsets, and just sunsets in general, so I figured I should lay down on the ground and take a picture through the window. :) For some reason, while I was watching the sun set, I had this saying pop into my head: "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference." One of my goals for this summer is to be applying this to my life daily. I feel as if this seems a little cheesy or cliche, but wouldn't it just be splendid to do?

It may be 97 degrees outside (if we're lucky), but the sky is crystal clear, beautiful baby blue, and absolutely wonderful! Not to mention the sizzling feeling you get as your bare feet hit the black asphalt makes for perfect swim weather! I love swimming...I always feel so relaxed, as if in a dream. Call me crazy, but when I go under water my mind just drifts away to another world. That's actually how I learned to hold my breath for a REALLY long time. Well, that and the endless years of competitive swimming and cross country running. Have I mentioned that I love summer? <3

So if you feel like it, be like my little sister and take your excitement, take a deep breath, blow it all into an empty deflated balloon, and then, if you'd like, set your balloon free! Because somewhere, in some small sacred sanctuary of the self, we are all nuts. Embrace it. Express it. Love it. Be it. I have a feeling that this summer is going to be extraordinary and that it holds many new treasures. I am so ready to make this summer count. Hope you have a great one folks! -Rachel Jenkins. <3

Dear blog followers, cat lovers, tree climbers, and everyone else,

I promise, I actually blogged on Mother's Day. In fact, I spent a couple of hours making a blog just FOR Mother's Day. And it was on time and everything! And now, for some unknown reason, my blog will not allow me to show it...it says it's published but, it's obviously not. But it's okay, because today was chaotic and I felt like ripping my face off at points. But then, for some odd reason, as I was working on my Biology project late at night, I just felt this sudden rush of calm and I realized something. The reason I always feel so stressed and busy and just INSANE is because I don't take things one step at a time. I'm always thinking about what I have to do next and how much work I still have. I happened to stumble across a quote today and I have decided that I should at least attempt to apply it to my life. So, these are a bunch of pictures that I went out and took last night and they don't really have much in common, except for one thing. To me, all of these pictures say: "Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it." --Groucho Marx.

Something I noticed while I was standing on my parent's bath tub, taking this picture: The times when I just don't try to be creative, I get some of the best ideas. I've realized that trying to be creative is something anyone can do. I know now that if I just relax and let the ideas come as the day passes by, I find myself being able to blog with more ease, write better stories, journal prettier thoughts, and more. And another thing I've realized: Creativity is much more than just being different from others. Anybody can plan being weird and out there; piece of cake. But when you can take something simple, like Back, and make it awesomely simple, that's when you know you have true creativity. Now I'm not saying that different is bad; if different is who you are, then be different! But if you put on a face of "I'm creative because I don't do the cliche things", then you have to be careful because that may not be who you really are. (If this makes any sense at all...)

As we were driving down the road I began to think about how there are so many different roads and paths in life that we are never told about. Every day, when something new is done or even one slight thing is different than your previous day, you have just turned a corner onto a newly paved street, and who knows how long you'll be on it. All our lives we are taught that this road is right and this road is wrong, but I also believe that just because someone is on a different path than you doesn't mean that your direction is right and theirs is wrong. It simply means that you aren't the same person and you aren't going through the same things as the other person may be. It's all about perspective. And to truly find out who you are, you have to just get in your car and take the roads less traveled. No maps, no final destination. Just drive and see where God's plan for you can carry you.

This morning, I woke up around 4 A.M. and began to get ready for school (not that I get up that early just to dress and shower; that's done in about 15 minutes). As I'm getting all my stuff together, finishing a bunch of things, studying, etc., I'm thinking to myself, "Yipee, just another boring day in the life of me...can't wait to go to school and become so stressed that I want to sit alone and cry a little." Same old same old. But then I went into the laundry room to grab a towel. There seemed to be a very pink and bright light that caught the corner of my eye. I turned to look out the window and my jaw just dropped. Now I've seen sunrises before and yes, they are all beautiful. But this one in particular was just astounding. So naturally I ran into my room, grabbed my camera and took a photo, all the while thinking, "This is definitely going on my blog!" And believe it or not, something as simple as a beautiful sunrise uplifted my spirits. All in all, when you stop and remember that there is beauty in the world, all the dumb little things that used to poke and prod at me just melted down and rolled off my shoulders. Thank God for beautiful scenery! <3 -Rachel Jenkins

Once again, I did not post the Fantasy Friday on time (or at all, as a matter of fact...). I pinky promise you all that one of these days, I will learn what "blogging on time" means. Since I didn't post on Friday (or at all this week) I'm making it up to you all by randomly blogging now, at exactly 11:17 PM on Saturday, May 12th, 2012. I had a huge magnificent plan of what to blog, wrote it all down, and then my computer decided to erase it all...so now I am attempting to blog while being slightly depressed. (I just love it when this happens.) Since this past week has purely consisted of finals, stress, and horror, I have decided that today I will be a rebel and not make up for Friday's missing post, throw some random photographs that I have taken onto here and connect them with a story, not even check to see if I am using correct grammar in this post, and to just pour my heart out, rant, and maybe even rave a little. So here you go, a post of adventure, journey, and complete monotony. Enjoy! :)                                                                           

I feel as if I always at least have some idea of what I'm going to blog about, but as of right now, in this exact moment, 11:28 PM, Saturday, May 12, 2012, I have no idea what I'm going to say next. But improvisation is a fantastic skill to have and I applaud anyone who has it...but I suppose that this is more spontaneous than it is improv. Either way, I realize I am just droning on and on. Today, as I was on my way home from an extremely long day, when this unexplicable feeling hit me. I just breathed in and BAM. I realized I hadn't been breathing for quite some time. Now obviously I had been breathing, I am not super human (although I wish I was....), but I hadn't REALLY been breathing. So I breathed in as deep as I could, and exhaled out as forcefully as possible, not accomplishing anything (except learning how to sound like a yoga trainer). So I opened my journal and just began to write. What amazed me most was not the words on the page, but the length of the page and the ease at which the words came. Anyways, I just chewed on that for a while and now, here I am, typing with extreme writer's block of my exact opposite mood not too long ago.

I'm not exactly sure why but this is almost exactly how I felt all day; high-strung and out of control. Now granted, that's what being with good friends does to me, but this is also the result of a little thing I like to call "not sleeping for 3 days". Could this possibly be the cause of my blockage? (WRITER'S blockage...). Yes, quite possibly.

Unfortunately, my computer is telling me that my pictures will not upload and so I am going to have to conclude this entry...it was lame, I know, but I'll be coming to you again tomorrow, free of writer's block and full of inspiration (or at least I hope...). Good night folks!

This blog is for one of my amazing and beautiful friend, Janelle Ruiz, who happens to have a very strange obsession with Nutella that NO ONE else seems to understand. I love you dear and hope you like this Mundane Monday post. It's sure to send you right into a food coma. <3

Recently, I have had the wonderful opportunity to try Nutella for the first time. Now I'm obsessed.

Lately I've been trying to ponder up some magical uses of this addicting spread instead of just scooping it out of the jar...(Janelle). It then occured to me in class while I was staring at a jar of Nutella that sandwiched between a couple of perfectly baked cookies is where Nutella should always be. Or on top of toast for breakfast, that's pretty great too. So anyways, you can enjoy these cookies in the late afternoon along with something warm to drink or in the evening with some milk while watching the latest episode of whatever it may be that you watch.

Nutella Sandwich Cookies, makes 10-12.

Ingredients: 1/2 cup softened butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon (aluminum-free) baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of Nutella.

Cream together the butter and sugars, stir in egg and vanilla. Now mix in flour, baking powder and salt until just combined. The batter should be crumbly and you will probably need to use your (clean) hands to combine it a bit more to form a dough ball. Cover in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 20 minutes.

Now form into small round disks, about 2-3 inches in diameter and uniformly thick. You want your cookies to all sort of match each other in size because you will be placing one on top of another to form sandwich cookies. Bake at 350 F for 15-18 minutes, allow to cool completely on a cooling rack before adding filling. Once cool, spoon a couple of tablespoons of Nutella on one cookie and place another on top. Then sit back, eat Nutella Sandwich Cookies, and sigh in awe. <3 -Rachel Jenkins. (Pictures from A Beautiful Mess).

Sorry this is late, Friday was crazy (and not too fantastic). But, I suppose it's better late than never!

The craft I decided to show you guys today is just an easy starter but it's also really great! You can make this pretty cute and very you. Plus, this is one of the projects I did that really showed me that I loved to do this kind of thing! I got this idea off of one of the most fantastic blogs in the world: A Beautiful Mess. You should check it out! So anyways, this is the Doily Covered Lamp Shade Project. ENJOY!

Doily Covered Lamp Shade Project

Have you ever found a perfect lamp but just with a damaged shade? If so, this is for you!

1. Find an old, beat up lamp shade.

2. Remove all the fabric or fiberglass surrounding the lamp shade so that all that's left is the skeleton.

3. Lay the doilies out in the deminsions of your lamp shade (measure height and width) then stitch them together with white embroidery floss.

4. Once you have the desired pattern, begin attaching it onto the lamp by stitching them to the frame all the way around!

I love the look of this one! Vintage style is one of my favorites, and I also just love making new things out of the old! An instant dose of beautiful. I hope you found this as enjoyable as I did, and even if you didn't, I hope you at least gave it a shot. Stay tuned for the next Fantasy Friday! Have a simply splendid weekend! -Rachel Jenkins :)

I want to start uploading crafts I have done and for you to try every Friday! Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with this because I feel like it is a great way to show some things I've created and for you to try it yourself! Dig out your inner creativity, you never know what you may find. A gallant spirit will never find defeat! <3 I'll start doing this on May 4th, 2012 (this upcoming Friday). ENJOY!

"I could tell you that there's a method to my chaos, but then I'd be lying..." -Me.

My Poem

<3 True beauty is not what other people see

True beauty is not glamour and chic

True beauty is not the things we have

True beauty is being happy and glad

I am beautiful, this I know,

For the Bible tells me so.

You are beautiful, I hope you know,

For the Bible tells YOU so.

True beauty is not about what the naked eye can see.

I know I have true beauty because I focus on my personality.

Mirror mirror on the wall,

I am God's daughter, all of me. ALL.

Next time you want to tell me what I need to fix,

Remember that I know who I am, so there is no fooling me with your tricks. <3

By: Me! (Rachel Jenkins)

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary and what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18