Jesus Thinking and a Neato Little Haul

Hello, beautiful Berries!

I've been wondering to myself why I call you that...

I have come to the decision that it's because

there are so many different kinds of berries,

so many flavors, colors, sizes,

and there are so many different people.

I'm reminded of the episode of Monk

with the wacky florist that believes everyone has a special flower.

I'm like the wacky blogger that believes

everyone has a special berry!

Hehe >.<

So these past two weeks,

I have been doing SO much socializing!

That is way out of the norm for me,

but it is quickly becoming a new norm.

In the last post I talked on Goodwilling with friends...

I've also, in the past 14 days, been shopping, thrifting,

skating, eating out and bowling

with groups of lovely people.

It's so much of a blessing-- I'm blown away by it.

After going through so much last year

(I'm not going to elaborate, but it was painful),

God is restoring my ability to relate,

even making it stronger.

I didn't understand the reason for the pain

during that time-

I still don't fully comprehend the why-

but through the fire,

he has made me into even more of an individual,

and through the fire, he has given me an even greater story,

and through the story and through me, having gone through what I have,

Jesus has reached into people...

This tried and true person I am becoming,

this relatable person I am becoming,

this un- copyable person I am becoming

is worth what it took to get here.

"For those God foreknew, he also predestined

to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he

might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

And those he predestined, he also called;

and those he called, he also justified;

and those he justified, he also glorified."

-Romans 8:29-30

Our lives as Christians

are being molded into Jesus,

who, according to scripture,

was and is the most relatable human being,

having been fully man, and having suffered everything

that we have suffered.

Even so,

Jesus was and is fully God,

having no sin.

How beautiful it is that we have such a mediator-

that through his relation to our pain,

we have relation to his glory!

And it's a cycle that continues;

when we are crafted into the image of Jesus,

we then relate to people around us,

then they become brothers and sisters

and go through the trials of life and become relatable

to even more brothers and sisters.

<3

Yeah, Jesus is pretty awesome.

Aside from that,
>.<
I have a neato little haul for y'all!

This past Friday, I went clothes shopping
for the cruise the band is taking over spring break-
woop woop!
I didn't find any clothing items at the thrift store (I did elsewhere, though! <3),
but I sure did pick up some excellent shop finds!

The coolest one being this wooden cabinet!

(I got all these finds at the pumpkin carriage place.)

The hardware on this baby is so gorgeous.

And I love this funky green shade!

It nearly perfectly matches the green color in the console I keep my records in at home...

...These file slots make this cabinet perfect record storage also!

Of course, I do like to see my vinyl,

so I may have to figure out a display that leaves the doors open.

>.<

Just a little more distressing, and this little cabinet

will be aaaallll right. ^.^

I love digging around in thrift stores- so many cool finds await!

This picture frame held what looked like a high school yearbook photo of a girl,

dated 1961.

I took the picture out-

I don't want a stranger hanging on my wall-

and voila!

I found these pairs in the bottom of one of the flower bins-

I tell you, the flower bins in that shop never disappoint!..

... and these three old plates, whilst looking through the dishes.

I love the old and worn look,

from dishes and figurines to chairs and tables.

I like to say that used items aren't old and gross,

they're just loved. <3

...

Every time I accumulate another piece,

big or small,

I just assume that it will crowd my room too much or be in the way;

yet, it always fits.

It adds to the coziness of the space.

This little cabinet slid perfectly between my kitchen desk

and guest bed. All I had to do was move my chair over.

Now I even find myself sitting in my chair all the time

because it's no longer shoved into a corner.

My lil' moss cabinet worked out so much better than I had thought!

This next little pile is from the same trip,

but it has a different theme running throughout.

Very wintery and sweet.

<3

I'm not Catholic or anything, but this bust of Mother Mary was too beautiful

to pass. I'm gonna keep her for a while before selling. ^.^

I kept the shiny ceramic theme going with these two kissing angels,

then picked up a tea tin of what used to be "Winter White Earl Grey" tea

and these sparkly icicle ornaments in blue and white...

Maybe those will be my Christmas colors for next year... Xo

I'll figure that out when the time comes.

For now, they go into my Christmas storage bins.

Then when I unpack my holiday décor next year, It will be like Christmas,

re- discovering all the new/used finds I packed away...

That's always so much fun! ^.^

Thanks for stopping by, y'all.

Remember how loved you are,

and have a superterriffic day today! <3

Until next time,

Lots of Love,

Content with the Present

Hello!

Welcome back, y'all ^.^

Can you believe February is almost over?

Crazy, huh?

March will be even busier for me:

the band plays for the regional and national

basketball tournaments,

the band is taking an awesome trip during spring break,

and I turn 21 next month!

On top of that,

there are school- related things,

like mid- terms and such.

Then on top of that

is the shop, which is moving along-

I'm so proud of my mom.

Then on top of that is my mission trip.

And along with that are some personal goals.

So, yeah!

I'm a busy berry! >.<

(or berry busy... ha.)

But, enough about the future--

the now is going swell!

This past weekend,

Mum took me to work on the shop for a couple of days.

This pink (or former pink) room is the one I will

be staging and selling from...

I painted it a warm brown color that is going in most of the rooms.

I may do some gold stenciling...

That would make it stand out from the rest of the place.

I'm still thinking about it, though.

(:

The previous owners of the shop

left a lot of merchandise behind.

COOLIO!

After Mum went through and picked what she wanted,

I got to do the same.

I can't wait to go through this goodie pile with you guys!

That will be for another day.

As for now, I have some other rad finds to show you. ^.^

The first pile being from Goodwill. :D

I took this trip with my ex- roomie.

The purpose of going was this dress:

I needed a black dress for the all- state choir concert,

which was that weekend...

Four dollars, new with tags! <3

Of course, I ended up getting more than a dress >.<

I found some berries (Booyah!) in an ugly container,

so I moved them into this little guy and paired him with the saucer.

I also found an adorable glass/crystal (I can't tell the difference yet) candle holder,

and this record featuring Bing, Frank AND Louis Armstrong!

Digging through the vinyl pile was so worth it that day!

The total on that trip was $8.66 (:

(^^A close up of the berries for your viewing pleasure^^)

Whilst I was on the All- State trip,

I did me a teensy bit of shopping ^.^

Claire's (which is still, like, my fave store ever besides Build-A-Bear)

was having a sale: buy 3, get 3, storewide.

So I got 3 things to decorate my room with:

this adorable light switch plate that I squeeled over for days,

and the 2 flower crowns, one pink and one white-

I might even end up wearing them one day,

but if not, they're still darling decorations.

And I got 3 accessories:

a new wallet (my other one broke),

a crown ear cuff, and a pair of unicorn earrings.

I've been rocking this jewelry so hard (;

After I got back from the All- State trip,

I had some meal money left over, so I went to Goodwill

again with a couple of friends from a University upstate.

This find here- this guy- he is my baby.

I saw him and got so excited and snatched him up so fast!

$4! <3 Love!

He now sits in my little vignette corner under the window.

So many beautiful colors.

Along with him, I picked up 3 smaller pictures for a dollar each.

I figured these would be good re- sales for my shop corner...

If I can let go of them...

It seems like it will be hard to let go,

but I know that there will always be something I like more.

It's a cycle,

which is why having a shop is so neat--

It's such a fun way to cycle things in and out of our decorating style.

Mum and I are going to have a blast with it.

Here is another Goodwill trip...

with a different group of friends...

Do you sense a pattern, here?.. :P

The pillow was about $2, and the bowl was about $1.

I wouldn't have seen the pillow if a friend didn't point it out to me-

Thanks, Chase! <3

The bowl is going to be a re- sale.

I figure it'll look super cute filled with flowers--

or old ornaments when Christmastime comes along. ^.^

Alright, y'all, this is the final little pile.

I picked up these knick knacks this past weekend when I hung out with Mum.

^.^ <3

Well, except the tray. I found that a while back at a junk shop for $2;

I just never brought it into the light until now.

Anywhoo, the box and the bone china cup were from the same yard sale.

The box was $1, and the cup said 25 cents, but the lady let me have it. Yee!

It is very beautiful.

The fake fruits inside the box are a gift from my mum.

There are sparkly berries and apples and pairs, all red.

They are very beautiful, too, and I love them! xD

Thank you, Mommyyyyy!

I did get a couple more things when I was with Mum

that I guess I'll show off later :p

I'll just show off my room for now! ^.^

...Below you can see the light switch plate,

the flower crowns and the berries and candle holder from Goodwill...

(X

Here is a scripture for you before you go:

"This is what I have observed to be good:

that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink

and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun

during the few days of life God has given them- for this is their lot."

-Ecclesiastes 5:18

I'm not going to go into depth on why this verse,

that would be a deep dive!

But the thing I am asking God to teach me in this season

is contentment, and not contentment in that I don't think I have enough

and I want more,

but contentment in that I have so much,

and I am so richly provided for.

There are some things I just need to put an end

to questioning,

and just trust that God has put me in this country,

in this generation,

in this family

and on this earth just as he sees fit.

Me and everybody.

Comparison will lead to discontentment with the present,

and that is never what God wanted.

It is, after all, a present from him.

I encourage you all to thank God for your present.

This is what the wise have observed to be good. (:

Until next time,

Lots of Love,

Goodbye, Holidays

Hello, Berries. :D

Welcome back to a new post!

January is now over,

which means I have officially bid the holidays a fond farewell

for the year.

February is going to be a great month, though,

with TMEA (Texas Music Educators Association)

coming up this week,

then Valentine's Day,

then cleaning out and revamping the shop...

There's a lot to look forward to.

Every season of life has its negatives,

but I have spent too much time already worrying.

"Do not be anxious about anything,

but in every situation, by prayer and petition,

with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

-Philippians 4:6-7

I thank God for the shop,

my blog,

my room (which the Lord used as a ministry today! I'll get to that later...),

my musicality,

the dear friends I have,

my sweet church,

my loving family,

the direction of my future (Yee!)...

There is so much more that I have to be thankful for...

Isn't it so amazingly wonderful that

giving God praise is returned with peace

that exceeds beyond our circumstances?..

What an amazing God we serve, guys!

He is so worthy.

--

Alrighty, frighty!

(is that even a saying, or did I just make it up?)

The past two weeks,

Mum has visited me,

and we've gone thrifting together.

The first expedition, near the end of January,

was such a huge success for me!

The only place we stopped at was Cinderella's pumpkin carriage place.

(That is its unofficial official new name (; )

All of this, Berries!

Four dollars and some change!

^.^

I am still so giddy.

This mirror is my favorite from that pile...

All of it is beautiful, though.

The mirror, brush and comb set

is pretty heavy, so I'm assuming all the pieces are real silver...

Not that it matters to me.

I just think they're gorgeous. XD

I picked up the pretty green fabric to re-upholster

a chair with

and later found out it was a pillow case!

>.<

How did I not notice?

It will still server as re-upholstering fabric, though.

I think it suits an antique chair more than a pillow.

What do you think?

And, of course,

I couldn't go to the Pumpkin Carriage

and not dig through the flowers.

I found only one sprig I liked

of wine colored berries,

but one is more than enough. ^.^

It's so pretty.

This past week when Mum and I hit the town,

I didn't find much décor.

I did purchase these records,

however, at 49 cents a piece from Goodwill...

One is a "jazz greats" record, one is romantic piano,

and the third is the stories of Alice in Wonderland and

Through the Looking Glass, with song. ^.^

I dug through the foliage at the Pumpkin Carriage as well

to find one tiny, little diamond in the rough...

I don't know what kind of berries these are supposed to be,

but they are a stunning color and covered in gold glitter.

There is nothing wrong with that at all!

So, since I put away all my Christmassy things,

including my tree,

my room has felt kind of sad...

So I completely rearranged it.

I had all Friday off,

since it was a teacher work day,

so I just took the day to focus on putting some

post-Christmas cheer into my haven.

It was a magical transformation! ^.^

I had a couple of girlfriends over after church today

for coffee to just relax and enjoy it; it was a sweet time...

Then after that, one of our residents, who's from Japan,

was sent by our dorm director to see my room.

(Mrs. Barb likes to show it off; I'm very okay with that. >.< )

This girl was almost in tears, it was so precious.

She said that it was like a princess's room.

She stayed in here for a while just staring and taking pictures...

She had never seen a record player before,

so I showed her how it worked...

I played Clair de Lune for her,

the best ever in my opinion, and she got chill bumps...

It was just so awesome to see how this gift of creating

a peaceful and beautiful home

can make someone so happy.

I gave her some tips on how to make her room

feel less like a jail cell.

The first step, I told her, would be to find some curtains and a lamp,

and from there to thrift things that are to your taste

and decorate with them.

Then I showed her my blog;

if you're reading, Hi, Kako!!!

I tell you guys,

seeing her face light up at my haven

was such a sweet part of my day.

--

Thank you for reading!

<3

It will be a while before I get to post again,

considering all of the music things happening in my life right now.

That is why I'm at college, though!

I can't wait until my next blog!

Until next time,

Lots of Love,