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,