As I look back over my year of slinging donuts at my first "big girl" job, I have to think fondly about those 7 a.m. shifts where I about died and wanted to murder at least twenty people.  Those purple frosted donuts were so ugly when I first started, too.  Why people let me decorate them and never said a word I will never know.

Some days are just eat-a-spoonful-of-icing kinda days.  I don't think there's any other way to describe them, although there seem to be a lot of negative words we use to classify how our days are goin.  Long.  Boring.  Exhausting.  Awful.  Crappy.  Cloudy.  SO MUCH TIRED I CAN'T EVEN DESCRIBE MY MISERABLE DAY.  #lazyday #yuckkk

We gripe, we moan, we complain, we sit through classes and go to work and get up early to curl our hair so we can look like we've got life figured out, like we're in control of SOMETHING.

One look at the 3/4ths of the way devoured icing container, however, and I think we start to realize that we're really just a bunch of bluffers.  Don't get me wrong; I'm all for icing being part of my daily diet just as much as the next girl!  But what do we hope to find at the bottom of that container?  Fulfillment?  Peace from our stressful days?  A full stomach at least? 

Maybe we think it'll help us forget that our day really didn't go well.  Maybe we can ignore the things that are REALLY important.  I like that small flare of rebellion I get when I use the carton instead of a bowl as my weapon of choice.  Don't you feel like a TV character when you do? 


We were born in a state of enmity between us and God, but hallelujah for the cross!  We don't ever have to be like again!  And yet sometimes I still put that distance between Him and I.  I do it for so many reasons.  I'm worried He'll convict me on something I don't want to hear, or that I won't have enough time to really spend with Him (and where am I getting this standard for "the right amount of time", anyways?). 

Jesus is so patient with me, and I don't know why.  It's a mystery that I'll spend the rest of my years on this earth trying to figure out. 


Wednesday night, 9:37 p.m.

When I'm all in a funk and I know I've sinned and the Holy Spirit is prompting and pushing me like crazy- I need to be with You.

Two minutes have passed now.
*blink*

I'm still with you.  You're still here, in my room, with me.  Doing what, I don't know.  Listening?  Waiting? Thinking?  All of the above, maybe?  You already know how I messed up today, but I need to tell you anyways.  Today had many precious opportunities with you that I ignored and was too self-focused to see.  I get so caught up in doing and going and checkmarks and lists, looking like I have it all together and loving that feeling of being in control.

It's exhausting.

Jesus, I can't seem to see any progress in this race.  I know I'm running, but today it feels like it turned into a valiant effort to crawl.....


I wonder if you ever feel like you're crawling? Because sista, I can so relate.  And as my sweet friend reminded me this morning, Jesus is both the coach telling us to keep going and the one right beside us, running (or walking. or crawling.) this race with us. 

"...and from Jesus' fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.  For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." John 1:16-17

And this same grace and truth is coming to us ALL DAY EVERY DAY.  No matter how long your day is, Monday or Thursday or Sunday, no matter how many scoops of icing you eat or tears you cry, God's love for you and His steadfast character don't change. 

He ain't leaving, honey.  Dry those tears and chin up!!  The earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.  Step outside and take some for yourself, and then give it all away along with some nice frosted cupcakes.

-Chloe

Honey peanut butter pretzel luna bar.  One of my friends was snacking on one and like the good friend she is she let me have a tiny nibble.  Oh my sweet luna bar.  It was love at first bite!  (haha.  get it.  at first BITE)  Right now this one is competing with the Lemon and the Frosted Oatmeal Raisin.  I mean you really can't go wrong with anything frosted.

An increase in posts.  This July I've written 11 posts.  The best I've ever done is 12, so I feel very accomplished.  July has been a good month:)

Brownie puppy chow.  Although I love the real-deal kind the best, this comes in as a close second.  Crunchie chex cereal coated with brownie mix in the same bite with smooth pieces of chopped up Reeses candy. "Not a deal breaker!"  *for non-Studio C people that will make no sense and I pity you*



Photo shoots.  Recently I had the privilege of doing a violin photo shoot for Jerica Steinbach; it was so fun!!!  I was really pleased with how the pictures turned out!





Stuck bible study.  An amazing Bible study I'm going through with some of my friends.  A HUGE blessing and big part of my July!


Watermelon Twizzlers.  Nothing says summer like a sweet stick of watermelon in Twizzler form! It's miles better then the strawberry Twizzlers, in my most humble of opinions. 


Dance camp.  The last two weeks of July I got to help teach a wonderful dance camp for girls aged 6-12.  It was such a fun experience and I'm still so amazed by all the work and thought that got put into it.  HUGE HUGE brownie points to my friend Mary Frances who was the one who got the ball rolling and then coordinated pretty much the entire thing.  She's pretty amazing! 

All the leaders of dance camp save one

We celebrated with a Radina's trip and a shared chocolate smoothie =D

Volleyball shoes.  I HAVE VOLLEYBALL SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEESSSS.  And they're so purty and it's my third year of volleyball and these are my first O-fficial genuine volleyball shoes.  My favorite part is the speckly bottom.  :D

Pretty sure when I ask "how many people have tried a life hack and it's utterly failed?" almost everyone's hands will go up.  Among the many I've tried, band-aids for French manicures, adding a marble at the top of cupcake liners to make heart cupcakes, putting frozen hash browns in the waffle maker (they clumped together and then charred), melting a chocolate kiss in the middle of a cupcake (IT DIDN'T MELT), etc. etc. None of them have worked. 
But luckily for you, I've found a few that really do work and can be quite handy!  So here you go:




Dipping your nails in ice-cold water helps nail polish dry faster.



The best way to clean your microwave:




No speakers? No problem.  Put your iPod/iPhone into a plastic cup and turn up the volume.  It will magnify the sound and act as a speaker. 



When balancing on your leg hold your opposite ear.  For some very odd reason it will center you and help you to say balanced!

There's a right side of the bobby pin??



Putting a Ziplock bag over the glass to get frosting in easier (see here for link)


Holding your breath to get a sneeze out.  Nose itching and you can feel a sneeze coming but it just won't come?  Hold your breath! This works about eight times out of ten.

Playing a game on your phone/iPod for 5-10 minutes really does help wake you up in the morning.



Look at the bottom of a watermelon to check how ripe it is.  Genius, really.  The darker yellow the bottom, the longer its been sitting on the ground and ripening. 


If you suffer from cramps while running try this:


Any candy incentive works for me :D




And some life hacks I still want to try....


Adding ?.jpg to the end of urls at the airport to get free wifi



Putting onions in the freezer for fifteen minutes before peeling to keep your eyes from watering!



Put ice cream in Ziplock bag in the freezer to keep perfectly soft (see here for link)


Use Jello, marshmallows, or cinnamon&honey for a sore throat.


Use baby oil to keep stubble on your legs at the minimum  (see here for link)



How about you all?  Have you found life hacks to be total rip-offs?  Or do you have a set that you use on a regular basis? Comment with your favorites!