everyday beauty

Okay friends, it is time for another weekly installment of things that I love and provide inspiration!  And this week's feature is - 

This is our balcony on our apartment - specifically the view from inside the apartment at around 7:15 this morning!  Yes, I, Nicole Beaty, was up and taking pictures with my phone at that time in the morning!  

I must say this self-given assignment has been really good for me - I have been searching for inspiration in everything!  There are times when it just hits me, but sometimes it is nice to look for the beauty in the everyday!  Now why is this balcony inspiring?  Well, it is colorful and cheerful - full of happy colors.  Also, I love being outside, I love having the ability to open a door and be able to comfortably enjoy the outdoors, and I love that it feels like we are bringing the outside in! Being outside especially during the spring and fall are usually very inspiring to me  - I am in awe of God's masterpiece!  I sometimes feel like He paints a canvas just for me each day in the beauty of trees (you know I have this thing about trees!), flowers(hello, my grandmothers were named Daisy and Rose), and the light(sunlight is quickly becoming one of my favorite things)!

So I hope you find beauty in the everyday!

Much Love,

Colie

a crock pot, a recipe, and pinterest

Okay so Candace and I are horrible about going through a drive-thru on our way home from work.  And really after taking care of children all day, who really wants to come home and fix dinner?  Besides eating out getting really old really fast, the food is terrible for you, so we have been trying to cook more at home.  The one thing that has been a life-saver is the crock pot - it's not just for Rotel or your grandmother.  Last week, we put beef tips, potatoes, onions, bell pepper, and 1/2 cup Dale's Steak seasoning in it and had a feast when we came home from work!  Tonight I put 6 chicken tenders, 1/2 a bell pepper, 3 tbsp butter, 1 part chicken stock, 1 part water, a dash of salt, a dash of Tony Chachere's and poultry seasoning, and we added some mashed potatoes and called it dinner!  It was amazing, and our house smelled like yummy chicken goodness when we came home tonight!  As the weather gets colder, I can't wait to do more soups and stuff in the crock pot!  It makes coming home and passing the drive-thru so much easier!

So I have discovered and fallen in love with Pinterest!  Finally a place to keep up with the all of the ideas that are floating around in my head!  Candace and I are looking to move back to Laurel, and the idea of decorating a cute little apartment makes me so excited.  The idea of moving again does not make me so excited, but it's time and we need to move!  So I created a board with ideas that I would love to do in the Apartment, and I will link it so you can see! Check it out!  I have a few other boards on there as well, but I have not dedicated as much attention to them as of right now!  Below is a cute little kitchen that makes use of typically wasted space!

Source: designspongeonline.com via nicole on Pinterest

Lately I don't know exactly what it is but I have been so very distracted by life and everything in it that I have neglected my personal Bible study time - I like to call it an un-quiet time.  I have missed my un-quiet time and I can definitely tell when I have missed it!  My entire attitude changes, my world is upside down, and it sucks.  I am trying desperately to get back into the Word - Truth is the only thing that can change me! I am reminded of the importance of renewing our minds, and it is so very important and vital to living this life for God.  It may so very cliche but I promise this is truth!

Therefore, I urge your brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may prove what the will of God is - which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:1-2

Inspiration and Vision

I am such a visual person - I think in pictures.  It's almost as though there is a never ending movie reel going in my head.  When I read books or plays or well anything, I see the actions take place in my head.  (Possible explanation as to why I love history so much!)  I also love words - its completely amazing that these little things possess such power! To me, the best writers are those that make me see their vision and their inspiration with their words.  This week, I have been looking for my own personal inspiration and vision.  I found some of what I was looking for, and I thought I would share it with you. 

First, the past few weeks have a little of the dramatic side, and my amazing mother, pointed me to Psalm 37.  I love the entire psalm, but I want to share a couple of my favorite verses -
    "Trust in the Lord and do good, dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.  Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."  "But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord, He is their strength in time of trouble."  Psalm 37: 3-4, 39

Also I visited with a very good friend this week who reminded me of who I am - we met in college and have been good friends for a long time.  We read through skits - which may not sound like fun and excitement for anyone else, but it was exciting to get back to what I am passionate about.  Drama, acting whether live or on video is such a powerful resource in worship - almost a modern day parable - using everyday experiences to illustrate a Biblical point. 

Finally today, it has been such a beautiful day, I went around my house and grabbed just some pictures of my greatest inspirations.  I am blessed with a crazy sister who is just as visual and more artistic than I am.  So I hope these inspire you as much as they inspired me.

The Sky - oh so amazing!

Trees - you know I have a thing for trees!

Something about the sun and the shadows and light...

Weather for capris and relaxing!

Green and sun in the window

This is the view from the kitchen window and I heart it!