makeover mondays!!!

Hey bloggy peeps - it's that time of the week again!  Whew - it's been a busy couple of weeks!  Lots of life being lived here in our house right now.  Not all is perfect....but God is perfect, so it's all good.  :)  Life is about learning to trust Him in everything - even when it doesn't make sense.  It's a sweet thing!  Speaking of sweet....I thought that would be a great theme to this week's MM.  Without further adieu...

6 Ways To SWEETEN Up Your Monday

1.  Go raw...and local, honey!  ;)  Raw honey has so many health benefits (seriously, Google it) and buying local is even better.  Because the bees that make your local honey live in your environment...the honey they produce offers many immune boosting properties.  (or so I'm told...so far I'm buying it)  I've been searching for some local fare and last week I found this sweetness at a local market.

It's phenomenal!  It's sweet, caramel-ish, and thick.  Haven't tried it on biscuits, but shut-the-front-door that would be good!!!  So...if you're in the market for some amazing honey....go local and raw!  Oh, and if you're ever in the Savannah, GA area, stop by the Savannah Bee Company and try these...they're my faves :

The Raw Acacia Honey is sweet and has fruity/floral notes.  The Winter White Honey has a creamy texture and can be spread on anything....mmmm....biscuits.  And the Raw Honeycomb is great on it's own or eaten with fruit and cheese.  Try this...

Core and slice one Granny Smith apple

Top each slice with shaved Gruyere cheese

Finish with a little Raw Honeycomb honey and honey drizzle

Serve and enjoy - makes a great appetizer!

2.  Leave a sweet fragrance behind!  I'm in serious like with Flowerbomb by Viktor & Rolf.  It's the perfect blend of fruity & floraly deliciousness.  It's perfect for summer!!  While I love the scent, the price point is a little less than stellar....so this little gem is the one I'm using at the moment.  (I'm hoping a certain someone picks up my not-so-subtle hints I'm dropping...birthday is just around the corner...know what I'm saying?)  Try a sample at Sephora or wherever it's sold.

3.  Sweeten your day buy sweetening up someone else's day!!  I'm a huge fan of random acts of kindness.  It's amazing what a small gesture, smile, or word will do to change a person's day.  Recently my favorite and I were perusing a local farmer's market with our dog and an elderly lady approached us and wanted to love on our dog.  She was all alone and was easily engaged in conversation.  She even shared her lychee nuts with us that she had just purchased.  It was such a sweet conversation and I could tell she might have been a bit lonely.  It was nice to know that perhaps our encounter brightened her day in some small way.  It seems that I've had quite a few of these small encounters lately....or maybe they've always been there and my eyes are just open enough to see them.  Wherever you are or whatever your circumstance, you always have the ability to make a difference in someone's life around you.  Oh, and for those of you curious of what a lychee nut is...here's a pic (they're actually pretty sweet themselves - I highly recommend)

4.  Make a sweet fashion statement!!  I love summer style.  It's easy.  It's breezy.  (no, this isn't a covergirl ad)  It's fun!  When I think of summer fashion, I think of dresses, sandals, tanks, skirts, shorts, delicate jewelry, and the likes.  I'm a product of the grunge era, so I love a good pair of ratty jeans or shorts and a tank or vintage tee.  It's my go-to outfit when I want to be comfortable.  But there's something about warm weather that makes me want to buy every dress and cute top I see.  Oh, and what's with all the cute summery sweatshirts and sweaters????  Oh my....they get me every time!!  How is it that my mind instantly tries to rationalize the purchase of a sweater in the middle of summer when it's 100+ degrees in the shade with 90% humidity??  Seriously.  I may need professional help.  Along with the 2 maxi dresses I snagged at a Forever 21 sale, here are a collection of (some of the) things I love for summer : 

 
 5.  Sweeten up meal or snack time with this sweet summery treat!!  Around here, we love our watermelon!  It's the epitome of summer, don't you think?  Right now these babies are bountiful and super sweet!  (I've been buying one a week at the local market)  So good!!

6.  Of course...one of the best ways I know to sweeten my Monday is to get lost in worship.  Ahh...sweet worship in the One who made me.  Nothing sweetens my heart and soul like spending some quality time nurturing my relationship with the Father.  [I am a worshiper at heart.  We all are.  It's the way we were created to be.  I love that God created us to desire something more than what we can find in ourselves.]  Especially when I go through times when it seems that all else has failed me or even in times when it seems I've failed all things.....the love of Jesus never does.  His love never fails.  I am continually amazed at the way God orchestrates everything in my life.  I may not understand every circumstance or situation, but one thing is always true.  God is always with me and His love never fails.  His love and grace are two of His attributes that I stand firm on every day.  Reader, if you are going through a time in life where it seems like the sweetness in your life has turned sour....know I am praying for you.  You are loved by the God who created the heavens and the earth.  He is love and He is perfect.  He never fails.  Take a listen and get lost in the sweet message of this song....be blessed.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails..."

1 Corinthians 13:1-8a