Following Yankee Belle

I am so appreciative of those who take the time to visit my little space on the web; thank you! It occurred to me that maybe some of you faithfuls would like to know a few easy ways to stay connected to Yankee Belle that don't involve me flooding all facets of your social media. 

Bloglovin'

My favorite way to stay connected to blogs I love! In addition to their website, Bloglovin' has a free app for both iPhones and iPads as well as Android. My husband loves this because I use fun technology, but I love it because it's easy, convenient, and everything syncs! To get started you simply click on the Bloglovin' icon on my blog page and create a free account. Then you search for Yankee Belle and follow-simple as that! There are thousands upon thousands of blogs connected to Bloglovin' so you can search and follow any style, parenting, faith, cooking, DIY blog that tickles your fancy.

Follow through Google

Since blogspot (blogger) is a Google based platform, if you have a Google account following Yankee Belle is super easy. Simply click on the "Join this Site" icon on my blog page and subscribe. In doing so you will receive an email updating you of each brand spankin' new post. 

Thanks so much for taking the time to stay connected!

My Latest Prayer

In my last post you heard me mention a ladies' group I soak up once a month. Well, this past Monday's gathering nudged my soul to pray more for our sweet little girl's heart and wisdom as I learn to mother. As a lover for all reasons to buy a new journal, I thought I need to get my hands on a fresh journal and my Bible and kickstart my time with the Lord and prayer for my babe.  Lo and behold, four our third anniversary Chad got me a brand spankin' new leather journal. Leather, apparently, is the traditional anniversary gift this go around; Chad's obviously much better at sentimental gift giving than me. Needless to say, the Lord was making moves to get my heart with Him. 

I put some worship music on-this sweet voice is a current fav-gathered my Bible, new journal, and (small) cup of coffee and cuddled up on my bed during the early morning hours. As I spent time with the Lord, surrendering control and recommitting to trusting Him, the following verses tugged on my heart.

Psalm 18:30

God's way is perfect. All the Lord's promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.

Psalm 25:4-5

Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. 

Psalm 25:11-13

For the honor of your name, O Lord, forgive my many, many sins. WHo are those who fear the Lord? He will show them the path they should choose. They will live in prosperity, and their children will inherit the land.

Psalm 26: 11

Teach me how to love, O Lord. Lead me along the right path...

Fresh Strawberry Lemonade

Once a month a group of young women from my church (all moms, sans my expectancy) gather together to glean wisdom from more seasoned mothers. Each month an invited guest shares what she has learned about being a wife who honors and respects her husband and a mom that directs her children to the Lord. The night starts with dinner, usually followed by dessert, and then sweet fellowship. I'm so thankful for the time these women take to pour into my life. As Titus 2:3-5 instructs (ESV):

Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. 

Monday night I volunteered to bring the beverages. So, true to my new, ambitious spirit I thought I'd try a drink recipe I found on Pinterest. I was skeptical that 

this recipe

, as simple as it seemed, would turn out to be good, but it was quite delicious. Here's what I did:

I took the following and blended it on low for approximately 5 minutes.

1 1/3 pounds of fresh strawberries, halved

2 lemons washed and cut into thin pieces (yes, leave the skin on)

2 cups of water

I paused every so often to make sure the blending was actually occurring. I then poured the mixture into a pitcher and added 4 more cups of water.

The recipe called for a strainer, which I didn't have, so I made some rather silly attempts of my own to "strain" the drink through two different colanders and then by way of searching out the parts needing to be strained. Don't do this. I then called Sarah, our group's host, to see if I could come over early and make use of her strainer. With help from her husband, we ended up using a flour sifter-of all things-but it worked! Hooray for ingenuity!

After "straining" I added some honey, to taste, to sweeten the drink and garnished it with a few sliced lemons. In the end, there were probably 8-10 servings. The second time around I might double the batch to ensure the drink lasts longer. In the end, I thought the lemonade was great! I'm assuming others did as well because there was nothing left to take home. :)

*Next time I promise I'll get better with the photos!