A change in seasons.

Hey friends!

So I know it's been a crazy long time since I've posted anything, and I apologize for that.

Honestly, I've found myself in a new season of life that I wasn't expecting to experience. I don't have a name for this season yet, but I just kind of feel like I'm in a limbo of sorts.

I'm desperately looking for a job, trying to find out "what I'm doing after college". And in the meantime, looking for a part-time seasonal job to fill the time that I'm not in class.

The weirdest part, for me, is that I'm in school still....but I don't feel like I'm in school. It kinda just feels like something I do in the afternoons.

Since I've been at UNT, my life has been full of group projects and exams and papers, but this final semester is so much easier than any other that I almost wish I was in more classes.....almost.

Now, when I think about finding a job after I graduate, I love the idea of finding something that is somehow related to my degree that I will receive in December (did I say that right??) I know that a crazy percentage of people don't get into a career in their actual field of study, and that's all well and good, but the thing is...I really love to write, and I love my creativity!

And I want to use what I love to serve God. I know that He is the One who gave me this love of words, so I want to use it for His glory.

I'm trying my best to trust that He has it all under control, but with December coming in like a freight train, I am starting to worry.

In the midst of my desperate attempts to stay calm and rest in this new season of life, however, I have been reminded again and again of His unending grace and love towards us.

I've been reminded that we aren't meant to go through this crazy thing called life alone. God puts people in our lives for reasons we sometimes never see, or we may witness them from the front row. He has given me so many great friends who speak truth into my life on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

Friends who encourage me to use this time to grow in Him, to stretch my faith even more and roll with the punches when I don't get the call from that one place I reallllllly wanted to work.

They remind me that I can't see the future so why worry over it? They remind me that I don't have things under control, but that He does and that's all that matters!

They say that the things that are meant to work out in life will, and if they don't, they weren't worth worrying about in the first place. They tell me that when I make decisions in life, I need to be faithful wherever I end up.

In all my rambling about school and work and friends, I really just wanted to use this post to be an encouragement to anyone else in my position, or anyone who can relate in any way.

Be faithful where you are; be willing to be led; don't worry about the future because you can't control it in any way; and find friends who will push you toward Christ when you're feeling lost.

Okay. I think this post is long enough.

Till next time!
Ry

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Fast and easy polkadot pumpkins!

Hey Y'all!

Have I mentioned that fall is my favorite? Cuz it really really is. Today I am excited to share with you how to make this really simple glittery polkadot pumpkin. It's the perfect way to decorate for fall in a quick and cheap way! And it turned out really cute!

So, first of all you're going to need a pumpkin.

Since I want mine to last, I didn't want to use a real pumpkin, so I went to Michaels and got this one. They have lot's of different sizes and shapes, and all of their fall decor is on sale right now!

Next, you'll need some paint-whatever color you want-and a circular sponge brush (also found at Michaels). I decided to go with a champagne color.

Once you've got those things, you're good to go! You're just going to dip your brush into the paint and start placing the dots on the pumpkin in any pattern you want.

(Note: It's best if you can get a small paintbrush as well to make the paint more smooth once you start putting the dots on your pumpkin. Otherwise you might have tiny air bubbles in your dots from the sponge.)

Then, you decide whether or not you want to add glitter! I decided to add it after I painted the first dot. You just pour a little bit of glitter over the wet paint to make sure it stays on the pumpkin.

The glitter can be any color you want as well! Go crazy!

Just repeat the dotting and glittering until you're happy with your pumpkin, let the paint dry and voila! You've got a fast and easy fall decoration!

If you're thinking "Ryleigh, that pumpkin is cute and all, but I just don't have time to make it." Or if you don't enjoy crafting as much as I do, I am absolutely willing to make one for you!

They're $7 while the sale is still happening at Michaels, any color, with or without glitter.

Feel free to email me at Ryleighsdiys@gmail.com

Happy crafting!

First (almost) fall-ish morning and healthy homemade granola

Hey all you party people.

I woke up super late today (which was amazing and definitely needed) to a cloudy sky and weather in the 70s. I repeat in the 70s!!! This can only mean one thing.

Fall is coming.

Fall is probably my favorite time of year. Until it's time for winter, then winter is my favorite. Oh but I love spring too, and then summer is pretty fantastic. But there's just something about fall when the leaves start changing colors and the air gets cooler.

I always look cuter in the fall/winter too because it actually makes sense to wear scarves. The change in weather also means it's time for warm things like hot chocolate.

I decided that this morning was the perfect time to try out a new granola recipe and y'all..it's. so. good.

My house smelled like Christmas while it was baking and it was glorious.

Here's what you'll need:

• 4 cups of oats
• A couple handfuls of nuts-I used sliced almonds
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• A pinch of salt
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten until a little frothy

*The nuts are optional, as is the egg white. The egg white gives the granola more of a crunch that I really like.

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Heat your honey, oil, salt and vanilla in a pan until they are mixed and runny. Pour the mixture over your oats and nuts, and add your egg white.  Make sure all of the oats are coated, then spread them onto cookie sheets that have been sprayed with non-stick spray or use parchment paper-I ended up needing two sheets.

I like some clusters in my granola, so depending on how you like yours, spread it out on the cookie sheets, and bake for about 20 minutes or until your granola is golden brown and crunchy.

Then it's ready to eat! I had mine with a banana and some greek yogurt with a little cinnamon sprinkled on the top, but it would be delicious with almond milk or by itself. Also, the recipe makes quite a bit of granola so I'm really happy about that.

Enjoy! I would love to hear more recipes to try or what you guys eat your granola with in the comments!

Labor Day Ramblings

Hello again!

Let me just say, starting the morning with a little coffee and a lot of Jesus is wonderful. It amazes me how much better my outlook on life is when I start the day off right!

Labor Day has come and gone yet again. That means this semester of school is going to be in full swing starting today. I haven't quite started counting down the days to graduation yet, and thats partly because I'm trying to enjoy every minute I can of this last semester.

It's also partly because I don't exactly want to have a panic attack about "oh my gosh what am I gonna do with my life?!" Though, I'm sure another one is due to hit me any day now.

Oh well, back to Labor Day...I went and saw War Room last night with my mom and a sweet friend. That movie y'all. It was really great, and it definitely got me examining my prayer life and realizing just how lacking it is. I definitely recommend it to anyone and everyone.

Okay. So I know that in my last post I said I'd be posting some secret thing, and I had great plans for doing a project yesterday and showing y'all how to do it. But long story short, I ended up getting to watch a couple of super cute kids yesterday and then spent the rest of the day with family. (On top of that, I decided to make something I'm giving to a friend for her birthday, and I don't want to take the chance of her seeing them!)

It was a successful Labor Day! I hope yours was too, and I hope y'all have a great rest of your week! The next post I write WILL be something useful to you guys, I promise! I've already got it all figured out and everything :)

See ya on the flip side.

First time for everything.

Hey everyone, Ryleigh here! This is (obviously) my very first post, and I’m so excited to start this here blog. I guess I should introduce myself for anyone who doesn't know me. I’m Ryleigh! I’m currently a student at UNT and will graduate in December! Whoop Whoop! Writing, crafting, reading, movies, cooking, musicals, baking, dance parties (in which I pretend I can dance…and party), friends and family are a few of my favorite things.

So, what is this Ryleigh person gonna talk about and why should I read her blog, you may ask? Well that’s a fantastic question, and one that hopefully I will be able to answer someday. As anyone who knows me well could guess, this blog is going to be random because that’s how life is right now! Being in my 20’s, I don’t quite have this life thing figured out yet, even if I am supposed to be a real adult soon...

I’m definitely going to do some DIY, recipes (healthy and not so healthy), maybe a little of what’s going on in this life of mine, things I’ve heard or learned from people in my life, inspiration from the Word, and maybe a few near-meltdown posts as the end of my college career comes ever closer. You can definitely expect some guest appearances from my crazy friends and family members.

Well…I give you major props if you’ve read this far! And if you’re willing to hang in there with me, I hope to keep you entertained if nothing else! If any other bloggers out there have any tips for me, I would love any advice you feel like sharing! Keep your eyes peeled for my first *actual* post which will be…drum role please…....kept a secret till next time! 

Talk to ya soon!