Garage Sale HAUL!

So a friend of mine recently had a garage sale, and she was putting a lot of her clothes out. So like the little bargain hunter I am...I went for it. Ok Ok...about 7 months ago I decided to not buy clothes frivolously for a year. I only bought if it was something I needed. (Like my pants ripped, I need to replace them, or for performances where a specific costume choice was needed)

I caved.
She is super fashionable.
SO after this...It's back to strict Rachel! I can be strong!
But we might as well drool over what I got...FOR ONLY 40 DOLLARS!(Most of the stuff was brand new, and high end...can you blame me?? Yes you can.)



Want a closer look? Sure ya do...we all love some Steve Madden...

These one's are super fun too =)


I love the lace detail on this top! So feminine and pretty =)

But my favorite purchase of the day was this H&M dress...it's so sweet. Now I just need to go somewhere fun to wear it!


Ok so THAT'S IT! NO more clothes...ahhhh...If an opportunity like this comes along again it's gonna be all sortsa hard. But I had to spread the word...when a fashionable friend has a garage sale...GO.

Trends I'm Lovin!

This summer it seems like everywhere you look...everything is NEON! And I am lovin it! I love the bright colors and bold patterns. So fun for summer. I also love the white short trend. It's bright and airy and it makes you look super tan. (Something I am always down for!)

I decided to jump on the bandwagon and mix the two trends together! What do you think of this mixture?


My sister and I enjoying the sunny day in Santa Monica!
Here is another one of us!

And this was just too cute not to share! A drinking fountain for pampered pups, of all sizes! Topped off with free doggy treats! How cool is that?

And that was our "trendy" shopping day! What trends are you loving right now?

Put a Cherry on It!

This last week my family and I decided to be completely adorable and take my Grandpa Cherry picking.
That's right we picked cherries, and no, I don't mean from the shelves at Trader Joes.

Here's a little preview! We went to Windy Ridge Farm in Leona Valley. It was pretty quaint =)

My 93 year old Grandpa put us all to shame by picking the most cherries. He's awesome...I hope I'm like him when I'm 93. =)
I'm gonna count this as another small adventure. Something new, and different. What do you count as an adventure this week?

Adventure's Out There

I had an interesting realization the other day.

I've always considered myself a pretty easy going person, with a couple of things I had to figure out about anxiety along the way. But really, I've always been kinda down for whatever.

But it's always sort have been me waiting for someone else to take me on their adventures with them.

But what about me? I don't want to be looking for people to go on adventure with, I want people to have to catch up to ME!

The time has come for me to start living life to it's full potential. Right now what I feel pulled towards, is working on my ever growing bucket list. And you know what,

I'M GONNA DO JUST THAT.

Life is short. Let's start living it. I was talking about this with my friend Nikki the other day when we went on our hike.

We decided to call this awesome hike our first adventure. It may be small, but as we said "At least we aren't sitting on the couch!"

This was BEFORE we started, so we weren't disgusting-uh glistening, I mean, yet.
Check out THAT view!

Oh just a random chimney...
Big or small...adventure's out there. WHO'S WITH ME??

Great Article From The Resurgence!

I just read this awesome article on temptation on theresurgence.com and had to share it with you! It said that temptation is an invitation to worship. We either give into the devil and his schemes and listen to his lies...and act of worship, (ugh thinking about it that way really makes you stop) or take the opportunity to cling to the truth, that we are free and no longer have to live in bondange and obey our Lord and Savior...also an act of worship.

I just loved the perspective this gave and thought you might too!

JUST CLICK HERE

And All This Time I Thought I Was Boring

Man...the last year has been a whirlwind. Finally graduating from college was a HUGE accomplishment for me. Now, Now, I know what some of you are thinking..."Rachel, you got your degree in jazz hands, how hard can it be?"

But really, AMDA was an incredibly demanding experience. If anything just for the TIME it took up. (Not to mention the insanely tiring dance classes, teachers that like to give you a day to learn a song and choreograph it, and and say things to you like "You look old...fix it" (OH YEAH...THAT HAPPENED)

But man, since I've been graduated...it's like a whole new world! I feel like myself again! I am going out with friends, going dancing, beach trips...and eleven rolls around and I don't turn into and old woman and fall asleep standing up!

And here I thought I was just getting old and boring. I just had this terrible condition called school.

Well here is to BEING GRADUATED AND HAVING A LIFE AGAIN!!!!

DIY Inspiration Board

I got a little inspired the other night to craft! And what better to make when you are feeling inspired, than and INSPIRATION BOARD?

So I got in the crafting mood and got to work! This is a great way to display verses, quotes, goals, pictures, or anything else that your little heart desires in your home. All you need is some cork, a little fabric of your choice, and a hot glue gun (crafting's best weapon).

Here is the cork board before I jazzed it up...


Then you just cut out your material so you have enough to fold over the edges. First I glued down the long edges, then folded the short edges as if I was wrapping a present. (Thanks, Kat for that tip!)

Also, be sure to remove any kittens that decide to lay down on your work =)

With some extra fabric I added a little heart embellishment and and I was done!



And here it is in my room with all my "inspirations" on it.



I started a "bucket list" and put some of the items up on my board so as I finish them I can take them off one by one. I loved this quote I found by Helen Keller too...

"Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing at all."

And one of my favorite verses seemed to fit so well.

"With your help I can advance against a troop, with my God I can scale a wall." Psalm 18:29

LET'S DO THIS!

Brownie Cookie Heaven

The other night, my good friend Kat came over and we made the BEST DESSERT IN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE!

"But Rachel, I thought you were on Paleo?"...says all my family and friends.

Yeah, well...call it my night off. The best part of this dessert is how fast and easy it is! All you need is:

-Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (pre-made, why not?)
-Brownie Mix
-Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

THE STEPS...You'll be amazed how easy this is.
Press cookie dough into the bottom of a muffin tin. If you get the kind of dough thats already "perforated" into small squares, about a square and a half of dough will to to cover the bottom of each muffin tin.

Next, place a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup on top of the cookie dough

Make cookie dough mix and pour on top of each dough/peanut butter cup, stack. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes and ENJOY! And trust me...YOU WILL.
I do not own the rights to this photo, I googled it!

I don't know WHY I didn't get a picture of these done. Let's just say they were so good that there was no time to snap a picture, I was too busy stuffing them into my mouth!

Let Me See You Smile

Let Me See You Smile by rachelbalich featuring metal bangles

My New Favorite Way to Shop!!

Hey guys! I just wanted to tell you about this awesome website I recently discovered called polyvore.com In this website, you can mix and match different pieces from HUNDREDS to choices they have collected from different online stores. Not only can you have fun creating your own outfits, but you can look at other people's collections and copy an outfit if you need some help with the piecing together. What I love too, is that you can set your price range for whatever category of piece you are looking at. For this outfit I made, I set the price for $50 and under for every item. I discovered so many new online stores I would have never heard of before! I'm lovin it! This, in my book, is a little good thing =)

Check out my first polyvore creation...

Breezy Beautiful by rachelbalich featuring satchel handbags

Chiffon top
$18 - allyfashion.com

Hollister Co. destroyed jeans
$60 - hollisterco.com

TOMS canvas slip on shoes
$44 - toms.com

Satchel handbag
$40 - alloy.com

White jewelry
$5.95 - hempnecklacestore.com

Stackable ring
$15 - topshop.com

Dorothy Perkins plastic sunglasses
$14 - dorothyperkins.com

And to follow me on Polyvore, or to looks at my whole collection, click here!

He Laughs

I LOVE being an auntie. More specifically, Auntie Ray Ray. But now, not only am I an auntie to my adorable niece...now I have an equally adorable nephew!

Oh BOY! Hahaha...we were all so excited to finally have a boy in the family. In a family FULL of girls...testosterone levels were at an all time low. =) But this little cuddle bug is gonna change that! What a fun day it was! I got to watch Sophie while my sister was being very very brave=) When Isaac was born we went to go see him. Sophie was a little timid at first, but she warmed up to him soon enough! And what's a day with your Auntie without a treat??

Here are some fun pics from that day!



What a blessing! I'm so excited to see the adventures this little guy will bring!

Satan is a Big Fat Liar Meanie Face!

Ok, so may be he is a bit more than that, but I think we get the picture, yes?

This one is gonna be real short and sweet tonight. The other night I was feeling bogged down during my prayer time. I desperately wanted the Lord to "meet me" in some sort of way. A word to come to mind, a verse to jump off the page, a neon sign telling me exactly what to do to fall through the ceiling of my bedroom, you know...whatever, I'm not picky ;)

So after an extended prayer sesh, I was feeling no better. I still was bothered, and I had not been reminded of any hope. So I started to wrtie down how I felt. And immediately, without even trying, as I wrote down each lie, God gave me an infinately more powerful truth to combat it with.

I feel lead to share these with you not to gain attention, or to say "Oh look at me, feel bad for me these are the lies I combat with," but because I KNOW I'm not the only one who the devil likes to whisper these STUPID LIES to. They might be slightly more geared towards women however, sorry dudes. Anyways...here was how God met me that night.

"Single...Christ's Bride

Boring...Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Ugly...Made in God's Image

Useless...Made for a Purpose"



I've kept the little piece of paper in my room and I look at it from time to time to remind myself how loved I am by the God who created the universe.
P.S. I'm his daughter...no big deal.

Little Good Things

"Every day may not be a good day, but every day has something good in it."

I read this quote the other day when I was in a particularly...pleasant, (yeah, that's it) mood. I immediately made an over the top "Oh please face", I'm sure, and clicked my little mouse to the next image with so much force I'm surprised the thing survived =)

But it's true.

Awe man...now I have to take ownership of that =) Life is hard. Right now life is especially hard. But life is also beautiful. I serve a God that loves to hear my prayers...even when I repeat myself over and over again. I serve a God that created music, and breezes and cheesecake. (Yes...that did come STRAIGHT from heaven. So lately I've been trying to remind myself of at least one good thing at the end of each day. Today there are a few...
A surprise visit from my sister and niece and breakfast on the patio with them in the summer sun
An awesome rehearsal with my 6th graders for their graduation
Red wine at the end of the day
New nail polish color that really makes me happy

It's Essie's "Turquoise and Caicos"
And this is exactly from today but it's still making me happy...
A great Memorial day with my good friend Katie and her adorable daughter Lily! Plus a really fun hat from Forever 21 that I've been wanting for a long time! (Only $11.99) =)

So let's open our eyes, and see the Good Things

Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

James 1:16-17