floral

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Christmas Break FUN!

My cousin Kelsey and I have been very busy this break!

We are finally attempting to bake through this entire cupcake recipe book...it's gonna be interesting!

These are our first three attempts that the book titles "Pirates, Christmas Trees, and New Home". Awkward, I know. "Here is a cupcake with a house on it welcoming you to your new home!" I can barely handle it. These all required the use of fondant, which if I do say so myself, WE FINALLY FIGURED IT OUT!!!!

There was explosve powdered sugar sifting....

Icing expiration date discovery...(FYI there are about seven containers of icing in the trash can).

Overall it was a fun fun time as always:).

More projects to come:)!

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Christmas Bells Still Ringing

I had a great time at family gatherings this weekend! I got my new schmancy camera too:) So, the weekend was documented with a grand total of like 200 pictures...whoops.


Once my blogger uploads pictures a heck of a lot faster, maybe I'll download some more pictures. But until then, you are stuck with the bare-minimum.

Christmas day service at church was wonderful once again. I sang the special "Innkeeper" and Pastor Rob coincidentally preached on Baby Jesus specifically. It's amazing how God can make those things happen.



Innkeeper
By: Roger Emerson

Oh Mary, I know you're tired, but there’s no room at the Inn.
Oh Mary, I’ll try once more, maybe he’ll fit us in.
Innkeeper, Innkeeper, do you have room for my wife with child?
Innkeeper, Innkeeper, can you make room for the meek and mild?

Oh Mary, sorry is he; there is no room today.
Oh Mary, I’ll try once more; you wait behind and pray.
Innkeeper, Innkeeper, please don’t say no, we’ve traveled far, you see.
Innkeeper, Innkeeper, how could you know? A King He’s destined to be.

Innkeeper, Innkeeper, what’s that you say? A stable lined with straw.
Innkeeper, Innkeeper, where will he lay? With friendly beasts in awe.
Innkeepers, Innkeepers, Innkeepers all, do you have room for the child?
Inkeepers, Inkeepers,won't you make room for the Holy child?
Innkeepers, Inkeepers, Innkeepers all! Do you have room for the child?





I hope with all my heart that you have made room for your King this CHRISTmas season.
Don't be like the Innkeeper 2000 some years ago, MAKE room.

Merry CHRISTmas from me to you:).

Thursday, December 22, 2011

My Favorite Gairs:)

"Mom, if you need me I'll be backs in the gairs (girls) room!" -Sweet Jackson Paul

This past weekend I had the honor of being invited to a Christmas open house in Indiana. Jennie's sister in law, Debbie-doo, wanted it to be a surprise for her two daughters for me to come and visit. First off, I haven't seen these chicks since Camp! That's a long time, by the way.

Never fear! It's just me, although the placement of my hair makes me looks like a giant lion. No. Big. Deal. (Jessica, aka Yessica, Me, aka lion, and Cyle, aka Cow)


Anywhoo, I LOVE these girls to the moon and back and would kill for the summer to be five- smidgens longer just to see them more.


Yep. Accept the awesomeness. The. End.

Peace out girl scouts.


Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Parole, Baby!

Yes, that's right. I said parole. We Versailles High School students lovingly call our school a prison. So, Christmas break= parole :).

I will keep you posted with all of my holiday fun-(ness?).

Peace out girl scouts.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Signs of Mondaytuesdayness


Sign #1: Bun, T-shirt, Glasses, Zit. Yummo...

This is my brother's cozy hug bear. He won it at my Grandma's side's Christmas party gift exchange. We brought it (a.k.a. MAJOR party foul). I had a HUGE headache when I got home from prison school yesterday, so i heated him up and snuggled him on my neck and POOF! Gone. Teddy bear done did work on that headache, yes he did.

 Sign numero 2: I wore my golden shoes today. Also called the most comfortable pair of Target shoes EVER. I wear them on yucky days. Tuesdays are yucky. Don't try to convince me otherwise, please.

Sign number C: This picture of pure mid-winter bliss:) So pretty out there! God sure can amaze me....how about you?


Anywho, Happy Monday/ Tuesday!

Peace out girlscouts.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

I'm Not A Standardized Person...grr

It's gonna get real sassy real fast up in here.

*huff*

Darn ACT.

First off, why do they just assume that every teenager wants to be up at 8 am on a Saturday? Oh that's right, we don't.

Secondly, standardized test? I am not the run of the mill standard person. And neither is everyone else. So why make us take the same test and all of it's nastiness?

*huff*

That's all I have to say.

P.S. If I have to take that again, so. help. me.

Peace out girlscouts!

Friday, December 9, 2011

The MOST Delicious Cup of Hot Cocoa



Reading so soon? I thought for sure you'd still be staring at my cup of hot chocolate.


Just kidding. Anywho, this is how it went:

1: Boil yourself some water.
2: Add your favorite hot cocoa mix to a mug and stir in the water (but only fill it 2/3 full of water)
3: Fill the remaining space up with cold milk.
4: Add a 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract (are you doubting me? shame on you.)
5: Add a peanut butter cup, and let it melt all up. (I substituted with a spoonful of Nutella because we didn't have any:( ) Twas still delicioso.
6: Take a sip, go ahead. Die a little inside, it's cool. Enjoy your hot beverage.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Coasters?

Yes, coasters. I made coasters. I feel like a crafty beast.



First off : I made myself some homeade modge podge:). 1 bottle of Elmer's school glue, a mason jar (or other glass container), and water. Pour your glue into a jar twice as big as the contents of the glue bottle. Fill the bottle with water and dump into the jar. Shake well. Decopage much. Enjoy your crafty- self.

Secondly: Cut out scrapbook paper the same size as your backsplash tile/ old ugly coasters. Decopage that jazz onto your tile/ old raunchy coasters.

Thirdness: Spray them with a clear matte spray paint. Let dry overnight and put your sweaty drinks upon them to your little heart's delight!

Just realized I rhymed in that last statement. I rock.

Peace out cubscouts.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

The Fiery Furnace

Radshack, Meshack, and Abendago (as we all know them from the Veggie Tales classic and of course the Bible) were put to the ultamate test one day.

It was either bow down to King Nebuchadnezzar's statue, or take a little jog to the fiery furnace where their bodies would be burnt into nice little piles of ash. Lovely, right?

It was their faith in God that made this choice show up in their lives. You see, the King wanted these three men of God to worship him alone. God also wanted them to bow down to Him, the only true King. A choice was made and the lads were tossed into the fiery furnace to burn.

But, the good news is, God performed yet another miracle in that pit of fire. Thus was born "The Mystery of the Unknown Man" as we so lovingly called it this summer at VBS.



King Nebuchadnezzar was shocked that their was an extra man within this group. It was Jesus! This was one of the very few times that Jesus ascended from heaven. How cool is that?

Later on (since the men were saved from the flames by God Himself) the King decided that he would worship this great and glorious God! <<<<Cool jazz right ther. He also declared that any man that did not worship the God of Meshack, Radshack, and Abendago would be torn to pieces.





Now, imagine if we, by taking a leap of faith such as this, could turn a school, town, or country upside down with the presence of God! All it takes is faith, trust, and pixiedust! Just kidding. But seriously, this was a huge! and I mean huge step of courage and faith by three mere mortals. Imagine what we can do with God on our sides. Oh that's right, everything.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Hidden Sorrows

Before you watch this heart-renching video, I warn you that there are a few choice words ( parental discretion advised).

Beautifully written on a fellow blogger's post, "Don't judge a book by its cover. Get to know people before you judge them, better yet, don't ever judge them. You don't know their struggles or pains. You don't know their past. Be a friend. Listen."

I would advise the same. "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” John 7:24

"Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; " Luke 6:37

I would ask you, to be a helper to God, not a copy-cat. It is not our place to judge, it's His. I have to remind myself this often too, don't worry. Pray for the young men and women such as this, that they would find strength in Him to rise above and beyond the world's standards and into a new beginning.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

my favorite season:)


*Sigh*

I practically ran in the door from church today to turn on our tree:) It just makes me all sorts of happy inside.

For years we did a Disney Christmas tree. We had at least a hundred ornaments that were all Disney characters. It was childhood bliss, a box of chocolates if I may. You'd forget which ornaments you had and then you'd go through and find one you forgot you had! They all had certain unsaid spots on the tree that they were placed on every year.

Last year we got a new tree and decided it was time to put up the Disney ornaments:/. We now have a red and gold themed tree:) My favorite Christmas colors:).

Mom says that when we get married and such we are going to divide up the Disney ornaments....I can't wait!

But, Christmas trees don't make up the Christmas season. It's the fact that our God sent down to us a precious baby boy. Just to be hung on a cross for our sorry-selves. So, though it is easy to get caught up in the decorations, parties, and presents, we can't forget the real reason for the season. Our beautiful, merciful, loving, caring, comforting, hearing, ever-present Savior.






Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Knee Deep In My Past

A.k.a. cleaning out my closet. There were lots of goodies in store for me. Let me tell you....

I kept finding these little cows that I got when I was eight or nine. I couldn't tell you where or why I got them, but I know that I played with them and my Polly Pockets for hours. One of them was definitely named Rosie and she had a heart on her head. I know, suspicious.

(Now that I've dragged you into this mess, I will warn you, it's about to get real random up in here. Brace yourselves.) You have been formally warned.

Continuing, I found a load of devotionals from my child/ tween years. I promptly put them in "Hope Chest" boxes along with the slew of books I found at my grandma's house. <-----Some of them are a hundred tears old! And about the "Hope Chest" boxes, I filled my hope chest to the brim already. It's strategically packed to a Point of No Return. See what I did there?

Miss Tipton, my elementary music teacher, would be proud to know that I still have my recorder. What's a recorder you ask? It's kind of like a clarinet, except it's plastic, high pitched, irritating as all getout, and easy to learn. "Hot Cross Buns" was a second grade favorite.

I found a boatload of DIY kits. Which makes it kind of not DIY, whatever. I had hemp bracelets, T-shirt paint, scrapbooking, and one of those yarn things where you pull little pieces of yarn through a plastic do-dad and make a picture of sunshine! (I'm good with terminology).

I also found my fairy wings from my wee-little days:). I smiled really big then too.

This is embarassing. In middle school, I had one crazy best friend. We took old glasses cases and put some frilly yarn (retro, oh yeah) in them.Then we made little pompoms with eyes and such. The glasses cases were their groovy apartment. Yeah, I'm ashamed too. We played with these things like a dog plays with it's tail. Craziness.
<em>The giving tree</em> [Book]
Moving on. After I giggled at my immaturity, I cried while reading the book The Giving Tree. You haven't read it? SHAME ON YOU! No, but seriously, read it. It teaches a lesson and makes you cry once you appreciate it. It's 15 pages long. Win-win.

I apoligize for my ramblyness. Word? I think not. I've been out of school for a whole day, give a girl a break. I appreciate your understanding. Have a nice Thanksgiving!!!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Yes, We Shopped 'til We Dropped

So, this past weekend, the girls on my dad's side of the family went on our annual Christmas shopping trip:). We all look forward to this fun weekend!


This is me, my seester (tehe) Danielle, and my GREATEST cousin Kelsey:).

There were sales. Loads and loads. We bought way too much. Of course. And we learned that there is a Target Greatland and a Joann Etc. Yeah, I know, news to me too.



We finally went to Olive Garden again. It's been prolonged for years. I had the stuffed chicken marsala. Twas delish!

It was a weekend filled with dressing rooms, Christmas gifts, fellowship with my wonderful family, and yawning:). I can't wait until Christmas! 1 month and 8 days ladies and gents!

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Thirsty?

You may be drinking a glass of water right now. You may have just finsihed washing dishes. Did you take a shower today? Are your kids fresh from a recent bath?

You probably answered yes to everyone of these questions. I did. We don't think about our water usage, ever.

Have you ever seen a "preserve water" sign? Did it make you think twice? Feel guilty?

Well, everyday children, mothers, grandmothers, and other people in villages overseas travel miles to a well everyday. They do this just to survive.

So, instead of just feeling guilty when you read something like this post, do something. Donate on this site. I will also be posting a button on my sidebar soon, hopefully. Flower Patch Farm Girl conjured up this idea a bit ago and I think it is great. 10,000 dollars is what we need. Do you want to be a part of it?

                                                  

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Money for my New Camera (hopefully)

So, for Christmas this year, my dear, lovely, kindhearted, parents are getting me a fancy schmancy camera:) Yay!

I want Adobe Lightroom 3 photo editting software for our computer too. So I'm trying to raise money for this task.


Can I just say that our living room was an absolute DISASTER for about 5 hours last Tuesday? Yeah...it was bad, but we got something done.

The final product....



Ta-da! They are Christmas ornaments made of rolled paper and a little craftiness:). I have enjoyed making these and am eager to go with my grandma to a craft sale this Saturday and sell them! If you are interested in one just email me (I'm pretty sure my email is on my blog? If not just leave a comment with your email address and I'll get back to you). I can customize them with names or other things if you'd like. :)

Have a good day!

Monday, October 31, 2011

The Homeschool Baby!

The Homeschool Baby is a new blog by Laura over at 10 Million Miles! She started this blog to educate and help other homeschooling mothers or women who hope to homeschool someday. You don't have to have children or homeschool to get something out of this blog, however. She will be accepting ideas and such from other bloggers and moms as well. So head on over to TheHomeschoolBaby.com and start by following Laura! I have the utmost faith that this will be an incredible blog chock full of all sorts of advice!

Hurry over by midnight tonight to enter for a cookie giveaway!

Monday, October 24, 2011

hAyStAcKs!


Yummo! These treats are just about the easiest and best thing next to s'mores...No joke.


Haystacks

1/2 cup peanut butter
1 bag of butterscotch chips
1 can of La Choy noodles


Melt the peanut butter and butterscotch chips in a double boiler.



Add the can of La Choy noodles. Mix until the noodles are covered. Scoop them out onto a non-stick surface that can go into your refridgerator (wax paper on a cookie sheet works best). Let the sit in the fridge until they harden. Enjoy!

Sunday, October 23, 2011

L.O.V.E. Wall Hanging


This has been my project over the past few days! It has taken me forever, but I finished!


I started out by selecting 4 shoe boxes. Different sizes make for a more interesting collage.


Then I picked out four different pieces of fabric and cut them roughly to cover the front and sides of my shoe box lids.


I then took my hot glue gun and glued down the fabric only on the inside. If you glue the front, the line of glue will show and not look as nice.


I did this to all four of my lids and Wha- laa!


I went and visited my grandma and asked for some buttons and beads and such. I arranged them on the lids and hot glued them down.






And there it is folks! Have fun!

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Ah...The Best Cookies EVER



Just look at them. Large stacks of those sweet cookies. With morsels of decadent chocolate. Yum.

My mom has been making these cookies for what seems like forever. The batter honestly tastes better than the cookies themselves (but hey, doesn't it always?). But, these cookies are IRRESISTABLE! Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 brown sugar, packed
1 egg
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package (12 oz) of semi-sweet chocolate chips ( we interchange that with butterscotch, peanut butter, or white chocolate and crasins depending on our mood:))

Heat oven to 375. Mix butter, sugars and egg. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt (dough will be stiff) Stir in choclate chips by hand. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfulls about 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake about 8 to 10 minutes (centers will be soft). Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheets.

This recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies. They freeze well and are great anytime of the year, as any chocolate cookie should be. 

This recipe is an oldie but a goody. I wonder if you can see the various stains on this original recipe?


Yeah, it's all ripped, but hey!, that only makes it easier to find in the recipe box!




This is an extremely kid friendly recipe! Have fun and enjoy!

Saturday, October 15, 2011

The Calm After a Storm

Today I was a horrible babysitter. Absolutely horrible. Thank God for His grace. I lost Sam-bo. Precious, giggly, rotten, sweet-faced, Sam-bo. The thoughts that went through my mind are indescribable. Visions of him with a stranger or off in the woods by himself consumed my every waking thought. And then we found him. :) Praise the Lord!

 What a sweet little guy! He is the second youngest of six in a family that is near and dear to me in heart and presence. His big sister, Bailie, is such a sweetheart and protector over this little guy. As she and I were sprinting through the woods to find dear Sam, I could only imagine what was going through her mind, based on the thoughts that were going through mine. Poor girl :(

Jennie's (Sam's momma) dearest friends, Koralee and Josh, and their five children also participated in this search. Thank you so much!



Now as I sit here with his baby sister, Maddie, (who's currently munching on a banana) I thank the Lord for sending Sam-bo back to us. He is now quietly sleeping in his room. I am feeling His presence and Him giving me this calm after a storm.

Friday, October 7, 2011

God's Timing



A time for everything. In God's timing. Patience:).

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Christ is the Cure...

Life is a maybe.
Death is for sure.
Sin is the cause.
Christ is the cure.

Excuse my poor grammar. But ain't that the truth?

I found this saying written on a t-shirt at the Bread Of Life bookstore. Took a picture and commited it to memory. I find that this is a good slap in the face quote. Do you ever find those? I do. A lot.

Life is a maybe.

Think about it. Did the people that died on 9/11 wake up that day and say, "Oh I bet we will be attacked by terrorists today." OF COURSE NOT! But the reality is that life is a maybe. Everyday we wake up with the chance of dying. We have to decide where we want to spend eternity. I surely don't want to spend it in Hell, and I don't think any person in their right mind does.

Just think of this past summer, Ohioans, July 21-24. This week was hot. I mean unbearable, seek out air-conditioning, I'm-a-lady-but-I'm-sweating-profusely HOT! So, imagine that, but 100x hotter. There's Hell for ya. Not to mention the monsters and stuff, but hey, we have a choice. I want to go to Heaven. God wants me to go to Heaven.

Christianity is not a religion. It is a RELATIONSHIP, with the one and only living God.

"Jesus answered, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.'"
-John 14:6

And that's all there is to it. So get that relationship with God. Read your bible, go to church and worship Him, build that relatonship. In the end, I'm 100% positive it will be worth it.



Death is for sure.

FOR SURE. I heard a statistic the other day that said 1/1 people die in their lifetime. It seemed silly at first because we don't really think that way. We don't think about dying tomorrow because we are the kind of society that lives for today. And I guess that is okay if you KNOW you are going to Heaven, but not so much if you don't know for sure.

Guys we can't live for today. We have to accept that we don't know what's going to come tomorrow. We have to be prepared. Death is for sure.

"Altogether, Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he DIED."
-Genesis 5:27

See, even though Methuselah lived for 969 years (! wowza!) HE DIED! Everyone dies, so figure out if you want to spend eternity in Hell or Heaven. I'm a blunt person, sorry.

Sin is the cause.

Isn't it so easy to just say whatever to life with Jesus and let sin overtake us? I struggle with this as do most of you probably. But, God forgives. Thank God God forgives. Can I get an Amen! *insert everyone reading my blog shouting, "Amen!". Haha. Sorry. Sin has the power to overtake your life in an instant and change it forever.

So, here's my analogy for the day: Rolling stops, a.k.a. California Rolls. Yeah, you do it. You know you do. We all do at some point whether it's because we're in a hurry, or just hate stopping completely, or another rediculous excuse. Anywho, the point is that rolling stops become a habit. They are against the law. It seems like just a little teeny infraction, right? Well hey guess what? It will lead to you just running stop signs, taking lives, and getting tickets.

Sin works the same way. We do "little" sins (which God says sins are all the same, hence the quotes) and think it's okay. These little sins lead to bigger sins, a suckish relationship with God, and a bad lifestyle. Everytime we sin we get a little further away from God in our walk with Him. Eventually you end up in a different world, where abortion, premarital sex, and being drunk is "okay".

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
-Romans 3:23

I'm not going to say sin is okay. But we ALL sin even if you don't realize it. That's why God sent Jesus to die on the cross for us.



Christ is the cure.

 Hallelujah, Amen, Holy Goodness yay. Right??!!! There's a cure! YAY!!! *Cue all of the people reading my blog jumping up and down in praise! Invite Jesus into your heart to STAY! It's a relationship, you will be persecuted. But it's soooooo worth it! To spend eternity in HEaven is like a gianormous party (catching on to my bad grammar yet? :)). So get there or be square!

Life is a maybe. Too bad world, we've got us some Jesus.
Death is for sure. Too bad Satan, we have a choice!

Sin is the cause. We've got a Savior who loves us and died for our dirty, rotten sins!

CHRIST IS THE CURE! Enough said.

Monday, September 26, 2011

It's a Piece of Cake, Literally

Along with the JDRF walk this weekend, I made a cake and mom and I made a diaper cake.
For directions on how to make a diaper cake, click here.
This is how mom and I's turned out:


Idn't it cute? :)


Top view:) All of the cute little toys were so fun and easy to pick out...


Then we stuck all of the extras such as diapers, toys, extra blankets, bottle package, and toy containers back into the diaper box.

And now for the yummy, edible cake that I made after I got home from a youth retreat at Ludlow Falls Camp. Noise was the name of it, and it suits it very well. We "learn" to worship our God with everything we have, had small groups, great worship, and limited sleep:).

So I just realized I didn't tell you what either of these baby themed cakes were for. Wow. So, my youth pastor's wife, Kathryn, is pregnant with her first little baby. A little boy I affectionately call Tibbles:).

Continuing on...


Idn't IT cute?:) This was hard to do on 4 hours of sleep, but I managed. There was only 1 piece of sheetcake left when everybody went through the line. Brad was a very happy camper that he got to take this cake home with him:).

Lord, I ask that you would be with Kat and Brad and little Tibbles. That you would bless that little boy all of his life, that you would guide Brad and Kat on how to parent him and raise him up to be a godly man. Amen.