Goodwill Grab

Talk to friends or family who have gone shopping with me, and you will probably get the same response: I'm a picky buyer. I like my clothes to be just right in modesty, style, and especially price. Even at places like Goodwill, my sisters can come home with a big bag of clothes, while I only find one or two things that work for me. Sometimes, it's depressing. This most recent trip was no exception, but the one thing I did find was nothing to be depressed about. It was a dress, perfectly colored, in a pretty, feminine pattern, and in a trendy style. Unfortunately, it had several problems: no sleeves, a see-through, lacy back, and it was a little too short.

Thankfully, I have a fashion-loving sister who has fixed problems like this before. So, by adding a below-the-knee skirt, a white cardigan, and a scarf, it is now one of the best pieces in my closet! You don't have to sacrifice style for modesty- you can have both!

P.S. Goodwill is a great place to find cute clothes at super cheap prices. What are you waiting for? Go check it out!

Virtuous Woman #4

Hello everyone! It's been a while since I've posted (when you get out of a habit, it's hard to get back into it!), but hopefully I'll be able to get more regular about this. It looks like we are on our fourth Virtuous Woman post, and I hope this will be an inspiration to you!

"She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens."   

                           -Proverbs 31:15

The great Bible commentator Adam Clarke put it like this: "She is an economist of time." He goes on to say that the virtuous woman's family works in the night, gets up early, and lives an orderly life. They aren't lazy. They use time wisely. There is order and structure to their lives.

 I think many of us just muddle through life like pigeons (I needed to make the picture relevant!). We don't know where we're going, and we don't particularly care. To be honest, we won't always know where we are going. Right now, I can't tell you precisely where I'll be in 15 years- maybe I'll be exactly where I am today. Maybe I'll be on a missions trip in Africa (which is a very real possibility). No one (except God) knows! But that doesn't mean I can't do things to prepare for my future. By doing your best in what you do now, you are preparing good characteristics for the future. By stepping out of your comfort zone and doing something different, you are preparing yourself for the future. I used to be a really introverted person who couldn't talk to anyone without panicking. Thankfully, I had people and situations in my life that helped me break out of my shell a little (though I still blush and get nervous in most situations...).

 It is not God's will for us to sit down and let life run past us. We should grab hold of it, and enjoy the adventures that God has prepared for us!  

For more Adam Clarke, check out http://www.studylight.org/commentaries/acc/.

Organization Tips!

Every so often I get into this crazy "go through your room, get rid of lots of stuff, and find different ways to arrange things" kick. My closet took a hit, especially when I realized that I should start getting clothing I really liked instead of buying it because it fits. Anyway, I've found some neat ways to organize scarves, and shoes.

1. Shoes.

My shoes were originally thrown in one of those pop-up hampers, until I looked up cheap shoe organization and got this idea. A great storage solution for shoes is.... shoeboxes!! Pretty cool, huh? Just wrap them up with pretty wrapping paper and- voila! Instant awesomeness!

2. Scarves.

For scarf organization, I have this nifty little owl hanger I got one Christmas from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. This isn't a DIY thing, but it's still pretty cool! It has 10 or 12-ish rings for your scarves, so if you have a large scarf collection this might not be the thing for you.

For more awesome organization, check out Pinterest!

Enjoy!

Chicago

                                                   

Good evening!

It's almost the end of Spring Break (for some of us). Mine was pretty uneventful, except on Wednesday. My sister and I went on a day-trip to the Windy City- that's right! Chicago!!! Woke up at 5:45 AM, drove for  a while, hopped on a train, then took two buses to Navy Pier. We rode the Ferris Wheel, went to Auntie Anne's (best pretzels EVER), walked a lot, went to Millennium Park, took a lot of pictures, went shopping, hopped a bus, drove a while and made it back in time for church! Whew. It was great. There's something about the hustle and bustle of the city that gives a person a few more steps out of introvertedness.

Auntie Anne's
Of course, in the big city, there are many things to photograph and the lighting was perfect. When I go to an unfamiliar place with my family, I like to take tons of pictures!

Also, I have a fear of heights, so the Ferris Wheel was a little scary... It was a good thing that the Wave Swinger wasn't open- again my motion-sickness and fear of heights probably would've made me panic up there!

Crack the Whip (aka Chain)

This is a sculpture showing a game I used to play outside after church with some friends! We always called it Chain.

Captain at the Helm

Cloudgate (the Bean)

CHICAGO!!!!!!!!!

Virtuous Woman #3

All right! It's been a while since I've posted, so it's about time for a Virtuous Woman post.
Today's verse is Proverbs 31:13-14:

"She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar."

You can tell where I'm going with this one: A virtuous woman is a hard worker. Not just a hard worker, but a willing worker. She labors because she wants to! Ever heard the expression, "Idle minds (or hands) are the devil's workshop"? The virtuous woman knows this and fills her time doing important things: getting food for her family, bringing home an income and, of course, doing the Lord's work. This is another one of those "Wow! This is such a challenge!" Especially since I was just complaining about doing things around the house. As I was posting this.
What can we do to work willingly when we don't feel like it?
                     
                                  -Sing while you work

! Singing is an awesome way to shake those blues away!
                                  -Listen to music! Again, music has some sort of super power that makes you happy.
                                  -Make a game out of it! Whether dusting shelves or making things to sell, anything can                                    be turned into something fun!
                               
What can we do to keep from being idle- especially when there seems to be nothing to do??
                     
                                   -Start a blog! It's really easy and can be helpful, inspiring, creative, and fun!
                                   -Read a book! You know that thing with all of those pages you've wanted to read for                                     so long? Get it out!
                                   -Start an Etsy or other online shop! Then, make things for it (that can take up as                                            much time as you want!).
                                   -Grab your camera and get outside! Spending time in nature helps you get closer to                                      God, and is fun!

See? Fun!

   

So, it all boils down to this: work because God wants us to! "Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep, and an idle soul shall suffer hunger." -Proverbs 19:15 It will help you feel happier and, at the end of the day, you will be satisfied.

Crafting/Etsy/Friendly Friends

I am very excited today, because I have had my FIRST sale on my family-owned Etsy shop!! First of all, Etsy is a really cool place where you can find really cool things. Second, Etsy is a really neat place where you can SELL really neat things!! So, you can buy cool stuff, and sell it! How awesome is that??

For our shop, I mainly make cards: Christmas cards, Valentine's Day cards, birthday cards... And my sister makes prints (she has some really cool ones!).

One great thing about making cards is that I happen to have a really creative/crafty/awesome-at-card-making friend who is very inspiring (in more ways than one!). You could look at one of her cards and BAM! instant ideas flow through your mind (maybe not quite like that, but you know what I mean!).

Crafting is also a great thing to do with friends. You can make crafts to sell, for fun, to give away, OR what's really fun is sending a card to a random, unknown person in your neighborhood! (Just don't actually put your address, because you may accidentally send it to a creeper....).

So, if you ever need a card for any occasion, or would just like to look around, feel free to stop by my shop: CraftyCollaborations.



 Have a fantastic day!

Virtuous Woman #2

All right! It's time for my second virtuous woman post! Today's challenge is found in Proverbs 31: 11-12:

"The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life."

Now, this one is a little tricky coming from someone who does not yet have a husband. It's pretty obvious, though, that the virtuous woman is faithful to her family. She is loyal to her husband: he doesn't have to worry about her sneaking around, running off, wanting a divorce, etc.(This is why it's so important to date for a few years- so you really know the person you commit to spending the rest of your life with!!!). She cares for her family: providing in any way she can, making sacrifices when necessary, praying for her children, etc. He doesn't have to worry about her- he trusts her completely.
The virtuous woman will do good to her husband. Again, this is similar to the previous verse- he can trust her because she only does things a Christian woman should do. Notice it says "all the days of her life". Everyone has bad days. Days where you just want to go back to bed and wake up in, say, a couple of years. Days where you feel like you might explode at the smallest bit of pressure. This is a really tough verse: even in the bad days, she is honorable and does what she needs to do. Wow. How hard it is to appear cheerful when you don't feel like it! "Fake it till you make it" (as my senior pastor used to say) is one of the most difficult virtues to master. I believe we should all take this to heart, whether you are an old maid, a happily married woman, or just a teenage girl, to your family, spouse, children, whoever! Do good and not evil all the days of your life! Let's see what God will do with us when our moodiness is out of the way!!!