Christmas DIY Ideas

Who doesn't love Christmas??! Christmas is my favorite Holiday and I love all the decorations! Even though thanksgiving isn't here yet, I wanted to post some DIY Christmas decor inspirations that I am Going to try to attempt this year.

Saved by Grace

what does it mean to be saved by Grace?

Yesterday I had a small break in my day, and Instead of laying down and watching TV, I chose the best thing to do with that time, dig into his word. Now I do my daily devotional in the morning, but we should constantly be spending time with Jesus, not just once during the day. I wasn't sure where I should turn too first, but I decided since I studied Romans before, to go back, refresh and dig deeper. I began reading Romans 5-6 and just fell in love all over again. It talks about how we are dead to sin, alive in Christ. Whoa. That is a pretty awesome thing. 

Think about it, you sinned ( don't worry everyone does it ) and you don't know what to do after that. Of course the answer is repent ask ask God for forgiveness, and there it is. Its easy guys. Now just asking for forgiveness without meaning it is not what I am saying. You cannot keep doing that sin over and over knowing its wrong, and keep asking to be forgiven. Our God is a forgiving God and DIED for those sins, But once we repent and ask to be forgiven, we must pray to not be tempted to do it again.

Some sins are strong addictions that take time for people to get over, but you can do it. When you give your life and everything to Jesus he makes a promise that he will ALWAYS take care of you and never lead to astray. Some sins are just little white lies or maybe a drinking issue, all sins are equal though in his eyes, and forgiven if you ask for it. 

Being Saved by Gods grace is an amazing feeling, and a continuous  blessing. Our God is way bigger than any Sin, and struggle that we go through. 

If you are feeling unworthy, remember how loved you are. 

Home is where the heart is...

Moving into my apartment has made me want to craft and decorate so much! So far we have a few decorations and have made a few distressed furniture pieces (which we are extremely proud of ) and I will post pictures of them too! but as I was looking through pintrest for decor ideas, I wanted to post some of my favs.

 

 

 

It's been way too long

Wow! Cant believe I haven't blogged in over a month. I feel like I have been so busy this summer, but with so many great things going on!

First off, I have been blessed with a promotion at work. I seriously Love my job, and wouldn't trade it for anything. I am now the store manager of Swank Boutique, and if you have never heard of it, you must check it out! we have a website, facebook and instagram!

facebook.com/swankboutique

instagram: swank_boutique

website: shop-swank.com

Also, I have moved into my new apartment with my awesome roommate and Its slowly coming together and looking extremely cute! we are making our adorable distressed furniture and adding burlap! When its all finished I will post pictures :)

A picture is worth a thousand words...

So good news....I am going to start back doing some photography stuff hopefully this coming fall!

This is such exciting news and I cannot wait! If you know me, you know I am obsessed with photography, and enjoy doing it very much. Now I'm no pro but I am learning and hopefully one day I can look back and see how much better I have gotten over the years. here are a few photos I took last fall, and when I start doing photography this fall I would be more than welcomed to take photos for anyone :)

Fan or Follower?

Fan or Follower?

so which one is it? I have never really thought about this question, until i began reading this book. For me, its really hard to stick to books but this one is so hard to put down. the book "Not a Fan" by Kyle Idleman is something I recommend for everyone to read. I'm not too far into it, but I will be finished with it soon. It explains what being a fan of Jesus looks like, and what being a follower of Jesus is. Some of us praise him all the time, and some when the time feels right. As I read my devotional every morning I came across something I never realized. Being in college, you and your friends are usually busy a lot , and that can make you feel out of place and by yourself.  when this happens realize this is God saying "spend time with me".  with any relationship, we must invest time into each other. learn about each other and listen to our friends because they listen to us. Its the same with Jesus. We have to learn about him and spend time with him. The whole "fan" idea in this book is so true. I myself have fallen into doing this. Giving him praise for the Good things he has provided, but when things get tough slowly not spend time with him. But listen up, God puts everything in your life for a reason. When things get tough is when you need him even more, than when everything is perfect. Jesus is out father, our friend, he is never there to hurt you or bring you down. we tend to get caught up with the things on this earth that try to take us away from him. If we pray and spend more time with him and be the follower that we are meant to be even your 'bad" days wont seem so bad. 

So as I continue to read this book, I encourage you to pick it up too and take some time to read it!

Haiti

Haiti

Man I miss that place.

Haiti is a place that I plan on going back to some day.

I never thought I would ever go on a mission trip, and a few months before I heard about the Haiti trip, I began praying about it. I thought about where I should go, and the reasons I wanted to go. I looked around and asked about missions coming up, but nothing seemed to settle on my heart and really stick out to me. Well one Sunday night, the Pastor mentioned this Haiti trip, and I knew it was for me. Going on this trip has helped me grow more than anything, and I am very blessed God gave me the opportunity to go. I learned so much and I am so thankful for every little thing I have. On this trip we helped teach the kids at school, played with them during the day. Doing this brought so much joy to everyone in our group. While we were in Haiti for a week, we had the great opportunity to stay with an amazing Haitian family that treated us just like their own. They were all so welcoming and so kind to each one of us. This experience is something I will never forget.

Uuub

Sneak peak into a money savers life

Saving money is probably one of the hardest things we all have to learn to do. Well during my hillsong money saving process, I have thought of some easy steps that will help me along the way. When thinking of ways to save money, I knew I needed to eliminate the top things I spend the most money on.

 

1.  The number one thing sadly I eliminated was coffee. I am a coffee addict. I always drink a cup...or two in the morning as well as throughout the day. So instead of buying my usual caramel macchiatos from the oh so wonderful Starbucks, I decided to make it myself.

 

 

It was very simple to make and delicious! Just made a big pot of coffee, poured it in a pitcher, added the caramel macchiato creamer and a little bit of sugar. Put it in the fridge for a few hours then add ice, and you are good to go!

 

2. Not eating out...time to get some groceries.

Not eating "fast food" get be tough, but worth it in the end. Number one its bad for you. yes its right there when you need it and are in a hurry, but it adds up. when you get groceries think of what you will actually eat, not just what looks good. and you will notice how much money you can save by not eating out. now every once in a while isn't going to hurt, but everyday...say bye bye to your money.

-the one thing I'm big on getting it fruit. its great for breakfast and when you want a snack, plus so healthy for you! my go to fruits are apples and bananas.  

 

 

3. shopping.

 

shopping is so easy to do, by the end of the day you will be wondering how you spent so much money. well there are easy and safer ways to shop. Thrifting and sales. I'm not sure why people don't like to get things on sale, like its not good value. its the same thing. Sales are THE best ever. the number one thing to buy when its on sale are jeans. jeans can get pricey, BUT sometimes they are so worth the price because they are hard to find the right fit. the best thing to do is find the brand that does fit you, stick to that, and hit up the sales. Mine is American eagle jeans, they are the bomb. and I just got some on sale for $28.00 compared to $50.00 this past memorial day weekend. yep!

 

second thing is so surprise, and that's thrifting. everyone and their mamas does it these days, and its the best trend thus far that has happened to us. back in the day, my friends and i wouldnt have imagined going thrifting and now its all the rave. Thrift stores are so awesome and have everything. I have even gotten items with tags still attatched to them, which is amazing to say the least.

 

 

 

 

the Climb

So this past weekend I had the opprotunity to do one of my favoite things...Rock Climbing!

I went rock climbing a few years ago and fell in love with it! Its such a fun experience and such a good workout. I have only been able to go a few times since then, so I am no pro, but I hope to do it more often. My goal is to be one of these craxy rock climbing people that can climb these crazy high walls.

 

I was lucky my adventerous bestie wanted to go with me, and enjoyed it too!

College Life

"College life"

Well as some of you may know, my college life will be changing very soon. 

In just about 7 months, I will be attending Hillsong International Leadership College in New South Wales, Australia. I will be leaving late December/early January. while I am there, I will be studying the TV/Media stream. Every time I talk about Hillsong  so many emotions run through me. I get excited, anxious, nervous.....but mostly excited. I'm excited  because I know God already has people over there I'm supposed to meet, and I cannot wait to bring them into my life. I want to invest in these people and make life long friendships, and Hope to help them grow in their faith, as they help me grow in mine. 

Now, applying to Hillsong was a big thing I prayed about. I prayed for a long time and every time I would ask someone any questions or advice about it, I kept hearing something telling me "go". So I applied, and about 2 weeks later I received an email saying  that I have been accepted! Yay! My classes will begin January 28th, but I will get there sooner to move in and for orientation. While these 7 months are passing I will also be saving/raising money that I will need for when I go. Unlike most schools Hillsong does not provide financial aid. With the expenses added up, I will be trying to save/raise roughly around $20,000. I know its a big amount of money, But our God is bigger and is able. I know that keeping trust in him, he will let everything work out, and I remind myself this everyday. I will have some events coming up to raise money, including a future yard sale, and some other things I am thinking of doing. So please come if you are free! Once again I am so blessed and excited for this opportunity that God has put in my path.