Take Me Back To Childhood...a trip down memory lane

alt. title---Fun *Babysitter* Friday!

I am the third child out of four, and when we were younger, one of our absolute favorite things to do was to make forts. Every kind imaginable, and in every place imaginable (nana, we're still sorry about that fort on your roof..in case you're ready to forgive us now). We'd always listen to our favorite radio show once we were all settled in the fort, Adventures In Odyssey, which is a Christian based show all centered around the kids in (...wait for it...) Odyssey. Whit, the old man that runs an ice cream shop/hang-out, is always working on inventions and one of them was the Imagination Station, where the kids could go back to Bible times and relive stories. I liked to pretend that our forts were the Imagination Station. Just for humor/enjoyment....


So, since I've been babysitting so much lately, I've had a hankering to make a fort.
I made a fort with these 3 adorable children, but of course we needed snacks! Recipe for some delicious popcorn:
You will need:

popcorn kernels

Honey, cinnamon

chopped apple pieces, sprinkled generously with cinnamon

a teensy bit of vegetable oil

pot with matching lid
and last but not least...

one very hungry child. :)

1. Put the popcorn kernels in the pot and pour a little bit of vegetable oil in, place the lid on securely, then turn the stove on medium heat

2. Shake the pot every few seconds to make sure the popcorn doesn't burn.

3. Once all of the kernels have popped, take the pot off the stove eye and add the apples into the mix. Take the honey and pour as much as you want on the popcorn, then sprinkle some more cinnamon in.

4. Turn the stove off, but put the pot back on the heat and stir the popcorn and apples until the stove is completely cooled. This should make your apples look more like baked apples, and the popcorn will have a nice coating of cinnamon and honey. The longer you stir, the less sticky the popcorn.

^Your popcorn and apples should look something like this!

5. Make sure the popcorn/apple mixture is very cooled before serving, then you're ready! (also, don't forget napkins!)

6. Hand it to the (by now very, VERY) hungry child

7. Enjoy! Eat it in your fort while watching a movie, and, in my opinion, this is WAY better than any movie theater!! :)

p.s.-sorry for such bad quality pictures...

How were you a fun mom this week? (or fun babysitter..). Link up with Moriah at Please Pass the Salt!

Happy Friday + a fresh update

Happy Friday all!! I have been having waaaayy too many blah days lately, c'mon, you know what I mean, right? So, no more lazy days of summer for me, because two weeks from today I have my first college audition!! Here is how I feel about it:
aowihg;oiwshv;oisdhgowth;owaih;iwrhfAAAAAAH
Yep. I'm pretty scared, especially since today's the first day in a while I've really hunkered down and practiced for a lot of hours. Here is what i'm working towards...

Ok, please don't think i'm bragging a ton by showing you that, but LET ME TELL YOU, thats to show you how much work I have to do!! That's why i'm freaking, thats a valid reason, don't you think?! It will be a doozy.

You Capture-Play.

love having a friend that likes to play with my makeup :)

Love these girls. Would be ready to adopt them as younger sisters in a heartbeat:)

^Spoons. Taken a big chunk of my time this summer. ^Love me some Kathy.

^(b&w picture) I look like a complete goober in this picture, but I love these girls to death, would you guess they're twins?

You Capture: Play

Gorgeous Floor Tutorial

I am so blessed to have been able to get to know a lot of young moms from my church who have become such amazing role models and almost like older sisters. Mindy, who helps a lot with our youth group, has the most compassionate, caring, and thoughtful heart, and I have loved having a friendship with her the past few years. She's had a little trouble with floors the past few months, and, after what looks like a lot of sweat and tears, they now have the most authentic, gorgeous floors I've seen in a while. Her daughter can't have carpet due to allergies, so they decided they could paint the plywood that was underneath the carpet. I mean, who woulda ever thought of something so genious?!?! Please, check out her awesome cool blog that shows how they did it. Ooooh it makes me excited just thinking about it. Here's her round 2, after complications (even more reason to admire her). Great job, Mindy!!!

(now i just need to know...how much to do mine?)

^Go over to Three Ring Cottage for another floor painting tutorial. Not nearly as rockin' as Mindy's though...(just sayin').

Let the Countdown Begin

14 days. I can't believe it...... For years I've stressed over where I'd go to college and now I know where I'm going and I leave in just 2 weeks..... I have so much to finish and accomplish before the end of summer....

Why do friends change? Why does summer change? Some friends I thought I'd never see this summer I've seen a ton, while others I used to see everyday I've seen once of twice. I don't understand that.... I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle by trying to be friends still because college is just around the corner; if I can't be friends with them now over summer, how in the world will I manage to keep in touch during college? I hate not being able to always keep in touch with folks, I hate change (most of the time). ugh

Psalm One

"1God blesses those people who refuse evil advice

and won't follow sinners

or join in sneering at God.

2Instead, the Law of the LORD makes them happy,

and they think about it day and night.

3They are like trees growing beside a stream,

trees that produce fruit in season

and always have leaves.

Those people succeed
in everything they do.

4That isn't true of those
who are evil,
because they are like straw
blown by the wind.
5Sinners won't have an excuse
on the day of judgment,
and they won't have a place
with the people of God.

6The LORD protects everyone
who follows him,
but the wicked follow a road
that leads to ruin. "

You're Such a Doll

Barbie has been around for a long time, maintaining celebrity status for over fifty years. Yet in spite of her age, not a wrinkle has formed on her face. With her continual smile, glossy blond locks, sparkling blue eyes and size two waistline, it's no wonder she attracted such a boyfriend as Ken. The couple remained together for years; touring the United States in their various RV's, cruise ships, ponies and sports cars. (Of course, Barbie is also enormously wealthy.)

As the envy of many girls, Barbie has not only become a celebrity but an icon to which women have aspired. Saying a girl “looks like Barbie” is a compliment. However, a groundbreaking 1997 edition of Health magazine concluded that appeasing the Barbie image is impossible for most women. The magazine revealed the average woman as about 5'4" and weighing approximately 145 pounds. On the other hand, Barbie's thin figure consists of being a tall 6'0" and weighing in at only 101 pounds.

Above: Barbie vs. Average Woman

It doesn't require a Ph.D to notice she is grossly underweight and possibly victim of an eating disorder. The same year Health published its article, Barbie experienced plastic surgery, resulting in a slightly expanded waist.
However noble the attempt to "reform" Barbie's body, a re-molding of the doll cannot change the way women think. It’s a fact: human beings are fools for beauty, especially women. We want the admiration that comes with being considered beautiful, no matter the cost. As I have struggled with an eating disorder, so many friends have shared with me that they are hiding the same secret, it's everywhere. Studies indicate that seven million American women have an eating disorder, and 95% of those who have eating disorders are between the ages of twelve and twenty-five. Half of girls between the ages of eleven and thirteen consider themselves overweight, and 80% of thirteen year olds have tried to lose weight. Beauty is serious business.
And yet despite its influence on women, beauty is not a solid thing. America’s obsession with skinny is only a recent addition to a standard of beauty which has evolved throughout the decades. For example, actresses of the 1940's and 50's sported neon red lipstick. It was classy. It was sophisticated. The fad was given a decent burial in the 1960's as a new idea of "beauty" was pursued.

Above: A vintage magazine (featuring 1930's and 40's movie star, Claudette Colbert) contrasts to the perception of beauty featured on a modern magazine cover.

Our perception of beauty fluctuates. As a result, we will not be cured by a new Barbie. Our view of beauty cannot merely be given a makeover. It must be revolutionized. In order to discover lastly, timeless beauty, we must cut down to its very definition.

Proverbs 31:30

"Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the LORD is worthy to be praised."

Crown of Splendor

“Sisters, if the only charm you have is your physical appearance, beautiful as you may be, you are foolish and will come to rue the day you scoffed at the value of inner beauty. You will find a man for whom physical beauty is also the main thing. What then happens as you age? You will grow more insecure with every birthday….You will become one of the empty, frighteningly sad women who submit to face lifts, breast surgery, and Botox injections (if you escape the deadly grip of anorexia). By midlife, you will be popping antidepressants…. When it comes to appearance, Tallulah Bankhead’s (1903-1968) axiom is worth remembering: ‘There is less here than meets the eye.’”

-John Ensor, Doing What's Right in Matters of the Heart, p.127

Proverbs 16:31
"Gray hair is a crown of splendor;it is attained by a righteous life."

Elle Woods!!!

OK, So I have NEVER been good with remembering actor/actresses names, BUT, there have always been a select few that I pinpointed as my favorite. Like Brad Pitt. *Siiiiigggghhh*

(I mean, who wouldn't just swoon over a face like that?!)

Anyways, back to the point. I was probably 11 when Legally Blonde came out, and let me tell you, I was obsessed. To the point that now, ten or so years later, I could probably still quote most of the movie. (I just loved the part where Elle won the court case in the end! Girl Power!)
So, needless to say, Reese Witherspoon is one of my favorite actresses, and imagine my reaction when I heard she was in my city!!! Supposedly she, and Robert Pattinson (who's cool too, but I'm more of a Jacob fan :) ) are filming in Chickamauga, Ga for the movie Water For Elephants. Head over to SewCute Shop's blog to read more about it!

Show & Tell

Shirt Refashion-Keep an eye out for a tutorial soon!!



A little of what's been occupying my time lately :)