HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADDIE!

Happy birthday Madison! You are so wonderful, caring, sweet, gorgeous (!!!), smart, funny, loving person I know! I am so greatful to have had you in my life so far, and I can't wait for all of the fun memories that I know are yet to come!  We have so many inside jokes and I love hanging out with you. You are my book nerd, my binge tv-watching buddy, my partner in crime, my bike riding buddy, and most of all, you are my best friend. You inspired me every day to become a better person, and I thank God everyday for putting you in my life. So I hope you have a spectacular birthday! Have a great sweet 16!

Valentine's Day Cookies

Hey Guys! Today's blog post is Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies! Ashley and I can personally vouch that these taste amazing! Hope y'all enjoy! 

Cookie Ingredients: 

•2 Cups sugar

•1 Cup Margarine (or butter)

•3 Eggs

•6 Tablespoons Milk

•5 Cups Flour

•1/2 Teaspoon of salt

•5 Teaspoons Baking Powder

Frosting Ingredients: 

•1/4 Cup Butter (softened)

•Dash of Salt

•1 Teaspoon Vanilla

•3 Tablespoons Milk

•4 Ounces Cream Cheese

•1 Can of store bought vanilla frosting. (Or 3 cups powdered sugar)

Cookie Instructions: 

•Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

•Cream together butter, sugar, eggs, & milk until well combined. 

•Add flour, salt, & baking powder until just combined. 

•Generously flour a work surface & a rolling pin.

•Roll out 1/4 of the dough at a time to 3/8 inch thickness.

•Cut w/ cookie cutters & place on lightly greased cookie sheet (or non greased stone) 

•Cook for about 10 minutes until cookies are just done. (THEY SHOULD NOT GET BROWN!)

•Immediately remove from pan and place on cooling rack.

•Frost when completely cooled. (Frosting directions below pictures) 

Frosting Instructions:  

•Soften butter & cream cheese.

•Blend together w/ remaining frosting ingredients.

•Tint w/ food coloring if desired.

Thanks so much for visiting our blog! Feel free to share this post and follow us on Instagram! Subscribe by email to see our upcoming posts! Happy Valentines Day! -Maddie :)

21 Gorgeous Nail Designs

Valentines Day is coming up and who doesn't love having cute festive nails? I searched through Pinterest and narrowed it down to (in my opinion) the 21 top cutest nail designs. Also, with Valentines Day coming up, here is a good scripture to remind you to love one another and that you are loved.  - Ashley

February Fashion Inspiration

Hey Guys! Here is an easy, modest, and cute outfit for winter: 

Top: A solid black t shirt from Old Navy. In colder weather than Texas, a solid black long sleeve shirt can be worn.

Bottom: I am wearing a gray knee length skirt by Faded Glory & some black tights from target.

Shoes: I am wearing some black, slouchy knee high boots from Kohl's. 

Accessories: my chunky scarf is one of my new favorites this winter. I was given it by a friend (Thank you Amanda!) for Christmas so I am not sure the brand or where it was purchased. I am also wearing a sparkly bracelet that my parents gave me for Christmas. 

Hope y'all enjoy! Don't forget to check us out on Instagram & subscribe to get our posts delivered right into your email inbox! -Maddie

See Through Christians

Hey Guys! Here is a post that God has just placed on my heart this past week. Hope y'all enjoy! -Maddie

Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

People often call my church the "See Through Church" because there are Windows on both sides of the sanctuary and you can see all the way through one side to the other. That is exactly how we as Christians should be. See Through. When people look at us, they see Christ. 

However, most times this is not the case. Unfortunately it's also not often the case even with Christians. Instead of seeing Christ, people will see anger, judgment, fear, self righteousness, and hypocrisy. I don't know about you, but that is not how I want to be seen, and not how I want people to see God.

Our goal as Christians is NOT to act like other Christians, but to act like Jesus Christ. 

Yes, that means being different. But that's kinda the point. 

I would rather stand by God and be judged my the world, than stand with the world and be judged by God. 

Colossians 3:12 “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."

Think about if people could see your thoughts, your heart, and your soul. Would they see compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, & patience? I pray that I'm a "See Through" Christian. So that when people see me, they see Jesus Christ. 

Psalm 34:5 “Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.”

When we follow Christ, we don't have to be ashamed. God sees us as radiant when we look to Him! 

Romans 13:14a “Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ" 

As we go along with our normal daily lives, join me in striving to be a "See Through" Christian. One who portrays God in all we say and do. 

Don't just talk about Christ. Be like Christ. The world needs less Christians talking about their faith and more people living it out daily in front of them.

 *Don't forget to subscribe by email to be notified whenever we post (top left hand corner of blog)*

Also guys, one of my friends, Abby-Lynn, has just started a blog! She is such a strong woman of God who continually encourages me and lifts me up in Christ. Here is the link to her first blog post: http://liveunstained.blogspot.com/2016/01/finging-thankfullness-in-tedious.html?m=1

Fashion Inspiration

Hey Guys! Here is a cute modest fashion inspiration for the warmer days of winter! We live in Texas so the grass is still green and it's not too chilly. Hope y'all enjoy! 

Shirt- Marshalls 

Lace Blazer- Dillards

Necklace- given as a gift

Pants- Dillards

Boots- Shoe Carnival 

-Ashley 

12 Day of Christmas!

Christmas Trail Mix: 

Prep time: 3-4 minutes 

Cook Time: 2 minutes 

Ingredients: 

•8-10 cups of popcorn. This can be homemade or microwaved.

•8 ounces of white candy melts, almond bark, or white chocolate bark. 

•1 cup M&Ms

•1 cup pretzels 

•Christmas sprinkles 

Instructions: 

1. Pop the popcorn and spread put on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.

2. Sprinkle the M&Ms and Pretzels evenly over the popcorn.

3. Melt white chocolate and pour over popcorn. To melt the almond bark, chop it up in smaller chunks and put in a measuring cup. Microwave in 30 second intervals and stir in between.

4. Pour it over popcorn and stir so the popcorn is fully coated. 

5. Add Christmas sprinkles. 

6. Let dry/harden. To speed up the process, place in freezer. 

11th Day of Christmas

Hey Guys, I know this is up late, so sorry! Blogger wouldn't let me post my stuff for some reason. For the 11th day of Christmas I'm doing an easy, inexpensive gift idea. 

The first item I put in the bag was this notebook: 

I bought it at Target for $1.00! It is super cute but not going to break your wallet. 

Next we have this hand lotion: 

These hand lotions were at Joann's Craft Store for $2.00 each. I chose a Christmassy scent for this occasion.

Then I added a mini candle: 

It was $0.94 at Walmart. I made some really cute decorations for it in a previous days of Christmas blog post. 

The next few items were placed inside this stocking: 

This adorable stocking was at Khol's for $2.50. I was giving this gift to my friend, Harley. So I chose the one with the "H" embroidered on it. 

One of the items placed in the stocking was a makeup sponge: 

These were also found at Khol's for $6.00 on Black Friday. Since there were two, I was able to give on in this gift and another in a different gift. 

The last thing in this gift was headbands:

My friend loves sports headbands and these seemed perfect. These have 4 in a package. I put two in this gift and two in another. The package was $4.00 at Target. 

Hope you enjoyed this gift idea! 

 

We are called...To be LIGHT

We are called. We are called to be many things. However, today we will be focusing on being called to be LIGHT. Here are two of many verses that call us to be the light: 

Ephesians 5:8  “For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!”

Acts 13:47 “For the Lord gave us this command when he said, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.”

Light is needed because we live in a dark world. Just look around, it's everywhere. Death, oppression, racism, tyranny, rape, abuse... The list goes on and on and on. However it takes just one person to pierce the darkness. 

       This past summer I attended a conference in which it was completely dark in the arena. We were wearing bracelets that lit up during different parts of the service for interactive activities. Everyone was singing Amazing Grace,  it was pitch black. One by one each bracelet lit up. Even though there were 7,000 people in the room, that first lit bracelet was seen by everyone. It made an impact. Soon the whole room was lit by each persons bracelet. It is an amazing example of how it is in life. 

      John 9:5 says, “But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.”  Jesus is the light. However He isn't in the world physically at this moment. So we must be the light portraying Christ to the world. 

YOU are the Bible the world is reading. 

John 11:10 says, “But at night there is danger of stumbling because they have no light.” If we allow the darkness (sin) to rule in our lives, it will be easy to fall away from the Lord.  

     As shown in the first two verses mentioned, we are called to be the light. Why? Isaiah 60:3 answers that question pretty well. “All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance.” By being the light to the world, by shining Gods amazing glory and love to the people lost in the darkness, we will make God and His love known. 

Mark 4:21 “Then Jesus asked them, “Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine.” We have the knowledge of an awesome God! We know His love and have salvation from the darkness. Why on earth would we hide that from anyone?! We need to place ourselves (a lamp) in a way so that we proclaim the Lord and be His example to the world.

     Will we be seen as different? Of course! But here's the thing: 

God NEVER called us to fit in, He called us to be like Him!

The word "Christian" literally means "little Christ" therefore, we should constantly be trying to become more like Him every day. We need to stop acting like other Christians and start acting like Christ! At first the world won't understand. We will be thought of as "weird". But read this quote: 

"Something is wrong when our lives make sense to unbelievers" -Francis Chan 

.   

So now that we know that we are called to be light, lets obey that calling and become what the Lord knows we can be and accomplish what He has planned! 

-Maddie🌻