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 :)

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

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 

4th day of Christmas: 10 Fun Christmas Party Ideas

 Here are 10 fun ways to spice up your Christmas party this year.

1) Christmas Photo Booth Props. Because who doesn't love to share photo booth pictures online??
http://www.unoriginalmom.com/christmas-photo-booth-props/




2) Brownie Christmas Trees. These are so easy and so adorable!
http://onelittleproject.com/christmas-tree-brownies/




3) Christmas Minute to Win it Games.
http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/even-christmas-minute-win-games/


4) Ugly Christmas Sweater DIYs
http://www.popsugar.com/smart-living/Ugly-Christmas-Sweater-DIYs-36214639?crlt.pid=camp.7qtBlJ94R19T#photo-36214639



5) Oreo Snowman Pops. Can i just say YUM!! I've made plain Oreo pops before and they are amazing!
http://www.northcarolinacharm.com/2013/12/oreo-snowman-pops.html



6) Free Melted Snowman Printable.
http://lifeinalargerstory.blogspot.com/2012/12/free-melted-snowman-printable.html



7) Candy Cane Place Card Holders
http://www.industriousjustice.com/2011/12/how-candy-cane-place-card-holders.html



8) Christmas Tree Napkin Folding
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/295900637991758455/



9) Tree Ornament Craft
http://www.firefliesandmudpies.com/2013/12/14/scrap-ribbon-tree-ornaments/



10) Hot Cocoa Mix Ornaments. These would make adorable party favors.
http://bubblynaturecreations.com/2012/12/hot-cocoa-mix-ornaments.html

Instead of doing a christmas devotional at the end of the post, i decided to share a christmas video that i love. It talks about the real meaning of christmas. 

http://youtu.be/q_TEOyhy7Bg

Fall Nail Inspiration

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope y'all have a great day! Here is a easy fall nail idea to wear this thanksgiving! 

All I did was paint all my nails brown except for my ring finger. Then I painted it gold. This gives it a more fun and autumnal look. Here are the nail polishes I used: 

Remember as you spend time with family and friends today to be thankful for our amazing God who never fails! 

Psalm 100:4 “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.”

New Upcoming Series

Hey everybody! We are about to start a new series called "The 12 Days of Christmas". Every day for the 12 days leading up til Christmas will have a blog post! Starting on December 14 there will be one DIY, fashion, beauty, craft, or recipe, and one devotion EVERY DAY FOR TWELVE DAYS! We have been working really hard on this and hope you enjoy this series! Don't forget to share this blog and post with your friends and follow us on our Pinterest and Instagram! Thanks so much!!

Fashion Inspiration for the Week

Because of fall starting and clothing styles switching over, I thought it would be a cool idea to post pictures of cute outfits or accessories from my wardrobe, Maddie's, or online. I've been absolutely in love with this vest since I first laid eyed on it at the store, but I haven't been able to wear the vest out yet, due to Texas weather. 

     Anyways, I keep seeing all of these adorable outfits on Pinterest. So, I just couldn't wait any longer. Plus my eyeliner (which i never wear, because i get super inpatient doing it) looked on point, so i thought "WHY NOT???" - Ashley

Lemon Sugar Lip Scrub

Lemon Sugar Lip Scrub

This is an AMAZING lip scrub recipe!! Maddie and I looked at Pinterest, and took all of our favorite lip scrub recipes, put them together, and tweaked them a bit. It make your lips SO soft, and makes them look luscious. So, here it is! -Ashley

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon raw honey
• 1-2 tablespoons sugar 
• 2-3 drops of lemon essential oil

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients into a small mixing bowl
2. Store in a small container* in room temperature.

Before:

After:

*you can get small containers (like the one it the top picture) at almost any craft store, Amazon, and Target (look in the travel section)

How to use a lip scrub:

First, apply the scrub to your lips with your finger. Next, rub gently to exfoliate (for better results use a new toothbrush to exfoliate). Let it sit for a minute or two to moisturize lips. Finally, take a wet washcloth to remove the lip scrub. It's seriously that easy! 

Facial Skin Care Routine

Hey Guys! Sorry we haven't posted. I have been at camp so it would have been hard to find time to write a blog post.

Today's post is about my (Maddie) skin care routine. It was really hard for me to get in the habit of having one, just out of pure laziness. However, taking care of your skin now will help you in the future. So here's my skin care routine:

MORNING: 

First I take my face wash: 

and wash my face. I really love this product because it can be used as a cleanser or a mask. My biggest struggle is with black heads and oily skin so this is what I found works the best. 

Next, I use toner. I use a toner by neutrogena. 

This toner is very gentle on my skin. And does not smell bad at all. (One of my pet peeves!)  

The last thing I do before makeup (if I choose to wear any that day) is to moisturize my skin. (I use a different moisturizer in the morning than in the evening.) 

This moisturizer is fragrance and alcohol free and is for sensitive skin. I love this product so much because it is not greasy and doesn't leave any residue. However, it is still very moisturizing and hydrating.

EVENING: 

First I remove any makeup from my face: 

I use just generic makeup wipes to remove makeup. I normally don't wear a lot of makeup (if any) so a heavy duty remover is not needed.

Next, I wash my face with the same cleanser I use in the morning.

I also use the same toner. Afterwards, I use this moisturizer: 

This is by Mary Kay and is for oily skin. I put a VERY THICK layer of this on my face so that in the morning my face will feel extra hydrated and moisturized. 

Thanks for checking out our blog! Please subscribe by email and stop by our Pinterest and Instagram! 

****This blog post is not sponsored in any way. All opinions are my own and products were bought with our own money.******

Respect

***Hey Guys! I am posting today because I missed Monday. Sorry about that. I was traveling home from a conference and was crazy busy. Hope you are blessed by this post***

"Show respect to people who don't deserve it, not as a reflection of their character, but of yours." -Dave Willis

If we want to be respected, we must show respect to others. Respecting others, especially to those who don't deserve it, is very difficult and frustrating. However, when we give respect to others, whether or not they deserve it, is shows that we are of good character and have a good heart.  

      Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor. (1 Peter 2:17 NIV)

       Also, by showing respect to people, tells others that we are not rude, or judgemental. Now, I'm not saying that you have to like what someone is doing or like their life choices to respect them. Respecting someone shows that that person has value, worth, and a purpose. There are many people I don't agree with or honestly like, however, we must remember that all people are children of God; and we must see others through the eyes of the Lord. 

     For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. (Luke 22:27 NIV)

    In that verse, Jesus served others. Let that sink in, the creator of the universe, Lord of Lords, Lamb of God, washed His disciples feet. He respected them, even though He was higher than them. Jesus respected others. To truly be children of God, we must follow Christ's example by respecting and serving others. ~ⓜⓐⓓⓓⓘⓔ {Proverbs 31:30}

•••Don't forget to check out our Pinterest & Instagram!•••

Nail Tutorial

1) paint nails a solid color.

2) with vary little paint on brush, stroke from edge of nail towards the middle.

3) place a desired color close to the edge of your finger nail. Coat and let dry(:

-ashley

Welcome to our Blog!

Hey Guys! We're Maddie and Ashley, two teenage girls from Texas who are devoted to God; and love beauty.

This blog will be mostly focused DIYs, fashion, and beauty. Although we will be discussing beauty, our main focus will be on God and glorifying Him. We both love makeup, baking and having a fun time! Our plan is to post on Mondays and Saturdays so stay tuned for more posts! We hope our blog will inspire you and encourage you! If this sounds like something you are interested in, please follow us here on our blog ,Pinterest, and Instagram. We appreciate all the support to help kickstart our blog! We love you and hope to see y'all soon! -Maddie & Ashley {Proverbs 31:30}