6th Day of Christmas

Hey Guys, here is a super cute and easy Christmas DIY that can be a gift or as personal decoration!

First you will need a mini red candle. 

This apple pumpkin candle smells amazing and was only $0.99 on Black Friday at Walmart. First, take of the sticker. I placed it on the bottom of the candle so the person receiving it would know the scent and brand. 

Next, cut a strip of black construction paper out. Make sure it fits around the candle. Secure it by glue or tape. 

Then you are going to cut out a rectangle of yellow felt or construction paper. (I used felt) cut out a rectangle in the center of the previous rectangle to creat the belt buckle look. Finally, glue the belt buckle on top of the black piece of paper. Ta-da! Finished! 

Christmas Devotion: 

Luke 2:15-20 "And it came to pass, when the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing that is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found both Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in the manger. And when they saw it, they made known concerning the saying which was spoken to them about this child. And all that heard it wondered at the things which were spoken unto them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these sayings, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, even as it was spoken unto them." 

Angels appeared to the shepherds and told them the good news of Jesus Christ. They went to the stable where Jesus was. IMMEDIATELY after the shepherds saw Jesus they went proclaiming and praising God. The told everyone who would listen about the Messiah. I often think about my life and what I've accomplished. I believe that if I would be more like the simple shepherds that I would accomplish so much more in the name of the Lord. Merry Christmas!

3rd Day of Christmas

 Hey! For the 3rd day of Christmas, we are doing a fashion post! This is an easy outfit that can be casual or dressy! In addition to this, there will be a Christmas devotion! Hope you enjoy!

The casual way to wear this outfit is to wear dark blue jeans, a red long sleeve shirt. These were the same jeans and shirt worn in our Where's Waldo Post. Sparkly Toms® (mine were BOBs®), and a Christmassy scarf. My scarf was black with silver striped on it. 

For the dressier look, wear the exact same top combination and shoes. However switch the jeans out with an adorable black pencil skirt. 

This is a perfect Christmas party look that is cute, modest, and festive!

*sorry about the photo quality, my iPhone is fading fast. 

Christmas Devotion: 

{Isaiah 11:1-5} "Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot— yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the Spirit of the lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the lord . He will delight in obeying the lord . He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay. He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked. He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment."

This scripture was written HUNDREDS of years before th  birth of Christ, yet it contains so much wisdom and complete accuracy. It is obvious that it was from God. The "branch" is referring to Jesus and the "old root" is referencing the line of David. It says that Christ would have to spirit of the Lord up in Him, which you can find evidence of in every story throughout the New Testament. I think it is very comforting to know that Jesus will never judge us based on worldly view points and will always be fair. Our God is righteous! This Christmas season, remember to spend time with God and thank Him for the amazing work He has done.

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.”

Treasured

Malachi 3:17- "On the day when I act," says the Lord Almighty, "they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him."

        In this verse, Malachi quotes God. God says, "On the day when I act." This phrase is referring to Christ's coming earth for our salvation. In a way, the previous phrase can be replaced with, "On the day when Christ comes, they will be my treasured possession..." We know that Christ has already come to earth and sacrificed His life for us. Therefore, when we accept Jesus's gift of salvation we become treasured in the eyes of the Lord. Isn't that amazing?! The creator of the universe sees us as treasure and as valuable! Some translations have the word "jewels" in place of treasure.Not only does God view us as treasured, He does this thing I like to call the "Great Exchange" I was at a conference and it was described like this: Jesus took ALL of our sins and in exchange He gave us His perfection! When that happens, we become perfect in God's eyes. We become TREASURED!
        Matthew 6:21 says, "Where your treasure is, your heart will be also." If God considers us His treasure, then His heart is on us. We are where God's heart is! God's love is on us! I think that is amazing! NEVER forget that you are loved by an amazing God.This is always a verse I turn to when I'm questioning my value or worth. For it clearly states that God considers us as TREASURED and that is something we should always rejoice and praise Him for! If you want to read more about what defines your worth and your value, we wrote an article on it a few months ago. You can check it out HERE

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Brown Sugar Peppermint Lip Scrub

Hey guys! It's Maddie again! Ashley is currently in Hawaii so I'm writing this post instead. This post is on a peppermint brown sugar lip scrub. Its perfect for the upcoming holiday season! It's super easy, cheap, and works amazing! 

Ingredients: 

•3 Tablespoons of coconut oil

•4 Tablespoons of brown sugar

•2 Tablespoons of honey

•4 Drops of essential peppermint oil. 

Directions:

1. Combine all of these ingredients into a bowl and mix thoroughly. 

2. Place scrub into a small container. You can find these at almost any store in the travel section or on Amazon. 

That's it! Don't worry if it appears runny at first. Almost all DIY beauty products need to settle and sit before its to the normal consistency. Hope you enjoy the lip scrub!

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! 

~Don't forget to follow us on Instagram @maddieandashleybeauty. ! 

Where's Waldo Halloween Costume

Hey Everybody! Halloween is in just a few days so I thought it would be appropriate to do a post on my Halloween costume. This is a super easy, cheap, and MODEST costume! -Maddie

What I wore: 

•Denim, dark blue jeans

•Black converse 

•A red shirt. I couldn't find a striped shirt so I took a normal red long sleeve tshirt and made stripes w/ white ductape. Most people couldn't even tell it wasn't a normal shirt. 

•"Nerd" glasses.

•Film Camera (can use any type of camera) on a strap.

•Across the shoulder small brown purse. 

•Where's Waldo Hat. I crocheted and knitted mine but amazon has hats very similar for an inexpensive price.

•Red nail polish. Mine was from ELF.

•Red Lipstick. Mine was from Sephora. 

{special thanks to my brother, Conner, for taking these pictures for me at my church!}

Happy Birthday Ashley!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASHLEY! 

Ashley has been my best friend for a very long time! We played together when we were 3 years old and then "re met" when we were 9/10ish. Ashley is such an amazing example to her younger siblings and everyone around her. She gives off this joy that makes you want to smile, even when you don't really want to. We've done a lot of things together: thousands of cookies baked, many tv shows & movies watched, much fangirling, waiting for books to come out together, and writing a blog. 

     People say that "Friends are the family we choose." And I'm so glad I chose Ashley to be my family. There is a quote from Winnie the Pooh that reads, "A day without a friend is like a pot without a single drop of honey left  inside." A day spent with Ashley is ALWAYS better than one without! 

       I went through something in my life that was very hard on me. I'm not going to go into details, for I haven't even talked to Ashley about it, but through it all Ashley was there and helped me in ways she doesn't realize. Proverbs 17:17- “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” I'm so thankful to have a friend like her who, is someone you want to always be around, who cares and prays for you. There is a quote that says, "As we grow up, we realize it becomes less important to have a ton of friends, and more important to have real ones." I can testify that Ashely is a real friend that I always want in my life. 

   Happy Birthday Ashley! Thanks for everything! I love you! -Maddie 

She sprouted love like flowers, 

Grew a garden in her mind, 

And even on the darkest days,

From her smile the sun still shined.

                        -Erin Hanson

How to Get the Most out of your Personal Time with God

"Your real life is your spiritual life. And both are going to be awful until you realize that they are not separate things." - Jordan Taylor 

Hey Guys, many people struggle with having personal devotions and time with God. Here are some tips that I have heard/read that have helped me. -ᗰᗩᗪᗪIE

Make it a priority. The first thing you must do is actually remember to have devotions. The majority of us spend a lot of time on our phones or have them near us often, so set a reminder/alarm on your phone to remind you to spend time with God. 

Find a quiet place. I have a chair in the corner on my bedroom by my window, this is where my time with God is usually spent. I also like going outside on our back porch, however it is summer in Texas so that is not the most ideal location at this point in time.

Turn off all music. This will help you keep the focus on God and it will limit your distractions. If you absolutely can not live without having music on, I would encourage you to play classical music, hymns, or worship songs.

Turn off electronics. This will help keep the focus off the world around us and on God. There are exceptions to this. I like to use the YOUVERSION Bible app. It is completely free for both android and apple. •  http://bible.com/app  •This app has almost every version of the Bible and in many languages. It also has reading plans and devotionals which are very helpful. I have done many of those and they have impacted my walk with God greatly. 

Journal. Starting a journal has been one of the best decisions in my spiritual walk with God. You can write verses or quotes that stood out to you, what they mean to you and how you can apply them to your life. If you are using a reading plan or devotional, you can write down the main points that they provide or that you want to remember. You can also write praises and prayer requests as well as prayers in your journal. Having a journal also lets you go back and review what you have previously learned and see how far you have come spiritually. It doesn't have to be super long, however as you continue journaling your walk with God, it's very hard to stop!

Discuss it with a friend. If you learn something new, or have a verse or quote that stands out to you, share it with a friend! That way more than one person can benefit from your time with God and it is a great way to engage in Godly conversations. 

Use study techniques. This goes along with journaling. There are many different ways to study and get the most out of scripture. One way is using the S.O.A.P. method: 

SCRIPTURE- write out one verse that is meaningful to you.

OBSERVATION- what is interesting in this passage? What did you learn? What is God saying to you through this?

APPLICATION- how can you apply this scripture to your life? 

PRAYER- respond to God in prayer. 

Finally, don't forget to take time just to listen and pray. 

I hope you benefit from these tips and suggestions.

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