5 Cute Ways to Wear Braids

Here are 5 adorable ways to wear your hair this fall season. -Ashley 

Note: 

All of these individual pictures were taken off of the internet. 

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!!

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

Thank you for checking out this blog post! Please share and follow us on Instagram and Pinterest.

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!}

Walk the Talk

Hey guys! This is a collab w/  @godsgotyouinhishands on Instagram! Their account is absolutely amazing and I'm completely in love with it! Y'all should totally go follow them if you're not already! 

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Many people claim to be Christians. However, not many of those people act like it, they don't walk the talk. Now, we are not expected to be perfect. However, we should strive to be like Christ in all we do. How do we do this? By acting on our faith! Many people say, "Well I believe in God. Isn't that enough?" Here comes the hard truth, it's not. This topic is discussed in James 2:14-26. It says that even demons know who God is! That faith without good deeds is dead. Another thing people say is, "God accepts me as I am, so it's ok." Yes, while God does accept you the way you are, He loves you enough not to let you stay the same. While believing God is important, it doesn't end there! You have to change your actions! To fulfill God's plan for each one of our lives we must act upon our faith and and pursue becoming more like Him. Remember, Jesus died for you in public, so don't live for Him in private. Let's begin to "Walk the Talk"

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James 2:19-20 “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?”

James 2:26 "Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.”

Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent!

Hebrews 13:16 -And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

This week I took the PSAT. As I'm sure many of you did. However, if you didn't, let me inform you of what happened.       Before the test actually began, you had to fill out about 9,000 pages of information about yourself (totally not exaggerating). One of the boxes asked for your religious preference. There was this super long list of religions, denominations, a space marked "none", and "other". There was also a space marked, "Don't wish to give info" or something like that. That space really made me think. Have we become so ashamed of God and the Bible that even on a test we are afraid to proclaim Jesus? There is a scripture that I turn to whenever I feel like stepping back and hiding. 

.     Acts 18:9 -"One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent!" This is such a powerful verse that convicts me often. When I feel myself shirking back instead of standing up, I remember that even if people judge you, which they will, even if people hate you, mock you, and turn away the truth, they are not turning away us, they are turning away, judging, hating, or mocking God.       Matthew 10:22 -You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.  This verse clearly tells us that we will not be accepted by everyone. Just the other week people were shot and killed at a college in Oregon from standing up for Christ and saying "Yes, I'm a Christian." You can see in America alone that being a follower of Christ is not a popular choice. However, being Jesus wasn't popular either. In fact, HE WAS KILLED! FOR YOU! Let that sink in. If Jesus Christ would die for you, shouldn't it be a joy to proclaim Him to the world?  Psalms 96:2 -Sing to the LORD; praise his name. Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.  

       Here's another verse that convicts me personally to live a life free of fear and shame. It's a very popular verse that many followers of Jesus have taken as their personal testimony. However, when things happen it's sometimes hard to stand by our convictions. Remember, if you don't stick to your values and beliefs while tested, they are not values or beliefs, they're hobbies. 

Romans 1:16 -For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.

Are we an ashamed people? Are we afraid to stand up for Christ? Think about what you just a read over the next week and look for ways in which you can stand up and not be ashamed. Again, never forget the words of Luke in Acts, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent!" Thanks for reading! -Maddie