FaithFull Living

    These are the Valentines I made Last night, I was looking for a scholarship to apply for and ran across Love Letters . I was pleasantly surprised. The idea to this is that you make Valentines day cards for the elderly. You can either deliver them to someone you know or mail them to an organization who passes them out. It was super easy. I quickly made four cards (so I could be entered into the $5,000 scholarship drawing twice). Then I took the above photo and answered a few questions. This was such a rewarding project. Highly recommend, just for the opportunity it affords. Enter to win $5,000. The deadline is officially February 15th, but the cards must be mailed by February 10th. Let me know if you end up doing this and how it turned out! Happy Valentines Day (In advance!)

I haven't always liked tea. Only this year, I've expanded my chosen variety to include other things besides fruity flavored tea. About once or twice a week I meet with a group of girls my age to talk about life and study the Bible. This year, we started the tradition of bringing a mug and some tea to share each time we meet. This has been an amazing way to grow closer as friends. The added benefit has been trying new flavors of tea. Several I've liked, and a few I haven't. My favorites include: - Peppermint tea by Celestial - Moroccan Mint Green Tea by Stash - Good Earth Original Sweet and Spicy (decaf) - Chamomile Tea by Stash - Good Earth Sweetly Twisted Black Tea paired with Madagascar Vanilla Rooibos Tea by Celestial Please, take a few moments and make yourself a cup of tea today. Enjoy the flavors. Cheers,

 This Week's Art Project I am currently taking an art class. Last Tuesday, we had to draw in the shape of an egg where we went for inspiration. My depiction is the picture to the left. I couldn't decide on just one place that inspired me, so I drew many places. My list of things/places included: -Looking at the night time sky -Playing in the snow -Playing in a rain puddle -Going fishing at the lake -Reading a book at the table -Reclining on my bed -Taking a shower -Working at a Christmas tree farm -Taking a walk -Picking flowers -At night The question mark in the middle of the painting is for the places that I have yet to find. Then, our teacher had us select one of those plastic eggs you can hide in the house without worrying about it getting lost and smelling the next week, or hide things (like your own private stash of candy in). Her assignment was for us to fill it with items that represented the places in our picture, the places we go f

Every once in a while, I ask myself a lot of questions. As of late, these include: 1. How does God restore me when I fail Him? 2. Do I truly love the Lord? 3. Am I satisfied with unholy living? 4. When was the last time I truly worshipped God? 5. Why has my life become so shallow? 6. How do I get depth back? It has been interesting to note my answers to these questions as I write them in my journal. One question in particular has been on my mind: 7. Does the truth really matter to me? I realized that the truth is what I'm preparing to spend my life focused on. I'm hoping to major in Biblical studies and minor in Philosophy. It is a big, but worthwhile commitment. This past year, I've sincerely enjoyed reading widely and learning about what other people believe. It's brought me great pleasure to see the world from different perspectives, and I look forward to solidifying and expanding on this burgeoning passion of mine in college. I am still commit

Our family rarely goes and seeks out the snow, but since we had time and the weather was decent, today we drove into the mountains. It was an amazing, fun time. We went sledding. The picture to the left is of the large run. The smaller runs started at the base of the quaint cabin below. There were a variety of inner-tubes to choose from - in all sizes. Often, two of us would go down together (face first!). Although we had so much fun out of doors, it was also great to come inside to warm up, grab a snack, and down some hot chocolate. Overall, it was a fun winter day with family. I'll probably be sore tomorrow, but it was worth it for the memories. My challenge to you: Do something today to have fun with your family. Now, I'm off to make another memory!

I can't believe we're already a week into a new year! I'm going to list my resolutions below, and In red I'll put what I did this week. Blue is what I'm hoping to do soon/this week to meet those goals. Green is other. 1. Blog everyday      I wrote 7 blog posts     Write 6 blog posts (one's done) and plan out 10 more 2. Finish high school well      Studied like crazy     Study like crazy again and prepare for midterms 3. Find a church near my college     On hold until August 4. Work out 3 times a week      Jan 1st: Walked     Jan 3rd: Played in the snow     Jan 4th: Walked     Jan 6th: Swam for 2 hours     Jan 7th: 1990's exercise video     Jan 8th: Swim for 2 hours     Jan 9th: Go play in the snow     Jan 11th: Swim for 2 hours     Jan 13th: Swim for 2 hours 5. Spend time with God daily     Attempted. No always optimal     Be more focused, giving 100% of my attention, even if it's for less time.     6. Journal of

Shower Infusers This idea came to me after nearly an hour of searching the internet for inspiration. The night before Christmas, I realized I had nothing to give my mom. So, I made these, stuck them in a mason jar, and wrapped it. Since then she's really enjoyed using them. What You'll Need: -Baking Soda -Corn Starch -Muffin Tins -Muffin Tin Liners -Essential Oils What to Do: 1. Mix 1 Cup of Baking Soda with 1 Tablespoon Corn Starch 2. Add 1/3 Cup Water 3. Mix 4. Add 5-10 drops of your favorite essential oil per infuser and mix. This may seem like a lot of oil, but you want it to be stronger than you think. (When I made them, I rubbed the oil on top of them, and they weren't strong enough. Do what you think is best.) 5. Line Muffin Tins with liners 6. Fill each liner 1/2 way (give or take how thick you want them) with the mixture. 7. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. 8. Allow to cool completely and stor

Every summer I go camping with my family and we fish. My grandpa, who owns the boat we share, is adamant about waking up early, often around 5 a.m. and heading out on the water as soon as it's light enough to see. As a family, we always compete to see who can independently catch the most fish. Usually it's me. I'm not kidding. I am the reigning three year champion. The most we ever caught in one day was 250 fish, mostly Perch, all decently sized. When I come home in between trips, my friends try to figure out why I would willingly go and soak my fingernails in worm parts and fish guts. The answer is simple: The experience makes me feel alive. There's nothing like the anticipation of a bite, the rush of excitement that courses through me as I jerk my pole up into the air, and the wait to see if I hooked him or not. Beyond that, there's the memories and camaraderie. Oh, and must I mention the views? All combined, there's hardly any other place

Deception May Work Temporarily, but It won't Withstand Time This past summer I went hiking with my family and we walked over this bridge. On the outside, this bridge looked perfectly safe - even new and well kept. When we all stood on it, however, it began swaying quite a bit. Be Grounded. Be ready. I was reminded that no matter how "good" I may appear on the outside, without a firm foundation and proper support, I am as shaky and as dangerous as this bridge.

Not too long ago, I ran into a woman at Walmart as I was completing some necessary shopping. She was an older woman with friendly eyes. She started talking with me as we both browsed the available planners. It wasn't long until she shared with me that she had recently lost her mother and had also lost three of her children. With sadness, she advised me treasure the moments I had with family and friends. I responded something to the effect of : "I'm sorry. It's amazing how many opportunities we can miss and not even realize we missed them because we were too busy or distracted. I wonder what would happen if everyone just took a little more time to notice those around them and give an extra hug or word of encouragement." She nodded and apologized for taking too much of my time (which I insisted she hadn't). We wished each other a Merry Christmas and went our separate ways. I never thought I could be so impacted by something at a superficial