Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Beauty Is the Lord's


....In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth....
Genesis 1:1......




I am absolutely in LOVE with the beauty our Lord has created on this earth! Here are some pictures my sister and/or I have taken... nothing has been edited or touched up; what you see is what I believe to be fair glimpses of what a camera can capture, and this is nothing even close to what it looks like in person. And to think... that heaven is going to be even more amazing!



But I am the Lord your God, who divided the sea whose waves roared - The Lord of hosts is His name. Isaiah 51:15



Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17




And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2


Deep calls unto deep at the noise of your waterfalls; all Your waves and billows have gone over me. Psalm 42:7


Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil. Proverbs 4:26-27


Then God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years. Psalm 1:14



From the rising sun to its going down the Lord's name is to be praised. Psalm 113:3



In Awe of His splendor, may our Savior's name be glorified!


Thursday, July 14, 2016

Maple Syrup "Caramel" Pop Corn


I just made up a few batches of my favorite evening snack! I LOVE popcorn!!!!! A friend of mine once told me how to make kettle corn, using your normal popcorn seeds and oil, and then adding butter and sugar right in the popper before it's finished being made. I got to thinking, and decided to try maple syrup in place of the sugar. The result was an amazing tasting, caramel-like, gooey and crunchy, textured popcorn! Seriously, if you need to make caramel popcorn but don't want to spend the two hours doing it, just make this and no one will be complaining! it's to die for.





First, you will need 1/2 cup of popcorn seeds, a good amount of oil (I use coconut oil), and 2 Tbsp. of butter. If you use more or less seeds depending on the size of your popper, then you may have to adjust how much butter you put in.




Put these three ingredients into your popper. Start heating it up. When the butter and oil are both melted and start to bubble, add some maple syrup. You're going to probably want about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of syrup added in, depending on how caramel-y you want it to be.



I use our homemade maple syrup, and have no clue what the fake stuff you buy from the store would taste like... but you could certainly try it!

This will take longer than usual to pop. The syrup cools everything down a lot and kind of "drowns" the seeds ;P But be sure it all gets stirred frequently until it's finished popping. When it's done, this is what it should look like:



Sprinkle some salt onto this batch of goodness, and there's your deliciously addicting, maple syrup caramel popcorn! I am NOT kidding, it is ridiculously hard to stop eating this stuff. But good news, people! Maple syrup is not necessarily a bad sweetener for you to eat a lot of :D

This batch of popcorn has quite a lot of syrup in it. If you were to use just a little less, you will get a lighter result that tastes almost just as good... ;)



This is what it would look like with less in it. You can seriously do as much as you want! Try a whole cup of maple syrup if you're a serious sweet tooth, or if you just want a hint of the taste, then do less. It really is totally up to your personal liking!

Enjoy your popcorn!!!

Friday, July 8, 2016

Lil' Bit of Everything...


I didn't know what to do for my very first post on this blog, so I just thought I'd give a quick "sneak-peak" into what kind of stuff will be posted in the future!!!





PHOTOGRAPHY: My sister and I really enjoy taking pictures! So once in a while we may post a photo or two of our best and newest creations.



SEWING: My mom, sister, and I are huge fans of sewing, especially civil war ball gowns!!! Here is my most recent dress that I've made. We want to show some of our favorite patterns to you, maybe even make up a few patterns of our own to share; and if there's interest, we could even give a few personal sewing tips.
 

Just One Choice

Give me words to write on paper,
Give me books to read and to remember,
Give me music to make and to sing;
But REAL success these alone cannot bring.



Without the Lord by my side,
I am nothing even in day's light.
But when in Him I do abide,
I shine brightly even in the night.



I have fears even for what I hope for,
I have choices that I must make;
And without my Heavenly Savior,
These fears become truths and I fall to mistake.

I can grow confused and worried,
For what I do not yet know.
But God has not lost me,
And He will never let go.

I might not always know where to turn,
And I might forget the One to whom be the glory.
But I will never give up or fail to learn,
That it is Christ who holds the pen to my story.

He is lovingly planning my life;
All I have to do is be patient and see.
For the beauty in unwrapping my real-time story,
Is to watch what He is writing for ME.

So many options and I'm only myself,
But I shall be used and not merely left on a shelf;
This the Lord has for me already chosen,
And His promises are true and never broken.



So off I go,
Ready to live HIS Way;
Excited to stand up and show,
That this is the choice I choose today.



To obey His word,
To answer to His name,
To follow His every calling,
And to thank Jesus my Savior for when He came.

The story He writes for me is not cheep,
My heart is for forever His to keep.
Even if I fall and want to live for what myself wants to be,
HE paid the highest price, and my life cannot be free.



I want to give my best for Him,
And not only just for me.
These many choices that I now hold in my hands,
Carry a very important part of the key:



To how I serve my King,
To how I honor my creator,
To how I glorify my Lord,
And To how I love my heavenly Father,

God is writing my story,
And all I have to do is choose to wait.
I praise Him for His perfect timing,
Because MY God is never late.

I will not let my life be wasted;
Therefore I have only one real choice to choose;
I have decided to set my strength on Jesus,
Because then, no matter what, I CANNOT lose!

WRITING: One of my biggest dreams is to be a writer. I LOVE words, and I may get caught up once in a while in sharing some of my writings with you, or simply give you a glimpse of some of the many stories stuck inside my head (: This was a poem I had written a few months ago for graduation.





THEATER: I can't promise how much theatre jazz I'll be able to add, but I AM crazy about musicals and acting! I've been in some plays, and will be helping backstage next month for another one! This photo was taken from "The King and I" by Inspiration Theatre.



CRAFTS: I'm not a very crafty person.... but some people in my family are!




HAIR STYLES: I enjoy playing around with hair. Especially for our dances and weddings and parties! And once in a while I'll get creative with my younger sisters ;)




FASHION: Sometimes we'll make some skirts, or hair pieces, or jewelry. Whenever we come up with some new or unique fashion hacks/ideas, we'll share!




TRAVELING: Once in a while my parents will take us on a fun vacation to a different state or city. I really like history and facts about cool places, so I think it'd be fun to post photos and/or fun facts concerning these places that we visit.




FOOD: I personally do NOT like to cook, and baking is even worse. BUT, I do sometimes get pulled into a new recipe that looks or sounds too good to be truly delicious! I like spices and when I cook, I make sure I'm thorough ;P My sister Brianna on the other hand loves cooking and baking!




BOOK/MOVIE REVIEWS: If I come across any amazing books or thrilling movies, I'll be sure to fill you in on "everything"!!




FAITH/TESTIMONIES: Loving and serving the Lord our God, Jesus Christ our Savior, is the most important thing to us. I will be writing often of His abundant love and mercy!




~ ~ ~




Of course, this is only the beginning of things! I still need to get my head together to decide if there's anything I've missed ;) But these are the highlights, and I think you can get the gist of what my family's life is like... somewhat. LOL. This list will probably, more than likely, grow. And please bear with me as I am still learning how to make a good and interesting blog! I'm very new to this! Half the time I'm not sure I even know what I'm doing. But here I go!