Hair styling fun

 These are some different hairstyles I have done. The first one is a french braid using small strands of hair and then tucked under. The second is a waterfall braid. The third is a simple french braid across the head and then the end is brought up.The fourth is a style where you tie knots in your hair and add pieces as you go a long and then I tucked it under.  The last is a french braid over the top and then back the other way and then I brought the end around. I love playing with hair and trying different styles!

Jess-Beauty Unfading

Hey gals:)

I'm working on a new project, one that has been on my heart for a long time. It's finally working out! Anyway, take a look at my new blog. Tell me what you think :)
Here's the link! Beauty Unfading

Miss and love yall!
Jess

Babysitting, Celina

I don't know how many of you girls know, but I got a summer job babysitting (BEST. SUMMER. JOB. EVER!).  I am working full time (7:45-5:15, Monday-Friday) most weeks, watching two girls ages 9 and 8, awesome ages BTW, cause they aren't "too old" to do a lot of games, but you can still do some more fun slightly more complicated games with them.  I am hoping to post about once or twice a week about what we did that day, but this week I am not working cause the girls are in summer school so I will show you my babysitting bag.

So the first day I babysat we decorated some canvas bags.  They LOVED doing it and it was a pretty cheap project.  Every day sometime in the afternoon we have "chill pill time" which is when the girls will go into there own rooms and just "chill" (read a book, listen to music, take a nap, color, whatever quite calmish thing they want to do).  It is a great time for them to get away from each other and just chill for a little cause we go pretty hard all day long, and it is a chance for them to step back and breath for a little bit.  They usually end up asleep, don't tell them I know ;) they come out of their rooms yawning and rubbing their eyes, saying "oh, I didn't sleep, I promise!" I don't know why for kids that age sleeping during the day is such a sin, it doesn't make since, oh well. Anyways the girls got to decorate a bag for "chill pill time" and every week I will put new coloring books, new activities, a new book on tape, and new chapter books.  They love the idea of having a special bag just for that hour each day.  

I made a bag for myself just for holding all my stuff everyday and just an essential babysitting bag.  I have even started taking this bag with me to just evening babysitting.  It is fun to have a bag that the kids know there is awesome stuff in.  In has started to be this really cool Mary Poppins bag for the kids, they never know what I may have decided to through in  there that day. So here is what I have in my bag, I think most of this stuff is essential for any babysitter. 

Here is my bag, I used plain scotch tape and put it in (not so) straightish lines and put the blue and red stripes on there, it is a little streaky on camera, you cannot tell as much in person and I let the girls help me so it turned out not so perfect.    

The first thing I have in the bag is a book that I am reading to the girls, just something we read about a chapter of every time I am there.  This is a book Mom used to read to us and I LOVE it, they are really liking it.  It is called "The Mysterious Benedict Society" and ya'll should read it, it is one of those books anyone can enjoy.  And everyone in my family loves it. 

I also keep some sort of prize candy in my bag, the twizzlers are awesome because I can break or cut them into whatever size piece I want.  I can give the girls twizzlers for prizes for ANYTHING, I am pretty competitive and I make like everything they do like cleaning, and regular games, and just whatever.  It is good to find a candy that the kids like but you don't, cause unless you have self control (I don't :D) then you will end up eating the candy pretty fast.  I don't like twizzlers so they are lasting quite a while.  

The next things that I have in the bag is some basic craft stuff.  I have glue, tape, and paintbrushes/sponges.  The girls each have crayons, markers, glue sticks and scissors in their chill pill bags, so I don't have that stuff. But I just wanted to have a little bit of crafty kind of things in my bag too.

I also have a notebook for writing down random things during the day, what to bring the next day, whose turn it is to clean up dishes, just whatever I need to remember.  

I also have some "me" things, chap-stick, gum, lotion, deodorant, and single serve lemonade mix. Just some stuff for that I want to have around during the day.  

I also have a deck of cards and some Ivory soap.  Just basic "I'm bored" solvers, there are TONS of games you can play with a deck of cards for any age.  I don't know if ya'll know about this but you can put Ivory soap in the microwave and it will expand into this HUGE, fluffy, squishable, awesome, cloud.  Totally awesome to crumble outside and watch it blow away, it is just MEGA fun, I will have to post pictures next time I do it with the girls.  

So there ya have it basic babysitters bag stuff. I usually have more than just this stuff in there and it changes every day.  But this stuff is always in there.

Storage Cuteness, Celina

HELLO LADIES!  I made something cute today and thought I would show you how I did it.  

I found these totally awesome drawer thingies in the basement.  I don't know if ya'll know this about me, but I LOVE organizational thingies (cute little drawers, notebooks, pens, folders blah blah blah) I am horrible at being organized but I love the thought of it all and office supply stores....gosh they are amazing!  So I saw these little drawers and my heart started singing a little bit, and I did a little jig, yes I had a heart flop about five dollar plastic drawers, so shut up.  I saw these and started putting my makeups in it and getting all happy.  It was Sunday afternoon and I don't know why but I am always a little creative on Sunday afternoons, weird I know but whatever sauce.  

 So I found scrapbook paper and decided to jazz up the drawers (I didn't end up using this paper, but I took pictures after I had already made the covers so I just used this as in example)

It is kinda hard to see but I took one of the drawers out and laid it on the paper.  The drawers arn't flat on the front (I know bummersnot) so I had to kinda guesstimate and roll the drawer around to figure out the right size to cut out.  It took a couple tries but just start bigger and you can cut it down to the right size 

                                      

Then you can use the first one as a pattern for all the rest of the drawer fronts.  Next label all of the drawer fronts. 

Next get some glue that is clear or will dry clear and put it on the patterned side of the paper 

Then just kinda smush the paper onto the drawer, on the inside front.  Mold it around the shape of the drawer and hold it on a little until you are happy with the look. 

Do this on all of the drawers 

BAMMO! Cute AND organizational..... yeahhhh it will be a horrible mess in a couple days but right now it makes my heart happy!

Philippians 4:13- I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength  (FAV VERSE! Good reminder... Sitting on the internet MUST..... GET...... OFF..... just repeat this verse then click the little red X of DEATH! :D, ok maybe a little over dramatized, but whatever)

A peak into my Vacation

So, I have been having a busy week! We went to my brothers graduation on my birthday-Go Philip! We cheered loudly as he walked across the stage. However we were in very uncomfortable seats. Brooke, Benjamin, Faith and I had to sit in the wooden "bleachers". They were actually wooden benches with not much room to spare. The guy behind me kept banging his knee into my back. Not exactly the massage I was hoping for ;). Note taken-we were squished and uncomfortable through a two hour ceremony. Oh well. We ate delicious Pappa Johns pizza with my aunt and uncle (they came for the graduation). Then we ate Oreo Dessert and when my aunt and uncle left (later than expected) we got to watch the first half of the Hobbit. Yay! Sad, only half-but Yay! :) This is probably boring if you are reading this right now, but oh well, you are the one who chose to read it ;). I have not had much time to write on here or read or do anything else leisurely because we have been doing stuff with out pause. We went to Silver Dollar City yesterday all day. That was fun. The bad parts were the following: Stinging ants during lunch, soaking on me during the Lost River, taking forever to dry out, and sore feet. The good parts were the following: Getting to ride the new Outlaw Run, getting a funnel cake at the end, Hanging around people I like, not getting sun burnt, beautiful weather, not a TON of people, not being overly hungry, having someone to go on roller coasters with, and that about sums it up. A pretty good day with the good things out weighing the bad. Then we went to a place called "Danna's Barbecue" for dinner. It was awesomely yummy! I of course got...A plain hamburger and it was delicious! It was a nice friendly little restaurant. One of Philip's friends came with us back to our condo (He is very nice and is actually Philip's best friend) and we had oreo dessert again and then watched the rest of the Hobbit (Philip and his friend left before we watched it). That sums up pretty much all we did. I probable won't get to write for awhile, but if I do I will tell you about all the "scary" things that I will have to do.

Jess, a little idea

Dear friends,
Lately, my heart has been really heavy about some topics. We're all teen girls here, and I know for a fact that each of us is struggling in some area of our life. In Galatians, Paul talks about carrying each other's burdens. I don't mean like legit stressing over something 24/7 and losing sleep over a situation someone has brought to you...I mean coming together as sisters in Christ and asking for prayer, asking for an ear to listen and encouragement. So..this is my little way of saying that whatever it is..whenever it is, let us be open to one another.

My really close friend and I have recently been struggling with similar things. A little while ago, we just kind of stopped and asked "why aren't we doing something to help each other?" And that's just it. We all struggle, why not help each other, relate to each other and encourage our brothers and sisters through Christ? We sort of created this "accountability" system. Every day we text, call, e-mail, snail, mail..whichever we're in the mood for, and ask "so hows this going?" or "have you been in the Word today?" This is something very near and dear to my heart, and I just felt like sharing with you all. If this interests you, or you wanna talk about it..pray about it, shoot me an email or if you have my number text me! I believe that we need to be keeping each other accountable, encouraging our friends in the right direction God is pointing us in.
I love you all so much!

"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." -Ephesians 3:14-21


-Jess

YBH?

At a youth conference in Branson recently, a speaker was teaching to our group of 4,000 + teens and leaders about his experience growing up in church. You hear a lot of the "Jesus died for your sins, now you need to live for Him!" and "God loves you, you should love God!" along with many, many other common Christian-living cliches. He said that he would write down all of these things people were telling him to do, and underneath them the letters "YBH!" He went on for quite a while, teaching another cliche and then screaming YBH! YBH! YBH! "This is something every teen Christian wants to know. Shoot, every Christian!" We were on our toes...what in the world was YBH?!

Yeah...but how?


"LIVE FOR CHRIST!!"

Yeah, but how?

"It's easy! Just share the gospel!"

Yeah, but how?

"Man, don't take it so hard...just trust God!"

Yeah, but how?

Starting to see a trend? It seems that everywhere we go, people are preaching at us what we have to do. Maybe even why we have to do it. I've even underlined scripture with YBH, tortured as to HOW IN THE WORLD I'm suppose to do it!! Are we suppose to know? Is this some great mystery that we just have to "trust God" with? Some of the sermons at my church I would leave in tears, because my heart was so torn. I didn't want to sound like this person that didn't want a relationship with God. But I was soooooo tired of all of the do this and do that, I just wanted to know HOW. It seems no one can tell you. Any of you out there feel like that? If you're like me...it's almost always.

That's when, (at this very moment to be exact) I was given this "aha!" moment.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." (Matthew 7:7-8) 

          "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13)

And that...though simple..is it! 

"Trust God, man!"
Yeah, but how?
I may not know, but He does. Just seek Him, ask for the answer to that, and He'll give it to you.

"LIVE FOR CHRIST!!"
Yeah, but how?
First, you must seek Christ.

A lot of times...I find myself rambling about something that is worrying me. (I'm probably rambling about this...so my apologies if it's confusing.) And I never take the time to bring it before the One who even gave me a mind. Who even gave me life! I find, that if I EARNESTLY seek His face, and ask, it will be given to me.

NOW. Is that an always yes? Most definitely not. But it will be an answer. It may be "Wait, child, just praise Me, and wait." Or it may be "not yet, I only know what your plans are." No matter the answer, trust that His is best.

YBH?!?

I dunno..

...but He does.