100 Days. 1 Dress. For Orphans.

Posted on 1, June 9, 2011 by Kira

Elaini, blogger at Misselainious.com is undertaking the 1 Dress Project of wearing 1 dress for 100 days to raise the goal of $50,000 for orphans in India.

All contributions to the One Dress Project go directly to Warm Blankets Orphan Care. They will be used to give these children a future and a hope through educational and vocational opportunities. The children will have the opportunity to go to school with their peers and be taught skills that will enable them to become productive citizens. Warm Blankets also provides ESL programs, computer training, and agricultural instruction, equipping the children with skills to further economic progress in their native countries.

Your donation will help Warm Blankets Orphan Care respond in emergency situations, rescuing desperate children and ministering to their surrounding communities which have been devastated by war, disease, natural disaster or political turmoil, supplying necessary medical treatment to the children and protection against sex trafficking. Things a child just shouldn’t have to think about.

Elaini is almost half-way to her 100 day mark.  I love seeing how she uniquely pulls together and accessorizes her 1 black dress each day (wearing only 1 dress as a reminder of the children who only own 1 outfit.)  She blogs everyday with photos of her look, and if you know Christa Taylor from Empowered Traditionalist - she is the one working behind the scenes of this project with the photography and styling.  Watch the video.

If you would like to read more about her project journey visit HERE, and if you would like to know more about the orphans and non-profit organization that will receive the contributions visit HERE.  She would greatly appreciate others to spread the word. The more who know about it means the easier it will be to raise the amount to help!

Filed under: Goals/Challenges | 2 Comments »

Book Diet

Posted on 1, June 9, 2011 by Kira

I like this post by Tim Challies called, “10 Tips to Read More and Read Better“.  He has some good suggestions when it comes to reading and how to make reading more profitable when you do.  Lately I haven’t been as consistant with reading as I usually am, but with the school year over I now have more time on my hands to do so.

Those who know me know that I have a huge appetite for reading, and I love the idea of pulling together my “book diet” in those few months of school break.  Ironically, the summer season for me makes up more than 2/3 of the anual books I read and so I like to plan a good variety during that time where I am able to read more.

…Looking forward to more days in the sun with a good book in my hands…

Anyone else have books planned or reading goals for the summer?

Filed under: From my Bookshelf, Just Me | 3 Comments »

Wordless Wednesday: Strange Carrot

Posted on 1, June 1, 2011 by Kira

Filed under: Wordless Wednesday | 1 Comment »

I’m Still Here

Posted on 1, June 1, 2011 by Kira

I am sure a few people have noticed my month-long absence from my blog here.  I can’t help but feel a twinge of guilt for succumbing to my laziness in this area.  When my blog-post creativity and ideas aren’t at its peak I tend to want to give up for a while.  Shame on me.  Though, I’ll try to get back up and going with more posts in the summer.

Speaking of summer, I can’t believe that it is June 1st already!  The last few days have been extremely awesome in weather!  Summer is starting to feel so good!!  The photo above is actually from last summer of Ryan and Kristina right before heading out with Dad to go fishing.  They are looking forward to more of that soon of course.

Quick updates:  Two birthdays have passed.  Kristina turned the first two-digits on May 3rd, and is very pleased to finally say she “is a decade old”.  Also on May 10th I advanced a year, and now bypassing the “sweet sixteen” am on to 17 -  I’m excited to think I only have one more year to go until I’m finished with highschool!  I feel kind of old when I think of it.

Anyways, just thought I’d drop by with a quick post to let you know I’m still here.  I’ll soon be back to post again. :)

Filed under: Family, Life/Journal | 1 Comment »

He’s Alive!!

Posted on 1, April 24, 2011 by Kira

Filed under: Holidays | Leave a Comment »

Good Friday Video

Posted on 1, April 22, 2011 by Kira

Keep in mind while watching this video, that from beginning to end the song is portraying it from the point of view of the thief. 

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.  ~ 2 Corinthians 5:21 

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  ~ Romans 6:23

Filed under: Holidays, Videos | 1 Comment »

Homemade Dairy-Free Chocolate

Posted on 1, April 16, 2011 by Kira

My family and I have been trying to stick to a dairy-free diet due to allergies, and so are chiefly deprived of real chocolate.  So when I found this recipe for dairy-free chocolate on a blog a few weeks ago I was excited to try it.  I have made it a few times since then and it’s turned out really yummy.

Recipe for Homemade Dairy-Free Chocolate

1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup sucanat sugar (or white sugar)
1 cup coconut oil (you can also use butter)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place cocoa, sucanat and coconut oil into a quart sized jar (you can also use a double boiler). 

Fill a small saucepan with two or three inches of water.  Place the jar into the saucepan/water.  Turn the heat on medium/high to begin melting the coconut oil.

Once mixture has melted, pour into a 9×13 inch pan covered with parchment paper.  Spread it as evenly as you can. 

Place your pan into the refrigerator for 1-2 hours so that the chocolate can harden.  Remove it from the parchment paper and break it into chunks. 

I store the chocolate pieces in a Ziplock freezer bag in the freezer, and pull a piece or two out whenever I get a craving. :)

Enjoy!

Filed under: Desserts/Cookies, Recipes | Tagged: , , , , | 3 Comments »

Salvation is of the Lord

Posted on 1, April 13, 2011 by Kira

“Salvation is of the Lord.” ~ Jonah 2:9

QUOTE by CHARLES SPURGEON:

“Salvation is the work of God.  It is He alone who quickens the soul ‘dead in trespasses and sins,’ and it is He also who maintains the soul in its spiritual life.  He is both ‘Alpha and Omega.’  ‘Salvation is of the Lord.’  If I am prayerful, God makes me prayerful;  if I have graces, they are God’s gifts to me; if I hold on in a consistent life, it is because He upholds me with His hand.  I do nothing whatever towards my own preservation, except what God Himself first does in me.  Whatever I have,  all my goodness is of the Lord alone.  Wherein I sin, that is my own; but wherein I act rightly, that is of God, wholly and completely.  If I have repulsed a spiritual enemy, the Lord’s strength nerved my arm.  Do I live before men a consecrated life?  It is not I, but Christ who liveth in me.  Am I sanctified?  I did not cleanse myself:  God’s Holy Spirit sanctifies me.  Am I weaned from the world?  I am weaned by God’s chastisements sanctified to my good.  So I grow in knowledge?  The great Instructor teaches me.  All my jewels were fashioned by heavenly art.  I find in God all that I want; but I find in myself nothing but sin and misery.  ‘He only is my rock and my salvation.’  Do I feed on the Word?  That Word would be no food for me unless the Lord made it food for my soul, and helped me to feed upon it.  Am I continually receiving fresh increase of strength?  Where do I gather my might?  My help cometh from heaven’s hills: without Jesus I can do nothing.  A branch cannot bring forth fruit except it abide in the vine, no more can I, except I abide in Him.  What Jonah learned in the great deep, let me learn this morning in my closet:  ‘Salvation is of the Lord.’” 

Filed under: Quotes, Theology | Leave a Comment »

Praying Scripture

Posted on 1, April 12, 2011 by Kira

“Praying the Word means reading (or reciting) Scripture in a spirit of prayer and letting the meaning of the verses become our prayer and inspire our thoughts.”  (John Piper in Tips for Praying the Word).

While reading my Bible I often come accross verses and passages that I can pray as my own.   I have started keeping a small journal to jot those particular ones down, so I can work on memorizing them and using them in this more personal way.

The Bible is a powerful tool and God’s words carry great depth and conviction and impact to its hearers.  We should keep in mind that it is “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”  ~ Hebrews 4:12  

This should give us more Reason to Pray the Scriptures.

“O Lord, I need you, I come seeking you and needing help. Open my eyes that I may behold wondrous things in your word”  ~ Psalm 119:18

Filed under: Prayer | Leave a Comment »

My Favorite Things: Week 1

Posted on 1, April 12, 2011 by Kira

 

Here are some of my favorite things as of recent I thought I’d share.  Often there’s a few subjects I only have a few sentences to say about, but not fit to devote to one entire post.  So why not throw together all those randomnesses of mine that I’ve enjoyed lately, all in one post? 

  1. The weather - I’ve already layed out in the sun a few times on our patio to not only build up a base tan, but also for some needed Vitamin D.  The weather has been really nice and sunny this week and on Sunday it jumped into the 70s!!  It’s really starting to feel like summer!

2.  Texting - my family and I got this a couple of weeks ago, as well as new cell phones.  My parents held off for quite a while, and after deciding on a texting trial, we were all loving it.  For practical me, I see how handy and convenient texting is in many situations and its been fun to keep connected with friends and family (you know, those people who just don’t email anymore).  :)   So, yes, texting is another new favorite thing of mine now.

3.  Glasses - yes, I got glasses.  All us girls in the family got them.  For a while I knew my eyesight wasn’t the best, but I thought it couldn’t be too bad off from the average person.  Yet, my eyesight was worse than I thought.  Now being able to see clearly with my glasses, I cannot believe how long I have lived in a world of blur for so long without a pair! 

4. Driving - my parents had asked me to hold off on getting my permit till this year (being that our insurance would go up when I’d get my license eventually and things weren’t looking good with my dad’s job for a while).  Finally though, I moved forward and got my drivers permit a couple of months ago and its been fun driving my family around everywhere.  By end of August I’ll be looking forward to getting my license!

5. My Dad’s job - my family and I had been prayerfully seeking God about a particular job acceptance for my dad.  After a patience-learning wait we were so thankful to hear that he got the job!  Where my dad was at previously wasn’t looking stable for him with all the changes being made, and it’s been a real blessing with this new job.  My Dad is loving it.

6. My All You magazine - I’ve been loving this magazine ever since last year when I first subscribed, but I’ve never mentioned it on my blog.  Really, if I had to choose one magazine I would have to choose AllYou.  It’s right down my alley and filled with so much information on couponing, saving/budgeting, fashion, makeup, frugality, and every issue comes with a load of coupons to cut out too!  It practically pays for itself that way and I love that.

Any favorite things you’ve enjoyed over the week?  Leave me a comment or post your favorite things on your blog; I’d love for you to share in my randomness too and I’d love to see what favorite things you have to share. :)

Filed under: Family, Fun Stuff, Life/Journal | Leave a Comment »

From the Blogosphere: Wk 6

Posted on 1, March 17, 2011 by Kira

 

Image Credit

Here are some good reads from the blogosphere for this week!

Failures – iheart

Dependability and Attentiveness – Jessica Letchford

Is God Safe? – Inspired To Action 

Spring Fashions Modesty - Women Living Well

Filed under: From the Blogosphere | 3 Comments »

Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

Posted on 1, March 15, 2011 by Kira

Last week was a horror story for Japan.  Devastating effects were caused by the earthquake and tsunami. 

Whole communities were swept away in this tragedy.  Thousands left dead.  The many still alive in the area are now exposed to harmful effects of the nuclear reactors radiation. 

It tears my heart.

Tragedies like this, I do not have enough sympathy to give… any proves insufficient. 

Tragedies like this, wakes me up from my own life and humbles me immensely to know… I am still alive.  I have a home.  I have my family.  All that I have is by God’s grace.  It’s by His grace that every moment of my life goes on. 

But I cannot help but think of all the other numerous lives unexpectedly taken into eternity.  

Eternity.  That word is not easy for me to think about, in the light of what happened in Japan. 

But, it is reality.  Sometimes tragedies like this wake us up to that reality.  The reality that there are millions of lost souls in the world.  The reality that there are two very different places at the end of the road of our life: Heaven and Hell.  The reality: that we all need Christ alone to save us from the latter.

My heart goes out to the people in Japan as do my prayers.  I pray that God will do mighty work in many hearts and lives not only in Japan, but also in the hearts of those who weren’t involved who have yet to be saved by God’s grace.

As it is written:  “None is righteous, no, not one.”  ~ Romans 3:10

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  ~ Romans 6:23

Read John Piper’s prayer for Japan at the Desiring God blog.

Filed under: Life/Journal, Prayer, Sharing the Gospel | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Target: FREE Beauty Bag (Samples + Coupons)

Posted on 1, March 7, 2011 by Kira

This post is for you, ladies!  Target is giving away a free cosmetics bag containing free beauty product samples, along with $25 worth of coupons. :D

All you have to do is fill out a quick survey and address form at the Target website to receive this.  I already ordered one for myself, but hurry! Quantities are limited!!  Click here to grab yours!

Filed under: Fun Stuff | Leave a Comment »

Am I Content with my Daily Bread?

Posted on 1, March 7, 2011 by Kira

 

“And the Lord said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel.  Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread.  Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’

“In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp.  And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground.  When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?”  For they did not know what it was.  And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.  This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather of it, each one of you , as much as he can eat.  You shall each take an omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.’ “  And the people of Israel did so.  They gathered, some more, some less.  But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.  Each of them gathered as much as he could eat.  And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it over till the morning.”  But they did no listen to Moses.  Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank.  And Moses was angry with them.  Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted.”

It was amazing how God sustained the needs of his people each day for food; quail in the evening and bread in the morning.  But when the Israelites began to take matters into their own hands and started saving food by their own efforts, God let the food rot.  God wanted his people to trust in Him, and not the work of themselves.  Each person had to trust God day by day and be content in Him for their needs, since they literally could not do anything except to trust in God to provide for them at the present time.  They had to completely rely on Him.  Just as we should.

This story often reminds me of my own sin in failing to trust God.  So easily I can say that I do trust Him, but when it comes down to living out each day and it’s uncertainties the question is, do I sincerely have faith in the Lord to deliver my “daily bread”?     Or do I cushion my worries by solely relying on my own abilities to provide for myself and sustain me?  Or when I am provided for, do I pat my own self on the back and thus forget God’s work of blessing in my life?  Am I content with what He has for me or am I always wanting more?  It can be a daily battle.

How are we living day by day in the light of God’s providence?

Filed under: Contentment, Convictions, Struggles | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

From the Blogosphere: Week 5

Posted on 1, February 6, 2011 by Kira

 

Image Credit

Guarding Against Technology - Passionate Homemaking

Giving Yourself - Don’t Waste Your Homemaking

When Humility is Pride – Girl Talk

A Homemaker’s Heart - A Wise Woman Builds Her Home

Filed under: From the Blogosphere | 1 Comment »

Could You Pray This?

Posted on 1, February 6, 2011 by Kira

Are we content with our ”daily bread”?

Watch this thought-provoking video by Francis Chan (author of Crazy Love).

 

Proverbs 30:7-9

“Two things I ask of you, LORD;
   do not refuse me before I die: 
Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
   give me neither poverty nor riches,
   but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
   and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
   and so dishonor the name of my God.”

Filed under: Contentment, Convictions | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Extreme Couponing

Posted on 1, January 11, 2011 by Kira

The reality show, Extreme Couponing premiered on TLC in December and I got to watch it for the first time last week.  I was surprised at how much these people were able to save by knocking down their starting purchase prices from the hundreds, down to mere pocket change!!  All from using coupons.   But these people aren’t just ordinary coupon clippers, they LIVE it!  It’s practically a 24-7 full-time job for some of them, almost to the point of coupon/food hoarding, or so it seems. 

While I never plan to go that extreme, I did get some tips and ideas from the show to add to my own love of coupon clipping and bargain hunting. 

It occurred to me after watching, that I haven’t posted the online sources from where I like to get coupons from.  I posted a few of them in my post on How I get Free Samples, but not every one.

Redplum, SmartSource, Coupons.com, and AllYou are sites I visit regularly that have manufacturer coupons which are available to print right off their site.  Target offers their printable store coupons.  Other sources are blogs by people who find great deals and link to them for their readers.  Those that I read are Printable Coupons, Money Saving Mom, Passion for Savings, Pocket Your Dollars, and The Krazy Coupon Lady (this blog is by a woman featured on Extreme Couponing).  All of these sites have helped me and my family out greatly, as we are on a tight budget this year and have found some awesome deals from them.

I’m sure there are a ton of other great blogs and sites out there that are similar, but as of now, these are the ones I read and subscribe to.  Go on and check them out, and do share in a comment if you have money-saving/coupon sites that you love as well.

Filed under: Frugality, Just Me | 5 Comments »

Recycling Old Candles

Posted on 1, January 5, 2011 by Kira

I love candles.  It looks so nice and inviting when I have my favorite candles lit around the kitchen.  I do it often during the winter months, and I’ve had to throw out a few used candles already.

A couple weeks ago, I found a blog post by a lady who tried recycling a candle of hers for the first time, by re-melting the left-behind wax and adding a new candle wick to make a new one.  I thought that was so cool, so I followed her directions and got a brand new candle to be used again too!

You can read the directions on how to do it here.  Now you can get a little bit more out of your candles.  Neat, huh?

Filed under: Frugality, Homemaking, Projects/ Crafts | 9 Comments »

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