Oh my! The year flew by!

     As I write this, it's the afternoon and I will confess - I'm still in my brightly colored peace & love 'jamas. I'm not necessarily proud of this nor am I necessarily ashamed of it, it's just the result of a productive New Years Eve morning of laundry, laundry, and more laundry. Oh Lord, please help us whenever [or if] You decide we're going to have kids. I feel like this day is going by too quickly; I should have been more productive, should have worked faster, should have worked harder, shouldn't have taken this break to write... sometimes I feel the same way about this past year. I should have worked harder, rested less, disciplined myself more, just over all done better - I think I feel this way at the end of every year. But, even I'm feeling this way - this past year was wonderful, amazing and full of life & new experiences - and that's just what it should be full of! Even if I didn't accomplish some goals I set up for myself, we still had a rockin' year and I can't believe that we'll be welcoming a new one in just a few hours!
     This past year we learned a lot about each other & marriage, I started my make up business, we made a BIG move to Arizona, celebrated our 1 year anniversary, celebrated 9 engagements, 7 marriages, 14 pregnancies/new babies [some have already arrived, some are still cookin'], made new friends, went to our first Coyotes Hockey game & our first College football game, adopted a bunny,  and a lot more! As we look back on this past year, though we may not have completed all the tasks we set out to do, we are so thankful, blessed and encouraged by this past year and cannot wait to see what God has planned for us for 2012. So here's to a new year & new experiences - may it be a blessing and encouragement to you!
Have a safe New Years!!
S

God’s Timing; healing

It is difficult to see something prayed about consistently appear to go unanswered - but that's just it- "appear". Just because it is unseen does not mean that God isn't working to heal the situation. Some things just take time to recover from, we have all learned that lesson in some way or another. It is difficult from the outside looking in, feeling utterly helpless and wanting to make things better - wanting it to not hurt anymore, but I think that it's much harder from the inside looking out. There is much we may hope for- things we can do to help, things to say, but in the end it all comes down to God and His timing. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." Everything God has done is according to His plan, His purpose and His timing. Nothing can be done apart from God, and nothing can be done before God wills it to be. God has also made men for His eternal purpose- each one designed to fulfill God's will in some way - and with that we get the departure of some of those we hold most dearly far before we are ready to see them go. It is heart breaking and difficult and it takes time to accept it, to heal from it-although often times you won't be fully healed. Things are never the same and the memories are never gone.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

Today we rejoice in the fact that my cousin & dear friend, Jeffrey Michael Ogle, went to his heavenly home 5 years ago. I will never forget the impact you had on my life, your love and fire for Christ, your impressions, your big bear hugs, your willingness to stick up for me when the boys were picking on me when we were younger (out of love of course),  and the unconditional love you showed me when I needed it most 

Wedding Bells!

     On Sunday, I was blessed to be able to attend the marriage of two people who mean a great deal to me: Jon & Katie. Jon took Tony and me through our premarital counseling and more importantly performed our ceremony and married us over a year ago & Katie has been my friend for a few years now and has always been able to give me sound advice and a good laugh.
    Sadly, I left my camera in the car, so the only photos I have are on my phone and it's a bit difficult to get them off my phone. But here are a few I was able to get, thanks to my sister emailing them to me after I texted them to her. She's pretty awesome like that.

 

\

  It was honestly the most beautiful wedding I have been too and the most anticipated wedding too! Katie was the most beautiful bride & I have never seen PJ that happy or goofy! My heart just overflows with joy for them and I am so excited to see how God uses them!

Keeping a Clean House

 "An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels...She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness."

-Proverbs 31:10, 27

"Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled."

-Titus 2:3-5

     As a Christian woman I am exceedingly grateful that God has given us an example of what a godly, excellent wife looks like in the Bible. However, in the hustle and bustle of this Martha world, I find it rather difficult to keep my heart in the right place and to keep in mind that as a wife, the things that I do for my family are rather important - regardless of what this world tries to tell us about being old fashioned (or worse).

     For the majority of our first year of marriage, I struggled immensely with two things that I was VERY convicted of on a daily basis. What were they? Making dinner for my husband and keeping the house clean. These are things that I personally feel are important things to do as a wife, and yet I was unable to keep on top of it. Part of it had to do with the fact that I worked 40+ hours most weeks and was exhausted by the time I got home and the other part of it was that I had NO idea where to start. I've already posted about meal planning which has helped me GREATLY learn how to budget my time in order to make dinner for my husband (you can read about that here), so this post will focus on my other major struggle: keeping the house clean. 

     The fact that I have been greatly convicted of these things indicates that they are something that I should be doing to the best of my ability when I can; and since I have spoken with other young married women who have said similar things to me - I'd like to share with you all my cleaning list. I thought I had already posted it, but I haven't located it - so my apologies if this is a repeated post.

     I found this list on RealSimple.com, however I have not been able to locate this exact list on their website anymore - so here it is. I appreciate that it is broken down into daily, weekly, and seasonally things to do and my husband appreciates it too. He now comes home to a pretty neat home and doesn't have to think about doing anything after a long day of work [[trust me though, there are still plenty of days where he comes home and it's a disaster, but instead of being an issue or a huge frustration which it seemed to be in the past, he more joyfully and willingly helps me get the house straightened up again because I'm putting forth effort more than I used to]].

Kitchen

Every Day:
Wipe down sink after doing dishes/loading dishwasher
Wipe down stove-top
Wipe down counters
Sweep, Swiffer or vacuum floor

Every Week:Mop the Floor
Wipe the cabinets, backsplashes and appliances
Wash the dishrack
Wipe the switchplates
Take out the trash
Wipe the inside of the trash cans (I don't do this - I just spray it with lysol)
Throw out old left overs
Clean the stove burners

Every Season:Empty & Scrub down the inside of the refrigerator
Empty & clean the insides of the utensil drawers
Scrub down the cupboard exteriors
Clean the stove-hood filters

Living AreaEvery Day:

Pick up crumbs & dust bunnies
Fluff cushions & fold the throws after use
Wipe table tops & spot clean cabinets
Straighten coffee table books & magazines
Throw out newspapers, put away CDs & videos

Every Week:Dust all surfaces - electronics, books, blinds, picture frames, window sills & ledges, & tops of door frames; remove all cobwebs.
Dust, mop/vacuum floors
Vacuum upholstery (I honestly don't know what this means)
Throw out old magazine
Wipe switchplates, doorknobs, door jambs,
Shake out/vacuum doormat
Vacuum heating and AC vents

Every Season:
Wash insides of windows
Lift big furniture and vacuum underneath

BathroomEvery Day:

Wipe out sink
Wipe the toilet seat and rim
Swoosh toilet bowl with brush
Wipe mirror & faucet
Spray the entire shower and curtain with shower mist after every use (prevents soap scum build up and a mildewy smell if your shower curtain starts to smell mildewy....ours did and it drove me nuts. I would wash the curtain like every week or every other week...the shower mist cleaner stuff really helped! and the off brand (called Daily Shower Cleaner) is only like $2.50)

Every Week: Scrub the tub
Scrub the tiles
Mop the floor
Wipe the switch plates, door knob and door jambs
Empty and wipe out the waste basket

Every Season: Take down the shower curtain and launder according to care instructions
Empty, weed and clean out the medicine cabinet

BedroomEveryday:

Make the bed
Straighten up nightstands
Put away laundry
Put away jewelry
Every Week:Strip bed and wash sheets, pillow cases, etc.  (I usually do this every other week - we don't have a back up set of sheets yet so I feel like this is a bit ambitious to do EVERY week...I hope that's not gross)
Sweep, mop, vacuum the floor
dust all surfaces
throw out old magazines
wipe the switchplates, door knobs, and door jambs
empty the waste basket
vacuum the heating and ac vents and inside of the closet

Every SeasonFlip the mattress
wash insides of the windows
launder matress pad and dust ruffle

I know this doesn't tackle things like: the patio, dining room, office area - but it's a great start! Once I've started the daily list, it's easy to see what needs to be taken care of in the dining room (like clearing off the table, vacuuming up crumbs), the office area (I mainly just 'straighten up' and throw away old ads, eventually it will get a "deep clean" and I will declutter), and patio (spray it down with a hose). 

A big plus to this list: once you get used to it, you can clean the apt in 20-30 mins which leaves lots of time to have fun doing other things and it's a great routine to get into! I'm convinced that since I'm so used to this now, that when we have a house I won't get completely overwhelmed when I clean the house. :)

But the biggest plus of it all: The hubster appreciates it a lot and it's makes my heart very joyful and happy knowing this!

Happy Cleaning!

Tattoos.

Lately I have had a rather strong desire to get another tattoo. Or more than one. I have five at the moment, and will probably always have just five - but I still want more.

What are the five I have? Here they are in order of which I got them,

1. Based off of 2 Corinthians 5:17 "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.The old has passed away; behold, the new has come"

2. In memory of my cousin, Jeffrey Michael Ogle ~ a young man who loved the Lord, was always there for me, encouraged me, and gave me the gospel and the most life changing occurrance I've eve experienced as God used it to bring me to Him.

3. John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." A reminder that no matter what, I am loved by my King.

4. My stars. The represent my family [madre, brother, sister, brother, me, brother - and at the same time, just stars - the one thing I found complete peace in for many years growing up. I remember sneaking out just to watch them. They were my safe haven, so far away, so peaceful and a sign that there was (and most definitely is) someone much bigger out there than me, that there is a Creator and He is God.

 5. Music. [[My heart/love. (and some more stars)]] It's been such a big part of my life for so long & where God placed me to serve Him and grow in Him for about 4 years.

And the other ones I want (though I won't actually get):

Right foot: Walk by Faith.
This is exactly the placement I would get. After weeks of looking for the "right" placement, this is the only one I've found that is EXACTLY what I want.

The other one apparently doesn't exist on the interwebz.

But, I would get "Jesus is Lord of all" on my right wrist - more subtley than my left wrist tat.

The only other one I want is one I  came up with when I was 19 and hold close to my heart in a way I will never be able to fully explain, but it's a beautiful concept with a beautiful story. Plum blossoms. Because they're "courageous", strong and brave. They sprout at the beginning of spring when the snow is still on the ground. They have to endure the frigid snow while they're young in order to blossom into the beautiful flowers that they are...my left side (my heart side). I decided I wanted this one while experiencing a loss in my life, one that I deal with daily.

But I suppose these are all just ideas or desires. They will not come to pass, they cannot now. But they're on my heart a lot lately, and they're beautiful.  

What the berry?

About 2 1/2 years ago, the love of my life and his family introduced me to balsamic vinegar && it...

changed. my. life.  

"Excuse me? Did I hear you right? Did you just say that balsamic vinegar changed your life?" Yessireee it did indeedy! It is difinitely a possiblility that I believe that bread and balsamic vinegar is the best meal ever. [[Have I mentioned I L O V E carbs? My body would die without them. I'm super cereal about that.]] Anways, one evening while strolling around what I [[and a few thousand other people]] like to call the Spectrum where we spot a new[ish] shop. All it has is many man many different kinds of Balsamic Vinegars and Olive Oils. Introduce my first experience with Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar.

What the Berry? Did you say Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar?

Yessiree, I definietly diid. It's amazing. It's possible that it's one of the most amazing things I've ever had. Ever. EVer. EVEr. EVER. End of story. I love it.  Since we didn't think that it was practical to spend $20 on a bottle of balsamic [[don't even get me started on the $100 bottle....another story. another time]] I had to figure out a more cost effective way to make this. I did. It's amazing. Thanks to the interwebz and some taste tweaking... I give you Strawmic Amazingness [Strawmic=strawberry + balsamic.]]

Ingredients:
1 container of strawberries

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup of balsamic (more or less depending on what you like)

cracked pepper & salt (optional).

Directions:

Wash & hull strawberries. Slice if you like, Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't - ultimately depends on what the strawmic is for. Put strawberries in a bowl, add sugar and balsamic. Stir. Cover, refrigerate for 1 hr. Add pepper and salt, to taste (totally optional). Enjoy amazingness.

I totally stumbled across a Strawberry Balsamic Buttercream recipe. I now need a reason to make cupcakes to try this out. I just started exercising again, I can't just make a whole batch of cupcakes and have them at the house... my lack of self control when it comes to sugar would not lead to good things. :)

In all seriousness, if you haven't tried Strawmic yet, you need to. Promise you will - it's deliciousness. Total and complete deliciousness. 

Cough Syrup

My mouth taste like cough syrup and that makes no sense since the only thing I've ingested today has been a banana. I just wanna go back to bed, but there's a bunny who needs to be watched, laundry that needs to be done, a face that needs to be made and a job that I must show up to today. Then more cleaning and packing and maybe some food, then off to the airport. I wish I used my time better. I wish I wasn't so tired lately. I wish I could change my heart. I wish God would change my heart. Neither of those happen, and I just want to go back to bed.

Beautiful Prayer

Right now, I should be up and jumping around my living room to a very cheesey Dancercise video. But, it's a bit chilly in the house with the exception of the little spot of bed I am taking up, so that's where I am. I was reading a block by Tiffany Myers, a woman who's blog I stumble upon due to the fact that I think her sister is a hilarious and very talented Make Up Artist (Kandee Johnso), and I loved the prayer that she posted by someone I've never heard of.

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi
"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen"

I know nothing of Saint Francis of Assisi, I don't even know what Assisi is. But this prayer is beautiful and reflects so much of the hearts of my family and friends as well as my own. It seems so simple as I read it and it's so close to my heart, I wonder why I haven't been able to articulate similar prayers in that way. I know I pray someone of that daily, but I need God's help in all of it; I cannot do it alone. So as you read this dear brothers & sisters, I hope that it is a blessing to you.

And you should really check out her blog: www.hugelove.blogspot.com. It's a good read and has been a blessing to my love.

huge love & blessings,
S

Don't Waste Your Life

Someone once told me that they had a problem with certain pastors who preach and say that there is only one way to Heaven and only one interpretation of the Bible, and any other view would result in eternal damnation; Hell. Tonight as I was reading John Piper's Don't Waste Your Life, the gravity of that remark hit me. In Piper's book, he says:
 "If there is only one life to live in this world, and if it is not to be wasted, nothing seemed more important to me than finding out what God really meant in the Bible, since he inspired men to write it. If that was up for grabs, then no one could tell which life is worthy and which life is wasted" (page 24). 

On the next page (25) he speaks of E.D. Hirsch's book, Validity in Interpretation, in which he writes:
"Yes, he argued, there does exist an original meaning that a writer had in his mind when he wrote. And yes, valid interpretation seeks that intention in the text and gives good reasons for claiming to see it."

If there is an orginal meaning meant by an author, how is it possible to say that the Bible has more than one interpretation?
There is one way to Heaven and that is through the blood of Christ - Jesus is the way, the truth and the life; we must get to the point of understanding this, repent of our wretched, sinful selves (which is an ongoing process) and walk by faith in Him.

John 3

1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these things that you do unless God is with him." 3Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." 4Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" 5Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' 8The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."
9Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?" 10Jesus answered him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. 12If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15and whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
"16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God."

We are saved through Christ, and whoever believes in him may have eternal life...we must believe in Christ, in his works and in his message - but how do you fully believe in a message that means different things to different people? You can't. One message, one meaning. If the message had more than one meaning; meant something different to each person, then it could not be true. A specific fruit cannot be both an apple and an orange, it is one or the other. A specific message cannot mean both yes and no, cannot be both solid and liquid. It has one message, one truth. Believe in Christ who is God in the flesh and lived a perfect life and died the death meant for each of us, repent of your sins, glorify God with your life.

I wish I still had my nose pierced.

Christmas Treats!

This can only mean 1 thing....

P E P P E R M I N T B A R K

This year I'm actually doing Christmas treats & baking! I'm excited about it, even though we're not doing anything fancy shmancy, it's still makes my heart joyful.

So since this is my first year doing Christmas treats, I thought I would share with you a yummy recipe. I found this online, but once again tweaked it. I apparently don't like leaving recipes the way I find them. I wasn't paying exact attention when packaging to how much was going in each jar, but 1 batch of this makes enough to completely fill 7 mason jars with a few extra pieces left over.

Ingredients:

34 oz White Chocolate Chips
8 oz Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
8 oz Milk Chocolate Chips
10 TBS Heavy Whipping Cream
1 1/2 tsp Peppermint Extract
12 Candy Canes

1 baking sheet
foil

Directions:
Line the cookie sheet completely with foil.
Place 6 Candy Canes in a food processor and blend; it's ok to have some bigger chunks, but you want them to mainly be fine pieces.
Next, melt the white chocolate on the stove. I took a sauce pan and a frying pan, almost the same size, but the frying pan was slightly smaller so it nestled into the sauce pan. Put about 1 inch of water in the sauce pan (the bigger pan) and place the smaller one inside the bigger one. Make sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the small one. Heat the water on medium until it simmers.
Melt 17 oz of white chocolate chips in the top pan, stirring constantly so that it doesn't burn. Remove from heat when the chocolate is almost completely melted (so there's only a handful of chips left to melt.) Continue stirring off the heat so that the rest of the chocolate melts.
Pour into the cooking sheet [[lined with foil]].
Sprinkle with Candy Cane bits. Refrigerate 15 minutes, or until solid.

Next, combine 8 oz Semi Sweet Chocolate, 8 oz Milk Chocolate, 10 Tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream, and 1 1/2 teaspoons Peppermint Extract in frying pan. Melt exactly as you did the white chocolate, stirring constantly until almost all is melted. Remove from heat, continue storing.
Pour over the refrigerated and now solid White chocolate. Refrigerate 25 minutes.

Crush the remaining 6 Candy Canes in the food processor.
Finally, melt the remaining 17 oz White Chocolate as before. Pour over the refrigerated and now solid Chocolate. Sprinkle with the crushed candy canes. Refrigerate 30 minutes, or until solid.

Cut into bite size pieces & package in air tight containers. Store in the refrigerator :)

Enjoy the yumminess.

A Godly Woman

I would really like to write more. Not on any one thing in particular, but just simply write more. I remember when I would write constantly, whether it be a poem, a story, or rambles - but I don't do that any more and there's really no reason for it. With this desire, I encountered writer's block [[naturally]], so I went exploring through my computer to see things that I have written in the past [[but not necessarily published]] since nothing exciting is really happening in our lives here. I came across a document about being a godly woman, so I decided I would share it.

As a young Christian woman, I am encouraged to be a [more] godly woman as I continue my walk with Christ through this life. And while the phrase, command, and/or encouragement to "be a godly woman" is in itself a wonderful thing, it is also very vague. So I took some time with the help of the Bible & the Holy Spirit to make a little reminder sheet as to what a godly woman is.
Let's start with reading Provers 31:10-30

"10 A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.
16 She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
29 "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31 Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate."

This section of Scripture gives women a very straight forward model of a godly woman, though it's rare that this is easy to do. I find it to be an encouragement most days and proof that I just don't measure up on others [[Thank the Lord for His abundant mercy and grace and is everlasting, unconditional love]]!  Using this as a starting point, I went through and found other references [[I did NOT pick out all of the references - I tend to get overwhelmed easily when researching things or moving forward with a project in general]] and came up with the following:

A Godly Woman…

• Seeks to be holy in conduct
- she fears the Lord - she seeks His will over above all else-1 Corinthians 10:31      "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." -Leviticus 19:2        "...be holy for I, the Lord your God, am holy."
• Seeks to be modest in dress
  -God emphasizes beauty of character
  -1 Timothy 2:9-10
       "9I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, 10but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God."
• Seeks to be gentle and quiet
  -2 Timothy 2:24
       "And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful"
  -1 Peter 3:4
       "Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."
• Seeks to care for her home
  -Titus 2:4-5
        "Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God."
  -she has a home that is open and hospitable and is given to ministry to the sick, the needy and less fortunate.
• Seeks to be a person who can be trusted
  -Proverbs 31:11-12
       "Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. 12 She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life."
• Seeks to serve others
  -has learned and knows the love of Christ for others
  -Proverbs 31:20
       "She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy."
   
• Seeks to be prudent in financial matters
  -She is a saver, not a spender
  -She can see beyond today on her own
  -Proverbs 31:16
       "She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard."
•  Seeks to be a hard worker
  -There is no laziness or lack of motivation in her
  -She recognizes the value God has placed on hard work
  -Proverbs 31:17
       "She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks."
• Seeks to internalize Biblical wisdom
  -Proverbs 31:26
       "She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue."
  -The Word is in her heart and in her life, so it comes out of her mouth. When it does, it is dressed in the Spirit, gentle and kind.
• Seeks to do what is right and have a good reputation
  -Proverbs 31:23
        "Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land."
  -1 Timothy 3:7
         "He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap."
  
• She is a blessing to all
  -Proverbs 31:28
       "28 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her."

I wish that I had more Scripture references written down for this project, but I guess that just gives me a project to complete at some point in time. I hope that this was a blessing and an encouragement to any ladies who happen to read this; above all, may the Lord be magnified through this.

Have a great week!
S

Stuffed Bell Peppers

First, I'd like to say
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my SISSY!!

And now for a yummy recipe!

These were delicious (just be careful with how much oil you use)!
I found this recipe on Pinterest, however I altered it a bit.

Ingredients:
1 Cup long grain rice
4 large green bell peppers; bottom trimmed (so they can stand up without falling over), cap end cut off and diced, seeds removed
1 large onion, diced
3 tsp. olive oil (seriously, be careful with how much oil you use...I accidently poured WAY more than necessary and it was VERY oily)
3 links Italian sausage, casings removed
1/2 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1/2 Cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 Cup grated mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Cook Rice.
Preheat oven to 350*F
If the bell peppers do not stand up on their own, trim the bottoms just enough so they have a flat surface to stand on.
Cut off a fiarly generous amoung of the stem end (cap) of the peppers, set aside.
Remove the seeds.
Place hollowed out peppers in a baking dish that you've sprayed with non-stick spray. (You may need more than one baking dish depending on the size of your peppers).
Remove the stem part from the caps and trim off the whit membrane. Dice the pepper caps and onion. Heat 2 tsp oil in large skillet; saute diced pepper & onion (3-4 minutes) until soft, but not browned.
Remove to bowl.
Add 1 tsp oil to skillet, squeeze sausages out of casing. Cook until lightly browned, breaking apart into small pieces.
Return diced onion and pepper to pan with sausage, add dried spices. Saute 2-3 minutes.
Add cooked rice and parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper, cook 1-2 minutes until warm.
Stuff mixture into hollowed bell peppers, press down so i's tightly packed into pepper shelll.
Bake 30 min. Remove from oven and add a generous amount of grated mozzarella on each pepper. ut peppers back into over and back 10-15 min until cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Serve hot. Yummy Yummy :)

I want to try it with different spices, mainly nutmeg - I have no idea why, but it just sounds like it would give it just that little bit of mmmm. I'll try it sometime and let you know if that actually is good. :)

You know what they say - Beauty is pain!

Tony's at work so I am left to attempt to curl my hair  by myself which ended up with my ear looking like this:

That white portion of my ear feels like bacon. This is proof that I shouldn't put any type of heated hair tool near my own head. I've curled other people's hair no problem... but me, I fry my ear. :)

Beauty is pain, right?

Baby, it's cold outside!

Frosty! This is what we woke up to the other morning! We could not see out our window, which is usually completely clear and we can see down past the field and intersection outside our patio. It was a shocking 34 degrees out! A HUGE change from the torturous 115+ this summer!

And we can see SNOW on the mountains! We're planning a snow day [[hopefully]] :)

Apartment Fixes

We presently live in an apartment which is significantly larger than our CA apartment, but while we have more cabinet storage, we have diminished drawer storage which makes storing certain things a challenge - mainly our ovenmits and pot holders. Since we have 2 sets and only 1 semi- convenient place to store them we've been storing both sets in a small drawer that we either have to fight to get it open because it's a bit crammed or we end up having to go into the cabinet beneath it to find the "missing" pot holder or oven mitt. Then I had a stroke of brilliance and fixed the problem in like 30 seconds. And all I needed was velcro, ribbon that matches our kitchen and a pair of scissors (All of which I had from other projects).

All you have to do is cut the ribbon to the proper length to go through the loop on the pot holder/oven mits and comfortably around the handle on your over.
Cut a piece of velcro to fit the width of the ribbon, attach to the underside of the ribbon on one end and the decorative (or other side if you're using plain ribbon) side of the ribbon.
Thread through the loop on the oven mitt and around the handle and attach.

I've seen similar ideas on Pinterest, but they all involve a sewing machine (which I do not have), fabric and usually fancy embellishments. This is just simpler
.
It may not be the chic-est or cutest solution, but it works! (Now to see what Tony thinks when he sees it tonight, tehe!)

Homemade Bubbles!

I'm a nanny. I've been involved with serving kids in some way since as far back as I can remember, so when my boss told me about an easy and fun way to make bubbles, I had to check it out.  They're amazing!

So here's a recipe for some fun bubbles, and if the kids in your life are old enough you can have fun making them together and practice counting/measureing things!
1 1/2 quarts of water
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup liquid dish soap
Mix water and corn syrup until completely blended. Slowly stir in soap. This will last several weeks in an airtight container!
So much fun! Enjoy!

Recurring Dreams...

I wish they wouldn't.

Heart & the Gospel

My heart breaks as I read Facebook posts of old friends who used to be dear to me, but we have since lost touch --though we are still "friends" via the interwebs. There is so much heartbreak in their posts - so much anger towards the world and towards God - that's what breaks my heart the most. If someone is angry towards both God and the world, what is left? This is important! My heart breaks for the those who have not found Christ and even more, those non-Christians who have been hurt by Christians AND/OR  led down the wrong path/deceived about the gospel and the reality of the Christian faith.  If you're not a believer and you've read this far, I ask you & I beg you to continute to read the rest of this post before writing it off.

I want to share with you who the God of the Bible really is, who Jesus is, who I am and everyone else is as a sinner, and why you (and most definitely myself) need a Savior and the Gospel. Again, I ask you to please read this with an open mind and heart.  [[Or you can watch the video here: www.sharetheumbrella.com/ ]]

So let's start. Who is the God of the Bible?

God is our Creator. The first verse of the Bible says. 'In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.'(Genesis 1:1). The Bible teaches that God created everything that is, including you and me. The implications of this truth are huge. If God made us, then He is ultimately in charge! He owns us and we are responsible to Him. He retains full rights over us as the Designer and Creator of human life. The Bible tells us that people were created in God's image to enjoy a perfect relationship with Him and with each other. God intended and designed the ultimate in quality and quantity of life for the people He had made. Part of this ultimate relationship between God and His people included His desire to have men and women choose to love and serve Him for who He is willingly and freely.

God is Holy. First Peter 1:16 tells us that God is holy. That means that God is perfect. That verse also tells us that God requires that people be holy too. Unfortunately, from the very beginning the people that God made chose to use their freedom to please themselves instead of obeying God and being holy. The Bible calls this sin. Because people chose to sin they forfeited their priviledged position and their ultimate relationship with God ended. The Bible teaches that everybody born since Adam and Eve were born into a state of separation from God. Sin created a barrier that ruined what should have been a prefect relationship.

God is Just. The Bible also tells us that God is just. Because He is perfectly just He cannot overlook sin. Accoring to passages like 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 God promises to punish sin severely. Though his kindness prevails for now, the Bible is clear that there will come a time when each person will stand before God and payment for sins will be required. That's what hell is all about. It is the place away from God's kindness where people will pay for the sins they have committed.

God is loving. Thankfully, the Bible also tells us that God is loving (1 John 4:8). In His love for sinful and separated people God has provided a solution - a way out for people who otherwise would have no hope! This is the "good news". Much like an umbrella God has provided Jesus, His own Son - God in human form - who has endured the punishment that we deserve so that we won't have to. As God, Jesus lived the perfect life for us as well as incurring the wrath of God for us while dying on the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21). Because the umbrella is rained on (because God is just) there is a place beneath it that isn't - so it is with Christ! After living teh life we needed and dying the death we deserved (because we are sinful), Jesus rose from the dead to prove to the world that sin and the penalty for sin had been adequately dealt with.

Repentance and Faith. What Jesus has done is definitely good news, but it does not do us any good until we respond to it the way that God requires. Though many believe that amassing a lifetime of good deeds will somehow earn God's favor and forgiveness, to the contrary, the Bible says that we can acquire God's favor and forgiveness right this moment by repenting of our sins and placing our trust in Christ (Acts 20:21). If today you would choose to turn from your sins (1 Thessalonians 1:9), and trust completely in what Jesus has done for you (Philippians 3:9), then God's Spirit will place you "in Christ"' guaranteed to never incur the punishment your sins deserve. Are you ready to that right now? If so, express to God your desire to be "in Christ," tell Him you right now turn from your sin and you are placing your trust in what Jesus has done to save you from God's wrath.



And so I leave you with this: Jesus Christ is the Father's one and only Son. He humbled Himself and took on the form of man to live a perfect life we could not live in order to be a perfect sacrifice to God, in order that our sin would be paid for so we can have a relationship with God the Father and enter into His kingdom when He calls us home.

He has a plan far bigger than we can see; because God is sovereign, what we see as bad is often a part of His good & perfect plan - even though we cannot see it immediately.

Please, if you have any questions about this leave me a message, and know that I am praying for you!.

http://www.sharetheumbrella.com/
Please.

God's Lessons

God is teaching me a lot about myself since coming to Arizona. I'm learning that I doubt myself a lot, but that there is no reason to because I am fully and completley, 100%, without a doubt accepted by God because of Christ Jesus. I'm learning that I'm a lot more willing that I thought I was. I'm learning that I'm a lot more sure of myself than I thought I was, though I still have moments of doubt. I'm learning that no matter what life does, I trust God in all things - but this is the most complicated thing, though it should be most simple.
There is a particular heart burden than I have, though I know where it comes from, I can't help but feel it on my heart pretty much daily for the past few years. It's a touchy thing, but in my most rational moments I am completely ok. I'm completely trusting. I'm completely patient. I'm completely content. I'm completely blessed. I am so thankful for this burden, but at the same time it tends towards heart break. And it is with burdens like these that I am SO SO SO thankful for the promises God gives us, for His Word and the free access I have to it, for His salvation that comes through Christ Jesus - who became sin, though He knew no sin to be crushed and crucified because of my wretched sins so that He could defeat death by being resurrected, so that I could have the great blessing of eternal life, for verses like Romans 8:18 just because it has always comforted my soul, for godly examples of people in my life, and for music like Laura Story's "Blessings"....

"We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe
'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise"

The most delicious Teriyaki Sauce EVER!!

Teriyaki sauce tends to be hit or miss with me. Half the restaurants I've had it at are good and the other half are not so much - BUT I've found the most delicious teriyaki sauce. Seriously. I wanted to drink it.

Ingredients:
1/4 Cup soy sauce
1 Cup water
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp garlic powder
5 TBS brown sugar
1-2 TBS honey
2 TBS cornstarch
1/4 Cup cold water

Directions:
In a sauce pan, mix all ingrededients EXCEPT the cornstarch and 1/4 cup of cold water. Begin heating.
In a separate bowl or cup, mix the cornstarch and cold water and dissolve. Add to the sauce pan.
Heat until sauce thickens to desired thickness.

If you make it too think, you can always add some water to thin it out.

Simple. Easy. Delish!

Meal Planning

If you're a newlywed like I am, you may struggle with meal planning as I have. Unfortunately, I forget grace to myself so when I would plan in my head to do something, when I would get home from work we usually didn't have all the ingredientsand then we would end up eating dinner at 8 or 9 PM....which is LATE! Thankfully, my friend Ashleigh introduced me to meal planning and a fun way to do it too! Enter the Menu Board.

Now, apparently, this is old news - my mom informed me that she used to do this all the time! She thought I already new. :) Anyways, this board is really easy to make and it's brilliant.

All you need is:

 an 8x10 picture frame

a piece of scrapbook paper; whichever color/print you'd like

letter stickers

decorative stickers (optional)

a dry erase marker.

Directions:

Make sure that your scrapbook paper is cut down to 8x10 and then put it in the picture frame.

On the glass of the frame, using the letter stickers, add the word: "MENU" (or whatever you want it to read - MEAL TIME, MEALS, GRUB, etc.)

Then on the left side of the frame, add letters to signify the days of the week.

Add additional decorative stickers if you'd like. And you're done!
Just write on the glass with a dry erase marker, and you've got a nice dry erase menu board that can be made for under $10!

Another thing that I have found to really help with this is this spread sheet of sorts frm theprojectgirl.com:

This is absolutely fantastic - and I have no idea why I didn't think of it before I found this! It's a printout to help organize the weeks shopping list - not only does it help with meal planning, but it helps the entire grocery store trip not be overwhelming or excessively long since it's broken down into department. I actually enjoy going to the grocery store now, which is something I used to HATE doing. And I mess up dinner a lot less now that I'm planning more adequately and intelligently.
I hope that this helps anyone who may be struggling with overwhelming grocery store trips or making dinner :)

Happy dinners!
S

Post Thanksgiving

I love this time of year! Family, friends, colder weather, cozy sweaters, Christmas music and family. :) This Thanksgiving we were blessed with being able to spend it with Anthony's side of the family. It was nice to Moms & Pops again and it just made me more excited to be able to see my mom, siblings, niece, nephew and my in-laws next month! This year we are thankful for SO many blessings! I launched my business and it's been successful, I was able to reflect on 2 wonderful years with the best little ones ever, we made a big decision to leave Cali and move to the Zona, we were both blessed with jobs here pretty fast, we've made more friends and we adopted a bunny. We've had some downs, but the ups outweigh them. We've learned even more how important prayer and family are, and it has pretty much solidified my desire to have a big family again :) This week A's work has really taken off, and we continue to pray that it will continue in this way. Sunday we have an appointment for Christmas pictures, which I'm not quite sure A understands my excitement on it, but I'm really excited for it haha! I'm also looking forward to decorating for Christmas and getting the kids gifts! It's amazing to see how God is working in our lives here, sometimes it's hard to believe the blessings He has poured out on me and A over the last 3-4 years, seperately and together. God is so good and we are so thankful for all He has done and are looking forward to the things He will do in the future.

We hope that all our friends and family had a great Thanksgiving and that you were able to reflect on all the blessings God has graciously given to you!
In Him,
S

oh my goodness.

My boss must think I'm a HUGE dork!

(for some background information: my work schedule is: Tues/Wed = full day, Thurs = half day).
And now, the texting conversation.

Me: Just so you're aware - I'm still sick.... can't talk bc I have no physical voice
Boss: Ok...keep me posted.
Me: Will do
....
Boss: If you feel up to working when you wake up tomorrow youcould do half day tomorrow and full day on thurs....whateve rworkds! Call or text tomorrow and we can decide then.
Me: Ok....todays monday right?
Boss: Yup :)
Me:oooooooo I get what you're saying. Hah! It's all the hair dye, the fumes must have affected my brain.
Me:.... cause thursday is usually a half day....


REALLY?? REALLY??

Oh my Sanitation!

I recently received (ok bought) a "training" DVD from a well known Make Up Artist and/or Company. By recently, I mean yesterday. In my excitement to learn more about my art, I ripped open the packaging and popped the first DVD in! I have to say I was horrified at things this Artist and/or Company said was ok to do.

For all make up artists, aspiring make up artists, and people receiving the service: it's really not ok to put the product on your hand before using a brush to apply it to a client's face. If you have to pour out some of the product before using a brush, use a clean palette not your hand. Also, don't use your fingers on a client's face either - it's ok to do this on yourself, but not on a client. Use a brush or a sponge. It keeps away excess germs and dirt which can clog pores and cause acne, and it's just kinda gross - would you want someone you barely know putting their hands on your face?

I will say that this particular DVD had some excellent tips and techniques which I am grateful to have been exposed to, but the unsanitary things that were said to be ok was horrifying.

Arizona: healing and growing

     Arizona has been really good for us. It has been a time where we have had to rely 100% on God and trust that He knows exactly what is best for us. We have struggled here, but that's ok. God is in control and He is doing a good thing.
     One thing it has made me face more than before is my pride and my "need" to limit myself before God. I have always struggled with pride and I am so thankful for the people God has placed in my life who have humbled me and shown me grace in the area. It has been a learning experience, but I still have WAY more to learn; I will continue to do so utnil the day I die. The lifestyle and pace here is so much nicer than what I'm used too. I feel like I can just be me and not have to worry about what I look like - what I dress like, how my hair is, how my make up is. And I think this allows for me to be more real with people. I have admitted to more than I have in the past, as I feel I have more freedom in Christ - which has EVERYTHING to do with my reaction to the world, and not necessarily the people in my life. We shouldn't hide things we struggle with because of what someone might say, that is more damaging than anything else. God wants us to be open and honest with our brothers and sisters, he wants us to share our burdens - afterall we're not in this alone.
     I am thankful for the fact that He has brought us here, I am thankful that it hasn't been stress free, I am thankful for the opportunities to break down walls, I am thankful for the opportunities to grow closer to Him, I am thankful for the ability to rejoice in Him, I am thankful for growth and I'm thankful that I have room to grow and always will.

Sickness & Sin

    You know what I hate about sickness? The fact that something has infltrated my healthy body and has made the entire thing unhealthy - and I could have avoided it had I been willing to listen to the signs I saw on Sunday. But that's a lot like sin, isn't it? It can be avoided if only wer are willing.
     God created us in His perfect image and He created a world that was "good" (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). Genesis 1:27 "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."  So here we have a "good world" and man that is created in God's perfect image, which is "very good".
     And then along comes sin, the diliberate disobedience to the known will of God (thefreedictionary.com). In Genesis 2:16-17 is reads, "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of he knowledge of good and evil you sall not eat, for in the day tha you eat of it you shall surely die." God's will for Adam was to not eat of that particular tree - enter sin. The serpent came on the scene and tempted Eve by making her doubt God's will, though He had been very clear. It could have been avoided, had she taken the proper steps, had she stuck to her guns. Eve's initial response the serpent was "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, 'You shall not eat of the gruit of the tree that is  he midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die'" (Genesis 3:2-3). Her initial response suggests that she was willing to be obedient, but the serpent keeps on her and quickly tempts her to disobey God's will. It started out as the smallest hint of doubt and deception and it has infiltrated EVERY aspect of our lives ever sinc. This sickness started out as the smallest hint that something wasn't right, when my voice started going after 1 worship set, and I chose to wave it off like no big deal, similar to Eve wavig off the LORD's warning.
     Life would be so much easier if we would just heed the warnings at the beginning and obey God, but it's not always that easy.

1 year!

A year ago today, at this time, I was sitting in the lobby of the Montage with my mom, bridesmaids, friend/make up artist/hairstylist, and one of Anthony's co-workers (also a hair stylist) awaiting my room to be ready (which was late) so that we could start getting ready for my WEDDING! Today I look back on this past year and see how faithful and loving God has been, is and always will be. We've had our ups and downs this year, but all for the better. We made some big decisions, moved to a new state, started a new church, are presently fostering a bunny (we can officially adopt her on November 21!), but most importantly grew in Christ together and trusted Him more than we have in the past. So I felt it only necessary to share something that has been a great tool in our marriage, though I wish I had gone through it more regularly than I have.

Shortly before we were married, it may even been right after we got engaged, my in-laws gave Tony & I a prayer card each. Mine reads: Lifting My Husband Through Prayer; his reads: Lifting My Wife Through Prayer. You can get these cards for $0.99 at FamilyLife.com and are perfect to tuck into your bible as a reminder to pray for your spouse during your quiet time!

I will share with you a little of what is on mine, I don't know where Tony's is, so I can't share that - but I would GREATLY encourage buying it from FamilyLife.com where you can have all of it on it - they have such great resources there! In fact, they would be nice to get for a part of a gift :)

[I won't give everything listed on my card; it's quite descriptive and provides a LOT of Scritpture references]

"Lord, I lift my husband to You today and pray, according to Your Word, that:

• You give him strength to lead, time to know his family, and a passion to manage his home.
• You bless his work and show him daily how to honor You in his attitude and spirit; confirm the work of his hands unto Your purpose.
• He will be a wise steward of our finances and all we possess, remembering that all things are Yours and entrusted to us for Your purposes.
• He will love You with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength and hate evil.
• He will be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger
• You protect him physically, mentally and spiritually
• You give him the desire to teach and model a godly lifestlye for his children.
• You will instruct him and teach him in the way he should go; give him peace in the circumstances and integrity in decisions he must face today.
• He would meditate day and night on Your Word, pray without ceasing and stay faithful to Christ to the end.
• He would develop strong relationships with other godly men."

On the back of my card it has a section that says: Praying for myself as a wife and The Powe of Prayer. The first is an excerpt from The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian (c)1997, page 45 and the second reference says Ibid., 13-23 [I'm not entirely sure of what that means...]

Again, I would highly suggest checking it out:
Lifting My Husband Through Prayer
Lifting My Wife Through Prayer

Life with the Bunny

Meet Pocket! She's our little baby bunny! We are still fostering her, we have a couple more weeks before we can officially adopt her, but we love her. She forces me to get up earlier in the morning than I would normally get up, which is good! And she's hilarious and cuter than a button! She's active in the morning and at night and spends the rest of her day laying in her pen. She loves bananas and has grown to like celery, though I still don't think it's her favorite. She's very curious and tries to get into everything. She's recently discovered that the door to the bathroom that is always closed leads to another room and is very determined to get through it. She keeps things interesting here and gives us something to do at night that doesn't involve media. BUT, Pocket does not like going to bed at night. She creeps up to the edge of her pen, looks over her shoulder at me and the runs to the other end of the house. It's funny :)  So here's Pocket & she's a lovely addition to our little family. :)



Confidence

     It is absolutely AMAZING how God works in our lives and I cannot contain the joy He has given me this week. We have been busy lately with trying to restart our businesses out here (Anthony Colello Hairstyling & Make Up by Sara Colello) and have been working hard to get booked for photoshoots.
     Earlier in October we had the opportunity to work on a calendar shoot with Miss October and a couple weeks ago had the opportunity to collaborate with Pink House Boutique & Eloquent Photography for an advertisement that will run in JAVA magazine along wtih at least one other magazine, a window display and possibly a few websites. This past weekend we had the pleasure of working with 2 brides and 2 great photographers (31 Photography & Frank Wise, Digital Obsession) and have received some of the photos already - talk about efficiency!
     God has really been showing me a lot through all of this -in short, it's ok to be confident in yourself. I don't know where, but somewhere in my life I came to the conclusion that confidence was this evil, terrible thing. I've had bursts of confidence in my life, though I can't recall any time where I felt completely confident for an entire day, until last Friday. It's definitely freeing to get to the point of understanding that confidence does not mean cocky and that it's ok to say that you are good at something - not that I ever thought that someone else saying they were good at something was bad, I just had it in my mind that if I said I was good at something it was bad. Not sound thinking, but I have felt confident since last Friday and it's weirding me out. I want to talk with people, meet people, hand out my business cards, admit that I'm good at what I do and it is SO incredible freeing. God created me to glorify Him, and if I'm shying away from my talents that is NOT glorifying Him. He gives us talents so that we may work to the Lord and give honor to Him. I am saddened by the fact that I have lost out on so many great opportunities to do just that, but I am rejoicing in the fact that I have many more opportunities ahead of me in which I can. He has blessed us abundantly and we will use our talents to work for Him.
While we work on re-building our businesses out here, please like us on facebook, visit my website, and help us spread the word in AZ!

Anthony's Facebook
Sara's Facebook
Sara Colello - Make Up Artist

In Him,
Sara (& Tony)

Oh my Zzzzzzs!

     Lots of things have happened lately! We went to CA for a few days (5 I think?), we were both VERY busy - Tony with working and me with visiting :). It was a nice and successful trip! We got home on Thursday evening and on Friday morning we picked up our foster bunny! We named her Pocket and will be able to officially adopt her on November 21! I'm thinking bunny themed cupcakes are in order ;)
We spent all day Friday getting her situated, she's still adjusting as this is her first time EVER in a home - she was born the summer of 2010 and has spent her whole life at the bunny rescue place, but she's warming up. She's done 4 binkies (that I've seen) so far, you just youtube them. They look funny.
Tony & I have both been fighting off a cold of some sort since we were in CA and we had a photoshoot today which went well. The photos will be used in a store advertisement as well as published in 2 or 3 magazines. Pretty exciting stuff!

But it's 12:31AM, we have church in the morning and I'm beyond exhausted, so good night & sweet Zzzzzs!

FINALLY!!

I'm finally getting my root canal procedure officially finished!! Please pray for an easy procedure and that the lingering issues will be corrected and just go away! If you don't know the background, this is a big deal - I've had essentially 4 (or more, I've stopped counting) procedures on this one tooth which was caused by another dentist and this has been going on for over a year, I will be so happy to have this finally done! :D

Cali Trip

     This past trip to Cali has been such a blessing! I've definitely not been doing some things that I promised my self I would do which is obviously a reflection on my lacking self-discipline, but you know what? I'm not perfect, so whatever. :D   Apart from that I have been able to see old friends and acquaintances and catch up on the last 2 months of their lives, been able to share with them the past 2 months of our lives in AZ, relaxed, caught up on Drs. visits, did a little shopping (scored a great purse for under $5 that only needs slight modification to make it a little more functional), and most importantly, spend time with Family!  It's amazing to see how God is working in the lives of our friends here and to be able to share with them how He is using us - though I'm still praying about where I should serve in the church at home.
     My heart is filled with so much joy and I am so grateful for all that God is doing through us and all that Christ has done for us! 

This is stuck in my head....and I just want to shout it! :D

One of these things is not like the others,
One of these things just doesn't belong,
Can you tell which thing is not like the others
By the time I finish my song?

Did you guess which thing was not like the others?
Did you guess which thing just doesn't belong?
If you guessed this one is not like the others,
Then you're absolutely...right!

Scandalous Freedom!

     Hello! After having a conversation with PJ & our worship Pastor, our worship Pastor suggested that I read the book "A Scandalous Freedom" by Steve Brown and let me tell you, it is AMAZING! I am absolutely LOVING it and it makes me excited! Christ, in an indescribable act of love & mercy paid the ultimate price for my life! He suffered violently and horrifically on the cross so that I may be free in Him to be who God has created me to be. This freedom gives me the power to obey in ways I've never been able to obey before Him and it also allows me the freedom to choose to NOT obey without losing my eternal life. However, my heart would rather obey than disobey, though I'm still human - still flesh - I still sin & disobey, but He doesn't love me any less for it.

Free: If I don't do what God says He will still love me.
Free: God will not always be pleased with what I do. He's pleased when I obey, but because of the imputed righteousness of Christ, He won't be angry with me OR condemn me when I don't.
Free: When Christians are angry with me, God isn't.
Free: to be loved and Receive God's grace without condition.
Free: to still receive grace and answers to prayer even when I sin.
Free: God's fondness for me depends on His love and the Cross of Christ, not on my earning it.


I'm not done with the book yet, but I would definitely say it's worth the read!

Photo Shoot, Homecoming & Hockey oh my!!

     Wowza what a glam-tastic day! We (the Hubster & I) started off this morning with a calendar photoshoot - thumbs up for publication! It was great and went smoothly. The model, Selena, is fantastic - I heart her :) she's so much fun, tons of sweetness, and funny. This is my second opportunity to work with her (the first being the Balloon Couture photoshoot with Marie Dadows creations -- which are pretty amazing!) and the first time A got to work with her. I gotta say it's a lot of fun being able to work with the Hubster - I do enjoy that a bunch!  The shoot took about 3.5 hours I believe and went very smoothly. From there we went home, sanitized the equipment, relaxed a bit then headed off for another gig for a high school junior's homecoming. She, too, was very sweet and beautiful and her dress was rockin'! I would have loved to have worn something like hers to a dance when I was in highschool. It was white and kind of lacy on top with a black skirt and some embellishment between the different fabrics. It was stunning!   And then from there we hustled our way to the last preseason Hockey game for the AZ Coyotes - fun factoid: Hockey is one of the only sports I really enjoy watching- it's wonderful in person and actually entertaining via the television box as well! I got my first experience in a "luxury suite" at a hockey game thanks to a friend out here and they beat their rivals (the San Jose Sharks) who had been undeafeted their entire pre-season. We got there a smidge late (but fashionably, of course) and only when we got there did they start scoring. Obviously, Hubster & I are their goodluck charm and so therefore, the Coyotes should just buy us season tickets. [[ehh, it was worth a shot!]] And now to conclude this wonderfully busy day - I am off to go sanitize all my equipment for tomorrow in which I am doing the make up for a fashion show in Phoenix. 

I cannot fully express how thankful to God I am for all these opportunities - I know they are only available to me because of Him and it is such confirmation that moving out here was a good thing. I also have a couple more clients booked out for this month. In 1 month God has so abundantly blessed me with more jobs than I got in 6 months in CA. How AMAZING is that!?

Sweeet dreams lovelies!
S


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