Let's Not Forget...Modest is Best 11/2/11

But let's not forget...Modest is Best!

Discernment is always necessary when shopping for clothes. I know I didn't always use discernment when I was young and this is why I now I advice my daughter how best to choose her clothes. Sometimes we (adults) just judge our young adults, instead of giving them options or advice (which is what they need). 

Something I learned a long time ago is to ask myself this question before I go out the door, "Would this be tempting to someone? Would this make my brother sin?"

When I go shopping I ask myself this, “Am I buying this because I like it or to draw attention to myself from the opposite sex?”

We have to remember as Christian Women, it is not Christian to dress to try to tempt others through the way we dress. If what we are wearing is too revealing or we are giving the wrong impressing of ourselves then it may be a good idea to ask ourselves the above questions.

There are plenty of great clothes out there that is not only modest but fashionable. If you are having a hard time finding it then it is time to examine your heart. The Bible tells us. “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. 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.” 1 Peter 3:3-4

This passage is teaching that women should not count on their  beauty coming from outward adornments, not that women can’t  braid their hair or wear gold jewelry or nice clothes (or I would be the first one to tell you I wear all of the above). Christian women should not be obsessed by fashion or overly outward appearance. On the other hand, neither should they be so unconcerned that they do not bother to care for themselves, but they must be kept in proper perspective. Christian women should let their inner beauty come from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.

Our beauty should come from our personality, and the attitudes, thoughts, and motivations that are revealed in words and actions. As believers we know this can only come through the power of the Holy Spirit for we are just human.

I want to encourage you if you are young, older, single, married, divorce, widowed. Always let the Bible and the Holy Spirit be your guide. Not your friends, the mirror (I know it has lied to me more then one time!) or the opposite sex. 

One Last Thought: The way we dress, indicates what is going on inside.

The fashion looks I will share with you are ideas you can easily put together with items you already own. Use your imagination, don’t go crazy shopping at places that are way too expensive or places where you can only buy one item. A great place to shop would be Forever 21, Ross, Walmart, Wet Seal, etc. You would be shocked at the pieces you could find at these places and the prices you could get them for. I never buy what everyone is buying there, I always buy pieces of clothing or a scarf, belt, earrings, a purse, etc. People always ask me, “where did you get that, it’s so cute!” Instead of, “Oh I have that too, you got it at...” You know what I mean.

Be beautiful, uniquely you! 

All Photos taken from www.pinterest.com

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Beautify my Home ~ Fall Decorations 11/1/11

I promised I would bring you ideas on Fall Decorations and what a great day to do this but November 1st! I touched on the subject of first impressions and the importance of decorating our front entrance last year, on my Beautify my Home Mondays series, You can go back and read on it if you would like :) I'm also including some indoor decorations, I hope you like them! I love taking an idea and making it my own, don't you? This post is to help you take and idea you see here copy it exactly as is or change it and making it your own, the choice is yours!

I believe that a picture says more than a thousand words, so here they are...

All these photos were taken from www.pinterest.com

I hope you've been inspired to decorate and create something new today!

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Gluten-Free Sugar Cookie Recipe 10/30/11

Today I tried making my first batch of Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies! It's been so long since I've have Sugar Cookies that I was eager to taste them. My friend Carolyn has much more experience on this and has told me that it will take some time to get use to this type of baking. I can tell she is right!

The Recipe called for 12-15min of bake time at 350F. After taking my cookies out I am sure it would have been better to have only baked them for about 10-11 min. and at a lower temperature. This batch came out very crunchy and a little too dark but still very tasty! 

All in all I think it was a success! I used Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix 

Here is the link to Pamela's website with the Recipe below:

http://www.pamelasproducts.com/recipe/SugarCookies/477.aspx

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter or margarine (1 stick)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2-3/4 cups Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix

Directions

Cream butter and sugar together, add egg and vanilla and beat together. Add Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix. Wrap dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.


Roll out between two pieces of parchment paper until the dough is 3/8 to 1/4-inch thick. Cut out cookie shapes and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Leave space between the cookies, they will spread.


Bake at 350° for approximately 12-15 minutes, edges should be light brown. Let cookies cool slightly and use spatula to remove from cookie sheet; OR wrap and freeze dough, then slice and bake for fresh cookies in a 350° preheated oven for 14-17 minutes.


Ideas: Use egg white to wet tops of cookies and sprinkle colored sugar crystals on top before baking, or frost cookies with a mixture of powdered sugar, water, and food coloring after baking.


Note: brown flecks of almond meal will show in the cookies.

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Beautify my Home Mondays-Homemade Cleaners 10/17/11

A couple of months ago I was at my friends Lauren's home for our monthly Keepers at Home meeting. The activity for the month was "How to make homemade cleaners". Lauren taught the girls and the moms how to make homemade Soft Scrub and an All Purpose Disinfectant Household Cleaner. I have to tell you, she demonstrated how the Soft Scrub worked on her kitchen counter with just a little of the scrub on her finger. She started to rub it in between the tiles of her counter and the dirt was removed almost immediately! I was sold! I got home and started to use it immediately and I love it! That same weekend my husband was helping me clean the bathrooms and he used it on the tubs and he was amazed on how good it worked! It left everything spotless and shinning! The best part is that it doesn't have any harsh chemicals or bleach (that the "real" soft scrub has) and your clothes won't get ruined :) These are the only cleaners I have been using lately and they do a great job!

I coupon, so I do buy the regular stuff when on special or for FREE, but it's great to know we can always make our own just because we can and we love them and they do just as well and sometimes even better than the store brands!

I asked my friend Lauren for her permission to post the recipes on my blog and she was more than glad to share them with all of you. I wished I had pictures of the girls during the activity but I didn't take any pictures that day :(

Homemade Soft Scrub

Picture taken from Pinterest

1 1/2 Cups Baking Soda

1/2 Cup Fragance Free, Color Free Laundry Soap (any kind will do, Purex brand is cheap)

10-15 drops of Grapefruit, Tea Tree,  Lavender, Rosemary or your favorite essential oil (choose one)

Combine All ingredients, keep adding baking soda until mixture is the consistency of cake frosting. If needed, add a little more liquid soap to achieve the  right consistency and store in a 2 cup container.

This is how it will look when you are done! Homemade Soft Scrub

Homemade All Purpose Disinfectant Household Cleaner

(Works like Lysol Antibacteril Kitchen Cleaner)

16 oz Spray Bottle

3 TBS Castile Soap

20-30 Drops Tea Tree Oil 

Fill spray bottle almost all the way then add Castile Soap and Tea Tree Oil. Shake to mix well

Note: I went to buy the Castile soap at the grocery store and it was going to cost me almost $20 for a small bottle. Then I went to Trader Joe's and found the Big bottle for only $16.99! Look around before you buy it pays off!

What other Natural Cleaners do you have? Please share...

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My Krazy Coupon Days 10/16/11

It's not about how fast we get there, it's about being Consistent!

Last Night I decided to Clean out my Coupon Binder and oh what an eye opener it was! A friend of mine told me a couple of weeks ago, there was going to be a Coupon class at our local paper and asked me if I was going to attend. I wanted to go but I also knew it was going to be something to a basics class and a "You've got to buy 5-10 Newspapers every Sunday if you are serious about building a good stockpile!" kind of motivational pitch. Is it true that you have to buy that many newspapers? Yes and No.

I met up with one of the friends that had gone to the class that day and asked her how she had liked it. Her response went something like this...
"Oh girl I was so motivated when I left that class. I went and bought those plastic card holders and a folder and when Sunday came along a went and bought 8 newspapers!" I looked at her with eyes wide open! She went on...
"I got home and sat down and started to clip all of my coupons one after another and another and another and then I realized I was never going to finish and I didn't. I gave up and there they sit. The class made it sound so good and I thought I could do this every week but once you get to it it's a lot of work!" "I can't believe you do this every week!"
"I don't!" I answered.

And so we come to todays Coupon Krazy days post. I know many of you do buy more than one Sunday paper I am one of them...surprised after my little story? Confession, I buy two newspapers every Sunday and not one more...for now! Hahaha :0)

When my friends come to me with stories like the one above and want my advice on how to start couponing because they seriously want to start their stockpiling I tell them to start slowly. Why? Because it's not about how fast we get there, but about being consistent! I have them start with one Sunday paper and give them the "File by Date" option. What is the "File by Date" option? Check out the video below.

With this option you don't have to be clipping coupons every week and waste time you don't have, specially if you have little ones. The down side like the lady in the video tells us, you can't take advantage of those last minute deals. I used the filing box after coming back to couponing (after giving up the clipping and category system), but I now use a folder with paper protectors that I take along with me to take advantage of those last minute deals :0) Take a look at my folder.

I print the date of what Sunday paper it was from on each side of every page

I carry these items in the folder, ready for any last minute deals at the store!

4in Folder

With the File by Date Folder system, we fix the problem of missing the  last minute deals!!!!

Once you are used to couponing decide what works for you if filing by date or by categories and then how many newspapers you want to buy. I have decided that two newspapers every week is perfect for my family. Maybe a year from now I will work it up to three.  

Next, you have to clean out your folder or filling box once a month. Remember I told you I only buy 1-2 newspapers a month? Let me show you what this looks like when cleaning out...

This was in the beginning...

Almost done...

OK, I am done now! Imagine if I would buy 5-10 newspapers every Sunday?!

This is just ONE month worth of coupons not used!

If you are serious about building your Stockpile: Prepare everything a day before you go shopping

Check out several websites that will tell you where and what deals to look for to help you out. Isn't it great that they have done the work for you already???!!!

I use Coupon Mom and The Krazy Coupon Lady

Both are FREE!!!!

1. Choose a day out of the week to go shopping! Mark it on your Calendar and make it a DATE! Rain or Shine KEEP that date!!!

2. Don't think you will only go to one store! You have to go to 2-3 different stores to get the best deals.

3. Don't be loyal to a brand, learn to be flexible! Generic is not always cheaper!

4. Don't Whine! Enjoy yourself, this is actually a lot of fun!

If you have any other website or tip please let me know, I would love to learn more about the art of SAVING money and Couponing!!

Blessings everyone!

The Best Blogs I Found this Week 10/15/11

Everyone loves a good recommendation every once in a while and I love giving it! This is the Fall (even if it doesn't feel like it in very sunny and hot Souther California!) What do we think about when we think of Fall? I don't know about you, but when I think of fall I think of baking,  taking out my light fashionable scarfs and going to the pumpkin patch to pick out a couple of pumpkins to decorate my front door (my kids are too big to enjoy the rides :0)


Today I want to share with you a couple of blogs and websites that cover everything that reminds me of Fall, I hope you enjoy them and try some of the recipes, craft and decorating ideas. Enjoy! 

Gourmet Caramel Apples

Last year was the first time I tried to make homemade Caramel Apples with my friend Carol, Angie and Angie's daughter Kristen. We all agreed they were the best! Carol and I had first made them at a Keepers at Home activity time and they came out perfect. When we made the Caramel Apples at my home we had some trouble with the caramel, it kept running down the apples. We couldn't figure out what we were doing wrong? Maybe the temperature wasn't the same? Maybe the apples had too much wax in them? We didn't know, but at the end it all worked out and they came out great! 
I found this recipe at Comfy in the Kitchen an it seems to be very similar to the one Carol tried with us and it looks just divine! I hope you enjoy them and share them with someone you like or give them as a gift to one of your kids teachers???

Comfy in the Kitchen 

30 Days of Thanks and Giving

I homeschooled my kids since they were in their crib and I did everything imaginable to teach them about everything imaginable to make sure they didn't miss ANYTHING and guess what? They still missed on SO MUCH! Just like all the other kids out there that went to public or private schools, thank you very much!  Anyways, I came across this activity book and it's one of the best Activity books I have found in the subject of Thanks-giving EVER!  It gives you 30 days of Thanks and Giving activities focused around Thanksgiving in small chunks. This is for the Pre-School and Elementary years children. For those that homeschool and those that don't. My son went to Special Ed classes for one year of his life and what I did is I would do these type of activities in the late afternoon or evenings as a family, he loved it. I hope you do too :)

The Ausie Pumpkin Patch  

Here You will find the 30 days to Thanksgiving Activity book.

Gluten-Free Soft Chewy Pretzels

I believe I have shared with you that I can't have Gluten as part of my diet anymore :( The typical Gluten intolerant person will have a lot of stomach pain and many other symptoms. For me it's not just your typical Celiac Disease symptoms but Gluten Ataxia, where Gluten attacks your brain and it's much more complicated.

This new adventure has brought new challenges and new food ingredients into my life and I want to share them with you. This week I tried Gluten Free pancakes for the first time and I must tell you they were Yum-O good! The Bread mix flour used in this Pretzel Recipe is the same one I used for the Pancakes. This makes these Pretzels a sure hit! Enjoy!

Sweet Nothings in the Kitchen 

Fall Decorations

I love to decorate my Front Entrance! I believe we only get one chance for First Impressions, let's make the best of it! I touched on the importance of this last year with my post on Beautify my Home Mondays, you can read on it later if you would like. I will again bring you great ideas with pictures later this week and today I will give you just a glimpse of what I will be sharing. I hope you will get inspired to decorate your home and enjoy this Fall season!

Modest is Best

It's that time of year again when we have to put away the Summer clothes and bring out the best Fall clothes we can come out with...or so  we hope! But let's not forget...Modest is Best!

I will be sharing a Modest is Best post later this week...Here is just a glimpse of the fashion looks I will be sharing!

Polyvore

That's all for this weekend I hope to share more later this week with my Fall Decorations and Modest is Best post. Let me know if you tried any of the recipes or ideas on the blogs shared today.
Have a blessed Weekend!

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What I've been up to and What's Coming up Next... 9/14/11

I know I've been neglecting my blog lately and I apologize for my inactivity. Life has been hectic at our home and in the last couple of weeks, I've been on a roller coaster ride to say the least! My oldest son started college and oh what a ride it has been!  When the Lord called us to homeschool we never thought we would see the day when we would see our first one in college let alone him loving it! I thank the Lord every day as I see my boy diligently doing his work and taking great care at what he does.

I'm still homeschooling my daughter, she is a Junior in high school now and eager to learn and graduate in two more years. We joined a new co-op this year, oh what a difficult decision it was! We loved our old group and the friendships we made we know are for a lifetime, but the Lord was also telling us it was time for a change. It is always an exciting time when the Lord speaks into our lives, when we know He is in complete control, even if we don't know where He is taking us! (Proverbs 3:5-6)

I attend a wonderful church, Harvest Christian Fellowship and our Mission Statement is "Knowing God and Making Him Known". This Summer Our church had the opportunity to host (like every year) The Harvest Crusades at Anaheim Angel Stadium and for the first time at Dodger Stadium this past weekend. Every year as I go to these crusades I can't get over my amazement as I see thousands of people surrender their lives to God as they realize how little we are and how big God is and how much He loves us! This year Jeremy Camp, The Katinas, Chris Tomlin and Kirk Franklin performed.

Going to Dodger Stadium  was like going home for me. I hadn't been in the L.A. area in over 15 yrs! I felt like a tourist taking pictures of everything I saw! It brought back so many childhood memories, specially of the times my Step-Dad would take my brother and I to Dodger stadium and watch Fernando Valenzuela pitch his best games...Oh those were some wonderful times!
My husband was serving at the crusade and he was ushering the "Friends and Family" section which meant we got to sit there :0) You can imagine my surprise when I had to use the ladies room and to get there I had to go underground and pass through like "The Hall of Fame" of Dodger History!!!! Yes, I was like a Kid in a candy store! I had my iphone with me and started to take pictures of everything! My daughter was like..."Mom, really?'" I was like,"Yes, dear, really! I will probably never come through here again, so I will take every picture I can!" hahaha! Anyways, here are the pictures I took.

 Here I am saying, "Look, to my little brother".

 I convinced the girls to take a picture too :) My daughter with one of her best friends.

The best part of being at the stadium was yet to come. We got to sit at the very front row and I was taking pictures galore! Kirk Franklin, one of the most amazing Christian gospel singers was invited to perform at the crusade and I couldn't wait to see him. To my surprise, he got off the stage and started to come to where we were sitting. I was like one of those freak fans (I couldn't believe myself and my daughter couldn't either!) I started to take pictures and here is the rest of the story in pictures :)

 At this point I see him coming and I freak out!

 He is right in front of me! I can touch him if I want to, but I don't want him to think I'm a freak or something...

 besides, don't make idols before thee, says the Lord! :0)

 This is so AWESOME!!!!!!

 He is leaving now :((((

I must confess, that I pray every morning there may not be any video out there showing me, acting like a freaky fan or anything! I'm no weird fan, following artist everywhere they go or anything remotely close to that. It's just that it was so COOL!!!!! Enough said :)

The message was amazing and the response so much more! L.A. was more then ready for the gospel.  There where so many people on the field at Dodger Stadium that the Fire Marshall didn't allow any more to come down.  The Decision follow-up volunteer workers had to go up to the stands to pray for people and give them their new Start Bibles! There were almost 6,000 people that accepted Christ that day, God is good and faithful! They were hungry for the Gospel, hungry to hear the truth that Pastor Greg Laurie had to share with us that day.

As you can see, this is what I've been up to lately and soon I will begin a new year of Virtue Bible Study at my church. It is always exciting to start a new year and a new study! I love meeting all the ladies the Lord puts in my group and as the year progresses the friendships that are formed. This year we will be studying the book of Psalms and the theme will be "Pursuing God In Step with The Psalms". Our Virtue website is full of wonderful information and videos along with the lessons of our study (once we start on September 29th) make sure and visit us!

That's all for now! What have you been up to and what will you be doing this Fall Season?