And It Came to Pass...

 Hello everyone! I'm so sorry about my absence. Life has been crazy for this high school senior. I hope that all of you have been well! To kick off my first post in a long time, I've decided to do another Scripture Encouragement Monday!

 With the day most Christians celebrate the birth of Christ quickly approaching, I think it would be nice to reflect on a verse or more talking about this momentous occasion.

 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
  And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of        David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. ~ Luke 2:1-7

  In these verses we learn about Jesus' earthly parents, Joseph and Mary. We see pretty quickly that Mary is heavy with child, but still they have to travel to Joseph's hometown, which is a pretty long journey for someone who is about to give birth, to pay taxes. They make it to the town, but soon after Mary goes into labor. The Inn keeper has no room for them, so they find themselves in a stable, where Mary gives birth, her baby's cradle turning out to be a manger. 

 What a thought! Jesus all through His ministry on earth showed great humbleness, and it was shown from the beginning when he was born in a humble stable, surrounded by animals. Jesus was the meekest man ever while he was on earth, and we should follow His example!

 This is pretty short, but I hope it gives you a bit to think about. Next week, we'll continue further. Also, is there any sort of topic you would like to see discussed on APOC? Post it below, and we'll do what we can to cover it!!! :) 

 

Tea-riffic Encouragement Card {craft}

Hello everyone! My name is Hannah Grace, and I am honored to be a contributor for A Pinch of Classy! A little bit about me - I am a 20 year old Christian, Homeschool Graduate, writer, nerd, big sister, and so much more. 

I will be bringing you all weekly posts featuring different crafts, easy to make fashion accessories, and even fun hair styles.

The Craft: “Tea-Riffic
” encouragement card.

The Purpose: A happy little homemade note card that you can send to a friend to brighten their day!

The Materials:

1 sheet of cardstock paper

Scissors

1 tea bag (I used a round one, but you could play around with the picture you draw and use any shape)

Glue dots

Crayons

Sharpie Marker

Pen

Someone to give the finished card to!

The Instructions:

First, take your piece of cardstock and cut it in half. I did this to make a card that would easily fit into an envelope, but if you wanted to make a bigger card you can skip this step. Once you’ve cut the paper (or not), fold it in half, classic card style.

Then you get the tea bag…

…and use the Sharpie Marker to transform it into a happy tea bag!

 

I used glue dots to attach the bag to the front of the card, so I am really not sure how it would turn out if you used regular glue. Frankly, glue dots are one of my favorite crafting supplies in the whole world so I am slightly partial to them.

 

Once you have attached the tea bag to the card, make a picture! I used yellow and orange crayons to make my tea bag into a sun:

 

Other ideas would be to add a stick figure body using the tea bag as the head, draw a mug around the bag, or turn it into the center of a flower.

Tell your friend to have a tea-riffic day, add a personal note on the inside, and voila!

This card is sure to bring a smile to any tea loving friends – you might even want to slip a tea bag inside the card that they can actually brew.

Have a tea-riffic week!

In Christ,

 

What Makes You Think You're Modest?

 Hey girls! I've been gone for a really longgg time. I now offer my deepest apologies. :) I have some product reviews to do, but they aren't quite ready yet.

 

 So today I'm going to talk a little bit on What Makes You Think You're Modest? Ooh.

Image credit: rarelythere.blogspot.com

 No matter how you dress, there will always be someone who dresses "more modest" then you do.

You might wear short sleeves and pants, but someone else might only wear long sleeved dresses. So you may often run into the question from people who might be offended by your stand, or just curious.

 I have a pretty fun story. I just got home from my church's camp a few days ago. (I'll be going to another pretty soon.) Anyway, I have a modest swimsuit. It's called a culotte swimmer, and is rather like a wetsuit, with some water safe light fabric over top. It has sleeves, and culotte legs which are like a skirt almost with the space for your legs, but they are closed off. (I'll have to post some pics next week or something. ) Anyway, our camp has the rule that you have to be covered on your way to the pool for girl's swim time. I was working as an assistant cabin leader for the little girls. So they were all pulling on T-shirts, and wrapping towels around their waist, and I was just wearing my swimsuit, casually hanging my towel over my arm. I had made myself expect to receive a few weird stares, and questions. But the little girls were the sweetest. They did ask me about my swimsuit. I explained that I liked to have a more modest bathing suit because, not only did I swim with girls at camp, but sometimes I visit the beach with my brother-in-law's family, which includes several boys. So I didn't see the point in having a bathing suit I could only wear once a year, and have to wear T-shirts and culottes at the beach. To my surprise, the little girls were actually impressed and... jealous! "You're so lucky," one said. "You don't have to wear anything over your bathing suit!" Because of the nature of my bathing suit I didn't cover up like the girls because it wasn't necessary. :)

 But not everyone is like an eight or eleven year old girl. There will be those who might not dress the way you did who feel offended because they think you're saying they aren't modest. This will spark the question, "What makes you think you're modest?"

 I always try to avoid offending anyone. Just because I may dress a certain way, and everything because of a personal decision I've made between God and myself, doesn't mean I'm constantly judging others. Even if I don't approve of what someone is wearing, I'm not going to point it out to them because I know this will only hurt their feelings or offend them, and then I'll never be able to reach them.

 But if you do come into contact with someone who instantly judges you for dressing more "modestly" then them, just explain that you are trying to follow what the Bible says about modesty, and follow God the best you can. Don't say anything that would provide another area of attack for your jilted friend/acquaintance.

 Just pray about it to the Lord, and He will help you when dealing with the "What makes you think you're modest?" people. :)

 God bless, and I hope you have a wonderful day!

 

The Little Engine That Could

Most of us have heard this story, (or a slightly different version of it like this one) read it, had it read to us...at some point throughout our lives. But I wonder how many of us really think about it? When something is too big for you, remember that your God is much bigger and with Him you can accomplish anything that you set your mind to do! :) 

A little steam engine had a long train of cars to pull. She went along very well till she came to a steep hill. But then, no matter how hard she tried, she could not move the long train of cars. She pulled and she pulled. She puffed and she puffed. She backed and started off again. Choo! Choo! But no! the cars would not go up the hill. 

At last she left the train and started up the track alone. Do you think she had stopped working? No, indeed! She was going for help. "Surely I can find someone to help me," she thought. Over the hill and up the track went the little steam engine. Choo, choo! Choo, choo! Choo, choo! Choo! 

Pretty soon she saw a big steam engine standing on a side track. He looked very big and strong. Running alongside, she looked up and said: "Will you help me over the hill with my train of cars? It is so long and heavy I can't get it over." The big steam engine looked down at the little steam engine. The he said: "Don't you see that I am through my day's work? I have been rubbed and scoured ready for my next run. No, I cannot help you," The little steam engine was sorry, but she went on, Choo, choo! Choo, choo! Choo, choo! Choo, choo! 

Soon she came to a second big steam engine standing on a side track. He was puffing and puffing, as if he were tired. "That big steam engine may help me," thought the little steam engine. She ran alongside and asked: "Will you help me bring my train of cars over the hill? It is so long and so heavy that I can't get it over." The second big steam engine answered: "I have just come in from a long, long run. Don't you see how tired I am? Can't you get some other engine to help you this time? "I'll try," said the little steam engine, and off she went. Choo, choo! Choo, choo! Choo, choo! 

After a while she came to a little steam engine just like herself. She ran alongside and said: "Will you help me over the hill with my train of cars? It is so long and so heavy that I can't get it over." "Yes, indeed!" said this little steam engine. "I'll be glad to help you, if I can." 

So the little steam engines started back to where the train of cars had been standing. Both little steam engines went to the head of the train, one behind the other. Puff, puff! Chug, choo! Off they started! Slowly the cars began to move. Slowly they climbed the steep hill. As they climbed, each little steam engine began to sing: "I-think-I-can! I-think-I-can! I-think-I-can! I-think-I-can! I-think-I-can! I-think-I-can! I think I can - I think I can - I think I can I think I can--" And they did! Very soon they were over the hill and going down the other side. 

 Now they were on the plain again; and the little steam engine could pull her train herself. So she thanked the little engine who had come to help her, and said good-by. And she went merrily on her way, singing: "I-thought-I-could! I-thought-I-could! I-thought-I-could! I-thought-I-could! I thought I could - I thought I could - I thought I could - I thought I could - I thought I could - I thought I could I thought I could --"

 THE END

Amazing Grace

{source}

This is one of my all time favorite hymns.  Probably one of the more popular ones that we've all memorized since childhood =)

Amazing Grace was written by John Newton in 1779 with inspiration from his own life.  In a way, I think we can all relate to this hymn.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.

T'was Grace that taught...
my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear...
the hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares...
we have already come.
T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...
and Grace will lead us home.

The Lord has promised good to me...
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be...
as long as life endures.

When we've been here ten thousand years...
bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise...
then when we've first begun.

The last verse gives me chills every time I hear it.  Just imagine praising God for eternity with no end in sight!  

 

Spiritual Highs and Lows

So, Spiritual Highs and Spiritual Lows.  Most Christians know what those are.  For those of you that don't I'll give an example.

A mountain.  It looks pretty hard to climb, huh?  It takes a lot of effort to get to the top.  This is an example of a spiritual high.  A spiritual high is when we're walking right along side of God, feeling his power all the time.

 And this, a valley.  It doesn't look like it would be too bad to live in.  This is an example of a spiritual low.  When we can't seem to find God anywhere, and we're just stuck.  We've been having trouble in life, and everything is depressing.

Our whole christian lives we will be climbing up and down, going from mountain to valley, mountain to valley.  Why can't we just stay on top of the mountain, talking with God and hearing him talk back?  Well, we can try.  But I can almost guarantee you won't be able to.  Let me give you another example.

A heart monitor.  Yup, that's what I said.  That picture looks crazy, right?  The line is going everywhere.  If you didn't know what a heart monitor was, that line wouldn't make any sense.  But picture it like mountains and valleys.  See it?  Our Christian lives are just like that, being so close to God at times, sometimes lower, and a lot of times just . . . nowhere.  Stuck halfway up the mountain.

Now, imagine if that line wasn't going up and down.

Yup.  That's what it would look like.  We all know what a flat heart monitor line means.  Death.  Your heart isn't pumping.  We need the highs to realize God and his awesomeness.  And we need the lows to remember what life is like without him.  To want to be up high.

Many of you may have heard the heart monitor theory before, and maybe some of you don't agree with it.  I just came out of a sadly long spiritual low, so I just wanted to share this with everyone.  Thanks for reading!

Modesty Definition 2

 

When I first started posting for APOC, one of the first things I did was look at the definition of modesty in a variety of dictionaries. One of the first definitions I came across was one that I was already quite familiar with....the first definition stated that modesty was not drawing attention to ones self. After looking at a couple other definitions I came across another meaning for the word modesty that I never had heard of or thought of before. The second meaning stated that modesty was not only avoiding drawing attention to ones self, but showing proper attention to others. Of course, there is a difference between showing improper attention to another person, which would be immodest, but showing attention to another person when it is appropriate is actually a definition of modesty!  

All Dads love to be encouraged by their wife and kids and since my dream for my future is to be a wonderful wife and mom, I think that encouraging my Dad is a great habit to have so that way I can encourage my husband and kids one day as much as possible. 

Right now I would like to practice the definition of modesty that I stated above by giving attention to my AMAZING Dad and the wonderful remodeling job he has been working on for our house. 

Lets begin!

So true! Though it seems a little backward..... If anything, the most unlikely place for "normal" to live would be in our laundry room! After a year and a half of moving our dryer and washing machine from room to room trying to avoid the traffic of remodelling, a year and a half of hooking up and un-hooking the machines and cramming 5 peoples' clothing in one closet, we are all soooo excited to see our Dad’s latest masterpiece finally make our laundry life a little more "Normal". 

Here it is! Our new laundry room complete with two dryers and two washers, 7 tall cabinets and 5 smaller cabinets for storing clothes, cubby holes for shoes and all the other laundry accessories a family of 9 needs! A dream come true! 

My Dad did such a SUPER job! He did every single bit of the work himself except for the drywall. You might not believe it, but this room used to be a screened in back porch. But Super Dad came to the rescue and totally re-did the whole thing and turned it into the best laundry room I have ever seen! The best part is that there is no traveling all over the house to put 9 peoples clothes away...you just turn around and hang it up! 

We still have to stain the cabinets, add some cosmetic trim, add some of the doors to the smaller cabinets and add some countertops to the smaller cabinets but everything else is finished.

Here is a tour of my Dad’s masterpiece! 

Each of us 7 kids have our own tall and short cabinet. All folds (Jean skirts, T-shirts, pants, etc.) go inside the tall cabinets. All hangs (skirts, dresses, blouses) go hanging up on dowels hung above the small cabinets. Underclothing go in the two drawers in the small cabinets, and below the drawers go any shoes that will not fit in the little cubby holes that are below all the cabinets. Amazing or what?! 

My favorite part about our new laundry room is the two washers and dryers....any large family's dream. Mom estimated that she could get rid of a days worth of 9 peoples laundry in less than 2 hours. That's washed, dried, and put away!  

My next favorite part about our new laundry room is the clothes closets. The picture below is of my little sisters cabinet. Since the little kids have less clothes that needed hung up, he added a dowel in the cabinet for their hangs instead of giving them a small cabinet as well. That way hangs and folds all go in the one cabinet for the younger kids

Mom added some country flair to our laundry room by adding three window boxes in which she planted some herbs. Dad made the shelf for the boxes to sit on. 

 

Just a cute photo I took of our window box and our home grown peach ripening in the sun. (The peach was delicious! All 9 of us split it up the other day.)  

Sadly, I moved from the clothes job just after our new laundry room first opened, so now I have kitchen duty which is the next room that is under renovation. :( So, just in case y'all aren't jealous already, let me give you a sneak peak of my Dad’s amazing work in the kitchen which he just worked on yesterday! (Hey! Remember, I'm just practicing being modest! :) 

Mom calls this the family "UFO"! Yesterday Dad installed 14 can lights in the ceiling along with the "UFO". (The "UFO" is actually a ceiling fan in the middle with six lights around it.) The kids love it, especially because it can only be operated with a remote! The fan/light/UFO is going to hang over top of an island which we are going to install later. 

Just in case y'all don't already know, my Dad is extremely diligent and I am soooo glad that he is my Dad. I mean, who couldn't be happy to have the BEST Dad in the whole world? Oh! Did I also tell y'all that I have the BEST Mom too? :) I’m sooooooooooo blessed!!!!!

OK. I'm finished being modest. :) So, Here is a challenge I would like to ask you all to do this weekend: Say an encouraging word to your Dad every day this weekend. That's really only two days, three days if you count today. For an extra challenge, try saying an encouraging word to your Dad every day for a week. You may not know how much it means to Dad’s to know that their kids appreciate what they are doing, but it means a whole lot to them. 

I hope you all have a encouraging Friday and don't forget that Fathers Day is Sunday! 

Blessings,