Spring...Winter...It's All the Same Some Places

"Haven't done any photo shoots in awhile!"

Quickly digs through phone pictures looking for some quick inspiration.

"Oh what's this?"

Lol.

A photo shoot that I totally forgot to post! Haha. Well, looks like you will all get a winter post on this beautiful spring day. :)

On that day I was freezing...little thinking that when I would be posting this that I would be so hot!!

Such snow as this is cold!! ;)

But it's still fun! 

Meet Goldie, my walking companion.

Hiding behind this branch doesn't work. ;b

Hello, world!

Hello, tree.

Goodbye, ya'll!

Skirt: Goodwill
Sweater/shirt: Ross
Scarf: Gift
Bracelet  #1: Made
Bracelet  #2: Gift
Shoes: I can't remember what shoes I was wearing!! LOL!!!!

Hope you all enjoined this bit of winter "fashion"! Haha. Have a great week!

And let me know what you think :b 

Monday Inspiration

Hello everyone! I'm back! Whew, that was a long, crazy week! Actually it's not quite over, and my summer is going to stay crazy. I have a very short time to get this blog post ready... Here's a fun photo from Les Miserables, the musical I was performing in.

    I'm the one in the green top, vest, and pink skirt. :D

 Since I'm off in a few minutes, I just want to share a little bit of inspiration with you. 

 Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

 Just think about this verse, and what it means for you personally. I have seen this in action so much. God has just poured his blessings down on me in so many ways this year. Thank the Lord for his love!

 How can this verse relate to you?

 

Birthdays and Awkward

I think the title explains this post. Let's face it. Birthdays are awkward.

Last week, one of our own bloggers here had a birthday. I won't say who because she HATES when you say happy birthday to her, so yeah. But she prompted this post, since my computer cut off and deleted the post I had originally planned.

People seem to love birthdays. Unless it's their own. But when it comes to throwing a birthday party, everyone (aside from the birthday boy/girl) wants in on it. So they go all out. Buying cake and ice cream, balloons, presents, cards, throwing in money and blah blah blah.

And then the birthday person has to suffer through it all. They must open presents, which is pretty awkward. I mean, you're family is watching you with eagle eyes, waiting for any little twitch that may suggest you don't like the gift. And if they suspect that, they get teary and offer to give you the receipt and you have to comfort them and reassure them that you adore it and that it's the best thing you received (Turns out, all presents you get are the best ones).

After presents, you have to have cake. Buuuuuuut . . . . Before the cake, EVERYONE HAS TO SING IN THAT AWFUL "WE'RE SO OUT OF TUNE BECAUSE WE LOVE YOU" TONE. Now, there's nothing wrong with the singing.

As long as you don't mind being deaf.

Just kidding. Sort of.

Anyway, you're just standing there, awkwardly trying to figure out what you do with your hands and your eyes while everyone is singing and smiling and staring at you. So you just end up like this:

 

But, being the good birthday boy/girl you are, you stand there and take it like a man. Or a woman. Whatever. Once it's over, you FINALLY get to eat the cake. That's the only part of birthday parties that ISN'T awkward. Unless you don't eat cake. Or are allergic to cake. Then it must be pretty awkward. 

Anyyyyyway . . . I don't have to go through as much awkwardness as normal people. Why? Because . . . (prepare yourself) . . . . I don't get presents.

That's right, people. I get MONEY. I get to buy my own presents. So, I only have to go through the awkwardness of shopping for things that you didn't know you wanted and the cake part. Be jealous. Be VERY jealous. 

So, that's today's post. Sorry it's sorta irrelevant. But, maybe I made you smile? I sure hope so. 

 

Fantasy Portrait {Product Review}

Hello everyone! I'm thinking about starting something new, of sorts. What do ya'll think about some blog posts about bedrooms? As in, the decoration, organization, etc of them? My room needs some work, and I thought it might be a nice thing to talk about.

 So far on this blog we've mostly focused on clothing, inner modesty, and spiritual encouragement. There have been several clothing reviews, but today I'm going to do a fun review. One of our own writers, Joanna Marie, asked if someone would like to review a cartoon fantasy drawing created by herself. I thought it sounded neat, so I agreed.

 I'm sure, in some form or another, every girl loves art. Some enjoy creating it, some enjoy simply looking at it. Art is a beautiful thing that God gave to us, whether we have the knack for it, or we just admire it. Art is drawing God's creation. I have different pieces of artwork in my bedroom; some drawn by friends, maybe a few of my own. I can't wait to add this Joanna Marie piece to my collection.

Here's the front of the package. As you can see I got a little excited and starte to take the tape off before the photo was taken. :)

 I think it was really creative of Joanna to draw the back like an envelope, don't you?

 Now... for the unveiling...

Photo taken from Joanna's Marie's facebook page.

 I'd say the actual drawing is darker like the top photo which I took. But isn't it lovely? This is supposed to be me, and she did a great job catching my hair and eye color. In order to have the photo done, I sent her some photos of myself, and told her what animal/weapon I'd like to have. She did a fantastic job. I wasn't sure what to expect in the beginning, but Joanna more than proved her quality of workmanship. I really love it, and can't wait to frame it and hang it on my wall. Also, I love the medieval looking dress she drew. <3

 

 She even sent a lovely what I'm sure is handmade card! Isn't it pretty?

  All in all, I'm very happy about Joanna's work. I like it, and so do members of my family, so those are extra points! If you'd like to look into getting your own fantasy portrait done, check here.

Or if you want to see her other work which includes really cool Hobbit, and Superhero plates, drawings, and paintings, check out her Etsy shop!

I hope you've enjoyed this review. God bless!

 

Sorry, guys!

Hey, guys, I haven't finished my post yet, but it'll be done next week. So, as an apology, here's a few pictures of classy kittens.

 

 

That's all. I'll have the post done by next week though. Hopefully it'll make up for it.

 

God's Amazing Plans

I struggled to decide on what to post today. I want everything I post to be helpful and uplifting to all of you girls, but sometimes it's hard to know just what to say.

 Today, I decided to take you into a little trip into the past.

 About four years ago I started my own website, Precious Jewels. The origin of Precious Jewels was a magazine I had tried to make before that. The website felt easier, and that I would reach a broader audience of girls. Not long after, I changed my website to God's Precious Jewels. It was my desire that this website could be used to help girls draw closer to God. I was hoping it could be my outreach.

 The site went pretty well, for a while. I had girls volunteer to help with different aspects of the site, but slowly, almost all of them stopped helping, or were unable to. Running a website is a hard endeavor on your own. I've tried to keep it up, but recently, in the last year or so especially, I've been very busy, and the site fell into disuse. But once in a while, a girl will pop up on the chatbox, wondering just what's going on. I feel bad when I see this, but until I get some more help, the website will probably sit there for a while more.

 But that's not the point of this post. It was while I was moderating and working on GPJ, that I met Leah. Or sort of met her. I found her website somehow, and followed it, and she left a comment in my guest book.

 I always had it on my heart to reach out to girls in some way. God works in so many amazing and mysterious ways. Who knew, long ago, that Leah and I, who didn't even know a thing about the other besides what our sites said, would someday be working on the same blog, and that it would be inspiration for young ladies? God truly blows my mind sometimes. He is magnificent. Leah and I met up again on the Go Teen Writer's facebook page, another hobby God gave to both of us, and that's when I figured out who she was.

 I don't know what all of you think of this story, but I just think about the way God works. How something that happens in your life, can be part of God's plan for your future, before you ever know it. So even though GPJ might not be going strong, God was able to use it to help me be a part of this blog, three years later.

 Think of what God can do in your life.

 

 

Dolls and Modesty

So, I was pretty unsure about what to do for the post today, until I came across a picture of Barbie. So, here's what resulted from it.

What are we saying to little girls when we give them dolls like Barbie and Bratz? Not very good things, after all. Just look for a picture of either doll. You won't see very many modest clothes. And then there's the fact that Barbie and Bratz look nothing like a child's toy. Barbie is what people call "the perfect woman." Should we really let kids play with a toy that's known as that?

And then their clothes. It's basically promoting the trashy look. Here's a look, in case you feel too lazy to find them yourself:

 

Sorry if your eyes are burning, but this is seriously what little girls are playing with now. And we wonder why they grow up to look and act like they do?

I don't exactly know where I'm going with this, right now, because I'm so tired. But, hey, just think about it and you decide what you're going to do. Should we let girls play with them, or not? Are they harmless, or do they teach that it's okay to look like someone ripped half of your clothes off?

God bless.

PS: Check out the Vlog later today or tomorrow. I'm going to try to have our first video up there by then.