Lovely and Pure

" And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Revelation 7: 14

 I have my very own John Watson. And she's pretty amazing! (Hello there, John.) While her name isn't actually John, that is what she'll go by for the sake of anonymity. Anyways, John's birthday is in a few days (The 31st, actually,) but because she shares a birthday with one of my brothers, we celebrated a few days early. John, another close friend of mine (Who will go by G, until I can find a better code name) and I spent the day together doing some things that will be featured in a different post. For this post, I want to talk about the Birthday Box (!!) I put together for John. The first thing that I did (after finding a box) was paint the box. I actually decided to add polka dots to it after I painted it. The polka dots were done in hot pink because I wanted to coordinate the stuff, and a bag I used had polka dots in the same teal colour along with hot pink ones. (I'll show the bag later)                      ...

" But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven." Matthew 10: 33

I found this on Pinterest, and I really liked it. There's a lot of girls out there that criticize each other so badly. There are so many girls that deal with insecurities that we should spend our time uplifting each other; not insulting the things that are already bothering them.

" Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows." Matthew 10: 31

"  I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works." Psalms 9: 1

" And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." 1 Samuel 15: 22

" Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling." Psalms 2: 11

To continue my back to school series, I wanted to talk about the backpack I've ordered. The Fjallraven Kanken is really popular, and has been for a while, but it's pretty expensive. QA school mate had one, and I really liked it, but I had no idea wha it was. I watched a back to school haul that elaborated on the Kanken, and I decided I really liked it. I spent some time online looking for a cheaper option, but I couldn't find a real one. I looked on EBay and found a knock off version. After a few days of contemplating whether it was worth it to pay less than $20 for a much cheaper knockoff of a high quality, very expensive backpack, I ordered it. I have a Jan sport backpack that I bought my Freshman year, so it wasn't a matter of my needing it. I wanted a cuter day pack style backpack that I could wear to the store, school, or use as a purse. This was a great idea. The only downfall to my getting the cheaper version was the fact that it isn't waterproof. This i...

" Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee." - Psalms 63: 3

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Ephesians 6: 12

" Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." - 2 Timothy 2:15

   Like I said before, school is starting soon. As well as being physically prepared, I have to be mentally prepared. So I start getting my supplies about a month in advance. My Freshman year I wanted everything matching, but it didn't work out. My sophomore year, I wanted everything to be snappy and witty. That worked out, but throughout the school year I've both matured and become girlier, and I wanted matching school supplies. But it couldn't be just any color scheme. I wanted cameo pink, light blue/mint, and rose gold. This year, it worked out! I just got a basic 1-inch binder, but I found it in the cute blue color at WalMart for under two dollars. They had it in the pink color, but it was a 2-inch, and I did not want a binder that big! The funky shaped thing in the background is also from WalMart and is actually a lunch container that matches the binder. It has a fork and a butter knife and is divided into two sections for a sandwich and a side. I really lik...

With school starting in just under a month, I figured it might be fun to do a few posts for back to school! I have a few friends who are getting ready to join me in high school, and I figured some tips might be helpful. I know what you're thinking. Aren't you homeschooled? Well, we go through a charter school. A lot of people take all of their classes through the school, but I do not. We go a few days out of the week for lectures and labs. It's kind of like going to college. When I went from 8th grade to high school, it was crazy, I had no idea what to do! all of a sudden there were a lot of essays and due dates, and just more work in general. Hopefully, these tips will help some of you. 1) Keep a planner. It might seem a bit extra, but it isn't. You'll need to keep track of all those events and due dates. 2) Study. This may seem like a no brainer, but I had no idea how to study before high school. I never needed to. 3) Turn in all your assignments. On time! Y...

"My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons." James 2:1

" Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." Philippians 4:11

     I could probably be considered a Coffee Snob. While I'm not a fan of labels, it's true. My mom and I are rather picky about our coffee, and we get it from a local roaster. I won't give you the name, that would give my location away, but it is owned by a family that lives here in town and sells coffee at a local Farmer's Market. We generally stick to Ethiopian coffee (Specifically Ethiopian Yirgchaffe, but we've branched out a little,) and we enjoy our fresh French Press coffee. I thought I'd share how we do that with you because it is a routine part of my life. Step 1:      Put at least 35 ounces of water on to boil. You won't use all of it, but it will keep the temperature better, and it won't hurt to have leftover water.  Step 2:       After the water is on, measure out 1.5 ounces of coffee beans, and grind at the French press texture.  Step 3: Wait. (You should probably dump the coffee into the press now...