It's all about the eyes... (A Recession Confession)

~She's A Natural~

~It's Prismic~

~The Smoky Femme Feline~

As a young woman I want to look beautiful. Hopefully I look as beautiful on the outside as the Lord has made me on the inside...well, that's how beautiful I want to be on the outside too anyway. I am hoping that the beauty of this heart of mine will shine and surpass any physical beauty though.....it's a catch 22 I know! ;-D

As a girl, who wants to look her prettiest I have a confession to make. I've always wanted to go have my makeup done by a professional makeup artist, just to satisfy my curiosity really. I've watched makeup artists do their magic on television and it just astounds me what they can do with the same makeup tools that I have! My makeup most definitely does not end up looking as stellar as what those t.v. makeup artists can do I'll tell you that! I cannot afford to do this however...go to a professional makeup artist to have my face 'colored up.' 

So this is one of my recession confessions: I wish I had enough money to spend so that a professional makeup artist could get her hands on my face....and my big ol' brown shiners! 

You see, I think that a makeup artist could probably do things to make my eyes, lips, nose, and face look more spectacular than anything I could ever do with my pitiful makeup brushes sweeping into my over-the- counter makeup and then over my eyelids. Instead of whining about this though, and never wearing makeup, or getting it done at all like I dream of doing I have a 'recession solution!' 

If you want to get your makeup done professionally but can't afford to like me.....grab a friend, or a sister in my case, who is pretty handy with an eye makeup color palette and a brush in her hand and let her go hog wild on your lovely eyes! The photos above are a result of me letting my sister use me as her guinea pig. It was fun doing all of these different eye makeup looks......that is until my sister used the eye liner pencil on the inside of my eyelid....yowchies! *It's okay Mary.....you're forgiven!* *Big Smile*

The first photo is of a more natural eye color palette....she used browns and copper shades on my eyelids. I loved this particular look...the more natural eye makeup look just screams SARAH! 

Photos 2 & 3, well, those were a new experiment with wild pigmentation if I do say so myself, that my sister has just been dying to try out since she had seen the idea in a new mag she bought recently. It was really cool to have "Prismic" eyes and all but I wouldn't want to wear this out in public EVER (albeit extremely cool and all)! 

Photos 4 & 5 were a little smokier on the color pigmentations....my sister used tons of black eye liner, black mascara, a silvery white shadow, some gold and then a black shadow to make things smokier. I probably wouldn't wear this look out either, but it was oodles of fun to play around with! I might wear that last look if it didn't have the 'cat-eye-liner-thingy' going on at the edge of my eyes...and maybe if I was going to do a photo shoot only for emphasis on the eyes. (Hint: Photo shoots work better and look better when you do your makeup darker than usual, typically because the camera picks up the pigmentations better when they are much darker and brighter my sister and I have found out.)

I only dream of being as good with putting on my own eye makeup as my sister is, but I sure am glad that even though I don't have a lot of money to get a professional to do my eyes and I face I have the next best thing: My awesomely-stellar 'n' lovely-smart 'n' silly-as-they-come-sister Mary.

The Cost of These Eye Experimentations:

FREE (because we used makeup that we had already had for a long while...my sisters stuff...and we used my digital camera to take the photos and used FREE photo editing sites to crop the photos and put our watermark on them.)

So if you ladies are at odds with how to do cool things ranging from date ideas to dramatic eyes when you have little or no money to do them, stick around because I have more ideas (Recession Confessions) to come...

P.S. The name on all of the photos, Kat-Belle Photography, is a culmination of the two of our nicknames scrambled together (my sister's nickname and mine to be exact.) BTW- Those are my lovely brown shiners (as Jared calls them) in all of the pics.

{*Heart* Y N!}

Hey there bloggers,

I've had a really great day today! The Lord has been doing so much in my life lately....working out all of the kinks in me here and there a bit more every day. I am sure there will always be more work left for Him to do within me....and so I welcome Him in to accomplish it within me wholeheartedly! Yes, you heard me say it right. 

Through reading my Bible lately, talking to those about my struggles with fear and patience whose opinion and wisdom I value most (you all know who you are) and spending LOADS of time in prayer He has been shaping me yet again. I am learning that whether situations in my daily life be bad or good I want to be the best ME that I can be and live life for Him to the fullest with a thankful heart......all the way! 

I have come to the realization lately that being too focused on the future (which I so strongly desire to take part in at the moment but must work through these current days that have been given me) has meant that who I am, as a Daughter of the King, has suffered tremendously because I have forgotten that there is much to be had for me in the here and now, and there is still much more for me to do. I don't need to worry about tomorrow (or the future) because the Lord has me right where He wants me right now. He has me at the job I am at right now for a reason. He has brought me to my new Church family for a reason. He has let trials test me as of late....along with my lack of patience...so that I will be tempered and fired, and stronger than ever so that I may be of some use and worth for Him and His Kingdom for a specific reason.

Here's a really random thought: if you and I would focus on living in the 'Here & Now' more, and also focus on loving our neighbors more than ourselves don't you think that that would be a much better use of our time, rather than us wishing the time away that has been given to us by Him? I know that when I realized that I was being very selfish and thinking that I am the only one struggling with things like what I've been battling currently, being impatient and being not willing to think about being happy in the here and now that God has placed me in for a purpose I began to get angry with myself. How could I be so selfish and impatient...and how dare I wish time away when God has purposed the time, and wants to use ME IN IT!  Anyways that's enough of rambling on about that for now...

I had the amazing opportunity to spend time working in reaching out to the community which I have been placed in today with my new Church family.....and I had a wonderful time doing so! We met up with all of our Church members at the large Celebration Field and then we all split into different outreach groups. My family and I were placed into the 'Free Water Outreach' group. It was extremely hot and humid today, but nevertheless we stood out at one of our towns busy intersections and passed out TONS of bottles of ice cold water. We all had smiles on our face....those of us passing out waters....those around us that we were trying to minister to though...not so much. 

I worked on one side of the intersection alongside a really sweet woman named Kristi (sp?), and it was really nice to get to know a new face as we worked together to serve, inspire and show love to our community as if we were the hands and feet of Jesus. (I can't believe I just REALLY said that! I am usually sooo shy and I do not like meeting or getting to know new people much less actually working alongside them all by myself...guess God is working in this heart of mine even more than I thought!) We handed out quite a few bottles of water, but there were quite a few people who just did not want to even look us in the eyes, or even give us the time of day.....you could definitely tell that quite a few of the people driving by had heavy hearts and burdens laid on their hearts...it really saddens me to see this. All we can do is pray for them I guess, and leave their lives in the Lord's hands. 

Although there were quite a few sad heartbroken looking faces in the cars that passed us by there were also quite a few people who seemed quite shocked and excited at seeing us standing out there in the humid hot heat willing to dodge cars to greet them and bless them by giving out free bottles of water and wishing blessings upon them.....with expecting no payment in return. There were a few men who tried to pay me when I handed them a bottle of water, but I simply said "No sir, we do not want to take your money. This is for you...a gift...please have a blessed day today and pay it forward to someone else in kindness!"

I could go on and on endlessly about ALL of the things that the Lord is showing me and doing within me and my life right now, but I wouldn't want to bore you...or write a novel on the subject so I shall end here. I hope you all had a wonderful Sunday and that it was a truly blessed one! If there is one thing that I hope you all will take out of this blog post it is just simply this: LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR. 

Wanting to be molded by Him and Him alone,

P.S. - My recessions posts will be coming up shortly...thanks for your patience in advance! =)

Endless Cycle Collision

A wreck of endless emotions collide. Insecurities emoted from within myself are beginning to frighten me. When my life should strive to walk on the water, unafraid to go underneath and sink down deep, into Him and His plan for me, to take the needed drink I find myself struggling. Instead fear inhabits me and causes me to stand on sinking sands. I feel as though a restrained soul....awaiting to embrace the day when I drop all fear to the floor...becoming reborn.

An idealist. A dreamer in longing of the pictured and desired days surely to one day come. Patience calls me, but is pushed up against the wall...it is silenced and shoved aside once again to be forgotten, until it commands my attention at the most needed of moments in my life. My mind is the white rabbit trail runner as of late. I cannot seem to find peace of mind. For when I do find a moments rest, in my wild tangent thought filled mind, it is short lived, never utterly defined, it is always corrupted by the thoughts of what I stubbornly want to have now...what I do not want to wait for, but know painfully that I must.

There's no words other than His alone that can show me the truth, of how I need to live from day to day to serve Him alone. I've heard the other voices speak, as well as my own and they've helped, but have not spoken to me as He has done so now. I know my purpose is set forth...planned...that my life is not for naught. He is the only one who can shake me to my core, and show me how to live...until my desires finally blossom to fruition in the shortly coming days.

I often complain about the here and now, but that in itself keeps me from striving to be the best I can be. The best Daughter of the King. I am reliving my fears daily of falling short and of not living out my dreams that I longingly desire, they're melded into my heart deep within my inner core. I struggle with not wanting to face the music, the words which I yearn to wreath together in harmony for all to see, and of the future which my heart won't dream about me ever letting go of.

Life is so bittersweet. Life...it is so melancholy at times for me, and yet also I see that behind those clouds of doubt, of impatience and uncertainty I seek to live life joyfully, peacefully and patiently. Life. Endless love. Patience. Striving towards a brighter day...and self. Fears that weigh me down to the ground. They are an endless cycle. Everything emoted within me is a collision that brings me back to my knees, over and over again....it brings me back again to you my King.

"Endless Cycle Collision" Poetry by:

Patience My Lovelies As I Digress Back 'N' Forth

Hi there blogger lovelies! I know I haven't been blogging as much as I usually have, and to be honest it's not because I have been extremely busy either. I have been working, spending more time with my sister (which I am loving by the way), quilting and re-organzing everything in my closet and room, and spending my last two weekends with my amazing-loving-epically-talented-handsome-writer-boyfriend. Well, maybe I was kind of busy, but I was more stressed out than anything, and thus had nothing I wanted to spill out onto the keyboard and drown you all in. No need to pull an Alice Kingsley here ya know!

I've had a LOT on my mind lately. I wonder if some of the choices I've made in my life so far are really the right ones at this point. I am struggling with being patient....in work...in wanting to move out on my own already...in waiting for Jared and I to be financially prepared to get married...and in so many more areas too. What is totally hysterical to me is that where I work at (as a preschool/daycare nursery teacher) right now I have to have SO MUCH PATIENCE. I wonder is that why I landed the job I did....because you wanted me to learn to keep my calm, and to pray for guidance and peace and gain patience at the end of the day because I HAVE to, Lord?

So all that said I have been a bit stressed and struggling, but for every one thing I have to be impatient about and to complain about I have 100 things to be thankful for and to gain joy from. Through my sister struggling with some stuff in her life she and I have had to come to rely more on each other's company recently, which has been an immense blessing to me right now. I missed my sister and I am really happy to have her back!

I've been able to spend the last two weekends of Summer with Jared before he started at University. *Jared: I am so proud of you for taking a new deeper step into life and seizing it by the reigns with all your might and with the utmost determination. I love you to the moon and back!* Onto other news... My family and I have found a new Church that we've started attending. We have gone for the last month or so and we are really feeling like this particular Church is where the Lord wants us to be at. I am ecstatic about it....and honestly I am kind of gushing to start helping out and serving in any way I can in the ministry again. I miss working in ministry and I pray God will tug on my heartstrings to go forth and do so again!

So I have a blogging idea. Would you readers be interested in reading blog posts about 'Recession Remedies?' "What will this entail" you may ask? What I am hoping to write about for the next few weeks is how a girl like me and like you who doesn't have a lot of spending money can do simple things to spruce up her life. I hope to write blog posts on Recession Remedies on dates to go on, outfits and fashion, room design, re-purposing of ordinary objects, makeovers, new media ideas and photography shoots for less to name a few. What do you think?

Wondering what will come next in life...

P.S. I found out that in a few weeks I will be braving the waters with my family, extended family members and my boyfriend...white water rafting to be more specific. I am VERY NERVOUS! I do not have Health insurance and I am uberously klutzy! Hmmm.....prayer? Yikes.

"She & He" Photo Shoot

My sister Mary took these photos of my boyfriend Jared and I. I think my little sissy did a fantastic job! What do you think? Oh...and I edited these photos with Picasa 3 and Picnik. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend...see you again soon blogging world! :)

I'm back...

My Weekend In A Nut Shell...And Not In An Exact Particular Order:

• Watched a ton of movies including The Wolfman (totally blech), Marley and Me, Finding Neverland, etc.
• Slept like a baby every night...even though it was a pull out couch...it was comfy.
• I read Jared's Dark Hours timeline and newly revised thinktank. It's gonna be awesome when it comes out one day.
• Jared took me out for a lunch date, and then we went browsing for skirts for me (which I never found even after 2 days of searching them out) and pants for him at Old Navy (which he got for a steal), Kohls (where this guy got arrested by 3 police officers not 10 feet away from Jared and I), Target (where I bought a new purple hairdryer) and the Goodwill store.
• Ate dinner with the Fisher family.
• Watched more movies.
• Ate at Quiznos for lunch. YUMO!
• Saturday I bought a Big Bang Theory Bazinga shirt at the mall, and then Jared and I proceeded to go in about half of the stores there. 
• Saw the worlds largest and most grotesque looking catfish ever created and got really freaked out by it. I didn't run away, so I guess that means I've kind of faced my ichthyphobic self a bit. :)
• We ended our mall trip with hanging out in the BAM store reading through manga among other genres.
• Jared took me out for ice cream at Wendy's because it was sooooo HOT! The ice cream was the best thing ever on that sticky stifling summer day! 
• Watched more movies. Yeah we do that a lot! 
• Picked up our awesome friend Saint Pat for Church. Went to Cross Seekers college class and then headed to service. I gave Jennifer baby Sophia's quilt and she LOVED it! 
• After Church J, Pat and I hung out and ate at Taco Bell where they messed up the guys' order so we ended up getting a gordita, a crunchwrap and a soft taco for free. 
• Watched a movie back at the Fisher house with J and Pat. 
• Went for a long walk in the neighborhood and through the trails with the guys...so much random talk and laughing going on.
• Pat, J and I headed to Church and decided to stick it out with the Youth for the evening meeting which was a great idea because we had a guest speaker from a seminary, named Dwayne, who came to talk about Apologetics and the difference between Mormonism and Christianity. It was so awesome to hear about all things apologetics...it totally get my heart racing every time...and of course I picked Mr. Dwayne's brain after he was done talking. 
• J and I dropped off Pat at his place (on the way there we sang Needtobreathe songs at the top of our lungs...okay, well, Pat and I did!)
• Scrambled to find some dinner...watched some more movies....went to sleep.
• Watched a really cool show about a Pawn Shop Monday morning with Jared and then I packed up my car and headed for work.
  Why are weekends so short? Why can they not be unending?

I hope everyone had a great weekend too while I was away! I will probably be a bit scarcely seen (or read/heard rather) on blogger this week too. I've got some stuff going on, so until next time...

A Quilt For Sophia

So this is what I have been working on this week...a quilt for Renato and Jennifer's first baby, who will be on her way into the world shortly...this quilt is for you BABY SOPHIA! It was made with lots of love! I am so happy that I was able to finish this lovely baby quilt in time, before I leave tomorrow after work for some much needed R&R! {Special thanks to my lovely momma who helped me cut some of the fabric, and also to Lynette who helped me out tremendously by finishing the binding on this quilt while I was at work today so that the quilt would be finished in time.} 

I'm sorry that the quality and lighting of these photos are of a very poor quality. I took these photos tonight in our already darkened house, so this is as good as it's gonna get folks...apologies included! If you'd like to know the fabrics and pattern that I used to make this baby quilt please feel free to e-mail me or drop me a comment and I'll get back to you asap.

Goodbye for now my blogger friends! I'll see you soon!

Good Afternoon Bloggers

I just wanted to drop in really quick to say that I am indeed ALIVE and not missing! :) "What have you been up to and why haven't you been blogging much lately?" you may ask me. Well, I have been preoccupied with some family drama this week that has made life a bit stressful and chaotic as far as nerves go, and I have also been working quite diligently to finish up a lovely baby quilt for a fellow piano teacher friend of mine who is having a little baby girl (name Sophia) at the end of this month.

I am praying that the chaotic family drama will die down very soon, because I don't know how much longer I can take the stress of it all. (I was in tears during Worship serviceon Sunday if that tells you anything.) (Please pray for my sister, Mary.) I also hope to get baby Sophia's quilt done by tomorrow night (prayers needed on that one too...so much work to do) so that I can give her lovely mother (Miss Jennifer) the baby quilt this Sunday. We also have a lovely dear friend of ours, Lynette, coming in today from out of town to visit with us for a few days. I am so excited to see Lyn-Love....it has been FAR too long since she has graced us with her presence!

I will try to get a few pictures up of Sophia's baby quilt before I leave town this Thursday. ( I will be gone Thursday-Sunday. So I probably won't be posting until Monday sometime.)

Much Blogger Love,

Nail Polish On A Sunday

Today the speaker at Church who was teaching us used a really cool correlation between being made anew in Christ and between...nail polish of all things! My sister perked right on up when she heard the words nail and polish used in the sermon, and I just thought it was a super cool correlation/analogy. The sermon was just what was needed to be heard by my family and I today.  

Mr. R.J. talked about how many times his wife paints her nails a week....which surprisingly was a lot...and was just too funny! He was talking about how his wife uses this strong horrible scented chemical to take the old color away off of her nails so that she can make them look new, colorful and neat. Pastor R.J. basically said (this is my own words mind you) that just like his wife needs to strip away the old and let the new color brush against her nails every few days, or even a couple of times a day sometimes, so also we need to renew our color and not just paint over the old nail polish in our lives until we have removed the old and have been wiped clean (by God, prayer, His word in real life...or for laughs and the sake of the correlation...nail polish remover.) If we just leave the old polish and do not have our cracked coat underneath removed and renewed daily we will only be layering on a new coat that will only temporarily cover our nails (ourselves) and when we only just cover over them with another layer eventually the color on top will start to strip down and the ugly cracked surface below it will be shown from underneath through the supposed new coat which in all actuality is just a cover-up.

Now that I've typed this all out it isn't coming across as strongly as it did in Church today. This nail polish analogy really looked and sounded much cooler in my mind when I thought about posting on it, and when Pastor R.J. said it of course! (I'm sorry if ya'll don't get it, and it's confusing.) Anyways.....we can pretend to be made anew daily in the image of Christ just to try to show the world that we are perfect little Church attending Christian's participating in our parent's faith because it is what we are used to doing, going to Church, but unless we actually come to the Lord wholeheartedly and let Him strip us of all our old color we will remain chipped, cracked and broken as nails that have been painted over many numerous amounts of time.

 I don't know about you but I want to dive into His word daily! I want all of my old color, and my broken self to be restored and made anew daily by God. I don't want to be like covered up broken and cracked nails that are of a flawed color. God alone can clean us, wiping away all cracks and lies within us and make us a new vibrant color to shine for Him . Sometimes becoming that new brilliant nail color will stink a bit, but after a while He alone will strip us down, repaint us and restore us to a new stronger shade of faith...one that will not be shaken...or chipped away at easily!

May you all have a wonderful Sunday evening,

~Ooh La La...A Giveaway~

Lindsay over at Content In Christ is having a great giveaway! I have only just found out about her lovely blog, but I already know that I cannot wait to see more of her sewing creations...and her blog posts too! To enter into the giveaway for one of Lindsay's lovely handbags click HERE.

I hope you will check out Lindsay's blog...

Of Words & Of Photographs

Recently I was given these Lord of the Rings themed gifts by a dear friend who is moving away. The 1977 Tolkien Calendar and the Middle Earth Album were her husband's when he was a teenager. I was thrilled to have been given these lovely artful pieces of literature history! Thanks, Lyn-Love & Eric!

Lyn-Love also sent me this lovely pendant necklace....someone knows just how much I love fleur de leis! 

My boyfriend recently spent a week of his Summer visiting with both sets of his Grandparents in the mountains...and he brought me back a few gifts! Jared is so thoughtful... I just love my owl that he bought for me (I've named her Anberlin Cadence Fisher), and my rock/geode purple-y/pinkish bookends too! Check out Jared's blog post about his Summer travels HERE.

I have been reading Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview by: Phillips, Brown & Stonestreet lately. The book is very well laid out thus far and I am enjoying learning as much as I can about Apologetics and Worldviews in general. A post written on Apologetics by Jared and I is surely to come soon on my blog...give us a while to get our brains and words together and we'll have it up for you all asap! Do you have any specific questions to shoot at Jared or I on the topic of a Biblical Worldview or on Apologetics? ;-)

That's all the time I have to write for today...but I have a lot more to say believe you me! What do you all think about my new blog header, my music player, and my links (the ones with the pics) to old posts on music reviews, movie reviews, tough topics and my devo's that are on my sidebar? Does my blog look any neater to you all....is everything set up better in your eyes? Are you able to find things easier now? Thank you to all of my new followers! I never would have dreamed that I would reach 50 followers! Now that I have reached half a hundred followers I feel so much more hopeful about how God is going to use both me, my writings, my random musings, and the way in which I glimpse everyday life and write about it weekly on this blog to reach out to His children for His glory in ministry and in fellowship with fellow boggers!

Until we meet again my dears,

30 Day Challenge - Day 15 (My Last Day!)

Day 29 - 

{Hopes, dreams and plans that I have for the next 365 days} 

That is a heavy question, and yes I meant to write heavy and not hard! lol There are a lot of weighty things for me to be considering and thinking about.....too many for me to even begin to want to think about at this point in time. I will just give you a choice sampling of what is floating around in my mind and heart...because if I listed all of me hopes, dreams and plans for the next year it would be the length of War & Peace! :-P 

A hope...or two...

I hope to be able to go on an all day hiking trip in the mountains with Jared for our one-year-of-being-blissfully-together anniversary! :)

I hope to be able to say that I have read my boyfriend's completed manuscript of 'Dark Hours.' I am really excited about my boyfriend's writings and I am hopeful that the world will be enthralled by his characters as I have been!

A dream...or two...

That I will be able to use my writing skills for His glory in some way shape or form...not sure yet how to accomplish this, but I have felt a strong need to start writing lately...and for more than just fun too. I feel like I should be writing...call it a calling if you will...but for who, what, when, where and why I dunno?

To start using my singing voice again. I miss the days of being in the TRUTH WORSHIP BAND...playing keys and sometimes singing lead solos...mic in hand and spirit soaring along with the sweet melodies! Yes, I want to start using my voice again for Him. I would love to do some type of a recording, or help out with vocals on a recording of some sort...I always have wanted to try that out...really. *Well, it is a pipe dream after all! So, I am allowed to dream!*

A plan...or two...

I plan to continue to grow even closer to God in my daily life, and that I will start to plug into the new Church we have started attending. (I hope that I will be able to do so without the paralyzing fear that I will be completely ripped apart, wounded and heart-broken again over words and friends...like I was at our last Church.)

I plan...with all my heart...to fall even more deeply in love with Jared Fisher. 

Day 30 - 

{A motto or philosophy}

A Family Motto: Tojours Pret! (Always Ready!)

A personal quote/philosophy: "It's not always about how well we do with our balancing act in life, but rather whom we lean on to help get us balanced over and over again...it's about striving to be better at being a balanced Christian who walks daily with Him that does the trick! Balance will come in time, with God by your side." -D.O.T.K.

Well, that is the end of the 30 Day Challenge for me. I did it in half the time! I can't believe that I actually completed the challenge in 15 days instead of the 30 given days! I sure had a lot of fun doing this, and I look forward to seeing the rest of everyone else's days who are still participating in the challenge.

-Daughter of the King