... But mostly Shopping Shopping Shopping!!!

    Merry Christmas eve eve eve everybody!!
I had a fabulous day today, did you guys? My sister is home from college for a whole month!! Today her friend and her sister (who's my friend) and Allison and I all went last minute Christmas shopping at the University Mall. It was so crowded!! All the parking lots were full, so we had to park at the Vitamin Shoppe nearby instead.

    About ten stores, two coffees, (no I didn't drink both. Actually, I didn't drink either.) and an armful of bags later, we decided to head to the OTHER mall. It was incredibly cold with the wind coming off the lake, and we had to walk downtown to get there, but it was worth it. Church street was completely decked out in amazing white lights.



 

    By the way, that weird blob in the upper left hand corner is a snowflake that fell on my lens. :)

    I had so much fun, and I even bought a dress!! That's totally amazing for me, because I really don't like wearing skirts or dresses. LOL like my awesome socks? :)

    This one's for Purplepixie. :) I know from your blog that you love One Direction, so I thought I'd post this for you. I couldn't help it, I had to take this picture. :D 

    Merry Christmas everyone! I hope this Christmas brings joy and peace to all.

God Bless!

   Grace <3



Snow?

Snow? Snowww!!!! Yes, the first snow has come and gone. Well, most people wouldn't call it an official "snow". More like a couple little snowflakes that melted as soon as they hit earth.
It snowed up on the mountains last Monday, so usually that means we'll have snow in six weeks. Because it snowed I couldn't help it. I just HAD to play Christmas music. So with much eye rolling from Mom, I popped in a Perry Como CD. :) Nothin' so good as the Christmas classics.
Before I end this rather short post, I have to tell you what Mom said today. We are obviously all thinking about the upcoming winter at the moment, because when I put in my favorite mix CD today, and Taylor Swift poured out her soul in "We are never ever getting back together", Mom declared, "If I ever move down south, I'm going to sing this to my snow shovel!" :) I think maybe after living here for twenty-six years she's getting just a little tired of snow shoveling. LOL Thanks Jesus for giving us a neighbor who's often willing to snow-blow our driveway!!!

AHH!! Back to school is here!!!

    Hey there!
Today was the first day of our homeschool co-op. I gotta admit, this is the first year I have been absolutely dreading about going back to school. When I was little, I was so excited! New notebooks, planners, occasionally a back-to-school outfit... Later it was I'm enjoying summer, but it will be nice to get back into the routine of school, and seeing my friends will be fun... Now it's PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME GO!! I'M ENJOYING SUMMER TOO MUCH AND I DON'T WANT TO DEAL WITH THE WORKLOAD OR ANYTHING ELSE!!!!
    This year is going to be hard. I know it. Science, math, and writing have never been my things, and I have to do algebra 2/geometry, biology, and a really hard writing class where we start writing literary analysis papers the second week of classes!! And we only meet once a week! Also piano is harder too. Or at least longer. This year lessons are 45 minutes long.
    This might sound kind of pathetic, but does anybody else get more excited about the first day of school once you pick out your outfit?? I do. I had my outfit planned a week in advance, and I even had a backup in case the weather decided to turn against me. (I ended up having to wear it too)
    This is going to be a hard year for me! Big workload, longer classes, and this is the first year where  it's only me at home. :o It's strange here now. And quieter. So I would really appreciate it if you'd continue to pray for me. Pray for this new school year, and also for my family and I as we get used to not having my sister in the house. Also please pray that this year I would really shine as a light for the LORD, and that I would be more willing to share the good news of the Gospel. :)
    Thanks so much, and enjoy your week!!

Love,
    Grace <3

Please Pray!!

      Hey!! So this Saturday we leave to take my sister to college. She's going to a Christian University 100 miles away. I'm really excited for her, and I'm glad she's found a college she likes so much, but I'm so sad. This is the girl that's been my best friend for the last fifteen years. Basically her leaving means that our childhood together is over. The next few years will be so strange, especially since we were homeschooled. We are both going to have to find the new normal. So please pray for both of us! Pray that my sister will have a good time in college, and learn a lot, and also pray that my family and I would be able to cope with not having her here during the school year. Please pray that throughout all of this, we will all grow closer to God, and that we would all remember that God knows best, and He does everything for a reason. Thank you!

Love,

   Grace <3

New blog "Through My Eyes"

Hey guys!
Just wanted to let you all know that I have started a new blog. It is a photography blog called "Through My Eyes". You can check it out at www.throughmyeyes97.blogspot.com. Hope you all like it! Please comment and follow, it really helps me out!

Love,
  Grace <3

Figure skating- It's not just a sport.

Here are two videos I found on YouTube that I really like. They show that figure skating is not a fluffy sport, and no matter what level you are, it's HARD. Hope you like them!

15 Followers and a trip to the beach!!

Hey everybody!!
I have fifteen followers!!! Thanks so much everybody!! This really means a ton to me. I've only been blogging since March, so this is huge! I want you guys to know, that I consider you my friends. You all are my blogger family! <3
This past saturday, I went to my friends camp on the lake! It was so much fun to go and spend time with my friends, swimming in seaweed infested waters, (smells terrible, but isn't so bad) tanning on the dock, and just having fun! I did, by the way, tan some. I now have my usual summer freckles on my upper arms.

Seriously, there were so many of us on the dock, my mom said it was a miracle the thing didn't collapse!! :D

This is me and Liz, www.myfashionfirefly.blogspot.com, chillin' in a submerged lawn chair. Yeah, that's a worried look on my face. My friend was taking this picture with my iPod, while standing in the water, and considering the fact that my iPod is very new, I was freakin' out!

This is the gorgous view from their camp during sunset. Yeah, I did edit it a little, but the unedited pic is just as glorious!! (I was just playing with my new app. :) 

here my friends and I are canoing in the evening. It was so beautiful. It was also the first time I was in a canoe! That's me in the very middle, lazily enjoying the ride. :) Naomi is chillin' in back of me LOL! :D

All in all, it was a very magical day, and everybody fully enjoyed themselves.

Thanks again my lovely followers!!!

Love,

  Grace <3

Electronics Galore!!

    I know this is a short post, but I had to paint you a picture of what our living room looks like right now! Every person in the house at the moment is completely involved in at least one electronic. My Dad is on his Facebook, while on the phone with his brother. Mom is working on her laptop. Nana is playing Words with Friends. My sister is texting on her ipod, and I have two things going. I am on my computer, blogging, and talking to Jeffery. (The tech support guy on Apple.com who is not speaking english. I think he is speaking geekish, because even though I told him I was only fifteen, he's still speaking in words I CANNOT understand.) I am also on my ipod touch, charging it up, and playing Tap Tap Revenge.
    Just thought that was funny! Enjoy your day!

Love,
  Grace <3

Shopping

    On Friday, Mom my sister and I went to the mall. Pretty much we spent the whole time at Sears, cause mom had credit there. I saw these AWESOME shoes there! As you can see, they're too big (which isn't very hard for me being a size 4) and they were seriously expensive. But I love the flowers painted on the... what is that called? The cork I guess. I am hoping to buy a pair of wedges this summer. One of those I-really-don't-need-it-but-it-would-be-fun-to-get-and-I-would-wear-them-a-lot purchases!! I'd probably get white, navy blue, or dark brown so they would go with a lot of outfits. What color do you think I should get? I'll probably make a poll once I can actually afford them so you guys can vote! But first I kinda need to save up some babysitting money...

 

This is me in the car on the way there. I look excited, right? :D

By the way, I have a poll up on my blog just so you know. It's kind of hard to see, but it's on the left side, not the right. Please vote! Thanks!

Love,

 Grace <3

Grace's Sketchbook

These are some of my favorite drawings. Some of them I drew from Mark Crilley
drawing tutorials on youtube, and others are animated pictures I found online
and redid to make my own. I hope you like them! Comment if you want to see more!

Blog Award

   I have recieved this blog award from Chasity over at *Chasity Sherelle Photography*. http://www.chasitysherellephotography.blogspot.com. Thanks so much, Chasity!

   Rules:

1. Put a link to who gave you the award.

2. Put the award on your post.

3. Choose 5 blogs to recieve the award.

4. Let them know you awarded them.

5. Make sure to post this set of rules in your post!

You don't have to say anything about yourself for this award, you just recieve it.

People I'm awarding:

Purple Pixie @ The Unsocialized Homeschooler www.theunsocializedhomeschooler.blogspot.com

Phia Isabella @ Faith and Fashion www.phiaisabella.blogspot.com

Mikailah @ Maid for Him www.maid4him.blogspot.com

Liz @ My Fashion firefly www.myfashionfirefly.blogspot.com

Elena @ What Matters to Me www.whatmatterselena.blogspot.com 

 
    Thanks again, Chasity!

Love,
Grace <3

Fear

    Last night I was so afraid. I'm not entirely sure why. It probably had something to do with raccoons. Here's a little bit of background to that, I know it sounds silly!
     I have always wanted a dog or a cat or some kind of pet. I had a fish for a while, but betas only last so long. For me, having a pet is so comforting. I'm not sure why, but I feel better when I have something to dote on. Last spring, my neighbors decided to get twelve chicks. I thought, "Okay, that's kind of strange, I will probably have no problem not getting attached to these birds." My neighbors, Aimee and Erin, and I watched them grow, and once they were old enough, we decided to catch one. That was interesting to say the least! Since then, we have named all twelve, fattened them up on all the food the begged off of us, (yes, hens beg. Really well!!) and cuddled and loved them. Silver is our favorite, she's a dwarf hen, and she has extra toes, and a bad wing. She's so mellow and sweet! So much for not growing attached!! We lost Roxy a while ago to a disease, and we found Flopsy dead in the coop. Flopsy's death was really sad, but not as sad as what happened a couple nights ago. On Saturday night, a raccoon dug into the coop, and ate Annabelle, Maple, and Silver. Erin was rather graphic in explaining what the raccoon did to Annabelle and Maple. It's too disgusting to tell you. Needless to say, we were all sad and rattled at the loss of our babies. There is now seven left. I officially hate raccoons, and am rather scared of them.
    Anyway, my babies being gone, (especially Silver) hormones, and a few other things made me very scared last night. When I climbed into bed and started my Bible reading, I opened to the first page. I had never read it before. It said, "Places to go if you're struggling with..." and the first thing listed was Fear. Rather stunned, I flipped to the first reference in Psalms. It was amazing. The very first passage said "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?". As soon as I read that, I smiled,... and then started to cry. I could feel God cradling me. If you're ever scared of something, read Psalm 27:1.

Love,
 Grace <3

P.S. The chickens left, if I can remember correctly, (My neighbors change the names all the time.) are: (Black chickens) Hawksy, Birchwood, Allison, (Red chickens) Melba Jane, (I call her my chicken because I named her, and she flies over the fence at least once a week into our yard.) and three birds who never really had names because those three we can't really tell apart unless you look at what color their eyes are. Confusing, I know.

Sorry if this post doesn't really make sense- I kinda just threw it together because I needed to get it out.

Ruby's shadow photo challenge

    Ruby over at http://www.professionallynot-so-professional.blogspot.com is hosting a photo challenge, and this is my entry. Thanks for hosting, Ruby!

Cleaning! :P

    So, for the first time since I can remember, I actually finished school at a decent time. So I decided to clean up my room a little. I just finished cleaning off my desk. Here is before:

   After:

   And here my sis sat on the floor, finishing "Becoming Jane". 

    Yay! I now have a clean desk, just in time for school to end. Ha! Oh well.

Love,

Grace <3

31 braids

    So, I decided out of the blue to braid my hair... into 31 braids. Kind of like cornrows, but I have silky dark blonde hair, so it was different.


    I got lots of compliments at youth group, and a couple of girls were having fun playing with all the little braids! So this morning during math, I decided to take them out, and this is what it looks like.

    I know, my hair kind of looks green. That's cause my curtains are green, so my hair looks green when I'm in my room. :P

Love,

Grace <3

Summer is Coming!!!

    I went shopping at Old Navy yesterday! We don't usually shop there, because they give a lot of money to places that support abortion, but it's one of the only places I can shop for clothes where it has what I'm looking for in a size that actually fits me. So today I two pairs of Bermuda shorts.
    I find it really hard to be modest in the summer. Everyone wears really short shorts, and spaghetti straps. I believe those are immodest, so even though I want to be modest to please God, and help out my brothers in Christ, it's hard to look at all those girls wearing those things, being nice and cool in the 80 degree weather. The two pairs of shorts I got naturally go down about right above my knees, but they're light material, so I can cuff them to whatever length I want. Cool! So if I want long shorts, I have them, and if I want shorter shorts, I can just roll up the legs! Win win situation! What are you guys buying to get ready for summer?

My Math Book has Problems

    My Mom bought me this sticker at the Scholastic warehouse sale yesterday. I love it! Can you tell that math is not my favorite or best subject? Now I need two more, one about science and another about writing. (My other least favorite subjects.) So what is my favorite subject? I like art, and history isn't too bad. I used to love spelling, but Mom stopped doing that with me because she said I didn't need it anymore. :( Although, I'm sure you can find spelling errors on some of my other posts somewhere! :D

Love,

Grace <3

Struggles

   Sorry I haven't posted anything for a while, I have been really busy trying to catch up in algebra, and doing my science homework. :P Have you ever felt like you were too busy to read your Bible, or to tired to pray before you went to bed? I've been struggling with this lately. The Deceiver tells us that it's okay to skip one night in our Bible reading. One night turns into two, and two turns into a week. We start to feel distant to God. God loves us, and wants us to read His Word. It's good for us. It nourishes us! Jesus speaks through the Bible and through prayer. That is why it is important for us to read the Bible and pray.
   So pray for me, and for for every other person struggling with this. Reading the Bible and praying is crucial to a good, healthy relationship with Jesus Christ, our LORD and Savior.

Love,
Grace <3

Super Bright Super Moon

We drove around town last night, trying to find a good view of the super moon over the mountains. Here are two of the best pictures. I know they're not very good, but I tried! :)

The super moon was really bright, but not a whole lot than what we usually see. So amazing to think about the fact that God simply said a word, and created the moon. It's breathtaking. God (of course) did a fabulous job with nature.

Claudia's Photo Challenge

Claudia over at Beautiful Days is hosting a photo challenge, and this is my entree. Thanks Claudia!

I love homeschooling!

    Here are two videos about homeschooling. They are AWESOME! Yay homeschoolers!! :D

Jamaica Nails

Here is another tutorial from Naomi and I. Enjoy!

God's Embrace

     Have you ever felt empty? Like there was something you needed? Like you needed to be held? Us girls have the need to be held. We love the feeling of someone's arms around us, holding us tight and keeping us safe from harm. Often when we're hurting, we wish someone was there to tell us it's okay, and to love us. As we get older, we feel we need a boyfriend to fulfill this task. We think that if only we had a boyfriend, all our troubles would be fixed. He'd hold us, and love us, and keep us safe from harm. But the truth is, he won't fix us. We will still feel empty. Only God can fill that hole inside of us. Music artist, Plumb, said in one of her songs, "There's a God-shaped hole in all of us, and it's a void only He can fill." Jesus wants to fill the hole inside of us, but we need to let Him. Next time you're feeling alone and empty, ask God to hold you. Let Him embrace you! I promise you'll feel fulfilled, and you won't be empty anymore.

More Awesome Blogs!

    Like my blog? Here are some others to check out! http://www.phiaisabella.blogspot.com, http://www.whatmatterselena.blogspot.com, http://www.myfashionfirefly.blogspot.com, http://www.beautifuldays365.blogspot.com, http://www.freshmodesty.blogspot.com, http://www.maid4him.blogspot.com, http://www.professionallynot-so-professional.blogspot.com, http://www.juliannapaull.blogspot.com, http://www.theunsocializedhomeschooler.blogspot.com, http://www.eclecticsteppingstones.blogspot.com, and http://www.waysof13.blogspot.com. Enjoy! :)

Love,
Grace <3

The Fishtail Braid

     I love to do things with my hair. I have long hair that reaches the middle of my back. It's straight, blonde, thin, and really slippery. It's hard to find hairstyles that actually stay in the entire day, but, I have found one braid that works really well for my hair, and I've noticed it works in almost everyone's! I have gotten lots of compliments on it, and it looks rather complicated, but it's actually really easy once you know what you're doing. So, here it is, the fishtail braid. My friend and I made this tutorial together, and I hope you like it!

Love,
Grace <3

P.S. Sorry for the creepy moving hockey stick in the background- that was my friend's brother. :)

Being Content

    Some of my friends recently got back from a missions trip to Cameroon, Africa. I really wanted to go, but I have a severe peanut allergy, so I couldn't. I was really angry at first. Then somewhat jealous. It wasn't fair that my friends could go and not me... Was it?? I wanted to help the Churches there. I wanted to do my part. I also wanted to see Janet, my friend who lives there, and who I'll probably never see again. It would've been fun! I'd get to be with friends, see new places, and help out! But my Doctor has told me I will never be able to go to Africa or Asia. Peanuts are too common there.
     Now everyone is back, and I've mostly gotten over it. Yeah, I'm still a little sad that I missed out, but it turns out while everyone was gone, I was needed at home. If I had gone on the missions trip, I wouldn't have been here when I was needed.
    It just goes to show you that God has a reason for everything, even if we don't know what it is. We might never know, but that's okay. I have no idea why God gave me a peanut allergy. I mean, how could anything good come out of that, right? I don't know. But I do know that God has a plan for each and every one of us. :)

Love,
Grace <3

Physical Beauty vs. Inner Beauty

   
    I think we can all agree that when someone tells us we're beautiful, it absolutely makes our day. This warm feeling spreads all through our bodies. It starts in my nose, and goes to my toes, wherever it goes, the feeling shows,... Just kidding. :D But when someone tells us we have inner beauty, we don't always react the same way. We smile and nod politely, thanking the person, and return the compliment. Why don't we react more to this? Our inner beauty is so much more important, especially to God. I admit, I often wish I were taller, skinnier, and had more voluminous hair, instead of being happy with my body and more importantly, happy with my personality, and my love for Christ. After all, that's how Jesus sees us.

    God doesn't care whether we're fat, skinny, wear glasses, or have long thick hair. He loves us for who we are, not what we are. Some of you might be thinking, 'Okay, so God loves me. I already know that. But what about here and now? What about the kids at school or the boys on the football team, do they care about me?' I totally understand. I find myself thinking this way ALL THE TIME. In reality, right here, right now, doesn't really matter. God says our lives are like a vapor. It doesn't last long at all. What really matters is AFTER this world- when we die. Then what we looked like and what we did on earth won't matter. No one will remember. We need to focus on our inner beauty vs. our physical beauty, because someday when we stand before God, He'll look at our inner beauty, how much we loved Him, what we did for Him, and either invite us in, or send us away.

    Let's all focus on our inner beauty, so we can be a light in this world for Christ!

Love, Grace <3

Why I Chose "Amazing Grace"

    Have you ever heard the phrase, "Life is good"? I see and hear it all the time. You see it on T-shirts, bumper stickers, spare tire covers, and even Dove chocolate wrappers! But in reality, life stinks. Murder, drugs, alcohol, kidnapping, car crashes, losing loved ones, diseases, and even getting F's on your tests in school happens every single day. Life seriously stinks. Why do people commit suicide? Because they think life isn't worth living. And who wouldn't agree, right? Just look at my list of bad things- and that's not even half of it! But if you think about it, life is worth living. As Christians, our job here on earth is to spread the good news of God's grace- how He died on the cross for our sins and rose again, just for us. To save us from the death that we deserved. That's what grace is. A gift from God we don't deserve. That's why I chose "Amazing Grace" as my blog title. To remind us what Christ did for us. Plus, Grace happens to be my name. :)
 
    So, here it is. A blog for Christian teen girls that are struggling with the same thing I am: Trying to be an average kid, while trying to live my life for Christ. It's a hard thing, but we're all in this together!
 
     I hope this blog encourages and reminds you that you're not alone!

Love, Grace <3