off to the philippines

Tomorrow is the start of a two-week adventure in the Philippines! My mom and I will be taking some training over there and also checking out some of the sites. It's my first time in a foreign country! I look forward to telling you all about it when I can. =)


With Love,

feminine coffee: a guest post by elizabeth

As I sat here late at night, studying, my mind wandered down a path that was so intriguingly different that it just had to pause and sit a spell. I will warn you, these are random thoughts...

I believe the female mind and it's complexities can be seen in her cup of coffee.

Right now, I'm drinking a delicious concoction: half coffee, half milk, and a heaping spoonful of sugar. This is the description of the typical cup of "Joe(Anna)." What does this have to do with the female mind, you ask? Stay with me.

Coffee is made to keep you awake. Warm milk is meant to put you to sleep. Sugar makes you energized, then crash into a subdued state.

How contradictory. Can't we females make up our mind? Can't we drink something less complicated? "No!" is the emphatic answer, it seems we can not. We "must" take extra time deciding what we are wearing, even though our closet is full of outfits we have already worn before with good taste. When with a group of girl friends, we "must" spend our first half hour together saying the same phrases over and over: "What would you like to do?" "It doesn't matter to me. What would you like to do?" "It doesn't matter to me. What would you..."

Ladies, as unnatural as it may feel, we must to learn how to be decisive and deal in facts.

Tis no wonder that an indecisive man is unstable in all his ways, (James 1:8) that would make him like a woman! Feelings of sympathy flood my mind as I see how difficult it must be for men to understand us.

So next time you drink your feminized beverage, take joy in every complicated, contradictory, sweet, sip. But with each sip, keep in mind our need as ladies to be more consistent and decisive in our lives--unlike our coffee.

A toast--to feminine coffee!

Elizabeth :)


I love this girl!

host the amy challenge: beautifully making do on your blog!

Host The Amy Challenge: Beautifully Making Do on your own blog! Below is everything you need, including banners, a button, and the challenge overview.

Amy March of the book Little Woman may have started out the brat of the family, but as she grew in stature, she also grew in character. Though her family couldn't afford the luxuries for which Amy had a taste for, she worked to make the best of what she had. The result was quite a charming creation, as we read in this excerpt from the book:

"...Amy was gratified, but of course didn't show it, and demurely answered, "Foreign life polishes one in spite of one's self. I study as well as play, and as for this"--with a little gesture toward her dress--"why, tulle is cheap, posies to be had for nothing, and I am used to making the most of my poor little things. Amy rather regretted that last sentence, fearing it wasn't in good taste, but Laurie liked her better for it, and found himself both admiring and respecting the brave patience that made the most of opportunity, and the cheerful spirit that covered poverty with flowers."

Cultivate this quality in yourself by joining The Amy Challenge: Beautifully Making Do. Every day of the week we are to create a NEW outfit combination out of the clothing, shoes, accessories that we already own or have barrowed from someone in our household. I will be posting my personal creations here and would like to encourage you to post how your challenge is coming!

the amy challenge: last day!

::Day 5::

Capris, with again, more layered tops ;-), now paired with a shirt sash-turned neck-scarf, a scrap fabric head-band knotted on one side on the top, and white lacy ballet flats. This outfit has 1950's retro written all over it. Originally it was pieced with a denim jacket with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow, but as the day progressed, I had to give it up (I live on a tropical island- so there aren't many reasons to wear jackets besides simply style or when grocery shopping in the frozen goods section- brr!).


Wow, it's hard to believe that the last day of The Amy Challenge has come! To be honest, I had it in my heart to cheat on more than one occasion, but was then convicted to follow through. :P The challenge was more of a challenge then I thought it would be. With each new combination and piecing together of items, I really had to use some creativity (as I'm sure some of you experienced), and amazingly enough, some of the looks really worked! I had fun, and I'm inspired to be a lot more creative with what I have more often, and not only "beautifully make-do", but joyfully make-do!

Any thoughts, sisters?

the amy challenge: day 4

::Day 4::

Skirts make it so easy to look feminine, but I must say that this girl loves her jeans! I especially like to make them look a little more feminine with a pretty top, or rolling them up a little bit like seen here. Layering is not missing in this outfit! I got this green long-sleeved shirt on sale at old navy, the purple top is a hand-me-down from my sister, and I found these jeans marked really low at Ross. :) All this is paired with some costume jewelry, which I barrowed from my mother, and brown sandles with olive jewels on them.

Keep shining!

the amy challenge: day 3

::Day 3::

I know I've been wearing a lot of skirts for this challenge, but I have a legitimate excuse, as they're required for my job. :P Okay, I love this brightly colored vintage-looking plaid top, and what makes it better is that I got a really good deal on it! This is paired with a denim skirt, white ballet flats, and a long necklace of sparkling turquoise and wooden beads from Maurices.

the amy challenge: day 2

::Day 2::

For this outfit I did some layering for the top, paired with one of my favorite skirts that I made out of a vintage-style pillowcase, along with some heels and this uber cool necklace a friend brought back for me from her trip to Hawaii.

How's your challenge coming?

Seeking true beauty,

the amy challenge: day 1

::Day 1::



Today is the first day of The Amy Challenge: Beautifully Making Do! For church this morning, I layered a baby doll white t-shirt over a brown tank top, with a turquoise scarf. I'm also wearing a dark denim skirt with gladiator sandals and my largest pearl earrings. I changed the bottoms to distressed jean shorts to create a more casual look for later, and also a different scarf style.

Hey! It's not too late to join in on the challenge if you haven't already. The idea is to create a new outfit that you've never worn out of items that you already own or can barrow from members of your household. So be creative and resourceful and who knows what amazing outfits you'll be able to put together!


Link up and see other participants:

the amy challenge: beautifully making do

Amy March of the book Little Woman may have started out the brat of the family, but as she grew in stature, she also grew in character. One of my favorite qualities about her is that though her family couldn't afford the luxuries for which Amy had a taste for, she worked to make the best of what she had. The result was quite a charming creation, as we read in this excerpt from the book:

"...Amy was gratified, but of course didn't show it, and demurely answered, "Foreign life polishes one in spite of one's self. I study as well as play, and as for this"--with a little gesture toward her dress--"why, tulle is cheap, posies to be had for nothing, and I am used to making the most of my poor little things. Amy rather regretted that last sentence, fearing it wasn't in good taste, but Laurie liked her better for it, and found himself both admiring and respecting the brave patience that made the most of opportunity, and the cheerful spirit that covered poverty with flowers."

Starting next week will be the kick-off of The Amy Challenge: Beautifully Making Do. Every day of the week we are to create a NEW outfit combination out of the clothing, shoes, accessories that we already own or have barrowed from someone in our household. I will be posting my personal creations here and would like to encourage you to post how your challenge is coming! You can link up with the Authentic Beauty blog so others can follow along and share ideas.

Are you up for the challenge? I know you can do it! :) Also, you can tell your friends about it by posting a banner or button on your blog and linking it back here:

This should be fun!

-Abigail