Happy New Year! -- Grace

Happy New Year's Day, everyone!
I thought I'd just do a random New Year's post, including, for memory's sake, the first few things I did in 2016, as well as my 2016 New Year's Resolutions...

First thing I did in 2016:
I was actually praying as the fireworks started going off.

First hymn I sang in 2016:
After I ended my prayer, I went to my music stand and sang the hymn on it -- "Lead Kindly Light".

First food I ate in 2016:
A big bowl of pineapple! :)

First YouTube video I listened to in 2016:
Who doesn't love the Piano Guys?  I listened to their Fight Song/Amazing Grace cover as my first YouTube video in 2016.

First scripture I looked up in 2016:
Numbers 6:24-26.  "The Lord bless thee and keep thee; the Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace."

Sooooo, with no further adieu...my 2016 resolutions...

1.  Follow God's commandments for myself.
I don't want to follow them because it makes me look good.  Tonight while I was praying -- I prayed a ten-minute prayer from 11:55 to 12:05 -- I realized that most of who I was in 2015 was me trying to impress people.  And I failed at both things.  So this year, I'm following God's commandments because of Him and me, not because of anyone else.

2. Make a new friend.
We could all use a new friend.  They don't have to become your best friend or anything, but making a new friend is totally worth it.

3. Be a better example to the younger kids.
I'm friends with a lot of the 8-12-year-olds at church, and I'm constantly worried that I'm not being a good enough example for them.  I want them to know the right way to live life, and when the world's showing them the exact opposite, it's hard.

Speaking of the world...

4. Resist temptation.
Oh, that was a hard one in 2015.  But God and I are going to do it together this year.

And most of alllll...

5. Grow my relationship with Him.
God and I were best buds for awhile.  I could talk to Him about anything and everything, and I would often hear Him telling me things in return.  I came to Him with any and every question, knowing that nothing was too big or small for Him to care about it.
And then...something happened.  I don't know quite what it was, but I know it was on my end.  But all of a sudden it stopped.  Tonight when I prayed, I told Him I was tired of wanting the things of the world.

And strangely enough, I feel happier than I have in ages.

So here's to an awesome 2016!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Promise's New Year's Booklist

   Hey everybody! As today is the last day of 2015, I've decided to make a new year's resolution of sorts. This post is going to be a list of 5 books I want to read next year, so, let's have a go, shall we?

1. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. I've always wanted to read this book, partially just for the enormity of words compiled in this story. I think Miss Grace and I will be reading it together and posting the review.

2. Julius Caesar by Shakespeare. I've heard that this is one of Shakespeare's better works. Honestly, I'm not a fan of Shakespeare, but I'm willing to try this out.

3. Lectures on Faith by Joseph Smith Jr. I've been meaning to read this for a while now. It has some good points on faith and apologetics.

4. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Grace recommended this book to me. I'm not sure what it's about, so it will probably be interesting.

5. The New Testament by God. I've already read all the scriptures, but I think it's important to refresh your memory.

I will probably read over a hundred books over the next year, but I think this is a good start. Hope you enjoyed! ~Promise

Christian Girl Problems -- Grace

Here are some common Christian girl problems I was thinking of today...

1.  Only having two sides when you're sitting in a pew.
Everyone  wants to sit beside you.....we're having potluck afterwards okay?!

2.  When the potluck line is long and you can't hear them saying the prayer.

Are they done yet?  Oh, I see someone's hand holding the two fingers....wait....ARE they done?  Oh, the line's moving....

3.  When your BFF goes to another church.
Do you want to sing for church?  Oh, right....

4. Wanting to testify or pray, but not wanting to draw attention to yourself.
Well, I want to share that testimony from our car wreck, but what if he sees me?!?!
What if she thinks my prayer is too long?

(Don't worry.  Just do it!!!!!)

5. Having to get out in a snowstorm to go to church.
Sunday night.

6. When your choir's singing and you have a cold.
All.  Winter.  Long.

7. You decide to not use the hymnal because you have both words and harmonies memorized....
Or so you thought.
Yeah......................Plan B!  Plan B!!!!

8. Mascara/eyeliner smudges after a REALLY great worship service.
God's just so good, isn't He?

9.  Trying to figure out what you can do with your life that is in His will for you.
"..........Are You sure You want me to do that, Lord????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
(And God says to me frequently, "Shut up and watch, Grace!!!!!!!")

10.  Not being able to physically give God a hug when He's been so good to you.
"Can You just materialize for five seconds?!"

Fifteen Beautiful Words -- Grace

There's something you should know.

I LOVE WORDS.

I love them so much that I want to get my Doctor of Philosophy in words.  

I love them sooooo much that I just told Promise that I'm naming my firstborn daughter Onomatopoeia and calling her Onnie for short.

Here are some of the, in my opinion, most beautiful words in the English language.  I find them beautiful regardless of their meaning, but for the letters and the sounds.  Here they are.

15.  Woebegone.

Have you ever even heard a more solitary word?!

14.  Solitary.

I.  Love.  This.  Word.  From the sweet, crackling S at the front to the lilting Y at the end...it's beautiful.

13. Ailurophile.

It's just so beautiful.  

12. Musical.

The word itself is just that -- musical.

11. Whimsical.

Another musical, fun-loving word.

10. Illumination.

When I see this word, I think of a bright, white-and-purple-tinged light, from which all good things emanate.  Perhaps the word "illumination" is the only proper way I can see to describe God -- if that even suffices.

9. Epoch.

Need I say more?

8. Hiraeth.

A little-known word that reminds me of my ancestors' native country.

7. Lilting.

A third musical word.

6.  Nefarious.

Who said that beautiful words had to have good connotations?  Look at this word: It is soft and beautiful, with a sharp edge of hate.  

A true, good villain in a novel starts out as being one of the good guys, but suddenly turns evil...just like this word.

5. Love.

An overused beauty.

4. Petrichor.

The thought of this word makes me so happy!

3.  Beautiful.

The word itself is beautiful.

2. Vellichor.

This word -- totally out of line with its meaning -- makes me think of a flowery woodland...

1. Here it is...the most beautiful of them all...

Laughter.

Anyone who knows me knows that I love laughter.  The beauty of this word is totally influenced by its meaning...but I don't care.  It's gorgeous, bubbly, and fun.  Did you ever see a girl who was laughing and hideous at the same time?

No.  Real, true laughter makes anyone beautiful.  So throw your head back and shine, woman!

~Grace

This Or That Part I

Rules:
Promise must answer each question, AND EXPLAIN WHY!
Then Promise must write a "This or That" post for me.  :)

1.  Would you rather have a super ugly hair color, or dyed hair with all of the chemicals?
And what color?!
ATTENTION!!!  No hair color is ugly! But I wouldn't mind having dyed hair.
2. Would you rather be invisible or able to read minds?
Invisibility...."Promise, would you like to demonstrate how to do a triple back flip? WHAT?! WHERE IS SHE?!" Hehehe...
3. Would you rather have amazing superpowers or a never-ending Christmas?
Um, superpowers! I like helping people.
4. Would you rather have your hand stuck in a jar or your head stuck in a bucket?!
Head stuck in a bucket. That way you wouldn't know it was ME with my head stuck in s bucket...
5. Would you rather eat thirty pounds of cheese or a bucketfull of peanut butter (in one sitting, without water!)?
CHEESE. I hate peanut butter.
6. Would you rather sweat moderately 24 hours a day or have a metal pin in your jaw that picks up talk radio stations?
I already sweat moderately 24 hours a day...
7. Would you rather eat a bar of soap or drink a bottle of  DIRTY dishwater?
Soap. At least it would be clean...
8.  Would you rather get even or get over it?
Get over it. I don't like disliking people.
9.  Would you rather be deaf or blind?
OH GRACE?!!??!! HOW DO I ANSWER THAT?!?!!?? No. I will not. I suppose blind. I don't think I could live without music.
15.  Last one...this one was invented on a twelve-hour car ride to Ohio from Missouri, in 2011.
Would you rather marry a handsome, shady-looking deacon, or an ugly, Godly elder?

It's the inside of a person that counts. 

This or That 2

Okay, Grace. Let's do this.

1. Would you rather have no hands or no feet? 
Feet.  I could live in a wheelchair, but I MUST have my piano and guitar.

2. Would you rather be a lone, caged bird, or a Turkey during hunting season? 

Lone caged bird.

3. Would you rather be a rose or a daisy?
Rose.  I LOVE roses.

4. Would you rather have hot pink hair or a huge wart on your nose? 
Hot pink hair...I've actually legit thought about it.

5. Would you rather hug a bear or pet a tarantula? 
A bear.  Nikita.  KC Zoo.

6. Would you rather never be able to laugh or never hear other's laughter? 
Never be able to laugh.  

7. Would you rather be a trapeze artist or a lion tamer? 
Lion tamer.  I could use psychology on him.  ;)

8. Would you rather have a life long headache or a life long stomach ache? 
HEADAHCE.  IBUPROFEN MY DEAR.

9. Would you rather be have everyone say they like you, but they hate you, or have everyone say they hate you, but secretly love you? 
The latter.  I've lived with something of the sort.  ;)

10. Would you rather never speak again, or never hear music again? 
Never speak.
Music is the breath of life to my soul.

Flattering Your Eyes ~Promise

TODAY WE WILL LEARN ABOUT THE LIFE ALTERING SUBJECT OF.........eye color.
Underwhelmed? Oh, but you shouldn't be! Eyes are absolutely my favorite feature! So often I see women brush on brown shadows, unsure of how to make their eyes sparkle. Now, there is nothing wrong with brown shadows! I just want to help you explore new color choices.

Brown eyes. I love brown eyes. They always have such a warm, cozy feel to them. Brown eyes really sparkle when surrounded by blues and greens.

Hazel eyes. Hazel eyes spark with a rich earthy soul. Deep greens and rich golds make hazel eyes come alive.

Green eyes. Green eyes have such a sweet spunky spirit. I love to see a smoky violet on a green eyed girl's eyelid.

Blue eyes. Ahhh, blue eyes. Blue eyes shine with a clean, clear light. Blue eyes look their best with a rich copper or rusty shade smudged around their lids.

Grey eyes. Grey eyes are less common, which makes them even more rare and lovely. Grey eyes look great in blues and satiny purples.

A few colors that look lovely on any color are golds, silvers, and browns. I hope this post inspires you to experiment with some color. I'm not saying you can only wear the colors I suggested, those are just some ideas! Play around with colors! See what makes your eye color sing.

Hope you're inspired! Tell me what colors you like to use! The Lord bless you and keep you, may his favor fall upon you and may he hold you in his right hand. ~Promise