Posting Change!

Hi everyone, Kate here!

These past few weeks have been full of crazy times. We visited the Cassadys last week, and in the process nearly everyone got sick! Monday night, the day before we left, Violet caught the day flu, and by today nearly everyone had caught it. Thankfully Emma and I were spared, but Julia and Bailey were not so lucky. Almost everyone is better now, and we're crossing our fingers that no one else catches it.

On a separate note, while visiting together we had a bit of a "discussion". The bad news is, Bailey's posts will be fewer and less often. The good news is, our rigid schedule of who is posting when has been offed! We can post when ever we feel like it- and hopefully that means more often!

Personally, I'm aiming to post at least every week- probably more! That way your guys can keep up with my life and I can try my hand at writing more stuff :)

So this is a short post, but I have something in mind to post tomorrow, so don't worry!

Lots of love,

Kate (or Katie G)

Commonly Missinterpreted Bible Verses

 

Hey ya'll! Its Emma again!

Of all the months that I have said were crazy, this one takes the cake. My baby brother Evan was born on November 6^th, and I got to be there for the majority of my mom’s labor and birth. We also had Kate & Julia’s mom (our Aunt Becky) and our Papa Harry stay for a few days.

I’m also dog sitting for the next couple days, and I’ve been getting more babysitting jobs. I’m getting better and better at making coffees at the coffee bar we have at our church, and next week I’m going to be the main person doing it!

We also found out that the Moberlys should be able to come visit us on December 7^th!

On the crochet side of my update, I have several almost done projects. I’m making a Belle doll for a friend, a blanket for Evan, a Mickey Mouse inspired throw pillow and am still working on a custom order for our Etsy. Pictures will be up next month!

Today for my blog post, I decided to write about some of the verses/passages in the Bible that are commonly misinterpreted. This is a subject I find really interesting, and I love researching about it. So lets just jump right in!

 

Leviticus 27:1-7

Basically people are saying that men are worth more than women, because here they have more monetary value.

Ha. Ha. Ha. No. That is not what they are saying.

First of all, men were worth more then. That’s why women had to fight for their right to vote in the early 1900s. Men are STILL viewed as more in a lot of countries still.

This is just how it was back then, it is merely history that the Bible is accounting.

1 Timothy 2:9

“Women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel with modesty and self control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire.”

Paul is not prohibiting the wearing of jewelry (see 1 Peter 3:3-4). The principle is that women should not dress seductively, and that they should focus more on inner beauty.

To me this verse means that it is absolutely fine that my ears are double pierced or that I wear rings everyday. I dress modestly and shop mostly at thrift stores, so I am good on the literal part of that verse J. However one thing that does stand out to me about this verse is that Paul says that we should focus more on inner beauty. If I do everything right by the rest of that verse but am conceited, then I am certainly doing something wrong.

2 Kings 6:28-29

These verses tell of two women who agreed to kill their sons and eat them. On the first day, the first woman killed her son and they both ate him. On the second day, the second woman hid her son so the other woman couldn’t eat him.

The Bible NEVER says that this is ok.

Again, it is simply history. This famine was so bad that people ate their own children and tricked each other.

Crazy Leviticus Laws

I’ve seen multiple lists that basically say “Well, Leviticus also says not to do all of these things that you do, so why can’t homosexuality be ok?”

Leviticus 19:19 – “you shall not let your cattle breed with a different kind”

Leviticus 19:27 – “you shall not round off the hair on your temples”

Leviticus 19:28 – “you shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves”

Leviticus 11:10-11 – “But anything in the seas or the rivers that have not fins and scales, of the swarming creatures in the waters and of the living that are in the waters, is detestable to you. You shall regard them as detestable; you shall not eat any of their flesh, and you shall detest their carcasses.”

There are many other verses like these out there, but these are some of my favorites and the ones I’ve heard of several times.

You have to look at the background information of these verses. These are all things that the Canaanites did. God wanted the Israelites to be set apart. Holiness requires Israel not to act like the pagans in many areas of life.

Deuteronomy 22:5

“A woman shall not wear a man’s garment, nor shall a man put on a woman’s cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord, your God.”

This is not saying that we can’t wear unisex clothing or that a woman can’t wear her boyfriend’s jacket. It also doesn’t condemn my men’s Captain America shirts J

It prohibits transvertism (like drag) and also has to do with pagan temple prostitution.

1 Timothy 2:15

“Yet she will be saved through childbearing”

Paul is not saying that a woman will be saved by having children or that that is where their worth comes from.

The New Testament also uses the term “saved” in the sense of progressively coming to experience in aspects of salvation. People are “saved” when they persevere and endure in the faith to carry out the Lords calling in their life. Child bearing is a unique example to women, and has quite a bit of enduring involved.

 

I hope you liked learning more about the weird verses in the Bible, and hopefully you understand some things more then you did before. Leave us a comment below telling us a verse that you would like to know more about, or one that you have researched about!

 

Love, Emma :D

 

The Pros and Cons of Being an Army Brat

Hey guys! It’s Emma again!

In the last month, I crocheted these lovely little dolls for Kate & Julia’s cousins, Abbey and Maddey. They wanted them to look like “princess versions of themselves”, and that’s what I made! I’m so happy with how they turned out, and the girls love them.

 

I’m still working on a custom order for our Etsy shop, and I should have pictures of the finished product up next month! I am also hoping to put several new listing up on our etsy shop soon!

In other news, I’ll have a new little brother by Novemeber 5^th! If my mom doesn’t give birth to Evan before then, she’ll be induced.

This month, I’ll be talking about being an army brat! So without further ado, here is my newest blog post!

The Pros and Cons of Being an Army Brat

When I was 7, my dad joined the Army and did some schooling to become a Chaplain. We moved from Illinois to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Since then, life has been an adventure! I’ve lived in 6 states and a foreign country! I’ve also been able to visit many different places, like state parks, national monuments and landmarks in America as well as other countries.

Because of the army, I’ve been able to snorkel in Hawaii and climb the Great Wall of China. Because of things like that, I absolutely love being in the army, but there are many more pros and cons as well, which is why I decided to write this post.

Pros:

1.       You get to make & have friends everywhere

Because of moving, I have lost several friendships, but you really figure out who the great friends are when they keep communication with you. I’ve become pretty good at maintaining long distance relationships with really wonderful people. I meet one of my best friends, Ashley more than 2 years ago. We lived really close to each other for 6 months and then we both moved, but we still keep in contact, and I love her to pieces!

2.       You get to taste new/different foods

After trying clam chowder in Monterey, California, it became one of my new favorite foods! I’ve even had real Chinese food in China, but have also eaten at some of the best Chinese food in America. While living in the south, I fell in love with sweet tea. I’ve also had a nice assortment of food oddities, such as deep fried Snickers, bacon soda,

3.       You get to see the world!

I kind of already talked about this in my entry, but it’s one of the best parts of being in the army. I know some people who have stayed in the same place for a while, but I know plenty of people who have seen more of the world then I have because of the army. I love the road trips we take to get to our new assignment! Even if we just drive through states and don’t stop a lot, it’s still a great experience.

4.       You find new things to do where you move

Every place we move to has plenty of sight seeing, and we do our best to see a decent amount of what that place has to offer.

5.       You become a master at unpacking

The army does provide for packers to come and box everything up, but we have to do the unpacking part. I’ve become really good and figuring out where my furniture will go in any new house, and I can unpack and put away pretty quickly.

6.       All bases have similarities, so something is consistent

If my family moved around a lot not in the army, I think I would go insane. Just the fact that all bases have a commissary and a Chapel Next keeps me ok. I also love living on base because everyone gets what it feels like to move around a lot!

 

 

Cons:

1.       Pets

When you are in the army, having pets becomes a little more…..interesting.  When my dad first joined the army, we moved from Illinois to North Carolina, which meant that I had to get rid of all my cats! Then when we moved to Korea, our Uncle watched our dog, Chewy and lizard, Leo. When we came back to the states 2 years later, we got Leo back, but not Chewy. I brought my hamsters (Dr. Pepper and Sprite) on the long drive from California to South Carolina, with several stops in between, only to have them die the first day we were in South Carolina.

2.       You have to leave friends and family.

Right now I live 5 hours away from Kate and Julia, and that is the closest we’ve been since joining the army! That in itself is terrible, but I hate saying goodbye to friends every time we move. I’ve met so many awesome people, but moving away from them is the worst.

3.       You have no (or very little) control over where you move to

Whenever we need to move, my dad writes out his top places that he wants to move to, and gives it to whatever army people decide where to move us. So my dad does have some input, but that doesn’t mean that the whole family is content. I really didn’t want to move to Colorado (although I love it now, and I don’t want to move). When we moved from North Carolina and California, I was ready!

 

I hope you enjoyed my blog post, and that you learned something new about military life!

Emma's Face Cream Recipe (and how it works)

Hey guys, Emma here! This past month has been a bit busy! I started school, and we made some friends in our neighborhood, so we’ve been outside playing Frisbee or whiffle ball and enjoying the last bit of nice summer weather.

I’ve got a really big crochet order from our etsy shop (If I get it done in time, pictures will probably be up next month), and I’m in the middle of making two crocheted dolls for Kate and Julia’s cousins, Abbey and Maddey, and those pictures will definitely be up next month, along with Kate’s present!

I’ve also gotten several more babysitting jobs! Now I’ve got 3 people who want me to babysit consistently! One of those jobs is for some people that we know from church, and there dad speaks French, which is really great because I’m hoping to learn French this year. I’m also learning how to make all sorts of fancy coffee at our church from him, which I find really exciting!

 
This month for my blog post, I decided to switch gears a little bit and write a DIY beauty post, so lets get to it!

 

First things first, I am a cheapskate. I’d rather make my own anything or buy it on sale or at a thrift store before buying it new.

Another thing, is that although I’m almost 17, I can’t drive yet (more on that later). So that means that when my mom is busy, my lips were hurting like crazy for some reason and we didn’t already own something to help, I make my own! Which is why I decided to write out this post!

Last week, my lips were dry, red and irritated. I looked on Pinterest for a natural DIY cure, and looked at several before I got this idea.

I mixed about ¼ cup of coconut oil and 10-12 drops of lavender and frankincense essential oils, and applied it to my lips. They were absolutely fine in about 2 hours and 2 coats!

That in itself is pretty cool, because my lips get dry a lot in the winter and sometimes chap stick doesn’t cut it. However, I found that it works on a bunch of other things to, particularly skin problems.

Lavender is great for skin conditions and problems such as: psoriasis, eczema, scarring, stretch marks, burns, acne and pimples. It can also be used as an antiseptic. Frankincense is great for inflammation.

I started using this cream every night before bed on my pimples, blackheads and old scars from pimples. I had 2 really bright red pimples on my nose, and they were gone the next day! After just a week of doing that, all of the afore mentioned problems are almost completely gone. I still have a few stubborn scars and blackheads, but I can see major improvement.

I’ve also grown out my eyelashes quite a bit by rubbing just the tiniest dab of this lovely cream to my lashes, and by adding 2 drops of lavender oil to my mascara tube.

If you try this cream, make sure to rub it in nicely before bed, so that your skin doesn’t feel or look oily. By the next day, your skin should have absorbed all of those great ingredients, and you may even see a difference. Don’t except anything right away though, give it about 7-10 days.

Good luck with my magic cream, and I’ll see y’all next month!

Meet Emma

Meet Emma

Hi guys, Emma here! This last past month of mine has been really exciting! Even though we have been living here for almost a year, I finally got my first steady babysitting job here! Also, the high school group at my youth group has gotten quite a bit bigger, so that's exciting.

I’ve also been crocheting a decent amount, and decided to show you guys the Pinkie Pie that I made for my brother.

 

Isn't she adorable?

I realized that our profile doesn’t really tell much about each of us individually. So I decided that for this week’s blog post, I’m going to tell you a little bit more about myself and my interests.

 

Well, first of all, I’m 16 and have light brown hair and green eyes with terrible eye sight. I’ve got ridiculously big feet and am pretty tall and lanky, but that doesn’t stop me from wearing heels! I’m also a Junior and I am homeschooled.


I’m the oldest of almost 6 and I’m an army brat. My dad joined the Army when I was 7, and I have so far lived in Illinois, North Carolina, Korea, California, South Carolina, Texas and now Colorado. Don’t ask me where my favorite place has been so far, because I’ll talk for about 20 minutes about the pros and cons of each place. But I really want to move back to Texas. One of my best friends lives there now, and Texas is just an awesome state!

 
Although I’m not technically, I like to think of myself as southern. I could live off of only sweet tea and fried chicken, and I’d do so in my cowboy boots.

 I don’t watch too much TV, but my favorite shows are Doctor Who, Phineas and Ferb, My Little Pony, and the Andy Griffith show.  I’ve re-watched Tuck Everlasting, Pirates of the Caribbean and National Treasures more than I care to admit. I also make it to the midnight premiere of as many Marvel movies as I possibly can.  I also stop what I’m doing to watch whatever Disney movie my little siblings decided on. Although I will admit that every once in a while I will put on Tangled and watch it by myself.

 

 I’m also a really big reader (as if you didn’t get that from my profile). My overall favorite book is Tuck Everlasting, which has been my favorite since I was 8. My happy place (besides Disney World) is sitting somewhere comfy while it’s raining or snowing with tea and a good book. I’ve got an ever expanding mini library in my room, which I am very proud of.  I also have an ever expanding list of books to read.

 Obviously, I’m a crafter too, hence my part in our Etsy shop. I can knit and loom knit, but my real passion is crocheting. I love making new things, and almost always make up my own pattern.

I put a Disney twist on pretty much everything I do. I love crocheting Disney dolls, or drinking tea out of one of my Disney mugs. We’ve got a Disney countdown stretching over one of our hallways with 140 little chains, because our next trip is in January!


Lastly, and most importantly, I’m a Christian. That’s one big thing that you probably already know about me because of my last post, but I’d just like to say it again.

 

I hope you enjoyed learning more about one of the Four Little Sparks, I’ll see you again next month!



Oh, and besides my Pinkie Pie picture and my selfie, the other two pictures were taken forever ago by one of my best friends Ashley. Here is a link to her Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/RedRainBootsPhotography. Check her out!