who says

Who's the judge of pretty, who says you can't do something, who says you have to do that, who says? All around I hear people put down others for one thing or another. I hear girls think they are less of a person because they are not attached to someone else. I see the confidence of  a child being torn down because someone says they can't. People start trying to impress everyone else and end up losing themselves. We become preoccupied with petty things and forget life.  How boring would it be if everyone was exactly the same?  How much of an impact do you think we could have if we stopped idolizing and centering our lives on image, on having the "right" brands, on acting or doing the things everyone else is and instead honed in on our God given talents, passions, personalities, plans and even looks? Knowing that you are only here to impress one, which is your Creator, could make life oh so sweet. Knowing that God has made everything beautiful and loves us with an unexplainable love should banish all the negativity you hear and see around you...not to mention all the stress that comes with trying to be who you're not.  Realizing that the person with a big nose or a stutter, or whatever else it may be, is formed in the image of a God who makes no mistakes should also change the way we decide to treat others. You are not stuck if you choose not to be, you are not ugly, you are not unwanted, you are not alone...you only have to believe that...love yourself, love others, love God and live your life.

your worth does not come from your body, your mind, your work, what you produce, what you put out, how much money you make. Your worth does not come from whether or not you have a man. You have inestimable worth that comes from your creator. 

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11. 

We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

The Help

Just finished The Help and I loved it. Pretty quick read with a great story. It takes place in Mississippi during the civil rights movement. It's centered around the black women that work for white families as their maids. It's really crazy to see the way people were...and still are being treated for silly things like the color of skin...I recommend reading it and afterward you can join me for the movie!!! I'm also going to go to the Freedom center in Cincinnati to learn more about our nation's race issues, the underground railroad, slavery and civil rights! (which you're also welcome to!)

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Let's make a piNata!!!

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Okay so when I was younger I remember making pinatas with my mom! It was such a fun, cheap craft and at the end you got to show it off to everyone while busting into some candy. I loved it then and I still love to make them so I thought I'd share! This is super easy...you can be very creative with it also. I am going to teach you how to make the simplest piñata ever and then I'll give some tips on how to make them more intricate.

What you need:
- a balloon ---> Since I'm going SUPER simple I'm just going to use one regular balloon...if you want to get all fancy you can use several balloons, different sizes, or cardboard. But how bout' we try that later?? ha
- mixing bowl ---> to put your water and flour in...(the paste)
- water ----> I like to make my water warm, makes it a little easier to deal with
- flour---- for every 2 cups of flour you use, pour about a cup of water in. I honestly just pour the two until I get a consistency I like...but that sounds about right. Just make sure it's not lumpy...it's gotta be thin enough to dip your newspaper strips. I guess you can compare it to pudding right before it gets hard...ya know?
- lots of old newspaper---> tear your newspaper into strips...about 1-2 inches wide. This part does not have to be perfect, so don't spend all your time measuring...just rip away!! ha
- crepe/tissue paper--->you can get the kind you wrap gifts with, the kind that comes in rolls...whatever.
- rope/string/ribbon...something that will connect it to a tree or a bigger rope later.
- glue
- scissors

So, blow up your balloon. Mix the flour and water in your bowl. Rip your newspaper to pieces and dip them in the bowl...get ready to get messy!

( tip...to make it easier to put strips on your balloon,  sit the balloon in a bowl so it's not rolling around everywhere)

You have to cover your balloon completely with the newspaper. The more layers of newspaper you use the harder it is to bust open later...I love to put a lot!! It works best if you put one layer on then wait a little while for that to dry some and put your next layer on. (maybe 5 minutes...I'm not to patient) Once you have all the layers you want on there, you wait. This is the worst part. It takes a while to really get hard. I'd give it about 2 days. If it's sunny/dry outside it doesn't take as long. I used to put it either outside or right in front of a fan to make it go faster, :D

OK so after it's finally dry you cut out a hole at the top big enough to fill it with candy/toys. When you cut the hole, you'll pop the balloon underneath and pull it out. When I cut my hole I like to leave a little section connected so it's not so hard to cover up (like a latch door)...you can also cover it with another layer of newspaper...with cardboard..with crepe paper.. You'll also need to poke two small holes on the top/side to pull the ribbon/rope through.


Now this is where you use your imagination! It's time to FINALLY decorate.
you can scrunch up the crepe paper, cut into strips, paint your piNata, or use different material to cover it up.

Here are some examples I found on the computer!

Once it's decorated to your liking break it open and have some fun!!

soy latina!

 My Dad is from Kentucky and my Mom is from Honduras...so I'm Latina. I did not grow up speaking Spanish nor was I born/raised in a Latin country but it's in my blood and I have definitely fallen in love with the culture. Luckily, I've been able to visit a few places in Latin America and experience the life first hand.  Since there are SO many things I love about my culture I'm going to try and share it!!! Recipes, dances, music,crafts, language....etc. Enjoy!

G.O.S.P.E.L,

oooo. I really like this one. I feel like he could be at one of those places where you snap clap...ya know? For reals though, Love what he says in this video. It's what I believe.

G.O.S.P.E.L. from Humble Beast Records on Vimeo.

God
Our
Sins
Paying
Everyone
Life

beach trip

Last weekend I got to go to the beach! It was a spur of the moment trip with nothing planned but it all worked out:) I went with my brother...we hardly ever see each other anymore so it was so nice to spend this trip with him. We first decided to go to Charleston, S.C. Our stay in Charleston lasted approximately 20 minutes. ha. These were the two pictures I took while in Charleston, no clue what the metal thing is but I figured I needed some documentation of our brief stint here.(

)  Now don't get me wrong, it was cute and full of neat history but there were no hotels by the beach in our price range, old ladies were riding bikes everywhere, and John couldn't find a sports place that would play some fight he wanted to watch. So after 9 hours of driving we decided to add a couple more and head to Myrtle beach to try out our luck. Even though it was the beach I specifically said "anywhere but there" about, I suppose you get desperate when you don't know where you're going to sleep at night...and when you are so close to the ocean you can smell it! Anyway, to make matters...more interesting...our phones died (the means by which we were searching for hotels and avoiding the 500 country stations that filled the radio). A brief stop at Mickey D's, wi-fi and some chargers saved the day, we found the only vacant room by the ocean for a decent price!! Here's the view--->

nice right?! I could totally get used to that every morning...well and afternoon and night. (seriously though. I'm going to move by the ocean soon...I can feel it) Anyway, after I got over the initial penny pincher regret of spending so much money on one weekend....AND despite being in a place full of "first trip to the ocean alone, let's drink and be annoying" teenagers, I had a pretty relaxing time. We laid on the beach every day, read, swam, fished, and were bums! Oh let me just mention that I...Amanda...cast and reeled in not 1, but 2 shark!!! I was a little excited--->

side note: my brother caught a sting ray!!! the same thing that killed Steve Erwin...and this is in a side note because I missed the darn thing! another side note: every time I turn my head or bend down or go to the bathroom I miss something epic or cute...like a deer crossing a road or a freakin' sting ray!!
ok--back to the beach. We also got to worship on the beach that Sunday! It was Uhh-mazing. Praising the God that made the beautiful ocean we were sitting next to was pretty awesome. So all in all I had a fun time and am glad I went!

for everyone

I know I've been posting a lot of these videos but I really like them! So here's another one----> this made me cry


this KINGDOM from phos pictures on Vimeo.