~birthday menu~

Today's post is brought to you by my suite mate- Taylor and the creativity of her boyfriend, Ryan.

My wonderful suite mate, Taylor Stanford and I have been friends since the beginning of our freshman year at Ouachita, bonding over TWIRP week, intramural flag football ("Ching-a-Lacka Chicks" -clever? I thought so too.), and eventually pledging EEE together in the spring.

I remember meeting Taylor at OBU's new student retreat and she was so beautiful and dolled up with this thick Arkansas accent, I thought "She's one of those Southern Belles who I'll never really get to know probably." And she turned out to be one of my very best friends. This girl is an incredibly hard working Chemistry major with a beautiful voice, a sweet and selfless spirit, a heart for other people. She strives to be excellent in everything she does. And as you can see, she's just gorgeous. So yes, she's a Southern Belle, but an extremely bright, loving, Christ-like Southern Belle who happens to be very close to my heart.

That's my little back story for today's blog: a date/gift idea. Taylor is dating my friend, Ryan- a very involved, funny, creative guy here at Ouachita. Oh, and he was elected "Mr. Tiger" last year. Well, last week was Taylor's birthday and Ryan went the extra mile to be creative and make his gift unique and special.

Taylor came in the other morning with a confused expression and an envelope of Monopoly money with a note that said, "get excited!" Ryan wouldn't tell her what the money was for but wanted to see her later that night...

She came back into the room that night with a "Birthday Menu"...

Inside, Ryan had given her several options and categories with which to use her Monopoly money! He split it into a food, weekend get away, and active category! He did this for Labor Day weekend so they would actually have time to really do several of the options. He didn't skimp on the "money" or the generosity. He told her she could do as many of the options as she wanted. :) Good idea, right?

I hope this is helpful and fun! She was thrilled and I know they had an awesome time, especially with a progressive dinner in Little Rock!

That's all for today's post- again, this was brought to you by my suite mate, Taylor and the creativity of her boyfriend, Ryan. Have a good one!

Crafting with Audrey Hepburn

Last Wednesday was the first day of my junior year of college (which seems surreal). It was a rainy day and I only had one class, my first college art class. So when I got back to the room, I was in this fun, artsy, "i need to be crafty" mood. I made a fresh cup of coffee- with hazelnut creamer- of course, and put on the old black and white "Sabrina" with Audrey Hepburn. I grabbed my supplies and set to work on today's craft idea! I saw something similar to this on Pinterest, where someone took an old book/newspaper page and made a card out of it by adding a drawing little girl with a red umbrella over the old font.

For this project you'll need:

~a blank canvas

~an old book or newsprint

~mod podge

~brushes

~a little paint

~sharpies! (very useful friends.)

I personally used a book that I LOVE, "Hinds Feet on High Places". It's a book I've written in, underlined, drawn in, and accidently gotten wet at one point. Needless to say it was falling apart. So, I found some of my favorite pages and quotes and pulled them out of the binding. Some of the pages, I ripped into smaller pieces, making the focal point a quote I love or a certain sentence that stands out. Then I mod podged those pages onto the canvas until it was covered...

After the mod podge dried, I used a sharpie to draw a simple sketch young lady walking in the rain with an umbrella. I looked up a couple different ideas, pictures and sketches and combined a few of them to make the girl on the bottom left hand side of this canvas!

Then I grabbed some red, black, crimson, and white paint (my life as an EEE) and tried to lightly fill in the dress, boots, hair, and umbrella. I used a thicker sharpie to write the quote at the top-now I've learned that I'm really not good at spacing and symmetry when it comes to writing. But my friend, Skylar is! So from now on, I should get her help. :)

And here is the finished product! The verse is from Proverbs 31, about the characteristics of a precious and honorable woman who fears the Lord. Characteristics I need to be reminded of consistently! I hope this post is helpful! Enjoy crafting away- I would definitely recommend watching a good, classic movie while you craft and possible some coffee. :) Maybe next time, I'll watch Father of the Bride or While You Were Sleeping.

personal crafting

Another craft idea :)

Hobby Lobby. Maybe one of my new favorite stores and probably the place I am most tempted to spend money. The other day, my sister and I decided to redecorate part of her room. She saved her own money and bought a few classy but inexpensive suppli

es to make a better space to display special drawings and pictures she saved. When we walked into Hobby Lobby, several "wall letters" were on sale.

So, of course I ended up buying eight separate "E"s. Half of them were more extravagant but the other half were plain, flat "E"s that would be very easy to craft with- making a fun little gift for some of my pledge sisters.

They were originally gray so I painted them each a deep, rich red.

After the paint dries, I printed off several small pictures of some of my favorite memories in the past two years of being an E with my amazing pledge sisters.

I cut most of the pictures out but tore some of them for a rougher, different look. Then modge podge

the pictures on the "E"s. :)

I used glitter modge podge which was really fun it sometimes got in the way of the pictures. I like the way it looks but when I do this again, I think I'll use regular modge podge. Here's the finished product... :)

You could do this with any letter or experience, it's special and personal and really easy to do :)

granola and yogurt summer.

I'm currently on a night off from Kanakuk, it's been an incredible past two weeks in staff training and kids come in two days! I've been learning how to work with the ropes and summit course, how to more intently study God's word, do a little painting, and even some boat driving.

Sometimes, when I'm at Kamp, I feel so spiritually nourished that it's like trying to drink from a fire hose! I'm learning and being challenged so much, it's awesome and I don't want it to stop!

Right now, I feel like I'm being hit with why "quiet times" are so essential. I feel like I have an attitude towards them that kind of says, "This is the right thing to do." or "I'll feel guilty if I don't have my quiet time" or even "I can't make it through today without it".

But in a very real way, it's putting armor on and reading truth.

Girls, I feel like we are consistently struggling with believing lies. Sometimes, we can't distinguish between God's words, our own thoughts, or the enemy's lies. I often rely on my own logic and understanding to solve a problem and "spiritualize" it. It sounds moral so it must be God's truth. You know?

The past year, I feel like I've slowly been learning to acknowledge God in all my ways, not trusting my own thoughts or understanding about a situation. Quick thought by a wise woman who expressed this very well...

"Herein is solid comfort. Human nature cannot be relied upon; but God can! However unstable I may be, however

fickle my friends may prove, God changes not. If He varied as we do, if He willed one thing today and another

tomorrow... who could confide in Him? But, all praise to His glorious name, He is ever the same. His purpose is fixed, His will stable, His word is sure. Here then is a rock on which we may fix our feet, while the mighty torrent is sweeping away everything around us. The permanence of God’s character guarantees the fulfillment of His promises"

I need God's grace and I would love to grow in discipline to get up every morning and spend intentional time with Him and study His words. I can't trust my own heart but I can trust His! I'm just realizing, even more, my need for intimate time with God.

I am made to be completely dependent on One who is completely sufficient. As Keith Chancey would say with a huge smile, "It's all good!" :)

If you would, pray for Kanakuk this summer? Pray for the staff to depend on Christ, being in constant communication, living a lifestyle on joyful reliance on Him. Would you pray for unity of mind and humble, compassionate hearts for the staff, that we wouldn't talk about each other but that we would edify one another?

Thank you! And now with strength and energy CHRIST provides... let's go summer, GAME ON!

Before I leave for Kamp, I could cook?

I finished my sophomore year of college- I can't believe I'm 50% done with my college career. That absolutely blows my mind! I keep hearing "time flies, to cherish every minute of it!" The last two years at OBU have been just awesome and I'm excited to see what God does in the next two years!

I asked an older friend once, "Every chapter of life is better then the one before, isn't it?"

He hesitated to think and then said, "Every chapter is different... with new trials but also new experiences and blessings."

I thought that was a wise response :)

I've been home for this last week and I leave for Kanakuk K7 on Sunday! Since I've been home, I've tried to make a few goals so I don't sleep the whole time, only waking up to eat my mom's homemade food.

So while I'm home, I'm trying to bake something new and work out every day! I've enjoyed going to the gym buuuut I feel like I might be negating the work out with the baking. :)

My favorite recipe from this past week was White Chocolate Pumpkin Scones! Now, I'm really not a good cook but I would love to become one!

Ingredients:

~2 cups of all purpose flour

~1/3 cup of light or brown sugar

~1/2 tsp ground ginger

~1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

~1/4 tsp salt

~1/2 cup of cold, unsalted butter

~1/4 cup of sliced pecans or walnuts

~1/2 cup of pure pumpkin puree

~1/2 cup of buttermilk (or just normal milk with a little lemon juice and cream)

~1 tsp vanilla extract

~1 tsp baking powder

~1/2 tsp baking soda

~1 cup of white chocolate chips

~1/4 a cup of cinnamon chips (this add an extra warm kick of taste!)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Mix flour, sugar, baking soda and powder, and spices.

3. Add butter, cut up into little pieces. Mix all together.

4. In a separate bowl, mix pumpkin puree, buttermilk, and vanilla extract.

5. Add pecans/walnuts, white chocolate chips, and cinnamon chips to flour mixture.

6. Add the pumpkin/buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and mix together.

7. Put entire mixture on cooking pan and cut into small, separate triangles.

8. Bake for 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy!

(Hint: These scones were especially good with hot coffee with hazelnut creamer) ;)

beauty in everyday things. :)

Today’s blog is a craft idea! :)

You know those days when you wake up, start the day, and all of sudden it’s like 5:00 in the afternoon? Thursday was one of those days. When I got back to my room, I just wanted to paint! To sit still, and try to make something, piece by piece. Do you ever feel like that?

I have this “craft dresser” underneath the bed in my dorm room filled with tissue paper, cards, brushes, paint, sketch books, sparkly pipe cleaners, bottle caps, a bent fork and a lot of other random things I figured I could use someday! Today, I wanted to make a picture of a bird, holding a little plant in it’s mouth with a little saying off to the side. :)

For this particular project, I grabbed:

~a small blank canvas

~modge podge (both glittery and normal)

~a paint brush and foam brush

~buttons

~black and white paint

~thin black sharpie

~glue gun

~and a lot of colored gift wrap tissue (I startes keeping pretty gift tissue after my graduation party from high school. There were so many cool colors and designs, they’ve very often come in handy)

I picked out several different designs and shades of pink for the background, one by one ripped off the pieces I need, and brushed modge podge on to the canvas with a foam brush for each lit

tle section. Spread a thin layer of modge podge on the canvas, lay the tissue on that small area and modge podge on top of the tissue as well to ensure it stays in place. Continue this until the canvas is covered! :)

After the modge podge dries, which takes about five-ten minutes, I hot glued various sizes and colored buttons to the bottom and trickling up the sides of the canvas. Now, I finally got to paint a little! Using the black paint and a fairly firm paint brush, I outlined a little cartoon bird.

.

Brush white paint lightly in the birds body and tail to make it stand out. You can use black or green to paint the little, sweepy plant in the bird's mouth. Then use the thin, black sharpie to write a saying, quote, or verse to the left of the bird. I also ended up using the room at the top to write 1 Thess. 5:16-18, "Be joyful always, pray continually, rejoice in all circumstances. For this is God's will for you..." (what a great verse! God's general will for us is to thank Him, rejoicing in every circumstance, learn to live a life of prayer by grace, and find joy- despite our circumstances because we have an firm hope.) Quick Paul Miller quote I read earlier today...

"as we learn to pray well, we'll discover that this is my Father's world. Because my Father is in control of everything, I can ask, and He will listen and act. Since I am His child, change is possible- and hope is born."

And now the finished product! :) "Look for the beauty in everyday things." The more thankful you are and aware of the good in your life, the sweeter your life will be! :)

Dreamer not a Planner

My friend, Polly, reminded me of something very important once. "Karis is a dreamer, not a planner. She comes up with so many ideas, many of which never happen."

She couldn't be more right! I started making memos in my phone for fun ideas for gifts, dates, road trips, crafts, and more. But truthfully, 90% of those dreams never become a reality. I've also really enjoyed blogs as of late. So, putting those two together, I thought maybe blogging would help me make some of my thoughts and ideas a reality. Whether I get around to doing them myself and I can share the story or throw ideas out there for others to use if they want, it's a win win situation.

For the first blog: a date idea.

I'm dating one of my best friends. It is a

blast and blessing. His name is Brandon

and he's really good at making life fun and

meaningful.

Last fall, he was having a pretty stressful week. While walking back from sonic and verbally processing all of these thoughts and worries, we decided to set aside one hour that night: one stress-free, no homework allowed, cell phone off hour.

I got the opportunity to decide what we were going to do in that time so it would be a surprise for him! So, I went to Walmart and bought:

~ a big, plain white sheet

~ paint

~ and foam plates.

I ran back to my room and gathered duct tape and old blanket and towel and threw it in the back of my car.

I told him to wear old clothes and put on the blind fold I provided. Playing music in the car and talking, I drove us to Lake Degray (where there is a big parking lot with lots of lights).

I had him sit in the car with his blindfold while I attempted to duct tape the sheet to the ground but it works better if you just weight it there with some rocks and heavier objects in the corners. After squirting paint out on the plates, I led Brandon out of the car and took off his blindfold.

The only real rule was, no paintbrushes? Use your hands, feet, roll around, throw paint, just make a masterpiece with what you have. :) (life lesson there?)

The result was awesome! It reminded Jackson Pollock type of painting! And of course we were covered in paint ourselves. Which is basically inevitable but really cool looking! As my very good friend, Bethany, would say, "what a beautiful mess" :) (you can see Brandon's blue footprints in the top right hand corner- he tried to get them all the way across but the blue paint ran out)

After we finished, the lake came in handy, seeing as we were absolutely plastered in color. :)

So ..."here's to lookin at you kid." One of my favorite dates.