My Favorite Pictures

 (All the credit goes to my mom for taking Amber & Kellyn's wedding pictures :D)

Adoption Update

Yesterday we had our home-study are you ready to find out how it went?  Okay here it goes.....

WE PASSED THE HOME-STUDY!!!!  And to make everything is better we will be getting two toddlers probably tomorrow.  Their ages are 2 (almost 3) and 4!  I'm so excited!  This isn't foster or adoption this is only respit care, so we will have the munchkins for only 2 weeks.  Still I'm so excited!

Thanks to everyone who prayed for us!!!  The prayers are really appreciated :D

A bloggin' friend,
Alisha

Practically Pink's Fall Apron Swap

Hey everyone just a quick post to tell you what's going on over at Practically Pink. I'll briefly tell you what you how to enter.

In order to enter the fall apron swap you MUST e-mail her in order to enter! In the e-mail you NEED to enter the following:

1. your measurements
2. your favorite colors
3. your mailing address (for your swap partner)
4. a way to contact you (your e-mail or blog address)

(taken from Practically Pink)



After you enter she will assign you a partner. Now here's the fun part, after you have received your partners info, you will get to make a apron JUST FOR YOUR PARTNER! Go ahead and show off your talents! Let your sewin' talents shine and HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!!!

And if you don't know how to sew you can buy an apron as well :D

For more details visit Emily over at Practically Pink

*Have a great weekend*

A bloggin' friend,
Alisha

NOTE: DON'T FORGET TO GET YOUR PARENTS PERMISSION TO ENTER IF YOU ARE UNDER 18!!!!

We're expecting :D

Life lately has been a little hectic!  Only hectic in a GOOD way, from the title is kind of gives it away!

No Mom isn't pregnant, but we are expecting in a different way....any guesses?

We are actually ADOPTING :D  We don't know how many, but we are adopting!!!!!  The good hectic has come from all the adoption classes Mom and Dad had to take, my TB test that came back POSITIVE (don't worry it turned out to be a false positive !) and all the other requirements that are needed for this process! 

We actually have another fire inspection at 9 tomorrow morning, then we have a home study tomorrow at 11:30 tomorrow, so please pray that everything will go EXCELLENT!! 

I'll keep y'all updated on this exciting journey we are about to begin :D

A sister in Christ and in Purity,

Alisha

"Look after the orphans..." James 1:27    

Our day yesterday

Yesterday Sydney and I went to the AWANA Fest our church put together, and I took A LOT of pics. Thought you might them!

This is "Tiny" the clown (he really isn't that tiny though :D)

This little guy is sooo cute, he is actually a Cubbie in our AWANA program! He had been digging in the mud. It has been raining a WHOLE LOT this month ~ Praise God!

My friend Ilana was in charge of the face painting booth. She did all the leaders and the LIT's (leader in training) face paint :D Ilana is actually getting her face painted in the picture

Put-Put Golf ~ my favorite :)

My friend Stitch the Clown ~ Stitch has a wonderful sense of humor and a great personality!

The sound booth operators

The controls (I LOVED the sound booth, I may do the sound booth next time :D)

And last but not least, the ladies who made our fun day possible :D

*Hope y'all have a great week*

A sister in Christ and in Purity,

Alisha

God's amazing creation ~ 4

Oh Lord, may we glorify Your wonderful, beautiful, & majestic name all the days of our life!

A sister in Christ and in Purity,
Alisha

Happy birthday Maclae!

Modest
Affectionate
Cute
Loving
Adorable
Enthusiastic









Maclae ~
Happy birthday! May the Lord bless you tremendously on your special day & the many years to come.

Happy Birthday!
Alisha

Being "normal" in our society

Lately I've been struggling with worrying about what other people think about me! Whether it's with my weight, the way I dress, my beliefs, etc. And wondering if I will ever get over this struggle. Because I know that when Christ was here on Earth, He did not care what other people thought about Him. Instead He was more worried about every ones future, and whether they will be spending eternity in Heaven or in Hell. But lately I've been wondering, what does our society see when they look at me?

Our society probably sees some kooky "teenager" who thinks having a boyfriend is a "sin," so they label me as a freak! So if that means that I am labeled a freak so be it, but I'll be a freak for my belief in Christ Jesus. Our society may even think that I'm some freak who doesn't know how to be normal. Well I don't know how to be "normal" the way our society thinks of normal, but I know how to be normal when it comes to purity & being around my family & friends. To me being normal is acting my-self, not something I'm not, like most girls in our society think they have to do in order to be a part of the popular crowd. My way of acting normal is playing with my sister, hurting my-self at least 10 - 20 times a day (I'm accident prone :D), having a GREAT time at the AWANA youth group I go to, or reading my Bible so I can hide His Word in my heart like He tells us to...that's my way of being normal. I know all this shouldn't bother me but it does! I'm still praying about this struggle and yielding it to God. I'm just truly thankful that I have Someone to catch me when I fall!

A sister in Christ and in Purity,
Alisha

Missions

Ever since we moved to Texas which was in 2007, I have had the growing desire of being in the missions field. I absolutely LOVE reading about missionaries who reach out to the people who are lost and need our loving and compassionate Savior. Or how God used a person or even a group of people to meet the needs in someone's life. I'd have to say that one of my favorite vereses in Matthew is Matthew 28:19:
Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

I cannot say that this is my all time favorite verse, but it is at the TOP of my list :D

Ever since this specific desire has increased I have been praying that He would show me what to do. So a few weeks ago it turned out that my friends sister had started a Nursing Home ministry (ha isn't that convient :D) So I started being apart of this ministry, but my friends sister couldn't do the ministry because her schedule was packed.

I cannot wait to see what the Lord has in store for me!

A sister in Christ and in Purity,
Alisha

Soft sugar cookies

This the yummiest sugar cookie recipe EVER!

What you'll need:
1 1/2 c. sugar
1c. butter
1/2 c. sourcream
2 eggs
2 tsp. baking soda
4 c. flour

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees. Roll out in powdered sugar, cut and bake for approximately 5 to 7 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Hope y'all enjoy this recipe!

A sister in Christ and in Purity,
Alisha

Happy Birthday Levi!

Loving
Energetic
Valliant
Intriguing












Happy birthday buddy! Hope you have a fun day!

Love,
Alisha

Prince Charming's Princess

When your mom is in the kitchen doing what ever, does she ask you to come help her? My mom does…or at least she tries to. I haven’t been into the whole cooking in the kitchen and doing all the things that we as young women are supposed to do. When your mom asks you to peel potatoes and make the meatloaf, she is preparing you for the future. Does your mom ever ask you to watch your younger sibling while she’s grocery shopping, when you’re at the park, or when it’s your parent’s anniversary? Did you know that she is preparing you that way too? She wants you to watch your siblings so you’ll be ready when you have kids of your own someday. Even if that means you play with a baby doll and pretend that it’s hungry, needs a diaper change, or needs a nap. Are you having trouble being patient, because you want to meet you Prince Charming? There is a book my mom bought a two years ago called Before You Meet Prince Charming. This book is written by Sarah Mally, a young lady all for purity and is very obedient to the LORD. It tells you what to do when you are distracted or in other words, when you are daydreaming about the boy you have a crush on. It tells you the dangers of dating and having a boyfriend. This book has been really helping me with the struggles I am going through. Like daydreaming about the day my Prince Charming will come in and sweep me off of my feet. Or letting the thought of Man, God sure is taking a long time with the man he has for me! With these struggles it has been very hard to focus on my schoolwork, prepare for my Prince Charming, minister in the way God wants me to do, and most of all, REMAIN PURE! This book is appropriate for all ages, you will learn a lot out of this book that you never knew before.

Skirts vs. Pants

Have you ever been asked, "Why do you wear skirts?" Or "Why is it you don’t wear pants?" Okay the last one I have to admit I do have three pairs of pants, but I have around twelve to fifteen skirts. This is the answer I always give to the people who ask me why I do wear skirts most of the time: Because skirts are a whole lot more modest and feminine than pants. Year by year I’m learning this, I’m learning it slowly, but I’m learning. You’re probably thinking to your-self well pants can be feminine. Or they have a whole lot of mini skirts. Yeah they do have a whole lot of mini skirts today, but I don’t wear those, my mom, sister, and I wear the skirts that go past the knee-cap. And the pants I only wear my blue-jeans if I know I’ll be at my friend’s farm. But the other pairs I now wear often. The Bible tells us A man shall not dress like a woman, a woman shall not dress like a man. Sure the men in Scotland wear kilts, but that’s their culture.

It used to be that in the olden days the women were NEVER seen wearing pants, it was only the men. If the women were plowing when their husband was sick they would plow in their dresses or skirts. That’s how God wanted it to be, He wanted the men to look like men and the women to look like women.
I’m not telling you to go into your closet and get rid of all your pants, I’m basically telling you all the answer I give people (I did add in a little bit).

Happy Tenth Anniversary!

Dad-
Ten years ago you showed me and Mom what the words husband and father are really supposed to mean. How a husband and father is really supposed to treat his family. Even though you wouldn't let me call you Daddy at first, in my heart and mind you were Daddy, even when I talked to friends, I would tell them about the GREAT Daddy I have. Thank you for being there for me and Mom in the good times and the bad. You have and still are showing me what a true Godly husband and father is supposed to be. I love you Daddy, I always will :)

Mom-
Fifteen years ago the Lord blessed me by giving you as my mother. Now I see why... no other mother could possibly put up with me. I'm so thankful for all of the things you give me and sacrifice for me, it is really appreciated. Thank you so much for putting up with me for the past fifteen years. You have and still are showing me what a true Godly mother is supposed to be. I love you Mom, I always will :)

I love you both!

Alisha

A goal worth living for

What exactly is purity? I have been asked this question so many times. The answer is this: purity isn’t just saving all of the important firsts for your wedding day. It’s also being pure in body, heart, and mind. Being pure isn’t a set of rules some Christian set up for a better world. Being pure is how God orchestrated the single and married life. To me my heart is a precious gift, that I will one day be able to give to my Prince Charming. Miss Sarah Mally explains it like this:
Pretend you’re a princess and the King calls you to His throne and tells you, "My daughter in this bag are 100 (a candy of your choice). I want you to go into town and give the candy to a special person. Now you may go." Suppose you ask Him, "But Father, who is this special person?" But He won’t tell you. So you go into town, and along the way you see your friend. So you think to your-self, He has to be that special person, I’ll just give him one piece of candy just in case. Soon your walking along and you meet another person, so you think to your-self, Oh he has to be the one, but I’ll give him one piece of candy just in case. Pretty soon you have given almost the whole bag of candy away. Then suddenly you meet someone and you just know that he is the special person your Father told you about. When you hand him the bag of candy, he counts to make sure all 100 pieces are all a counted for. All of a sudden he has a very disappointed look on his face and he asks you, "Where’s the rest of the candy?" Then you have to tell him that you gave other people his candy along the way.

I wonder what the King thought when He heard that His daughter didn’t give that special someone ALL of the candy? This story is similar to what is going on today in our society. There are young men and women today who are going on dates and thinking to themselves, well she/he has to be the one. I don’t know about you, but I’d like to be able to stand at the altar on my wedding day and be able to give the man of my dreams my entire heart with no guilt.

If you would like to ask the Lord take control of your heart then below is a prayer I found while reading a book called A life of Faith: Millie Keith: Millie’s Faithful Heart:
Jesus, please hold my heart in Your hand. Don’t let me give it or any piece of it away. I want YOU to give it away in Your time, to the right person. Please hold it tight, lock it up, and keep the key. ~Amen~

PS. If you placed your heart in the hands of the Lord, I would love to know (if of course you would feel comfortable with it). If you want you can e-mail me or you can leave a comment.

A sister in Christ and in Purity,
Alisha

What I enjoy doing on Sunday's

AWANA Cubbies!

A sister in Christ and in purity,
Alisha

Gates of Heaven

"It is none other than the House of God - the gateway to Heaven!"

Genesis 28 :17

Keys 2 Purity

1) If you find yourself daydreaming about the boy you have a crush on think about something else.

2) Pray that God will help you remain pure

3) Read a good book to keep your mind off that certain boy

4) Find something else to think about

5) Ask your sibling to play a game with you

6) Ask your mom and dad to help you if you need.

7) Do not tell your friends about your crush, if you do you would be asking for trouble. Mainly because your friends might accidentally reveal your secret, and your crush may soon find out your secret as well.

I hope these tips will be of any use to all you young ladies!

A sister in Christ and in Purity,
Alisha

I Peter 3:1-4

"In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands, even those who refuse to accept Good News. Your godly lives will speak to them better than any words. They will be won over by watching your pure, godly behavior. Don't be concerned about the outward beauty that depends on fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should be known for the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God."

These verses really spoke to me when I read them, mostly because I'm all about wanting prettier clothes than the clothes I have right now, or wanting the jewelry at JC Penny that's like way out of my price range (this want is very, very, very slim, because we RARELY go to JC Penny). I am also constantly bombarded with the thoughts like: I'm not as pretty as the actresses that I see on TV or I don't know how my parents can think I'm beautiful, not to mention God!

I have also been struggling with the gentle and quiet spirit. I am really working on this and constantly praying that the Lord will help me in this area in my life.

Also the verse that says "They will be won over by watching your pure godly behavior..." I wonder what my behavior looks like in the eyes of the young men around me. This section of the passage really gets me thinking. Because I never know if my Prince Charming is watching. I'm sure I struggle in this area as well, I constantly pray that the Lord will reveal any weak areas in my life.

*Hope y'all had a blessed Labor Day*

A sister in Christ and in purity,
Alisha