Making Baby Jesus out of Clay

So, the 8 year-old boy that I'm nannying this summer LOVES to play with his action figures. I was trying to think of a fun arts and crafts activity, so I thought we could make our own action figures out of bake-able clay! When I asked him which super hero he wanted to make, he said, "Can we make Baby Jesus, Mary, and Joseph?" How precious is that? Jesus is his super hero!

He told me that he KNEW how to make them and that he wanted to teach me. So here is 'How To Make Baby Jesus out of Clay' in terms of an 8 year-old!

(He helped me write the directions! How cute!)

1. Buy bake-able clay! You can find it at any arts in crafts store in a variety of colors!

2. Choose skin-color clay and roll it into a ball to make a head.

3. Make a log with any color clay, squish it so it is a little more flat, then poke a hole with your finger in the top that you can put Jesus' head in. Then poke two hole in his face for eyes.

4. Make two little white balls and put them in each eye hole. Then make a black ball and squish it on there for a pupil.

5. Mix together 3 types of brown clay to make a wood texture. Then form the clay into a box to act as a cradle.

6. Roll out little spaghetti strips of yellow clay to make hay for the cradle.

Look! A Baby Jesus in his cradle made out of clay! (And apparently he is on top of the world!)

We then continued on to make a Mary and a Joseph. The above picture is the set that I made, and the one below is the one made by the kid that I'm nannying!

We baked them in the oven at 275 degrees for 30 minutes and placed them on the counter before his mom came home! She was so touched!

Happy Crafting!

Insecurities-Genesis 1:26-27

My biggest insecurity used to be my squinty eyes. Now I love them. Read more below!

In my most recent Bible Study, I was directed to study and reflect on Genesis 1:26-27 (NIV).

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

If God made us in his his image, we are reflections of God's glory. This gives us the ability to reflect the character of God through our love, patience, forgiveness, kindness and faithfulness.

This verse, however, became more to me than just how I came to be the more that I carried it with me during my day.

If we are made in God's image and are meant to represent his love and other qualities, are we downgrading him if we criticize ourselves? If I walk around thinking that I'm ugly or that I'm not smart enough, is that me saying that God's glory isn't perfect either? God CHOSE us to reflect his glory and that in itself should give us a strong sense of self worth.

This self worth allows us to love God, become closer to him, and continue to spread his glory to others. God blessed us with these abilities.

Isn't there a saying that 'you can't love somebody else until you love yourself.' Well if I don't love myself, I can't truly love God and what he has blessed me with.

This reflection has showed me that it is time to learn how to love myself. I'm learning to throw the insecurities out the window, love the muffin around my hip, adore my lack of direction and keep myself tagged in those not-so-flattering Facebook pictures. With less time spent worrying about my insecurities, I have been able to slow down, enjoy my time with myself, and appreciate the smaller blessings I didn't see before.

This reflection has led me to the commitment of using this mantra daily: I love myself because the Lord loves me.

YouVersion

Recently, I've been trying to find a good Bible study plan to help me continue to grow in my faith. After googling about it, however, I found that many of the ones online either cost money or aren't what I'm looking for. My wish was granted, however, when I came across a website called You Version.

You Version is free website, only requiring an email for membership, that allows you to explore several pre-made Bible reading plans. These plans can consist of one days worth of reading to a year long plan. Each plan is broken down into days; giving you one or a few verses each day to read and reflect on. You can keep track of your progress directly on the website. There is even a "catch up button" if you fall behind!

After continuing to explore the website, I found that you can create notes on your readings (choosing to make them public or private) as well as read other people's reflections on passages. You can 'follow' these users and be notified when they post new reflections and you can have followers as well (twitter much).

You can choose the Bible version that you're reading, pull up books on the website and converse with people using the same version as yourself! You can tweet and forward things to Facebook as well!

Let me know if you use YouVersion as well, or if you check it out! 

Pleasure Reading

First off, I've joined the twitter era! If you'd like to check out my personal twitter, follow me at @EliseyGC (I think that is how it works)! Now onto my post...

I have gotten into this bad habit lately of picking up a pencil when I'm reading a book. My english class at Virginia Tech, as well as my AP Literature class in High School, had me annotating nearly every sentence of books in order to do a 'critical analysis.' Should my pleasure reading really be about critically analyzing? No, but it is a habit I can't seem to break away from.

Not only do I search TOO hard to find meaning in whatever I'm reading, but I've recently started to read things that are more factual and do have a definite meaning. For example, I've been trying to read books such as "Buddha's Brain" or the "Gift of Fear." While I agree that these are wonderful and educational books to read, I read them back to back and never give myself time to read my summer romance novel or a book with an inspirational story.

I feel like I am "supposed" to read these books and become more scholarly because that is what my college-level schooling has pushed upon me. I feel that I have been pressured by the college atmosphere to appear a certain way, which sometimes, means reading a certain kind of book at a coffee shop; one with more "intellectual meaning." These pressures and reprogramming to annotate has rid me of the desire to read, which I have always loved to do.

I actually have a list of books to read, in order in which I am going to read them. This, however, is being torn down today. My love for reading shouldn't be measured on a list and it shouldn't be confined to what I think is expected of me! I should read what I want to read in the fashion that I want to depending on my mood.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with reading a Jodi Picoult book or one by Rowling. Pleasure novels still build your vocabulary, teach you social patters, give you insights on life, and leave you with ambitions, they just do it in a more subtle way.

So today, I'm putting all of my 'smart books' on the book shelf, for now, and putting my Jodi Picoult novels back on my night stand. It is time to start living happily and stop measuring my brain capacity. I will read what I want, when I want.

This is a pretty random post, huh?

Happy reading!

PS- I just finished rereading Eat,Pray,Love! I'm watching the movie now! Has anybody seen/read it? What are your thoughts?!

Taking Time for Myself

"Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you." 2 Thessalonians 3:16

The last couple of days have left me feeling rather...tense. I have had several interview for part-time nannying positions (for after hours of my 9am-5pm nannying job), have had emails to send for my sorority and for paws4people, and have been working through some disagreements with some family members.

Yesterday I decided to close the laptop, turn off the cell phone, sleep in, and enjoy a relaxing day at the pool reading and getting a tan (to some degree) with my sister. The rest of the evening was dedicated to continuing to read through the Book of John, watching a few Disney movies and eating ice cream with some friends!

After church this morning, I realize that I wasn't quite ready to go "back to work" today but knew that it was necessary. So, I decided to combine a day of relaxing and work by sitting in front of the television catching up on my recorded TLC shows, catching up on reading my favorite blogs, and responding to emails and finishing up a few excel files. What do you think? Well, it is working out nicely for me!

I will be more productive tomorrow; I think.

What do you guys do to relax during the summer?

Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

Well, I have been crazy busy the last couple of days with interviews and dog training and haven't had a whole lot of time to post. I decided to stop in and post a recipe that I have been wanting to share with you guys!

A couple of days before my boyfriend left for Texas for the summer, we decided to make special breakfast together instead of going out like we usually do! I hope you enjoy it as much as he did!

Note: I, unfortunately, did not take pictures. I will be using the pictures from the website, Tasty Kitchen, where I originally found the website.

Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

1 Loaf French Or Italian Break
4 Eggs
Milk
Buttermilk
Cream Cheese
Cinnamon
Jam Or Fresh Fruit (Choose Your Own Fruit Or Flavor)

1. Slice a loaf of bread in 2-inch pieces. Using a paring knife, cut a deep slit across the top in the middle of each slice, approximately 4 inches long (as pictured above). This will form your “pocket.” Once you’re done, set the bread aside.

2. Wash the fruit, remove the stems, and cut slices in each one (making quarter pieces).

3. Next, add a little bit of sugar to the strawberries and let them sit for a little.

4. Next, add jam to the cream cheese and mix both of them until well combined. The cream cheese mixture now looks like strawberry yogurt. (You can also use strawberry cream cheese to save some energy!)

5. Grab a slice of bread and add about a tablespoon (or as much as you like) of cream cheese filling (2 tablespoons per slice worked for me). Do the same thing with the fresh fruit. Make sure to close the opening by gently pressing the bread together. This will make frying them easier and less messy. Set the filled slices aside.

6. Mix eggs, milk, and cinnamon together until well mixed. Turn the stove top on to medium-high to preheat the skillet. While your skillet is heating up, dip sliced bread in the egg wash for about 20 seconds on both sides.

7. Add a little butter to the surface of skillet to help prevent the French Toast from sticking.

8. Fry each slice for about 3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Remove from heat and serve.

I know the directions are detailed, but simply, you make a strawberry and cream cheese filling, stuff it in a slice of bread, and make french toast with it as you normally would! It's so easy, but so rich!

Recipe Credit: Tasty Kitchen

Happy eating!

What's In Your Fridge?

How cute is this fridge?!

In a rush to make dinner and don't have time to go to the grocery store? Did an unexpected snow storm trap you in your house?

I came across a website the other day that I thought a lot of you guys could appreciate!

It is called 'My Fridge Food.' You simply check off the items that you have in your kitchen, and it provides you with easy recipes that you can make with what you have laying around!

It gives you SO MANY OPTIONS, so you are able to register for an account and save your ingredients for next time you use it! This is all absolutely free!

Check it out! Just click the image below!

Summer No-Bake Cakes

I was stumbling around the internet today trying to find a good cake to bake to expand my baking repertoire and cheer everybody up! Everything looked great, but I was not excited about turning on the oven in this 92 degree weather.

Here's an idea: What about a cake that I don't have to bake? So I continued to search around and it turns out I'm not the only person who had this idea! Here are the recipes that I found for easy, heat-free cakes! Click on the name of any of the cakes and it will send you to the recipe!

Orange-Rasberry Dreamsicle Cake

"Full of zesty tropical flavor, this creamy freezer cake is made with swirls of raspberry and orange sherbet as well as vanilla ice cream atop a crunchy coconut macaroon crust."

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Refrigerator Cake

"This no-bake cake spares no indulgences, piled high with six layers of peanut butter cream and chocolate graham crackers, and finished with a sprinkling of peanut butter chips."

No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake

"Creamy, refreshing and full of strawberry flavor, this stunning no-bake cheesecake takes just 25 minutes of prep time."

Chocolate-Malt Ice Cream Cake

"Sweet and surprisingly guilt-free, this is the ultimate ice cream lover’s cake, made with lowfat chocolate and vanilla ice cream and malted milk balls for the perfect crunch."

Mango, Lime, and Ginger Cheesecake

"This decadent cheesecake is full of zingy flavor, with crystallized ginger, fresh mango and lime zest, all on top of a spiced gingersnap cookie crust."

Hazelnut Crispy Cake

"Transform your kids’ favorite crispy marshmallow treats into an elegant after-dinner sensation by topping them with a velvety hazelnut spread and a handful of chopped hazelnuts."

Berry Layer Cake

"For a satisfying summer treat, try this cake made with cinnamon graham crackers and creamy berry filling, topped with a dazzling arrangement of fresh raspberries and blueberries."

Almond Macaroon Ice Cream Cake

"Coconut macaroons, toasted almonds and a chocolate shell topping transform this no-fuss chocolate and vanilla Swiss almond ice cream cake into an out-of-this-world creation."

I take no credit for these recipes. I found them on Woman's Day!

Now to clean out the fridge and find room for one of these beautiful summer cakes!

Summertime is Finally Here

That old ballpark, man, is back in gear... Doesn't it just make you want to sing a Kenny Chesney song? No? Well then, I will continue with my post!

So summer has finally arrived. I finished off my first year at Virginia Tech studying to be an elementary school teacher and got to watch my admirable older sister graduate Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor's in biology. The experience helped me to, once again, put my life into perspective and realize that college is more than partying and socializing, but it is about getting a strong education so you can work to do what you're passionate about and make a difference here on this earth. If I want to be successful in doing so, I need to make a few changes.

During my first year, I lost my way a few times, but during those times of wandering around aimlessly looking for the right path again, I learned what I wanted from myself. I learned what I needed to do to stay on the right path of happiness and self worth. However, those things, such as confidence and a better devotion to friendship, are not something that just click overnight, but they are a things that have to be absorbed, if that makes sense.

This summer is going to be about change or, self-building, if you will. I want to continue to build my relationships with my family and friends, continue to find my faith in His word, devote time to service, read more inspiring and motivational books, and find what makes me truly come alive.

“I hope your dreams take you... to the corners of your smiles, to the highest of your hopes, to the windows of your opportunities, and to the most special places your heart has ever known."

When Praises Cease and Seasons Change

My sisters and I dedicating our time for the cause at Relay for Life!

"Whatever you are doing, whether you speak or act, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians 3:17

As most of you know, religion is pretty new to me. Back in December, I accepted Christ and became an active follower of God that found joy in walking with Him daily. As of recently, I'm ashamed to say, I've lost that.

I don't know if it was joining a sorority and being scared of being judged, the stressful schedule that came along with changing my major, or the health issues that arose, that caused my Faith to slowly dwindle down to only praying during desperate times.

Recent events, however, have made me realize how unfulfilled my life is everyday without acknowledging God and appreciating the life He has given me. Relay for Life was a gentle reminder about how truly lucky I am to be here and has brought me to appreciate the small things on a daily basis.


The loving relationship I've recently developed with my parents gave me more to live for. The encouraging friends that I have found in my sorority have given me a reason to believe that not everybody is mean. The rut that I was in with Bryson is now over. Why am I not happy?

The answer: I have lost Christ.

"I will not take my love away, when praises cease and seasons change. The whole world turns the other way but I will not take my love away."

God, I know that you can give me what I need to live a fulfilling and morally righteous lifestyle. I promise myself to you once again (sorry for being led astray).

Busy, busy, busy, ouch!

I wanted to post here and apologize for my absence on my blog. I try to recruit readers through a giveaway, and then it seems like I fell off the face of the Earth! Well I'm back and I will be posting more frequently.

Here is my excuse (not that you guys are really upset with me, right?): First of all, I rushed a sorority and was filled up to the tip top of my head with homework and events. The good news, however, is that I got in! I'm officially a member of Gamma Phi Beta!

Secondly, I got injured and have had a slow time recovering. Last week, and outlet in my room shocked me and burned the wall while I was unplugging a lamp. I placed a work order through my residential advisor and an electrician came, looked at it, and cleared if for use. Well, two days later I went to unplug my phone charger and POP! There was a huge flash of light and a buzzing noise, my hand got stuck to the wall, and my bed got completely burned. The rescue squad came and took me to the hospital I got a pretty good electrical burn and a good little execution. I will be okay, but the pain medications and treatment have left me really groggy lately....and I may or may not be a TAD scared to use electronics.

On top of all of that...I've had 6 tests within the last week and a half. Ugh.

Any how, I am back now! I am currently sitting outside of my class and getting ready to go in, but I can't wait to write to you guys and let you know about my Gamma Phi Beta experience so far!

CSN Stores Giveaway Winner

Well the CSN giveaway has ended, and I'd like to congratulate Dana for winning $15 for CSN stores!

Thank you to all of you who participated! Your advice for my apartment and bibles versus have been really inspirational to me.

If you only stopped in for the giveaway, well, I hope you stick around!

Prayers and Pancakes

HAVE YOU ENTERED MY CSN GIVEAWAY!?

February 6th is the last day to enter!

I haven't posted in awhile, and while my first reaction is to apologize to you, the truth is that I'm genuinely upset. Writing is a release for me and I could have relieved a lot of stress in doing so. My excuse? College and the flu. Yuck. I will apologize,however, for not responding to all of your guys' emails. I promise to catch up on that this weekend.

Out of all the numerous things that happened over the last couple of days, I wanted to write about an event that I went to on Sunday for my Campus Outreach group. Please understand that it is hard for me to write about this. The experience was overwhelming, and I can't exactly grasp how I felt about it. I just wanted to share it with you.

The title was pretty catchy: "Prayers and Pancakes." I assumed it would be casual prayer and then a group dinner consisting of pancakes, naturally, right? It was much more intense than I expected it to be, and quite frankly, I wasn't prepared.

Everybody sat down in a circle and bowed to pray. One of the leaders, Chip, started off by asking us to pray to God to forgive our sins for 2 minutes in silence. "Alright, I got this down," I thought. After those two minutes were up, he asked us to continue to close our eyes and bow our head, but to confess our sins out loud. Panic attack slowly crept in. Slowly, one by one, people around the circle started to recall their sins. They were all much more philosophical and spiritual than my trivial confessions were, and I instantly felt an overwhelming amount of grief.

I wasn't the only one. As I peeked up (which yes, I felt guilty about doing), people were wiping tears from their eyes and sniffling their noses. We continued to do this with prayers for other Christian groups, other countries, etc.

The atmosphere made me start to cry as well. The amount of love and desire for God overwhelmed the room and made me realize how much work still needs to be done for me.

God, please forgive, for I have doubted you and your love for me. Thank you for staying with me when praises cease. Bless me with the ability to live through your word.

Learning to Live on the Rock

"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:7

If I told you that I'm one hundred percent confident in my relationship with God, I'd be a liar. If I told you that God has made me do a complete one eighty, I'd be a liar. If I told you that there aren't moment that I doubt Him, I'd be a liar. Learning to walk with God on a daily basis takes time. I have my moments.

Recently, I had to take my name off of the lease that I signed for my apartment. Long story short, I got a couple of knives thrown in my back for what feels like the hundredth time. Once again, I felt my faith shake beneath my feet. It wasn't because I lost my living situation for sophomore year, but because once again, somebody that I cared for left me to hang. The more that people hurt me, the lower my self esteem goes, and the more I start to feel a form of depression creep up. Sometimes it feels like people genuinely don't care.

Today, I have found peace in a verse that my Bible study leader sent to me upon hearing what happened:

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." -Matthew 7:24

Today I learned that people and worldly pleasures are like sand in a storm. If you build your house upon the sand, it will slip out from underneath you when it rains. If you build your house upon a rock instead, your house will stay intact. God is our rock and we need to build our faith and dependency upon Him.

Don't get me wrong. If somebody is in your life for the long haul then you are truly blessed! It is wonderful to find love. It is never bad, however, to have something that is undeniably permanent; God's love.

Are you living on the rock or the sand?

$15 CSN Stores Gift Card Giveaway!

I recently got an email from a wonderful woman named Jorden at CSN Stores with an opportunity to either purchase and review one of their products using a $15 giftcard or to give the $15 giftcard away to one of my blog readers. Naturally, I quickly went to the site and started to look for a product that I would find useful. I paused and made a realization. I wouldn’t have the opportunity to even do this review if I didn’t have an audience to write to. I wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity without an audience.

You guys have shown me so much love and support through your comments and it’s time for me to give back to you. Hopefully you will find the products on CSN as desirable as I do.

CSN Stores has over 200 online stores where you can find everything that you’d ever want…from modern office furniture, to cute stuff for your dorm room, and dependable cookware! There are so many things I want to buy for my apartment next year!

Did I mention the amazing prices? No? Okay, well they have AMAZING prices!

By this point you’re most likely saying “Yeah, yeah! How do I enter?”

There are three ways to enter, and each one will give you a separate entry! You must leave me a separate comment for each entry along with your e-mail.

1.Leave a comment on this post with your best advice for a new home-renter!

2.Subscribe to my blog via e-mail or a reader. If you do this leave a comment on this post telling me that you did with your e-mail so that I can contact you.

3. If you love my blog become a follower. If you do this leave a comment on this post telling me that you did with your e-mail so that I can contact you.

4. Leave one of your favorite Bible verse as a comment!

Rules

-Sorry, this giveaway is only open to residents of the US and Canada.

-This giveaway will end Sunday, February 6th at Midnight EST.

-I will email the winner, who will have 48 hours to respond by email or I will have to pick a new winner.

-Please leave your email in each entry so I have a way of contacting you if you win.

Good Luck!

(Thank you Katie for helping me out with all of this! I'm excited to be hosting this!)

How Tue Survive the First Week of Your Spring Semester

I've decided to try a new activity that I'm going to call "How Tue-sday!" (If you don't get it, it's supposed to be like "How To Day!")

How Tue Survive the First Week of Your Spring Semester

1. Learn to love coffee. Any type. Don’t be picky. It runs out quickly around here.
2. Befriend random people at café tables! This might sound intimidating, but trust me on this one. When you need a place to do homework during lunch, there will be no tables available.
3. Do not wait to buy your textbooks the day before class. They will not be available. If you do, accept the fact that you will now have to spend even more money on the already overpriced textbooks for shipping.
4. Bundle up! Be prepared for 10 degree weather (but don’t forget the wind chill)! It feels like 2 degrees.
5. Accept that fact that people will be partying the first week. Expect to wake up at 3 a.m. when all the drunken kids start rolling back in to the dorm. How do you recover from such disrupted sleep? Refer to tip one.
6. Don't forget to bring your goggles and wear closed toed shoes to lab. They WILL drop you from the class and you WILL be behind in your major.
7. Save yourself from embarrassment. Don't sneeze during a lecture of over 300 kids. You will get stared at (especially if you have a high pitched sneeze like me).
8. Learn how to read a syllabus. This is all you do the first week.
9. Be aggressive. If you go to drop/add and see that there is only one spot left in a class that you want, you better type that CRN into your schedule as it is the only thing between you and heaven. Otherwise, forget it.
10. Wear comfortable shoes. Don't underestimate how big campus is. New classrooms mean more walking around trying to find them.

Happy college-ing!

What's been going on

Sadly, I haven't posted in awhile. On Friday I went home with Bryson to get my cast taken off, enjoyed a wonderful dinner with his family, and came back to school the next morning. I'm now in a walking cast (it is oh so stylish) and am back to walking to classes!

I have recently been having a very hard time with getting upset, over anything and everything. While I understand that my problems are minuscule in comparison with others, I can't seem to control my emotions. The combination of stress from school, arguing with my family, financial pressure, health issues, and the struggle to find trustworthy friends has left me feeling pretty lonely. Does anybody care about me?

During all of this, I am ashamed to say, I forgot to turn to God. He cares. It wasn't that I forgot that He was there, but I have given in to worldly concerns and have struggled to go to find reassurance in Him. I guess change takes time.

I prayed to Him for half an hour last night and found myself able to sleep deeply for the first time in awhile! I woke up refreshed, read a few of my favorite versus, took time to notice the nature around me on my way to class, agreed to go to a Christian group (Campus Outreach) meeting tomorrow night, volunteered my room for Bible study on Wednesday, arranged a one on one Bible study meeting with one of the Campus Outreach members, and peacefully studied John over a cup of coffee before my last class. I was feeling pretty rejuvenated!

Before I went back to the dorm, I got an email letting me know that I had a package to pick up in the residence hall mail room. I was a tad confused at first: What did I order?

Katie, my first blog friend, sent me a Study Bible to help me learn all about my faith. Katie, I can't thank you enough. Just when I thought God was the only person by my side, I remembered all of the positive support that I have gotten from you all. I can't tell you how blessed I am to have complete strangers care about me. I can't wait to use my new Bible in my studies tonight.

Thank you God, for showing me others who have given me the strength to push forward.

“God places the heaviest burden on those who can carry its weight.”