Listen to This {Control}

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JJ Heller has some awesome music especially her song Control. 

Listen: 

If you follow me on instagram, you saw the post about the book Anything by Jennie Allen. When I get further into the book, I'll hopefully write more about it. This part of the book really spoke to me (as pictured in the upper right):

Here's some of the lyrics of the song Control by JJ Heller:

I'm letting go of the illusion
I'm letting go of the confusion
I can't carry it another step
I close my eyes and take a breath
I'm letting go, letting go

There were scars before my scars
Love written on the hands that hung the stars
Hope living in the blood that was spilled for me

Oh, control
It's time, time to let you go...

Side note: I've reached 50 followers!! Thank you for reading my blog. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it :)

Linking up:

 

Wednesday Style {Patterned Sweater}

I think I'm going to be slowing down these posts. It may just be on occasion now. I'm realizing that I want to put more effort into sharing my faith on this blog. I still love fashion, just want to focus on it less. I will still post my DIYs because I love doing those. These weekly posts have become more of a task, so I'll be taking a break from them.

Nevertheless, I love this sweater from Forever 21! Super warm and very cute.

Pants from Target

Boots from DSW

Have a wonderful rest of the week :)

Homemade Coffee Syrups {Cinnamon, Vanilla & Peppermint}

For Christmas I made coffee syrups to give to my sister. Since then, we've both been using them in our morning coffee drinks.

Encouraging Word {Matthew}

Matthew 5:13-16       Salt and Light

This was the theme verse for my youth retreat this past weekend. Here are my notes from this weekends chapels:
We need to be salt and light because of Gods love for us.
We slowly lose our saltiness in our own selfish desires.
By being a light on a hill people people will see God through me.
Being a light simply means sharing your faith.
This may not be preaching but in loving and sharing your story.

Listen to Say So which has this verse:

or listen here

Linking up at Shine this Light

Giveaway with WSN!

I'm part of Whispering Sweet Nothings' giveaway. There are 9 other giveaways, I just put the one giveaway here which I've included a large ad space. So go visit the giveaway to see the rest of the great prizes (like the  one for coffee lovers). 

Jammin' Jan Jiveaway!

Ya'll know you are fabulous. Exactly why you deserve to be one of TEN winners in this massive she-bang! Feel free to enter as many or few as you choose! Be sure to come back each day for more entries on tweeting, facebooking, blogging about it! I hope ya'll are as excited as I am :) 

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A devotional {Wandering, Worrying, Wondering}

My youth group is going on a retreat this weekend (pray for good weather) and I got to write the devotionals. Here's one for you to enjoy :)

Do not cling to events of the past or dwell on what happened long ago.
Watch for the new thing I am going to do. It is happening already—you can see it now!
I will make a road through the wilderness and give you streams of water there.                   

-Isaiah 43:18-19 (GNT)

We all struggle with these questions: Who am I? What am I doing here? Where will I be in 5 years? When will I get out of this rut? Why do I feel alone in this decision? We wonder about the unknown.

Trust is difficult for me. I’ve had people disappoint me. We need to remember God is not human. He will never disappoint us. He does not have the same thought process as us for He is slow to anger and abundant in grace.

Oswald Chambers in an online devotional Gracious Uncertainty says: 

"We are uncertain of the next step, but we are certain of God. As soon as we abandon ourselves to God and do the task He has placed closest to us, He begins to fill our lives with surprises.”

We worry about the future. We are burdened with the choice of where to go to college, of the occupation we should pursue, and many other decisions.  We may not be trusting God’s perfect plan.

We wander. I found a quote that says: “Not all those who wander are lost.” Maybe that’s true if you’re on a backpacking trip through Europe. But, it’s not true for our faith. If we are wandering aimlessly, we aren’t seeking out God’s plan. We are lost without God.

In the verse above, God is telling us not to wonder but to look at this new thing, not to worry about the new thing because it’s already happening, and not to wander for he will provide a path.

God, I pray that you would open my eyes to your great plan so I may not wander. Please provide a pathway for my feet so I may not worry but be certain of your grace. Reveal your Love to me so I may not wonder where You are in my life. Amen.

Hope you enjoyed! Come back on Sunday for a giveaway with Whispering Sweet Nothings.

Listen to This {Oh How I Need You}

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A friend (thanks Abby!) recently recommended All Sons & Daughters and I love them! They have a great folksy sound. Plus their album cover is sweet. Listen to this:

here's the you tube link if you don't have a spotify

This song especially I love.

Read the lyrics of the first verse:

Lord I find You in the seeking
Lord I find You in the doubt
And to know You is to love You
And to know so little else
I need You
Oh how I need You

Also listen to their song: Reason to Sing

Linking up:

Wednesday Style {sweatshirt weather}

I may complain about the cold too much, but it's a ridiculous -10 degrees this week. It gives everyone a reason to make a mad dash to their car and stay curled under a blanket all day. This sweatshirt is so cute! It's from Sevenly which is a company that supports a different cause every week.

This sweatshirt from a couple weeks ago says "Hope runs deep" and supports clean water in India. This weeks shirts help stop child abuse. Here's one of the sweatshirts for this week:

from Sevenly

So go buy one! They're so comfy. 

(this isn't a sponsored post; just my 100% true opinion of how awesome this company is)

My jeans are from Delias.

Encouraging Word {Jeremiah}

God's Word-YUM! 

I find this verse funny, but also very true. We should see God's Word and just want to eat it up :)

When your words came, I ate them;

they were my joy and my heart’s delight,
for I bear your name, Lord God Almighty
~Jeremiah 15:16

0 degree DIY {Infinity Scarf}

If you're visiting from Pinterest, welcome! Feel free to look around and check out my other DIYs.

So it's been slowly getting colder and colder and colder here. I will not go outside unless its to walk to my car, so I've been thinking of DIYs to do.
My friends, Megan and Lauren (hey girls!), wanted matching scarves. I found this cute fabric at Joann's that could easily be worn in the winter with a black sweater and in the spring/summer with a white t.
Super easy to make. Mine was 20 inches wide and 60 inches long (this will decrease slightly after sewing).

Latest Instagrams

If you're not on instagram, here's some of my picture for the past week or so. If you are following me, here's some more comments on the photos you've already seen :) 

I love watching my sister play soccer. Indoors of course since there's snow on the ground outside :)

I've had a couple papers due this past week for my humanities class. I love writing in the local coffee shop.

Listen to this {Whom Shall I Fear}

Whom Shall I Fear [God of Angel Armies] by Chris Tomlin is a great song, with a great Biblical story behind it.

Now if you can multitask-while you listen to the song read this passage from 2 Kings 6:

8 Now the king of Aram was at war with Israel. After conferring with his officers, he said, “I will set up my camp in such and such a place.”

9 The man of God sent word to the king of Israel: “Beware of passing that place, because the Arameans are going down there.” 10 So the king of Israel checked on the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places.

11 This enraged the king of Aram. He summoned his officers and demanded of them, “Tell me! Which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?”

12 “None of us, my lord the king,” said one of his officers, “but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.”

13 “Go, find out where he is,” the king ordered, “so I can send men and capture him.” The report came back: “He is in Dothan.” 14 Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city.

15 When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.

16 “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

17 And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

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Wednesday Style {Orange Sweater}

I love the time of morning right after the sun peaks over the trees (11 am in the winter). The light streams through the windows and the snow sparkles.

My best attempt at capturing the sparkly snow.

The sun can be deceiving though. Its a wonderful 7 degrees outside. I took the pictures in less than 5 minutes (before I froze) so excuse the lack of perfection.

Belt from H&M.

Quoted {change}

Just stumbled upon this quote and thought I would share. I find this especially true. 

Side note: I got accepted to Seattle Pacific University! I'm waiting to hear back from Wagner College and St.Olaf College. These are all possibilities, along with Bethel Univesity, for where I'll go to school after I graduate HS.

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Encouraging Word {Colossians}

I am so filled with the joy God gives us. I am dead without Jesus. I am worn, tired, stressed, worrisome without Jesus. I am alive with Jesus. I am excited, awake, relaxed, worry-free with Jesus. My struggles, my trials, my hardships seem to disappear when I focus on God. 

Colossians 2:13-14: You were at one time spiritually dead because of your sins and because you were Gentiles without the Law. But God has now brought you to life with Christ. God forgave us all our sins; he canceled the unfavorable record of our debts with its binding rules and did away with it completely by nailing it to the cross. (GNT)

Lean on Him {Guest Post}

If you've been following my blog every Monday I post a favorite verse of mine. Today my friend, Kindra is going to share some of her favorite quotes and verses. Kindra's also a sponsor of mine so show her some love :) Here she is: Hi there, Sea Glass and Ribbons readers! I'm Kindra and I blog over at Trying To Be Who I Am. 

To tell you a little bit about me.... I'm a Christian first and foremost. I love God with all my heart and strive to be the best for him. I'm newly engaged (let the wedding planning begin!). I also love photography, running, (and my computer. lol)  Unfortuantely, I'm not crafty (but I want to do a lot of DIY with my wedding) and I'm not much of a cook (guess I should learn, huh?) :) So, as of right now those 2 things you probably won't find on my blog (unless it's a guest post).... but maybe one day soon.  Now, onto the good stuff. When Jessinia first asked me to do it, I have to say I had no idea what I would do but after thinking about it for a while I came up with something. :)  As I said before, I love God with all my heart. I lean upon Him a lot. My relationship with my now fiance has been long distance through the whole thing except the first 6 months. But I've found that with God, I can do/get through anything, including a long distance relationship. He is my rock.

My #1 tip for getting through anything; whether it be long distance relationships, death, school, jobs, etc... is to lean on God, completely, fully. That's not to say I don't have doubts. I still do. I'm human after all. But God is always there through it all...even if He feels far away, He's not.  So, I'd like to share with you some inspiring quotes and Bible verses that have helped me and that I just find inspirational.

Listen to this {Worn}

I heard this song for the first time on the radio the other day. I was feeling super stressed from my January-term class (a semester in a month-crazy!). So I heard this song and knew that it was going to be okay.
Take some time to listen and to pray that God will give you rest amidst the weight this world brings to us.

I love this picture and verse that goes with this song:

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Wednesday Style {Cargo pants}

I don't know if these classify as cargo pants because they are so cute and comfy.

I got the pants from Aerie awhile ago.

My scarf is from Kohl's and my shirt is from Target.

Encouraging Word {Lamentations}

Picture taken on my phone of a frozen lake.

Lamentations 3:22-23, 32-33
Because of the Lord 's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness. 

Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
so great is his unfailing love. 

For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone. 

Listen to the hymn Great is Thy Faithfulness by my former voice teacher, Ami Anderson. 

Ami Andersen – Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Also, check out her music blog.

My Photographs on Kindra's blog!

Hi! I've shared some of my photography on here before. Go and check out my guest post on Kindra's blog to see some of my favorites. While you're there, take a look around at the rest of her blog.

Go read it to see more!

Liebster Award

Thank you so much to 

Sara @ Flower Land and Kindra @ Trying to be Who I Am and Kaylynn @ Colb, Kay and T.Rae

for nominating me for this award.

What is the Liebster Award? 

The Liebster Award's origins are pretty much a mystery. Bloggers nominate other bloggers that have 200 or less followers. “Liebster” is German for “favorite,” so this is kind of like the “favorite blog award.” It's basically a "Hey, that's a sweet little blog you've got there. Here's an award!" You can't just accept the award. You have to play by the (ever changing) rules and pay it forward. Then you can put the award on your blog for all to see. 

  

Rules of the Liebster Award: 

1. List 11 facts about yourself. 

2. Answer the 11 questions given to you.

3. Ask 11 new questions for the bloggers you nominate for the award.

4. Choose 11 bloggers with 200 or less followers to nominate. 

5. Go to each bloggers page and let them know about the award. 

6. Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog. 

11 random facts about myself. 

1. I love SCUBA diving and would like to swim with sharks one day.

2. I like cross country skiing in the winter (as long as it's not too cold!).

3. Christmas is my favorite holiday.

4. Summer is my favorite season.

5. I go between thinking I own too many shoes to not owning enough.

6. In the summer, I don't wear shoes most days.

7. I am already counting down the days until spring break-70 days.

8. I think living in Paris would be fun.

9. I recently applied for my first real job-ahhh!

10. I'm reading What Is He Thinking?? By Rebecca St. James right now.

11. I'm horrible at coming up with these facts-it's taken me way too long.

Questions from Kindra:

Wednesday Style {maxi+chambray}

Hope you had a great new year! 

How many Christmas gifts can I put in an outfit? My rings, earrings, scarf and shoes were all gifts.

Here's a casual put together look.

Maxi skirt made by me.

Chambray shirt from F21.

Happy New Year {2013}

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Best wishes for the new year!

I tweeted this the other day:

True change doesn't happen when the date switches from 2012 to 2013. It takes a new mindset to turn your heart towards the right goals.

Here's a verse to remember:

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

On another note, I reached 10,000 page views!!!
A great way to start off the new year for this blog!