A New Year

It's New Year's Eve! We're going to a small get together tonight to play games and eat junk food. I think it's a pretty good way to finish out the year! =) I remember one year, my little sister and I crumpled up pieces of paper and threw them down the stairs at midnight. That sort of represented the "ball drop" for us. I can't wait to see what God will do in the new year. Have a safe and happy New Year!

 

 

 

*Picture found on Google Images. 

30 Day Blogging Challenge!

So, I was skimming Pinterest the other day and came across this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 A blogging challenge! I can't wait to try this - I'm thinking of starting January 1st. It's gonna be somewhat of a challenge with my schedule, but I think I can handle it. Maybe I'll do little collabs with some of my friends on different days!

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things ... About Winter

It's been forever!! I haven't been able to post as much as I've wanted for a while because of all the busyness of the holidays, but seeing as tomorrow is the first day of winter, I thought I could write a quick little blurb (first time I've used that word, ha!).


Mexican Hot Chocolate
Mexican hot chocolate is my favorite because I love the spices!




Snow!

We don't get very much snow here, maybe a couple inches if we're lucky, but I think it's pretty.

 



 

 

 

 

Festival of Lights

It's fun to go at night and see all lights, roast marshmallows, and drink hot chocolate!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas

It's only 5 days away!!!

 

 

 



 

Window Shopping

I like window shopping downtown or at the mall, and people watching (hehe), so it's kinda a two-in-one, especially during the holidays! ;)

 

 

*I don't own any of the pictures (except the "snow" one).



I'm Thankful For...

Sometimes I think we tend to overlook the little things we're grateful for; instead we focus on the bigger things. But, today I want to include the little things, as well as the usual! So ...

I'm thankful for...

 

 

Jesus - His mercy and patience baffle me
 

Family - they always have my back

Friends - can make me laugh when I'm upset

Church Family - they're like my own family

School - because I have the opportunity to learn

Music - my form of expression

Life's Challenges - because they've taught me so much

Laptops - they make school so much easier

Books - a way to escape the real world

Photographs - memories

A House - to keep out this cold weather

Thanksgiving Dinner - sooo yummy :)

Charlie Brown Movies - a holiday tradition

Christmas Trees - also, a holiday tradition

Cold Weather - just something about the way it feels

Summer - the lake, water balloons, and car washes

Christmas Lights - so much fun putting them up

Pumpkin Pie - pumpkin pie ;)

I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your Thanksgiving!




 



I've been busy?

        I know I haven't posted anything in about a week (or was it two weeks?), but I'm starting to get busy with all the holiday stuff coming up. I have youth group activities, a recital, church stuff, a ton of school (already stressing about finals), and I'm sure I'm forgetting something. Anywho, I had the idea to do a "What I'm Thankful For" post on Thanksgiving Day, so be on the lookout for that! Also, I should be putting out some Christmas related stuff soon. I might even do some piano covers for both blogs, if I can find a camera with decent quality.  So, this was short and sweet, but it's better than nothing. :)

Les Misérables (2012 Film)

         Les Mis is most definitely one of my favorite musicals, if not my favorite. I just love the passion and emotion portrayed through the music and characters. There are so many stories entwined in each other - Valjean, his one crime held against him all his life; Fantine, a woman scorned by the world; Eponine, her struggle with unrequited love; Marius, dedication to his friends or the woman he loves.
          One of my favorite scenes is when Fantine is dreaming of Cosette, her daughter, as she is slowly dying. Valjean promises to keep her daughter safe, he will protect her with his life. I know no way to describe this moment.
          The plot draws you in, almost as if you can't escape. You become part of their world without knowing. I so want to see Les Mis performed live! The music is pure brilliance.

 

I Have a Bat!

-Dr. Seuss

 



I think I need to go buy a bat! It's time to show your troubles who's boss. Next time you see them, I want you to walk right up and say, "You're not messin' with me anymore, off with your head!"

Haha, hope you guys got a laugh out of this quote! ;) 



Learning To Be the Light and Endless Variations

               I finally finished changing the title and finishing the new blog! The new one, focused on music, is called Endless Variations ! I'm working on a couple ideas for it right now, so it should be updated in a few days. I think it's going to be a lot of fun! I'm sorry that the recent posts have only been updates, but that's about over. :) I'll do a "Dr. Seuss" post tomorrow!



Update!

             I'm almost done working on the new blog! Also, I have come up with a new name for this one - Learning To Be the Light. What do you think? It's from Newworldson's song Learning To Be the Light . I love love love this song!! Another thought, I might not keep the name Ebony and Ivory for the new blog. I've found some pretty cool titles on the internet, and they've sparked some new ideas! Anyway, this should be my last post as Ebony and Ivory. :)

Some News!

I will be starting a new blog sometime in the near future. It will be focused mainly on music, whereas this blog I will use for everything else. Because of this, I will be re-naming this blog, and naming the new one "Ebony and Ivory". I haven't come up with a new name for this one yet, and I still need work on the new design, but as soon as everything's finished I'll let you know!

Unless You Care a Whole Awful Lot

 

I love this quote from "The Lorax"! If you want to change something, you shouldn't just sit around and hope for it to happen. Sometimes when I want something to happen, I think of all these little details that are involved, but that isn't getting me any closer to that goal. For example, I have a piano exam in May, and I have a whole list of things to get done before I take it. If I think about practicing, or I think about studying, am I actually getting any work done? No. So, if you want to see something happen, do it yourself. You'll have such a great feeling of accomplishment afterwards.

It's Halloween!

      

          Happy Halloween! I know some Christians think Halloween is a satanic holiday, a day for evil and witchcraft, but I don't believe it has to be like that. We never went trick-or-treating during my "younger childhood". At the time, the church we were attending had serious restrictions on things like that. Instead, my parents made scavenger hunts inside the house, and each location had candy in it. My sister and I had so much fun doing that, we didn't care about trick-or-treating or dressing up.
          This year, however, I have had a huge obsession with Halloween. I love the idea of dressing up in costumes and getting candy! I will always be a kid at heart, so anything that involves dressing up piques my interest. Even though I will not be dressing up this Halloween, I absolutely love to see everyone else's costumes. I can't wait to hand out candy to princesses, cowboys, and aliens! ;)
          Of course, you can't have Halloween without a few tricks and pranks. I love pranks! They don't necessarily have to be scary, either, just laughable. One time, my parents attached a giant rubber spider to the inside of the toilet, and when you opened the lid, the spider moved towards you! It was so creepy, and I hated it, but it was a pretty good prank. (Dad felt bad about scaring me and my sister but Mom was laughing hysterically, just sayin'.)
         So, I hope all of those celebrating Halloween get tons of candy and goodies, and that you have a great time! :)

Be Who You Are...

 

I need to write this on my hand every single day! True friends won't care how bizarre you act, they'll stick by you no matter what. Don't try to be someone you're not; that's a hard act to keep up. 

Fried Oreos!!

So tonight guess what we found at the corn maze?! Fried oreos!!!! I was so excited to try one, they are delicious! :)

 

They kinda look like giant fried mushrooms, but they're so soft and warm on the inside!

 

Besides the fried oreos, we walked through the maze, saw some really cute goats, and picked out a couple baby pumpkins. It was freezing cold, but I had a lot of fun!

 

Mom and Me (too dark to see the corn in the back) 

 

 

 

A Prayer

     Dear Lord, this guy really needs your help. I know I'm supposed to love everyone the way you love me, but he makes it so hard. I'm really trying, Lord, but I need you to guide me. I don't know anything about him, or what's going on in his life, but I know he needs you so, so much. I can tell by the way he acts and talks that something is missing in his life. I really want to be a friend to him, but I don't know how. Please help me with this. Please move in his heart, change him. Please keep him safe. In Your name, Amen.

     This is something different from what I usually write, but God put it on my heart to really pray for this guy. So, if you would like to pray for him as well I would appreciate it so very much. Sometimes it's extremely difficult to like certain people, but God commands us to.

     John15:12  "This is my commandment. That ye love one another, as I have loved you."

     God requires us to love one another. This doesn't seem so hard at first, but once you actually try it you might change your mind.

     Proverbs 27: 5-6  " Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful."

     So, if I'm going to be a good friend, I have to be honest. Again, seems simple enough, but I'm a little nervous to carry through with it.

     1 Corinthians 16:14  "Let all that you do be done in love."

     Ok, love everyone. Be honest though, for what good is love without honesty? Do everything out of love, not spite or rebuke or anger. This is going to be harder than I thought.

 

Happy Birthday Bri!

 

Today is my little sister's birthday!

 

I hope you have a great day Bri! Love you, Kirsten :)



Someday List of Dreams

I loved Rachelle Rea's post "Someday List of Dreams" on her blog Inspiring Daring. You should definitely check her blog out - it's full of inspiring posts, book reviews, and giveaways.

 

I decided to make a list of my own, something I could look back on in five, ten, fifteen years to see what I've accomplished.  

So, here is my Someday List of Dreams.

 

 

Things I Have Done...

1. Participated in a 30 Hour Famine

2. Volunteered at a food bank

3. Made a snowman in my front yard

4. Written a song (in 3rd grade, as a Christmas present for my mom, with the help of my piano teacher:)

5. Played piano in a nursing home (I miss that)

6. Started a blog

7. Learned it's more important to serve than be served

8. Gone to an outdoor Christian concert

9. Dyed part of my hair red (which my parents see as the wild streak in my personality;)

10. Hiked to a waterfall

11. Accepted change as an unavoidable part of life (and to approach it with an open mind)

12. Read 7 books in five days

13. Acquired a plethora of sheet music, song books, and music binders (usually spread across my floor)

14. Played the flute in my church orchestra (I miss that, too)

15. Roasted starbursts over a fire pit

 

 

Things I Will Do...

 

1. Go on a missions trip

 

2. Volunteer at a children's hospital

 

3. Go ice skating

 

4. Finish high school with a 4.0 GPA

 

5.  Spend a college semester studying abroad

 

6. Marry a Christian man

 

7. Eat Chic-fil-a. Forever and Always.

 

8. Record a CD

 

9. Conquer my fear of public speaking

 

10. Try a fried oreo

 

11. Be a good role model for younger girls

 

12. Go to a Broadway musical

 

13. Have a picnic in the park

 

14. Learn how to cook fried chicken

 

15. Give credit to God in everything I do

 

 



Smile because it happened...

     Sometimes when we look back at the greatest times in life, the present can seem a little dreary. Maybe you haven't talked to your best friend in years, or a loved one passed away. This happens to me sometimes, and I wish I could go back to being 8 years old; everything was so much easier! But, we need moments like these to help us as we grow, trusting that God will take care of us. Take your past and learn from it - smile because it happened!



Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here's the recipe for some awesome chocolate chip cookies!

Ingredients:
1 c. Crisco shortening
3/4 c. granulated sugar
3/4 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 (12 oz.) pkg. Nestle chocolate chips*
Nonstick Cooking Spray

Preheat oven to 375 F. In large bowl, combine first four ingredients. Mix well with electric mixer. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Blend well.

Stir in chocolate chips. *I used a blend of semi-sweet, white chocolate, and Hershey's chocolate chips. (Optional: you can add 1 c. chopped pecans if you want.)

Drop by rounded teaspoon onto lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 2 minutes before removing from pan.

This recipe usually makes about 35 cookies.

Body Image

        So many of the girls I know struggle with body image on a daily basis. The media tells them happiness comes from being skinny, having a thigh gap, and "curves in all the right places" (reference to True Beauty - Mandisa). It's everywhere from TV shows, to magazines and websites. Do you know what a Tumblr Girl is? Of course you do, smartie, who doesn't? I feel like girls (and guys) are surrounded by constant scrutiny, as if they could live up to airbrushed models and celebs. Those perfect people, they aren't really perfect. Even they have flaws. Over the past year, I have begun to embrace all of my little imperfections; they make me unique. I have small hands, stand at 5'5, and don't really tan. I don't let these things stop me from enjoying my life, though. In all actuality, the only ones who notice our flaws 90% of the time are our own selves. Isn't that silly? To all my friends and readers - You are beautiful. You have the capability to do amazing things. Believe in yourself, you deserve it. Don't try to change yourself to fit in with society.

 

 

 This is one of my favorite verses from the Bible. Fearfully and wonderfully made - that's you!

 

Music

Christian Contemporary Songs to Get Ready To

Here is a list songs to get you ready for the day!

Good Morning - Mandisa ft. TobyMac

 

 

Favorite Song - TobyMac ft. Jamie Grace

 

 

One Song at a Time - Jamie Grace

 

 

1945 - Jamie Grace

 

 

Firefly - Jimmy Needham

 

 

Take Me There - Trip Lee ft. Jimmy Needham

 

 

Ready or Not - Britt Nicole ft. Lecrae

*All posts related to music can also be found under the "Music" tab.

Is Your Weirdness Compatible With Mine?

"We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love." - Dr. Seuss

I think this could easily forever be my definition of love. So, is your weirdness compatible with mine? We shall see. :)

 

 









 

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things ... About Fall

         I'm kind of stuck on deciding between Fall and Winter as my favorite season. I love them both so much! There are all the colors as the leaves change, get-togethers with friends and family, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner, sweatshirts and boots, and the cold weather. I absolutely love the cold. But, anyway, here is a list of just a few of the things I love about Fall.


Pumpkin Pie :)
I can't wait to make a pumpkin pie, they are so yummy, and never last long in our house.















Candy Corn!
Candy Corn is my most favorite Fall candy in the world! There was this one Halloween when my parents got me this big bag of candy corn, and it was the best thing ever.  
                                    

 

Thanksgiving Dinner

Soooo yummy! I love to cook!

 







Starbucks Lattes =)

My favorite is the Peppermint Mocha Latte!

 

 

Sweaters and Skinny Jeans

Pretty much the only thing I wear day to day.

 



 



 

 

 

Football!!

I like high school and college football. I've never actually been to a game, though. I'll have to work on that... :)

 





 

So, that's all for right now. I have a whole bunch of other things I could list, but I'll save them for later maybe. Happy Fall!

 

 

30 Hour Famine - Fighting World Hunger

        


       This past weekend my youth group participated in a program called 30 Hour Famine. It's meant to make people more aware of what hunger feels like, and gain more knowledge about hunger in other areas around the world. We stopped eating at midnight Friday, and didn't eat until around 8 o'clock Sunday morning. During the day on Saturday, we played team-building games, did a scavenger hunt, and raised money to send to a World Hunger organization in Zimbabwe. That night, after all the games were over, our leader talked to us more in depth about the dangers that children faced in other countries just from hunger. The lights were turned off. She told us to take a moment, and think about one thing we wanted to see changed in the world. After a few minutes, she went up, lit a candle, and said what she wanted changed. Then, one at a time, we walked up to the front, lit our candles, and said what we wanted to see happen differently. It was such an awesome moment, to see all the candles lit up on the table, each one representing something. When we were done, she blew out the candles, said a prayer, and turned the lights back on. It was such an amazing experience, to feel only a small part of real hunger, knowing that thousands of people went through this everyday; I think it made many, if not all of us realize how blessed we are to have food in our fridge and cabinets. I definitely appreciate being able to take part in this, and I can't wait for next year!


 30 Hour Famine Website