Bright Lights Conferences

 

Sarah Mally and I

 

What a blessing this past week has been!  Just one year ago I had no intentions of becoming a part of the Bright Lights girls ministry, then earlier this year I took over a group for a friend who was getting married, and now this past week I had the pleasure of helping out at the MN Bright Lights conferences!

 

 The Bontrager girls did some special music.  You know the Bontragers from 19 Kids & Counting episode "Duggars Do Dinner"?  Same family, and I do wish I had more of a chance to talk with these girls!

 

During the Strong In The Lord conference I was an assitant leader for a small group.  The days would be scheduled with all attendees (about 400 in number) switching from large group session in which Sarah and Grace Mally talked, and meeting in small discussion groups.  The whole conference went smoothly with many girls, and even a mother, responding to the Gospel message!

 

With two days spent at the church (sleeping over night there gave me opportunity for a late night discussion about books with two other sweet leaders) I went back home for a day of rest there, and then went back with friends to attend the Radiant Purity Conference, as I had never attended one before.

 

What a blessing that conference was also!!  The sessions were encouraging and challenging.  In the small group the discussions were great, which not all that long ago would have just seemed uncomfortably scary.  And making more lasting friendships was excellent!

 

And making so many amazing new friends was another big highlight of the week!  Fellowship can be so sweet with so many like-minded girls!  I collected as many email address and added as many Facebook friends as I could, but it would have been nice to get even more!

I and the small group leader I assisted signing books, there was a space in the back of the conference journals to collect signatures from people we met. 

 

 

I praise the Lord for the oppurtunity I had to do this!!  It will be a fond memory for years to come, and hopefully I can make more by doing it again another year!

 

Thank you for visiting!

Amber Nicole

Shop Finds: eShakti

 

 

As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, I had the privilege of playing violin for a dear friend's wedding.  But I didn't have something nice for a just entering the fall season sort of wedding, so I had to go shopping, sad right? ;)

 

 

I ended up buying my dress from eShakti, a wonderful online clothes store specializing in dresses of a 50's style.  I had a great experience ordering from this shop, but what's extra special about this shop is that for only $7.50 more, you can choose the length of your dress - made for modesty!  On some dresses you can also choose the sleeve length this way too.

 

  

I chose the "Joy Dress" in navy blue with a sweeping bow at the neck - well made.  The price came to $45 dollars after having it lengthed to calf length and using the $25 first time register coupon.  The dresses are already reasonably priced, but sales are going on at all times.

 

Probable return costumer: Yes!

 

 



Downy & Floral Grand Opening!

 

After about a year of delay, either because of having to fill in the details or just not feeling like I knew enough yet, I have finally took the plunge and opened my very own shop on Etsy.com! 

 

 

I would feel honored if you pay a visit by clicking the link below or using the widget on my sidebar.

 

 

Downy & Floral

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a very exciting day for me and I appreciate your encouragement and support dear reader!

 

Blessings,

Amber Nicole



Passing Summer Breezes

I wanted to share just a few experiences from this past summer as I look back..

 

We got to go berry picking and pick a parcel of fresh blueberries - always delicious!

 

Dad and I went camping in the Boundary Waters.  The scenery was lovely and I enjoyed stepping out of the country and into Canada for the first time!

 After getting back from our camping trip I had to set my mind to preparing for our Bright Lights Bible study retreat.  Ten of us girls enjoyed a full day set aside for seeking the Lord, studying His word, and prayer.  We were also blessed to be allowed to use a beautiful cabin on the lake!  We might just make this a yearly tradition!

 

Then a couple days later we got to again go to our favorite water park in Wisconsin.  It was a really fun and relaxing time!

 

Yesterday I had the great privilege of playing for a dear friend's wedding (I'm on the far left)!  I am so excited for my friend, but it's hard to believe how the time flies! 

 

 

 

As I am working towards opening my very own shop on Etsy.com very shortly, this past week I ordered my business cards!  This was our first time using vistaprint.com, and we would for sure consider using them again!  I've always like the double sided kind of business cards with all the information on the back, but never suspected I would be able have it for my own cards!  The front side I drew myself (and that's as far as my artistic abilities go...;-)

 

 So keep an eye out for the grand opening announcement that my little shop has (finally) opened... scary! :-o  But I guess I can't sell anything with a closed shop, now can I!?  I'm also looking forward to it!

 

Thank you for visiting dear readers!  I hope everyone's fall season has gotten off to a good start!

 

Blessings!

Amber Nicole

"When Will My Life Begin?"

Hello Everyone!  I think I am back to blog-y land, and first off I wanted to share a good post I found last week.  I thought it made some great points on the subject of the world viewing the keeper at home life as not good enough.  Take a moment to read...

 

When Will This Life Begin?
By Abigail Stricklen

 

"7 AM, the usual morning lineup:

Start on the chores and sweep 'til the floor's all clean

Polish and wax, do laundry, and mop and shine up

Sweep again, and by then it's like 7: 15.

And so I'll read a book

Or maybe two or three

I'll add a few new paintings to my gallery

I'll play guitar and knit

And cook and basically

Just wonder when will my life begin?

Then after lunch it's puzzles and darts and baking

Paper mache, a bit of ballet and chess

Pottery and ventriloquy, candle making

Then I'll stretch, maybe sketch, take a climb,Sew a dress!

And I'll reread the books

If I have time to spare

I'll paint the walls some more,

I'm sure there's room somewhere.

And then I'll brush and brush,and brush and brush my hair

Stuck in the same place I've always been.

And I'll keep wonderin' and wonderin'

And wonderin' and wonderin'

When will my life begin?

Disclaimer: I understand that in the movie, Rapunzel had been locked up in a tower with her deranged, evil kidnapper/mother for the course of her life. That is however, not the case of most of the girls watching the movie (Well, I certainly hope not). The message that the producers want girls to take away from this song (and the movie in general) is blazingly clear.

She starts her day at 7 am. "She rises while it is yet night." Proverbs 31:15
She sweeps, polishes, waxes, does laundry, mops, and shines. "She works with willing hands." Proverbs 31:13
She reads books. She educates herself. "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding." Proverbs 4:7

She paints, plays, guitar, knits...good grief, where does it end with this girl? Again, "she works with willing hands."
She cooks! "She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household." Proverbs 31:15

"Puzzles and darts and baking, Paper mache, a bit of ballet and chess, Pottery and ventriloquy, candle making
Then I'll stretch, maybe sketch, take a climb!" Wow, she is one accomplished young woman, I'd say! All of these are wonderful, challenging things. She sure sounds educated and competent in many areas! "She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong." Proverbs 31:17

SEW A DRESS! "She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple." Proverbs 31:21-22

Then, she reads again, she paints the walls, she brushes her hair. Whew! What a day! Feels good to be accomplished and productive doesn't it?
But wait..... "Stuck in the same place I've always been.And I'll keep wonderin' and wonderin'And wonderin' and wonderin'When will my life begin? "

Your life? Look at the list of things you did today! That's not life? Your life hasn't begun even though you've just cleaned your whole house, read some good books, painted, played guitar, knitted, cooked, did puzzles, played darts, baked, did paper mache, practiced ballet, played chess, made pottery, practiced ventriloquy, made candles, stretched, sketched, climbed, sewed a dress, read again, painted some more, and brushed your hair? ALL IN ONE DAY?

Ok. Before you judge this whole post as me being derogatory, go read my disclaimer above. I understand Rapunzel's position. But that is most definitely not the position of any little girl watching that movie or listening to that song. Do you see the pattern? Every line of that song could be backed up by a Proverbs 31 woman verse! Rapunzel was a Proverbs 31 woman! What a great gal!
But she was wonderin, and wonderin, and wonderin, and wonderin, WHEN WILL HER LIFE BEGINNNNNN? (you know you just sang that)

Obviously, the producers of that movie wanted to get the message across that all those great things Rapunzel was doing were not good enough. Which is why she had to escape from her "authority," gallivant around the country with a cute criminal, fight a few evil, non-cute criminals, save the cute criminal from certain death by her evil mother (this is portraying authority as a bad thing), and basically be the greatest hero ever....because being a Proverbs 31 woman is simply not good enough. See what I'm trying to say here? Obviously Rapunzel's situation is an exaggerated version of some girl's lives. You want to get away from your parent's authority, you don't want to do what you're told, you want to go out into the world and be the hero. But guess what? When you do that...when you leave everything you've ever known with "Prince Charming-who-isn't-your-husband-who's-probably-gonna-end-up-being-a-lousy-bum-very-unlike-Flynn-Ryder, chances are.....YOU WON'T HAVE A CUTE FAIRYTALE ENDING. Because I PROMISE, you will NOT save him from certain death with whatever super-power you happen to possess (Face it, we all want sparkly magic hair and it's not gonna happen). You will never find your long-lost King and Queen parents because you left them at home, and you will most CERTAINLY not get a castle. Things will not turn out as ducky as you thought they would. But you will expect all of that because that is what everyone is telling you will happen! Go out! Face the world! Earn your freedom! Everything will be great and you'll even get a Prince and a castle at the end of it!
Nope, nope, nope, nope, NOPE.

Be content, ladies. The world wants to tell you that you're not good enough, but you ARE. There's so much pressure out there to be better than God's best. God's best is what we want to strive for. God told us what he wants us to be in his beautiful Word. Be content. Don't let the pressure of this world get you down. Keep on cooking and baking and cleaning and doing that gross laundry, BECAUSE THAT IS GOOD ENOUGH. It's GOOD! It's beautiful and praise-worthy!! Live up to God's standard, not the world's.
Okay, now I'm done picking on Tangled. I like that movie, haha. ;)

~By Abigail Stricklen

Busy Busy!

 

Summer 2013 has been a busy, exciting, and totally new summer for me thus far!

 

 

In the beginning of June our Bright Lights Bible study group had a tea party, hosted at our house.  As you may very well know, I love tea parties, so it was very fun to plan and be able to spend extra time with Abby, our Bright Lights leader.  Even when it took all day for me bake the cookies, that was enjoyable too!

 

I re-did some cookies I had done for another tea party a couple years back. 

 

And the actually tea party turned out to be SO blessed too!  We were expecting about 15-20 girls, we had set the two tables, making our house look like a lovely tea room, for 18.  But the Lord blessed beyond our expectations, I started counting at 19 girls, and there was more on the way!  We ended with 24 girls in our house!!  What a wonderful time with a house bursting with joyful, beautiful girls!

Then a few weeks ago Abby emailed me, saying that she would like to have a Bright Lights retreat and she would like me to plan most of it, and this was emailed to me just a day before she left for a month in which contact would be more difficult!  :-o  But contact has ended up to be no problem, planning fun, and everything coming together smoothly so far!  I look forward to a whole day set aside to seek the Lord in late August!

Then just this past Wednesday was a super exciting day for me - I passed my driver's test to get my license!! 

 

The beginning of my test.

 

The part I was most nervous about was the parallel parking.  I had practiced a good amount before hand, but was still a little inconsistent in how close I got to the curb.  But that actually went smoothly while during the 90' back up I got a little close the cone (but thankfully no hitting!).  Over all the test was easier and faster than expected and it's such a relief to be done!  We had planned to go to Caribou afterwards, and I am happy that we went there to celebrate instead of drown my sorrows in coffee! :D

 

Now we have a busy week coming up with Anna and I helping out with VBS at our church.  Each year I enjoy this time with the kids, catching up with the other teens who come to help, and just that totally different week from any other week in the summer!

 

Well, it has felt good to be back to blog-y land!  Thank you for letting me ramble about some of the top things I have been busy with!

 

Blessings,

Amber 

40's Luncheon - Farewell Bible study

 

Last Thursday we "celebrated" our final meeting of the girl's Bible study my sister and I have been attending.  Was it a flash back to another era or the end of an era?  Probably a little bit of both... 

 

 

Anna (my sister) is second for right and I am third.

 

For the past two to three years we have been attending this Bible study, making such dear friendships and sweet memories!  Amidst the tea parties, learning to crochet, dressing up, stories, volleyball, quilting, laughter, and crafts, I have appreciated the God honoring studies of the Bible shared together!  Although there will still be opportunities to see each of these girls, this special group will be missed!

 

It was time to move on,  but first to make a few final memories!  The theme was 40's, a fun era to choose!  We dressed up as best as we could (which I think we did quite well at), listened to old records, played Clue, had burgers and fries, shared prayer requests, and made sure to take lots of pictures!

 

 

Last Scripture passage shared. 

 

 

At the end we went to an old fashioned ice cream parlor where our leader shared her engagement story over delicious ice cream!  We will truly miss her when she moves away!

 

The whole day was so much fun, along with a twinge of sadness to see a good thing end.  I praise the Lord for the time He gave us together and that this party was not a real good bye!

 

Blessings, Amber