My Experiment

My experiment... dun dun dun: Parchment Paper Cupcake Liners!!! Martha Stuart is truly blessed by God I believe, minus the minor legal infractions, and I sadly realized I didn't have traditional cupcake liners. So... WWMD (What Would Martha Do!?)??  I'll post some pictures when it's all said and done, but I'm crossing my fingers that this actually works! *Deep Breath*

Really, it has to work - because I'm hosting this engagement party on Saturday, and I have zero time to get everything else done!! lol Simultaneously with this shower, I'm also hosting a college girl scavenger hunt... it's actually pretty stellar. I'm giving them a list of crazy things to do, and then I let them loose!! They get to go all over Ft. Myers and Estero and take pictures of themselves acting all sorts of crazy! Haha - really, I'm just giving them another opportunity for an album on facebook. haha It should be fun though; I'm actually pretty excited! :)

Otherwise, I CAN'T WAIT to get this shower done!! It's going to be beautiful, and totally worth it when it's all said and done. I love the center pieces, venue, and overall awesome ideas that my friend and I have for this shower!! The bride doesn't even know how lucky she is... lol jk Pictures to follow (hopefully today...)

In other news - My church needs some major prayer. We're having to make some huge decisions, and basically, it's all coming down to trusting in God and his faithfulness. A bit of our story - We started 7 years ago with four families. They each had a clear vision from God to start a church in our area. So they left the church that they had been a part of and worked for to start this church. They chose to be obedient to where God was calling them, and God blessed them in that. We started meeting in their living rooms, and eventually moved into the ball room at Florida Gulf Coast University (My alma mater) and we grew... and grew. Finally, we began to realize that we were outgrowing that, and we began praying for God's will and his provision. This is when an older couple felt like God was calling them to use that particular piece of property for a church. So the could, with some majorly prime real estate, approached our pastors and offered them a very expensive, large chunk of land in a prime location. Obviously we accepted their generous gift and began building a facility four years ago. We dedicated that building to God's will and God's mercy, grace, and faithfulness. If you rip up the floors and tear down the drywall, you can see scripture all over the foundation of that church. It's such a cool thing!! Like every other church, we were hit by the economy (especially being in Ft. Myers) and we had our fair share of trials. Our church still continued to grow. We sought God and we tried our best to discern his plan and be obedient to that and follow that. So we kept on growing. Now we're at a crossroads again. We have to make some serious choices and expectantly wait for God to do something God-sized. Good or bad, I can't wait for God to work everything together for his glory! I'm really inspired and conforted by Haggai through this time, and so excited to see our people rally around the mission that God has called us to!! :) If you think about it, will you pray for it? Here's a link so you can see completely what we're all about: http://www.summitlife.com/. (definitely describes who we are better than I ever could).

<3, kt

My Achy Breaky Heart: Encouraging college girls on V-day.

So, I help out with my church's college ministry. This requires that I meet with all kinds of college girls from all walks of life - who are all trying to figure it out. It's the best thing in the whole world. I couldn't imagine being or doing anything else. However, with V-day around the corner, I can't even begin to tell you how many of my recent meetings have consisted of hearing about dirty boys and immature boys and boys who want to play those dumb games that almost all young guys feel a necessity to play. But what's more? My heart breaks for those girls that get hurt by those kinds of boys because they are looking to find their soul mate. I'm not saying it isn't possible, but I am saying that there's so much more to college than waiting around for Mr. Right.

I was sitting in church tonight (I go to a Staurday night service - judge me. lol), and I couldn't help but thinking about an 18 year old girl who wants so desperately just to be married. I gave my usual speech of "God's man and God's timing is what you want" - but I could still see her broken heart over it. It's just such a huge part of her thought-life, and it isn't even yet a reality for her...

I've never been one to really be boy crazy or worry about being single for the rest of my life. I've always been pretty content about my current stance. It hasn't been until recently that God has granted me a deep down solid peace and joy that His timing and his glory is what I want more than life. I'm certain that most of the people that read this are probably married (most of my friends are anyway), and of those that are married, they can easily attest to the fact that marriage is no where near easy. At points it's hard. In other words, while it's a HUGELY WONDERFUL blessing, it's not all about the white picket fence and 2.7 kids and a Volvo.

So I've been praying so hard that all single girls everywhere would see marriage in a new light. That their heart would work toward calling God their beloved. I want so desperately for them to know that deep down confidence that the essence of marriage is God bring two people together to better glorify him. I am single currently, and I know that God has not yet (if it's even in his plan) brought a good man into my life because I am more glorifying to him just as I am. To be frank, I love it! I get to have my God all to myself and I get to have an undivided heart. It's amazing that I get to take all that God is teaching me during this time into my future marriage (if that's where God has me go). I want every girl to pursue God and know him and love him before all else because He first loved us!! It's a wonderful thought... and I'm grateful to know it. :)

Anyhow, here's my question to anyone who may read this: Wherever your place in life - single, married, dating - what is your pearl of wisdom? If you had the chance, what would you feel so important to tell every girl in the world about relationships?  ... I'm excited to learn new things myself! :)

<3, kt

Beauty in the Land of the Hot and Humid!!

Hey everyone! This is Kristin, and today on Kelly's Korner is SUYL: Beauty!! I hadn't written in a while, and got inspired as I began to read everyone's beauty secrets. :) I must say that I think I have tried absolutely everything that everyone has posted about so far. I have liked some, but I have also learned that what works for the rest of the country becomes a different story when you live on a swamp filled peninsula near the equator. lol To be frank, it's quite the shock when I go up north and I'm not near any sort of humidity - I have no idea what to do... everything changes. It's weird...

Anyhow, from usual sunny (except for today) south Florida come some of my favorite products and tips!

SKIN:: Obagi Nuderm - addicted. It's kind of expensive, but I have some scarring. So, for that reason, I'm addicted. Other than that - some of the other things I love are almost all things Neutrogena. That has definitely been my favorite drugstore find throughout my whole entire life!! Serious face - deep cleans to get rid of the dirt, oil, and grime! Who doesn't love that!?

Of course, it's imperative to use sunscreen - no matter where you live! For that, my fav beyond all favs is Aveeno's positively radiant!! But, I think I like the Walmart generic version even better -- who knew?

As for makeup - I'm a perpetual wearer; however, I'm not as picky... yet. haha All of my friends are ADDICTED to and SWEAR by MAC though. I honestly can't protest either - they always have absolutely perfect makeup and application with no wear and tear. I sometimes find it rather shocking to be honest... I really should invest in a few key products... Although, I will say the absolute BEST mascara is "Falsies" by Maybelline (And I'm pretty serious about my mascara!). Truly any Maybelline mascara is a hit in my book.

HAIR:: INFUSIUM 23 -- all the way. Now I mean everything... from the shampoo to the conditioner to the leave-in treatment. You will have zero regrets. Also, once a week I use a cleansing conditioner (Hair One from Sally's) - it's amazing if your hair needs to be cleaned but still get some intense moisture. According to the reviews, it's even better than Chaz Dean's "Wen" product! :)

Now for my waves/curls (truly, it depends on the day) my all-time fav products are the entire Fresh Curls line by Redkin. It smells delightful and gives the perfect amount of control and softness to make your curls bouncy and frizz-free. Not to mention, I've never had anything define them better...

For the straight days - Tresemme heat protector spray makes my day. It seriously has made such a huge difference in my hair. My split ends and overall health of my hair has improved drastically since I took the time to protect it. What's more... I dislike the Chi. It's ok, I just don't feel like it's powerful enough to get my hair straight... BUT, I really really like the flat-irons by Jilbere. One swipe and my frizzy curls are perfectly straight and shiny! ...Doesn't get any better! :)

<3, kt