Pin It simply southern: April 2012

Monday, April 30, 2012

Proverbs 31 Woman



I long to be a Proverbs 31 woman. I've got a ways to go, but I'll get there eventually.
A wife of noble character(K) who can find?(L)
    She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband(M) has full confidence in her
    and lacks nothing of value.(N)
12 She brings him good, not harm,
    all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax
    and works with eager hands.(O)
14 She is like the merchant ships,
    bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
    and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the distaff
    and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the poor
    and extends her hands to the needy.(P)
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
    for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed;
    she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
    where he takes his seat among the elders(Q) of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
    and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.(R)
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise(S) at the city gate.



Saturday, April 21, 2012

Talking, Growing, Learning

"I will not talk in class; for when I talk in class I impede the learning process."

Those are the words my mind will never forget, and my hand will never forgive my mouth for.

It was my eighth grade year, my fourteenth birthday, and I was my typical self, talkative. And where did it get me? At my kitchen table, writing five hundred lines, happy birthday to me. I was known as the class clown/dare devil by my friends, the social butterfly by my mother, the brutally honest one by my family, and the sometimes to-talkative one by my teachers.

Its not that I talked in class out of purpose disrespect, I liked, and enjoyed all of my teachers; I just had the hardest time keeping my mouth shut.

"There is a time to talk, and a time to listen Kayla Neal."

These were the words my mom would tell me on a weekly basis, as I wrote: "I will not talk in class; for when I talk in class I impede the learning process." five hundred times on my notebook paper, she bought with her well earned money. I honestly don't know if writing that scentence five hundred times did the job. In my opinon, at the time, was that it was an extreme waste of paper, and my mom should do something about it. Can you imagine now, with all this "green" talk, they probably make the students text it five hundred times on their school issued iPad. (Wow, how the world has changed. Do teachers even make kids write lines anymore?)

I have been thinking a lot lately about Christ's calling on my life, and I have come to the conclusion that it could involve talking. What a perfect fit that would be right? Well, the more I read, and the more I pray, I have learned that God is sort of known for using His children's big flaws, to make an even bigger impact for His kingdom. In fact every person ever used by God, has been flawed, simply because they are human. 

Rather my calling is in talking to others and encouraging them, or if its something completely different, I find strength in knowing that God can use it all, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

-K

Thursday, April 12, 2012

God's thoughts

“How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!”
Psalms 139:17-18 (NLT)

I LOVE THE BEACH
One of my favorite places to go is, most certainly, to a sandy beach. There is something about the warm breeze blowing through your hair, the white sand between your toes, the sound of the waves crashing against the shore, and having not a worry in the world. Its a place I can always count on to relax me, and remove whatever stress is present in my life. The whiter the sand, the bluer the water, the better.

My husband and I went on a seven night cruise for our honeymoon, in June 2010, and we got to visit Grand Cayman Island, Cozumel, Belize, and Honduras. We had such a fab time. I got to see the bluest ocean water I had ever seen, and a true white sand beach. They were all literally breath taking. However all I could find for the next couple of weeks was that white sand. I found it in my shoes, in my towels, suitcases, clothes, swim suits, the list of locations I found, pretty white sand, goes on and on.

TO COUNT THE SAND
If I would have attempted to count all those teeny tiny little grains of sand, I would probably still be counting. In Psalm 139:17-18 it reads,
    
     “How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!”

Can you imagine how many grains of sand there are in this world? Not only the tons of get away grains that tend to make its way back home in our suitcases, but in the entire world. All the beaches, white sand and brown. That is a ton of sand, but God's precious thoughts about us, His children, are far beyond that number.

God loves us, and thinks of us more than we could ever imagine. Every loving parent thinks of their child often, but even more so, does the most loving Father think of His children. If you ever think He isn't listening, isn't present, or doesn't care; you are only a few page turns away from realizing the truth about just how much your Heavenly Father loves you, listens, and cares.

Bye Ya'll


Thursday, April 5, 2012

Pinterest-ing Night

I always get on Pinterest, I mean who doesn't, but I always get on there and plan to really make one of the fab things I see. Well I can say, with excitement, that I finally did!

I have this awesome Easter wreath that my best friend from High School, Haley Taylor, made me, but my door would always look so bare after I took it down. So, I decided to make a Spring/Summer wreath. It was quite a bit more work than I had planned, but I love the outcome. Hope you like it! Comment if you need any help on how I did it. Happy Easter everyone.


Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Spring Into Fashion

Spring and fall are my two favorite seasons, aside from the allergies, they are packed full of great weather,  fun outdoor activities, and fashion, fashion, fashion.

I have always loved fashion, and tried my best to keep up to date on what is "hot". So this blog is going to be all about, you guessed it, fashion.

From Spring 2012 shoes, to hair, to clothes, even nail polish, I am going to post some of my favorites in this years Spring 2012 Fashion Line up.

The color blocks to your right are the Spring 2012 Color Trends, and if you haven't seen all sorts of clothes show up in these colors, then you must be living in a cave. Everywhere I go I see, margarita (green) shirts, and solar power (yellow) cardigans. These beautiful colors are so stunning! Another thing I have seen a lot of is Tangerine/Red pants. Speaking of tangerine/red pants, that brings me to my next topic...



Colored PANTS! I love love love them! How practical they are for others seasons is the question, but lets just bask for a moment in how darn cute these things are. I personally own them in red, that I pair with a grey and white striped button up, and a cute little grey flat. I love it. Important thing to keep in mind, if you are built like me, that the lighter the color on bottom, the heavier it will make you look, so I am going to fight every temptation, and stay clear of the white skinny pant.






If you know me at all, you know I have a love affair with dresses. I have a ton of them, from formal, to just plain cute summer dresses. These dresses to our right can be found, along with tons more, at Forever21 - which just so happens to be one of my favorite stores.


Shoes and nail polish are pretty much the same colors as what I showed you before in the color blocks above - but here are some photos just in case you want to check them out. Loving these nail polish colors...not the biggest fan of these shoes. Straps and color, color and straps, that is this years spring trent on shoes. To me it looks as though they were taking their cue's off of Lady Gaga, and either I'm just not that brave, or I just know a train wreck when I see one. :)


And last but NOT least it probably the hottest Spring Trend this year - Color Blocking - Very 90's but I think I'm in love. 



I wonder if my mom still has a jacket from the 90's that I could dig out and take. :)

But remember the Simply Southern Golden Rule to fashion
 - Modest is Hotest.