Beauty Divine

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Happy Valentines Day!! I hope you are feeling very loved today! Even if you don't get into the whole chocolate and romance stuff, you should at least find someone you adore and give them a big bear hug:) Have a great day and enjoy these five things that totally ROCK.

1.Love Birds Cards I had to pick at least one thing valentines day related. And I absolutely LOVE these cute handmade Bird in Love Cards. Especially because I'm a little over the whole pink and red hearts. It's a cute and a creative way to say I love you. And it's something you could use any time of year. Check them out here on etsy.



2. Meteor Shower by Owl City This band is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I love music that just leaves you feeling happy and Owl City really does that with their creative lyrics and electronic sound. I'm not sure if they are technically a Christian band but this song is a great reminder that we belong to a great God and he has made us new. Here are the lyrics:
I can finally see that you're right there beside me / I am not my own, for I have been made new / Please don't let me go, I desperately need you / I am not my own, for I have been made new / Please don't let me go, I desperately need you.




3. The Hunter Games books Someone at borders referred these books to me and at first glance I didn't think they were might type. But I really loved them. I like stories that put you inside a whole other world and these books do that. The two main characters Katniss & Peeta live in a futuristic "America" where the government has gone a little control crazy. What really made me love it is the way that Peeta adores Katniss. He would just do anything for her. These books rocked. I can't wait for the third one to come out.



4. Fashion Week Makeup I couldn't help checking out all the new trends at Fashion Week. The one thing I really loved was the makeup on models for Michael Kors. The artist used Shiseido's Spring 2010 line to make these shimmery gem-toned eyes. I love how he blends lots of colors together to get this reflective jewel look. It's bright and fun for spring. See more of fashion week here at Instyle.com.



5. Haiti Love T-shirts Another thing I spotted at fashion week was Victoria Beckham's T-shirt supporting Haiti. These are $25 each and the net proceeds go to benefit the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund. It's a small way to help and you get a cute reminder for others to help too. Buy one here.


Don't these things rock? I love finding little things that inspire me...and sharing them of course! Do you have anything you've found lately that really rocks? Share it below!

Redemptionby George Herbert


Having been tenant long to a rich Lord,
Not thriving, I resolved to be bold,
And make a suit unto him, to afford
A new small-rented lease, and cancell th' old.

In heaven at his manour I him sought:
They told me there, that he was lately gone
About some land, which he had dearly bought
Long since on earth, to take possession.

I straight return'd, and knowing his great birth,
Sought him accordingly in great resorts;
In cities, theatres, gardens, parks, and courts:

At length I heard a ragged noise and mirth
Of theeves and murderers: there I him espied,
Who straight, Your suit is granted, said, & died.

In this poem, George Herbert tells a parable of going to a rich landowner to discuss the fact that his lease requires him to pay more than he can afford. Failing to find the landlord among the rich and powerful, the speaker eventually is surprised to discover him among thieves and murderers. Once he finds him, there is a dramatic twist. The landlord himself has paid the price of his new lease, giving his life as payment.

I really loved this poem because of the simple picture it paints of God's love for us. It's easy to read words in the Bible and forget the power of the story. The underlying story in this poem is the struggle of humankind since the fall. We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Death is payment for sin and since none of us is perfect, we cannot afford to pay the cost of what we owe.

The speaker is much like us. He wishes to find a solution to his problems but finds that his landlord is absent: the landlord (God) has gone to take possession of 'some land he had dearly bought'. When we go searching for Christ, he surprises us. He is not found among wealthy kings or pious priests who have it all together. He is found among the least "important" in our eyes. He cares for the sinners, the murderers, the thieves, the prostitutes...every one of us who is guilty. He cared enough to die, to pay our debt. He kindly says, "Your suit is granted" or literally "It is finished." In other words, at the moment of dying, his thoughts are for those he wishes to rescue.

Redemption literally means ‘a buying back.’ He has paid for us. We only need to believe and accept it.

What's more romantic than getting dressed up, dimming lights and eating a delicious meal by candlelight at home? I think this is the perfect way to spend Valentines day. Who needs crowded restaurants, two hour waits, and being overcharged for dinner? Not me. I'm pretty sure this year I'm going to stay home and make Stephen his favorite meal: Chicken Parmesan. It's a little more work than my average mac and cheese meal, but it's so worth it. It's definitely restaurant quality so I had to share it with you!

The pasta:
*Follow the directions on your favorite type of pasta. I use farfalle (bowtie) pasta for this meal because it looks fancy and it goes well with a thinner sauce.

The chicken:
*Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet on medium high for one minute.
*Take three-four boneless, skinless chicken breasts (depending on how much you two eat) and pound them until they are 1/4" thick. Season both sides with Italian seasoning and garlic powder.
*Mix one egg and 1/4 cup of milk in one bowl. Then in another bowl mix 1/2 cup of dry bread crumbs and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese.
*Using tongs, dip each chicken breast in the egg mixture and then into the bread crumb mixture. Coat and place into the skillet.
*Cook for 5-7 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink inside.

The sauce:
*Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of garlic powder in a saucepan.
*Once butter is melted, stir in 1 can of diced tomatoes.
*If you like a little thicker sauce, add 1/4 cup of ragu.
*Bring to a boil and then simmer on low until chicken is ready.

The cheese:
*Shred 1 cup of of mozzarella cheese. (Or 2 cups if making cheese bread)
*When chicken is ready, top with sauce and enough mozzarella to cover the top. (I sometimes place this in the oven on broil until the cheese gets bubbly.)
*Serve over pasta

The cheesebread:
*Cut italian bread into 1-2" thick slices.
*Top with butter, garlic powder, a little basil or rosemary.
*After seasoning, top with remaining mozzarella cheese (Make sure cheese is really overflowing-you'll need more than you think)
*Bake in oven (350 degrees) for 5-7 minutes or until edges are crispy and cheese is melted.

Add a side salad and some sparkling grape juice in wine glasses and your romantic meal is complete!

One of the best purchases I've made this year was my Chi flat iron. I am not by any means a hairstylist and to be honest most days my hair gets thrown into a messy bun:) But on the days when I do actually put some effort into my hair, I have really appreciated my flat iron. The main thing I love about it is that it gets hot enough that I only have to go over a piece of hair once. It doesn't strip the moisture out of my hair and actually leaves it feeling silky. Flat irons I've used in the past literally burned my hair and made it frizzy -and my hair gets frizzy enough on its own!

I ran into the video below and became inspired to write this post. The website pursebuzz.com where I found it has awesome tutorials for hair and makeup. She shows you in the video below how to get many different looks with one tool: a flat iron. Hope you like it as much as I did!




Oh and if you're inspired to buy one, this website has some amazing deals:
Chi Products

In my pregnancy, I still have another 29 weeks to go. ::sigh:: But even though I have a lot of time to wait, I couldn't help myself from scoping out all the fun baby stuff!! Especially now that I have a nursery that is completely empty and just begging to be decorated! So I thought I'd share some of the awesome ideas I found and get opinions.
Here's this week's 5 things that rock...Nursery edition!

1. Typography
All you other graphic designers can appreciate this! I thought the design of these rooms were so cute and creative. We've all seen the alphabet or the baby name on the wall, but this takes it to a whole new level. I love it! I especially love the time & date of the baby's birth on a canvas. How cute is that?




2. Rockin' Rocking Chairs
Okay so I've been warned that I'm about to start getting up every hour of the night to feed and change a crying baby. So one of the first things I want to invest in is a rocking chair that is comfortable! Possibly one that feels like a bed so I won't get too grumpy when I have to get up!!




3. Tree Art
Babies aren't the only things growing in these rooms. I was scoping out Pottery Barn Baby and couldn't help but notice how many nurseries included a tree or branches. I'm not sure if I'm artistic enough to try doing this in my baby's room (I did find a couple bad examples) but I have to say it is very cute when the pros pull it off!



4. Mod Squares
I give my sister a hard time because she has an obsession with circles, but Stephen and I may be just as bad when it comes to squares! I was noticing the other day how many things in our house are designed with squares (a lot). So when I saw these rooms with square themes I knew they would fit right in my house if I were to put in that much effort:)


5. Framed
This look is so simple but I love it! There's just something I love about framed artwork or photos (the square shape? haha). It really just gives the room a finishing touch and makes the place your own. I'm not sure which I like better, the collage frames on a shelf or evenly spaced framed art. Maybe I could do both? Cuteness:)




What are your thoughts? Any favorite designs to put in a nursery? I would love many more opinions!

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A few nights ago Stephen and I crashed a girls bible study so that we could get to know some of the high schoolers here. I have never talked about so many random topics in the same two hours:) One of those random topics was a website called Picnik. They all thought it was crazy that I'm a graphic designer and had never heard of it before.

So what is it? Picnik is photo editing awesomeness, online, in your browser. It's a really easy way to fix underexposed photos, whiten teeth, or apply effects to your photos. You can also make collages, slideshows, and cards out of your fancy photos. All without being a master at Photoshop. It's free unless you want to upgrade and get some of the premium effects which are better. I threw together a few random examples just to show you a little of what it can do.
Have fun!

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