small step: devour the word daily

Ecclesiastes 1:2-4
Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher;
“ Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” What profit has a man from all his labor
In which he toils under the sun? One generation passes away, and another generation comes; But the earth abides forever.
How do you spend your day? The majority of your time?
According to the Preacher most of what we do is vanity.
Some things are easier to recognize as vanity than others.
Fashion, entertainment, working out, etc.
Some things we see as necessities but really are ....
Job, family, clubs, hobbies, etc.
We should remember our earthly duties and responsibilities are just that earthly.
Keep it in perspective!
It won't matter after death if I was a CEO, librarian, or a dentist.
I do my work as unto the Lord but I don't let it consume me.
I don't let work interfere with my worship.
Family is very important and if your the head of household or a parent your responsible for others in the home. You pray over them, lead by example, encourage and guide, but yet and still don't let them interfere with your worship.
It sound harsh to think as family as vanity but there's no husbands and wives in heaven
Think on it what have you allowed to take a place of prominence?

nails

 BUTTER London Diamond Geezer and Ulta Moody Blues  loved it got lots of compliments. Diamond Geezer is an amazing mettalic.

 BUTTER London Tea with the Queen pinkish beige

Ulta Gold Digger used to be my favorite mettalic until I met Diamond Geezer but I still really like

Orly Soul Mate which I thought was red even at the time of this picture. That is why lighting is important. On Sunday afternoon in the natural light is when I realized it wasn't red but a really deep pink. I really like it though

I put Essie Matte about You on top. I couldn't get a good picture but it was really velvety in person.

My nails today I added some China Glaze Peachy Keen and Sinful Colors Nail Art Black

sermon outtakes

Here's some inspiration from Sunday's sermon

Leaven and The Lump~ Joshua 7
So approximately 3,000 warriors were sent, but they were soundly defeated. The men of Ai ⁵ chased the Israelites from the town gate as far as the quarries,^[c] and they killed about thirty-six who were retreating down the slope. The Israelites were paralyzed with fear at this turn of events, and their courage melted away.
 ⁶ Joshua and the elders of Israel tore their clothing in dismay, threw dust on their heads, and bowed face down to the ground before the Ark of the Lord until evening. ⁷ Then Joshua cried out, “Oh, Sovereign Lord, why did you bring us across the Jordan River if you are going to let the Amorites kill us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side! ⁸ Lord, what can I say now that Israel has fled from its enemies? ⁹ For when the Canaanites and all the other people living in the land hear about it, they will surround us and wipe our name off the face of the earth. And then what will happen to the honor of your great name?”
 ¹⁰ But the Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying on your face like this? ¹¹ Israel has sinned and broken my covenant! They have stolen some of the things that I commanded must be set apart for me. And they have not only stolen them but have lied about it and hidden the things among their own belongings. ¹² That is why the Israelites are running from their enemies in defeat. For now Israel itself has been set apart for destruction. I will not remain with you any longer unless you destroy the things among you that were set apart for destruction.

He read the entire chapter I just included the main excerpt
Here are the main points
If one part of the body is sick the whole body is affected
One man's sin weakened the entire army
We cannot take sin lightly
The moment you are out of God's will you are singled out for destruction
Identify what causes you to sin
You cannot fight on two fronts
You can't engage in war with the enemy and have a war within
Once the sin is removed grace is restored

For more contact: http://www.faithcfm2.org/
We also have a facebook page Faith Covenant Fellowship- South
Sermons are available via Ustream

Ulta Sales

My latest indulgences at Ulta
BUTTER London is buy 2 get 1 free
So I bought Victoriana, Tea with the Queen, & The Old Bill
And I decided to try Essie Matte About You
I think I'll try Tea with the Queen tonight
I was planning to do red with Matte About You
But it seems that sometimes after a bold manicure I am inclined to do something simple

stamping attempts #1

As mentioned before stamping is harder than it looks

 First ever attempt. Base Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Yellow Kitty stamped with Coral Fever

Third attempt base sally Hansen White On stamped with OPI That's Berry Darling and Sinful Colors Nail Art accent

Second attempt

2nd attempt base OPI Give me a Coral Sometime stamped with Ulta Gold Digger

random nails

Random nail shots mostly from September

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Yellow Kitty
Super cute mellow yellow got lots of compliments

 BUTTER London Toff purple brown good with one coat, got lots of compliments and broke my pinkie nail

 OPI Give Me a Coral Sometime pretty but can still see my nail line with 3 coats

Attempted tape manicure. I think I cut the tape strips too thin because I had real hard time pulling them off. And the pinkie just would come up. Used OPI San Tan-Tonio, Sally Hansen White On and Nicole by OPI Daffy Dill

 

Another tape mani this one worked better and I used large tape pieces and got compliments

Used Ulta Moody Blues, Nicole by OPI My Lifesaver, and Urban Outfitters Blue 9

nail mail

I also indulged in the month of September with some online orders.
I ordered from TracePhacePhiles blog sale as well as Amazon.com

 So a sneak peak in the packaging

 Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Yellow Kitty & Coral Fever, OPI Give Me A Coral Sometime, and Orly Soulmate

From Amazon.com a Konad stamp kit and plates 45 & 57

Polish: I was happy with all the colors.The only (slight) downside was the OPI I like the color and the shimmer I can't stand having to do so many coats. Which brings to my only issue with ordering online is if I had seen it in a store probably would have bought it. I am just more a creme person. If it takes four coats to get the look I want that's too much work. But I will use it but next time with a white coat underneath.

Konad: It was harder than I thought. I had a problem similar to others that the stamp would not cover my whole nail. The other issue was that the polish included did not do anything. Seriously, nothing. So I used my others and they worked.

Ulta sales

So Ulta and I are officially best friends
I stopped through Ulta every once in awhile
But since I got back into doing my nails
I'm there all the time and never let one of my coupons go to waste
So of course I attended the BOGO BUTTER London sale

This is my days the day OPI Japanese Rose Garden with Sinful Colors Nail Art Time Off

 And my purchases BUTTER Diamond Geezer and Toff and I just couldn't pass up China Glaze Peachy Keen

Peachy Keen was the first color I tested and loved it and got lots of compliments on it.
In the past I have not been a huge fan of China Glaze but now I know where to focus - cremes.

I have been insanely busy
But the work load has lifted
And just in time for a long weekend
So I am going to attempt to add all my missing posts
They will probably in random order

So yesterday I got a compliment on my nails

The server at TGIFriday's was in awe and totally inspired to do mix colors.
I used BUTTER London Diamond Geezer and Ulta Moody Blues.
I bought the Diamond Geezer during the BOGO sale at Ulta
This was the first time I had worn it
I love it. It's so the perfect metallic.
It almost looks like one of those nail strips or something
In the picture I think I had 2 coats on but you can get away with 1.

happy fall

There is something special about the seasons
Spring Summer Fall Winter
A few weeks back I was dreading the end of summer
It's just that so much changes (weather, I go back to work, etc)
But as soon as the leaves turn I remember that Autumn is amazing
In Illinois it rains a lot
But there is a special type of rain particular to the spring and fall
The spring rain is when the wind blows the white blossoms from the trees
It's beautiful and peaceful even
The fall rain is when the multi colored leaves are released by the gentle breeze
And dance their way to the ground
If you live in a place with only evergreens I feel sorry for you
Winter is my least favorite season
But I am still able to recognize the beauty of snow and ice
And how they transform the landscape
But each season is necessary
So as I'm looking out my window
In awe of God's paintbrush
My mind shifts to the seasons of our lives
There's building and planting seasons and reaping and gathering seasons
But each season comes in time
If we didn't have winter the balance would be thrown off
So the next time difficulty arises or it's time for a change
Recognize that it just the changing of the seasons
We have no guarantee that will evade all trouble
But we do know that God is with us.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
To everything there is a season,
      A time for every purpose under heaven:
      A time to be born, And a time to die;
      A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted;
      A time to kill, And a time to heal;
      A time to break down, And a time to build up;
      A time to weep, And a time to laugh;
      A time to mourn, And a time to dance;
      A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones;
      A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
      A time to gain, And a time to lose; 
      A time to keep, And a time to throw away;
      A time to tear, And a time to sew;
      A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;
      A time to love, And a time to hate;
      A time of war, And a time of peace.