Can I get an opinion????

Okay so how much is too much to spend on something really good that I would use everyday...Honestly I don't think spending $21.00 on something you would use everyday for a couple months is a bad investment. I am posting this because I have been debating buying a really nice brand of mascara....It is called "Lashgasm" by Too Faced. It is amazing. It truly changed my opinion of what mascara can do. So yes or no? Buy the mascara or run away from it?

Interesting....

Doesn't this Gardenia look like is smells amazing?? :) I love Gardenias!

Last Sunday I found myself in my green Toyota Camry lost in some random part of Richmond, Texas trying to get myself to a wedding on time. I was flustered and annoyed when I finally arrived at the wedding (slightly late) and as I settled into my seat, I realized something.....

I smelled. Not a good smell by any means but a kind of sweaty, embarrassing smell that comes when you forget your deodorant and then sit in a dark green car with leather seats with a heat index of at least a hundred degrees (no matter how much you run the AC, it's still hot) for about an hour.

ANYWAYS the reason why I am talking about this is because I did not realize I smelled bad until I sat down in the lovely, cool church which had fresh roses decorating the aisles. I thought that it was very interesting that I did not realize I smelled until I surrounded myself with people and a place that smelled good. This made me think about the power that those you spend time with have over you. If you are constantly surrounded by people who do not live their lives for Christ you may find that their "scent" permeates your body.

I really believe this is why Christ tells us is Psalm 1:1-2 "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers: 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night."

So I would encourage you to be careful of who you are surrounding yourself with. I have honestly struggled with this issue myself but the Lord is clear about the way you should live your life. Do not walk, stand, or sit near the wicked, those who sin, or those who scoff.

Have a lovely day! :)

-Amy

Stir Frying Up Some Trouble!

I was in such a great mood after finishing all of my classes yesterday I had some friends over for dinner and the meal I fixed was stir-fry! It was really quite fun and interesting to try something different but I first had to find a recipe....I found one online and ran over to the grocery store to get all of the fresh veggies and chicken required (Oh, and some teriyaki sauce of course!). As I was checking out I realized that ALL of the vegetables I had purchased (carrots, green beans, broccoli, and bok choy) would not be able to fit in my largest frying pan which is not even that large. And then I had the wonderful idea that I could buy one of those things, what do you call them?? Oh, right a WOK! But then reality shot into my head and goes 'where in the heck are you going to get thirty bucks to buy one of those puppies?'... The rain was hitting the back of my neck when I ran to my car with a worried look on my face, how was I ever going to pull this meal off? But then I had the wonderful idea of running into the Goodwill next to Randalls to see if by chance they might have a wok! I ran inside and there it was, an amazing wok for only six bucks. It really is quite amazing and heavy-duty! Thankfully a shopper next to me told me that I better grab a lid for it (which didn't have a price tag so I did not get charged for it). I rushed home and began the task of chopping up the vegetables I had purchased. At the end of the night I was very pleased with myself for trying something new and different. It was so much more fun and interesting to chop up the veggies myself and do everything by hand than buy one of those ready-made bags of stir-fry (those can be lifesavers at certain times though, don't get me wrong). I also felt pretty good after eating the stir-fry, much better for you than a big piece of pizza or heavy pasta. Here are some pictures from last night....

Did I mention I also made some chocolate chip cookies :)?

Everything is all chopped up and ready to jump in the Wok! It is actually a lot bigger in person.

(notice: this picture was taken today as I forgot to take a picture of it last night...)

I encourage you to try making a stir fry! My only advice is that you get the freshest veggies possible, Randalls is not so fresh :/...

Cheers! -Amy Elinor

P.s. For those of you who have not had the immense pleasure of meeting my new purse in person, here she is, Celia....I will forever be indebted to Stephanie Erin Bostwick!

A Very Long Day!

I have not posted in awhile because I have not really felt inspired to do so but I thought I would tell y'all about an interesting and long day I had!

7:00am- Wake Up, Go running

8:00am-Read the Bible, Eat some breakfast

9:17am- Catch the bus to school

3:00pm- FINALLY get out of class (after five hours)

4:00pm- Leave for volunteering at the hospital

8:00pm- Get off from volunteering, head to the library

-get some Chipotle! yay! :)

9:00-11:30pm- Study at the library

12:00-2:00am- Study at home! woo!

So basically my Monday was not the best of Mondays. But I have to admit, it felt great to be so busy! I would have liked to have been that busy without all of the feverish studying though! I had two tests and a listening quiz that Tuesday so I had to get my nose to the grindstone. I did okay on my tests and quiz but not as well as I would have liked on one of my tests.

Sorry if that was supeerrr boring to you! :) It was just something I have been thinking back on. I really do enjoy being busy sometimes. It is nice to be able to look back on a day and really feel like you have accomplished something.

On a side note I have really been getting into the world cup! Anyone else enjoying the interesting games and match-ups? :) I especially like this match up....

Hope everyone has a happy Monday tomorrow and that you get something accomplished!

Love, Amy

Well Hello There Red Bull

This picture made me laugh for some reason.... haha I love Bluebonnets (thank you Mrs. Johnson!)

This week has been a little crazy for me. I did not get to go home for Easter because I had to study for two tests scheduled for Monday (which consequently I did not do too well on). I also had a test that I was supposed to take Tuesday but it got moved to Thursday because the teacher messed up the copies of the test. I also have a HUGE paper due ("Huge"= length and meaningfulness) on Thursday which I am slowly but surely finishing. The paper I am writing is actually a policy brief. The subject is mandating HPV vaccines for girls. I am actually learning a lot so if you ever want to know anything about HPV, HPV vaccinations, or the current policy in Texas regarding mandated vaccines let me know! I have really enjoyed my Children and Public Policy class (which is the class I am writing the paper for) even though my teacher is a serious liberal. I'm pretty sure she thinks that we should all be heavily taxed so that everyone can be equal, countries like Iceland are an example. I would like to go to Iceland and talk to the people about the way they feel about being taxed so heavily. When one looks at the data in regards to Iceland they are on or around the top ,in comparison to the world, in many things: low infant mortality rates, education, etc... My teacher argues that we should spend less money on the military and space travel (not sure how I feel about the space travel thing, maybe it is a good idea?) and more money on the health and well-being of children. I get what she is saying but a part of me wonders...What if a terrorist attack happened in Iceland and military assistance was needed right away, my guess is that the US would be right there to protect the small country. (Am I right?)

Forgive me if I sound ignorant, that was just an idea I had. What do y'all think?

Let me know! :)

Heavy. Frightened.

It has been a long week. I have worked or volunteered everyday along with writing two papers and going to class! I know there are people out there who do a lot more than I do in a week but that was a lot for me considering I only took twelve hours last semester and did not have a job. Ha!

Anyways...So I finished working today at 4:30 but I had a babysitting job close to work at 5:30 so I decided to stay close by and go to a nearby starbucks. As I walked in I noticed a woman who looked a bit odd... Being in Austin for about 8 months now I am not surprised when I see someone who looks kind of different ( "Keep Austin Weird" right?). Well, it was not a woman, it was in fact a man dressed as a woman. I smiled at him/her and quietly drank my coffee and read my Bible. Along with my Bible I was reading John Piper's book "Pierced by the Word, Thirty-one Meditations for Your Soul", it is a great read and I would highly recommend it. The chapter (or day?) I am on is about Hell. John Piper quotes Dorothy Sayers "... it is explicit in many of the most familiar parables and implicit in many more: it bulks far larger in the teaching than one realizes, until one reads the Evangelists through instead of picking out the most comfortable texts: one cannot get rid of it without tearing the New Testament to tatters. We cannot repudiate Hell without altogether repudiating Christ.". 5:10 rolled around and I had to leave but as I was leaving the Lord convicted me about this person. He was obviously confused and maybe he needed someone to talk to. I could say I was late and had to get to my babysitting job but we all know the sovereignty of our God. I really was too selfish to strike up a conversation. I say too selfish but I really mean too scared. Honestly, talking to someone about Christ really scares me. But after my reading today and some real soul searching I have decided that I am MUCH more frightened about someone suffering an eternity in Hell. So please pray for me as I try to conquer my fears and open up my heart to the opportunities God presents for me. And please pray for the aforementioned person. Maybe I will see them again.

With a heavy heart,

Amy Elinor

My Blue Shoes

For my 2oth birthday my best friend Abby Rose got me an amazing pair of blue high heels! I love them to death and I wear them whenever I can. I always get a compliment on them as they are so fun and bright. It is amazing that one thing about your outfit can change it completely. All of a sudden a black skirt or dress is changed into a more chic outfit! These shoes are magic and go with anything! (Well, mostly). Hope y'all enjoyed this random fit of proclamation of joy for my lovely shoes.

Love, Amy

p.s. They are the Steve Madden "Trinite" I believe.

Spring? Where are you?

Well, it is snowing here in Austin and it is so beautiful! I really like that we get snow so randomly because I enjoy getting excited about weather. Everyone is secretly so happy to see snow. When my sister Stacy lived in NY she got VERY sick of the cold weather there (as would I). But I just love this crazy Texas weather. When it snows two days after it was 80 degrees I just smile and remember who is in complete control of our world and weather! :)

I had an impromptu snowball fight with some people and got hit a couple times before my class which I arrived to dripping and absolutely frozen!

When my class was over I walked past where we had the fight and there were still some people there. A couple guys threw snowballs at me which I blocked with my umbrella and they yelled "Man UP!" which I replied to with "Im a Woman!". He said "touche" and they left me alone.

I loved feeling like a kid and being so excited about the snow!

Hope y'all are having a great day and staying warm..I am drinking some cocoa and watching a Cary Grant movie in my warm apartment.

Love, Amy

p.s. Fireplaces are USELESS without firewood! :( :(

Dogs will be dogs

My friend Ali and I returned to her apartment after working out last night and when we walked we were greeted by a host of smells and ripped up paper. Her roommate's dog had gotten into a lot of stuff and had knocked my phone off of the counter and had chewed on it! Thankfully my wallet and clutch were OK but I was disconcerted about my phone. It still worked but was so mangled I really did not want to use it anymore, plus it was having technical difficulties ( automatically recording my conversations and deciding that it wanted me to "please say a command" at any random time). I went down to Verizon and with a renewal of my contract I got a smart looking little red phone. It is pretty cute..See....

I don't use the key board part of it which I suppose is a waste.

The dog was not harmed, but should have been. I also had twenty dollars that was torn but not eaten!

See ya later!

- Amy

Whispers of Spring

February and March can be so difficult to dress for. My winter outfits are starting to get tiring to me but it is still not warm enough for dresses, shorts, and t-shirts. Which is why I have been using accent items in my outfits to encourage me. Here are some photos for inspiration...What do y'all do to combat these months?

p.s. can you guess which one of these items I own?

And, just for you Kristin...

Just a Few of My Favorite Things

I am sitting in one of the buildings at UT in a plush orangey-red velvet chair:). This building I am in is very random. Down one hall there is a half court basketball area and offices regarded physical fitness but down the other hall someone is playing a classical piece on a piano(OH and a young man has his puppy here! It looks like a fluffy German Shepherd! SO CUTE). It is raining again here in Austin and I love it! Although pulling myself out of bed when rain is falling on my roof is very difficult but I manage. ANYWAYS this post is about a few of my favorite things/pictures which I will display below. I hope you enjoy! :)

Explaining the Name

The title of my blog came easily enough. On a whim I created this blog and within a couple seconds the title of it came to me. It is not in reference to a special date which is coming up that involves my eldest sister. Nor does it refer to fifth symphony (which is wonderful and powerful). No it refers to the order in which I was born. I am the fifth child in my family of seven children and I love my placement. Being the fifth has allowed me to be friends with all of my siblings. I have enjoyed the company of not only my eldest sibling but also the youngest. I got to stick around the house while the younger ones were still growing up and I think they trust me as a friend and do not see me as just an older sister who is (sometimes) bossy. As well as being the fifth child, I am ALSO the youngest girl which has been quite fun:).

Well I hope this have given you a little bit of insight into my life (isn't that what these blogs are all about anyway?).

-Ames