Kisses from Katie

When I first came across Katie Davis founder of Amazima, I sat at my computer in awe and honestly questioned if I was living out my own purpose.

In 2008 at the age of 19, Katie Davis founded an organization called Amazima. This ministry has many facets including a child sponsorship program, which provides the child with schooling, supplies, three hot meals a day, and medical care. Her program now has 400 children in it.

In addition, “Katie also reached out to the Karimojong people of the Masese community. The poorest of the poor, and losing their children to malnutrition and starvation at an astounding rate, she noticed their desperate need for nutritious food. She started a feeding program to the community, nourishing over 1,600 children Monday through Friday. This allows the children to attend school and therefore not go to the street to beg. Also provided is medical care, Bible study, and general health training.”

Not only has she founded both of these programs, she also initiated a self-sustaining vocational program to help the women of Uganda provide better for their families. They make handmade magazine necklaces and sell them in the United States and online at AmazimaStore.org.

Katie now has thirteen daughters that she has adopted and takes care for daily. She shares her beautiful story and daily challenges through her blog and book entitled Kisses from Katie, which was released this month.

Obviously, not everyone’s purpose in life is to move to Africa, adopt thirteen girls and start a nonprofit organization. But what is your purpose? And are you living it out?

After almost two years of being in marketing and public relations, I am returning to teaching. A thought that initially ran through my mind was that my job would no longer be “cool” or “interesting.”

But during my short time in marketing and public relations, I constantly thought about the bottom line – making money. I also thought about making more money for myself. It became a rat race – never satisfying and always wanting more.

Teaching is hard. It’s not babysitting like many may think. It’s creating well developed lesson plans, managing a class of 25 or 30 and constantly evaulating yourself and the students.

I did not initially go into teaching English because I merely enjoyed literature, grammar or writing (although I do). I went into it wanting to be an example, a role model and to teach students the important aspects of life.

I’m not Katie. And I will probably never accomplish the things she has already accomplished at the age of 21.

Katie plans on opening a school in 2012. She continues to allow her vision to grow. I’m sure she has been scared at times embarking on a journey that she may never had thought about before. But what a beautiful, selfless story of sacrifice and love!

For the past couple of years, I have wanted to start a nonprofit. One day, I’d love to have a program that promotes self esteem in young girls and educates them properly on issues that many are too afraid to talk about.

I don’t normally announce my goals or dreams. But Katie has inspired me to keep dreaming and to know it’s possible to see them realized.

What is your purpose? What is the one thing that you know you’re supposed to do but may be afraid to do so?

Let Katie’s story inspire you.

A Touch of Fall

This weekend was the first time I added a little fall to the house. I really do love this time of year. The cool night air, decorating with pumpkins and even Halloween is so great before the holiday frenzy.

Flowers and table runners are just a few things I've added. Even the pillows my mom gave me give off a fall feel. This weekend, I plan on going to the farmer's market or the church down the street to purchase gourds and pumpkins as decorations for my table and porch.

Day Job to Dream Job

One of my favorite blogs to visit is called MakeUnderMyLife.com - its focus is to design a life with intention with many valuable articles on running your small business and the journey it takes to get there. Jess who runs the blog also has a successful online jewelry business called Jess LC.

If you're a frequent reader to the site, you would know about the term "midnight hustler." A midnight hustler is one who seeks to start their own dream business with the plan of quitting their day job. I love this term and would love to hear your feedback.

Are you in your dream job? Or are you a midnight hustler with the plan or simply the thought of starting your own business one day? What would you consider your dream job? Is being self-employed an exciting thought?

Head on over to BeautyGirl to join in on the discussion.

A New Tradition

Almost every Saturday morning for the past month, we have found ourselves at the Pepper Place Farmer's Market. An array of colors are a sight to see with rows of booths filled with fresh, homegrown vegetables and fruit. Another section of the market includes all things handmade. I love seeing someone's craft and always appreciate the amount of detail and work put into it.

One of the best parts of all is that it's pet friendly. I can't tell you how many times we get stopped each visit for someone to pet Manley. Pets bring people together, and there are more Dachshund lovers out there than I thought. He gets so much attention and always takes a long nap afterwards. : )

Here are a few highlights from our Saturday trip to the farmer's market:

On the way

A Profound Phrase

 

For better or for worse- the most profound phrase ever created.

Love is far more than a feeling. If you depend on your "feelings" to get you through a tough situation, you might as well hang it up.

Love is a choice. It's deciding to throw away the petty things. It's a decision to live unselfishly. It does not point out wrongs. It's patient. It's kind. It's unfailing. Those things described definitely aren't feelings. They're attributes that we have to work pretty darn hard at.

I'll leave you with this song by the sultry John Legend. 

Photo found on Stumble Upon.

The Bubble Life

I made a goal today - the BeautyGirl site will be up by the morning, even if that means that I stay up till morning. Let's have a party to celebrate! You in? : )

On another note, I've been thinking a lot about the importance of being open - open to learning, to change, to challenges.

When I was in college, I began to form a broader worldview. Growing up in a small Southern town does not offer you much perspective. However, in college, I met many international friends who taught me so much. Their beliefs were different than mine, but that didn't bother me. Rather, it intrigued me to make sure I knew what I believed. Their culture was different than mine. Instead of turning my nose to it, I embraced it. I loved learning about the many things that made them so different than I am from food to clothing and their way of life.

Nowadays, I catch myself living in a bubble- a tiny bubble that only consists of my pesky problems, my friends, and my family. It's rather quite self-centered, but I think we're all like that. If not, I'm really putting myself out on a limb here.

From the movie, Bubble Boy. I haven't seen it, but it seemed appropriate. 

When we live in our bubbles, we have a narrow perspective on...everything. We forget about the world around us and many times fail to even educate ourselves on it. The countries at war or the natural disasters in other areas don't seem to affect us.

If I had it my way, I would travel the world (who wouldn't, right?). And I would go to as many countries as possible and see how others live.

Obviously, I need a pay check and retirement would be nice, too, so that type of lifestyle may never be afforded to me.

However, I can commit to learn - to be open to other people, to educate myself on other things that do not pertain to my little world.

I really think that if we step outside of ourselves for just a moment - we will grow in ways that we never imagined. Our problems will seem minute when the microscope is turned away.

And we may just form a new appreciation for one another and our own lives.

The Simple Things

The most simple things can bring happiness and therapy to our lives.

Flowers and fresh fruit are among the simple things I love.

I used to think flowers were a waste of money. And I've never been a huge fan of red roses. $50 for a bouquet of roses will never make sense to me. However, a few dollars, I can do. It freshens up your space. And fruit from the farmer's market is always nice, too. Honestly, I think it's the memory you make walking along the booths at the market that makes the fruit so good.

Relationships: oh so complicated sometimes. But not with my niece and nephews.They're so much fun, say the funniest things, and you get to return them when done. : )

Pets, need I say more? I don't want to think of ever coming home without a friendly hello from my pup. I'm biased, of course, but he's the cutest thing I've ever seen.

The simple things...isn't that what life is all about?

What simple things bring you joy?

Do I Sound Elderly?

When we bought our house, this glider sat on the front porch.

Plain but sturdy and nice to sit on while drinking your morning coffee. Do I sound elderly? But need I say plain again?

I finally decided to paint the thing.

Instead of purchasing paint, I decided to be resourceful and use what I already owned. Let's see...gray, white, or vintage green? I went with green because white's too typical and gray is just boring!

With a little spray paint primer...well, because I'm lazy and it's easier.

 And a coat of one of my favorite colors, I think it turned out well.

And of course the infamous Instagram shot for a cool effect. :)

My Thrift Store Treasures

Last Saturday was amazing! The weather was nice, and it just felt like an antiquing kind of day. I love going to antique shops and browsing, even if I don't buy anything at all. 

I also love going to thrift stores. With my new burst of energy, I decided to visit the new Jimmie Hale Mission thrift store right down the street from my house. 

Little did I know that I'd find several treasures!

A candle stick for $1.00. These two dishes that I'll use for jewelry at $0.79 a piece and this wooden decorative piece for $1.99. Not bad, right?

I love the teal dish! 

Then I found these babies at $6.00 a piece! I've been looking for chairs for my kitchen table, ideally white to tie in my modern kitchen with my other rustic pieces in the room like my farm table. 

I immediately headed to Lowe's to buy primer and paint. But when I put them in the kitchen, I couldn't decide if I wanted to paint them or not. They're fiber glass or plastic...not sure? So if I paint them, I need to make sure that I do it right the first time.

Here's a picture of them at the table. 

I love the silver legs of the chairs, which go nicely with our stainless steel appliances. 

What do you think? Paint white or keep? Or am I completely crazy for even liking them? :) The more I look at them, they start to remind me of school chairs. 

My Kitchen Remodel: Before & After

For two years, I have manged and edited BeautyGirl and never have had a personal blog of my own. Before BeautyGirl was hacked into, I thought I'd start this blog. Now that you readers are redirected to this site, you'll get to know me a little bit better. I hope you don't mind! By the way, if you're a fellow blogger on blogspot, be sure to follow me. I'd love to get to know you better, too.

I thought I'd share a home project: My Kitchen Remodel

It still needs a little tweaking, but for the most part we are proud of the finished product. Everything was installed by ourselves except for the back splash and hardwoods.

Before

Notice the beautiful, country scalloping above the sink.

The right side was not utilized to its maximum potential.

Here is where the stove once was, and the previous owners put their refrigerator in the pantry. Weird!

After

The entire kitchen was gutted and added were Ikea cabinets and fixtures as well as silestone counter tops.

Where there were no cabinets before, we added cabinetry around a refrigerator and a cute, little coffee station.

Hardwoods were installed to match the flooring throughout the house. Still to come is a stainless steel back splash above the oven.

There are a few minor things to do still, but isn't there always? Stay tuned for my thrift store finds and the new kitchen chairs I purchased for my farm table at only $6 each.

Words mold us. From an early age words form who we become as people whether we realize it or not. A parent, teacher, mentor, friend, or even stranger can say words that will either empower or kill.

I remember as a young child a boy at church running by me and saying," You're ugly!"

I can't forget when my dad once said, "I'm surprised you got that job."

An ex-boyfriend once told me,  "If you would lose weight, you would look much better."

I've had even more harsh words said to me that I'd rather not say.

While I sit here like a victim, I am embarrassed to say that I have thrown daggers at those whom I love as well. I don't even want to think about what I have said.

Unfortunately, sometimes we say things just to get a reaction- so the deadliest phrase is said without thought of the repercussions. Sometimes we say things out of insecurities. Whatever the excuse, it's never justified.

It has taken me years to learn how to shut up in an argument. I'm a talker; so naturally, when I argue, I'm good with words (this is something to not be proud of). After seeing the hurt I have caused through anger, I have learned and still learning to filter what I say---to shut up!

I am also learning to get past my past; to forgive those who've hurt me through words.

The funny thing is I rarely remember the positive. Why is the negative so much more pronounced? However, I know throughout my life, I have been uplifted more than not.

No matter what people think of you, it's important that you know who you are! Once you have come to an acceptance of who you know you are, words will roll right off your back. Gaining confidence in yourself will also give you more perspective of others and why they are choosing to hurt with words.

Confidence is beautiful. Make a list of your beautiful attributes.

Start it out with "I am..." It will be hard to write down because we often are embarrassed to brag on ourselves. But if you don't believe in yourself, then who will?

I'll start it out:

I am....
strong
loyal
kind
passionate
driven
hard working
a good friend

Will you join me? Post this logo to your blog and make a list of your beautiful attributes.

What Are You Working For?

How many days do you wake up thinking about work and going to bed with it on your mind? This is me often, especially yesterday as I worked on a project at 11 p.m.

I love my job. I get to do some pretty cool things like photo shoots and planning events. But do you ever feel like all you do is toil? That word sounds a little archaic, and well, it kind of is. You hear it a lot in the Bible.

The definition of the word toil is "to work extremely hard or incessantly" and "exhausting physical labor." Now generally, I don't do physical labor like lifting things at my job, but many times my mind is exhausted from working incessantly, which physically can be exhausting!

As Americans we are taught at an early age what work ethic is. It is ingrained within us to work hard, go to school, and land our "dream" job. If many of us were to be honest with ourselves, we often work harder to make more money, which in essence will give us a "better" life. But there's so much more purpose to us than to making money.

As I recall the passing of my mother-in-law just over a year ago, I am reminded that life is way shorter than what we want to believe. And at the end of the day, our lives boil down to relationships.

Every single day, I feel a striving to be more successful. That type of striving is stressful, and I know I'm not the only one who feels this way.

In your job, ask yourself why you're working. Is it for monetary gain? If so, you will never find contentment. Find a bigger purpose within your career. We spend way too many hours working for it to be only for money.

And while you're at it, give yourself a break. Sometimes we just need to rest----- our minds, our bodies and just be.

Hackers Don't Have the Best of Me

This was my beautiful website...

I had worked countless hours getting it ready for the launch of its new look. After only being launched for a day, we found out we had been hacked. BeautyGirl has been my pet project now for two years.

We thought we had fixed the problem. However, now the site is completely down. It's also telling my readers that if they proceed, they will have potential harm of a virus.

What a perfect way to gain readership and trust!

I am greatly disappointed but hope we can have it up and running very soon. I am astounded that such malicious people exist.

Has your website been hacked into before? or maybe a Twitter or Facebook account? How did it make you feel?

Right now, I feel pretty angry! But no worries, I am hopeful that it will be okay. If not, I'll just build a better one : )



P.S. If you are a loyal BeautyGirl reader, please don't lose hope. We look forward to providing for you again great beauty and soul tips!

Meet Manley

Meet Manley. Yes, you heard right. My husband and nephew named him. I was rooting for Milo. Nonetheless, his name fits him. This is him at 4 months old when we first got him.

He's cute and cuddly- Manley that is :)

He turned 1 year old in July. And he hasn't lost his puppy look. The only thing I wish is that we could get him fully house broken. I've heard Dachshunds are hard to house break but maybe it's his trainers.

 

This is him now. 

It's amazing how much love we can have for our pets! People ask when we're having kids, and as far as I'm concerned, this is it. : )

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

If you read my online magazine, I wrote an article recently on the benefits of getting off Facebook. Here's an example of why I deactivated my account.

For the privacy of the individuals, I edited their names and pictures, although they did write this for all to see. 

If you notice, someone actually "liked" the status concerning diarrhea. What is there to like about that?! 

And look at the status below the diaper one. If you're from the South or a football fan, you know that this person is referring to a victory by none other than the University of Alabama. I love football season. But during this time, people more than ever have become vicious with their statuses- talking vulgar and down right mean about each others' teams.

Now, I know it's just a game...and it's just a status. But it becomes poison to us if we are constantly reading inappropriate talk.

Some people would say just to hide people you don't want to read. If I did that, there wouldn't be a news feed. Since my Facebook break up, I have more time to read things that are actually positive and worthwhile.

Admit it; if you're a Facebook user, you probably get on your trusty iPhone more than you'd like to admit and browse Facebook out of boredom. I caught myself browsing picture after picture of people I went to high school with, whom I never had a friendship with anyways.

Facebook has allowed us to see into anyone's life. We can portray ourselves any way we like through the things we say and the pictures we post. I prefer to have real relationships in real life - not some fake virtual world where we are all friends...but in reality, if I saw them in public, I probably wouldn't even say hi.