Pretty Thrifty: An Introduction

Hello Ladies!

My name is Emily.  I have been writing a blog called Teen for the Lord for about six years. I write faith based posts as well as Pretty Thrifty, my own little fashion show. Now, I am a cheapskate. The point of my Pretty Thrifty posts is to encourage you all and to show young women that you can be cute while being modest and cheap.

So I want to give you a little trivia about myself.
1. I am a avid musical fan!
2. My favorite musical is Calamity Jane.
3. I love to sing, dance, and act.
4. I am a freshman in college pursuing a Business Administration Associates Degree.
5. I love working with little kids and teens.
6. I have a cat named Tiger.
7. I am deathly afraid of sharks.
8. I used to be deathly afraid of moths.
9. I play guitar, piano, and box drum.
10. I love chocolate and peanut butter!

                         

Jean Jacket: Gift
Bracelet: Gift
Black Dress (thrift store): $5.00
Guitar: Gift!
Boots (garage sale): $1.00
Total: $6.00

Have a wonderful day and God bless you all!
Emily, Teen for the Lord

This article was published in issue #128 of 

The Christian Home Magazine.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone!
This year I want to start twelve new good habits and stop twelve bad habits.
What bad habit will I break first? Not blogging consistently.
First good habit to start? Charging my phone.
Emily

Merry Christmas!

Last night my mom came into the room and said to me,

"It's time! You need to let your viewers know you are alive."

Well, obviously, I am alive. I started college in August, so of course I have been very busy writing papers and doing assignments. I was also working the first half of the semester, so that took up even more time. 

Keeping a blog up takes a lot of time. 

A deeper reason is Pretty Thrifty. I have put on quite a bit of weight over the last year, and it has been difficult to post pictures of myself that make me feel, well, beautiful. 

I understand the need to love myself in the skin I'm in, but it's hard. I have been struggling with it a lot. Also I am having a hard time deciding what to do next with my life and feeling discouraged. 

So overall, I have really been struggling with my self confidence, and my desire to get up and go has been kind of pathetic. 

So I apologize. 

I don't mean to be neglectful of the blog, but I have been.

And I didn't mean for this to be a sad post either. 

What I have been learning through this time is that I have to be patient with God.—to just ask for the next step. If I knew the future, it would give me the opportunity to run from it.

 And I don't want to run from it.

 I want God to use everyday that I live to prepare me for the exciting future he has planned for me. 

I also am learning to love myself for who I am. Not just my body, but my personality and how I interact with people. 

I'm not like a lot of people. I am loud, dramatic, awkward, and a little ditsy. 

I will probably never be a quiet, still person, as much as I would like to be sometimes, and I will probably never be uber sensitive or meek. I will probably never be a perfect follower or a perfect leader.

 I will never be blonde, because I have eyebrows the color of charcoal And that's okay with me :).

I will be who I am, because God knit me together in my mother's womb, and I am beautifully and wonderfully made.

Merry Christmas to you all!

As this year ends, celebrate who God created you to be and remember how much he loves you for who you are.

Emily

Teen for the Lord

Art of Homemaking

Modest Mom

Back from Camp

YES!
   I am still alive! I have not fallen off the face of the earth, I am not sick or paralyzed. But I have been extremely busy and preoccupied this summer. If you have been following my blog for very long, you know that every year I attend a church camp at the end of July. Well, at the end of June, I left home for a month to intern at that church camp. It is nearly four hours away. I hardly ever had cell service, so it was a long time being away from home. Even longer for my mom. No matter; it was the best summer of my life.

   There were eight interns, two staff members, and the directors and their family that ran the camp. The first week, all we did was clean the camp grounds, buildings, and bathrooms and get to know each other. I have to say I have never seen such big spiders! The first one we found, I think was a Missouri tarantula. Ugh!!
 
   Anyway, the second week was kids' camp. They were all so adorable. We had a great team that came and did the program for the kids. Even the adults enjoyed it!

   The next week was junior high camp. We had a great first couple of days and then on Wednesday, we had a huge storm that knocked down a few big trees, put the whole area out of power, and knocked out our water until the next morning. We had to send over two hundred kids home early. We were out of power for over three days, and I wondered if we were going to have to go home. But finally, on Saturday, night the power came on! We rushed to get the campground ready for the seniors that were coming on Monday. We got it all done in one day and went out to celebrate that night.

    The next day we welcomed about two hundred more campers to the camp grounds, and we had a great week! On Saturday, everyone, including us interns, left and went home. It was the best experience I have ever had at camp. I am so glad I went. The opportunity to minister to so many kids simply by being there to lead games, greet them at the door at mealtime, talk to them during meals, just being Jesus with skin on... it was really wonderful. My biggest goal, to make the kids feel included and talk to as many as I could so they didn't feel ignored or left out, was rewarded when one of the girls came up to  me and said as much on the last day. It was amazing to me.

   Anyway, that's where I have been. I start college on Monday, so it may be a while until I post again. Or not. We will see. But for now, God bless you all and be with you.

   Emily
   Teen for the Lord

I Did It!!

    I am officially graduated from high school! June 12, 2016. I have completed 12 years of homeschooling with my mom and wonderful siblings. I wouldn't trade it for anything! It's been a long journey with lots of twists and turns, dips and ruts, mountains and valleys. It has been difficult at times, but, as always, it was worth it. I'm not positive of God's plan for my life, but I know it will be good. It will be a plan of good and not evil, a plan to prosper and not to harm me, for a hope and future. He is good, and He is good to me.

   I want to encourage you all to press onwards. "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Phil 3:14. He is your ultimate goal. No matter what you are doing, have done, or will do, you can still honor Him with your life. No act of obedience is too small or large, no challenge too simple or extravagant. Everyone must take the next step no matter the difficulty. If you fall, get up, and move on. Always keep moving toward the call of Christ Jesus.


    My next step is a summer internship with my youth camp. I won't be here until nearly August. So in the meantime, may God bless you all and keep you in His loving arms.
Love,
Emily
Teen for the Lord

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Wow! What a year!

A lot of good times, but some hard times too. 

Isn't that the end of every year, though? It's as if all of the sudden we can look backwards and see what God was doing all year long. Funny, huh? 

Since I haven't really been posting this year, let me recap. 

My dad decided to spend another year on the Precious Moments restaurant, so we all pitched into help. My Grandpa passed away as did my Great Grandma. 

My counselor, and close friend, left our church, which caused me to have to branch out to other people. I have made a lot of good friends. (Smile!)

I turned 18, and took my first college classes with our community college, passing with flying colors! 

My dad closed the restaurant about two weeks ago now and is searching for new employment. 

It's been a rough ride this year, but not like last year. Last year the devil really attacked our family. We were so discontent with each other all the time. We fought a lot and never won. Somehow 2015 was much better. I don't know what changed, but I think it was all of us being changed by God.  It's amazing how He quietly changes our perspective, attitudes, and life styles without us even knowing it.

God is always faithful. 

If you are in a rut, don't give up. 

Take the next step and never let go of God.

He will never let go of you.

Ever. 

Remember, you can scream, you can cry...

but don't you dare let go

and don't you dare give up!

 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 Philippians 4: 6-7

God Bless!

Emily

Teen for the Lord

About Me

Hi, my name is Emily. I am 18 and I'm a Christian. I live with my mom and dad. I have three siblings; Matthew, Michael, and Amy. The mission of this blog is to prove that you can dress inexpensively and modestly in an attractive way. But more importantly, to share the gospel. I hope I encourage you as I write. So, join me as I go about being a Teen for the Lord.






Monday
Mom's the Word - Good Morning Monday