DIY: Hunger Games Necklace

Here's a DIY for you.

Because reasons. 

And HUGER GAMESSSSSS. 

Step 1: gather supplies. 

you need: 

chain

pendant of your choice 

jump ring (the little circle that holds things to necklaces) 

pearl

headpin (the thing that's going to hold your pearl) 

two pairs of jewelry pliers 

Step 2: put pearl on headpin and set pliers at the top of the pearl. 

See picture.


Step 3: take second pair of pliers and twist the long end around the first pliers so that you are left with a loop.

see picture.


Step 4: continue twisting long end of headpin around pearl so that you are left with a small bead that can be hung from a chain. 

see picture.


Step 5: add the pearl and the pendant to the jump ring. (you will have to open it first). 

see picture.


Step 6: add chain to the same open jump ring. 


Step 7: close your jump ring, leaving the pearl, pendant, and chain inside. 

Voila! You are finished with your necklace! 

Now you know how I make my necklaces on Etsy. 

TIGF: Things I'm Grateful For

Here we go once more. TIGF Friday.

A list of things from this week that I'm thankful for.

● getting handwritten letters from friends ● Harry Potter references found in my textbooks ● my Jesus Journals ● paint for my apartment ● my new boots ● sonic coupons ● my hilarious friends that make me laugh always ●

TIGF is hosted by Ashley & Nathan and Laura

Jesus Journals

So let's talk about the effectivity of journaling. 

Here's a list of ways that journaling proves to be effective:

1. organizes thought.

2. exercises the mind. 

3. expands creativity. 

4. broadens writing skills. 

5. strengthens memory. 

Today I want to advise you to begin keeping your own journals. There are a number of things your journal can be good for. To name a few:

1. taking sermon notes.

2. keeping quotes or song lyrics that speak to you.

3. prayer record.

4. random thoughts.

5. etc. 

I like to collectively refer to mine as my "Jesus Journals." 

Beyond that, they all have different names.

Except when I feel uncreative and give more than one the same name. 

I like to use composition notebooks because they don't have those evil metal arms that like to catch on everything ever and rip things up. These sit nicely and neatly on my shelf. 

Like tidy little ducks in a row. 

Arguments for keeping Jesus Journals: 

Argument #1. You start to see patterns. 

By writing things down that are impressed upon you during the day/week/month/any measurable time span you allow yourself to go back through and you start to see patterns emerging, things God was teaching you. 

It's actually really cool, and sometimes you even get goosebumps because it's almost like looking at a direct letter from God. 

Argument #2. It becomes a road map to your life. 

Reading back through your journals allows you the chance to see how much you've grown. Because often we don't realize how much we actually have grown. Sometimes we can grow by miles and think we didn't go more than an inch because of how slowly the change happened. 

Being able to look back and say, "hey. yeah I've come a long way," is an incredibly valuable way to keep encouraging yourself to press on. 

Argument #3: Visually reaching goals. 

Most of us are visual creatures. We like seeing progress right in front of our eyes. When you pray for something, write it down. Cross it out when it's answered. If you have a goal in life, write it down. Cross it out when you reach it. Over time, you will be overwhelmed by how much God actually does in your life. It's incredible how much we overlook when we don't have a visual guide in front of us. 

Argument #4: Your kids. 

Someday they will find these. They will be able to look through and laugh and cry and see that you actually were a lot more like them than they ever realized. And that's worth a great deal. 

“Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.” 

-William Wordsworth

DIY: Make Your Own Coffee Mug

I hate coffee, so mine is actually going to be utilized for hot chocolate.
But I found this cute DIY project on pinterest and decided to go for it.

Here's what you're going to need:
ceramic mug: 25 cents at local thrift store
sharpie marker: free cause I borrowed it



STEP ONE:
acquire supplies.


STEP TWO:
write your message on the front of the mug.
It actually looks like it says "beautifill" because I messed up the U. But that's okay, because whatever.

STEP THREE:
bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
I actually haven't the slightest idea why you need to do this step. I'm assuming so that it won't smear when you wash it. And you have to wash it by hand... because sharpie is not 100% permanent except on clothes.

STEP FOUR:
cool it down and enjoy.




Easy peasy. And super duper cheap.
I'll be making a crap ton of these, say tuned for further pictures. 

Book Review: One Big Thing + Giveaway!

ONE B1G THING 

by Phil Cooke

Stop being average at so many things, and become extraordinary at One Big Thing.

What were you born to accomplish with your life? One Big Thing will help you discover what you were born to do and allow it to revolutionize your business, your ministry, and your life. In today’s distracted, digital culture, it’s harder than ever to identify your calling, get your voice heard, and achieve your dreams. To stand out and communicate your ideas and message, you need to cut through the clutter and get noticed. Making that happen means focusing on the one thing that drives you, inspires your passion, and separates you from the pack. If you’ve ever felt pulled in different directions or wondered what to do with your varied talents and interests, Phil Cooke will teach you the secrets of living a life-on-purpose that rises above the noise and leaves a lasting mark on the world.

This book is not your typical "get rich quick" book. It's not one of those "I'm going to hand you the answers to life" books. 

It's the "find out who you are, find out what you love, and be that thing" book. It's a road map, if you will, that points you in all the right directions for discovering yourself. It's an organized, detailed, logical approach to finding what you are good at in life and being that person. 

I was kind of skeptical about this book, as I am about most books that claim to help you find your purpose. But I was actually surprised to find out that it wasn’t like the other books I’ve seen on the topic. It doesn’t claim to hold magical 8-ball powers that send you on your way. Instead, it actually says it can’t and won’t tell you your purpose.

There is a series of steps you can take and questions you must ask yourself in order to start discovering who you are and what you do best.

I really liked the analogy inside this book about “the bread plate lady.”

The author, Cooke, went to a market one day and discovered many stands full of everything imaginable. But there was one old lady in the corner selling only bread plates. Everyone locally knew her as “the bread plate lady” and anyone looking for a bread plate was directed to her. Now, there were several other stands that also sold bread plates, but everyone was still directed to her.

Why?

Because she focused on One Big Thing.

Was her purpose in life bread plates? No. I’m sure it wasn’t. But, as the analogy says, “focus on the one thing you’re good at, and people will notice.”

BookSneeze® has provided Of Cabbages and Kings with a free copy of the book One Big Thing by Phil Cooke. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Three Important Life Lessons

These are just a bunch of random thoughts I've been mulling over for a few days that I thought I would share with you.

Important Life Lesson #1: 

(disclaimer: this is actually not a life lesson. I know that. Just roll with it).
Due mainly to the fact that I can find just about anyone or anything anywhere online with little to no information, I have earned the title "pro-stalker friend" from most of my friends.

Now, what is truly impressive is that I have actually been reached out to by people in need of information that I have never actually met. From states I've never even been to.

I'm still not entirely sure if I should categorize this as "accomplishment" or "creepy."


Important Life Lesson #2: 

Meaning: maybe someone doesn't really feel the way you THINK they feel about you. 

I know I'm guilty of this a lot. Someone will do something or say something that means one thing, but I start feeling like they're judging me, when really they aren't. I'm just judging myself through their eyes. 

This is also commonly known as, "putting words into other people's mouths."

Before you take offense to something, talk to them. Maybe you're reading them completely wrong. 

Important Life Lesson #3: 

Every 90's kid's worst nightmare has been confirmed. 

Furby is back.

Don't lie, you had a Furby, and it scared the living sense out of you.
Probably on more occasion than one.
But for some reason we all loved them more than life itself. 

I suspect consumerism brainwashing.

As a kid I would have killed for a Furby. And not the little plastic McDonald's toys, though I'm certain I had at least 20 of them. And they were all the same color. I mean, come on, McDonald's.

They may not be good at making edible food, but they are experts at giving you SIX of the toy you want least. 

The wanting consumed me despite the fact that I was also equally as certain that one if their programmed functions was to murder your entire family in their sleep.



Furbies, I am convinced, are for evil children and people that like having fury, horrific, demon-possessed nightmares. I remember once, my friend's furby came to life despite the fact that we took the batteries out. This is just one of their many demonic qualities.

Apparently the new Furby comes with a new and improved feature called, "never being able to turn the thing off!" Remember this when your children are begging you for the very nightmare you managed to survive as a child. 

The Editing Process!

OK, so last year I began working on a book and I finished the draft at the beginning of the summer.

After that, I put it away and tried to forget about it. As of today, it has officially been "away" for 2 months now. Within that time, I have been painfully busy and have successfully forgotten the book as much as hoped. (Obviously I still remember the plot, it's just not at the front of my mind anymore).

NOW it is finally time to bust it out again. But a few things I'm going to do first,

1. Buy a notebook dedicated to nothing but the book.
Check.

2. Outline individual chapters with specific questions. (Who, what, when, where, why, how).
Check.


The "where," "why," and "how" are on the other side of the page.
Yes. I did intentionally blur out the details of my plot. ;)

3. Continue the specific outlines for each chapter of the book.
(not check).
From here you can actually go two directions.
1. You can start a new draft based upon your improved outline and then merge the two later,
-OR-
2. You can read your original draft and get rid of everything that doesn't match up with your new outline and fill in the blanks with re-writes.

Personally, I find #2 to be the hardest course of action. But everyone is different.


So I'm pretty excited to start writing this again.
I shall go now and do that. I just had to share with you all about it first.

Happy writing/editing!

TIGF: Things I’m Grateful For

TIGF is quite obviously a play off of the acronym TGIF. 

So, every Friday (ha. ha.) I should probably say, "every Friday that I remember to do this," (because we all know I'm not a structured blogger), I will post things that I am thankful for that happened that week. 

This is a neat little project started by a friend and fellow writer, Laura, and also by two others that I'm only familiar with through their blog. But no matter. This is neat. And I like it. And it's just in time for fall. (because thanksgiving).

So go ahead, join in the fun! Please remember to attach the links found at the bottom of this post so the proper geniuses get credit. 

HERE WE GO! TIGF: instagram style! 

1. Being the Ravenclaw that I am, I'm going to start out with a shout-out to my amazing school for providing me with not only with affordable tuition, but a priceless education. GO FLAMES! 

classes started this week and I'm already overloaded, but totally loving it. I know, nerdalert. 

2. Books. I know this is a small, seemingly silly thing to be thankful for, but that's just it, isn't it? We overlook the small things, often forgetting to be thankful for 

E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G.

I got several new books this week and can't wait to find some spare time to read them. 

3. My apartment. Because reasons. Most of them obvious, I'd hope. 

It's not 100% finished yet, and it's a crap-ton of work, but the work just makes the reward more awesome. I can't wait to finally have this beautiful place finished. (50% for the shelter over my head, 50% so I don't have to work on it anymore :P ).

TIGF is hosted by Ashley & Nathan and Laura

Singing with Stars and Whales

You probably read the title and came to this page expecting to also see something about rainbows and unicorns.

Well, unfortunately there are neither of those here today. 

But here is a video that will make up for my failing you with such glorious false promises: 

Seriously. WATCH. IT. 

It's 12 minutes long but it's worth every single second. 

So I’ve basically been geeking out over this video all day long. 

And then I came across this: 

Job 38: 4-7

Where were you when I created the earth?

Tell me, since you know so much!

Who decided on its size? Certainly you'll know that!

Who came up with the blueprints and measurements?

How was its foundation poured

and who set the cornerstone

while the morning stars sang in chorus

and all the angels shouted praise?

Did you catch that? The morning stars sang. 

They SANG. 

 And it gets even better. They didn't just sing, they sang in chorus. 

IN. 

CHORUS. 

Did you or did you not watch that video? 

Is your mind actively imploding right now or is it actively imploding right now? How can you see this and not get goosebumps? 

Thousands of years before we had the technology to hear the stars, God told us they sang. Right there in the Bible it says they sing. It says they sing together. In chorus. 

You thought that was metaphorical? 

No, bro. Not even. 

And the first time I saw this video this morning in class, I started thinking about the part in Luke 19:40 where Jesus says that if His saints keep silent, even the rocks will cry out. 

What if they are? 

Seriously. Stop what you’re doing and just really think about that. 

What if even the rocks are crying out to Him and we just can’t hear it? 

God is so amazing. You just don't understand. I mean, that's the thing, isn't it? We don't get it. We don’t understand. We can't even come close to understanding how awesome our God is. 

We're going to spend the rest of our lives getting our minds blown by the awesomeness of God, little by little as we discover more of Him. 

And even then, even when it's all over, that's only a fraction of who He really is. We spend our lifetime being incessantly awed by a creator that can simply breathe and a universe would form on His breath. Someone so incredible beyond our understanding. Someone that even the stars sing to. And that's not even all of who He is!

I don't know about you, but I don't know how I could possibly more amazed than I am right now. 

So go ahead, sing along with the stars and the whales. 

Book Review & Infinite Giveaway

"Lord, I’ll give myself to speak for You."

Young Yohannan had no idea what those words of surrender would mean for his life and for millions of others in his generation. Once an insecure 16-year-old, he became a missionary statesman who has impacted the world of missions and whose unbending message has touched hungry hearts on every continent.

Step into his story and experience the world through his eyes. You’ll walk right into the book of Acts. And through his telling, you’ll hear the very heart of God beating for His creation. K.P. Yohannan’s passion is contagious and spurs you on to be all for Jesus.

He chose to take the road less traveled many years ago, and today Gospel for Asia, the mission he founded, is one of the most respected organizations in our time with thousands of national workers and vibrant congregations throughout the heart of the 10/40 Window.

Get ready—your life is about to change!

So I was not really expecting much from this book as it is non-fiction. I'm a YA (young adult) writer, therefore I'm a YA reader. Non-fiction doesn't do much for me. Especially when it's a biography.

This book was incredible. It's amazing how little you actually know about the rest of the world when you've lived a privileged lifestyle, especially in a country as rich as America. We close our eyes and minds to the rest of the world. While we are only about 10% of the world's population, we actually hold around 80% of the wealth. Most people on the planet live on less than $10 a day. Some even as little as $1. 

During my teen years I was fortunate enough to have lived in both Europe and Asia for a total of four years. I was aware of how different the rest of the world was at one time in my life.
I had forgotten, and this book reminded me.

While Europe is much like America, monetarily speaking, Asia is not. And that's the country this book spoke on. While we are spending billions on mega churches here in America, the Asian churches are literally whatever patch of grass they decide to sit. It's not about the money or the buildings. This book reminds us of that. It's about the Great Commission. It's about feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, housing the homeless, reaching the lost, healing the broken, and supporting the people that sacrifice everything to make sure that happens. 

If you are wanting to be a missionary, you need to read this book.
If you are an American Christian, you need to read this book.
If you want to change the world, you need to read this book.
If you have the ability to read a book then you need to read this book.

There is something in this book for everyone. There is inspiration and hope to be found inside these pages for current missionaries, or those called to missions. There is data that will drop your jaw, and a huge wake up call to American Christians.

Read this book. That's all I can say.

You have no excuse not to, it's completely free. (that's the infinite giveaway part). The publishers are making this book free to everyone! Just click above on the cover of the book. It will take you right to the order form. (feel free to make a donation to the company for the book if you want). 

Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumors in her lungs... for now. 

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumors tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault. 

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

This book. OH MY STARS. (see what I did there?)

This book is amazing, intellectual, hysterical, heart-breaking, real... and I could go on.

Because of her cancer, Hazel lives pretty much solely in the world of books and television. She's incredibly smart and funny but doesn't really have any friends anymore. In an effort to get her to make some, Hazel's mother forces her to go to what is probably the most depressing support group in existence. There, she almost kinda sorta becomes friends with a boy named Isaac.

One time, Isaac brings his friend Augustus Waters and that's pretty much all it takes to get this story going. Augustus is attracted to Hazel for her mind. Because she's really smart, remember? He's the bold, upfront, tell-it-like-it-is, kind of guy. After about a page or so of witty banter, he invites her to his house. They become friends instantly, bonding over a book.

This book kinda becomes a mini theme inside The Fault in Our Stars. It's so closely related to the original story that you have to wonder if sometimes Hazel doesn't forget it's not part of her own life.

Through the local "make-a-wish" program, the Genie Foundation, Augustus qualifies for a wish. His wish takes him and Hazel across the world to Amsterdam to meet the author of the book. They have questions, ones that only he can answer. But he refuses. Now what?

To Hazel, it appears that her stars just aren't lining up.

The book takes a dramatic turn for the worse and she begins to wonder if maybe life isn't about being noticed by the universe, maybe life is about noticing the universe.

Everyone told me that I would cry my eyes out during this book. Which was probably totally accurate because I cry over virtually everything.

Needless to say, I didn't cry. I came close though. Several times.

The characters had a way of turning their crap luck into a humorous occasion. The way they dealt with the pain was by making jokes. And they were funny as heck. So just like them, I was saved from crying by the humor.

Really though, this story is tragically heart-breaking.

The moral: we all have to come to terms with the fact that life isn't fair and the world isn't a wish-granting factory.

This is the kind of book you'll probably need a dictionary next to you while you read, but it's 1000% worth it. I recommend it so much.

"Men, at some time, are masters of their fates. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings."

Julius Caesar 

Act I, Scene II.

Of Cabbages and.... Kings?

Hi there.
Welcome to my blog.

I know this is a really strange and seemingly random change. But I like this better. And my blog can now house a broader topic range than it could as a writing blog.

"Why cabbages and kings?" you might ask me. "What on earth kind of blog title is that?"

Well, I'm hoping it at very least sounds familiar to you. Of Cabbages and Kings takes its name from an 1872 book called Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There. There is a poem within the book called "The Walrus and the Carpenter." Perhaps you will remember that poem better this way: 

So you see, it is relevant to many aspects of my life. One is obviously writing/books. (because I got it from a book). But mostly it's because my life is pretty random, so shoes, and ships, and sealing wax, and cabbage about sums that up. Also, I love Lewis Carroll. (If you need to know why that is relevant, google it. And you should probably read Alice in Wonderland while you're at it).

You also probably want to know what I'll be talking about in this blog from now on. Well, that's simple. 

Random stuff. 

Mostly I will cover writing tips, books, Christianity, DIY projects and such. And anything else I want to. 

So, that's about it. 

I'll be seeing you,

Finding the Right Seminary

So for anyone that's ever tried to find a college and/or seminary to attend you understand it starts out something like this:

1. getting pumped looking for schools to attend:


2. After going through every school ever on the face of the planet:


3. Despite that fact that a bajillion schools didn't make the cut, you still have a list the size of the Grand Canyon. And by the end of the day, you're kinda just like:


So here's what I did: I cheated. YUP. Cheated.
I went to wikipedia. This is amazing because they sort seminaries by denomination. (Unfortunately, they don't have this option for college. But stop complaining, all YOU have to do is go to collegeboard.com and you get an easy-peasy checklist).

1. I went through and copied all the schools that fell under the denominations I would be comfortable attending a seminary under. I can't even begin to tell you how long that list was.

2. It really helps times a zillion if you know exactly what you're wanting from a school before you start looking. This was NOT the case with college... thankfully it is with seminary. I went to each page's "Academics" or "Degree Programs" or "Degrees" or "Academic Programs" or........ FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS GOOD, dear higher education system, get together and decide on uniform terminology! PLEASE! Name all the stupid pages the same thing.

So as I was saying, I went to these degree programs and immediately removed every school from my list that did not have what I was wanting them to emphasis in.

3. This actually narrowed my list down significantly. I was left with only 18 schools.

4. I went through each of the 18 schools and read their doctrinal statements. Then I cut away all the schools with bizzaro beliefs. This left me with 16.

5. From there I decided that location was far more important to me than cost, so I cut out schools that were in states you couldn't PAY me to live in. This left me with 7 schools.

6. I am now down to 6 schools. I have no idea how I got rid of the other one to be honest. All I know is that in two weeks I went from a bazillion to six. This is a miracle and I feel like partying.


If you are interested in my choices, you will have to stay tuned. I shall announce them when I have it narrowed down to my top three. This is the process that will take a while, since I must research and research and research and then visit places. Unfortunately they are all in wayyyy far away states. Fortunately, over half of them are in the same state.

You win some you lose some.


Until whenever,

Oh, Right. It's August Now.

So I'm a little late, SUE ME.
J/K, please don't.

So since summer is almost over, I think it's time for a little SUMMER RECAP. *celebrate*
Summer recap is a joyous occasion for two reasons:

1. I love summer.
2. I love when summer ends and turns into fall.

Here's a list, complete with pictures (cause I love you and visual aids), of what happened this summer:

1. Natalie Grant Concert.

2. Frozen custard happened. It was delicious.  

3. Cape Canaveral was visited. And the ocean was swam in. And the skin was burnt to a crisp.

 4. Here is the beach again. Because reasons.

5. FRICK YEAH, DISNEY WORLD. This was one of my life goals.

6. We found popsicles that didn't look like popsicles.

7. Got to hang out with Batman at our local grocery store. Actually it wasn't local. details, details.

8. Spent a week in our condo on the lake. Love this place.

9. Went to Walmart and pretended to be the Avengers.

10. Haircut.

11. Did all the flower bouquets, corsages, and boutonnieres for a wedding.

12. Was in that wedding. Pictures pending.

Soooo, that's what I did this summer. Also, a group of us may or may not have sang "Call me Maybe" to random people on the street. We also may or may not have freaked an old man out.

In other news:
Sorry for the confusion of "hey, I'm blogging, no I'm not." I DID have the full intention of switching to another blog and ditching this one. But that blog has serious issues. Mainly that I can't post for reasons that I don't understand. I broke the internet. This happens remarkably often...

So anyways. Now that that's broken, I'm back here. Because I love blogging. And I missed your faces. So. win.