Something Fun: 5 Favorite Things Swap

Recently, I have found different swaps among bloggers and Instagramers. You know, when different people mail each other little trinkets and gifts. Well each swap I had seen was over by the time I wanted to join. Bummer! Then Liza, Elina, Deanna and I decided to host a swap of our own! After discussing the details, we came up with the swap theme: 5 Favorite Things! For this swap, participants will mail their partner 5 of their favorite things. Sounds fun!?!

Well, we've decided to invite all of you to participate in this swap. Just email us here and you'll get paired up with someone. 

Here are just a few rules and extra information to get you started in this swap:

• The swap sign up starts October 7 and the sign up closes on October 21!

• When you receive your package, don't forget to share what you received in a blog post or on social media sites using #5favthingsswap

• When you send your partner their package, don't forget to include a little note with your social media links like Instagram so that you can connect after the swap too!

• This giveaway is for U.S. residents only. Sorry :(

• When sending your gifts, you will have to pay for the shipping fee, and stamps. (Just in case you were wondering:)

• And last but definitely not least, don't forget to ship out your partner's package by October 31! Their counting on you!

Have fun with this swap and think outside of the box when you're filling up your partner's box with 5 of your favorite things. Girls of all ages are going to be a part of this swap so gifts must be appropriate. 

If you would like to be a part of the swap, just tell us a little about yourself (like if you have any allergies!) and send your full mailing address (don't worry, your address will be kept private)

Do you think your friends might be interested in joining us in this swap? Feel free to share with them the details! The more the merrier!

Book Review: The Lost Medallion

About the Book:

The legend of the Lost Medallion has haunted Billy Stone’s family for two hundred years. His father’s search for the treasure ruined his career and his relationship with Billy. But when Billy find the medallion himself, it isn’t the end of his troubles- it’s just the beginning. 

Hurtled back through time, Billy and his best friend Allie must confront and evil that threatens both the past and their future. To defeat this dark force, they must search deep within themselves for the True source of power and strength- or they’ll never see home again. 

More than just a story, The Lost Medallion is a tale of sacrifice, of good versus evil, and of learning that each on of us is a treasure to God.

My Review:

The Lost Medallion by Bill Muir and Alex Kendrick was a book that I was ecstatic about reading and reviewing. Knowing the type of creative and entertaining faith-filled works Alex Kendrick is capable of, especially in the films Fireproof and Courageous, I knew that this book was going to be a great read. 

When I signed up for this tour, I had a vague idea of what the book was about. I understood that there was some sort of lost medallion and a kid was destined to find it and then hold great power. What I didn't know was that the authors were going to go deeper than just the average superficial adventure novel and touch base on some pretty tough topics like self worth, the importance of being a responsible leader and the need to look to God for help in every situation. I found their way of explaining these topics kid-friendly and easy to understand while being entertaining the whole way through. 

I'll be honest: I'm not really into reading about evil kings who kill their subjects with a nail dipped in poison nor am I into the sci-fi genre, but this book was different. As I read, I was truly intrigued by the mystery and danger wrapped up in finding the legendary medallion. I was also surprised by the many twists and turns of this book. For several nights in a row I'd find myself up (at ghastly hours) hurrying to finish one "good" part after the other. 

I thought that I should mention that though there were several mentions to fights it wasn't graphic, gross or gut-spilling.

One of my favorite external parts of this books was the QR codes and pictures scattered throughout. This made the adventure all the more real because I no longer had to imagine what was happening at different intervals of the story, but I could actually catch glimpses into the movie while reading.

I was pleasantly surprised how interested I became in reading and finishing this book. The messages of selflessness, self worth, trust in God and integrity were all clear and weaved right into the story, in a way that kids could easily understand. I love to find a book, that though targeted to another audience, in this case to young tweens and teens, can still be appealing to another audience, in my case a romance-historical-Amishetc. fiction reader :) If you're looking for a book that's a bit outside of your comfort zone, I encourage you to read The Lost Medallion. It was definitely a worth while read filled to the brim with suspense, action, adventure and faith! It wasn't a stagnant read, actually, it was pretty easy to get through because it was so interesting! I'd happily rate it 5 out of 5 stars!

Baking With Little Sister: PB Cookie In A Cup

My sister Genesis loves to bake cookies with me. Almost every night before she goes to sleep she asks me, "Kianna, can we bake cookies tomorrow?" Months before, we used up all of our chocolate chips while making this recipe, so I was stuck. I was on a mission to find a new recipe that we could make to hold us off until we got a chance to get some more chocolate chips. I found this great recipe for Peanut Butter Cookie In A Cup and since we had all of the ingredients  on hand, it was perfect.

Here's the recipe and a Instagram video of my sister and I baking it while jammin' to KLOVE.

Peanut Butter Cookie In A Cup

1 Tablespoon of Butter

1 Tablespoon of Peanut Butter

1 Tablespoon of firmly packed Dark Brown Sugar

1 Tablespoon of Granulated White Sugar

2-3 drops of Pure Vanilla Extract {a splash}

Small pinch of Kosher Salt

1 egg yolk

3 level Tablespoons of All-Purpose Flour

Crushed Peanuts for topping (optional)

In a bowl, melt peanut butter and butter together in microwave for about 30 seconds. 

Add sugars, salt and vanilla and stir to combine. 

Add egg yolk and stir again. Add flour and give a final stir. Scoop mixture into a mug.

Sprinkle peanuts on top (if you're using peanuts) heat in microwave for around 45 seconds. Microwaves vary, so start checking for doneness at 35 seconds. Serve warm!

Portraits // Alicia

On July 27th, Alicia and I decided to have a little photo shoot. We had done one about six months back and at the time we realized how hard it is to pose and shoot in manual all while getting some decent photos of each other. We faced several setbacks, like uncharged cameras but we got through it laughing. We vowed that the next time we had a photo shoot, we'd be more prepared and we were. We busted out "the BIG cameras" and scouted the location we planned to shoot in. We got a sense of light and where we wanted each other to pose. We had so much fun! 

Ali (as I call her) is my now 16 year old cousin. We've been besties forever and have these funny inside jokes that with just the slightest look at the each other, we can burst out laughing. She is super talented at drawing (even though she won't admit it) and her laugh makes me laugh. Without further ado here are just a few of my favorites of her. She's gorgeous!