Okay, lovelies!!! Everyone wants to know how to get those cute lil "Taylor Swift" curls and keep them in. My Anika Bananika's hair has never been able to hold a curl, but my lovely cousin, Emily Westbrook, gave me a tip and y'all it works!!! I had been using rollers or a regular curling iron, but she told me to get a wand...that is the trick! The wand is AHHHMAZING and the curls will stay put for up to 3 days. 

This is the wand that we have. I bought it at Wal-mart for around $25 if I remember correctly. At Wally World they will likely have 2 different sizes. That is the size of the barrel or the hot part of the wand. =) I have the smallest one. You can loosen the curls up afterwards, but you can't tighten them up.

Straighten fly aways first with a flat iron and then you are ready to get started with the wand. Here is a great video tutorial of how to use the wand. It takes a few minutes to get the hang of it. Keep trying, because you will be a pro in no time! My daughter has a lot of reallllllly long hair and it only took us 10 minutes to completely curl her hair! Hope this helps.

-Holly 

I enjoy pre-schooling my little man.

I love watching and hearing of Anika making new friends. She is a bit of an introvert which makes her beautifully her own, but I have always worried that she would struggle making friends.

I love being involved at school. PTO, classroom mom, or volunteering of any kind. It's fun and I know the people that are around my children everyday!

PTO stresses me out sometimes. =)

Tennis shoes are my favorite.

My husband makes me proud.

I love being his wife.

Anika is coming out of her shell more and more everyday and it's fun to watch. She does things in her own time her own way.

Ari is a fixer. He has to figure out how things work. What makes things tick.

Sometimes Ari is not a fixer, but a breaker. =) While trying to figure things out sometimes things fall apart... forever....

I am so ready for fall.

I love Nicole Reeves... she has helped get me through tough tough times. She is wise beyond her years and goofy as they come. The thing about her is she just knows when something is wrong. She gets me and she cares enough to ask.

I could not be more excited about the first Herd Football game this Friday evening. The kids are pumped too!

I am currently reading Soul Detox and it is a "stepping on toes" book. Really enjoying it so far.

I love going to the movies.

God is lovely.

I love when it's harvest. I love when the fields around our home are filled with tractors and combines. I love the activity.

I am tired of judgmental people, who harshly and unlovely criticize  others.

No one knows how a person really feels. You might can relate to a certain extent, but you CANNOT know... I understand that now.

I have learned to not "dumb down" other people's problems. They might seem huge to them. Lovingly help rather than harshly hinder.

I am hungry. =)

That's all the facts I can think of for now... stay tuned for the next episode of "Holly's so uninteresting facts of the day."

-Holly

In love with this song.... a good little pick me up. Give it a listen and remember that you are WANTED!!! 

From the day you were born 

And took your first breath 

You opened your eyes and in came the light 

He was watching you 

But all of your life you couldn't shake the lies in your head 

Saying you're a mistake 

Oh but you were made 

By a God who knows your name 

He doesn't make mistakes 

CHORUS 

You are wanted 

To every broken heart, He stands with open arms 

You are wanted 

To every searching soul, look to the rising sun 

If you're lonely, hurting, gone too far 

To the outcast you come as you are 

For you, you are wanted, you, you are wanted 

You, you are wanted, you, you are wanted 

Let this be the day that joy takes the place 

Of all of the years that shame tried to steal away 

He is calling you 

Lift your eyes to see His face 

Come run into the arms of grace 

CHORUS 

You, you have been marked 

You're set apart 

And He calls you His 

So you don't have to search 

Don't have to look for where you belong 

You are wanted 

Everyday's a Holly Day... which is so lovely. I am lucky to live in the world of "Holly"! Life is blessed and God can be found all around it. Letting God be the leader of my life has not and does not always come easy, but I have found out that just letting go and letting Him is so much easier than leading life my own way! I am striving everyday to be blessing to those around me. To let God and His sparkle shine through me. I want every person and place I come in contact with to SHINE more brightly than it did before I was there. I pray that I can give myself fully to God in all times and that He can lead me and shine through me in a way that GLORIFIES him completely. Struggles... wow. I have had struggles. Bad. Ugly. Terrible. Struggles. Holly Days are not all glamorous. They are not all beautiful. Quite frankly... a lot of them are just plain stinky. Recently, things completely fell apart at the seams, but that right there is what is so beautiful. I can fail and disappoint God and he still loves me. Thank you Jesus for your suffering, because I need your cleansing power more than anything!

I hope that this blog can touch just one soul and make them smile or inspire them or cause them to laugh at one of my many ridiculous moments, because let's be honest... I have many ridiculous moments. Maybe parts, or maybe one day, all of my story can inspire you to keep going. Do NOT give up on yourself, because God will always have your back. You just have to decide to let him have it. In your lowest hour... your deepest darkest hole that you have dug yourself into... God is there with his hand outreached to pull you up, hug you, and help lead you into the SHINE and SPARKLE of His glory! 

-Holly