Nope, Life Isn’t Easy.

05 Saturday Apr 2014

Posted by Meagan Sean in Dirty's Reports

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I’ve been listening to a lot of the White Horse Inn lately, catching up on the 3 part series on Job and suffering. Michael Horton was talking quite a bit about Calvin and his works and their relation to the conversation they were having on suffer. It was a very uplifting series to listen to, and here are some truths that I got from it.

It seems that the hardest thing to do when we are in the midst of hardship and suffering is remember what our relationship with God is. When I am suffering I fall back on the rudminary belief that for some reason God is allowing me to suffer because I deserve it, or because He doesn’t care about me. For some reason I still have unbelief in my heart over what I am in His eyes.
It’s easier to think that when I die I will be taken up to an enormous drive-through-movie style viewing of my life and God will make me watch it and answer questions and give me a verdict on the condition of my heart. It’s easier to think that I have some sort of input to the way that I will be perceived by Him who is holy and righteous and just. But what is harder is the truth that I have no say whatsoever. For some reason it still bugs me that I won’t have the option to stand trial and argue my case; because the judgment was already made and the courtroom is empty.

The death he died, he died to sin once and for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. – Romans 6:10

Christ already stood trial for me and took my punishment. He cleared out that courtroom so that we don’t have to go back again. But there are times that I still feel that God has drawn His bow and is aiming it right at me. I still feel like I’m being punished because of what happens in my life, and I still want to blame myself and Him for what happens.
What I can’t see is that God isn’t aiming at me but at the sin wrapped around my neck, slowly trying to kill me. And what I forget is that this was part of the deal of becoming a child of God and a follower of Christ.

If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. – Hebrews 12:8

What’s worse is that I forget that just living in this world is a great way to have horrible things happen to you because the world is full of sin. Add that to following Christ and you’ve given yourself great odds at having a lot of bad things happen to you.
I have submitted myself before and attempt to again almost everyday, because I still wake up with a wild heart in the cage of my ribs that refuses to understand that there are things I will go through that won’t be given reasons in this lifetime. I try desperately to remind myself that though now is my time of grief and suffering I will one day get to meet Jesus face to face and nothing else will matter. I will no longer have the desire to ask Him why, why do these things have to happen, why do I have to walk through this? One day He will ultimately resolve all issues. And I am so looking forward to that day.

Style Inspiration: Kate from Fairly Legal

02 Wednesday Apr 2014

Posted by Meagan Sean in Inspirations, Style

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celeb, style

Two seasons were not long enough for me to enjoy all that Fairly Legal was. The main character, Kate (Sarah Shahi) was a former lawyer turned mediator, and managed to make it look like the kind of job I want. The pilot episode revealed that, among other things, her father had just died, his young widow was in charge of his firm, and Kate herself was in the process of getting a divorce while still sleeping with her husband occasionally. Drama drama drama, sure, but also very interesting, funny, and compelling television.
But one thing I could never, ever get enough of was Kate’s wardrobe. She had the perfect blend of classic and eclectic, and used her clothes to reveal her personality while maintaining professionalism. The only problem that I have with trying to write this post is that there are so many perfect outfits that this character wears, and I want to include them all! But I won’t, because I have self control sometimes. I will try to break down what makes her style (from season 1, season 2 will have to wait) so memorable and fantastic.
She has a uniform BUT gives her self room to play: Most of the first season what we see Kate wearing is some mix of a blouse and pencil skirt or a dress with a cardigan or blazer, or a blouse and slacks. She always has a functional and super cute purse, as well as a trench coat of some kind, and usually a belt. Classic pieces, yes, that are easy to throw together and accentuate her hourglass figure without being to revealing or too stuffy.

She gives herself room to play with her separates, usually with the different colors and patterns she adds to different pieces. Generally one piece is black and the other is colorful, and her coat is always a different color… seriously, how many coats does this woman have? I’ll take one of each please. She finds interesting ways to stick to her uniform without repeating, like the sweater over blue shirt with a skirt on the left above, which looks similar to her shirt and blazer with pants on the right. Not the same though, but if you were to switch around any of these items her outfits would still work.

Another way that she gets to play around is by wearing fun jewelry. In the first episode they overdid her necklaces, but after they found her staples of thin chains with small pendants, chunky rings and thin bracelets that can stack right up.
This kind of style wouldn’t be difficult to put into practice in your own life, which I’m sure every fashion magazine in the world has told us all at least a bajillion times. I’ll reiterate though: figure out what shapes of separates look best on your figure. For Kate it’s pencil skirts and blouses that meet at the smallest part of her waist. Then figure out what dress shape works for your body. For Kate it’s a shift or an A-line (flaring out after the hips). Then find some good pieces in different colors and patterns and pick out some fun accessories to give it your own feel. Oh, and don’t forget a fantastic coat.

Painted Cups!

25 Tuesday Mar 2014

Posted by Meagan Sean in Crafty Little..., I Made This

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I Made This, my work, style

Last week I took a break from crocheting a baby blanket for my friend’s upcoming bundle of joy and decided that I wanted to make something for myself. I had been seeing a lot of tutorials online for painted glasses and decided that I would paint myself some glasses! All it took was a quick trip to Big Lots to get the cups and rummaging through my craft supplies to find my glass paint and I was ready!

What I couldn’t find were any of my good paint brushes, so I used Q-Tips. Hence the cups look a little like they were made by children. But I like that aesthetic.

I put on two coats of each color to ensure that there would be optimal opacity, then let the cups dry for a couple days. According to the directions on the paint they are supposed to dry for 21 days or you can bake them after drying for 48 hours.
After a few days I followed the directions and put them in the cool oven, heated it to 325 and baked for 30 minutes. Then you have to let them cool in the oven, so that the glass doesn’t break from extreme heat changes.

And behold! I now will never lack for super fancy cups to drink out of! I do recommend hand washing, so that there is no risk of the paint coming off. I also recommend playing around with different patterns and stencils and what have you, though I played it safe and did something imperfectly perfect for my taste.
It’s a surprisingly easy project that you can do for yourself, or as a gift. I’m considering who I’m going to want to make some pretty personalized cups for in the future…

Boys as Friends

19 Wednesday Mar 2014

Posted by Meagan Sean in Dirty's Reports

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Dirty's Report, My Philosophy, Nugget 'O Truth

When I was in High School my best friends were a mixed group, guys and girls. I would go over to my guy friend’s houses or they would come to mine, we would hang out after school, sometimes in a group or just us, watch movies, listen to music, play video games, talk. During college I made some more friends, and some of them were guys who were been better friends to me than 98% of the girls I met at school. After college I had a few co-workers who saved my sanity and were friends like only working together could have made us. They were all guys.
But when it comes to male/female friendships I have found that there are some needless complications that can occur. For instance, attraction or perceived attraction. If you’re dealing with a friend being attracted to another friend, well, either keep it to yourself until it goes away or go ahead and make that friendship strain by telling the person how you feel. Honestly, and this is a technique that I believe to have saved my hide a billion times, I will not tell a male friend if I have feelings for him or if I find him attractive. I will not tell them what they don’t need to know, because

Being friends with someone can make you attracted to their personality, which does not mean that you should have any romantic involvement
Being attracted physically to someone doesn’t mean you should have any romantic involvement
Real talk: I have horrible taste in guys so I should never trust my attractions. Ever.

Hence, don’t bother bringing up something that will put unneeded strain on a relationship. What else does this cover? Usually it also covers what I like to call perceived attraction, which is when you think one of your friends is starting to have feelings for you but you’re not sure. I’ve been on both sides of this one, on the one hand having to put up different boundaries because a male friend was not being subtle at all, and on the other being confused about why a male friend was accusing me of being into him. This situation can get real cloudy real fast in the Christian community, what with the assumption that every single girl is trying to turn you into her husband before she runs out of eggs in her ovary basket. I actually get a little offended when that happens, because I’m a person that prides herself on being very forthright about everything all the time, including my own intentions, and also I’m a prideful sinner and I can’t be perfect, sorry. Not sorry.
So what I’ve come to believe about these male/female friendships is that, as I mentioned before, there should be boundaries. I agree with what Drew Barrymore said,

You have to have endless love with constant boundaries.

I also firmly believe that there are a lot of different people in the world and that my boundaries in my friendships will not be the same as theirs. I’m still finding where the right boundaries are for me, the ones that existed before in the best friendships and the ones that should have been in place in others. I know that my first rule is to attempt to treat all male friends as brothers, which thankfully I’ve had some training for with my little brother being one of my best friends. My second rule for myself is not to take any of it too seriously, but also to know where I stand. Someone will always find themselves watching When Harry Met Sally and reconsidering the entire idea of male/female friendships, and everyone will experience them differently. But where I stand on the subject is that yes, there can be friendships between guys and girls, and that I can say because of experiencing it.

Dirty Dozen: Top 12 Netflix Picks

05 Wednesday Mar 2014

Posted by Meagan Sean in Dirty Dozen

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Dirty Dozen

If you don’t live in New England or you live under a rock let me inform you of a little bit of weather we’ve been having: way too much snow all the time. It’s enough to make me hibernate AKA binge-on-Netflix-and-crochet-a-baby-blanket-all-day. That said, I’ve really been trying to explore what’s available on this revolutionary and splendid web site and have come up with 12 shows I’d readily advise anyone to watch.

For A Classic: The Lady Vanishes
I saw this one updated on Masterpiece Theater but it’s nothing compared to the original. It’s got mystery, wit, romance, suspense, and action. It’s by far one of Hitchcock’s less terrifying movies, but I’m just fine with that due to being an enormous baby when it comes to those things.
If You Want To Know What Everyone Is Talking About: Parks and Recreations
I never should have started watching this show. It’s a bit slow to start off, most people say the first few episodes just remind them of the office, but if you stick with it you’ll discover some of the best comedy and most delicious characters that are on TV right now.
For The Fictional History Nut: The Tudors
I waited a long time to watch this because I knew I’d be stuck in one spot for a long time. This show brought my beloved Henry Cavil to everyone’s attention before the whole Superman thing. It’s part fantasized historical drama and part scandalous affairs, and you can’t ever tell whose side you’re on because even the characters with the worst intentions (Anne Boleyn anyone?) are so human that you can relate to them.
If You Like Indy Movies With Heart: Safety Not Guaranteed
Once upon a time there was an ad placed in a paper asking for someone to accompany the seeker in his journey back in time. Someone decided to take that ad and write a movie based off of it. Complete fiction, aside from their inspiration, but the movie is absolutely charming and heartrendingly genuine.
If You Like Indy Movies With No Heart: Bachelorette
Not for the faint of heart! Four BFFs are reunited when one of them is getting married, but don’t expect this to be Bridesmaids. Bridesmaids didn’t deal with drugs, eating disorders, bullying, abortions, or go to strip clubs without any shame. Not to mention making jokes and awkward situations at every turn.
For Those Who Want To See Through A Child’s Eyes: What Maisie Knew
This is a film about a child that is not in any way a children’s movie. Maisie is at the center of her (often neglectful) parents break up, generally taken care of by the nanny (before the nanny marries her father) or her mother’s new husband. The film is almost entirely shot in a way that makes everything seen from Maisie’s perspective, which makes for enchanting images and reveals heartbreaking truths about what effects children. Not to mention Alexander Skarsgård holding her little hand in his big hand…I die.
If You Want To Feel Sad And Perhaps Cry: The Other Woman
Natalie Portman gives another great performance as a home wrecker whose baby died in infancy. The strain placed on the marriage, the bitterness towards her husband’s child, the guilt and devastation that follows trauma all are shown in this thought provoking movie.
For Classic Marilyn: How To Marry A Millionaire
Three of the biggest actresses of their time (Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall) are living together with one goal in mind: marrying rich. Their adventures and misadventures are so funny, especially since they don’t have a clue who they are actually flirting with. My favorite thing is that Marilyn’s character is blind as a bat without her glasses but won’t wear them in public, so her foibles are so silly. It’s by far her most underrated movie, in my opinion.
If You’re In The Mood For Drama: Regarding Henry
I saw this movie when I was younger and loved it, so I had to add it to my queue. Harrison Ford’s character is a jerk in a dysfunctional marriage that gets shot in the head and loses his memory. The revelations that occur about who he was before and about where his priorities are shocking for him, and his wife’s journey through the process is just as difficult. It’s ultimately an incredible movie about a dangerous awakening to the realization of where you have been and where you want to be.
For Those Into Abnormalities: The Tiniest Girl In The World
I’m not going to lie to you, when I was in college I was sort of obsessed with Primordial Dwarfism. There was a show on TLC about it and I couldn’t get enough. This show centers on Two-year-old toddler Charlotte who weighs just seven pounds and could have a rare form of primordial dwarfism. It’s sort of terrifying to learn about the health issues that this little girl has, especially when she is so sweet and has such a short life expectancy.
If You Want Inspiration From A Fantastic Woman: Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel
A Documentary about the fabulous and industry changing life of Diana Vreeland, one of Vogue’s most celebrated editors, following her life from childhood through her years at the MET. The woman knew fashion, and marketing, and how to make women aspire to be more than they were. It’s fascinating.
For Those Who Just Want A Pizza Movie: My Future Boyfriend
A new classic from the ABC Family TV movie archive, My Future Boyfriend is the perfect combination of cheesy, gooey, and heart warming. It centers on a man from the future who travels back in time after discovering a romance novel that describes things he doesn’t understand, such as love and lust. He finds the author and during their attempts to understand each other, they do what must be done: fall in love.