Erica's Place

 Whether you work from home every day or simply want a more organized place to study, pay bills, or tackle creative projects, your workspace should be a place you enjoy spending time. The best part is that you do not have to spend a fortune to create a beautiful office. I have rounded up 12 of my favorite Amazon office upgrades that combine style, function, and value. These products can help you create a workspace that feels clean, organized, and productive while giving it a designer-inspired look. Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. 1. Height-Adjustable Standing Desk A standing desk is one of the best upgrades you can make for your home office. It gives your workspace a modern look while allowing you to switch between sitting and standing throughout the day. Why you'll love it: Encourages better posture Helps reduce long hours of sitting Creates a clean, professional workspace Available in a variety of sizes and finish...

  Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. This means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I genuinely love and would use myself. There’s just something about a clean, organized pantry that makes your entire kitchen feel more put together. The good news? You don’t need a full renovation or a huge budget to get that high-end, Pinterest-worthy look. These simple Amazon finds can completely upgrade your pantry—making it look expensive, aesthetic, and functional… without actually spending a lot. Here are my favorite affordable pantry upgrades that make a BIG difference. 1. Airtight Food Storage Containers (With Labels) If you only change one thing in your pantry, make it this. Switching from bulky packaging to clear, uniform containers instantly gives your space that clean, high-end look you see all over Pinterest. Why they look expensive: Everything is uniform and minimal No clutter...

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A few months ago, a young lady from my school introduced the song below during chapel to the student body. If anyone has a right to sing these words, she does. As this young lady recently lost her mother in a long struggle with cancer. Loss is something none of us take well. No matter what it may be. Some losses seem small to others, but to the person who has lost, it is larger than life. Whether it be the loss of a parent, a sibling, any family member, a friend, a pet, a pastor, a job, a house the list goes on. We try to rationalize the situation... But, sadly, our finite minds cannot comprehend the reason the Lord decided to allow this pain into our lives. Many blame God for so many different reasons, but God knows how much you can bear, and how far He will allow. Job was tortured, torn, accused, cursed at, heartbroken, and yet he still uttered those words that we can't even begin to think in hard times "The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the ...

I cannot believe it is already May! Or that I have officially graduated from Indiana Bible College! The last 3 years here have been amazing. My time here was exciting, stressful, inspiring, entertaining, and just all around wonderful. I've made such amazing friends, and am going to miss the atmosphere. It's going to be sad not being able to have so many like-minded people around. But thank God for technology to be able to contact those people, and for the ability to go before His throne whenever I want. So on to the story behind the title of my post. Beyond the open door, but which one? Sometimes the hardest place to be is in the unknown. That's where I feel I am now. I know there are things that I feel others "expect" me to do, but "the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing" (I love Pastor Booker!). And right now, my MAIN thing is to follow God's Will for my life. One of the definitions of the word follow is "to accept the authori...

Still upward be thine onward course, For this I pray today; Still upward as the years go by, And seasons pass away Still upward in this coming year, Thy path is all untried; Still upward may'st thou journey on, Close by thy Savior's side. Still upward e'en though sorrow come, And trials crush thine heart; Still upward may they draw thy soul. With Christ to walk apart. Still upward till the day shall break, And shadows all have flown; Still upward til in Heaven you wake, And stand before the throne. I stole... excuse me borrowed... a great devotional book from my house before I left. I saw this poem in it and following the poem, there was a statement. The author said "We linger in the lowlands because we are afraid to climb the mountains." That phrase really stood out to me. It is true. A lot of times we are so willing just to stay where we are in our life and our walk with God, that we forget He created us to impact our world. There will be times that we are ready...

My all time favorite quotes have been from Anne of Green Gables. And anyone that knows me knows how much I absolutely ADORE Anne Shirley and the genius who decided to bring her into existence. One quote that I tend to re-quote a lot is "God's in His heaven and all's right with the world." However, I never fully understood that phrase until this last year. As I said in my last post, 2010 was a rough year. Both of my parents were sick, my best friend's daddy died, and two of my close friends died. Those are just the most tragic moments of 2010 for me, there were quite a few others, but those were some of the hardest things for me to deal with. When I received the call in October and then in November of the car accidents that took the lives of these people who played such fundamental roles in my life (one of whom played a part in the birth of and raising of my non-biological twin, and the other two who became family to me while I lived in Pennsylvania over the summer...

Here we are another year has gone by, and a new year has come in. And I am actually posting! Will wonders ever cease? I have been told that it is time to start my blog back up again, and I figured, what better time to start than the first day of the new year? It has been about 6 months since I last posted. And a lot has happened. 2010 was a long, hard year for most. And I am exceedingly happy to see the calendar flip to January of 2011. I already feel that this new year will be amazing. I have such high hopes for it. A new year is normally a time for some new resolutions. My resolution is quite simple. To make 2011 the best year ever. "Another fresh new year is here Another year to live To banish worry, doubt and fear To love and laugh and give! This bright new year is given me To live each day with zest . . . To daily grow and try to be My highest and my best! I have the opportunity Once more to right some wrongs, To pray for peace, to plant a tree, And sing more joyful songs...

So, first of all, I didn't get the nanny job. But hey, I'm not torn up about it! I am not giving up... yet. I ended up going back to Somerset and turning in quite a few applications to hotels in the area. To work at the front desk of course! And I also applied to work at the Starbucks there, but no call back yet. I'm still trucking on. I am just waiting on someone to call back, and if not, then I'll just keep applying everywhere else! Meanwhile, I'll just have fun! So, I haven't told you much about the town or church out here. I will begin now. The town... Normalville, Pennsylvania. It's up in the mountains, (although nothing like the California mountains), the elevation... totally varies but it's around 2,350ish. The population?? 2,500! The scenery is gorgeous!!! Everyone seems to know everyone! That in itself is great to me. This town is right out of a book. Even down to Resh's general store! It's wonderful! So, the church runs about 40 people ...

It has been a crazy weekend and a crazy beginning of the week! I haven't been home much it seems! Some of you might know Kristen Hammonds, soon to be Miller, if not, she is the fiance of Josh, the Pastor Miller's son . We met at IBC and of course became friends. She was down for the weekend and just left today. On Saturday we had her wedding shower, but even before the shower started, the day was eventful. NIcky Miller (pastor's daughter), Kristen and I are looking for a good gym to start working out at, so we went to one early Saturday morning that is close to where Josh and Kristen will be living, it's about half an hour away, but that is close compared to most other places! So on our way home Nicky told me to take a different way to see if it was faster. An hour later, and none of us have any clue of where we are, other than the fact that we are possibly still in Pennsylvania. Come to find out we were about 15 minutes away from Maryland! So I turned, hoping that I wa...

I did not realize finding plane tickets was a challenge! I am going to be home for a week next month (YAY!) and had delegated the process of getting a great price for a flight to my mother. Well I waited a little longer than necessary, and... the prices went UP! How rude of all those ticket websites! Well I was searching today for EVER for a good price. And I didn't realize how sneaky those websites are! They are downright evil! They will trick you into clicking on a low price, and lo and behold they only did that to show you the only price they have is $60 more expensive! So after finding a decent price, I went to see if anything else had a good price, and I went back to the former website... and the price had gone up $100! Now that is just uncalled for (heehee)!! Conniving! So I just showed Expedia who was boss and purchased one for a cheaper price! So there!

So, hello deprived, neglected readers. It has been such a long time since I last posted. And I kept telling myself to get better. Go figure, I haven't kept up with it! BUT I HAVE kept up with the 365 blog that Bekki and I are doing! Go check out our Random blog !! It has been fun! So... most of you are in the dark about the last two months of my life. I am going to give you a REALLY short story version! Since the end of March, we had a successful IBC Music Festival, a grueling race to finals week, packing galore and then wonderful graduation banquet, and sadly Justin's graduation! It all happened so fast. I am so proud of him, and I am sure that those of you who know him, would have loved to see him perform in Music Festival and then again for his last time playing with IBC Choir at graduation. It was an emotional graduation (well not as much for me, as I was trying hard to help my friends keep it together! LOL) but we had an amazing speaker, and then had a wonderful time out ...

Saturdays are wonderful! Especially if you have NOTHING to do, which ends up being rare here at IBC. So, I have some things that need to be done, I can procrastinate one more day, especially since it is beautiful out, and the nothingness of the day is summoning me! Loved this poem when I was younger, and thought I may as well share it, so you can enjoy it too! Sick by Shel Silverstein 'I cannot go to school today, ' Said little Peggy Ann McKay. 'I have the measles and the mumps, A gash, a rash and purple bumps. My mouth is wet, my throat is dry, I'm going blind in my right eye. My tonsils are as big as rocks, I've counted sixteen chicken pox And there's one more-that's seventeen, And don't you think my face looks green? My leg is cut-my eyes are blue- It might be Instamatic flu. I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke, I'm sure that my left leg is broke- My hip hurts when I move my chin, My belly button's caving in, My back is wrenched, my ankle...

Hello to any of those who still care about this blog!! It has been too long since I have posted anything. I have some drafts saved, but I never finished any of the posts, so I just gave it up for awhile. Then I realized, how much I missed it. How much it was a part of me to be able to write and to know that others were reading what was just me thinking out loud. There has been so much going on, so I won't bore you with all the details, but I will say... God is good! I just got back from a wonderful road trip to California. Unfortunately I didn't get to see very many people while I was there (even my own church family!). I mainly spent time showing my friends from IBC around. I was NOT ready to leave, not just cuz I knew it was going to be a LOOOOONNG drive back, but because I forgot how much I missed everyone. When I got back "home" (Indianapolis home) I began to realize how much I had to do, and that I should have used that free week to do it all! But too late, now I...

Well, 2009 is over, there is no going back. We've come to a new year, with a fresh clean slate with no mistakes. Of course, there WILL be mistakes, we all know that, but hopefully the mistakes will be smaller than the previous ones. I have been thinking about what resolutions to make. It really is harder that I originally thought. I feel like I have changed in so many ways, just from last year. So, I don't know what my resolutions are as of yet. I planned on making a list, but that didn't happen. So, I will just take it a step at a time. “Here's to the bright New Year,and a fond farewell to the old; here's to the things that are yet to come, and to the memories that we hold.” I'll keep you updated with how my resolutions are going (if I make any! Until then, goodbye readers, and sorry for letting you down in 2009. ;)

Thanksgiving - noun 1. The act of giving thanks; grateful acknowledgment of benefits or favors 2. An expression of thanks, esp. to God. 3. A public celebration in acknowledgment of divine favor or kindness. 4. A day set apart for giving thanks to God I am so thankful in so many ways, I could never tell everyone but I COULD give a few of the main reasons I am thankful 1. God - without Him I would be nothing. I still have such a long way to go, but with God with me, I can do it 2. My family - My parents have ALWAYS been there for me. They have been so supportive of every choice I've made, if it is not quite the right decision, they let me know (heheh) and it really has meant much knowing that whatever I decide to do, wherever my life leads me, my parents with be "rooting" me on. Mom always has the best advice, and although I hate to admit some of it, she is right 99% of the time. Daddy is my hero, I want someone just like him. My brothers are also so supportive of me... if ...

So, yes, I am one of *those* people that absolutely ADORES the holiday season. I have been waiting for this all year! I have been listening to Christmas music already since the first week of November. It's a wonderful feeling! Christmas never, ever gets old to me! One thing that has made me so happy this year though, is that I get to go home! I was a little unsure there for a bit. SOOO... I mainly wrote this cuz I just wanted to put up a Christmas song, :-D cuz I just love it, and because I WILL be home for Christmas! I'm dreaming tonight, of a place I love Even more than I usually do And although I know, it's a long road back I promise you I'll be home for Christmas You can count on me Please have snow and mistletoe And presents by the tree Christmas Eve will find you Where the love light gleams I'll be home for Christmas If only in my dreams

Wow.... I seriously don't know where these last three months have gone since I last posted. I have let down my reading audience! So to summarize my life in the past few months... hmmmm school, work, church, practices, and late nights! yup that's pretty much it, with a few trips thrown in there! So the main reason for me posting, is to let you know that I am going to start posting again!!! Bekki and I were talking about how she felt like she hasn't written much lately, and I haven't written AT ALL on here! I am a failure, but give me another chance! I would say I am going to post pictures, but instead, I'll give you a link of where to find my pictures! And if THAT doesn't work, I'll post pictures! LOL

Well it has been a long while since I last posted!! So I figured I had better let everyone know I am alive! It was a crazy few last weeks before we left, and a little emotional too at times... It was hard to leave, yet it wasn't! But we had a fun yard sale the Saturday before we left, then we left around 11 am (due to a few stops before we finally left town) Monday and drove STRAIGHT THROUGH to White Hall Arkansas. We arrived (like how I said that? All professional) at the Corbitt's house around 3:30 pm the next day, then had dinner with them, and spent the night and left for Congress early the next morning! I have pictures, and will put some up in the near future, but Youth Congress was such fun. We saw so many people we haven't seen in a while, including cousins! Yay for cousins! Our friends kept telling me that I was related to everyone somehow ;P. So now we are back in Arkansas for a few days then on to South Bend to spend a few days with my Aunt Carlene, then to IBC to...

SOOOOOOOO hard to do! As Thomas Kempis so well said, "All men commend patience, although few are willing to practice it." patience - noun 1. the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like. 2. an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay: to have patience with a slow learner. 3. quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care So many things that we have to be patient for, but our present world has made patience practically impossible. We have ~Fast food restaurants, because who has time to make dinner anymore? ~DRIVE THROUGHs at those same restaurants, because not only don't we have patience to make dinner, we don't have time to get out of the car and enjoy our fast food dinner ~ATMs - because who wants to wait in line at the bank (and you still have to end up waiting in line anyway) ~Drive through ATMs... even better! ...