Are you still there?

In case anyone is still following this blog, I thought I'd direct you over to my new craft blog.  That's where I'll be posting most everything, now.  Head over and click follow!

Days Like Today

It's days like today that I reflect on my life and what I want for myself.

I want to spend my time doing things I love

I want to be a loving wife

I want to be a grateful daughter

I want to be a caring friend

I want to give to others in need

I want to live my life with a song in my heart

What do you want for yourself?

Too Many Blogs?

My husband says I have too many blogs.  I know it's sort of silly to have two blogs, but well...I do.  So don't forget to follow my Craft Blog.

Who Doesn't Love Free Makeup?!

I went to the Bare Escentuals store at the mall, today, to pick up some more foundation.  If you haven't tried Bare Minerals makeup, you really should.  It's awesome!

Anyway, I just happened to go in during their 35 year birthday celebration.  Look at all the free stuff I got, and I didn't buy any more than what I came for!

I mean, who doesn't love free makeup?!

You Are Holy

Isaiah 6:1-8 (NIV)
¹ In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. ² Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. ³ And they were calling to one another:
   “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
   the whole earth is full of his glory.”
 ⁴ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
 ⁵ “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”
 ⁶ Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. ⁷ With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
 ⁸ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
   And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

 I absolutely LOVE this.  Picture how beautiful it is.  I like to put myself right in the middle of this, right in Isaiah's sandals.  It's completely overwhelming.  Can you even imagine it?!

This is one of my favorite passages, and therefore, this is one of my favorite songs.  Sit back, close your eyes, and soak it in.


P.S.  If you are like me, and like to read more than just the specific passages people present to me, be sure to check out the explanation of the Hebrew for the second part of this verse, here.  It makes a lot more sense.

Cool Find

I like to use natural body care products, for the most part.  I just can't get myself to use the all natural deodorant, and the toothpaste I tried didn't keep my breath from smelling.  But, overall, I like to take as many chemicals out of my environment as I can.  I actually discovered this years ago, when my mom convinced me to stop using typical acne washes and go with something natural.  She told me, "All those chemicals can't be good for your skin."  I had amazing success with my skin after switching to a natural body wash.  And, shampoo?  Don't even get me started.  Most shampoos contain an ingredient that can cause blindness.  And we rub it all over our heads, and let the shower rinse it down our faces?!

I know that natural stuff like this is typically more expensive, but if you go to the right place, it can be bearable.  And, really, who can put a dollar amount on our health?  :)

I went the The Vitamin Shoppe (one of the "right" places that you can get natural body care products for cheaper), today, to pick up some shampoo, conditioner, and face soap.  I found this!

It's called African Black Soap, and says it's for "acne fighting, detoxifying & healing."  The description on the back says, "African Black Soap, made from palm ash, tamarind extract, tar and plantain peel has been used in Africa for centuries to treat eczema, acne, oily skin, psoriasis, and other skin ailments."  It smells great, too!  I can't wait to use it.

Way Better Than the Mall

I love home improvement stores.  The smell of the wood, the life of the plants, the possibilities that stretch before me in aisles and aisles of fixtures, knobs, doors, flooring, and organizational items.  I am in my element, there.  I remembered this, yesterday, when I went to Lowe's to pick up some Drano and Weed & Feed.  I came out with 2 herb plants, an 8 pack of lightbulbs, a Scott's version of Weed & Feed, rolling casters for my coffee table, Liquid Plumber, and this awesome, $5 lamp!

It goes perfectly in my living room.  Unfortunately, and quite comically, my 64 lb dog is afraid of it.

Destruction in Paradise

OK, maybe I don't live in Paradise, but the area that I live in seems pretty close, sometimes.  It's been a few weeks, now, and I just haven't sat down to write about the awful tornadoes that came through at the end of April.  I found myself to be extremely emotional about it all.  It still upsets me to talk about it.  I felt so helpless.  We donated some items, and my mom and I went to volunteer in our town (once they were finally letting people into town), but it doesn't seem like enough.  This has inspired me to get disaster relief training, so that I can be of more help, if this sort of thing happens nearby, again.  Rather than trying to recap it, I am copying a letter that  I wrote to a radio station about the tornadoes (I took out my town....just to practice safe blogging). 

It's one thing to hear about tornadoes in other towns, think that it's sad, and move on with your life.  It's a completely different thing to see the devastation at your own home.  I live in (?) and there was an incredible amount of damage only a few miles from my home.  I am incredibly thankful for the safety of my home and my family.  It brings tears to my eyes when I realize how close I was to being pulled into this disaster.  My parents were out of town and so I went over to check on their home Thursday evening, as they live in (?), as well.  My husband called me and let me know I needed to stay at their house for a bit, because storms were going to be coming through.  I drove home once it looked like I had a safe window.  Only 2 hours later the worst of our the tornadoes came through the path I took to get home.  It leveled homes, destroyed businesses, and took lives.  I don't know how I was blessed enough to make it home in such good timing, but I am so grateful for God's safety in my life.
    My heart breaks for those that weren't as lucky as I was.  They still have our town closed to through traffic, but have been overwhelmed with more volunteers than they can use.  I know it's easy to forget about these things after a few days, but I hope that everyone will remember that there are still people hurting and can use donations and prayers.

Please remember the TN Valley and North GA in your prayers as well as Joplin, MO, which was struck with tornado destruction, yesterday. 

An Ear to the Issue

Alright, it just needs to be discussed.  I pierced my ears.  I was raised in a fairly conservative church, and piercing was not encouraged.  In efforts not to be a "stumbling block," I feel a need to give a moment to discuss it.

When I started to want to pierce my ears, I chewed it over for at least 2 years.  When I got serious about it, I researched it online and biblically.  I prayed about it.  And THEN, I decided to do it.

I firmly believe that we should we should believe things because WE believe them, not because we are told to believe them.  I believe that we should research and study and KNOW what we believe and why.  This is not an excuse to do whatever we want, or to have an absence of belief.  It is, however, a reason to study in order to understand our beliefs.

That being said, I don't want to be used as an excuse for someone else to make a decision on ear piercing, or anything for that matter.  Because of this, I don't feel it would be appropriate for me to discuss the details of why I made this decision.  I want others to make decisions based on their own prayer and study, as I did.

I just wanted it to be clear to any that may be questioning it, that I made my decision to pierce my ears after study, thought, and prayer, not just on a whim.

Pursuit of Passion

I've been thinking about passion, lately.  I went to a friend's concert, a few weeks ago (check out Matt Chancey on Facebook or on iTunes, he's pretty awesome).  He's an incredible musician with obvious passion for music and his guitar.  I found myself rather jealous of his ability to live out his passion.  He plays in local venues, goes on tour, and gets to spend time doing what he loves (in addition to being a student).

I found it easier to  follow my passions when they were readily available for me.  It was easy to spend time with kids when I worked at a preschool, or when I didn't work full time and could spend my summers working at summer camp.  The same goes for my passion for water and teaching swimming.  It was easy to enjoy acro sport when I went to schools with acro teams.  It was easy to be involved in music, when I went to school with weekly worship services and friends who often asked for my help with song service.

Now, I find it much harder to pursue my passions, but that has now become one of my many goals.

My current passions:

• Crafts/Creativity-Most likely my strongest passion. I couldn't keep this one out of my life, if I wanted to.  I feel like it practically oozes out of me.  This is why I started my craft blog.  
• Music- Aside from listening to it, I don't have much of it in my life.  I used to sing with the worship team at church, but it's been some time since I've done that.  I've had a guitar for years and still barely know how to play it.  I am hoping to find time to do something about that, soon.  I guess I need to find a good (and cheap) guitar teacher.
• Kids- I LOVE them.  I want about 167 of them.  I used to work at summer camp and teach at a preschool.  But, currently I just have the kiddos in my family.  It will have to be good enough, for now.
• Helping Others-I am able to volunteer every now and then for different things, but I definitely don't do it enough.  Currently, we have tons of tornado damage here in my area (which I will write about sometime soon).  I was really glad to be able to help with some cleanup.  And, once things calm down from the tornado upheaval, I am planning to get some disaster response training, so that I can possibly be of more help in the event of a future disaster.

Witness at Every Stop

Safelite came by last week to look at some windshield damage.  I found it interesting (actually, I found it amazing), that within the few minutes that I stood outside with him, he found a way to bring up God, talk about his grace and mercy, and explain how welcoming his church is. 
I only assume that he does that at most of his service calls.  What an amazing way to turn a seemingly "ministryless" job into a way to witness to a broad range of people. 
How can we each turn our every day activities into a way to share God?

Culturally Thinking

About a week ago, Brandon and I went to see the movie "Rio".  I love watching cartoons in the theater.  The movie was set, in Rio, around the time of Carnival.  I know it was just a cartoon, but it made me think about culture and tradition.  Is it just because I am used to our culture, that it seems to me, that we don't have any?  We have tradition among families, but what American traditions do we have, other than Christmas and 4th of July? 
Wouldn't life be more fun if we embraced culture and followed more traditions?  I think I'm going to try and embrace tradition and culture, both locally and within my heritage, as well as start new traditions within my little family.

My Craftastic Life

I started a craft blog!  This will house most of my craft posts from now, on.  You can visit it here.

Don't worry.  I'll still put some of that stuff on here, but if you want more in depth on my crafty side, that's where you'll find it.  Enjoy!

Project Purge Update

In case you were wondering if I've accomplished Project Purge yet, the answer is no.  However, I have been working hard as I find the time.  It's taking me a bit longer, because I've decided to embark on Operation Organize (just me organizing my house), at the same time.  Here's a little update on my progress:

I've purged almost everything in my living room.  We went through games, dvd's, random toys (don't make fun, they actually get played with, despite my childless state), video games, and miscellaneous stuff.  I still have a few workout videos to try, movies to view and baskets to go through.  We are going to sell 2 of our 4 gaming systems (how many do we REALLY need?).  Check out my reorganized living room here.

 

Just in case you are too lazy to click the link.

I cleaned most everything from my dining room while making this.

I pulled everything out of our master bathroom and drastically reduced the stuff.  I was so proud of myself for actually just trashing things that could one day maybe, possibly be used (but likely wouldn't since they hadn't in the past 12 years).

  I was especially excited about the drawer dividers I made from a manilla folder, since organization stuff is typically expensive.

 I also went through our guest bathroom and did the same thing.

 I had fun with my label maker!

 I went through our bedroom to get rid of things, namely clothes.  I tried selling the clothes to consigment, but only go rid of about 15 of the 40+ items I took.  That's alright!  At least charity likes my things.

Pieces of Me

I've been thinking a lot lately about the different people that have made me who I am.  Although many people look at a "broken" family as heartbreaking and only bad, I'm quite pleased with the way mine has turned out.  Because of this, I am blessed enough to have 5 parents in my life (7 if you include my wonderful in-laws), and was able to grow up with 5 siblings, despite being an only child.  I am special to have so many influences in and on my life.

Mommy- I am most like my mom.  She was a very integral part of my upbringing.  We are extremely close.  Just the other day, I equated us to the Gilmore Girls.  I have her hair, slender build, and fast metabolism.  I learned her love for the small things in life, desire for "adventure", and savvy shopping skills.  I was cursed with her migraines and poor vision.  I have a strong love for crafts that I know was fostered by her constant attitude of, "I can make that, why buy it?"  I constantly try to be wonder woman, like her (she does cool things like sew formal gowns and replace transmissions), but rarely accomplish it.  I learned to be extremely nit picky from my mother, but yet, strangely have her terrible habit for clutter.  Mom understands me more than any other person has ever, or will ever, understand me.

PaPa-  My father, not my grandpa.  Most of my upbringing was living 10 hours away from my PaPa, but filled with the typical divorce child shuffle.  We did not always understand each other, but he always loved me.  I have his eyes, short build, and maybe his nose (jury's still out).  I have an extreme love for music that undoubtedly came from my PaPa.  Drums move my soul as a result of his intense love for them.  He gave me my talent for singing and a unique creativity.  We are both strong willed and tender hearted.  We take pride in our individuality, and are both attention seekers.  Like him, I think critically and like to question the "why's" of life.  Over the years, we've grown closer, and I enjoy where our relationship has finally taken us.

Robert- My incredible step-dad.  The first time I ever met him, I told my mom to marry him.  I made her a wedding ring out of paper.  I may have only been 7, but I knew he fit in our lives.  Robert introduced me to country music and Billy Ray Cyrus.  He was my silent ally when Mom was being insufferable.  From Robert, I learned quirkiness (quirky things are my fave!),  and a belief (shamefully) in conspiracy theories.  He taught me to think for myself.  He is constantly researching, studying, questioning.  I'm incredibly thankful for this.  When I believe something, it's because I believe it.  Not because someone told me to believe it.  Lastly, Robert gave me brothers.  He came into our lives, and gave me 2 brothers.  Eventually, this brought me a sister-in-law and I became an Auntie of 3!

Terry-  I met Terry when I was 3 or so, along with her two daughters, and eventually, baby boy.  Terry married my PaPa many years later.  She was my surrogate mother when I "became a woman" (i.e. started my period), something no girl wants to go through without a woman's help and support.  She taught me her love for musicals, a taste for healthy foods (which I truly believe is an acquired tasted), and the "S-Curve" (a pose she learned in modeling school to make your body look long and thin in photos).  Unfortunately, aside from a yearly birthday call or Christmas gift, Terry and her kids are not much a part of my life anymore.  But, they will always hold a place in my history.

Nore- Nore married my dad just about 2 years ago.  She is sweet and loving.  Although I haven't had much opportunity for her to mold me in any way, here's what I believe she will teach me in the years to come:
Unselfish love for my husband.  Need I say more?  What better lesson could I be taught?  Oh, and she taught me that a boiled egg and swiss cheese is really good in a sandwich. MMM


My In-Laws- Although they did not raise me, they love and care for me like their own.  Among the many things I cherish about them, one thing trumps all.  We were all eating out, Brandon, his parents, brother and I.  I remember just watching them laugh and talk.  I was struck.  This family actually loves each other!  Of course, my family LOVES each other.  But, I just didn't realize you could actually fall in love, get married, have kids, and still just love each other.  To me, divorce, was not desirable, but just normal  This family rarely fights and they are incredibly close.  I realized then, that what I hoped I could have, was actually possible. 

Man!  I'm one blessed girl.

#36 I Didn't Register for China

It's true, I didn't register for China, I knew I wouldn't use it.  But I love dishes and serve ware and have been wanting a china cabinet.  I was planning on getting rid of my childhood book case, when I  realized I could fix it up and use it for a china cabinet.  Then, I realized, it was a china cabinet.  I didn't think of it that way, since it was my book case for as long as I could remember.  Anyway, here it is!



Before:

After:

 

If you are interested in more detail on how I did this, visit my craft blog.

A Year of Things

Well, one year ago today I embarked on my 36 Things journey.  Check out my year of blogging to see what I've done!

#35 A Room for Living

So excited about our "new" living room!

This is what it used to look like.  Of course, this is a picture from when we moved in, that's why there are still boxes in the corner and minus some updates I'd done since then.  But, basically, you can see the three cabinets on the far wall, the papazan on the left by the window, the couch angled from right.







In efforts to instill some Apartment Therapy in my living room, I moved the couch, storage bench, papazan chair, bookshelf, side table, and sewing machine table (which we use as an entry table).  It was so much nicer.  But, Christmas came, and we needed a place to keep the tree.  So things got moved again.

After Christmas, we realized our need for more seating.  We like to have people over, but there's never enough comfy seating.  People are always standing, or sitting on our hard dining room chairs.  So....we got another couch!  I was able to find this beauty on craigslist for $100.

We had a hard time getting it.  The guy demanded we come get it at a specific time, or he would offer it to others.  Understandable.  But, it didn't work out for us to get it.  The weather was bad for the next few days and then I found the couch re-listed for $150.  What?!  So we gave up.  We had only wanted to pay $70 in the first place.  He contacted us  few days later and asked if we wanted to come get it.  We paid $100.

 So, I moved stuff around again!

I added the table and lamp that I got at Ikea to improve my reading nook.

I still need some more pillows and a cover for the old couch and papazan, but it's so cozy and there's plenty of room, now!

Too Much Stuff

On my previous post, I talked about watching the video, The Story of Stuff.  It really spoke to my shameful materialistic side.  Although I am not up on the newest fashions or styles, I like things.  I like to buy cute stuff, whether I "need" it, or not. The video also pointed out the value of reusing.  Why throw something away if it is useful?
While I agree with this, and I truly believe we buy way too much stuff, when does it go too far?  I recently finished watching the first season of Hoarders on Netflix.  This spoke to my shameful difficulty in getting rid of things.  I have way too much stuff (which is why I am undergoing Project Purge) .  Although I don't have a compulsion to hoard, I understand the struggle these people go through.  I have struggled with obsessive compulsive disorder, and  I know that compulsions are incredibly hard to overcome.  Praise the Lord, God helped me overcome my sickness!  But, how does someone draw the line when it comes to hoarding?  When do you cross over from resourcefulness into hoarding?  When does it become a sickness?
I know that hoarding, like other compulsions, can stem from something biological.  I know that "stuff" is the symptom and not the problem.  But, isn't it sad that our need for things can manifest itself in such a devastating way?  Not only is it bad for the health of our earth, it is bad for our personal health.

#34 No Groceries

Several days ago I watched this video.  I was talking to Brandon about it later and marveling about our increase in cosumption (we consume twice as much as we did 50 years ago, and our homes are twice as big as in the 1970's....and our stuff still doesn't fit).  He mentioned how it amazed him that people could have pantries full, second refrigerators and deep freezers, and still have to go to the grocery store each week.  So, I decided to challenge myself to a week with no groceries.  Just use what I have.  I did go to the store for fruits and vegetables, cause I didn't want a week of straight crap.  Here's what we ate.  


Day 1- Baked burritos
Day 2- Breakfast for dinner (pancakes, eggs, stripples)
Day 3- Brandon didn't want anything....which means he didn't want leftover soup or anything else I offered him. I had popcorn and apples with cinnamon and sugar.  mmmm
Day 4-We both ate out for girls'/guys' nights
Day 5- Rice, lentils, and veggies for me.  Brandon hates lentils, so he had rice, chili beans, and hot dogs (which he said was really good....I didn't try it.)
Day 6- I don't remember.. I know I cooked, but have no clue what I made.
Day 7- Noodles, veggies, and asparagus for lunch.  Ate out with friends for dinner
Day 8- I know the week was over, but we had breakfast for dinner again.  Waffles and eggs.  I made my first fried egg.  Mmmmm

#33 New Traditions

Life is busy and marriage can be hard.    I remember thinking that once I was married, I'd get to see Brandon so much more.  False.  Although we might be in the same house, a little more than when we were dating and living apart (even that might not be true), we don't spend as much time together.  It's so easy to let life get in the way.  I am trying to get so much done at the house.  Plus, I have a weekly Bible study, and weekly or bi weekly trips to make pottery.  I try to spend time with friends when the opportunity presents itself, since I tend to get depressed if I'm not "socialized" enough. 
Brandon, on the other hand, is a PE teacher.  Contrary to what you probably think, this creates a very busy husband.  He's got coaching or games (sometimes 3 in one day).  He also teaches Math and Bible, so he has grading and lesson plans to work on.  Then, he tries to stay active himself, and has volleyball or softball leagues throughout the year.
Needless to say, we don't see each other much.  So, Brandon and I started a new tradition.  We are now waking up just a little early (just 15 minutes).  This gives us time to eat breakfast together and have a short devotional.  It's important to spend time with God, together, plus, it's nice to have some time together before our crazy days begin.

#32 Homemade Christmas

I decided to do a homemade Christmas this year.  It was so much fun to have an excuse to craft, and way less stressful than having to shop for everyone's gifts.  See below the stuff I made.

#31 No Veg?

I might not be able to call myself a vegetarian, anymore.  I always pick at Brandon's chicken, and chicken nuggets always look so good.  Tried one....LOVED it!  I have now sought them out, rather than just picking a bit of Brandon's.  I have ordered chicken nuggets at least 4 times and loved them!  I don't know if I still count as a vegetarian.

#30 Hair cut

I chopped my hair off!  I've cut it short before, but I think this is the shortest I've gone.  I love it.  Brandon told me he'd never heard me say I loved my haircut.  I don't know if that's true, but I really do love this one.

P.S.  I don't have a good picture of it handy, and I'm too lazy to upload any new ones.  Sorry.

#29 Glass Blower, Extraordinaire

Another thing off of my bucket list, sort of.  I've always wanted to blow glass.  Found a place in town that will let you make an ornament.  We got to kind of half do it.  Like when you do an art project in preschool and your teacher does most of the work and just puts your handprint on it.  But, still....I "made" it.  

#28 Artificial Christmas?!

I have always had real Christmas trees.  Last year, I bought a fake tree after Christmas for $10, just to have in case we ever couldn't afford a tree, or wanted a second one for our basement, and so on.  Well, this year, in my efforts to not waste money, I pulled it out.  I always thought it would be terrible, but, honestly, it wasn't so bad.  It was actually kind of great!  No sap, nice and light, didn't have to water it, and it holds heavy ornaments better.  Lose an ornament hook, just bend the limb through.  I think it might have to work again next year.

#27 Money Madness

We don't make tons of money.  But, we make too much to be living paycheck to paycheck.  That's what we've been doing.  So....I've begun to take control of our finances.

I have watched one of the Dave Ramsey videos to start with.  We started using a version of the envelope system.  I used to use that myself before getting married, and loved it.  I have us on a weekly allowance for random purchases (fast food, random things I "have" to have at Target).

But, the biggie is that we have to reduce our bills.  So, I took a look at what we pay for, and what we really need.  Here's what I've done.  I'm so excited about it. 

*Granted, we don't need tv, but I really like it.  So, as I posted earlier, I canceled our sattelite and we got basic cable. 

*I also canceled our home phone.  We use it to call our cell phone if we've lost it, or people (family) will call it if we don't answer our cell phones.  Other than that, we use it to give out instead of our cell number for people that will probably try to market to us.  That's it.  And for a $10 phone line, that ended up costing us $25 after all the fees, not worth it.  But, I'm already frustrated when I call Brandon and know he's home, but he doesn't have his phone on him.  I also am a little scared about the whole 911 thing, as they can't locate you as easily if you call from a cell phone.  I figure if I'm gonna call 911, it would probably be from my cell anyway, though.  And if I can't tell them where I am, I probably can't get up and walk in the kitchen to get the home phone.  But, I'm thinking about getting Magic Jack.  It's 40 bucks initially, and then just 20 bucks a year.  That would be worth the extra phone, to me.

*We switched our internet.  Our phone company requires a home phone in order to get internet, so we switched to the cable company on that, as well.  I was paying $75 a month for home phone and internet and $35 a month for sattelite.  Now that we have TV and internet through the cable company, I am paying $46 a month.  That is a savings of $64 a month and $768 a year!  If we used the Magic Jack, it would be 748 a year of savings.

*I love my recycling.  But, I didn't love paying for it, when I could just drive to the recycling center.  So, I called my garbage company to cancel the recycling.  But, the guy was so nice, he just let me keep the recycling for free!

I'm still working to do some more to reduce our bills, but that sure is a start!