Holler Out

Check out Sara's new photo blog. My sister are more beautiful than you. You'll notice a lot of green, white, brown and pink in her latest photos. That is cause she's working on a photo collage for our wall. Not only is she cool enough to take and edit the photos, but now she's using them to decorate. If you like, she will even take your picture...for a fee of course. Check out some of her handiwork.

Sum Muny

Last night, I was greeted by this sign, "Will do things for you for sum muny." The sign was later corrected. I am against spelling lessons for children. Why? Because if you teach them to spell then you won't get to enjoy little moments like this.

New Fabric!

Here is the new fabric I just bought. I love it! I'm started working on it this weekend, but since I'm making up my own pattern I don't want to tell you. That way, if it doesn't turn out, I won't have to show the end result and admit my defeat.

In other news, I'm totally cloth flower bonkers! After making the linen flowers, I went on to make a pair of white flowers and a pair of burgundy flowers. The burgundy are my new favorites. I got to melt them with a candle. Rock on. Pictures to come.

More Flower Love

I love these flowers even more! They are super easy. I found the tutorial online. The next day I found an old linen skirt in the attic. Then I made up these two flowers in 15-20 minutes. It took me a little long just because I had never made them before. Now I think I could whip one up in 5 minutes easy.

I

made them on Wednesday night

and wore them to work on Thursday morning. I just used

safety pins to attach them to my shirt.

Warning: I intend to wear and use these flowers

all the time.

Yo-Yo Flowers

I found these flowers online the other day.

I absolutely love them! I keep trying to think of something to put them on.

Here is a really easy to follow tutorial.

Thankful list

I was reading Jasmine's blog (which, as strange as this may sound, I like because she's just so normal and interesting at the same time) and she posted a list of things she was thankful for. Being thus inspired (and having nothing else to do), I too shall post a list of things that make me happy.

• Pineapple and homemade chocolate truffles.
• Little brothers and sisters to hang out with at the end of a long day of work (even though they can't be quiet for more than 30 seconds).
• My baby niece who had better hurry up and get born so I can know her name!
• The new Beatles CD that I got dad for Fathers' Day. We listened to it on the way to work this morning. Aren't I an amazing daughter?
• New fabric from the store just waiting to be used. My blank canvas of choice.
• The sun and hot weather that makes my skin feel all tight.
• Green grass and blue skies.
• Jeanne at the nursing home who loves it when we come and sing for her. She always has a request, knows all the verses by heart and joyfully sings along.
• My job (even when it is really boring).

Best phone conversation ever...

My all-time favorite phone convesation has got to be this one. I was working in the office at NSA and a prospective student's mother called in with a question.

Mother: "Ok, I know this is weird, but I heard a rumor and I just wanted to make sure it isn't true. I don't think it's true or anything, but I just want to be able to tell them I asked.

Me: "Ok, fire."

Mother: "Is it true that girls at NSA are only allowed to talk on the phone for 7 minutes so they don't gossip?"

Me (obviously laughing): "No, that is not true."

Mother: "Are there any other rules?"

Me: "Well, we have a student handbook and we have to sign a holiness contract thing, but other those are just really big picture stuff. No, I don't think we really have any rules."

My little brother is funnier than yours

"Congratulations! Your chin just had twins."

- Ethan

Summer Project

So mom and I picked up this rather plain wooden box the other from Goodwill.

Then I spray painted it white and painted strange designs on it. Too bad I'm not better at painting. At least it now matches my room.

Productivity defined

1 Saturday

30 some chocolate truffles

3 weeks worth of communion bread

Loads and loads of calzones

Just a Friday at Work...

Me: "I'm sorry, but X is not available. Would you like to leave a voicemail?"
Caller: "I don't have email."
Me: "Would you like to leave a voicemail?"
Caller: "I don't have a voicemail."
Me: "Umm...It's like an answering machine."

Life

When I was younger, life was simple. I knew what lie in my future. When I turned 18, a boyfriend would magically appear and then I'd get married and have cute little children and so on and so forth. Simple, right? Well, reality hit pretty early on and by the time I actually turned 18, I was very happy not to have a boyfriend. It must made school and life that much simpler. Next I went to college. And once again, I knew how my life was going to go. I would attend college for 4 years, get a degree, and then when I graduated, I would just get married. No problemo. Not that I was going to school to hunt for a husband, I just that thought that that was how the world worked. Senior year finally rolled around and the realiziation hit me that my chances of getting married anytime soon were slim to nonexistent. This still didn't really bother me. I was happy and content being single. However, it did present at least one slight problem. What should I do with my life now?

My roommate cajoled, flattered and, in the end, convinced me that I wanted to teach. I quickly decided that though I wanted to teach, I did not want to teach just anywhere. I made up a list of schools that were either close to my house or really goods schools where I knew students or families living in the area. I ended up only applying to 3 schools and even scored myself an interview with one of them. After the interview, they were so interested in me that they wanted to fly me down to visit them. This was right before graduation and I took it as a sign that I had found my calling. After graduation, I visited them and loved the school and they even liked me. I was offered a job, but it was an offer that I couldn't accept.

So here I am. Living with my parents, working an 8-5 receptionist job, trying to figure out what it is I'm supposed to be doing with my life. So much for my childhood ideas of "normal life." Funny how man's plans are so different from God's. As I was reminded just this morning, our silly plans and made-up notions of the "ideal" life mean nothing so long as we abide in the will of God. "For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:16-17). O vapor of vapors.

I have come to the conclusion that there is no way for me to know the plan for my life. I am, quite literally, incapable of figuring it all out. God knows my past and my future, but I reside firmly in the present and the present is where I"ll stay no matter what the sci-fi books say. The most exciting thing is that I know that whatever God has planned for my life is way better and more fascinating then anything I could thimk up on my own. The challenge before me is to figure out how God wants to use me right here, right now.

I'd guess I'd better get back to figruing that out...