do you scrap?

Almost all of my friends have immaculate scrapbooks. The pictures are carefully cut with straight edge cutters and placed in just the right spot. The stickers and embellishments are breathtaking. It's a little bit disgusting. Perhaps I need these orderly people in my life. So, people are always asking me if I "scrapbook," and I always shrivel up and say "sort of." My scrapbooks are SUCH a perfect representation of my life... miss-matched, chaotic, hilarious, exciting, bunch of orderly disorder... if that even makes sense. I rarely show my scrapbooks to people (even my friends), but today I have the urge to reveal a little peek into the mess. This is a page or two from the scrapbook of all my running adventures. I like documenting my races and when I get into a running "funk" these pages motivate me to push harder. Enjoy...

campy camperson

We loaded 3 vans with luggage, sleeping bags, three guitars and twenty-two of our favorite teenagers. Then we started driving. 12 hours later we arrived at our campsite in Georgia. It was an extraordinary trip. The teenagers learned to love God's word, we learned to love God's strength. Charlie has never looked more handsome to me. I like watching him teach people. We're glad to be home today... unpacking, washing, sleeping, laughing about the memories that accompany trips with teenagers.  I'll spend this week re-packing for our trip to Mexico. More details about that coming soon. Happy Saturday.

happy me

Shopping with Mom, date with Charlie, singing with the kids, cake with dear friends. What a wonderful birthday weekend. My heart is full.

a tad early

Dear Fathers, happy day! Love, me. I know it's a bit early to send happy Father's Day wishes, but it must be done today for 4 reasons. #1, Once every seven years or so my birthday falls on Father's Day. Such is the case this year. I like to make a much bigger deal of Father's Day on these occasions so that everyone will see how nice I am for sharing my day and make a much bigger deal out of my birthday in return. #2, I couldn't stand having Charlie's present any longer. I'm not good at secrets or surprises. #3, We will actually be spending Father's Day (and my birthday) driving 12 hours to camp with the teenagers from our church. #4, I love Charlie... and my dad. I purchased a new pair of TOMS for Charlie. We love this organization and I've been waiting for the "recycled, stitch out" style to appear so I could buy some for him. I appreciate him so much. Tell your dad thank you this weekend!

fabric necklaces

I made these necklaces for a nice girl named Carrie who is working all summer at a camp in the middle of nowhere. I thought she might need a little "happy." Now I might need to make a few more of these little "happies" for myself and other nice people. You can make some too! All you need is fabric, scissors, embroidery thread and needle, buttons, 30 minutes. I didn't use a pattern for the little hoo haw on the side. Just cut however you feel led and attach it when you get done. Good luck!

face painting

I remember Vacation Bible School as a child. It was a fun filled week of singing, relay races, Bible stories, glue, popsicle sticks, kool aid and flower-shaped butter cookies with a hole in the middle... anyone with me??? Now, however, it's bar-b-q dinners and dance moves and balloons and bird houses and face painting... it's marvelous. So I was recruited to do the face painting booth on this hot Baton Rouge Wednesday. It made my heart so full! There are times when I know that I am using my talents only for the purpose of serving the Lord. This was one of those times.

One of the teenage boys from church sat down and told me to paint "whatever I wanted." So I painted a picture of the girl he likes... for all the world to see. I love people.

almost

It's almost Saturday. I like Saturday. And it's almost my birthday... 8 more days. I'm almost twenty-nine. It's almost 4:00 which means Charlie will be home and we can eat some spectacular homemade fajitas for dinner. What are you looking forward to?

i'm so serious

This barely-used playhouse was out by the road in our neighborhood the other night? Why? Our neighbors were throwing it away. Their kids outgrew it and they were going to let the Monday morning trash truck pick it up... that is, until I spotted it. I think this is the purest form of recycling. It would have been rude not to take it... right? It took some convincing getting Charlie to drag it down the street to our house, but he finally obliged. It is now nestled safely in our back yard. The doorbell still works and everything! Yay for free playhouses! 

shake it

Coffee shakes this morning. Scrumptious. 1/2 cup milk (I use vanilla soy milk), 1/2 cup strong coffee, 1/2 pint ice cream (I use coffee flavor), 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Blend in the blender for 30 seconds. Drink it down with some flax seed waffles and local honey. Heaven help us. 

new room

Here's the first peek at our attic space that is slowly taking the shape of a magnificent playroom. We still don't have real floors and it's only half- painted, but it is completely marvelous. It makes me jolly.

wanting less

I've decided that I want to live on the beach under a tent. That's what I decided today. I think the decision became crystal clear in my head while I was picking up (for the 37th time today) a mountain of dress up clothes, memory cards and star wars action figures and returning them to their appropriate buckets. And the whole time I was crawling around picking up toys I was bitter because I don't like the base boards in little Dean's bedroom or the ceiling in my kitchen. So, maybe the beach is a little extreme... but maybe not! You see, I've been learning about how to be content. Isn't that awful? Could God be walking me through a lesson on how to be a better gardener or how to be a more courteous driver? And, and, and THEN I ran across this little nugget... "But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content." (1 Timothy 6:6-8) Really? Dear me, get over yourself. Love, me.