Wha???!?!?

I feel like this is the reaction half the time when I open up my mouth anywhere I go. It’s like I’m spouting off parables in a foreign language. In reality, I’m actually more often than not trying to help someone when people look at me with that crazy bewildered reaction…

Source

Yep, that’s the one. Or at least that’s pretty close to what I think it is internally, most people have the common decency to not show this face on a regular basis. On to the point… I’ve been re-re-reading a book that I love lately, Lamb by Christopher Moore (more on this later). Nevertheless, there’s a part in the book where the main character is telling a parable in a foreign language, and it made me wonder about the way that Christ was received in his ministry. Obviously, we know he was not necessarily well loved in his hometown, but he had thousands of followers. People who received his message with open and willing hearts, or so I assume. It’s completely possible that they were just very gullible, but I doubt that you would continue in “popularity” that long among a crowd of gullible people. Being the “Real Deal” that Jesus was, it amazes me to see that he is still to this day being received with open and willing hearts in great numbers around the world.

Today I am humbled by your overwhelming power to draw people to you, Lord. Today I sit at your feet in amazement of all that you have done, are doing, and will do in my life and the lives of others. Even when I stray from your narrow path, you have been there to guide me. I praise you now, as I hope to do forever. Amen.

Oh yea, and I got the bible study book today, but its definitely not in my favorite condition, so I’m hoping I can get it exchanged….

5 Things I am Excited about…

1. Day Camp at First Lutheran with the amazing kiddos this week!

2. Being a part of an online bible/book study, over at Life’s Not Always Fireflies and Hummingbirds, and reading Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver. If you’re interested to do this with us, go check out her site, and the book!

3. Sending and receiving postcards through Postcrossing.

4. Having tomorrow off… YAY!

5. Working on Project #14 (…just a hint, It partially has something to do with #2 on this list…)

Oh… and there’s one more… whoops!

6. Joining the CT of Miss Kim’s Designs… be looking out for some of her new products in the next few days!

One thing I believe…

I believe love is the most basic human ability.

I think that there are too many people in the world who believe that humans are inherently evil. I just can’t believe that. I can’t live my life, serving a God who is bigger than all things, and believe that what he created is evil. Even with the understanding of sin, and the fall of man, I don’t think people can have such an overwhelming desire to be loved, if they weren’t capable of loving in the first place. Am I saying we’re loving all the time? No. I fail miserably at being able to love in even some of the easiest situations. Some days, I even feel burdened to love, which is a terrible thing at times, but it teaches me. It teaches me to look at everything differently. To not see the world just as it is, but to look for the things that I can’t always see at first glance.

No, this isn’t some crazy piece of anything, it’s what I think about when I watch movies like, “I Am Sam.” When I see how innocent the world is, and how cruel we make it. It reminds me of these things, and memories from my momma’s garden in the backyard. The chance to explore something different every year. The ants on the peonies, the new blooming snapdragons, the ever growing rhubarb. Sometimes I still wish I could just plunk myself down in those gardens, and never leave. Just look up at the sky, and dream about a world that doesn’t report bad news every night, and lets wonder and awe run rampant. That’s why I believe love is the most basic human ability. Because not loving takes the glow from every other piece of life away and leaves it empty. There is still so much in the world that glows, we have to be a people who love.

Project #11 – Moving Day

Here it is! The project that I have put off posting about for quite some time now. Moving day! Okay, I’m really not that excited to share this with you. Why? Well you see, like most periods of moving, this was stressful, unhealthy, and a much longer process than it should have been. I cried, I was sick, and I was just plain unhappy. Well, God has bigger plans, and this happens to be exactly where He wants me. Needless to say, I have since settled in (okay, only a little bit) and I’m beginning to understand that He has me here for a reason. But on to the photos! Since most of you will probably never come to visit me, though I love visitors, I will show you around. This is my living room….Heehee, I love this little shelving “nook” that most other people think is ridiculous. I have my living room set up COMPLETELY different from the way Garrett had his, but it’s mostly because I knew that I wanted to have access to those shelves. They are the perfect cubbies for all my crafting supplies. And yes, I have a dresser in my living room. It holds my sewing projects, scraps, and supplies, as well as all my excess fabric. I LOVE it. 

Okay, so there’s some discrepancy there. My living room is actually much tinier than my last apartment. Whoops. Too much stuff, too little space. I’m learning here, people. I just need to figure out how to use all the spaces effectively, then all the random crap you see in the photos will find a nice home, and I’ll be able to sit in my papasan!

My not so spectacular dining room. Again, very tiny. But it’s about the same size as the last place, so I didn’t have to worry much. I would show you the kitchen, but I didn’t feel like doing the dishes when I took photos, so no kitchen for you. Maybe later. I have made an addition to the dining room, and you’ll just have to wait and see it in a later update!

This is possibly my most favorite space in the apartment. No, I’m not that terribly vain, I just really love the awesome organization that I have in my bathroom, and the organized cleanly-chaos of it all. I especially love having a place for my necklaces where they’re not getting tangled with anything at all. I keep my earrings (that I wear much less often than necklaces) hiding in my bedroom, which because it was the major unloading zone for my stuff is not making an appearance.  So this is my apartment! Glad you could stop by :)

A Note about Templates…

I had a great comment on a previous post about templates, and I wanted to take the chance to address it. Most templates come flattened as JPEG files or as PSD files (Photoshop). If you use another type of program, there are some designers who make templates with each piece on different PNG’s, and you need to open them all. I love templates because they make great starting ideas, even if you just have the picture to look at. With all this talk about templates, I figured I’d whip one up for you!

Well, I can’t just leave you with the pretty template to look at… Here’s an LO that I threw together with the great collaboration kit from Stuff to Scrap Designers called Birthday Bash.

Go ahead and click, click, click on the image of the template above to head over to download! I included all the pieces on separate PNG files, as well as a flattened JPG & PNG file, and the PDN (Paint.Net) file for those who use the program!