Psalm 139

Busy, busy

2011-04-09T20:25:00.000-07:00

Chica Boutiqua is coming up this Saturday, April 16 from 10-4 at the Zionsville Town Hall and you don't want to miss it. I have been so busy this past week. I've got some new designs going on and Nature's Karma over in Carmel at Clay Terrace just got them in about a week ago. It's perfect for summer. Handbags with a beautiful flower on each one that compliments each handbag. And, in case you are wondering the flowers are made from fabric scraps that I have been saving a LOOOONG time! Melissa, the owner at Nature's Karma, is great! She just called me up and said it was time to replenish for Spring and so she bought up all of what I had - which I wasn't quite prepared for, but it was a definite blessing! So, I've been in my studio this week working feverishly to get ready for Chica Boutiqua and I think you're going to find that special handbag or piece of jewelry that you've been looking for. I'll have plenty of tshirts, hopefully some pillows and new jewelry with sea glass from Puerto Rico! (This is what happens when you love to make stuff) :) Here's some earrings that I've been working on. They're a double strand of sterling silver chain with 3 freshwater pearl bobbles.

This little trinket bracelet is made with artisan silver, leather and gemstones that range from turquoise, jasper, agate. It's unique as you can tell.

Here's another bracelet that I did. This one's a little different; it has the artisan silver heart dangling and no leather piece on the side. All of these will be at Chica Boutiqua or you can visit my ETSY website:

www.solstudios.etsy.com

Here's the store front at Nature's Karma. This store carries great fair trade items, an array of unique gift items and a great line of skin care products developed by the owner, Melissa. Her joy is contagious!!

Spring is in the air ...now, hang the door watchamacallit!

2011-03-17T06:11:00.000-07:00

Spring has finally sprung in Indiana; I really hope Mother Nature isn't playing a joke on us! I think today we're supposed to hit 70!! Woohoo!!!!

In my cost saving and recycling mode, I made this great door hanger out of recycled coffee burlap sack. I lined it with some duckcloth and then used burlap webbing for the handle. It measures about 12" x 4" so it's tall and narrow which is perfect for a bouquet of flowers.

It's also a no-nonsense, easy door decoration. It's just simple; which is how I'm really beginning to like things.

something new....

2011-03-09T19:41:00.001-08:00

Here's some of the latest things that I've been working on. These earrings are wrapped in brown waxed linen cord and then I added a red coral bobble. They hang about 2 1/2 inches. These are those pair of earrings that you could wear everyday and never grow tired of.

Here's another angle...

Here's a bracelet that I just finished. The center silver piece is a figure eight and it's flanked by two hammered circles. I joined the pieces by wire wrapping leather; something I've never done before, but it looks great. I added some bobbles -> an artisan silver heart and then a wire wrapped red coral. The gemstones in this piece are orange aqua terra jasper, green turquoise, cranberry red jade, kingman turquoise, chrysocolla, orange sea jasper & sea sediment jasper.

Here's a close up of the wire wrapping

Military uniforms make great handbags!!!

2011-03-03T12:07:00.000-08:00

I met with Mandy about two weeks ago and she knew she wanted two handbags made out of her Dad's Air Force uniform. She preferred the messenger style handbags and then left the rest up to me. Here's her Dad's uniform which was in pretty good shape. His uniform had a few moth holes and it was faded, but that only added to the character of the bag. He was an airman.

Here, you can see the fabric has been cut and I've made good use of the pockets and design of the jacket. Mandy brought me her dad's total uniform (even the pants) which I had to use for the back of the handbags.

Mandy was able to find one military patch from her dad and I added it to the detail of the purse.

I used his trousers for the straps of the purse and then added his name tape to the strap and also U.S. Air Force. I love this detail and totally makes the purse unique.

Here, again, you can see the front of the purse. I added a lapel to the flap of the purse along with another front pocket. The silver buttons are a nice added feature.

If you know anyone who would like to have a handbag made out of a purse, please pass along my name. I loved creating this for Mandy and her sister and hope it will be a huge fashion statement!!

Single Moms' Super Saturday

2011-02-28T06:29:00.000-08:00

It's so funny how things work out. Fifteen years ago, I was a single mom and I've always had a heart for single moms and their difficulties. I was truly blessed with Jay, but still I've had a soft spot for single moms. And, I really believe that God has a plan for all of us and it is baby steps all the way until he gets us where He wants us to go. So, He sends me to Africa to share my testimony with about 50 moms who have a lot of the same struggles that any American single mom would have. God orchestrated a connection with me and them that I could have NEVER done myself. He used me! Someone who never cracked the bible open until I was in my early 30's. I didn't even know where the New Testament started; let alone what it was about. Then, He opens the door for a single moms' lifegroup that I get to lead and He knows I'm nervous so He meets me where I am and He walks me thru it. Then, He places on the heart of Trader's Point Christian Church a Single Moms' Super Saturday and they contact me to kind of walk thru what a Super Saturday should look like and now I'm heading it up. I am totally out of my comfort zone, but that's ok because I know He has prepared me.

I just started reading this great book by Ann Voskamp called One Thousand Gifts and it is amazing. She really writes extensively about giving thanks for EVERYTHING-and that's something I don't do. She cites Phillipians 4: 11-12 I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. She reiterates how Paul has said that he has "learned" to be thankful. She goes on to say, "Learn how to be thankful-whether empty of full. Could the list teach me even the hard language? Over time? Gratitude in the midst of death and divorce and debt-that's the language I've got to learn to speak-because that's the kind of life I'm living, the kind I have to solve." For me, I guess that's where I'm evolving. Thankful that Jay lost his job, thankful that life is hard now, but we still have our Faith and love and know that God is with us. Thankful that even during this difficult time that God is blessing me with Single Moms' Super Saturday and a time to spend it with some amazing women.

Ann cites 1Corinthians 11:23-24 "On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. The he broke it in pieces ...". Jesus offered Thanksgiving before his darkest moment. She says, "Jesus offers thanksgiving for even that which will break Him and crush Him and wound Him and yield a bounty of joy. The mystery always contains more mysteries."

Inspiration

2011-02-23T06:07:00.000-08:00

I have been so inspired by the jewelry I've seen in the Sundance catalog; each piece is amazing, but so doggone (funny family word) expensive. I love the turquoise and other gemstones that are used along with the sterling silver. For me, turquoise and the earth tones found in so many of the gemstones can be worn with almost every outfit. So, I guess you could say I've been "experimenting". Here's a pair of earrings that I finished the other day. The scroll work in the crosses is beautiful! You can check them out on my ETSY website.

Here's a decorative pillow that I just finished up. IT's made from the burlap coffee sacks that I use for my purses. The mixture of the wording on the burlap along with the burlap texture really adds to the richness of the pillow. The back of the pillow is a wide whale brown corduroy, but anything could be used.

Dear Rafik

2011-02-21T07:53:00.001-08:00

Dear Rafik,

You may not remember me; I met you two years ago during my mission trip in Malawi. I was only in your village about 8 days, but in that short time you stole my heart. You just loved to be held and loved on and played with. You were a snuggler and I was happy to supply you with all the holding you could endure because my kids are grown. I held you on the front steps of the unfinished school house while you slept in my arms. The picture that I have posted is probably my favorite picture because your eyes look so big and your face still is chubby and you look so cute with that crown on your head. We taught all the kids at VBS that day that you are a child of the King and this is the crown you made. But, I'm not the only one that bonded with you, so many other people loved you from all the other mission trips; you blessed all of us with your joy and love for everyone.

I had friends that said I would want to bring a child home and they were right. After returning, I told everyone that if I could have adopted a child; you were the one. I would have taken you home in a minute. But I never pursued it. Although I knew your life was hard and your parents had both died from AIDS and you were living with other family members, I had reasoned that it was better for you to stay with family than to go through the transition of living with me. And, then, our church came up with a program to sponsor kids and we sponsored you and so I felt like I was taking care of you with money, but without really taking the responsibility and all the work that goes along with adoption. I sent picture albums so you could remember me and have pictures of yourself and know that I loved you. I had planned on coming to see you every couple years and following your life that way and seeing what God was going to do in the life of such an amazing young boy.

So, Rafik, my sweet baby you are in heaven now and I must ask for forgiveness. Because I know I should have done more, but I didn't. My life is so easy and there is medical care for everyone, cleanliness is not an issue and there is medicine. It never really sunk in with me that you may not live. But, now I see that my little amount of sponsorship money cannot get you out of the poverty and the diseases. I'm so sorry I didn't do more. I'm so sorry that I didn't really check into adoption, I remembered that to adopt in Malawi that you had to live in the country for two years and so I just accepted that. I should have fought harder, but I didn't. Rafik, I hope when we see each other again, that you will forgive me. I don't know what I'm going to do going forward, but I know that your 4 years of life have touched me and I hope that God will use this for something good and maybe we can save lives of other children that live in your village. Can we get a fund in place to pay for medical care? Can we hire a medical doctor? Can we teach the women in the village what to look for and care for sick children?

'Till we meet again...

Yippeee!!! I went for a walk today.....

2011-02-16T13:36:00.000-08:00

Finally, we've had a crack in the weather today and Jay & I have actually been able to go outside and walk! The roads are clear from snow/ice, but the grass and cornfields that surround our house are still covered with the white stuff. We walked for about an hour and when we walked close to a sewer or stream you could hear the water pouring!! What a fabulous day.

Some of you may know that about a year and a half ago I had the opportunity to go to Malawi and serve. While I was there, I purchase a coin on a long string that I wore for a necklace until I realized that the string had some kind of oil on it that left a nice black mark around my neck ->not exactly the look I was going for! I've been thinking of how I could make a bracelet out of it and this is what I came up with. I love it! The coin is from when Malawi was owned by the English; I think and this was their money although it is no longer in circulation. I added some leather and sterling silver and then some great gemstone beads that match the style of the bracelet and me to a tea!

Because I fell in love with the bracelet I made for myself, I had to try and make something to sell and this is the first piece I've made. I love the tree of life sterling silver center piece and then, again, with the gemstones that are earthtone colors. There's some sterling silver beads, leather, fire in the sky agate, orange aqua jasper, green turquoise, cranberry jade, kingman turquoise, and african yellow turquoise. I should be listing it on my ETSY site in the next few days....

I met with my client today to design her handbag using her Dad's military uniform and it's going to be spectacular. The uniform is an Air Force dress uniform and a little faded which is going to have a great effect on the handbag and then she had all the insignia, buttons and name tape which will be added to the handbag. Can't wait to start working on it.

My sewing machine is going back into the hospital tomorrow. I took it a few weeks ago in for routine maintenance and cleaning out and I must be really hard on my machine because some of my parts on the machine are missing!!! Thank goodness I still have warranty to cover it.

Let's try this again...

2011-02-12T12:13:00.000-08:00

Alright, so I'm going to be honest. I have not been the best blogger; I wouldn't even say I was mediocre -> terrible probably sums it up the best :) But, I've decided that I've still got some things I want to say and share. I've been really busy creating things and thinking of things. I've been soul searching (life changing events have that effect) and I found my best friend again. Well, I don't want to get too sappy, but I feel like I'm in a better place, but a harder one if that makes any sense.

It's kind of funny how I've been working with recycled fabrics. I don't remember ever setting out to "save the planet" from all the discarded gently worn clothing, but that's kind of where I'm at right now and I like it. I like finding old clothing and repurposing them into something better than it was originally. I recently came up with a great idea for old denim that I've repurposed into sandwich/snack bags. They're lined with vinyl and then have velcro across the top to seal. I love these bags for two reasons: each one has a pocket and the vinyl is only attached at the top so that it can easily pull out and be cleaned. The pocket is great for sending a note to your loved one or labeling what's in the bag or putting a name in the pocket which is really useful if you have a large family.

The earrings are something I created, but not out of anything recycled. I love the Sundance catalog that I get occasionally, but CANNOT afford one thing in it! Of course, I love most of the jewelry in the catalog, but there was a particular pair of earrings that I really wanted. And, so I decided that I could probably make them and I did. It's sterling silver faceted beads with turguoise chips from Nevada and then I added some sea sediment jasper beads to just tweak it a little. I may add it to my repertoire on my ETSY site!!!

And, last, but not least I've been knitting! This is something that is so relaxing to me and I've decided that I will probably not sell anything that I've knitted -> I'm too doggone (that's a favorite family word!) slow! And, this scarf that I've been working on is sooo easy to pick up and lay back down without losing my spot. It's 30" of knit 20 and slip 2 and then I'll need to knit a hole and then add another 10" and, voila! Finished!!! I've taken knitting lessons for a few months and I've stuck with the easy patterns; I'm sure Mary at the Village Yarn Shop in Zionsville would tell me I'm ready for a sweater, but I just like easing along and knitting something mindless such as this scarf. Maybe, I'll try a sweater someday, but I'm in no hurry.

So, I guess that's it for now. I can't show you everything; what will I write about next. I'm meeting a client on Wednesday to draw up a handbag pattern using her Dad's military uniforms; yeah!!! See what I mean, I haven't set out to save the planet, but it sure is fun to see what can come from something old. I've never sewn anything with a military uniform, but the wheels are turning and I'm getting excited! Pictures I'm sure to follow.

What do I do? Is there a word for it?

2010-10-31T12:23:00.000-07:00

Let's see, I'm a mother, wife, daughter, friend.... WE all have titles and wear many different hats, but as I was working at a boutique sale this past weekend it got me wondering how do I lable myself? What do I do?

I love to sew and that seems to be what I go back to when I gravitate to other areas of crafts. I started sewing curtains and then moved into appliqued tshirts and quilt blocks. I totally enjoy sewing purses; especially recycled purses like the ones I'm working with now...coffee bags and men suit jackets. But, how do I label that. "Crafter" sounds so old fashioned and not what my friends are doing. We are creating some really cool stuff that goes beyond "crafts." Am I a seamstress? ... not really. That sounds so uptight and stiff. I envision a seamstress as one who could whip up a wedding dress in a week and still have a clean house and dinner on the table by 6. In case your wondering; that's not me. I can't sew a wedding dress and when I do sew large projects they are all consuming for me. The house grinds to a standstill and we have "free nights" for supper which means that if you can find it in the pantry and cook it yourself then it's yours! I don't clean, cook or do laundry when I'm involved in a big project. So, I wouldn't consider myself a seamstress. I also really enjoy knitting, but I think that will always be a personal hobby; not one that I will make and sell. Knitting is a lot of work and very time consuming. I think I will make things for myself and family. Okay, I'm getting off track.

Ok, so what's my title. My friends that are out there sewing and knitting what do you call yourselves? I'm thinking stitch chick. Stitch encompasses knitting and sewing. But, I guess that really just labels me and doesn't really say what I do. I want it to be something fun. I feel like Winnie-the-Pooh, "think, think, think".

What in the world is on tv?

2010-09-16T05:52:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if any of you tuned in to the VMA's this past week, but it was crude and disgusting. The opening monologue was Chelsea Handler being as crude and classless as possible. She was encouraging the stars to be over the top that night. She didn't mean girl on girl or guy on guy liplocking because we've already seen that; she wanted something over-the-top. She called out Taylor Swift's name and asked if she could give the camera a "titty wink"? Really? Is this what we are calling entertainment these days? Are these the people that the younger generations are looking up to? Have we gotten so low as a country that this is what must be done to shock the audience? Chelsea went on to say that she would ask Snooki to do a titty wink, but she's already done it. And, then of course, Justin Bieber (teen heart throb) could not be ignored. Chelsea said that she just loved him and his catchy little lyrics and couldn't wait to hear what he would sing when he actually saw a vagina. Unbelievable! This was on public television; 9 pm. I kept this program on for the first announced winner and it was Lady GaGa who needed help getting to the stage considering her shoes were 12" platform shoes and her dress was enormous! She graciously accepted the award and then announced the name of her new album/song dedicated to the men/women of the armed forces who have been discharged because of they are gay/lesbian. She also ended with " I f*****'n love you!" to her fans. The "F" word was bleeped out by the network, but it was very easy to read her lips and know what she said. At that point, I was totally done with this classless performance of stars who our children are emulating. It's a sad state of affairs when performer after performer is trying to "shock" the media to gain attention and increase record sales -> the end result being more money. We are selling our souls for money.

Coffee Bag purses, oh my!!!

2010-08-31T11:51:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm just so excited with how things work out. Moving to Zionsville has been difficult. I miss my friends/family and I also miss my contacts for the boutique items I sew & sell. I've had my account set up on Etsy (www.solstudios.etsy.com) and it's been ok, but I haven't sold a ton of things and partly it's because I haven't taken the time to take pictures of all the things I have. I know-it's hard to buy something if you don't know I have it! Long story short, John Frechette, from MADE in Jackson Hole, Wyoming contacted me after finding me on ETSY and wanted to consign my purses! It was so uplifting and exactly what I needed. Consigning is not my favorite way of doing business, I much prefer a store buy them wholesale, but this is such a great opportunity. This store is much like I would like to open some day. So, I've posted a few pictures of the purses that I sent MADE. I love the look against the fence in our backyard.

Check out MADE. www.MADEjacksonhole.com

I've been Bieberfied!!!!

2010-08-24T14:07:00.001-07:00

Here we go on our family adventure. This is Sophie's birthday surprise for her and her friend, Emma. We felt especially lucky because Hallie made the drive to Indy for this grand concert with Justin Bieber. We were all feeling a little unsure of what to expect.

Sophie has no idea where we are going, but she started to figure it out when we got into the mess of traffic and cars covered in Justin Bieber garb.

When is he going to come out? We're in our seats, we have our concert shirts and I am soooo tired of listening to 15,000 girls scream when there's any movement on stage!!

Yeah, here he is.

This was pretty cool. He sat in this heart and it floated above the crowd. I don't remember what he was singing, but he did a good job.

Last, but not least you have to watch the video of Justin Bieber opening the concert. It was crazy and extremely LOUD!!! Girls have a shrill voice anyway and when you add Justin Bieber it's nuts. He put on a good show and he is talented. There was no expense spared for his stage. Sophie and Emma had a great time and they were completely surprised.

Down, but not forgotten

2010-08-02T11:07:00.000-07:00

This has been a very busy, busy summer. First it started with vacation, I know it's rough, we went to Atlantis in the Bahamas and it was great. We swam with the dolphins, rode waverunners and the boys even went down the Leap of Faith -> no thank you, I did not want to go straight down a slide that went thru a shark tank!

Everyone should wear a wetsuit at least once in their life!!

Sophie went to church camp in Tennessee and then I brought back 3 of Christian's good friends to visit with us in Indiana. Here we're having lunch at Bub's (local burger joint that takes your picture and hangs it on the wall if you can eat a 1 lb. burger). Christian's picture is somewhere in there!!

The Anderson's came to visit us for 3 days of total chaos. We had an absolutely fabulous time. Jay and Christian were hiking in the Rockies, so it was a total sleepover from start to finish. The kids stayed up late we were on no eating schedule and we had 3 dress designers in our midst for the stuffed squirrels we bought at the Indy Children's museum. Keleah and I solved all the world's problems. Sophie and Avery are at the Zionsville Sprinkler park in this picture.

My boys were hiking in the Rockies for a week, but now they're home and I couldn't be happier to have all my chicks in one coop. They took amazing pictures and I'm so proud of them for what they accomplished. They hiked well over 50 miles and carried their food/tent for the entire week. Not something I would want to do, but I can definitely appreciate all their hardwork getting to this hike. I can handle the Bahamas, and maybe a day or two hiking, but definitely not 8 days of the same clothes - no shower - and no toilet.

And, last not but least, I have been doing some sewing this summer and knitting. I made this knitting needle roll and have been advertising it on my ETSY website www.solstudios.etsy.com and I've been getting some great exposure. I just got contacted from a fan in England who blogged about this knitting roll and I feel so flattered. http://seconfiddlecrafts.blogspot.com

I really love sewing and knitting and making things. I'll be sharing some of my creations soon.

Tschuss!!

"knitting"

2010-03-21T19:01:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know I've ignored you for too long! I was just about ready to give up. Almost done with blogging, selling crafts, just about ready to close up shop and do something different. I thought I would start volunteering and teaching a women's study (and I still might), but I was struck with this analogy in church today and wanted to share it.

Our town has a yarn shop and I always thought it would be kind of cool to learn to knit (coffee clatch girls don't be surprised if you each get a scarf sometime soon!) I've taken 2 classes and am almost finished with my 1st scarf. It's a lot of fun, but I'll probably never be as good as a friend of mine in our old neighborhood who can watch an entire swim meet while she knits the whole time!

So, in church today we're learning about the sermon on the mount and I get this analogy about knitting and how it compares with our life and our relationship with Jesus. Crazy timing, I know!

Imagine, a knitter picking up His first skein of yarn. He casts on his first 22 stitches onto the needle and those stitches are the base for the entire project. Without those 1st basic stitches nothing else can be done- that's our relationship with Jesus. And, then he starts stitching. Some of those stitches glide on the needle with ease, but then some of the stitches are a "little" too tight and extra care has to be spent to make sure that the stitch is done correctly. Sometimes a stitch is totally missed and now there is a whole in the project. I compare that with the life Jesus has planned for me and how I miss the opportunity he presented to me. So, the knitter can go on and leave the hole; it won't totally mess up the project and you may not even notice it, but the knitter will know that the hole is there. So, the knitter knows he doesn't want this project to have an open hole and he does the only logical thing; rips out the stitches, to the point where he can redo the project and fix the hole. I think that's where Jesus teaches us the lesson or brings the opportunity around one more time for us to grab on so we get the life he inteded us to have.
In knitting there is one yarn - a beginning and an ending. The whole project is completed with one piece of yarn that is woven in and around and can make all sorts of beautiful things. I think that is so much like the way Jesus weaves our lives. How many times have you had so many coincidences in your life that you think that just couldn't happen without Jesus -He is the knitter and we are merely the yarn.

Boys!

2010-01-28T06:06:00.000-08:00

I hate the idea of using a cliche, but that's the only thing I can think of right now as I'm sitting down to write this post. "They grow up so fast." Christian is getting ready to turn 14 in a couple weeks and I can't hardly believe it. We just went to orientation to schedule his high school classes and let me tell you; that's another post in itself. His high school has four degrees to choose from! There's a regular diploma which may or may not get you into college. There's a diploma with honors (3 years foreign language + 2 AP classes which stands for advanced placement something beyond honors). There's International Baccalaureate -> my head started spinning when the counselor started talking about all the requirements for this diploma. I'm convinced the coursework is more involved than anything I did in college. And, then there's a diploma with honors in technology which is designed for students who want to graduate with more hands on training such as cosmetology or vet assistance or something like that. And, after 2 phone calls to the school counselor Christian decided on the honors diploma. We've mapped out the next four years and that's a little daunting realizing that after these 4 years he's going to college. Well, that's not wanted I wanted to blog about today, but thought it needed discussed.

Boys are such daredevils and I never thought that Christian would be that way. He's my worrier and my tender hearted boy. I still think of him as the 2 year old running across the bedroom floor in his batman pajamas. But, still here we are. Building skateboard ramps in our driveway and jumping them! Thinking of plans of what he can do next to top what he just did. And, then of course, I have to watch and take pictures. I really want to talk him out of doing it at all because I'm convinced he's going to get hurt. He just laughs....

Here we are into our 3rd year of wrestling and as much as I like to watch him; I'm nervous everytime he walks onto the mat. It's a total of 3-4 minutes of all out physical wrestling. It's pressure points and shoulders twisted to the max, it's bloody noses stuffed with toilet paper to continue the match. It's all I can do to watch him. If anyone could see me during his match they would probably laugh because I can't sit still and I grimace everytime he moves. The picture below shows Christian's finger which is about double the size it should be. He jammed it during practice and no amount of pulling would unjam it. So, it swelled and hurt to the touch. My suggestion was that he probably shouldn't wrestle at yesterday's match because his finger looked terrible and was tender to the touch. But, what do I know? "Can I have 2 advil and some ice; I'll be fine. I'm not missing this match." So, 2 advil later and ice on his finger he wrestled. His reasoning was that his finger could actually help him because it hurt so bad that when his opponent touched it it would make him wrestle harder and win.

Does this make any sense? Of course it does if you have boys!! They are daredevils and it doesn't matter how they were when they were little boys because at some point they realize that it's fun to push the limit . . .

And, I wouldn't want it any other way!!

I've been sewing

2010-01-19T11:39:00.001-08:00

I wasn't really sure what I wanted to say today. I've got a lot on my mind. One thing that is one of my favorite things to do when I need to "de-stress" is sew. Just wanted to share a couple of things that I've been doing these last couple of weeks. And, don't think that just because I've been doing a lof of sewing that I've been stressed because that's not always been the case. We've lived in our house about 7 months and I'm sewing all the curtains and bedding which takes a while! Which is something I'm not very good at; I get so excited when I finally decide what I'm going to sew that I cannot wait to get it finished and will work night & day to get it done.

This is Sophie's room and I just added these paper lanterns above her dresser. One is orange and the other a baby blue- doesn't really show up that well in the picture.

Here is Sophie's bed & I'm so happy with how it all turned out. Her comforter is a bright orange print with 5 complimentary print fabrics sewn on all in circles. The back of her comforter is a luxurious brown fleece & then I bound it in a lime green. The bed skirt is also the same various fabrics. I made a long bed roll pillow to go against the back of the day bed to soften it and then made her pillow with her name embroidered on it. She had blinds in her room and I liked those but needed to add some color so I covered the existing cornices with fabric and added more circles. And, then I finished her room with seat cushions for her window seats. Not bad for not using any patterns. Yeah, there's some mistakes in the things I sewed for her room, but Sophie loves it and that's all that matters.

This is what I did for Christian. I've been collecting his tshirts since he was in tball when he was 3 and FINALLY, had enough shirts using front and some backs to sew a tshirt quilt for him. I thought this would be great for him for Christmas because this is everything he loved in Franklin. It was tball, football, swim team, Moore elementary, Freedom, "sister for sale" tshirt, church camp - everything! So, there's 6 rows of 6 shirts on the front and 36 shirts on the back. My suggestion would be not to do what I did (again, no pattern so it was trial & error) and that is to not cut the shirts into squares periodically throughout the years. I had been cutting shirts and sewing them as I had collected shirts and that was ok until last month when I was sure that all the other shirts were 12" x 12" squares (of course, I didn't measure the old ones) and then as I continued sewing I realized they were 14" x 14" squares. So, Christians blanket has some definite mistakes but he sleeps with it every night and loves it. ANd, I think I've discovered that even though the blanket has some flaws in it; they just add to the character of it.

Here it is in it's entirety! Maybe this blanket is an analogy of our lives. A little flawed, but still perfect to the maker!!!

**** I'm learning this blog thing. Just added buttons to sell my adoption pendants & coffee bags on my blog!

New year- New look

2010-01-11T08:28:00.000-08:00

Yep! Look at me looking like a REAL blogger; can you believe it? After all those months - nearly 8 - looking like your average Joe! Well, thanks to Blogs for a cause, I got a new style and I'm so happy with it. I love the quote, although I'm not sure who said it. Someday, I hope to be this person. I don't want to ever look back and say "Gosh, I wish I had helped that person. I wish I had extended a hand to that woman sitting all alone. I should have found out how that kid gets to school because his mom is working 2 jobs trying to make ends meet." I want to make a difference; I want to pass the baton to my kids so they can make a difference. I don't want them waiting until they're nearly 40 years old before they start loving the people that God puts before them. We are not called to be alone. We are called to love everyone and love cannot look away when someone is struggling.

I'm going to really honest right now; I struggle with homeless people. People around me believe that homeless people are just looking for money to buy alcohol; honestly, if I was living like them it might not be such a bad idea. I don't think anyone sets out to be homeless. Psych101 teaches that shelter is one of the basic needs of our being. But, still when I pull off the interstate and I see someone homeless, I feel bad, but I used to just drive on by. Here's the beauty of having kids; Christian tells me that while we're buying things to take to our church for a homeless shelter that we should make "love gifts" using gallon ziploc bags for the homeless on the streets and keep them in the car. So, that's what we did and we included - deoderant, bottled water, beef jerky, dried apples, raisins, toothbrush/paste & peanut butter crackers. And, every homeless person we've given them to has been so appreciative. Not one person said "no thanks." as was expected because it wasn't cash. It's been such an easy thing to do, but it's demonstrating to my kids that love does not look away. We can either be part of the solution or part of the problem. I want my kids to get it. Even Sophie gets excited when we see a homeless person so that we can hand out our love gift.

Oh, no! I'm blogging like Ondrea! Somehow I started out all proud of my new blog and ended up talking about teaching our kids how to love everyone.

It's snowing ... and snowing ... and snowing

2010-01-07T06:04:00.000-08:00

This winter has been such an eye opener for my kids. We've had snow several times this year and they still have to go to school! Buses can actually drive on the snow and just because the weatherman is predicting 7" of snow today is not going to keep the kids at home. I thought maybe we would have a 2 hour delay, but no. Then I thought maybe it was a little dangerous to let the kids ride on the bus with all the snow, but I decided the bus driver was probably a safer driver than me! I haven't driven in snow in quite a while. So, while the peace is over the land (the kids have gone to school) I decided that all my coffee clatch in Tennessee would like to see that we are still going to school today. I peeked over at Ondrea's blog and saw that Franklin cancelled school yesterday before the first snowflake fell; oh, how my new northern friends laugh!!!

Sophie getting on the bus.

Catching all the snowflakes in her mouth she can.

Posing for the camera. She was so excited to get out in the snow and wait for the bus. For her, going to school in the snow was almost as much fun as staying home. They still go out for recess. Each child brings snowpants, boots, gloves, scarf, hat & coat and they go out unless it's below zero. I would be crazy by the end of the day if I was the teacher; it's too much work to get everyone all bundled up!

something you don't see in Tennessee!!

** Sophie saw her first snowplow today!!

Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but my hat is so delightful!!

2009-12-08T12:08:00.001-08:00

It's getting cold in Indy, so I made my hat from recycled sweaters. I bought a hat similar to this at Anthropologie and decided I could make one better and much more cost effective. So, here it is.

I added a flower to embelish the hat and add a little flair.

Any color combo works. It has a really comfortable fit to it and doesn't hug your head so tight that you get a headache.

Send me an email to order yours. I'm going to try to get it loaded on ETSY today or tomorrow.
I'm working on a website, but be patient. Estimated time of completion is mid-January.

**We got an inch of snow yesterday!!!!!

Bazaar and boots

2009-11-20T05:54:00.000-08:00

That's right, I have my super duper insulated waterproof boots. It has been raining all week and is cold! I may have been born in the north, but I'm a southern girl at heart! It's cold!!! I'm not sure what I'm going to do this winter. We've been told by several people that we need to invest in a snow blower!! What?!

This past weekend was a great weekend for me. I love to sell my things at bazaars and for some reason, Indiana has bazaars almost every weekend from now until Christmas. Not knowing what to expect and realizing that I want to enjoy the holidays with my family in our new surrounds; I registerd for one bazaar at Sophie's school. I had a great time, sold some of my things, met some great people and made some contacts for future opportunities -- it was a good day. I was selling repurposed coffee bag purses and peace tshirts which I was able to sell to a lot of teachers at Sophie's school because the have "peace" day December 1; who knew? I had some Christmas shirts left over from last year that needed a little embelishing with bows and buttons and bells and then they needed matching pants with ruffles, so those were a big hit and also little girl hair clips.

role of step-mom

2009-11-16T11:46:00.000-08:00

Not sure why, but I'm feeling a little sentimental over Hallie. I sent her a package last week and she posted the sweetest video for me on Facebook. I can't figure out how to post it on my blog, so I'll have to tell you: it's her holding a sign that says thank you and she keeps lifting it up so you can see it on the video and it says I love you and then she gives me a big smile! That is priceless to me.

When your the stepmom; sometimes you're just along for the ride. You really don't get to have a say-so in raising this child because the biological parents are doing that. Jay & I can talk, but ultimately it's between him and Hallie's mom. Hallie's home has different rules then we have and that had to be ok and I had to explain that to our own kids who live with us. That just because Hallie gets to do something doesn't necessarily mean that they are going to get the same benefits. And, that's hard. However, Hallie is an exceptional kid and her mom did a great job even though I may have done some things different.

Hallie is a nurturer and she says that before she met Christian and I, she had always hoped for a brother or sister. So, when Jay & I started dating and Hallie could mother Christian, he was 2, life was good. She loved coming to our house, she enjoyed our family time and she was able to balance that with her mom's house. Her mom never remarried and so the dynamics at her mom's house was much different than in our house. Initially, Hallie was unsure what to call me after Jay & I got married. I remember the question, "should I call you mom, now?" Although I was very honored that she would ask me that; I knew that "Lori" was what my name would always be; as it should be. I was a stranger to her mother and had to prove myself; right or wrong. In the beginning, never was I the one to coordinate visits or birthday or Christmas presents. I took my time... I needed to earn trust and that was ok. Just a few weeks ago, myself, Sophie and Hallie's mom were in Edmond, OK to visit Hallie. We had a good time and were even able to laugh at what people must be thinking of us sitting together for Hallie's performances at Freshman Fanfare! My, how things have improved. How blessed I am that Trish and I can talk without any problems. She trusted me to go on a mission trip with Hallie to Africa! Can you see God's hand in this? Hallie and I are good friends, my title stepmom really doesn't fully recognize the relationship that we have. Stepmom drums up so many negative feelings.

Hallie & I have talked and tried to examine our relationship. She says it works for her because I never tried to overstep my role. We've always been friends and now we're very close. I just can't say enough about her! I think I've cried through this whole post!

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2009-11-14T18:57:00.000-08:00

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close at heart

2009-11-12T07:28:00.000-08:00

I feel truly honored that my good friend, Ondrea, mentioned me in her blog and my latest creation which happens to be a two sided pendant with a map on it. I have been back from mission trip to Lilongwe, Malawi about 6 months and I'm forever changed. The people, joy, sadness, the smells; everything stays with me. I could spend a big part of my day looking at pictures I took while I was there. One boy, Rafik, in particular just took my heart. So, I decided that I would like a pendant with a map of where he is with a picture of him on the back. This one really makes me laugh when I look at it because Rafik has a large forehead and it's magnified by the crown he made showing that he is a son of The King. And, I had planned on making one for Hallie. And, then I told Ondrea and the rest is history! I started thinking about the map because I'm guessing that's where it starts; with a map and realizing that your child is in this location. This is where your child was born; this is where you will travel to get your child. The orphanage in this location will be forever on your mind. It will also invoke awareness to an underlying issue that there are 147 million orphans who need parents to tuck them in and help with homework.

If your interested in a pendant, I have it listed on my etsy website: www.solstudios.etsy.com or you can email me or leave me a message on the blog and I'll contact you.

8th grade football banquet with Colts' head coach Jim Caldwell

2009-11-07T18:46:00.000-08:00

Christian was fortunate enough to play football on his middle school team who had an 0 - 7 record. It was a really tough year to be on the Zionsville West football team, but he stuck it out and it paid off at the middle school banquet held at the Colts' training facility. A teammate's dad is connected with the Colts and he was able to arrange for the team to have their banquet at the training field. But, what made it even better was when Coach Jim Caldwell came in the room to talk to them about their season. He explained that a lot of players are on losing teams at some point. Even he was on a losing team while playing for Iowa. He went on further to tell them that football is about character and perseverance. Anybody can quit and be discouraged from a losing season, but it takes someone with determination, perseverance and character to work during the off season and come back the next year stronger and ready to play. He spoke to them like a head coach would and gave every player something to think about and strive for. He was very inspirational and it was a great night for the team and for the parents. I was very impressed!

I've missed you!!

2009-10-14T12:02:00.000-07:00

Sophie, suffering with curlers in her hair for that perfect school picture hair do!!! She was not happy to haver her picture taken.

Just sewed a new witch's costume for my goose! She came with me from Ohio down to Tennessee and now Indiana.

Oh my goodness! I've totally ignored you for a loooong time; too long! I hate to say it, but we are functioning on not much margin these days. We're juggling football games, homework (Lots of it), swimming and for me sewing. That's right. My craft room which is fabulous is up and running and I'm sewing curtains. For some reason, our previous owner took all of her curtains. No big deal because I was going to replace them anyway, but now I feel more pressure to get them done sooner because I'm feeling a little exposed! Our living room has 4 long windows and I was so excited because I had always wanted to make a ruffled tier window treatment with various fabrics and now I was able to. They were just really time consuming!!! I'm really happy with how the curtains turned out. And, the kitchen curtains were something I could do in a day. They are just triangles sewn and then I hot glued magnets to each one to attach to the curtain rod- easy! Of course, in between sewing and everything else we planned a party for Jay's coworkers at work. I think there was 20 or so people in our house which we planned to have inside/outside with our fire pit, but the rain forced us inside. A good time was had by all - the men were in the basement at the pool table and the women were gathered in the kitchen. The kids were all over the place!

Christian and I completed a bike race. We had planned on biking the short course which was 15 miles, but we got a little confused by the markers and ended up doing the whole course .. 26 miles! yippee!! We had a great time and now we need to work on our time; we were too slow, but then we were riding bikes from Target. Christian's bike wouldn't get out of 2nd gear so it took 10 rotations to get 10 feet. He wore his legs out within the first 10 miles!

Oh, and this is for my Tennessee friends--> it's freezing up here!!! It's 45 degrees today; I had to turn my heat on. The living room was registering 67 degrees and I couldn't take it anymore so I had to put the heat on at 70. It's raining, too which makes it even worse. I don't think I'll leave my house all winter. Tonight's Christian's last football game and then next year he'll be playing high school football!!!

why am i doing this?

2009-08-25T19:19:00.000-07:00

I have a great friend who is a blogger! She's been doing it for months and her blog ALWAYS make me laugh (she has 4 kids; need I say more?) Well, she convinced me that I needed to set up a blog about Malawi and all my "life." I can't write like her--> I don't think like her and I don't take the time to blog. But, I've tried to keep up with it as best as possible and now I think I finally have something to share.

We've moved and although things could've been worse; we've had some bad days. Christian was in tears the first day of school. He had to eat lunch with 7th graders because of some scheduling problem. Tears over the weekend when his acquaintances weren't available to "hang" and he's missing his Franklin friends. I know, friendships all take time and there's going to be an adjustment period, but I don't want him to hate it here. My biggest fear is that he's NEVER going to make as good of friends here as he had in Franklin and I know they will never be like his Franklin friends I just want him to have good friends that will keep him accountable and true to himself. I don't know the kids that are "potential" friends; I don't know their parents; I don't know if these are good kids. I am not in control....... I am not in control.....

I've been praying about the church we've visited the last 3 Sundays. It's good, but not like home. The minister hasn't spoken (he's on a month sabatical), but I've liked the ministers he's chosen to fill in. The music is a little slow--> nothing can compare to all the talent at People's Church, I will forever be spoiled & ruined! Sophie loves her Sunday School and Christian thinks that this middle school is probably the best around, but not as good as People's Church. So, I'm thinking that we're just settling. I've been praying that God would make it obvious that this is the right church or that we should move on to visit other churches.

I'm guessing about a year and a half ago I started reading passages throughout the bible trying to figure out why there is so much pain & suffering in the world. Our God is huge and He can do anything; so, why doesn't he? Why won't he save the children from starvation? Why doesn't he protect the young mother dying from cancer? And, I never really came up with a real concrete answer and I guess I was ok with that because I know we are supposed to have childlike faith and we'll never have all the answers; my job is to believe. And, I'm not in control...

So, this Sunday at church we're doing a series called the "One thing I want you to know...". And, Kyle Idleman, wanted us to know the one thing is that God is in control and he does care.

He went to scripture and looked in the book of Job. Job has lost everything; his animals, food & his children. His body is in sores and his wife tells him to turn his back on God. God doesn't care. Job, cries out to the Lord. And, finally God answers, but with questions; not really answers. God asks where was Job when he created the world? Where was Job when he told the waters where to stop? What is the way to the creation of light? God is in control; not I, and although there is suffering I have to know that God is in control. In Psalm 8, David is contemplating all that God has created and then that he has created man a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory & honor. God, does love us and he does care.

Kyle Idelman, gave this analogy that really opened my eyes. He said that he had just taken his son (he's 4) to the doctor to have shots. He could've explained why the shots were important and how it would prevent him from getting sick later down the road, but his son was so upset about the pain right now that he couldn't see the future down the road. Picture a father holding his son tight telling him to keep his eyes on him; don't look at the shots; eyes on me I'm in charge. My mind can't get around all the suffering in this world and I wish we could solve it, but I can understand the example explained to me at church and I think that was my answer I was looking for and maybe our new church home.

And, on a lighter note..

The pictures above are from the football game Christian played last night. They are the Frankfort hot dogs and I had to take a picture because my coffee clatch friends will need something to laugh over.

We're here!

2009-08-07T19:39:00.001-07:00

We're in our house and the boxes are slowly, but surely leaving! I've found that once I got the boxes unpacked in the living room/kitchen and bedrooms that the rest of the house is unpacking more slowly. No pictures of been hung, so it looks a little blah! And, some of the rooms aren't quite arranged the way I would like. I finally found Sophie's comforter today in the Christmas decoration boxes! She has patiently waited for her comforter and every time I was sure I had the right box it was linens to another bedroom! We had to take out two door frames to get couches into rooms. Now, we're meeting with handymen that can fix it and maybe do some bookshelves in our office. It seems so crazy to me that the builder would put in a smaller than normal door frame going into the basement when he knew the basement was going to be used for a family/game room.

This is the front of our house on move in day. I never thought I would have enough stuff to fill a whole 53' semi.... I've realized that I can't part with any of the kids old toys from when they were toddlers.

This beautiful scene is in our backyard everyday. The horses from the riding stables come down to the back of our yard and we feed them apples and carrots. The brown horse is the bully and he tries to chase the other horses away so he can get all the carrots for himself.

Here is our half pipe getting loaded on Johnny's flatbed truck. Scott's friend volunteered to load the half-pipe and drive it to us; he's probably rethinking this whole deal! I had a hard time watching them load it and then unload it, but it made it in one piece. Christian is so happy to have it.

Our yard is 1/2 an acre and I had to take a picture of Jay using our neighbors riding lawnmower. Initially, he had Christian mow it with our 20" mower which took him about 2 hours to mow our yard (he had nothing else to do anyway -> kept him from getting bored!) But, it started to get too long and so Jay was going to mow it, but our mower kept bogging down because the grass was too long. Our neighbor took pity on him and let him borrow his John Deere. Jay came in the house saying, "we've got to get one of those!"

moving.....

2009-07-15T10:44:00.000-07:00

Here's our new house. It's a great house for us.

Well, yesterday & today the movers are here packing up everything. We have much!!! They allowed 2 days to pack and 1 day to load. However, 2 people came yesterday and only finished the 1st floor. We still had the garage, under the deck, craft room (that's a day right there), and the attic! So, today they came with reinforcements. I think they'll get it done. I have to say that if anyone has to move; hiring movers to pack is a great way to go. Although, I probably would never want to pay for it! Thankfully, this one is on the company.

I've been getting a little nostalgic about leaving. I've been living in Tennessee for 15 years; this feels like home to me. We're so settled and Franklin is a great town with every amenity available at your fingertip. We've got great friends and so do our kids. I keep telling myself that it's not forever and that we'll be back and I know we will, but it'll still be different than doing life with my friends on a day to day basis. Let's face it, we've moved to 3 houses in our sub-division so we wouldn't have to leave our friends or our favorite school. Now, I'm not only moving out of the sub-division, but out of the state! I guess I would describe this move as bitter sweet.

I'm going to miss everything about our life in Franklin, but I'm excited about Jay not having to travel as much. I'm excited for Jay & his new job. He seems to be looking forward to the challenge of this promotion. Our new house is beautiful and the schools seem really good. I think Sophie & Christian will be getting a great education and athletics play a big part at the school which will keep Christian interested. The flip side is that I think they both may need tutoring, but that may be another post? Right now, I'm just going to be glad to not be living in boxes! And, my kitchen has double ovens!!!! Ooh, I guess that means I'm going to have to use them. ha! ha!

see you all in a couple days...

Adzuku! Adzuku! Adzuku!

2009-07-08T13:23:00.000-07:00

Each morning, we would arrive in Kauma village and begin in the Adziwa office. From there, one group would go to construction and the other would go to either the school or prayer walk. I loved walking to the school and prayer walking. We would begin walking down the red dirt road and the street would be lined with kids shouting, "Adzuku!" "Adzuku!" which means "white person." They were so excited to see white people and it was so funny to me. The kids would point at us and many would follow us all the way to the school and some would try to go to school for the day. Many would hold our hand all the way to the school and some would even fight over who could hold our hands. I remember one time while we were prayer walking the kids just kept chanting "Adzuku!" over and over again; it became almost a song!

Home is relative

2009-07-06T10:41:00.000-07:00

Rafik asleep in my arms.

A lady cooking in the refugee camp

Malaylay--a 12 yr. old refugee in the camp without her parents. I'm not sure what happened

to them.

Home sweet home! Robin was my bunkmate.

Metita, is the lady in front leading the other women in song. They are celebrating the finished

school building. We had a ribbon cutting ceremony; the U.S. ambassador came.

I'm home now; safe & sound. For two weeks, my home was in Lilongwe, Malawi. I lived in a 2 person hut and showered with a bucket of heated water. Bathrooms were either a thatched outhouse or a cement hole. We had 3 meals a day which usually included sema (made from maize and similar to grits). We had beans, tomato gravy, cooked pumpkin leaves (not fond of it), rice. The food was great, but different. We woke when the sun came up and went to bed early when the sun went down. We had dinner every night outside, debriefed and shared the ups & downs of the day. We laughed and cried every day and became 24 people who grew into a family. For two weeks, this was home. There were so many highs & lows and if God didn't show up huge for me; you could see him huge in someone else's day. Things were so much clearer while we were there and it was easy to see God's handiwork; I think much because there were no distractions. No tv, no computer, no cell phones---nothing from the outside world. It was just us and the village of Kauma. We were totally focused on the vision that had been cast.

But, I think for most of us, no matter how much we tried to prepare ourselves for what we were going to experience; it really couldn't compare. The kids had nothing. I took a picture of one boy that had ingeniously built a car out of a couple wire hangers and then attached some bobbins for wheels so that it would roll and then inserted a stick so he could push it around with the stick. Paper & crayons are a luxury. But, when they sang they had the most beautiful sound that started in their toes and just bellowed out. All of them sang with such passion and happiness. Where does that come from?

I helped lead two bible studies with village women. There was probably 50-60 women and they clapped when I shared my divorce and the circumstances surrounding it. They were amazed that white people had the same problems they did. They thought that being white meant that we didn't have problems! We were able to talk about being married to an alcoholic. What one woman should do to get her boyfriend to propose to her. What can you do when you don't get along with your mother-in-law. We were able to share that the greatest hope you can have is in Jesus. Without him, there's not much.

And, now I'm home and I'm with my kids and my husband and I'm so glad to be here, but I can't help thinking about Rafik (3 year old that I fell in love with). I wonder how they are getting along and Dorothy the caregiver that has AIDS and has about a year left. She accepted Christ and we were able to get her a bible; I wonder how she's doing? I miss that home because I care for those people. And, I'm getting ready to move to another home. So, I'm coming to realize that home is where you make it and it's not so much the location, but who you're surrounded with.

Moni (hello!)

2009-06-15T17:15:00.000-07:00

You know about 2 months ago Jay & I and two other couples finished up a six week bible study on margin in your life. We agreed that when our lives are so full and scheduled everyday that there's not much room for God or what God wants us to accomplish. The idea is to say no to the unnecessary things that just gets us crazy and let God do His thing in us and thru us. Spend more time with him in the bible and be still and let his opportunities come to us. When we're so busy there's not much time for him to work because we've got our days so crammed with "stuff!". We finished the study and I felt pretty good about our schedule. We had quit tae kwon do 3 nights a week and we had softball with Sophie and occasionally boy scouts, but our life seemed settled.

Anything would seem settled compared to the lightning speed we're running now. There is no room in our busy schedules for ANYTHING to go wrong. Jay has accepted a promotion so we're moving this summer. I'm going to Malawi with Hallie. Hallie is going to college. We bought a house in 5 days and are preparing to move out of our old one. THings are busy. I'm so busy that I don't think I've really thought about moving and leaving my friends; that's probably a good thing. I'll probably fall apart after we move and things slow down. I keep telling myself that this is not forever. We'll be back and we will stay in touch with friends.

Did I tell you I'm going to Malawi? I'm leaving this Friday morning and arriving in Malawi Sunday afternoon; that's a long travel time. I don't like to fly; it's definitely not my favorite thing to do. So, why am I going around the world? I've always been intrigued with Africa. I've been reading books on the plight of South Africa probably 20 years ago. You have to read Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane; it will leave you speechless thinking about how some people have to live. As a young boy, Mark dug for food at the dump. While looking for food, he found the corpse of a newborn baby in the garbage dump. It's heartbreaking. I just want to help in some small way. All of us were given talents and if each of us used our talent to help those less fortunate, then I believe there wouldn't be so much suffering. I don't believe we can all do the same thing or that we're called to do the same thing, but I do believe we are called to do something. So, although I'm nervous I'm also excited to be part of something great! I know God is going to do some miraculous things.

love the beach

2009-06-01T12:47:00.000-07:00

I love going to the beach with my family! It's the most relaxing vacation we go on. And, one night always ends in family pictures on the beach.

Sophie & Hallie are getting ready to give Christian a kiss and no one can stop laughing.

Hallie & Christian kept calling Sophie the princess during the whole vacation, so this picture seemed appropriate!

Too cute!

Aghhhh!

2009-06-01T05:33:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a long time since my last post... sorry! So much is going on. We're moving to the Indianapolis area, I'm still going to Malawi, we just got back from Destin, Florida. We're in the place right now where nothing can go wrong or our schedule will totally be messed up. I don't really like being in this tight schedule. We're constantly working off of lists for each day of things we have to get done. This week we're buying a house; it makes me laugh to think of it! I'm pretty sure my grandparents would have spent months buying a house and try to decide if it was a good decision. My dad is the most layed back person you'll meet and hates a schedule. So, how did I become this hectic list making person? I think it's part of our generation and partly because I like being busy. And, maybe because where there's stress there's faith. Faith is the only thing that can get you thru the stressful times. Really, in all seriousness, I feel at peace with what's going on. I'm so excited to be a part of this mission trip and especially how things were orchestrated so that I could still go. I feel God's hand in it. And, our move, well, it's a little crazy, but I can still see God's work in it. I feel good and my hope is that when we're actually moved and our kids are beginning school and a little anxious about it that I will still have this peace that passes all understanding. I'm sure the bad days will come and I'll be in a pit, but that's when I'll have to call my Friday prayer girls and get me out of it!

graduation

2009-05-05T20:54:00.000-07:00

Finally! I have a post. And, I have to tell you, 22 years ago when I graduated from Dover, Ohio population 12,000 we had commencement at 2 pm on the football field .... rain or shine. Well, gone are the days of yesteryear and let me prepare all of you for what is about to come in your near future when your oldest child graduates-> it is a 3 week long graduation! There's graduation festivities with your church, there's festivities for every organization that your child was involved with (chorus, drama, football, basketball - EVERYTHING!) There's a scholarship commencement during the school day where all scholarships are announced and colleges declared. And, then this is a new one for me; Baccalaureate commencement. And, finally graduation! It's exhausting.

So, not only are the festivities exhausting, although worth it for the graduate who has worked their tail off for 4 years, but it's emotionally exhausting. Each ceremony is a reminder that your child has reached their first huge milestone in life and in most cases will be moving out from under your rooftop in 3-4 months. The videos they play at all the ceremonies rip your heart out because you can see how fast time has moved. Gone is the little girl in baby fine pigtails and pink tutu. Now, I am looking at a beautiful Christian woman who is going to college 9 hours away. I'm going to miss that phone call when she would ask if she could come over for dinner or could she just pop in; even if her Dad wasn't home. Yep, I'm the stepmom and sometimes I wish I had another name because stepmom always conjures up such negative feelings. Hallie & I have a sweet relationship and I know she's not leaving just growing up, but sometimes you just long to go back in time. I held a friend's 1 year old baby and he reminds me so much of my own son and I'm proud of the man Christian is becoming, but I'd like to go back one more time and rock him to sleep in my arms and carry him to bed; at 165 lbs. I can't do that anymore!

So, don't rush this time and look forward to the future when they start kindergarten and think that you'll get to do all the things you don't have time for. Because the time is going to come when you're picking out colleges and watching your baby receive their diploma. And, those tears are going to come...

Shots!!!!

2009-04-15T13:29:00.000-07:00

How could I have overlooked the dreaded shots. I knew the day was coming and didn't think it would be that bad; did I mention that I haven't had shots since I don't remember when.... I had one shot when I was pregnant with Christian, IV's when I went into labor and then epidurals. But, really no shots in a LOOOOONG time! I don't even remember when I had my last tetanus shot. So, off we go to BRentwood Baptist Church and get in this massive line of people also going on mission trips and needing shots. The service providing the shots was an outreach clinic and mostly retired. They were very nice, but I'm wondering if I got the right shots?! Two hours later we got our shots; I got 5 and the MMR really hurt and Hallie got 4. The nurses said that men and teenage girls kind of freak out about the shots; I assured them that after childbirth I would be fine and I was maybe a little queesy, but ok. Hallie, on the other hand, not so well. Just a couple minutes after her shots she was sitting down with her head between her knees and saying she didn't feel well. The nurses immediately got her to lay down and they gave her a sucker. Within about 10 minutes she was fine, but I was feeling a little nervous for her. Sophie and Christian were also with us and Christian decided that mission trips were not his calling from God; he was sure that God was calling him for something else local!

Anyway, my arms are sore and that's my excuse for not running this week. I've set a goal to run a 5K and I can only run 1 mile and then that's all I can push myself to do. I wish I liked to run, but it's just not my thing. I'll try to get at it tomorrow. I'll hate it if I don't reach my goal. It's just so easy to find an excuse!

Hello Dolly!

2009-03-28T19:37:00.000-07:00

This weekend was Hallie's performance in, "Hello Dolly!" She's Dolly and she is amazing! I'm not just saying that because she's my step-daughter, but because she's got some pipes and some fabulous talent. Last night was the opening night and the high school theater was packed and she got a standing ovation. Of course, I was brought to tears along with Jay and Hallie's mom and everyone else that was there supporting her. She has worked so hard; not just for the singing, but for the choreography and the speaking part. She was phenomenal. I'm convinced she's going to be on Broadway! I don't know how she could avoid it. The costumes were amazing; much better than what we had in our old costume wardrobe at my high school and the set and everything was so professional and well done. I couldn't be more proud of Hallie than I am right now. She's amazing and I'm so glad that she allows me to be part of her life. And, if any of you are interested there's one more show Sunday from 2-4 at the David Lipscomb high school theater; you will not be disappointed!

Love your neighbor

2009-03-16T06:21:00.000-07:00

I have to share what I watched out my window this morning. Sophie now goes to the bus stop on her own, but I continue to watch her out my window until the bus comes and picks her up. This morning was a little chilly, so she wore her heavier sweatshirt with a long sleeve tshirt underneath. Chloe came to the bus stop without a coat and I saw Sophie try to crowd around her to warm her up. And, it was just a few moments later that Sophie took her coat off and put it on Chloe. Sophie looked back at our house; I'm sure she was waiting to see the door open and me to tell her to put her coat back on and that was my initial reaction, but then I thought "no." God tells us in Luke10:27 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and Love your neighbor as yourself. Sophie was demonstrating what God wants all of us to do and I wasn't going to take away from that. Initially, I wanted to keep her from getting sick or being cold herself, but what she did was far more important than catching a cold.

I'm feeling CREATIVE

2009-03-15T11:01:00.000-07:00

bonus room- ALL this in my little craft room

craft room -painted, clean and still cluttered; but manageable!

I am soooo excited! Many of you know we've been living in our house about a year and a half and I have a craft room that is under the eaves of the house. I collect and start a lot of crafts, so I have a ton of stuff! I love fabric and I have books & a steamer and a clothes rack and an iron body form; it's a lot. Unfortunately, when we moved in this room had not been used by the previous owners except for storage and the walls were builder white and dirty. I moved in and piled my stuff. Well, since my sewing machine has been out of commision this week I decided to paint my craft room and tidy things up a bit. I painted two walls apple green and two walls blue and then the small ceiling strip is yellow. It turned out so cute and now I'm feeling really creative; watch out! I had to move everything out of my room to paint it and I realized how much stuff I really have. I could supply crafts for my entire brownie troop for years! I hate to throw anything away because I never know when I might need it and I might want to do a new craft and I'd hate to go back out and buy the stuff again. So, I keep it. Anyway, I moved everything out of my craft room and into our bonus room and it totally filled it up. I never knew I could get so much stuff in such a little space! My craft room looks great; it's still cluttered, but I can't get rid of anything else. My walls are clean and I feel very creative; I need my sewing machine! I've got 4 orders to complete for next week and am going a little crazy waiting for my sewing machine. Here are the pics of my bonus room with all my stuff and my craft room after it's done.

the store is finally open!

2009-03-10T13:58:00.000-07:00

Well, if any of you have gone on to my store I'm sure you noticed that it was a little bare and that was totally my fault! You see, because I've been busy sewing shirts & purses, making necklaces & earrings for the store that are carrying my things I haven't been keeping up with my online store. It's always on my list to do, but my list is longer than my week! And, this week was going to be no different than all my other weeks of things to do, but I was forced to get MOST of the things on my list done other than sewing. MY MACHINE BROKE and is in the sewing machine garage somewhere?! It's really been an adjustment not to be able to sew, but I've been able to exercise this week (went for a walk and tae kwon do), got some patterns cut for when I can sew and most importantly added some things to my online store! I'm even thinking of going to Silo Studios Thursday - to get more inspiration! My friend, Ondrea, gave me a great idea of hair clips and I've been making those a couple weeks (just to add to the purses, shirts, earrings, & necklaces) and then she gave me another great idea that I've been working on, too. I need to find somewhere that I can get inexpensive sheet metal in small sizes! Ondrea is turning into my marketing manager.

I am definitely going to do a better job of posting my things for sale on my online store. I met with someone last week who is going to help me out and sew for me in her spare time. I'm really excited about this; hope it works out!

thanks!

cat in the hat

2009-03-05T12:34:00.000-08:00

This week was Dr. Seuss week and our school celebrated daily. Sophie chose to dress as Cat in the Hat. She looks so cute and I love what I'm able to do with my new editing software!

Today starts my journey

2009-03-04T08:10:00.000-08:00

I have been on the fence for a couple months on going to Malawi on a mission trip. I wanted to go last year and then didn't and I wanted to go this year, but fear almost kept me from going. But, just as Peter got out of the boat and walked on water to Jesus, I too, need to get out of the boat. I feel His calling, but fear was talking a little louder. Not anymore.

I'm going to Malawi and my step-daughter Hallie is going with me. I've been saying that our mission trip begins June 19, but what I realized is that it is beginning for me today. Physically, our trip happens June 19, but today I am mentally preparing myself to go. THere is something so humbling, at least for me the person who needs help from no one, to send out letters to family and friends asking for prayer and financial support if the Lord has enabled them. My journey begins today.

So, I'm sending out letters this week. I'm ordering my shots from world outreach and I need a lot! I need Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Tetanus, polio booster and then I need malaria pills! April 13 is shot day, so I'll probably be a little overwhelmed! We are also starting to break out into small groups to plan vacation bible school for the children. I am most excited because I get to be on the activity group. We will be planning all the crafts - & I love crafts! We are all following and working out of the Youth Life Journal which gives us daily readings from the bible. We will begin sharing at our monthly meetings what God is doing in these readings. I feel so honored to be able to go on this journey with such a great group of kids; I have a feeling that they will teach me much more than I will teach them!

things are changing

2009-03-01T14:37:00.000-08:00

Last night was a milestone in my house. Christian had to shave. His mustache has been growing thicker and darker for a couple months, but this week it became noticeable to EVERYONE. You could see it across the room. So, much to Christian's dismay; I told him he would need to shave. He was afraid of cutting his face, but Jay had him practice with shaving cream and no razor. And, then we went live with the razor and we had no nicks! Things happen so quick. Today, I held my friends 9 month old son and it seems like yesterday I was holding Christian. I look at Christian today and I want to hold him so tight that he will never grow up and do the same for Sophie. I want Hallie to live at home and go to college. I want to protect them forever, but I am reminded that that is not my job that God has given me. My job is to prepare my kids for life and teach them to be followers of Christ to love others as they love themselves. They need to know that being a Christian does not protect them from hard times, but it will give them hope. Our job is to raise our kids with Christian values and then let them spread their wings and fly.

Father/Daughter Dance

2009-02-13T17:05:00.000-08:00

Can I just say that I have the most awesome husband, ever! Tonight is the Father/Daughter dance for Brownies. The theme is "Under the Sea" and my 6'7" husband is dressed as Triton; Little Mermaid's Father. He has the whole get up and I'm sure his head will be itchy and sweaty after dancing with Sophie and throwing her all around. But, he knows this means a lot to Sophie so he'll probably leave it on all night. She is having the time of her life! I am so lucky!

feeling sentimental

2009-02-13T10:49:00.000-08:00

These days I'm feeling a little sentimental. I miss my grandparents and when I could call them up and just feel better at the end of the conversation. I miss my grandma's ways and how her days were like clockwork. Always out to lunch at 10:30; home in time for soaps all afternoon. She watched ANother World for 30 or more years. I miss how her house smelled and when it was time to leave her house she and my grandpa would try to give you all their leftover candies/cookies before you got out the door. She called it Schlekerei! I miss all the made up, combined broken German words & phrases that came out of our family. It's like a secret language that only we know. Jay laughs at me when I say the word out loud without realizing that no one else knows what in the world I'm talking about! My mom still says some of those words. I remember being 20 years old and realizing that I sound ridiculous saying words that don't exist. I swear I'm going to make a small Schenk dictionary to pass on to our kids so that these words aren't forgotten.

So, that's the reason for my music. My grandparents loved big bands. They danced every Saturday night in Canton, Ohio to all the big bands. Grandpa loved this Glenn Miller song and there were others, but this one in particular stands out to me. I never got to see my grandparents dance; I bet they were good. I loved the stories of their dancing days and all the shenanigans that went on. I'd give anything to hear them tell those stories one more time.

Ok, I'm getting too serious and I want to post the inspiration behind Lolly's. Sophie made this little fairy and I think she looks like a Lolly and that's how I came up with my store name. Sophie is an artist and loves to create. I love when we can do things together. Check out miss lolly.

It's official, I have a teenager!

2009-02-11T04:55:00.000-08:00

My firstborn is a teenager. I can no longer hold him in my arms and kiss all over his face. I can't pick him up and carry him to his bed and tuck him in. I could go on and on with all the things I can't do now that he's older, but there are a lot of things that I can do. We can have a meaningful conversation. I can look at his life and know that God is working in it and that Christian is a good kid. I can also worry when he's late and be mad as soon as he walks in the door because he made me worry. I can question myself when I realize how much he's texting; I think an average of 2500 in/out messages is a little obsessive. Did I tell you that over Christmas he had 8500 in/out messages? I get to explain why I'm taking his phone away because a "C" in science at midterms is not acceptable. I'm sure my parents are reading this and laughing at me because I brought home "C's" and now I'm punishing my son for the same thing I did. Christian is so much smarter than me and a little effort on his part would allow him to make much better grades than I did. THe problem is that it takes some effort and he's ALWAYS sending text messages. How can anyone study and do homework if you're texting 100 messages per day and 6 of those hours are at school and trust me I've tried to catch him texting at school and he goes by the rules: the phone is turned off at 7:30 and back on at 2:30- on the dot! I get to have conversations that I thought I wouldn't have till later; I'm glad we get to have them, but I thought it would be later and I could ease into this teenager life. Nope! It's 0-60 in 30 seconds! It happens so fast. I am no longer the most important person in his life. He tells me that he's talking to his friends about advice with girls; like they know? It's frightening to think that he's taking advice from peers; that's what I did! So, for all my friends with young kids: love them & be the center of their world, know that this time is short. Teach them all the things they need to know- God loves them, you love them unconditionally and there's nothing that they could do that would change that (it doesn't mean they won't face consequences). They need grace and we need to remember what we were doing at 13 and realize that they are not different. I'm hopeful that Christian is not going to repeat ALL my mistakes, but where would the fun be if he didn't test the boundaries a little? I'm probably going to pay for that last statement!

A new purse!

2009-02-06T07:38:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to show everyone a new purse I've been working on the last couple of days. It's made from a recycled coffee bean bag. I found a coffee house in Vermont that is selling me their coffee bags that come from all over the world and they have beautiful pictures and numbers written on them that have something to do with the weight and maybe the date the beans were picked? The bags are a heavy burlap and they're large. That's what allowed me to make the large beach bag featured in an earlier blog. I love this purse; it's so fun for summer. It measures 16 x 7 x 3. it is lined and has a side pocket for a cell phone. I hate when I have to dig for my cell phone at the bottom of my purse. It closes with a magnetic snap. This is the first purse and there are some bugs that needed worked out, so this one is not for sale, but there will be more to follow and should show up on my etsy sight soon or you can call/email me. The cost is $45.

beach bag-a- go-go

2009-02-02T11:19:00.001-08:00

I finally got working in my sewing room and am so excited. I just finished what I hope to be many more recycled coffee bean bags. This bag in particular is from Columbia and I added some Maria Horner Fabric to finish off the top and lined the inside with a solid red fabric. The handles are done in a coordinating fabric. It measures about 24" x 24" and is 6" wide. It's a really large beach bag and can carry EVERYTHING! It's also eco-friendly. This one was a test run, but you should be seeing more in my ETSY website soon.

www.ps139.etsy.com

music for the generations

2009-01-31T20:13:00.000-08:00

Jay and I had the funniest conversation with Christian today while driving to his wrestling tournament. Just to get you up to speed; I am not fond of today's hip hop music. I know "our" music is so much better and he & I have had conversations about "his" music promoting killing and mistreating women & sex. It's terrible and he likes the beat and I make him by the clean versions of all the music or if it's too bad; we don't get it. Our music was so much better, but I don't mention that I was the biggest fan of Prince's "little red corvette" or Madonna's "like a virgin". I conveniently omit that. So, today, as we're driving Jay & I start singing to KC & the Sunshine Band. Christian is dying because our music is soooo bad! "Turn the station!" "How long do I have to listen to this?" It's fun reliving music. I remember singing it with my mom- I was about 6 and Jay was probably dating and 16! Anyway, we were singing "Do a little dance, make a little love, get down tonight!" And, then out of the mouths of babe "All genres of music talk about sex; country music, new music, old music- it's all the same. You're music isn't any different than mine." And, it made me laugh and realize that I've won a small battle that Christian could feel free enough with Jay & I to say that. I don't think I said anything about sex with my parents when I was 13. I talked to my friends, but not parents. So, we all laughed and agreed that most music does talk about sex, but the envelope gets pushed a little further with every generation and you have to decide at what point is too much.

Booty-licious

2009-01-30T14:17:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I came up with this great idea for oven mitts made from recycled jeans and "Booty-licious" across it. I love them and everytime I use them it makes me laugh. Do we really need to be so serious all the time?!

Let me know what you think?

Friends

2009-01-28T14:20:00.000-08:00

Today I got to get together with some friends and pray and laugh and cry. It was amazing; I've known these women for years and one I just met today. We talked about what was on our heart and it was powerful. I'm so thankful for this group of women. Who would've thought that our casual friendship would spin into something so strong. I'm encouraged by these women and our openness with one another; something rare in Williamson County. A place where life is about money, large homes and keeping busy racing to the next event to see and be seen. There's something so powerful about a group of people praying for one another and I so look forward to see what God does with it. As I mentioned in the group; I'm humbled that I was even included in this group. I am not great at praying, but I know it's not about the prayer and more about my heart. I know there are no mistakes and this was a divine appointment.

Faithfulness

2009-01-09T17:03:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a day! So, some of you may know that I have a small side business appliqueing peace signs and crosses on t-shirts. They are selling at the Loft and at A Thousand Faces. Naturally, after Christmas things are kind of slow and the Loft is doing an animal theme this month so I made some dog leashes and treats called Snickerpoodles. I haven't really done much with my t-shirts. A Thousand Faces was going to do inventory and let me know how many shirts they wanted to order, but wanted to keep inventory low at this time. So, I've been working on some new ideas and then today I was blown away. Linda, at A Thousand Faces, gave my name to another store owner in Brentwood and she called and ordered 24 shirts for next Thursday. She's going to start carrying my shirts in her store as well! The store is Gabriel's Garden and I'm so excited.

I've told this to a couple people, but it is so true. I've been making things for a couple years and while some things have sold they never really caught on. I had always thought that I would tithe the profit, but I never did. But, this time with the tshirts I decided to tithe and the money would all go to Malawi to the ADZIWA mission our church is working on. And, I haven't only tithed the profit, but all incoming monies have been tithed. And, every time or nearly every time God has been faithful. I tithe and customers come whether it be friends or businesses, but God has been faithful. It has really strengthened me in my faith to see that when I am faithful so is God. The flipside is that I know that even when I'm not faithful God is going to show up, but when I am in union with him great things happen.

amazing day

2009-01-07T06:23:00.000-08:00

I just spent the most amazing day with a young lady, Katie. She's 20 years old and has an unbelievable heart for kids and God. I don't think anyone would do what she's doing at such a young age if it weren't for God. She has a home in Uganda where she employs 2 women to help raise the 10 children she has adopted and she employs 3 men who do bible studies with the families of the 191 children that she has found sponsorship for. She feeds 191 kids everyday 2 hot meals, they get medical treatment, a uniform, and education. Anyone can sponsor a child for $300/year. She was able to accomplish this on her own. There was no government agency in place to help her get set up. She bought a house in Uganda, she learned the language and at the age of 20 she has adopted 10 kids that are hers legally. She has accomplished so much, but I can't wait to see what she does in the next 10-20 years. Wow!

She gives me hope when I watch the news that there is good. She made me excited for my own journey to Malawi. I turned in our applications on Monday so we should interview soon and find out for sure if we are going.

clean slate

2009-01-01T16:24:00.000-08:00

Hallie & Logan (boyfriend) came over today and were talking about their party they attended last night and how everyone was celebrating New Year's Eve and saying it was a "clean slate" and it got me thinking. I think it's the general concensus to think that with the new year comes a clean slate, but there's always baggage from the year before. Left over Christmas bills from an over indulged holiday, those 5 lbs. that will NEVER come off, emotional hurts from years ago. I could go on, but I think you all get the idea. Thankfully, there is one way to get a real clean slate and that's thru Jesus. We don't have to wait until January 1; we can have a clean slate anytime we want it. Clean slates don't mean everything is easy because there's always consequences. God never said being a Christian was going to be easy, but He did give us a clean slate and grace.

Let the journey begin...

2008-12-29T14:56:00.000-08:00

This journey has been a long time coming. It probably started 20 years ago when I was watching Oprah Winfrey and her guest that day happened to be a South African who had written a book Kaffir Boy. His life was so terrible and by God's grace he got out on a tennis scholarship to America and went to college and wrote his story. At the time, I never thought about how God's hand had to be in it for all the things to align for him to leave South Africa, but now I know there's no other way. I immediately went to the bookstore to get this book and had to special order because it wasn't in yet. His book is one of the rare books that sticks with me and I remember some of the situations he lived thru. His mom, on days when they had money, would boil an animal's blood till it thickened to feed the family. His family would go to the dump and filter thru garbage to find food and one particular day they found a baby's corpse. At the time, I remember thinking how awful his life was, but I never thought about doing anything about it.

Fast forward 19 years when I picked up a book about Darfur and the needless killings. I read a book called A Devil Came on Horseback it's a documentation of an ex-marines eye-witness situations while working in Darfur. It's chilling what goes on in these places of the world. So, a few months after reading this book our church (People's Church) announced that we were partnering with Capital City church in Lilongwe, Malawi. We were going to build homes for families that would adopt AIDS orphans. I immediately felt the need to go. I felt the hair on my arms stand on end and I couldn't stop the tears. It was my time to listen to the Lord and do something. I was so drawn to go on the first mission trip; however, Jay was not hearing the same call I was. He had a lot of fear and I honored that. I need to be realistic lots of things can happen in 3rd world countries where poverty is rampant. We have 3 children. So, I decided to volunteer with the church to do behind the scenes work for those that do go on the mission trips. I had met with our missions minister, Ken Morris, and we were getting ready to kick things off.

My step-daughter, Hallie, didn't really understand me not going to Malawi on the first mission trip. She knew I heard God spoke to me and I think she thought I should follow God's mission and the rest would fall into place. She did not understand that her Dad & I had talked and prayed about it and decided it would be best to wait. So, there was another meeting after Thanksgiving announcing the mission trips and I went to it. Amberlee Holmes, friend of Hallie, was there and she brought me to tears with her description of what happened last year while in ADZIWA Malawi. I told Hallie about it and thru her speaking with Amberlee she ended up contacting Ken Morris and he encouraged her to send in her application to go to Africa; keep in mind that Hallie doesn't go to our church, she goes to church with her mom. Hallie had not talked to her mom or dad about this mission trip; she just followed God's plan. So, she enabled me to follow God's plan and now I'm filling out my application to go on the same mission trip as Hallie.

What am I thinking? Jay can't take off work 2 weeks to stay home with Sophie & Christian? I told my step-mom about this opportunity to go to Malawi and she said to bring the kids to her & my dad for that time and she would take care of them! Perfect! I really think my dad would have preferred childcare as the deterrent for me not going, but Linda came thru for me. God is opening the doors for his plan to happen. I'm not expecting to save the world, but I'd like to do something that's going to make a difference for someone. I'd like for someone to see God's promise & hope in me. I always pray that God would bless me that I could bless someone else and he's answering my prayer.