2012 Manifesto

I found the perfect inspiration for setting goals for 2012 on Pinterest: Manifesto. 

I first loved it because it was visually appealing. 

Then I thought it would be fun to create my own version and place it

in my office where I would look at it several times throughout the day. 

Basically, I just wanted to play around with some pretty fonts :)

So last night I brainstormed goals for six different categories:

financially, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically, and vocationally. 

I came up with about 2-3 goals for each category and then artistically

arranged them in my Publisher program. 

Even though these words will help trigger my mind to think about these

goals, I want to write down a specific statement about each of

these goals so that it's clear as to what kind of progress I personally

want to make in 2012. 

Don't make cheesy resolutions.

Make a manifesto.

Happy New Year to all! 

These Are A Few of My Favorite "Pins"

I will gladly admit that I surf Pinterest every day...several times a day. 

There's nothing I welcome more than new inspiration :)

So here's a few of my favorite things--

whether it's a recipe I want to whip up,

an outfit I want to put together,

a DIY project I want to tackle,

or a fantastic design idea I can't wait to use--

it's just another thing I will add to my "yes" list.

Favorite recipe: Sweet Potato Fries

I really never tried sweet potatoes until all the research

I've been doing about healthy eating choices.

And I must say, this is a solid winner.

Just like potatoes, you can turn sweet potates into whatever

you want.  I definitely prefer making them into fries.

It's almost a guilty pleasure without the guilt.

 

Favorite Outfit: Jade Shirt with Leopard Print Scarf

I have been trying and trying and trying to find a

great leopard print scarf, but I still don't have one.

I've searching online and in stores, and have seen

leopard print scarves, but not to my liking.

Alas, I will keep trying!

Favorite DIY Project: Silverware Artwork Frame

There are so many, but this one I must tackle.

I love frames and I love the vintage-ness of the design.

I usually don't have good luck with spray paint,

but I always seem to try it and then remember why

I don't use it.  So, I'll have to get creative!

Favorite Kid's Ministry Idea: Shower Curtain Map

I'm always on the lookout for ways to make learning

interesting for my kids at church.  I am passionate about them

learning about God's Stories and want them to have memorable

experiences when they walk through the door.  I have a feeling that

this shower curtain map might come up in the future.  A nice little

map of Jerusalem during Jesus' Triumphal Entry could definitely

bring the story to life. 

Until next time, keep blogging and keep pinning!

The "Sweet" in Sweet Potato

Over the past couple of weeks I've been

researching how to eat more natural foods. 

It's a total mindset change from choosing easy

processed foods to choosing how to prepare healthy,

natural, farm-based foods. 

If you're going down the grocery aisle and

you pick up an item off the shelf and it contains

more than 5 ingredients, and if you are unable to pronounce

some of those ingredients, place that item back on the shelf. 

It will do more harm than good to your body. 

Much of this intentional eating inspiration comes from the

documentary my friend, Melissa Nickel, had some of us girls watch

when we were all together in KC a couple weekends ago.

It's called Forks Over Knives.  More info can be found here.

Anyways, I've been eager to try out new foods and new recipes.
Here's what I made tonight:

First, I decided to make my own granola bars because
when I read the ingredients label on the ones I buy from the store,
I was surprised at how processed it truly was. 
This recipe contains no sugar, no flour, no eggs, and no butter!

Here's the finished product.  It made 12 granola bars.

Good enough for 2 weeks worth of afternoon snacks for me.

And the best thing, they are so good! 

For supper I tried my hand at a new vegetable: sweet potatoes.

I've never been a fan of sweet potatoes, but I've read so many

good things about them, that I figured it was time to give them a try.

So I baked the sweet potatoes, added feta cheese,

cranberries and cilantro on top.  Quite delish. 

And then I sauteed some fresh green beans, onions, and red bell peppers. 

Again, so many great flavors.  We will definitely be eating this again!

Thanks to Pinterest for these recipes!

DIY: Dry-Erase Calendar

Since joining the Pinterest world,

I have found so many things that I want to make!

One that caught my attention was a dry-erase calendar. 

Check it out here: amazingness

So, I decided to make one for my office out of green paint chips.

When I went to Wal-Mart, the cashier gave me the "stink eye"

because I was carrying LOTS of paint chips. 

I bet the thought going through her mind was,

"I can't believe she's getting all those paint chips for free!"

Note to self, next time I am doing a project with paint chips,

I'll remember not to go through that lady's checkout.

I then went to Hobby Lobby and purchased a 12" X 16" frame.

I didn't want a basic frame--I wanted something vintage looking.

I found a white-washed frame at half-price,

then took it home and did my own antiquing to it by

smearing some brown paint on the wood.

It came out just the way I wanted it.

Beforehand, I had cut all my paint chips to be 2" x 2".

Just enough room to write the times of important meetings.

Then I arranged the colors so that there was a

balance between light and dark colors.

And finally, I taped all the paint chips

to the blank side of the picture insert.

Then I assembled the frame together.

Took the frame to work and wrote in

 all the important things I need to remember.

All you need is a dry-erase marker and it write on the glass like a charm.

I've decided that I need to make another one so that I can have a

calendar showing me what's happening next month as well. 

Always gotta stay on my toes!

Can't wait to make more things from Pinterest!

Rosette Bookpage Wreath

Yay! I'm finally getting around to posting again on my blog!

It's been what....at least a month???  Oops.

But this DIY is definitely worthy of a post.

If there's anything that I love making its wreaths.

I probably enjoy it because I get to

rip apart (I mean, reuse) my old college textbooks.

 *Thanks Jennifer for giving my the inspiration!*

1. Rip out a page from an old book. 

2. Fold the page in half but leave half an inch at the top

so that when you twist the paper it looks all pretty. 

3. Roll the end at least 4 rotations. 

Now that I'm looking at the picture, it realize that the picture is incorrect. 

When you twist the pages, you will want the edges of the

bookpage to flip out to create the rosette and not be trapped inside. 

So have the open edges to the left hand side and face down. 

You will roll from the top.

4. Fold the bookpage and then turn the rosette half a turn. 

Continue this process until you have used up the whole bookpage.

5. Then place a staple at the bottom to hold everything together.

6. Then I took each individual rosette and hot glued

them onto the straw wreath.

7. After a few burned fingers and numerous rosettes later,

voile! a beautiful new wreath!

I must say, out of all the ones I've seen on the internet,

this has to be one of my favorites!

The Investigation Begins!

Last night was a great night because I was able to

train my Awana volunteers for the upcoming year. 

The theme for this year is "Investigating Truth"

so everything has a special agent/detective/spy twist to it. 

Basically any information that I have sent out has been

authenticated with a "top secret" stamp in red ink. 

I absolutely love that stamp and have become a little stamp happy. 

The following pictures are of the tables I decorated for our Training Sessions.

I thoroughly enjoyed rumagging up some great props for these tables.

I found these spelling tiles and created different phrases for each table.

This one says, "Crack the Code" since there are several decoder wheels on the table.

This phrase says "Look beneath the surface."

I took one of my college textbooks and partially cut out the middle of page

to create one of those false middles where you can hide secret gadgets or whatnot.

This phrase says "Don't blow your cover."

And I was able to borrow my dad's vintage binoculars, as well as

find prop beards from my drama box. 

This phrase says "It's Top Secret."

Especially since there's a confidential folder and envelope on the table.

Not to the mention the classy briefcase.

"Be on alert!"

You can never be too careful when training to be a spy.

"Meet me at nine o'clock."

Yes, it's true.  Special Agents will be exchanging

information contained inside the Top Secret folder.

Overall, the training session was great because I have an excellent team of volunteers!

Can't wait for the kids to come next week!

The Push

I've needed "the push" to get back into blogging.

So I will divulge to you my new favorite TV shows.

AMERICAN PICKERS:

I absolutely love this show because I learn

something new everytime I watch it. 

Plus, I'd like to think that I'm an amateur picker myself,

even though, I have yet to visit a garage sale this summer.  Oops. 

Still, watching Mike and Frank interact is quite a treat.

PAWN STARS:

You never know what will show up in the store.

People bring in the weirdest and coolest things ever.

It's fascinating to learn the history about all the items.

I highly recommend checking it out.

Tomorrow I will be driving down to Normon, Oklahoma

for a church-related conference.  I am very much looking

forward to this mini roadtrip. 

There's just something I love about driving.

And I hope that this conferencewill help recharge me

and give me that push that I need

for the weeks to come. 

I'll keep ya posted!

i'm not a big city kind of girl

i have returned from a wonderful trip to washington d.c.

it's a great relief to be back.

yes, i thorougly enjoyed my vacation.

yes, i thorougly enjoyed being a tourist.

yes, i thoroughly enjoy spending time with tina.

but i belong in a small town and it feels so good to be home.

and it especially feels wonderful to be back at work.

i know i'll be asked what my favorite part of the trip was,

and i'm sure i will have different answers.

but there's one thing that i will remember most:

the fact that friendships can pick up where they left off.

it doesn't matter how often you talk or don't talk to each other,

or how often you see or don't see each other,

you still pick up where you left off from the last time you were together.

i'm thankful for friendships like this.

and i anticipate many more vacations and get-togethers will friends

when we'll be able to pick up where we left off,

as if time were non-existant.

Leaving for DC...

i will be leaving for washington dc in less than 36 hours!

i am so excited about this trip for many reasons:

1. i get to spend some quality time with tina!

2. i get to ride a train to union station!

3. i get to visit the international spy museum!

4. i get to visit all the national monuments!

5. i get to use a groupon for a harbor cruise around the city!

6. i get to visit an aquarium! this hasn't happened since i was a kid.

7. i get to visit georgetown cupcakes from the tlc show "dc cupcakes."

i'm also excited to navigate my way through the city and metro system.

i absolutely love using maps and figuring out how to get from a to b.

i will definitely be memorizing this on the train ride up.

everything is laid out in the spare bedroom and just needs to be packed.

and i will definitely not leave with my neck pillow.

i think it may be one of the best travel inventions ever.

at least it will prevent what i call "floppy head syndrome."

can't wait to post some pictures when i get back!

Sunday Matinee Room

one of the rooms that we use for sunday school is the Sunday Matinee room.

this is our gathering room for the kids and where we watch movies. 

i added the final touches to this retro room just this past week.

here's a look!

mmm...i can smell the popcorn :)

my skirt looks like a confused zebra...

my skirt looks like a confused zebra.

or maybe what a zebra would look like if you looked through a kaleidoscope. 

but that's what my life feels like.

a kaleidoscope.

i'll let you think about that for a while.

because I had to.

my summer is turning out to be just as busy

as the other nine months of the year.

summertime is a time for me to get a good jumpstart on

writing curriculumfor next year's children's ministries.

and boy is it going to be exciting!

it will be full of mystery, suspense and intrigue :)

it's a long process, but i wouldn't have it any other way. 

at least i will be in washington d.c. in two weeks to see tina!

i have most of my visitors' guide highlighted and most of the city

map has been filed into my long-term memory. 

i can't wait to visit such a vibrant city.

until next time...keep twisting that kaleidoscope!

More Preschool Room Decorating

I have definitely had the decorating bug these last couple of days. 

Sunday afternoon and evening I painted the preschool room a lovely yellow.

Then I added these fun animals stickers to the wall

which made the room even more adorable.

I can't wait to see the kiddos faces when they walk into their room!

I really love the alphabet stickers!

And the coat hooks!

And the little bench!

After all this decorating,

I've discovered that my favorite animal is a giraffe.

The quality of the pictures makes the yellow look mustardy,

but the color is much lighter than that. 

I guess you'll just have to come to church and take a look for yourself.

Next project: The Sunday Matinee room.

This room is where all the kiddos meet on Sunday mornings.

And it's our movie theatre room, too. 

So, I wanted to give it that feel. 

I painted this room on Monday and I have most of the decorations,

but I just need to figure out the placement of them on the walls.

Pictures will come!

Preschool Room Decorating

Ever since last Saturday, when we were able to raise over $1500 

from the garage sale at church, I have been able to purchase

 furniture and storage units for the kiddos classrooms. 

This past week I focused on refreshing the preschool room. 

My main plan is to paint the walls a creamy yellow and then use

white furniture to accent the walls and add some kid-friendly animal

decorations.  So far, I'm loving the room and I still have a ways to go.

Here's some pictures of what I've done so far:

Yesterday, I went to Hobby Lobby and bought different sized

canvases as well as these cute little animals.

I matched the animals with a canvase and then chose a

complimentary color for the canvase to go with the animal.

Here's other storage that I've purchased that will add to the overall

"refreshing" process for this preschool room. 

Ahh...I love storage!

And it's so easy to put together!