Did You Know?

Did you know it's been forever since I posted?

It has been quite a while...basically 3 months. 

Life has been crazy during the summer. 

I hate saying it because everyone else says it, but it's true. 

Life keeps going. 

The world keeps spinning. 

And my watch keeps ticking. 

So, to catch you up to speed, I will be providing some pictures

of all my travels (which was pleasantly abnormal)

and some of the everyday kind of stuff.

Earlier in the summer, when it was still bearable to go outside in the evenings,

my whole family and I have been relandscaping our backyard. 

Mom has been reading her HGTV magazines and watching all those

home improvement shows and felt the need to redo the backyard. 

I found myself actually enjoying the physical work, especially when I was stressed out

and all I had to do was dig up some grass and everything was better!

Here's what the partially finished product looks like!

At the end of June, my friends Jenae, Amanda, Saundra,

and I made a spontaneous trip up to Colorado Springs just before the fires

started.  We had a blast during those couple of days and many great inside

jokes. Luckily, the fires were about 15 minutes away from us and we were

still able to go hiking...even though people on the news told us not to. 

This was the view from the house we stayed at.

This was the start of the fire on that Saturday afternoon. 

We just couldn't believe it was happening. 

A few weeks later, we had VBS at our church, which was an absolute blast! 

The kids really enjoyed SKY VBS and as far as we know,

11 kids made salvation decisions!

I had the joy of decorating (with a great team of ladies)

as well as co-directing VBS.

These kids here are trying out some awesome science experiments.

During VBS, the previously mentioned girls and I took a little swim at the

amazing La Torre, just a few minutes out in the country. 

I was absolutely blown away

 by how pretty this Italian villa was, and to think

I had never known it was in Inman!

Right after VBS, I took a mini vacation to a lovely cabin,

because well I was exhausted and needed some time to myself.

Spending time in this little cabin definitely rejuvenated me and

helped me get back on track.

Then, just this past week I went to Omaha for our church's conference.

It was great being able to spend time with our pastors' kids

(who I absolutely adore) and find out what God is doing through our church

 conference. Plus, I love road trips, and I had a lovely

time driving and listening to music.

So for now, things are kinda settling down, but not really.

The DVR at home is full of Olympic coverage which fills up my evenings.

I wish we didn't have to wait every 4 years to watch so many amazing athletes!

At work, we're gearing up for our fall ministries here at church. 

I get to make a huge announcement this Sunday about something

I'm very passionate about.  I can't wait!

And hopefully, I can remind myself to post more often. :)

 

Reunited in St. Louis

This past weekend I got to spend time with the best of friends from college.

When we graduated from college we made a pact that we would

stay connected and have mini reunions with lots of food.

This is becoming quite a favorite tradition of mine.

This weekend's destination: St. Louis.

Why?

Because Lynnie lives there.

And all of us wanted to see her place.

As well as where she works.

The weekend started on Thursday evening for Linzy and I. 

I picked her up and then we headed to KC to stay at Melissa's place.

We had decided to split the driving into two days rather into one.

Road trips are fun, but a sore neck is not.

Then on Friday afternoon, we added Sarah and Kassie to the

car and embarked on a 4.5 hour drive to the Gateway City. 

I loved our conversations and responding to billboards along the way.

When we arrived in St. Louis, Lynnie had prepared a black bean

and sweet potato burrito supper for us which was super delicious! 

Mealtime conversations are wonderful.  Time and distance were no longer in the

way, and we just picked up where we left off. 

I think that's the stuff of real friendships :)

We headed out for St. Louis custard at Ted Drewes and I got a

TerraMizzou custard which was chocolate and pistachios. 

Sadly, with each bite I took, I felt like I was betrayed my beloved Jayhawks. 

But, at least it tasted good.

Later that night, some girls crammed into Lynnie's car and went to the

airport to pick of Tina, the last of the Magnificent Seven, as I will now call us. 

My eyes were heavy with sleep, but I waited until she came

through the door to give her a hug.  The weekend could now officially begin

now that we were all together.

Saturday morning we headed to the Arch to do touristy things and

then headed over to Lynnie's Plowsharing store for a proper tour. 

We stopped by Fitz's on the way to enjoy some homebrewed pop

and some good burgers and wraps. 

A thunderstorm was also brewing so we quickly got on the Metro and bus

to head back to Lynnie's house.  Fortunately for us, we were able to escape the

rain just before the heavens opened up.  While lounging around, making fruit salsa, 

and watching NASCAR, the tornado sirens went off and we bumbled downstairs

into a creepy basement/cellar.  We were a little freaked out as the sky changed

colors and the hail began to pelt against the windows, but sharing embarrassing

stories always seems to lighten the mood. 

We ate some spaghetti for dinner, changed into some "kid-friendly clothes" and

headed off to the City Museum where we got to be kids for a couple of hours.

This place has a lot of random items stashed all around, including ginormous

underware!  I can't imagine washing those!  And then the rest of the museum is

composed of random elements from the city welded together to create an adult

playground where you crawl through tunnels and caves, slide down slides, and

just forget about your worries.  But for me, a slightly claustophobic, germophobic

person wondered how in world I could climb through all of this junk and not freak out.

Needless to say, the Magnificent Seven split up into two groups:

more adventurous ones and more cautious ones.  I was grouped with Kassie

(the mother to be, again), and Tina (with a bum knee).  I had no physical excuses.

Just that small spaces and weird smells and crazy people are not a good mix for me.

But at least I got to pose with a giant whale.

Sunday came too soon and we had to say our goodbyes after our lovely brunch.

We packed the car and headed on I-70 back to Kansas City only

 to find ourselves coming to a complete stop.  Little did we know that we

had missed an accident that had clogged up the interstate for miles and miles. 

The news said it would take 4 hours to clean up.  No thanks.

So we took a frontage road and eventually made it back onto the highway.

I felt sorry for all those people waiting in their cars, wishing they could

drive through the ditch to the frontage road.  And some crazies did. 

We dropped Kassie and Sarah off in KC, and Linzy and I stayed with Melissa

again since we did not want to add another 3 hours of driving to our day.

A game of Fishbowl completed the evening.  And we were off to bed. 

Can't wait to see everyone again in October when Tina gets hitched!

Serenity Bed & Breakfast

This past week I took some time off from work and went on a little vacation

to the Serenity Bed & Breakfast in downtown Wichita. 

It was absolutely the thing that I needed: a relaxing place to unwind. 

The past couple of months have been very hard for me. 

In the latter part of January, my grandpa died, and then nine days

later my uncle passed away.  There was so much sadness and grief

in my heart and I didn't feel much like doing anything. 

I had a dilemma before me: do I continue working and push

through it all or do I take some time off to just breathe?

My mind wanted both and yet neither one. 

But eventually I decided that I didn't need to prove to myself

that I was strong enough to endure the sorrow.  So I took care of some

logistics, packed my bags, and headed for the comfort of a

historic house and king size bed.

This was my home for a few days (with a jacuzzi in the bathroom to the left).

And I quite enjoyed it, not to mention the most delicious (and large) breakfasts.

My time away definitely helped me recharge

and reignite my "spark" as some have called it. 

I highly recommend this B&B for anyone wanting

to go away (but not too far) for a relaxing time. 

The Puff Jacket Premier

Some friends wanted to know how I would "style" these

Goodwill finds that I wrote about in my last post. 

So here's two pictures of how I've managed to incorporate

these cheap finds into my regular wardrobe.

After wearing my new puff jacket for the past two days,

I must admit that it's becoming one of my

favorite pieces for the winter months. 

The lime green shirt is also another Goodwill find.

As long as I top it all off with a great scarf, I'm good to go!

What's your favorite piece of clothing to wear in the winter months?

Boots? Sweaters? Puff Jackets? Scarves?

Frugal Living: Less is More

Today while I was in Wichita, I decided to stop by Goodwill

just on the chance that I could find some lovely clothes for super cheap. 

My past experiences haven't always been successful,

but I'm always curious to see what different store locations have. 

Fortunately for me, today was my lucky day.

I found 5 tops for under $12.

Yay for frugal living!

It just proves that buying clothes doesn't take a lot of money.

Though scrounging around Goodwill for 45 minutes

takes diligence and perseverance.  

This was my first find because its' pattern basically screamed at

me to take it home.  I really love sleeveless sweaters and can't wait

to add it to my collection.

I was very excited to find one of these "puffy" jackets

in my size because I've always wanted one.

I believe I'm going to wear it tomorrow!

This is an Ann Taylor shirt and what I consider the creme-de-la-creme

of my shopping experience.  I know that these shirts go for much

more than what I want to pay, and are sometimes too "old-ladyish" for me. 

At first I was hesitant about the ruffles at the neckline,

but this emerald beauty is growing on me!

This is just a basic lime green long-sleeved shirt from Target. 

It's so soft and absolutely comfy. 

I believe I will pair it with my puffy jacket and wear it tomorrow.

I was also very suprised to find this flowy shirt from Maurices.

This design makes me think about sophicated tatoos, for some reason.

Nevertheless, I will gladly pair it with a pretty purple shirt.

Those are my frugal findings for the day!

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!