Project Completed!

All of Masie's headbands and bows have been kept in a ziplock bag since our last trip. I had purchased a small wall hat rack on sale with the intent of converting it into something to keep all of her "head gear" but had just not gotten it done yet. Well, yesterday was the day! I simply added ribbon to the back of the rack to clip the bows on and used the hooks for the headbands. It took all of five minutes. That is one project complete...now to just finish her room since the move! ;)

A Day in the Life...

Dear Me....

At the ladies' retreat I went to this last weekend, one of the quiet time activities was to write a letter to yourself at an age of your choice. This is my attempt at that....it's not an easy task!

Dear Fourteen-year-old Me, It's been 25 years since I've been in your shoes, and much has taken place. First of all, let me just tell you to save the glasses that you're wearing in this picture. They came back in style about a year ago. Lord only knows why. ;) You are a freshman in high school. Your family will suffer a loss this year. Aunt Janice will pass away on your mom's 40th birthday...nothing a sister should ever have to experience. (Incidentally, I'll be 40 on my next birthday, so that is a little surreal to think about. I can't imagine losing my sister right now...or ever.) This is your last year with your sister in high school. Enjoy spending quality time together because life and family will never be the same once she goes to college. But don't let her try to talk you into letting her teach you how to drive a stick shift instead of Dad. You'll just make each other frustrated. You know you don't really want to learn how anyway because many people will try their hardest to teach you, including your best friend. Y'all are 17, in Lubbock, leaving Justin's house. Somehow you make it around the block, despite pulling out in front of that blue car, channeling Mario Andretti, both of you laughing so hard you pee your pants. Thank God for those vinyl seats in that poor old Chevy Chevette. That is one of your favorite memories. Kristi remains your very best friend to this day. You both get each other through a lot. I know this sounds crazy, but the summer before your senior year, Kristi's family will move to Lubbock to work at the district office, and your family will move to Seagraves to pastor the church there. I know, I know you are freaking out and thinking, "REALLY?! MY SENIOR YEAR?!?!?" But don't worry...you are strangely calm about this move and are able to finish school with your class in Plains. It's only 32 miles away, so you get to drive back and forth. It makes planning a bit tricky, but it is worth it. Don't take the easy way out in high school. Take athletics, and do not let a negative self image keep you from missing out on this part of school. You are good at many things, but the things you question you totally avoid out of fear. This will follow you your entire adult life if you do not get a hold of it now. So, please...walk in confidence, not fear. You won't be the star player, but play anyway. Try new things. People are not staring at you disgustingly as you think they are. Wendie goes to church camp with you this summer after freshman year. Let it be about her and include her more. She will say she had fun, and sophomore year she will write in your yearbook that she wants to go back, but that opportunity will never come. She and Dave will be killed in a car accident on a foggy morning on the way to school. You will always regret your self-absorption, but you will never forget your beautiful, graceful, cowgirl-friend. Every time you see a yellow rose, you will think of her. Okay, I must tell you....you will never date J, B, L, or D, BUT! You will have dates to both proms. You will laugh on the inside when that certain uppity friend of yours tells you that she "can't believe YOU have had dates to both proms, and SHE has not..." Hahahaha....it still brings a certain amount of joy. LOL. (Oh, you will come to know that means Laugh Out Loud.) At age 18, you will meet a guy at Mr. Pizza, your first job. Please, please, PLEASE....save yourself the heartache. It will be a 2 1/2 year emotional roller coaster that will drive a wedge between you and the people who truly love you. Listen to your sister and best friend on New Year's Eve when they tell you that you are better than the way you are being treated and deserve more. Eventually, you will come to your senses and begin dating THE GUY who had been there all along....YEP! Dan Elliott will ask you to marry him, and you will get married when you are 21. Life will not be perfect, and it won't be easy for a good while. Well, it won't ever be easy. There will be many, many years of wanting children. You will think that God has forgotten you. You will pray and believe for others and yet not believe for yourself for fear of being disappointed. SO. Soak up all of those camp and retreat moments now. You will draw from them during those hard years. BUT, guess what?! God comes through for you!!! It won't be in the way you think, but she is perfect. Absolutely perfect. And finally...just know that eight inch bangs and wings will not always stay in style, but you will always have an affinity for the big hair. Stay close to Jesus, sweet girl, and know that not everything is in black and white. Love, Your 25 year older Self

Okay, Lord, I'm Listening.....

So, for the last year I have unsuccessfully been trying to get into the nursing program at UTA. I had been putting off applying to other places because I've put so much time, effort, and money into this program so that when I'm done I will have a four year degree in nursing. Not to mention the fact that all that I've done has been customized to UTA's requirements. To apply to other places means possibly taking additional entrance exams or courses. After the second let down from UTA, I decided to bite the bullet and apply elsewhere. So today I took my completed application and met with an advisor at another campus. After making sure I had all my ducks in a row, he told me I should know something the end of October. So, I asked him, "Now, if I'm not accepted, is it possible to get into the EMT program in the spring?" The man just looked at me. He answered my initial question, but then said, "Why are you asking about that?" I said, "Because I need a plan B." "Why do you need a plan B?" "Because I don't need to waste time spinning my wheels...I'm no spring chicken, you know." Again, he just looked at me and said, "Just focus on this right now. You have until the end of October before you need to think about what else you are going to do. Why are you worried about something now that you may not ever have to worry about? If you don't get in, look at your options then, but don't worry about it now." I'm sorry....what?Hello, do you know me?! No.....you don't. Have you been talking to my husband? Because that sounds like something he's said before....Hmmmmm.....maybe I should start listening.....

SOOooooooooo far behind.....!

I just realized I hadn't posted anything since March. MARCH, people! SOOOOOO much has happened since March! Namely the fact that I'M A MOM!!!!! March 31, 2012, our lives changed dramatically for the better when this little bundle of pink joy joined our family through adoption.

If you want to read more about this process we went through, you can go here. She is five months old today, and what a life she has already led! our adoption was final when she was 20 days old on April 19, 2012.

She's done district Fine Arts Festival in May, District Council in June, five weeks of camp in July, national Fine Arts and family vacation in August, traveling across four states like a champ! This is my 39th year of life, and these last five months have given me life afresh. I am ever so thankful for my Masie Lauren.

Sad Moment...

I was in the restroom at Chuy's drying off my hands when I heard a snap and the sprinkle of beads hitting the concrete floor. I immediately looked at my hand, and sure enough, my ring had broken.
My Granny had made me this ring about a year before she died, and I got a compliment on it every time I wore it. I scooped up as many pieces as I could.
Maybe I'll remake it...maybe I'll just keep the pieces...but I'll never forget how much love she put into it when she made it and the joy she took in making things with her hands for others.

I love you, Granny, and I miss you so much...

God Speaks through Apples?

Last week, Dan went to the grocery store to pick up some things we needed, including fruit.
I'm pretty picky when I'm picking out fruit...not so much with the shape of it, but the basics...looking for piercing/scrapes of the skin, bruising, worm holes, etc. What he picked out at the store looked pretty good when I was washing it, so I didn't think much about it when I grabbed an apple on our way out the door.
As we headed down the road to take me to work, I took a generous bite of my apple. You can imagine my surprise when the inside was yucky brown! I looked again on the outside, around the stem, on the bottom...Nope! Nothing was there to indicate any kind of problem.
I thought maybe it was just there, an inside bruising, so I took another bite further over.
Nope! Same thing!
It was SO STRANGE!!!



I could have gone ahead and finished the apple, being careful to just eat the good outer portion, but why would I want to do that? It wouldn't satisfy my hunger, and my body wouldn't receive the full nutrition that a full apple could have given me. And besides...it was just GROSS!
And like only HE can do, He shows me that I limit His ability to use me when I concentrate on my mere appearance and don't take care of my inside. He doesn't want to have to work around my parameter, being careful not to hit the rot at the core of my being.
It's not His desire for me to put on the smiling mask when I'm going to one place then taking it off when I'm in the confines of my safe place.
He needs me to deal with hurt, obstacles, anger, fatigue, laziness, loneliness, doubt...whatever it is that gets in the way so that when He wants to use me He doesn't have to wonder if I have enough to give.
Not that He wonders....He knows.
So...YES!
God speaks through apples.
He wants to use me....ALL of me!

Healthy Choices

This is my version of a stuffed bell pepper recipe I saw on Pinterest.

I took a red bell pepper (the colored ones were on sale at Kroger!) and cut out the core. I salvaged some of the "meat" from around the stem and diced it to go in the filling.
The diced pepper was added to a diced tomato, a few spinach leaves, three or four boneless, skinless chicken tenders and simmered in a couple tablespoons of water (which will cook out). Season to taste.
When the chicken was done, I shredded it then added it back to the pan with 1/4 cup brown rice (already cooked).
Once everything was added, it was stuffed into the red pepper and baked at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Yummo!!!

Hello, Bargain!

This was my find at a cute little antique shop in Decatur, TX! (More about this excursion in a future post.)

For a whopping $11.48, I got the sweetest li'l hat, two quilting hoops (one round, one oval) for an art project, a jar full of old buttons, and four bags of various lace remnants.

Love my new treasures and can't wait to put them to good use!