Birthday Party

I'm not sure there is any crafting joy greater than creating something for loved ones.  This weekend my little girl had a goldfish birthday party.  And, while it took a few late nights, I feel very proud with how the decor turned out.  So, it prompted me to blog them!  Thanks for taking a look at my proud crafting mommy moment :)

I did my best to make all the food tie back to the fish theme.  So we had:
Build your own Submarines
PB and Jelly Fish sandwhiches
Shrimp Coctail
Spinach dip, in a fish bowl which I called "Sea Weed"
Below:
Gold Fish Crackers (of course!!)
Pretzel Rods (Which I labeled Fishing Rods)
And gummy words or "Bait" as we called it
And I had cheese cubes laid out in the shape of fishes

 I made little pendants and hung them with command hooks that read: "Splish Splash" and "Happy Birthday."  Trying to cut all these little triangles reminded me that I spent some of high school geometry in the hospital and never really had a desire to figure out angles again after that...so hubs had to intervene and help.  Otherwise, they would have all been different sizes!

 The MagnaDoodle reads: Welcome, So good to SEA you :)

 For an activity for little ones, I cut out paper fish and created a Gone Fishin' Hole.  Huge hit.  Especially the glass rocks I picked up from the Dollar Tree.

 As a party favor, we sent the kiddos home with goldfish in a bag...of soap!  Adorable idea I nabbed from Pinterest and a huge hit with the kiddos.  I also purchased about 500 fish beaded necklaces from Oriental Trading so if you have a need for plastic fish (which I put in the soap) or fish necklaces, I'm your go-to.

I think that's all the bits and pieces of the decorations.  It was a total blast and now, I've got a year to plan my baby girl's next birthday!!!

Seam Ripper

Tonight, I made this Taggie blanket per the request of a friend.  She offered to pay me, but I said, "Why don't you watch my kid for a few hours?"  I believe this is called battering.  Either way, she's a wonderful friend and I'm happy to make a gift she can pass on. 

Since, I dedicated tonight to sewing, I thought I'd take the Singer Confidence for a joy ride just to see what she was capable of.  This leads me to the title of today's post.  Who created the seam ripper?  She's a genius.  I assume the inventor is a female because the seam ripper implies mistakes have been made.  I made plenty of mistakes while playfully exploring new stitches tonight on my machine.  Which got me thinking about other mistakes in my life.  If only I could easily grab my little gadget and rip out those last few stitches, the ones that missed everything up, then continue on all mistakes forgotten.  Unfortunately, life isn't so simple.  Mistakes require "I'm sorry's" and change and sometimes tears.  Some of my mistakes turned out to be blessings, but they definitely did not feel that way at the time.  Some mistakes changed everything, opening a new chapter in my life.  Others, I still think about on still nights and wonder how things would be if I'd said or done something differently.  I wonder, what would have happened in those moments if I'd been able to just simply pull out a few seams and try again.  Would the lessons I've learned from those mistakes settled the same way?  How different would our lives be if we had a seam ripper?

An inspired fire: Taggie Blankets

An inspired fire: Taggie Blankets

Taggie Blankets

I made this awhile ago...but haven't posted them.  I got obsessed and made several for friends.  A great way for me to practice sewing and a great way to use up ribbon scraps.  One of the ones I made for Betty is mostly ribbons from packages at my baby showers a great way to preserve those wonderful memories!

Grace or something like it...

Here's a disclaimer.  This is a personal post.  But, one I've felt like I should share, so I'm going to.  I'm not trying to trash the Lutheran Church, it's just my thoughts on my Spirituality and where I feel God is leading me in that journey.  My journey has included a lot of great spiritual education that has given me strong roots.  But, when I found myself pregnant and unmarried, the church had a lot of finger pointing to do.  I sought mercy, the church sought justice.  God in his infinite wisdom provided me with both.

"It is better live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of someone else's life with perfection." -Bhagavad Gita (emphasis added)

I've read that phrase before, but the last time I read that phrase, it hit me: This is why I never settled into being Lutheran.  I tried so hard to fit into that box, but I was always living a lie.  I ws trying to perfectly imitate what the church taught me.  Despite years of trying to fit that build and diving into theological discussion head first, my being Lutheran was like expecting a cat to be man's best friend.  Today when I reflect on my life, my destiny, I recognize the journey I'm supposed to be on.  It's a cluttered life.  It's imperfect.  There is a small amount of chaos surrounding each day.  But, there is also a large amoung of joy.  The journey I've been on has been a quest to find spirituality, center, a driving force.  Not a book of rules or decisions with the answers already made.

For me, being Lutheran was like cheating on a test.  The questions all right there in front of me and my #2 pencils sharpened and in my hand.  But, everytime I read a question, the bubble automatically filled in the answer.  Even when I disagreed with the answer.  I kept trying to answer C, but B filled in first.  And no matter how hard I tried, I could never get to a point where I believed B was right over C.

I've been told "hindsight is 20/20.  I think that is why I'm able to see so clearly that living perfectly in a structured destiny left little for me to dream about or desire.  The quest to finding God in our everyday lives is not about filling in an answer someone else told you is right on a test.  It's about living imperfectly and having the courage to wonder what will happen if we really aren't perfect.  That is what grace is!  Grace is not having the perfect score on your test.  And, understanding grace is having a recognition that imprefection is so much better!!!

I don't expect to live without consequences or discipline.  But, when it comes to spirituality, the air on your own journey is so much easier to breathe.  Following your own spiritual path is far more exillerating than living a spiritual lie.  What I've come to learn through this process is that freedom and grace, are the same thing.  As Janis Joplin says, "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose."  Living in grace, means living like you've got nothing to lose, because really, in terms of faith and God's love, you really don't have anything to lose.

You've got to figure, she knows something about freedom with a smile like that!

Romans 5:2

I'm writing today because, I miss it.  I miss writing.  After an almost year long sabatical from all things writing related, I finally missed it.  I miss publicly displaying my thoughts, feelings, hopes, ideas and the vulnerability of their exposure.  I played this cat and mouse game with myself today about writing.  I spent about 30 minutes this morning making a few cards and I told myself that now, I should do laundry.  Laundry is more important than taking the last few minutes of nap time to myself.  Isn't funny the way mommy-hood gives you this feeling that you are never allowed to have more than 1 "me" moment in a day?  Stupid lie.  How many moms live this way?
Anyways, I'm behind on my verse a day calendar because I have commitment issues.  I over-commit to things.  I get abnormally attached to things abnormally quickly.  For example, my calendar has been set on March 3rd for quite some time now because I really like March 3rd's verse.  Today, I finally commited to switching it.  This turned out to be a positive outcome:
"We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment he has already thrown open his door to us."  Romans 5:2 (MSG).  I've been working on hospitality in my life for a few years.  A less than hospitable thing happened to me and I've been trying to render out what hospitality should look like.  Since then, I've been seeking how to make myself a hospitable person.  It has become an obsession, a calling, and ongoing discussion between my head and my heart.  So this verse hits me hard, open doors are a huge part of living a hospitable life.  But more than that, the willingness to open those doors when we don't know what is on the other side is true hospitality.  With God, when we finally reach the point of opening that door to spirituality, He's already there.  No searching or wondering what's next required.  So we find ourselves right where we wanted to be all along, with everything we needed. 

And if you are wondering about March 3rd's verse, I might be back by next May.

Coffee Can

My new mom motto is: Coffee, Coffee, Coffee.  My sister-in-law has 4 boys, 4 and under.  When she found out she was prego with the last two (twin boys) she went out and bought the largest coffee cups I've ever seen.  So, I made this little canister for a friend...and put some ground coffee inside, of course!

It's just a simple pail I picked up at Joann's and then covered with paper.  Giving the gift of coffee is my first love language, finding paper that matches someone's personality is my second.  So, I think I liked making this project more than my friend enjoyed receiving it!  Delightful.

Diaper Cake

Remember a few weeks ago when I promised to post a pic of the diaper cake I made Mike help me make?  Well, here it is.  I loved making this and the mom to be felt super special...as all recipients of any cake should!

Scrapbook for Betty

I made this scrapbook for Betty a few months back...I still need to get photos in there, but at least the book is made right?  It was from a kit I picked up at Archivers.  Super fast, fun, and easy!  I'm not sure how I feel about all the formatting of the layouts, but it's a great example if I want to do future board books.  Plus, it has rings and ribbon ties which I adore!

Small Scrapbooks

I've been craving a spot to post some of my recent projects. For weeks I've been storing up photos of creations hoping to have a free second to post them. Not working means I should have more time for these things, but unfortunately something always takes precedence to getting my projects posted. Life at work. Here are a few of my proudly COMPLETED projects!

To the left is a little picture book. I've pretty much been obsessed with making these since my friend had twins almost a year ago. I made her 2, one for each and now I'm addicted. They are super cute and super fun for shower gifts.



The pages on the right and below are from a small scrapbook with pages varying in size. It came out so cute. I haven't seen the mommy of the little girl this book is for in a while and haven't presented it, so I can't show the cover yet. But, I had a ton of fun making this and using my Cricut to get some different pages done.

Latest You Tube Love

I would like to be friends with these guys. My absolute favorite is that the Taco Bell guy repeats the order and totally wows them. I wonder if the little Eminem look alike at our Taco Bell would enjoy something like this.

Anyone know if they are the milk and cereal guys? Or what happened to them?

Chazown

Sorry for my absence in blogging. I've been exhausted! I've been flooded with opportunities to learn and grow in the last months, which has left me little time to write something I feel useful for the public to read. But, this morning, as I drink my coffee I hear the words of my dear friend Jason, "When you stop to learn, you must also stop to teach." I wish I could tell you more about Jason, but I wont because I don't have his permission and writing more could jeopardize the beautiful mission God called him to. Just know, that there is more wisdom and drive in what his quote about learning and teaching than I will ever fully grasp.
Calling is a beautiful thing. I've been studying Chazown by Craig Groeschel with my gal pals. Chazown is the Hebrew word for dream, revelation, vision. Everyone was born with Chazown, but it can easily be ignored. As I've been stretched to learn and grow in the last few months, I am eagerly studying what is my calling and Chazown.
In the meantime, I stop my busy morning to share with you this video clip I remembered this morning. It has so much to say in such a little bit of time. Enjoy and keep focused, it moves pretty quickly.

As an FYI, most of this info was already outdated by the time the video was published. So, do not expect accuracy, but that fact alone I believe adds that much more to the purpose of the video.

Don't Think Twice

I'm going to see Brett Dennen tonight! Many thanks to Evangeline for hooking me up as a birthday gift. I can't wait. For those of you reading who do not know the wonder of Brett, I've posted my favorite song ever being sung by him. Note, this is a cover of a Bob Dylan song. But, it rocks and I had to share it.

God in my home space

My professor, Dr. Drane (a genius when it comes to interpreting culture and applying it to theology...read his stuff, it's amazing) asked me to write on the topic of our home and it's influence on our spirituality. Interestingly enough, I have recently had a series of conversations about this, so I decided to share.

I grew up in the country so the idea of being near cornfields brings me a lot of joy. I grew up where nature is every where and you can hear nothing at night but the stars twinkling. Outside may have been quiet, but inside was the opposite. My childhood home resembles some kind of cross between a funky coffee shop and a thrifty antique store. My mother is a starving artist deep in her soul, so there were always eclectic “projects” lying around. My father, a starving musician deep in his soul, so someone was always playing the guitar, the piano, or CDs (which is what we used before iTunes ). My brothers were rough and tumble, dirty country boys that neighborhood children feared and envied in the same heartbeat. Our home was never dull, never clean, never closed to passersby, and there was always an abundance of caffeine and conversation.

Now, I’m single, 20 something and living alone in a 2 bedroom townhouse and hundreds of miles from “home”. I’m getting used to the idea of not living with clutter (both literally and figuratively), but it’s tough. The home my parents built for my brothers and I had an openness towards community. It’s something I haven’t seen much of in Illinois. Friends were treated no different than family. I don’t always see that kind of community in my peer group. I’ve been blessed recently by the open doors of friends, but I still haven’t found that same balance of intrinsic and extroversion I had growing up.

So, because I long for that community, I’m torn. Do I stay somewhere that lacks the community that tugs so desperately on my heartstrings? Or do I leave the place where my roots have sprouted and gifts and opportunity abound? Community inevitably affects our spirituality. Everything we do in community is linked to the author of relationship, the graphic designer of community. When we experience a deficit in community, we are not experiencing what God has designed for us from the beginning. He creates Adam, gives him land in abundance and the fulfillment of work. Then, he looks and says, “It is not good for man to be alone.” From the very beginning God was drafting neighborhood block parties.

Listening to God

For the last few months my church has been on a Stewardship Journey. That is, we've been trying to raise the funds we'll need to expand from one site to two sites. It's an exciting time and I have seen God help many leaders and contributors step up for this mission. I believe in the mission of our church and the leadership of church. I'm excited about the multiplying that will be done at Trinity in the next 12 months. We are about to embark on an awesome journey!

That being said, throughout this ministry series I've been praying and asking God to reveal to me just the right financial commitment to make to Trinity. Over the last months I have heard a number of testimonies of how God has revealed a financial commitment to members of our congregation and others. Through all the jounaling, praying, reading, and trying to listen God has remained silent. Today, I read an e-mail update with the total financial commitments already received. Frustrated, I thought, "Where are you God...why are you talking to so many and not to me?"

So, I'm still waiting to hear from God. What do I learn from this scenario? I think God let's us wrestle a bit here and there. Struggles build character. So, I'm attempting to wait it out and keep listening.

Animaniacs and the MAGL

Last week, I spent 2 weeks in a very beautiful and warm LA. Unfortunately, I spent 45 hours each week in a basement with no windows. I did however, spend it with these amazing leaders from all over the world. My "assigned" seat for the week was right across from a world map, which was at least nicer to look at then the back of my new friend David's head. I tried to post some crazy photo of us all pointing to the map, but I can't figure out how to. I'm lame.



David and his wife Brittney live right near the Warner Brother's Water Tower. That water tower cracks me up because apparently, the Looney Toons staff were so obnoxious to work with, their coworkers banished them to a separate building by the water tower. It is from this piece of history that the idea for the cartoon, Animaniacs, was born.



On that cartoon were two lab rats, Pinky and the Brain, who conspired to take over the world. Matty my big brother, tells me that the grad program I am in, Masters of Global Leadership, makes it sound like I have something in common with the Animaniacs. It's all strangely fitting together. I'll let you decide...

Looking for a date on Valentine's Day?

I just read a blog by a girlfriend warning other gal pals of the peril of Valentine's Day. For the single woman, Valentine's Day can be the equivalent of being the only kid without a date to the first big dance. For years, I've seen single gals wane into the background and ignore Cupid's special day. As a single gal in the so very subburban outskirts of Chicago, that could be me. And, chances are if you've been bummed on the LOVE FEST day you've felt that way too.

That won't be me this year though. The reality is, St Valentine is an unknown historical figure, most likely a Christian martyr. Rumor has it he met his death on Feb. 14. There other clouds of mystery surrounding the holiday, like forbidden marriages and bloody massacres. But, basically, dear old Valentine died for serving others. Not a bad way to show the world you care!

In the spirit of serving and loving others, I'll be heading out to the Joshua Center in Chicago to serve some wonderful ladies dinner. Joshua Center is a ministry to homeless women. It has a very dear place in my heart because every time I'm with these ladies, I'm reminded of how blessed I am and how special we all are. If you are dreading the lonlies of V-day or just simply want to love out loud, let me know...I'd be happy to take you along!

Children of God

1 John 3:1 (NLT)

See how very much our heavenly Father loves us, for he allows us to be called his children, and we really are! But the people who belong to this world don't know God, so they don't understand that we are his children.

When I think of this verse, I think about the senior year of my undergrad. Undergrad was not a positive experience. I made wonderful friends and laughed in the midst of many moments there, but overall there was a dark cloud of persecution. I was not Lutheran enough and too female to really battle theology with the presem boys. Worse yet, the faculty and staff cared little abut the character formation of their young leaders. There was, however, a deep concern for obedience and the rote memorization of Lutheran writings. In those days, if I could cross-reference Kolb and Walther enough, I may have actually been heard by another student. There lives within me though a spirit that loves to rebel and in the midst of my all academic faith, I began to wonder about the relational Christ I dreamed of. I read about a Christ who loved rebels and acted radically towards authority. I was drawn to a Christ that loved whores, tax collectors, and Torah dropouts. In emulating such a nature I was typecasted as liberal, reprimanded, and told I would never find a church willing to let me preach about this Jesus.

I wish in those days, someone would have looked at me and said, “God cares more about what is doing in you than what he is doing through you.” God cares more about the state of my heart in leadership than the numbers of youth I reach. In fact, I am bold enough to say that God would withhold my ability to reach and teach others if my heart’s motives were not in communion with God.

In leadership, so often I catch myself crying: “I’m good with God because I’m right.” But, really God could care less about what I’m doing if my identity is not in my relationship with him. I didn’t work to be created or born, I am a child of my parents because of work they did. My identity in Christ is not dependent on my work; it is because of work God has done.

Continuing Well

I've been so intimidated by the leadership words, "finish well." Maybe that is because only 1 in 3 leaders actually finish well. I dare not consider that I could be one of those leaders who does not. As a young leader, I recognize that God is doing things in me and testing my character. I will say this, my integrity is being tested over and over again. I pray that as I take time to work on my character that God gives me the courage and foundation to succeed in these character checks.

1 Cor 9:24-27
I am serious about finisthing well in my Christian ministry. I discipline myeslf for fear that after challenging others into the christian life I myself might become a casualty (Clinton Paraphrase).

Bobby Clinton teaches that the key to finishing well is continuing well. Today, in honor of studying along Bobby Clinton, I'm posting as he teaches!

Barriers to finishing well:
Finances - their use and abuse.
Power - it's abuse.
Inordinate Pride
Sex - illicit relationships
Family - Critical issues
Plateauing - lack of continued growth
Emotion and Psychological wounding

These are stumbling blocks to finishing well. Recognizing them before they hold you back is a part of building a firm foundation in leadership. Chess expert Marcus Weeks suggests winning in the middle game. The beginning of the game is exciting, but much can change as the pieces move on the board. The middle game takes strategy and much is lost in the middle game. Leadership is much the same way. The middle of ministry and leadership matters! What happens in the middle of ministry takes strategy, future planning, and more.

A secret he shared with me today:
"All leaders will go through deep processing. Deep processing can blindside you so that you will question God. A SOVEREIGN MINDSET WILL MAKE THE DIFFERENCE WHETHER OR NOT YOU MAKE IT THROUGH DEEP PROCESSING. DEEP PROCESSING IS ONE MIDDLE GAME SIDELINER."

So, how do we travel well in the midst of ministry:
Have a sovereign mindset: Asking what Lord are you doing to do through me.
Ask yourself rhetorical questions: Take a look at the Apostle Paul's writings and see just how important these questions are in the Word of God. Know yourself very well.
Discipline yourself Spiritually : Are you in the word? do you have spiritual habits?
Develop and take a lifelong Learning Posture: learn from all of life's sources: experience, other people, formal training, informal training, personal projects.

Assuming I even make it through the middle game (Lord, please help me get there!) Finishing well characteristics are:
Vibrant, personal relationship with God
Maintain learning posture
Christlikeness in Character
Lives a life of conviction and promises from God
Ultimate contributions
Growing awareness of self identity

At the MAGL

This morning, I trekked back to school. My lunch packed, my first day of school outfit, my bag ready by the door. I felt the way I have felt so many times in the past…eager to learn, hopeful of what the next horizon brings. I am so blessed to be in an “intensive learning environment” as they call these two weeks. I think I’ve approached every learning opportunity as intense. Yet this opportunity is particularly powerful. So many of God gifted leaders approaching the same topic; we are leaders, what’s next?

In some ways I’m so excited and encouraged at how BIG God is. In other ways, I’m mortified.


One of the things I find so encouraging about God is that he never gives up on us. Here I am sitting amongst authors, former business owners, so catalysts for change in other cultures. Several of my new classmates have been imprisoned, have left their homes, have fled in persecution. God's hand is clearly at work in lives around the world. I am learning to take my time climbing the ladder I am on because at the top of the ladder, is just another ladder to climb. So I must learn to climb this one well, rather than quickly. I have felt from time to time the loneliness that comes from standing on the ladder of leadership and know others have as well. Here in this program I hope to learn to support other leaders. I want to ask God not, what can I do for you? But, rather, what can I do for your people?