27 January 2010

Fear of the Unknown


Though I've done plenty of things that should have scared me silly because I had never done them before, I don't ever remember being very scared.

I did a four day backpacking trip into the Grand Canyon. Was I anxious? Definitely. But not scared. I loved every second of it, even hiking along ledges with a 25 pound pack in the dark. It was exhilarating.

I've run a horse through a pattern as fast as we can, aiming for and then swiftly turning around barrels and poles. But the first time wasn't scary at all.

But now, I'm afraid. Not because of an assumed danger, or an intimidating factor like that. I'm afraid because I might know exactly what God wants me to do with my life. And having God tell you what he wants you to do -- well that's quite the event.

I guess you deserve some background for this whole thing, right? I know, I get ahead of myself. I spend a lot of time thinking about what God's plan is for my future. I know that he has one for me, for everyone, but being in college and having to make all of these decisions on what I'm going to do with my life means that the subject of 'the future' comes up way too often. Pretty regularly, I talk about it with my good friend, Jordan S. She's feeling the same way I am, so she asked God to give her a verse to clarify what she thought God was telling her.

And he did. He showed a verse that (though she had never seen it before) aligned directly with what she had seen as her plan for her future. It was perfect.

So I knew I had to try it. To open myself up to God, and to ask him to tell me what I need to do for him, and then to listen when he told me.

Now? I'm scared! It seems silly, but the idea that in a brief moment, I might understand even a tiny portion of the plans He has for me is mind-blowing. Am I ready to know the path that my life will take? My relationship with Him has never been better, and I feel so connected that I feel like he could walk up right now and tell me what's what! I've spent all this time asking God why I couldn't just know his plan, but now that I know that he just might give me a glimpse, I'm scared silly.

But I'm going to do it. I know that's what I need to do.

Have you ever done something in your relationship with Christ that has been intimidating or scary? Any advice?

(Maybe a better title would have Fear of the Soon-to-be-Known!)

P.S.: That's my new bible and prayer journal. In love with both.

21 January 2010

I DIY: Valentine's Garland

I know that it's very early to be working on anything for Valentine's Day, but I have a tendency to leave things to the last minute. So this is the perfect way to go about it!

I've been perusing anything I can find in blogs and on Martha's lovely website for ideas and other things (and there will definitely be some more Valentine's themed posts coming!) but thus far I've only done a couple of things.

One of the cutest ideas that I found comes from another blog, Oh So Crafty, and although I couldn't find the link when I wanted to do it, I think my version worked well!



You can head over to Oh So Crafty for the instructions, but I'll fill you in on my few modifications.

I don't own a heart-shaped punch, so I just grabbed the nearest magazine and pulled out my X-acto knife. It worked well, although I did end up with a few wonky hearts!

I sewed my hearts vertically instead of horizontally, because I ended up hanging some of them next to our bathroom mirror. It's like love for your face while you get ready in the morning!

And my advice on the how to make it work is go SLOW. I turned my machine to big stitches and took it really slow. I also had my hearts lined up in an order I liked so I could just pick one up and put it under the foot when it was time. Slow and steady wins the race for this project, for sure.

You'll see more of these later, that's for sure!

Any great ideas for decor so far?

15 January 2010

Tasty Memories

So I'm back at school now. Yay...?!

Actually, I do enjoy classes and hanging out with all my friends here so it isn't that bad. Unfortunately, since I have to go to class and do homework and such, posting this week has been rather light. So all I have for you at the moment is a suggestion and a story.

Since I've moved back to some colder weather, I've been having a hot drink for breakfast, and little did I know that a cup of hot cider would conjure up such vivid memories!

My family used to go camping almost every summer in the mountains. On cold nights we would get out our little plastic mugs (my favorite ones were brown with little mushrooms on them) and have our hot cocoa or cider.



My mug isn't quite the same (you can get your own at anthropologie - I'd never even been in the store before!) but the smell and the taste and the happiness are just like camping.

My suggestion? Get yourself some cider, a cute mug and get happy!

(More posts coming soon. :)

11 January 2010

Inspiration: Photo of the Week


Surely then you will count my steps but not keep track of my sin.
Job 14:16
-
First day back at school - feeling motivated!
Have a good week!

04 January 2010

I DIY: Christmas Cards

This year, I really wanted to make some cool and crafty things to give out to my friends and family. Though most of my gifts were handmade, there were still some people that I wanted to have a card, but didn't have a gift for them.

After perusing all sorts of blogs and crafty websites, I conglomerated what was in my head to make these!
It got a little messy... I broke a NEEDLE!
The initial idea of a card made with fabric came from seeing these valentines, from the Purl Bee. I just warped it and added some of my own touches to make it the perfect christmas card.

To make your own, gather the following:
  • your choice of cardstock
  • a scrap of festive fabric (my pieces were probably only 3 inches square each)
  • thread that coordinates with your fabric
  • seed beads of assorted colors
  • scissors and good lighting!

First decide how large you want your cards to be. I had cardstock that was meant to be folded into a greeting card size, so I just cut each one in half to make two cards.

Next, cut your fabric into little tree shapes. I decided how big I wanted mine to be and then cut a long strip of fabric and marked little triangles onto it.

Now, here's the only hard part. Before you even think about trying your first card, TEST your sewing machine. I sewed a whole bunch of scraps onto paper until I decided how tight I wanted the stitches, where I would start on the trees and how many times I would stitch them. So make sure you are happy with what you do on those cards before you start the first one!

Sew each tree to a card, and don't worry if you mess up, the fabric can be reused and the paper, well, you can punch it full of holes and use it as anger management.

Once all of your trees are sewn on, you can add the little zig-zag down the side, like I did. Again, test your stitch width and length on a scrap of paper before your cards.

Now you are ready for the seed beads. (It's really difficult not to type seed beeds. Weird.) Easy one here, just thread a needle (with dark colored thread, preferably) and knot the end before putting each bead on with one stitch. Tie on the back and snip off excess thread. Oh, and occasionally I found a bead that wouldn't fit over my needle. No big deal, toss it back and use another!

I will say that the back of these cards are not especially pretty, but I liked the homemade feel that you got from feeling the stitching.

There you have it! I hope this comes in handy for you!

03 January 2010

Happy New Year!

I cannot believe that this year is already over! I know that is what everyone is saying, but it is truly unbelieveable.

Instead of telling you my New Year's Resolutions (I've got some goals slated for another post!), I want to share with you some of the amazing blessings that I'm thankful for this year.

First and foremost! God: He's the reason I'm even here to write this, so I'm very grateful. But not only did he put me on this earth, he's planned every thing out for my life and reminds me whenever I worry too much.

Second, I'm so happy to be able to have such wonderful family and friends. Being in another city for school makes me all the happier when I do get to spend time with everyone, and I do that as much as I can. The people I have the privelege to know and be related to are wonderful and inspiring and loving. It's great.

Third, I'm thankful for both the material and intangible things in my life. You know... like my car, laptop, blogging, facebook, my room. But also safety and health and silliness and beauty. Here's some photos if you don't know what I mean...










I'm thankful for you, too! Blogging is certainly an interesting medium - you never know who is reading! If you are, thanks! And feel free to toss your two cents in at any time.

It was a phenomenal year, and I cannot wait for another. Time flies when you are having fun!