More beads!

I'm back with more beads! Oh, these necklaces are all so beautiful. With every one that I measured and photographed, I would say, "Oh, I love this one! I will miss this one." The Mister said, "You can't let yourself get too attached." :) Cute.

We're planning to have a garage sale in March to help raise funds for my trip. A week or two ago I sent out an email to several friends asking if there might be anything they would be willing to donate to our sale. Oh my word! We have been flooded with donations! It is so amazing! I've had people I don't even know emailing me offering to donate things. We are busting at the seams - our garage is completely full - and at this very moment we literally have a (donated) queen size bed sitting in the middle of our living room floor because there's nowhere else to put it in our little home! :) Just today we had to take an entire pickup load of stuff to my mom's because we don't have anywhere to put things. I'm thinking we're going to have to have a sale in (early) February to make room for the (at least) 4 more donations we have coming for the sale in March. God is so cool! I am so in awe that He has just poured all this our laps. So. Cool.

And on that note - here are the rest of the Ugandan necklaces I have for sale. I would love to have you share in my adventure and have one of these beautiful necklaces for your very own!

All necklaces are $20 regardless of length, plus $2 shipping. Of that amount, $8 goes to Visiting Orphans (the organization I'm traveling with), $4 goes back to the precious women in Uganda who made them, and $8 goes to me for my trip! Woohoo!

Get 'em while they're hot! I have four of these beautiful red and black necklaces. The beads are red with little strips of black, separated by black, iridescent seed beads. So pretty!
#23 - Has a clasp and is 20 inches long.
#24 - Has a clasp and is 18 1/2 inches long. SOLD! Thank you so much, Jeanne!
#25 - Has a clasp and is 19 inches long.
#26 - Does not have a clasp, and is 20 inches long. SOLD! Thank you so much, Cindy!



#27 and #28 - I have two of these. They could be worn with red, but the color is actually closer to a lovely dark pink. Red seed beads. Both have a clasp, BUT #27 is 16 inches long and #28 is 18 1/2 inches long, so please be sure to order the correct number for the length you want.



#29 - This fun little necklace makes me feel happy. Maybe it's the smaller beads, or the light blue seed beads, I don't know, but it's really cute. No clasp, 21 inches long.



#30 - A rich, cocoa color, this necklace looks just a bit darker in person. It is 18 inches long and does have a clasp.



#31 - Love this one! The beads are a beautiful, rich yellow with black seed beads. Gorgeous! It does have a clasp, and is 19 inches long.



#32 - This color is hard to describe. It looks like mostly brown tones in the picture, but has a tinge more sage green in real life. It really is pretty. The beads are a bit larger and have a more solid feel than some (since they are made out of paper, after all!). It is 18 inches long, and does have a clasp.



#33 - Lots of orange and green, with yellow seed beads. Very long at 27 inches; does not have a clasp.



#34 - I love the periwinkle-colored beads in this one, and the long, seafoam green ones as well. This one does have a clasp, yellow/gold seed beads, and is 26 1/2 inches long.



#36 - Beautiful, bright colors with blue seed beads. Long enough to double at 27 inches. Does not have a clasp.



#37 - This is the one The Mister told me not to get too attached to! I love it, but I could have my arm twisted to send it to a new home. :) I like it doubled or tied in a knot. It has beautiful, smaller beads separated by red seed beads, is 24 inches long, and does not have a clasp.


Please feel free to forward this link to anyone who you think might be interested in one of these beautiful, hand-made necklaces. Thank you so much for looking!

A big conversation with a little boy.

Tuesday night I had a PTA meeting, and the Mister was working late so the kids went with me. The meeting ran late, which always throws me into a tizzy trying to get home and get the kids in bed because, poor things, they are up late way too often.

When we got home I sent them straight to their rooms to get ready for bed. Jacob was being poky, and I was scurrying around trying to hurry him along as usual. "Come on, buddy, it's time for bed. Hurry up. Come on. Get your jammies on."

I turned to hurry to Kloe's room to make sure she was getting her pj's on too, and as I headed out the door of Jacob's room he stopped me with a question.

Jacob: "Mom?"
Me: *sigh* (turning back into his room) "What?"
J: "Does God have plans for my future?"

??!??!

Me: "Yes, He does have plans for you, buddy. The Bible says God has GOOD plans for you. Plans for your future."
J: Well, if God has plans for me, then why do I keep getting in trouble so much?"
M: "You've been getting in trouble a lot?"
J: "Yeah, I keep getting 5 minutes." {5 minutes sitting out during recess}
M: "For what?"
J: "I keep forgetting my library book."
M: "Well, you get consequences so that it will help you remember to do what you're supposed to."
J: "But if God has plans for me, why doesn't He make me remember?"
M: "Because you have a choice. He doesn't MAKE you do anything. He lets you choose whether or not you'll do what you're supposed to."
J: "But He's in control of me."
Me: -- silence -- "Umm...." (Inside my brain, a thousand thoughts are tumbling over each other. Don't we always teach our kids that God is in control? Yes, definitely....God is in control. Um, but He's not in control of you? Wait, no. He IS in control of you. Sort of. Wow. I always thought I had this figured out. Just exactly how much is God in control? Yes, He's in control of everything. But not us. No, wait. He IS in control of us. But not really. We get to choose. Man this is hard....)

Me: "He does have plans for you, but He doesn't MAKE you do those plans. He gives you a choice. You get to choose whether or not to do what He plans. But things always work out better for us if we choose His way." Whew. "Now put your pajamas on."

I have no idea what all that was about, and at the time I really didn't think all that much about it. Until today, when I got one of those chain email thingies with Jeremiah 29:11 on it - from two different friends. And then I read this post from Amy over at Building the Blocks, about lukewarm Christians, and choosing the parts of the Bible that are "safe and convenient". About being brainwashed by the world into believing that money and comfort are what life is all about - even for a Christian. About choosing God 100%, all the way, at any cost, no matter what anyone thinks.

Amy wrote, "We have been brain washed that we can ‘control’ our lives and our futures if we make the right plans."

Yes, God has good plans for us, but He won't MAKE us choose them. It's up to us to choose. To choose the easy, convenient, comfortable way, or to choose God regardless of what that looks like. Sometimes God's good plans for us don't look all that good to us in the beginning. Can't God's way be easy? Maybe. Convenient? Sometimes. Comfortable? Hardly ever. Because (I know you've heard it dozens of times just like I have) God is far more concerned with our character than our comfort.

Tonight in the video at Bible study (Jesus the One and Only, by Beth) she talked about John preparing the way for Jesus. That his primary purpose in life was to make straight paths for the coming Messiah. The Greek word for "path" in Luke 3:4 means "a beaten pathway." Then Beth asked, "Are you preparing for a powerful work of God in your life? Have you prepared a pathway for Him by going to Him over and over and over and over, so that He can pour His power into your life? What debris is in the way? God wants to do a new thing in your life - but it will require you to go places you've never been before. You must let go and move on."

His plans.
He has good plans for us. For me.
But I must choose. I must choose Him.
I must prepare the way.
Prepare the way for the Lord. Make straight paths for Him.
Remove the debris. Go to Him over and over and over.
Let go and move on - to places I've never been before.

"Consecrate yourselves {choose, prepare, straighten, remove, let go - my words}, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you." Josh. 3:5

Beads, Glorious Beads!

**Updated: Finished this post. :) I added a few more necklaces, and will post the rest - along with a few other pieces of jewelry I have - in a second post. Thanks so much for looking, and thank you so much to those who have already purchased necklaces! I'm so excited to already be on my way to funding my trip. Please come back and check out the others later this week!

~ * I HAVE NECKLACES! * ~

"Picture a group of women sitting under an acacia tree in Africa, diligently rolling thin strips of recycled paper into individual beads that will soon become a beautiful one-of-a-kind necklace. These women are widows and single moms in Uganda. Now picture over 100 orphans laughing and singing as their little hands roll each bead on this necklace. This fashionable jewelry gives widows and orphans a source of income and brings them life, as well as providing orphan care around the world." ~ from Visiting Orphans

So, I guess this kinda lets the cat out of the bag that I AM ACTUALLY GOING to Uganda! I think last time we talked about it - right before I left for the cruise - I left you hanging, knowing that I had been put on the waiting list, right? Yeah, I sort of never got back to you on that.

Well, as it turns out, when I got back from the cruise I had waiting in my inbox an email from Kari Gibson saying that someone had withdrawn from the trip, and I'M IN!! YAY! ...and... EEK!! I'm back to walking around talking to myself at the oddest times, mindlessly repeating, "Uganda. I'm going to Uganda. UGANDA! Yooogaaaahnndaaaa." I don't think I'll get over the shock until long after I've returned.

And so.

And so now the fundraising begins. Yeeee-haawww! Last week I sent an email to a few friends asking for donations for a garage sale I'll be having in March....and Oh. My. Goodness. One of my friends who is a teacher forwarded my email to her whole school! Donations are pouring in! Lots of furniture. I am so surprised! And overwhelmed! And blessed! I honestly don't know where we're going to store everything until the sale. A good problem to have, I know, but I may have to camp out in the front yard to guard it all, as there's no way it's going to fit in our garage! :)

"God can do anything, you know — far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!" Eph. 3:20-21 (the message)

And for my far-away friends who can't make it to the garage sale ;) I'm selling Ugandan paper bead necklaces. The beads are made by rolling very thin strips of paper into beads, and then covering them with a glossy coat. I could not wait to get these in the mail! On the day the postman rang the doorbell, I jumped up and ran to the door with all the excitement of my children on Christmas morning. I dug into the box with unrestrained glee....then paused in awe and reverence for the hands of the Ugandan women, living in poverty, who carefully crafted each and every bead, striving to make a better life - to make any life at all - for their children and themselves. I would buy 100 of them myself if I could, just because of what they represent....and not to mention that they're beautiful. :)

So here's the scoop. The necklaces are provided through Visiting Orphans, the organization I'll be traveling to Uganda with. They are various lengths (see photos), but each one sells for $20 (plus $3 s/h) regardless of length. The really long ones are a continuous strand, but the shorter lengths have a clasp so that they can open. You can wear them long, wrap them for a shorter double strand, or even wrap around your wrist for a bracelet! Of the selling price, $4 goes to the beautiful ladies in Uganda who make them, $8 goes to Visiting Orphans for overhead costs as well as other orphan ministry, and $8 goes to me for my trip! Wahoo!

{I will tell you that when you first take the necklaces out of their package, they will seem to be a bit tightly strung and may not lay quite straight, but I've worn 3 or 4 different ones, and they do straighten out and hang straight pretty quickly.}

I have 40 of these lovely necklaces for sale, and I would love for you to have one or five....all the way from Africa!

Without further ado (oh my word, there I go again. sorry - I'm too tired to be more creative right now.) here are my Ugandan beauties! Descriptions will be above their corresponding picture. Because they are handmade, the bead colors and sizes may vary slightly. That's what makes them so beautiful!

And....I'm a dork. I don't know how to properly measure necklaces. If you say a chain is 24", is it 24" when the necklace is doubled? Or 24" measuring all the way around? Let me apologize ahead of time if I confuse you. I'm going to measure from tip to tip when pulling the loop taught - not all the way around. Leave me a comment if you have questions.

#1 - This is a very long strand - 27 inches (it would be 54 inches if measuring all the way around). It hangs below my waist. Gorgeous when doubled! No clasp.



#2 - Beautiful light yellow-beige beads with red, yellow, and black flecks. Separated by yellow glass seed beads. This strand is approx. 20" long and has a clasp.



#3 - 23 inches long, no clasp. Separated with beautiful red seed beads.



#4 - Ooo, I love this one! Smaller, natural looking beads, separated by black irridescent seed beads. 22" long, no clasp. SOLD! Thank you so much, Cindy!



#5 - Beautiful turquoise, pink, burgundy, multi-colored beads. Approx. 26" long, hangs about to my waist. Does have a clasp. A few of these beads look like you can see parts of the print from the magazine they were made from....so cool! SOLD! Thank you so much, Jenni!



#6 - Same design as above, with brighter colors: orange, bright blue, lime green, yellow. Clear and yellow seed beads. Very long - about 28". No clasp.



#7 - The next two are very similar, with the main difference being the placement of the green. #7 has the green mostly in the middle of each bead, while #8 has the green mostly on the edges, with white in the middle of each bead. Both have bluish/black seed beads, both are approx. 20" long, and both have clasps.



#8 - see description of #7.



LOVE! GREEN! I have 3 strands of these:
#9 - (this is the one in the photo) Approx. 17 1/2" long. Green/black beads with white seed beads. A little bit larger bead on this one gives it a more sturdy feel. Has a clasp. SOLD! Thank you so much, Anna!
#10 - Beads are a bit smaller than the one in the photo. Same color green, but with green seed beads. Approx. 19 1/2" long. Has a clasp.
#11 - Same bead size as #10, but a little bit lighter green. Not quite lime, but close. Approx. 18 1/2" long. Has a clasp.



#12 - I wore this one to work today as a bracelet. :) Beautiful dark red beads with red seed beads. Approx. 15" long. Has a clasp. SOLD! Thank you so much, Cora!



#13 - This photo is actually from the Visiting Orphans website. The beads are red with flecks of black, but mine has red seed beads, not black. Approx. 19" long, has a clasp.



#14, #15, #16 - Photo also from VO website. I have three of these strands. Lighter red beads with small flecks of white, red seed beads. Each is approx. 18 1/2" long, and each has a clasp.



#17 - Long, long, long! This necklace is 36 1/2 inches long! I can wrap it four times and it makes a cute short necklace, or obviously you can wrap it various numbers of times for various looks. Such pretty, happy beading - teal, yellow, orange, burgandy, and green, with yellow seed beads. No clasp.



#18 - One of the shorter strands, only 16 1/2" long. This necklace is a lovely turquoise color, with matching seed beads. Has a clasp.



#19 - Beautiful marine blue beads (notice how I think they're all beautiful?) with light blue seed beads. Approx. 18 1/2 inches long and has a clasp.



#20 - The color of this strand is somewhere between #'s 18 and 19. A darker turquoise, maybe? Has a bit more blue in it than #18. Black seed beads, and has a clasp. Approx. 17" long.



#21 and #22 - I have two of these that are exactly the same. A medium "dusty" blue (back in my high school days, we used to call this Colonial Blue) with light blue seed beads. Each one is 18" long and each has a clasp. #21 is sold! Thank you so much, Jeanne!


If you would love to have one of these beautiful hand-made necklaces for your very own, just leave me a comment letting me know which # you would like! I don't know why, but when you leave a comment, sometimes it shows me your email address and sometimes it doesn't, so please include your email in your comment so I have a way to contact you!!

I am going to put the rest of the necklaces, and a few other pieces of jewelry I have, in another post. Be sure to come back and see those too!

Thank you so much, friends, for being part of my great adventure with God and Uganda!

Ever After

Lovin' this movie again tonight. Don't love Drew Barrymore's forced accent. But love a fairytale ending, over and over again. You?

Remember how I sometimes skip ahead and read the end of a book? Yeah, I want to know how a movie's going to end before I see it, too. And if it's sad, I won't watch it. I don't do sad endings. Years ago someone recommended Pay it Forward to me, and failed to warn me about the MEGA HUGE SHOCKING SADNESS in the movie that was NOT compensated for by the attempted-warm-fuzziness of the ending. I can't even remember who recommended it, but I'm still mad at them.

But Ever After? Happy at the end. Just the way I like it.

P.S. Did you know that every Disney movie has a happy ending? Love. :)

SSMT, verse 2

Wow, I can't believe it's time for our second verse already! It's so funny...for days I was asking the Lord, "What verse do You want me to memorize?" over and over and over. Oh sure, there were plenty that I thought would be good, but none that just - you know - grabbed me.

Finally I decided on one, wrote it in my spiral, and then suddenly it seemed like verses were jumping out at me all over the place! I started jotting them down on sticky notes (I'm weird, I just can't put them in my spiral until it's time) and before I knew it little flourescent squares were stuck everywhere. Isn't that about how it goes? At least I shouldn't have trouble coming up with a verse for the new few months.

Anyway, since you're holding me accountable, here's my verse from the 1st, typed from memory:

"Lord, I have heard of Your fame, I stand in awe of Your deeds. Renew them in our day. In our time make them known. In wrath remember mercy." Hab. 3:2 (I have to abbreviate the reference because I did NOT memorize how to spell that book.)

I can't prove I typed it from memory, so you'll just have to trust me. And if you know me in real life, one thing you know about me is that I follow the rules. ;)

And, without further ado (adieu? no, that means goodbye. why do I keep using this word?), here is my new verse for the 15th:



Compassion? Check. Kindness? Uh.... Humility? Great. Gentleness, patience? Dangit. Looks like I've got a lot more work to do here than just memorizing.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22

Hang on, let me get another sticky note...

Could you use a vacation?

Wow, that's the understatement of this 16-day-old year. :)

Wanted to pop in real quick to let you guys know about an amazing opportunity....for you AND for a sweet family trying to bring home two precious treasures from Eastern Europe. Meet the Eichhorn family. These already-parents-of-four are stepping out in faith and doing everything in their power to bring home two more precious children from Reece's Rainbow who are waiting for their forever families. Ohhh, just wait 'til you see their SWEET kids and the beautiful little girl and boy they are trying to bring home!

Jeff and Candice need our help. They are planning to leave for Europe in just 8 days to bring home these little ones, but they are still in need of over $2500 in travel expenses!! They are trying so desperately to bring these children home, and we have an opportunity to help. To be the hands and feet of Christ. To BE the church. Not everyone can go....not everyone is called to adopt....but all can help, either through prayer or through giving, or both!

Won't you join me in praying for the Eichhorns, asking God to show His mighty hand and work miracles on their behalf? And if you might consider helping them out financially....they are having an AMAZING giveaway on their blog for a 7 night stay at Sand Castle One Condominiums in Indian Shores, Florida!! How cool is that? The condo sits right on the beach, sleeps up to 7, has a washer/dryer, and its own heated pool and jacuzzi. Awesome!

AND...there's a 2nd prize too: a Nintendo Wii with Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort, and Wii Motion Plus (Brand New in Box)

The more you donate, the more chances you have to win. And the closer these two little ones will be to sleeping in their own beds at home with their forever family.

But here's the clincher - TODAY (Sunday, Jan. 16) is the last day to enter the giveaway. So don't delay! Hop on over to their place, click on the Chip In button, help bring two children home, and receive an entry (or several) to win this fabulous week-long vacation! {and if you win, I get to go too since you heard about it here, right? ;) }

SSMT

About 5-ish years ago I was part of a Bible study group that was doing Beth Moore's Believing God study. Oh man, did God ever change my life through that study. So much so that I did it twice. Believing God, then Breaking Free, then Believing God again. Talk about an intense several months. Intense and hard. Tortuous. In a good way, of course. Have you done either of these studies? Uh-may-zing. Beth has since revised Breaking Free and recorded all new videos. I'm chomping at the bit for a chance to do it again (wait, what am I saying?) but so far God hasn't presented the opportunity.

In Believing God, Beth taught us about doing scripture memory using spiral-bound index cards. I used those little jewels faithfully throughout all of her studies that I did with that particular group. Ohhh, buying a new card spiral (and sometimes cool new pens) every semester was like a trip to the candy store. I loved cracking open that new pack of cards and writing the first verse in it. Mmm. The best.

Anyhoo. After that particular group stopped meeting, little by little I stopped doing the spirals - and hence, stopped memorizing scripture. Every once in a while I'd try to give it a go again, but never with much success.

Then two years ago, Beth did a scripture memory challenge on her blog. You may have been part of it. Any Siestas out there? I started with gusto - so, so excited about the challenge of memorizing scripture again - and, like most things I start with gusto, before long I fizzled out. Online accountability just doesn't do much for me the way in-person, every-week accountability does.

*sigh*

But this year, the Siesta Scripture Memory Team has returned. Yay! I just love second (and 10th) chances. And this year, Beth and her staff have created these cute little spirals for us to use to write our verses in.



Don't you love 'em? You can order them from her website. I may or may not have screamed like a girl when mine came in the mail. Fortunately, I am a girl. And here is my first verse for the new year.



I don't remember for sure, but I think I may have actually learned this verse during Believing God. Love it. "Lord, I have heard of Your fame, I stand in awe of Your deeds. Renew them in our day..." We could all use some of God's awe-inducing deeds in our lives, couldn't we? Renew them in our day, Lord.

And...are you ready for some more squeal-worthy news? Guess who's doing SSMT with me?



Yep, Kloe has her own spiral and is choosing her own verses. (Her first verse is one that she's memorizing as part of the requirements for a badge at church.) So fun!

But wait, there's more! At the end of the year - next January actually - Beth is having a "Siesta Scripture Memory Team" get-together in Houston! Everyone who keeps up with their memory verses and does at least 21 out of 24 (we do 2 per month) is invited. Sooooo cool! That's accountability enough for me! (I hope) Wanna join the team? I'd love to see you there!

Anyone else doing SSMT this year? Did you do it last time?

Have you done any of Beth's studies? Which was your favorite?

What's your favorite Bible verse?

P.S. If you're wondering what a "siesta" has to do with scripture memory, here's the story.

It just doesn't add up.

Help my CPA brain understand the math. One little slice of pie. Ok, fine, so maybe it was more like 1/3 of a pie. But I didn't eat the edges. Either way, it couldn't have weighed more than about eight ounces or so. So how is it that eight measly ounces of pie can maliciously multiply itself into three pounds when it adheres itself to my backside?

A fresh start. Again.

New Year's Resolutions. I'm against 'em. Actually I would be for 'em if I'd ever in my entire life kept even one of the ones I've made. Just one. But alas....can't recall a single one I've ever kept for more than two weeks. In fact, I could pretty much pull out my list from any given year and just change the date at the top and call it good. I'd save myself a lot of time that way. I could call it my "Every New Year's Resolutions" list.

Remember last year how I said I wasn't going to make resolutions, but I was just going to call them goals because it seems less intimidating? Apparently I was so unintimidated that I still didn't feel the need to keep any of them.

sigh.

And so I'm against 'em. I didn't make even one this year.

I really liked Beth Moore's thoughts regarding new year's resolutions. She suggested that instead of making a list of resolutions as long as your my arm that will be "broken before they're spoken", to prayerfully choose ONE THING I want God to change in me this year. She says, "One of the things God has taught me along the way is to try to hear from Him about one area at a time that He’s pinpointing for change. Much more than that is too overwhelming."

Much more doable - and sensible - don't you think? To be honest, I haven't spent any time yet asking God what that ONE THING would be, but I plan to. Soon. Really. No, really.

Another idea I like that I've seen several different places is the idea of choosing a theme word for the year. A word that will focus your energy, your choices, how you spend your time and resources. Some of the words I've seen chosen by others are Available, Connect, Simplify, Joy, Grace, Love, Kindness, Prayerful, Patience, Intentional, Hospitality, Thankfulness, Contentment, Peace, Community. And since I just can't bring myself to start a new year without some sort of new focus, I thought maybe choosing a theme word would work out better for me than resolutions.

Last month I started hanging out over at Home Sanctuary quite a bit, and Rachel Anne's post about making your home a sanctuary through doing small things every day really encouraged me. I so much want that. And so I had decided that my word for the year was going to be Sanctuary. Seeking and working toward a sense of sanctuary in my home, marriage, parenting, and finances.

But as my self and I were talking about that Sanctuary word (you have conversations with yourself, too, right?) and all it encompasses, a number of other words started coming to mind. Focus. Complete. Intentional. Resolute. Whoa, back up, Nellie, let's not go that far.

And then it dawned on me that perhaps I should be talking over this ONE WORD business with God as well. I have this feeling there's just the slightest chance that the ONE THING He wants to work in me this year may just happen to be coincidentally related to my ONE WORD. Ya think?

And so, here it is January 4th (almost 5th) and I still have no resolutions, no word, and no thing for my new year. I need to get crackin'. It's almost the end of January, for goodness sake! Maybe my word for the new year should be HURRY UP! Or then again, maybe God is trying to tell me my word for the year is going to be.....

Wait.