Tuesday Tutorial: T-Scarf

I didn’t have enough scarves so I thought I would start tearing up shirts so that I could add some pizazz to my wardrobe. 

So the first thing you need is a t-shirt. This is a ladies size large.

And you’ll need to cut straight across right under the armpit.

(Random thought: Why do little boys make noises with their hands and armpits.  I’m quite certain that’s the reason that God didn’t give me a son.  He knew I couldn’t handle the armpit noises.)

Now you have a rectangle that should look like this.

Now you will need to start cutting one inch strips.

Now it should look like this. At any point during this tutorial, you can stop what you’re doing and turn this into a dust rag.

Don’t forget to cut off the tag.

Now you’re going to hold the top of the fabric and pull on the bottom of each strip.  You’ll need to make it “spring” a little so that the strips don’t look so straight.

And then you just wrap it around until you have something that slightly resembles a scarf.  There’s a good possibility that someone is going to ask you if you have a cut up t-shirt around your neck. And then you just say…

I saw it on the Pin-Interest.

Messy Monday: Labels

Labels. I love them. You'll see evidence of them whenever I'm around. Some people like to make fun of this fact. I’m not sure why.  If everyone labeled everything; I would know where everything is and where everything goes. It’s a public service that I like to offer people so they will put items back in their correct spot. 

I label my kitchen.

 

I label my bathroom

 

I label my children.

Okay, well maybe that’s taking it a little too far.  But my Dad always calls me Misty and that’s not my name.  It’s my sister’s name.  So obviously we should label our children to make it easier on parents.

 

Label makers make the world a better place. You should have one.

 

And fancy labels make the world a prettier place.

You can get these free label templates here.

Happy Monday!

Puddles and Glitter

I’m sitting in a puddle of sadness. It’s not a pit, or an ocean, or even a pond. It’s just a puddle. I step into it daily, and I get splashed by my own tears. The funeral is over, the nice words were said, the flowers are dead, but my heart aches over a loss that is so significant to me. After all, I’m grieving the loss of the first person that ever held me.

I’ve lost a family member before so I knew that this would hurt, but no one could prepare, not even me, the obsessive planner could prepare for this kind of pain. Those who have already been there have told me, you won’t get over it. You’ll get used to it; you’ll even accept it…eventually. But you won’t get over it. And I guess that’s the way it should be. No one should really ever get over the loss of their mother. But I really like to get on with things and cross things off my list, so I thought I would get through this grief thing a little quicker than the average bear. Depending on who you ask, there are 5-7 stages to grief, and I was ready to get it done because sitting in sadness is not my thing.  But there are some things in life you just can’t check off your list, and I’m thinking grief just might be one of them. 

I tell my Savior daily that I needed more time to prepare and 39 days was not enough to find out my mom has cancer and take her from this earth. I prefer to know things in advance so I can plan out my coping skills for such life changing events. And in the same breath, I thank Him for the blessing of “it happened so fast” and a life that was fully lived until the end. But my heart is exhausting my body with its tiresome ache. This ache can’t be relieved with aspirin or Advil, but sometimes the Father sends a song or two at just the right time to sooth my cracked up heart and remind me of the healing that happened on January 12^th.

And in those moments, I sit in the glitter…

In mansions of glory and endless delight, I’ll ever adore Thee in heaven so bright; I’ll sing with the glittering crown on my brow, If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

Anticipation

I’ve been planning a mission trip for almost a year.  Yes, I stepped off the plane on January 12 of 2011 and declared it would all be done again.  Many go on mission trips to provide medical help, some to teach English, but me, I get to throw parties. 

I enjoy planning and going to parties.  But mostly, I enjoy the anticipation of a party.  I plan this event like I would if I were planning a party for my own children.

It’s not every day they get to eat meat so the finest Ethiopian cow will be served and each child will have their very own bottle of Coke or Fanta.  All children should get to drink Cokes at Christmas.  I would spend many weeks talking about the price of sheep/goats and how many sheep can $100 buy and He gently whispered…you’re not buying sheep this time. 

The kids in line for Christmas dinner 

A new shirt that was designed just for them.  We would take a great team picture with all the kids, but He again whispered…you might not be in the picture.

They're all getting a new t-shirt that looks like this 

And some will get new shoes because God has a great sense of humor and never lets any team that I'm leading to cross the Atlantic without shoes. 

My favorite guy getting some Spiderman shoes last year

He never said I couldn’t go, so I just continued on with the planning because I didn’t have any reason not to go.  He knows how I like to anticipate these days of party planning and seeing all of the children that have captured my heart.  Then came a reason not to go.  Two years ago I walked on to a plane because God clearly told me to go.  Obedience meant going when He gave me the big and loud: GO!  But obedience also means staying when He gave me the quiet and gentle whisper: just stay. 

The morning after I made the final decision, I read this quote:

Extraordinary moves of God begin with ordinary acts of obedience. (Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick)

Project 61 January Team

  I’m praying that God does extraordinary things with this group!

So I just gave out 19 hugs and put all these people on a plane without me. They will have a great trip.  They will buy sheep, tell the many children that I love about Jesus, place shoes on dirty feet, and take lots of pictures of the Ethiopian Christmas Extravaganza.  They will be gripped by His grace as they love hundreds, and I will be gripped by His grace as I love one. 

Weep With Those Who Weep

A few weeks ago my friend Alicia wrote a blog post titled: Rejoice with those who rejoice.  The month of November had been filled with much rejoicing as good friends came to the adoption finish line.  Long days of children waiting in orphanages were now replaced with sweet tears and cheers in an airport waiting area.   I spent almost the entire month in awe of a God that would allow 3 children to go from having nothing to having everything - a family.  I was left with an intense feeling of gratitude to a God who knows every detail of our lives and knows what each of His children need before we even ask.  I must have listened to Travis Cottrell’s "Thanks Be To Our God" at least a hundred times...

Hallelujah! Everlasting songs will rise For all you've done.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Thanks be to our God!

And then came December. On December 6th, I found out my mother has cancer. The days of rejoicing were shut down and a season of weeping began. I'm not really sure if anyone is truly thankful for days like these, but I’m trying my best to remember all He's done and be thankful in all moments.  Each moment of pain and suffering is filled with His grace, and I just ask for more...more grace, more days, more moments. I know that He is here, and I'm confident that He knows exactly what I need even in this place. 

 

This moment, this place, is none other than a gate to heaven, a window of grace. Even here, a place of God.  Ann Voskamp