A Special Post

I have not been up to anything too crafty or creative lately. I have mainly just been busy with work, the youth group, and applying to graduate school and preparing to take the GRE.

While all that has been going on my parents have been working on their 33rd year of marriage. Incredible! Living with my parents as an adult has been very informative. I have learned a lot about marriage - things that I would have never noticed growing up.

Pretty much all of Proverbs 31 speaks of who my mother is; but verse 29 says it best, "Many women do noble things but you surpass them all." Noble. It is truly hard to be noble.

My mother is extraordinary. She literally can do anything - I believe it!

And then for my dad Proverbs 31:23 "Her husband is respected at the city gate." To me, there is no one that rings more true for than my dad. One of the most recent accomplishments of my father's was the publication of his book. His book is about commitment and all that the word itself means - especially for men. My dad is committed to who he is, and that is a pretty strong commitment.

You can see more about his book here: http://www.amazon.com/Missing-Page-Playbook-Fundamentals-ebook/dp/B005UO1TBU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1322236398&sr=8-2

So, in all this dedication, let me just say: I love you Mom and Dad! Happy Anniversary!

What to do with this...

This past weekend I went to a vintage show. It was a little disappointing and most things were vastly overpriced - except for this fabulous suitcase! I have always wanted a vintage suitcase but now that I have one I don't know what to do with it.

The outside is just how I like it, but the inside needs some repair.

Which got me thinking - isn't that a lot like people? Our outside may be fine and look just how we'd like it, but our inside needs some work. In this case of the suitcase it is a little worn, a little torn, and a little discolored. The little bits of everything make for a mess. When we allow the little bits of everything get to us, we allow a mess.

At a church I was visiting with a friend a couple weeks ago the preacher said these words that stuck with me, 

"Are we more concerned with the inside of our house, or the inside of our house?"

I took this to mean: Am I more concerned about how things look and if they are cleaned up instead of how my attitude and heart are?

The answer is usually a resounding 'YES' for me. I guess its time to pray for a good ol' heart change. There's nothing like that!

In the mean time, I'll go right on ahead and try to find a way to change the inside of my suitcase, too. If you have any suggestions I would love them!

Have a fabulous week. -K

My Favorite Space

In the new house I have a favorite spot. Its the built-in bookshelf in my room. I'm obsessed with it. I love to wake up in the morning and just take in the objects sitting around on the shelves and reflect on how blessed I am.

Each shelf has a theme: giraffes, my brothers, fiction, non-fiction, etc. I spent (and still spend) a good deal of time arranging everything so it was just right. Ya know how it goes: turning a frame a quarter of an inch to get it right. Or scotching something over an inch so its seen clearly. I love it!

I'd share a picture of my whole room, but I've still got a few what-do-I-do-with-this-stuff piles lying around. So, here is a before shot, when I was just bringing things in.

That blue dresser is a find off of craigslist. Its original paint on this piece from the '40s and I treat it very delicately.

And here is everything put on it! My walls really aren't that bright of a yellow. Pretend the coloring in this photo is more of an autumn sunset.

One of the best things is waking up and reading "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good." Psalm 118:1. I immediately get that song stuck in my head and spend the morning thanking God for this life I live.

A few things I'm thankful for:

-The C-Group I lead for youth group on Wednesday night. Leading has taught me so much.

-The 9th grade girls small group on Sunday mornings. Its very hard to be a freshman in high school. It may be even harder to think about all the things they deal with daily! 

-My new job. I love it. The end.

-The hope for the future. I told my girls this morning one of my favorite sayings,

          "If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans"

Have an amazing week!

Pinterest Week

This week my mother and I decided to have a 'pinterest week' and make all sorts of goodies from our favorite website. Well, the week turned into only Monday and Tuesday because life happens and we couldn't finish our task.

For those of you who aren't members, pinterest.com is a website devoted to crafting, cooking, and other creative ideas.  If you would like to join just tell me and I'll invite you!

On Monday we made two tomato mozzarella pasta! It was so yummy. We wore our Anthropologie aprons for added spunk.

Thankfully we had Dad there to snap our picture before we dug in! 

On Tuesday we had cheesy chicken casserole followed with cookies 'n cream cookies! I later took the cookies to Bible study and everyone devoured them. Putting a cookie inside a cookie - pure brilliance. 

I know the cookies look delish. And they were.

All this pinning really made me miss my friend who introduced me to pinterest. I love you my little Texan Traveler! Good friends always bring fun things into your life.

Its time to catch up with some friends by writing some letters and making some visits. I've been reflecting on encouragement and what all that means this week. I think it can best be reflected by this verse:
"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds." - Hebrews 10:24

I'm going to really focus on spurring my friends on this week. I hope you will, too! I don't want anyone to forget how much I love them and how important they are. As Abilene would say, "You is smart. You is kind. You is important." (The Help)

Kairos

Recently my super fab mother picked up a beaded bracelet from a friend selling them in her Sunday School class. This chic piece was handmade by women in Ghana. Kairos 10 Jewelry is a non-profit that provides mosquito nets to these women and their families, as well as many other families in Africa, from the proceeds of the bracelets. They also put on medical clinics, forums for young girls, and so much more.

I think the greatest thing they are doing for these women is providing them with hope. Helping them to see they are worthwhile. Helping them to make their own future, and feel important. The Kairos teams friend these women and visit them regularly. In September another group will head out on a mission. I am committing to pray for them while they are gone.

So, after my mother failed to let me in on her newest philanthropic effort, I ran across the Kairos bracelets at a local store. I picked up one - purple with pearls - and have been sporting it ever since!

You can visit their blog at http://kairosjewelry.blogspot.com/ and check them out for yourself. Be expecting some for birthday presents, ladies!! 

Love you all, and miss you tons!

Renovation

The past couple weeks have been full of flights, friends, and fun. As I returned back to home-base I decided that I needed to pour all my excess energy left over from traveling into a project. I took on my desk.

A couple months ago I picked up a rusty red desk from Habitat for Humanity Restore. It was a steal at just $40. But then it rode around in the back of my car for over a month - it was worth it! Using Valspar paints and their pamphlet on how to crackle paint, I renovated my old beat up and scratched desk into a shabby chic piece of statement furniture.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

THE SUPPLIES:

Anytime I fix up something old I'm reminded of these words from Revelation 2:15, "And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true."

God makes all things new again, including us! My favorite song right now is Beautiful Things sung by Gungor. My favorite line is "You make beautiful things out of us." And its true, He makes absolutely beautiful things out of us if we allow Him to.

Watch and listen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyPBtExE4W0&feature=related


Over the next few weeks I will be taking on quite a few crafting projects. Stay tuned for more!

-Kendal

Being Strong

I am officially a Horned Frog alum! What a long, hard, and joyful road it was. It took a great deal of strength, confidence, and courage.

One of my favorite quotes finds itself stuck to my full-length mirror via stick-on wall art.  It says, "If you are confident, you are beautiful." And I fully believe that to be true. I've had many conversations with friends lately about confidence. We have come to the conclusion that confidence is everything. With one friend in particular we have been discussing that confidence is required for all situations: You must be confident to pass a class. You must be confident to go on a first date. You must be confident to turn down dates! You must be confident to know what you want in life.

Courage is what is behind confidence. Courage is what it takes to find that confidence within oneself. One of my favorite verses is Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

I decided that I needed a daily reminder of this verse. I choose a cabinet door from the Habitat Restore and sanded it down. Using stencils, black craft paint, and my trusty spray-on sealant, I crafted away! This beautiful creation is now proudly displayed in my room to remind me everyday that I must be Strong and Courageous! I choose a silver cross from Hobby Lobby to accent the sign and to remind myself that those character traits I desire come as a command from the Lord to respond to all things in that manner.

Go through this week being Strong, Courageous, and Confident, my dear friends - Kendal

Hope

My best friend moved to a new city about a month ago. For the past four years we haven't gone more than 2 weeks without seeing each other let alone live in a different city. Come a few weeks, we will live in different states. Talk about separation anxiety!

For a house warming gift I made here a placard that says "hope" on the front and on the back I wrote her a special verse. "As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise You more and more." -Psalm 71:14. I bet that moving out on your own is a little scary, so I wanted her to remember the hope she has for a beautiful future.

I bought the board at the Habitat for Humanity Resale Store. Many of my crafts lately have come from things I have picked up there. If you are in the creative mood, I highly suggest you find the closest one near you and check it out. WARNING: it will most likely not be air conditioned. Go in the morning. To find the one nearest you go to this site: http://www.habitat.org/restores/ . Everything in the store is cheap, cheap, and it goes to a good cause - helping out Habitat!

I sanded the edges, stenciled the letters, and used a hand made stencil for the cross. My new toy is gloss sealer. At around $7 I was not a fan of buying this bottle of spray, but its worth it. It'll last me a long time with my lengthy list of crafts to make.

Crafting is so fun. Its even better when its for someone else.

Life as a Unicorn

This week one of my old roommates is visiting. We have had just the best of time reminiscing as well as talking about the future. The one thing we know for sure: we can't plan anything! Literally every second of the day I am preparing for the next minute or next hour or next day. But as Matthew 6:34 says, "So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today." And boy is that true!

One thing we certainly couldn't plan was the fabulous-ness that was our photo shoot. I needed a couple pictures for my graduation announcements and she needed some more pictures of our lovely campus before she moves abroad. What ended up happening was a great time filled with laughter and this hilarious picture below. Somehow she snapped the photo just as the chapel's steeple became my 'unicorn'! Every time either of us looks at it we crack up.



So, let this picture and my small ramblings be a reminder that you can't plan out your life! Live each day to the fullest and rejoice in the fact that God granted you one more day here on earth to enjoy this life He blessed you with.

Who knows - maybe you'll have your own unicorn moment!