Dalisha's Desserts

So I have to brag about my old college roomie, Alisha......she's a pretty amazing Pastry Chef! Not only has she used her artistic background to create melt-in-your-mouth, scrumptious bites of heaven with each thing she bakes, but she has won several awards! A few years ago, she won a cookie recipe contest and appeared on the Emeril Live show where he actually made her cookies on air!! She literally has to turn people down because her cakes and cookies and pies are in such high demand but she doesn't have the capacity to make them all. She has always dreamed of opening her own bakery and things are finally in place for that with her most recent award. She won a contest for entrepreneurs in Owensboro (where she lives) and basically the city is funding the start of her bakery!! The city is providing her a space in an already built building that she gets to completely redo to be exactly what she wants it be - right down to the cases which will house her yummy desserts and the chairs everybody will sit in to enjoy them. Plus she gets some extra dough (pun intended) to gets things off the ground! If all goes according to plans, folks in the Owensboro area could be walking into Dalisha's Desserts by the Fall!! I am so very excited for her!! She has worked hard and is so talented and truly deserves this so much! I'm excited too to have a small part in helping her to open her bakery - she has asked me to draw up the floor plan and help with the design! I can't wait to go see the space and start designing!

Congratulations Alisha!!!

I'm so proud of you and so happy for you!!!!!!

Free Chocolate Fridays

The Mars chocolate candy company is offering coupons for free chocolate every Friday until September! All you have to do is go to their website to sign up. You can only get one coupon per Friday (they give out 250,000 each Friday) and you can only get four coupon's per household for the entire give-away.

Mars is the brand that makes candy bar favorites such as: Dove, M&M's, Snickers, Twix, Milky Way, and 3 Musketeers. Supposedly they are trying to promote that Mars brand only uses *real* chocolate.....I guess others use some less natural chocolates? Whatever the reason, I'm always happy to eat chocolate, especially when it's free! If you'd like to sign up for the free chocolate coupon, click here.

A Digital Tradition

My niece, Goose, and I have a little tradition that we started a long time ago when she was just a little bitty thing. We take our own picture. I think I started it when she was little and would come over to play at my house. I always wanted a picture of us together from her visit so I would hold the camera out and get one of us together. She's almost Six now and the tradition has continued. Even though we live a few hours apart now, each time we're together we always say, "Let's take a picture - you know, like we always do!"

Here's one of the most recent ones. I'll have to add some from over the years to see the progression.

Help! Picture Question

To My Blogger Friends That Know More Than Me, How do I insert pictures where when you click on them they take you to another page where the pictures are larger? Mine do nothing when you click on them. I am doing something wrong but can't figure out what it is...... Thanks Friends! Mel

Tourist in Your Hometown

So, "Mayor for Life" Jerry Abramson, is trying to get folks around the Ville to experience the city as a tourist would. Shannon and I kind of liked that idea and have talked recently about exploring some things in Louisville that we didn't know about or just never took the time for before.

I don't know if this falls under that heading, but Saturday night we got an "inside tour" of the Southern Seminary. We climbed a bell tower, looked over the city from a roof top, and explored underground tunnels (don't worry, we had permission). Who would've thought all that fun would be found at a Baptist School?

Here's a few pictures from our advednture.....

A Shannon sized door!

Chapel at the Seminary (doors on the pews??)

The Pulpit

Shannon climbing the Bell Tower Ladder

Looking out from the Roof Top

Good Friends, Fun Night....on a Roof Top Downtown Louisville Several Random Chandaliers in the Attic Campus Building at Night

Underground Tunnel of Pipes Shannon, Gina and I could fit under the Pipes....Mike not so much Going for the light at end of the tunnel

LEED Certification

I'm studying for a test right now that when/if I pass, I will get to add "LEED AP" behind my name. There's a big push in my industry right now to "go green" and this is one way to ensure that buildings are more "green" than they would have otherwise been. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Basically you can earn "LEED Credits" for your building and depending on how many of those credits you get, your building can be certified with a LEED rating. So, I am studying to take the test that will make me a LEED AP (Accredited Professional)....which I guess will mean that I will be qualified to figure out if a building can earn LEED credits. On another note about Energy and Efficiency, the firm that I work for has designed the first "Net-zero" school in the Nation! (Which basically means that it creates it's own energy and doesn't use any extra energy). It's been pretty neat to be a small part of that process (being the peon at work, I only get small parts)....but still pretty neat that my firm will get recognition for this. Here's some more about our Net-zero School: http://www.bizlex.com/Articles-c-2009-03-03-85395.113117_Kentuckys_NetZero_Triumph.html

Spring Scrapbook Retreat

Here's pictures from another fun scrapbook retreat weekend!!!

The retreat was the first weekend of May - Derby Weekend here in the Ville (although we were in Crestwood at Pieceful Haven).

Here's the whole group - 15 ladies altogether!

The "Infield" meets "Millionaire's Row"

(I made up a Derby Hat and Suzannah brought a real one!)

Cheering on the Horses

My Granny drew the horse that won - "Mine That Bird"

(My Grandpa was at a Derby Party back in Danville and drew the winner there too - maybe they should go play the lottery??) Mmmmm....Nothing like a Pie of Derby Pie Barbie worked on curtains made of old jeans - the curtain rod will go through the belt loops!

My Granny hand-painted ornaments and made cards with her artwork on the front

Shirley doing a bit of scrapbooking

Suzannah smiling as she worked

Nancy hard at work

Tammy and the girls having a chat

Melinda scrapbooked too

Sherry did some quilting

Nikki was excited to use some new punches for her pages

My cousin Jen - her first time at retreat - I'm so glad she could come!

Deanna using her Cricut machine - the best invention ever!

My mom made bracelets and bookmarks

I scanned in negatives and organized photos on my computer

Post Easter Blog

Okay, so this post comes a day late, but I don't have Internet at home anymore...... I honestly don't think that I can write an entire blog about Good Friday without writing another one about the significance of the Resurrection. They just go hand-in-hand. You can't have one without the other. If Jesus never died, He could never have been raised. And if He had never been raised, then we have no hope. If you put yourself in the place of the Disciples, can you imagine what they were feeling when Jesus was crucified? All their hopes were dashed. I'm sure they thought it was all over. There was nothing further to look forward to. Jesus was dead! But we know the rest of the story and we know that Jesus is no longer dead! The grave could not hold Him! His resurrection completes the other half of His story. If He died and was never raised, we would be like the Disciples with no hope. But, as my friend (and now roommate), Shannon, said in an e-mail, "We know that Sunday is coming!! The resurrection is coming! Our hope is not in Jesus’ death but in his resurrection. The power of the Holy Spirit that raised Christ from the dead is in those who believe in Christ. What hope we have! Sunday is coming!!!" She continues to say that no matter what we face, we know that "these difficulties are temporary just like Christ’s death." What a magnificent thing to grasp. We have hope and life through Jesus! Let the children sing a song of liberation. The God of our salvation set us free. Death, where is thy sting? The curse of sin is broken. The empty tomb stands open, come and see! He's alive, alive, alive. Hallelujah! Alive! Praise and glory to the Lamb. He's alive, alive, alive. Hallelujah! Alive forever, Amen! Let my heart sing out, for Christ, the One and only. So powerful and holy rescued me. Death won't hurt me now because He has redeemed me. No grave will ever keep me from my King! I'm alive, alive, alive, hallelujah! Alive! praise and glory to the Lamb. He's alive, alive, alive. Hallelujah! Alive forever, Amen! Worthy is the Lamb, worthy of our praise- Worthy is the One who has overcome the grave- Let the people dance, let the people sing- Worthy is the mighty King!!

A New Blood Covenant

"Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission (forgiveness) of sin."

Hebrews 9:22

As "Good Friday" reminds us, today is the day that Jesus was brutally crucified. Some wonder why this was the way God chose to deliver us. Why would He require Jesus to die? To show His power when Jesus was raised from the dead three days later? Yes. To provide a way for us to come straight to Him instead of through a priest? Yes. To show us He loved us so very very much? Yes. But this day, Good Friday, means so much more than just remembering what Jesus went through. This day had to happen. Jesus had to die. It was God's covenant to us. A New Covenant. A Blood Covenant. Let's go back several chapters in the Bible to the story of Abraham. Genesis 15 shows us the story of the covenant that the Lord made with Abraham. If you don't know much about Abraham, the big thing to know is that the Lord promised him many descendants, in fact, a whole nation of descendants (and promised land to those descendants as well). To make this promise a covenant, the Lord had Abraham take several animals and split them down the middle and lay them out on the ground. The Lord then passed a "smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves" to seal the covenant. It's kind of gross to think about, but can you imagine the amount of blood there was to do this? Why did The Lord want it to be a blood covenant? I think that He wanted Abraham to know that this was serious business. That He fully intended to keep His covenant to Abraham. Anytime that an animal was killed in those days, it was a sacrificial thing. It was significant. So fast forward back to the day Jesus died. Why did God choose Jesus' death to be the way by which we are saved? He wanted us to have a Blood Covenant with Him. He really means business when He says that Jesus died so that we may live. Jesus died - and went to Hell for three days - in our place. We have a Blood Covenant with God that says we will not go to Hell if we believe that Jesus went for us and was resurrected three days later. Jesus was the Ultimate Sacrifice. Not only was this a Blood Covenant between us and the Lord, it was also a New Covenant. Before Jesus died for us, the earthly presence of the Lord was hidden behind a veil in the Temple. Only certain high priests were allowed into the presence of God. At the very moment Jesus died, the veil was torn from top to bottom (signifying that the Lord tore the veil, not man), so that from then on, anyone can be in the presence of God. Jesus not only was the Ultimate Sacrifice, but He made it possible for us to go directly to God instead of through a priest. The New Blood Covenant. It is still with a burdened heart and heaviness that I write about this, remembering all that Jesus went through and His eventual death. But the Lord really impressed it upon me that Good Friday had to happen the way that it did. It was the only way our sins could be covered and the only way that we could enter into Covenant with God. I do not say any of this to diminish the fact that Jesus is no longer dead, but was raised from the dead and is Alive....I just feel an extraordinary significance about Good Friday....."Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission." Nothing but the blood of JESUS!! What can wash away my sin? What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus Oh! precious is the flow, that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus. For my pardon, this I see. For my cleansing this my plea Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Nothing can for sin atone. Naught of good that I have done. Nothing but the blood of Jesus. This is all my hope and peace. This is all my righteousness. Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Now by this I’ll overcome. Now by this I’ll reach my home. Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Glory! Glory! This I sing. All my praise for this I bring. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Stay the Course

In my last post, I was really struggling with what to do....buy another house here in the Ville or look elsewhere or what? Well many things have happened since then. One big decision I made was to not buy another house right now. I really wrestled with this decision because I found a house that I loved and everything seemed to be falling into place with buying it. I even put in an offer on it...but as I was thinking over a counter-offer, it became very clear to me that I did not need to buy it. I just simply wasn't at peace with going any further. It seems the Lord just has other plans for me. I feel like that the direction the Lord had placed on my heart to begin with was to sell my house and then wait to see what He would provide. I just want to be faithful and stay the course even though I have no idea what the next step will be. I said a long time ago that I felt like the step I was on was to sell the house and that it would free me up, so I would not be tied down when the next step came. I guess when things didn't happen like I thought they would the first time I put it on the market (last fall), I thought maybe things had changed or the Lord's direction had changed because nothing was happening. But I really do think it was a test of faith and that I need to continue with what the Lord has told me because that is what I really have a peace about....as crazy as it sounds to sell my house and not know what is next, that really is what I have such an over-whelming peace about! I think I was just getting side-tracked or starry-eyed or just trying to do my own thing and when I stopped to stand back and look at it, I realized that I don't think that house is where the Lord is leading me. I think it is still part of His plan that I went down that road. But I just know that I don't need to buy it at this time. But I knew I needed to proceed with selling mine. Well, the Lord certainly provided a buyer this time - and very quickly! Within a week and a half of listing, I had a contract! (And will be moving out in 2 weeks!!) Soon after signing the contract, the devil really started attacking and trying to make me second-guess my decision. Between plumbing issues, some things going on at work, and just some other stressers in life, I had a rough couple of weeks. But through it all I can still say that I know this is where the Lord is leading me. The devil cannot steal my joy! So here's what I have learned from all of this....if the Lord gives you a Word and you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Lord is leading you down that path....Stay the Course! You will face opposition! You will second-guess your decision from time to time. The devil does not like it when you listen to the Lord! He wants you to think that your idea is too crazy to work and that you will fail. But you have God on your side! He will make a way where there is none. He delights in impossibilities! When we can trust Him for the impossibilities that's when we really see His power displayed! So, Stay the Course! Keep doing what the Lord has told you - even if you think others will think you are crazy for it. I am so excited about what might be next. I honestly have no idea at the moment....that's part of what makes it so exciting! I'm just waiting and watching....and Staying the Course.

What to do???

I’ve got a whole lot on my mind tonight….it’s gonna be a sleepless night. I am at a crossroads and I have some decisions that really need to be made. I have felt for a while that the Lord was guiding my heart to moving elsewhere. For a long time I thought He was leading me out of Louisville, but then when I had no real peace about where to move to and the doors were not opening up for anything else, I started to think about staying in Louisville and maybe just moving across town. So, I started heading down that road…I started looking at houses on the other side of town and I put my house up for sale. My house has been on the market (this time) for just over a week and there have been quite a few hits on it. Already there have been three different people look at it. My realtor is hopeful that an offer is just around the corner. All signs seem to be pointing to a move across town. The Lord has kept opening the doors toward this. Before, when I had my house on the market (last summer/fall), I had not one single person come look. Now I’ve had three look in 8 days! I have been praying that if the Lord wants me to move across town that He would continue to open all the doors and they have been opening one after another. But even through this, I am just questioning if this is really what God is telling me to do or if He is just opening the doors for other reasons. Does He really want me to move across town? Or should I just stay in a holding pattern for a while and live with a friend until I figure things out? Or should I still consider looking into other cities? I have had such a peace about everything until tonight. I’m not sure what to do. Is this uneasiness a closed door to moving across town? Let me take you back a little bit in my journey. For the past couple years I have been doing a lot of soul-searching. A lot of thinking. A lot of just figuring out who God really made me to be and if I am really being that person and fulfilling His purpose for me. Some days I feel very content in life, but more often than not, I just feel like I was made for something else. I honestly don’t feel like I am an unhappy person. On the contrary, I actually thoroughly enjoy life and get a lot of joy out of it. I am able to find fun and satisfaction in the most simplest of things. But I have come to a point in my life where I know that God really can do whatever He wants with me. I have no reason that I can’t go anywhere & do anything He asks of me. I’m not saying that God is going to do something really big through me; I’m not trying to expect something unrealistic. But I also know that I wouldn’t be feeling so restless for no reason either. I know that nothing is coincidence. There is a reason why we go through what we go through and I feel like there’s a reason I’m still single and maybe it’s because I’m supposed to be completely willing to do something as crazy as move away to somewhere TBD for some reason yet to be discovered. All I know is that I want to be open to it. I want to be crazy enough for it. I want to be used by the Lord for the purpose He has created me for. No matter what. So, one big reason for me wanting to sell my house in the first place was so that I could literally be free to move when God said to move. So my dilemma now is, should I just move across town, live with a friend for a while or keep looking at other cities? I feel like if I just move across town I am settling. Not really seeing what the Lord might do if I just gave Him a chance. I feel like I’d be rowing a boat around a swimming pool...able to see where I should be going, but not able to get there because I’m stuck in the pool (or in my case, a mortgage). I had a thought for a while about selling my house and then moving in with a friend while I sorted things out and waited to see what the Lord would provide. Somewhere along the way, I think I got my head in the clouds about a certain house I like and I let it carry me away. And I think in doing so, I forgot my original purpose for putting my house up for sale. The “problem” in thinking about moving out of Louisville is that I have no direction about where to go, what to do, how to get there, etc… I have no idea where to even begin thinking about it. I have no idea where I might get money to do whatever it is I might do. I have no idea if I would be able to get a job wherever it might be. I have so many unknowns when heading down this road. I have no idea how long the Lord might have me wait before clueing me in on the details (and I know I couldn’t stay in a holding pattern forever). I have so many question marks. So many practical reasons not to do it. So many signs pointing to failure. But that is where the really crazy part comes in. That is where I just expect God to do something crazy and provide everything just at the right time and in exactly the way He set it all up to work out. It is in this endless realm of possibilities and unknowns that complete excitement starts for me. In my Sunday School class this past week, we talked about Abraham and Isaac and how Abraham literally had the knife in the air ready to sacrifice Isaac, simply because the Lord had told him too. That sounds so crazy and irrational!! Why would the Lord tell Abraham to kill his own son – his own son that the Lord had promised him many, many descendants through? I love Abraham’s view of it all. He reckoned that the Lord would just have to bring Isaac back from the dead to fulfill the promise He had made. He was willing to going all the way with what the Lord had told him to do. He didn’t know why. He didn’t understand, for sure. He didn’t want to by any means. But he did it. He did it even though it sounded crazy to him, to Isaac, to the servants that traveled to the mountain with him. And at exactly the right time, the Lord provided a ram to sacrifice instead of Isaac. Proving that we don’t have to have all the answers…we just have to do what God tells us. So that is why I am so torn tonight. I want to have enough faith to know that the Lord can and will provide all the details when I need to know them. I just don’t want to give up on his plan in the process, so I’m trying to decide if buying a home across town is giving up on His plan or if I should just sell mine, but hold off on buying another one…? What to do???

An Icy Start to 2009

Where do I begin? Four months ago us Kentuckians survived Hurricane Ike...that seems like a mere hiccup compared to what was dumped on Kentucky last week. It all started last Monday with about 5 inches of Snow; Tuesday brought Freezing Rain which turned the Ville into something reminiscent of where Superman is from; and then Wednesday brought about 4 more inches of snow on top of the ice. This combination of precipitation literally shut down just about the entire state! The ice and snow were too much for most trees and power lines. There were tree limbs down literally every corner you turned. Just about everybody I know lost power and were without it for several days. While most people finally have power back, it could be up to another 2 weeks before all the power is restored. Some people didn't even have water! While my electricity was out for about 6 days with Ike, this winter storm only knocked it out for about 4 days....thank the Lord! I was very fortunate to be able to stay with friends and my parents and not have to battle the frigid temps in my house without heat. The lowest the temperature got in my house was in the 40's....brrr! I'm so thankful that I didn't have to sleep there! My power was turned back on Saturday night, but I still slept in the warmth of my parents living room (their power was out too but we all camped out in front of the fire place at night!). When I went home Sunday, the furnace had kicked on and heated the place up to a lovely 60 degrees. The floors were still FREEZING since my house sits on a concrete slab, but those have since warmed back up to normal too. I'll add some pictures from the ordeal when I get a chance.

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Looking back on 2008

Looking back at the last year, I just make a list of the things that occurred – places I got to go, things I got to see and just normal things in life that happened. They’re in no particular order…just as I thought of them.

-I started a new job January 2, 2008 working for an architectural firm…quite different from the construction company atmosphere and mindset, but I’m still doing about the same kind of work. I really like the company I work for and the people I work with are a lot of fun. It’s not a chore to go into work and we actually have a lot of fun most days.

-I went missing! (If you don’t know this story, ask my Mamaw…or my parents…or my cousin Jen…or my friend Shannon (and her parents!)…or my cousin Jamie…or either of my “Mexican Uncles”…they were all involved in “Operation Find Mel” – although I was safe and sound playing Wii at my friend’s house!

-The never-ending battle between my office-mate and I started when I had him believing that I quit...because of him…the boss helped out by sending an office-wide e-mail about my resignation…and thus the war began…it was priceless (and still is each time I do something new to him!)

-I chopped my hair off (and played a joke on my mom with it – like my ponytail fell off – very funny!)…when did I become such a prankster?

-Shannon and I took a mini-vacation to our favorite little spot in South Carolina – Fripp Island. We had the best time just relaxing and riding around the island on our little golf cart that I swear only went about 2 miles an hour. I think I could have outrun it. It was a fun Girls Get-Away!

-I became a Creative Memories Consultant! I did a total of four shows last year, but it was enough to keep my quota up…although I think I supported my own habit a little too.

-My parents and I toured three Major League Ballparks on a 4 day whirl-wind trip that started by flying to Baltimore to tour Oriole Park at Camden Yards, followed by a bus ride to New York City to sight-see and catch a bonus tour of the Old Yankee Stadium before being torn down. Then we rode another bus to Boston and entered the Promised Land where we were truly in Red Sox Nation as we toured Fenway Park and cleaned out their gift shop (not really cause that place was massive). But we did have to buy an extra bag to get all our Red Sox Souvenirs home! Then we boarded a bus back to NYC to finish sight-seeing there and then bussed our way backed to Baltimore to fly back to Louisville. Whew...I’m exhausted all over again! But it was well worth it.

-My Dad and I got to witness the PRP baseball team win the State Championship which took me back to 8th grade when my brother was playing for the same team in 1994 and they won the tournament for the first time! Panther blood will always run through my veins in some shape or form and while things change over the years and you can’t completely re-capture the magic of watching your older brother receive a medal around his neck for such an outstanding performance, you can still relive it in your memories when the next generation does the same thing.

-My car broke down on the way home from Lexington after my stroll down memory lane (mentioned in the previous point). My dad and I were stranded for a while, but hey – it was Father’s Day, so we got in some good quality time, albeit sitting on a concrete barrier on the side of I-64.

-I was blessed to attend Passion Regional: Atlanta as a volunteer. It was really cool to be behind the scenes this time and I’m pretty sure I found my calling in life, if only I could convince Louie Giglio of the same thing! I got to help with setting up the dressing rooms and green rooms back stage (among LOTS of other things – this just seemed pretty cool to mention). I was able to attend the entire conference as well – I was doing crowd control in the main auditorium so I was in there for every session. Between the worship and the speakers, my heart was blessed and I’m pretty sure I floated right home on a cloud.

-My brother, Brad, accepted a job as a Pastor back in Kentucky – so now they are only about 3.5 hours away instead of 6! YAY! Plus they’re back in the old stomping grounds of college days and living next to a corn field – quite a different pace of life then ATL, but a much needed one I believe. I’m excited for what the Lord is fulfilling in my brother and his ministry. There is still much yet to come for him. Plus his church has potlucks! Oh how I miss a whole table of Mac N Cheese and Hash Brown Casserole! My home church got too big to do potlucks a few years back, but I was in heaven at Brad’s church when on his first Sunday to preach there they had a potluck lunch afterwards.

-I finally purchased a fancy-schmancy digital camera! I have a little “point and shoot” deal that I carry around in my purse, but I was still using a film camera when I wanted to take the really good shots. And let’s face it, film is next to extinct. So, I got myself a good deal at Best Buy and took the plunge. I couldn’t be more excited! Now I just have to figure out what all those buttons do…

-I put my house up for sale…the Lord really placed a strong desire in me to move (still not sure if it’s just across town or what), but nevertheless I wanted to be obedient to Him and where He might be taking me, so I put up the sign. But then after absolutely no luck (not one person came to look!), I took the sign down for the Holidays and the winter months. I will be praying about what to do in the Spring, but I’m still pretty sure of my original decision…selling the house will really free me up to be able to go when the Lord says go!...even if it is just to the East End of the ‘Ville!

-I started a blog! Things in me are changing a lot…and I like where they are going. I’ve never been so introspective and studious in all my life. I even read for fun now! Although I still have trouble sorting through my thoughts (because they get all jumbled up in my head), I really enjoy sitting and pondering life and writing down what I am learning about it.

-I have started attending a new church. At age 29, I decided I needed to find a group of people that were at the same life-stage as me. I had still been pretty involved in the college group at my home church and have some great friends there…but I was 10 years older than half of them! I loved being an older presence in that class and getting to share life with them, but I just really needed a group of friends that were past the college stage of life. I’m so glad that I went searching because the Lord provided me with a great group of folks to learn from each Sunday. I have made lots of new friends and I love the teaching style of my ABF class.

-I was blessed to be able to work a 32 hour work week for about 3 months. Things had slowed down a little at work and honestly, I was just getting restless. So, I approached my boss about the possibility of only working 4 days a week for a while…and he obliged! So, for three months, I was able to study a lot more, get some extra things done around the house, and occasionally just enjoy having an extra day to sleep in. I have since gone back to 40 hours because things at work started picking back up and I needed a little boost in the finances, but I’m so glad I was able to do it for a while and hope that I will have the chance again sometime this year.

-2008 was my last full year in my 20’s. Yup, I will turn 30 this year. It’s official. I’m getting old. This really doesn’t freak me out, but it just makes me realize how quickly time is passing. The fact that I can say “oh, that was 20 years ago” blows my mind. It makes me really want to take advantage of life…not waste a single second.

-I got to go to Kiddo Camp this year! I had been wanting to go as a counselor for several years now but it had never worked out. But 2008 was the year! I had a great, but dramatic group of 5th grade girls who shrieked at Wasps in the cabin, whispered about boys into the wee small hours of the morning, wore my patience thin at times with how catty they could be to each other and blessed my heart with how sweet their voices sounded singing to the Lord or reading a Bible verse. I even had one girl ask Jesus into her heart! The highlight of my week was when the skies opened up in a torrential down-pour and all 150 kids and 30 some odd adults had to sit around the mess hall and just enjoy each other’s company and play impromptu games and sing fun songs. See, sometimes interruptions can be a blessing.

So there ya are....my highlights (and some low-lights!) from 2008. I'm glad that life is about the daily things and that beauty and fun and meaning can be found in those things. As another year is behind me and I look at this full year ahead, I am excited and hopeful and expectant about what it will bring. The Lord isn't through with me yet and actually, I believe He's only just begun.

A Crafty Christmas

Wow. I can't believe it's been since Thanksgiving that I posted! But I have a good excuse. I spent pretty much all of December working on Christmas presents. I was bound and determined to make everyone in my immediate family something for Christmas this year. I still bought a few things for each person too, but I also wanted to give each one something that I spent time working on for them specifically. So, below are the pictures of each thing that I made for each person.

For My Dad, I put together two picture albums. One is of our trip to tour several ballparks (which I still want to add some photos to the blog about that trip!). The other was a flip album that he could take to work that has lots of recent pictures of the family in.

I put together two picture frames for my mom with tons of pictures of our family.

My brother, Brad, was one that got a "not-quite-finished-yet" Christmas present. I just started on his a little bit too late, but I still wanted to give it to him! I am making him a quilt out of his old HS and College (and little league too actually) baseball t-shirts.

I had previously made my sister-in-law, Nancy, some photo displays with the older two kids on them, but had never made one for the youngest yet. So Nancy got a couple displays with Nora and one with all three of the kiddos. I spray-mount the printed photos onto foam-core and then mount them onto a larger piece of foam-core.

My oldest niece, Goose, has many baby dolls, so I decided to make her some small baby-doll sized quilts. She ended up using them as rugs for her Barbie dolls too, which I thought was very imaginative!

My parents got my nephew, Tank, a CD player, so I made him several of his own CD's to play.

And last, but certainly not least, I made my youngest niece, Boo, a quilt. This was actually my very first quilt! I stitched "Love, Aunt Mel 2008" on it too (the picture is kinda blurry on that one).