craft projects and apartment decor.

These are some necklaces I made. The one on the left I made for my friend and RD from last year, Ms. Kim. I cut out the dictionary definition of joy, glued it into a bezel and poured resin on top. The buttons are from an antique button collection that Ms. Kim gave me when I lived on her hall. The necklace on the right is for Katie who is traveling to Haiti for a semester of medical mission work.

Apparently my roommate and I have a tree theme going. The top photo shows three canvases that I stuck together to show a tree traveling through seasons. In the bottom left photo I cut out my favorite Psalms from an old Bible from Goodwill (I felt weirdly guilty doing it) and I mod podged them to a canvas. [Psalm 1:3 says, "He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers."] And finally the bottom right is a lovely fall painting my roommate did while she introduced me to the very first Harry Potter movie. All of these were pinterest inspirations.

Here are a couple of the light switches I covered with scrap book paper. Much nicer than the off-white they were before, and much cheaper than buying new ones. Hope my landlord doesn't mind... :)

Here's the view of my living room from the kitchen...photo banner inspired by Katie and Sarah :)

I bought the Japanese lanterns online for cheap and ghetto-rigged them onto Christmas lights.

Grey hair is a crown of splendor.

My first day home for Christmas break my mom put me on Grandma duty so that she could spend the afternoon running errands. We took a girls afternoon out to Olive Garden and Walmart. Our waitress seemed impatient as she waited for Grandma to slowly hobble to our table at the other end of the restaurant. A slightly run-down looking middle aged couple sat at the booth across from us -- the wife smiled and asked if she was my grandmother -- I smiled and nodded yes. As we ate I noticed the lady across the way begin to sob quietly. The waitress asked her what was wrong and she said, "Seeing that little girl with her grammy makes me wish that I had spent more time with my mom and grandmother. People just don't understand how short life is." She got up and left her husband to finish eating and pay the bill...I passed her sitting in the parking lot as we left.

Here's to a wonderful woman who raised four awesome kids during WWII, who is sweet, who loves and who encourages. I wish I had more time to take in everything that Grandpa was, but I am so grateful for all that Grandma is and does.

I don't know where home is, but I am homesick.

I have this little plaque that I got at Goodwill that says "home is where the heart is" except after I bought I realized that is kind of silly because I'm in such a transitionary stage of life that my heart is a little bit of everywhere and I have no idea where home really is.

I'm currently in Panera because I need coffee and the lively elevator music to stay awake. I'm reading C.S. Lewis for a paper I have to write by tomorrow.

"There is love of home, of the place we grew up in or the places, perhaps many, which have been our homes; and of all places fairly near these and fairly like them; love of old acquaintances, of familiar sights, sounds and smells."- C.S. Lewis The Four Loves

Here's to all the places that I've called "home":

Woodstock, VA

Dayton, TN

Apple Valley, CA

The Miller home in Memphis

Burnshire's dam

The Woodstock Cafe

Harmony House

The ever changing McConkey home

Bryan College

Ryan's house

The Byrd's house in Edinburg

The fire tower

The Blueridge Mountains

The Newlin's house in Burlington

Kim's apartment

Stephen's City Outlet

Hustin 3rd

Robinson 2nd

The Cooley's back porch swing

Farrah and Kirsten's room

Winchester, VA

...my little place here in Cleveland

As the holidays approach and I have yet to solidify plans as to where I will be spending them, I'm getting more and more homesick, for who knows where.

It's never easy to love God, but it's a lot easier when everyone around you does. I am really missing being surrounded by people who challenge me and encourage me to be more than mediocre.

A lady comes in to the outlet store I work in...short, nice enough, but you can tell she's a bit feisty. She kindly informs me that she is here to pick up her bunk bed, but that she noticed a few problems. The bunk bed was still being used as a display rack for our new pillows and the trundle bed was missing (or as I come to find out, in pieces in the back of the store.) A string of unsuccessful phone calls were made and she leaves, bedless. That was Monday. Thursday the woman returns infuriated. The bed was not boxed, her credit card was charged twice and she wanted to bring hellfire down upon my head. We chatted for a while as I tried to small-talk her into a better mood while I waited for my boss to get from his home to the store.

"You must be a Christian."
"hmm? uh, yeah. I mean I am. Why?"

"nobody else would put of with my bitching the way you have."

So cool! Long story to make a short point: God quieted my mouth when I wanted to tell her it's not my fault it's my dumb high manager and He placed His words in me to calm the angry woman.

I do love the holidays.

it's really great to have a group of people that feel like family when I have to be away from home during Christmas season.

this one's for you, Miss Barb.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I think this one speaks for itself. What a beautiful, Godly woman. Praise God for her strength and consistent joy! I am so happy that she is with the Lord, resting peacefully in Him.