take that cupcake! {wreath}

I had to give you a little update on the craft debacle from last week.

Last night I had just eaten a really late dinner and gone through the mail that had accumulated on my dining room table and was kind of cleaning off the counters when I saw the glue sticks that I bought Saturday. The glue sticks had been the first thing to go awry. I had bought the wrong size to go in my glue gun on Friday night. Thankfully, there were two sticks that came with the gun so that's what I worked with that night.


Then, I called in reinforcements, because folding those cupcake wrappers was hard work and I figured if I could have somebody folding while I was glueing. We'd be good.


We were off to a good beginning. Mawmaw was folding and I was hot-glueing like a craftin' fool. Occasionally yelping because hot glue on your fingertips is no laughing matter.


So...Friday night ends and Mawmaw and I have folded 150 cupcake wrappers to end up with this.


That, my friends, looks like a ring that a miniature lion would jump through or something. It was awful. (And that picture was taken in my kitchen in case you were confused by the change in venues.)

THAT - I could not hang on my door.
THAT - I debated even showing you a picture of.
Because...seriously...punyness abounded.
BUT sometimes you have to let others see your failures so they can see how far you've come.

{Hint Hint - There's a lesson about more than crafts and DIY things in that last sentence.}

So...back to last night. I was standing there, looking at the glue sticks, really trying to avoid hanging a ton of clothes up when I decided I would NOT let the cupcake wreath defeat me. I would conquer the craft! I was not to be relegated to the craft hall of shame. WAS. NOT.

So, I plugged that sucker in and folded 150 more cupcake liners all by myself and I started in on slaying that thing. Whilst jamming to some John Mayer. But only the last 6 songs on Continuum because my cd is cracked and it won't play the first 6 songs. Sad day.

Anyway, after even more hot glue injuries and listening to the same last 6 songs about 8 times, all the while contemplating what lyrics I should make my Facebook status...this is what I had come up with.


And y'all, not only did I get the best of the cupcake liners BUT I made 4 little rosettes and put them on a doily and glued them at the bottom. Given, they aren't the best rosettes I've ever seen, but I didn't even know how to make them and I was just playing around with the ribbon, so I was quite proud. It's the little things that get me.

And it's a wreath I'd be proud to hang on my door.


Although - it looks really orange. Is that just me? And I'm thinking about ripping off the polka-dot ribbon and just using the brown ribbon that the rosettes are made of. But who knows.

I'm just glad I can hold my head high while reading crafting blogs.

Fall, Blog Design and More Random Things

Happy Fall, y'all!

First off, let me apologize in advance for this post because it is about to be all over the place.

1 - If you've been around my little corner of the interwebz long, you might notice that we (by we, I mean, the blog) got a new fresh fall look! I am LOVING the background. Golden and dots just say 'fall' to me. And evidently, they aren't viewable on the mobile version? Because...on my iPhone it just looks tan. So...anyway.

AND you might notice the new banner up at the top! Am I the only one that thinks that looks super cool? Hopefully not. What's even cooler? I DID IT MYSELF! This whole blog redesign (there's more to come) is courtesy of these super-helpful tutorials over at Mandy's Yellow Corner. YES! She rocks!! And I don't even really remember how I found it, but I think it involved trying to make a wreath...more on that in a sec. Anyway, the blog looks awesomer (yes, I know, it's not a word) because of her and her great instructions! Also, the fonts I used in the banner came from here. I also created a blog button (with the help of Mandy again) for Sarah's blog and it's right over there -->

I don't necessarily know if Sarah approves, but...I'm the handler sister, so, let's just go with it.

2 - I decided last Friday that I was going to make a wreath after seeing these cupcake wreaths. Let me just say, that either all my craftiness has left me since college or...I'm silly. My wreath looked rather puny compared to theirs and this made me all forms of sad. The reason I was trying to make a new wreath is because this is the wreath that has been hanging on my door for at least the past 13 years. At least.

You see why it needs to be replaced? I mean, I love that wreath. That wreath was my Mawmaw and Pawpaw's, but...that wreath needs a break! I won't show you a picture of my attempt at the cupcake wreath. I'm just too ashamed.

3 - Have I told you how much I love this time of the year? Fall is MOST DEF my favorite time of the year. Ugh, LOVE. IT. I always wanted to fall in love in the fall. I mean, I've never fallen in love, so who's to say it won't happen, but now I'm just rambling. I say all this because Fall also makes me want to buy school supplies. (You've Got Mail anybody?) And yesterday during bible study we were talking about the greatest gift we've ever been given. Apart from salvation. Because...that's obvious. And I decided that the greatest gift I've ever been given is this -


It's a bouquet of newly-sharpened pencils (again...with the YGM) that I received about 2 years ago from my very dear friend and neighbor Molly. And the ribbon was tied much prettier than in this picture. I don't particularly know why a bouquet of newly-sharpened pencils is the greatest gift but let's just say that I arrived home from working in Albuquerque one week and it just so happened to be the day that I got called a crazy Christian by a co-worker (and I wasn't really that upset, but I definitely needed some encouragement at the moment) and I open a package that I had received in the mail from Mississippi and that's what was inside. And I just burst into tears. I remember it like it was yesterday. I'm so blessed to be surrounded by awesome friends. And at that moment I wasn't even surrounded by them physically...I was 600 miles away, but, again, with the awesome friends. They are the best.

And as if that isn't enough, her husband blew off my walk the other day where I trimmed the hedges. My other awesome friends let me use their electric hedge trimmer thing (what's the appropriate word??) and it did not take 5 hours, but rather, 35 minutes. Anyway, the following Saturday when I went to clean them up, Matt had blown them off the walk that morning. I texted Molly and said something to the affect of "Did you or your husband do this? Because...you really need to stop being so sweet because I'll never be able to repay you for this lawn kindness." (or something like that). Of course, they did and Matt said not to worry because, of course, they don't expect me to repay them. They just love me. Is that not the sweetest? I mean...really. The sweetest.
They are much more even than last year. :)

4 - I accidentally killed a cat last week. It was possibly one of the most traumatizing experiences I've ever had. What's even worse is that I go to church with the owners. I ran over it on my way home :( It was running away and then all of a sudden it doubled-back and I couldn't slam on my brakes. It was so tragic. Anytime I've seen cats since then it's like they're looking at me saying 'Killer. Killer.' And now that I think about it-Wendy, the neighborhood cat, has not visited my house since then. I bet she found out. I don't blame you Wendy. I'd stay away too. :S

5 - Never in my adult life, or non-adult life for that matter, have I ever washed clothes using bleach. That all changed tonight. I washed my pretty white waffle-weave shower curtain and I put some bleach (after conferring with my mother) in the machine as well. The only bad thing is that I read the instructions for washing the shower curtain AFTER I had put the detergent and bleach in the washing machine. It most definitely said, 'DO NOT BLEACH.' But...I think we're going to be okay. I mean...really. What could happen?

6 - I have become something of a fantasy football phenom. My team, The Controllers, is dominating (points wise) in my 12-team league at work. Albeit...I'm 2-1, but...the game I lost was close. And I think I've become known as the team to beat. I go up against the only undefeated team this coming week. She said she needed to figure something out or she's going down.

At least she realizes it.

{And is that not a clever team name? I mean...my job title as a team name?? It's clever. You should be nodding right now.}

7 - D-NOW is this weekend!! WOOT WOOT! I'm so excited. Last year, Molly and I had the 10th grade girls at my house. This year, a different group of women and I have the 11th and 12th grade girls at my house. I've been prepping the past two weeks or so and the curriculum is absolutely fantastic. I want so bad for these girls to 'get' what I didn't 'get' until the past year. To be living a life of victory over Satan. A life of authentic worship (that's the curriculum). Every day. Please pray with me for them? They are such sweet girls and some of them are already MILES ahead of where I was when I was there age, but, everyone could use prayer. :)

The end. Hope y'alls Monday was as good as mine! :)

P.S. Texted came up in the spell-check. Come on Blogger. Get with the program!

encouragement is...

encouragement is...

a hug in the airport when you're sending your daughter to the other side of the world.
sending a card to show someone you care.
that you value them.
that you value their sacrifice of a 'normal' life in the u.s. to bring Hope to filipinos.

encouragement is...

investing in the lives of the next generation.
telling them they are loved.
they are cared for.
they are beautiful.
even in their dress-up shoes.
and when they want to let the forks dance.





encouragement is...

cheering on your 7 yr. old cousin in pee-wee tackle football.
yelling "split the v. dot the i. curl the c. t-o-r-y. t-o-r-y. victory!"
a hug and a high-five after the game for all their hard work.

it's a friendly smile when you're new and you don't know if what you're doing is right.
it's a shared squall-fest when you know all they want is someone to cry with.
it's an "i've been there and you're going to make it through this."
it's letting a little boy know when they hold a door for you, that you appreciate it.
it's telling that boys' parents that
"you're raising him well. keep on doing what you're doing."
it's commenting on a blog and letting them know what they wrote spoke to you.
it's an email from one of your favorite bloggers saying, "what you said meant so much. thanks."
it's anything that makes the person on the receiving end want to keep on keeping on.
___________________________________________

sunday september 12th is the 'national day of encouragement'.
(in)courage and dayspring gave their readers an awesome opportunity to spread hope and encouragement by sending hundreds of readers a 10-pack of their new 'hope and encouragement' cards.
for free.
i received my pack this past tuesday and the cards are absolutely beautiful.
i've already mailed two overseas to two special people.
(those are the pictures above).
there are others that i have in mind to get my free cards.
thanks so much for enabling us to encourage others through these awesome cards.
it made my week. for real.

if you haven't visited (in)courage, please do.
those women have changed my life in the words they've written over the past year since i've discovered it.
being open and honest about their struggles.
their victories.
everything.

i joke with people that my spiritual gift is encouragement/exhortation.
they think i'm crazy, but it's true.
when i encourage someone, i always feel as if i've received a blessing rather than been a blessing.
i'm so thankful that's one of the gifts God has given me.
i'm so thankful that He lets me uses it.
He...encourages me to use it through nudges of His spirit inside me.
(say this. go hug them. just be there for them.)
that's what i hear.

if you're visiting from the link-up at (in)courage, thanks for stopping by.
you've encouraged me.
:)

___________________________________________

how do you encourage others?

crazy, how time flies.

Tomorrow changed everything.

Well...today, if you're not reading this until Friday, September 10th.

Anyway, tomorrow, a year ago, I got a phone call.

A phone call that I had been waiting on for months.

A phone call that led me back to Mississippi.

But not in the way that I thought.

I've come to realize over the past year that God rarely works in the ways we think are best. Something about that sounds biblical.
Isaiah 55:8 anyone?
I know, I know...why have I not realized that until the last year?

Call me hard-headed.

That's only one of the things I've realized over the past year since this crazy adventure got started.

Other things include:
- nieces are so much funnier in person
- sometimes hugging a friend after a long time apart makes it feel as if it hasn't really been that long
- there are jobs where your co-workers care about you and aren't just acquaintances but rather, friends.
- there are jobs where you can actually leave work at work and not stress every night about what needs to get done.
- lots of other things that if included would make this list would go on for a long time because there's just SO MUCH.

I'm so glad that God never stops working on us.

That we're continually being conformed more and more into His image.

That's all I got.

Well, not actually. You should totally watch this video because it's pretty cool!! Except, watch it without the sound because the sound was annoying to me.

I know...how do you write something that wonderful and meaningful then end it with a Pac-Man video?

I don't know.

But wait, it's not over.

Compassion has a group of bloggers in Guatemala this week. Reading the bloggers posts back in the spring is what led me to sponsor a child in Kenya (Lillian. She's cute. And has the same birthday as me. AND she has 2 sisters and a brother. Crazy!! Not crazy...God, but you know, that's the word I use when I'm left without words).

Anyway, I read Ann Voskamp's post this morning at work and if you don't finish reading this post just to go read that...do it. Oh my goodness, usually I don't get her posts because she uses words that to me are too 'flowery' and big (I bet y'all are smarter than me and can 'get it' :) ) and my little mind doesn't get analogy well...but man alive, that post. If you haven't read it yet...seriously...go read it. I just linked to the same post 4 times because I want you to read it!

And, you'll probably need a tissue.

Also, Shaun Grove's post was awesome as well. I totally get the Long Distance/Slow Violence thing. So so sad.

Can you help? Can your family sponsor a child? More than one? It's so rewarding. I've received two letters from Lillian and they just make my heart happy.

SO...this is actually the end of the post. Y'all please consider sponsoring a Compassion child. Whether in Guatemala or Asia, Africa. Just...somewhere.

Help end poverty.

Help bring justice to the impoverished children of the world.

Help bring Hope to these kids. :)

The end.

sweet sixteen.

It was a super busy weeekend!

Friday night was the football game.

Then Saturday a bunch of girls from church who I'm privileged to call my friends from a completely different generation, got together to celebrate Chelsea's Sweet 16.

She had actually turned 16 the Tuesday before that but a proper Sweet 16 celebration could not be had on a weeknight! ;) So, we celebrated by having breakfast at IHOP, going to see Despicable Me, spent some time shopping, grabbed a snack, then rode the carousel. Followed by a much-deserved Saturday afternoon nap (at least that last part was me.) :) Here are some pictures from our day.

This man was just sitting out on his swing waving at every single car that passed by. Made me wonder if he does that all the time. Am I'm not talking about one of those little 'Hey, how ya doin' waves' that we're partial to in the south. This was a full-out 'Hey, I hope you're having a great day and I want you to see me and wave back' waves.

Birthday girl!
She reminds me a lot of myself at 16.
She talks.
A. LOT.
She never meets a stranger.

But on the flip-side, she has a passion for bringing people to Christ that I did not have at that age. A while ago, I was talking to her about Ricky, a homeless guy who I helped out last winter. I hadn't seem him in months and he just popped in my head one night. I was sad because I had never outright asked him if he was saved or knew about God, church, anything. Chelsea said, "Well Bekah, that's why you should ask people about God the first time you meet them. You may not get a second chance."

That really stuck with me. I'm all for building relationships and actually getting to know a person and witnessing to them by showing them love, but sometimes, you just have to come right out and ask. She reminded me of that.

Mostly everybody got chocolate chip pancakes. YUM!

We went and saw Despicable Me and it was ADORABLE!
If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.
SO. CUTE.
It has so many cute one-liners that I can't even remember them all, but a little girl, Agnes, really steals the show. :)

We took a mirror picture in the bathroom.
Mainly because I had never done it before and this was a day all about having fun and feeling free and...so...we did. :)
The quality isn't that great. But...oh well. :)

This is our silly faces mirror bathroom pic.

I just love this pic because of the stripes.

They are such teenagers. Love it.

Since we were already at the mall, we did some afternoon shopping.
Cori is such a model and was trying to decide on this hat.
She didn't buy it that day, but eventually winded up going back the next day and getting it.
Ha!

I love this pic. Minus the price tag.
Charlotte Russe had some beautiful jewelry.
I got a bracelet that I love.
And I'm not entirely sure this is legal.
Taking pictures in a store, that is. :-/

$2.99? For some cute clothes?
Yes.
Please.
And thank you. :)

Our breakfast had kind of worn off so we snacked on some pretzel from the pretzel shop.
I got a cinnamon sugar one.
Oh my goodness, it was sooooooooooo good.

The carousel at the mall.
This may be one of my favorite pictures that I've ever taken.
And I've taken a LOT of pictures.
The girls rode while Molly, Kristin and I stood and watched.
But all the pictures of them actually riding are really blurry.

Second favorite picture I've ever taken. I think. I don't know. I just love it.

All in all, it was one of the best Saturdays I've had in a really long time.
Who knew that hanging out with 6 girls that are 10 years younger than you could be so much fun? We're going to have to do it again really soon.
Birthday celebrations or not.

"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.
For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.
Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken."

-Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

this is how i spent my friday night.

Many moons ago {in reality...it was as little as 5 years ago} I spent every Saturday in a band uniform. See Exhibit A below.

Yowsa, that's a bad picture. That's me, second from the left.

Before that, I spent 5 years of Friday nights in a band uniform. {I was in the high school band in 8th grade...I was quite good.} There are no pictures of me back then. Well...at least not handy. There are and I'd rather not go back and relive those days!

Before THAT I spent my Friday nights being a band groupie when my oldest sister, Leah, was in high school. I'd hold music for band members in the stands. I worked in the concession stand. I was quite good at making popcorn. I was all-around awesome. And I had multiple crushes (I was 9 or 10) on Leah's friends. Nothing like a teenager with bad acne that played an instrument to make a girl swoon. HA! :)

With all that being said, I love football. There's nothing like the feeling of sitting under the Friday night lights and watching boys take their teen angst out on the opposing team. However, I have not been to a high school football game in 3 years! Until Friday night.

Our youth pastor's son is the star quarterback at a local high school, one of his daughters is a cheerleader. Another younger girl from youth group was a cheerleader for the opposing team. We go to church with one of the coaches from the opposing team. So, I figured I'd go to this one. Here are some pictures of my night and boy how it made me feel young again. I absolutely love the smell of hamburgers being grilled, the sounds of the band and cheerleaders, not so much the smell of the boys (we were standing on the fences because there were NO seats available in the stands...it was a rival game and we got there 45 minutes early and still there were no seats. crazy). It is all fabulous.

a dog most definitely got on the field.

mooreville's team coming out. they were swaying and it was scary.
very intimidating.

look at this sunset!!!! is that not ridiculously gorgeous??

ridiculously gorgeous sunset, again.

mantachie was about to score a touchdown.

helmets held high when they were about to kick-off after scoring the aforementioned touchdown.

my good friend, holli. this is a great picture of us if i do say so myself.

there's not much better than being surrounded by great friends.

this random little kid was sitting next to us.
i looked down and this is the face he was making.

chelsea! she's the cheerleader for mooreville.
we were pulling for mantachie.
such a cutie.

is this not one of the most adorable children ever?!?
her name is emma, and we go to church together.
she refuses to speak to me.
one day she will.
one day.

love these girls!
kelsy and madi, who i also go to church with.
madi is the only of the youth pastor's children that wasn't on the field.
they are best friends.
such sweeties.

that's dalton.
i really like this picture.
by this point, they were getting beat pretty badly :(
but, this boy is a winner regardless of what the scoreboard says.
he's one of the few boys i've seen that has a winning attitude despite losing.
he's a leader of that team and i'm so proud of him.

my good friend, lilly.
we took like 6 or 7 pictures and this was the best one. :S

this is lilly and her fiance, les.
they both went to mantachie and are getting married in less than 2 months!
they're such a funny couple.

holli and her husband, brandon.
he went to mantachie.
holli went to fulton with me and we played softball together.
we weren't that great of friends back then but now we're tight.
like...something that's tight. :)

molly and matt.
they're my neighbors.
and molly and lilly are sisters.
i've known matt since junior high and molly for the past 5 or 6 years probably.
they're the sweetest couple i have ever known.
you think i'm exaggerating, but i'm not.
i don't remember if i've mentioned their housewarming last weekend, but molly has an interior design degree and she did a fabulous job designing the interiors. ha.
it looks like a pottery barn catalog except better.
awesomeness.

i have no idea who #15 is, but #21 is trent.
that boy has an awesome testimony about what God has delivered him from.
and he's only 15!
i don't remember if this is right before or right after he scored one of the last touchdowns for mantachie.
it was a special touchdown because they had just buried his grandmother that afternoon.
he wanted to score a touchdown for her and he did.
so so so sad.
that family has been such a light for Christ during this tough time.
they're one of the best families i know.
no joke.

game over.
mooreville won.
chelsea was picking up trash.

overall, it was one of the best friday nights i've had in the past 8 years.
i'm definitely looking forward to making it to some more games this season.