I haven't posted anything for a long time. Not because I haven't completed any projects, but it's been a crazy few weeks. I began a new job as a teaching assistant and I've been working on a few events for our church.

     One of those events was our annual Trunk or Treat. The weather this year was much colder than last year, so we decided at the last minute to move the event inside and do a more "Booth or Treat" kind of thing. We so need a better name for this...

     This year, money for costumes in our family was, well, non-existant. Creativity is the friend of the frugal, so I had to come up with a plan.

     Ally had already planned on doing a cheerleading trunk to promote our annual LCF Sports Camp. A cheerleading costume alone just didn't interest her though. She thought it would be fun to look like a cheerleader Barbie in a box. Tall order, kid.

     Her father made a trip to Lowe's for some appliance boxes. All of them had already been cut apart, so we used some large pieces. First, Daddy cut what would be the front panel into a shape like a Barbie box she had. Then he used other pieces and duct tape to form a box that would fit our tiny cheerleader. We still had some pink paint leftover from when we painted her bedroom. Yes, her walls are hubbabubba pink. She has a pretty sweet looking pink/black room. I painted her headboard, dressers and desk with this pink/black combo. (Maybe I'll post those pictures later.)

...So, about two coats of the paint covered the duct tape. I wanted the font to look close to an actual Barbie font, so I googled it. I found a site that had an actual vintage Barbie font. I typed each letter into word and made it as big as the sheet would allow, and printed them onto cardstock. Scissors and an exacto knife helped cut the letters out.

 

 For the inside lining, I used some leftover wrapping paper from last year's Christmas. She already had the outfit and pom poms from Sports Camp. Total cost of this costume? Here, I'll give you a breakdown...
Cardboard- $0.00 - Lowe's
Paint- $0.00 - My garage
Font Letters- $0.00 Google find
Costume- $0.00 Her bedroom (probably bedroom floor, if we're being specific... I'm just sayin'...)
Total- Yep, you guessed it, $0.00

Absolutely gorgeous! All night, people asked to get their kids' picture taken with the "Barbie doll girl." I think this is her favorite costume she's ever had.

 

Little sister was not to be outdone. Now, most little girls want to be a princess, butterfly, ballerina, or something else really girly. But my little girl has a big personality. And her personality wasn't fitting in a foofy skirt this year. (Although, she would wear that foofy skirt any other day of the year.) She wanted to be an iphone. I tried and tried to offer her other ideas, because seriously, how do you make a kid look like an iphone? But she was insistent. So, leftover cardboard was back for round two...
Daddy taped some rope and made up a sandwhich board type setup. Black paint, duct tape and more google made this girl incredibly happy!
(I know, she's not your everyday gal, is she?)
Daddy and her Papaw gave up the Apple stickers they got in the package with their ipads to contribute to the costume. Her Sunday school teacher brought her a pair of headphones and "plugged" them into the duct tape.
You may be wondering about the random red bandanas. Well, the ropes rubbed on her neck a little, making her itchy. So she got creative and grabbed some bandanas and tried tying them around the rope. Needless to say, this costume didn't last the whole night. She got irritated when she was trying to play games and it bumped around on her, but her back up plan worked out pretty well. She had a Supergirl costume underneath! Like I said, the kid has personality!
Cost breakdown... I'll spare you the details and just skip to the point. $0.00 total cost!

I have to say, I love my creative, unique little girls!

Please visit the link below for information about our Trunk or Treat!
This year is our first "all interactive" Trunk or Treat.
Free refreshments! Family or kids photo center with free emailed photo!

<a href="http://brownsburglighthouse.eventbrite.com?ref=elink" target="_blank" style="color:#FFCC00">Text for link</a>

I'm back! After a long break, I have finally returned! Ever heard of Murphey's Law? Or the term, when it rains, it pours?

 

Yep, that's been my life these past few weeks. It all started with my camera. I almost always have my camera with me. After a trip to King's Island, where I took loads of pictures, I couldn't find my camera. The card in my camera contained several of my projects I had planned on posting.

 

I always tell my daughter that if she loses something, it's probably time to clean her room. I took my own advice and not only cleaned my room as normal, but decided to clean under my bed. I found the camera under my bed...in my shoe...turned upside down. I did a little victory dance then and there.

 

Since my camera incident, it seems like bad news has been coming in droves to the DeWitt family!

Please keep my husband in your prayers. He was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis two weeks ago. He was also informed he would need surgery on both of his feet to correct the problems he is having with his knees and hips.

 

Now we're battling insurance for the surgery pre-auth. Of course, with health in."

Insurance, we get ten different answers from ten different people.

"We don't cover podiatry

"We don't cover surgeries of any kind."

"Oh, you are in open enrollment, and can switch insurance plans."

"Your open enrollment isn't until July."

"My bad, I see where you checked (certain plan) on your application, but you were put on another plan. Sorry, can't change it now."

"Yes, may be covered, if medically necessary if coded right and not done by your doctor."

"We'll call you back in a week to let you know."

 

With this frustration, and spotting a couple of fleas on my two tiny morkie dogs, studying for classes and writing curriculum for our children's ministry, I obviously have not had much time for new projects.

 

I did make a small exception for my daughter's Paris-themed 12th birthday.

I bought some plain martini glasses from Goodwill for 99 cents each. I also found this glass thingamabobs for 49 cents each. I'm not sure what it was supposed to be. It almost looks like a Christmas bulb, but it's slightly wider and has two random leaves on the side. But when I saw them, I thought a placecard would fit perfectly behind the leaves.

For each girl attending, I cut their initials on my Cricut Expression. I cut them adhesive backed paper and pressed them onto the glass. I began using Mod Podge over the letter and around the cup before adding the glitter, but I found that a good can of spray adhesive worked much better. After we sprinkled on the glitter, I removed the paper initials.

 I had my husband spray them with a little clearcoat to keep the glitter in place. I filled the dip in the glass with M&Ms and Skittles, and placed a cupcake on top.

We also glittered up the ornament thingamabob and made placecards for each girl. A napkin, spoon (for the yummy ice cream) and straw was placed into our ornamental whatchamacallit thing.

 

The cupcake toppers were made by cutting the Eiffel Tower from the Cricut onto adhesive backed paper. I cut a cupcake wrapper and sandwiched a toothpick between the Tower and the cupcake wrapper.
 

I threw some fabric onto the table and pinned it up with a hairband/pin flower.



Girls Night In

My beautiful birthday girl.

Ciao!

     In the senior adult School of Discipleship, that my husband and I teach, we've been working our way through the book of Genesis. I've gained so much knowledge from our study, but if you know me, you know that I can't just learn the normal stuff. I have to find something weird or funny.
     Throughout our study we've been focusing on the family of Abraham. I've realized that if you follow his family, you come to an interesting realization. Abraham's family were the first known drama queens in the Bible. Think about it. If there were a reality show back then, his family would be like the Kardashians or some other reality show, of their time. Overdramatic, jumping the gun and lying to each other and those around them...
Abraham- God gives him a promise of a son, (before his name change) and instead of waiting, he tries to go his own route. (16:1) When he and his wife are in another land, he tells them Sarah is his sister instead of his wife out of fear. (20:12)
Isaac- (Abraham's son who eventually was born to Abraham and Sarah) Also lied about his wife, calling her his sister out of fear for their safety. (26:7)
Rebekah, Jacob and Esau- (Isaac's wife and children) Esau proclaims to Jacob, “Look, I am about to die. What good is the birthright to me?” Rebekah then helps Jacob deceive his own father. Esau later marries someone his parents do not approve of, out of rebellion.
Rebekah speaks of her son, Jacob, If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living.” (27:46)
Jacob is then deceived by his uncle and given the wrong bride, (Leah) after working for her for seven years. He has to work 7 more years for his beloved Rachel. (29:15-28)
Rachel and Leah- Begin the competition of childbearing. Rachel pleads with Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!” (30:1)
     Drama, drama, drama! And you thought your Facebook friends were drama queens!
     I actually love this family. They truly show their imperfection, just like me. They go through cycles of extreme faith, and extreme lack thereof, just like me. But God still fulfills promises made to them, over and over.
     For some reason, that is what has spoken to me the most through this series. We all go through our highs, lows and the place in-between. Some days we trust God in every situation, and other times we can barely remember His name. But through all this, God is still faithful!
     Take heart. If this family could have such a special place in God's eyes, then so do you! I hope this brings encouragement to you today!

On with a flourish...
I've been trying my hand at sewing. (I have virtually no experience, and it's all new to me.) I saw a simple shirt on Pinterest, and thought, why not?

Before I began, I made a French ruler. I had never heard of this before, so I'm not even sure if I've done it right. But I cut mine out of cardboard in almost the shape of half of a heart.
Tracing around the ruler with a pen for my cut marks...
I measured from the widest part of the ruler the same amount of inches from my underarm, across the bustline to the other underarm. (I think it was about 22-24 inches) Make sure you leave your seam allowance.

I flipped my ruler over and cut the other side to get the shirt in the right shape. I then used this as a pattern to cut the second piece to make the back of the shirt.








                                                                                      

I measured a half inch hemline at the top and bottom of both pieces, and sewed this down, cutting off any overhang at the angles.

Both sides of the shirt were placed back to back, wrong sides out, and pinned into place. I kept the top in a straight line, measuring out the hole for my head, and just sewed each of the sides to that point.



 Of course, I hemmed the sleeves as well. I love the sort of bell shape they make!

 

Why, yes I am taking a picture of myself in my bathroom!

Checking the pose in the camera in front of a mirror. Redundant, huh? Ha-ha!

Ciao!

 

     Sometimes you flourish, but it seems like many more times, you just flop. Too many times in life we become discouraged in the flops. Nothing seems to work out like it's supposed to.

No matter how hard you try to pay off that bill, another unexpected bill will inevitably make its way to your mailbox. You've told your children repeatedly to not color the furniture with nail polish, and the nail polish calls their name, begging to be opened and poured out...anywhere.

You struggle to keep your head above water by cleaning, cleaning and cleaning your house, but you always lose the battle as soon as everyone gets home from school and work.

     There are some days when I feel like all I do is live one big flop. And I don't just flop with crafts, and small problems. Often times I've flopped as a mother and wife, causing damage to my family. Other times, I flop in my friendships, hurting the ones I wish to keep closest. 

      But the most damaging flop is when I ignore the One whom I am supposed to love the most.

It's funny, but in ministry is the one place you would think you can never forget God. He is the one your whole job is based around! But it's easy to get caught up in the doing, and forget who we are doing it for!

     I challenge you to take time to remember Him this week. Remember all that He's done, remember where He's brought you from and where you'd be without his grace!

     Sometimes it helps us to know that we're not the only ones who fail at this.

Here are a few flops to make you feel better and to remind you that we all flop. Just don't forget to get back up and try again!

Setting up for the big project...

Have you seen all those awesome washer necklace tutorials on Pinterest?
Me, too. Except I didn't read the tutorials. I just tried to wing it.
So I started with some small washers.

I laid them on a sheet of cardstock and painted them with various nail polish colors. I tried scooting them as they dried, but they only ended up stuck to the paper. Total flop. I ended up chucking them all. Here's a link to how to do it right.       
Nail Polish Washers

My biggest problem when crafting is that I neglect to make sure I have all the supplies needed before I begin. This project started out really cool. A whole mess of safety pins, and a stash of various beads. This was going to be an awesome bracelet... Except I only had enough stretchy wire to go through one side...and I ran out of safety pins.

So I thought I'd add some beads to the one stretchy wire to make the bracelet. But the safety pins were so heavy, it just didn't work.

I hated to waste all that time, so I threaded the pins through a small plastic headband. Which turned out cute...see below.

Here's the floppy, the headband was now so heavy that it all pulls to the side, and continually pushes my hair forward. The headband then ends up on my forehead.

Want to make the bracelet right? Click Here for instructions for the bracelet above.

Well, you win some, you lose some. Hopefully these flops give you some inspirations for what not to do! You can't flourish until you've hit a few flops, so count them as an accomplishment.
What flops have you accomplished lately?

Ciao!

      If you know me, you know that I am an avid reader! My perfect day would involve a hot cup of chamomile tea, a comfy blanket and a good book.
     I'm so thankful for good Christian authors and love to be a support to them when I can.

Thanks for visiting Flop or Flourish! This week I am participating in a blog hop! Read about it below...

We're having a party, and you're invited! Pamela Samuels Young’s new novel, ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGE is now available. To celebrate it’s release Pamela is hosting a two week long E-Event filled with goodies, giveaways, freebies and book fun.
Here’s the details and party schedule:
August 13, 2012:  Live stream tweet chat. Pamela will be giving away a Vernetta Henderson bag during this chat.
August 15, 2012: BAN radio 8-9:30. Live chat 9:30-10 PM ET live chat. We will be giving away signed set of books and 3 gift bags from EDC partners. You get to talk with Pamela LIVE.
August 24, 2012:  Facebook group chat.
August 13-24.2012:  Blog Hop. Another Vernetta Henderson Bag will be given away. Check Rafflecopter below for your chance to enter. Also those who stop by each blog hop stop, you will have the opportunity to receive a free Kindle download of ATTORNEY CLIENT PRIVILEGE.
August 13-24th: Goodreads Giveaway. Here’s a chance to win a signed autograph copy of the ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGE.
August 13-24th. Pinterest loves Pam. Pin your favorite Pamela Samuels Young book to increase your chances of winning the Vernetta Henderson Handbag during the blog hop. click here to pin

Now the Goodies!

• During the E-event we will announce a special giveaway for all bloggers and participants. So either subscribe to this post, follow the blog hop, or be present at some of the scheduled events. 
• In each of the bloggers posts (see list below,) there will be a "secret word." This word will be italicized, so it will be easy to find. All you have to do is make note of this secret word at each blog hop stop. Collect all secret words and submit your list to Dee Stewart at deegospelpr@gmail.com before midnight on Friday, August 24th and you will be entered into the Grand Prize Drawing!
• The winner of this drawing will receive a FREE Vernetta Henderson Handbag Gift Pack (contains a burgundy Cabas handbag, designer scarf, cosmetics bag, makeup kit, stationery, and an autographed copy of ACP) from Pamela Samuels Young. How fun is that?
• Contests are open to residents of the United States only.

We hope you'll join us for this exciting event! Don't forget to tell all of your Pamela Samuels Young loving friends! The more, the merrier!

Add this cute badge to your blog and add you and your blog to the linky link below. We will email the details and where to receive the content you need for the blog hop and your secret word.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Today's post is a recycled post I wrote a few years ago, but I know there are many out there who can relate to the subject of feeling inadequate. Sometimes I look at other mothers and compare myself to them. All the other moms seem to have it all together. I visited a mom-friend of mine a few weeks ago. She has two children. A son who is twelve and a daughter who is eight. Her house was immaculate! There was no clutter anywhere. The wood floors were freshly polished, the stainless steel countertops sparkled, everything was in its place. Martha Stewart had nothing on these people! We walked into her daughter's room. There would be a mess in there for sure. (My daughter is six and I know how messy her room gets. Trust me, I clean it most of the time because she gets overwhelmed by the mountainous piles of clutter and clothes.) There was no mess in her daughter's room. The bed was made, the toys were neatly stacked in small bins, the carpet had no bits of paper... Now my house is not a filthy pig pen. But it is not immaculate either. We have clutter. There are a few towels on my bathroom floor as we speak. Last night's pizza boxes still reside on the kitchen counter and my refrigerator probably holds at least one science experiment waiting to happen. Standing in this woman's beautiful house started to make me self-conscious. "Note to self, do not invite this woman to our home until I have a de-cluttering garage sale." I began to feel ashamed. My furniture was not as nice, my house was not as clean, my children rarely make their beds. I compared and compared. I kept coming up short. I'm sure I'm not the only mom who compares herself to others. There's always that perfect mom out there that is nothing like us. I work a few hours a week in a health club daycare. Many of the moms who drop off their children are there to exercise several times a week. They wear size two designer sweat pants and have year round tans. They are the total opposite of me. Most of them had children and then seemed to drop all of the weight overnight. I had children and have steadily gained weight after they were born. I looked at a slice of cake the other day and twenty pounds jumped off the cake and attached itself to my backside. When these moms drop off their children, I greet the children and quickly compare myself. It's crazy how quickly I can compare and how routine that can become. So routine at times that we don't even realize how much we do this! One quick glance and I've already compared and told myself that I don't measure up. I'm not good enough. I'm not pretty enough. I don't have what she has. My thighs look nothing like that! I could spend hours primping and not look as good as her after she sweated it out in a kickboxing session! We look at their surface and assume their lives are perfect. It's crazy, but I've even had women try and compare themselves to me. One afternoon I spoke at a women's ministry meeting. One of the women approached me when I was finished. "How do you do it?" She asked. "You just seem to have it all together." I'll admit, I laughed so hard, I snorted like a pig. Why in the world would this woman assume I had it all together? Did she see me? Hadn't she just heard me stutter while I spoke? Had she not caught all of the mistakes I had just made? No. She was too busy comparing her own outfit, her own abilities, her own life... to mine. The truth is, she was just like me. She was another one of those non-perfect women that God created. Look around you. The world is full of non-perfects. We look at those around us and see their surface. We assume that their surface is a portrayal of what is inside. But when we look inside, we sometimes see a different story. I know a woman whose surface is beautiful. She is one of the happiest and prettiest people I've ever known. She has a contagious smile, she is very pretty. Everyone loves her. She is on staff at a big church, she sings beautifully... For years I thought, "Wow, she must have had the perfect life. She really seems to have it all." But that was the surface that we all see. The reality was, she'd been divorced for years. Her husband had had an affair and it had nearly destroyed her. She was a non-perfect, just like the rest of us. But she relied on God for strength and God had brought her through. She didn't let her circumstances shape who she was. She let her Heavenly Father shape her future. That is where her joy came from. We are all non-perfects on the inside. Everyone has a story. God does not want us to compare ourselves to other women. All we end up comparing is the surface. We don't know what circumstances or trials most people have been through. The only person who knows every one of my hurts and pains is Jesus. We don't let everyone know what burdens us, what are fears are, what keeps us up at night worrying. Colossians 3: 1-4 "Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God's right hand in the place of honor and power. Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth. For you died when Christ died, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your real life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory." Your real life is who Christ says you are! Isn't that wonderful? Don't look at others, but set your sights on the realities of heaven. Only through Christ can we find true joy and contentment with our lives. You're a non-perfect. So am I. Maybe your children have colored on your walls. Maybe your husband leaves his dirty socks on the floor. Maybe you feel like you don't have time to diet and McDonald is a much easier option. Join the club of non-perfects and thank God that our real life is hidden with Christ in God! May you flourish in the life God has given you. Ciao! PS, Don't forget to join the blog hop on August 13th! Visit my blog that day for a link to other blogs and a chance to win a Kindle Fire. Instructions will be posted!

I spent a day in the unfamiliar. Brand new territory for me. Middle school.
It's crazy to think my daughter, the one I brought home from the hospital as a 7lb. baby, is old enough for middle school. She definitely doesn't look old enough to me. Especially after seeing her new peers.
Since I had volunteered during registration, she was able to explore the school, find all of her classes, and practice opening her locker.
When I joined her at her locker, the air was heavy with stress. I noticed a number of students nearly in tears, some leaning their heads on their lockers and banging on the front panel with their fists.
What had them all in such a state of panic? The trauma of figuring out how to open their lockers with this strange combination code.
One parent refused to leave the school until her daughter could figure out how to open her locker. They were in the hallway an hour and a half later as we left the building...
The unfamiliar can be scary. Getting out of your comfort zone can be even scarier.
I'm pushing myself to do more for the Lord this year than ever before. Not for His satisfaction, because He will love me the same, but for myself. This takes me out of my comfort zone, but the payoff for me is far greater.
Bust out of that comfort zone. You'll be glad you did. Flourish in who God created you to be!
Today, I was inspired by some etsy "window" shopping. I found several upcycled tie ideas, and after deciding a tie skirt was way above my skill level at this point, I went for a wallet. Since my husband used to wear a tie almost every week, (Thank God we've been delivered from always having to dress to the nines just to attend church.) he has a huge collection of ties. The good, the bad, the ugly.
I don't have step by step pictures, but I've included the instructions.

First, I cut the thinnest piece of the tie. I cut about a 3 inch piece, and cut in half to make the tab. Then, I cut the tie to the desired length. I wanted it to be just big enough to fit a cell phone. I sewed a hemline before I began the edges.

I then sewed all three edges, placing the tab as I sewed the last edge. A key ring was added to the tab. I will probably add a button of some type to the flap to finish it off. A cell phone fits perfectly behind the diamond shape, and credit cards fit in the pouch. Love this, and going to make more! Let me know what you think!

Ciao!

Writing is something I've done since I was very young. I still have a few copies of novels I began when I was about 11 years old.
At that age, my stories were always about a girl who moves to a new house. I think that was because we had never moved. I lived for 19 years in the same house. Since I've been married and in ministry that same amount of time, (13 years) we've now moved at least a dozen times. I'm not entirely sure. I've lost count. But I digress.
I've written story after story, piece after piece. But my favorite piece was one I'd written about my Grandma a few weeks after she passed away. I never wrote more than this first draft. I don't have the heart to polish it up.

Grandma's hands looked bare without all of the rings she usually wore. Her hands were too swollen from the medication to be able to wear them.

I held her right hand in mine. Her skin completely pale against the stark white of the hospital bed sheets. I gently rubbed the wrinkled hand with my thumb.

My memory took me back to a place in time when those hands were much different.

I remembered not too long ago on a trip to visit with Grandma. She hugged me and placed that same right hand on one of my cheeks as she kissed the other. "I love you, Sweetheart." She had smiled and patted my cheek ever so gently. Then she squeezed my hand before I walked out the door.

As I sat at her bedside, I was joined by my mom and younger sister. Tears rolled down all of our cheeks as we faced an unwelcome reality; Grandma wouldn't be with us much longer.

The three of us held onto a part of Grandma's hand. They were hands that had brought so much comfort through the years. Her hands had made necklaces for Christmas gifts. They had smacked teasingly at ours when jokes were made. Most importantly, her hands had folded in prayer time after time for all of her children and grandchildren.

I think it was my sister that spoke up as we sat holding Grandma's hand.

"Did you ever realize how much all of our hands look alike?" I studied the four hands clasped together. My younger sister's hands were soft, dainty and smooth. Mine looked like a slightly older version of hers. Mom's hands were beginning to look more and more like Grandma's.

My aunt, who was across the room came to stand by us, her cell phone in hand. "Put your hands next to each other." She motioned with one hand. "I'll take a picture with my cell phone."

We arranged one of each of our hands around Grandma's. Grandma slept peacefully as that phone captured our memory. A memory that will live on forever in our hearts.

That was the last picture taken with the four of us.

Grandma passed away two days later. I will forever cherish that picture. The picture that will always remind me of the loving times spent holding Grandma's hand.
Don't forget to hang on to the time you have with your loved ones. Sure, flourishing is sometimes accomplished in your "me" time. But don't forget to include those closest to you. You never know how long you will get with your loved ones. Cherish the small moments.
Ciao!

Lately I've been thinking about society's idea of tolerance. Everywhere you look, the idea of tolerance is not only presented, but pushed. It's a word that carries controversy all on its own.
As a Christian woman, when I hear this word, it's usually in reference to issues such as homosexuality or alternative lifestyles. And usually it comes with a great deal of anger pointed at the Christian community for not agreeing with these types of living.  Christians are often called intolerant, hateful, and unaccepting for their non-agreement.
Case in point, the Chick-Fil-A controversy.

We are taught by society that we all must be tolerant. But what does that really mean? Does tolerance mean you can disagree with someone, but still love and accept them? If that is the meaning, I can deal with that. Most times, though, the only acceptable versions of "tolerance" are  agreeing, don't say anything negative about the issue, even promote the issue positively at times.
What is the real meaning, and where should a true Christian fall on the spectrum of tolerance?
And are Christians the only ones in this battle, or do those living in their chosen lifestyles need to be tolerant of Christians and their views?
In other words, is tolerance only one-sided?
What's your view, as a Christian? How should a Christian respond to Chick-Fil-A's statements recently? How should we respond to the world around us when they come against those views?
Let me know what you think.