So Crafty

I have sewing injuries.

Yep.

A bunch of bruises and pricks on my hands and arms. And, when I was sewing yesterday, I broke the needle and...PHEW...thank goodness I was wearing my glasses, because a piece of the needle was very close to hitting me in the eye.

How is Martha Stewart still alive?

She has someone do all the manual craftiness for her, I bet.

Anyway, I volunteered to help out with costumes for the Drama team's production of West Side Story. I am so excited to help, but I was a little late in getting started. And, of course, I underestimated the time it takes to make 23 knee-length full skirts.

Also, all this sewing for school has inspired my imagination to run wild on all the ways I can add a crafty touch to our house and to our wedding. I have so many ideas, and now my projects are piling up. Here are just a few I have in mind:

• Curtains for the bathroom - made out of a cute shower curtain
• Curtains for the office - made out of sheets that I love but are kind of stiff
• A padded headboard to put in the guest bedroom
• Shelves for the bathroom
• Throw pillows for all the rooms that need them
• Making hook displays for better storage in closet, office, and at entry
• Hemming curtains for living room

Okay...I have to stop...the list is starting to overwhelm. Ha. I have to take some pictures of the updates I have made to our house since the last time I posted about it. I can't help but decorate all the time. 

Grumbling

The Israelites, following Moses, traveling in the desert, were attacked by the Canaanites, who took several Israelites hostage. Numbers 21:2-3 recounts, "Then Israel made this vow to the LORD: “If you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy their cities.” ³ The LORD listened to Israel’s plea and gave the Canaanites over to them. They completely destroyed them and their towns; so the place was named Hormah." Right after the Lord answered the Isrealites' prayer so faithfully, God's chosen people started to complain about the miserable food in the desert. They questioned their God, asking him why he had taken them out of slavery in the first place to just suffer in the desert. God sent poisonious snakes into their camps. Moses prayed for them and through another miracle, God took the punishment away.

This story amazes me at first because the it was like the Isrealites completely forgot all the things their Lord had done for them so far. It was as if they completely forgot about his promise of milk and honey. But then, looking at my own life, I realize its not amazing, its instead pretty close to home.

I started attending a bible study at church on the topic of prosperity. I was most influenced, I believe, by the study leader's challenges at the end of the lesson. She challenged us to not grumble about prices going up or high bills, instead offer praise to the Lord that you can afford to pay those bills. It reminds me of Isreal in the desert. Complaining about my debt or the high price of curtains is like the Isrealites complaining about the food in the desert. I mean they had food...in the desert! I have the means to buy pillows and curtains, skirts and shoes, steaks and ice cream. That is praiseworthy.

Too often I fall into the trap of grumbling. Just the other day, I grumbled that there were dishes in the sink and I had a 2 foot high stack of papers to grade. Now, I see that I need to be grateful that I have those plates, the food that was on them, the water to wash them, and the job that gives me the income to live so comfortably.

All in all, I want to take on this challenge, not just in my finances, but in all life. I hope to turn every grumble into a praise for all the blessings God has given me.

Philippians 2:14-16 -  "Do all things without grumbling or questioning, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain."

My first wedding dream..

So last night I had my first wedding inspired dream. To give you some background, I watched the movie "Flipped" last night (very adorable - like 500 days of Summer) and so characters from that movie are in my dream.

Okay so the dream takes place a couple days from now after it has snowed (which I heard yesterday is supposed to happen Monday night or something). And I am apparently having my wedding at a house where the family from "Flipped" lives, although their family is much larger in my dream - kind of like Seventh Heaven meets the family from "Flipped." Anyway, their house is huge and they have this huge backyard. I go out back and they are clearing away all their livestock.  I am video-taping. They don't put them in trucks, they put their sheep, cows, and reindeer (yep, reindeer) in these slatted containers kind of like bottom-less egg cartons, that are then just lifted up into the sky.

Then Zack shows up. Kyle's brother Zack. He is carrying a large black bazooka-like gun and saying, "Look at this!" Then he shoots the gun and it shoots out a blue light into the sky that bursts into fireworks. I am so excited by this. He keeps shooting more and more of them. I convince him to save some for our wedding, at which point he opens up his satchel and inside he has all these little lights, like night-brite lights but continuously lit up - major ammo for the fireworks gun.

Then Kyle shows up and takes me for a ride on his motorcycle, which he has in this dream. Kyle is dressed like Wolverine, which I think is a detail inspired by his new facial hair style - chops. As we are driving up this hill, I look around at the snow and say, "Hey, it's not time for our wedding. We didn't even send out invitations. Our wedding is next June."

And that is all I remember.

Just a Little Ditty

So have you heard the wedding related music on the radio lately? I don't know if I've got wedding on the brain so I notice it more, but I swear there have been all these new songs about weddings and marriage. And by "all these," I mean two. : )

Huh. I thought I would think of more than two. Well there is that "Little White Church" song by Little Big Town, I think, that is pretty good, but its not a happy wedding song. It is fun to sing though.

These two songs are great though, and its not wonder: Train and Colbie Caillat. Of course, they are awesome songs.

For Cassie.

Here is another happy birthday, although belated, to you my dear. What a trip back to our past, huh? Did we ever really leave Sketchers? : )

All the Rage?

So originally I thought that my idea of a rustic wedding, in a barn, with possible cowboy boots, was unique. It was all Melissa and Kyle, right? Well, turns out rustic weddings are the "thing" right now. So, maybe we won't be completely unique, but because they have become so popular, I have found so much inspiration online from other rustic weddings. Here are a few shots that I have added to my inspiration board (which is actually a powerpoint)...

Abraham, Sodom, and a Pillar of Salt

I have to admit that when I read the Bible, I often head straight for the New Testament and stay there, with the exception of maybe Proverbs or Psalms. But, of course, that won't give me a very thorough understanding of the Bible. So, I have been trying to spend some time in the Old Testament lately, starting at the beginning in Genesis. Recently, I read about Sodom. I have always thought of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah as rather violent, but I never think I fully understood it. I am still not sure if I fully understand it, but I think, with a little research,  I have definitely learned more about on it. 

First of all, concerning the story, I found it interesting how Abraham pleaded with God for Sodom. He kept asking the Lord to spare the city if there were 100, 50, 20, or even 10 righteous men that lived inside its walls. "And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once" said Abraham, "Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake." (Genesis 18:32). I think it is interesting how Abraham was praying for a corrupted city and God listened; He even promised to answer Abraham's prayers and save the entire city if only 10 righteous lived inside its walls. I don't remember knowing about this conversation between Abraham and God. I think it shows that God was willing to spare Sodom. For the innocent. For the righteous. And it shows God's willingness and faithfulness in answering prayers.

Thus, God sent angels to Sodom before destroying it. At the time, Lot lived there and took the angels in when they arrived. He pushed them to stay with him, possibly because he understood the violent nature of his town. Because with the angels inside his house, the men of the town pressed Lot to send them out, so that the men could rape them. Lot even prayed for these men. "And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him and said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly." Genesis 19:6-7. But the men continued and the angels had to curse them with blindness to get them to leave. This shows the wickedness of Sodom. The power the men of the street thought they had to hurt others and take anything they wanted. An online Bible Study site, "The Restored Church of God," states, "Sodom was a city of great riches, as were the other cities and towns of the plain. Its people possessed the finest foods, clothing and various other goods. With their lives surrounded by countless items of luxury, the citizens were self-satisfied and smug about their existence. They saw no need to seek after God."

Consequently, Lot and his family, the righteous that live in Sodom, were told to leave. God remained true to his promise. He had the angels ask the righteous to leave Sodom before he destroyed it, therefore no righteous resided inside its walls.

But God asked them not to look back. "And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed." (Genesis 19: 17).  "Looking back" seems symbolic of nostalgia. My Bible had a note that explained that Lot and his family were asked to not look back figuratively in a way, to not look back longing for Sodom, wishing to return to the town and possibly to the sinful nature there. I guess its like helping a prostitute leave the life of prostitution, but asking her not to long for that life anymore. It would be an insult to her rescuer to long for the life he helped her leave.

 "The Restored Church" Bible study on Lot says, "It was not until angels, disguised as men, came to warn him that Lot departed Sodom. Despite the worsening levels of wickedness that thrived in the city, which vexed him day and night, “he lingered” (vs. 16)—procrastinated. The angels literally had to take Lot by the hand to get him to leave." And Lot's wife didn't listen to the command to not look back, she looked back and she was turned into a pillar of salt.

Maybe this is representative of our human tendency to hold on to sin or to hold on to something we know is not good for us. Even when God is taking our hand and leading us from it, we look back. We long for the sin we once indulged in. It is a prideful thing, I think. It is almost idolatry - in the way that you would be putting something else above God in being better for you, in bringing you greater happiness.

I am blessed to be forgiven for my sins. To not be a pillar of salt. To have Jesus die for me and my salvation. I know I am flawed, and I know I have thought of 'things' of this world more able to bring me happiness than the things of God. And I know I am always wrong in thinking so.

Recently, I think I have realized that walking with God, on the path towards righteousness can cut you off from things and even people of your past. I took a step back into a part of my old life that I have tried to change and as I drove away I felt wrong. I felt like I had actually taken a step backward, like I turned my face away from the Lord and looked back. Coming home, I thought of the image of the narrow path to God vs. the wide one away from him. I think I can see how it can feel narrow, but I hope to stay on it anyways.

Online Bible Study on Lot and Sodom

Gamers...

I know in a previous post I rambled on about missing my gal-pal-reality-TV-time, but living with a boy is awesome. Our house is fully loaded with video games! Kyle doesn't usually buy chocolates and flowers, but then again I am not the chocolate and flowers kind of girl. Instead he bought me a Wii!! For my birthday and I got him the Playstation Move for his birthday. We are a gaming match made in heaven. If only I liked shoot'em up games it would be perfection. But then again, Kyle doesn't need me for that, he has Kori. :  )

I like how Stewie is involved as well.

Playing frisbee golf on the Move.

Kyle and his friend Jeremy playing Just Dance 2 = Very hilarious.

P.S. Look at Kyle's beard. Oh man. He hasn't shaved it since...hmmm...maybe about October. I keep trying to convince him to shave it to no avail.