I can't believe its already the end of October!! CRAZY where has the month gone! I was thinking about what I am going to dress up as for Halloween and I am completely uninspired by what my theme has to be.... Let me back up a bit.
Our church is hosting a free "CANDY RUN" for the community to take their kids to a safe place for candy.. which is something we do every year... BUT this year its like 100% bigger and better than ever! Our church building will be split up into Eight different sections of Themed FUND! there will be an Enchanted Forest and a Candy Land... Star wars and Mario might even make an appearance.....
But the section that David and I will be helping out with is.... "At the Farm" Don't get me wrong.. we have a lot of cool things planned for our section, but as for the costume aspect.. I am left with not much to go on. I want to come up with something fun and creative and something different than a "cowboy & cowgirl" so any thoughts you have please let me know!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Pumpkin Patch!
SO I have been super busy this week between working, baby-sitting, and the craziness of life! I have had a great week and a lot of it has to do with my wonderful husband!
On Saturday I had to work my usual shift at the coffee shop and David decided that he would take me out on a date day!.. I LOVE HIM!... I was giddy all morning waiting for the the date to begin!
I made us some coffees and we hit the road... David decided to take me do Red Lodge. For those of you reading who are not familiar with the town.... its a little ski town about an hour out of Billings! IT is really cute and has lots of great shops to look at. I always look forward to our road trips. I think it has something to do with the extended amount of time with my wonderful husband! We had an amazing hour of uninterrupted time to talk.... Can you guess that one of my lovely languages is "quality time"? It was a chilly day so I got to sport my black and" p-coat"and boots!
When we got into town we had lunch at Bogarts. Its a cute little restaurant on the main street that is based on the famous actor..Humphrey Bogart. And while we were waiting on our food we decided to Google Mrs. Bogart and found out some really fun facts about his life! David and I are always wanting to learn new things... We also had a differeance of opinion about what the first Disney Movie ever maid was.... I thought it was BAMBI... I was wrong(I hate having to admit that) and Dave was right..The first Disney film to be produced was Snow White in 1937!
When I was growing up my sister, Arianna, when to that movie in the theater! It had to be one of the times the re-did haha! But my memeory of seeing this movie then was looking over and seeing my sister with Wide Eyes, standing up watching the preview for the" Hocus Pocus" (trailer I couldn't find the same one but her is one anyway) and during one part ... The Red Head Witch gets really big on the screen and says that" BOOK" Thats when my sister (age 2 1/2 or 3) looks really close at the screen and then is so scarred! haha.... looking back now its really a funny memory. And I wish we had a picture of that moment! but we don't...
Anyway... Back to our Date (can anyone say bunny trail?)
After lunch we walked up and down the streets going into the little shops... we went in to the Swanky Fork and I love the color of the stores walls.... They are like a deep blue..almost navy blue but not quite. I hope to paint one of my kitchen walls that color!! If I do I will be sure to post that process!
If you asked us what we did in Red Lodge our answer would have to be..."check out all of the stores bathrooms" hahaha between both of us I am pretty sure we saw most of the public bathrooms there! haha we must have had too much coffee and water..
When we heading home we got in the car and did a U-turn from our parking spot to go the other direction.... Ops! And that U-turn happend to be illegal and a office was there to watch the whole thing... So we had to sit and wait.. but the officer was really understading because we really didn't know it was illegal. And we only got a warning! Thank you Jesus! .... David made a comment about how its fun when you get warrnings because you can talk about it but not feel so upset because of the ticket.. I am not sure if I totally understand that but I do know I was much happier knowing we were only getting a warning!
On our way home we decided to stop at the Laurel Pumpkin Patch! And I would have to say I had so much fun! We ran out in the pumpkin patch and looked for the perfect pumpkin to bring home with us! Here are some pictures of our fun Day!
We found our pumpkins and are now all set for our Pumpkin-Mainia on Friday!! Hope everyone had a great week! Please keep praying for our friends in Ethiopia and stay up to date with what they are doing here
On Saturday I had to work my usual shift at the coffee shop and David decided that he would take me out on a date day!.. I LOVE HIM!... I was giddy all morning waiting for the the date to begin!
I made us some coffees and we hit the road... David decided to take me do Red Lodge. For those of you reading who are not familiar with the town.... its a little ski town about an hour out of Billings! IT is really cute and has lots of great shops to look at. I always look forward to our road trips. I think it has something to do with the extended amount of time with my wonderful husband! We had an amazing hour of uninterrupted time to talk.... Can you guess that one of my lovely languages is "quality time"? It was a chilly day so I got to sport my black and" p-coat"and boots!
When we got into town we had lunch at Bogarts. Its a cute little restaurant on the main street that is based on the famous actor..Humphrey Bogart. And while we were waiting on our food we decided to Google Mrs. Bogart and found out some really fun facts about his life! David and I are always wanting to learn new things... We also had a differeance of opinion about what the first Disney Movie ever maid was.... I thought it was BAMBI... I was wrong(I hate having to admit that) and Dave was right..The first Disney film to be produced was Snow White in 1937!
When I was growing up my sister, Arianna, when to that movie in the theater! It had to be one of the times the re-did haha! But my memeory of seeing this movie then was looking over and seeing my sister with Wide Eyes, standing up watching the preview for the" Hocus Pocus" (trailer I couldn't find the same one but her is one anyway) and during one part ... The Red Head Witch gets really big on the screen and says that" BOOK" Thats when my sister (age 2 1/2 or 3) looks really close at the screen and then is so scarred! haha.... looking back now its really a funny memory. And I wish we had a picture of that moment! but we don't...
Anyway... Back to our Date (can anyone say bunny trail?)
After lunch we walked up and down the streets going into the little shops... we went in to the Swanky Fork and I love the color of the stores walls.... They are like a deep blue..almost navy blue but not quite. I hope to paint one of my kitchen walls that color!! If I do I will be sure to post that process!
If you asked us what we did in Red Lodge our answer would have to be..."check out all of the stores bathrooms" hahaha between both of us I am pretty sure we saw most of the public bathrooms there! haha we must have had too much coffee and water..
When we heading home we got in the car and did a U-turn from our parking spot to go the other direction.... Ops! And that U-turn happend to be illegal and a office was there to watch the whole thing... So we had to sit and wait.. but the officer was really understading because we really didn't know it was illegal. And we only got a warning! Thank you Jesus! .... David made a comment about how its fun when you get warrnings because you can talk about it but not feel so upset because of the ticket.. I am not sure if I totally understand that but I do know I was much happier knowing we were only getting a warning!
On our way home we decided to stop at the Laurel Pumpkin Patch! And I would have to say I had so much fun! We ran out in the pumpkin patch and looked for the perfect pumpkin to bring home with us! Here are some pictures of our fun Day!
 |
| haha the pinecone on the window looks like its part of my hair! |
 |
| I love this bench! |
 |
| We liked how this door was painted! |
 |
| Look at this one |
 |
| Look at this little guy! |
 |
| I can't find the perfect one yet |
 |
| These ones are cute |
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Ethiopia: please pray
I have had mixed feelings this week... and I think it is all because our church sent another team of people to Ambo Ethiopia... And I am not going this time. Don't get me wrong... I am so happy that the others are going and getting to experience one of my favorite places and see the faces of the orphans that many of our congregants sponsor.
BUT... there is a part of me that is broken inside because I am not going. My heart can't help but feel that Araque will think I don't love her because I didn't come back... or that the kids will forget about me! Is that silly? Maybe.. but I have to wonder. And will Araque connect with another person on the trip and then forget about me?
I guess this is another place where TRUSTING GOD comes into the Picture. I know that I LOVE these kids and nothing will ever ever EVER change that!! And there is always a reason for everything... GOD knows why... I Don't... and That is OK.
So I am praying for our Team these next two weeks... Praying that they are SAFE, Praying that GOD prepares their way and breaks down any walls that will keep them from doing GOD's work.
This trip will look a lot different than the previous ones.. in that instead of spending 100% of work time at "NEW HOPE" Orphanage, the team will be helping out the community of Ambo by rebuilding the Four Square Church. They will see the orphans but not as much as we are used to... So I will also be praying that the kids understand this change and adjust to this transition well. Pray that they don't feel "unloved" or "neglected" or "unimportant".... That they understand that God's LOVE is Bigger than US and HE has called our church to help the lost and the poor EVERYWHERE!!
Some really neat things are going to happen though our partnership with the community of AMBO ETHIOPIA and I am so glad that I get to be part of it! For example: In this past year... Faith Chapel has been able to find Sponsors for the Orphans so that each child has 3 sponsors and that fully meets NEW HOPE's Budget!!! HOW AWESOME IS THAT!
GOD has a plan for this Community!!! Then next BIG thing the orphanage is praying for is a new school building. They are facing the problem that many of the girls are a grade away from finishing the program and will then have to be forced to leave the orphanage.... but if there is another school building the orphanage can offer more classes and higher grades so that the girls can stay and complete their schooling before they have to leave.... (I'm not sure if that makes sense...?)
What they have don't once the boys have grown up... is they leave the orphanage and then move into a community home with a "house-mom" and go to public school (or high school)... and that seems to be working out well.... but the girls would not have the same opportunity (I don't think).... So I am asking you to PRAY with me and ASK GOD to provide a way for the School to become a reality!
GOD is BIG enough for that... we must trust HIM and BELIEVE that HE really can make anything happen!
Matthew 7:7 ~ Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened.
John 15:7~If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.
If you wish to follow along with our Mission Team in Ethiopia you can read their blog here
its a live feed (if they can connect to the internet) of what they are doing... join me in praying for them these next two weeks!
BUT... there is a part of me that is broken inside because I am not going. My heart can't help but feel that Araque will think I don't love her because I didn't come back... or that the kids will forget about me! Is that silly? Maybe.. but I have to wonder. And will Araque connect with another person on the trip and then forget about me?
I guess this is another place where TRUSTING GOD comes into the Picture. I know that I LOVE these kids and nothing will ever ever EVER change that!! And there is always a reason for everything... GOD knows why... I Don't... and That is OK.
So I am praying for our Team these next two weeks... Praying that they are SAFE, Praying that GOD prepares their way and breaks down any walls that will keep them from doing GOD's work.
This trip will look a lot different than the previous ones.. in that instead of spending 100% of work time at "NEW HOPE" Orphanage, the team will be helping out the community of Ambo by rebuilding the Four Square Church. They will see the orphans but not as much as we are used to... So I will also be praying that the kids understand this change and adjust to this transition well. Pray that they don't feel "unloved" or "neglected" or "unimportant".... That they understand that God's LOVE is Bigger than US and HE has called our church to help the lost and the poor EVERYWHERE!!
Some really neat things are going to happen though our partnership with the community of AMBO ETHIOPIA and I am so glad that I get to be part of it! For example: In this past year... Faith Chapel has been able to find Sponsors for the Orphans so that each child has 3 sponsors and that fully meets NEW HOPE's Budget!!! HOW AWESOME IS THAT!
GOD has a plan for this Community!!! Then next BIG thing the orphanage is praying for is a new school building. They are facing the problem that many of the girls are a grade away from finishing the program and will then have to be forced to leave the orphanage.... but if there is another school building the orphanage can offer more classes and higher grades so that the girls can stay and complete their schooling before they have to leave.... (I'm not sure if that makes sense...?)
What they have don't once the boys have grown up... is they leave the orphanage and then move into a community home with a "house-mom" and go to public school (or high school)... and that seems to be working out well.... but the girls would not have the same opportunity (I don't think).... So I am asking you to PRAY with me and ASK GOD to provide a way for the School to become a reality!
GOD is BIG enough for that... we must trust HIM and BELIEVE that HE really can make anything happen!
Matthew 7:7 ~ Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened.
John 15:7~If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.
If you wish to follow along with our Mission Team in Ethiopia you can read their blog here
its a live feed (if they can connect to the internet) of what they are doing... join me in praying for them these next two weeks!
 |
| Group picture in front of the orphanage October 2010 |
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Tuesday FUN
From my earlier post you will remember that I have been Crocheting like crazy this past week and I even was able to make a Puffy Slouch Hat by following this Pattern. It turned out really cute... but I think I used a larger gauge yarn than she did because mine is so BIG! haha and maybe its because I have a small head that it looks so big.... So then I decided to try it again but just decrease it by a few stitches.... Bad Idea ... i can't even get the hat on!! So i think I will stuff it and make it a really cute throw pillow! haha I will update this post with pictures sometime soon So you can all see it. maybe it will turn into a really fun mess up!
Today while Babysitting I decided we needed to do a cute Halloween Craft...
Earlier this year... sometime around Spring.... I cleaned out all of my craft drawers and put together a bag of "stuff" for the kids I babysit! It was great... because 1) i got rid of lots of things I never used... and 2) I have a great pile of craft supplies when we are in the mood to make something on Tuesdays! it was a WIN WIN decision.
Back today... I dug through the bag and found some pipe-cleaners, googly eyes, and then some paper cups from my Bridal Shower... hehe..
Because Halloween is right around the corner I decided it would be fun to make "cute" Scary Spiders!
- First I poked 8 holes around the lip of the cup... 4 on each side for the legs.
- I wanted to have him decorate the cups with spots or mod podge scraps of paper on the cups to make them cuter... but Jantzen isn't really Big on crafts....
- Then I cut 4 pipe cleaners in half to make the legs and inserted one into each hole in the cup.
- I twisted the legs together on the inside of the cup so they wouldn't fall out
- Then I had Jantzen put on the googly eyes and then we drew faces!!
Crocheting Headbands
So its been like an entire WEEK since I have blogged any thought!... and its all because I have been Crocheting in every spare second!! I was inspired by a few friends pictures. They are all crocheting blankets by using the Granny Stripe pattern... you can see that here at Attic 24. Its a pretty good tutorial to begin if you are interested in trying it. BUT to be completely honest I am not sure I have the patience to make an entire blanket!! I really like changing it up because I get bored of the same thing over and over again, but maybe one day I will try it because how awesome would it be if I said... "yeah I made that!!" haha....
But the project that has been consuming my time the last week is making the really cute Ear Warmer Headbands that are all the "rave" on Pintrest lately. I didn't have a pattern because I couldn't read it if I had one anyway... that is on my list of things to learn... So I just started with a basic foundation chain that was the size of my head and then went around changing the stitch to a larger height in the middle so the headband would be smaller where it buttoned at the base of the head/top of the neck.... Really I just made it up as I went and they turned out great!!.
I have the opportunity to sell them at a Craft Show coming up in November... and I really hope they do well, and that people here in Billings like them!
But the project that has been consuming my time the last week is making the really cute Ear Warmer Headbands that are all the "rave" on Pintrest lately. I didn't have a pattern because I couldn't read it if I had one anyway... that is on my list of things to learn... So I just started with a basic foundation chain that was the size of my head and then went around changing the stitch to a larger height in the middle so the headband would be smaller where it buttoned at the base of the head/top of the neck.... Really I just made it up as I went and they turned out great!!.
I have the opportunity to sell them at a Craft Show coming up in November... and I really hope they do well, and that people here in Billings like them!
 |
| This is the first flower I was able to make correctly.. haha I finally followed a pattern! |
 |
| This is one of my Instagram photos of my work space!! |
Monday, October 3, 2011
My Fall Resolution
Here I am... just sitting at home.. thinking about all the things I have been thinking about lately.... hahah make sense?
Well I want to Start a Fall Resolution... I fell like fall is the start to new things anyway so WHY wait until January???
Here let me explain.
Well I want to Start a Fall Resolution... I fell like fall is the start to new things anyway so WHY wait until January???
Here let me explain.
As many of you know, before David and my wedding I had been on a "Candida Free Diet" which really meant I couldn't eat ANYTHING.... ok not really... I couldn't eat sugar (in any form...natural or synthetic), no yeast products.. (so there goes bread & crackers... and pretzels.. and EVERYTHING), no Vinegar either because its made from yeast cultures...WHO KNEW! and Last but not least I couldn't eat any Milk products...I I could have eggs... and eventually I was able to introduce some plain organic yogurt into my diet... but for the most part I couldn't eat any dairy.
Back to the point... When I was eating this way I felt AMAZING.. and that is putting it mildly. Yes I was occassionally crabby because I had to eat this way durring all the yummy holidays.. YES I couldn't have the normal Thanksgiving and Christmas meals with my family... I got to steam veggies and eat them while everyone one else stuffed themselves with stuffing and gravy and homemade ice cream and my Papa's famous fudge!!! IT was Horrible... but like I said, I felt Amazing.
I kept this up for 8 months.... EIGHT MONTHS! And now since the wedding I have been eating everything and anything that I know I shouldn't have... WHY DO WE DO THIS? I know that everyone has there "thing" that they cant seem to do the right thing!! agghh Mine is with food. You would think that after 8 months I would no longer crave milk because it makes me sick... wrong. I work in a coffee shop and with every latte I make I want to have one for myself!! And... Evenutally I would give in to my "flesh" and drink the milk.... BAD ANDREA.
Okay I am going to back up a bit.... let me tell you what Candida is.. and why I went on this ridiculous diet. Candida is a type of yeast that is in almost all living creatures... but when our bodies become unbalanced... often due to antibiotics... the Candida can become overgrown and start taking over our bodies... thats why its called "Candida Overgrowth." It usually begins in a persons colon.. because that is where our bodies are the most "moist and dark". Lots of natural-pathetic doctors believe that untreated... Candida is the cause of many chronic illnesses... I can't spell any of them....haha
Now in order to treat the overgrowth of Candida in the body, you have to starve the yeast of what it feeds on.... so all the things I listed above...sugar!! Yeast products.. and Dairy (because its highly processed and takes a long time to digest so the Candida will have time to feed off of it as it passes through the body.. gross I know but that is why) ... here are some more sites that have good info on Candida:
How to test for Candida
Wikipedia Candida
The Candida Diet
The Candida Diet with Grapfruit Seed Extract
Anyway... back to me... I started this diet because and I saw results really fast... in the first month I dropped 16 pounds just by eating a strict "candida free" diet. I began to sleep better and have way more energy! YAY So my whole point in this post isn't to encourage you to do what I did.. but more for me to have others know about it.. encase it is some thing they think they have because it's not widely treated...
I also am planning on going back on this diet.... I think I will still eat fruit... just not the ones that are high in sugar like banana's because I can tell they don't make me fell well... So in some way this post is me.. asking you to help me be accountable to myself.... and stop putting things in my body that I know are going to make me feel like crap!!!
SO starting TODAY!! I will no longer be eating sugar and bread and dairy... if you know me.. please encourage me along the way! I would love that.
Some other things I am starting today:
- I am going to do 15 push-ups a day ( I know its not much... but its more that I have been doing...) I will do them right when I get done posting this.
- I will read one Psalm a day.... Today I read Psalm 107
- I will work on my making my Christmas Gifts NOW so I am not scrambling the week before.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)