What I am doing for Lent 2012



Fat Tuesday has come and gone.

I often wonder if people who celebrate it realize

its purpose.

We are now entering the weeks before Easter.

It is supposed to be the 40 weekdays leading up

to Easter Sunday.

I know that Lent is man-made activity, it is not

in the Bible.

I choose to observe it to give me a more intentional

focus.  I am in deep prayer for the week before

Ash Wednesday (which is today).

I ask God to show me where/what he wants me

to put my focus.

If you recall, last year he had me doing intentional

blessings.  It was a difficult but rewarding task.

I also choose to continue my Lenten Focus on weekends.

I do not feel it is genuine if I have weekends off...this isn't

a work week thing.

My spiritual growth has been a work in progress as it was meant to be for Christians.

If we try to do ALL the stuff in one shot, we would FAIL.

The area God has me focusing on this season is.........

MY CURSING (cussing if you are an Okie).

YES!!!  I have a FOUL mouth...ugh.

There I said it!!!!

Now don't get me wrong, I would NEVER say GD....and only if

I were realllllly made did I let loose with an "F" bomb.

Which in my little brain was okay.

Then God pointed me to this verse in the Bible.

LUKE 6:45

⁴⁵ The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

I tried to quickly skim right on by that verse....

then came

LUKE 6:46

⁴⁶ “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?

UGH!!!!

How do you argue with that?????

So, here I go.....giving up CURSING.

He doesn't have me JUST giving up cursing....no!  of course not!

I now have 100 one dollar bills.

Every time I let lose with a curse word, the person hearing it

is allowed to ask for $1 for every bad word.

On Easter Sunday, whatever amount I still have left will be given to God.

Why am I doing the money thing?

Because I am either witnessing FOR God or AGAINST God.

Would I rather give the money for God's work or Satan's work?

At the end of Lent, I will figure out how often I let Satan

speak for me.

If I run out of money, I will get another $100 and keep going.

Just know that if you haven't started cursing yet....DON'T START!!!

I want to have that moment when I get startled and the

"S" word doesn't fly out of my mouth.

I CAN DO THIS!!!!

I CAN DO THIS!!!

With God's help, I CAN DO THIS!!!



I Shot a Preacher and His Family at a Church!

Believe it or not, Jesus still loves me!!!

Meet the Davis family.

They like to have family pictures made to remember

their appointed churches.

I was very excited to get the honor to "shoot" them.

I didn't expect that I would end up so nervous, I couldn't relax.

I also didn't think the coloring of the church would play

games with me.

These two pictures are rare for the Davis family.

They very rarely get to all sit in a pew together as a family.

Why?  Well, DUH, he is a PREACHER.

Also, she is a very talented musician and is

often in the worship band.

So, anyhow...this is normally a WILLLD AND CRAZY family!

Taking serious pictures, was hard for me.

I promise, I will get them away from the church to

have a great time getting their real personalities.

Did you just GASP?  I have a picture of the PREACHER

kissing his WIFE in front of the CHURCH!!!

Poor preachers....sort of like teachers....people don't

want to believe they are NORMAL.

I also have a picture of them KISSING INSIDE the church!

It didn't turn out though....boo hoo!!!

It would have been an great pictures.

This is my new creation!!!

I woke up in the middle of the night with this idea.

I put out the plea for a family to try it.

The family I chose, never got with me.

I decided to do it with the Davis family.

Just imagine the possibilities with this.....Grandkids spelling

out GRANDKIDS.  Oh my mind is going 100mph about

the possibilites.

Thanks Davis family for letting me shoot you at the church.

I promise I won't be as nervous next time...if there is a next time... :)

What Inspires You?

There are times in my life where I just want to express my

joy through creativity.

In my Sunday School Class, we are currently studying the book, Weird, by Craig Groeschel.

He spoke about Esau giving up his birthright

for a bowl of red stew.

To the casual reader, one might think SO WHAT......it is just a birthright.

When you study deeper, you learn that the birthright is a bit

more than what it means in today's world.

Esau traded the ultimate for the immediate pleasure of red stew.

Esau could have been the one who was blessed by Isaac, son of Abraham.

Esau could have been the one that carried the line

straight to Jesus.

Abraham, Isaac and Esau......

It was more than a birthright.

It is ALWAYS more than the immediate satisfaction.

Instead, Jacob got to carry on the birthright.

If you don't let God use you, He WILL find someone else.

Are you trading a bowl of red stew for something that will later be meaningless?

What are you trading for the Ultimate?

Do You Participate in Lent?

I do believe that Lent is a great time to be more intentional in my spiritual growth.  Each year, I pray about my growth and ask God to lead me to where He wants my focus.  Usually, I am leaning towards "sacrificing" something...such as no soda pop, no chocolate....but this year was different.  This year, God said, "Don't give up, just GIVE."  Hmmmm....give?  So, here is what I did.....I choose to be a blessing to others INTENTIONALLY.  I listened to God's small whisper to guide me.....sometimes I heard it loud and clear, others....I think I might have ignored it.... :(.  I am not going to add pictures to this post because it is certainly LONG enough with NO PICTURES.

Day 1: I took some pictures and blessed 5 families with copies of their pictures. I also made a batch of rolls and took them to GLOW and gave them to the first person who asked about them and in turn, they shared with others.

Day 2 Blessings: We drove through McDonald's drive-thru and paid for the people behind us. I did NOT expect them to drive up beside us and STOP....that threw me off. I just rolled down the window said "I'm passing on the love, know God loves you." They said they knew and thank you. :)

Day3 Blessings: I prayed for each car that passed me while I traveled to OKC. Many people were lifted yesterday. :)

Day 4 Blessings: For our housekeeper at the hotel. When I returned & got in bed, the note was neatly folded and place INSIDE my pillow case..LOL Was that to let me know she got it?

Day 5 Blessing: Because I wasn't sure if the housekeeper spoke english, I got a little more creative and wrote note in spanish. If you can't tell, the $5 is made into a dress..looks vintage doesn't it?

Day 6 Blessing: A little more spanish a little more origami and a little more joy in my life.

Day 7 Blessing: It was rather simple, I resisted an urge to not really scare a woman who walked around the corner while I was crouched on the floor looking at something. If you know me, you know how hard it was for me! So really we were both blessed.

Day 8 Blessing: I blessed 2 girls with the ride of their life touring Bricktown on Segways! Once again, I was blessed as well

Day 9 Blessing: I made a homemade pizza for Carly since she has been such a blessing and watching the house while I was at OKC. (I am back early because David's grandfather, Coy Baker, passed away.) Thank you Carly for blessing others. I love you!!!

Day 10 Blessing: I let 2 people move ahead of me at the check out even though they had full carts and I had 2 items. :)

Day 11 Blessing: I admit, it won't sound like much, but it was a BIG deal for me. I held my tongue when I was ready to jump up and scream at some people. I am not an actor and never claimed to be one. People can tell when I am upset or disagree......I managed to bless someone by not saying anything. The names shall remain anonymous. :)

Day 12 Blessing: I sent ice cream to youth last night!

Day 13 Blessing: I gave a roll of quarters to an unsuspecting person. :) Do you know how easy it is to drop those in someone's purse?

Day 14 Blessing: I put together 2 trash sacks of clothes for the Love Closet on Saturday from 9 - 2 at the First United Methodist Church! If you have extra hangers or paper bags, we could use them also. We will be at the church Fri. night at 6pm to set up

Day 15 Blessing: I drove through Taco Bell's drive thru and paid for the people behind me. This time, I made an escape before they were able to drive up beside me! A blessing for me is hearing that my friends are trying to pass on blessings as well....makes my heart swell

Day 16 Blessing: I shot some pigs. :)  (Before you freak out, it was a photoshoot)

Day 17 Blessing: I took an hour to pray for people who have requested prayers. Please know that each one of you were lifted in my prayers.

Day 18 Blessing: The LOVE CLOSET! We gave away over 200 bags of clothing! Save your clothes, we will have another one before school starts back.

Day 19 Blessing: Wow.....I didn't intentionally do a thing....must do 2 today!!! tsk, tsk......

Day 20 Blessing(s): I bought a gallon of milk for a stranger. I was stopped by a train and for every car that passed, I prayed for each person that God placed on my heart. To that certain person who was brought up more than once, I specifically prayed for your depression to be lifted. ;)

Day 21 Blessing: I chose to allow cars to get in front of me....and then I prayed for each one.

Day 22 Blessing: I made a batch of rolls for a family. In this, I discovered that if I let the rolls rise longer...they are much more fluffy and I like them better. :)

Day 23 Blessing: I bought a few packages of panties and socks to give away at the next LOVE CLOSET in July. We were really shocked at how fast those thing went at the LOVE CLOSET. Every person should get to enjoy the feeling of new under garments.....not hand me down ones. :)

Day 24 Blessing: I bought lunch for some special friends. I also supported a fundraiser. I shall not mention that I also pulled an April Fool's joke on my "nameless" hairdresser.....who knew letting out a blood curdling scream while she is ripping off my eyebrow could get a reaction like that..... :/

Day 25 Blessing: We bought dinner for some new friends. I gave random hugs.

Day 26 Blessing: I used a blessing God gave me to bless a family with some family portraits.....and they turned out half decent even with the wind blowing 500 mph!

Day 27 Blessing: I changed a program I was going to give at a group yesterday by listening to my heart. I encouraged the group to write down their "story" and share it with others. We have a woman in the group who is turning 100! She said she didn't believe anyone would want to hear her story! What is something about your life you would like to make sure is passed on for others to remember?

Day 28 Blessing: I went barefoot all day to encourage people to think about those in the world without shoes. I believe I got at least 5 pairs of shoes to be donated to our LOVE CLOSET!

Day 29 Blessing: I spent some special time with the XS Group yesterday. Although, I do believe they are more of a blessing to me. :) I don't think a time goes by without laughing. Wait until you see the train pictures....bahahahahahah.

Day 30 Blessing: I gave a small sack of soap, shampoo, toothpaste and some change to a person standing on the corner needing help. :(

Day 31 Blessing: I bought 2 more packages of socks for the LOVE CLOSET. I encourage you to do the same please. Socks, underwear and bras were some of the first things to be gone at the LOVE CLOSET. The next closet is July 30th.

Day 32 Blessing: There was a lady at an estate sale who ran out of cash and I paid for her items. :)

Day 33 Blessing(s): We bought lunch for some people. I shot some photos of some girls. I helped with a Sunday School class. I did NOT scare the girls after watching a scary movie...because they made me PROMISE

Day 34 Blessing: I failed....must. work. on. it. today.

Day 35 Blessing: I mailed some random people cards to cheer them up. Making up for Day 34, I took someone's cart back to the little cart parking spot for them at the store.

Day 36 Blessing: I parked at the back of a parking lot and as I walked into the store, I prayed for each person and/or car I passed. I prayed God's abundant blessings and the wisdom to recognize them for each one.

Day 37 Blessing: I judged some FFA Creeds last night at the District Speech Contest. Glad I went....they were having a hard time getting all their judges with the storms. I believe in the future of agriculture.....

Day 38 Blessing: I blessed my Carl with a wonderful romantic night at home.....sigh....The rolls were part of the dinner I planned...Chicken Alfredo....yummo!!!

Day 39 Blessing: I attended a benefit event that supports a medical clinic in Ecuador where American physicians provide care to indigent families... and train local medical residents. I also blessed a woman by paying for her dinner. :)

Day 40 Blessing: I made cinnamon rolls (from a can) for the children's camp fundraiser at church. I also helped Amy while she teaches jr. high sunday school.

Day 41 Blessing: While at Braum's I let a woman go ahead of me. When I got my item, it was rung up wrong.....at least $3 less than what I owed. I corrected the cashier and paid the correct amount. She said, "Wow, that is a first, I've never had someone tell me they owe more than they were charged." she thanked me and thanked me. That broke my heart.....why do people think that is ok to cheat business?

Day 42 Blessing: I gathered stray carts at Wal-Mart and put them in their little parking spot. I know, it is lame.... I shall do better today. :)

Day 43 Blessing: Apparently I didn't take the cart pushing blessing seriously enough. I kid you not, I had to run into Wal-Mart and didn't notice the carts.....til I walked into one! I looked around, and they are all over the place! So, guess what day 43 blessing was? I promise, I will not underestimate the blessings God puts on my heart.....pinky swear!!!

Day 44 Blessing: I went through the drive-thru at McDonald's and paid for the person behind me. One thing has really surprised me each time I've done this....it has been less than $10. I was actually paranoid I was going to have someone who had a $20 order or something....actually only one time did it go over $5. This is one blessing I think I shall continue beyond the Lenten season. :)

Day 45 Blessing: I dropped a $20 bill into a woman's purse as I walked past her....she was busy looking at something on a bottom shelf. (Next time, I will do an origami design) It was just a spontaneous thing....making mental note: carry origami bills in my purse. :)

Day 46 Blessing (Final Day): While grocery shopping, I helped 2 women do their shopping...one was in a wheel chair. I got them a cart, which they didn't have and I gave them one of my shopping bags. I also helped them get to their car.

Final thoughts:  I do believe I was blessed far more than I actually blessed!  This kept me focused through the Lenten season....I felt closer to God this year than any other previous year.  Thanks for letting me share with you!  I hope you had a beautiful Easter!!

God loves you....oh YES He does!!!

    

When God Puts Something on Your Heart.....

Do you respond immediately?

Do you wait to get "clarification" that it is actually from God?

Do you push it to the side and ignore it, hoping it was a fleeting thought?

More than a year ago, I felt God's tug on my heart.

It might have even been longer than a year....I'm not sure.

While looking around my own life, I saw clutter.

In a cleaning frenzy, I must admit that I have just thrown

clutter in the trash can to make my life feel less

cluttered.

It worked.

The freeing feeling was amazing....at first.

Then that "cluttered" feeling crept back into my life.

So, once again I decluttered.

I threw clutter in the trash.

I felt free again.

Then HERE it came again!

That feeling I just couldn't shake.

How many times would I have to declutter to get rid of

that nagging feeling I was doing something wrong?

Finally, I stopped.

I prayed.

I opened my Bible.

I tuned into God.

I listened.

God revealed to me His infinite wisdom.

SHARE.

LOVE.

LIVE.

I prayed some more.

Here is what I heard.....

Instead of throwing away perfectly good "clutter".

SAVE IT.

STORE IT.

WHAT?????  Did I HEAR that correctly?

Um, Dear God....I said I have CLUTTER and you want me to SAVE IT and STORE IT?

HELLLLOOOOOO.....

I questioned whether he really understood my problem.

I sat on it for at least a year....surely he didn't want me to SAVE and STORE my clutter.

One day while at my Thursday Sisters' Bible Study....I blurted out a suggestion...

"Hey, what if we had a clothing closet at church and gave away clothes?"

I think I hoped they would not show any excitement...and then I would

know for sure it was not a GOD thing.

WRONG!!!

They were almost TOO excited.

Matter of fact, the entire plan was hatched, planned and set in stone on the church

calendar that very day.

MARCH 26, 2011 would be the very first LOVE CLOSET.

We started spreading the word to save gently used and new clothes.

We facebooked it, we put it in the newspaper, we advertised in the church bulletin.

We made fliers for school, we made fliers for the local food pantry.

We collected items - we asked for ladders and hangers and broomsticks.

This last picture is all that is left of the March 26, 2011 LOVE CLOSET.

(Minus the kids.)

We planned to be open from 9:00am - 2:00pm.

People were at the door at 8:00am.

Each person received a paper grocery sack (Donated by Reasors Grocery).

If they could get it in the sack, they could take if FOR FREE.

Of course in the planning stages we had the nay sayers....but what ifs and so on....

we stood strong and said we would do this from the love in our hearts and

not judge whether someone "really" needed the things or not.

We didn't have any problems because

we knew we were tuned in to what God was calling us to do.

When we finished and locked up on that March 26th day, my heart was

swelling with LOVE and relief for God's children.

Here I sit, typing this post and can honestly say my heart hasn't deflated a smidgen.

Matter of fact, I think I continues to grow bigger.

Our next LOVE CLOSET will be a BACK TO SCHOOL LOVE CLOSET.

We are already SAVING IT and STORING IT.

Thank you God for continuing to whisper to me until I could take it no more.

By SAVING IT and STORING IT, we were able to SHARE IT and SHOW LOVE and in return, LIVE!!

(Thanks Tresa for noticing I had last year's date...oops...it is 2011, sorry)

My Attempt at Making Homemade Noodles w/ Goat Milk

On Wednesdays at our church, we offer a variety of classes.

The classes are usually 8 weeks long.

This season, they offered a canning and cooking class.

Canning has always scared me for some reason....don't ask me why...I guess

all the horror stories of the pressure cooker injuries did it.

The first week, we made jalapeno jelly....which sounded quite disgusting to me

until I tried it.

The 2nd week, we made homemade noodles.

Our teacher, Missy, has a small homestead farm.

I kid you not, they butcher their own chickens!

They also raise goats for milk.

After you mix to a crumbly consistency:

3 c. flour

2 beaten eggs

1 tsp. baking powder

You add 3/4 - 1 c. of milk...we used goat milk.

Then you GET YOUR HANDS REALLY MESSY!

You mix and mix and squish and squish

until it is a good dough that bounces back when

you poke it.

You divide the dough into 3 equal balls.

and begin rolling it out on a floured surface.

ROLL IT TO PAPER THIN CONSISTENCY.

At this point, we transferred it to our cookie sheets to take

home and finish the process.

If you are already at home, you just leave it there to dry overnight.

You can cut the noodles while wet or wait until dry.

Once dried, break to appropriate size and either use in meal or freeze.

There are MANY MANY videos on youtube.com that show you

how to make noodles.

One thing we noticed....we all went home with "flour bellies".
Flour belly #2

Flour belly #3

Flour belly #4

Flour belly #5

Here is my dough at home.....waiting to dry......

TAH DAH!!! This is a one gallon bag...I made thin and thick noodles.

So, it made about a 1/2 gallon bag of noodles.

It was quite simple and I am sure after practice, I will get it down and they will

be much prettier....

Next week, we are making homemade spaghetti sauce....WHEEEE!!!

Cute Dessert Flags (FREE Download)

To download these adorable dessert pennants, just CLICK HERE.

I am going to put these in my lemon bars that I am making for

a church dessert auction....SU-WEET!

Thanks to awesome people who put this stuff on the Internet and help

us with the blahs of everyday life!

Is God YOUR BFF?

I know I've talked about a small group...VERY small group in more ways than one...these girls are TINY!

We are starting a new school year and want to have new ideas to keep us inspired to keep God #1 in our lives.

We meet once a week all year long.

Last year, we studied the book, "Do Hard Things", by Brent and Alex Harris.

I would encourage all teens to read this book...as well as their parents.

XS Group wants to get out of the low expectations of teens.

They want to BE the change!

I will take a picture each week of the girls holding a new verse...they will make that verse their focus for the week and see how God works with that verse each week.

They will also work the local outreach once a month...because it is held once a month.

They are also sacrificing their "wants" to put back money to possibly buy a heifer for a 3rd world family....they haven't quite decided what to do with it yet...they are seeking God's will. They started saving money in January and hope to have over $500 by the end of December.

I am very excited with their enthusiasm.

They each also took $10 to use their "talents" to make the $10 grow and give back.

One is making luggage tags that are just ADORABLE!

One is making spiritual necklaces that will look amazing on anybody!

I am selling fairy doors....

If you are interested in seeing any of the items, just leave a comment and I can post pics.

Our group Bible verse is Psalm 25:21, May integrity and honesty protect me, for I put my hope in You.

These girls are LIVING it!!

XS Group: What Does XS Stand For?

Several years ago, I became a small group leader through my church. We had hoped to get the youth involved and become bonded with one another.

I never really thought about how involved and bonded I would become....

Here are two members of XS Group, Naomi and Kimi.

(Not a fancy name..it really means Xtra Small Group...LoL)

Over the years, girls have come and girls have gone...sometimes to the point where we can't even qualify as a SMALL group...thus, the name.

Currently, there are 5 girls attending XS Group which means I actually have to use a church van to transport if all show up!

On this day, we had two girls come to XS Group.

We meet once a week after school.

Currently, we are reading Alex and Brett Harris' book, Do Hard Things.

This is a wonderful book in which all teens should read.

It helps teens realize that the teen years are for doing great things and to stop stooping down to the low expectations that are put on them.

Yes, that is correct...LOW expectations. (CLICK HERE FOR THEIR BLOG)

Seriously, most teens are expected to make their bed and make good grades and be good. Alex and Brett believe there is so much more that can be done while a teen. Did I mention that they were only 19 when they WROTE the book?

On this particular day, since all weren't here, we just headed to the local pizza place and did a tiny Bible study.

Teens deal with a lot of stress and sometimes, they feel very tiny in God's HUGE world. So, I spent some time putting together very tiny letters and basically told them that when they feel very small in God's world to just remember:

Matthew 10:30 says: And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

Wow! When I think I am small...to just know that God knows HOW MANY hairs are on on MY head...UHMAZING!

I also, referred to:

Hebrews 5:13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

The tiny letter told them that I was proud that they made XS Group a priority and that meant that they were moving from the milk to the meat in their spiritual life. I also shared that sometimes we go back to the milk, but there will always be room for the meat.

The letters were put into tiny envelopes I created especially for the tiny letters (I had to use a magnifying glass to read it...they didn't). The tiny envelopes were put into a prayer capsule that the girls can keep on their key chains. My prayer is that they will add their own special prayers to this capsule and see them being answered one by one in God's special timing.

To my XS Group: I have experienced the ups and downs with you. I have cried and laughed with you. My heart has filled with joy of happiness and at times, been trampled by pain. I chose to walk this walk with you...sometimes me dragging you and sometimes you pushing me to go further. Thank you for including me in your Christian walk. My life is forever changed!

I love you!!!

Traci

Psalms 25:21 (Our XS Group Bible verse)

Parade of Aprons and A Donna McIntosh Original

This is Donna, she makes incredible things.

You might remember her from the Primitive House Tour I did.

Here she is holding what I managed to outbid people for at

our annual UMW Spaghetti Dinner.

I love the vintage-iness of the wreath.

Look, it even has a Little Golden Book of

Goldilocks and the Three Bears!

Do you see the THREE BEARS?

Here is another creation....sorry for the terrible pics, I didn't

have much time and didn't have anyone to hold up the wreath.

Now, on to the parade of aprons.
In September, I taught an apron making class.
Should I mention that I've never even made an apron before?
Well, guess what? I still managed to have people make some great aprons.
Not to mention, I had several sewers in the class that were a true blessing!
Below is Regan...no, she didn't make the apron...no, she wasn't in the class...
I just thought she looked so cute in the apron.


This is Christy. She DID make this apron in the class.
It is made from two tea towels.
Christy DOES sew.



This is Leah and Deb.
Leah cheated and bought an apron that someone from the church made....
someone that didn't come to our apron class...I think
whoever made it, needs to teach the class next time.
Deb is wearing the apron I made. My very first apron.
She won it at my Pampered Chef party.
I need to make her a smaller version...this one swallows her!!

This is Julie.
Julie took the class.
Julie made her apron.
Julie just had a baby.
Julie is probably talking on the phone
to make sure baby is ok.
Julie has a family that sews, but Julie is learning.
Julie has her own blog.
Hopping Farms