Thank you cards for coworkers

Still learning how to do the card making thing. These are early ones. At this point, I've only done cards for mom and Janna. These are cards 3 & 4 EVER. I think I did alright.

Janna's Mother's Day gift

Janna's Mother's Day Card

Janna's Bookmark

Mother's Day

Up comes Mother's Day next. I have started shopping around in these little antique malls, places like Stars Antiques and Monticello Antique Marketplace and seeing old vintage postcards. Surely there is something to be done with these delightful old postcards. So I think "I'll make a card out of one". I found this great old "Mother" tea cup (and a "dad" one for Father's Day) and a postcard and voila! Mom's gift. Oh, I also made her a bookmark, which I'm pretty sure she's yet to use. I put them in a bag I created (which mom then recycled and gave to Janna, shhhh). 

Stephanie's bookmark

I made a second bookmark for her but it looks like I didn't take a picture of it. Oops!

Charlotte's gift box

I'm pretty sure Charlotte's gift box came next (i'm doing my best to try and keep them in order):

Paula's gift box

I didn't make a gift for Paula on my first go-around. I could only get the towels for her mom made, but I did manage to make her gift box. Here's a little looksy at that:

Not that great but we'll keep trying.

My Attempt At Embroidery

When I go visit my friend Paula and family, her parents have been bringing their camper over so I have my own space. I attempted to make a little "thank you" for her mom. I did a couple of tea towels for the camper. I put them in the gift box that I also made for her.

What Have I Been Up To?

I have no idea. Do people even still read blogs? The answer is Yes. I still read blogs but I have not been doing a very good job of keeping up on my blog.

The one thing I can really share with the folks in blogland is that I have been trying my hand at making things and I've been promising friends that I would post my creations here. I've been taking pictures of the things I've made but have not bothered to post the pictures. So, I thought I would take a few minutes and get some things posted. Put on your seatbelt. :)

The pictures here are of a little bunting, I guess that's what you'd call it, that I made. It's hanging over my bed at this point. This is the first thing I made when I decided to begin my crafting experiment. Not too shabby for my first attempt, if I do say so myself.

What Should Be Next?

I know that there hasn't been much happening here for quite some time. I'm not sure what I want to use this space for - or even if I want to continue using this space. It really isn't of any great importance to me if people are reading what I post here. I think we can all agree that blogs are really for the author in most cases. Maybe it would change for me if I suddenly became the Julie Powell of blogs(you know the one that's really famous right now for her cooking through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking and then blogging about it - there's a movie out about it right now). I use her as an example because I just finished her book for my book club. Perhaps I would then worry about whether or not people are reading what I write but right now I don't. This space is for me. I have been ignoring it for quite some time. Does this mean I'm ignoring myself? Am I not asking myself the questions that are most important and challenging to me? Am I not exploring the thoughts floating around in my head?

Things have changed a bit for me in the last couple of weeks. I have a new job. I am no longer commuting to and from Salem - thank you God! I've been leaving my house at 7:30 and returning at 5:30! So great! BUT...I can tell you right now that this is the same unfulfilling job as the last and one that I'm sure is going to drive me crazy soon enough. I feel a lot like Julie Powell did when she started her journey of cooking her way through Julia Child's book in a year. She had a job she hated (temporary - like mine) and knew she did not want to spend her days working in a purposeless job. I, like Julie, want an adventure - even if it is a seemingly silly one like cooking your way through a cookbook. After reading her account, I certainly am not interested in cooking my way through French food for the next year. Yuck! I can't say marinating kidney's and calf brains is what I want to try at this point in my life. But maybe Julie Powell is on to something. Maybe I need to make this my space for an adventure - whatever that may be. Could it be something fun? Could it be something really important - like what I'm learning about human trafficking? Could I become the next voice for the abolishment of modern day slavery? Could I start posting ideas for a shop of home decor I've been throwing around in my head? Could I share my ideas about how I think we should be using our faith in the public square (that could cause a lot more hostility than I care to have)?

The possibilities are endless.

Wow- it's been a really long time

I just realized that it's been like a hundred years since I wrote anything at all on this here blog. I still feel like I've not got much to say but I thought I'd catch people up if anyone cares.

I HATE my job. I mean I really HATE it. I got an apartment in Salem for about 5 months and could never actually bring myself to move my things in. I slept on an air mattress the whole time. I had my kitchen and bath things there and a chair and my TV. I finally decided to give up the apartment and move back into my parents' house and I am commuting again.

The nice thing about commuting is that at the end of the day I get to leave the job I despise behind - in a completely different city. I don't run into crazy students when I'm out and I get to see friends on a much more regular basis.

I am actively looking for other work so if anyone has ideas - I'd love to hear them. :) It's kind of weird because, OBVIOUSLY, I am thankful to have work when so many don't but I'm waiting for my body to react to the stress like it did when I work for "satan" at the surgeons' offices - anyone remember that???? I don't really want my body to eat itself (unless it's my belly fat). I'm not looking for open wounds again!

What a strange time of transition for so many. It's so strange because all of my friends that are working at Cascade are in the same boat. I don't know if I'm glad I'm not there for all of the sadness of closing the school or if I wish I were there to be with everyone in the final days. Can't go back - can only look forward, right???

I solicit prayers for new work. I've got some apps out and maybe one of them will pan out. I'm trying to remain hopeful. I've also got another project up my sleeves. I'm praying desperately for this to be the thing that pans out. I know it would change my life in amazing ways. I don't really feel like advertising it here on this public forum so I just ask if you love me to pray that this thing happens! It would be really great - and something I need desperately! I would be empowered to move on in great ways with my life.

I did run into my friend James on the street Saturday near the Starbucks he works at. He suggested I consider going and teaching English in Europe for a year. Maybe that's the ticket! I could handle Europe for a year, I think!

I think we could all look at the history of this blog and see that I have been searching for something for quite some time. I'm tired of talking about it and want to take action. It's just hard to know which direction to go. I suppose any action at this point is better than sitting around and waiting for life to happen to me. Do you just go and hope that you're doing something good? Do you try to hear the voice of the Lord leading you in a specific direction? Wise readers I solicit your opinions...

call + response

Please check this out. This is real - and it's happening in our neighborhoods.

nothing to say

I don't like that I don't keep up with this blog. So much has happened in the last three months and I feel like I don't have any words to share about any of it. The good and the bad. I want to share my thoughts on the closing of Cascade, the election, my new job, the passing of a friend, my hopes and dreams for the future, and my fears and failures, yet I can't seem to find the words. I usually have plenty of words but I haven't had any lately. I'm not sure what that means. Hopefully it will change soon.

YES WE CAN!!!!