ready to do

with so many things going on in my life, and still being so very blessed, i've had this amazing sense of joy.

maybe you're sick of hearing me say that?

yes, yes, yes.... ask my roommates -- i still have those days that aren't too pretty either. where sad things are sad and there's no way around that. yet through it all, i have an unwavering peaceful joy deep inside that keeps me anchored.

{if you want to know how and why, click on the pictures of Jesus under the headings of "i know who i am" and "i know God's plan" to the right of the page..... don't be afraid to simply learn a little about the religion that makes me so happy and is so very much a part of me!}

having said that, i've felt quite alive and ready to do things! why is this important? well....
i haven't felt this way in so very long!!!
my desire to create things and be adventurous is back!

so what have i done with this desire?
put it to use for a darling roommate's birthday, for one!


here are some adjectives to describe my five new roommates:
amusing and active alli
calm and careful carly
happy and harmonious haley
loyal and logical liza
sassy and sophistocated stephanie


one of them had a birthday last wednesday, so to celebrate i exercised some of my homemaking skills... and then i just kept going! i "caught the bug" and remembered how fun creating can be!

item #1

{supposed to be english toffee.... but it didn't turn out the way it was supposed to. i've probably made this recipe almost a dozen times and it's only ever "flopped" twice. i consider this the second.}

{it was waaaay too soft - at least for my liking. all the roommates said they loved it that way and ate it up fast to prove it! i got the recipe from my aunt susie, but i'll think about sharing it if i make them again and they're successful :) }

 item #2

{for these i needed a funfetti cake mix, but i didn't have one of those..... so i made my own. with flavored sprinkles that i used up before remembering to take a picture and seasonal sprinkles!}

{here's the batter for the "cake batter bars" - doesn't look like a whole heck of a lot but it sure puffed up like crazy in the oven!}

 

{again, i forgot to take a picture until after the roommates got to them, but they were yummy enough to be almost gone before the end of the night. i got the recipe here and then made my own changes. it's a good little recipe!}

item #3

{in order to create a covered book you need a) to know what you're doing b) thin scrapbook paper c) clear contact paper d) paper cutter and scissors e) lots of time, patience, glue sticks, and common sense}

*in case you were wondering ---- no. it took me a while to obtain items a and e. but eventually i got there!
as i obtained item e, i learned the specifics of items b and well, the whole thing. i did things wrong a lot, teaching me what not to do.

{the trick is to cut the scrap book paper even with the length (top/bottom) of the book and have excess trim on the edges (the front and back covers) to fold over}

{another trick is to slather the glue stick on both the paper and the book before applying them together - but make sure you place them in the correct spot the first time because they really will stick}

{with the contact paper, cut enough to have a good sized edge to fold over all around; however, you will cut all four corners off (triangle shape) to be able to fold the edges down neatly without any air bubbles or rippling. try to be precise, but don't be overly cautious. oh. and the book spine edge will be trimmed in the same way}

*{of course i messed up on one of my corners and cut too much contact paper off, so i decided to add a little bit of fancy decor to the front (ha!) in order to create a reason for another layer of contact paper}

{a final piece of decorative paper was placed on the inside of each cover so that the mess of mistakes was partially hidden from view}

item #4
....was a variation on this lady's craft for september's visiting teaching handout.

{though i don't have any pictures of mine, these are quite simple to make if you follow her directions and they're super-cute to give out for the v.t. message!}

from years of craft-making and lots of baking, i have finally come to accept that i will never reach any sort of level of perfection.

and that's ok. really.

it's the mistakes that give each piece of work character.
it's character that makes the work special, valuable, and fun.
each item is unique, and that makes it beautiful --- or at least a nice kind of different.



and of course, isn't that similar to the way we are as children of God?
are we not all special?

valuable? fun? unique? beautiful?

a nice kind of different?

i'm so grateful God gave me a desire to create.
i'm ecstatic this desire has returned.
i'm grateful for the insights i receive about life and people and myself while i create items full of character.

character just like me :)