Mattie Babb

Fatherhood Wisdom

2011-07-09T21:23:00.001-05:00

Take for a post on fatherhood from A Cup of Jo:

3. “My wife acted a little like she was on drugs.”
Up until you have a baby, whatever happens, you and your wife pretty much respond the same way. You're on the same wavelength. But once the baby arrives, every thing that happens, your wife has a 90-degree different take.

Joanna's highs were higher, and her lows were lower. Her general joyfulness was so high; she was starry-eyed and blissed out. On the flip side, she was more anxious. She was more inclined to take any negative thing to heart—such as Toby fussing while we changed his diaper. I figured his fussing was a small, unfortunate but inevitable thing, but it felt incredibly urgent to Joanna. She got really upset by his crying—for her, it was like an alarm clock was going off inside her. She had an extreme surge of anxiety at any possible sign of disturbance to Toby, whereas I would address his crying but it wouldn't bother me on an emotional level. I just thought, Oh, all babies cry, he'll be ok.

It's like being with someone on drugs. You're on a different plane. You look at your wife, and you have to imagine, 'What exactly are you feeling? How does the world look to you right now?' Then you have to figure out how to respond the way she would want.

Everything does come back down to earth again. Your wife no longer feels those extreme surges at both ends of the emotional spectrum and becomes more like her old self (which is a relief to her, too), and you get more acclimated and feel like your old self. By about month nine, we found ourselves settling back into our old rhythms and feeling like ourselves again (see below:).

I find this so profound and interesting. Shouldn't we view every relationship this way? "What exactly are you feeling" How does your world look to you right now?" I love how beautifully detailed Alex lays out this description of his wife's emotions and reactions compared to his. He's gently acknowledging the difference and he even touches on reaction! I'm such a fan of reactions!! They are so important. Gah. Can you imagine the community between people who thought about their neighbor's perspective like that? I know relationships in my life would look different. Arguments would change. Doors would be opened.

So cool.

...Oh, hey, blog.

Things I Just Need to Say Out Loud

2011-02-08T23:25:00.000-06:00

“And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”
Romans 8: 26-28

Conflict, in God’s eyes, is a great opportunity to show His glory… even when it is caused by sin. Even in the midst of great stress.

1 Peter 4:14

2011-01-06T11:30:00.000-06:00

I'm excited this morning. I guess I'm realizing how much I take for granted that the Spirit of the Lord does work in us 24/7. I take it for granted, and I quickly forget. But today I am reminded.
Even when I don't recognize it, the Spirit moves and changes hearts. How amazing that we get to live life with a higher power, the One that holds everything in place, the One that changes lives and surpasses death, works in my heart nonstop? I know this isn't anything new, but it's cool to stop and think about.
Luke and I have been challenging ourselves to recognize the Spirit at work in our lives. We've been pushing ourselves into acknowledge the Spirit in our lives, our flesh, the world, and the enemy. Because really, they are all at work, and figuring out which one is causing us to act is quite the battle. But good news is, the more we recognize, the more we abide, the more we fight, the easier the battle. AND THE SPIRIT WORKS 24/7 IN US! Another cool thing, the battle has already been won completely on the cross. How exciting will it be when we meet our Lord, leave this broken world where the battles go on, and live in perfect peace with Jesus, the Spirit, and God! All in one.
So cool.
{And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18}{for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Philippians 2:13}

the Christmas Beard.

2010-12-28T12:50:00.000-06:00

Well, hello!

Did you have a fabulous Christmas? I know we sure did.

More pics later, but here's a silly present my mom made Luke.

He loved it, of course.

oh, you. are. welcome.

Community and Dating: Abide

2010-11-20T16:10:00.002-06:00

Abiding.

Luke and I always knew that God had to be the center of our relationship. We've always said that was our goal. We've always been told that's what it means to live life together as a Christian couple. God had to be the center.

So now let me tell you:

We had no. idea. what. that. meant.

And we're pretty sure no one telling us knew either.

In an effort to be the "spiritual leader" in our relationship (whatever that meant), Luke was always searching for ways to make God the center. He sought after Christian dating books, advice, we even thought about doing a bible study once a week together.

Although these are all great things in a relationship, I knew that this wasn't it. We were still missing it. Yes, we wanted God to "be the center," but I just kept feeling that these tactics had us still missing the point. I kept telling him that I didn't know why or how these things wouldn't work, or what would, but that I still thought there was something else that needed to be done to make Him the center.

Throughout the years, we figured it out. And the answer was abiding. If you know me well, you know that this is a topic that is near to my heart. I've spoken on it a little bit before, but to sum it up, a few years ago I realized what it meant to truly abide. And then I realized that most Christians were clueless as to what it meant. And THEN I had a yearning to teach people what it meant. Throughout all of this, I realized that abiding was not only the foundation for a life with Christ, but also the foundation for a life with Christ with Luke.

In a nut shell, abiding to me is more than reading your bible in the morning during "quiet time." It's more than saying your prayers on a timely basis. It's more than listening to klove all day. It's more than going to church. It's an all day, every day process that keeps your heart aligned with His constantly. Your actions reflect your heart when it is rooted in the Lord all day, and eventually you won't know what it's like to make decisions without going to the Lord first. The Lord is your default. His in your head all day. Everything revoles around Him. And I believe that that abiding looks differently for everyone. God has created us all so wonderfully different, wired us up all uniquely, so your abiding will be 100% yours. Your prayers, your time in the Word, your life will look different than another's who is abiding as well. And you should always be on guard when someone else counsels you to abide a certain way that doesn't line up with scripture.

When you are living life in a community of believers (your church, your friends, your family, etc.), each of you have to be abiding separately. Whenever my community group meets together on Tuesday night, if we haven't been abiding alone throughout the week, there is no way we can abide together. There is no way we can grow, mature, and bear fruit together if we haven't been growing, maturing, and bearing fruit on our own. Same with church on Sunday. We can't just take what we learn and leave it where we learned it. If we're not actively seeking out the Lord by ourselves, then we can't seek Him together. It just doesn't work that way. We can believe that our times together are bearing fruit, even if we aren't doing anything on our own in the week, but it's a disguise. Our hearts as a whole won't reflect Him, if our hearts alone don't. End of story.

And that's what it takes to make God the center of our dating relationship. Luke and I have to abide separately to abide together. There is nothing we can do together to make us work, if we aren't doing those things alone. It's crazy how it works really. If I'm living my life from the Lord, and if he's living his life from the Lord, somehow our life together becomes from the Lord also even if there weren't any kind of works that we did to make it that way together. Abiding separately = abiding together. I don't know how or why the formula works, but it does. Yes, we can still pray together, worship together, have a bible study together, and those will all be great things that will strengthen our relationship, but those works will all be for nothing if we aren't doing those things individually. Abiding is our foundation. Having our hearts separately lined up with His (which also means together lined up with His. remember the formula) will truly solve every other Christian dating relationship problem we ever come across. Everything else from here on out will come from that truth and that foundation.

Just like community.

(And here are some Sufjan songs I can't stop playing.)

(google readers pop out)

New York Prayers

2010-11-15T21:57:00.000-06:00

After being on the wait list for about a month, I finally got into a field study course in New York at the end of May!! I am SO very excited because I didn't think a spot would open up in time. I was a little behind turning in my application because I didn't think I'd have the money to go.

The course isn't really a "course" in New York. We'll be in the classroom at LSU for a day or two prior to leaving for pre program seminars. Then we'll leave for New York on May 21 and return May 28. While in New York, we'll be attending scheduled appointments with textile, apparel, and accessories manufacturers, retailers, buying offices, trade associations, forecasting agencies, and other fashion related enterprises. I always have figured that I'll end up in New York eventually in my career with it being the US's central apparel market, but when will I ever have the opportunity to visit these places all in one week?! And it gets better! This class replaces the gosh awful Advanced Textiles course I'm scheduled to take my senior year. Praise Jesus!!!

Although our itinerary isn't set in stone yet, some places they've visited before are below.

Here are some ways I'll be praying for this trip:

That my flesh doesn't take over with all things New York related. That includes handling money saved for the trip, tricking myself into believing that I need a new outfit for every day there, getting too big for my britches, etc. I'm going on this trip to #1: learn. I'm being affirmed more and more every day that this is what I want to do, and understanding my roll in this apparel world. I don't want to cloud that understanding with materialistic and superficial thoughts that come along with the job. No, I don't need a new outfit for every day spent on the trip. No, it doesn't matter who I'm wearing when I meet important people. Yes, the clothes on my body should be worn with confidence in acknowledging that Lord has provided for me. No, I don't need to spend tons of money while I'm there.

There are so many things He's preparing my heart for, but these are just a few that initially come to mind when I think about the trip.

But, oh, I'm sure there are more to come!!

x.o.

Farewell, vain world!

2010-11-15T00:55:00.000-06:00

I've briefly mentioned this before, but just recently I have had an overwhelming desire to have the Lord work on my heart on the issue of death. And an ever more overwhelming desire to teach other people about it. The only people I've spoken to about the topic are Luke and my cgroup, and I'm pretty sure both parties have looked at me a little crazy for it at some point in time. No really, I've brought this topic up with my community group several times in the past month, and I'm not sure I did a job well enough of convincing. Well, tonight my pastor preached so eloquently on the subject and I couldn't be more excited and grateful!

In my mind, from what I understood of death, I always thought that if should be celebrated. I didn't understand why the world humanized it to the point where everyone feared it, mourned it, and went crazy because of it. I'm not even going to try to sum up what was said, so luckily if you ever find the time, you can hear it on our podcast (I don't know how to link it. Go to itunes and search "the ring community church").

The Lord has been working on my heart lately on this specific topic. It's one I've prayed for for a long time now, and I'm finally seeing the work done. Hopefully He'll bring me to a point where I'll be able to share more on this personal issue, but I'm just not there yet.

And what's even funnier is that I came so close to posting this song on my blog this weekend and putting the lyrics up on twitter. I don't know why I didn't, but I am now. Pop out to listen. It's from the Cold Mountain soundtrack and I love it. Luke got pretttty tired of hearing it all weekend. I can't wait for the day when I'm this excited every day about going home.

I want to groan and be burdened because I want to be clothed in my heavenly dwelling. I want to groan and be burdened to be swallowed up by life. I want to want to be away from the body and with the Lord. "For I don't care to stay here long!"

"I'm glad that I am born to die,

From grief and woe my soul shall fly,

And I don't care to stay here long!

Bright angels shall convey me home,

Away to New Jerusalem,

And I don't care to stay here long!"

What a celebration that will be!!

In the mean time, I shall make it my goal to please Him, whether away from the body or at home in it.

Community and Dating Intro

2010-11-08T16:04:00.000-06:00

August 6, 2007.
The day Luke and I started our dating relationship.
We were so young. It seems like forever ago, but looking at it with a big picture lens, it seems like yesterday.

Luke and I have learned so much since we've been together. It's amazing what can be packed into three and a half years. I can barely remember the firsts. But if there is one thing I do remember, it's our struggle to find a way to make God the center of our relationship, and not only understanding what that means, but living it.

Everyone we know says our relationship is different. We've grown to accept that, in the most positive way we could. We couldn't explain it, although we felt that it was different also. We knew a lot of it had to do with the Lord, but we also knew so many other Christian couples that were in the same boat as we were. We saw Christian relationships work. We saw Christian relationships fail. And by the grace of the Lord, ours hasn't.

In my struggle throughout the years to understand just what we were supposed to do in our lives to keep us strong in the Lord, I came across many answers. Some right, some very wrong. It's extremely difficult to live life with someone in a relationship that doesn't have anything to model after. We sought after Biblical examples of dating relationships, but always fell short. Courtship? The title alone is creepy. So we pressed on and did our thing, keeping hearts aligned with His. Questioning most decisions, but standing strong in the answers we received. We didn't know what dating and the Lord looked like, but we wanted it. We weren't prepared to give us up, and we didn't feel like the Lord wanted that for us either. But somewhere along all of this, the Lord gave me an understanding that took a while to sink it, but I think I've finally discovered just what He was showing me throughout these dating years, and I'm finally ready to talk about it.

What the Lord has shown me about dating and about my relationship with Luke is exactly what we asked and prayed and sought after: a model.

As Christians, we live after a model. That model is Jesus. We have a Bible full of instructions and how-tos. We have answers. Some are clear, some require a lot of faith, but at least it's something to go to when we have questions. Luke and I both knew that there had to be something for us to model our relationship together after. And what I'm about to discuss is what the Lord has laid on my heart and given me a peace about with His answer to our question.

Community.

Living in a church who by name alone revolves around community has taught me so much about my life, church, the Lord, and my relationship with Luke. Throughout the years of being in the Ring Community Church and dating Luke, the Lord would provide evidence little by little that would shape my understanding of this community vs. dating concept. Each community class I took, each sermon I heard on community, and every book I read about community, the Lord would use to show me that this is the model I was looking for. I would hear, read, or see truth about community and think to myself, "hmm. that's kind of like Luke and me."
But one day if it finally clicked when I was reading the explanation of community groups in our church on our website.

Living Life Together. I read those lines and it all made sense. All the evidence the Lord gave me throughout the years while I was living and learning about community finally fit into place as He graciously handed me over my answer. My model.

Living life together. That's precisely what Luke and I are doing. Of course, there are other things that occur in a dating relationship that don't within a community of believers, but in a Kingdom/big picture perspective, Luke and I are simply living life together. Just like community. Just like our life with other believers. And that is what we've been modeling, are modeling, and will continue to model our relationship after. Community.

I don't know why I've decided to use this blog as an outlet to understand this. I don't know what it means for me, or for you, or for us, but I do know that there are a million things running stir crazy in my head and if I don't let them out and record them somewhere, well...I don't know what will happen, but I don't wanna find out.

So all of this to say that I'll be blogging this whole concept/revelation throughout the next days, weeks, months, heck maybe years. I have so much that is making sense, lining up, and itching to be let out, so that's what I'm going to do.

I know all of this will change drastically if we ever step into marriage. The Lord has a lot of specific things to say about marriage in the Bible. Luke and I will cross that bridge when the Lord (and IF the Lord) has it for us, but for now, we're going to work with what the Lord has given us today. And that is a dating relationship.

"living life together...that may be the easiest way to sum up what our community groups are all about. we believe that God uses our relationships with each other to grow and form us in ways we cannot see or understand. we strive to make our groups places where each person can grow in their faith, receive encouragement and hope, and know that they are loved and cared for. by meeting together each week, we are able to invest in each other as God continues to form us into a community of faith, hope, and love."

-Taken from here.

Halloween from The Ring

2010-10-28T13:36:00.000-05:00

There's no doubt about me loving my church. I've brought my church to my blog before. It's a part of me.
Here is a cool, Jesus perspective on halloween from my church. It can be found here.
I know most of you reading this probably go to my church and this is no news to you, but I just wanted to share this for those who don't and struggle or have ever struggled with halloween vs. Christianty. Read below.
I love truth!

"halloween always causes a bit of a stir within the Christian community, and this year is no exception with the 31st falling on a sunday. we at the ring are not trying to stir the pot, but we have to act one way or the other because trick-or-treating in baton rouge and surrounding areas takes place during our regular sunday worship gathering. the elders feel led to move our gathering up from 6:00pm to 10:00am for this sunday (10/31) only. our heart is not to endorse or condemn the events surrounding halloween, but to acknowledge this day for what it is: an opportunity. this is the one consistent night of the year where neighborhoods come alive, people visit each other door-to-door, and new connections are made. if we truly believe God has called us to represent Him in our neighborhoods and love our neighbors as ourselves, then it would be irresponsible for us to ignore this incredible opportunity to just that and have it not be weird (oh yeah, don't be weird about it... that's super important).

so as the weekend approaches, we ask you to do two things: pray for the night, that God would use this as a chance for us to practice biblical hospitality as we either go through the neighborhood or as people come to us; and the second thing would be to form a plan. if you don't live in a place where trick-or-treating happens, ask around our church and find somewhere to go where you can help them connect with their neighbors. if you live in a great neighborhood, open it up to those who are looking for a place to go and let them help you love your neighbors.

the worst thing we could do with this opportunity would be to ignore it, or to huddle up together and make it just another night for us to hang out with each other (which is also ignoring it). only God knows what this night could turn into from a kingdom perspective. let's be faithful to pray and to love, and He will take care of everything else."

I especially love that last bit.

Psalm 23

2010-10-14T21:48:00.000-05:00

...for His name's sake.
(and that's all that matters.)

Dot.

2010-09-21T13:11:00.000-05:00

The world's smallest stop-motion animation character shot on a Nokia N8

{Via Modcloth Twitter}

a lyfe lesson.

2010-09-11T14:44:00.000-05:00

This post is for real.
Hang with me for a moment.

I don't think it comes as a surprise to any of you that I enjoy fun, secular music. Especially rap.
Ok, so maybe that last bit was a surprise, but a good few knew that. And most make fun of that.
And that's completely ok with me! I guess it is pretty funny and random if you don't know me well.

If we're being real for a second, let me tell you why I enjoy this kind of music so much.
I go to church, school, and home. That's my routine. My boyfriend, my parents, and my friends are all Christians.
It is so easy for me to seclude myself from the world, and continue to live a life completely unaware of what happens outside of the "Christian-bubble".
I think you guys are getting my point.
When I listen to this kind of music (with the right heart, of course), it just really helps me stay grounded, and my heart to stay open and aware of the way others live. The lyrics are terrible. I'm not even gonna' lie. Terrible.
And most times, as I'm singing along, I stop dead in my belting out of someone like Waka Flocka Flame's lyric and think, "WTF?! People are listening to this song, singing it, and believing it! LIVING IT!" And then I get really, really sad.

You know I am a big fan of how everyone is created differently and purposefully, so I'm 100% ok with people not listening to this music, and thinking it's the devil's music. If someone can't listen to this music without it tearing them down, or affecting their lifestyle, then shoot! ...Stay away!
People are just different. And I believe that God uses every and any tool He wants in this earth to speak, preach, love on, and heal every different person. So if this music offends you, then that's your heart so you should be true to it! But understand that it's not the same heart someone else has. Be glad in that! This is just how God uses this music in my life.

I can't pretend that all of my reasons are so noble.
You know I love me a good dance song! I love to dance, and particularly love dancing to this kind of music. I can't deny it. If you don't think God like's dancing, well... we'll just have to chat about that another time.

ANYWAY, my point: ("fewth", right?)
A few months ago I heard this song on the radio.
The artist is Lyfe Jennings. To make a long story short, he was sent to jail in 1992 for arson, and turned his life around. While he was in jail, he wrote music and rekindled his faith in God. He went to jail again in 2008, and has had many ups and downs since then. I'm not sure how he stands now in his faith, but that doesn't keep me from having a whole lot of respect for him for reasons I'm about to explain.

His song out now is called "Statistics."
And in a world of lyrics like:

"have a baby by me, baby, be a millionaire" -50 cent

and

"She don't care if I go to the strip club. She wanna go, too" - Trey Songz

(and many others I just can't bring myself to put on here...)

it's so nice to hear "DON'T BE A BOOTY CALL!"
For real.
"Statistics" is a song that preaches to girls to stand up and stop giving in to men. He even talks about celibacy. ON 94.1!!!!!!
Yall, this is huge. Pop out for a second if you're a google reader and listen to this song.

It really just makes me tear up when I think about it. Although I might not agree with Lyfe's theology, I'm so stinkin proud of him for putting out a song like this. The song doesn't mention God once, but I believe with everything that I am that God is using Lyfe. God is using this song. And it gives me goosebumps when I really stop and think about how amazing, creative, and unbelievable God is and how, what, and when He uses things you never would have thought to bring Him glory. I know you might not see this song as bringing Him glory, but I do! There just might be a girl that lives in a world full of nothing but Young Money, Lil Wayne, Trey Songz, Drake, and Usher, but she also might be singing to herself "girl, get you a backbone!" You never know, it might stick. She might realize her worth. She might realize her worth sits with some One bigger than any worldly thing. You just never know what God can do!!!

Alright, that's all I have.

these days

2010-09-02T16:59:00.002-05:00

Finding my place. I'm finally into an entire schedule of classes only for my major! Marketing, management, product development, visual merchandising, and buying. Every day it is a constant battle to remember my place in this industry. You can only imagine how catty, materialistic, and sometimes snooty this "fashion world" can be. I know why God has me here! I've known it for a long time. But being surrounded by all of this worldliness and people without my same perspective can certainly be draining! Remembering why I'm here is a daily battle, and one that has me turning to Him every day to remind myself why He wants me doing what I do, and bringing Him glory though the midst of it.

Accepting "no's". Some of you may know already, but I applied for a new job last week. It was all sort of a spur of the moment deal. I mean, working with this company has always been a dream of mine, and God opened up a door I thought would be the one I'd be stepping through this year. Everything lined up so perfectly, it seemed, with the way the job opening came about to me. I killed the interview, worked up a fantastic resume, then was quickly turned down because of scheduling conflicts. Fortunately, the girl hiring said she really wants me on the team and would save my resume until Spring when new positions come available. Still, anything other than a "you got the job!" is disappointing, but I was quickly reminded that my plans are not His. He does what's right in His own time, despite how perfect everything seems in my eyes. And most importantly, He's promised to take care of my every need, so why make a fuss?

Business. Business. Business. Odelma is still on a roll! So many opportunities have opened up in the past month. I have major inventory sitting in my closet that just needs to be photographed and listed, so I don't have to worry with shopping all of the time to catch up inventory. The only down side is that I sometimes just can't keep up. There just literally isn't enough hours in the day. Fortunately for me, Odelma is a hobby and will stay a hobby until God throws something else my way that changes directions. When I don't have the energy to sweat bullets in the sun, trying to get the perfect photograph with natural lighting, well... I just don't do it. When I'd rather go to bed instead of spending 30 minutes listing an item, I go to bed! This little shop is tons of fun, and I want it to stay that way!

Boyfriend. Luke is finally at LSU! We carpool on most Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. It's a whole lot easier to remember that school isn't #1 in my life when I have friends and Luke there with me at school to remind me. I'm pretty much loving this semester!

Sharing. I've been practicing the act of sharing. Sounds so elementary doesn't it? Well, you're right... it is elementary. I have had a problem with sharing things (music, stores, websites, etc.) for such a long time, and it's an ugly, nasty, prideful habit that needs to be cut out of my life. And I'm getting better!! To work on this habit, I've been passing along awesome sites to people I know would enjoy them, blogging about cool online stores, and forwarding along any awesome bands that come my way. I know this all sounds silly, but believe me, it's a problem! And God is making me fix it.

So that's what's been going on.

In honor of sharing, and waving goodbye to summer, I put together a few songs that I couldn't stop playing this summer. Some old, some new, some weird.

Enjoy. :)

{p.s. If you ever wondered where the name "Mother Sea" came from on my blog, it's in the Bat's Mouth song. I just randomly picked it when I started this blog and never took it down. Also, download Cosmic Love and listen to it in your car really really loud.}

{google readers, pop out.}

Adoption Party +DiY Inspiration

2010-08-08T13:36:00.001-05:00

Over the past month or so, I had to best opportunity to help my friend, Jessica, plan an adoption party! She and her husband adopted two precious girls, and decided that a celebration was in order. Their friends and family couldn't agree more!

I'll save all the meaningful details for Jess, and let her tell ya.

As for me, to be honest, I didn't even do much! I got to hear her ideas, and direct her to some awesome blogs and sites around the web that would give her some inspiration for her own party. I did get to make some fun signs, which I'll share in a bit. I'm not graphic designer, but you will soon see how easy it is to make fun things on paper without knowing much of anything!

The party was a total hit. I thought I'd share some of the fun party planning details that went into the making. Again, I didn't do much! I'm such an amateur when it comes to these things, but I have a whole lot of fun doing it.

Start: Invitations!

These invitations are so perfect and fitting for the Lawrence fam! They all look exactly like that and they have quite a mini farm at their house. Dogs, chickens, a goat. So perfect!

Back:

Jenny made them into a postcard. How fun!! Instead of presents, the girls asked if we could bring a teddy bear to give to Brave Heart Children in Need. The organization gives care packages to foster children when they are taken from their home.

I put together a little welcome sign as you enter the door. Jenny sent me some of the doodles from the invitations.

{Fonts: Tweedy, Clementine Sketch, Pea Cari}

{Background: PuglyPixel}

I couldn't ever get a clear picture of this sign actually in it's party spot.

There was a ginormous water slide, so we all hung out in the back yard.

Jess lined the back fence with balloons. Idea taken from this awesome co-op party I found from Beautiful Living.

And hung photos up of the girls, which was suggested by Cyd from The Sweetest Occasion. Thank you so much, Cyd!!

Jess also had the great idea to add a homemade photo booth to the party. I think that photo booths are the best wedding/party trend to hit since balloons.

She made the backdrop from some wood from a fence in her neighbor's yard. I'm telllin' ya, she had the best ideas! Isn't it pretty?

{Font: Angel Tears, Octin Vintage}

{Background + Camera: Ruffled Blog}

Blood makes you related. Love makes you a family.
I have super sweet photos of all kinds of families that attended the party. Relatives, friends, church families, community groups, etc. All kinds! Those pictures are going to get uploaded to Facebook in the next few days! I promise.

I made some fun labels for utensils and condiments.

{Font: Rebekah's Birthday}

{Background: Maybe*Mej}

And the drink table. Oh...the drink table!
Jess had the idea for guests to drink out of mason jars and to add a label on there that would say "Lawrence Family est. July 14, 2010". Couldn't get the labels to work out so I found this wedding from Ruffled blog that had a mason jar table set up. Um, perfect! Our friend, Ashley, designed the tags! So cute.

{Fonts: WM Flowers, Ecuyer DAX, Jane Austen, Landliebe, Octin Vintage}

Guests were asked to write their name on the tag, and the mason jar was also theirs to keep as a party favor. Genius.

Instead of a guestbook, Cyd from The Sweetest Occasion gave us the best idea to have a thumb print tree. "What's a thumb print tree" you ask?? Well, just look for yourself.

{Font: Octin Vintage, Angel Tears, Aboris Folium}

{Background: from Ruffled Blog}

There was also an ice cream sundae buffet! I didn't get a picture of it before everyone stampeded the table, but here are some messy ones.

{Font: Rebekah's Birthday}

{Background: Maybe*Mej}

Well, those are all the fun little party details! I hope you can see how easy it is to improvise and make fun things without having a design degree!

Congratulations, Lawrence Fam! Love you guys so much.

Be Happy.

2010-07-23T22:59:00.002-05:00

"Today I am happy because I don't have any reason not to be."

Wouldn't it be somethin' if I woke up with that perspective every morning?

Because really, we have an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, AND unfading.

So why don't we rejoice greatly in this?

I know sometimes we are grieved and troubled.

It happens.

But pure faith put through the fire, like gold, comes out proved genuine and pure.

In the end, when it's all said and done, it's your faith, that genuine faith which is more

precious than that perishable gold, that will be held on display as evidence of victory.

And that's a promise.

Speaking of happiness.

Wouldn't it be fantastic if we were all as happy as this guy?

(true story: luke looks exactly like this when he listens to his music)
(i'll try to video next time. don't tell him.)

x.o.

{video via srslyliz}

Postcrossing

2010-07-23T15:36:00.000-05:00

Let me introduce you to postcrossing.It's a place where you "send a postcard and receive a postcard back from a random person somewhere in the world!”Oh, yes! It's true.I can't remember exactly how I stumbled upon this site today.But let me tell you, I already have an account!Here's what you do:You sign up, make a profile, add your address.You get 5 starter addresses to send postcards to as well as an ID that you write on the postcard.The recipient registers the ID that is tagged with your info in the system, that way postcrossing will know you actually did your part and sent one. Then, you get another address and do it all again!All the while receiving postcards from other members around the world!!I really really hope I keep up with this project. Can you imagine having a collection of postcards from anonymous people all over the planet? Am I the only one that gets excited about these kinds of things?I remember that time I signed up for Letter Writers Allience. I got my first address and even bought a little sussie to put in with my letter.Yep, never got sent.
Let's hope this postcard project goes better than that!Now I need your help! Where do I get a postcard? I'd like a Louisiana-ish one.I'm going to start collecting vintage ones, of course.But my first recipient is from Finland! and a BOY! What kind of postcard does a boy want??Ohhh mann...

Y is for

2010-07-16T11:57:00.000-05:00

Youngsters

in the Yard

Yelling

and doing Yoga.

Yeeeeehawwwww!!!

Today is the last day of the Alphabet Walk Blog Hop over at One Sidney Road. Head on over to see the rest of the blog-hoppers and their letters of the alphabet!

VideoChat

2010-07-15T15:47:00.001-05:00

And if ever Luke starts to not do so well in Chemistry Lab

....we'll know why.

The Camp

2010-07-13T17:30:00.002-05:00

I'm back!

I know, I haven't updated in forever.

There wasn't wifi at the resort in Arkansas, and I've been trying to play catch up with Odelma since I got back. But I am most certainly back, and had lots of fun on my little vacations. Here are a few pics from the camp! The Arkansas ones are comin'.

The camp is actually my dad's friend's camp on Old River. It's my FAVORITE. The camp itself is so big and nice. The whole place is so relaxing and secluded. There's a porch, two swings, a pier, lots of land, and everything is CLEAN! (No old, cooped up, fishing camp smell). We had a blast.

The river was really high the weekend we stayed. The water covered 98% of the pier, which made for bad fishing, but funnnn swimming! Luke had to get out there asap. I got in later. He did lose his awesome knife we found at a garage sale, which he was super bummed about. But I replaced it with one from Arkansas, so he's fine. :)

We did fish a whole lot even though we didn't have much luck.

I'm pretty sure Boone had the most fun out of all of us. And to think we almost didn't bring him!
We are always trying to get him to go into the pool with us at the house. We even have him a kiddy pool to cool off in, and he doesn't want anything to do with it! All weekend he kept creeping out to the edge of the water, going as far as he was comfortable, and then reach his paws out over the water like he wanted to just swim on out, but never would. Luke and I finally got in and Boone was going crazy wanting to get to us. Luke finally pulled him in, and plopped him on the floaty. He wouldn't sit still, and jumped back on the pier as soon as it got close. If you can see in the bottom left photo below, there was a silver floatie stuck in the bottom of the stairs of the pier. One time when we weren't looking, Boone just walked down the steps, onto the floatie, and threw his hands over the pillow and just looked at us. Like, "heh, showed yall!" We couldn't keep him out of the water after that!! He loved it so much, and we loved him in there!

And that was our weekend at the camp!

Oh, P.S.

Luke wouldn't let me post this until I told yall about this thing:

It's a shed with a big floatie thing at the bottom, so if the water ever rises that high, the shed would turn into a floating shed. He thought it was the coolest thing ever.

oh and pps (pss?)
i have a new blog header. i know it's changed like 20x the last few weeks, but what do yall think of this one? too much?

Vacation.

2010-06-24T20:45:00.000-05:00

My parents, Luke, and I are getting away for the weekend. We're headed to our friends' fishin camp.

There won't be a lick of internet out there, so I won't be around. Unless Luke's new iPhoneMegaTron4 can blast free wifi in the middle of no where with the touch of a button. Keeping my fingers crossed.

We are very excited to get away. Luke's been all study study study for a while and we're sick of it.

THEN, on Wednesday, a group of girlies and I are headin' out to Arkansas for the week. A whole bunch of days of RNR and silly girly things. I'm hopin to get my shoppin hands on some great vintage/thrift shops. We might even go parasailing! I think I'm up for it, but you know who REALLY is? My friend, Janee. Man, she's so exciting about that day. (heh heh).

What's that you say? Terrible timing? "How can she be leaving when she just opened up an Etsy shop?"

I know, I know. But it wasn't my timing, it was His. I didn't plan it that way. Most of my plans rarely match up with His, and it always works out. So I will rejoice in it.

I'll still be doing all of my online things during the week in Arkansas. Like posting on Odelma Blog, fixing up the look of it, rearranging some shop stuff, etc. And my super boyfriend has agreed to take charge of my inventory and promises to ship out anything that gets sold while I'm gone. Maybe his iPhoneMegaTron4 can ship things, too?!?! Lucky him.

So, farewell! See ya in a few days.

x.o.

Secret's Out!

2010-06-24T13:40:00.000-05:00

I have a secret that I've kept (for the most part) for a little while. I've been chompin' at the bit, ready to let it out, and now I finally can!! Are you ready?

I STARTED AN ETSY SHOP!!!!!

Odelma Vintage is finally up and running!!

And I couldn't be happier.

(Do your remember when I was scheming it up back in April?)

Who knew starting an etsy shop would be so much work??

I'm not complaining though. I love every little bit of it.

I did have some help from the fabulous Jenny Gilbert!!

(Remember, she did my invitations for my party.)

She has helped so much from the beginning!

From pushing me to open it, to helping me gather ideas,

making my banner & buttons, replying so kindly to me 100 emails a day,

you name it! She was there. THANKS SO MUCH, JENNY! <3

(Check out her design blog, Jen & Ink!)

Here's another little secret.

The shop has actually been up on Etsy for about a week.

I wanted to open it and start getting some items up,

tweak it, figure the etsy world out, etc. before I announced that it was open.

The morning after the night I opened it, I already had 2 people that had

favorited the shop, a question about an item,

and many other items that had been favorited.

I was ecstatic! So fun!

Throughout the week, I've gotten questions, comments,

offers, and Odelma has even been featured in THREE treasuries.

Count Them:

One. Two. Three!

I don't have as many items up on the Etsy that I do in my inventory, but they are coming!

There are still some major tweaking I need to do here and there.

Here are some ways you can help me!!

First, go check out the shop.

Add it as a favorite.

("Add seller to favorites.")

I also started an Odelma Blog.

(Like I need another blog, I know) ;)

I don't have an official banner on there yet, but I will soon.

And my blog & shop buttons are going to change just a bit.

But, you can definitely start following it!

You will notice Luke's face under "Followers", so click that button!

You can also go ahead and add it on your Google Reader.

Grab a button, put it on your blog. Link back to me. :)

Also, if you have a button for your site or blog,

send it my way! I'd love for you to be on there.

Email me & I'll give you the dimensions of my sidebars.

I have so many fantastic ideas for posts, and I can't wait to get started.

I haven't started a Facebook or anything for it.

I seriously doubt I will.

We'll see.

(but I definitely wouldn't hate a facebook shout out if you're up for it) ;)

I've thought about Odelma Twitter.

I'd like to tweet updates, but I don't want my personal twitter to

be flooded with Odelma news. I know some people might not enjoy that.

I'll just have to let that thought sit for a while.

Your thoughts are welcome as well! :)

Well that's my secret.

It was a pretty good one, huh?!?

I want to thank all of you for your support and kind words already.

mmmmmm. love.

For real. You guys, my friends, are awesome.

Please, please let me know what you think!

I'm alllll about help and suggestions.

"Lovingly yours",

Mattie

Turn your handwriting into an email!!!

2010-06-23T11:59:00.000-05:00

I've seen a few websites that give you the opportunity to turn your handwriting into a font, but this is the first time I've seen your handwriting go into an email!
I was so excited I couldn't wait to show you.

You guys have to check it out!!

Head over to Pilot Handwriting and sign up.

I can't wait to get home and try it.

{Found via Benign Objects}

oh, hello friend giveaway

2010-06-22T19:31:00.000-05:00

Oh, Hello, Friend is giving away a Silhouette SD from the silhouette store!
And I can't think of anything I would love to win more right now.
If you want in, just go to her blog and read the requirements to entering!
I know so many of you, my friends, that would love to get your hands on one of these babies.
Good luck!

TV

2010-06-17T22:29:00.001-05:00

Luke and I started a new series this summer.

Pushing Daisies

So incredibly cute and quirky.

We don't get much time to watch it.

We're still on Season 1 via Hulu.

But we are addicted.

I mean, look how precious she is.

She's definitely my new girl crush.

Kind of reminds you of Zooey, no?

Ned possesses the unique talent of being able to bring the life to dead merely by touching them. However, the person may remain alive only for one minute, or else someone else dies for them. A second touch will render the person dead again, unable to be revived. Through his connections with PI Emerson Cod, Ned revives his childhood sweetheart, Chuck. The trio, aided occasionally by Olive Snook, helps solve the mysteries of various murders, whose murderer is often surprising. {- IMBD}

Sounds weird, I know, but it's so great.

I've seen a whole lot of Dawson's Creek, but I can honestly say

I've never watched an entire series from beginning to end.

We're always up for more TV recommendations.

So please, tell us:

What TV show can you not get enough of?

Which series have you watched from start to finish?

Aunt Nancy

2010-06-17T10:50:00.000-05:00

Hello, Bloggy Friends!
If you haven't noticed her blog on my little sidebar over there, you need to.
She's my Aunt Nancy and she's incredibly talented.
Ever since I can remember, Aunt Nance has dabbled in some form of art. She loves anything she can make with her hands!! It must be a family thang.
While I could go on and on about her work with paper, stamps, clay, jewelry, and anything that makes your crafty heart flutter, I'm here to tell you about her recent adventure.

In just two weeks, Aunt Nancy learned how to make a website and built this fabulous one to sell some digital stamps made by her other talented bud, Andrea.

They just kicked off the website this week, and to make it better they are offering 30% off sale on everything in the shop! WOOHOO. You know I love me a sale!

So click on the little button above, and check it out! Buy some stuff! Sign the guestbook! Email some love!

Make her day.

p.s. You can also follow Aunt Nancy's craft blog, Diecut Fun. It's a great read.

Strength

2010-06-13T01:21:00.000-05:00

You give me peace to rest my soul inside this hurricane that blows,
and i will anchor in the harbor of Your love.
within my weakness You are strong. to stand against the rain that comes.
You give me peace to be still in the middle of a storm.

i'll sail into the gentle waters of Your heart.
i'll rest within the haven of Your open arms.
i know where to be still in the middle of a storm.
yes, i know where to be still in the middle of a storm.

You give me peace to rest my soul inside this hurricane that blows,
and i will anchor in the harbor of Your love.
within my weakness You are strong. to stand against the rain that comes.
You give me peace to be still in the middle of a storm.

in the middle of a storm
in the middle of a storm, You give me peace.

-CB

{For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God's power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God's power we will live with him to serve you. 2 Corinthians 13:4}
{My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73: 26}
{It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." 1 Corinthians 1:30-31}
{Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30}
{ Blessed are those whose strength is in you. Psalm 84:5}
{Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9}
{Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:28-31}
{Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6}
{But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. 2 Corinthians 4:7-11}
{But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9}

Hot Air Balloons

2010-06-12T01:07:00.008-05:00

Just going through my profile on imgfave and noticed a little pattern.

I ♥ hot air balloons.

{Wish I could give better credit, but found all of these images via imgfave.}

Magazine Collection

2010-06-12T00:44:00.003-05:00

I have a thing for online magazines. They are so much better to hoard.

I needed a place to collect them. Here is my little stack of magazines.

I hope it continues to grow. I'd love your suggestions if you have any favorites not on my list.

Little Thing *fave

iPod Game

2010-06-10T17:39:00.003-05:00

Sometimes I play iPod games.

Ya know, mix it up a bit.

(If you haven't noticed already, the iPod Shuffle is terribly crappy.)

I sometimes just think of a word and type it in the search bar.

Whatever songs that contain that word, I play.

Today's word was "Coin".

Here are the three songs in my ipod with the word "coin".

Enjoy.

{popout}

P.S.Luke's Favorite song is Coin Operated Boy.And by favorite, I mean he will physically hurt meevery time it comes on in the car.You want to see him flip out, play it!I mean, I guess he's got a point.The song is incredibly annoying.But I've LOVED it since middle school.

Summer

2010-06-09T15:35:00.002-05:00

We love Summer.

He Guide to a Fabulous Picnic

2010-06-04T16:05:00.004-05:00

Frisbee: $9.99. I'm not terribly good at frisbee, but when I think boys and picnics I picture a frisbee in the mix.

Blue Tee: $6. You know I love my cheap clothes! Walmart is great for basic tees like this one. I have a friend who bought a bunch of basic tees from Walmart for the summer and just dyed each one a different color. Genius (shout out meg! loveu)

Cooler: $16. Boys carry the coolers. It's in the picnic rulebook, I'm sure.

Shorts: $20. Luke's best pairs of bottoms are from Old Navy.

Fried Chicken: Great guy picnic food. Easy to make, easy to pack, easy to eat!

And a precious pup!! This one is in the He Guide because as much as I love him, Boone is a stinkin mess and if we were to bring him to an outing, Luke would most definitely have to be in control of him the whole time. I doubt Boone will make an appearance at Picnic Club, but I'm sure other people's pets are easier to deal with for a picnic. Bring them!!

She Guide to a Fabulous Picnic I

2010-06-03T12:53:00.002-05:00

Ruche Floral Romper: $34.99. I can't think of a better piece of clothing for a picnic than a romper! Precious, easy to move around in, feminine. Love.

Nordstrom Hat: $28. Can't imagine being in the sun without a big floppy hat.

Bare Escentuals SPF: $28. If you know me, you know how weird I am about my skin. This Bare Escentuals Sunscreen looks super weightless and easy to use.

Bubble Machine: $25.99. Why the heck not? Who doesn't love bubbles?

Striped Pitcher: $10.99. Target has an entire section of outdoor party and picnic supplies. I scored a cute little basket and pitcher from there the other day. Go check them out!!

Blue Rose Tablecloth: $36. Although I already have a perfect quilt for picnic club, this vintage rose patterned tablecloth would have been my next choice!

Picnic Basket: $40. As I mentioned, I already grabbed a picnic basket at target for $15, but I'm still on the search (ebay, thrift stores) for the perfect vintage basket!

Brownies: Although I can't eat brownies, I do love to bake for other people! These look delicious and would be great for when we have Dessert Day!

Don't forget to email me if you'd like to join out picnic club!!! Our first picnic is scheduled for Saturday, June 12 so mark your calendars! Everyone is welcome.

Summer Picnic Club

2010-05-31T17:13:00.008-05:00

{source}

Calling all people who are fun!

Summer Picnic Club 2010

We are starting a picnic club. I tossed around the idea on twitter as a goofy idea and got a lot of responses, so we decided to make it happen! And I'm so excited.

We'll all take turns suggestion different places to meet every other Saturday. Everyone brings their own little picnic section (blanket, food, silverware, etc.) plus one food item to share with the entire crew. We'd all bring different games, pets, and perhaps even a bubble machine! Can you imagine?

We're trying to make it super casual, of course. Come if you can, stay if you want. Doesn't matter. So you go ahead and email me if you'd like to be in the club!! All the membership entails is receiving emails on locations and times. You can then decide to show up or not! Easy easy.

So email me and join the club! Everyone's doing it.

mattiebabb@gmail.com

Todd

2010-05-31T11:25:00.000-05:00

A few Sundays ago I had the most awesome opportunity to experience a best friend of mine stand up in front of his family and friends and declare that his life was the Lord's.

His name is Todd and we've been friends since 7th grade. It really is crazy what all we have been through. Todd showed me how to live like Jesus in 9th grade. It's kind of funny, because it's almost like we switched roles after that. It was heart breaking to see Todd go through some tough stages in high school, but if anything Todd taught me the power of the Lord's sovereignty and exquisite timing and put to truth for me so many times the accuracy of how Healing is in His Hands.

Todd got to record a video that was played to the church before he was Baptized on Sunday. And it was pretty fantastic. Todd told everyone how he did the whole popularity/jock thing in high school and then the party thing in college. One powerful thing really clicked for me and helped me realize why Todd struggled so much in high school with going in and out of both worlds. He told us he was taught that a life in Jesus Christ was only about good works. If you did right and went through your Christian checklist of what to do and what not to do everyday then you would get to heaven, but the minute you messed up, that was it. (WHAT? That's not Jesus! No wonder you struggled!) When he got to college and got plugged into a men's bible study, he was then brought to a few scripture verses and was told the truth.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5: 17-21

And to make it a little sweeter (not that it had to be), Todd told me that he was encouraged to finally take this next step in his life after attending my baptism. He had been thinking and praying about it for a while, but made the final decision after his visit at The Ring that night.

Blessed I could be a part of this special day.

Blessed to have him in my life.

Healing really is in His hands, huh?

Kamryn Sings

2010-05-20T22:24:00.003-05:00

She is growing up too fast!

She started out with Pants on the Ground

Then she gave us a little Boom Boom Pow

Sweetened it up with You are My Sunshine

Then put a little more groove in it..

Oh, man! We love this little girl!!

I've been posting a lot of videos lately. I promise I'll try and let this be the last video post for a while.

Club Middleton

2010-05-14T00:36:00.005-05:00

Apparently there was a rave in the library tonight and my friends and I totally missed it.

Football? Neh.

Pep Rallies? Pass.

Tailgating? Gotbetterthingstodo

School Spirit? No thanks

RAVE IN THE LIBRARY & QUAD DURING FINALS WEEK? ABSOfreakinLUTELY.

More videos here and here and most likely more to come.

just enjoy.

2010-05-13T19:11:00.002-05:00

Finals Week

2010-05-11T00:29:00.002-05:00

there's a mountain
here before me
and I'm going to climb it
with strength not my own
He's gonna meet me
where the mountain beats me
carry me through.
carry me through.

(pop out 2 listen)

Bona Drag Jewels

2010-05-04T23:22:00.002-05:00

I've been on the hunt for some vintage rings for the past couple of weeks. My parents are buying me a piece of jewelry in honor of my baptism and an estate ring is what I've decided I want. So naturally, whenever I see an old looking ring I'm drawn to it. That's what brought me to Bona Drag. I found them via Greedy Girl and fell in love with that emerald ring. Then I moseyed over to their jewelry section and was completely intrigued. So peculiar and dark, but enchanting all at the same time. Love.

beautiful, no?

A Few Good Words

2010-05-04T22:05:00.004-05:00

I stole this from my friend, Allison Miller.

“If God has something specific for you, you’ll know, I promise. But if He is setting a box of crayons down in front of you (a box of crayons called life) then by all means draw. He’s taught you right from wrong, good from bad, beautiful from profane, so draw. He will be with you, proud of you, cheering you on, so draw. He loves you, so draw in the inspiration of the knowledge of His love. Draw a purple horse, a red ocean, a nine-legged dog, it doesn’t matter. Lets stop being so afraid. Lets live, and show the world what it really means to be grateful we don’t live in a dysfunctional family.” — Donald Miller

And after reading, it reminded me of this quote from a blog entry I posted back in July 2009. C.S. Lewis is speaking on spiritual droughts and spiritual highs.

"But He never allows this state of affairs to last long. Sooner or later He withdraws, if not in fact, at least from their conscious experience, all those supports and incentives. He leaves the creature to stand up on its own legs-- to carry out from the will alone duties which have lost all relish. It is during such trough periods, much more than during the peak periods, that it is growing into the sort of creature He wants it to be "

Mmm. Good stuff.

Pretty Summer Skirts

2010-05-03T21:10:00.003-05:00

Aren't these Tulle skirts lovely?

Wishing I looked good in skirts. I love these so much.

I might just have to buy one and save it just incase.

Tulle is having a sale starting tomorrow, too!

Win.

Get up offa that thing and dance til you feel better.

2010-04-23T20:58:00.004-05:00

I had another RNR test this morning.

Did the best I've ever done on a test in that class.

It's still a horrible grade, but I'll take it.

COME ON, SUMMER!

Tonight is Friday.

I'm alone, in my room,

putting up pictures on my wall.

And I can't stop dancing.

Enjoy.

(pop out)

healing is in Your hands.

2010-04-19T22:33:00.004-05:00

I Got Baptized.

Sunday Night.

There was SO much anticipation leading up to that night.

And if you KNOW me, you know what I'm talking about. ;)

I kept forgetting how important baptisms are.

Just because my transformation happened a long time ago, didn't make Sunday night any less significant. I was just proclaiming it and identifying with the Lord.

And it was amazing.

So many people showed up.

My family. Parents, Granny, Papaw, aunts, uncles, cousins, sister, nieces.

My Aunt Nancy who surprised me and drove all the way from Atlanta.

Luke's Family. My friends from all seasons of my life.

Even Todd came. He showed me how to live like Jesus in high school.

My niece who had to drive all the way to New Orleans for a paper and a test on Monday morning came.

I can't put into words how my heart felt just to have them all there and to experience my family, the church one. I cry when I think about it.

Then I got to sit in the front row (on the left side ;) ) and worship with sweet little girls from my community group who were also taking that step with me. I even got a precious hug during prayer time from a certain little blondie who was ecstatic about her time to get dunked.

Church was packed. And my Ring family took in my blood family without a blink of an eye.

And that feels good.

My heart was (and still is) just so...full.

I can't explain it.

So I'm not going to try to.

I went last so I got to sit and listen to every single story. 8 of them to be exact. And got to pray with every one of them. I'm so grateful I got to go last.

And then it was my turn.

I had to talk.

I wasn't nervous about my words. I usually know what He wants me to say.

And I usually say it.

Sometimes I don't, but last night...I did.

And I'm glad I did.

And then prayers were prayed over me.

One in particular was voiced by a special friend in my life.

I can't bring words to how grateful and honored I am for the words said and the friendship behind them.

That was my favorite part.

Leading up to the whole night my biggest prayer was that my family and friends wouldn't come for me, but for Him. I know the Lord would go before me so I wasn't nervous. But I sure did pray hard for something to happen.

There was such a huge mixture of important people in my life there last night.

Ones hurting.

Some broken.

Others searching for churches that won't hurt.

Ones craving restoration of some form in their life.

Some just wanting to experience my church and learn what all it's about.

Some even in the middle of some of the darkest times in their lives at this very moment and a baptism service was the last place they wanted to be.

But...they were there.

I keep praying that they would get stirred up. A prayer, a song, a testimony, a joke, something, to stick with them.

And I pray that the Spirit works on them long after they walked out of those doors last night.

But if there is one thing I did learn last night, it's that (like the song) Healing is in His Hands.

Listening to all of those stories from every person before they were dunked made me realize again just how much I love the Lord's creativity and uniqueness to each and every one of us. I've fallen in love with that truth before, but last night I fell deeper.

If you know me, you know I am so strong in believing that the Lord is more than just a church service and a few songs. I believe that with everything that I am. But sometimes, I forget.

I found myself putting faith in last night's service, and not in the Lord.

"If only I can get them here. If only they can experience church the way I know it. They will change. It will change them just like it changed me."

And you know what heals people? Jesus. Can Jesus use a church service, a sermon, a song, a prayer, a baptism to change lives? Yes. But those things alone can't do it. Those aren't the answer. He is.

All night I sat in bed and prayed and cried and just hoped that healing would come to the ones who needed it, clinging onto the hope that a life would change, a heart would open, or a wound would begin to mend.

But it wasn't until late in the night that the song came to mind. And His voice sang loud through it.

Healing is in His hands.

Did you catch it?

HIS Hands.

His will. His time. His story. His creativity. His work. His love. His way.

Not my hands. Not on my time. Not even in my understanding. But in His hands, healing will come. No baptism service alone will ever be enough. No story, no sermon, no song.

But only through His hands and His time will healing come.

So I'll sleep at peace tonight.

With a heart full.

And a love deeper and stronger than before Sunday night.

(google readers,pop out if you wanna play the song)

happy friday

2010-04-16T10:07:00.003-05:00

all images found via imgfave

happy friday.

undiscovered

2010-04-14T19:16:00.002-05:00

I'm tossing around the idea of opening an etsy shop this summer.

No details yet, but I'm thinkin'!

I can't imagine the feeling of making your first sale. Must be exciting!

I'm starting a series of undiscovered sellers on Etsy that haven't made a sale yet that I found via pounce.

So go buy something from them! Make their week.

I know it'd make mine. :)

Starting from top left:

Creamer&SugarBowl, FlowerEarrings, Necklace, MonsterToy, LittleBox, Bag

Vote for Parker!

2010-04-14T16:48:00.002-05:00

I have a dear friend and her name is Janee.

She has a little girl, Parker, and she's in a cute kid contest.

And she's pretty stinkin' cute, is she not?

Go vote for her!! #10

Here and Here

Thanks!

happy weekend polaroids

2010-04-12T22:27:00.018-05:00

Saturday was my niece's prom night.

We went out to Clinton to see her off.

we fed the ugly duck

and made many,

many silly faces

and some smiley ones

& then Kam likes to play photographer

Isn't she pretty?

And later that night Luke had a DJ job at my alma mater.

I was a little iffy about attending, but I did.

And I'm SO glad I did.

It was hilarious.

We flexed, rubbed on our heads,

twirked, and jerked all night.

(And I used to think the bunny hop was silly.)

We had a blast.

Even Phil & Lauren showed up.

And just to seal the deal

I had this waiting on me when I got home today from school.

Just cuz'.

You can see where my thumb smudged the photo

as it was developing :)

x.o.x.o.

I hope you had a fabulous weekend.

We did.

Sunday Nights.

2010-04-11T23:01:00.004-05:00

of course they sound 10x better at my church
dear google readers,to play the songs, you might need to hop out to my actual blog

bunches from the Booth

2010-04-08T00:06:00.020-05:00

Nothin better than

PhotoBooth pictures

and silly faces

...

Kamryn's a natural.

Now for a fun video.

Mexico Night

2010-04-07T13:06:00.023-05:00

Community groups are smaller groups of my church body

who live life together.

My group meets every Tuesday to study the Word,

hang out, eat, play games, etc.

Each week is different.

A group from our church is in Mexico for the week

serving and loving on friends down there.

So in honor of our friends, we threw a fiesta on hangout night.

And it was a LOT of fun!

There were decorations

lots of food

costumes

a real Mexican,

Amparo

(not to be confused with Pocahontas)

and of course mustaches

mother-daughter mustaches

a uni-brow

ChaCha lessons.

And then Amparo taught us a Mexican game.

it required a lot of hand holding

we got in silly little circles & ran around singing something

like "pica de, pica de pallo".

when the song stops, you grab a partner.

Those without partners had to do a dare

like headstands

and yodeling!

and National Anthems sung in Spanish

"Jose can you seeeeee"

and more headstands!

and inappropriate dancing

by my boyfriend, who else?

so authentic, right?

I sure do love my community group.

and fiestas.

paper cranes

2010-04-05T16:35:00.002-05:00

found via fleur avenue

It's Easter break.

Break from school. Break from routine. Break from chaos.

I have three days to squeeze in a mind full of ideas.

Where to start?

I'm feeling overwhelmed.

I'm realizing that on most days I sit & day dream about the life I can't wait to live after school.

To create. craft. sew. cook. plan. design. paint.

Sometimes it's painful to store so many ideas without the opportunity to live them out.

But today, I am understanding that His promises are enough.

So I'll live.

Live in my imaginations filled with paper cranes.

And love that I'm alive.

And love that He's alive in me.

And that will be enough.

Easter.

2010-04-04T12:03:00.004-05:00

hey, that's me!

2010-04-03T15:04:00.011-05:00

Lovely people decided to feature my party on their site.

Check them out! Click on the images to go to the posts.

Special thanks to each of them.

I love the blog world.

boone

2010-03-29T12:50:00.009-05:00

If any of you know our dog, Boone, it is no surprise to you what happened last night.

If you don't, well here's the story.

You see, we have this dog. He's a bloodhound. His name is Boone.

AND I SWEAR TO YOU: The dog was cursed at birth. He had to be.

When he was, oh I don't remember, 4sh months old we brought him to our friend's house for a bonfire.

Boone, being the little annoying pup he was, kept getting on their grown lab, Ellie's, nerves.

Well the combination of sizes and Boone driving her crazy left us with a bloody pup and a broken pup jaw.

It was completely Boone's fault. No hard feelings, Ellie.

It was a pretty wild night. The following days after the incident were tiring and worrisome.

In and out of the vet. In and out of the pharmacy. Up all night.

He eventually got better after his jaw was wired for a few weeks.

Oh, I forgot to tell you. He's technically my dad's dog, and dad just so happened to be out of town when this happened.

Boone's had a few other accidents here and there, none worthy of a blog entry, but on one particular friday (last friday to be exact), Boone got hit by a car. Dad witnessed it. Again, Boone's fault. He's so daggum stubborn! Apparently, it wasn't a big deal. But then again, if dad had been in town for the broken jaw incident, that wouldn't have been that big of a deal either.

My parents left for atlanta Sunday afternoon. Luke and I came over to get some of my things Sunday night after church. The minute I opened the curtains covering the french doors that lead to Boone's domain, here he comes, dashing towards the door. The minute he jumps on the glass, it shatters!! I scream. Luke runs.

We go outside and can't find him. He finally mosies around the corner, head tucked down in shame. There was glass and blood EVERYWHERE! He won't sit still either so that made it worse. He has a pretty deep cut in his foot that we tried to patch up with hydrogen peroxide. And to top it off, before we could get the sharp pieces of glass from the frame, he did it again!! Except this time he went through the glass instead of just breaking it and I screamed even LOUDER because I was right there on the other side picking up. Let's just say it was a long night. We finally figured out the smartest thing to do was to put him in his kennel until Luke could patch up the window (genius, i know).

His foot was still bleeding this morning, but I think we are all going to be ok. Floor is cleaned. Window is patched. Paw is recovering. Parents are still out of town. And yes, I most definitely skipped school today to process and recoup.

That is my Boone story. I didn't get any pics from last night because that was the absolute last thing on my mind, but believe me...there was blood and glass and lots of it!

We love you, Boone, but dang... you are a mess!!!

Renewable Natural Resources.

2010-03-22T12:08:00.002-05:00

I got a bad grade on a test.

and you want to know what?

My family will be waiting on me when I get home.

Luke is still texting me.

My community group is still scheduled for

Tuesday night. 7 p.m. Lawrence Home.

I'm still about to eat lunch without any problems.

Tonight, I'll still get in my same bed.

I still have TOPS

so Dad doesn't have to work more just for me.

I'm still going to graduate.

I'm still going to get a great job that I love.

And yes, Jesus is still King.

Three years from now I won't even remember crying over this test today.

springing forward

2010-03-20T23:15:00.002-05:00

I've finally embraced the thought of Spring.

Not that I don't love gorgeous weather,

picnics, flowers, singing birds,

sunshine, fishing, baseball and dresses.

I'm just a Louisiana girl.

I know the heat we are about to endure.

Winter is exciting and fleeting.

But Spring is coming and I'm ready.

{ Click image for source }

Now if I can only get realllly skinny before bathing suite season. . .

what if

2010-03-15T11:37:00.002-05:00

What if we lived in a world where we celebrated death? Where we threw a party when someone passed because they are getting to be with their Savior! Their purpose is fulfilled and the goal is met. What if?

What if we lived in a world where individuality triumphed? Everyone abided in Christ and reacted the way He deemed appropriate, and not what society did. Even when choosing the day's outfit. Trends were abolished, anxiety and self esteem deficiencies disappeared. People stopped telling you what to wear, and what's "in", and started encouraging distinction and uniqueness. What if?

What if we lived in a world where everyone went to school for the sake of knowledge and nothing else. Examinations were terminated and the pressure of achieving high grades were just gone! What if?

What if we lived in a world where everyone recycled? Enough said.

I know that these are all characteristics of a perfect world, one in which we will never attain. I also know that God is King and He reigns over all parts of my life, the good, the bad, and the unknown. And working through us to deal with these issues of an imperfect world is key in abiding, and bringing Him glory.

But it is just nice to fantasize about on a Monday afternoon. :)

x.o.

My Day of Birth

2010-03-13T14:11:00.017-06:00

He made breakfast.

I got flowers.

And bunches of bunches of sticky notes.

And many many more I didn't get photos of.

There were in my room, my bathroom, my car.

We had lunch with my parents at The Coffee Bean.

I so recommend that place. It's off of Jefferson Hwy.

Too bad they only stay open until 3.

Best Veggie Burger In Town!

Then we went to the mall and back home to just hang out all day.

My party the night before wore us out.

It was nice to relax.

Boone gave me some special Birthday Kisses.

But then he got out of hand.

And had to be sent out.

I got good presents!

A new 40' TV. It's pretty fantastic.

And this movie I've been wanting to own.

And a spectacular new camera I can't wait to show you.

Twas a good day, indeed.

My Roaring 20th Birthday Bash!

2010-03-12T10:18:00.056-06:00

Once upon a weekend, I turned twenty.

(1. Yes! I'm that old! 2. Yes! I'm that young!)

And there was a celebration.

A beautiful invitation was made by a doll. She really is the cat's meow.

There was a spiffy cake

And postcards for the guests to fill out

Projected Old 1920's Movies

Homemade Photo Booths

Grab A Prop. Take A Photo.

And there were ab-so-lute-ly amazing friends.

With Birthday Messages for Me

My Family.

Whatta' sheik!

A Charleston Contest!

Pranksters.

The Big Cheese.

I am just goofy over my 1920's swanky soiree.

Luke's Birthday 2010

2010-03-07T23:34:00.010-06:00

Better late than never!

Luke has always told me how much he wants me to go play golf with him (total bore, I know). He hasn't had the money to play in a while so his good friend, Stephen, told me to bring him to the Bluffs Country Club in St. Francisville.

We spent the afternoon in the beautiful weather, in a beautiful countryside, playing golf. Ok, so maybe

I just drove the cart around a lot. We still had a lot of fun. The country club is so pretty! The land was unbelievable. It was so peaceful.

We really enjoyed the day.

I'm so glad he was born.

little letters & polaroids.

2010-02-18T17:21:00.013-06:00

Dear Hinder (the band),

I'm sorry, but I really, really, REALLY dislike you.

Dear Movie Stars & Singer People,

Why do you all want to be apparel designers all of a sudden? Can we please just leave that to the people that work their lives for that career? Stop be so dang greedy.

Dear 20th birthday,

I'm really nervous about you. I mean, I'm ready. I'm just nervous. Please be special.

Dear Hair,

I'm sick of your dead, fried, split ends. I really love you long, but I'm going to chop you all off if you keep up the split ends deal. Sursly, chill out.

Dear Starbucks in Denham by the interstate,

Thank you for hiring boyfriend. He is very excited. And that makes me very excited. I'm looking forward to your free tea.

Dear Lady Gaga,

Thanks for making music that makes everyone want to dance. Even boyfriend's brother and boyfriend's brother's lady friend, who were a bit skeptical at first. I know they secretely love you now... even if they won't admit it.

Dear Mardi Gras,

Thanks for getting me out of school from Monday-Thursday!! And for being fantastic and fun. Boyfriend loved you. I love you. I'm sorry so many people think terribly of you. You really are awesome.

Happy Friday!

x.o.

valentine's day 2010

2010-02-17T16:14:00.021-06:00

On Valentine's Day we were welcomed by the sweetest family to come

and spend Mardi Gras in New Orleans

and partake in old family traditions.

We couldn't come empty handed.

I mean it was Valentine's Day.

And everyone loves Valentines.

...and spears, especially!

Thanks, Cody and Brittany, for inviting us to spend

Valentine's Day & Mardi Gras with y'all.

We Love You!

I hope everyone had a great day celebrating love. I know we sure did.

1 john 4:16

2010-02-13T01:16:00.005-06:00

valentine's day is going to be a little different this year.

not as planned.

not as expected.

and it's going to be okay.

actually. it's going to be pretty awesome.

it's not about the crafts.

the candies.

the crap.

it's about the love. celebrating it. rejoicing in it.

loving it.

that's right.

loving love.

may your hearts be lost in Him.

OOHHHHH..

2010-02-01T19:00:00.013-06:00

Do your ears hang low?

Do they wobble to and fro?

Can you tie them in a knot?

Can you tie them in a bow?

Can you throw them o'er your shoulder?

Like a Continental Soldier?

DO YOUR EARS

HANG

LOW?

x.o.

p.s...

2010-01-31T13:53:00.004-06:00

I cannnotttt wait for tomorrow!

Why?

..I LOVE FEBRUARY!

February 2010 is jam packed too!

Phil Wickham

My friend, Meagan, is getting married on Friday.

MARDI GRAS!

Valentine's day!

Eisley Concert

Tegan & Sara Concert

LUKE'S BDAY!

The Ring family meeting!

Cannot wait! And since we all know how much I love Valentine's day, I might just have to post a lot of Vday fun posts in February.

Get excited.

(*and if you're not.. idc.)

update:

-Winter Olympics 2010

-Snow Day feb. 12, 2010

-NYfashionweek

-taylor vernon's bday

-the ring's 4th bday