I’m back (maybe) and other random news…

Well, it has effectively been a month and a half since my last real post and I thought… it is about time to balance this blogging thing back into my life…

I have been a bit disconnected from well, everything… Sunday I went to church for the first time in two months…and I have thrown myself into a thing called swap-bot (a swapping website (swap-bot.com) for artists, people interested in pen pals, and postcard trading) It has been a great thing to keep me busy at work, I no longer come close to falling asleep every night…and I am LOVE LoVe Loving getting real mail everyday…this renewal of craft activity has found me in need of a creative area where I can work. SO…I spent last week transforming a third of the dining room into (lots of pictures to follow)

THIS…

while I am not a fan of the open clutter but, for around 8 dollars and a lot of work i think it turned out pretty good

  

I found a set of letters on clearance and was amazed at how many words I could make out of one of each letter…of course I made the Q into an O and the V into an I.

The cute blue card (that I love) with the animals on each other is from the Netherlands. I also signed up for a postcard swapping website called postcrossing (postcrossing.com) where you receive a postcard from another country when you send one…I have really enjoyed doing this as well

I took three old frames from the attic and used large heavy paper I found at the scrapbook store I love how they turned out…I am adding postcards I like that I receive in the mail along with cute bird things I find.

 

after the first time I used the finished area I thought…it was wonderful not having to go through the closet for something ‘I just know I have’…I even used my stamps for the first time in a year and half because it was easy to get them out…

Here are a few of the things I’ve been trading on swapbot

Postcards (homemade and store bought, this one was a challenge to use old stamps)

ATC (artist trading cards, like baseball cards only with art on them, this theme was pointillism)

Inchies (art on a 1x1 scale, the theme for this one was zentangles)

Altered matchboxes ( this is a small 32ct matchbox iwth a December themed, I did jingle bells Christmas carol and since it was going to Poland I also printed it in Polish)

Well it has taken me a few days to get this post written so I guess I should just post it and move on from here…I hope to post more often…

The other day I went through my blog list and drastically cut down what I follow so I don’t feel so overwhelmed when I sit down to read them…

Spend the Day with Me Swap

Hello Swap-bot

partners…My name is April

and this is my day…Disclaimer here is that it was a night that I worked so it is not all that exciting. That is why I added photos of our Christmas decorations for your enjoyment!

I usually wake up around 6:15 p.m. get up take a shower and get dressed for work. I leave the house around 7:00 7:15 so that I can do some errands before getting to work at 8:00.

I go to the video store often on the week that I work. Seven 12 hour nights working are made a lot better by watching TV shows on DVD

I am at work now and this is Larry he is one of the two men I take care of…basically I just make his snack and make sure the guys are safe through the night…do some light cleaning ect…

Here is a shot of how things might look at work. This night I am making cards for a Christmas card swap, watching a show on my portable DVD player and doing some stuff on the computer. I’ve also been making a lot of ATC ect at work lately.

After work I come home. (Here is a shot from our first snow)

Crack some eggs. Toast some bread.

and have me a good egg sandwich! After a little relaxing watching TV and e-mailing ect…I am off to bed

This just shows my curtains, I have a black fleece blanket on a second rod on my windows so that when I have to sleep during the day they can be closed and I can actually sleep

Here is my bed. I snuggle up with me dog (little bit) who is shown at the end of this post and go to sleep.

CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS

I am not that happy with how the pictures came out but I just couldn’t get the lighting to come out right or something. Regardless they are pretty.

The mantle

Our tree the colors this year are black and silver

Angel topper

This I made for our kitchen table…

I found this cute little nativity at a thrift store last week

Angel and candles on the top of the refrigerator.

The next couple of pictures are of the dining room table, I took some ornaments and hung them from the light, I just took a few pictures from a few different angles.,

All our snowmen.

This is a tree of nativity themed ornaments. I got this set from JC Penny in 1999 (I was a senior in high school) it came in a beautiful box and I just love them. What is usually on the tree are candle holder things.

Right next to the dining room table

I got this cool translucent nativity at a thrift store…I am thinking about putting lights in the bottom of the bowl to see how the light comes through

Table behind the couch. I tied an ornament I got from a swap to the lamp and really like how it came out.

When you first come in the front door, the green thing holds the dog treats.

My nativity set, I like the fluidness of the lines, and that there are no faces

The entertainment center

Little Bits area, is right next to the entertainment center, I wanted to hide the outlet behind her bed so I hung a fabric covered bulliten bored there, I think it makes her look like she had a room with a little picture.

This is in the corner of the living room, suitcases stacked with a tree in a pot and a lamp ect…

Well, I am sure that is enough…Hope you enjoyed my bland day and Christmas decorations. I am enjoying this Swapbotting thing *smile*

The Glory and the Lifter of Mine Head

For the second time in less than six months one of my mom’s friends has received a scary diagnosis. Because this is fresh and I don’t want to be insensitive I will simply ask for prayer for this person. There is the diagnosis but next comes what stage? how far along? what type of cancer is it?

*

I have to be honest that having two out of six of my mom’s friends being diagnosed with life threatening conditions is SCAREY…my life has been fairly void of cancers, and sickness. Before my father’s funeral six years ago I had been to one…and since I’ve been to none. I just can’t imagine my mom getting sick and I can’t imagine how she feels having friends the same age as her getting this news.

*

So the song running through my head last night was ‘Thou, Oh Lord’. In my old church I was in the rather large and talented choir and we would sing this song and it was always my favorite. Please take some time and enjoy, close your eyes and be thankful for the…

GLORY

& the

LIFTER of our heads

*Thou, Oh Lord *
Many are they increased that troubled me
Many are they that rise up against me
Many there be which say of my soul
There is no help for him in God

*
But thou, oh Lord are a shield for me
My glory and the lifter of my head
Thou, oh Lord are shield for me
My glory and the lifter of my head
*
I cried unto the Lord with my voice
And he heard me out of His holy hill
I laid me down and slept and awaked
For the Lord sustained, for he sustained me

*
Thou, oh Lord are a shield for me
My glory and the lifter of my head
Thou, oh Lord are shield for me
My glory and the lifter of my head

Exposed

Before I get to the real reason for this post let me say that I can’t believe only one person has entered my giveaway…are my mattes not desirable? Hmmmm….so get on over, or rather scroll on down and enter….

*

K…Back to business…

I’m feeling lead to start a support group.

*

Specifically a depression/anxiety support group.

*

I have been struggling to be a part of ANYthing the past six months. Calling a friend for lunch or to say HI has become paralyzing. I am incapable of making eye contact with anyone and be it true or not (I am convinced I have done something to make) no one interested in anything in my life….and I don’t think I have done anything wrong or offensive I am just boring. I see everyone busy with the task of living their life and I am NOT…I am NOT living my life, and I’m not fitting into theirs.

*

Intentionality…people who struggle with depression need people to be intentional about connecting with them. I need people need to be intentional about connecting to me. I need to be needed by others. I wish I could adequately put into words how hard it is, and how easy it is to get sucked in...deep.

*

A week ago after Wednesday night church I approached my associate pastor. I told him my idea because I’m attempting to be obedient even when I’m unsure. Surprisingly he perked a bit and gave me information of someone in the church who he said would really like to talk to me about this subject.

*

It has been a couple of days of trying to get a hold of each other but I am confident when I do speak to this person something is going to happen…a group of support will probably be formed and maybe, just maybe…I will crawl out from under the safety of my flannel sheets, and open my black-out curtains.

*

I am thinking about calling this group EXPOSED…I’m a little apprehensive because it could connote well…something other than support….but that is all I can think of…all I can think of is how I need to be exposed…how this monster named ‘depression’ needs to be exposed for the jerk that he is…how being exposed is the only way he will be defeated...being exposed is the only way others are going to understand how complex this deasise is…and how a group is desperately needed to expose the truth, to take the myths away, to provide a safe haven, and to empower those who don’t know where to turn.

*

I feel a pretty big sense of responsibility. A sense of responsibility to educate because I was lucky to have taken six weeks OUT of my life so that I can be back IN life. Were those six weeks a cure? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Those six weeks were a leveling period…a time for my meds to be leveled, a time for intense internal challenging, a time to incredibly broken, and a time for being put back together…

*

I just keep forgetting the maintenance that is involved, so this forming of a group of support is a selfish pursuit…and well I’m alright with that…

*

Please join me in prayer that I am being obedient to what God is leading…

*

Also, let me know how you feel about the name.

Dignity

When God speaks we should listen.

The Holy Spirit nudges…you go about to meet a need.

Simple? Yes.
Easy to ignore? Absolutely.

Let me give you a reason to listen to that sometimes inaudible voice and act on its behalf.

Two weeks ago I was in the laundry room, probably doing some laundry, and a new family from church popped into my head. Just as quickly a sense of urgency captured my heart, and I went to work.

I went to work, putting together a basket of things that I hoped they needed, hoped they would enjoy.

I got excited, I had fun.

These ‘things’ came from the stash built since having started couponing over six months ago. This smart shopping allowed me to stuff a large basket with food, deodorant, razors, shampoo, conditioner, face wash, magazines, nail polish, shirts, crayons, coloring books, candles…man was it heavy.

Then I hole punched a bird pictured I printed a while ago

and used some twine to tie it to the handles.

After a few days of trying to figure out where they lived I was able to deliver my surprise. I was nervous. My intention was to not be known as the maker of the basket, but because they were sick and weren’t at church I was unable to remain anonymous. Before work on a Monday I went to their apartment and fumbled through explaining that God had brought them to my mind and why Matthew 6:26 was my favorite verse.

To say I was out of my comfort zone would be an understatement. While I am failing spectacularly at conveying this story…I am actually much more confident in my writing, and oddly…a lot more confident in my public speaking skills than my one-on-one speaking skills.

A while later when I saw this family at church the mom told me how much the family enjoyed the basket. She told of the girls fighting over the toys and the shirts fitting her oldest girl nicely. She said how you wouldn’t think of it but having those things give a sense of normalcy. She had a look in her eyes that I can only describe as dignity. To receive that basket of our overflow helped restore some normalcy to their lives.

To give that basket out of our overflow helped me realize the importance of listening to the Holy Spirit when he speaks. So whether it is praying for that person that popped into your head or stopping to meet a need your not even sure is there let’s all listen…let’s be generous…and above all else let’s be...

OBEDIENT!