On Mission in: Haiti

     Hey everybody! Wow, let me blow the dust off my blog here.. Sorry I haven't posted in so long, but now I'm back! ☺ I have plenty of things to share in coming posts, but I figured I would start off sharing about my recent trip to Haiti! 

     September 7-14, I was in Haiti on a mission trip with a team of ten other people. It was an amazing experience, and yesterday I learned I may be able to go back next summer! There are so many things I could share about the awesomeness of God, He was definitely with us every step of the way- from getting bags checked to traveling by tap-tap through Jacmel. God is so good! 

     I will share some photos in this post, all of scenery and I will update again later when I have more time! 

     The last evening we were in Haiti, our hosts, Tommy and Joy Schwindling of the Alabama House in Jacmel, Haiti, took our team out to dinner at Caplamandu. All of the following photos were from the restaurants balcony.

The view from Caplamandu.

Sunset

Beach

Flowers

Sunset

  And here's one of me and one of the sweet children I met while there.

   Though Haiti has many devastating parts, it was indeed a beautiful country. God is moving there, His grace and His mercy are enough.

In the Garden

 Our yard is always full of flowers and lots of other flora, and plenty of fauna too. My mom loves gardening. Maybe digging around in the dirt and realizing that you can coax something to grow from your handy work makes it worth all the time it takes to do it. Whatever her reasons for loving it so much, I appreciate all the beauty she adds to our home.

My mom loves flowers all over the yard.

Fresh pears all autumn long!

My Mocha

My shy cat, Franny

Such a pretty tree. Love crate myrtles!

Making It New Again

Have you ever wondered around a thrift store looking at charming old decor, thinking It's cute, but it wouldn't fit in around my home, simply because it was outdated? Well don't rule out something adorable simply because it needs some TLC. I found this sassy Kitchen Closed sign for a dollar. All it needed was a few coats of acrylic paint, some artificial flowers, and a new ribbon- now it looks brand new!

It makes a lovely addition to our kitchen ☺

Thrift store cow hanger for $1

Kitchen Closed: This heifer has had it!

 

So are there any thrift store finds you've come across that you fixed or updated?

I'd love for you to share!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As always, find me on Pinterest and Facebook!

Picture This..

Here are some pictures I thought I'd share!

Words of Wisdom

Hey y'all! I know it's been a little while since my last post, but I haven't had time to jump online much! But today, I have a little bit to show you guys this week's Words of Wisdom. Hope you enjoy!

I wish you would realize that you always make my day.

Just get me near the sea. It's the Earth's most potent remedy.

And remember, you can follow me on Pinterest!

Clothespin Crosses

Today I thought I'd share with you a simple, yet oh so pretty craft made of clothespins. If your laundry is like mine, you probably have more than a few extra clothespin laying around. This craft is the perfect way to put them to use! (Click on any of the images to enlarge.)

Figure 1- All the supplies you'll need!

What You'll Need:

-8 clothespins
-2 large Popsicle sticks
-Elmer's glue, wood glue, or a hot glue gun
-Artificial flowers
-Scrap ribbon

(1) Lay the Popsicle sticks in a cross position and glue one on top of the other.

Figure 2

(2) Take two clothespins separate the parts (as seen) and they will be laid out in a fan shape.

(3) Step two will be done to both left and right sides, and the top of the cross.

(4) The bottom of the cross is a little different. Take a clothespin and separate the pieces and put them together like the middle of step 2. The large part will be near the center of the cross with the pointed tip going down.

(5) Take another clothespin that has been separated and put them against the pointed tip as show in the center of figure 2. The bottom of your cross should touch as seen.

Figure 3- Fan shape

(6) Take the artificial flower and/or greenery and glue it into the center of the cross.

(7) The scrap ribbon will be used as a hanger on the back. (See figure 2). Glue the ribbon in an X fashion onto the back on the top of the cross.

Figure 4- Finished!

(8) Hang on the wall and enjoy your new cross!

And believe it or not, this craft was done at a youth VBS and even the teenagers enjoyed it!

(Can be found for purchase here.)

I'm Feeling.. Flowers

I thought maybe I'd put up a few shots I love of various flowers. Just feeling outdoorsy right now. Even though, at the moment, it's wet and dreary outside.. These will help brighten my day!

 

All of God's Little Critters

One of my all time favorite shots! I took this while on a mission trip in West Virginia, around New River Gorge. We had already done our hike up to view the bridge and this was in a flowerbed outside the museum. I love all the colors!

Photography by EKM

This is my furry friend, Bug

Another fur-ball, Casey