Odds And Ends, And Recent Happenings

Ok, this post is just sort of random stuff that's been happening in my life lately, and I thought I'd share it...

This is just something small that happened about a week ago, that reminded me that the Lord just likes to make us smile sometimes!
I have a keychain that a friend gave me for my birthday years ago, but it is probably my most treasured possession next to my Bible. It is a sturdy little metal cross with ivy engraved on it, and the words, "With God, all things are possible." I was getting ready for bed the other night about a week ago, and thinking about some things I'd like to see happen, but that seemed almost impossible. I flipped back the covers to crawl in, and there was that keychain, in the bed! "With God, all things are possible" My mind immediately jumped... maybe it would happen! Then, almost as soon as I thought that, this verse popped into my head, "...I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. ..." Of course, this is the Apostle Paul addressing the Athenians on Mars' Hill, but the timing was just so perfect, that it made me laugh out loud! I believe the Lord truly does have a sense of humor!

I've been working on a crocheted shawl for about two weeks now, and finally finished it Sunday! It didn't quite turn out how I thought it would, but it works, and was fun to make! Here are a couple of pictures of it:

Thanks to my friend W. for "modeling"!
If you want to try it yourself, click HERE for the pattern. Just a warning though, if you want the triangle to be very deep, you've got to make the beginning chain longer. I have a friend who made one out of the same yarn as the pattern calls for (I made mine out of maroon acrylic), and hers turned out BEAUTIFUL! She even wears it to church over a black top, and it looks so elegant!

Well, in about twenty hours my grandparents, Mom, Trissy, and I will be headed on a six-hour car ride to attend the wedding of one of my cousins! Trissy is going to be the 'bride's assistant", and I'm a photographer! Not the main one (I'm not THAT good LOL), but she (the bride, our cousin) liked some of the just personal pictures I've taken at other cousin's weddings, and she wants me to be sort of a 'candid photographer'. I'm really looking forward to it! The wedding's Saturday afternoon, we'll be staying for church Sunday, and come back on Monday. I hope it's not too hectic, 'cause I have classes early Tuesday morning! Oh, well, it'll all work out. :)

This past Saturday we (Dad, Mom, Trissy and me) went to an evangelism study being started at the church. Justice and another man in the church have been 'trained' to teach the material, and it's designed to teach how to share your faith in a non-confrontational but thought-provoking and loving way. Saturday was the all-day introduction, and now classes will be every Wednesday night starting Mar. 4th. My family, Oliver, Landon, two older ladies in the church, and Ashlyn ( I haven't told about her yet, but I'll try to soon) are the ones who are taking this class. I'm hoping it'll help me share my faith in college. We'll see how it goes.

Tonight's college Bible study, and I'm (of course ;) ) looking forward to that little boost. I still haven't told about last week, and it was about the best one we've had so far, I think. It was so good. Maybe I'll get a chance to tell about it, but with the trip and everything, I may not.

One last thing I thought some of you might enjoy: Hannah Paige is having a photography contest on her blog! The theme is "Color". I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of entries she has! Click HERE to find out more, or to enter!
I'm going to accomplish two things here at once :) This is my entry in her contest, and it's also a mystery picture:




Several of my blogging friends have done mystery pictures, and they have been alot of fun, so I thought maybe I'd try one! You have until next Thursday (a week!) to guess, mainly because I probably won't have much blogging time between now and
then :[ ...

Ok, I'm at the college and class is about t0 start, so I'd better go. Maybe I can come back later today :)

In the mean time, have a wonderful day, and Keep looking Up!

-Kyrie<><

A Year Of Learning - A Year Of Blessing

Today marks one year since the first Sunday we visited the church we are now a part of, and of which I speak so highly. If you read my posts, you know what a marvelous blessing this church has been to me, and my family. The Lord truly did a great thing for us when He directed us to this place! Even if my writing abilities are not what they would need to be to express that blessing adequately, I enjoy being able to relate some of our lessons and experiences here.

God has taught me so much through the people and experiences at this church! I feel (I pray) that I have learned so many valuable life lessons, grown so much spiritually, broadened my understanding of God, and narrowed the focus on myself. I feel closer to peace, farther from frustration. And I know I'm growing, because the challenges are coming thick and fast! But with the Lord's help, they are being - slowly but surely - overcome.

And as an added bonus, He has given me something I wanted as well! I have always desired more brothers and sisters - especially older brothers. And now in this one concentrated place, I have about ten or so friends who I believe the Lord put there just to satisfy this "need" in my life - so longed for and now so satisfied.

"The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad."

Psa. 126:3

What are some ways the Lord has worked in your life recently?

Valentine's Day Baking

I know Valentine's Day is a week gone, but here are a few pictures of some Red Velvet cupcakes, and a miniature double-layer cake I made for the occasion - I used some of our old toy baking pans ;) !

Batter...

Baked...

The finished product!

I'm not much of a cook, like some of you - the icing turned out lumpy, so my creations don't look very pretty maybe, but they did taste good ;) !

The cupcake papers are 're-used', so to speak, but completely sanitary, I asure you ;) . Some folks from my grandparents' church gave them a big tin of cookies for Christmas. As the cookies were eaten, I saved the papers they come stacked in, and am now getting around to 'recycling' them as cupcake papers! Waste not, want not, as the saying goes... I can't stand to throw something useful away... ;)

Mrs. Regan On Modesty

Mrs. Regan, Jenna and Josh's mom, has recently posted some excellent thoughts on modesty on her blog. I would love to encourage anyone who has had questions or who has convictions to read it HERE!

Blessed Be Your Name

We sang this last night at church in the young people's class. As a general rule, I don't really care for alot of the modern 'Christian music', but this has become one of my favorite songs of all time. It really has alot of 'meat' to it, if you get my meaning, and the Lord has really used it in my life lately. I thought I'd share the lyrics here for you!

The young people (from about age 14 through college) meet in an upstairs room for their Wednesday night lesson. Before the lesson, we always sing a couple of songs, and about four of the young people are in charge of 'leading' it. Archer plays several kinds of guitar, Bro. Blake's son Simon plays the drums (I don't really care for drums, but in all fairness he's really quite good and doesn't overdo it), Julia (haven't mentioned her yet - she's definitely one of the 'cooler' kids, you know, perfect blond hair, perfect in-style clothes, and an attitude that comes out occasionally, but I think she really does have a good heart - Trissy is closer to her than I am, and likes her) sings, Japan (his nickname - he looks oriental, but he really isn't - I don't think :) ) plays a guitar, and last night Archer's younger brother Law played another guitar. They all do a good job, and I said all of that to say this: I like our church's versions of these 'new' songs, generally alot better that the people who recorded them. So, many times when I mention a more 'modern' song that has blessed me, I am thinking of the way our church does them :) !

BLESSED BE YOUR NAME

Blessed be Your name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name
And blessed be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed be your name

Chorus:
Every blessing You pour out I'll
Turn back to praise
And when the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's "all as it should be"
Blessed be You name
And blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Chorus:
Every blessing You pour out I'll
Turn back to praise
And when the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name
I will bless Your name

Chorus:
Every blessing You pour out I'll
Turn back to praise
And when the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

He is Lord! He is sovereign! Blessed Be His Name!!

Whispering Hope - Played On A ... LEAF?!

(I've never shared a YouTube video before, so we'll see how it works ;) )

Someone sent this to my grandmother, and I thought it was not only extremely beautiful, but also pretty amazing! You'll see what I mean... The man is playing music, on a LEAF ! How neat is that?!
Be sure to pause my playlist below. Hope y'all enjoy this as much as I did! It's one of my favorite songs...



(Note: I've noticed that when I view YouTube videos on others' blogs, that after that video is finished, it comes up with links for other "related" videos. Once I made the mistake of watching some of them thinking that they really were 'related', but after a couple, things got a little ... well, strange... So just so you all know, this video of Whispering Hope is the only one I intended to end up on my blog, and I'm totally innocent of anything else that may wind up being linked here with it!)

IT SNOWED!!!!!

Yes, away down south in Dixie!

Yesterday it started about 7:30 am, and in an hour, our yard went from this-

to this- !

I know for all you Northern folks, that probably seems like nothing - just a puny little dusting - but for us down here... That's SNOW folks!! :D

As you can probably tell, we don't get it down here much...

Trissy and I got out and "played" in it for a while, the only problem was that my camera batteries kept dying, and I'd have to go back inside for new ones! I used Mom's camera for most of these pictures.

I wrote a heart-felt message on Dad's truck hood ;)

Trissy. She was jumping up and down, and didn't know I got her picture :D

Me.

I was trying to get a picture that would give an idea of how deep it got... Didn't turn out too good, but maybe you get my point :)

Our mailbox. Everything was so pretty... The pictures look alot 'greyer' than it really was. It looks like an over-cast day in the pictures, but it really was quite bright.

Our cousin's cow pasture across the way.

Trissy and I were having so much fun, that in a little bit, Dad and Mom came out too, and we all went for a treck in our little pine woods behind our house. It was like a winter wonderland. Or Narnia, as Dad pointed out :D

The stump was a little unsightly, but otherwise, this little clearing was so beautiful and dreamy

The border path between my cousin's bordering pasture and our pine woods.

When we got back, Trissy and I made a little snow indian! ;D

As you can probably tell we had a nice day!

A One-Word-Answer Tag

I got this tag from Hannah's blog and thought it looked so fun that I decided to do it too :D !

RULE: USING ONLY ONE WORD - Not as easy as you might think- answer the following questions.

Where is your cell phone? Uhh...

Your mother? house

Your father? driving

Your favorite thing? Lord

Your dream last night? DUMB!

Your favorite drink? water

What room are you in? class

Your hobby? LOTS!

Your fear? failure

Where do you want to be in 6 years? Heaven

(if the world continues much longer on the wicked path it's on, I don't think I would want to be living here then... I rather go on Home!)

Where were you last night? house

Something that you aren't? pretty!

Wish list item? honor

Last thing you did? blinked ;D

What are you wearing? clothes...

TV? sometimes

Name one of your pets: Doodle (hen)

Good Friends? BLESSED

Your life? people

Your mood? ok

Missing someone? yes

Drinking? no

(I don't really understand this question, I guess it means am I drinking anything right now...)

Your car? Chevrolet!

Something you're not wearing? turban

*mischievous grin*

Outside? cloudy

Your favorite store? consignment

Your favorite color? red

When is the last time you cried? January

Where do you go to over and over? church

My favorite place to eat? (probably) house

Favorite place I'd like to be at right now? friends'

Thanks Hannah! That was fun!

If you are wearing denim, I TAG YOU!! If you want to do this tag, PLEASE DO!!

; D

Then please comment and let me know if you are going to to this tag - that way I can read yours!

Have fun!

January's Challenge - from Feminine Farmgirl

Ok, I'm back, at least for a little while.
Jenna, as part of a New Year's resolution, has outlined spiritual challenges for each month of the year, and invited her readers to join her. I know I need the Spiritual help, and accountability, (not to mention the enjoyment of a challenge ;D !) so I decided to continue on here to relate what I have learned each month.

January's Challenge - Brotherly Love

Jenna's Questions and my Answers about this month's challenge:

"How have you blessed the person that you chose to love this month?"

Well, to be honest, I don't know if I even did. I tried my best to show them love, respect, thoughtfulness in the face of unkindness, and cheerfulness, but I truly do not know if they even noticed.

"What bible verses on love encouraged you?"

"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." 1 John 4:8

This verse really challenged me. If I do not love my fellow human beings, how can I truthfully say I love God ?! If I do not love those around me, do I love God?

"Has anything really blessed you, and do you have any thoughts to share on the challenge?"

Wow. I guess I have been blessed while seeing how the Lord has enabled me to 'love' my person this month - at least in action, if not yet truly from the heart (but we're working on that!!). I have been blessed with how He has helped me to have a good attitude, and how comparitively 'easy' it has been for me to not strike back when I have been hurt.

The devil has really been working on me though. This, I'll admit, is a tough area for me - to love everyone equally. Yesterday, the first day after the 'challenge' was over, he really got me good. In a moment of irritation, I lashed out at the person during a situation in which I felt I was not being treated 'fairly'. It was inexcusable, and as soon as it happened, (this is almost unreal, I know) I could almost hear Satan laughing in the background. I pray the Lord will help me overcome this still!!

Thank you, Jenna, for being a Godly sister, and using your blogging talents to point your readers Upward - to a better Life!