Tuesday, September 29, 2009

The Weekend of Crafts

So...I can't post pictures just yet, but this weekend I was able to spend some time craftifying! I made my own vinyl, removable wall art. I made planters from baby formula containers...aMAZing! And a chalkboard message board out of an old picture frame.
I'll show pictures soon!

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Wallpapered Bookshelves


I love this idea! I've been thinking about doing it for awhile, but I haven't been sure which bookshelves or what colors. But Centsational Girl had a great inspirational post Friday that has gotten me thinking. And I'm pretty sure this will be my next project. (After my try at DIY wall decals of course! :)

Saturday, September 26, 2009

The Excellencies of Light


Photo originally uploaded by klaus72 on 09/20/09 - Flickr


But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
- 1 Peter 2:9-10
 Have you ever known someone that just radiates light? That proclaims the truth, walks in freedom and lives in confidence because of the mercy and grace they have received?
1 Peter 2:10-11 is one of my favorite passages in Scripture. It refreshes my soul.
This past week has been rough. Physically. Emotionally. Rough. Nothing extraordinarily bad happened, and actually a lot of great things happened. But I found myself coming home last night stretched to my limit. Craving time for rest, artistic expression, family connection and a pervasive sense of serenity.
I don't know how this expresses itself, but my husband seems to intuitively know what questions to ask and how to communicate with me. I feel loved!
This warmth starts to creep over me and then...ooo! "Did I even ask him about his day?" I realize that while these craving needs are there in my stretched to the limit being, I often become myopically self-centered. Maybe it's because I don't feel like I have the energy to look any further, but regardless of the reason. It's still wrong.
Evan is a person that radiates light. He's not the most naturally vivacious person you'll ever meet, but when my little world starts to get dim, I come home and he's there. With a loving look and often a run to the store for my favorite snack. There is no one else that I would ever choose to light up my day with his love. And there is no one else that I would want to raise our son and demonstrate how to walk in the Lord's love and His ways. "This is my lover, this is my friend."
So I ask you again...Have you ever known someone that just radiates light? That proclaims the truth, walks in freedom and lives in confidence because of the mercy and grace they have received?
Tell them that you love them, express how grateful you are that they are in your lives. And who knows, maybe through God's power and grace, you can be that person for them too.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Anyway...

The Paradoxical Commandments
by Dr. Kent M. Keith

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Pump Up the Jam!


Okay...So I like Jock Jams...Don't judge me! ALSO...I made jam for the first time! We've got this plethora of ripe raspberries at Victory Acres, so I went and picked a few the other night and grabbed my pectin (I think that's a funny word), to give it a go.
The great thing is! It's sugar-free. Instead of sugar, I used 1/2 cup of honey and a heaping tablespoon of organic stevia leaf powder. It only took about 20 minutes...if that. And it is great! Here's how to do it...


Raspberry Freezer Jam


Ingredients:
3 cups crushed raspberries (crush one layer at a time with a potato masher)
3/4 cup Apple or White Grape Apple or Cran-Raspberry Juice
1 pack Ball No Sugar Need Fruit Pectin
1/2 cup honey
1 Tbsp. Stevia Leaf Powder (if you have "Truvia" you could use about 4-5 packets for the same effect. if you don't have either, just use 3/4 cup honey instead of 1/2)

  • In a saucepan, combine pectin and juice and stir until the pectin is dissolved. 
  • Bring to a rolling boil and stir continuously for 1 minute
  • Remove from heat and IMMEDIATELY add smashed fruit
  • Stir energetically for one minute
  • Stir in honey and stevia
  • Put into jars and refrigerate for 24 hours
THEN EAT IT! :) You can store this in the freezer for up to a year and in the fridge for 3 weeks. It makes about 8 oz.

My Nutriously-Minded Son

I'm sitting here eating a casual dinner at our kitchen table. Elliot is on dinner #2, because he wasn't really very interested in dinner #1. They consist of the same things- milk, grapes, green beans, whole wheat crackers, and some raspberry yogurt. The only thing he wanted to eat during dinner #1 was the yogurt and a cracker. Then it was off to play and read and dance. Now we're back, his chair is turned so we're facing each other. The kitchen table has various non-food related household items on it. You know, books, a purse, mail, and a bright pink water-squirting fish. Oh yes, and one food related item, just within Elliot's grasp. A bag of chips.
He's finishing up dinner #2 - the crackers are gone, the grapes are gone, he's working on the milk, and he's eaten one...yes one, green bean. He sees the chips (which we do not let him eat), looks at me, looks at the chips, reaches for the chips, looks at me, picks up the chips, dumps them out on the table, looks at me, stops...sighs...picks up a green bean, looks at me, smiles, takes the green bean off his high chair tray, puts it on the table, and trades it for a chip. I'm guessing in his mind he figures this is a fair trade. Because he does the same thing four more times. And I just sit here and stare at him.....He thinks I'm hilarious.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Haha...Happy Fall!

So...today is the first day of fall (I hear it officially starts in about ten minutes). So here's funny story and a fall recipe.
Today I drove over to my classroom because I had left it a mess yesterday afternoon and knew that some more people were teaching in it today. I had left posters on the wall, bandanna's on the counter and chairs scattered about. As I got out of the car, I thought, "What is the world is that smell?" Oh well, I was on a mission, so I cut across some "grass" to get to Center Hall. "SPLUCK!" Yes, that's the sound that I heard, as I pulled my foot out  my shoe mid-stride, the shoe remained stuck in the mud and my foot was covered up to the ankle in gobs of mud. And guess what the smell was...yep! The mud! Gross, huh? So I walk to the classroom holding my white pants high above my muddy ankles, drop my shoes at the door and go in (where people are already starting to gather for class), grab one of my bandanna's and wipe my feet off. Then I come back to my office to make sure I don't have any meetings...barefoot. Grab a co-worker's tennis shoes and head off to Meijer. Meijer's cheapest pair of shoes were $20...ridiculous! So I went to Walmart. I scored a $7 pair of shiny bronze shoes and came back for a productive work day.
Happy fall! Go grab yourself a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks and try some Autumn Tea Butter on some scones or biscuits.

Autumn Tea Butter
Blend 1 stick softened butter with 2 tablespoons store-bought apple butter, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and a dash of nutmeg.

Enjoy!

Monday, September 21, 2009

A Wonderful Weekend

We had a great weekend! Friday I picked our things up from Victory Acres and ran home to see Sarah and the boys. We had a lovely night playing and watching shows.
Then the next morning we headed up to Fort Wayne to pick up our new family pictures!!! They turned out great and Elliot's 1 year shots are just superb! We then picked up some lunch and a balloon at Chick-fil-a and headed out to the Johnny Appleseed Festival. This was our first time going and it will definitely have to be a family tradition. They had tons of fun activities for kids (which will be great when Elliot gets a little older), lots of good food, and people all dressed up. There were girls clogging and old men telling stories and lots of apples!
There were some great vendors too. I was excited to see Simple Soapworks there. Their soap is simply aMAZing! We got the Citrus Splash, Sandalwood Vanilla, and they have a Pet Bar for dogs. Sweet!
There was also a farmers market area (this was my favorite! Heather said it would be and she was SO right!). We got apple butter, honey crisp apples, honey, big twirly sticks to decorate the house with and potpourri. It was a beautiful day and oh-so-fallish, and we had a wonderful time hanging with the Heironimi. We then went to Menards to get some essentials (toilet seats, air vent registers, lamp shades, etc.), and then headed home to pick up a few things before going to my parent's to visit with them and Joe.....Let's just say we all laughed so hard at my mom that our guts felt like they were going to explode. Seriously! She is a funny woman!
Sunday we stayed home and worked on the house and actually tried to get some rest. Then we went as a family to Payne's for some dessert (frozen custard and bread pudding...yum!).
Now we're back into the swing of things at work....kinda (I mean, it was a pretty dreary Monday here...how swinging can you get?). I'm excited to tell you some things this week, but right now I'm off to watch a show with the hubby and get to bed.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

A Quote

Do not go where the path may lead; instead, go where there is no path and leave a trail. 
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thursday, September 17, 2009

A Young Professional

So...I'm a woman and young and a professional, and let's just say there are some struggles that come with that...particularly the young and woman pieces of that equation, but especially the young part. There are some verses that I memorized as a child or teenager that didn't really impact me much at that time, but carry great weight, conviction and encouragement now. 1 Timothy 4:12 is one of those.

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity."

We had a speaker on campus this week that spoke on growth for a few days and one of the things he talked about what how God tests us to produce growth. I am tempted when challenged about my age or my experience to get defensive or discouraged, because those are things that I can't change about myself right now. I can build and I can grow, but that takes time.
Here's the thing. God didn't call me to title or money and frankly He didn't even call me to experience. He called me to build His kingdom on earth, to help people realize their value and worth, to fulfill their God-given potential and to be transformed from brokenness to wholeness because of the grace of Jesus Christ. To do that, I simply need to live life fully and freely, love fiercely, pursue purity, cultivate faith, and proclaim the excellencies of Him who called me out of darkness and into His marvelous light.
And THAT...that I can do at age 25 or 250 and every year in between, and I guarantee you, I will never be more fulfilled! So thank you for the test and thank you for the reminder that I have been given a spirit of power and greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

I am Free!



Through you the darkness flees!
Through you my heart screams "I am free!"
I am free to run
I am free to dance
I am free to live for you
I am free, 
Yes! I am free!
(Picture posted on Flickr by bella - Music by The Newsboys)

All-Natural, Homemade Laundry Detergent

Okay folks! It cleans dirt just as well as any other laundry detergent I've used, and it's dirt cheap (ranging from approx. 8-25 cents a load, depending on what you use).

So here's what you do. Get a container (tupperware, milk jug, whatever). Gather your supplies...

Supplies =

  • Borax (in the laundry aisle, some people use 20 Mule. I used the stuff I ordered from Mountain Rose Herbs for my birthday)
  • Washing Soda or Oxygen Bleach (Also, in the laundry aisle, you can find Arm & Hammer brand - like the baking soda. I am finding that oxygen bleach is a really great natural cleanser and it won't mess up your colors or make you dizzy like chlorine bleach does. The oxygen bleach is more expensive than the washing soda, but I had some for other household cleaning so I used it.)
  • Grated bar soap (like Ivory, this is obviously not the all natural option) or Ground Soap Nuts (you can find these here and here and here)
  • Favorite Essential Oils (I used grapefruit, sweet orange, and lavender)
Once you've got your supplies, you decide how much you want to make (I made about 2 cups). Then you measure out your supplies. 1 part borax, 1 part washing soda or oxygen bleach, 2 parts soap or ground soap nuts. Mix the dry ingredients until it's nice and powdery. Then add up to 10 drops of essential oils for scent.
(There are lots of recipes out there, but this one is pretty low-sudsing so it's good for both top and front load dryers.)
DONE! Now go do some laundry. It takes 2 Tablespoons to 1/4 of a cup per load depending on which ingredients you use. I have a fun little wooden scoop,

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Happy Birthday, Buddy!

                                      

Happy 1st Birthday Elliot! I love you so much!!!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Small Town Living

This is basically how the conversation went...

Evan: I've been finding a lot of cool stuff at the Dollar$Mart. (The Dollar$Mart is the ONE store in Upland. It has a huge pegboard wall of stuff for a dollar and then some household and grocery items.)

Megan: Really? Like what?

Evan: They have these infant neck pillows there...

Megan: Yeah, they actually have those lots of places.

Evan: Yeah, well, I'm talking about the Dollar$Mart. That's the only place I've been to lately.

Megan: (laughing) How often do you go to the Dollar$Mart alone?

Evan: I don't know...I was there today. They have these cool lighters too. They're double-barreled shot guns.

Seriously?! It was funny.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Seriously Now?!


There's this spot right above your nose and between your eyebrows, most of you probably don't notice it because it's smooth and flat and doesn't really serve a purpose in your day to day goings and comings and doings. My dad has had a crease in this flat spot for awhile now, and when he's in pain under stress, it becomes a deep crevice (sorry dad, but it's true). My husband's spot is flat and smooth for the most part, except for, you know, the occasionally manly stray eyebrow hair (sorry babe, but it's true). The last few days I have been massaging the life out of this spot, my forhead has been tense, even when I try to relax it. I think I'm doing fine and then I pass a window or mirror and see it.....THE CREASE!!! Seriously, now?! I am twenty five years old. I should have an alabaster brow and skin as smooth as porcelian. (I learned this from Anne Shirley, who was also disappointed with some skin issues at a young age.)
As I was manually trying to flatten my crease out in the car yesterday, my husband asked me if I wanted Botox (he was joking). I talked with my friend Jill at work today (she has a similar above-the-nose-should-be-smooth-but-crinkles-under-stress problem), and we both shared that this was not something that was controllable. Though it might be suggested that one can just stop....one (being me) cannot. It takes days for the crinkle to appear and days for it to leave. It is not controllable, it just happens.
Yes, sometimes I do get the most distorted look on my face when someone says something stupid, and yes, my face often contorts to unthinkable expressions, but this, my friends, is not that! This is plain and simple concentration and stress. The kind of stress that leads to botox suggestions, relaxation suggestions, and I'm sure a 63-year-old-Helen-Mirren-bikini-wearing-hot-mama picture is not in the future if I keep this up. (Seriously now?! You've all seen that right?!)
All of this to say, the crease is ridiculous!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7

A New One


Found a new blog! EvaForeva shows you how to make these great recycleable fruit & veggie bags, and she has an awesome giveaway for a beautiful, big silk scarf! Check it out!

Monday, September 7, 2009

Homemade Natural Lip Balm & Scrub


I found these great little plastic containers at CVS a couple weeks ago. They're the perfect size for keeping all little masks and soaps and salts in the shower too.
One of my favorite little beauty rituals used to be using my Mary Kay Satin Lips set every night. There was a lip mask and a silky balm. Well, I've run out and while I could buy more, I have no idea what's in the stuff, and I've been wanting to make my own lip balm for a bit now. I also made my own lovely little scrub. I will use it and feel PRETTY! (Guys can also use this and feel _____ (insert masculine good feeling adjective here - sharp, cool, smooth, handsome, "hot as fire", whatever).

Megan's Lip Scrub

Ingredients:

Dead Sea Salt
Sugar
Carrier Oil (I used Grapeseed Oil)

1. Fill container about 3/4 of the way full with half sugar and half Dead Sea salt.
2. Put lid on and shake to mix.
3. Pour in carrier oil until salt/sugar mixture is covered.
4. Stir with a toothpick or chopstick.

Megan's Marvelous Lip Balm

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. Beeswax
3 Tbsp. Carrier Oil (I used Jojoba Oil)
2 Vitamin E Capsules (Prick the end and squeeze out contents. Great for your skin, and a good natural preservative)
1 Tbsp. Honey
1 Tbsp. Mango Butter (I'm sure you could use Shea Butter as well)
1 Tbsp. Coconut Oil
10 drops of Essential Oil (I put in tea tree, sweet orange, & grapefruit)

1. Put all the ingredients (except the essential oil) in a Pyrex measuring cup (or a similar pourable container).
2. Melt ingredients by placing the Pyrex cup in a half full pot of boiling water and stirring continuously.
3. Once all the ingredients are melted remove the Pyrex cup with a hot pad and add essential oils.
4. Pour mixture into containers and let solidify (you can place it in the freezer to speed up the process)

For other fun at home body products, check out Rachel's recent Bath & Beauty Roundup at One Pretty Thing

Friday, September 4, 2009

Cute, Customized Flats!


Found a new blog today via One Pretty Thing (love that site!). Ashley at Make It and Love It actually mod podged shoes!!! Aren't they adorable?! I want to make some!

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

God's Grandeur

This is a gorgeous poem that I feel just radiates beauty and truth with literary clarity. I encourage you to read through it more than once and read it out loud at least once. I just heard it at our Fall Faculty Retreat and it captured me.

God's Grandeur
Gerard Manley Hopkins
THE WORLD is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;
And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
And wears man's smudge and shares man's smell: the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.
And for all this, nature is never spent;
There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;
And though the last lights off the black West went
Oh, morning, at the brown bring eastward, springs --
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
World broods with warm breat and with ah! bright wings.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Worms & Weeds


Elliot helping me weed! I just had to stop and watch...he's so sweet!

I finally got my Red Wigglers yesterday! Woohoo! Who knew someone could get so excited about worms?! The funny thing is Red Wigglers are really popular fishing bait (so my hubs tells me) but I couldn't find them. I checked three different bait places. But then, guess where they were? Yes, that's right. 1/2 mile from my house in lil' ol' Upland. At the BP gas station there's a little fridge in the back with like 10-12 different kinds of live bait. (Seriously now?!) So I bought my little guys and excitedly brought them home with a rake and a weed eater/trimmer. I finished off my DIY Worm Composter, and Elliot and I weeded and raked while Ev mowed and trimmed. Our yard looks very nice and we LOVE being outside!!! It's so nice to actually have a space that we can be outside and that Elliot can safely crawl and stand around.
Below is a picture of the worms...just because I'm proud. However, I know some of you are squeemish (I actually was pretty jumpy opening the little containers of worms myself. I don't know how I'm ever going to separate them from the compost!), so I waited to put it at the end. You can choose to look if you'd like.






See...It's not that bad! :)

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