DIY Sawah

there are a total of three shirts in my closet i currently do not wear because i do not know how to put a missing button back on them. i have asked the cleaners to do it but they never remember and so i'm stuck with these fully laundered articles of clothing that i love... just sitting there because cinderella's seamstress mice have yet to find my closet. i guess it's true. there really are no fairy princess happy endings.

or are there?

drying my hair this morning, wondering what i was going to wear, bummed out because i wanted to wear a certain cardi that is missing a button, i thought to my self... the Lord gave us youtube for situations exactly like this.

so. i'm going to learn a trade this weekend. i'm going to learn how to sew a button. and i'm going to do it by watching these quirky freaks do it over and over and over and over again.


i'm assuming target has "quality" needles and thread? watch out world... i'm starting to take bulls by the horn like never before. this is only the beginning.

sew excited to report back on monday... sem

a whole new world

a few friends of mine have been mentioning this little thing called "google reader" for some time now. anytime they would suggest i look into it, i completely dismissed the idea. probably because it's something new that i didn't find first. so two weeks ago, in a moment of boredom?, i clicked on it and added a couple food blogs i've been interested in. you know, just to see what the hype was about. i was sure i would never log onto this "reader" again. except for i have. every day since. i'm pretty sure i have about 75 new blogs i'm following and i just can't stop. from cooking to travel to the best of NYC... there's just so much information! i'm overwhelmed by it in the very best of ways.

so i thought i'd pass on a little something from one of my new blog friends. her name is kristina and this made me laugh, as just yesterday i was walking into target in my own happy, little world and an elderly man told me to "wipe that sourpuss off my face."

have a great weekend, sourpusses!

today's lunch

just your 'ol run of the mill, delicious apple/kale/spinach/beet juice concoction!

if i make it through one day of this "body reset" it will be a miracle of Jesuits.

light the streets

Light the Streets from Africa New Life Ministries on Vimeo.

today africa new life is launching their street kids fundraising campaign: LIGHT THE STREETS. anlm currently feeds thousands of homeless boys twice a week, but they (we) must do more. the day i spent with these boys literally changed my life and the view i have of myself, my surroundings, and most definitely my God. it put everything into perspective regarding "to whom much is given, much is required."

athanase, the boy speaking on the video, spent quite a bit of time with our group while we were in rwanda. as we began to hear his story and listen to him speak of who he was before, i honestly had a hard time believing he was telling the truth. this boy who was feared by all the other boys and had grown up living in a dump, selling drugs and instilling hate in all those around him... he was now FULL of love- never stopped smiling or laughing- and did you hear what he said? my only hope was God, who changed my life.

that is how God uses ANLM. yes, they provide food for these boys, but along with that, there are Godly men and women specifically placed in this ministry to love on them, to know their name.

my day with the street kids blew me away the entire time i was there. from the minute i walked up to the field and was bombarded with hugs and smiles and soccer balls and singing and twelve hands at a time grasping for mine, i

don't think my eyes were ever not rimmed with tears. just a few hours before we had driven our air conditioned van through the dump... their home... the place they find food and shelter. we couldn't stand the smell for the five minutes we were there, so we rolled all the windows up and drove the rest of the time in silence. now the boys were surrounding me and i was unsure of how to help because their needs were so great and the most astonishing thing was that all they wanted in that moment was to be touched. because no one else does or ever has. it amazed me how most had not eaten in days, yet they patiently stood in long lines, waiting for their portion of food. and once they had their plate, not one of them looked at the one before them and complained about the size of their serving. they were just so happy and grateful for what they were given. and it wasn't like they just showed up for the meal... they had come hours before to play, sing praise songs, dance around, listen to rogers tell them a short bible message, wash up... it was like being able to eat was the last thing on their minds.

the other day i heard a pastor speak about how God's commands are laid out crystal clear for us. our task is to pray for His direction as to how to demonstrate our obedience to them in our lives. religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans in their distress... -james 1:27

visit www.lightthestreets.com, buy a greeting card or two, and get in on the action of what God is doing in and through these precious rwandan street kids. may He continue to be our only hope and change our very lives.

(the little boy who i latched onto that day and will never forget.)

save the nail color drama for your mama

i usually leave everything beauty related to 'ol makeup maven, but i must share a little something. sadly, i can't take the credit... it's all z. my sister has an uncanny ability to be able to pick the hottest, now nail colors without ever trying them on or researching or putting any effort into it at all. she just knows. it is truly a gift.

the other night i noticed a color on her nails that i couldn't get over. it was neutral, yet snazzy. pinky-purple, yet flesh-toned. i never thought in a million years it would work on me, but she told me to trust her, so i did. i picked up my own bottle and have not regretted that $8 purchase once.

ladies and gentlemen (or maybe just ladies?)... i would like to introduce you to demure vix.

austin in springtime is downright revolting

yuck. gross. nasty. vom dot com. i definitely gotta get out of here.

if i could dream up my perfect day, i'd probably start off with...

this:

then i'd hop on underground mass transit & walk up to the surface to be greeted by this:

then i'd take a quick pic because i just couldn't stand it:

i would be getting pretty hungry at this point so i would stuff my face with this:

& this:

then i would need to burn 3,500 calories, so i would power walk to this:

& leisurely stroll though this:

my perfect day would need a perfect ending,

so naturally it would mean pre-game champagne here:

& a tiny table for two (complete with a liiiiitle more champagne & the best food i've ever eaten) here:

oh & i would be wearing this:

if i know myself like i think i do, i think i would really, really love this day.