DIY Bookmarks

Turn paint samples into....

customized bookmarks!

First House on the Left

I still hear my mom’s voice

giving the directions—

“Go west 2 miles after the blinking light,

then turn north on 179^th Avenue…“

the directions to the land we ran on

playing cops n’ robbers, hide n’ seek,

directions to the trees that shape the winding paths

we once spent weeks constructing,

directions to the gravel we rode our bikes on

racing or tracing figure eights,

directions to the house that raised six kids

with Walker after church and couch cushion forts,

to the barn that sheltered us from the rain

as we rope swung in the straw and hay,

to the cards we lost track of time with

playing Peanuts, Merry Widow, and Whist,

the directions to home—

“…go over the railroad tracks and

we’re the first house on the left.”

Pages of Faith

We had our first women's Bible study on Wednesday and thought it would be a good idea to start out the year making faith notebooks!  Click here to see where I got the idea.  I like all the examples she lists of what to use your notebook for.  

I wanted to keep it simple, just some scrapbooking paper and a few stickers.

Jeremiah 29:11

Five Finger Prayer

Reach by Peter Furler

twenty one

Birthday Highlights:

pickle roll-ups

cupcakes &

the bowl of mints at Olive Garden

Perfectly Purple

I had my nails done for my birthday.  My first time with gel nails!

So, today I did my toes to match!

& a whole lot of Jesus

Holes

"There is no lake at Camp Green Lake."

Facing the Day

A noise, maybe, or beam of light,

wakes me.  I stir in bed and slowly

remember the tasks ahead, peel

the covers off and sling my legs

over the edge.

The worries weigh on my eyelids

sitting in class after class.

The endless lectures adding to

the mountain of stress.

I escape to my room, slide

my comfy clothes on.  I sink

under the pile of blankets.  My face

reaches the soft pillow.  My spine

stretches, as I wait for the dreams
before the sleep seeps in.

30 Minute Treadmil Workout

Minutes	Speed	Incline
1-5	3.5	0
5-8	4	5
8-10	4.5	5
10-13	6.5	1
13-14	7	1
14-15	4.5	5
15-18	6.5	1
18-19	7	1
19-20	4.5	5
20-23	6	1
23-24	6.5	1
25-30	3.5	0

Ethan Frome

"I guess he's been in Starkfield too many winters."

Walk On the Wild Side

I finished RA training today!  

The Alchemist

"We are afraid of losing what we have, whether it's our life or our possessions and property.  But this fear evaporates when we understand that our life stories and the history of the world were written by the same hand."

Painting without Paint

Now that my summer class is over, it's time to be thinking about heading back to dorm life!  Try using paint samples if you are looking for a way to add color on your walls!  Blue and green are my favorite colors, so I just used a bunch of different shades.  The possibilities are endless!

Just for Krista!

Not a Moment of Life is Wasted on a Farm

Key Chains

I found these cool key chains on Pinterest and thought I would give them a try!

Click here to see the instructions I used.  I ordered the key fob hardware and fusible tape from Amazon.  The cotton webbing and ribbon came from JoAnn's.  They fun to make, and I love how they turned out!

Face Mask Friday

Nutmeg

Cinnamon

Honey

Lemon Juice 

Rise and Shine

Quotes on canvas are one of my favorite things!  I made two of these for birthday presents to some close friends.  They absolutely loved them!  I liked them so much I'll have to make another one for me sometime.

Day 10: Saturday, May 31

Time to go home!

Today, we flew from Prague to Munich to Chicago to Minneapolis and rode a bus to Valley City.  I'll be okay if I don't go on any overnight flights or five hour bus rides anytime soon!

I got home at 6:30 in the morning on Sunday and couldn't wait to share all my stories!!

Day 9: Friday, May 30

This morning we had leisure time in Prague.  A group of us went to tour the Jewish Quarters.  It was an emotional self tour.  One of the synagogues we walked through had first and last names of people who had died, their birthdate, and the last date they were seen alive hand written on the walls.

After lunch, we had gave our final concert in St. Nicholas of Old Town.  The seats were full, and it was an amazing performance!

For supper, we ate at the Plzenska restaurant in the Municipal House to celebrate our final night.  There was traditional music playing, and the courses tasted wonderful!

After our final concert.

Day 8: Thursday, May 29

We started the day with a five hour drive to Prague.  We arrived at Strahov Brewery for lunch, met our tour guide, and walked to Prague Castle...in the rain.  We explored the Old Royal Palace, Basilica of St. George, the Golden Lane, and St. Vitas Cathedral.

We walked to the hotel...in the rain.  Then walked to get our bags from the bus and bring them to the hotel...in the rain.

But!  The worst day turned into the best night!

We went to supper at Folklore Gardens.  We were served a four course dinner and entertained by traditional music and dance.  We had so much fun singing and dancing, not to mention the fantastic food!

Day 7: Wednesday, May 28

Today we went to the Mozarthaus.  We had audio guided tours, and I accidentally pressed the children button.  So, I'm pretty sure my tour was better than everyone's.

We sang at the St. Stephan's Cathedral.  A lot of tourists hovered and watched us.

With the rest of the evening off, we spent the rest of our euros!  Then, time for a relaxing evening at the hotel.

I don't have any pictures for this post yet, so here's me and the Sound of Music curtains in our hotel ;) 

St. Stephan's Cathedral

Day 6: Tuesday, May 27

We started the morning with a tour of Vienna and its local highlights including the Opera House, Hofburg Palace and Stephansdom.  For lunch we went to a cafe and had the best coffee EVER--> sooo amazing!

We sang at Schonbrunn Palace on the front steps.  It was probably my favorite performance.  The palace was used as a royal summer home complete with gardens and a zoo.  We had an audio guide tour through 22 of the 1,441 rooms.  It was a little impersonal but still enjoyable.  The gardens were spectacular!  Sam and I walked around and got caught in the pouring rain. 

Back at the hotel, we went to a shop across the street.  A lot of the jewelry was handmade.  I bought a watch and necklace for myself, a bracelet for Amy, and a kitty pouch for Chelsea.

For our free time we went to an applied arts museum.  It was free on Tuesday nights!  We ran out of time and only made it around the basement; there were two more levels!