Craftiness

Chris and I didn't leave for Asheville until Christmas day, so the week leading up to Christmas was catch-up-on-life week for me. I cleaned parts of our apartment that had been neglected (e.g. mopping the kitchen floors) and started my periodic declutter regimen (going through the filing cabinet, organizing craft supplies, etc.). Also, I took the opportunity to catch up on all the crafts that I had collected the materials to do, but hadn't had the time to finish.

Coasters for my Mom for Christmas

A few coasters for me :)

Re-usable shopping bag from t-shirts

Small ribbon pillow

Giraffe ornament for a guy in Chris' Bible study 

Frosted wine glasses

Unfortunately, the frosted glass paint comes off too easily, so unless I can find a way to make it stay on better, I will have to use these for candle holders or something. In my defense, the can of spray paint said for glass on greenhouses, insides of doors, the outside of shower doors, etc. If drinking wine out of the glass messes it up at the top, then that is a fail.

But don't worry - I spent plenty of time being lazy and unproductive as well. I read The Help in two sittings (fabulous book and movie, by the way), watched several movies on Netflix, and slept in at least until 9 on most mornings. Yay for Christmas break!!

Coasters

Due to the lack of funds in the Meriwether household, I have been getting really creative with Christmas gifts. I love giving gifts - I just don't always have the money to buy them. But I can make them! I also like to make practical things for others - I don't presume to know their decorating styles and what they will/will not like. So, I decided on making these clay winter coasters! They're not perfect, but that's part of their charm. :)

I used holly sprigs and berries, and some clippings from our Christmas tree. You're supposed to be able to roll the clay out, but the clay I had was super moist, and the wax paper I had simply wasn't up to the task. So, I decided to take out my frustrations by hand-pounding the clay (hence, the unevenness of the coasters).

After they dried, I lightly brushed paint on them to make the impressions stand out a little more. Surprisingly, my perfectionist tendencies kind of go out the window when I'm doing artsy things. Like somehow I can turn it off when there's art involved, and I can appreciate the imperfection as something beautiful. So here's to my 6 sets of 4 imperfect coasters! Merry Christmas!

Christmas Cards

So a while back, I decorated clothes pins to use for hanging up Christmas cards. Also, I took it upon myself to make all of our cards this year. I realized, about halfway through, how incredibly ambitious that was. Between family, friends and supporters, I think I made about 45-50 cards. Whew! I did enjoy some wonderful Christmas music while I was doing it, though. Before sending them out, I hung up a few of my favorites and took pictures!

Chris says I should try to make money selling handmade cards, but honestly, after making all of those, I don't want to make another card for quite some time. However, with enough monetary coercion, I could be convinced to make you some. :)

Merry Christmas Mitchell!

This is a tribute to my wonderful little brother, whom I love very much! I miss going through the holiday season with you, and can't wait to see you on Christmas day!

Turning Page

You know how you get stuck listening to a song over and over and over and over because it's just that good? Well I recently found an amazing song that I am seriously obsessed with right now. It is beautiful and I love it!


Turning Page by Sleeping At Last

i've waited a hundred years.
but i'd wait a million more for you.
nothing prepared me for
what the privilege of being yours would do.


if i had only felt the warmth within your touch,
if i had only seen how you smile when you blush,
or how you curl your lip when you concentrate enough,
i would have known what i was living for all along.
what i've been living for.


your love is my turning page,
where only the sweetest words remain.
every kiss is a cursive line,
every touch is a redefining phrase.


i surrender who i've been for who you are,
for nothing makes me stronger than your fragile heart.
if i had only felt how it feels to be yours,
well, i would have known what I've been living for all along.
what i've been living for.


though we're tethered to the story we must tell,
when i saw you, well, i knew we'd tell it well.
with a whisper, we will tame the vicious seas.
like a feather bringing kingdoms to their knees.

Listen to it here! Yes, it is from the new Twilight movie, which I did go to see, but I actually heard it on Pandora first. :) Enjoy! I do :)

O Christmas Tree

I love Christmas. Growing up, my mom would decorate the entire house for Christmas - and I mean the ENTIRE house! Every room had at least a mini tree in it, we had 2 regular Christmas trees, garlands on the doorways, candles in the windows, and a theme for every bedroom. My room was a winter wonderland theme, since it was all white and sky blue, and I decorated it with glittery snowflakes and white chiffon. Needless to say, it just isn't Christmas for me unless every room has at least a touch of holiday joy. I have several Christmas crafts planned this year. I just got an old 1950 Kenmore cabinet sewing machine, so I'm super excited about making a set of stockings and a tree skirt. This year, we are getting an early start on Christmas decorating in the Meriwether home! We got our Christmas trees the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and the rest is history! An old tradition that my family used to do when I was little was to go to Burnsville, NC and eat breakfast at the Nu Wray Inn before going to a Christmas tree farm and picking out trees. The first year I was married was actually the first time I had ever bought a tree from a parking lot. I almost didn't know what to do! Well, Chris had never been to a tree farm before, so my Dad offered to continue the tradition and take us to Burnsville.

The Nu Wray Inn was built in 1833, and still has the original iron work, oak ceiling beams and rock fireplace. The breakfast is served family style for all guests and visitors, and man was it a feast! It was like Thanksgiving all over again, but with breakfast food (which, in my opinion, is better). We had yogurt, fruit, and granola served in mason jars, homemade biscuits with homemade jelly and apple butter, sausage, free-range scrambled eggs, breakfast casserole, and buttermilk pancakes with steamed apples and whipped cream on top. Delicious!

We had all the coffee and tea we could drink, and relaxed by the fire. Neither Chris nor I are morning people, but it was totally worth the early get-up time. :) Then we went to the same tree farm that we had always gone to, run by the same man. Looking at some old family pictures, I realized that we had been going there to get trees since I was 5 or 6. My dad picked out a 8-ft tree for himself, and we picked out a 6-foot one. Each tree only cost $15! Chris and I even got a little baby tree to put in our bedroom. I love it!!

Chris got to help carry and bale the trees. Such a manly man! :)

Then we went by the Penland School of crafts to look at their gallery - all glass-blowing, metal-working, weaving, dying, artsy stuff. We decided to drive the parkway back, listening to Trans-Siberian Orchestra (another Christmas tradition) and made a quick stop to go to the top of Mt. Mitchell. I do miss my Blue Ridge Mountains. All in all, I would say it was a wonderful holi-day. Can't wait to decorate!

Verna

This past weekend Chris and I went to Atlanta for the National Youth Worker's Convention. We spent some time in a really sweet hotel, got to hear some great worship bands (Shane and Shane was our favorite!) and received some awesome teaching .

The elevators always made me dizzy and made my ears pop.

We took sky bridges everywhere - from our hotel to the convention hotel, to the mall, etc. But that's not the point of this post. Probably the most amazing thing I saw the whole weekend was Verna. Verna is a youth worker who loves young adults with all of her heart, and is still attending conventions and spending time with young kids who love her. Verna is 81 years old, and has been doing youth ministry for 63 years. She houses troubled teens who need some looking after, bakes cookies for the rough-and-tough teens down the street who call her "Grandma", and truly has a heart for seeing young people come to know the love of Christ. She doesn't run a world-famous youth ministry, you wouldn't recognize the name of her church, and most people have never heard of her. Verna is my hero. I do not feel called to work with youth (something this conference even further confirmed), but I want to be just like Verna. I sat in the crowd of 4,000+ youth workers with tears in my eyes because of a woman I don't even know. I was in complete awe of her love and dedication, despite the lack of recognition or pay. And she sure as heck did not let any preconceived notions about "age" change her obedience to God's calling for her life. Verna is one amazing woman.

Calendar - Finally!

I saw this DIY calendar on Pinterest (best and most addicting website ever) a long time ago, and have been wanting to do it for forever. You just get paint chips (free!) and a frame (mine was from a thrift store and cost $2.50) and make it! Then you use dry erase markers to write on it. Chris and I have very different and very crazy schedules, so it really comes in handy to help us remember things. "Oh, I'm supposed to go to that convention with you that weekend? I didn't know that." Now we have a large calendar prominently displayed in our living room, so there are no excuses. :)

I have lots more craft ideas - I'm just waiting for Christmas break so I can do some of them! Also, I just got an old, circa 1950 Kenmore cabinet sewing machine from my aunt, so I can actually sew things now! Well, once I figure out how to change the bobbins correctly. :)

Memoir

So I have started a new project - writing a memoir of sorts relating my life and all that has happened in it. It is not a happy story, but it is a beautiful one with a happy ending because of God's infinite grace and love. I write it for myself and my own cathartic purposes, but I will allow anyone to read it who wishes to. My goals: fully processing my past, a chance to let go, and the time to stop and reflect on exactly how amazing and awesome and wonderful our God is. I will not post it on here, but you can ask me if you want to read it (but not yet because I've only just started on it). I will, however, give you my little introduction. :)

Right now, my life is good. Not perfect – no one’s ever is. Not easy – I don’t think anyone over the age of 13 sees their life as easy, although some have easier lives than others. No, there are plenty of struggles and hardships in my life, but it is good. There was a time in my life, however, when things were not so good. I wasn’t starving, homeless, walking ten miles to get water, or anything like that. But I was caught in an emotional blizzard that threatened to take me away forever. I tried to bury myself to escape the continual onslaught of the despair, depression and devastation that was my life. Thankfully, God chose to work through my pitiful self and bring me to where I am today. I don’t typically dwell on past horrors, or really even remember them at all, but I think that God gave us memories for a reason. They teach us about ourselves, about the world, and about people. But most importantly they show us what we need to know about God – His character, His justice and His unending love. So here is my story. The beautiful good and the disgustingly ugly. May all praise and honor be to Him who holds us each in His hand.

Headband!

I got this idea from my friend Rebecca. You just take an old t-shirt, cut strips out of it, and braid them together to make a headband for a little girl. You can add all kinds of embellishments to it - I didn't want to have to buy anything, so I just made a little rose.



I made this particular headband for one of the cutest little girls I know and her wonderful mother. I love you Tyner!

The Power of a Cause

It's amazing to see how powerful a cause can be. A single cause can bring together 3,500 women to pay $40 to walk/run a 5K early on a Saturday morning. While I myself have not had a close connection with breast cancer (no relatives/close friends), there is still something moving about seeing so many people gather together in support and encouragement for those who are fighting. And it's not just those with cancer that are fighting - it's their friends and family too. This day was for all of them. I was honored to run for them, in the midst of a wave of pink that swept through Greensboro.

Also, huge congratulations to my dear friend Leeann for completing her first 5k run ever!

Restless

Restless by Switchfoot

I am the sea on a moonless night
Calling falling, slipping tides
I am the leaky, dripping pipes
The endless, aching drops of lights

I am the raindrop falling down
Always longing for the deeper ground
I am the broken, breaking seas
Even my blood finds ways to bleed

Even the rivers ways to run
Even the rain to reach the sun
Even my thirsty streams
Even in my dreams

I am restless
I am restless
I am restless
I'm looking for you
I am restless
I run like the ocean to find your shore
I'm looking for you

I am the thorn stuck in your side
I am the one that you left behind
I am the dried up doubting eyes
Looking for the well that won't run dry

Running for the other side
The world that I've always been denied
Running hard for the infinite
With the tears of saints and hypocrites

Oh, blood of black and white and grey
Oh, death in life and night in day
One by one by one
We let our rivers run

I am restless
I am restless
I'm looking for you
I am restless
I run like the ocean to find your shore
I'm looking for you

I can hear you breathing
I can feel you leading
More than just a feeling

I can feel you reaching
Pushing through the ceiling
Till the final healing
I'm looking for you

Until the sea of glass we meet
At last completed and complete
Where tide and tear and pain subside
And laughter drinks them dry

I'll be waiting
Anticipating
All that I aim for
What I was made for

With every heartbeat
All of my blood bleeds
Running inside me
I'm looking for you

Revamped: Bedside Table

So as part of that list of crafts that I wanted to do that I posted a while back, I wanted to refinish my bedside table. Our bedroom is gray, cranberry, black and white with touches of antique gold. (Eventually, when we live somewhere where I can paint the walls, our walls will be gray.) So, I painted the bedside table white with my friend Jessica (free), and replaced the knobs with something that matched better ($12 at Lowe's). At some point, I will replace the knobs and handles on my dresser to match my bedside table. :) So excited to have another piece of our bedroom come together the way I want it!

Girl with the Green Car

So, on Tuesday, when I was babysitting for Lillie, a kid accidentally backed his car into my car (which was parked on the side of the road). Well, my car was not really hurt - just a little scratched on the bumper - but I was truly impressed with this guy. He came up to the house and told me what had happened, asked me to come look at it and offered to pay me for it. He looked to be about 17, and I was surprised by his conscientiousness and determination to do the right thing. Needless to say, the damage was barely noticeable - I may not have even noticed it if he hadn't told me - and I told him not to worry about it. It truly was no big deal.

THEN comes the good part. Today, I went to Lillie's to babysit agin. When I arrived, she handed me this envelope that had "Girl with the Green Car" written on it. I laughed. Apparently he had dropped this off later on Tuesday. Then I opened it, and the first thing I noticed was that it was professional personal stationery. The kind where his full name was imprinted on the top of the notecard. And his address was imprinted on the envelope. Well, I was in the rich neighborhood of High Point, so I shouldn't have been too surprised. Still, it was funny. Then I read it:

Kind HPU student, (probably due to my HPU parking sticker)
I'm very sorry for backing into your car. Only after driving away did I realize you were in an awkward position. You probably take good care of your car and were at least a little upset about some stranger scratching it, but you might have worried you'd sound like a jerk to take it very seriously.
The people at Target cannot fix your car, but people who fix cars don't sell gift cards. Target is more fun anyway.
Apologetically,
Charles E_________

(enclosed was a $25 gift card to Target)

I thought this was the funniest thing ever, but it was also so shockingly nice that for a split second I had the urge to write him back just to say thank you for the card! Either his parents raised him extremely well or he was really bored - either way, I'll take it. Here's to the hope that society is not all corrupt and disappointing after all. :)

And here's a picture of sweet Tyner.

The Little Things

As much as I wish my life were a fairytale, it quite simply is not. Thanks to the effective persuasion of my counselor, I have begun to acknowledge and deal with the tragedy that was most of my childhood. Things that are extremely unpleasant and have long been forgotton (or pushed out of mind) have resurfaced and presented themselves as facts that must be dealt with. I have learned, however, that our desire for a better world full of love and perfection is God-given. We truly were meant for better than this. Thankfully, we are not alone or completely surrounded by devastation and depression - regardless of what I may think sometimes. We are fortunate that there are still good things in this world - beautiful things.

I think it is extremely important for us to acknowledge the beautiful things in our lives. The things that give us the teeny-tiniest glimpse into what it will be like when evil is no more. For me, these things include the exultant joy and love that permeate the weddings of close friends, the peals of laughter from a 1-year-old girl simply because she sees me come through the door, and the "singing" of a boy with Downs Syndrome who loves and responds to music better than almost anything else.







Regardless of the things that I have endured in the past or the difficulties I face in the present, I am constantly encouraged by these gracious gifts. I am not nearly as grateful as I should be, but I am so glad that among all the sadness there is hope - a glimpse of the beauty that is possible, and a promise of the joy that is to come.

Wyoming Adventures

Sorry it's taken me so long to do this post, but we haven't gotten internet at our apartment yet so I really haven't had the chance. But, here it is!



Chris and I joined my dad and a friend of his for a 2-week adventure in Wyoming. The goal was to summit Gannett Peak, the highest peak in Wyoming - a goal we did not quite reach. This was due to the area having a 300% snow year (this means 3x more snow than usual) and some delays due to traveling with 2 60-year-olds. (Don't ever ever ever tell them I said that.) But I will say that Chris and I learned a lot of things throughout this trip - lessons about life, relationships, loving others and backpacking in general. I have included a few (very few) pictures and a few little lessons from our trip. There is so much more to tell, but I don't have the time/patience to put it all in a blog. :)

Note: All total, we hiked for 7 days, 50 miles, with 65-70 pound backpacks. We climbed, we traversed, we slid, we snowshoed, we fell, we crossed, and we plowed. Good times were had by all. :)

1. Nothing but freeze-dried meals and protein bars for lunch really messes up your system. :( There is such a thing as too much protein.

2. When you are planning on walking across 10+ feet of snow and the temperature is supposed to reach 80, you should probably get an early start. Sinking into the snow up to your thigh with a 65-pound pack is incredibly frustrating and drains you like no other.

3. When you are climbing over 4,000 feet in elevation, you need to drink lots of water. If you do not, you will get sick.



4. It is extremely important that you trust God to take care of you. For one, you are days of hiking away from civilization/other people/cell service. Also, when the rapid snow melt makes rivers 5x bigger than normal, but you have to cross them anyway with the aforementioned 65-pound pack, it's great to know that He's on your side.

5. Hiking poles are absolutely essential. I probably would have died without mine. Literally.

6. You really learn to appreciate the little things - dry socks, getting your tent set up before the rain/hail storm, becoming used to the multiple blisters on your feet, a level campsite, not forgetting to pee before taking off your boots and climbing into your sleeping bag, and much, much more. It truly puts things in perspective.



7. When it becomes apparent that you will not reach your goal, it is okay to be mad/angry/furious with the world for a little while. But then it is important to get over yourself and realize that God is teaching you a great lesson in acknowledging others before yourself, and letting things go for His greater purposes. Extreme disappointment is allowed, however.

8. God's amazingness can be truly evident when you reach the trailhead, have no signal to call your ride, the town is 12 miles away, you've already hiked 13+ miles today, and a hippie horse wrangler from Asheville comes out of her truck just in time to offer you (and all your stuff) a ride. Apparently, the night before was whiskey night at the bar, and she had come out to camp but had chosen to sleep in her truck instead. Also, her truck had seen as many as five passengers and a dog in it at one time, so she had no qualms letting us cram our gear and our super stinky selves into it. Natalie, I love you. For real.



9. There is something truly beautiful about meeting a family of six who moved to a town of 962 people where it's winter 9 months out of the year and the closest grocery store is over an hour away, just to lead a church of 50 and fight against the extreme alcoholism and indifference that permeates the area. Comfort zone? I think not. Beautiful shining lights? Absolutely.







10. It's amazing what God can do in 2 weeks. Way more than can be included in a blog post, that's for sure. He can show you more than you ever wanted to see and can push you to do more than you thought you could. Praise be to Him who both created the mountains and gives me the strength to climb them.