Blowing off the Dust

Have you missed me? Last week I told you that life had been wild lately, and I wasn't kidding. Thankfully, things have slowed down a bit since I closed the etsy shop and the submission deadlines for the latest Minted challenges have passed. There is much to fill you in on. For now, how about some snapshots from our crazy life? I'll fill in the blanks later.

Micah loves playing outside, and since the days have warmed up, we play outside often.

A couple of months ago, we took a trip to the Memphis Zoo with our Sunday school class - I love this shot of Dennis and Micah looking at the big cats.

This is seriously the first picture I've taken with my sister in years. Don't know how that happened, but I'm glad we've got a new one.

We went to Starkville for several baseball games. Micah knows what a cowbell is, and she knows how to use it :)

Summer days in Mississippi are hot, hence Micah's newfound love for the water hose.

More to come later.

Until next time, grace and peace.

Christmas in...May??

Whew. It's been a busy week! I've been stealing time from my family to develop some fresh designs for the latest Minted challenge. The assignment? Holiday cards. Designers have until May 31 to submit designs, so voting isn't yet open, but I thought I would go ahead and share the designs I've been working on thus far. So, without further ado, here they are:

Shiny Bright Holiday

This design was inspired by hand-painted vintage Shiny Brite ornaments. I had a lot of fun creating the patterns for each ornament, and I think it turned out especially cute.

Twice the Meaning

This sweet and simple Christmas card has twice the meaning. Quoting Isaiah 9:6 and echoing Handel's Messiah, this design announces the birth of a Savior and a family's newest blessing.

M is for Married

I love the way this card turned out. For couples who want to announce their recent marriage and send Christmas cheer at the same time, it's a perfect fit. It's simple and modern and has just the right touch of whimsy.

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To look through all the other fabulous designs, be sure to click through to the Sending Good Cheer Holiday Challenge on Minted. I have many more ideas, but I don't know how much time I'll have to implement them. We shall see what the next few weeks holds.

Doesn't looking at these designs get you in the holiday spirit? What does your ideal Christmas card look like? What message does it bear? What colors does it use? Is if fun and whimsical or elegant and classy?

Until next time, grace and peace.

A Picnic on the Drill Field

The other day, Micah and I set out to the park for a picnic and playtime with a couple of our best buddies. We had a wonderful time, but on the way home, I kept having flashbacks to another picnic with another bestie. And I thought I'd share my memories with you. Before you continue reading, you should know that this story has absolutely nothing to do with anything. It is completely random. Let's start with an introduction. This is me with my fabulous friend Haley, circa 2004. This picture is from our senior year at Mississippi State, and no, I didn't regularly wear pigtails. We were at the BSU Barn Party, a phenomenon which merits its own post.

We were roommates for two years at State, and we shared lots of common loves, including a love for pretty paper and entertaining. You can shop Haley's stationery line in her etsy shop, and you can enlist her party planning expertise via localMINT events if you live in or around Nashville. She's a great friend to have. I bet you wish she was your friend, too.

Haley and I were communication majors at State together, which meant that we took a little class called Small Group Communication from the one and only Hank Flick. Hank is a, how shall I say it, different kind of professor. His personality, and assignments, are notorious at Mississippi State. Particularly an assignment for his Small Group students.

Every semester, Hank required his students to intentionally violate the norms of society and then write a paper describing what you did that was so out of the ordinary and how people reacted. When it came time for Haley's norm violation project, she decided on a picnic. In the middle of the Drill Field (basically the middle of campus). With stuffed animals.

Haley was not interested in performing the norm violation alone, so she somehow enlisted coerced me to join her and her stuffed animals for a tea party in the middle of campus.

It was hot.

We were embarrassed.

And NO ONE paid us any attention.

The norm violation flopped because so many people were used to communication majors doing crazy things for Hank's class. Essentially, we violated the norms so much that it became normal to see communication majors doing weird things.

And that's the end of the story. Haley has pictures. She refuses to share them with me.

Sometime I'll tell you about MY norm violation project. It involved a bridesmaid's dress, tennis shoes, and a basketball court.

Until next time, grace and peace.