Meet My New Crush ...

I'm not one to have a whole lot of crushes ... especially when it comes to celebrities. But OH. MY. WORD. ... I went to a Keith Urban Concert a couple of weeks ago, and I haven't stopped thinking about him since! This is ridiculous ... I mean he is married ... to Nicole Kidman ... and he has a child on the way! I know he's taken ... I understand the sanctity of marriage. But, man is he nice to look at. Hey - a girl can dream, right?

Here are some pictures of the yumminess that my friend Jen took at the concert :




BTW ... Carrie Underwood was touring with him, and she was fantastic. Not as good as Keith, but then again - who is? She has an awesome voice. Sounded just like she does on the radio. Amazing.

It's a new day.

For the last 10 years or so, I have had an ugly monster living in my house. I mean ... we're not talking about the cute fuzzy animated characters from Monsters, Inc. I'm thinking more like something on the lines of a cyclops or a big foot ... you know - really ugly and scary. I'm not even exaggerating!

You see ... when I was a senior at Furman, my best friend Mary and I were moving into our own apartment and needed a sofa. Of course, we were poor college kids at the time and all we could afford was a free hand-me-down from a generous soul. So my mom - an interior designer - hooked us up with a client of hers that had just ordered a new sofa and was getting rid of their old one. I was happy to take the old one off their hands ... until I saw it! I literally can't imagine a more hideous fabric. It was a grotesque combination of mauve, burgundy, and teal in a random flowery mess. But, since we couldn't afford anything else, we decided to suck it up and be thankful that we now had a couch to sit on. Hilariously enough, when we moved into our apartment, we realized that the couch matched the decor of the place PERFECTLY. Who would have known? It was as if the couch was made for that living room!! Mary could attest to it, I am sure.

Anyway ... when I graduated from college, instead of leaving the sofa in the apartment it was made for ... I decided to take it with me to start my new life as a real adult. My mom got me a pretty slip cover from Pottery Barn to cover the madness. I mean ... I was out in the real world now. I couldn't have a couch that made me look like I was still a starving college student, right? Well ... it worked to fool everyone into believing that I had a decent sofa, but *I* still knew the ugliness that lurked beneath ... haunting me every time I straightened the slip cover when I cleaned my house. SO ... last month, I decided I couldn't take it anymore. I *had* to get a new couch. A real couch. One without any trace of mauve. Or burgundy. Or teal. Or flowers. Or slipcovers.

So ... here it is ... drumroll, please.



Isn't it beautimous?

Now, if I could just afford to replace my chair that looks so very sad and old next to this shiny new couch!!

My little piece of Heaven

I believe God gives us little glimpses of Heaven here on earth. Sometimes it's in a sunset or other manifestation of his glory in creation. Other times, it is in the warmth of a friendship or the smile of a baby or the beauty of a worshipful wedding ceremony. In all these, there is joy in seeing God exalted through some part of His creation. Each glimpse demonstrates a part of who He is and points us to the ultimate joy of seeing Him face-to-face in Heaven and knowing Him completely. For me, I see heaven when people are doing things that the Lord has given them a passion and a talent for. When Cheryl sings, I see heaven. When Jodi uses her wisdom to counsel others, I see heaven. When Deb extends a warm hand of welcome to strangers, I see heaven. There is glory in being what we were created to be.

For me ... I believe I was created (among other things!) to sew. It sounds dorky, I know ... but I am happiest when I am being creative in my studio. It brings a smile to my face just thinking about it! My hope is that the Lord can use my sewing for His glory, in whatever way He chooses. I pray that He is pleased when I use this passion He has given me, and that He is exalted by my work. And I pray that - in some small way - my sewing will advance His Kingdom.

This month, the local Quilters Guild is featuring photos of different people's sewing studios, and I am one of them! So, here are the pictures I submitted of my little piece of Heaven :

This is the cabinet that stores all my reference books and my buttons, beads, etc... It also holds all my craft supplies and patterns as well as my various sewing machines. (you can never have too many, right?)

This is my work area. The shelves behind my machine hold my fabric stash (which is starting to get ridiculous) and materials for projects I am currently working on. Note the fun clock that my awesome sister in law made me for christmas ... love it! And my LONG to-do list on the wall below!

This is my creative wall ... with my work boards that I use to lay out different projects. The spiral quilt is one of my moms ... I love the colors in it!

Today is "Earth Day" in my world.

I'm not really an environmentalist. I mean ... I try to make wise choices and not abuse the earth God created, but I'm definitely not one to go out of my way to recycle boxes and soda cans, and I certainly don't drive a hybrid (although I'd love to get that kind of mileage with gas prices these days!!) But, after counting the number of paper napkins that I burn through each week at work by using them to catch the condensation from my drinks, I decided it was getting a bit ridiculous. SO ... I made myself a coaster for the cup of water / dr. pepper / frappucino that is always on my desk. Baby steps, right? Ani would be so proud of me.

The Men in My Life ...

I just had to post these photos of my two favorite men ... well, besides Michael Vartan. I mean - let's just be honest, right? ;o) Of course, if I were being thorough, I would include a picture of my other favorite little man ... my nephew Christopher. I'll have to take a new picture of me and him, and post it. I just love him.

my awesome brother, Scottie

My dad ... we were all dressed up for the formal Clubhouse Opening at Briar's. Fun!