Coffee Party

My sister and I threw together a spur-of-the-moment espresso party today! Spring time seems to be a good time for spur-of-the-moment ideas. My sister-in-law and my mom joined us.

Our theme was "Old-fashioned," hence the red lantern as the centerpiece.

Fruit salad in a cup

 The picture is blurry but you can see the antique hat I am wearing. It was my great-aunt's.

Grapes, peanuts and animal crackers.

(We also had Ritz crackers with extra-sharp cheddar cheese! YUM!)

My older brother gave us their old espresso machine a few months ago. I never bothered to figure out how it works but my younger sister did. She makes a mean cup of espresso, let me tell you!

Photography Contest

Kodak Gallery has a monthly photography contest. April's theme is "Signs of Spring." I'm trying to decide which of these pictures I will enter. Any thoughts?

A Thought

Saturday I went to the AWANA Quizzing and Games for Trek and Journey 24/7. Our teams didn't win, but they put in a good effort and I was proud of them.

I noticed something about the team that did win the AWANA Games. They had a good team spirit and they poured everything they had into what they were doing. They were really excited to be there and it showed.

Seeing them so devoted and enthusiastic made me start thinking: If I was that enthusiastic about being a Christian, about bearing the image of Christ, about my future in Christ, and about sharing the gospel would my life have a greater impact on the unsaved I come in contact with? Or even the saved people; would my excitement be contagious enough to inspire other Christians?

Just a thought....

A Walk in Town

Yesterday my family and I went on a spur-of-the-moment picnic! It was fun to get outside on such a beautiful day! Our little town is so beautiful this time of year!

If you look close you may be able to see the wisteria vine growing up this dogwood.

It's not called "The City of Homes" for nothing.

This house is so beautiful and stately. But it always cracks me up how imposing it is from the front when...

...it's really not that big!

The dogwoods are beautiful right now!

...but what I really want is a picture of a cherry tree!

The pink dogwoods are stunning. I love how it looks like the blossoms are almost floating in the air.

This little house is adorable!

A cherry tree at last!

So beautiful! If I were a tree I'd want to be a cherry tree. They look so joyful, as if they're simply bursting with praise to God.

God's creation is marvelous!

Mint

I have mint coming out of my ears! A few years ago I  moved a few scrawny sprouts to my new garden. If you know anything about mint you'll know that in a year it was thriving and after another year it was taking over my garden! Every year I pull it up with the weeds and still it takes over more ground every year! I don't know what to do short of poisoning it and I'm not ready to do that yet.
Moral of the story: Always plant your mint in a contained area, preferably a large pot!

Even though it drives me crazy every spring and summer I still love mint. It's so refreshing. I love to pick a sprig and just stand there, inhaling its pungent scent.

I think my favorite way to use mint is to put it in my sweet tea. Being a Southern girl I love my sweet tea! A lot of people like to add a few mint leaves in their tea as a garnish; I prefer to add it in with my tea bags and let the flavor really seep in. It makes for a very refreshing cup of good ole' sweet tea, perfect for a hot day!

Here's my mom's recipe for sweet tea:

Bring a small pan of water to a boil.
Add one-and-a-half cups of sugar and stir until dissolved. Remove pan from heat.
Add four family-size tea bags (Or twelve regular size) and about six sprigs of mint.
Let steep for at least five minutes (the longer the better).
Next, pour the concentrated tea through a strainer into a gallon size pitcher.
Fill the pitcher the rest of the way with water.

P.S. Let me know if you'd like any mint!

Spring!

As you may have noticed on my "Favorite Things" list, I love spring! Here are some pictures, some from this spring and some from past years.

Daffodils are my favorite flower. These are miniatures. Something has been at them. >:(

Wisteria is another favorite of mine. I love its rich color and its scent is heavenly.

Pear tree blossoms. The pear trees are mostly done blooming here now, but the cherry trees are gorgeous! I hope to get a picture of one soon.

Wildflowers from a nearby park. This one is from a few years ago, but I hope to see them again this year!

What's Next???

Those question marks seem to bounce off the walls of my brain sometimes. They pound and taunt until I can't take it any more and I turn to God crying, "What's next? What comes after this?"

I'm not the only one asking. People often ask me "What's next?" I greatly appreciate the love, interest and concern that prompts the question, but still I cringe a little bit inside as I grope for an answer.

The answer shouldn't be that hard to find. I know the direction God wants me to take; I know what my calling is. My passion is encouraging other young women to pursue a deeper relationship with God and unfold their hearts before Him. You've probably heard the quote from Eric Liddell before, "God made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure." It's the same for me. When I'm deep in a discussion about God and life with another girl, I get excited. I feel God closer than ever when I am "Comfort[ing] those in any trouble with the comfort [I] receive from God." 2 Corinthians 1:4

So why is it so hard for me to come up with an answer to the "What's next?" question? Well, I have a dream but I'm not actively pursuing it. I have a vision but no steps to achieve it. I know that God has a reason to keep me on hold and it's most likely to prepare me, but sometimes it feels like I'm at a dead end.


That's when I turn to God and cry, "What's next? You've given me a vision but no directions. What comes after this?" It's funny that I've asked that question so many times now because I always get the exact same answer and it's not a difficult one to remember. It's one word, "Me". That's always been enough to silence the question marks.