Is that a new jacket???

So I go to work last Thursday thinkin' I'm stylin' in my new kelly green pea coat. I was going out to lunch with a potential board member for work and was excited to wear it. Well, I stopped in to see one of my coworkers and, as I got up to leave, she asked if I was wearing a new jacket. (Actually, it was more like "Oh my gosh! Is that a new jacket????") and I proudly said that it was. With that, she burst out laughing and told me to put my hand on my butt... As I did, I realized that I wasn't just proudly wearing the pea coat, I was proudly wearing the ink thingy-magig that is supposed to keep you from stealing it from the store!!!!! We were both laughing so hard our stomachs hurt - and I was really glad it wasn't a piece of toilet paper!!!

Pickle's on the side...

I don't know about you, but it seems like we're all getting back to the basics of life lately, which I happen to love! Everything from putting together a puzzle instead of watching tv to spending more time with friends instead of going out on the town seems to be the real push these days. And expensive evenings and elaborate outings have gone back to being more of a novelty instead of the norm. Along these same lines, it seems like planting fruit and vegetable gardens have become more popular, too. Have you noticed it?

Well, one of my best friends, Tina, has jumped on the band wagon and become quite the expert at it! She's set up a "four season" garden, so there's harvesting throughout the year. The other day she told me that she enjoys it because it's a project that she can do with the Lord - she plants and then watches His handywork in sunning and growing! How cool is that?? Well, because of her gardening, she and another friend of ours, Linda, have taken up canning and I've been blessed to help them out a couple of times. Just before Christmas we made 18 pumpkin pies, 24 pints of pumpkin butter, 12 jars of relish and a few jars of black apricot jam - and that was in just one day! I'm telling you, she's no slouch! :) Well, this past Sunday they had more canning to do and we made the most amazing yellow squash relish and butter pickles. It's quite a process, but the rewards are delicious and it's been such a blessing to learn this "new" craft!

I'd love to hear what lifestyle changes you've made recently to "get back to basics," too.

Scrappin' til Dawn!

Last night six of my friends came over for a fun-filled night of scrapbooking! We've all been scrapping for years, but time and the busyness of life has kept us from it for awhile, so this was a great time to get back in the swing! Everyone brought a delicious treat to share and I made my mom's recipe for white bean and ham soup. Yum! It was the perfect meal for a rainy January night with friends! Stacie was the first to arrive at 2pm and the rest trickled in as their day allowed. I must say that it was a productive night for all! Tina, Donna and Stacie did a ton of journaling in albums that they'd already completed pages in; Deanna worked on her trip to England; Brenda worked on her daughter Makenzie's album; Becky worked on some digital pictures of her adorable kids and I organized a bunch. Everyone, sans Donna, Becky and I, wrapped up at about 11pm and headed home, but we burned the midnight oil and gabbed until 4am! I guess the Carmel Macciatto's that we made kicked in! Thankfully, they were both spending the night, so we could all just fall into bed!

Becky gave a little presentation about "Faith Booking." Have you heard of it? The idea is to create a page memorializing a scripture that the Lord spoke to you about, your life verse, a struggle that the Lord brought you through, etc.. It's a way to remind ourselves what the Lord has done for us and a great way to share it with others. She brought up a good point - the Bible is God's "Faith Book" to us. Without it, we wouldn't know His character, His love for us or the way He's worked in others lives. I can't wait to get started on mine!

We're planning to get together once a month (probably the 3rd Friday of each month). Let me know if you'd like to come! :)