These are so my children!

This picture does a good job summing up the craziness of my kids. And this is only two of them.







Can you imagine what it's like when all five are around?


With color, without color, it shows they're pretty much nuts.









Wonder where they get it from?

Real Hope for Haiti Dress Party

My cousin, Jodi, decided to host a dress making party for Real Hope for Haiti. It was a great success. People donated fabric, sewing machines, and time.

You can read about it here. My mom is in one of the pictures. She isn't the sleeping baby. That's my adorable third cousin and Jodi's adorable daughter.

I think Jodi should come to Plano so we can have a dress party here. What do you think?

Whole Wheat Blueberry Pecan Muffin Squares

Whole Wheat Blueberry Pecan Muffin Squares

They're in squares because I don't like dealing with muffin tins or papers.

9 X 13 pan

Mix together the following:

2 cups organic white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup fair trade organic sucanat
1 T Ener-G egg replacer
2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt

Add:

1/4 cup canola oil
1 1/4 cups almond milk

Mix well.

Add:

1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Mix well.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease 9 X 13 pan. Pour mixture into pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until center bounces back when pushed gently or a knife stuck into center comes out clean.

Variations:
Substitute your favorite oil, milk, fruit, or nuts.

Sadie Suzanne - easy going kind of girl

Meet Sadie Suzanne. She's an easy going kind of girl. She likes things plain and simple, like her. Sadie Suzanne sees things a little differently than most dolls.

Maybe that's because her eyes are so unique.













They were crafted just for her at Coventry. No eyes like them anywhere else.












The folks at Coventry view things through a lens of love and I think it rubbed off on Sadie.


She tells me she was hand-stitched with a lot of love, helping the person doing the stitching work off some stress while trying to be creative.

Sadie Suzanne says when she is adopted all of the proceeds will go to Faceless International. That's a group of people with a lot of love.

So, if you are looking for a easy going kind of girl to love, Sadie Suzanne might be just the doll for you.

I'm not crazy about shopping

I'm not really crazy about shopping, like at the mall. It's not something I consider fun. (Flea Markets and thrift stores, that's a whole 'nother story.) Haven't always felt this way. In the past I had no problem spending hours in a mall. I'm not really even sure when the change took place. Maybe it was around the time I starting realizing I didn't need all that much, nor did my kids. Maybe it was around the time I starting realizing where clothes were made. Maybe it was around the time I started realizing that much of the stuff I was admiring was being made by people forced to work in horrible, dangerous conditions. Not really sure. It's probably a combination of a lot of things.

My friend and I were talking the other day about her struggle to find a baby gift she knew came from an honorable company. She was going to start researching companies for her future purchases. Shaun Groves wrote a few years ago about searching for blue jeans that were fair trade and organic. That made me search. There are good companies out there who are honorable in their business practices. It costs more to buy from them sometimes, but I would rather spend more money, than wear or use something made by a slave or an abused person. Or, simply go without.

Anyone who knows me in real life can tell you I'm not a fashionista. Most of the time I really don't care. Now, I usually know how to dress appropriately for a situation or I call a friend and ask for help. A lot of times I like to be different in some little way, which gets an eyebrow raised now and then. I went through a boring time in my life where I played it safe and was constantly freaked out about what I was going to wear. Not so much anymore. Some years ago I decided to have some fun, which is where the not caring comes in.

I'm getting more and more into altering pieces of clothing to have more of a "me" style. I get a hoot out of repurposing pieces and upcycling stuff. It helps my creative side. I love to hand stitch things. It helps me with stress. And it works nicely with my dislike of shopping.

So, all that to say that I'm going on a little adventure where I'm going to try to not make any purchases without knowing if the supply chain is pure and I'm going to be getting less stressful by creating a lot of my own stuff. Don't how it will all turn out or how I will record it. Since only a couple of people read this, maybe they will throw some ideas my way.

My dad's in Haiti

My dad flew to Haiti today. I'm so proud of him. He will be there for a week with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.

It's one of those things where I'm very happy that he is physically able to go, but I'm sad that there is such a horrible need. Haiti was in terrible condition before the earthquake. I've watched the videos and seen the pictures of the devastation and I know they really just catch a glimpse of the nightmare with which the Haitians are dealing.

In the last few years my parents have been volunteering in disaster relief. My mom spent extremely long hours in Galveston and Tyler making sure people got fed. Dad made a trip to Iowa to help out after the flood there. They've made other trips too, plus had hours and hours of training.

Some people think that what they are doing is crazy, helping people they don't even know. Some people make nasty comments about the people they are reaching out to, because they don't feel the victims deserve help. I say they are being the hands and feet of Christ. They are living out Micah 6:8 and Matthew 25.

My parents and I don't agree on a lot of things. We have different views about many things. There are some subjects that are best to be avoided. But, this is something we do agree on. If you can go and help, then go. If you have the means to go, then go. The small, little world you leave to go minister to someone else will still be there when you get back. It might be a little different when you get back. You will be a whole lot different. But, for the better.

To find out ways you can help in Haiti see any of the below:
RHFH Rescue Center
Compassion International
World Vision
Hands and Feet

These two involve family members. The sewing project is by my cousin, Jodi. Lovely, easy idea. The other one, for Red Cross, has my son in it.

Sewing Day
hitRECord & Red Cross

Switchfoot's Jon Foreman joins "Help Haiti Live"

SWITCHFOOT’S JON FOREMAN JOINS ‘HELP HAITI LIVE’

from Shlog by Shaun Groves

Alison Krauss and Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas, Big Kenny and More to Perform Live in Nashville to Raise Funds for Compassion International’s Continued Relief Efforts

NASHVILLE, TN…2/24/10…Switchfoot’s Jon Foreman hasannounced he will join the all-star cast of musicians gathering for “Help Haiti Live,” in Nashville on February 27th, 2010 to benefit Compassion International’s Haiti disaster relief fund. The concert is sponsored by Gaylord Entertainment Company and will be streamed live at HelpHaitiLive.com.

With extraordinary need still existing in the devastated country, Alison Krauss and Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas, Big Kenny, Mat Kearney, Jars of Clay, Jon Foreman, Brandon Heath, NEEDTOBREATHE, Dave Barnes, and Matt Wertz will participate in a concert at Nashville’s famed and Gaylord-owned Ryman Auditorium. Produced to inspire live concert and on-line audiences to financially support the relief work of Compassion International in Haiti, all talent and production fees have been donated, along with streaming services (Livestream.com), allowing proceeds to go toward Compassion’s disaster relief fund (more details below). Gibson Guitars has donated a guitar to be signed by the evening’s performers and auctioned off, with bids starting today at HelpHaitiLive.com/auction. For artist and venue information please click here.

Tickets range in price from $25-75 and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com and all Ticketmaster locations, as well as through The Ryman box office: 800-745-3000 or Ryman.com.

Event details include:

Nashville/Ryman Auditorium, 7:30pm cst:
Host: Big Kenny (plus performance)
Alison Krauss and Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas
Jars of Clay
Mat Kearney
Jon Foreman
Brandon Heath
Dave Barnes
NEEDTOBREATHE

All net proceeds from HelpHaitiLive.com will go to Compassion International’s Haiti disaster relief fund. All money raised in response to the Haiti earthquake will be used immediately to re-equip Compassion’s local support structure and to provide for the immediate needs of Compassion-assisted children and families.

Compassion has been meeting the physical and spiritual needs of Haitians for more than forty years and will continue to serve them
in this time of extreme need. Already Compassion International has supplied more than 15,000 families with clean water, food, blankets, temporary shelter, medical supplies and counseling. Donations will lay bricks, feed, educate, clothe, heal and rebuild Haiti for many months to come.

Compassion International is the world’s largest Christian child development organization that permanently releases children from
poverty. Founded in 1952, Compassion successfully tackles global poverty one child at a time, serving more than 1 million children in
26 of the world’s poorest countries. Recognizing that poverty is more than a lack of money, Compassion works holistically through
local churches to address the individual physical, economic, educational and spiritual needs of children, enabling them to thrive, not just survive. Charity Navigator, America’s largest charity evaluator, has awarded Compassion its highest rating “four stars” for eight consecutive years.

“Help Haiti Live” is owned by Compassion International and will be produced by Shaun Groves and Synergy Production Group. Synergy Production Group creates and produces live events that connect audiences with brands or causes. Offering turn-key event solutions, strategic content development, creative design, audio, video and lighting production, talent procurement and complete program management, Synergy Production Group is based in Franklin, TN (www.synergyprg.com).

Gaylord Entertainment Company has taken an active and immediate role in supporting earthquake recovery efforts in Haiti. In addition
to its involvement in the Help Haiti Live concert event, Gaylord is providing direct aid to family members of employees who live in Haiti through its STAR Assistance Program. The company also provided financial support to the American Red Cross’s relief efforts and is currently working with Harvest Time International in Florida as well as the Salvation Army to transport thousands of pounds of food, clothing, and household goods donated by its STARS (employees) to the hardest-hit areas of the island nation.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION/PRESS CONTACT:
the media collective
velvet kelm, christina garvin, courtney hyder, errine garnett
615.591-7989
velvet@themcollective.com
christina@themcollective.com
courtney@themcollective.com
errine@themcollective.com