Spring is Here!

Spring has finally arrived in Nashville, so my friends and I celebrated by going to visit Cheekwood last weekend when it was free to the public (woohoo!). Lo, and behold that on the day of our visit, we encountered the annual Daffodil show. (Who knew there was such a thing.) And yes, it is like a dog show, but with daffodils. People from all over the region enter their home-grown daffodils in any of 8 categories, individually or in groups, for judgment. Only the most well-behaved daffodils will win a prestigious ribbon. But seriously, it was pretty interesting, and the flowers were beautiful!

It's also spring at my apartment! Last year, I had ambitions of starting herbs and lettuces from seed and feasting on them all summer long. This year, I have made peace with my non-green thumb, and I went to the store and bought herbs and spinach instead! If you come to my apartment, you'll find a lovely assortment of spinach, dill, mint, basil, lemon thyme, and rosemary. They all look wonderful in their first two weeks in residence! I can't wait to use them for cooking and canning this summer. Oh, and mojitos!

Etsy: Epic Fail?

I love crafts, crafting, dorky silly things, etc. etc. The list could go on forever. I was cruising around Etsy tonight and was absolutely astonished. When Etsy.com was first becoming popular, it was a cool online place for people to buy and sell their unique, handmade items. When I was browsing tonight, I learned that this is no longer the case! Popularity has ruined Etsy!

Check out this item sold by origamichristmastree: Wasabi Paper Crane.

(Photo from origamichristmastree at etsy.com)

Hand-crafted? Yes

Beautiful? Yes

Insanely overpriced? Yes

I was into origami when I was in middle school, and a paper crane made from nice origami paper is absolutely not worth $5.50 + $1.85 shipping.

FAIL.

These sweet drawer pulls from HomeDecorCrafts are remarkably similar to the Melon Knob sold by Anthropologie!

(Photo from HomeDecorCrafts at Etsy.com)

Hand-crafted? Yes

Beautiful? Yes

Overpriced? No, this is a great deal

Original? NO!

FAIL.

While this is the vintage-crafty version of the off-brand, it still saddens me that this seller on Etsy is just selling look-alike items that don't have an imaginative, creative feel to them.

Is this the bane of popularity? I wonder if it is popular to spread love for creativity and uniqueness without inherently becoming less-unique. It seems like a paradox to me.

Lent Recap: Medical Supplies

Obviously, I suck at blogging lately, but here is the latest installment of my lenten project for 2010.

(Photo courtesy of Picapp.com)

I have visited a local medical clinic once with my co-workers because it is one of the many organizations supported by the church. Siloam Family Health Center is an amazing organization! They have a clinic of doctors and nurses who provide healthcare at extremely low costs to local families who would otherwise be unable to pay for any kind of medical care. Their in-office services are available in almost any language, and their website has pages in English, Arabic, Farsi, Krudish, and Spanish. To quote their website, "No one is ever turned away because they cannot afford to contribute to the ministry. " This is the true meaning of acting on Christian love.

As with so many well-planned organizations, Siloam has a wish-list online with a list of the top 20 most frequently needed items for the clinic. For the second part of my lenten project, I headed over to Costco to load up on some wish-list items. This is truly a ministry that deserves every penny, and then some!

Lent Recap: Food Bank

The food drive at church has not officially started up, but I am ready with my contribution. Amazingly, I was able to buy tons of food at a very low cost because of smart shopping: coupon doubling, sale items, etc. In fact, the overall cost was so much less than I thought it was, that I have bought more items to add to the pile each time I've been to the store since!

This reminds of how fortunate I really am to be able to afford good food in the form of fresh fruits and veggies, organic foods, and very little that is "ready-made" and lacking in real nutrition. Healthier food costs so much more than regular canned food, but I now feel a little better about people who don't have much to spend at the store: a little money really can go a long way if you know how to stretch it. Maybe this is the one thing that under-privileged families have going for them.

After the food drive at church is over, this food will make its way to the Second Harvest Food Bank.

This Week's Contribution: medicine and medical supplies

Please send me your ideas for other ways to contribute to the community!!

Lent: The Plan

The church seasons of Lent begins tomorrow, and with it, many people will be sacrificing something they love as a discipline - usually food. (I once knew a family that gave up wheat - quite a hard sacrifice if you eat the average American diet!)

This year I am inspired to do something different. Chris and I don't have a history of giving to churches financially. No specific reason - we just don't. This year, I want to make money my sacrifice. Once a week, for each week during Lent, my goal is to spend our hard-earned money (which there is not much of, by the way) to better our church or someone else.

So here goes:

Week 1: Food drive. Chris and I will fill up a grocery cart with non-perishables for the food drive at church. Pictures to follow!

I'm going to need help coming up with ideas!! I have one stored away, but I need at least 4 more meaningful ways to make a financial contribution to help someone else. Please send me your thoughts!!

Great Quote

Currently Reading: The Likeness, by Tana French

Check out this amazing quote:

"Regardless of what the advertising campaigns may tell us, we can't have it all. Sacrifice is not an option, or an anachronism; it's a fact of life. We all cut off our own limbs to burn on some altar. The crucial thing is to choose an altar that's worth it and a limb you can accept losing. To go consenting to the sacrifice."

This is amazing on so many levels, I'm not even going to touch it. Just wanted to share it with you.

P.S. - This book is excellent. I can't put it down. Well-written and well-executed suspenseful mystery.

Deep Thoughts with Becca

Today I have been thinking about what we want for ourselves verses what God wants for us. And of course, what we are meant to do. I don't believe that there is only one thing that we are meant to do or be in life, but I do think that in every stage of life, we serve a unique role to ourselves and to other people in our lives.

Today my prayer is that my desire for my life is the same as God's desire for my life. Which is good, since I can't seem to pinpoint either right now! But I am so thankful that God has guided me and taken the time to show me one of my biggest passions.