Cool things deserve to be shared

Have you heard of Toms Shoes? I think that the name sounds a bit like a small shoe store located in the downtown of a small Midwestern town, but it is not! Tom's Shoes is a great company that sells...shoes. But that is not all! For every pair of shoes purchased, Toms Shoes gives a pair to a child in need in the third world. The shoes are purposely distinct in appearance because they are designed for comfort and long-term wear, not style. I like them a lot! I have noticed that they are really becoming popular among college students and young hippie types. :) Here is a picture.

Did you know you can make your own dryer sheets? I should really start by asking a different question. Did you know dryer sheets are really made of flimsy, thin pieces of fabric? Crazy! "But Carrie," you say, "why should I make my own dryer sheets when the box from Wal-mart is working just fine?" Well my friend, you can save a lot of money by making your own sheets at home; and you won't be putting a lot of dryer sheets into your garbage can either!

Here is how:

Directions for Homemade Dryer Sheets:

1. Grab scrap fabric or old cloth napkins (come on, do we really use them anyway?) or washcloths. You can make as many as you want, but you really only need two or three.

2. If you used scrap fabric you can either leave the edges un-hemed, or hem them. Un-hemed they will eventually fray a bit, but if that doesn't bother you, it is just fine!

3. Now comes the fun part! Go to the store and pick out your favorite fabric softener, but this time, buy the liquid version.

4. Using an old (and well marked) spray bottle and dilute the fabric softener with water. The solution should be 1/1.

5. Take your new "dryer sheets" and give them a good spray down with the softener. You can spray them all at once and keep them in a Tupperware container until use, or you can spray them just before you put them in the dryer.

Variation:

Instead of the spray bottle, soak the "dryer sheets" in either the 1/1 solution or the full-strength softener and let them get fully saturated. Hang them to dry. You can then use this dryer sheet for 2 or 3 cycles rather than just one!

Important:

Every 3 or 4 loads you should send your dryer sheets through the wash cycle too so they don't get any sort of gummy build-up.

I have heard that people save a LOT of money using these homemade dryer sheets; and it helps the environment too!

You can even make your own fabric softener if you want! Here is one that sounds great, but I have not tried it yet. People swear by this!

Ingredients for Fabric Softener:
3 cups distilled white vinegar

2 cups hair conditioner (get a cheap good smelling one)

6 cups water

Directions:

1. Mix together and store in an air-tight container.

2. If you want a spray-on to use with the dryer sheets, add equal parts water and put it in a spray bottle.

I'm planning on trying this out soon, so I will try to remember to update you on how it works. Let me know if you try it!

I Graduated... and I am FREAKED OUT!

Well friends, I am a little nervous about an upcoming interview. It is for a public relations/community relations/development position at a children's home. My first interview with them went very well and I was invited back for a second interview next week. The only thing that makes me nervous is they want me to do a writing/editing exercise when I am there next week. While I normally do quite well in these areas it is still a scary unknown. My editing skills are the thing I am most worried about. I have been known to split an infinitive or two in my day. :)

So I suppose this post is really a request for prayer. I really respect this organization and love the people that I have met so far. It is a job that I am very excited about and an organization that I can totally stand behind. Please pray that if this job is for me I would feel prepared--and be prepared--for the interview. It is hard to be peaceful sitting around in Texas waiting for my "future" to start; and it is hard to be present in the present when I really want to know what it coming up around the bend.

Speaking of the future, look what I just did!

I honestly have to say that the 4 1/2 hours I spent "graduating" and sitting watching all of the undergraduates walk across the stage was more painful than the two years I spent in graduate school. At least in graduate school we got bathroom breaks! :) The final picture with my hubby and parents is from my hooding ceremony on Friday night. It was great! We each gave a speech and then were awarded our hoods. And there were only 18 of us... not 1800!

Things I think are cute and make me smile

Today started out as a not-so-fun day. Therefore I have decided to post things that make me smile. Here is one to begin the tour of happy things.

Here is another one. This is how I feel...

This is too cute... I want to cuddle these little guys!

Adorable...

OSCAR!!!! What a cat!

Mzungu! That's what they called me! How I wish I could be in Africa today!

Gotta love the Pattersons!

When a Church Starts Eating Its Members

I have seen a sad thing today. I have seen a church that has ceased to be the Church. I have seen a group of people that I used to respect turn on one of their own. I have seen them behave in hateful ways. I have seen more than I ever wanted to see... and I am angry.

I am angry that we forgot what it means to be "be the family of God in this place." I am angry that we forsook our promise to each member. Today we beat down one of our own. The promise we made to her eighteen months ago seems long since forgotten.

"We pledge ourselves to be the family of God for you in this place. We offer you our love our care our kinship and our hopes. We hope to learn from you, give to you, and receive from you by Gods grace."

In our effort to be swift and political we lost our heart and the love of Christ. Where was grace today? Where was unconditional love? Where was Paul's admonition to confront one another in love first one-on-one and only later with a "posse"? It was far from my church. And quite frankly it makes me sick inside to think that I tithe to this cannibalistic collective.

Yes, there is no perfect church. I am not that disillusioned. But I am also not going to wear rose-colored glasses and claim that all is well. Since our head pastor left we have turned on one another. It almost reminds me of Lord of the Flies. We have truly lost hold of the reality that we only survive if we remain in authentic community.

It is a sad day indeed when a church starts eating its own members.

No News is Good News?

I am in that intolerable period called waiting. I am not very good at it. There is some freedom in naming and claiming the fact that I am inpatient and faithless. I have trouble seeing God working in this, but I know He is. I just got a call from Mercer today letting me know that I am still in the running for their Res. Life position. That was a shock! I hadn't heard anything from them since I applied in the end of February! Now I am faced with deciding if we are interested in potentially packing everything up and moving to Macon, GA. There is a seminary connected to Mercer (McAfee in Atlanta) but I am pretty sure my position would be in Macon (1 1/2 hrs away) which doesn't put us in a better position than waiting it out around here. I need to pray about this for awhile and see if that gets me any clarity. In the meantime I wanted to give you all an update. I haven't heard from Baylor on my various positions yet... but as the adage goes, "no news is good news." Right? :) God is good. Waiting is hard. :)

Mercer v. Baylor :)

The Cutest Cutie

Just wanted to post a brag. Look at my adorable buddy Josiah! He is my "nephew by choice", in other words, my cousin Andy and Sara's son. My Mom made him these rad (did I just say rad?) overalls with Thomas the Train! If anyone wants a pair I can forward your name on to my Mom. :) Isn't he cute? :)

Life in the Fast Lane

Life has been a little crazy lately...with my job search, assistantship, and my crazy final semester. I guess you could say I've been a little depressed at times. I hate being down. Quite frankly I am also very bad at it. I just wish I could get a hold on peace and never let go. It seems like I spend most of my days chasing it around the room instead of stopping to let it catch me.

While I firmly believe God is leading others it is so hard to turn that around and believe it about myself. Your prayers are coveted. Thank you to those of you who are already in constant prayer for Marc and I as we transition into "Carrie's post-graduate school life." And now on a happier note.

Here is a picture of Syler, Ryan and Kristen Richardson's adorable babe. He has the greatest personality--just like Isaiah Patterson--all smiles and giggles! It makes me miss home even more. The good part is that I get to see this little guy every Monday (and sometimes more often) so that tides me over until I can hit up the big city of Sioux Falls! Here are some pictures of Syler and my friend Marly who is moving to Costa Rica to study Spanish.

May the Lord bless you today as you go about your Wednesday!