I've followed the Clean and Simple website for a long time.  I've figured out that Clean and Simple is my style of card making.  I used to stress because I can't make the "destressed" card look or the multiple layer look well - but then I decided that this is "my style" - anyhow, I saw this weeks sketch and thought that these cards might make the cut.  The busy paper in the back might make too busy for some to consider it Clean and Simple, but I think they fit!  So I'm entering this one:

 These next two are just others that I made last night.  I finally figured out that if I find a design or paper/color combination I like that it's best to make a few cards and change them up a little!

(Sorry this one is upside down)

So anyhow - I'm gonna link the top card to my blog and finally be brave and put one out there!  :)

Oh, the paper, punches and stamps are all Stampin' Up.  Except the butterfly punch - it is EK Success I think.  The gems are CTMH.

Have a great weekend!

Beginning of week THREE!!!

So for the last two weeks I've been faithfully soaking my straw bales.  It got old quick.  :)  I put the hose on low and laid it on the straw bale and put a rather handy log on top of it to hold it in place.  I'd move it regularly  - hopefully getting a good soak.  I'm just not sure how well it is soaking in - seems like I have more run off than anything.

The straw bale on the left is bound tighter, so I do spend a bit more time on it.

Today, the beginning of week three - it's time to add fertilizer.  You know that Dog Chow bag tightly wound full or organic fertilizer?  :)

It wasn't as bad as I thought.  I put on my gardening gloves and dug in.  Thankfully it was dry and well mixed with "used" straw.    I piled it on top of both.  Not knowing how much was right, I put on enough so that it was covered an inchish thick:

I didn't want it too close to the edge because it would have run off when I soaked it.    I pulled the hose out again and soaked the poop out of it.  Well, soaked the poop into it. :)   I started on full mode until it was good and wet and then I used the stream setting to break apart the "clumps."  I let it sit for about 2 hours and then I went out and soaked it again.  Again, I'm not sure how much is soaking in and not running off.  But I guess that I why we soak it nonstop.  I think I'll have the best grass around my straw bales, huh?

So for the next week I add fertilizer every other day while soaking it daily.  

My plants are doing well - except the green peppers. Nothing.  Nada.  I'll have to get my seeds back and try again.  I'm gonna get my squash, zucchini, pumpkin and watermelons going soon!

I'll update again as things move along!

Straw Bale Gardening

So a friend and I came across 'StrawBale Gardening' - growing a garden in a bale of straw.

So I started my plants last week,

Two Beefsteak tomato plants
Two Cherry tomato plants
Two Green pepper plants
Basil
Cilantro

And about a zillion sunflower plants for Andrew.  They have always been his favorite so I try to plant some every year.

Steve at work got us some straw bales from a farm near him.  And as a bonus, a bag of mulch and a bag of organic fertilizer.  Yea.  It's what you think.  Horse manure from his farm!!  Make sure you put your straw bales down with the straps going around the sides of the bales. If your bale is tied with string or twine, it will break down and your bale will fall apart.

Getting ready to grow!  (Ignore the wood pile...we had a raccoon hiding in it and he messed it up!)

The fertilizer is in the bag that is tied shut, the mulch in the other bag.

So what I have to do now is water my straw bales...soak them...daily.  This helps to break it down and get it ready for the plants.  This is the beginning of week two.  A special thanks to the Good Lord for watering them two days for me!

Next week I start adding the fertilizer  - every other day and water on the alternating days.

Add a little top soil on top (some blogs say this is necessary, some say not) and then I can put my starts in or put seeds in directly!  I plan on also planting squash, zucchini, watermelons and pumpkins out the sides - I need to get them started soon!

I was going to add pictures of my plants, but my camera is acting up!  I'll be sure to post them as soon as I can!

Wish me luck!

Just a little catching up!

It's been awhile since I've just blogged - so this will probalby be hit and miss!

Needless to say, my trip was amazing.  I'm still digesting the experience.  Someone asked the other day if I was off the "mountaintop" of the experience yet.  My honest answer is no, and nor do I ever want to be!

The boys are doing well.  Andrew is getting a little overwhelemed - school, work, senior year, social life.  Remember those days?  We are working on stuff for college - we'll see where that leads us.  He's a good kid and I'm blessed to have him as mine!

Michael is well - being back out on the ramp is catching up to him although he is doing a great job.  His calf muscles are giving him a run for his money.  Basically the Dr. said that they are producing an acid (anyone can get it when they suddenly strain their muscles) and that is what is causing his pain.  Nothing that can't be fixed with vitamins and minerals and stuff like that.  I'll be thankful when he works through this part. 

Work is great!  I'm working on my presentation for the office for October 22nd.  It'll be hard to condense it down to an hour.  Everyone has been great about my trip - it's amazing how often now I notice when people talk about Africa and specifically Kenya.  Not even about my trip - it's as if a bug has been put in my head to be sensitive about that.  Guess I shoudn't mention bugs...but more on that when we talk about my trip!

I haven't had time to work on cards or stitching or anything.  It took almost a week to get my energy back from jetlag and since then I feel very busy.  I'm actually looking forward to the fall weather to be able to sit back and enjoy the crisp days/nights at  home. 

I'm sleeping better most nights - but nights I worked on my video and I would assume the same while I work  on catching up my blog I'll experience much of the restless dreamfilled nights.  But that is ok - it was a lot to absorb and I don't ever want to NOT have trouble sorting how humanity can allow so much poverty. 

Spent ALL DAY Saturday working at dad's with my siblings.  Dad isn't someone who wants/needs anything so for this birthday we agreed to go over and do the yard work he wanted done.  I'll never live down a line in my e-mail "if we all work togheter it shoudn't take too long" - well, we started at 9am and at 5 our butts were dragging out of there!  We pulled up the bushes out front (which included moving a ton of lava rock - twice!), trimming the trees, bushes and whatever else he wanted done.  But it was well worth it.  He really likes it. I'll try to post a few pictures soon! 

Not much going on this weekend.  I HOPE to be able to work on some cards Saturday night.  My nephew is getting married on Saturday but we should be home fairly early.  Michael is going to go play poker with the guys and I'll find somewhere to send Andrew.  =)    I'm scanning websites now for ideas and I'll probably take my camera to Archivers to get a few more ideas.  Kinda sneaky of me, huh?

I got an e-mail from Justine (she was the Kenya side coordinator for the short term mission trips) about getting in touch with Margaret.  Oh, you don't know who Margaret is, do you?  She is one of the amazing kids in Kenya - at the boarding school - that just touched my heart.  She gave me a letter when I was leaving so I plan on being a pen pal with her...and hopefully seeing her again someday on this side of heaven!   Anyhow, I have a contact address for her now so I'm all excited about that!

Gosh, I know lots more has happened over the last two weeks  - I'll share as I remember and in the meantime I'll continue to update. 

A tiny glimpse of my trip...

Please use the link on the right hand side to view the video I just posted about my trip.  Use the one that says "A Tiny Glimpse of My Trip"

For some reason I can't seem to get it to post over here!  Sorry about that!

Home sweet home...

So sorry for not updating.  I'll start now and do it one day at a time.  Most pictures that I'm going to share are on FB - but I'll upload them here or upload them to Shutterfly or Snapfish and share a link later.

It was amazing.  It was life changing.  I'm struggling with describing it.  The families are amazing, the valley is horrible, the smiles are genuine and there are good works being done there.  The kids appreciate the school not only for the meals they get (which they probably wouldn't get at home) but they seem to know that they need an education to change their lives - something kids here take for granted.

I missed cold drinks - but I'm used to drinking everything warm now.  I missed hot showers, but I was clean in luke-warm ones.  I'm sick of rice - but not once was I hungry.

I've seen kids with all kinds of things - scabies, TB, ring worm, tape worm, malaria, common cold and flu as well as wounds from tripping and running and just being a kid.  Not to mention the kids who were hurting with their home life.  I've seen smiles that would make anyone's day as well as kids who couldn't make eye contact and I could barely hear them.

We had Kenyan Nurses help us on their days off from working at their jobs - we worked with Social Workers who know each one of those kids, their home life and who loved those kids as their own.  Some of those Social Workers live in the valley themselves and are still working to change the lives of those around them.

I've seen and smelled things that I want to forget but I know I never will.  My dreams are confused and jumbled - but only since I've been back.  I think I put things on hold while I was there just so I could do what God called me to do.  He gave me the strength to do it - and now He is opening my eyes to what I saw and is changing my heart to see how I can help and change things.

I'd go back in a heartbeat but I'm so thankful to be home.

I had trouble being in Target yesterday - so much excess here but this is my normal just as the valley is their normal.  There has to be a happy medium somewhere.

I'm experiencing people who are pushing back at me for going so far away to help when we need help here.  We do have poverty here - but not to this extreme.  If you find a spot here in the states like what I experienced in the Mathare Valley, I will be there to help.  We have resources here to help families - they have none.  This is not the post to discuss this - it will come later.  But it hurts when people are so harsh with me when I am already hurting.  I know being tired and physically, emotionally and mentally drained isn't helping but I can actually feel pain when people continue to say should have helped here - I do help here and will continue to do so.

I need to remember that nothing can take my joy away from my trip.  I served with my whole heart and soul - and I KNOW I was called to go for God's purpose.   God is still working on me and opening my eyes and heart.  Each time I look at the pictures I remember something different...something that God is still showing me.  My prayer is that God helps me.  People ask how I'm doing and I say tired.  But truth be known I'm hurting.  I've posted a lot of great pictures - the good, the bad and the ugly.  But I need to find away to describe them.

Bear with me over the next few weeks - I'll try to update daily - and do it day by day as if I was there.  Thank you for being patient...forgive me for not being able to update there.  But I'll do my best to share this amazing trip with you!

Praise God!  (Amen)

Praise God Again!  (Amen)

           - you'll understand that later!  =)

Kenya Updates

For those of you that are following my trip through this blog - I'm just going to be updating my mission trip blog from today until I get back.  I'll probably copy everything over to this blog once I get back and settled - but I know I'll have limited internet access over there and I doubt if I can keep both of these upated.

You can go to that blog directly via www.calledtokenya.blogspot.com or on my sidebar of this blog there is a link to that blog.

Thank you for sharing this journey...

May God's peace be with you always!

In His service!

Tricia