Go Fish {Allume Devotional}

December 3, 2012 by Logan Leave a Comment

So, Allume has passed, and I’m still finding myself pondering some of the same things that the Lord has had me pondering for months now. Much of it, I shared in my session at Allume on Blogging as Discipleship. I’m going to share a few snippits from that session below, but if you want the full on thing (complete with Monty Python impersonation) then you can download my session, along with the whole bundle of almost 30 other incredible speaker sessions HERE!

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I’ve always been a people person. I am an extrovert if there ever was one, but I think the proverbial “lights came on” in my mind when I realized something years ago about myself.

I love a good party. I love to plan them to the enth degree….to decorate…to create atmospheres and environments where people can just come and have a good time.

I’ve been decorating for Christmas, as I’m sure many of you have been as well. We’ll host a Christmas party this year at my home again, and so the decorating gets amped up a notch. It’s even more fun to go to great lengths when you get to share it with others. But… as much as I love to create and prepare, in the end…none of that matters to me as much as the people who walk into my home. When the first person walks through my door, worrying about the environment is done…and the people are what’s important to me.

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Hop on over to the Allume blog today to read the rest and to see the site’s gorgeous new facelift!

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pan

November 30, 2012 by Logan 5 Comments

If I’ve said it once, I’m sure that I’ve said it 100 times…. I LOVE a good chick flick. I have a group of dear friends here who all feel the same way. So, once in a while when a good one comes out, rather than drag reluctant but acquiescent husbands to the movies for a laugh or cry, we put our kids to bed and catch a late show all together usually on a random Tuesday night when Regal Cinemas offers $1 popcorn. It’s a beautiful thing…really it is.

One of my favorite chick flicks ever is the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Of course there’s the lovey dovey stuff that butterflies in your stomach are made of…young love and silly crushes. But, when I think about this movie, the thing that I love the most is the bond of friendship that weathers heartache, and real life loss, excitement and adventure. Friends who use something as inanimate and lifeless as a pair of killer jeans to transcend the space and time that comes between them for a summer. Though they aren’t together in the flesh, their hearts are still knit and bonds continued as they pass a pair of pants from home to soccer camp to time with an estranged parent to a trip to Greece and share the stories they each experience in the pants along the way. There’s the evidence of the pants, that even though they’re not together, that they still carry one another in their hearts.

Maybe sometimes, we just need to know that someone is thinking of us when we’re not expecting it. That we matter beyond space and visibility. It’s an unexpected card in the mail, or bringing a silly present to a friend hosting a random brunch, or a drop by during a week that’s been rough to drop off a Starbucks gift card, or a dinner in a pan ready for the oven that night.

A few weeks ago I was making dinner when I decided to myself, “you know what self, chicken divan is so yummy, and it’s easy peasy to double, so I’ll double it and when I drop off carpool today, I’m going to surprise Julie with a pan for dinner.” So I did, and the random surprise of a dinner unexpected was such a fun surprise both to give and to receive! I mean, when there’s a new baby, people bring meals. Or when there’s loss…again, meals. And I’m never more thankful not to have to cook or grocery shop or meal plan than when I’m overtired or grieving. The gift of meals is honestly one of the best blessings ever if you ask me. But I think too often we just don’t do the random ones enough. Take that one extra thing off of a friend’s plate to keep her from tipping over the edge, or maybe…just maybe…surprising someone in a day with an afternoon free because dinner is taken care of. Julie loved the surprise supper.

And yesterday, Julie returned my pan to me.

With this in it….

That would be a pan full of her homemade enchiladas in my oven. She gave my pan back full and I wasn’t expecting it at all. And can I tell you that on a day when I had a million phone calls to make, and emails to write, and appointments to keep, I couldn’t have been more excited to have dinner in my oven that I didn’t have to make!

So I propose a fun idea ya’ll. Let’s start a trend…the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pans! Grab that pan you’ve been meaning to give back to your gal pal for a while now, and put something tasty in it to return to her! And keep it going! I know for sure, Julie has another random meal surprise in her future!

Let’s love when we’re not expected to love, in ways that bless amongst the dailiness of life. What do ya say? Ya in?

Shot to the Heart

November 28, 2012 by Logan 2 Comments

Ok, ok, so maybe alluding to a “shot to the heart” is a bit too much Bon Jovi meets Pulp Fiction drama to describe the shots that I actually got yesterday. Honestly, it was more like an into-the-shoulder-muscle sort of pain that leaves you feeling the next day like maybe you’d worked out really hard the morning prior. For a kid who got allergy shots a couple of times a week for the better part of 10 years, the needles don’t really put the fear in me. Besides….here’s a tip for the shot-a-phobic…DON’T LOOK!

In order to head to Bangladesh with Food for the Hungry in January, I had to get fully vaccinated. Apparently, according to the US State Dept, in case of any major illness in Bangladesh, we better hope that I get my butt airlifted to a different country. They didn’t list a single medical facility that they recommend in the entire country.

I went yesterday morning to our local Passport Health office to get my vaccinations and to learn a bit during the consultation about the things to expect from my time in Bangladesh.

So check it out…

The good-natured nurse and I may or may not have added additional syringes, bandaids, alcohol swabs, and tylenol to this scene to make you feel more sorry for my aching arms. In the end, I really just had to get 2 shots.

I did come home also though with a packet of pills to take before my trip and during to keep me from getting Malaria. I also got a handy dandy little kit of spray to keep mosquitos from biting me through my clothes, 12 hour mosquito lotion that this mosquito-magnet needs to apply both morning and night, and some sting ease in case one of the little boogers finds a hole in my bite-shielding armour! And um, did you know that malaria carrying mosquitos bite only during the night, and dengue fever carrying mosquitos are only during the day? Basically, mosquitos in other countries are fierce little creatures and so I intend to employ my handy little mosquito avoidance kit while I’m in Bangladesh!

Wanna know what really did scare the crap out of me (pun totally intended) from my visit to Passport Health though?

Traveler’s Diarrhea!

I am not even kidding you! Of all the topics and diseases they warned me about, diarrhea is the one they spent the most time addressing! Make sure to buy hand sanitizer wipes (hello…especially in a utensil-less country that only eats with hands!), drink plenty of fluids, take mini gatorade packages for bottled water, check the manufacturer seal on bottled water to make sure the bottle wasn’t refilled with tap water and the lid glued back on. Only eat meat that’s been thoroughly cooked, don’t eat any leafy greens or fruits that have been rinsed in the water, put a towel over the faucet to remind yourself not to brush your teeth with the water, and the list goes on. And basically if you fail to follow these things, you’re risking the runs….and a serious case of them! The handy dandy kit they gave me that is the largest in size and contents, was the one for diarrhea! Antibiotics in case I get it, immodium to stop it, more immodium to stop it, electrolytes, and a powdered something or another that is pretty much my drinkable IV drip in case it’s out of control! And if that doesn’t work…hope for an airlift!?!

As a friend said to me the other day, and I laughed because of this most hilarious video about funny things Christians say, let’s just hope we have some serious “traveling mercies!”

Watch the funny video just for a good laugh, start praying for our trip now, and get excited that you guys get to join me as we head on our Food for the hungry Bloggers trip to Bangladesh in January!

Hymnal Table Runner….{Holiday Decorating}

November 26, 2012 by Logan Leave a Comment

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

That includes around my house too!

So far I’ve gotten my living room done today. Here’s a teaser Instagram pic! I’ll do a full holiday home tour once I get everything finished. (By the way, I FINALLY got Instagram, and if you want, you can follow me on it HERE) I can already tell that I’m going to have way too much fun with this!

As I was pulling stuff out today to get my Christmas decorating mojo flowing, I decided that I needed to share with you a project that I did last year, that I’m still loving now.

I could give you a full-fledged tutorial for how to make a Hymnal Table Runner (or you could use book pages), but you all are clever people, and I think that instructions with a couple of photos ought to do it. Also, if you love my living room above, you can check out the actual full-fledged tutorial that I did last year on how to make that beautimous hymnal wreath that’s over my mantel, HERE.

But for now…I still love the hymnal pages that I made into a table runner…

And here it is with a few decorations tossed on it from last year….

And fancied up for this year…

To make this, it’s super easy. You’ll need:

a piece of craft paper cut to the length you want for your table
spray glue
a hymnal or book that you don’t mind tearing apart.

Start at one end of your paper and make sure the edges of the books are sort of haphazard off the edges of the craft paper. Spray glue and keep on going. Overlap and go in different directions so that the pages look scattered. When you’re done for the season, roll it up carefully with the pages inwards and store for next year! I had to iron mine and do a little touch up gluing on some edges this year, but I’m pretty excited to use this beauty again! Did I mention that I got the old hymnal for 25 cents at an estate sale?! Um yes….cheap, and gorgeous!

Make Way {Allume Devotional)

November 19, 2012 by Logan 1 Comment

I was on a phone call the other day with a wise new friend. Somehow in the conversation, my friend brought up the words from Psalm 77 about how the Lord makes a way where there was none.

I’ve been thinking about those words quite a bit since. That day even, I knew I had more to chew on with those words…the reminder that God doesn’t need a way that makes sense or is obvious to get us where he wants us to go.

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Pop on over to Allume today to read the rest of this story!

Style Tips! {Together in 10 Contributor Post}

November 15, 2012 by Logan 1 Comment

Once when I was about 15, I remember going to the grocery store at the beach with my uncle. For some reason he didn’t wear shoes, and I was mortified. He told me though, that if he walked with authority into the store, that noone would even notice that he wasn’t wearing shoes. I cringed the whole time thinking that the “no shirt, no SHOES, no service” sign was going to jump off the wall and not allow us to buy anything. That never happened though, and not a soul in the place noticed that he was shoeless. (Can I say how badly I just wanted to write…”Not a sole in the place” ….oh friends…pun intended…pun totally intended!)

Anyhow…My point is, that if you do just about anything with authority, you can get away with it! Or…clothingly speaking, if you put an outfit together with a single piece that demands attention, then just wait and see what you can pull off!

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I know you’re dying to know what that essential clothing item is in my opinion, so hop on over to the style blog, Together in 10, today to find out! I’m a contributor over there and would love to have you join me!

Bangladesh!

November 14, 2012 by Logan 14 Comments

Breaking News ya’ll!

Here’s the short version.

Through a series of crazy, God-sized events and introductions a few weeks ago, I met this really fantastic gal named Lindsey who works with Food For the Hungry. We had a beer and talked real life. We connected.

Then, a week or so later, I got an email from my fun new friend asking if I’d ever be interested in going on a blogging trip with Food for the Hungry. My answer….”Um….YES!”

Another week later she emailed me and said something to the effect of, “I know this is a long shot, but we have an opening in a FH Bloggers trip we’re taking in January to Bangladesh. Any chance you’re interested?”

Say WHAT?!?!!!

Ummm…..YES!

Someone pinch me!

I asked my hubs, we prayed about it, and knew that this was an answer to a prayer we’ve been asking the Lord about me and a mission trip for about 6 months now.

Sooo….the short story is that at the end of January I’m headed with a Food for the Hungry team of people to Bangladesh. I have no idea, besides that God is crazy good, how I ended up with this phenomenally talented group of bloggers, writers, and photographers. Seriously…me. Little ol me.

I’ll be writing every day that we’re in Bangladesh (apparently pronounced BONG-la-desh according to some friends of mine who corrected my Southernese butchering of it.) We’ll share stories, pictures, people, places and real life with you! So check out the page HERE that’s set up for our trip to learn more! Can’t wait to share it all with you friends!

Somebody pinch me! Seriously….PINCH ME!

Photo credit: A Crowded Market in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Allume Pictures and Decor!

November 8, 2012 by Logan 14 Comments

I said the other day that I didn’t really have any pictures of the decor from Allume, and then ya’ll…sweet Anne from Authentic Simplicity sent me some! So I wanted to share. The best part of these is that they didn’t cost much at all!

This lamp set-up was on the stage. We just asked attendees who were local to bring out some lamps, and they did! It looked gorgeous to have the soft light and different heights creating a focal point on the stage. So…even when noone was up there speaking, it was a pleasant place to look! I created a tiered effect by placing one 6 foot table on top of 2 others. We kept the cloth simple with the black linens on the tables and the black pipe and drape which was behind.

Burlap has been my favorite cloth of choice for a couple of years now because it’s cheap, easy to work with, and has fantastic texture. We wanted to create a twinkle effect on the table as well, so we haphazardly strung christmas lights around the table and then covered the ugly cords with the burlap topper. Just bunch it up and go, and enjoy the twinkle of lights peeking through!

The flowers were a variety called alstroemeria that I picked up at Costco. These flowers have a really pretty vintage look to them, they are super cheap, and they have a really long shelf life once cut. I knew that we weren’t going to have gads of time to go around watering flowers over the weekend, so I chose alstroemeria because I knew they could tolerate the neglect of a weekend. They also come in different colors which added a bit of variety. We used the creamy ones on this front display and pinks and reds on the tables.

For me, the piece de resistance were the clusters of GORGEOUS velvet pumpkins from the LoveFeast Table shop. Oh my words ya’ll….look at these things!

image via LoveFeast Shop

I seriously adore these things! I’ve seen junky knock offs at craft stores, but they do not begin to hold a candle to these handmade works of art! Real gorgeous pumpkin stems, plush velvet, and they’re heavy and well made. Seriously….swoon! Anywhoo….LoveFeast let us use their gorgemous pumpkins to decorate and they gave some away too! Uh-mazing!

I made tons of the tissue poms sitting in bed one night a month or so before the conference. These things are SO easy to make and add a bunch of interest for very low cost. As in…the cost of 10 sheets of tissue paper makes one. High impact…low cost. SCORE!

I knew that I wanted the centerpieces to be sort of a vignette of different interesting things. A mix of things old and fresh, texture, color, and interest. Here’s how they turned out….

Dayspring was one of our biggest sponsors and not only are they a company who make gorgeous items, they have the MOST phenomenal people working for them. Seriously…I adore the team of people they brought to make Allume a smashing success! The lovely bird jewelry tree at the center was provided by Dayspring and at the end of the conference, 1 attendee from each table actually won the entire centerpieces! Might I just suggest at this point that jewelry tree would make a fabulous Christmas gift for someone in your life! So so pretty!

You can’t see it in this picture, but I found some vintage looking glittery tags of birds and butterflies that we hung from a couple of the branches. My most favorite things of all were probably the incredible books I found. Allume is a conference for women who love the Lord, but mostly all of them are bloggers and writers. It just seemed appropriate to decorate with lovely books. And I found lots of them with beautiful covers in all different colors that we used all over the space! And if you’ll notice too….burlap table toppers….beautiful and cheapo!

Everything else was a mix of dried and real flowers….dried thistle and hydrangea, fresh alstroemeria, sticks, twigs, nests, small candles, and LoveFeast pumpkins…a hodge podge of stuff shifted and nudged to look haphazardly thrown together, but way too intentional to actually be such.

I LOVED the way these turned out and the best part of all was that SO MANY women commented on how beautiful everything was and how loved they felt because of the details!

Soon, I’ll show you how to make tons of really adorable vintage looking containers to put flowers in for a cost of next to nothing!

So excited to finally share a few pics with you! There’s something so satisfying about seeing a vision actually come together…and even more satisfying that vision speaks love to others! YES! Success!

Kingdoms and Powers

November 6, 2012 by Logan 10 Comments

You don’t need me to tell you what hinges on this day in American history, because chances are that you know and have a bent one way or another already. And the last thing most of you probably want is my opinion on the candidates. So, I’m not going to give it. If you’re here, I’m going to credit you as a thinking adult with convictions that will sway you one way or another. Maybe I agree with you, maybe I don’t.

At the end of today we’ll either have the same president that we’ve had for the last 4 years, or we’ll have a new one. And to be honest…neither of them is the solution to all of our problems. That’s an awful lot of pressure to put on one fully human person. Do I think one person would do a better job in certain areas than the other….sure. Do I worry about what happens if my guy doesn’t win? Sure. But here’s what I really want to say to anyone reading about what I really believe has to happen at the end of the day….whether the winner is wearing a red tie or a blue one…

You have to accept it, like it or not.

And I want to go a step further and say…don’t just accept it. Don’t just suck it up and deal with it for the next 4 years. No matter if it’s your guy or “their” guy who wins, we each have a responsibility to honor our president and to pray for our country.

Maybe you’re here and you’re not a praying person…and I have no idea where that leaves you in this election at the end of the day…probably feeling pretty itchy and uncomfortable if it’s not your man in the oval office come January. But I believe that this wonderful home that we call America isn’t actually the solution to the world’s problems. Our home affords us more chances and opportunities than most any other country in the world, and for that I am ever thankful….but this country isn’t what is going to save the rest of the world. That saving has been done over 2000 years ago by one man who was fully human, but also fully God, and no matter who controls the White House at the end of today doesn’t change that ultimate salvation either way.

I’m an American citizen, but before that, I’m a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven….and my citizenship in that Kingdom asks me to honor our leaders, pray for the place that I live, and to be a part of the peace and shalom that Jesus brings here on the earth. So I want to say to you all…and to challenge you…that nomatter how you feel at the end of today about the next four years of our country’s future…commit to pray blessing over our nation. Commit to pray blessing over our president and favor with the other countries of the world. Pray for life and liberty and justice to prevail in the decisions that are made throughout this next president’s term. If you feel grumpy about it…pray the opposite of how you feel. Cut off the attempts of the enemy to divide our nation…and at the end of the day, prayerfully fall in line under the banner of the red, white, and blue that associates us all in this country. But first, stand under the banner of a sovereign God who bled and died and wants good for his children…and trust that his Kingdom is at work, and our citizenship in that Kingdom allows us to bring all of the blessings and benefits of it into this place where we live.

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:37–39

Image via CNN.com

Shalom at the Gates – {Allume Devotional 11/05/12}

November 5, 2012 by Logan Leave a Comment

I just have to share a really phenomenal thought that I recently heard. It’s been rocking my world since I heard it…in a super-awesome-holy-spirit-infused sort of way. I’m gonna make it short and sweet today, and let the word of God just do it’s thing.

In ancient cultures, the city gate was the place where pretty much anything of importance happened. Most all cities had a wall around them that protected those within and kept the outsiders out. So, the gate really became a hub of activity. Outside of the gates was where the sick were laid out. Trials and stonings took place at the gates. The elders of the city would meet at the gates. Commerce happened at the gates. The gates were the heartbeat of the city. Full of life, but also chaotic with so much going on all around.

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To read the rest…pop on over to the Allume blog today!