.camping & canoeing on the elk.

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I don't know if I've ever revealed this or not...but I have the coolest small group ever.

This past weekend, we went on a camping/canoeing trip together.

This marked my second time to camp, my first time (and most likely, my last) time to canoe.

We stayed at The Eagle's Nest in Noel, MO. Our camp site was beautiful, but with a road close by, railroad tracks, and a nearby cow field...sleep was pretty much futile. BUT there was a bathroom, like right there, so I was cool with the loss of sleep.

We walked down to the Elk River from our campsite and practiced skipping rocks.

For dinner, we heated up some burgers, hot dogs and ribs over the fire. For dessert, we had s'mores. It was pretty warm during the day, in the 80's, but the night we camped got pretty chilly. That's another reason I didn't sleep well, but again, I was ok with it because there's something so fun about sleeping in a tent and feeling the cool evening air all night long.

By the way, I don't particularly care for s'mores because of the marshmallow part. But I still ate one because duh I was camping and that's just what you do.

Something neat about our campsite was the plot number we pitched our tent on. Number 61. For reasons that go all the way back to high school, 61 is my favorite number. How cool is that?!

The next morning, we got up around 6:30 (to the sound of a train) and had a breakfast of eggs and bacon. We walked down to the river to mess around, then we took our tents down.

Then the canoeing adventure began.

Let me just say, I am dang proud of myself. I'm proud of all of us, but considering it was my first time and I have a very unhealthy fear of water, I'm super proud that I didn't wuss out.

Eight miles down the Elk River in 2.5 hours (and that includes stopping halfway to eat soggy sandwiches).

I almost cried, almost had a panic attack. The two non-swimmers wore life jackets...

But I found my comfort in sitting on the floor of the canoe as opposed to the seat. I didn't feel like I was going to fly overboard as much with the walls surrounding me. After my panic subsided, I got into the groove of paddling and actually did quite well.

The Elk River was beautiful!

And minus the drunk people that so rudely squirted us with water guns and that one time we almost tipped...I ended up having fun.

Oh, yeah, we ALMOST tipped. In choppy, deep water that carried us straight towards a fallen tree. We had to completely duck to avoid getting decapitated by the fallen limbs. Upon rising back up, we realized we were about to tip, I prayed "Lord!!" out loud, followed by a choice word as my oar got ripped out of my hands and my life flashed before my eyes. 

A nice boy scout in a kayak saved my oar and brought it back to me.

Thankfully, this near-death experience happened towards the end of our adventure. Once we got back to shore and all the canoes from our group returned, we learned that one of our friends' whole family tipped in the rapids that almost tipped us. They lost everything out of their canoe, but the husband was able to swim and retrieve it all. Well, all except for my friend's flip flop, but that floated downstream to us eventually.

Needless to say, after all the drama and excitement, we were exhausted and just ready to get home and shower.

One thing's for sure, you don't go on a trip like this and not grow closer to the people you share in the experience with.  I absolutely love this group of people and I'm go glad I could be a part of these memories.

.will & savannah's wedding.

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It's been a while since I've gotten to go to a wedding, so I've been anxiously waiting for May 4th to arrive.

My "brother from another mother" tied the knot with his beautiful bride, Savannah.

This match made in Heaven couldn't have pulled off a more beautiful wedding, in my opinion. It was very Pinterest-inspired without going overboard. The colors were coral & aqua.

And since the wedding took place in a tiny country town about 4 hours from home...ROAD TRIP!

{Side note: Yeah, ok, I'm kinda obsessed with road trips. Love 'em.}

The decor was perf. Gorg. Amazeballs. (AKA awesome)

Got to spend good quality time with some family and friends I hadn't seen in a while. And my handsome brother was the best man!

The wedding was originally supposed to be outdoors with the reception inside, but the rainy weather pushed it all inside. The setting was just so beautiful, I can't get over it. And I can't wait to see the professional wedding pictures they took outside because I'm sure the overcast sky made for some striking colors and gorgeous photos.

So very happy for Will & Savannah!

.warrior dash/girls' trip.

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I'm a little behind, but I wanted to post about the girls' trip to Kansas City I went on a few weekends ago.

Some of my friends ran the Warrior Dash, and two of us went as spectators.

The road trip up there was rainy and stormy. Instead of paying for a hotel room, we got to stay at one of my friends' Dad's house. We're talking four air mattresses strewn about his living and dining rooms. My first slumber party as an adult!

Probably the most memorable event from the evening was the antagonizing of Becky -- the least "girly" of the whole group -- when we "bullied" her into straightening her hair.

Earlier in the evening, we had dinner at Granite City Grill, a KC favorite.

I also experienced my first time to Dave & Buster's. Becky and I had a basketball rematch (following our Chuckie Cheese match, which I won). 

We played two games because I won the first one (Boom!) so Becky had to redeem herself by winning the second one.

After a restful night's sleep (for everyone but me on my half-inflated mattress on the hardwood floor), we got up and around, headed to Panera for breakfast, then on to the Warrior Dash. These four were the brave runners:

And Ashley and I were the supporters.

It was a pretty chilly day, super muddy, but oh so fun. I'm even considering joining in the actual race next year. That's big for a gal such as myself.

There were so many people there, lots in costume. So fun!

It took our girls just a little over an hour to complete the course. Once we saw them coming down the hill towards us, I felt so proud of them! They stuck together the whole time and exited the course covered in mud and shivering cold.

I'm still so proud of my friends! So many great memories were made on this trip.

.more completed projects.

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My love for sewing is in full swing right now. On my days off during the week, I've been completing projects left and right. My creative process has been working like this:

1. Scour through my "Create This" Pinterest board and open a couple of different tutorials I have yet to attempt.

2. Purchase supplies needed for chosen tutorials.

3. Create.

Sometimes I even get a little crazy and create something for myself sans-pattern!

You might remember {this dress} I created for myself over Spring Break.

Well, I got the itch to create another maxi dress for myself, so I went to Hancock Fabric and bought 3 yards of gray jersey knit. (Turns out 2 yards would have been plenty and a lot less expensive. But I had a gift card...but still...I'll never do that again.)

Using a t-shirt as my guide for the top of the dress, I created this:

There are a few things I need to tweak but I will probably actually be able to wear this out in public. On days that I don't mind having to suck in my gut, that is. I didn't mean for it to be so fitted at the abdomen...

One more little project I completed was this shirt:

I bought this white tee at Goodwill with this specific project in mind. I sewed on a few thrifted doilies and now I have a feminine shirt to wear possibly tucked into skirts this spring.

I have two more Pinterest tutorials pulled up right now that I'd like to tackle today. One would use up most of the extra gray jersey knit fabric I bought too much of, and the other requires me to go thrifting...which I am always more than happy to have an excuse to do.

If these go well, expect another blog post in the near future!

Follow me on Instagram to see my completed projects as I get them done: martylou83.

.pinterest-inspired projects.

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Today I utilized my day off quite wisely, if I do say so myself. I completed two crafty projects from Pinterest that I've been wanting to tackle for a while now.

First was this tee refashion from Cotton and Curls.

I took one of Hubs' old t-shirts that he never wears and cut it down to be more form fitting. This was also my first time to remove a neckline and reattach it.

Project two of the day was to make a new door hanger for our front door. Now that Easter is over, I wanted to replace the Burlap Cross.

This initial door hanger from Broken Treasures was my inspiration:

I got the biggest unfinished wooden B I could find at Hobby Lobby, used some stain we already had in the garage, hot glued some fake flowers on, and attached a mustard chevron ribbon to hang it from. I love how it turned out!

Now it's time to clean up my crafting mess and take care of some of the (less fun) household chores!

.easter 2013.

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That's not just a picture of a beautiful tree. It's a picture of my church.

Yes, we still meet in the local movie theater. I know some day we'll have a building of our own, but until then I never want to forget this season of our church.

This was our first Easter to spend in this church home of ours, and it was extra special. Hubs and I helped on the greeting team for the first time. We had a record attendance at around 220 people, many being first-time visitors. The worship session was amazing; I had chills the whole time. The sermon was dead on. It was about how we can have a true, unfailing Hope and confidence because Jesus died on that cross and rose back to life three days later.

After church, three baptisms were performed outside; two of those three kids belonged to a friend of mine and it was so special to get to witness their baptisms.

We had Easter lunch with my family over at my brother and sister-in-law's house.

My sister-in-law is so good at entertaining. She provided a delicious and pretty spread of food. We had grilled steak and pork chops, pasta salad, deviled eggs, rolls, fruit salad, strawberry pie and lemon cake.

After we ate, we went outside and watched my sweet nephew hunt a few eggs until he got distracted by all the other fun activities to do such as have leaves thrown on him, get squirted by a water gun, slide, chase Mr. B (his dog) around, and ride his 4-wheeler.

The weather was gorgeous today! We couldn't have asked for better.

Here's my nephew telling me "Bye, Bye" as he goes for a slide with his Daddy by his side.

I hope you all had an Easter Sunday full of blessings!

.snowy spring break.

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Spring Break is almost over, and I'm just thinking...why can't this always be my life??? It's so hard to go back to work after a little time off.

It's been so nice to sleep in, eat whenever I please, move at my own pace, go shopping anytime, and sew up a storm while it snows outside.

Yes, I said "while it snows outside." We've gotten more snow over the past week than we probably did all Winter long. Hardly any accumulation to speak of, but it just keeps on coming down.

So anyway, back to the whole "sewing up a storm" thing, between yesterday and today, I've completed an oilcloth market tote, maxi skirt, and a maxi dress.

I'm. On. A. Roll.

This dress is my sewing claim to fame. I made it without a pattern. I just had a vision and executed it. Go me.

The secret is, it's basically a big old pillowcase dress. I did the neck and straps the same way I would a pillowcase dress for a little girl. It's just super-sized. And without a belt, it's basically a big old muumuu... And the print's a little crazy... And... I need a tan and to tone my arms. But STILL.

It actually looks like a legit dress that I could wear in public.

So I guess it's been a successful Spring Break.

.my favorite things party.

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Back in January, when my friend Leslie hosted the amazing Craft Party, the eight of us decided to have a girls' night once a month and to take turns hosting. Last month, my friend Becky hosted at her house with a movie/snack night. This month was mine, and I hosted a "My Favorite Things" party!

These are big on Pinterest, and that's where I got a lot of the ideas for my party.

I served a few of my favorite snacks, which included chocolate chip cookies, cheese (sharp cheddar and gouda) and crackers, bacon ranch popcorn and a new Pinterest recipe find: cinnamon sugar cream cheese dreams. My friend Becky also brought spinach artichoke dip. To drink, I offered pink lemonade, cherry coke and water.

Even though the food scape turned out looking like something straight from a wedding (oops), I was going for the shabby/vintage look since it's one of my favorites.

PS, the table cloth is a piece of polka dot lace fabric from Hancock Fabrics and I'm c-r-a-z-y about it!

We played a Favorite Things game, which I found via Shannon's blog here.

Everyone filled out the questions without really knowing what the premise was. Then they found out that the winner was actually the one with the most unique answers. So everyone revealed their answers, and if someone put the same thing as you, you marked it out. The one with the most answers unmarked out was the winner. We had a tie, so the tie-breaker was for me to draw a name. Leslie won, and her prize was a jar of Burt's Bees Night Cream.

After we played the game, we took turns drawing 5 names from the basket to see who would get to take some of our favorite things home.

We had a cost limit of $5 per gift, and here's what everyone brought:

Me: Chevron duct tape

Chrissy: Friend decor signs

Becky: Chocolate Almond Braum's Ice Cream

Gayla: Bath & Body Works hand soap

Ashley D: Nail Polish

Amiee: Burt's Bees chap stick and ELF eyeshadow brushes

Ashley L: Mrs. Meyer's Hand Soap

Leslie: Hot Tamales candy and Nivea lip balm

I gave everyone a little gift bag to take their new goodies home in.

Yes, those are doilies. Don't you know I'm an old lady at heart?!

The night was so much fun. It never matters what we do, we always have a great time together and you better believe my cheeks hurt so bad at the end of the night from all the laughing and smiling. Love these girls so much! Looking forward to our next GNO.

.quiet conviction.

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The thought struck me today as I was brushing my teeth and I picked up my phone to see what the weather app had to say about the temperatures for the day -- What if I picked up my Bible as much as I picked up my phone?

Because I pick up my phone a lot.

I wonder what the high is for today? Pick up my phone.

Do I have anything in my calendar for today? Pick up my phone.

I think I'll relax and browse Pinterest. Pick up my phone.

I have a few extra seconds. Pick up my phone.

It's become more of a habit than a need, picking up my phone.

 But picking up my Bible?

No, it's not a habit.

It's an unmet need.

And the One that loves me the most is quietly waiting for me to come to Him. Converse with Him. Pursue Him.

To put all my idols down and bask in His glow.

This morning, I'm thankful for quiet conviction...

.things i've learned.

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For the first time ever in my life, I'm a member of a church.

I'm in a small group.

I partake in a women's Bible study.

Not a big deal to most people. To me, it's meant the world.

I've learned so much over the course of the past couple of months. I'm in a place in my life where I'm learning and growing. What began as new "obligations," turned into necessary appointments that I can't afford to miss. I can't afford to miss the blessing, the lesson, the fellowship. My heart is full and bursting with new discoveries, truths and goals.

One truth:  God made me exactly who he WANTED me to be. I have the quirks, downfalls and abilities I do because he specifically made me that way. There's nothing about myself to be ashamed of or try to mask. I can shine exactly how I am, flaws and all, because I am HIS handiwork, and He wants to use me to minister to others.

I have learned that being content is more than just a good idea. It's a way of life that I must put into practice. Always longing for the next stage of life, a better day, a better situation...only leads to a wasted life. I've learned to cling to the blessings, big and small, that are a part of my everyday life. And the trials, they're worthy of praise too. In every hardship, I'm growing closer to God. With every temptation, I have the opportunity to choose Christ. 

I'm not much. Just an ordinary girl. But through Christ, I'm capable of extraordinary things. And this excites me.

My prayer is to be used by God. To not be complacent with a lackluster life.

I have claimed Philippians 4:11 as my life verse, to be content no matter what state I'm in.

God, use me. Use my life to be a witness for you. I am yours.

.burlap cross door hanger for easter.

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So proud of myself today for trying something from Pinterest that I've never done before.

The Burlap Cross Door Hanger.

Using Miss Kopy Kat's Tutorial found HERE, I created this:

Yay!

It was fun and easy. It probably took me about an hour and a half total. The painting was the most time-consuming part for me.

Supplies:

+ burlap

+ newspaper (for the template)

+ sewing machine or hot glue gun for the edges

+ grocery sacks for the stuffing (Thankfully, I'm a Walmart bag hoarder)

+ Acrylic paint

+ Foam paint brushes

+ Floral wire (for the hanger)

Using the tutorial I linked to above, go crazy creating your own burlap door hanger. There is a plethora of shapes and seasonal options you could come up with.

Can't wait to make more!