A Martha

Today I was called a Martha. Before you start to think of me as holy I must tell you they were referring to Martha Stewart and I could not be happier. TODAY I WAS CALLED A MARTHA! It was a combination of things that brought on this compliment. The precise organization of my own desk. My slight obsession with organizing the supply closet, the cabinets, counters, and chairs. It was also the making of my jersey necklaces and turning the scraps into a flower broach. I'm sure my everyday cardigan wearing played a role. As well as my suggestion that we teach the kids how to make owl cupcakes for the fall. A Martha? For all the right reasons, I'll take it.

But speaking of fall, tomorrow is September 1st and I could not be more excited! Autumn is coming! Just saying September makes me want to light up a few warm candles, throw on a light sweater, crunch through the leaves, listen to bluegrass, and drink apple cider while crafting or reading some delightful book. Alas, it was 104 when I got into my car today. 104! Oh August, you never cease to amaze me. None the less, this weekend I'm going to The Country House with friends, which I feel has the potential to only make me desire the onset of Autumn further still. We'll chat and laugh, create, and relax while the men do their thing. There's sure to be floating and swimming in the river, roasting s'mores, and catching up. Doesn't it sound lovely? Yes, yes it does. You don't even have to say it I already know.

I hope you have an extended weekend filled with all the yumminess of life that you enjoy!

27th day of August

Dear Friends,
You are the sweetest! Thank you for your sweet words, missing my blog :) That puts such a smile on this face, that not only do you read it, but you miss it when I'm not writing. Dear to my heart! Thank you. Today, I have hijacked a friends computer for a few hours to write a few words to you and of course catch up on Pintrest. It's like a friend I haven't seen in ages. We pick up right where we left off, as though no time has passed at all. That's right, I'm swooning over blogs and pins. It's the little things these days.

I had so many fun things I wanted to tell you but I'm listening to The Civil Wars and they have pushed out all those fun things with such contemplative thoughts and dreamings. They are some of my new favorites. Ever needing a folksy romantic fix they are the ticket!

Alright, so to spare you from the novel I could write about my life right now I will tell you 27 things, because it's the 27th day of August and that's good enough for me.

27. I had an odd sushi roll yesterday. Sweet potato and avocado. I was expecting those ingredients alone, you now like a PB&J sushi roll only has PB&J. This came with rice. Surprisingly delish!

26. I got said sushi roll because I'm now a vegetarian. Apparently an odd vegetarian because I don't like spicy stuff but restaurants tend not to make non spicy veggie things.  (insert Debbie Downer sound effect here.)

25. I considered being vegan but then went to Jilly's Cupcake Bar and had a Space Monkey. I'm pretty committed to eating cream cheese for the rest of my life. If you haven't been to Jilly's, and I mean the actual shop, not just a place that sells her yummy products, you must go! She came in third place on Food Network's Cupcake Wars and she's right here in St. Louis!

24.  My parents recently renewed their vows, which I was elected the planner of. I had to Google vow renewal etiquette cause I'd never attended one, much less planned it-- not much help as the general rule is there are no rules. It was a hit and made me question a bit why I didn't go the event planner route.

23. I've been helping to lead worship at my church recently. It feels like home, church, not the singing, I still want to vomit a bit before I sing each Sunday.

22. I've lived in St. Louis an entire 2 years and 6 days as an adult! And I can honestly say I LOVE IT~!! Who would have ever guessed?

21. I worked at the Jewish Community Center this summer. No, I am not Jewish. No, you do not have to be Jewish to work or work out there.

20. But I did find that the J (the cool name) is the place to meet attractive single men! Yowzers. It was a good summer. ;)

19. I'm still single.... so clearly it's a good place to meet them but anything beyond that is beyond me. Oh my curse blessing!

18. I'm coming into my own, style wise. I used to buy things that were just ok because I'm a bigger girl and what hope did I have of finding clothing that I actually enjoyed and looked GOOD in? Well, daggum, that phase is over and I'm committed to looking and feeling good in what I wear!

17. So in that respect I got myself two hot-to-trot dresses that I adore and look quiet fabulous in! Now, I just need some places to wear them to. Maybe not anymore weddings cause I'm kind of tired of looking so awesome at weddings where there are no single men.

16. To my married friends: get some male single friends and hook a sister up. Not even friendS, just A friend. sheesh. ;) I kid. I kid. kind of.

15. I lost 21 pds. this summer. Between the never ending heat wave and being out in it the whole time, being vegetarianish, and having a free membership my odds were pretty good.

14. I may have gained it all back because of my refound love of Chick-Fil-A! I know this is counter vegetarian, but when a girl needs meat what better establishment to go to than one that openly promotes Christ and has DELICIOUS food. I'm just saying, when I put chicken on a bun with a few pickles it doesn't taste nearly as good.

13. I finally made a jersey braided necklace and scarf! It's been on my mental crafting checklist for a while now.

12. I went solo to a crafters event in a mall! I don't know if I've told you but I abhor malls to the very fiber of my being. Which could explain why I've still never been to Charming Charlie's which I hear will be my nirvana if ever we meet.

11. I've been crooning Adele's newest album 21. (Side note: does anyone know why she's numbering her albums, are they symbolic or random?) For a minute I thought she had crept into my internal monologues, alas she did not.

10.   In a delusional fit I cut my own bangs. The original product looked like a mullet but with a little finesse they look intentional and edgy!

9. I'm about 2 seconds away from a new tattoo. Not that I've been thinking about it for 2 seconds. I've been thinking about it for 3 years. It's time.

8. I'll have to be careful about the timing of said tattoo because of MY NEW FULL TIME JOB working with students with severe special needs and the likelihood of being slapped or bitten near the tender art.


6. My computer is broken. I feel at any moment my car is going to fall apart, as well, on the highway, tires rolling every which way, hood smoking, the whole nine yards. It will of course wait another few months when I will be finished paying for it and warranty expired.

5. I tried to reconcile a broken friendship only to find out reconciliation is messy and my worst imagining didn't come close to what actually happened. Heart breaking, I know.

4. BSF starts back in a few weeks and I could not be more thrilled to be studying Acts. Want to come? You totally should!

3. My brother and his family live with my parents now. It is soooo sweet to have them near.

2. I'm planning a trip to London next summer to potentially help in opening an Asha Shop. :)

1. I am loving being creative! Between Forai, my amazingly talented friends, and my own motivation, I've got thoughts a'stirrin and I am excited!

And so, that's me in a nut shell right now. 27 things for 27 days of August. I hope you are well, that your summer was fantastic, and that you are living in joy right now!

I Miss You!

You're still here! Thank you. I was just doing a little check of the site and saw that you are still visiting, catching up on your summer reading I imagine. Well, thank you. The computer is still dead with little hope of revival and the possibility of gettig a new one seems distant. So, in the mean time I'll stalk myself through this little device I'm so greatful for. I miss this and I miss you.

Remember When?

Hey, so do you remember when I used to blog? You remember, back when my computer worked? Well, I feel like that's been ages ago. I justed wanted to at least pop in via itouch and let y'all know I'm alive, but my computer isn't. Be praying for that, as this blog is such a fun outlet for me and I hope for you. Hope you're well and enjoying summer! Hopefully talk to you soon!
~ angielee

{The Great Divide} talking about what we don't talk about

I'm presuming there are not a lot of men who visit this little world of mine. In fact I only know of one who has me in his Google Reader (or maybe HAD me there :) Thanks Jay!)
So what better platform to have a bit of a gripe about what awesome single ladies gripe about occasionally to close friends or acquaintances or in my case total strangers... our singleness and the lack of control we have over it.

So, recently I've had the privilege to speak with several a single lady who are baffled like me by the state of too many lovely christian women. I read a while ago there are people who are single for a reason and people who are single for a season. Despite either of these two logic's the alarming truth is that there are an astounding number of women who desire to be married, to raise children, are of a reasonable age and are AMAZING. I'm not just talking like hey I'm cool "amazing" but like hey I'm COOL, I LOVE Jesus, I'm about the work of HIS Kingdom, and I'm gonna do this thing with our without a husband kind of AMAZING.

But what IS lacking is AMAZING men to come along side these women. Don't get me wrong, there are guys out there. That's not the problem. The problem is these AMAY-ZA-ZING  women don't just want some guy. They want a man. Can I just include myself in there? I mean I like to think of myself as pretty amay-za-zing as well. WE want a man. Stop me if I'm wrong.

I'm not expecting this man to be the best at everything or at anything. I'm expecting, and I assume I'm not alone in this, a man to love Jesus, to be committed to His Kingdom, and his purpose within the Kingdom. I'm expecting that he be apart of the Church and his church. These are foundational things. Anything outside of this is preference and is debatable.

So... what's up? For realsies? Cause I'm not seeing that this list is something insurmountable. But what I do see are churches or organizations filled with women, sprinkled with men, and many a man not willing, interested, or motivated to ask a lady out. I understand there is fear of rejection. Risk. Whatever else may be a hindrance. But men this is your biblical role, to initiate, to pursue, to risk the rejection, or maybe just maybe hear a resounding YES.

I know once there used to be a stigma maybe with dorkier, shyer, socially awkward men versus the smooth, popular guy. But men, can I just give you some encouragement if you're still reading this, nearly ALL of my friends, who are AMAZING, have said they prefer the shyer, dorkier, socially awkward men! No joke. You are not the underdog anymore, so stop behaving like it. Put on the pants that are rightfully yours, pray, and pursue. Yes, you may get rejected. Yes, it may hurt a bit. But you also might find an AMAY-ZA-ZING jewel.

And to my dear ladies, myself included, I think Oswald Chambers said it best " If I put my trust in human beings first, I will end in despairing of everyone; I will become bitter, because I have insisted on man being what no man can ever be- absolutely right. Never trust anything but the grace of God in yourself or in anyone else." Our trust, hope, and desires cannot be wrapped up in man, for they will always disappoint and we will always disappoint them. But who we continue to trust in, look towards, and lean on is Christ. The One who never disappoints and indeed is shaping you into the amazing women you are.

I pray for our hope and strength to be found in Him. And I pray that our focus would be on the grand purposes He has set aside for you to do in the area He has placed you even now.

Home

Hello! Hola! Bonjour! My word it's been awhile. How are you? Anything new in your world?

I feel as though everything is new in mine. With the move that's less than 20 minutes from where I grew up and spent the past 2 years I feel like I'm in a totally different city. It's as though I'm living in Texas, specifically Plano. Every thing is so much more grandiose and extravagant. I'm taking roads I've never been on before, which you know is one of my favorite things, but it's strange because this is my town. I should know these roads. Instead, I'm driving with friends as a passenger just so I can acquaint myself with my surroundings, learn these new winding roads, and read sign after sign, another favorite past time. Are you the sign reader in the car? Every car has one and in mine it's me. It's a whole new side to St. Louis. One that I avoided frequently because well, I often don't feel like I belong in the environment.

I've moved to Town & Country, which is just that; both town and country. It's a sweet area of St. Louis that bustles with city life and nature. It holds some of the most expensive homes I've seen in real life and lil ole me is now living there. I really wrestled with the move, because of my insecurities but also because of my own bias towards the rich. So as I settled in to the new digs and adjusted to the new family I asked God why in the world He would move me out here. For the path that I saw for myself, this move was in the opposite direction. As Jeane and I drove, exploring the new surroundings we came across some interesting places that confirmed in my heart my purpose for this time.

Within but a 10 mile (+ or -) radius of my new home there is a Mormon Temple, a church of Christian Scientology, a Hindu Temple, and an Islamic Temple. Immediately there came to mind the verse about it being easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven. Christianity, following Christ, is the only religion that requires a humbling of self, a giving up of ALL idols for the sake of The One King and His One Kingdom. All other beliefs are false and do not lead to everlasting abundant life. So, my conviction, after seeing these dear places is to pray for them and the various people that are associated with their false teachings.

A day is coming when no more will my prayers be heard by the Father because the eternal fate of the lost will be sealed. But, until that day, my heart and mouth will plead the cause of these people, that God, Jehovah, may be merciful in giving them time to see the error of their ways, to repent, and to draw near and live out the truth of The Gospel.

I thank God that He has brought me to this place, where I can swim, listen to cicadas and church bells, watch deer graze, and enjoy life. I thank God that I'm no further from my own church that challenges me to not get wrapped up in the things of this life and my own longings but pushes me to care more for Him and His Kingdom purposes. I thank God that He has placed me right here, right now, for such a time as this. And I thank God that He still hears the prayers of His people and acts on their behalf.

For His glory and His fame in this new place I now call home.

Dancing In The Streets

Today driving to work I noticed the elegance and balance it takes to drive down the highway between these little lines we call lanes. Today, maybe it was the shining sun or the beautiful breeze but I was feeling whimsical. As I watched these cars float by me I just thought about how much this driving thing is like a dance. There are some people who know what they're doing in their dance shoes, others who are totally uncomfortable. There are some who keep beat, those who are a little spastic zipping and racing around the floor, and those that are slow and off beat. There are times when toes get stepped on or bums get bumped and cause a jam but the dance goes on.
Just my little thoughts from my pleasant dance to work this morning.

But for real, I'd like to go dancing sometime soon (cough, cough, this weekend). A little rump shaking, a little fox trot, a little ball change, maybe some salsa, and a lot of fun.

What are your plans for

the weekend?

Any dancing involved?

Cause you know...

Nobody

puts

baby

in

a

corner 

!