In Exile

Below are the lyrics to one of my favorite songs. The words are just so true to how I feel about this life vs the eternal life I will have later with Christ. I love my life, where I am, who I do life with...but I'm just passing through on a journey to get closer to God and spend eternity with Him. Thrice does a great job expressing exactly how I feel about this. :)
I am in exile, a sojourner
A citizen of some other place
All I've seen is just a glimmer in a shadowy mirror
But I know, one day well see face to face

I am a nomad, a wanderer
I have nowhere to lay my head down
There's no point in putting roots too deep when I'm moving on
Not settling for this unsettling town

My heart is filled with songs of forever
The city that endures when all is made new
I know I don't belong here, I'll never
Call this place my home, I'm just passing through

I am a pilgrim, a voyager
I wont rest until my lips touch the shore
Of the land that I've been longing for as long as I've lived
Where they'll be no pain or tears anymore

My heart is filled with songs of forever
The city that endures when all is made new
I know I don't belong here, I'll never
Call this place my home, I'm just passing through
In Exile | Thrice

Instaupdate

Sparkly garland for my office desk

Mickey inspired monster ball!

Concert of prayer (my handsome hubby in the green shorts)

Leading worship barefoot

I cut my bangs this morning! No more side-swept action.

Working on a custom order full of owls!

 

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ideas ideas...

I've caught an itch to start sewing some more lately.  Knitting is my favorite craft but let's be honest...it can take forever sometimes and if you knit tight (which I do) it can start to hurt the fingers after a few hours.  I'm stubborn and continue to knit when my fingers hurt and that's just bad...bad Miranda!

Moving on...

I've been properly sewing for the past 7ish years and I really enjoy making bags.  Know what's so awesome about bags?  They don't have to fit.  If a bag turns out a little smaller or a little bigger than I planned it's all cool.  Well, unless you're making a tiny coin purse to hold an ID card that turns out too small for said ID card...but it's ok, it still fits my iPod nano, ear buds and little gym card. See, not a big deal.  Clothes on the other hand...blegh.  Too much measuring and worrying about it fitting in the end.  Just not my thing, so please, don't ever ask me to make clothing...unless it's knit...and a hat or scarf.  Those things stretch :)

Back to bags.  I love how simple yet useful that are.  If I'm in a detail mood I can sew a purse with lots of pockets, flaps, buttons, adjustable straps and so on.  Other times I can slap a few rectangles together with a zipper and make a tote bag or coin purse.  Instant gratification, I love it!

I have a lot of canvas at home that I bought to make tote bags to sell for a mission trip fundraiser. I'm pretty sure I made one...and I never even sewed up the hole in the lining...oops.  So now I have a lot of canvas I plan to dye and paint and make lots of simple tote bags to put in my shop.  We'll see if this pans out, but I'm pretty excited about this plan right now.

Keep an eye out for sneak peaks of painted canvas around here!

On a completely different note, David and I are starting a worship/prayer time at our church tomorrow that we hope to make a monthly thing.  We've been praying and working on it for almost a year and we're finally doing it!  I'm really excited to see how God will use us tomorrow.  I love singing for His glory!

Rolling in the Deep

 

Here's our latest video! We performed in a talent show hosted by David's old employer and we ended winning first place! It was awesome and really fun. We just got the recordings and David edited them into this vid. Enjoy and share with your friends :)

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Give me Jesus

 

 

We finally recorded our second song, go check it out! It's a Jeremy Camp cover called Give Me Jesus, one of my favorites.

Jesus, lover of my soul

The hubs and I have been singing together for over 6 years now and it's our true passion.  We finally made a recording for the first time last night!  We've had live gigs recorded but this is the first time recording ourselves.  I'll be honest, it's weird!  I feel weird not having a mic in my hand and not being on a stage to perform.  So weird. 

Well anyways, here's the video.  I know this is mostly a crafting blog but music is an equally big part of my life so I wanted to share with yall :)

day 17: music

Today I am thankful for music and every role it has played in my life.  I grew up in a music-filled home and that spilled over to my school life. 

Music was my favorite special area class in elementary school, and I even stayed after school on Mondays to participate in a special music program.  My orchestra and choir classes helped me survive the awkward middle school years.  Choir made the rest of high school have a purpose.  I spent every minute I could in the choir room and I loved it.  I even started out my college career studying music. 

Though I ended up going in a different direction in school, music still plays just as important a role in my life.  Singing led me to a deeper friendship with my now husband and is ultimately what sealed the deal for us in the beginning. 

Music is also my main way to worship.  I just love singing praises to my God, and even more when I can be seated at a piano at the same time.  I was also blessed with a husband who loves to worship in the same way I do, so we get to do that together, it's pretty special to me.

Basically, who I am is shaped in a big part because of the involvement music has had in my life.

day 11: marrying a musician

photo by Whitney Carlson

I am so so thankful to be married to a musician.  I love that we can sing together and make music at a level I never could with anyone else.  There's just something about singing with David that it so special.  Our minds synch up and the harmonies lock in.  When we first started dating he would always try to steal my harmonies (he claims I stole his, but I'm older, they were mine first).  Nearly 6 years later we've grown so much musically and keep finding new harmonies and sounds to add to our repertoire. 

I think one of the reasons singing with him is so important to me is because I started falling in love with him when we prepared and sang together for Mani Marathon 2005.  It would be a little over a month before we would start dating, but part of me just knew.

I just found out we might get to sing together for our Christmas Eve service, I'm so excited!

day 2: my praise team

Wednesdays are crazy for me so those posts might come on Thursday mornings :)

2 year old picture of us singing

Today I'm thankful for my church's praise team.  I've been blessed to be a part of the team for three years now and I love it!  It started out with a band and me singing along with our interim music minister.  Soon this new couple I didn't know was added, the Willinghams.  Since then they have become one of my favorite couples at the church.  David and I find it rare to find couples as goofy and laid back as we are, and the Wills fit the bill! (ha!..sorry, it's early, my mind is still in sleep mode so excuse my silliness)

The praise team is also something I get to share with David and my dad.  Both play guitar, so it's fun to play with them, especially since both have influenced me musically throughout my life.

The best part is I get to worship on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings with this small group.  Sure we have silly moments when my mic is twice as loud as the entire group, or when David Willingham (2 David W's...so confusing sometimes) just throws Lydia's shoe, but at the heart of these times together we are preparing to lead our church family in a time of praising, thanking, and loving our Lord.  I love it!

some music

As a trained musician I find myself very prone to judging any music I hear.  I've learned to turn this off when listening to the radio but it comes out a LOT while listening to anything live.  I wince at pitch issues, make faces at bad tone and sigh heavily when someone tries to use their voice in a way God obviously did not intend them to use it.  If you know me, you've probably seen this.  I have a problem hiding my facial expressions.  I'm working on it, I promise :)

Saying all this, I also want to say that I am a huge believer that everyone can sing.  Everyone.  Some might be able to do it right out of the womb and others may have to work on it for a long time...but everyone can sing.  Every person is capable of making a joyful noise. 

Although I think everyone can sing, it doesn't mean I want to listen to everyone sing over a loud speaker.  It's just a personal preference.  I have a weird array of music I enjoy listening to.  The guilty pleasures like ABBA and Ace of Bass, the classics like Queen, and then my very favorites...folk.

the civil wars

I've slowly discovered that my very favorite genre of music to listen to is folk music, and I could listen to it all day every day.  Two of my favorites are The Swell Season and The Civil Wars.  One is an Irish/Polish duo (the stars of the movie Once) and the other a Cali/Bama duo.  The music is so raw and emotional.  If I could sing anything in the world it would definitely be something like this.  Bonus: I already have a guitarist who I harmonize with splendidly at home!

the swell season

Go to their sites and give them a listen.  You can even download a free live album from the Civil Wars on their music page.

I'm not sure how I got from the beginning of this post to the end, just ramblings I suppose.  I've been itching to record some music lately and I think this post is a result.

just give me Jesus

In the morning, when I rise

In the morning, when I rise
Give me Jesus
You can have all this world
Just give me Jesus

When I am alone
Oh, when I am alone
Give me Jesus
You can have all this world
Just give me Jesus

When I come to die
Oh, when I come to die
Give me Jesus
You can have all this world
Just give me Jesus

Give me Jesus
Give me Jesus
You can have all this world
Just give me Jesus

The hubs and I are playing around with some songs we want to record very soon.  This is one of my faves, so simple but very powerful.  No matter what, just give me Jesus, that's all I need.  It's looking like our recording might be themed around the name of Jesus.  I'm a fan :)

the power of Your name

surely children weren't made for the streets
and fathers were not made to leave
surely this isn't how it should be
let Your kingdom come

surely nations were not made for war
or the broken meant to be ignored
surely this just can't be what You saw
let Your kingdom come
here in my heart

i will live
yo carry Your compassion
to love a world that's broken
to be Your hands and feet
i will give
with the life that i've been given
and go beyond religion
to see the world be changed
by the power of Your name

surely life wasn't made to regret
and the lost were not made to forget
surely faith without action is dead
let Your kingdom come
Lord break this heart

i will live
to carry Your compassion
to love a world that's broken
to be Your hands and feet
i will give
with the life that I've been given
and go beyond religion
to see the world be changed
by the power of Your name

Your name
is a shelter for the hurting
Jesus Your name
is a refuge for the weak
only Your name
can redeem the undeserving
Jesus Your name
holds everything i need

gretel

I finished my gretel cabled beret last night. Now it needs to get cold so I can wear it everyday! I used Cascade Heathers yarn in summer sky, on size 7 needles. It's so comfy and I can tell my head will be very very warm and snuggly this winter :) ok now onto pics.




ok and this song is amazing and I want this guy's cd now. Spencer Day. awesome.

fidgety!

My jaw has been hurting a bit tonight so I took some meds to make the pain go away and sleeping easier...and now I just want to knit. So I'm sleepy and to fidgety to sleep, blegh. I think I'm going to knit a little surprise for an upcoming birthday and see if I fall asleep on my yarn. Oh and I finally uploaded some pics from my life lately.

I have three small windows on one side of my new room and this one is my favorite with all my colorful glass in it. This was taken around 11am, the 5pm sun shines through and lights up the glass beautifully.

A little sneak peak at my aqua walls and black sheer curtains. Such a lovely color.

I took an illegal picture before the show started at Wicked!

Progress shot of my Gretel beret. The color is a prettier teal, can't wait to get a picture in the sunlight.

Close up of the yummy cables.

a life of color

As far back as I can remember I've always loved color. My room growing up had purple walls, blue shelves and a green door (all pastels). My first apartment had a hot pink living room and bright teal bedroom. My current bedroom is the same teal and my living room is grey with some purple accent walls. Love love love it! Even the candy canes hanging on my lamp are rainbow colors :)


I'm sure you've noticed most of my work is in an array of colors. Neutral and pale colors just don't do it for me.


Tonight I finished up a few small projects, all of which used a different color. I finished a new knit flower to wear in my hair. This one is black, a bit smaller, and has one of my vintage buttons from MeMaw in the center. I'm wearing it right now :)


I also found a bag of colorful wooden beads I got from church last year and decided to use a few of them. I crocheted a long chain stitch necklace in black yarn and hung two beads on the end. Very simple but the bold orange and pink really add something.


While admiring all the fun projects on one pretty thing i found a cute tissue holder tute. It's extremely simple. I used some yellow felt and sewed the edges with teal and lime green thread. I changed the original a bit by overlapping the opening edges a bit so the tissues would stay covered in my bag.


Such a productive evening (other than the fact that I did all this while not finishing up a project for class tomorrow, heh). Oh by the way, did yall know I sing in a praise/worship band? We played at a Disciple Now this weekend in Bastrop. I don't have pics of that but I got a pic of three of the guys setting up before our practice on Saturday. I love singing with them. (that's my david in the red shirt)