From my heart to yours....

Hi Friends! Long time no post! I had to share something with y'all that's been on my mind. As we approach the holiday season with Thanksgiving next week, I wanted to tell you about three organizations that are close to my heart. I know every year we all get bombarded by different organizations, local and international, for donations. So, I thought I'd throw my hat in the ring early in an effort to catch you before you're all tapped out!! :) 

Many of you know that I sponsor a child through Compassion International. So, what is Compassion? Well to answer that I am copying info from their website! 

Compassion began in the heart of one man moved by Korean War orphans in 1952. The Rev. Everett Swanson was on a successful preaching tour in South Korea when he encountered the bitter poverty of Korea's unwanted children. He knew he had to do something.
Upon his return to the United States, Everett established a program that allowed caring people to provide food, shelter, education, medical care and Christian training for Korean orphans. That program was, and remains, the foundation and core of Compassion International. The hallmark of Compassion's work is one-to-one child sponsorship. A sponsor is someone who has made the decision to personally invest in the life of a child in need. Through sponsorship, children are able to participate in a church-based program that offers life-changing benefits that range from educational opportunities to health care.

This is me with my sponsored child Julienne in Rwanda last year. So, if you're wondering if the sponsorship is truly "one-to-one" I want to tell you that YES it is! One person/family/group that feels led to change the life of one child/family/community FOREVER! I say it this way because you can sponsor as a family, as an individual, or a group, such as a Sunday school class and your monthly donation of $38 supports one child of a family in need. This doesn't really seem like it would be such a big deal, but I am here to tell you, not only is the child forever changed by knowing there is a person/family/group across the world loving and praying for them, but also the whole family is given hope! I met Julienne's family on my visit and her mother showed me the cow they purchased from my donation. I didn't get to meet Julienne's dad because he was away at a doctor's appointment, which wouldn't have been possible before Julienne's sponsorship. And, during our visit, the entire COMMUNITY came over to Julienne's house to meet us. You see, Julienne's family lives in a very poor community. When I say that they are poor I mean, homes made of mud with dirt floors - no doors or windows; clothes that don't fit b/c they are hand me downs within the family for years - they are dirty, torn and threadbare; "outhouses" with a hole in the ground for facilities; "mattresses" that are so thin I wouldn't really call them that, on the floor for the children to sleep on, if they have that at all; no electricity, no water for miles, and very little food. And, this isn't just in Julienne's community, it's throughout the entire country for miles and miles and miles. So, when the neighbors came to meet us, Julienne, her sister Josiane and the rest of her family immediately started sharing the snacks I had brought to the family. The giving spills over and even though Julienne's family has so little, they still give to those who are less fortunate than they are - those kids who aren't sponsored yet. When you realize that for $38 a month you can literally CHANGE THE WORLD that these people live in, it doesn't seem like that much of an expense after all. To sponsor a child or make a one-time donation to children in urgent need, or just to find more info, visit www.compassion.com, or click on the link in the upper right corner of this blog!!

The next organization I want to share with y'all is CASA, which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates for abused and neglected children. This past January through March I participated in a training class to become a child advocate for Cullman County CASA.

 This is me with my hand on the Bible (held by my handsome pop, Billy!) swearing to work for the best interests of abused and neglected children in Cullman County.

 What is CASA? (From the website)

CASA volunteers are appointed by judges to watch over and advocate for abused and neglected children, to make sure they don’t get lost in the overburdened legal and social service system or languish in inappropriate group or foster homes. Volunteers stay with each case until it is closed and the child is placed in a safe, permanent home. For many abused children, their CASA volunteer will be the one constant adult presence in their lives.

Independent research has demonstrated that children with a CASA volunteer are substantially less likely to spend time in long-term foster care and less likely to reenter care. 

CASA is a not-for-profit and receives funding from the US Government to function. However, due to the current economic conditions, funding for CASA has been cut nationwide. This means that the program will depend on receiving donations from people like you and me! If you feel led to give to an organization more local, please consider making a donation to your local CASA! In Cullman, CASA is in the Cullman Caring for Kids family and donations can be made at the food bank to Cullman County CASA. Click on the link below to go to the National CASA website to learn more.

Join our movement

Thanks for sticking with me guys!! The last group I want to tell you about is called Love Without Boundaries.  Love Without Boundaries began in the year 2003 after a group of adoptive parents came together to help save the life of one tiny boy in China. Following his successful heart surgery, they realized that people with a pure love for helping children can truly make a difference.

It is LWB's vision to provide the most loving and compassionate help possible to orphaned and impoverished children in China, and to show the world that every child, regardless of his or her needs, deserves to experience love and be treated with dignity and care. (from their website) 

I have always had a special place in my heart for orphans, and I became familiar with Love Without Boundaries when they were featured on the t-shirt website Sevenly.com. I started following them on Facebook and since then, the photos of these kids have tugged at my heart! Because China doesn't have regulations on pollution and rules regarding working conditions, in some of the poorest parts of rural China the birth defect rate is 85%. In addition, with China's strict child laws, many people simply abandon these children in dumpsters or orphanages causing a large number of children with special needs and no one to take care of them. That is where LWB comes in. They help children like this little guy.

 This is George Bradford. I know strange name for this little guy but the volunteers usually have to name the abandoned children and this is what he got. lol. He had a cleft palate and because of LWB had his lip repaired. He is now growing and is in foster care awaiting a forever home. To read his story please go here: http://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/programs/medical/success-stories/

To donate to Love Without Boundaries or find out more information, click the link in the upper right corner of this blog!

Thanks friends! I hope you will consider donating to one of these organizations, or to another organization of your choice this holiday season! Above all else, please pray for the children in impoverished countries like Rwanda and China, and for the abused and neglected children here in our on back yards. 

Love you guys!
Kaci

Dear Match.com guy....

Friends, I know I'm a terrible blogger. But, I absolutely have to get something off of my chest and well, since I only have like 2 followers anyways it won't be too rude I guess for me to do it here lol. This post is something I'd like to call "Dear Match.com guy..."

Dear Match.com guy.....

• I set the top of my age range at 38 for a reason. If you are over 38 and definitely old enough to be my dad..don't message me. I promise, you won't be the 60 yr old that changes my mind about that being creepy. 
• I put detail into my profile to show what I'm looking for so if you answered "i'll tell you later" to more than one, maybe two of your questions then no, you won't tell me later b/c you're just vague enough to make me think you must have a lot to hide...which won't include my body should you turn out to be a serial killer since you've given me no evidence to prove the contrary.
• Posting a photo of yourself is critical. I won't be responding to anyone without a photo because if I can be brave enough to show you what I look like you better be too. If you do post a picture consider the following:
• posting 10 photos of yourself wearing a hat and sunglasses from 100 ft away doesn't count.
• posting a photo that you took of yourself, in the bathroom with your shirt off is not sexy. It's kinda awkward that you're holding your cellphone in front of the mirror trying to get a pic of yourself. If you must post a pic like this, ask a friend to help.
• posting any kind of photo of yourself that you're taking in the mirror with your cellphone is not advisable. No one is attractive next to a toilet. Trust me on this one.
• posting photos with girls in your photo is sketchy. Are these your dates? Are you actually a pimp? Is this your ex and you just didn't know how to crop her out? it's confusing. Please don't do it.
• photos of yourself where you aren't smiling and you look angry are scary. 
• if you are older than 18, 19...then don't post your high school graduation photo. Most girls can do the math. You're 50 but clearly are in the generic high school tux. We don't believe you still look like that. 
• don't only post photos of you and 10 friends...we have no idea which one you are and if you do put the caption that tells us that you're the 3rd from the left, just make sure the first 2 from the left aren't better looking than you are because otherwise we will think "oh....wonder if THAT guy is single?" i know it's shallow, but we're looking at photos on a dating site..this is feels a little like online shopping and we can't help but think this. I guarantee you won't find a woman posting a photo of herself next to her much thinner, younger, attractive friends. It just won't happen.
• Photos that are GREAT! - Pics with your dog, grandma, mom - all show you have a sensitive side. Pics doing something fun, volunteering, just by yourself acting natural not doing anything awkward are all +++! This isn't that hard, I promise. But, a girl can't "unsee" that suspicious photo that waves a red flag.
• Usernames are also important. If yours says  "richandsmooth," "itsmrbubbles" "luvmycat" "bigmarklips" "daddyick" you get the idea. All of these are actual usernames except one. seriously.
• Don't start off by saying "i never thought i'd be on a dating website..." or "this isn't my ideal way to meet someone.." everyone says this and we're all on here so we all have accepted that we're trying. 
• If you message me, don't say "hey want to go out tonight and have some fun?" because if that is what i was looking for i wouldn't take the time to answer the 1,000 questions on here and pay the fee. I'd be out tonight...having some fun aka hooking up with someone else.
• In your "about me" don't say that you're looking for a girl that doesn't lie all the time and then cheat on you, someone who won't treat you bad and then steal your stuff, anything like this that shows that some other girl has broke your heart and you're not over that yet so you're going to be sure to let everyone know that's not what you're looking for in the future.
• DON'T TYPE IN ALL CAPS. IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE YELLING. YOU'RE ON AN ONLINE DATING WEBSITE, UPLOADING PHOTOS, ETC SO SURELY YOU KNOW HOW TO TAKE THE CAPS LOCK OFF. PLEASE DO SO IMMEDIATELY.
• Spell check! trust me on this your going to make a better imprsion if you spel you're words write and take the time too spel cheek before you hit save.

Ok I think I will stop here.  I know that this is a two way street and i'm SURE that there are lots of things girls do on their profiles that irritate the opposite sex just like my list above. But, since i only see the guy profiles I don't know what they are. Thanks for letting me vent. I feel better now. Obviously I really don't have much room to talk considering my profile has some kind of quality (or just me in general) like the movie "the Ring" in that after you look at it, message me and I respond a blackhole suddenly appears and sucks you right off the face of the Earth. It's one of my life's greatest mysteries. Hopefully after you read my blog this won't happen to you.

Have a great weekend!

connect

It's been a long time! I have been MIA. I got derailed from the blog by my obsession with Instagram. Which, in itself is kinda a picture blog of sorts. But, I've been thinking of posting lately. I wanted to share something that I heard this week that stuck with me. On the way home one night last week I was listening to NPR and the TED Radio hour http://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/ which if you have time, check out. But the broadcast that night was an old one from a TED 2011 talk by Eric Whitacre. Eric Whitacre is a composer and he got the idea to start a "virtual choir" on you tube. You guys might have seen his videos. I had not, but listening to his idea on the way home it sounded pretty awesome. He posted the music to a new song he composed online and then people from all over the world performed their parts - tenor, soprano, alto, etc. in their homes and recorded it and sent it to him. Then with his team, they put all the voices together and made a virtual choir. There are over 2,000 voices from all over the world. Now, ignore the strange "new age" type vibe going on here lol. I think it's amazing!



During his talk about this project, he said he thinks that what makes people really react to this is that during it all, the people who submitted their parts and were a part of this really felt a connection with the others involved. They felt like they were a part of something and it was exciting. It got me to thinking; i mean isn't this what "social networking" is kinda about? Making connections with people? I know this is why i love Instagram! I follow folks (mostly dogs) from all over the world and am invited into their world in 2inx2in photos. And, when you think about it, it seems a little silly to be posting photos of my dog 24/7, but it's more than that. It's a little community in which I play a part and connect with others around the world...even if it's in tiny 2inx2in frames. I look forward to seeing what happens in the lives of @poppysausage, @ginny_jrt both in the UK; @krisbsix in South Korea - who just had her first child and we all got to follow along as her fluffbaby Bunja met him for the first time! (ADORDABLE!) And, I love the drama of Acquolina and Burton, the JRT's in Italy posted by @justelle. Closer to home, I started following pups named Murphy with @kourtneyfromks, Charger in Wisconsin with @sweetsugar37 and three little furry friends Zoie, Bailey and Sophie with @tofuwarrior.  It's a little odd because I don't really know any of these folks that I connect with every day in the sense that we've been able to hang out or see each other except through our photos, but it's connections with people that count I think.

But, when I was thinking about all of this, I got to wondering...how many connections with people am I missing every day because I'm not looking around? I connect with IGers because I tap into my app every day. But, then get on the elevator with people and don't give a smile or a nod or even a hello because I guess I forgot that they are people too. I guess I'm just saying that we social network online but then "offline" just keep our heads down and don't show any kindness because we don't "know" those people. I just wonder why it's hard for us to connect with people every day in our daily lives. Most days the only interactions with people we remember are the bad ones! The people who cut us off in traffic or someone being rude, and it's actually surprising when someone is just genuinely nice or helpful.

So, in thinking about the virtual choir and instagram and how it's the connections with others that make these things awesome, I'm gonna try to do a better job of smiling at people, being friendly and not acting like they are irritating me to death on the elevator. I'm gonna try to make connections with people i see every day instead of just keeping my head down. Maybe just saying something nice to one person a day could be a start and it might not mean anything to anyone, but then again it might make a difference.

 I'll let you know how it goes lol! (and this doesn't mean i'm giving up my Instagram addiction! no way! i'll just have more to post!)

soapy pup

When my little cousin Ashlin was a little baby, maybe 2, she would call Sophie, soapy. It made us laugh. I got reminded of it tonight because I was giving Sophie a bath! I'm gonna show you guys how this usually goes.

Sophie doesn't mind getting a bath. I just go in the bathroom and tell her to "come on! it's time for a bath." She comes in there and lets me take off her collar and then she gets up in my lap so that I can brush her out before I stick her in the tub.

The first thing she always does is drink the water. I guess the warm bath water tastes better than the water in her bowl?


Then she gets soaped up with puppy shampoo. I use the puppy kind still because it is supposed to be gentle and isn't supposed to burn her eyes. It smells like lavender.


Then I have to scrub her face good and rinse her off. I like the fact that the cup I use to rinse her off is the same cup I've always used for giving my dogs a bath..it's a batman cup that came from McDonalds. It's from the Batman Returns movie that came out in 1992. So, this cup is nearly 20 years old! It is important to getting a dog clean! And, I love Batman's steely blue eyes.



Here is Sophie giving me the "is it over yet?" look



Next is blow drying..which Sophie actually likes. She comes into the bathroom during the winter and wants me to just blow dry her for fun. But, think about it. Who wouldn't want to be all warm and have someone rub your back? Because I always give her a backrub while I'm drying her.



when the drying is done, Sophie always kinda demands her collar back. She wants it back on!



Then she wants to crash and take a nap because she's all relaxed.



On a side note, notice the houndstooth and red flower pillow on my couch! Made by my mom.

Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed this Sophie story!

love,
KBT

Who are the least?

Hi friends! So, I was listening to NPR on the way home (as usual..i'm a nerd) and I honestly can't tell you what they were talking about lol. I don't remember. The topic stuck in my head (and maybe they were talking about this? I honestly do not remember!) was Alabama's new immigration law. Again our state has made headlines for what can be boiled down to racism and intolerance. And I know those are strong words. I am not going to begin to get into the politics of illegal immigration simply because I don't know enough about all of the issues to carry on what would likely lead to some kind of debate with my good friend Adam Lamar in which I'd just have to end with "YOUR MOM!" So I'll just keep it to what I know.

Jesus tells us in Matthew very clearly to care for the "least of these." They are all around us. They are the hungry, the sick, the ones in prison and strangers just to name a few. These categories aren't some I've made up. Jesus said...

"35. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."

So, I hopped over to dictionary.com to just make sure I had the definition of a stranger correct:

stran·ger  [streyn-jer]  

noun

 1. a person with whom one has had no personal acquaintance: He is a perfect stranger to me.

2.a newcomer in a place or locality: a stranger in town.

3.an outsider: They want no strangers in on the club meetings.

4.a person who is unacquainted with or unaccustomed to something (usually followed by to ): He is no stranger to poverty.

5.a person who is not a member of the family, group, community, or the like, as a visitor or guest: Our town shows hospitality to strangers.

 

I think you guys can see where I'm going here. Jesus told us (and I'm paraphrasing) that when we do for the least of these, we do for Him. He said that. And I don't see where it says when you invited only strangers who had the proper documentation in, you did for Him. I can't imagine wanting to leave my home to go to a country where I don't know anyone or even speak the language. So, it must be a desperate decision when someone decides to do such to try and have a better life. 

  

I'm not meaning to be on a soap box. Seems like I am always asking you guys to think about something! But, I'm just sharing with you the thoughts that stick in my brain. I have to remind myself constantly of God's Word because I promise every day I do 10 things wrong for every 1 thing I do right. So I thank God for His Grace! 

 

I just mean to say that as Christians we are charged with following God's Word. Not just the Words that are convenient or that fit what we already wanted to do anyway, but all of them. And I just don't see how this Immigration Law fits into this.  

but the greatest of these is what?

so, I've been having one of those days. it was a dreary start to the week and it continued through to today. it was hard to keep a smile on my face so I let it slip right into a frown today..maybe even a bit of a scowl like this >:( but eventually the sun came out and my smile came back. On my drive home I was mulling over the day and feeling irritated at some things I witnessed. It happens every day though. People judging others. Sometimes over stupid little things. And I am definitely guilty of this myself more often than I'd care to admit. I know I've posted about this before, but it's a resounding theme in my life right now - WHY IS LOVING OTHERS SO HARD?

I know we've all read or heard 1 Corinthians 13 enough that we should all know it by heart. It's a favorite at weddings. The parts I usually remember are "Love is patient, love is kind..." but the parts that I seem to have really overlooked until now are the lines before that.

1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.        2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.           3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

WOW. how have i missed this? How did I miss the part that says I can have FAITH ENOUGH to move a mountain, but if I don't have love, I'm NOTHING. nothing. not a thing. Or, if I can solve life's greatest mysteries and have the wisdom of Solomon, but don't love others, it doesn't mean one red cent. And, it's great and all if I help the poor, but what is my motivation for doing so? Is it because i LOVE them, or because i LOVE thinking that I am such a good and noble servant. HEY, look at me over here! Giving to the poor! :) yep, that's right! I'm soooo good and sweet to do it.

I mean, crap. Yeah, I like to think that I love others or at least try to. But how can I say I love others and then curse the person who cuts me off in traffic? How can I love others and then not cut them any slack when they are rude to me? And, it isn't just in the blatant ways i'm not showing love to others. It's in the little things. The eyeroll behind someone's back. The snide remark to someone who rubs me the wrong way. All of these things reflect my "love" for others.

So far, I'm not looking all that great. It's in the last part of this scripture that God spells it right out for us just to be sure that there is no confusion:

¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
the greatest of these is LOVE. Faith, Hope and LOVE. So, loving others must be pretty important. I wish we could all love others just a little bit more every day. If everyone did this, think of what we could do! So this will be my prayer...

Father God, I pray that you will let me see people through Your Eyes and reflect a true love that can only come from You in me. I pray that every day You would help us to love others more than we did the day before. Thank you for loving me!

i LOVE you, friends!
kbt

my life in lists

So, a while back I bought a journal of sorts called a Listography. I like the idea of keeping a journal but since I am a procrastinator, it would go about as good as this blog. I'd write in it maybe once a week. :) And, I wouldn't have anything profound to say! Not that it would have to be, but you know if I'm documenting my days in an effort to preserve my memories, well I would like to think I had some good thoughts every now and then. Here are some of my favorite list topics.

1. List your favorite books: pride & prejudice, LoTR trilogy, Blue like Jazz, this could be a long list so i'll just move on...

2. List your best purchases: hmm..this one is tough. my house? i like having my own space. i just bought a Rowenta iron which could prove to be a great purchase! (thanks Lauren for introducing me to this)

3. List your favorite TV shows of all time: Modern Family is quickly becoming a favorite of all time. Little House on the Prairie is still one of my faves even though I know it makes me a big nerd.

4. List the things people should remember you for: this one is hard! So, I don't know what people should remember me for but I do know that a handful of folks will remember the video of me singing at the Avett show for a while

5.List the websites you visit most often: facebook, pintrest, here, msnbc, you tube (because i cannot stop watching the honey badger video!)

Well, you get the idea! So far I've only filled in a few. Maybe one day I'll fill them all in.

Hope you guys had a fantastic Sunday!

Kaci

Change the World!

Friends! I hope you guys notice the new banner in the upper right hand corner! It is from the Compassion website. :) This makes me very happy! I wish I could get this on my facebook!

My family is quickly becoming a Compassion family. I sponsor Julienne in Rwanda, my mom and dad sponsor the CUTEST little girl named Linny in Honduras and now my Aunt Pam and Uncle Mike have joined the fun and are sponsoring a little 4 yr old girl name Rakhi in Bangladesh!

COME ON Y'ALL! JOIN THE FUN! Sponsor a child today!!!

I and Love and You

This blog is about my favorite band THE AVETT BROTHERS!! Y'all know I LOVE them! A few weeks ago I went to their free show at the Tabernacle in Atlanta with Cassie Lamar, Cari Moyer, my brother Jon Tidwell, and his buddies Josh Campbell and Wes Duren. Now, because this was a free show, we had to get there REALLY early to get in line to make sure that we got inside. So, I spent my Friday afternoon sitting in Atlanta for 5 hours just to see them perform. But it was so worth it! Here are some pictures from the show.


Possum art outside of the Tabernacle


Alabama ghost! This was a sticker on the lightpost next to where I was standing in line.


See, I am not the only one who loves these guys! If you haven't checked them out you really need to. Their music is smart and fun and can make a bad day better!


Our awesome seats next to the stage!!


Scott and Seth (Seth is the one in the front)


Scott playing piano. He plays the banjo, harmonica, piano just to name a few! And he designs the posters.


Scott Avett




Inside the Tabernacle. This venue used to be a church.


Me!! loving the show!!

football is here!

Went to my first high school football game of the season! My cousin Hunter is a senior at West Point High School. The team played Curry last Friday night. Here are some photos from the game! Hunter is number 63.





One thing I learned is that I need a better zoom lens for future games.

Also in attendance were the Hamms - TJ, Tara, Ashlin and Ella! Here are some pictures of the littlest Hamms.

Ashlin being silly!





Ella was being a mess!





I look forward to more games...and a better lens. :)

Hulkamania!

Here are some pictures from the TNA Impact wrestling that I went to with the Lamars last week! Hope you enjoy!


HULK HOGAN


STING

just think about it..

Ok friends, I've got something on my heart I have to share with y'all. It's been over 2 months now since I've returned from Rwanda and the children of East Africa are weighing heavy on my heart. I know we all see and hear about the poverty and suffering every day it seems like and sometimes we just get tired of hearing about it. We just want to hear good news. I am one of those people myself! I never watch the news just for this reason. But, God has opened my eyes to the hurting and now that I have seen, I am responsible. I can tell you lots of stories of the things I heard and saw in Rwanda. I'm gonna show you some pictures as I go along.

One of the things that will stick with me forever is the love that these kids poured out for me.



The kids in the photo above were not kids sponsored by my co-workers at WAKM. These kids were just school kids that were on a break from their studies. You can see though they rushed to get a hug. From me..a nerdy accountant from Cullman, Alabama. Nothing special..but to these kids I looked like hope. You see, in Rwanda, American's are "rich." And the fact that a "rich" person came all the way to see them let them know that someone cares. Someone took notice that life isn't always easy for them.



This young mother was eager to talk with me and Webber about her family. They had very little by the looks of their home, but they were happy to let us visit with them and love on their children.



This little guy was named Michael. We fed him a peanut butter cracker and it took him a while to chew it with his two teeth but look at his sweet face..





These children were not Compassion sponsored children. Their mothers told us they hope and pray that one day they will be sponsored to help them have a better life.

Friends, those of you who know me well, you know I'm not a cheesy person. I am a bit of a cynic to be honest. So when I tell you that you can make a difference in lives just like these...I really mean it. For $38 a month you can raise a family out of despair and give their children a fighting chance! You might think that $38 is a lot of money and it is really when you are giving it monthly, but what if that was all it took to make sure your child could go to the doctor when they were sick. What if that's all it took to send them to school and make sure that they have loving Christian adults in their lives that took an interest in them to make sure they were ok.



I know I spend at least that much eating out once a month. And I can tell y'all, it wouldn't hurt me one bit to miss that meal. But the meals it provides for these kids can make the difference in them going to sleep at night hungry or having enough to eat. Y'all know I'm addicted to diet mountain dew, but if I gave it up and gave the money I saved from buying those drinks to a family in need, I could help make sure they can have clean water to drink. And if I gave up the money that I spent buying just one more outfit or one more pair of shoes (when I already have so many) it could go to a child who doesn't have any shoes and walks barefoot every where they go.



Please pray for these children around the world. Not just in Rwanda. There are children just like these all over the world. I know you've seen the statistics, but you guys know me. I have been there and I have seen what just $38 a month can do! It changed my sponsored child Julienne's life and the lives of her whole family! But it changed my life too. Please join me in being a good steward of God's blessings. Please consider giving up eating out once a month or buying a few less cokes to save a life.

(image from google)

Because y'all, what if the shoe was on the other foot? What if this was your child? I know you would be praying and trusting God to send some help! And YOU might just be the help that a child in need is waiting for. To sponsor: www.compassion.com

If sponsorship isn't something you're interested in, then please consider donating to help the famine in East Africa! I won't bombard you with photos of these starving children, all you have to do is google it to get enough to make your heart break. Please just do something to help if you can! www.unicefusa.org here is where you can go to donate now! If you can't afford to donate then please just pray and ask God to send those who will.


PLEASE JUST THINK ABOUT IT

love,
kaci

Art in the atrium

 My church has art classes in our atrium from time to time. Tonight was my first time to go and we made Ink block paintings. Here are mine:

I think the blue is my favorite but i like them all. This was very interesting and i think I will do some more ink block art in the future. We traced stencils onto Styrofoam then i added some flair to mine with the swirl and details on the inside of the cross. Then we put on the ink and then placed it on paper like a stamper. This is how printing presses work (kinda). Anyways, it was a lot of fun! Sorry my post is scattered but I'm very tired!

Here's a picture of the action...

The lady in the black shirt above was our teacher Ms. Mona Ivey. She teaches art at West Point High School. In the blue shirt is Rev. John Richter. This was in our beautiful new atrium at St. John's. LOVE IT!

Goodnight friends!

sophie

this post is dedicated to my sweet little pup sophie....



This is her face when she doesn't want me to take her picture. As I type this she is in the bed. She's a very smart little dog. She has trained me how to get up and put her in the bed at night. She's also trained me how to get up and get her a treat.



this is her "safe spot" she loves this pink bag. She gets in there when she's scared or if she thinks we're going somewhere.



this is what she does during the day (IF i leave the drapes pulled back, which during the summer is rare b/c it warms up the whole house) she loves to sit and watch the neighbors though. It's also a prime spot to watch for Granny or her Auntie Cassie to pull up.



this is one of my favorite pictures of her. she looks so sweet and warm.

sophie is scared of thunderstorms so i got her a thundershirt to try and help with this....so far it's working...since i bought it we haven't had a storm to try it out with...lol



She is also dramatic. What should have just been a little blood drawn during her yearly check up turned into lots of bleeding and this bandage...



but she's the best!! She's always happy to see me!



LOVE HER! :)