Two Days Until My Trip!! ^_^

September 4, 2012 at 8:14 pm (Faith, Life)
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Only two (2) days left until my trip to Ukraine!!  I’ve started counting down the hours. 😀

The past nights I have been unable to sleep because my brain has been preoccupied with thoughts of Ukraine.  I keep going through different scenarios in my head and thinking up phrases I can say in Russian (with my small Russian lexicon).  It’s a fun thing to do, except for when it’s twelve (or later) in the morning.  :p

Today I began to pack my suitcase and my carry on bags (1 handbag and 1 carry-on).  We finished all our laundry today so that I could pack my clothes, weigh my bag, and make final decisions about what to place in each bag.

I could not find the postcards I had planned to take.  I immediately began hunting for them while praying to God for help remembering where I had put them.  It’s very common for me to place something where it does not belong and promptly forget where I put it.

After fruitlessly searching (and cleaning) behind my bed and the piles of books and papers on my floor, I decided to call my teacher.  I remembered showing her the postcards at my last Russian lesson.  She could not find them with her materials, but she promised to continue looking.

As soon as I said ‘bye’ to her, I remembered that I had also taken some pictures to show her and that, after showing her both the pictures and the postcards, I had put them away together.  Praise the Lord!!  I found them!!  🙂

The problem is now averted and my beautiful state postcards will be making the trip with me.

Last night it hit me that I’ll be flying alone (for my first 2 flights) and I’ll have to find everyone by myself.  I am able to do all that, of course, it’s just a new responsibility and challenge.  Also, it means I cannot let myself get distracted while finding where I need to be.

I plan to take many pictures of my flight and keep a journal to update you all when I return.

Here are some pictures of two more bags I’ve made (I’m finishing my 4th bag now, and hope to make a 5th one before I leave on Thursday).

Bag 2A (side 1)

Bag 2A (side 1)

Bag 2A (side 2)

Bag 2A (side 2)

Bag 2B (side 1)

Bag 2B (side 1)

Bag 2B (side 2)

Bag 2B (side 2)

Bag 3A (side 1)

Bag 3A (side 1)

 

Bag 3A (side 2)

Bag 3A (side 2)

 

Bag 3B (side 1)

Bag 3B (side 1)

 

Bag 3B (side 2)

Bag 3B (side 2)

 

 

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13 Days Until…. Ukraine!!! ^_^

August 24, 2012 at 3:52 pm (Faith, Languages, Life)
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It is finally hitting me that in 13 days I’ll be headed to Ukraine!!!  🙂  I’m so excited and I can hardly wait!!  Everyone keeps giving me gifts to take.  I think my gifts will max. my space and weight limits, haha. 😀

I’ll be going with a friend, Lienna.  She lives in the US, but ministers to the Ukrainian people alongside her husband.  She’s visiting her family who live 6 hours away from Kiev in a small town of 16,000 people.  We’ll also be visiting another town about 20 minutes away where most of their ministry is done.

I was encouraged to bring peanut butter, coffee (instant), and beef jerky as food gifts. 😀  I’m also taking 2 American Girl dolls, along with some clothes and accessories, that I no longer play with that children there will love.  One of the days we are going to a birthday party of a little girl.  My Russian teacher gave me 2 American history calendars to give away (one about US monuments and the other about President Ronald Reagan).

Last week, when I was cleaning a friend’s home, I was given 12 large “cloth napkin” sized fabric squares.  They are quite beautiful and I realized I could use them to make bags to take as a gift (or to sell).  Starting this week, I’ve been busy making bags.  I discovered that I love to sew.  It gives me time alone (because our sewing machine is in the basement) to think and listen to music while doing something productive.  I also love the creativity of the project.  Although I have a basic pattern, I am able to decide how to do the pockets and which fabrics go best together.

Here are some pictures of the first bag (I’ll add other pictures as I complete the other 6 (or more?) bags).  The bags are reversible, so I’ll be showing you both sides of each “bag”, but it takes 2 “bags” to make one reversible bag.

Bag 1A (side 1)

Bag 1A (side 1)

Bag 1A (side 2)

Bag 1A (side 2)

Bag 1B (side 1)

Bag 1B (side 1)

Bag 1B (side 2)

Bag 1B (side 2)

http://www.skiptomylou.org/2009/07/17/how-to-make-a-simple-reversible-totebag/  Here is the address to the pattern, if anyone is interested.  I did not measure the cloth, I simply made sure both bags were the same size.  Same with the handle.  If you are going to make pockets make sure you make and attach them BEFORE step 2.  I used the extra cloth from the handle and bag to create the pockets.  You can make the strap for the bag (step 1) after step 2, 3, 4, or 5; as long as the handles are done by step 6.

Since returning from TESOL, I’ve enjoyed babysitting, cat sitting, and house cleaning to raise money for my airplane ticket to and from Ukraine.  So far I’ve earned $325.  I’ve still got about $1,000 to go, but it’s encouraging to see that you can earn about $100 a week on odd jobs, if you go and search for them AND if you’re willing to do jobs you wouldn’t normally enjoy–and if you do them to the best of your ability.  I’ve never made this much money before (in such a short time frame).  I prayed for jobs, and God sent the right amount. 🙂  It has been enough for me to earn money but also has left time to keep up with school.

My all time favorite job (so far) has been holding a little 5 (now 7) week old baby while her mother and older brother water ski.  She’s a happy little one, and I just love to sit (or stand and stroll) with her in my arms.

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