Timbali Crafts

My in-laws are missionaries and they are very involved in a country called Swaziland. This country is actually landlocked in South Africa. "Over 40% of the population is HIV positive, there are more than 120,000 orphans, and the life expectancy of the women there is the lowest in the world at only 33 years. Around the country, feeding centers have been created to help provide regular meals for the many orphans who lack proper care. The majority of these care points are run by women, who themselves are also facing hardships as a result of the HIV/AIDS crisis."

A missionary friend of ours, Julie, has started a ministry there with the women called Timbali Crafts. The Swazi women make purses, bags, coinpurses, and table runners. I have a few of these things and they are so unique! I love knowing that it was handmade by one of these women! 

Here's a little information from her website:

Timbali Crafts was started in 2006 to help generate an 

income for the 45+ women who work as volunteer cooks at 

the eight feeding centers in the rural area of Engculwini. In 

2008 another group of nearly 40 women from feeding 

centers in the Nsoko area of Swaziland also joined 

Timbali Crafts. Sales allow the 80+ women to earn an 

income for their families, and also continue on with their 

volunteer work, which is vital to their community.

Timbali Crafts also seeks to reach out to the spiritual 

needs of the women, through regular Bible studies, 

retreats and special events.

As Timbali Crafts continues to grow,  even more women in 

Swaziland will be able to become involved in this income 

generating opportunity, and further outreach to 

underprivileged women will be funded.  

They are having a Mothers Day sale going on right now. You can get a bag, a seed-bead necklace, and a photo greeting card for $25. Or, you can get the table runner deal for $30. You can also buy the bags by themselves.

Go check out her website at www.TimbaliCrafts.org. You would be helping these women of Swaziland and their families!

9.5 months...

I cannot believe that Michael is almost 10 months old! This means that his first birthday is just around the corner! I've already started thinking about it and making plans in my head! It's going to sneak up on me!! Check out Alison's blog...she had the cutest first birthday party for her daughter, Chess!

I like how my friend Ashley says what her son, Easton, can do at different stages in life. I've decided to record what Michael can do at this point...

At 9 months old, Michael...

-can crawl anywhere he wants to go

-has 5 teeth - and they HURT if he bites you!!

-can pull up on furniture and stand by himself for a few seconds!

-will clap his hands in excitement

-likes to say "dadadada", "babababa", and "mamama" (we're working on him relating da-da and ma-ma to his actual daddy and mommy)

-can walk using only one hand for guidance

-makes a mess with his food (see the picture above!)

-will give you a nice open-mouth kiss if you ask

-loves his mommy and daddy!!

I have really loved getting to spend so much time with Michael. We have been so blessed!!

Beach Boy

This past weekend, we took a trip to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. We decided on Saturday morning to take a trip down there that same night. I booked a hotel on our favorite site, Hotwire, and we got a hotel right on the beach! Michael had never been to the beach before, so we were really excited to see his reaction to the sand and water!

We loaded up the car with towels, sunscreen, and beach chairs and made the 4 hour trip! We had only a few hours by the ocean Sunday morning, but it was soooo worth it! Michael loved the feel of the sand between his fingers (he only tried to eat a few things!). He also loved crawling around! He didn't even lift his hands up, but let them just glide under the sand!

The only thing he didn't like so much was the ocean water on his feet. I think the coldness shocked him a little! We'll have to wait until it gets REALLY hot this summer and then he'll love the cold water!

Here are a few pictures of our trip! It spoiled us and all I can think about is when we're going back....this weekend?

HE'S ALIVE!!

The angel said, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here, HE HAS RISEN, just as he said."

{Matt. 28: 5-6}

Easter blessings to you!!

Spring Break

This past week has been our Spring Break and we decided to take the time to visit some friends north of us!! Most people usually head south for Spring Break to go to the beach, but we head north!!

First, we stopped in Indiana, to see the Lantz family! We met this family in the Dominican Republic on a mission trip 3 years ago. We have stayed in touch with them since then and we see them a couple of times a year! We absolutely love this family!!

Next, we went to Michigan to visit our good friends Jeff and Rachel and their son, Reid. We haven't seen them since Rachel was pregnant with Reid and now he's two and a half! We used to hang out with them just about every day when they lived in Georgia, so it was good to catch up and spend time with each other like no time has passed at all!

One of the best things was that it snowed! We haven't had ANY snow here in Georgia all winter long, so it was nice to see a little! Also, Michael got to experience the snow for his first time!

Now we're back and home and everyone is recovering from sickness. We all got colds while we were on our trip. Michael has had a rough time sleeping all week long. I'm hoping it won't take too long for him to get back in his regular routine!

On another note...Yesterday was Good Friday and we had some pretty bad weather here. We even had to go to the basement because of a tornado warning!! I think that every Good Friday that I can remember has had horrible weather. I really think it's Jesus' way of reminding me of what happened on the cross. I had some time to just sit and reflect on what Jesus did for me! I used to wonder why they called that day "Good" when something horrible really happened! However, I realize that what Jesus did was "good" for all of humanity! We are supposed to be the ones crucified for our sins, but Jesus paid that price for US!! He took our place on the cross that day! He loves us so much!

My goal: a craft room!!

So, I have really enjoyed having a full basement in our house. However, it has become our place for throwing things that do not have somewhere to go. I really have no clue where everything came from! It's pretty amazing what you can find down there!

Recently I have made it my goal to start organizing our basement. I've been putting things into big tubs (making sure they're labeled), throwing things away, and taking things to Goodwill. The picture that you see is actually after I have already done A LOT of organizing, so you can imagine what it looked like before!

My goal is to get everything put away on one side of the basement and create a craft area. I envision myself sewing (or hopefully monogramming!!), painting, scrapbooking, and doing other crafty things down there!! I need to figure out how to make an unfinished basement look more homey and inspirational! Make sure you saw the "before" pictures....I will post "after" pictures when I'm finished! I hope that it's before the summer is over!