IF you really don't NEED anything for Christmas...

Go ahead and visit this link, pick a few things out, and let your loved ones know that they can get one of these for you for Christmas, rather than racking your brain to figure out what you could possibly ask them for this Christmas. Compassion Gift Catalog. 

"Batman", one of the kids i met in Nairobi

What ya waitin' for?

You look like someone who could help me out!

This season, and every season, we gotta learn, is about giving.

Initials Part Deuce

Speaking of strange initials, my friend Heidi suggested i post what my future husband and I's marriage initials will be...You know, First is Letter that begins Girl's first name, Then the Last name in a Larger font in the middle, Then the letter that begin's Boy's first name....

 Well, my name is Alyssa ..............A

Our last name will be De Jong.........D

And my fiance's name is Daniel.......D

So there you have it, ladies and gents, ADD

Attention Deficit Disorder.....nothing to laugh about, but i am definitely laughing. I wonder how many guests think about buying us monogrammed towels, but then change their minds after they've mulled it over? 

Personally, I think it's awesome, and i JUST might put our ADD on our wedding programs. I wouldn't put it past me. I can just hear all of our guests snickering in a whisper (if that is possible).."Look at the initials! Haha! I wonder if they even noticed. or maybe they were already ordered before they could change it!!! AHAAAHAA. 

I am okay with this. 

With a little extra creativity, I also thought about Petie Mae & Daniel DeJong, which is PMDD. Also, not a laughing matter, especially if you have it and are reading this post. If you are and you do, stop reading right now. 

because i am definitely laughing about that one, too:)   

Half.com: My new Favorite!!

Do you have a stack of old textbooks laying around...ones that you spent at least 50 and maybe even 150 on for those vital and not at all time-wasting college courses? Do you like that stack, or would you prefer to see it gone? Good news! Half.com! Get this...I posted 6 or 7 books on half.com this AFTERNOON, and I had already sold FOUR by 10 pm, making my earnings approximately 200 dollars so far! Crazy. My books were the cheapest on the list, but they were still going for 40-65 bucks. Not bad for a little extra spending money, eh? Hmm, whatever should i spend it on? Or i could just save it up for my wedding. Yes, that sounds adultlike and practical. Are crazy bohemian light-wash jean shorts out yet? I want me some!

here's some from ae.com. but i think they are way too short. Anywhere i can find longer ones??

Peppermint= Strange Sensations!

Let's see...I am taking a shower this morning, dry off, and come to the issue of moisturizing my skin. Usually an easy task for many. However, most of the lotions i have tried have made my all-too-sensitive skin break out into weird spots and bumps. After my previous shower, I slathered on some Alba Cocoa Butter lotion from my recent trip to Target (where I bought ZERO percent of clothing items! See, I'm learning:), and that night, the bumps made an appearance. So i gave that little bottle to my fiance, who thinks he is too manly to wear lotion. I have tried to convince him of the great benefits of using lotion. No dry, flaky, itchy skin. No worried looks from those you meet on the road. in the office. wherever. It's just-humane, you know? I feel like thinking lotion is too girly is equivalent to not using toothpaste, cuz "real men" scrape their teeth with a whittled tree branch, or something...:) You get my point. He will, too. So after I got out of the shower, I saw my Bath and Body Works Sensual Amber lotion and my Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue lotion that i get with my perfume purchase, both of which have given me bumps. 

It's snowing today, here in Ta-town, the great W, Wi-cheetah. So obviously going out to get a bottle of lotion was not sounding pleasurable. So i opened my drawer, and spotted the perfect bottle- Burt's Bees Peppermint Foot Lotion!!! It's all natural. Peppermint Bees somewhere in the world probably made it. It seemed like the answer to my problems. 

45 minutes later, I am in the same spot that i was after applying generous amounts of Peppermint lotion over my entire-and i mean entire- body. Right in front of my mini heater, huddled in a miserable ball of freezing. You know that skin sensation you get from Hot/Cold gels and Ben-gay and such? Well, I think Peppermint lotion is worse than that. I'm sure it would feel refreshing on a pair of weary feet, but feeling as if I myself were lodged in a block of solid ice, with a strong scent of Peppermint, was, to put it lightly, HORRIFYING!!! It's like being freezing no matter how hot the room is, how many layers of clothing you are wearing, how many blowdryers are being blown over your body, because the sensation is ON YOUR SKIN. 

For all of you reading this right now, you should feel fortunate. This knowledge will save you from a miserable nightmare of your own. If you are going to use Peppermint Lotion, remember two things: Do not put it on your face (which i didn't, Thank the Lord!), and Do NOT, i repeat, Do NOT, apply it to any area between your legs, under your belly-button, you're tracking by now, right? 

That's it, that's my life-saving advice for the day. Heed my words, male and female and child, for they are wrought from experience, a road less traveled, and rightly so. 

Oh and get this- the headliner for this product on Burtsbees.com says - "Makes your toes tingle". Uh huh. the toes and what's attached to them.

Pure, Raw and Unfiltered.

I'm talking about honey, of course (you assumed that, right???). My current food obsession. My constant craving. If i were on an island and could eat nothing but one thing for the week i was there (i guess i could just say i was at home, too, but an island sounds more survival-y), i would have toast topped, and i mean topped, with peanut butter and honey. Lots and lots of oozing, golden, sticky and sweet yummy yummy honey! The oozing-er, the better! Of course, if this realistic scenario actually happened, my overindulgence would most likely end my obsession and create in its place a deep aversion for anything resembling honey. I guess we'll see:) hmm...when am i going to an island anytime soon?

So i get this pure, raw and unfiltered honey at my local Whole Foods (which is NOT, i assure you, like the huge amazing monstrosities of a natural food market that you are familiar with). This Whole Foods is tucked in the corner of a shopping strip and has about 5 aisles. But they do have two things I am hard pressed to find anywhere else--acai berry sorbet and HONEY! I like the fact that i am supporting my local farmers (these are from Haddam, Kansas, by the way), even though my support is equivalent to wearing a thin t-shirt meant to hold up the "girls". It still is SOMETHING, right? Better than nothing, so I've heard.

Honey is not without its disadvantages though. First of all, I woke up this morning at 5 am starving. So i went down to make me two slices of peanut buttery honey-oozing toast. And what usually happens is i wake up with a slice of my hair matted together in a hard sticky mess of golden goodness. Nice. This morning, though, I switched it up. I decided instead to put my finished plate on the floor by my bed, and then i decided to get out of bed, and now one of my foots' underside is covered in goodness. Better than the hair, I suppose. Easier to wash. Quicker, at least. Oh, and did i mention that i lick every plate after completion of my snack? Well, I do. And I should have mentioned that. B/c it makes the story all the more pitiful.

Right now I am trying to fall back asleep, while "Friends in Low Places" by Garth Brooks plays a sweet melody in my head, and my brain turns to mush because right now, I kid you not, I have no idea the answer to this question:

Do bees eat honey?

Pitiful.
Get back to me.
Blame it all on my roots...

I'm EnGaGed!!!

Pretty Amazing, Folks, but so true...I have fallen in love with and am going to marry the most amazing man in the world!! God is so good and He blesses those who wait patiently for His best for them. I definitely couldn't do any better than this guy...NOBODY COULD! i love you, Daniel Robert deJong!!

Wanna see pics and hear the engagement story?? Check out my facebook album:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2238210&id=20600552&l=86652281b9

Farmers Markets: Beginner Level

Last night, I sat down with my father and mother to discuss my future. They were eating hamburgers with all the fixins, including the bun, and corn on the cob. I was eating a turkey burger by itself, a bowl of lettuce with carrots, and a bowl of strawberries. Don't be jealous though, folks, because i topped it off with the most delicious gluten-free brownie. Yum. ABsolutely.
So, my future. Ideally, I would like to run an empire stocked to the brim with nationwide jewelry lovers, have a marketer (currently my older brother- who is amazing at it!), and quietly sit content in a place where all around there is art: fabric, glue, beads, findings, pendants, glass, wood, paint, glitter, etc. Just waiting for me to use them at my will! YES! an art commune! that's what i need to join. I need to live out in the country on someone's land, tend their gardens, and hole myself up with doing art, art, and more art! and farmer's markets! I'm not saying i have had extremely good luck during my first couple of markets. I sold probably around 10-15 items both times. But it is a little bubble of culture that so entrances me that i end up feeling a little disappointed when the bubble pops. today, that time being around noon.
Let me try to give you a glimpse of this culture (you'll never know if you don't experience it yourself, however!)...

Last Saturday was not the most fortunate of days, as the 6 o clock sky was filled with cold Wichita winds that threatened to toss all of my handmade goods onto the concrete. Apparently i had gotten a prime spot. According to my neighbors (the booths to the left and right of me), there is usually a jeweler in stall #13, but she didn't come and so the new girl got it! How lucky! to my left was Delano Bakery- running it was a man and woman and their 10 year old daughter Jamie. Jamie became my quick friend. She's a cross between skaterpunk and emo. She likes "funny" phrases such as "Revenge is sweet. But only if they don't get you back", or something like that, and "I don't believe in miracles except this one: Purple tomatoes. Now THAT'S a Miracle!" I don't know...she just talked my ear off, needing someone to listen and pay attention to her, and i was there. I heard all about fourth grade drama, how she hated boys, and how all of the girls in her school were scared of her because she mastered the "back-off" look and learned to never show weakness. She also had a list of "revenge phrases" she'd spout out to anyone who dared tease her. Man, dog eat dog world out there. But truly, she is one sweet, smart and spirited girl. She already told me she doesn't believe there is a God. Operation: Save Jamie is underway folks... My special customers included a crabby lady who demanded i re-wire and alter a necklace she desired, wondering aloud why i hadn't done it that way in the first place. and why didn't i fix the ends (i'm sorry, i don't have my glue with me). and why the heck did i need glue. then there were three lovely high school ladies from my very own dear Heartland Community, there for the indoor homeschool book sale. They each bought an item or two from me. It is very heartening to hear the praises of younger women who believe you are a LOT cooler than you are. :) Plus, I tend to have zero confidence in my products, so constant praise is needed or i will feel like a failure (tell me all the things wrong about that sentence. i know, i'm aware of my patheticism:)
So to my left are all sorts of forbidden loaves of goodness and round swirls of cinnamon-ness, and to my right was ANOTHER bakery, run by mennonites, that happened to have some of my most favorite treats. It was heaven. well, it was hell disguised as heaven, really. The first experience of a Wichita farmer's market was all good but for the horrible weather. Then we come to today...
I woke up at five. Got there at six. Set up until 7. And Jamie dropped by around 6:30. and three more times after that (once bearing an offering of mike and ike's) I was moved to a different location this time-stall #72. I guess that's what happens to newbies. I didn't mind. I sat across from radish farmers and a bait n' tackle booth. beside me was a lady who paints little kid furniture, and the other side was Marvin- a sweet older gentleman who sold rocks. You know, those big rocks for landscape, and those increasingly popular long rocks with last names carved into them. I came to enjoy this location more than the last. It could be because of the perfect sunshiny weather that surrounded us. Ahhhh.

The highlight of the day, well actually there were two:
1. an older lady from L.A. came up to me and handed me a necklace and said- i tried to put this on and the clasp fell off. i would give it to you, but it fell down my shirt, and i think it's now in my pants. oh man!
2. a just married couple came by and the woman was having a hard time deciding between three necklaces. She told me that she had never seen anything like what i did (referring to the incorporation of cloth), and that i should send some to celebrities. WHAT? yeah, she had a friend who contacted publicists of celebs she thought would like her product, then sent them one or two free. they started wearing them. and now she's reelin in the dough! You could totally do that! her husband agreed. YES! more confirmation for my sagging ego! and as if to put the cherry on top of the scrumptious confidence sundae she had given me, she added herself to my email newsletter list! THE FIRST ONE! Then she walked away with a beautiful retro cloth necklace with a black and silver round pendant, and i thought to myself,

"Please, please Lord, send some duplicates of that lady my way. That would be nice."

My main issue this time and last were that people wanted a website they could go to. i am working on getting it up, but that's no good to someone who will most likely forget about it in a day or so.
But anyways, in conclusion, I will admit my greatest joy of running this business: I love the process of watching what type of necklace draws what type of customer, then i cannot wait to go to my mac and change the names of the ones sold to "SOLD". To see someone, just ONE person, take one of my creations for their own permanent possession, it seriously thrills me unlike anything else. I know i need to make money off of this, too, but i would be content to see people walking around wichita, smiling, with a crazy piece of jewelry on their necks, ears, or wrists. It makes me giddy!

oh, and did i mention my excitement from the encouragement i recieved today caused me to spend an unholy amount of money on new fabrics and pendants? It doesn't take much to get my mind reeling about how popular my jewelry is gonna be. All it takes is one affirmative compliment! HELP! I need a level-headed businessman and QUICK!

Next up, Green Acres in Bradley Fair! Tuesday 3 to 7.
Thanks to my Lord for giving me a vocation i can find joy in doing.

Until markettime,
Petie

Fummer Sun!

It's summer, by golly, and her number one fan is here to enjoy it! i seriously live for summer and not a day goes by when it's under 75 degree weather that i don't ask myself why i haven't left this "season schizophrenic" city. California, Arizona, New Mexico, Costa Rica, Hawaii...I dream of these places. i literally DO dream of them. unconsciously. or subconciously. whatever. So why am i still here? I have to ask myself that question a lot, but the answer never takes long in showing itself. or i should say answers plural. I was going to spew my wild and crazy ideas for this beautiful summer "vacation" (ha!), but it seems like the perfect match to the subject of "the reasons why i stay in Wichita":
First, there are the people. God is everywhere. I can be with Him in Arizona, but i cannot be there with my mother, who happens to say the wierdest, most random things that throw me (and her) into fits of crying laughter. i wouldn't have my father, either. A man who keeps my life together, keeping me on the right track, financially, health-wise, academically, mechanically (i'm talking cars here. keeping it running:), and sometimes (i am grateful) pulling me down from the huge hot air balloon of ideas i have once again hitched a ride on. we make fun of my dad for his infamous question, "How about we make a list of your goals?". but you know what? I'd be in a mental institution without him.
then there's my book club. oh my goodness, when we get together, it is a comedic sitcom. i'd say we could call it "Suburban Housewives Drunk on Jesus and Wine", or something of that nature, but of course I would not fit into that category:0 I'm the only non-married chick in the whole lot, and i wouldn't have it any other way! Why? b/c listening to these ladies accounts of marriage, kids, wifely duties, and basically being an adult (of which i consider myself as not there quite yet), is one of my most prized blessings. I get to hang out with ladies who love Jesus and know what it's like to be married--the ups and the downs, and the huge differences between men and women. It brings me back down to earth. Without knowing it, they are uplifting me and encouraging me by the slightest things. the way they dreamily talk about their husbands. the way their faces light up when they talk about their kids. and even the hard stuff. I feel like i am a fly on that wall that many single young ladies wish to be. except THIS fly gets to sit in a chair and discuss books. God is great. He knows how much help i need in preparing to be a future wife and mother. He knows. and He has brought his warriors to surround me and mentor me until the time comes. i jokingly told one of my clubbin' friends that, "It's so great because i get to learn from all of you guys' mistakes!". haha. totally not true. but we are human. so yes, i guess it's true in a way! But these women are so down to earth and up to God (does that phrase work?), it's simply spectacular.
Well, so i guess this turned into a book club post, but that's the way my mind works. it's so filled to the brim that i must pace myself so as not to bust open with overwhelming idea-atic stimulation! next post---talking about KRIS ALLEN's big win, grey's anatomy's shocker, my jewelry business and farmer's markets, my new girls' Bible Study, and plans for the church nursery! to battle all of those now would require pages of typed thoughts. MUST HAVE PORTION CONTROL!

Happy Summer!