photography contest...that means you should enter!

I have a photography contest for you! The winner will get...*drumroll*...an award! :D

The theme is winter, so your photograph has to be connected to winter. It's a somewhat broad topic, so be creative and have fun! :)

Here are the rules:

• The picture has to be one YOU took. Don't get one a family member or friend took, and definitely don't get one from a search engine!
• Keep it clean and respectful; nothing inappropriate! 
• It needs to have been taken within the last three years.
• You may submit up to two photographs.

To enter:
Post the picture(s) in a blog post explaining that you're entering a contest here, and leave me the link to the post in a comment. Out of the entries, I'll decide which four photographs I like the most, and you'll decide the winner!

The deadline for submission is at 

midnight [eastern time] on January 15, 2011.

On the following Monday [the 17th], I will post the four pictures I like the most, and I'll open a poll so you can choose which one you think is the best!

2nd, 3rd, and 4th places get awards, also. :]

I can't wait to see your awesome pictures! If you have questions, feel free to comment. :]

In His light and love, 

Jessie

This 'ere blog is getting revamped...

Heylo, ladies!
Last night my cat and I were sitting on my bed and I started to think about this 'ere blog and what I wanted to do through it. I want this blog to praise our God's name. I want to post photography (even if I'm the only one who can tell what it is...;) I want to post the random ideas I come up with at three AM.

I looked back on some of my older posts and noticed that most of the random stuff I wrote about didn't interest me. The only reason I wrote about it is because I figured someone else would find it interesting enough to read, and because I felt a panicked need to post something.

I don't want to write like that anymore. Occasionally I think it was kinda obvious I was writing just to post something. I want to change my blog and write about what I find interesting, instead of what I think my readers might like.

Maybe I'll change the template, or the name. I don't like changing the name of my blogs, but the current name just isn't working anymore. As far as appearances go, I don't really think my blog reflects my personality at all.

I want my little space in the World Wide Web to reflect my personality, and what I like. I want to write about what I find interesting. So... that's what is going to change. :)

I really hope you guys had a merry CHRISTmas, and I'm wishing you a happy New Year!

In His light and love,

Jessie

What happens when I get my hands on clay?

It's not pretty. In my art class, we were given clay and told to construct. This was the second time I've ever attempted to use clay, and my first thought was, "It's clay! How hard can it be? You mold it and then roast it in some oven." It's hard! Anyhow, here are some pictures to demonstrate my mad skills in the art of pottery.

Yeah, those are my fingerprints...

It would make a nice colander... ;) On the bright side, look at the pretty paint job! It's such a nice shade of blue.... *cough*

Shiny...

Yeah...those are the marks from my fingernails on the inside. I seriously don't remember those being there when I made it. This one was about an inch taller, but the last inch flew off when it was being fired, so I found the broken remnants resting forlornly inside the bowl. Eh...Bowl, colander, whatever... x)

The reason the blue one is...unusual, is because I inadvertently planted a full Route 44 cup on it, and only had five minutes to fix it. 

It was really fun and such a blessing to be able to make, even if it does look unusual! :]

In His light and love,

Jessie Suzanne

Nativity Story Told Through Social Media

Ever wonder how the story of the Nativity might be told if one were to do it through the use of social media, web, and mobile? Check it out as the story of the Nativity gets told through Amazon, Foursquare, Google Maps, gMail, Wikipedia, You Tube, Twitter, and Facebook. My mom found this on Facebook; it's funny! I love the camel picture; it's adorable... :)

My Own Little World by Matthew West

A few weeks ago, I was sitting on my bed while listening to Matthew West's new song My Own Little World. I had been dying (not really) to hear this song, as everyone had been bragging about it and saying how convicting it was. It finally came on one day when I had the radio blasting in my room (I was home alone).



It just reminded me of how self-centered we can be, and how we need to reach out to others. In the end, it really isn't about us; we're supposed to be telling others of His love, but it's so easy to forget that goal.

 Mark 16:15
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

In Christ,
Jessie

Epic happenings of this week:

I found the most beautiful paintings EVER. And I mean ever! It's of the Eiffel Tower, which we know is in France. I love France. It was resting in an art gallery in Houston, and I took a picture (I'm not sure if that's allowed...) because I wanted to brag about it on here. I honestly want to buy it one day; I wish I knew who painted it. Okay, I shall stop ranting now. But surely you have to agree! See how beautiful it is? See?!

 We went to Houston, Texas. Before we went home, we decided to pay a visit to the seventh largest shopping mall in the nation: The Galleria. I love it. I'm not a huge fan of shopping, but this is three million square feet of pure awesomeness. We're going back to Houston again in two weeks, and again in January. I have promises to return to one amazing bookstore. Speaking of stores which sell books...

My mom and I have a new favorite bookstore. Give me a chair, coffee, and a book, and I'm happy for hours. I come from a family that reads dictionaries in the manner that one would read a novel. Really. So, everyone walked in and dispersed among the shelves of Borders. My mom found three books, which she bought, and I scavenged for a 2011 planner. :)

Pascal. The chameleon from Tangled, which was, by the by, amazing! But Pascal was better. He cannot speak, yet he has such an adorable personality! I mean, who can see that face and not think he's adorable?!

In His love and light,

Jessie

Nativity Scenes & Christmas Ornaments

My family and I set up our Christmas tree today, and I was in charge of the nativity scene. OH YEAH! Camera time. *grins madly* Our nativity scene is old and worn well loved. We’ve had it since I was really, really young. When I was little, I would line up the animals in an unorganized assembly line. This scene came with four squares of packed hay, generally the size of an ice cube. I would sit and watch my cat (who was then a kitten) as she quietly sank her teeth into a tiny bale of hay, before tearing off to hide among the gifts under the tree. That is how, over the years, the hay bales have disappeared into oblivion. :)

In His love and light,
Jessie Suzanne