i've been MAJOR slacking on blog posts. new one soon! but...new jewelry is on the way! come out to the RtW Open House and buy some...and check on ETSY soon for new pieces.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
custom color jewelry- check it.
turquoise and blue (already sold- but can make one similar)
..........................................................................
gold and black-(already sold- but can make one similar)
gold and black-(already sold- but can make one similar)
more at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/laurenj117
email @ jmukes@sbcglobal.net to request custom colors!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
it means we've made it baby...
it's been a while. partly because i have actually been somewhat busy and partly because i have been lazy in keeping up with the blog. few short updates:
***put in an application for Starbucks on Monday, got a call for an interview Tuesday, and i have an interview MONDAY!! woot. it is a bit further than what i want to drive, but i'll take it right now!
***sold my first necklace on Etsy! thank you Juliana Shepherd. please buy some pieces (i take requests and customize colors!) : http://www.etsy.com/shop/laurenj117
***the Lord continues to provide financially in ways i am never expecting.
***got to help out with a MI week and work with one of my favorite churches from last year.
***the guitar FINALLY SOLD! praise :]
..................................................................
i'm working with RtW (Rebuilding the Wall -www.rebuildingthewall.org) again! One of Shelley's interns had to quit and I am filling in...and loving it!! the past two months have been so hard trying to figure out how to relax and take care of myself when all i want to do is take care of other people and work on some big project. the Lord is allowing me the opportunity to do both, since i only go in a few days a week.
i cannot describe how good it has been to be back in the city. i am dying out in the 'burbs. *[[one thing i love, driving downtown in the midst of brokenness and dirt, and seeing someone having a garden in the front yard, or kids playing outside. good stuff]]* the economic disparity in the area is crazy. you go down one block and there are boarded up houses, trash and brokenness everywhere, but you turn the corner and go down another block and there are mowed lawns, houses looking nice. for one of the projects i am working on, i had to go deliver a letter asking for donations to a cute little cafe- very nice. across the street was an old, broken-down liquor store. such contrast again, within just feet of each other.
we learned last year that difference is due to home ownership or lack thereof. the 'trashy' looking blocks are due to lack of home ownership and people renting homes- they take no ownership or pride in their home because it is not theirs. the 'nice' blocks have people who own their own home and care about what it looks like.
RtW stabilizes and empowers low-income families by renovating vacant inner city properties and giving the families the opportunity for homeownership; They combat social injustice by building relationships across racial and socio-economic barriers; and stabilize community by the recycling of assets within the neighborhood. [[Asset Based Community Development and racial reconciliation- LOVE IT. my kinda place]]
so, as part of my 'fill-in intern' duties, i had to fill out contact information for our new families. as i was looking through the file, i found a sheet with a question,
"what does homeownership mean to you?" the lady who answered it wrote a full page, describing how it meant that they could take pride in something, that they had something to be responsible for, that her and her husband could set a good example for
their kids. as the end it said in capital letters..."IT MEANS WE'VE MADE IT BABY." i got teary eyed. the prospect of homeownership for people who have never had much to call their own is huge.
RtW will build homes for single/low-income families. when they come to RtW, they are put into a 'program' (RtW calls them opportunities- which i love) that helps the individuals get out of debt. the families also have to give 6-8 hours of volunteer work to RtW a month. while all this is going on, the house appraisesabove market value, but they are able to sell the house for less to the family, so their is equity in the house also. this is usually a year or two process.
i started volunteering with RtW back in the fall of 2008 doing girl's Bible study and at the time, there was a mother and daughter (who was in my class) who were working towards
homeownership and in the program. i recently heard that she decided to quit the program. this amazing mother would get up at 6:00 am, get ready, take her kids to school, go to work,pick her kids up, take them to after-school activities, coach basketball, get dinner for her kids, take them to their grandparent's house, she would do people's hair for extra money,take the kids home, do some extra stuff she couldn't do during the crazy day, go to bed, and then start all over the next day. all while still needing to volunteer, and working towards homeownership. i can't imagine how hard those days would be for her, let alone doing all kinds of other stuff as well.no wonder she couldn't stay in the program. the thing is that homeownership offers stability, a community, resources, neighbors- stuff that does not come with always having to move to make rent or get extra jobs. but it is such a long, hard road to get there.
i am excited to be able to help plan some things for Rtw. Our 2nd annual women's retreat for our amazing single mom's. God is just too funny because the theme of the retreat is "Balance"- and taking time for yourself- learning to relax. BAHAHAHAHAH. how the heck am i supposed to plan something like this for our mom's if i can't even do it myself. literally- God is making me strong in this huge weakness. i am so glad
to be able to plan it because these ladies need it so bad. a couple things have caught my eye: "if Jesus took time for himself to be with God- how much more do i need to do that?!" " in the busyness- what is the first thing to go -time with God?" "it takes time for the fruit of the spirit to blossom and grow in our lives."
the Lord. he is teaching and working and providing.
i am also planning stuff for CCDA. two macro social work projects- it's wonderful. i am starting to feel like myself again!
random scattered thoughts. more to come. get to see some of my THUGGS this weekend! :)
***put in an application for Starbucks on Monday, got a call for an interview Tuesday, and i have an interview MONDAY!! woot. it is a bit further than what i want to drive, but i'll take it right now!
***sold my first necklace on Etsy! thank you Juliana Shepherd. please buy some pieces (i take requests and customize colors!) : http://www.etsy.com/shop/laurenj117
***the Lord continues to provide financially in ways i am never expecting.
***got to help out with a MI week and work with one of my favorite churches from last year.
***the guitar FINALLY SOLD! praise :]
..................................................................
i'm working with RtW (Rebuilding the Wall -www.rebuildingthewall.org) again! One of Shelley's interns had to quit and I am filling in...and loving it!! the past two months have been so hard trying to figure out how to relax and take care of myself when all i want to do is take care of other people and work on some big project. the Lord is allowing me the opportunity to do both, since i only go in a few days a week.
i cannot describe how good it has been to be back in the city. i am dying out in the 'burbs. *[[one thing i love, driving downtown in the midst of brokenness and dirt, and seeing someone having a garden in the front yard, or kids playing outside. good stuff]]* the economic disparity in the area is crazy. you go down one block and there are boarded up houses, trash and brokenness everywhere, but you turn the corner and go down another block and there are mowed lawns, houses looking nice. for one of the projects i am working on, i had to go deliver a letter asking for donations to a cute little cafe- very nice. across the street was an old, broken-down liquor store. such contrast again, within just feet of each other.
we learned last year that difference is due to home ownership or lack thereof. the 'trashy' looking blocks are due to lack of home ownership and people renting homes- they take no ownership or pride in their home because it is not theirs. the 'nice' blocks have people who own their own home and care about what it looks like.
RtW stabilizes and empowers low-income families by renovating vacant inner city properties and giving the families the opportunity for homeownership; They combat social injustice by building relationships across racial and socio-economic barriers; and stabilize community by the recycling of assets within the neighborhood. [[Asset Based Community Development and racial reconciliation- LOVE IT. my kinda place]]
so, as part of my 'fill-in intern' duties, i had to fill out contact information for our new families. as i was looking through the file, i found a sheet with a question,
"what does homeownership mean to you?" the lady who answered it wrote a full page, describing how it meant that they could take pride in something, that they had something to be responsible for, that her and her husband could set a good example for
their kids. as the end it said in capital letters..."IT MEANS WE'VE MADE IT BABY." i got teary eyed. the prospect of homeownership for people who have never had much to call their own is huge.
RtW will build homes for single/low-income families. when they come to RtW, they are put into a 'program' (RtW calls them opportunities- which i love) that helps the individuals get out of debt. the families also have to give 6-8 hours of volunteer work to RtW a month. while all this is going on, the house appraisesabove market value, but they are able to sell the house for less to the family, so their is equity in the house also. this is usually a year or two process.
i started volunteering with RtW back in the fall of 2008 doing girl's Bible study and at the time, there was a mother and daughter (who was in my class) who were working towards
homeownership and in the program. i recently heard that she decided to quit the program. this amazing mother would get up at 6:00 am, get ready, take her kids to school, go to work,pick her kids up, take them to after-school activities, coach basketball, get dinner for her kids, take them to their grandparent's house, she would do people's hair for extra money,take the kids home, do some extra stuff she couldn't do during the crazy day, go to bed, and then start all over the next day. all while still needing to volunteer, and working towards homeownership. i can't imagine how hard those days would be for her, let alone doing all kinds of other stuff as well.no wonder she couldn't stay in the program. the thing is that homeownership offers stability, a community, resources, neighbors- stuff that does not come with always having to move to make rent or get extra jobs. but it is such a long, hard road to get there.
i am excited to be able to help plan some things for Rtw. Our 2nd annual women's retreat for our amazing single mom's. God is just too funny because the theme of the retreat is "Balance"- and taking time for yourself- learning to relax. BAHAHAHAHAH. how the heck am i supposed to plan something like this for our mom's if i can't even do it myself. literally- God is making me strong in this huge weakness. i am so glad
to be able to plan it because these ladies need it so bad. a couple things have caught my eye: "if Jesus took time for himself to be with God- how much more do i need to do that?!" " in the busyness- what is the first thing to go -time with God?" "it takes time for the fruit of the spirit to blossom and grow in our lives."
the Lord. he is teaching and working and providing.
i am also planning stuff for CCDA. two macro social work projects- it's wonderful. i am starting to feel like myself again!
random scattered thoughts. more to come. get to see some of my THUGGS this weekend! :)
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Etsy
it's only Thursday...and all the jewelry i have currently made is up on ETSY!! woot. i met my Friday deadline. yesterday i woke up with motivation and productivity (at least for the morning) and i got pictures taken. i woke again with it this morning and got everything uploaded and such.
so. help this poor recently, kind of graduated girl earn some more money by purchasing some of the coolest handmade jewelry ever!
www.laurenj117.etsy.com
check it.
lauren- my middle name. j- jen. 117- james 1:17: Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
i looking at this time to make everything as a gift...and the fact that i can even create something like this as a gift.
enjoy. buy jewelry.
Monday, June 21, 2010
rollercoaster
so, since my last post, i haven't done much but complain...about my lack of motivation, the fact that i don't have a job, the fact that i have no real motivation to get a job even though i need money, how i do not feel like myself at all and i just want to be 'back to normal' and 'how long do i need to relax, why can't i just be done with it all and move on to big thing?!,' blah, blah, blah...i bet my mom is sick of the complaining. i know i am sick of doing it. the thing is that i keep trying to be okay with where i am at right now. i know there is probably no other time in my life when i can just be jobless and complain all day, but it is so stinking hard to go from the past 2 months at school- basically going non-stop (actually 4 years of going non-stop), to just doing nothing. sometimes i enjoy it, other times (in the past 2 weeks- most times) i just want to go back to the way i was before...i know how to do crazy non-stop, i don't know how to relax.
which brings us back to the whole point of the summer...learning to relax. i don't like it. i am trying, also, not to be discontent with where i am- thank God for the blessing. even in my devos- my utmost for his highest- chambers says," beware of paying attention or going back to what you once were, when God wants you to be something that you have never been." AHHH. i don't like this whole trying to learn to combine parts of this new phase into my old phase, even though i need to...i feel like i don't know who i am or where i fit in. i just aching for a big project to do or something. i'll go on to something else, lest i continue to ramble and become just as annoying in writing as in person. ;)
i am quite excited, but slightly nervous, about...SELLING MY JEWELRY!!!
i was checking out Etsy the other day and thought, i might as well just try it. the worst that can happen is that they won't sell. it seems like a good solution because i need money, i LOVE making it, and it will give me a sense of accomplishment...like i am doing something other than complaining about having nothing to do. so, by the end of the week, i'll have my account set up and my beads for sale. pray that people will buy them!!
i've also been cooking, not as much as i would like, but a good amount. my dream of culinary school is put way, way, way on hold since it costs upwards of $50,000. heck-to-the-NO. my favorite brother jake says i should open my own restaurant, which i would LOVE to do. one day. a few photo's of my favorite things i've made:
Honduran Enchilada's (thanks Mama Martin!)
Triple Berry Trifle with homemade Pound Cake
Jambalaya
Making homemade PASTA!
Hopefully the prize winning recipe that will win me a trip to NYC.
I submitted this recipe to Bertolii Pasta Sauce contest and if I win (which would be sweet...but i am not expecting too) i get a trip to NY and a few other goodies.
Tomato & Basil Sauce with sauted onion, carrot, zucchini and mushrooms with fresh basil and ricotta -fresh homemade spinach tagliatelle pasta with turkey gorgonzola meatballs --served with homemade thyme and fresh rosemary bread.:)
went downtown this eve. i want to live downtown, in a small, cute apartment and have coffee on Mass. Ave and work for a sweet non-profit that i helped start (thought of it all today while on my morning walk), and paint and make pottery and eat Trix, raisin bran, special k, and granola in a giant bowl with vanilla almond milk.
theEND. for now.
which brings us back to the whole point of the summer...learning to relax. i don't like it. i am trying, also, not to be discontent with where i am- thank God for the blessing. even in my devos- my utmost for his highest- chambers says," beware of paying attention or going back to what you once were, when God wants you to be something that you have never been." AHHH. i don't like this whole trying to learn to combine parts of this new phase into my old phase, even though i need to...i feel like i don't know who i am or where i fit in. i just aching for a big project to do or something. i'll go on to something else, lest i continue to ramble and become just as annoying in writing as in person. ;)
i am quite excited, but slightly nervous, about...SELLING MY JEWELRY!!!
i've also been cooking, not as much as i would like, but a good amount. my dream of culinary school is put way, way, way on hold since it costs upwards of $50,000. heck-to-the-NO. my favorite brother jake says i should open my own restaurant, which i would LOVE to do. one day. a few photo's of my favorite things i've made:
Honduran Enchilada's (thanks Mama Martin!)
Making homemade PASTA!
I submitted this recipe to Bertolii Pasta Sauce contest and if I win (which would be sweet...but i am not expecting too) i get a trip to NY and a few other goodies.
Tomato & Basil Sauce with sauted onion, carrot, zucchini and mushrooms with fresh basil and ricotta -fresh homemade spinach tagliatelle pasta with turkey gorgonzola meatballs --served with homemade thyme and fresh rosemary bread.:)
theEND. for now.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
when i grow up, i want to be a...
before i answer that question, let me first say that ya'll should wish that you live close to my house so you could have come over this past month because i made some stinkin delicious food. :) butternut squash lasagna, turkey meatloaf with sun-dried tomatoes and feta, a berry trifle with homemade pound cake, honduran enchiladas, cranberry-orange muffins, homemade pasta, jambalaya...it's been so good!
it has been a month since i've 'graduated' and i still have not found a job. i had an offer for an internship (Gracehaven) and a job (Mission Indy), both of which i turned down (even though i wanted to do both really bad) because the Lord answered my mother's prayer. she told me a month or so ago, right in the thick of 10K/community night/child abuse prevention month planning that she had been praying, asking the Lord to help me realize my need to rest and take care of myself...a rather loaded prayer...well, He answered. instead of finding a job and making some money...even a little to just make my car payments each month, i have been either: running/walking/exercising, reading, hanging with the kids, attempting to be productive and get school stuff sorted and ready for Fall semester,watching Food Network occasionally, cleanting, doing random art projects, or cooking! my favorite of these activities is cooking...and baking occasionally, which has made me reconsider on many occasions about forgetting this social work thing and just opening up my own restaurant/cafe and cook and be an artist on the side.
growing up, i had a string of possible jobs after college: do the cosmetology program in high school and get my cosmetology license so i can work as a cosmetologist to get myself through college, go to college and play college basketball, after that, get into the WNBA (i actually wanted to be the first woman in the NBA). After i was in the WNBA for a while, i wanted to again, be a cosmetologist to get myself through law school and then work as a lawyer for a while. after that, i wanted to move to the beach, open an art shop and sell my pottery. after that...i didn't get farther than that.
since then, the dream has changed, i've scrapped most of that and got it boiled down to helping people, you know, simple stuff like changing the world. :) one dream that still have, is to one day open a coffee shop/cafe/art studio, where i can cook and make coffee and pottery and sell it, and have neighborhood kids come and learn art and play music. i tell my friend ben this earlier this week and he is all on board to start it now...talk about scrapping the whole social worker idea!
this past month has just been so weird. i'll say i'm definitely learning to relax...it's hard, i just do not feel like myself. i love just being able to cook make pottery and i think to myself how hard it is to help people and why couldn't i just have picked an easy profession? then i read stuff about girl's being trafficked. or i go down to 23rd and Guilford and i talked with 11 and 12 year old girls and i see how vulnerable they are and how much love they need and i realize that yes, helping is hard, and it takes a lot out of you, but that is how God made me, how my heart is wired. i love cooking and being an artist, but my heart is made to help people. now, it's not to say that i can't help people by cooking or being an artist or that i can't be a social worker and a chef or artist, but i can't NOT be a social worker.
this time off now is about relaxing...learning what it means to relax, but i am realizing that once i get a job, i won't be able to take a month or two sabbatical and just do nothing. so, not only do i need to just take time now and relax, but i need to figure out how to be a social worker and relax and take care of myself at the same time... (my social work prof's are probably like...Jen, this is what we were trying to teach you for 4 years.) bah. it's hard. crazy, long, hard journey...that's what the title of my blog should be, because that is what this summer has been so far, a journey of interesting lessons. it's been a month unlike any i have had before and i am still trying to figure out what to do with it...and how the rest of the summer is going to go...how long can i make it without a job? will i ever learn how to relax?! but i think i have been able to somewhat answer the above question...
when i grow up, i want to be a...social worker who works with teen girls, who lives in a community, in the CITY, in need of Christ, who knows all her neighbors and has the neighborhood kids over at her house every night for treats (sugar-free, of course) and to hang out, who cooks meals with love every-once-in-a-while for her neighbors and has them over to her house to eat the scrumptious feast with veggies from her garden, who is the owner of a little coffee shop/cafe/art studio where she provides jobs for individuals in the community and helps teens learn job skills by letting them work in the cafe and gives teens an opportunity to express themselves through music/poetry played in the coffee shop regularly and teaches community residents art [and has huge wall for graffiti], who runs races with a purpose, who advocates for the poor and oppressed in her community, who changes the world, and who glorifies God in everything that she does...
...something like that.
check it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4KiGN1j1No
it has been a month since i've 'graduated' and i still have not found a job. i had an offer for an internship (Gracehaven) and a job (Mission Indy), both of which i turned down (even though i wanted to do both really bad) because the Lord answered my mother's prayer. she told me a month or so ago, right in the thick of 10K/community night/child abuse prevention month planning that she had been praying, asking the Lord to help me realize my need to rest and take care of myself...a rather loaded prayer...well, He answered. instead of finding a job and making some money...even a little to just make my car payments each month, i have been either: running/walking/exercising, reading, hanging with the kids, attempting to be productive and get school stuff sorted and ready for Fall semester,watching Food Network occasionally, cleanting, doing random art projects, or cooking! my favorite of these activities is cooking...and baking occasionally, which has made me reconsider on many occasions about forgetting this social work thing and just opening up my own restaurant/cafe and cook and be an artist on the side.
growing up, i had a string of possible jobs after college: do the cosmetology program in high school and get my cosmetology license so i can work as a cosmetologist to get myself through college, go to college and play college basketball, after that, get into the WNBA (i actually wanted to be the first woman in the NBA). After i was in the WNBA for a while, i wanted to again, be a cosmetologist to get myself through law school and then work as a lawyer for a while. after that, i wanted to move to the beach, open an art shop and sell my pottery. after that...i didn't get farther than that.
since then, the dream has changed, i've scrapped most of that and got it boiled down to helping people, you know, simple stuff like changing the world. :) one dream that still have, is to one day open a coffee shop/cafe/art studio, where i can cook and make coffee and pottery and sell it, and have neighborhood kids come and learn art and play music. i tell my friend ben this earlier this week and he is all on board to start it now...talk about scrapping the whole social worker idea!
this past month has just been so weird. i'll say i'm definitely learning to relax...it's hard, i just do not feel like myself. i love just being able to cook make pottery and i think to myself how hard it is to help people and why couldn't i just have picked an easy profession? then i read stuff about girl's being trafficked. or i go down to 23rd and Guilford and i talked with 11 and 12 year old girls and i see how vulnerable they are and how much love they need and i realize that yes, helping is hard, and it takes a lot out of you, but that is how God made me, how my heart is wired. i love cooking and being an artist, but my heart is made to help people. now, it's not to say that i can't help people by cooking or being an artist or that i can't be a social worker and a chef or artist, but i can't NOT be a social worker.
this time off now is about relaxing...learning what it means to relax, but i am realizing that once i get a job, i won't be able to take a month or two sabbatical and just do nothing. so, not only do i need to just take time now and relax, but i need to figure out how to be a social worker and relax and take care of myself at the same time... (my social work prof's are probably like...Jen, this is what we were trying to teach you for 4 years.) bah. it's hard. crazy, long, hard journey...that's what the title of my blog should be, because that is what this summer has been so far, a journey of interesting lessons. it's been a month unlike any i have had before and i am still trying to figure out what to do with it...and how the rest of the summer is going to go...how long can i make it without a job? will i ever learn how to relax?! but i think i have been able to somewhat answer the above question...
when i grow up, i want to be a...social worker who works with teen girls, who lives in a community, in the CITY, in need of Christ, who knows all her neighbors and has the neighborhood kids over at her house every night for treats (sugar-free, of course) and to hang out, who cooks meals with love every-once-in-a-while for her neighbors and has them over to her house to eat the scrumptious feast with veggies from her garden, who is the owner of a little coffee shop/cafe/art studio where she provides jobs for individuals in the community and helps teens learn job skills by letting them work in the cafe and gives teens an opportunity to express themselves through music/poetry played in the coffee shop regularly and teaches community residents art [and has huge wall for graffiti], who runs races with a purpose, who advocates for the poor and oppressed in her community, who changes the world, and who glorifies God in everything that she does...
...something like that.
check it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4KiGN1j1No
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