shameless plug v3.0

"In his heart a man plans his course; but the Lord determines his steps." -Proverbs 16:9

Here at the Hicks' ranch, God is pushing us out of our comfort zone and leading our steps in directions we hadn't even discussed just not that long ago. We were feeling pretty comfortable in life but God has rocked our boat and He's got our attention now.

There's a few big things up on our horizon and I can't wait to share them with you! (Really, I can't!!! I'm terrible at keeping secrets and a few people that read my blog already know about some stuff we have coming up.... I guess what I should say instead is I can't wait to be able to post about lots of exciting stuff in the blogworld! Ha)

In the meantime, we're working overtime around here towards some big goals (you may have noticed my leave of absence in the hanging out department. I'm soooo sorry about that!).

One little project (ha- I say it like it's not the least bit daunting to me) we (yes, both of us!) are working on right now is an e-shop of sorts. For quite awhile I've been trying to tell everyone that I'm not crafty. I've been trying to explain to them that if I can do it, they surely can. And I've been told time after time that they think I'm a big fat liar. It's actually true- I'm not all that crafty. But in my quest to do something creative everyday, I've managed to put together a few fun diddys. And I've even put together some posts for you on how to do them. But those haven't been all that well received. ;)

Soooooooo..... due to (okay, thanks to!) the requests, I'm going to set up shop. I'm taking orders on most things crafty. I'll be whipping up some of the crafts that have been requested in the past and I'll be adding some new, fun things to the mix. If you have a request, let me know and I'll see if I can make it happen. I'll be setting up a page with photos and prices as I get items ready to sell but if you want to get your order in first, I'll work on your projects first.

As usual of late (okay, always), I'm soooooo thankful for all of your support (and prayers and encouragement)!!

Ideas of crafty orders I'm taking:

Superhero capes: $10

Flower Hats: 3/$25

Ugly Dolls: $20

'Hold Fast' or 'Walk Worthy' necklaces: $20 (I'm not taking custom orders on the necklaces because my skill level is lacking. I'll send you a picture of your necklace before you purchase to see if the 'character' of it suits you.)

Magnetic Boards: $25

Chalk Boards: $15

P Fest

Our town festival was this last weekend. Maddox came up for his birthday pictures on Friday. We got some fun pirate pictures and a few 'Maddox pictures' too. :)

He was really happy for pictures to be over and loved getting to roast his own marshmallows that night. He talked about it for quite a while.

We got up early in the morning for the 5/10k. (No.... we didn't run it. But we did cheer on Sara and Uncle T!) The race route went along the street behind our house so we didn't have to go far to get to a good spot to cheer!

Since we've been in town, we've started a tradition of heading downtown during Prairie Fest for most of our meals. Some people we know (but Maddox had never met) sat down next to us at the pancake feed and Maddox quickly decided their little boy was his best friend. I love the age he is at right now!

Sara was up there and we (I?) made her put on her medal from the race for the obligatory photo op.

Cy made it down for the parade.

R skipped his duty in the dunk tank this year. I think the questionable condition of last years dunk tank scared him off. We did briefly check out the craft fair and other things going on. We went back up in the evening with the P family for the Hog Roast. The boys checked out all the emergency vehicles.

We stuck around for the magician and the atmosphere. Once we got home R started another fire pit and brought a mattress up from the basement for a makeshift wrestling ring. It also made a good sitting spot to watch the fireworks from our yard. I love that we can see our town and the neighboring town's fireworks without leaving the house.

Today we are bumming around, getting geared up for another week. Happy Sunday!

the post were i copy/paste facebook statuses because i have nothing inspiring to say

My alarm is going to go off in a little bit and tomorrow (today, I guess) is going to be a longer than normal work day.

Could you just pray for me? For Rusty? For some really good friends of mine? For some blog friends of mine? And for everyone else that I'm sure is in need of prayer right now.

Thanks, friends.

Goodnight.

Ang Peasley (Ang Kessel)

‎"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." James 1:2-3

Abbie Bowen

Lord I love you and need you, but I dont understand you7 hours ago

Stamped Metal Necklaces

Stamped Metal Necklaces (the one that I almost caved in and bought before my inner cheapness talked some sense into me!)

I'm posting this project because I had a hard time finding any information about it online. (Mostly because I didn't know what to search for.... now I know I needed a metal stamping kit and tutorial. ha)

Supplies:
spoon (the cheaper/thinner the better)
chain
hammer
drill
metal stamping kit ($18 at Michaels if you use your 40% off coupon- teachers have a 40% coupon they can use good until October 1st- or you can borrow mine!)
(optional) any pearls or jump rings you want to add
sharpie pen
jewelry cloth (or I found a wet paper towel works in a pinch)


-Lay your spoon face down on a mat (I did this in the garage... the concrete surface under the mat worked well). Use the hammer to flatten out the spoon.

-Bend the spoon where the handle meets the head until it breaks. (Using tin snips to give you a head start works great. I also used some fancy machine at my father-in-law's house that was really nifty for this step.... not sure what it's called...)

-Drill a hole at one end of your metal disc.

-Sand the rough edges (I was able to use a metal grinder but they do have metals sanders you can use).

-Use your metal stamping kit to stamp your letters. I used the tutorial video on beaducation.com to get some tips. The biggest problem I had was that I had to turn the disc over and flatten it again after each letter. I didn't do this the first time and found that the letters would show really well on one side but you couldn't see the whole letter.

Jen's "one whack" method works the best but it's difficult to do with the heavier weight metal.

And even if the letters don't look perfect.... it's very therapeutic after a Monday work day. (Rusty even asked if I skipped work today because I didn't have any good stories for him.....)

-Fill in the letters with your Sharpie pen and wipe off the extra. The jewelry cloth works great for this but for my first one I was in the garage and just used a rag. It worked okay too.... just required more rubbing.

-Put your pieces together on your chain (I'm still on the hunt for inexpensive chains)!

That's it. Not nearly as hard as I was expecting them to be. I would practice letters first. And am probably going to pick up some cheap thinner metal discs so the letters are easier to make. But overall, a decent project that is cheaper to do than buying a necklace. (And you know how I'm a fan of the squint method!) : )

productive saturday

R was super motivated today. After he had completed a huge list of [boring] chores [ie. mowing, cleaning the garage, etc], he grabbed a paint brush and started painting. He never paints. He hates painting. He hates the word painting. So I was super impressed [and surprised] to see his final product (the back door and steps). Since he was on a painting kick, I grabbed a quart of paint and schemed him into helping me paint our fireplace. It's definitely different.... :) I'll have to get some pictures taken of it soon.... after Jen gets up here! R also helped me with my craft project today. He fixed the holes and shaped my metal for me. I'm thinking he's building up to ask for something big... but for now, I'll take it! :)

______
Updated: R would like for me to point out that he didn't help with "craft" projects. He did "manly things" like cut metal and drill holes. :)

An Attempt at a Tutorial

By request.......

How To Make Fabric Flowers (if you can call them that! maybe fabric blobs would be more appropriate) and Braids

-Start with all of your scrap pieces of fabric. Divvy them up between flowers, braids, and ugly dolls. Other things that may be useful- alligator clips, needle/thread, hot glue (unless you're out of sticks and used all the English teacher's up at school)

-Tear (because scissors are overrated.... I mean to ensure your fabric is even... ) your fabric into strips. About 2" wide strips for flowers. Smaller for braids. Length can be as long as you want. I normally make the flowers and stop when it's the size I want it.

-Tuck one corner under. Start wrapping the fabric around itself. You can fold the edges over neatly if your heart desires. I prefer the smoosh it till it looks good method.

-At this point, you'll probably want to stitch a stitch in the bottom of the blob flower to hold it together. If you want it on a clip to wear in your hair, on your tank top, or on your purse, cover an alligator clip with ribbon and hot glue your flower to the clip. (Wait. Don't clip it to your purse/camera bag. I lost mine today!!! Sad!)

-For the braids (pay attention, it's a tough one) take three skinny scraps of fabric and braid it. Knot or stitch both ends. Decide how to use it.... a head band, a book mark, a bracelet (though I'd recommend a longer strand wrapped around for a bracelet!), key chain, (put a bunch together for...) table runner, rug, etc, etc, etc.

You are amazed at how easy I made this tough project look, aren't you? :)

First Days

These chairs are empty.... at least until tomorrow.

Tomorrow will be my 6th First Day. I know, I don't believe it either. I look far too young to have graduated from college that long ago. But it's true. This will be my 6th year of teaching. We've had a lot of changes (upsets really) at our school for this year. We've lost some incredibly great teachers and some have been cut to part time in our building. My to do list to prepare for this year was 3 times as long as it normally is. We have a challenging year ahead. As I prepare for the 150+ students that will be in my classroom tomorrow, I praise God that He'll be there too. And He'll be 'honking' for me. (If that doesn't make sense to you, you'll have to ask me all about what I learned at professional development this week...... I'm sure you'll be glad you asked.) ; )

To all my teacher friends, I'll be praying that you have a great first day and an even better year!!!

August 15, 2005

I had turned 22 the day before.

I had recently taken my first real job. It was going to be fabulous. Amazing. Awesome. Too good to be true. (I had also talked one of my very best friends into taking the exact same job... she's still 'thanking' me to this day. Ha.)

This 'amazing' job was in Creston, Iowa.

Creston, Iowa. Population 7,596 (make that 7,954- but I'm jumping ahead).

None (okay, hardly any) of them my age.

I walk into the first new teacher work day. It was warm (it usually is mid-August) but I was wearing my new aqua-khaki Gap pants with the cute wooden button anyway. Paired with a plain white 'dressier' tee and a tie belt, I looked dressy, but not too dressy, right?

As I walk in the front door, I get the odd sense that I'm being watched. Nerves, maybe?

I sit in the cafeteria. I choose a table in the middle, sitting with the only person I remotely know. A college classmate. As the principal starts talking, I try as hard as I can to pay attention to every word.

That doesn't last long.

Soon I start scanning the room. In the very back was a table of guys. I guess right away that they are the PE teachers. One in particular, leaning way back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest, was wearing shorts and a red with black pin-stripes polo. Shorts? I'm way overdressed. I immediately think the dressy pants were a bad choice. (I later find out, he doesn't think they are a bad choice, as he watched me walk in the front door in them from his car.)

I realize I'm staring and quickly turn away.

Later that afternoon, Mr. McCracken leads me to my classroom. Well not technically my classroom. But a classroom I'll be sharing for part of the day with, you guessed it, a PE teacher.

Have I mentioned I wasn't quite a rockstar PE student? Okay, I didn't even really like it. Mr. Dean would roll the softball to me to hit golf style and Mr. C sent me to his classroom to grade papers. I was that good.

Ahem.

So he introduces me to the PE teacher. I don't remember what was said. I remember I was nervous (I never get nervous!) but I immediately felt better because as nervous as I was, this red headed guy looked way worse. He had been working in his room with Mr. Clark. Dick Clark. And Dick's dog. He was an obvious dog person. Dog people are good people, right?

Later that week, we had our first picture together (a group shot of new teachers for the local newspaper), our first out to lunch (a group lunch with the new teachers), and our first time together in the backseat (just kidding. well not really, we rode together to some of the new teacher events).

The next week, a guy friend from college came down to visit. We went to the local hangout hot spot. You guessed it, Super Wal-Mart. We were shopping in the shampoo aisle. Red headed PE teacher walked by. Saw me and smiled. Saw him and looked disappointed. He walked away without saying a word.

I told college guy he couldn't come back to town.

PE teacher and I talked. We shared rides back to Ames. I fed him.

It was the first time I felt like someone got me. It didn't matter that we were in a town with nothing for people our age to do. We could eat cactus bread and check out Dan McCarney's newest Nike shirts during the Cyclone games on tv and it was the best night ever. We didn't have satellite. We didn't have a dog. There was nothing to do in our town. And we had no money. But we did have it all.

I'll never forget August 15, 2005 and the year that followed. I'll never forget waking up to my alarm with a note leading me on a wild goose chase ending on a park bench. I still get chills coming around the I-80/I-35 curve. I can close my eyes and be standing against the cleaning closet door in the kitchen of that first place. Once in awhile I crave cactus bread and the memories that come with it. I'll always be his favorite stat girl. And he'll always be my best friend.

Thanks for five years of laughs and love. You are too good to me.

Rain, Rain Go Away

A Facebook friend's status yesterday was asking how Noah's family managed to make it 40 days with no break from the rain.

Good question.

I've had several people ask how we were faring so I thought I'd do a quick update here.

Nothing major to report and we are much better off than many people around us. But I am intrigued by God's sense of humor.

We were to start work on our basement (and my studio) today (the electrician was to be here at 9- he so far hasn't shown).

We've 1.) never lost electricity and 2.) never had water damage in our basement.

So the day before the electrician is to be here.... our power goes out. Thus leaving us with a non-functioning sump pump.

Usually this wouldn't be a problem. We live in a pretty dry area. In fact, the city normally pumps water towards our house.

Until last night. Apparently the recent 9+ inches of rain we've gotten had no place to go other than to become a lake in our backyard, our street, and the field. The city guys stood around looking a bit perplexed by the situation (that was just an observation, not a sarcastic joke. ahem.).

With water up to the windows and no electricity to run the sump pump, we scooped the sump pump out by hand and dumped bucket after bucket, after ever loving bucket, out of the basement. Thankfully the only water that got in was contained to the concrete (though if you know our basement, that's still a LOT of water by our standards). None of our drywall was damaged and, as far as I can tell, none of our 'stuff' was either. And the sawdust that had been sitting on the floor (for what I thought was too long... turns out not) was great for stopping the water from coming in any further.

All in all, we fared pretty well. Praying for no more rain and that the mess in Ames doesn't come our way. Praying for the people in Ames, Gilbert, and other areas that are in an absolute mess right now.

And thinking about all that 'stuff.' As we were trying to 'save' it last night, I asked Rusty what in that pile was important to him and worth doing all of that work for. His answer was nothing but that he didn't want to have to clean it all up later. Fair enough. I looked through the piles and realized the only things in the basement I would be the littlest upset about losing was the box of stuff from our wedding (which is up high on a shelf so I wasn't concerned about it).

But again. It's just 'stuff.' And I'm thankful for that reminder.

Morganisms

"I'm already beautiful but a little make-up is okay if you want. It makes you extra really beautiful. Then you put your arms in the air like this and shout woooo hooo cause you look so pretty!"

-Morgan, age 5

Craft Room.

I know you can't tell but I haven't spent much time on the computer lately. (Nearly all of the last 10 posts were scheduled to auto publish- love that feature!)

I gave myself a mini-break in the photo schedule thinking I would need it to edit Vegas pictures. I was right- though I haven't done anything with Vegas (other than wedding) pictures yet!

Instead I've been crafting.

I've turned our guest bedroom into a craft zone. The bed is filled with fabrics and supplies. Morgan's table is a sewing machine desk. The book is case full of tools.

My husband thinks it's a (not so) subtle hint that I'd love to have the craft room in the basement completed. (He may be on to something....)

Currently, we are waiting on the electrician to work on the basement... if all goes as scheduled (ha!) our basement should be ready to use in early September! Craft room or no craft room- it's exciting!

So what have I been crafting?

Well besides the plethora of Ugly dolls, head bands, & fabric flowers (I'm still working on getting that 'tutorial' up, Amy!) my latest obsession craft are these little hats.

I'd been wanting some for photo props for a long time but I couldn't find any that I LOVED. And I couldn't even find any that I liked for a price I was willing to spend. I tried a couple times to set up a 'trade of services' type deal but they just didn't work out. Sooooo you know where I turn to when I'm too cheap to buy something (which is a lot). Yes- my 'craft room.' The flowers are all interchangeable.... but do you get the slightest feel for Fall or Christmas here? Yikes. I better go change them up! ;)

So now that I spent the time to make them... I'm sure you'll be able to tell me great places where I can buy these things for cheap. (By the way- don't, ha) But how about cute little boy accessories? Anyone know where I can find some cute (real) little boy ties and fun hats?

.

Rusty's cousin just saw her husband off to Afghanistan. They have two little girls.

I can't imagine.

But I'm thankful.

(Des Moines Register photo)

Shameless Plug v2.0

I've been busy booking photo sessions today. I opened up October booking at midnight today and in less than 14 hours, all of my full family sessions were booked. As I'm typing this, 170 visitors have been to the {captured by} heidi page today. I'm not sure if they were there to book appointments or view Holly's wedding pictures. But either way. Wow.

I'm completely amazed at the doors God has opened this year. I really never, ever expected this. In fact, I bumped my prices up (quite a bit, in my opinion) thinking business would slow down. It didn't.

I appreciate all of the support so, so much. I'm really amazed by it. (Have I mentioned that yet?) Really.

I have had so many friends ask about Christmas pictures. I'm going to try something new for them. Saturday, October 16th I'm doing mini-sessions. You can check out the details here on the cbh page. And let me know ASAP if you in on one. And just because we're friends, I'll extend the free 8x10 to people that are linked up on the Hickstionary till the end of the week.

Also, because we're friends and I know how tech savvy you all are, if you send me Christmas card template that I love (and don't already have), I'll give you $15 off your order. (Be sure to ask first though- I may already have the one you want so you wont need to purchase it!)

Anyway. Thanks again friends. Seriously. I was clearing pictures off my computer tonight (thousands and thousands of them) and couldn't believe some of the pictures I was looking at. Pictures in my kitchen! (Ha) Little babies that will be back for their 3rd session already. Families from hundreds of miles away. My first paid session. That maternity session.

Things have changed a bit since I had to move out the kitchen table for pictures. And there's more changes planned for the near future.

So fun!