MISS ELAINI OUS

Hello, beautiful people!  I’m back at blogging and it’s going to be better than ever!  The past few months I’ve been radio silent for so many reasons but one of the biggest ones is that I’ve been figuring out what direction to take this space.

It’s both scary and exciting to be doing a 180 when it comes to this blog.  After fundraising for over four years and finally reaching the $100,000 goal for children in India (because of your faithful support and God’s grace!) it was time to reevaluate.

This space is now going to be a source for learning how to live an intentional life and create beauty in various ways.  I hope to encourage and inspire you to live with purpose right where you are.

Look at the news or talk to your friends and it won’t take you long to see that there is brokenness, pain, and suffering in this world.  This is a problem but I know there is a solution.  I believe that when we choose to focus on bringing beauty into the world through our words and actions we assist in healing some of that brokenness.

“In small and large ways, when we create beauty—in our environment, relationships, music, cooking, poetry, and celebrations—we push back the effects of the fall and express our hope for the new heaven and the new earth that God promises. When we give artful attention to detail, we point people to a truer and better reality. When we offer beauty we touch something in the human soul. We remind others of who they are and what they were made for. We bring hope and inspiration. This is a way of caring.”

Andi Ashworth

You can expect to see posts in these new categories: DIY, STYLE, E’NOTES, and SERIES.  This is a place for those looking to be refreshed through devotionals and encouragement.  This is a space for those trying to add beauty to their lives and the lives of those around them.  This is where you can learn how to live a more conscious culture lifestyle.  I certainly don’t have it all figured out (not even close!) but I hope you’ll come along and learn with me.  One thing I do know is that even little steps of change can make a big difference!  This isn’t a place to come and feel condemned or like you can’t do it all.  No one can make all the changes all the time!  It’s about being inspired and choosing to think through why we do what we do.  It’s about appreciating beauty and sharing it.

The DIY section is included because I believe that making things for our lives and for those around us is soul nurturing.  It is a way of choosing to not buy into the consumerist attitude that says we need to buy more and more things.  When we take the time to make something it becomes more valuable to us and to those we give it to.  It’s also a sweet way to say to someone, “I care about you so I took the time to make you something.”  It’s NOT saying that buying something is wrong or even a bad choice but it IS saying yes, to creativity and art and the personal touch in an increasingly impersonal world.  You’ll find ways to create lovely things for yourself, your space, and for others.

The STYLE section comes out of an interesting place for me.  It’s something I sort of fell into when I wore 1 dress for 100 days.  During that time I chose not to buy any new clothing. It was challenging but also very freeing.  I realized I had more than I thought and I also realized how I didn’t want to live a “more, more, more” lifestyle.  Frankly it’s really easy to fall into and I still struggle with it at times.  Yet, statistics show that slavery is a bigger problem now than ever before.  Forced labor is one of the many causes and it is used to produce a lot of our clothing.  I’m still learning about this.  Being a lover of fashion I’ve found that one of the solutions is to style thrifted items so that we can dress stylishly and ethically. This not only helps reduce waste on our planet but also ensures we aren’t funding inhumane work environments and practices.  Not to mention that it’s much more inexpensive for your pocket book!  In the style section I’ll show you how I build outfits from thrift store or consignment finds but I also want to highlight pieces/companies that are more ethical.  One of my mottos is “quality vs. quantity.”  You may pay more but in the long run it will last longer and you’ll be supporting a healthy work environment.  Regardless of your finances there are little ways to make changes that have an important impact!

You’re probably wondering what E’NOTES are.  Here is where I’ll be writing about relationships and giving you (and myself!) encouragement.  It’s here that you will hopefully find refreshment for your heart as I share devotionals and talk about the real-life-nitty-gritty-joys-and-struggles of life.  I believe Jesus is the most beautiful thing we can have in our lives.  My faith is the most important part of my life as well as what I believe is the source of light for the world.  I’m really excited about this part of the blog!

And because not everything fits into a perfect category there will be a SERIES section where I will from time to time feature food, travel, life updates, quotes, and link love.

It will take some time for these categories to fill up but I’ve already planned some great things for this month so stay tuned!

Let’s stay in touch! You can follow me on Instagram, which is my favorite app!  I’d love to see you around on Facebook, Periscope (misselaini), or Pinterest.  You can also shoot me an email at: misselaini [@] gmail.com (remove brackets and spaces).  Looking forward to being friends!

xxx
~elaini

Please pardon the bit of mess we have on the site right now as we are under construction.  I’m really excited about launching back into blogging consistently here in 2016!  Come January I’ll be revealing more of what’s to come for the future of this space.  Thanks for sticking around!  Until then I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas. 🙂

How many ways can I say this…

$100K

one hundred thousand, one hundred and fifty-three dollars and four cents

$100,153.04

one, zero, zero, one, five, three. zero, four

100% raised

Friends, we did it! Together we’ve been able to help hundreds of children in India who are no-longer-orphans! Need proof?  Read this.  The person that tipped us over to reach the goal donated in honor of Hosanna.  I ugly cried.  Because these kiddos have touched my life more than I will have ever touched theirs.  God graciously allowed me to see $100,153.04 raised for my darling kiddos.  To God be the glory!

THANK YOU!  I wish I could give you all hugs and thank you personally!  This isn’t the end of the journey.  I’m not entirely sure what’s next (although I do have some idea 😉 )but I hope you’ll stick around to find out.  It’s going to be grand!  This is just the beginning of new things for this blog space.  Let’s celebrate!

 {Drawing/painting by:  Damaris C.,  First two photos of children by: the Indian staff members, Last two photos of children by: F. Robert Openshaw,  Picture of me by: Jenn Lynn Images}

P.S.  Want to relive the 100 day journey?  Just click here to see all the outfits in a few minutes!

When the time actually comes for you to write something you’ve been waiting years for it’s as if the moment renders you speechless because it’s finally arrived. That’s how I feel right now, speechless or else a torrent of words. On Monday I received the email I’d hoped for since 2012. Lately it was the email I thought I might never receive.

I’ve heard it said that good things come to those who wait. Sometimes the waiting seems so long though that you begin to doubt. That’s where I’ve been the last few months. You see when I set out to raise money for orphaned children in India I clearly knew God had whispered into my heart a nice round sum of $50,000. Even though I didn’t raise that amount in the 100 days I had set I still knew it was what I had been told. Continuing on after the dress project seemed like the right thing to do. Then at the end of 2011 I got word that we had surpassed that goal. It was a miracle only God could have done. I was awed. So many generous, supportive people have given to change hundreds of children’s lives. I can never thank all of you enough for that.

After that I just kept raising the goal and when a friend said to put the new goal at $100K I decided there was no reason not to. But I never really prayed about it and recently three years after setting a new goal I began to wonder if it was really just my goal or if it was the Lord’s. I’m learning lately that sometimes something that is a good thing in and of itself still isn’t meant for me. These last two months I asked the question my heart didn’t want to ask. I asked, “Lord, is this $100K your goal or was that my goal that you never intended for me?” And you know what? I began to think that it was time to stop fundraising. It was brutal for me to consider.

I’m a pretty determined person and when I say I’m going to do something I really try to follow through. Knowing I might not finish was hard and felt like a failure. Honestly I was so weary and I felt guilty for that. Those children in India have my heart but the funds just weren’t coming in. There were no new ideas popping into my head. Yet all I can think is, “Just because people stop donating doesn’t mean those children still don’t need help.”

And then Monday came. I opened my email and there was one of the best emails that has ever landed in my inbox. In short it said that my new total of funds raised was $99,919.82. It didn’t come in the way I thought it would but it was there. I jumped up with my heart in my throat trying to tell my mom. My hands took on a life of their own and I bounced up and down as emotion welled up inside of me.

I’m here today telling you this because I want you to know Jesus does miracles. Jesus takes a few loaves and fishes and feeds the multitudes. He takes a lot of donations from people all over the world and uses it as a means to change lives, souls that have value. When I think about how he has used so many of you to help my 545 kiddos in India I’m stunned and incredibly grateful.

You’ve helped little girls who might have been trafficked into the sex trade now have a safe home and a future outside of being a child bride. You’ve helped little boys who would have been slaves in brick kilns get an education so that they can become doctors, teachers, engineers, or whatever they want to dream of now.

Please stop for a minute and realize the impact one life can have. Think about someone like Mother Teresa, a president, an author… Someday one of those children you gave money to may become someone like that. Or maybe 545 children will and they will help change the world for good. I know they already are.

There are just a few things I want to leave you with:

THANK YOU.
I love “my” children in India,
I love Jesus and most importantly:
May God receive all the glory for he alone has accomplished this.

Oh and one more thing? Who is going to help push us over the $100K goal?! Only 80 dollars to go! WOW!  You can donate here. 🙂

“The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad.” Psalms 126:3

Hello you wonderful person,

I think you’re pretty amazing. Yes, you!  At some point you realized that being a gift to others could change the world.  No, I didn’t get the wrong person.  You see, you realized that putting actions to words makes a difference.  You invested in the lives of children you don’t even know by donating to orphaned kiddos in India.  So, in my book that makes you a world changer.  And oh, how you have changed lives!

Since I started my dress project back in 2011, you along with so many generous people have provided hundreds of children with a safe place to not just survive but thrive.  Want to look at it another way?  Approximately five dollars feeds an orphan for a month.  So that means that the $93,479.82 we’ve raised could feed 545 kiddos for almost three years. You’ve been a crucial part of that.  We’ve used your generous gifts to provide food, clothing, education, and homes.  It may not seem like a lot to you but it is to those sweet darling children who have lost parents and security.

So here’s the thing. We’ve almost made it to the 100K mark but I need a little more help.  If everyone gave just $17 we would reach the goal! Would you please partner with me today to make this miracle happen? You can click right here to invest in these precious lives.  Thank you so much!

Gratefully
~me

P.S. I chose these twirling pictures of me and and my kiddos because it’s something we can both do even though we are on opposite sides of the world…

Hey friends! Sorry I’ve been MIA lately.  There’s been a lot going on and I just needed a break.  During the last few weeks though one of my best friends and I have joined Brittany’s (from The House that Lars Built) instagram contest to #dresstherainbow.  Basically we were supposed to go find colored walls and then snap pictures of ourselves wearing the same shade of clothing.

Thankfully my girl Malia is amazing and was totally up for this fun adventure with me.  Tripod in hand and melting in the heat we took photos all over the neighborhood and city.  Yes, we got stared at.  Yes, there were embarrassing moments.  Yes, running back and forth from the tripod to a pose gets interesting.  Yes, we changed in the car sometimes.  Yes, we laughed our heads off.  Yes, it was totally worth it even if we don’t win.  (But let’s be honest…we REALLY hope we win!)

Also here’s a funny side note about the pink picture from Malia’s perspective: “You know that moment when you burst into laughter with your friend because something weird just happened?  Well this is ours. 🙂 @Misselaini had her fingers on the bow of her dress to show off the stylish 50’s vintage dress that her mother wore growing up and I thought, ‘I’m going to join in accentuating the bow.’  I reached out my hand to the bow and Elaini matter-of-factly says, ‘Malia you’re going to make me look pregnant.’ This pictures was the result.” 😉

It’s amazing how much color there is around us if we will only look for it.  I’m curious to know…what fun summer adventures have you had?  Did you have any that were so enjoyable and memory making but didn’t cost any money?

I’ve been storing up quotes from my reading lately and I thought it was about time to share some of the quote love! Enjoy!

“Perhaps,” she said, “to be able to learn things quickly isn’t everything. To be kind is worth a great deal to other people.” A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

“Faith isn’t an equation or a formula or a business deal that gets you what you want. In short, there’s nothing on the other side of the equals sign, just Jesus.” Love Does by Bob Goff

“It was when I was happiest that I longed most. It was on happy days when we were up there on the hills, the three of us, with the wind and the sunshine… where you couldn’t see Glome or the palace. Do you remember? The color and the smell, and looking across at the Grey Mountain in the distance? And because it was so beautiful, it set me longing, always longing. Somewhere else there must be more of it. Everything seemed to be saying, Psyche come! But I couldn’t (not yet) come and I don’t know where I was to come too. It almost hurt me. I felt like a bird in a cage on the other birds of its kind are flying home.”  Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis

“The first trick, the one I am practicing now, is to just start where you are. It’s a luxury to be in the mood to write. It’s a blessing but it’s not a necessity. Writing is like breathing, it’s possible to learn to do it well, but the point is to do it no matter what.” The Right to Write by Julia Cameron

What quotes have you recently enjoyed? Let me know in the comments below!

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these posts but I guarantee you this one was worth the wait!  Ever since I was a little girl I’ve been going to my library and checking out books.  I still have the same library card I got when I was about seven.  Even with the plastic peeling off I can’t bear to part with it and get a new one.  Over the years I’ve seen librarians come and go but one has always been there (for 20 years!).  Recently I asked him if he would be a part of this series and he graciously obliged.  I’m thankful he was willing to record these thoughts for us! I hope you enjoy his answers as much as I did and learn something new today.

What drew you to being a librarian?

I had a job as a student worker at the library where I went to college and I enjoyed the work though I didn’t think about it as a career at the time. After college I worked in several fields but couldn’t find one where I felt fulfilled. I met with a career counselor and after a series of assessments and several meetings he concluded that I should consider working as either a chef (I love to cook!) or a librarian. I remembered my college work and also how much I liked the college setting and thought that working in a college or university library would be a great job. When I finally got a library job, though, it wasn’t at a university, but at a public library. It turns out that what I really enjoy about my work is not so much doing research, but helping all kinds of people, so the variety of folks that come to our library is much more interesting to me than just students doing research.

What is one thing you wish people understood more clearly about what you do?

There’s more to our work than many people realize. (I kind of assume that’s true of most jobs.) Not too many people know that those of us working at the reference desk or in the children’s department have gotten Master’s degrees in order to do the work we do. But even more than that, we bring a deeper understanding of the organization of information and interpersonal communication to our work than is likely to be obvious.

What has been the most influential book you’ve ever read? 

That’s a tough one! So many books, like so many teachers and mentors, have made an impact on my life over the years. Surprisingly, the one that I would have to say has been the most influential is a slim cookbook (Fine Fresh Food, Fast by Michele Urvater) that my grandmother gave me as a birthday present during my college years when she heard I like to cook. It has some great recipes that really opened my mind to new ingredients, flavor combinations and cooking techniques and got me hooked on having fun in the kitchen, which is now a real passion of mine. I still make many of the dishes in that book regularly.

What one person has touched your life the most and why? 

I didn’t meet my wife until I was 28, but we’ve been together for 25 years now and she still frees me to be the kind of person I want to be, while at the same time challenging me to know more and do more than I might otherwise on my own.    

What was one of the happiest days/moments of your life? 

The first one that comes to mind is the day we opened our new library. We didn’t announce the day or time we would re-open after our move since we weren’t sure how long it would take to get ready. But on a Monday afternoon, once we had everything in place, we opened our doors, and within an hour the library had a couple dozen or more people exploring and admiring our new space. It was an amazing feeling to be a part of that effort and to be able to offer that to our community.

What is your greatest struggle right now? 

I am feeling quite challenged by the variety of duties for which I am now responsible at this library. Some of that is my own fault as I would like to accomplish more in order to help the library improve, but I am already doing more than ever before. I need to remind myself of that and take things more gradually so that I can get a good handle on each added task before trying to take on more.

When were you most scared?

This question is a real challenge for me. Nothing big comes to mind, though I did freak out after my first exam in graduate school. I was completely stumped by most of the questions and thought “I’ve packed up and moved to Tucson for this and now I’m going to fail and have nothing to show for it.” (I got really drunk that night!) Turns out everyone did just as poorly and he just gives tough exams. He was my favorite professor through my program there.

If you could give one piece of advice to those reading this what would it be?

Be careful about judging people. Allow them to surprise you with the depth of their minds and hearts, especially when you least expect it. I have had fascinating exchanges with people who I would not have guessed to be as bright or thoughtful as our conversations showed them to be. It always makes me feel lucky to have met someone like that.

(If you want to know how this series started you can read why here.)