Work(s) in Progress

I was gonna wait until tomorrow to post this topic, but I'm so excited to tell you... I can't wait.

Last week I mentioned I was going to try my hand at a little glass pendant making.

Well, I think I'm getting the hang of it...

Birds and flowers and newness of spring are my favorite. I love pretty paper, vintage art, and shiny things.

Bob Ross had Happy Little Trees, and these happy little crafts are making my week.

Here's a secret: These pendants are already spoken for, but I may or may not be hosting a giveaway this weekend here on the blog...so tell your friends, and come back tomorrow afternoon with your comments ready.

In fabric news, a have a new attachment (actually is was a quilting-set of four) for my sewing machine so I thought I would make a quilted spring-colored table runner for my dining room. This may take awhile...mostly because I don't have a pattern - I'm kind of making things up as i go - But also cuz im fairly convinced that quilting isn't one of my gifts. It makes me cuss.

You can see the quilt pieces beneath the yarn.

On the needles I've started a tea-pot cozy from a Crochet With Raymonds pattern (a blogger I originally found on Tangled Happy - which is a GREAT compilation blog on yarn-craft).

To be honest, I like knitting but it isn't my favorite yarn craft (I only cuss when purling.)

However, I'm going to love making the flowers for the top. I'm going to look at it like a marathon...knitting is the running 26-miles part, but crocheting the flowers will be the pasta feast before the race is finished.

I'm so grateful that spring, summer and fall come after winter. Those are my three favorite months.

Winter is...well... winter; pretty in its own right but so ding-dang frigid. The way I figure, when it's so cold outside that even your teapot needs to dress warm, she might as well be adorned in cheery attire.

That's the plan for this month - to surround myself with spring-type make-ables until the temps rise to at least 65 degrees. Then it will be time to tend the garden again...







Ah, the garden...now that is my favorite thing...but let's not count the tomatoes before they hatch.

Don't forget to stop by (and tell a friend!) tomorrow afternoon to see what I'm giving away!

The Fruit of Facing Fear

Three days ago I did something I never thought I'd do -  I faced my fears and jumped off a 40ft platform-- and lived to tell about it.

Yes. Yes, I did.

I climbed up (with the help of a belayed harness) a forty-foot tree to a 3x3ft platform. Then, the guy you see at the bottom left of the photo (his name is Will), unhooked me from the belay and hooked me to the zipline while I hugged the tree as if my life depended on it.

If I'm honest, I will tell you that I was exceptionally scared. Will, sensing my fear, encouraged me with a few soft-spoken words and pointers on how this would all work out, but I was concentrating on not looking down, and telling my body that there was no need for panic...

Then, when the time was right, I sat down on the edge and dropped to a 530 foot zip across a lake.

It was fun.

I bet you didn't know I was afraid of heights and ziplines?

I'm not.

This is not why I am writing today, but it has everything to do with it...

You may remember  this post: Choosing Courage.  It was a poem I wrote 5 months ago as I processed my fear over sending my daughter to camp with her Girl Scout troop.

Last Friday, as I helped The Girl pack her bags for another weekend at that same camp, again with her troop, I was awesomely aware of how Peace had taken residence in my heart. I wasn't fretful. I wasn't worried. I wasn't full of irrational fear.

Since the camp center was only about 35 minutes from my house, I had volunteered to come help supervise the activities on Saturday afternoon, which included zip-lining. I wasn't prepared for the fear that would creep into my being as I climbed that stately tree.

Not just good-old-fashioned-keep-you-out-of-trouble-fear. It was heart-racing-deep-breathing-want-to-run-away-irrational fear.

I nearly chickened out, but I knew that fourteen little girls, including the one I love the most, were watching. Waiting.

But I did it.

And you know what?

I did it again.

What those little girls didn't know is that that second jump from the platform (for me) wasn't just a climb and a ride; it was a multi-colored picture in this chapter of the story of my life. One that I'm finding very difficult to put into the right words...One that is maybe, just meant for me.

The second time, although filled with heart racing excitement, was absent of fear. Without fear, I could see the full picture; I could taste the sweet fruit of facing my fear.

Fear is such a thief. It robs joy and keeps us stuck.

But, facing your fear, and being privileged to experience a life worth living, in all its wind-blown and exhilarating glory...That is wonderful.


2 Tim 1:7

Wednesday W.I.P's

I have several things I could write about this morning.

I could write about how the last 8 days have been weird because The Mister had to work through the weekend and keep very strange work hours. I could tell you that when he was home he was on-call, receiving phone calls at odd times and in the middle of the night.

But I won't write of these crazy weeks, that only happen a couple time of year, because in truth it leads to great perspective. It helps me to remember that my husbands job is a blessing. One that normally has awesome working hours and allows for lots of time together.

Changing subjects, I could write about the poisonous Copperhead snake we found in our garage last night. Instead I will just tell you how grateful I was that my brave Man was home to "deal" with it.

Instead, let me tell you that I am getting ready to put a couple of things up for purchase. Things like:

This red apple hat for the 0-6 month apple of your eye. It looks orange in this picture, but its really red.


This is a pumpkin for the little one in your patch. I actually have two: sizes 0-6 months, and 6-12 months.

There is also a grape hat.



And a beautiful cloche with a flower.



And just for fun, although these are already sold and ready for shipping today, I just finished these special orders:






And... because i couldn't resist trying them on....even though my head is nearly an inch and a half bigger than the owner of these hats...






...this is me trying to look normal while taking pictures of myself while neighbors walk by and wonder what-in-the-world I am doing.

If you interested in any of these hats click on over to my etsy shop!


PS: if you are waiting with bated breath on my post on why we homeschool....it's truly a work-in-progress! I hope to have it up soon!

Oh Happy Day!

I just got word that my sweet friend Charity had her baby very early this morning! I don't want to steal her moment by posting before she has a chance to post, but I'm sure her blog will be updated at some point soon, so be sure to go over and see the baby!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch we are neck deep in schoolwork. Which is satisfying, and also very much like daily knocking your head into a wall. Somedays, you go back see that wall multiple times...just because it feels so good.

Normally I manage to keep a positive spin on things, but I think I may have underestimated teaching both a teenager and a preteen at the same time. For I am out-numbered and apparently, I've lost all credibility and must be challenged on all sorts of reasoning.

I never did this as a preteen or a teenager...I never "knew it all"...I never had to be told fifty-bagillion times to do things...at least thats the way I remembered it. Plus, I didn't have the luxury of being educated at home...I had to walk to school up hill, in the desert, with the blistering heat without shoes...both ways!

My kids are also prone to exaggerating.

I think they get that from their Dad.

But I digress...

(But thank you for letting me vent)

Where was I?

Oh! Happy Day! That's where I was....

I have been happily crocheting while at soccer practice, and when I have 10 or 15 minutes in between coming and going...so i've finished a couple of projects.

You'd like to see them? 

Why I thought you'd never ask!

Here they are:

I made this shrug, and it didn't come out quite like I envisioned. It's a bit bulky and makes me feel, well, I won't go there...but maybe I won't be concerned about vanity when it gets cold outside. We'll see.

This pic is a little blurry. I thought about asking the kids to stop studying to take my picture, but then decided that might be bad form.

I also had a couple of custom orders for hats, which I am 50% finished (although this pic is a couple days old so these aren't quite done.)

All right, my pre-algebra student is here and wants the computer to do his math (of all things!)

I hope you have a great day!

In Spite of Myself

This morning I woke up feeling a bit foul. 

Not physically, but emotionally.

Lord, I said, save me in spite of myself.

Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I. (Ps 61:2) 

I had no idea how those words would play out. Or how how that quickly-uttered prayer might get me through this day...

Every blessed week once in awhile I make mistakes that force me to remember that in my own strength I am nothing.


This week is no exception.


(Except for the part where I made two mistakes.)


Mistake Number 1: 


I had some really fun video of my two students on the first day of school. 


As I went to upload the videos, I accidently deleted them instead.


So the very big and fun (and really funny) first day of school will only be a memory for those of us who were here.


My thought was that I would just "re-enact" the 1st morning on the 2nd day of school. 


Only, my best laid plans changed the face of my youngest student.


Literally.


I took The Girl to her scheduled orthodontist appointment to get (what I thought would be) her expanders adjusted.


The doctor wasn't happy with how slowly her teeth are moving, so he switched the plan, and an hour and a half later, my baby came out with braces.And she looks the same, only different. 


The metal brackets have filled out her face; they changed that sweet baby face into a portrait of an older girl. Both beautiful, but different.


Maybe its just me...but I felt like she aged a lifetime while I read a magazine in the lobby, unaware of the change set before me. 


I didn't anticipate the emotional road I would travel over such a small thing...but for some reason, it doesn't feel small in my heart. Even though this course is what's best for her, I'm gonna miss that snaggly toothed grin.


My kids are growing up...and I am helpless to stop it...and I deleted the moment before all the change had begun.


Mistake Number 2: 


If you know me in real-life, or have read the blog for awhile, you might know that I love pinto beans. I was so excited because I recently purchased a brand new electric Cuisinart Pressure Cooker, under the recommendation of a dear foodie and friend, The Carpool Queen. She told me that this machine would revolutionize my bean baking. She is wise, that CPQ.


I bought my machine of quick-cooking pressure, exactly one week ago today, and have used it about as many times.


My MO has been to set the cooker on the glass top stove top while it does its cooking. I've done this for years with my CrockPot because....well, I thought it would make for less mess if anything should spill or boil over.


Hindsight says it was a stupid idea.

Today in an attempt to boil water for macaroni (my little brace-face requires soft food of the non-bean kind) I accidently turned the wrong burner on. I didn't realize my mistake until the fire alarm sounded and thick, acrid, plastic-smelling, smoke filled the downstairs.


In attempt to take make things easier, I doubled the work. (Not to mention expenses.)


Lest you think this post is complaint, I want you to know that nearly every week every once in awhile I'm reminded that I am not in control. As a matter of fact, I'm the antithesis of "control." I'm meant to be helpless. Consider this quote:

Throughout the book of John we see people coming to Jesus because of their helplessness. The Samaritan women has no water (see John 4). Later in the same chapter, the official's son has no health. The crippled man by the pool of Bethesda has no help to get in the water (see John 5). The crowd has no bread (see John 6) The blind man has no sight (see John 11).

We received Jesus because we were weak, and that's how we follow Him. Paul told the Colossians. "Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him" (2:6) We forget that helplessness is how the Christian life works.

(Paul Miller, The Praying Life,  pg. 55)

For years I have tried to hide it, deny it, stuff it, fix it, control it, lose it, and talk around it. 


I like to think I'm in control; have all my courses in check. I like to think that there is nothing I cannot accomplish, or secure. 


Honestly, I like to think I cook my beans and my macaroni too.


Today I was reminded that I can't. 


I cannot stop time; or have things done my way; or keep things that I desire...and often those things that I really think are good and rational plans can sometimes be folly waiting to be born.


And every once in awhile, on the days when my eyes are open and my ears strain to hear...and the stench of plastic is a vivid reminder of the chaff God is burning in my life...I remember that by myself I can do nothing. (John 5:30) And I will never be alone. 


Will I make mistakes? Of course!


Will I wish I "would've, could've, should've?" Absolutely.


But the real question is: Will these things drive me closer to a God who cares deeply for his children? 


Or will I allow a prideful desire to keep up appearances, and wear myself out fighting in vain for control I do not own?


Lord... save me in spite of myself.


(and if at all possible, save my appliances too.)

WIP vs PIP

What I really want to post on this drizzly Wednesday morning are the Works in Progress (WIP) I've got going on in my office:

Things like this sweet Cozy Cottage. 

I could sit and daydream about the sweet old couple that lives there. I can envision The Mr. of the cottage getting the wood burning fire places stoked so the The Mrs. could sit by the hearth, sipping hot coffee and feeling, well, cozy in her little house in the woods.

But the Cozy Cottage hasn't been so much a WIP as a PIP, or Procrastination in Progress.

I also started another little ornament, because when I start PIP's I commit with my whole-heart.

These are all WIP's..

And these are the PIP's:

Door Number One-

Door Number Two - 

I started this summer with very few goals.

I wanted to craft and sew.

I wanted to cook and bake.

I wanted to have fun at the pool.

And I wanted to clean out the pantry (although I was pretty sure this goal was lofty.)

But now it must be done (with fervor I cannot find), and it must be done today.

To make a very long story short, I kept a lot of non-perishable food (Cereal, dry pasta, spaghetti, granola, and canned goods) in the garage on a shelf. 

The mice left lovely thank you gifts for the buffet they have enjoyed.

So I must organize, clean and rearrange so all food (including canned foods) are in the house, and all cleaning products and general junk (in the laundry room) get put on the garage shelves, making more "pantry" inside.

Which is going to be a lot of work and unfortunately, the end product won't have pretty hand-embroidered flowers, lovely bead work, or happy thoughts of living in the woods.

But, we won't have rodents... 

...and I already live in a little house in the woods.

So, all is well that ends well.

What are your WIP's or PIP's today?

Capricious Crafter

Hey y'all...

Did you know that when I started my adult life in the southernmost part of the United States, I swore I would never say y'all?

It didn't last long, and now I am a proud, card-carrying member, of the Y'all speakers.

Sometimes I even go for the glory with an all y'all, but those are special, and must not be used too often.

But that's not what I came here to say...

What I really wanted to say, y'all, was that I am going to take a bloggers break for the rest of this week.

I'm workin' mighty-hard, (ok, the y'all's have got me typin' with a Texas twang) this week on a few projects.

The first is trying to figure out how to make a slightly larger, sweet four-year-old, version of the crochet hat I shared with you on Friday. I made one yesterday and it turned out too big.

The Girl appreciated my learning curve as she ran out for drama camp this morning...in her new flowered crochet cloche. So today I have been working on down sizing a bit.

The other project I've got going is Christmas stuff...yes, Christmas.

For several years I have made gifts for my nieces and nephews. As they get older and more sophisticated, its getting a little bit more challenging in some ways, and easier in others. But I am almost certain I have narrowed down the gifts for my nieces.  Here is a sneak peek at the might-be-the-christmas-gifts-for-nieces-work-in-progress...

Right now the flowers are just pinned on and I'm trying to decide if i want to add a few more rows to the trim... decisions, decisions.

I think I would do each hat in the girls fave color and do a mix of flowers.

Not sure what I'm doing for the nephews yet, but I am certain I am going to make this for The Boy because he has been asking me to let him have a mohawk for about a year.  I'm going to love laughing on Christmas morning when I tell him he can finally have his mohawk.

I will admit to you that I am a bit obsessed focused on these projects at the moment. And I have a tendency to forget all other things when in this mode....eating? cleaning? working out? what are those things?

I'm in the crochet zone.


Ah, the life of a capricious crafter.

Have a great week, y'all.

Just in Case

Several years ago I had some dental work done that required a small surgical procedure.

Upon leaving the doctors office I was prescribed pain killers.

I never used them.

And... I never threw them away.

I reasoned that I should keep them.

Just in case.

The expiration on that bottle is 2003, which means it was prescribed sometime in 2002. I'm pretty sure that the potency of those pills is long gone.

But still...just in case.

I wish this was the only thing I hold onto... you know ... just in case.

Like the closet full of clothes I don't wear anymore.

Or the scraps of material from projects of old.

Or fear.

Or worry.

Or bitterness...

...just in case.

I've been thinking about freedom....about living life really free.

I've been reading some good books, by good authors who have experienced life.

Pleasure, and pain.

Women like Maya Angleou, Anne Graham Lotz, and the story of Mary and Martha.

And you know what?

They didn't rely on the things of this world to ease a heart that cries for the Eternal.

No...

I flushed those little white pills, and threw out the old orange bottle.

I don't want to be tied to anything that brings the empty promises of ...

Just in case.

Chuppah Hoopla!

There is nothing better than a Friday, after a busy week.

Unless that Friday includes a a date with The Carpool Queen.

Today, I am buying the first round of coffee, because I'm celebrating!

The chuppah (pronounced hoopa) I was "commissioned" to sew is complete!!!

(lets all breathe a sigh of relief)

As the mother-of-the-bride (Melinda) and I sat on the floor admiring it last night, she said, "Well, we prayed at the beginning of this project, so lets pray at the end too."

So we did.

And I couldn't pray out loud because I was brimming with emotion. Not because this labor of love was completed, but what the chuppah represents: the home, the very life, this couple will build together.
It overwhelms me (in a good way) to think about it.

I have to admit, I was a teensy-bit sad last night.

When we boxed up the chuppah and she placed it in the car I felt an odd mix of happy relief, divine success, and weepiness.

This project was hard. The most difficult sewing project I have ever done (and had to finish).

Not because it tested my talents, ability and knowledge of sewing (because it did!), but because emotionally, it was difficult.

This project tested my heart.

I was cutting up and sewing together family owned, heirloom materials; piecing together someone else's vision. I wanted to be as close to that vision as possible.

I wanted it to be beautiful. As I cut up Melinda's wedding gown I had some serious doubts!

I wanted it to be made well enough to last the test of time; to become a legacy this young couple can pass to the generations to come.

I did not want Melinda to regret asking for my help. I kept thinking that she would soon figure out that I didn't have a clue as to what I was doing.

I didn't want it to be perfect. I wanted it to be right.

There came a point after all the hand embroidery was finished that I needed advice (and encouragement). Melinda and our friend Vicky came over to give some advice. Vicky was literally, a God-send, and I learned some skills from her that helped us overcome the challenges.

This chuppah has become such a blessing, and truly, the making of it represents everything I love about marriage: Two people, from different tapestries of life, working hard, wanting to build something that will stand the test of time; building on a common vision.

There are places in marriage when we need encouragement to face the struggles and insecurities that will inevitably come.

And yet, if we persevere, there are days when we get to look at what we've built with sweat and tears, and the hand of God, and we realize it was worth the effort...that it isn't perfect, but it is right.

What an honor to have been a part of this project, this wedding, this beautiful story...

So now I will celebrate...and get ready for my next project.

The Mister has bought me an early birthday present. It arrives on Monday.

For those of you who guessed an embroidery machine, you are correct!

To say I am excited doesn't really describe what I am feeling. I already know what my first project will be...its a present for a certain sister-in-love, who took care of my children while I went to spend some time with the Island Girls on Whidbey Island this summer. Cannot wait to start!

All right, I cannot keep the CPQ waiting!

Happy Friday!

PS: The picture was taken at night, and doesn't really give a good view of the detail. But it gives you a glimpse!

Living His Dream: (The "Comment" That Turned Into A Post!)

Last week I accidently hijacked Whimzie (of Snoodling's ) comment section on her post entitled: Who Were You Born To Be?

Instead of being irritated at my post in her comments section, she has posted it for your viewing pleasure...

Click here to read it.

Happy Weekend!

PS: For my quiet readers who found this blog through True Campaign and Finding Balance , the comment I wrote in response to Whimzie's post has everything to do with my search for significance in this world...and I hope it encourages you to seek your significance in Truth!

What I Really Want

I've been thinking a lot this week about desiring God.

About filling that need inside of me that cries out for a Savior.

I've been thinking about how God knows me better than I know myself. He knows the ugly thoughts I have-- about myself, and others.

He knows all my feelings, all my wants, all my dreams, all my thoughts, all my failures, all my successes.

He knows my frustration, anger, and bitterness...He knows my every move.

He knows I long to fill spaces in my life with things I don't really want (or need)... though my flesh cries out to have them.

To some this may sound "personal".

It is.

Being known is always personal.

Several times this week I found myself in different parts of scripture, all with a common theme:


God knows who I really am, and He loves me.


I also spent this week thinking on this prayer from The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayer and Devotions.

Its speaks what my heart couldn't form the words to whisper.

Oh, that God will lift my head when my focus on Him is lost.

I cannot live without Him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DESIRES

OH THOU THAT HEAREST PRAYER,

Teach me to pray.

   I confess that in religious exercises

      the language of my lips and the feelings

of my heart have not always agreed,

   that I have frequently taken carelessly upon

      my tongue a name pronounced above

   without reverence and humillity,

   that I have often desired things which

      have injured me,

   that I have depreciated some of my chief mercies,

   that I have erred both on the side of my hopes,

      and also of my fears,

   that I am unfit to choose for myself,

   for it is not in me to direct my steps.

Let thy Spirit help my infirmities,

   for I know not what to pray for as I ought.

Let Him produce in me wise desires by which

   I may ask right things,

     then I shall know thou hearest me.

May I never be importunate for temporal blessings,

   but always refer them to the fatherly goodness,

      for thou knowest what I need before I ask;

May I never think I prosper unless my soul prospers,

   or that I am rich unless rich toward thee,

   or that I am wise unless wise unto salvation.

May I seek first the kingdom and its righteousness.

May I value things in realtion to eternity.

May my spiritual welfare be my chief solicitude.

May I be poor, afflicted, despised and have

      thy blessing,

   rather than be successful in enterprise,

   or have more than my heart can wish,

   or be admired by my fellow-man,

      if thereby these things make me forget thee.

May I regard the world as dreams, lies, vanities,

      vexations of spirit,

   and desire to depart from it.

And may I seek my happiness in thy favour,

   image, presence, service.

*italic emphasis is mine

Encouraging Pencil Pusher

I found a fun gift while window shopping in Michigan a couple weeks ago.

I was looking for something fun to bring home to the kids. 

Honestly, I was thinking t-shirts or water bottles, or something original like that, but what I came home with were these:

 

You'd've thunk I'd brought home gold. 

The kids loved their pencils. 

They quickly divvied them up, as if I had whittled, painted and monogrammed them myself, and they have placed them in their rooms in spots that are easily seen.

I suggested they put them in the pencil drawer, so they would could use them when school starts. They said the were "never going to sharpen them". They wanted to keep them where they could read them.

Which made me laugh. 

And made me think.

I too was drawn to those pretty little pencils. Drawn by the power of words.

They can build us up. Or tear us down.

Oh, that I may always use good ones!

New Kitchen

I have to be at a BBQ (FYI: For you southerners who have high expectations about BBQ, we are really just Grilling Out.) in one hour, with a dessert that I have yet to make.

But, I couldn't wait one more minute without showing you the latest pictures on the La Vida Kitchen Makeover.  (Click here for before and after pictures.)

The Mister installed the new kitchen sink and faucet this weekend. I couldn't be more pleased!  

I still have to paint our table black, and sew up the window treatments...but it's coming together.

OK...gotta get that dessert made!

Happy Day!

Shallow Comforts

* This post was written in September of 2007. Originally it was posted on another blog where I occasionally guest posted. In light of all "resolution talk" that goes around this time of year, re-reading this post was a good reminder to me. A reminder to focus back on what's important.

It is a bit long. So getcha a cup of coffee...You'll need it if you plan to stay all night tonight anyway!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Several weeks ago I started a Beth Moore study on the book of Daniel.  

The beginning of this study opens with Beth making parallels between the Babylon of Daniel’s time and the culture we live in today.

I agree with Beth, we do live in a modern day Babylon, where outward appearance is of supreme importance and everything from the magazine stand to the shampoo bottle is telling us that we deserve to be happy and wealthy; we “can have it all”. 

Our culture tells us that we can wish for, buy, steal or borrow happiness.  As a culture we are inundated with slogans, ad campaigns and “people” that tell us what we can do, think, and feel to achieve success and be considered ‘highly’.  

These products and philosophies are all distractions, taking my focus off the most important thing in life and replacing Him with surface level band-aids not meant at all to help the core of the problem. What is my problem?  Glad you asked!

My problem is that I am a sinner, completely and totally needy for a Savior. I have not committed any really “bad” sins so far in my life. I am faithful to my husband; I try to be a good mom. I give to the church and make meals for the needy. I am involved in ministry and do my best to be nice. OH! I have several pastors’ wives as good friends and I go, every week, to lady’s bible study, so I keep nice company. 

And yet…

 I do have a problem. One you can’t see and I try to keep hidden. A deep seated ugliness that I could pin on the whole Adam and Eve/Fall of Man thing. It’s the problem of not realizing how much I depend upon the things of the world to satiate my need for the One Thing. 

I need to sit down and remind myself that it is not a new wardrobe, not a pill, not a new exercise program, not to lose another five pounds, but The Savior alone, that can cure me. 

For the record, I’m talkin’ Jesus here.

I have become so beguiled to the culture I live in, that not only am I sucked in by the hype, but worse, I have stopped seeing how much it affects me.  

Apathy: that’s a scary place to be.  The trap apathy lays before me is one that isn’t the easiest to escape.

I’m reading Thomas a Kempis right now. This quote hit where it hurts this week:

It is unthinkable that a man can truly find happiness in this life, if at the same time he views himself as an exile here and sees his soul surrounded by many dangers.

On a day to day basis, I don’t see my soul surrounded by many dangers. I have grown complacent and comfortable in a culture that tells me that I am good and deserve happiness, and spoon feeds me information that I have been told I want to hear. To add insult to injury, I have found myself licking that plate clean and asking for more.  Because the things I think will fix me cannot satisfy my neediness.  It’s like eating cotton candy; a beautiful mound of fluffy pink cloud, full of empty calories that leave me wanting.  

All is distraction. Dangerous distractions that keep me from the realization that I cannot find happiness in a place where I am not meant to stay. Even if my time here lasts 90 years, this world is not my home.

Blessed is the man who can set aside all distraction…

Act with courage, for habit is broken by habit.

 –Kempis

At the beginning of the study it was suggested that we exercise a tiny bit of self-denial in a culture full of indulgence, abstaining from rich meats or something that would give us a chance to tell ourselves “no”. It could be anything and not just food and only for a time. 

This is suggested to be a tangible reminder to stand apart from our culture, a lot like Daniel and his friends did when they asked to be fed on a diet that was the antithesis of the Kings table. He did this because he refused to lay down the standards of God in exchange for the standards of men.  

I asked God to show me the ways in which I feed my mind upon the things of the world that are harmful to my soul.

And He answered.

I am a current events and news junky. I get on line several times a day to look up multiple news websites to see what is happening in the world. CNN, NYCTimes, and my local paper. Oh, and to keep up on “current events”, I also go to the People Magazine website. Every. Day.  

I was sad when I clicked over to People and saw that we, as a country, are watching young women deteriorate right in front of our eyes. 

One young singer in particular is in-over-her-head in an apathetic trap; losing her friends, fans, career, and maybe even her children.  She is losing her life, and I am logging on every day to see what will happen next; Aiding and abetting a mockery that is chewing up this woman and spitting her out.  

I am not saying that reading a People magazine is “bad”.  What I am saying is that I have become so indoctrinated in the way of the world that I can no longer identify her ugliness with the fact that it is really the same as mine...she is trying just as hard to feed that needy place reserved exclusively for Christ, with the cotton candy lies of the world. It’s just that my neediness isn’t plastered all over the world in a black sequin bikini; Mine is hidden behind a casserole and standard pew at church. 

So, I am giving current affairs and news stories a rest.  I have limited myself to the local 5 o’clock news and weather.com from now until December.  It’s been hard this week because browsing the news websites has become a habit. But I am looking forward to hearing what God has to share with me in the weeks to come as I clean out my head and heart of the rubbish, and replace them with the things of God.

The “shallow comforts of this world” aren’t enough.  I know that, but I don’t live that. 

It’s time to start.

Choosing Gratitude

I was so motivated to finish this week strong, but it didn't exactly go the way I planned.

The week of Thanksgiving is one of my favorite weeks of the year. In anticipation I had scheduled in advance to take the entire week of Thanksgiving off from school.  In all honesty, I am need of a break. 

Thanksgiving week is fun for me because I can organize with an end in mind. It's when I get my menu all put together, and my favorite holiday recipes pulled out. 

It's when I anticipate the setting of my Thanksgiving table and where I will set things.  It's when I dust the full service china settings and remember how much I love my dishes.

It's when we decide what movie we will watch on Thanksgiving night. 

It's when I get to anticipate a full day with the family. 

Even when it's just the four of us, as it would have been this year, I bake and cook and celebrate as if I am having the dinner party of all dinner parties.

I enjoy Thanksgiving. 

So, when The Mister came home and told me that he wouldn't be home for Thanksgiving because he had been pulled for a week of Administrative Duty, you could say I was deflated. 

I went from Martha Stewart to Oscar the Grouch in 2 seconds flat.

At first I was understanding. Then I was angry. Now, I'm just disappointed.

There have been a number of things happening around me that remind me to be grateful.

The family of a friend of mine buried a loved one yesterday. Next Thursday they will sit around a table and give thanks with one forever-empty chair. 

Another friend of ours lost his job. He had no idea it was coming. He just walked into work, was told to pack up his desk, and was escorted out, along with several co-workers.  They will eat turkey with their family and give thanks without knowing what their future holds.

I have friends with spouses fighting in a war.  Thousands of miles from home, they haven't seen their loved ones for over six months. They will give thanks that their husbands (and wives) are fighting for freedom, even though that means missing family milestones and many holidays.

I'm trying to keep things in perspective. Trying to remember that life goes on...even when I don't get my way! The flesh cries out to be heard. To be soothed. To be answered.

Deep in my heart, in that place that never speaks out loud, it cries "This isn't fair!"

But the rational part of my grumpy old self is remembering to choose gratitude.

God has blessed me with a tender-hearted and loving man; two healthy and sweet kids; we have family and friends who love us and care for us. We have a warm home and food to eat. We are, in comparison to many places outside of America, rich and spoiled people. How could I possibly forget to be grateful?

So, there won't be a Thanksgiving event here at the La Vida household this year.  It may be lasagna and salad on Sunday. But I'll remember to give thanks all the same.

Isaiah 51:3 - 

Joy and gladness will be found in her, 

Thanksgiving and the sound of singing.

Bloggy Advice

I swear I am going to write about (and giveaway) the sweet award Janel sent me last week, but I have to put it off for just one more day!

Here's the thing: Months before we moved back here I was reading Nester's blog and she wrote about a paint color called Tobacco Road. Turns out the color had been discontinued, but I emailed Nester, and sure enough she just happened to have the secret Tobacco Road code written on a paint can lid she had from 5 years ago. This girl is amazing!

Anyway, we got the paint mixed and I slapped a bit on the wall, and I hated it.

Until.

Until that little slap of paint started to grow on me, and after two weeks I realized that the Nester knows of what she speaks. 

So, today I recruited The Girl to help me paint the foyer.  Well the bottom half of the foyer. When we moved into this house the original paint was a pretty yellow (pictured above).  Below is the fruit of today's labor. 

Except I'm not sure I am done.

I had mentioned to The Mister that Tobacco Road had grown on me so much that I was thinking about painting the whole wall, leaving the trim white. 

He wasn't sold.  Change is hard on that sweet guy.

But the TR looks so good on the bottom I think it needs it on top too.  What do you think?

Here is my dilemma, if I paint the top portion of the foyer TR what about the portion up the stairwell?

See the wall behind the railing and the badly spelled seasonal decoration?  Technically is that part of the foyer?  Do I paint that TR too?

And that wall leads up to the hallway. Do I paint that too?

This is the shot looking down the stair way. See those big ominous white walls...what about those?

What do you think?