Whiter than Snow

Our back yard appears pure and beautiful after a snowfall.
What was mottled, muddy and dull just days ago is now alight and glistening.

Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;

According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity

And cleanse me from my sin.

Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being,

And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.

Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Psam 51: 1-2, 6-7 NASB

Grace Space

One of my new years renovations is to blog again...at least once a week. But, alas, i've been distracted.

First of all, i have been consistently Art Journaling Every Day. Not a lot to show for it... well, my moleskine is more decorated than usual, but i can't really show you that because the journaling is private. I'll attempt to take a photo and blur the words. We'll see. In summary, the Moleskine does not appreciate watercolor washes... it gets quite crinkly. On this two page spread I stenciled stars in watercolor and outlined them in glitter glue. This worked quite well, and i could journal around the shapes as well as inside them.

I've been painting a bit...i'm intimidated by paint, but working through it. Mostly i'm playing with watercolors and backgrounds. You know, when you see a great art journal page, the journaling and drawing are usually on top of a great background. Which means you need to work ahead a bit. I've been playing with different textures, including painting on newspaper and then cutting shapes out of it. I painted on bubble wrap and made splotches. I painted and then used the end of the brush to make swirls in the wet paint. Really...i'm a newbie. And, yes...i'm a perfectionist which slows me down.

The yellow entry discusses this. I found this quote online, and added it to a previously painted background. The background has nothing to do with the quote ...but...it was ready so i used it. I'll show you that one, since I'm working on not demanding perfection, and perfect it is not. It is a bit fun though... don't you think?

And today we had some snow, so i added snowflakes to the blue background i had previously painted. I even dusted off my embossing powder and heat gun. Funny, i used to do all kinds of crafty things...so i have SO MANY of the supplies already. Fun!

I've been taking notes on web sites and from books in a CACHET sketchbook (ecru) and also playing with paint on it. So, as you can see, i'm cutting the pages and mounting them on a black travel journal i found among my *stuff.* It will collect my trial runs and a commentary on what materials were used.

In order to get better, i must start. Right?

And i AM having fun. It's freeing to just play. It's freeing to just do *part* of a page, knowing that i can add to it another day. And mostly, truth be known, i am having a BLAST reading all these books on mixed media, card making and visual journaling. I am just so content curled up with a deliciously illustrated book.

I've made some cards, too, but those will have to be a different post. Good night!

More Cave shots

Here are a few more views of The Art Cave.

This is another one of the walls. I love the old printers drawer to store rubber stamps. Except...if your shoulder bumps the corner...you got yourself a mess... you can't see them here, but under the visible stamps are rows containing three complete alphabets...little stamps...1/2 inch square...oh my...when those scatter it isn't fun...

Don't you love the "grace?" That was at the Christian bookstore...along with other words like faith and love. I just love the colors and the font. It fits so well here.

Here is the worktable...in use. You can see the sewing machine peddle up on the table because I kept running over it when I moved the table, (it's on wheels) and here the sewing machine is swung down into the table. (love that) In this shot the table is covered with craft paper because I'm ready to paint. The foreground half of the table swings down if you need more room and less table. Two or three people can easily sit and create. Come on over!

I have hardly had a chance to look at all my library books because I've been looking online at all the journal pages submitted thus far for the Art Journal Everyday challenge. Click on the button to the right and then find the link on her blog to the Flikr slideshow which shows examples of hundreds of art journalers' work. I'm a bit intimidated now. But I'm going to close the laptop and go spend my ten minutes. I'm going to stick office supply dots on a journal page and then watercolor over them. Next I will remove the stickers which will leave white spots on the page. No idea what will be next. The point is to START. So...here goes...

Art Journal Everyday Post 1

My friend Sweet Sue and I took covers off of oversized children's books and began the process of repurposing them. Patterned paper, magazine cut outs, glitter glue, Scripture passages, a covering of glitter Mod Podge, a covering of gel medium, some rubber stamps, some paint dabs...that's what's happened so far. I like it, but it's too "neat." Some paint rollering next...or printing paint onto it with bubble wrap... You can't see the glitter on the photo...it covers the word "sparkle."

Anyhow, it will be the book that houses pieces of 2011 to supplement my daily musing in my Daily Planner Moleskine.

I love journals.

The daily ten minutes of art will be very good for me.

The Art Cave photos

Read the previous post to explain "The Art Cave."

Here's what my little spot in the world looks like...

Lots of supplies... handy and ready...

Inspirational lighting. I have overhead lighting, but tend to use a task light and these colored globes.

A quilt shelf holds rubber stamps, and the Bluebird of Happiness. On the rack are many unfinished quilts of mine, and a few gems from my ancestors. This redwork is all hand stitched and hand quilted, by my great grandmother, Gram. My mother remembered her tracing magazine photos and product labels...

Gram also made the plain square patchwork, and my dad's mom, Oma, crocheted the ecru piece. It used to be a queen sized coverlet, but I took it apart (carefully) to use in various places. In our old house it was a valance, among other things...

The cardinal is my favorite bird. I'm *crazy* about cardinals. This one is from Jill this Christmas. Love it. Hmmm. Maybe it's an Art Nest.

These canvases were found at TJMaxx, my favorite store, a couple years ago. Now they are *home* in the art cave.

There's more, but...tis time for bed. G'night.

The Art Cave

Hi ho, hi ho...it's back to work we go. After EIGHTEEN glorious days off in a row, I returned to work today. Refreshed. Can't quite say "ready" as I'd prefer someone to pay me to be at home, but refreshed nonetheless.

And I had accomplished something. Something amazing.

During my break I created an Art Cave.

It is the room I've craved since being a grown up. A room of my own filled with meaningful mementos, hand crafted items, colored lights, art supplies and art books. It's overflowing with happiness. It's a tiny 9 by 10 room in the lower level, but it has a lovely French paned door to the hallway and an attached 10 by 10 closet full of floor to ceiling shelving. It has a high wood beamed ceiling, and is painted a sand color. Not that you can see much of the walls. They are artfully covered.

I love my cave.

It's chilly, but a space heater keeps me toasty, as does an afghan made by a friend. Two deteriorating redword quilts are on the quilt rack, hand stitched by my great grandmother, "Gram." A wildly colorful afghan covers the futon - crocheted by my mom Juanita. Some fine crochetwork in cotton (tatting kind of look) by my Oma is also on the quilt rack. And so are numerous quilts in process ... pieced by me. Kid sculptures are on the shelves. Hand made cards, crewel embroidery, favorite words...all on the wall. The shelves hold beloved books on art journaling. The quilting library is extensive, so that's in the walk in closet. My Bernina sewing machine is set up, and its table has a big pop up leaf on which I write and create. Truly...I love this little nook. grace space.

One evening Emily and I made cards together in there. One evening Sweet Sue and I cut the covers off of oversized children's books and began altering them with collage. (ooooo!) The point is that I have this huge creative urge and now I have a room in which to get messy. Actually, mostly the closet will be messy. I try to tidy the room each evening.

I've been obsessed with books on Art Journaling. I have scoured Amazon online, and thoroughly perused the supplies at Barnes & Noble and at Borders. A Borders giftcard from our son allowed a few to come home with me. And two library visits have yielded quite a stack. Last night I found a really coveted one at Half Price Books. I'm well stocked for inspiration.

And now, just now, I signed up for "Art Journal Every Day" HERE. I'm not thoroughly convinced that I should pledge anything "every day," but her requirement is ten minutes a day. That's certainly do-able. I'll have to be creative in my photography for it though (it links to this blog) because my journal is very private. I doodle and paint on my actual journal...that might have to be supplemented with some less private pages...

So, anyhow, in addition to the *occasional* devotional thought, and the *occasional* day in the life kinda blog, now there will be an *occasional* very amateur piece of scribbling.

Fun fun fun. Work began today, and class begins again on Thursday. But I can find ten minutes a day, right? Right?

PS Did I mention the music? My son jams on his electric guitar in the next room. Like right now. It's a rockin' down here!

Christmas Eve

"This is the eve of something wonderful - the eve of celebrating the nearness and closeness of Immanuel." Preparing My Heart for Advent by Ann Marie Stewart.

Niece Night

For the second year in a row we invited the six younger nieces over to bake and craft on December 23. An hour ahead I wondered WHY?!? But an hour after I was basking in the sweetness.

Six little girls from age 6 to 12 ... who knew the results. But they were giggling and happy and cooperative and sweet the entire three hours. What a delight. Cousin time.

Emily chose Kiss-mouse decorations (yum) and stringed popcorn for her part of the evening. (Anna was at work.) Aunt Grace chose journaling. If I instill the thought of journaling year by year...perhaps they will pick up on this enriching habit some day...

I purchased Composition Notebooks and some Heat n Bond. They got to pick fabric from the Aunt Grace stash, and then we heat n bonded it to the front of the notebooks. Back upstairs at the dining room table they got to sticker and cut and paste and write. And giggle. Lots of giggles.

I was amazed at how they enjoyed it. No one was bored. They were disappointed to clean up at 9:30. They all promised to bring their journals back next year, and I promised to have new ones and new supplies. Now that I know what a hit this was, I think a little kit will be assembled throughout the year for each of them. [I was hoping to assemble a fun journal kit or two this year, but picked SIX BOY NAMES in the family exchange. Sigh]

There's a lot of hustle and bustle of the season that comes and goes. But investing in people...that gives back more to my heart than the time invested. An evening well spent. An Aunt Grace legacy begun...

merry kiss-mouse

the littlest niece, Sydney

Stringing garland

Journal time!

2011

During my reading this morning I was reminded of Luke 1:37,

"For nothing is impossible with God."

What an amazing truth.

Right then and there I opened the 2011 Moleskine and put it on the inside front cover - a happy smattering of mismatch stickers. My motto for 2011...and beyond. My mantra. What I will learn to say under my breath...

My 2010 red Moleskine journal is literally bursting at the seams. What a year. It will be like putting a dear friend on the shelf...

Reading the Word, writing, journaling, pondering...I love it all. I take time most mornings, and it is my homemade therapy. Maybe 2011 is the year of the journal for you?

Christmas

Here's a peek at Christmas decor 2010...

Welcome! Come on in!

Sorry...Boomer is too comfy to greet you.

The tree and the fire are at the center of everything...

Peeking at the tree through the family room French door...

The dining room table gets a lot of use at this time of year, too.

I just LOVE Christmas. Everything about it. Celebrate!

Do You Hear what I Hear?

A beloved memory of mine is my older brother Jon (13 years my elder) sitting me on the piano as a little girl. He would play and sing "Do you hear what I hear?" and I would be the echo.

My devotional reading today reminded me to listen during this wondrous season. Listen more, talk less. Sounds like a plan. Right now I hear the roar of the fire...a favorite sound. And I hear Boomer snoring...he is sprawled out near the heat of the flames. Cherished morning sounds. Tonight I will hear the symphony and symphony chorus perform The Messiah. I'm in tears thinking about it. That music, those words...it moves me.

Zephaniah 3:17

17 The Lord your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing.

My devotional asks, in reference to this verse, "Are you quiet enough to hear God singing over you?" What a timely question.

I'm going to listen more today.

Advent

Twice in the last day I've been asked if I know of a good advent devotional. Twice I've referred them to my advent blog of a few years ago. So, if you're looking for a small daily reading, try http://advent-ful.blogspot.com

I'm going to revisit it too, and add comments here and there...so...read the comments for new insights. And PLEASE...leave a comment and your own thouhgts as well.

More presence

This morning my Bible reading took me to another gem.

Psalms 31:20 NASB
20 You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the conspiracies of man;
You keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues.

Did you see that phrase? "...the secret place of Your presence..." What a treasure! No matter what is swirling around us, what others may be saying or plotting, we can look away, breathe His name, and be swept under His wing to the place of secret presence.

Presence. I just can't get enough of it.

Presence

This morning as I studied in 1 Samuel 21:1-9, I came across the account of David eating the Bread of the Presence which was given to him by the priest.

Beth Moore had the following observation, "The everlasting covenant symbolized by the bread of the Presence was a reminder of the pledge of God's presence to His people. As he offered bread to David through Ahimelech the priest, I believe God pledged His presence to David throughout his exile and promised to be his complete sustainer." (p. 110 of David, 90 Days with a Heart Like His)

This resonates with me. Of all God's gifts, one of His greatest is presence. His presence. Here with me.

Emmanuel is one of my favorite words for Christ.

Matthew 1:23, "'...AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL, ' which translated means "GOD WITH US."

What a gift. What a sustenance. Christ is the bread of God's presence to and in us.

Recently in church I sang the song, "In the Presence of Jehovah," which has some of the most powerful words I've ever sung. It could be the theme song for any future speaking I might do. The lyrics so aptly describe what I find to be true.

In and out of situations

That tug-a-war in me

All day long I struggle

For answers that I need

Then I come into His presence

All my questions become clear

And for a sacred moment

No doubt can interfere.

In the presence of Jehovah

God Almighty Prince of Peace

Troubles vanish

hearts are mended

in the presence of the King

Through His love the Lord provided

A place for us to rest

A place to find the answers

In hours of distress

So now there’s never any reason

To give up in despair

Just look away and breathe His name

He will come and meet you there.

Presence. Nothing this world offers compares to experiencing the presence of the Almighty from moment to moment. As temptations and trials and worries press from every side, I truly need to "look away and breathe His name," and the situation becomes more bearable.

Presence. Emmanuel. Think upon these things.

Autumn

October 25. Two months until Christmas.

It's still 70 degrees here, so I expect we're all a bit unprepared, a bit un-adjusted. One day we could wake up to snow. This is Wisconsin, but even for here, this is bizarre weather. I did have a few fires on cool mornings, but overall... it's been warm.

It's time to change the photo on the top of the blog. The zinnias are about done. Not frozen yet, but I think they dried up. We've had a very dry fall.

The squirrels are in full preparation mode. I detest squirrels. They dig and bury items that sprout, and they eat all the bird seed. Rats with bushy tails. As I sit at my desk I see them all over the place in the trees.

The bird bath is the center of activity. I've never seen this before. There are quarrels at the bath as to which robin should flutter about in there first. Truly, there are a half dozen robins who are quite intent on cleaning up. They jump in and almost roll... fluffing their feathers every which way. And they're huge. Big fat robins. Are they readying to fly south?

Staring out the window is a huge temptation when your backyard is a woods. I love it. I feel my blood pressure lowering.

Yesterday a couple and their mid twenties daughter returned to church. Hadn't seen them for a while. Their thoughts were turned towards God last week when their 21 year old son, their baby, died of a drug overdose. Are there words to say? I hugged each of them tight.

As *problems* have arisen since then, the irritations of life, I've been comparing them mentally with what I *could* be coping with this morning. This is a healthy and timely reminder to me to count my blessings. And to GET OVER IT. This world ain't my home, I live here with a whole herd of imperfect people, and they're stuck with me. But I have health, relative wealth, safety, and four living breathing healthy children. Thank you Jesus.

Nothing much today. I'm just watching the robins and counting my blessings.

Young at Heart

Last Friday I was numb. A stressful week...we'll leave it at that. And so I cranked up the fire, brewed the coffee, and sat in my pajamas intent on *wasting* some time. First up was the crossword puzzle. I used to do them a lot. Now it's rare. Time. Who has enough?

I digress... So...the crossword is in the same section as the movies and the restaurant reviews. Mmmm. Delicious section that is. An article caught my eye - it contained a list of movies starring older actors, or the theme of aging. I wrote down some titles, cut out the article (which is now lost - likely recycled), and ordered a few on NetFlix.

Last night Frank and I began "Young at Heart." What an absolute gem. Here's how it is described on the Netflix envelope:

Coldplay, the Clash and Jimi Hendrix will never sound the same once you've heard the Young@Heart chorus, a group of Massachusetts senior citizens who thrill audiences worldwde with their unusual...and unusually poignant...covers of rock songs. Stephen Walker's humane and heartwarming documentary, which premiered at Sundance in 2008, follow the elderly ensemble as they prepare their latest show for public performances.

I love old people. Truly. And these spry 80 year olds are the cream of the crop. Simply adorable as they try to learn the lyrics to punk and rock songs.

I completely recommend this movie - for an entertaining, feel good, real life encounter with aging with grace. Wow. I can't wait to finish it tonight.

Another benefit... one of the women, 92 years old, is highlighted often. Her face is layer upon layer of happy wrinkles. She looks like a beautiful senior citizen version of a very wrinkly faced dog. I mean that as a compliment. Her face is amazingly layered and just exudes beauty.

But anyhow, this morning as I put on my eye cream and Oil of Olay, I actually thought...geez...you look YOUNG. Ha. That is a fringe benefit indeed. I feel like a youngster after a few hours with that group.

Rent it. And then come back to comment. Enjoy!

My own way

Precious morning time. Seated at the dining room table with my pumpkin coffee, my iPad Bible, our new Bible study book -Beth Moore's "David: 90 Days with a Heart Like His," my journal and my colored pens. And on this kinda sad, tired, slightly overwhelmed feeling morning, God sliced right through the centuries to speak right to me. 1 Samuel 8:1-22 is the text. Israel wants a king, which so saddens the prophet Samuel. They want their way, not God's way A couple of Beth's observations speak deeply to me.

"One lesson speaks of patience. God had already planned a king for the people. Their lack of patience was to cost them dearly. If they had waited for the Lord's choice instead of demanding their way, how different might the story have been?" (p. 47)

I had never thought about the fact that of course God already David picked out, the king in the lineage of Jesus. Patience. God has a plan. The best plan for all involved.

"Often when God does not readily give us what we want, it is because He knows what our desire would cost us. Faith sometimes means forgoing our desires because we trust Christ to have a better plan for our lives." (p. 47)

Yes, yes, of course. It's good to be reminded of the basics, isn't it?

I love this morning hour with God. My flexible job sometimes demands abbreviated Word time, abbreviated "journal sit and ponder time." Flexibility goes both positive and negative of course. But today, today I can get to work a bit later because I have to work bit tomorrow and Monday which are generally my days off. So today I am savoring, and pleading for an attitude adjustment in this blue spell.

Romans 5:3-5
3   And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

God always meets us when we slow to listen, and amazingly, He knows just what to say. :)

Theology

Studying Theology over here. Couple thoughts.

1. My right hand just rubbed against bare wood on the desk as I wrote review notes on an index card. That bare wood is from my father's hand rubbing there as he wrote 50 years of sermons at this desk. That just warms my heart. I've been missing him lately.

2. I wanted to share the definition of Verbal Plenary Inspiration. (the Trinity Evangelical Divinity School view of Scripture) That description is derived from 2 Tim 3:16

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

All = plenary = the whole of Scripture

Scripture = verbal = The words themselves are inspired

God breathed = inspired = exhaled by God.

The Bible is the result of the creative initiative and action of God.

Stream of Consciousness

There are so many blog posts rolling around in me as I journal, and yet of course my to do list is longer than my day, preventing me from pouring them onto my keyboard. But, what the heck, I'll write a little here and there.

HELLO!

Our Anna Grace is 18 today. Amazing: another child brought to adulthood. One to go. It is one of life's pleasures to see your children grow into delightful people. Many times recently I've questioned if I was cut out for four children [I'm not good with chaos] [I totally melt down at times in chaos] but truly the benefits outweigh the exhaustion. [I'm in the exhaustion stage of life] Happy Birthday Anna Grace. We can't imagine a more well rounded, sweet Christian daughter than you.

What I love about Anna is that she grabs all of life - enjoys so many different activities and people, and is so content in her own skin. It's a joy to watch. [She's starkly different than her mother was at 18] [thank God] And yes, we definitely have our mother daughter face to face conflicts, but those are so a part of the normal process of gaining independence that I'm thankful for them too. We have a very honest relationship. I love my Anna Grace.

This week end my friend Kathi and I were at The Moody Church in Chicago for a 1.5 day seminar on the Middle East Conflict and how it relates to the Bible. Amazing. The featured speaker was Joel Rosenberg. My father so enjoyed his book, "Epicenter" when it was released in 2006, and would have LOVED this conference. We loved this conference, and I wish I had more time to study it. I'm hoping an elective will come along in seminary so that I can spend more time in Prophecy.

One of the speakers was a former driver and sniper who worked for Arafat. He was touched by the love of Jesus through a patron at a restaurant in which he worked, and turned his life around. Now his life is spent spreading Christ's love in the Arab world. What an amazing story of God's grace.

There are so many good options for how to spend time. And there is so much in the Word that I look forward to delving into. I wrote in my journal this morning that the definition of SWEET is when "my ought-to collides with my want-to." Studying the Word is that for me. I ought to. And I want to. Sweet.

Speaking of which, it's time to spend some time with David - a man after God's own heart. And then I need to spend a few hours on Theology - we have our mid term this week. And in between I'll be puttering around, setting the table for the big birthday dinner, making rolls, prepping for the requested chicken shrimp stir fry. The requested angel food cake is in the oven now. There are presents to wrap too. And sunshine to bask in here at the dining room table. Life today is very pleasant.

MARGIN. Kathi loves that word, and we yakked about it on our way to Chicago. What a great concept - to build margin into our days. BALANCE. Another word to chew on. And SIMPLICITY. I'm entering the stage of life where I want less stuff and not more. More beauty. Less stuff. More experiences, less stuff.

I'm singing tomorrow at the funeral of a 70 year old woman. That feels so young to me. She left behind five grand children under the age of 11. Whew. It's hard to ponder.

It's one of those days where there is just a lot swirling about in my head - can you tell? I am thankful beyond words for a Monday off. I am so glad that we have chosen over the years to have me work part time. I likely have the higher earning potential of the two of us, yet I can't express how thankful I am that we have not built a life on two full time incomes. These scattered days off keep me whole. It's my margin, creating balance in a world swirling with options. It's why we could have four children, how we could create and maintain a lovely home, how we can and could take the time to care for aging parents, and why I now can be in seminary. God has allowed me this flexibility, and for that I am extremely grateful. Each of us has different callings, different options, and different definitions of margin. I think of the verse in Psalms 16:6 "The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed my heritage is beautiful to me."

[There is no time to write it now, but it is pure fact that a difficult childhood has greatly contributed to who I am, and what my priorities are. And a marriage that keeps me on my knees is the same one that allows for me to be a part time worker. God works in mysterious ways, doesn't he?]

Enjoy your Monday. Don't forget to create a moment or two of margin, and count your blessings. Lately I've been back into knitting. I knit and talk aloud to God in the morning, reciting my blessings and concerns. It might only be ten minutes, but it's really helping me to stay focused on prayer. I'll post a photo of the latest project soon...

Well, this post is really all over the place. So is my brain. Welcome. :}