Playing Sublimely

Playing Sublimely Has A New Web Address!

2011-02-03T15:59:00.004-05:00

Hello you blogger friends of mine! It has been brought my attention that some of you are unaware that Playing Sublimely has moved! If you were a previous follower of mine here on blogger, I couldn't take you with me. You will need to resubscribe to my blog over at the new site. Beginning back on January 1st, I moved to WordPress! Come over, visit, say hello and get caught up at http://www.playingsublimely.com . I have missed you!

Open wide your doors!

2010-12-13T00:00:00.002-05:00

This Christmas, my goal was to keep it simple. I typically put up two trees, one with white lights and one with colored lights. But this year I gave myself permission to not...and it feels so good. I picked three areas to focus on, no more, no less. My front porch. Our family room Christmas tree. And my dining room table. That's it.

My front porch was inspired from a store front. The minute I saw what the store owner had put over her front doors, I knew I would do it over mine. The ribbon reads "Open wide the doors, that the King of Glory may come in. Psalm 24:7". Don't you just love it...is there not a more perfect scripture verse in all the Bible?

The store that inspired the verse, had embroidered the ribbon that read the bible verse. Well that wasn't in my budget, so I used a gold Sharpie paint pen and it worked just fine.

And with the "King of Glory" as my theme, the crowns were added to my wreaths.

Our Christmas tree:

The only other space I decorated for Christmas was the dining room table. It is a collection of candles, plants, over-sized trumpet ornaments, and ribbon. Most of this I already had, and I just clustered it all up together and called it a centerpiece!

And finally, because these three darlings that are visiting Santa are mine, and because one of them is about to have a birthday this week, and because they are about to be out of school, and because I haven't bought the first Christmas present, Playing Sublimely is closing up shop for the rest of this year. But oh how I hope you will join me the 1st of January! Darcy has been working her magic on some renovations and we plan to be up and running with a new look by the 1st of the year. There will be a few changes in store for us around here, and I can't wait get back into writing in 2011! Merry Christmas my sweet friends, and won't you open up your doors wide and let a whole lot of Glory come in this Christmas season! There is a sweet baby in a manager that I want to draw close to these next few weeks. I adore you all and will see you in January!

Much love in Him,

Linking up with Kelly and The Nester this year!

Handmade Christmas Tutorials: A "re-publish"

2010-12-09T22:17:00.006-05:00

As we approach this gift giving time of year, I thought it relevant to "re-publish" a few of my tutorials that I think make great gifts.First are my monogrammed candles, which are probably one of my most favorite things in my house. Edie at Life in Grace (one of the coolest girls in blogger world) hosted a 12 days of Handmade Christmas, and these painted candles of mine were Day 8. Click here to read the tutorial; but more importantly, check out all the other 11 ideas for a handmade Christmas.

The other handmade gift tutorial, was featured with Gina from The Shabby Chic Cottage over at her 12 Days of a Handmade Christmas. Click here to check out that tutorial. In other news, my oldest daughter told us yesterday that her class was "brainstorming" a list of treats that their moms are especially good at making, and ones that all the children would like to have as a part of their Christmas celebration at school. She oh so descriptively told me that some kid's moms made great sugar cookies, and others said that their mom made great brownies, and so on and so on. I should interrupt this retelling to inform you that as she was painting this charming little scene for us, my husband and I both knew where it was going, and he was already practically hyperventilating from laughter anticipating the punch line. She said that when it was her turn to share, she said (and I directly quote) "I couldn't think of anything that you make that is any good, so I just said you will probably bring in Krispy Kreme doughnuts...cause that's what you always do". In her defense, she didn't mean it nearly as awful as it sounded, she was actually being quite innocent and factual about the whole thing. And besides, home girl was right, there is nothing I could ever make for a Christmas party that would ever be better than just simply picking up a dozen hot Krispy Kreme doughnuts. The best part was my second child quickly came to my defense, and started listing all the things I make that are really good (all lies). Then my oldest daughter got upset because she realized that she had probably hurt my feelings (which she had not) and started trying to back pedal on everything she had just confessed. I haven't laughed that hard in awhile, and I can tell you my husband has not!

There are only two weekends left before Christmas sweet friends, happy crafting! And today, I'm linking up with these two crafty girls Stacey and Gay, this tutorial was just too perfect not to.

Insanity on a Wednesday

2010-12-08T00:00:00.001-05:00

My sister called from a store the other day to read me a sign that she was standing in line to purchase. It said "Chaos, Panic, Destruction...my work here is done". We laughed because it is the story of our lives. Do you ever feel like there is anything you ever really do where at the end of it you say, "well that was easy". Or is it just us? Are we the only ones that live life a little more on the "frazzled side" than the "put together side"? I do this in everything. When I paint, when I make dinner, when I write, when I drive carpool...even in bible study I tend to over analyze, over think, over struggle.

All this frazzledness leads me to painting. I've been painting a lot lately and I love it. I love painting kid's stuff, nothing fancy, nothing trained, just basic kid's room kind of art. I don't know why I love it, I just love it. I have no real reason to paint, I just so enjoy the creating part of it all. But then the time comes when I'm done with the painting. My husband always says, "so what are you going to do with it?". I always look at him with this bewildered look on my face as if that is a dumb question and say "I have absolutely no idea what I am going to do with it". Is that normal? Cause I kinda think it's not. In a perfect world, I would give my art away as gifts to people, to friends. But then comes the over analyzing. What if they don't like it? Then what are they gonna do with it? I can picture them stuffing it away in a closet somewhere, and then as soon as they see me walk up the drive way, they frantically run through the house to go hang it up on a wall as if it had been there all along. Isn't that the most horrible thing you have ever heard?!? That makes my skin crawl. I couldn't do that to people. They are innocent of course, they didn't ask me to paint anything for them. So instead I just stack them in a corner of my house and let them collect dust. Which is okay because the only reason I paint is because I enjoy it so much. But then the voice of reason starts saying, "this really is too time consuming of a hobbie for you to just stack paintings in the corner, there is just really no point". So then I do the practical thing and go through a period of time where I put my paints and brushes away, close the door to my craft room, and I paint nothing. But here is the problem...I really want to go back in that room and paint some more. Do you think I should check myself in somewhere? Do you wish you hadn't just spent the last three minutes reading this post? I so like all you blogger friends of mine on the other side of this monitor that keep coming back :).

Just one more

2010-12-06T00:00:00.000-05:00

It's Thomas' most used sign language: "just one more". One more M&M, one more book before nap time, one more sip of my coke. And because I am his mother, I delight in giving it to him. I love to watch him as I hand him that one more of whatever it is he is requesting, he usually squeals and runs in place with excitement, grinning from ear to ear. The most amusing part of the game is that we both know that he really doesn't mean it. I play the game with him because it's so stinkin' cute, but I know full well that as he agrees to only needing one more, he's gonna change his mind and think to himself "well maybe just one more after that".

In the midst of our ritual the other day, I started wondering if I do the same thing with God. Do I say and ask and pray too often for just one more? Just one more answer Lord. Just one more blessing Lord. Just one more victory Lord. Now before anyone thinks that I am for one moment implying that our God does not delight in blessing His children, that He is not faithful to always redeem His children, that He does not always hear and answer the prayers of His children, let me clarify. The Lord says in Malachi 3:10, "Test me in this, and see if I do not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it". God loves and is willing to pour out blessing; but I just wonder if He sometimes wonders when I am gonna notice the blessings that He has already given. Maybe He is thinking, "oh I can I pour out more blessing, but I'd kinda like for you to rest in the blessing that I gave you yesterday". Does that make sense, or I am delusional on this one? I do not have the slightest idea why that came to me the other day as my little man was asking me for one more, but it did. Maybe I just needed a Holy Spirit reminder that one more M&M might not be what my soul really needs. Maybe one more sip of coke is just one sip too many. And maybe my weary soul would do well to just be still and know that He is God, that He himself is enough, and I might just not need one more of anything after all. Just a thought...

A new world for me: cabinet and furniture finishes

2010-12-02T06:10:00.006-05:00

I've been at big girl "camp" this week, hanging out at Faux Works doing the thing I love to do, but never have time to do. But this time I have been playing on cabinets and not walls. I met some great decorative artisans from all over the world (everybody wants to train with Barb). It is so exciting for someone like me who just does this stuff because I think it's cool, to hang around people like them. I have always been too overwhelmed to venture into the world of fine cabinetry and furniture finishes. Walls were all I could wrap my brain around, and even that was a lot to handle. But I have finally decided to stop thinking too much with all this stuff, and so I just registered to take the class...and now I wish I hadn't waited so long. Barb Skivington, in all her awesomeness, put together a basics cabinet finishes class for all us first timers in the world of wood surfaces and it was anything but basic. These finishes are Habersham, Woodland quality finishes (actually, they are even better). They feel as good as they look. I wish you could see how excited I get when I finally start grasping how these surfaces are created, it's like "ohhhhhhhhh, now I get it". Just thrilling for me! All the below photographs are courtesy of Faux Works website and Barb Skivington's masterful work. And yes, now I can do that! Oh how I love this stuff!

You have to go, if you want to see it

2010-11-29T09:52:00.005-05:00

Sometimes the things you have to do are the tough things, the things that force you out of the comfort of where you are. Sometimes the thing that you are being asked to do, makes you start to wonder if you are really being asked to do it at all. Sometimes that thing, is the same thing that leaves you thinking for sure, "this can't be the right thing, I must have heard this wrong". Ever been there? I'm there right now.

And then my sister called who is wiser than I am and said, "remember Lazarus, go back and recall what was happening with Jesus right before He raised Lazarus from the dead". And so I did. And now I wonder if you have ever noticed the same treasure. To fully appreciate the gift, you have to start back several chapters before Lazarus is raised from the dead in Chapter 11. Jesus is in Judea where He heals a blind man in Chapter 9. The religious leaders were getting fired up by all the controversy that Jesus was creating, and before the culmination of their hatred takes place on the cross, they sought to stone Him in the temple for His profession that "I and the Father are one" John 10:30. That is where they were with Jesus, ready to kill Him. And the last we hear in Chapter 10 is that Jesus "escaped their grasp" in verse 39, and left Judea crossing over the Jordan River.

Chapter 11 picks up with us learning that Mary and Martha have sent word to Jesus that "the one you love is sick" (speaking of their brother Lazarus). I love that description, "the one you love". It is such a clear reflection of Jesus' heart for us. The truth was, Jesus loved that whole family, and He was about to allow them to be a part of what I think is possibly the most significant event in His ministry, preceding the cross.

Naturally, the disciples were not excited about going back to Judea. They were there when the Pharisees surrounded Jesus with stones in their hands. But buried between Jesus telling His disciples He wanted to return to Judea to see Lazarus, and Jesus actually raising Lazarus from the dead, is the part I had not noticed until my sister pointed it out. Thomas says one simple statement, that actually says a lot about the state of all the disciples at that moment, and can possibly speak a lot to you and I today, if we would allow it. Thomas tells the rest of the disciples (that were afraid to return to Judea because they might be killed) "Let us also go, that we may die with Him" John 11:16. Did Thomas understand at all why Jesus was going back to Judea? No. Did the plan make any sense whatsoever to him? Nope. And yet he was faithful and obedient and trusted the One that said, "Let us go back to Judea".

How about you? Do you have a "Judea" that the Lord is calling you to? Does your Judea look anything like Thomas'? Are you asking God things like "Seriously? This cannot be what you want. This doesn't make any sense. This cannot be Your plan!". Don't you think the disciples were downtrodden as they made their way back to Judea, anticipating death. Obedient yes, but confused nonetheless. And don't you think the Lord had a smile on His face as He crossed back over that Jordan River knowing what His men were about to witness. And oh what they saw that day. They got to hear Jesus say "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whosoever lives and believes in me will never die". They got to see their God walk up to a cave and say "Take away the stone". And they got to witness the power of God when He said "Lazarus, come out!"...and they got to see the dead man obey.

Can you imagine how the disciples would have felt if they had missed that? What if they had not gone to Judea because they were afraid? Would Jesus not have performed the miracle? Of course He would have, but His men would have missed the blessing of witnessing it. I don't want to miss the blessing. I don't want to not go to Judea just because I am afraid. God has a stone that He wants to roll away in your presence my friend, but you have to follow Him to "Judea" in order to see it. Rolling away stones is His specialty...you don't want to miss it.

The One within the pages

2010-11-21T14:25:00.006-05:00

I wasn't kidding last week when I told you I was struggling. Oh how serious I was being with you...and I'm still struggling. My Mom called last week and said "I can tell you are about to lose it". She is a few hundred miles away, but she can still tell when her daughter is about to come undone. But there is something surprisingly therapeutic about writing (especially when you feel called to it), and I always feel a little less crazy after expressing my feelings here. Even more so when I hear back from someone that says they are in the exact same place. It's not a "misery loves company" kind of comfort, so much as it is a "you have a friend next to you treading water" kind of comfort. There is hope in that. There is comfort in not feeling like the only one. My girl Jill (that I have grown to adore through this world of blogging), wrote to me in response to my disturbing admission that I sometimes consider putting down my dog and said "if it makes you feel any better, almost daily I consider having my dog put to sleep and then strategically laying her in the road like she got hit by a car. You are not alone" . I laughed every time I thought of that the rest of the day. Tell me you do not love her! Her dog recently brought her the leg of a deer, and then she had to play tug of war with him to get it out of the his mouth. Now that is a woman who deserves to wrestle with thoughts of wanting to put her dog to sleep for bad behavior.

This comfort of "there is someone right next to you treading water", is what I love about the Word of God. There isn't a feeling that I am experiencing that cannot be ministered to somewhere within those pages. From start to finish, that Book is packed full of comfort and encouragement. I have been telling you in recent weeks that I am currently studying both the lives of Moses and Esther. I always fall in love with the characters that I am studying in the Word. The first time this happened to me was when I was studying Abraham. I went into that particular study, dreading it a little (because how exciting could Genesis really be), and I came out on the other side of the study unable to get enough of it. At that particular season of my life, I could so identify with the struggles in that first book; and at this particular season of my life, I can so very much identify with Esther and Moses.

And what I find time after time is that at the root of it all, when you trace the source of the comfort back to it's origin, I always find that the One in which I am actually identifying with, is the One that wrote the story. It's not necessarily Moses' screw up, and his fleeing Egypt that I find comfort in; but rather the One that He met when he finally collapsed in the desert at The Well (Exodus 2:15). It's not Esther's great dilemma that encourages my heart to trust, but rather the One that was in the heavenlies orchestrating the entire course of events above her. His Name is the One that brings the comfort through struggles. It's the way He faithfully ministers to the ones within the pages that illustrates His character, and begs me to come and rest, and to trust that time is in His hands.

Some days...

2010-11-18T10:17:00.005-05:00

Some days I feel my blood pressure moving in a direction that is not healthy. In the midst of the everyday, the pouring coffee, the waking up sleepy children, the carpooling, the doing homework, the making dinner, the fall leaves changing colors...I feel my heart beginning to race. Some days I feel as though keeping my head above water is all I can do, and then I hate that about myself because I didn't even do that well. And then I think how pathetic it is that I cannot even keep my head above water, when there are other people in the world that are living in orphanages in Africa, that care for hundreds of children everyday, and probably do not yell nearly as much as I do. Some days I just wonder how I got to such a fragile place in life that when the Starbucks guy tells me they are out of pumpkin spice latte syrup, and that they will not get in anymore this year, that I walk away crying. Yes crying. Or I wonder how I got into such a place in life that for a brief moment I thought that if our dog knocked my son over one more time, the only reasonable solution would be to put him to sleep. I am being dead serious with you. Some days I even surprise myself with the levels of insanity I am capable of reaching.

Some days the small, little everyday changes of life are too much for me to handle. I find myself obsessively watching the leaves falling from the trees, sad because I know they will soon be bare and lifeless. There's no joy in that. There is no joy in behaving like the miser Scrooge counting his stacks of coins on his desk, and I do that too often. I may not be counting coins, but I do count the years. If a miser is someone who hoards money, then I suppose you could call me a hoarder of time. I watch my 5 year old walk into school with her backpack on and I sometimes cannot even get out of the parking lot before I am sobbing. Or there are those nights when I place my son in his crib that he is soon to outgrow, and I think to myself why is everything changing so quickly! Stop changing!

But then I wonder if that is all part of the plan. If all this changing is supposed to force us to find the One that will never change. The One that has remained the same from the beginning, and will still be the same in the end. I wonder if we were created to need something or Someone that never changes, and then intentionally placed in a world that always changes, so that we will never stop seeking and grasping for The Rock of which to place our feet firmly on...The One that promises to never change.

Anthropologie for Kids and Headband Love

2010-11-17T00:00:00.001-05:00

When I have too much to do, and I start getting overwhelmed by life, I sew. For some reason it seems therapeutic to me, but I think it is really just a glorified method of procrastination. It drives my husband insane! So since I have been busy recently, I have also been sewing. And since I love Anthropologie, and since I love making my kid's clothes, I kind of combined the two for a a few kid friendly Anthro looks. I'm weird.

OK, so this one doesn't have any Anthropologie inspiration, I just kind of winged it. It might be my favorite though.

And in other news: have you been noticing those fantastic headbands in my girl's hair? I just so happen to know the very talented and cutest Texas girl walking the planet that makes those headbands. Her name is Samantha (aka: The Crafty Texas Girl) and she makes "ridiculously cute" gifts for children. My girls are "headband kind of girls", so I had her whip up a few for them and oh my goodness are they great! Aside from how cute they are, I have to say that the best thing about them is how well they fit the girl's heads, not too tight, not too loose. These make great gifts and are my most favorite accessory for the girls!

Click here to go say hi to Samantha. You know you have some Christmas gifts to buy!

My master bedroom: A before and after

2010-11-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

We haven't been house touring in awhile; partially because my attention span is so short, and partially because my house is never clean and orderly enough to photograph. But my master bedroom remodel is finally complete, so I forced all the humans that live in my house out of the room for 10 minutes and I took pictures. And though it is already messed up again, and clothes are once again piled on the floor, she is still a lovely room.

Here was the before:

My cute carpenter and I gutted the previous master bedroom, office, and master bathroom, to create the our new space:

The walls are my most favorite decorative finish that I have done in this house. They are subtle and soothing, it is a great look for a master bedroom.

Do you like the way I am "storing" all my fake jewels? My husband says it's weird. It certainly isn't conventional, but it adds color and a bit of bling to the room, and that makes me happy.

Another mention: My "set" of bedroom furniture was boring me. A little too matchy matchy for what I wanted, but replacing a perfectly functional bedroom set is of course not practical. So since new furniture was not an option, I instead just changed out my end tables for antiques, and all my matching mirrors were switched out for unique consignment store finds that I painted. A much more affordable and reasonable alternative indeed. This mirror was originally green, but I changed her look by painting her ivory and gold, then I aged her a bit by sanding. It is my favorite piece in the room.

My chairs...oh the love for my chairs.

Another painted antique mirror.

Some details:

This picture is of my husband pouring table wine while at a street cafe in Montmartre, France. It will always be one of my favorite photographs.

And because I love before and afters, I'm linking up with Cheri, and also Roeshel today over at The DIY Showoff .

Mighty to Save

2010-11-10T00:00:00.002-05:00

The folders come home from school with my girls every Monday. If I'm being real, I kinda dread them a little. I can expect to park myself in a chair for about 45 minutes every Monday and read, and read, and read; and then pray, and pray, and pray that I will not forget all the information I am supposed to know after all the reading. These folders always come bursting with artwork as well; and from time to time a masterpiece emerges from the monotony, and this overwhelmed heart of mine stops and smiles. It happened this week with Caroline's art...
Did you know your Daddy is mighty to save too? He is the author of your salvation, He wrote the story. He knows the beginning, the middle, and the end of our lives. He knows all the ways we mess up and fall short, and He knows how desperately we need a mighty savior. We tend to think we are only worth saving when we are like my Caroline, young and innocent and drawing pictures about how her daddy is her hero and saves her. And then we grow up and start thinking that God sees us differently. We start believing that He sees us like we see ourselves: shameful, guilty, less innocent adults that have wandered from our daddy's side. We start believing that He is mighty to save all the others more deserving of His strength. We forget what He has done for the prodigal son...or in my case, the prodigal daughter.

If a girl's life can have a theme song, then this song is mine. I need to know that I do not have the one mountain that my God cannot move. I need to be reminded that He rose and conquered the grave, not for a few elite, but for those like me, and for you. For "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" Zephaniah 3:17. Oh how He adores you sweet friends...

Lucky at Lucketts

2010-11-08T06:50:00.009-05:00

I knew my weekend was going to be great when I woke up to a grande pumpkin spice cup of heaven. Did you know you could experience a glimpse of heaven here on this earth for only $5? You can. And it comes topped with whip cream and cinnamon...of course it comes topped with whip cream and cinnamon. It wouldn't be heaven without it. My friend marched her sweet self into Starbucks in pajamas, no bra, and slippers just because she knew I would love it...because that's just what friends do. I'll get to the loveliness of Lucketts in a minute, but I just can't help but make this post more about being lucky with friends than being lucky at Lucketts. I know a thing or two about not having friends. If I'm being honest, I've lived the majority of my years on this earth without friends. Oh how I know the hurt of mean girls! Do you? I know what it feels like to be alone. I know what it feels like to be talked about. I know what if feels like to be pushed around and afraid to go to school. And the sad thing is, adult girls can sometimes look a whole lot like the young girls from our past. Oh their ways of hurting are disguised differently, but it creates the same wound. I mention all these things for only one purpose, to tell you that the found treasures of the weekend weren't at all the stuff I saw, but rather the girls I got to see it all with. I think because I spent some much time without girlfriends that would love me despite myself, I cherish that much more my girls today. They are the kind of girls that know all about your junk, and love you anyway. The kind of girls that are the hands and feet of Christ to you. I have such a great group of girlfriends, and though I only had a few of them with me this weekend, I couldn't help but love all of them even more after being away with a few of them for a couple of days.

And now for the stuff. All I'm gonna say about Lucketts is if you ever have a chance to go, go! It's dreamy. The store is strategically positioned by God in the exact place where He most certainly calls home on this planet, it is without a doubt where God gets His mail. The drive reminded me of driving through the countryside in Paris...yes, it was really that lovely. And the fall colors of autumn certainly helped with the view.

Here is a sampling of what we saw:

I am ashamed to admit it, but we left our trip without one piece of furniture. I think it was the cheapness in each of us that prevented us from pulling the trigger on a purchase, it certainly wasn't the absence of deliciousness. It just seemed wrong to buy something that was already lovely, we are more the type that picks it up off the side of the road and then makes it lovely. You think I'm kidding? I spotted these 4 pretties on the side of the road while driving 70 mph. Did we stop? Yes. Is there possibly a litter of kittens somewhere inside these chairs? Absolutely. Did we pay $20 for all four? Yes. Did one of us not think they would all fit in the car? Yes. Did they all 4 fit in the car? Barely. Are they going to look phenomenal painted white and recovered in linen? You bet they are.

I love these girls.

Lucketts anyone?

2010-11-04T00:00:00.002-04:00

I'm Lucketts bound. I am finally going! I have wanted to make the trip north for about a year. I swoon over their stuff all too often, and the weekend is finally upon me. A few of my girls and I are jumping in the SUV with a Uhaul hooked to the back, and we are off! I mentioned wanting to go to Lucketts awhile back and I had several emails from people telling me that they would like to go too. So if you are local to the DC area and are up for a trip, let me know. I will be there this Friday. If you are a murderer, please do not come and find me. I would not be fun to murder because I would scream loud and pull out your hair. And if you want to kidnap me or my friends for ransom, you really should know in advance that my husband has seen the Mel Gibson movie Ransom, and he says that if he was ever in that situation that he would play hardball just like Mel Gibson's character, and he would never pay a dime. But if you just want to come and hangout with cool girls and buy great stuff, then send me an email...we will meet up! Here is some of the stuff that I intend on buying...

I'm just kidding honey, I'm not really buying all of that stuff...at least that is not my plan.

The Voice of Truth is telling you to Shout!

2010-11-02T13:49:00.007-04:00

The more I read of biblical giants, the more I stand in awe of my God. For none of these characters that I have been studying started out as giants at all. Moses wasn't born a leader, Joshua wasn't born a courageous conqueror, and David wasn't born a king. There is a common rhythm to which each of their hearts beats, and God doesn't want you and I to miss the tempo. Each of these men stepped into a life they never dreamed they would live. They were born anything but what they became. God does that with the willing, He creates in us a heart more like His, if we will allow Him. These men were called to extraordinary circumstances and through faith, they fulfilled their calling.

I was reading the beginning of Joshua's story last night, and I couldn't help but catch something that I know was very intentional, something God meant for you and I to cherish as a gift. The scene is this: Moses had died and Joshua had been selected by God as the new leader of the Israelites. He had an enormous task ahead of him...finally leading God's people into their promise land. So what does God repetitively say to Joshua three times within the first chapter: "be strong and courageous". That tells me something about the state of Joshua at that time...he wasn't feeling strong and courageous. He was getting ready to lead an army into a land occupied by "giants". Joshua was among one of the spies that Moses sent to explore Canaan, he had seen the men that occupied that land, he had experienced 40 years of wandering in the desert, and 40 years can do a lot to a person's confidence. Though he and Caleb were the only two spies that were trusting in God's ability to deliver them into the promised land, 40 long years had gone by at this point. And after all, Joshua was only human. Those 40 years had to have created in him doubt and fear. I wonder if he was starting to question the task at hand. I can't help but think he was, because God doesn't waste words, and 3 times He told Joshua to "be strong and courageous".

We know that God's word is alive and active, it is as relevant for us today as the audible words of God were to Joshua while he was standing outside the promise land preparing for battle. That is so very encouraging to me in my daily walk toward my calling. I am not expected to in my own strength be strong and courageous. God understands fear, He understands doubt, but He also very clearly understands who He is. He knows that the battle we face is already won. He knows that the enemy we are up against has already been defeated. God is confidently sitting on the other side of the tomb telling you and me, "I promise, you can trust Me, believe me when I tell you that I can do this".

God has taught us through Joshua that we are called to faith in the One that is capable. We are called not to our own strength, but rather to trust in His strength to knock down the walls at Jericho. All God is looking for is a few good men and women who like Joshua will say "Get your supplies ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving to you for your own." Joshua 1 :11. Won't you be one of those women that bear His name and march into your promise land with confidence! I speak to myself as much as I speak outwardly to you. I don't want to keep wandering around in the desert, not when I know my God is handing over to me a divine land that He has set aside for me.

There is a young mother of 4 at my children's school that was recently diagnosed with cancer. I do not know her personally, but I think and pray about her often. And through the communication of others that do know her, they have told me that she is fully trusting in our God to bring her through this. I am so impressed with that. It is one thing for someone like me that is not being faced with an immediate Canaanite army staring me down to say "trust God and be strong and courageous", but when a mother of 4 that is fighting cancer can confidently make such a claim...it is worth listening to. Don't you just know that God is looking down on her saying "That's my girl!". She, like Joshua, has been met on the battle field by the One that is capable of winning the war. They were met on the edge of their promised land by the God that has already delivered the land to them, and by the God that is still promising us today that He will never leave us or forsake us. It's His voice of truth that we are called to listen to. Tune your ears to His voice dear friend, He is telling you to march into your Jericho and "Shout! For the Lord has given you the city!" Joshua 6:16. And then watch as your God does amazing things, for He has given you a front row seat to watch the walls of your Jericho tumble to the ground.

Friday Night Lights

2010-11-01T10:33:00.007-04:00

My sister and her husband live the real life version of the television show Friday Night Lights. My brother-in-law was just named the head football coach in a small town that is serious about their football. Our entire family traveled to his game this weekend so we could watch him in action, and oh what a sight it was. He is the kind of coach that you would want your son to play for. He is intense, enthusiastic, encouraging, and just plain fun. He is the kind of coach that all football coaches should be, and we loved watching him. I had no idea he could jump that high in the air, that many times!

And when our family decides to do something, we do it right. We had shirts made for the event, the girls were "Barnett Babes" and the boys "Barnett Bubbas". It was so much fun.

And because it was Halloween, and because I made their costumes, and because they are so stinkin' cute, I just can't post this blog without showing you my pirates.

One more thing. We have the coolest friends of anyone I know. Have you ever seen a better "Mary Poppins and crew" in all your life? They all looked their part perfectly (the baby was a "spoonful of sugar")! I mean really, can you deal with that?!?!And then this friend I just have no words for...love it! If you have preschoolers that watch Noggin, then you know who he is.Happy November 1st friends.

For such a time as this

2010-10-27T00:00:00.002-04:00

One of the most compelling evidences to me that the Bible is truth, is the people themselves that make up the stories. Have you ever really stopped to consider the characters whose lives are lived out on the thin pages of this book we call God's Word? We cannot make it out of Genesis before we have met more people than we can count that make really bad choices. And these are not small characters. I'm talking about major names: Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, Moses, and so on and so on the stories go. Failure after failure, and disobedience after disobedience. You would think if the authors of the Bible were being untruthful, if they were attempting to tell a false story, that they would make themselves and the others around them look a little "better". Do you know what I mean? What good is it to make up falsehoods that paint such an unflattering portrait of ourselves?

I have been spending much of my bible study time these past few weeks around two such characters. One is Moses, and the other is Esther...and oh how I have grown to adore these two people. For now, I would like to throw out something that the Lord is pounding into my heart right now. So often when something starts weighing on my heart, I think of you, and how I want to share it here. And here's the point: God can use anybody He wants to fulfill His will on this planet. It doesn't matter their circumstances, their background, their family, their health, their financial situation, their past sin, their nationality, etc. His will, will be done. Period. Moses was born at a time when all male Hebrew babies were being murdered. Then Moses himself became a murder and was living as a fugitive when God called him to lead His people out of Egypt! I think that is kind of a big deal. I think Moses' past is relevant for us today. I think his background is significant to us understanding our purpose here today on this planet. And then there is sweet Esther. She was an orphan, a child with NO parents, was being raised by her male cousin, and then finds herself married to a king who also has hundreds of concubines and has just signed a death warrant for all of God's people...her circumstances were less than ideal. And yet both of these characters were used mightily by God. And I dare say that if we could have asked either one of them 5 minutes before their pivotal calling if they were in a position to be used for God's glory, they would have laughed at the mere suggestion. And yet God allowed Moses to fellowship intimately with Him and to guide His people, and He allowed Esther a role of radical importance in Hebrew history. God can use anybody!

So I will throw the question out, do you struggle with whether or not God can or ever will use you mightily for His kingdom, for His glory? Do you ever struggle with whether or not you blew your chance? That's the thing about sin, it has a way of hissing lies to us while we lie in bed at night. We try and rest in the Truth that we are forgiven, that He already paid the debt, but we sometimes feel as though we cannot escape the suffocating darkness of our past. And so we believe the lie. The lie that we are too damaged to be used, too screwed up to be straightened out, and too unworthy to ever wear white. But then enters Grace, and picks us up with two pierced hands and says "who knows, but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this" Esther 4:14.

What position do you find yourself in? Will you dare to believe that God may have you strategically placed right where He wants you? What lie might you be believing that is keeping you from humbly allowing God to use you? Our father desires to pick you up and walk you right into the light of your destiny, into your promise land, and eventually into His glory. You have been born into "such a time as this" to do great things in His mighty name. Get up on your two feet my friend, and get walking into your promised land that He prepared for you long before you breathed your first breath of life.

A cowboy without a horse

2010-10-25T00:00:00.000-04:00

If you are visiting here from Remodelaholics, then your timing is impeccable. You know trouble is brewing when you catch your husband outside with house plans, a tape measure, and red flags. It hasn't been 6 months since I called this house remodel "complete". I suppose deep down I always knew we were not really finished. There were too many things left lingering, a few things not all that ideal, a few things left "with room to maybe add on one day". And now that one day has come, sooner than I thought it would for sure. My cute carpenter husband wants a garage, and I want my linen closets back. It is such a strange thing to tell out of town company that the extra towels are in the closet at the top of the stairs, right next to the air compressor and compound miter saw. We have tools oozing out of every spare space in this house. My man needs a garage, 'cause he's kind of like a cowboy without a horse.

So here we go again. Only this time it's going to look a little different. We will not be living in a remodel, but rather watching an addition happen on the outside of our house...not nearly as stressful. And though remodeling is not the heart of this blog, you know that there will be some great stories along the way that I will simply have to share here. And who knows, there might even be a dreamy screened porch in those plans that that carpenter of mine is holding.

Thanks Cassity for featuring our remodel. Click on My House Tour over on the left hand side to view all the rooms in our remodel.

Oh how He loves you

2010-10-22T00:00:00.000-04:00

We took our girls to see and worship with the David Crowder Band last night. Though Caroline fell asleep halfway through the concert, it was still a sweet time. And so as I needed reminding last night, I wonder if you too could use reminding today. Do you know that He is jealous for you? He sees all that we too often fill our time with, and waits and longs for you to draw near to Him. Do you know how great His affections are toward you? Greater and more powerful than that of a hurricane. Do you know that you are His portion and He is your prize? He is your great reward! And if His grace is an ocean, then my friend you are sinking in it.

Oh how loves you! Happy Friday sweet friends!

The randomness of it all

2010-10-20T21:11:00.004-04:00

I cannot tell you how many times I sit to write at my computer and I think to myself "don't write about that, that just seems random". I generally never really know what my next blog post will be, I'm not organized and "together" like that. But then a new day comes with fresh thoughts and ideas and so I sit and type. Sometimes ideas come in the midst of a project with my husband and sometimes it is while I am doing my bible study. I am an emotional person and I tend to swing from one extreme thought to the other very quickly. This blog has so many times reflected that. I bounce around a lot around here, and in the spirit of keeping it real, I feel as though I should acknowledge that reality. This blog is indeed random. If you have ever cared enough to wonder if I am aware that I tend to be all over the place with my thoughts, the answer is yes. I am very well aware! This space has become a random snapshot of the days that are making up my life. It has evolved into something that I never expected it to, and I wonder if it will eventually become something I never thought it would.

Playing Sublimely has provided a safe place for me to write out my heart. The computer screen between you and I has become somewhat of a security blanket for me, for better or for worse. Any of my girlfriends would tell you, social interaction is not where I thrive...I tend to be guarded and a little awkward in social situations. It is not that I am different in real life than I am on this blog, it's just that here at my computer I have the freedom to express myself in my own way, and on my own time, as I type out my thoughts...a luxury we do not have in daily life, in face to face relationships.

So I guess what I am trying to say is "thank you". Thank you for being you! Thank you for visiting me here, for reading, and for commenting. Thank you for taking your precious time to listen. You have become a great friend.

A Pirate Looks at Two

2010-10-18T00:00:00.000-04:00

I wasn't going to wait until my boy was turning forty before I threw him a pirate party. His pirate party came this past weekend to celebrate birthday number two.

He was Captain Thomas, of course.Other pirates were there too. Some Landlubbers. Some Buccaneers. A Scurvy Dog or two showed up. And then there was Thomas' Me Hearty.

Adult pirates: Young pirates:Mommy pirates:

Pirates that were getting into Captain Thomas' rum punch:

Pirate ship cupcakes:

All the pirates left with booty, their very own treasure to take home.

My treasure was hanging from around my neck, and I'm not talking about the gold coin necklace.

Stop Doubting and Believe

2010-10-14T09:34:00.005-04:00

His story really starts many years before he was born, because his story started with my story. I was wrestling with disbelief and fear and depression. I was wrestling with all things in the world that are horrible like 9/11 and cancer and suffering. I went to church and tried hard to have the blind faith that I was supposed to have. Because believing was supposed to easy, right? Those that really believe, those real Christians, never struggled with blind faith. It was easy. So where did that put me? Because I was struggling.

And then one week the struggle was overwhelming. I remember crying and wondering what if we are all just wrong? What if He really never did raise up from the dead? What if I really am not redeemed after all? What if there still is a record of all my wrong? What if? I walked through my church doors that Sunday with all my "what ifs". And in case no one has ever told you, that is exactly where God loves to have you. God delivers the broken and the disheartened. He meets the needs of his people that cry out to Him.

That Sunday my beloved pastor preached on Doubting Thomas, on that Sunday my God met me right where I was and told me to stop doubting and believe. He is a personal God, who desires a personal walk with you. He doesn't miss or overlook the sufferings of His people.

Fast forward many years later to when we found out I was pregnant with a son. I knew his name would be Thomas. He is my personal reminder of the grace and patience and love and deliverance of my God. It is rare that I say my son's name and do not think of that Sunday when God stood before me with holes in His hands and said "Put your fingers here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." John 20:27

Today my Thomas turns two. What a blessing his life has been to us! One day our God will stand before him with the same proposal he had for me that Sunday, a proposal of rest if only I would believe. He stands before all of us at some point in all of our lives with that proposal. May our responses be that of the no longer doubting Thomas who responded with "My Lord and my God". Won't you stop doubting and believe.

He chose you

2010-10-11T05:36:00.007-04:00

The further along I get into the mothering of young children, the more I hear similar stories and struggles from other preschool moms. There is something about raising children in the early years of life that seems to create in a young mom a sense of insecurity. Something takes place in these mothering years that causes us mommas to question who we are and what we are doing on this planet. There seem to be two struggles that surface time and time again for me. The first is, I am not good enough to do that which I have been called to do. The second is, is this all that I have been called to do? Perhaps it is all wrapped up around our culture. We walk out our privileged lives in a country that speaks little of the importance of our job as moms. Oh there are some that hold a politically correct microphone in their hand and speak of the value of mothering a child; but I dare say there are but a few secular communities that wave a banner of support to the stay at home mom.

But there are moments along the way when God reveals a bit of His plan, and it comforts a weary heart like mine. Caroline prays every night for "poor people". I can't remember when or why this ritual began, but it has become part of her prayers every evening. Last night her prayers for the poor grew in specifics. She asked God to "give all the poor people cell phones so they could call their mommies". If I was smiling, then I am certain beyond certainty that God was roaring with laughter and joy. I will not at all be surprised if one day I hear of a cell phone provider that felt randomly prompted to give away free cell phones and service to the homeless; for God loves to honor the humble requests of His children. Aside from the focus on providing cell phones to the poor, did you notice who Caroline wanted them to be able to call? Their mommies. Do you see the significance? Do you see how one statement can reveal the heart of a five year old little girl? Who does she view as necessary and important? Who would she want to be able to call in her time of need? Do you see the banner of importance that your heavenly Father is waving above your head?

Have you struggled with the feeling of importance in your daily attempt to keep your head above a pile of dirty diapers? Do you ever wonder if there is any significance to spending a quarter of your waking hours in carpool? Do you ever wish you could spend at least one trip to the bathroom alone, not having to also entertain a 1 year old that is sitting at your feet (or in your lap)? Do you ever think to yourself "if I have to have one more imaginary tea party I might be forced to start spiking the pretend tea"? I get that. I understand that struggle. I also understand the guilt that accompanies the struggle. How dare I feel anything but grateful joy at the privilege I have to raise these precious kids! It is the kind of guilt that suffocates a mother and then breeds more guilt.

Friend, hear me for a minute. When God was writing out His story for all of time, He looked among the masses, pointed His finger directly in your direction, and said "I chose you" to raise that child. He chose you to care for and teach and raise your child. He didn't choose your next door neighbor who is all perfect, with her perfect hair and her perfect orderly schedule and her perfect Christian background and her perfect life and her perfectly behaved children (she's fictitious by the way)...He chose you. Not by accident, not by chance, but intentionally so. You were chosen for that child. He didn't do so to prove to you that you are not enough; He did so to prove to you that He is enough. He chose you for a mighty role so that you would know that you have intentional purpose in His kingdom. Your role was not an afterthought. He didn't pass out all the important career cards and then say, "give the rest of them mommy cards, that's all they're good for".

I have so many times felt unimportant and unworthy as a mother. And if that is where you are too, then consider this perspective. God has given you a child to raise and care for. A child that He values enough to send His Son to die for. Flawed, inadequate you, has been called to a role of amazing importance. To care for someone that your heavenly Father thought of while He hung on a cross. He has given you someone that He values enough to die for! And it wasn't just that child He died for, but also the momma holding that baby. His desire is to accomplish in you the work that He has called you to. He comes full circle in this mothering walk, graciously meeting all of our needs. He doesn't choose the capable to accomplish His work, He chooses the broken. He chose you just like He chose the orphan Esther to save His people, just like He chose the fugitive Moses to lead His people, just like He chose 12 vagabond disciples to spread His message. He chooses the weak, and then makes them strong.

Know with great certainty that you have been called to the highest of privileges. No one but you can be a mother to your children, and God knew who you were when He chose you.

The sick and the injured

2010-10-08T06:00:00.009-04:00

The little man had just fallen asleep. We were on day three of a fever, and he was taking an unusual morning nap. The phone rang at 11:00 am. It was Caroline's sweet teacher telling me that she had fallen off the monkey bars and landed flat on her back. The general consensus was that she was okay, the fall had likely just knocked the wind out of her and she was sore. So because she is five, and because she was very upset, we picked her up and brought her home.

Then the phone rang at 1:00 pm. Ella had fallen off the monkey bars and landed on her arm. I said "no, you mean Caroline, and I already picked her up". They said "no, we mean Ella". I said "seriously"? They said "yes". So I said "okay my little wounded battalion, back in car, another soldier is down". Later I called the doctor because Ella's arm did indeed seem legitimately hurt. I spoke with the nurse who asked me a series of 8 questions. The last question was "are any of her limbs severed?". As I answered "no", I wondered why that was question 8. Shouldn't that have been question 1? I really should have answered "yes" just for fun, but I wasn't presently in the mood for such games.

We spent the next day in the orthopedic office, only to find out her arm wasn't broke. For the most part I was relieved it wasn't broke; but I will not deny that there was a small part of me that was sort of hoping there was a legitimate reason for all the time, money, and arm strength I was exerting while wrestling Thomas in a doctor's office much of the day. The good news was that she would be fine to return to school tomorrow, and after a long week of sickness and injuries, the next day would calm down. I really should know by now that the next day never calms down...Ella woke in the night with a fever. And so the saga continues, and I am in the process of learning to be grateful. For each day is a day that the Lord has made, even the sick and injured ones.

Outdoor Living

2010-10-06T00:29:00.008-04:00

Are you visiting from Remodelaholic? If so, it is so very great to have you here! Welcome to Playing Sublimely. Drop me a note and say hello, I would love to make your acquaintance. And Cassity, thanks for the shout out my friend. I am honored you liked my chandelier!

Paris. This is the very moment that my love affair with outdoor living began. My husband and I, along with my sister and brother-in-law, spent a picturesque week in Paris last fall. The weather was beyond beautiful, and the outdoor spaces at the chateau where we stayed were as beautiful as the weather. There is just something so lovely about a beautiful space created outdoors. Oh cute carpenter of mine, I feel a project comin' on.

The courtyard at Chateau De Villiers-Le-Mahieu:

And in case you are saying to yourself, "yeah, but that was Paris, everything is beautiful in Paris"....ummm, think again. Check out my girlfriend Karen's backyard. Her outdoor space is as heavenly as she is, and she doesn't live in Paris. Every girl should have a friend like Karen. She is indeed a girl after my own heart, always seeking a thrifty buy, but at the same time never sacrificing style. Don't you just love what she has created outdoors:

Did you notice this red chair in the last picture? She has four of them, and they came from Lucketts. Do you know about Lucketts? If not, stop whatever you are doing (feeding children, changing a diaper, working to earn a living, whatever it is it can wait) and go check out their website. Lucketts' next design house opens the first weekend in November. How 'bout a road trip?

The Wedding

2010-10-05T08:21:00.006-04:00

I have had a sick baby boy monopolizing all of my time over the past several days. Though I hate it when my little ones are sick, I cannot help but love that their sicknesses usually force them to finally stop! And when they stop, I take the opportunity to hold, because they do not like my holding and rocking them very often. So in the meantime, how 'bout you buzz on over here and here. Remember my college roommate that went and fell in love and then got married last summer? Her wedding has become quite the story in "wedding world". Style Me Pretty (you know, the "Ultimate Wedding Blog") featured her wedding and now the wedding magazine "Unveiled" has as well. She is on stands right now...can you deal with that?!? I bought my copy yesterday and made the lady at the check out in Target look at the picture. She thought I was weird. But it is kind of like knowing a celebrity...kind of.

photo: Millie Holloman Photography

Jessica's photographer was Millie Holloman Photography, and I have since fallen in love with their style. If you love photography, you will love their website.

Child's Play

2010-10-01T00:00:00.004-04:00

I have found that the older I get, the younger my sense of humor is becoming. I sometimes turn on the television to Noggin, just because I can't find anything better to watch. I would also usually prefer to watch Toy Story to just about any other movie out there. I think the immaturity in my sense of humor, is because I spend most of my days surrounded by immature people...and I do not just mean my children. My husband is more immature than my 7 year old. And though I usually roll my eyes at his jokes, deep down I really love it, and he knows I love it. And then there are my sisters' kids, all of which provide enough comedic relief to last anyone a lifetime. My 3 year old niece told my sister last week to turn down the water temperature in her bath because it was "holy crap hot". I haven't stopped laughing since I heard that. Another equally precious 4 year old niece of mine asked my other sister "you know that thing in your head, I think it is called a brain, well mine is all messed up". I couldn't make this stuff up if I wanted to. I love it.

Laughter in a home is good, and if the children are not providing the comedy, then the animals will. Though honestly, our golden retriever's latest antics are not really funny at all, in and of themselves. They are only funny when I am watching them as a bystander, when it is not really me watching him through the window on my children's play gym. Let's just say I found out why the dog was often ending up in the swing outside. Let's just say his goal wasn't to swing...let's just say I have to buy my children a new swing...let's just say we have a male golden retriever for sale. Okay I'm not quite there yet, but he better shape up fast.

So now since you have wasted 2 minutes of your life visiting here today, and since I have brought you against your will down the path of a nonsense blog post with information you really did not need, why don't we go ahead and finish it off with one more clip of ridiculousness. How could I not love this Etrade clip? It is blatantly Thomas and Ty. And though it may seem like I am making an endorsement for Etrade, I can assure I am not. I don't even really know what Etrade is because unfortunately, I can too closely identify with my 4 year old niece "that thing in my head, I think it's called my brain, it's kind of all messed up".

Happy weekend my friends, I promise to be more normal next week.

A high privilege?

2010-09-29T00:00:00.002-04:00

Being a mother is a high privilege, but it doesn't always feel that way. And in the midst of my current parenting struggle, I am reminded of Jesus' mother Mary. When the angel Gabriel promised the birth of Jesus to Mary, he proclaimed that she was highly favored (Luke 1:28). But then there came the time when Simeon prophesied about Jesus' life, and told Mary that one day a sword would pierce through her very own soul (Luke 2:35). I wonder which truth Mary was pondering as she watched her son die on a cross? That of a high privilege? Or that of a her heart that was feeling the agony of a sharp pierce?

Though the example is indeed an extreme one, the illustration is still clear. A high calling, or a high privilege, doesn't always translate into joy and happiness. Please do not misunderstand. God is always working for the good of those that love Him, and God is always in favor of those that fear Him, and God does indeed promise eternal joy and peace...but He has never promised an "easy calling" here on this earth. In fact, I dare say He never has. For He doesn't call us to that which we can accomplish on our own. We are called to that which must be done by and through Him. We are called to that which will reveal His glory, and His power, and His strength, and His ability...not our own. So why is it that we as parents sometimes forget this in our parenting? For the high privilege of raising a child, must first begin in the low posture of praying for grace and strength and mercy and wisdom.

Are you struggling in this privileged walk through parenthood? This last month has been an ongoing struggle for me, and just this week I finally dead-ended on a street that has brought me face to face with my own limitations. As it turns out, I am not the perfect parent that my kids are in need of. A shocking revelation...I know. But thankfully, He never intended for me to play that part in His script of my life. And instead of me desperately trying to play a false role, He would rather I just sit at the foot of the cross and ask for His strength to do it right.

Have you rested from all your parental laboring at the foot of the cross lately? You would have lots of company there, if you chose to come and stay awhile. I dare say that mothers make up the majority of the population sitting in the dirt at the cross. And in this instance, it's a good thing to be a needy, desperate, broken woman. As long as what you are needy, and desperate, and broken for is the One who can fulfill your every need. Come join us beneath the cross.

We retreated

2010-09-27T06:36:00.012-04:00

I have told you before that I have a small group of high school girls that meet weekly at my house. I really do not know what you call this group of ours. When people ask what I do with them, I am always at loss for words a bit. Do I "mentor" them? Maybe. Do I "teach" them? Not sure. Do I "listen" to all their stuff? Usually. Do they drink all my milk? Always. So perhaps the most accurate description of what I do is provide milk. Kind of like a cow. Yes, that's what I am to them: their cow. And this weekend we retreated together. They are seniors now, which means only one more year with these girls of mine. This weekend was the kick off to their senior year.

This last picture is my favorite. They were crushin on the worship band all weekend (because that is just what high school girls do) so we took a "groupie" picture with the guys right before we left. I love these girls. I really do. Despite their high-maintenance selves, and my selfish self, God has bonded us. He works through all our sin and selfishness, and accomplishes His will despite it all. He is faithful like that. And though I often view myself as little more than the provider of milk, perhaps that was my purpose all along. And in a spiritual sense, providing milk is where it all begins. For even Paul said to the Corinthians "I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it". There will be time later for steak and potatoes, but for now we are pacing ourselves, one gallon of milk at a time.

Chalk Paint: My new BFF

2010-09-23T00:00:00.005-04:00

I told you Chalk Paint was going to be my new BFF. I'm using Annie Sloan's paint, and it is the easiest paint that I have ever worked with. This piece of furniture was a simple little TJ Max find that I have had forever. Though the daiquiris are cute, they aren't exactly my look, but a lovely coat of "Paris Grey" was all it needed. Paris Grey? Are you kidding me!?!? I would paint my entire house in this color, if my cute carpenter would let me, just because of it's name.

I am going to take this lovely to "The Lemonade Stand", aka: our antique booth. Have I told you my husband has named it "The Lemonade Stand"? He says it is pretty much just a lemonade stand for big girls. I can't say I necessarily disagree with him.

Linking up with The Shabby Nest and A Few of My Favorite Things!

Wall Candy

2010-09-21T07:49:00.008-04:00

One of my favorite places on this planet of ours is the design studio where I have done my decorative finish training. It is simply gorgeous! Every time I walk through the doors, my hands immediately go to the walls and my brain starts working on overload. It is almost too much to take in. So many wall finishes, so many cabinet finishes...so little time! If I could choose any profession to pour myself into, it would be a decorative artisan. It is the reason I subscribe to far too many magazines like Veranda, I seek out the walls in every magazine I open. Have you seen the cover of the newest Ballard Designs catalog? All of Suzanne Kasler's designs fall on the backdrop of gorgeous wall finishes. I love the big scale concept of art that comes with creating decorative finishes. Details are too tedious for me, and though I love a smaller scale art project here and there, by far my favorite art form is creating art on walls.

Last week I was able to return to Faux Works for more training. It always kind of feels like I am returning home after being away for a long time. I love spending time here, and I thought you might enjoy a few pictures of Barb Skivington's studio:

Decorative finish sample boards are notorious for photographing poorly. You loose all detail in a photograph, and you cannot appreciate one of the best parts of a decorative finish: the texture. But nonetheless, here are few samples.

I love this quote, and any artist of any kind knows exactly what he means:

Chalk paint, have you heard of it? I think it going to be my new best friend for furniture.

And here is my new favorite lovely. This is probably the most beautiful finish I have ever seen. It is formal and elegant, yet weathered and aged, all at the same time. The photograph does not do it justice. It is a stop you in your tracks kind of lovely, and my foyer is about to get a makeover.

Thanks for touring around with me.

Black french doors and Linen chairs on a Friday

2010-09-17T08:48:00.002-04:00

Are you visiting here from My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia? If you are, it is an honor to have you here! Come have a seat in one of my newly recovered linen chairs so we can chat...It's my new favorite corner of my house. I call it my coffee corner and it is dreamy to sit in first thing in the morning with a cup of coffee. I knew I would love these chairs in my bedroom as soon as I saw them. And I knew when we painted those french doors white that we had made a mistake as well. They just didn't pop, and I think they are more grown up painted black in a master bedroom. Though I feel a little like a girl playing house most days of my life, this room makes me feel more like a big girl for some reason...and I think it is the black doors.

Remember my green consignment store chairs? They are now white linen. I did love the green, but the fabric was too damaged to attempt to restore, and the green did not match my room.

The white is crisp in my bedroom, and looks nice with the black doors as a backdrop.

So what are your thoughts? Have you ever painted french doors black?

The dog: an update

2010-09-15T00:00:00.000-04:00

This is how we spend much of our time these days. Digging in the dog's mouth. He eats everything. He thinks it his purpose in life to destroy all hair accessories that my girls own, and every ball that belongs to my son. Caroline told him yesterday "stop eating stuff or you are gonna meet your brother in heaven". The "brother" she is referring to is our previous dog Matty, that we sadly had to put to sleep several months ago. Yes it's a weird and disturbing thought, and yes she heard it from me. But through all the annoying that comes along with a dog, we forgive him because of this...

And this...

And even this...

He fits into our family so well because he is weird. He loves the swing and we are not sure why. He gets stuck in it every single time the girls forget to put the swing up high where he cannot get to it; and as soon as you free him from his entanglement, he jumps right back in. Why?

The Smiles Box

2010-09-13T10:06:00.012-04:00

My girls dug down deep into the collection of empty cigar boxes that belongs to their Big Pop, each searching for the perfect box for their project. Gran Jan and Big Pop are two of my children's most favorite people alive, and on this particular Saturday morning they were turning cigar boxes into "Smile Boxes" with these sweet Grandparents of theirs. We can always count on Gran Jan to come up with a great project for them, and this one might be one of our favorites. They were making boxes that would hold all their special memories...memories that would make them smile. The goal would be that whenever something sad would happen, they would open their smiles box and be reminded of all the happy, joyful memories that had made them smile in times past. They would be reminded of all their blessings, and all the love that had been shown, and then they would be happy again.

It wasn't long after this project was complete, that my Ella suggested they also make a "Sad Box" so that they could write down all the sad stuff too. In her 7 year old brain, it logistically made sense: if you have a "happy box", you also need a "sad box". And though we all laughed, I couldn't help but think that this is actually how so many of us live out our lives. We walk around holding our "sad boxes" and our piece of paper and pen in hand, just waiting for the chance to record something sad and file it away. We protect it's record like a mother protects her child, so that at the necessary and apropos time, we can pull it out as evidence of our unfair life inflictions. We take a "woe is me" approach to our days, and habitually record all the ways we have been wronged by those around us. And in a low moment of self pity, we pull out our "sad boxes" and go through the list of evidence. When we reach the end of our list, we sit and survey the wreckage. Clearly, we can rest our case...we have been wronged and our "sad box" runneth over.

Are you wondering how I have such ability to explain the process so clearly? For so many years, I had great practice at it. I did this daily, and I didn't even know that I was doing it. It was just the way I processed life. I am so grateful to be able to say that my "smiles box" is so much fuller these days than my "sad box". I wish I could say I didn't even own a "sad box"...but sometimes it will rear it's ugly head and beg me to pick up that pen and record a bad circumstance, or even worse, to recall one from the past. That box would love nothing more than to be full of life's wrongs, and for me to sit on the floor and wallow in self pity with all my little scraps of paper scattered around me on the floor. The "sad box" wants me to be a bottom dweller, feasting on nothing more than a plate full of lies.

I was reminded this week about two guys that had every reason in the world to carry around a "sad box". Unfortunately, even if they had wanted to, they would not have been able because their hands were in chains and they had been severely flogged and beaten. Paul and Silas innocently sat deep within the walls of a highly guarded prison cell, after having been publicly beaten without a trial. And though their theoretical "sad box" could have been full, they sat praying and singing hymns to God, and God loves to reward such faith. His ways are many and He rewards each of us differently, but for Paul and Silas, he shook things up by sending a violent earthquake breaking every one's chains. By their faith, they were free, and so are you. You are free to not carry around your "sad box". It is nothing but a heavy linked chain that you are dragging around with you, and friend...may I be so bold as to say that it doesn't look very pretty on you. And you should further be reminded that Jesus is walking right beside you saying "You know you don't have to carry that thing around with you, right? You know I have already broken that chain, right?". Won't you close up your "Sad Box" and start living in the truth that Jesus has already packed full a "Smiles Box" for you...and you don't even have to do anything to earn it. The box is a gift from your Father, that He has freely given His children.

I told you I was gonna do it: A Crafty Room Reveal

2010-09-10T00:12:00.012-04:00

Rhoda over at Southern Hospitality is featuring my little man's bedroom today for her "Feature Friday" series. If you are visiting me here today from Southern Hospitality, I am so glad you are here...it is an honor for me to have your company!

And now, drum roll please....my sewing/craft room that has been monopolizing far too much of my time for the past month is finally done! Do I need to refresh your memory about the time I said I was so totally creating my own crafting space? Click here to see my inspiration. Well I was serious about that. I converted my 12 ft. / 10 ft. guest bedroom into a room that makes sense for my family. We had 2 guest bedrooms, and I decided to claim one as a room for my girls and I to play in. Won't you please join me for a walk through...
Tell me my cute carpenter is not the smartest man alive! Can you deal with that wrapping paper / ribbon holder thingy?!?!
I converted an old, empty frame into an inspiration board using chicken wire...
Can I get an Amen?
My armoire, an antique store find, was painted and made into storage for fabric and paint...
And now a photographic tour of my carpenter's work. We started with this...

These are the clips he decided on to hold the dowels in place...

See:

By sliding the clip to the side, I am able to remove the dowel and change out my paper or ribbon...

Here was the armoire before I painted her white...

And this is her now, she cleaned up nicely...

Love the chicken wire concept, it was cheap and easy...

My tole chandelier, a consignment store find...

I like making clothes for my girls...

More armoire storage space...

A few details:

After I sewed the panels for the room, they seemed a little too plain. So I added a ruffle at the top...

One of my favorite Montremart prints from Paris, where all the real artists work, and where I could live out the rest of my days...

This is my grandmother's dining room table and chairs, I painted them all white...

And a few funky thrift store lights...

My name is Amy, and I hoard ribbon...

On that note, happy weekend to you all. My girls and I intend on being crafty this weekend in our new room...I wish you were here too.

Linking up today with Life in the Fun Lane...one of the coolest girls in blogger land.

I declare myself an Artist

2010-09-08T00:00:00.000-04:00

Much like Michael Scott declaring bankruptcy, I have decided to declare myself an artist. Do I have any training you ask? No. Do I know what I am doing in any way, shape, or form? No. Does all of what I do know about painting come from an $8 booklet called "Everything You Need to Know About Painting with Oils"? Yes. And so I declare it: "I am an artist".

And much like Oscar telling Michael that you cannot simply declare something and expect anything to happen; my husband also told me "Amy, you cannot just say that you are an artist and then expect something to happen". And that is when I told him "I didn't just say it, I declared it". And so now I am waiting for something to happen. And guess what the best part is, I really have absolutely no idea what I want to have happen, nor do I expect anything to actually happen anyways. But here is what I do know. I know that for some reason God gave me a love for art and painting. I know that I am constantly thinking about something that I should be painting. I know that I am forever saying, "oh I could paint that" (sometimes I can, and sometimes I cannot). And I also know that there was no way I would ever pay $5,000 for a painting of a giraffe's face, when I could get kind of close myself.

Bob Ransley art

So during nap time, I made an attempt. I can count on one hand the number of times I have painted with oil paints, but you have to start somewhere. No, mine is not done. And no, mine is not worth $5,000. And no, I cannot figure out how to keep my oil colors from blending together and getting all muddy looking (maybe that is why Bob charges $5,000 for his work), but at least I am giving it a shot. How about you? Have you ever declared something and then by the grace of our good Lord...made it happen? I would love to hear about it if you have. My sister declared herself a photographer and then made it happen. And just tonight my husband said that he has declared himself a race car driver, and he fully expects for a race car to show up in our driveway tomorrow morning. What a funny man he is... he thinks he is being sarcastic, but I'm likin' the way he's thinkin'.

Randomness on a Friday

2010-09-03T06:37:00.006-04:00

So all I have this morning is a small sampling of highlights (and maybe a low light) of things that have been occupying some of my time over the past week.

First: Don't you want to see what my cute carpenter is building for me? I want to show you, but my sorry self has yet to finish my craft room, and so for now I am stalling. I will tell you though that this man of mine has indeed outdone himself. Well, I should say he and Ella have outdone themselves. Homegirl comes prepared while working on a project with her daddy...does she not?

Second: My girlfriend and I have decided to turn our love of thrifting / antiquing / crafting into a business. We have officially opened up the doors of our very own store this week. Well, it is actually more of a boutique than a store. Well, it is actually more of a booth in an antique mall than a boutique, and all we really had to do to "open our doors" was to take down the "caution tape" that had been stretched over the opening of the booth to keep people out until all our items had been priced. But we are nonetheless calling it "the store", though it is probably more of a "hobby" than a "business". Can't wait to talk more about that in the future.

Lastly: I learned this week that my girls were using my face wash cloth in the shower to ensure that their heinies were good and clean. They said "oh, we didn't know that that was what it was for, we have always used it for our bottoms". So on that note my friends, enjoy your long weekend and use caution the next time you are washing your face.

This friendship of ours here seems to grow sweeter everyday...I always love hearing from you. Much love to you,

The shepherding is too short

2010-09-01T06:22:00.008-04:00

When my husband and I decided that we were going to try and have children, what we really had decided to do was to try and have babies, not children, and certainly not adolescent children. My role as a mother up until now has mainly consisted of things like baby swings and lullabies, Noggin (because "it's preschool on TV"...right?), and cute Bible stories about Noah and his animals and a lot of rain. Simple nurturing, the natural kind of mothering that one can expect to do when they decide to have children. And though it of course wasn't always simple, we have thus far been wrapped up in the kind of parenting that has seemed relatively black and white.

Well things are starting to get a little grey around here. My firstborn is approaching 8, going on 18, and she is determined to get there at a brisk pace...a pace that often leaves me winded. I am starting to get questions that I do not want to give the answers to. My husband up until now has loved to throw out a "who wants to plan a trip to Disney World?!?!?" when we would get hit with a question that was dabbling in an area we felt the girls were not ready to discuss. The distraction has amazingly enough always worked, and he and I would giggle at the mac truck that we had so ingeniously stepped out of the way of. Well guess who is not all that interested in planning a trip to Disney World anymore. And so now I find myself in the middle of the road, staring down the headlights of a mac truck...or more specifically, the dark brown eyes of my eldest daughter.

She is asking hard questions. She has been taught all about heaven and the wonders of it all, but now she wants to know all about what happens to people that choose to not believe in Jesus. She wants to know answers to questions that make me uncomfortable in my own skin, while discussing with my daughter. She wants to know about things like divorce, and children whose parents die, and how some mothers have babies when they are not married. Real life questions. Legitimate questions, but nonetheless, questions that I wasn't thinking about when I decided to have babies. But as it turns out, these little people we birth are indeed just that...little people. They have their own personalities and ideas, and as they grow older, I am seeing my role as their mother from a different perspective. These children of mine, really are not mine to cling to, but rather His that He has called me to shepherd for a time. And oh how short that time is.

Who else out there is answering hard questions? I would love to hear from you. And to those of you out there that are still using Disney World as a distraction, enjoy it while it lasts my friend, because you have a mac truck headed your way sooner than you think.

My coffee bar

2010-08-30T07:58:00.003-04:00

This is one of my favorite spots in my house. I call it the coffee bar, a small little nook on my counter top that holds all of my favorite appliances. I have recently noticed that this seemingly small area of my home actually has great power over the outcome of my day...in a way. If I arrive here at 5:30 am, the promise of a good day is likely. If I arrive here at 7:15 am, you can bet your bottom dollar that I am also barking at children "hurry up and get in the car before we are late", and "you don't need to brush your teeth, I'm sure your breath smells fine", or maybe "grab a pop tart, we have no time for real food"...clearly a less than perfect start to a day. Such power a simple little place can have.

And don't think for one minute that the sign hanging on the wall hasn't been placed there quite intentionally. I read that every morning whether it is 5:30 am or 7:15 am, and every morning it speaks to me differently. Some mornings it is telling me to believe that through Him, I am capable of raising these children of mine. Some mornings it is telling me to believe that I am not slowly loosing my mind. Some mornings it whispers to believe "you are who He says you are, not who the world says you are ". And then there are some mornings it begs to just simply believe Him. Whatever the circumstance or the struggle, it offers a reminder of truth and encouragement...and a good cup of coffee. And whether that coffee cup is rushed or sipped and savored, it is indeed a gift, and my cup always runneth over.

Milestones and Moments to Remember

2010-08-27T00:00:00.001-04:00

And just like that, both my girls are in grade school. They didn't ask my permission to grow up so fast, they both just came walking down the stairs yesterday morning for school as if it was nothing. Caroline had a smirk on her face that told me she was both proud and a tiny bit anxious, but mainly just ready. And despite the lump in my throat, I was indeed excited for her.

Experiencing milestone moments as a parent is an interesting thing. It stirs emotions deep in your soul that are difficult to put into words. It's a feeling of wanting to cry, laugh, scream, throw-up, and worship, all wrapped up into one big package of "what the heck is going on" kind of feeling. Something too difficult to verbalize, but something every parent understands. These parental milestones just seem different and more raw than other life milestones. The role of a parent is just naturally different from other roles, it's a privilege set apart from other hats that we wear in our lives. It's unique, and the moments we experience that stem from this role seem to stir deeper emotions...and this makes me think of our heavenly Father who is a parent too. I think about His perfect love for His children, and I think about how He must feel on a daily basis watching milestones of His children happen all over the world. And since my feelings and emotions and love are but a reflection of His, how much deeper must His feelings stir, and how much faster must His perfect heart flutter while watching His children grow.

Though these emotions run deep for us as parents, they are simpler for our children. They do not yet understand the gravity of things like starting Kindergarten. To us as parents, it is one huge leap in the direction of growing up, but to them it is just starting Kindergarten...as it should be of course. While getting ready to leave Caroline that first day of school, I spent one more moment double checking everything in her bag to ensure she had what she needed. I asked if she had her lunch, and she responded by saying "yes, and even though it looks disgusting, I promise I will eat it".

And so just like that my baby girl grew up, left home for her first day of school, and bravely walked into that lunch room with a disgusting sandwich for lunch. What a milestone, what a moment to remember.

An attempt at explaining stenciling...and a few other things

2010-08-25T00:00:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I make things more difficult than they have to be. My stenciled wall was such a thing. Because I like to play with decorative finishes, I was determined to use the color combination of these two products for my stenciled pattern. Aren't they lovely? I mixed them equally at a 50 /50 ratio, and what I came up with was indeed lovely...just not necessary. In hindsight, I should have just used craft paint. It would have been simpler, less expensive, and I would have achieved the same look. Having said all that, if you are anything like me and determined to find the hard way, check out the Faux Effects website to order decorative products. If you are smart, just go to Micheal's and pick out a good shade of Folk Art craft paint to use as your color.

OK. So once you have your color picked out, you will also need to purchase "repositional spray adhesive" to hold your stencil on the wall. You can purchase such a thing at any craft store. And speaking of stencils, if you have never checked out Royal Design Studios, you need to. It's owner, Melanie Royals, carries the most extensive and beautiful line of stencils I have ever seen. I purchased my lattice stencil for this project from her for about $40. They come with detailed instructions and are excellent quality.

Step one to stenciling a room is to plan your layout. If you purchase a stencil from Royal Designs, it will come with instructions on how to do this. Her stencils have "registration marks" in each corner of the stencil. These marks allow you to line your stencil up all the way around your room, keeping your spacing accurate. It is helpful to mark all the way around the room where all your registration marks are so that you can freely move about the room during the process. You cannot stencil one stencil right next to another, as you will be overlapping on wet paint. You must skip about the room while you allow the paint to dry, and the only way you can do this is if you have pre-marked all of your registration marks. Does that make sense?

Step two is to spray the back of the stencil with repositional spray adhesive so that it will stick to the wall and prevent your product or paint from leaking underneath. Are you already thinking that I am weird and completely incapable of explaining this process? No worries, sweet Caroline doesn't think I make any sense either.

Step three is to line up your stencil with the registration marks where you have decided to begin the process on your wall.

Step four is to start rolling your product over the opening of the stencil.

And then repeat...And repeat...

And repeat...

And then stop when you finish. The process is not difficult, it is just tedious...and it may require a glass of wine.

The window treatments. The two long window treatment panels are hanging on a rod behind the valance. The valance has been attached to a 2 x 4 with a staple gun and hung on the wall using "L" brackets...all my cute carpenter's work.

I only hire the very best seamstresses...they do great work.We carried the bed out and spray painted it red. It was killing me not to set the entire bed up with bed linens and do a photo shoot outside. Seriously, how stinkin' cute would that have been...my kids all cuddled up in white linens on this bed outside?!?! But I had no time for such playful things.

I had pillows to make. Remember I told you that I loved the look of Serena and Lily's little buddy pillows. I printed the image out on transparency paper and pulled out my overhead projector. Yes, I own an overhead projector and it is one of my favorite toys. I bought it off ebay for $30 and it was worth every penny. Now I am well aware that there are fancy shmancy computer programs out there that will do such things, but I prefer the prehistoric method. I can easily turn the projector on and off...no computer program to learn that will cause me to feel bad about myself when I cannot learn how to use it.

I traced the pattern onto duck cloth and cut it out.

Border the edge of the dog cutout using a zigzag stitch, to prevent the fabric's edges from freying.

Steam a Seam is a product that will stick fabric to fabric. I use it for appliques on shirts for my girls, and it worked great for this project as well. Directions are included, but you basically just use an iron to steam and secure the cutout into place.

There are two smaller details in the accessories of this room that I think are worth mentioning. In case you are new to Playing Sublimely, I have two tutorials out there in blogger world for monogrammed candles and also decoupaged picture frames. Click here for the candle tutorial, and click here for the picture frame tutorial.

I am hesitant to click publish on this post, as I feel it to be a poor tutorial on the "how to's" of this room...but if I am being honest, my youngest daughter starts kindergarten today and my brain is somewhere else. As it should be I suppose. But please feel free to email me if you desire to know more about the stenciling process...or anything else for that matter.

Anybody else sending off a kindergartner this year?

Room Reveal: a great room for a little man

2010-08-23T00:00:00.002-04:00

Several weeks ago, I decided I was going to convert Thomas' nursery into a craft room. I felt a little guilty considering my baby boy is only a few months shy of 2 years old. It felt like I was forcing him to grow up before his time. The only was I could justify such selfish behavior on my part, was to create an oh so fun room for our little guy. So I got to work. Here is the before. Yes, it is painful to look at, and yes I had already tried out a little bit of dark brown paint on that back wall:
And here is the after...

I did a lot of decorating with what I had. We used many pictures and toys that used to be my husband's when he was a tiny tot.

We got creative and "fingerprinted" our dog. I think it adds to the charm of the room.

More little man accessories...

These are items I brought over from his nursery that I just wasn't ready to let go of...

My grandmother's quilt she made for Thomas when he was born...

I used a lot of my sister's photography...

Here is a little bit of copycat decorating. Have you seen Emily's boy's room over at Jones Design Company?

Emily's framed monograms are much fancier, but the idea is the same.

A few more details worth showing...

Here is more decorating with stuff we had around the house, like baseball caps and my collection of the Left Behind book series. Maybe in about 15 years he will read them.

Have you seen these "Little Buddy" pillows from Serena and Lily? They are darling, but I refuse to pay their price tag...so I made my own.

A "find all your cousins and grandparents" collage.

And finally my favorite picture of my kids. He is indeed our little "Ladies Man".

Come back next time and I will show you how I did some of these decorating tricks, like my stenciled walls, and the Serena and Lily knock off pillows just to mention a few. Hope to see you soon!

Because I'm feeling a little blogger happy today, I'm linking up with THREE of my favorites: my blogger friend Rhoda at Southern Hospitality because I used so many found treasures that were my husband's, The DIY Showoff, and Sumo's Sweet Stuff.

Abundant Blessings

2010-08-17T07:36:00.009-04:00

My Caroline has been sick this past week, probably as sick as she has ever been. And just like any bump in the road, this bump has served me a swift reminder of the abundant blessings I have in my life...abundant blessings that too often go unnoticed in my day to day lifestyle. Simple, everyday blessings that are individually wrapped gifts from our Creator. Things like red geraniums and juicy blackberries.

And children in summer clothes and bare feet.

Plump, ripe tomatoes that go on and on and on.

And dirty bottomed feet that are too sweet to cleanup.Barrel fulls of blessings, we just have to accept the invitation to notice.

Noticing these everyday gifts today with Emily over at Chatting at the Sky, and Darcy at Life With My 3 Boybarians.

A sneak peak

2010-08-13T07:15:00.011-04:00

Remember here when I told you that I was totally going to create my own crafty / painty / officey space. Well I was serious, and I have been working on it. And like all things I do, one task turns into one million, and my upstairs has now turned into my worst nightmare. Don't believe me? Look at my poor Thomas' room.

Are you judging me right now? I wouldn't blame you if you were...I'm judging me too. It is disgraceful. But at an attempt at justification, here is what happened: We have two guest bedroom upstairs. Thomas' nursery is the smallest room upstairs, and though I would have loved one of the larger guest bedrooms for my craft room, I felt too guilty doing that. So I decided to move Thomas out of his nursery and into one of the bigger rooms for his new "big boy room"...(don't cry Amy, don't cry) even though he is clearly not a big boy, and I would take his smaller nursery as my craft room. Well during all this moving around, my in-laws also moved out of there home that they have lived in forever and downsized. This is relevant only because they brought over to my house a fair amount of furniture, adding to the chaos. But again, a bonus for me because I now have my husband's old bedroom furniture that he had as a little boy for Thomas. How stinkin' fun is that? Also this week I bought a new (its actually very old) armoire for my new craft room and I have been painting it in my sun room all week. Every room in my house resembles the aftermath of a hurricane. Oh and one more thing, I haven't mentioned that my sweet Caroline has been sick with something awful all week, and we have been to the doctor 3 times already since Monday.

Sooooo... having said all that, here is a sneak peak at the tiniest little corner in Thomas' new room...

And my new chandy for the craft room...

My cute carpenter says it is the ugliest thing he has ever laid eyes on. I told him it was tole, and it was Italian, and that is was actually very lovely. He told me that the Italians clearly have no taste.

Come back Monday for the finished look, I hope.

The motherhood mystery

2010-08-11T00:00:00.000-04:00

I am learning everyday that motherhood is a mystery. You think you know what you are in for. You watch other mothers care for their children and figure "easy enough". You rock someone else's baby to sleep and you think to yourself "I can do this". And then the time comes for you to push out that thing that has been squirming around in your belly for 9 months and you're in shock. At least I was. What do you mean this baby came out of me? What do you mean she now belongs to me and my husband? So many questions. So many questions that I thought I had the answers to, right up until I was actually holding my child.

We named her Ella Grace, and the name "Grace" was because we knew we were going to need a lot of it. She is such a beautiful gift to us, one that once we received it, we wondered how we ever lived without her. I tell Ella that she reminds me of a rainbow. She is always a surprise, and always radiant. She is unpredictable, often just barely out of my reach, and full of color and life all the time. She also happens to be the exact replication of my husband in every way...in appearance and personality. And so in some ways I feel like he knows her more than I do, he gets her, he understands the way her brain works. Sometimes I even rely on him for interpreting her actions, because there are times when I just do not understand them. He always can, and I love that. I am still learning though. I am getting to know her more and more everyday. We curl up next to one another in bed at night and talk and pray, and it's as if she and I are the only two people in the world. Everything Ella does she does with passion and determination. She is intense like that. And just when I think I have her figured out, she throws me a curve ball. Oh how I love that girl!

How about you? Is motherhood somewhat of a mystery to you? Has the gift of a child been a different gift than you thought it was going to be? No less lovely, just different. Talk to me...

A psalm worth believing

2010-08-09T00:00:00.002-04:00

The same God that knit you together in your mother's womb, and watched you while you were in your secret place... still watches over you today. The same God that knows the number of hairs upon your head, and has more thoughts for you than the grains of sand...is thinking good thoughts of you this very second. Your God knows your path, and hears you when you cry out to Him. Resist the tendency to allow your emotions to dictate whether or not you believe that your God loves you; as our feelings are sometimes false. Even if you do not feel loved, know with great certainty that your Father in heaven adores you beyond comprehension.

Walk through your Monday believing Psalm 139, you won't be able to resist smiling.

The Proposal

2010-08-06T07:00:00.003-04:00

Today you will find me at one of my favorite places, I am guest posting for my sweet friend Emily. Come and visit us over at her place: Chatting at the Sky. I would be honored to have your company...

Yep, I'm totally doing this!

2010-08-04T00:00:00.000-04:00

I have been in the planning stages of a craft room for about a year now. I daydream about it every time I open the overflowing, disorganized, chaotic doors of my craft "closet". It is a dark, crammed, dreadful little closet that just simply wants to be a closet. She is so tired of me forcing her to being something she's not.

And so I have decided to make a new space, and Heather Bailey's studio is what I am going for. All I'm gonna need is a fun mirror to paint turquoise:

A chandelier, some white shelving, a velvet chair:

An armoire with arched openings, an island:

And one of those ribbon thingies:

I know you think I am kidding, but oh how I promise that I am going to somehow find a way. I told my cute carpenter not to plan on sleeping this weekend.

Are we missing The Creator in the creation?

2010-08-02T04:00:00.003-04:00

It is difficult for me to imagine vacation to look much different than an ocean crashing against a sandy seashore. For me it is nearly impossible to separate the two, as having time to unwind so often accompanies the sun and surf. I suppose I could blame it on my upbringing. I was raised in a coastal town, and I spent every summer with my toes in the sand. I know what it means to love the beach and long for it's quietude.

But while flipping through a magazine on my most recent visit to the shore, I came across an article that I immediately began reading too much into, and therefore allowing it to burden me in a way that the author certainly never intended. She was calling her readers to spend time this summer acknowledging the wonders of the coastline and to "renew our bond with the beach". She described our beaches as "beautiful and peaceful, strong and majestic, alluring and rejuvenating". Though I do understand the spirit in which she was writing, and though I cautioned myself at being overly cynical and critical, I couldn't help but want to scream "the creation is but a reflection of the Creator!". Yes, the coastline is peaceful and majestic and strong, but it is such things because it was intended to show that which is our God. Our calling to a bond is not with the ocean in all it's majesty, but to the One that is majestic. We are not called to the peaceful and rejuvenating waters of the sea, but to the One that is able to rejuvenate with an everlasting peace. We mix this up so often. I look around at all the blessings that God has poured out over me, and I often find myself unintentionally worshiping the blessings rather than the One that has given them. It is so easy to do if we are not diligent to guard ourselves from it.

I long for quite time at the beach every summer, but if I am not careful I will end up walking away unfulfilled. Because to experience the ocean without experiencing and knowing it's Creator, is to miss the point. To sit on the beach and not remember that we are but a speck of sand in God's story, yet know and trust that He still loves and cares for us, is to miss the point. To watch the waves crashing against the shore and to not remember that Jesus walked across them and then calmed the waves by simply speaking, is to entirely miss the point of the waves existence all together. To sit on the beach and not be moved by the Creator, is to just sit in the sand and get hot and sweaty.

And of course, all this wonder isn't reserved for only the coast. To see a rainbow and not remember His promise is to miss the blessing.
To see a full moon rise over the heads of your children, and to not acknowledge His power and authority, is to entirely miss an opportunity to be humbled.

And to watch a sunset in your backyard and not faithfully trust that the sun will rise again tomorrow (after all, the sun is but a copycat of The Son who rose again just like He said) is to completely miss an opportunity to worship.

To miss the glory of the Creator in all the glory of the creation, is to just miss the point. If you visit the beach this summer and attempt to renew your bond with the sand, it is going to leave you still longing for something more. Renew it instead with the One that spread the sand against the shoreline, the One that filled the sea with water, and then your thirst for peace will be quenched.

Sharing my gift today with Emily and all the sweet friends over at Chatting at the Sky. Come join us!

Consignment store love

2010-07-30T00:00:00.000-04:00

I have been spending a lot of time in thrift/consignment stores this week. I blame my friends, they do things like call me up and tell me to "come quick, there are these two great chairs that you want for $15 a piece". They know I am not going to say no.

Look at these two gems that I just got. They are on their way out the door to be recovered. I tackle a lot of projects myself, but I do not do button back chairs...and these are too pretty to mess up. And then there were these two that I considered buying, but I figured my cute carpenter would have a thing or two to say about me bringing home two more misfit chairs. So the Sassy Seamstress bought them instead...she is a smart girl.

Look at this darling little find: $12 What color should I paint her?

I saved the best for last. I spotted this piece from across the warehouse in a consignment store, and my heart skipped a beat. It is an octagonal table with 2 more leaves that go in it, it is so very frenchy.

I love all the quatrefoil carvings, and I cannot wait to paint it My husband cannot wait for me to figure out where I am going to put it. I keep telling him that that is a silly little detail that us practical girls need not worry about.

So how about you, bought anything fun lately? If I were fancy I would do one of those linky things, but I have no idea how to do that, so let's just do this the ghetto way and leave a link in the comments if you have a great thrift store project. I'm looking for some inspiration!

Simple Elegance

2010-07-28T00:00:00.002-04:00

Everywhere I go I pay attention details, I love them. While I'm sitting in the waiting room of a doctor's office, I am noticing how the chairs are set up. Or while watching a movie, I tend to pay more attention to the set design than I do the characters (unless the character is Russell Crowe...did I just type that ;)). Or while shopping, I will spend more time admiring the decorative wall finishes in Anthropologie than I do the clothing. I like details. So this past spring while attending an auction for my daughter's school, I flipped out over this simple arrangement. Can you call sticks in a vase an arrangement? It was so simple, yet so elegant. A local decorator had crafted the ensemble as decorations for the table tops at this event. She might be the smartest girl I know.

So I copied her and made my own...and you can too. All you need are sticks, color dyed moss (mine is chartreuse), and a glue gun. How stinkin' pretty is that sitting in my dining room?

Here is another, much more lopsided view:

This moss is the coolest color. I bought mine at a local garden type shop, but I have seen something very similar at JoAnn Fabrics. One of my girlfriend's already went out and bought some for a wreath for her front door. Oh the possibilities.

Linking up today with a few of my favorite people! Melissa over at The Inspired Room, and Wendy over at The Shabby Nest. Come join us...

He loves me, He loves me not

2010-07-26T00:00:00.001-04:00

He loves me, He loves me not...I am so guilty of this. Every time I think I am past it, doubt and insecurity march right back into my life and cause me to begin questioning what I believed just one day before. It is as though the path that I am on with the Lord sometimes resembles more of a track, we just keep looping around the same path over and over again. I desire our road to look more like a path through a meadow; maybe one where the morning dew still floats atop the grass, and the sunlight causes it to glisten and reflect a golden glow. Or maybe I envision our walk to be down a beach, calm and serene, yet at the same time powerful and majestic. But often all I can see is black concrete underneath my walking shoes, along with metal stadium seats packed full of onlookers mocking my lack of progress. I hear what they are saying even though they are whispering, I hear their condemning words. Do you ever feel this way? Do you ever feel like you spend way too much time plucking the petals off daisies, allowing your emotions to swing back and forth between "He loves me and He loves me not"? Do you ever feel like you are looping the same track over and over again, wrestling out the same issues with God? Do you ever feel drained from your apparent lack of progress? I do, and it can be exhausting.

There is a glimmer of hope that I cling to when discouragement begins to weigh down my spirit: God wrestles with those that He loves. Do you remember Jacob? He had buried himself so deep into the ground that there was simply no way out for him. His brother (that presumably desired to kill him) was approaching with an army of 400 men. To say that Jacob was discouraged would be an understatement, He was terrified. And so he wrestled through all the sin that had brought him to where he was...and he wasn't alone. God was right there with him, wrestling it out, just waiting for Jacob to humble himself before his Maker and accept his blessing that the Lord desired to give him.

When you are feeling your walk with the Lord keeps bringing you back to the same place, consider the possibility that maybe you and God still have some wrestling to do. Consider the possibility that it is not that God doesn't love you that you find yourself back at the same place again, but rather that He loves you too much to let you move on before you have received His blessing. Though our flesh tells us that we are back at this same place again because we will never be free of our sin, allow the Spirit to speak a bolder truth over your situation. Maybe God is just waiting for us to humble ourselves enough to receive the blessing that He has set aside for us. Believe Him when He says He loves you. His Son has the scars on his hands and feet to prove it.

Guest posting with The Shabby Chic Cottage

2010-07-24T08:22:00.002-04:00

Do you want to know how to make these frames? I'm guest posting over at The Shabby Chic Cottage, join me...

The sick dog

2010-07-20T06:18:00.003-04:00

My daughter has been sick. Sick with the kind of illness that requires a mother to say things like "do not breath on anyone, touch anything, or even make eye contact with your brother and sister". I pulled out the Lysol, the bleach, and the gloves, and did my best impression of a quarantine. Of course I failed miserably as within an hour Thomas was walking around drinking from his sister's cup. I tried control, it didn't work for me. It really never has.

But sometimes sickness can be the gift. We dread it of course, even pray against it, but sometimes only in our weakness do we still ourselves long enough to acknowledge our weakness...and then subsequently acknowledge His strength. I'm speaking as someone who has no authority to say such things with any pretense of expertise, as from a physical perspective I am healthy and well, having never walked the path of a true and painful illness. However, I walked briefly along side of a friend once that carried a 6 month old baby girl in her arms, and also a terminal and aggressive tumor in her brain. During one of our visits she stated quite plainly, "I am grateful for the cancer because it has drawn me closer to Jesus". She considered the cancer, a gift. While I with little strength and faith was crying, falling apart, and mourning her before she was gone; she was still and grateful. Even today, I am not sure that I believe such a true and wise heart to be possible. I sing songs about trading my sickness for the joy of the Lord, and deep down I feel it ringing true for me only metaphorically. Can it be that God reveals himself to the weak, the sick, and the humble, in a far greater way than to those of us that walk with false perspective of our wellness? Could it be that we are the ones missing out on His glory? Could it be that they are the chosen ones to see His mighty strength, and that if we could taste it even for a moment, that we too would say things like "I am grateful for the cancer"?

After I gave up attempting to control the sickness in my home, I allowed my Ella out her bedroom and into the playroom. In the midst of her subdued play, she sat on the floor and constructed a model home for her stuffed animals. Though she wasn't attempting comedy, I couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably on the inside at what she had created. Oh the poor "sick dog" outside the gate. We all pity that soul that has been moved outside, the one that has been forced to live outside the "right" of what life should look like, the sick one. But perhaps there are a few "sick dogs" outside the gate that would not choose to be locked back up inside the pin for anything in the world. They have tasted the stillness and the strength and the glory of the field outside, and they are the ones looking back in...pitying us. Have you ever dared to consider that?

Linking up with Emily at Chatting at the Sky to unwrap this gift...

Dried beans + Candles = Weird

2010-07-19T04:00:00.005-04:00

A few weeks ago while vacationing at the beach, I paid a visit to one of my favorite stores. I have never bought anything from them (it's all a bit over the top pricey), but I always take pictures. They hate me. On this particular visit, the simplest of details caught my eye and I loved the look. On most of the table tops and counters throughout the store, they were burning candles that were nestled in white, dried beans. The look was simple, yet elegant at the same time. I suppose I was so impressed with it because of my love for candles. It was a new, different, and cheap way of displaying them and I got a little excited. Probably too excited, but I cannot help myself when it comes to candles.

Then I got home and kind of chickened out because I started thinking it was weird. And then I started thinking that I was weird for thinking too much about dried beans and candles. But then I went into Anthropologie looking for clothes and came out instead with my confidence restored (and maybe a sweater as well). Guess who else burns candles in glass globes full of dried beans? So now I feel validated...if Anthropologie can do it, then so can I.

So I put them here... And here...And here...

Are you wondering how I painted the monogram on that candle? Check out my guest post over at Life in Grace for a tutorial.

Linking up today with Rhoda at Southern Hospitality, Making the World Cuter, and Sumo's Sweet Stuff. Great new friends, go check them out!

My cup runneth over...literally!

2010-07-16T07:49:00.003-04:00

My two sisters are cheating on me. They are hanging out with one another and taking pictures...pretty much my two favorite things to do. The three of us girls live far apart from one another, and between the three of us we have 10 children, thus making life very busy and our time together rare.

My older sister is a photographer, and I believe with all my heart that God gifted her with this talent solely for my own personal convenience. The "My Cup Runneth Over" photograph has kind of become her thing when photographing this age child. I wish I could have been there to see them place my nephew Asher in the big cup. He will be the last of our 10 offspring to sit his tiny rear end in the cup...a little bittersweet.

Do you have a particular photograph of your children that you cherish a little more than all the 9 million others? If you do, tell me what it is, I am a photograph junkie and would love to hear! Even better, if you have a link to the photograph or the photographer, won't you please leave it in the comments so I can check it out?

May your weekend runneth over with something great...

We're gonna need a bigger...

2010-07-14T00:00:00.000-04:00

Do you remember the scene from Jaws when Martin Brody sees the great white shark for the first time? Do you remember what he says? He turns toward his shark hunter shipmate and says "We're gonna need a bigger boat". This week I uttered similar sentiments to my husband...but I wasn't talking about a boat.

Why is it that the woman in the Brooks Brother's catalog (the one that is holding a straw hat, resting in a lawn chair, with her golden retriever by her side) doesn't have an enormous scooper/rake combination in her other hand? Because I have to tell you, if that family in the catalog really owns that dog, and that clean and luscious green lawn that they are photographed on, there is someone that is walking around behind them with an enormous scooper.

Real life can be funny. Even when it's not funny while you are in the moment, if you are wise, you will allow yourself to find the humor in it after the moment has passed. Each afternoon while I comb through my backyard with my newly purchased scooper and rake, I'm not laughing. Usually I am actually quite irritated, complaining and barking even louder than the dog. Sometimes I even raise my head from it's downward posture to find my husband looking at me through the back windows laughing. And because I know him well, and because I know he is really laughing with me and not at me, I kind of start laughing too. Because it is kind of funny. It's kind of funny that when we bought Mr. Darcy, I only saw the Brooks Brothers picture as our future with him. I only saw the green lawn, the sunny afternoons, the straw hat, the linen suit that bears not one wrinkle, the bow tie around my husband's neck, and the three children standing in fine tailored, pressed clothing. That my friends, is pretty funny. In hind sight, it's actually hilarious, because the reality is the only thing I have in common with that woman in the catalog is the golden retriever....thank goodness.

I pity the first born

2010-07-12T04:00:00.004-04:00

Sometimes I wonder why God ever thought it wise to entrust us with the life of a human being. I still remember every detail of when we brought our eldest daughter home from the hospital. The first time I left her unattended (on my first solo trip to the bathroom) I had a panic attack. What if she stops breathing while I am not staring at her? I also remember going into my bedroom and crying hysterically when my father came to meet her for the first time, and upon his arrive he informed me he had a cold. I secretly started planning her funeral in my head. Morbid, I know. Insane, absolutely. Neurotic, without a doubt.

First born children. I pity them. They are the guinea pigs of the bunch. We try out all of our crazy on them, desperately seeking what works and what doesn't. We pompously, yet politely listen to the advise of the all the ignorant people around us; and then walk away with our noses turned up, cradling our prized gifts from above, armed with all of our new found expertise that is only as old and mature as the child we are holding in our arms. I know it's natural. We all do it, at least I think we all do it. But there are days when I watch my first born in action and I feel guilty for doing it, for it's not her fault she was the first one out of the womb. She cannot help it that God thought that of the three children he would give us, she would be the one most capable of bearing the brunt of her parent's insanity. It's not her fault that we subconsciously train her to be in charge of everything, and then scold her for trying to take charge of everything. Can't you just see God up in heaven talking amongst the Son and the Spirit, "Well, which one do you think we should give them first? These two are gonna screw up a lot of stuff as new parents. Let's give them Ella, she's tough, she can handle it." And they were right...she bears the burden well.

Ella is the kind of girl I wish I was, I'm so glad she was born first. She is strong and confident, fearless yet sweet. She is full of fire and bubbling with life. She has the wit and humor of an 18 year old, in the body of a 7 year old...oh my the struggles. Most days I can't get enough of her, but by the evening I can't take anymore of her, but then I somehow still never tire of her. Ella has managed thus far to survive the flaws of her parents. Though I know beyond certainty we do not always do things the way God intended, He at least planned ahead of time for it. He breathed into Ella the life of a fighter, He knew it to be a character trait she would need to survive being born first in our family.

Do you have a first born child that you often convince yourself you are messing up for all eternity? Take heart friend, you are in good company.

A modern twist on an old classic

2010-07-08T17:41:00.013-04:00

I have been sewing again. It has only been about 2 weeks since I last put away my sewing machine, vowing to never pull it out again as long as I live. But then I see a fabric I love, and my desire to create something kicks into high gear. And so I drag my beat-up Singer machine out of her short lived retirement once again.

This time I was actually just putting a new and modern twist on an old classic. First I will show you the part that I did not have to sew: these flowers for my girl's hair, assembled with a hot glue gun. Remember back here when I told you all about my love for EmersonMade and all her lovely (and very expensive) flowers? If you have never visited her blog, I would highly suggest spending some time over in her world. It's a fun place to visit, and you will very soon wish you knew Emerson in real life. You will also want to then quickly click on over to Nori's blog Love2Create, where you can find instructions on making your own flowers...which is what I did.

OK. Now that I have you up to speed, I will show you how I added a summer twist to these little flowers that I made for the girl's hair. All you need is a small sea shell and some hot glue. Oh my, how simple and how cute is that!

Now on to the sewing part. One of the first items of clothing that I ever made my girls was a pillowcase dress. As far as clothing goes, it really doesn't get much simpler than transforming a pillowcase, into a dress. You can read instructions here if you have never made one before and you are curious, but I promise you that I did not use those instructions. They are way too complicated for my simple brain. But this time instead of actually using a real pillowcase and a simple ribbon to make my pillowcase dress; I picked a funky, modern print fabric. It was actually a fabric that I originally bought to make something for myself, but then I chickened out and made these "pillowcase dresses" for the girls instead. In place of the ribbon for the shoulder straps, I made a sash out of the same fabric as the dress. For such a simple dress "pattern", it really makes an elegant statement. Don't you think?

Here is another example of a modern twist on the basic pillowcase pattern. This one comes from Lilly Pulitzer and has a $50 price tag. My dresses cost me $12 a piece. The fabric is Amy Butler's Graceful Vine, and each dress required one yard of fabric. Have you ever fancied up a pillowcase dress before? I would love it if you would share by leaving a link for me in the comments below.

Linking up today with...

Low country love

2010-07-07T12:07:00.017-04:00

I have missed you. After being away from my computer for several days, I start to have a touch of blogger withdraw. We have been loving our South Carolina vacation though. It is one of my favorite places on this planet. I hope you enjoy a photo recap of what we have been up to, and it's so good to talk to you again!

Perfect Unity

2010-07-02T04:00:00.000-04:00

Therefore as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3:12-14

The Rehearsal

2010-06-30T04:00:00.000-04:00

Do you remember when I told you that Style Me Pretty, THE greatest wedding blog in the history of blogs, was going to feature Jessica's wedding? I was beside myself with excitement, and quickly began teasing that this wedding was officially a "celebrity wedding". The details were perfectly suited to the bride and groom, and the rehearsal dinner was just a foretaste of what was to come.

The bride on the eve of her wedding...

Friends that rarely get the chance to sit, eat, drink, and laugh together...

And here is more evidence as to why Jessica is a girl after my own heart. These were her bridesmaid gifts that she made for all of her girls. Oh for the love of a clutch! EmersonMade would be so proud.

And just when you thought she could not out-do herself any further...

There is still no word yet on when Style Me Pretty will feature the wedding, but you know I will notify you immediatley so that you can go check out why a real photographer is better than a pretend one. I cannot wait to see how Rachel captured the night.

See you next time for the night of the wedding.

And now she is a married girl

2010-06-28T04:00:00.000-04:00

I am having a hard time knowing where to begin. My college roommate was married this past weekend in an island wedding. I am back home now, but my mind is still swirling with thoughts and emotions about the weekend. I think I have no other choice but to begin with the photographer. I'm not sure if I have ever seen someone captured as beautifully as Rachel from Millie Holloman Photography has captured my friend Jessica. Jessica is a natural beauty; and somehow God managed to weave into her soul: loveliness, style, passion and a whole lot of spunk...and then Rachael captured every detail of this sweet friend of mine in her engagement photos. I was swooning while looking through each photograph posted on her blog.

I snapped 400 of my own pictures over the weekend. I cannot wait to start sorting through them. It was an amazingly perfect beach wedding, and I think you will enjoy seeing some of my favorite shots and moments. I will post on her wedding and our weekend together the rest of this week. Until next time...

Bringing Paris home

2010-06-25T06:15:00.007-04:00

Paris. Our trip has become like a dream in my memory. It resembles a story that you only remember parts of, only the good parts (not that there were any bad parts in our fairytale). Maybe it is more like a movie, but it plays in slow motion in my mind. I have been missing Paris lately and wondering how I could bring something of it home to help me hold onto it a little longer.

I cannot recreate the chateau where we stayed, though I wish I could.

I could put on this outfit again, though I haven't been able to bring myself to do it. It really is only Paris worthy.

I miss the country-side, which is impossible to recreate as we live in the city.

I miss the art... definitely cannot recreate that.

I miss the wine that every street cafe brought out to us in jugs.
I miss the pizza cafes and the late night talking with my husband, sister, and her husband.

And oh the colors. I suppose I could try and recreate the colors, but my cute carpenter is hesitant to be bold enough to truly recreate the Paris look and color.

I miss picturesque moments that just kept appearing at ever corner as if they were waiting for us to walk up with our camera.

I cannot recreate the skyline.

Or the quaintness.
But what about the flowers? Flower boxes hung from practically every window. They billowed with vine geraniums and ivy that certainly only grows in Paris.

And so I tried...

I know it's not the same, in fact it is almost a little sad by comparison, but for now it will have to do.

My cute carpenter made these flower boxes for me. You can read about it here. Have a beautiful, flower box filled weekend.

An unexpected friendship

2010-06-24T07:33:00.005-04:00

I realized yesterday that this space called "Playing Sublimely" turned one year old this week. I'm not sure that this information means anything really. I'm not sure that a blog can have a birthday, but for some reason it feels fitting to acknowledge it. It must be you that I really desire to acknowledge and recognize, because if you were not here than I would just be journaling. And if I were just journaling, I do not think I would feel a need to acknowledge the fact that I had been at it for a year...does that make any sense?

I would like to thank you for visiting me here. This online friendship we have has been unexpected, undeserved, and immensely appreciated and cherished. You have become a "girlfriend" I can talk to and visit with, and I love that. My desire is that this place will continue to be a blessing to you and to me, and if that ever ceases to be true, that I will close up shop here and move on. Thank you for reading, thank you for visiting, thank you for being you. If I had only one person read my blog each day, I would count that an overflowing blessing. So for each of you out there that is "more than one", know that my heart is grateful.

Great Expectations

2010-06-22T08:08:00.005-04:00

I was on plane several months ago, and I sat in front of a woman who was sitting and talking with a friend. She was preparing for her son's high school graduation, and she was explaining what a great kid he was and how blessed she had been. My sentimental heart got the best of me, and my ears perked up to listen to what would surely be a long resume of impressive actions that had this proud momma bragging. She said "he never got into drugs and he never got any girl pregnant". For me, it was as if all the oxygen had been sucked out of the plane, and I began frantically looking up for the emergency air bags to drop from the overhead compartment. My cynical side wanted so desperately to turn around and look this woman right in the face and say "seriously?!?!?". But my overriding personality of avoiding an uncomfortable situation at all cost took over and I just sat there. I was sad. I was sad for her and her son. But I think I was generally just heartbroken for our generation.

This world tends to oppress. It oppresses the tired and weak, and it preys on the ones that love, and on the ones that are loved. It preys on the ones that need love, and the ones that think they are not loved. It is the arch nemesis of love and it desires to defeat all that is love. And since God is love, this world we walk through each day certainly is an enemy of God and his people. But what sort of people have we become that we are proud of those that have done nothing more than "not gotten into drugs and have not gotten anyone pregnant". I realize that I know nothing more than a quick polaroid shot of this woman and her son. Maybe she comes from a long line of drug users and to her, this was a major victory. I can understand that. It would be a major victory, certainly in this day and age where drug use is so prevalent. But what I would dare to argue is that my God is bigger than overcoming and breaking family histories. Oh he is capable of it, and willing to show his power through such an accomplishment, but he is so much more than that. And for some reason, I just don't think those were the circumstances of this woman's story. I think this woman had so lowered her expectations of "good", that to her, the landmines that her son had avoided had become his defining attributes of greatness.

I think I am guilty of this too...are you? I often find myself expecting much less of a situation, than I know in my heart God is capable of delivering. Are you in a current situation where you are counting on God to deliver something mediocre at best. Are you asking him for the bare minimum of what you can handle. Are you asking him to get you through something only by the skin of your teeth? I pray you will hear me when I say this to you, God is not in the business of delivering mediocre. He couldn't do it even if he wanted to, for he cannot be less than he is. In fact, he tells us he is "able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine" Ephesians 3:20. So what are you asking for? Is it something great, or minimal? Are you praying that your children would grow up safe and healthy, or that they would grow up to be strong, bold, and confident witnesses of Christ? Do you see the difference? And this is only the part I can imagine and think to ask for...he is capable of even greater things than these for his blessing overflows for those who love and fear him.

I am very aware that there are days where we are too weak to pray for greater things. In fact, there are some days that it is a miracle that we are praying at all. I don't mean to appear self righteous over that. I have been there. Believe me when I tell you that I have known a deep low, a low where even low expectations would have been better than where I was. But I feel like that credits me the right to speak boldly about the power of Christ and expecting great things. The next time your eyes look towards heaven in prayer, think big. Boldly approach the throne of grace, and in the name of Christ make a bold request. He didn't bring back to life the dead, and roll away the stone of defeat, so that we would meekly approach him in request to accomplish the ordinary. He isn't ordinary. He desires you to have great expectations of his capabilities and power, it is proof that we are believing him to be who he says he is. Start expecting great things, expect the extraordinary.

25 years and counting

2010-06-21T08:17:00.003-04:00

We celebrated 25 years of marriage with my mom and step dad over the weekend. I still remember their wedding day. They were young and in love and blending two families together, two families with small children...few things in life are as daunting. But here they are 25 years later still very much in love with one another, and here all of us are 25 years later having been very blessed by their marriage. These two have loved one another (and all of their children) well over the years. The world could use a few more parents like them. Happy anniversary you two! We adore you more than words!

Love,

Fourth Day Redemption

2010-06-18T06:52:00.008-04:00

The fourth and final day of art camp came with redemption. The mosaics are most certainly my favorite pieces that the children created. They were worth the work, and the boredom. We learned of God's watchful eye over everything, and if he watches over the sparrow, then how much more closely does he watch over us. This last day of camp was spent creating birds on top of the mosaic backdrop that we had completed the day before. They really did turn out beautifully.

Our last project was an attempt at alla prima painting. Our art inspiration came from Jesus' parable of the four soils. We painted a vase of flowers, using brushes and palette knives. This was the kind of instant gratification the kids needed after the endurance required for the mosaics.

On the first day of camp, they picked out fabric for a flower. On the last day of camp, my high school assistants finally assembled the flowers. Everyone was able to leave with one...Even the boy...And all the beauties...Here are my high school assistants that I have so come to rely on over the past three years. They help my life run smoother (most of the time), and they saved me this week in art camp!

What a week. What a privilege.

Art camp day 3: It doesn't always go picture perfect

2010-06-17T04:00:00.000-04:00

Didn't day 3 of art camp start out lovely. My bible, my kids on a blanket in my backyard, and high hopes for beautiful mosaics. And then reality happened: today's art project was too tedious and time consuming. I bored them.

Don't believe me? Look at their faces....

Or these....

Or the rolling of these eyes...

I was an elementary school teacher before I had children of my own, so I know a thing or two about doing everything "right" to prepare...and then having the plan flop regardless. But what I love about children is that they are forgiving and willing to push through.

Our bird mosaics are not even close to being complete, so I will reveal the finished art tomorrow.

Art camp day 2: Pointillism and Craypas

2010-06-16T04:00:00.001-04:00

Today we found a way to tie together the artistic technique of pointillism and being "like a tree planted by the living water" Jeremiah 17:8. It really wasn't difficult to do. We used the circular felt pads that cover the legs of chairs; you know the ones that keep your chairs from scratching the floor. They worked beautifully because they stuck on the tips of their fingers. We also used round stamps and round pegs, but the chair pads were the best way to create the effect of points.

Then there was snack time...Then we moved on to 2 Corinthians, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone the new has come!". We used craypas to create butterflies, the loveliest of "new life" examples.

And then we kissed on my boy a little...

Art camp day 1: Fishers of Men

2010-06-15T06:27:00.006-04:00

Art camp is here, and I am fairly certain that I might be having more fun than the kids. We learned about Jesus' miraculous catch on the Sea of Galilee, the calling of Peter and Andrew (and each of them), and then how to blend paint colors to paint the ocean. My pictures were somewhat of an afterthought as I was covered in blue acrylics...I'll try and do better next time.

The most impractical room in my house

2010-06-11T07:41:00.008-04:00

She is my room. She is a 12 ft by 12 ft colorful dream that begs you come sit and be still. She is not for playing as there is no spare space. She is not for sleeping as there is no place to rest your head... she is just for "being". And sometimes I need to just be. She is filled with things I love like furniture I painted, hot pink french chairs that my cute carpenter despises, my kids artwork, my sister's photography, and accessories that serve no purpose other than to look pretty. She stands alone in my house, as there is nothing else here as bright as her walls. She is herself, for better or for worse, and I like that about her.

Since I am adding this room to my house tour, take a look at what she used to look like:

And take a look at my french chairs before they received the love they so deserve. You can read their story here.

Don't you want to sit here...

I hung a colorful plaque on my painted armoire because she is too big to not be multi-purposed...

My desk that really only functions as a place to display things I love...

Ella's artwork and my painted, and oh so sadly slip covered chair, that took me 15 minutes to make...

Some wisdom...

Here I am in Paris where my love of hot pink was born...

And here is my copycat version that I painted and hung over the windows...

I made these linen panels. No lining, no fuss, just simplicity, and they are perfect in this sun room.

More stuff to love...

My husband wants to know "if we take the cage off the puff ball, will it get away?". He just doesn't get this room of mine...

Do you?

Preparing for Art Camp

2010-06-09T07:54:00.004-04:00

Bible art camp is next week and we have been practicing. There's something about "hosting" a camp on a subject matter that you know nothing about, that has me a little nervous...even if my participants are all under the age of 8. I have never taken an art class before in my life, I just love art and I love creating pretty things; so I am considering myself "qualified" to host such a gathering.

I have never used oil paints before, so the girls and I thought we would give it shot yesterday. Guess what...oils are messy. We were trying out Alla Prima painting, so I was constantly saying "it's okay, keep moving, it doesn't have to be perfect, stop complaining, it's supposed to be impressionistic, you have paint all over your face but it's okay, if you complain one more time you are kicked out of art camp"...stuff like that. I figure that if I am the one in charge at "pretend" art camp, I can also be the one to pretend to have the authority to kick out the whiners.

When oil paint practice was complete we had all learned a lot, most importantly that we might not use oil paints. I am still fine tuning the weeks projects, but I think it's gonna be a fun week. If only Molly Courcelle would come and teach the class! Molly, you and I were meant to be best friends in real life...I just know it!

How to make your own Niermann Weeks: kinda

2010-06-07T07:21:00.023-04:00

Oh how I love the look of a Niermann Weeks chandelier, and oh how I hate the price of them. My friend Karen who is one of the most fashionable ladies walking the planet, got me thinking about how to create the look of a Niermann Weeks chandelier. She is a girl after my own heart and loves to decorate fabulous for less. I have told you before that I am a "faux, faux finisher". I pretend a little with decorative finishes, but I had never experimented with applying any products to a fixture before. So I gave it a shot.

Here are a few finishes I liked from the Niermann Weeks collection, all priced over $5,500:

Here are a few of Brooke's table lamps from her Giannetti lighting collection, love the finish of these as well:

And this is what I wanted to transform into something lovely: a $25 brass consignment store find. I liked the lines of it, and it was large enough to go in my foyer.

Everything I used was products that I had around my house (Faux Effects plaster), but you could use regular plaster and tint it any color you wanted. I scooped the product up in my hands and smeared it all over the chandelier. My first plaster color was a bronze shade. I let that dry and then I repeated the exact same "technique" with a neutral color plaster (I am using that term loosely as my five year old helped me cover the chandelier in plaster with her hands). Once both layers had dried I sanded it a little by hand to let the darker shade underneath show through.

We did change out the glass because I wanted an "old look". We replaced the plain glass with "seeded glass" for a vintage feel. I considered not putting any glass in it at all. I think that would have been a nice look also, but ultimately the "seeded glass look" won me over.

Then my cute carpenter risked his own life to hang my creation. He is a good man.Isn't she lovely.

Can you see the finish and texture?

The seeded glass reflects specks on our walls at night...it's dreamy.

I love not having to spend $5,500 to get the look I want, and I love Karen for convincing me to try this.

Linking up with:
The Shabby Nest! Click here to go check out other frugal projects!

An unexpected place to sit

2010-06-04T04:00:00.000-04:00

I kind of feel like sofa tables are a waste of space. I never know what to set on them to make them pretty but also keep them functional; and then if they look too functional they end up looking junky. I always default with a ridiculous amount of picture frames that as my husband says "looks like a grandmother's house" (no offense to grandmothers, it's just the simple fact that they tend to have a lot of pictures around of their grandchildren...not that there is anything wrong with that...they should be proud...it would be strange if they didn't have a lot of photographs...I'm going to stop talking now).

Then it occurred to me that I could make it a desk. I added a chair, my computer, and a few accessories, and now I love my sofa table. It's pretty and functional. Love. It.

I am loving this unexpected place to sit.

For the love of...love.

2010-06-03T00:00:00.000-04:00

It was 9:30 and they should have gone home to study for exams. But then someone started talking about movies, and then someone said 'Leap Year' was the greatest movie ever, and then someone popped popcorn, and then someone else went to the store and bought candy, and then I said okay and pushed play. What is it about a love story that will quiet a room full of girls? Part of it is certainly the Irish accent of the main character. That's never a bad thing. But it's more than that, I think. It's the surprise of the relationship, and the tenderness of his commitment. It's the realness of his attitude, and the rawness of his emotions. Somehow it all comes together in a scruffy package of dreaminess and they all sat in my family room swooning. Or maybe it was just the accent...we really could have just stopped the movie after he uttered his first words.

What romance these girls desire, and oh how they love a love story! God most certainly wove into their souls a longing to be a part of something that includes a white horse, a pretty dress, and a good man with an accent. Which got me thinking. God doesn't create in us a pure desire that He himself cannot satisfy. He made us girls lovely and captivating and lovers of love as a counterpart to the perfect One who can quench that longing. So I guess what I am trying to say is, we know that God will indeed come back on his white horse, and we know that he gave us a lovely white dress to wear as his bride, and I am now convinced beyond measure that God will also have an Irish accent...and I can't wait to hear him say my name.

Seeing the mundane for lovely

2010-06-01T08:29:00.012-04:00

This is what we did every morning at 7:30 am all year. I loaded my three kids into the car, picked up 4 more kids, and headed to school. We not only maximized the car capacity, but also Thomas' patience for being surrounded by little girls climbing over his head. I recorded our last trip together in the car because anything that you spend this much time doing, is worthy of recording. There is something about seeing it through a lens instead of my own eyes, that changes my perspective of it just enough to humble me. What a privilege it was every morning, a privilege that most days I didn't notice.

I caught a few things in this video that I am thrilled to have captured. One is Ella smacking her brother with her bag of silly band bracelets. No wonder I have taken away her bracelets, and no wonder Thomas cried every morning as the herd of children climbed over top of him. He would start crying each day as we pulled into the parking lot of the school. Thomas was just like one of Pavlov's dogs, conditioned to what was about to take place. But secondly, one of the children in my carpool said something that I didn't even hear that day, but caught when I was watching the video. She said "I love this part of the day, for some reason it just makes me feel good". I wonder what it was that made her so happy. To me, it was so often just the routine. Load them up, drive them there, drop them off. But there must have been something happening in between the repetitiveness that made it special.

God is so often in the unseen. There is plenty of the beauty of God in all that we see around us, but oh how much grace and love and majesty there is in the unseen. I love it when I see him in the unseen, when I wasn't really expecting him or looking for him. He makes the mundane lovely, and I don't want to ever miss the lovely.

Linking up today with Emily to unwrap this gift.

I think I'm in heaven...

2010-05-27T04:00:00.000-04:00

I would like to introduce to you the person that is living my dream "career life". If I had a career outside of my home, her career is the one I would want. The only problem is, she is amazingly talented and trained in art, and I am not. Her name is Molly Courcelle and from the minute my eyes met her work, I was in love with her art and her heart.

While in Asheville this past weekend, we spent a day walking around the the Arts District and I stumbled upon her studio. I was searching for her mother, Bee Sieburg's studio, and to my delight I found Molly too. I told my husband when we left "I bet she is a Christian". I don't know how I knew, I could just tell. I could have sat in their studio for hours just taking it all in. It was beautiful and inviting and Spirit-filled and I kind of wanted to move in.

Some of Bee's work...

Here are a few of my favorites from Molly's collection. Don't miss the beautiful names they have, it makes viewing them all the more sweet...

Faith

God Breathed

Lavish

Out of the Pit

Redeemed

(I think this might be my favorite)

The True Vine

Don't you just love her? Go pay Molly a visit at her website, there you can also find a link to her blog. You can't help but love her work, and I can't wait to own some of it.

Truth and the Liar

2010-05-25T10:37:00.013-04:00

Change is hard for me. It sneaks up on my world every time, and I tend to not see its' relentless, approaching march for two reasons. One is that I am far too disorganized and scatterbrained to know that the day has come for change to happen. It is that phone call coming in on the line where you look at the Caller ID, and it jolts your memory that you are supposed to be somewhere other than in your house answering the phone. The second reason change is often a surprise is that I tend to simply ignore the reality of its presence with an "ignorance is bliss" kind of attitude. If I pretend it's not happening, and I pretend I don't feel it's presence, then perhaps 'change' isn't really staring right at me.

The end of the school year is upon us. I have longed for the days of summer for several months now. The ease of not having to load three children into the car for carpool at 7:25, or not scrambling to find something edible in my pantry to throw in a lunch box and call nutrition, and not having to endure the torture of learning to phonetically code a word during homework every night... it's things such as these that I have been waiting on. I have anticipated this time, and now the time has come. The marching troops of change have finally arrived on my doorstep, so why was I fighting a lump in my throat as I read Ella's last newsletter of the year?

Could it be that the joy of living is in the mundane, everyday moments of life? Could it be that to deny yourself the gift of packing lunches is to miss the face of God entirely? I think so. I think it is a lie that we believe all year, "oh if I can just make it to fall break, then there will be down time". Or "once we get to Christmas break, then we can all relax and enjoy our time together". Or "once summer is here, things will seem less hectic". It's nothing but a lie. It speaks against Truth that tells us "this is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it" Psalm 118:24. The verse speaks nothing of only rejoicing in the day, if you don't have to drive carpool. The Liar comes to deceive and rob us of the joys that come with a car packed full of children on their way to school. He would like nothing more then for us to live out our days looking for what tomorrow might bring us. What a thief He is.

As I read Ella's final newsletter I smiled as I saw her memory verse for this week "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23. It's strange, there is no mention of anticipation or anxiousness here, and yet I live out so many of my days pretending as though that is the spirit that is alive in me. I know that ultimately the Spirit of Truth will be the one that prevails, but along the way we grow weary fighting battles that we were not meant to fight. For the love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and goodness and faithfulness and gentleness and self control of the Spirit has already slain the anxiousness and anticipation of the Deceiver. I should really stop returning to the battlefield of what has already been conquered, and just get on to the victory party with those who believe. Because the party banner they have hung reads all the fruits of the Spirit....and they're partying whether I choose to believe and show up or not.

Thanks Emily for allowing us to unwrap our gifts here.