When Plan B is Best

Nobody signed up for my first attempt at art class.

There. I said it. I was so disappointed. I even cried.

Yes, I cried. Is that weird?  I thought it was.

I asked the Mr., "What's the deal? Why am I so sad about this?"

The obvious response, "Because this is important to you."

This past year has been a recovery effort--recovering creativity, recovering dreams.

So when I try something and it "fails," the first thing my heart hears is the enemy's voice saying,

"See, I told you so. Give it up. Nobody cares. It doesn't matter."

At first, I was ready to chuck the whole idea out the window.

How very mature.

It took me a few days to dig myself out.

Sometimes we have die to our own ideas to make room for God's.

I fought back the lies and held my dreams loosely.

I now have a class of two.

Jacob and Josie are the most committed, enthusiastic,

 and eager art students I could ever ask for.

It's our favorite subject.

As you can see, sometimes even Gabby can't resist joining the fun.

I love this time together more than words can say.

I may not have the class I had imagined, but this class still matters.

 It matters because the gifts God gives are important, 

even for a class of two.

We'll see...I might open up this art class idea again someday.

After all, God didn't say "no."

It was a "not yet."  

What Would You Do For Pie?

I have special place in my heart for Pie.

This Pie.

I don't know how or why, but she stole my heart.

I couldn't help myself.
They call their foster baby "Pie."
 I call her adorable.

Having fostered a baby for just a short time,

I have deep appreciation and admiration for foster moms.

It. Ain't. Easy.

Meet Joy, Pie's foster mama.
She stole my heart too.

There isn't anything easy for this family right now.

Please check out her blog at Small Town Joy.

Read 

Pray 

Give

Okay, I can't tell you what to do.  

But I do pray that my family and friends will be moved to pray and to act.

There are some cute fundraisers going on.  I choose to do the puzzle!

For every $5 donation you can purchase a puzzle piece.

Your name can be written on the puzzle piece
and this puzzle will hang on Pie's bedroom wall.
What a sweet reminder of how many people prayed for her
and how God provided for her to come home to her
forever family.

Please do what you can!

I realize that I don't have a huge audience reading here, 

but that doesn't matter to God.

He'll work his miracles with even a mustard seed.

This is my seed.

Go GOD!!!!

Carpet Face Prayer Days

You could tell it was a Monday.

I did optimistically take some school pictures.

See how hard they work.

Isn't writing time at the park fun?

Let me tell you, these pictures are false advertising.

They don't  honesty convey the thoughts and attitudes of the day.

I need pictures that say this:

"I don't feel good."

"I'm tired."

"Do I have to do this?"

"Can I have a break?"

"Why can't I do it later?"

"Can I skip this part?"

"I'm starving."

"My hand is tired."

"Are we almost done?"

Truth is, I felt the same way. 

"Do I have to do this?"

So there I was today, laying on the bedroom floor at 5:00 pm,

 praying for just a little bit of joy to finish out the day.  

Only God could redeem the mess we had made of the previous 8 hours.

Some days are like that.

Carpet face prayer days.

~ ~ ~

Most days we have family devotions after supper.  

 Let's just stop right there, lest you think too highly of that statement.  

It's rarely as lovely as we would like it to be.

But there is this new thing I love:

 the prayer jar.

Each stick in the jar has a prayer request:

"Grandma and Grandpa"

"Orphans"

"Ethiopia"

"More opportunities to show love"

"More faith"

"Manny P."

We sit on the couch and pass the jar, 

each person taking as many sticks as they'd like to pray for.  

Then around the room we go.

I'm not going to lie.

It's a beautiful thing.

Beautiful enough to redeem the mess we had made of this day?

Yes, indeed.

Just one hour after my carpet faced prayer for joy,

Jacob prays in his own words,

"God, give our family love and joy, now, and for the rest of the day."

Amen?

AMEN.

This was the answer to my prayers.

This was my joy.

More than Flowers

Okay, Mrs. Garber Martin, you've twisted my arm.

Here's a Money Shot Monday (whatever that means).  

I rarely understand your quirky expressions, but I always love your ideas.

This is just the inspiration I needed.

Thanks, Shannan. You've been inspiring me for a long time.  

Now, if I can just figure out how to link up....

~ ~ ~

The 10 minutes of solitude carved out of my day were spent outside, quickly gathering the remnants of a summer garden gone wild, grabbing hold of the last bits of happy color.  The gusty fall winds blew hard, trying to chase me back inside to the comfort. The chilly air teased me for not wearing a jacket, for holding on to summer too long. Yet something kept me out there.

I was looking for more than flowers. 

I was looking hard for gratitude and for grace,

hoping to make something beautiful out of the noise and mess and brokenness in and around us.  

In a blustery, scraggly patch of zinnias, I found my joy bank filling up--  

filling up with beauty, just like this humble tin can.

Isn't she sweet?

I smile inside every time I walk by.

That 10 minute investment in gratitude will bring me at least a weeks worth of warm fuzzies.

Now that's a good investment.







Linking up with Flower Patch Farmgirl's Money Shot Monday! First link-up ever!!! Woo-hoo!!!

Goodbye 40

I'm sorry, Hallmark, but homemade is just way better.

Then again, sometimes store bought is pretty good too.

And I do love a creative birthday present

that I can watch all year long!!!

Granted, I may have to stay up into the wee hours of the night to be creative because I have a new full time job homeschooling these 4 extraordinarily awesome people.

And the icing on the cake?
I'm going to teach kid's art classes in my home!
Going to have to clean up this mess first...

And how about a little portrait work on the side?

I can hardly wait!!!
Goodbye 40. Hello 41.

LET'S HAVE SOME FUN!!!!!

When the darkness closes in...

As August slowly ushers in the changing seasons in nature,

it also ushers in a subtle current of sadness.

It is a time to mourn.

Some years it sneaks in almost unexpectedly,
a feeling that you can't quite put your finger on.
Some years it explodes fierce and out of control.
This year, I watch for it.  I recognize it.  I let it be what it is.

This year, I'm trying hard to grieve with gratitude.

~ ~ ~

When we first moved back to town, we became reacquainted with Ray, a dear old friend of my Dad. Ray would walk past our house on his daily route and always stop to say "hi" to the kids and reminisce with us about the history of people and places he loved in this town.

One of those people he loved was my Dad.

Ray told us many stories, but one I hold close to my heart:

my Dad at the funeral for his young son.

This was not Dad's first loss. It was one of many in his lifetime.

Ray was at the funeral.  He stood there in line, wondering what to say to his friend, my Dad. What do you say to a man who has lost so much already? Before Ray could find the words, my Dad reached for Ray's hand and confidently proclaimed what he believed:

"The Lord gives and the Lord takes away.  
Blessed be the name of the Lord."

~ ~ ~

 I love that I have this story of my Dad's unwavering faith.
I love that all these years later his testimony, passed on through a witness,
 still stands fresh and bold in my heart.


I love that I can say it too.

I will still mourn. Tears will still flow. And I will still say,

"The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. 
Blessed be the name of the Lord."

Heat Wave

What do you do when it's too hot to be outside 

and the brother is sick so you have to stay home all day?

MAKE STUFF!!!

Thanks to our Pinterest addiction, we have plenty of inspiration.

Hanna started off the fun by glitzing up her chargers.

Really?

Well, I guess we won't get them confused anymore.

That must have wet her appetite,

because before you can say "hot glue gun" we were whipping up a crayon storm.

Crayons? Check.
Canvas? Check.
Hot glue gun? Check.
Blow dryer? Check.
Three girls? Check.

We had everything we needed right here at home.

Perfection!

Hum...wonder what they'll create tomorrow?

~ ~ ~

Since we are having so much fun with the girls today,

why not throw in another one of their favorites:

Kid History videos.


My kids quote these videos all the live long day.

This one is a household favorite...

I can't explain it, but it's funny stuff.

FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACT!