a picture

Question for you.

When was the last time you went on vacation and didn't look at a picture of your destination before you left?

How about.... Never (at least for me)!

We love to know where we are going, don't we.
Pictures persuade us, inspire us, unite us, and
 create a longing for places we have never been.

Where is that "place" for you?
Maybe it's the beach
the mountains

or maybe it's just
your home.

Here is a picture of my first home.
One of my top twelve places, indeed!

You look at the picture and see
green grass
a log home
and some trees in the background.

I see the picture and I see
our tire swing
our front yard football games
halloween parties
slip-n-Slide
our clubhouse
I see memories.
I see love.

What do you see when you look at your home?
What do you "want" to see when you look at your home?

Take a look around today. Does your home reflect your heart?

Right now, as I look around, I see a few pacifiers and dried milk spots on the floor.
And I love it!

Soon the pacifiers will be gone.
Milk will be replaced with dirty shoe marks and mud.
Formula cans will disappear.

Well for a little while. Hopefully we will get the chance
to experience it all again with a second.
(God-willing)

So.
Appreciate what your home is right now
Whether it's perfectly organized or a perfect mess.
Be thankful.
You have a home.

If you are unhappy with how your home looks
Change it.
Add some paint.
Get a new candle.
Make a wreath.
Get inspired on pinterest.

Whatever you do, do it with love
and I can guarantee it will be beautiful.

Grace and Peace.

everything will be okay

Today was rainy
cold,
and gray.
I didn't care though
BECAUSE...
I had a hair appointment!
Uptown Salon. One of my favorite landing places.
A place to chat, get your hair beautified, fellowship, and just relax.

Now, I love gettin my hair "did"
but I also love that I have an A-W-E-S-O--M-E stylist
that I also call my friend. She is a great mom and a great Christian.

As she was drying my hair, we noticed there was a young boy cleaning
the outside of the shops' window.

She said, "hmmm, that's funny.... no one has ever come and cleaned
my window before."He continued. Taking his time.
 Cleaning them thoroughly from top to bottom.

All of the sudden, we hear the door open and he walks in.
He quickly says hello and proceeds to clean the inside.
We continue to wonder who this boy is.
He neatly arranged everything back in its place, said goodbye, and walked
out the door.

She ran to her purse, grabbed her wallet and said she would be right back.
When she came back in she said, "He's gone." She had walked up the street,
even looked down the alley. Nowhere.

She said, "You know what's ironic, Andrea, just the other day I told my husband
we really needed to clean those windows. They hadn't been done since the spring."

So who was this kid?

We may never know.

But later she texted me and said

"You know I just feel like God was reminding through that little experience
that everything is going to be okay."
And it's so true.

Whether our windows need cleaning, a friendship needs healing, or we just don't understand
why we are going through a hard time....God is always there, always present, and always working.
From this we can always remember...

He that began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 6:1

Wishing you a window cleaning experience sometime soon!

Chapter 1~ a picture and a plane

Chapter 1...

This is gonna take awhile.
Writing a book is a process and I am in NO rush to finish it.
Well, I do have a deadline though.
12 months.
1 Chapter each month.
During the next 12 months I hope to grow, learn, reflect, and gain confidence as
a writer.
I just know I am letting the spirit lead on this one.
I'll just do my best to be faithful, fruitful, and thankful.

My class I am taking right now is teaching me to think clearly through
my intentions and goals. Being organized is fun for me and I plan to take make this
process as organized AND fun as possible along the way.

One of my goals to help with my focis
is to participate in the HelloMornings Challenge.

Here's the Big Idea
Every morning during the challenge YOU:

1. Experience quality time with God.
2. Intentionally plan your day
3. Exercise regularly

If you are up for the challenge click on the link and join in:

http://www.hellomornings.org/frequently-asked-questions/

Hope your Tuesday has been blessed extraordinarily!

my book

today i am making a declaration.
a dream that i am determined to bring to life.

many years ago i said i would write a book.

although i have had the idea for a few years
this morning, i put the ideas into action.

i'm excited/nervous/hopeful.

so today, this is my declaration:

(it will be published)

let the fun begin.

Facing the Sun and The Son.

I jogged up a hill this morning.
I could feel the sun against my back.
I knew when I turned around at the top of the hill, it would blind me.
As I rounded the turn, my eyes were suddenly pulling in a brightness that filled up my soul.
It really felt like that- a filling up, an overflow, an abundance.

This is what I saw...

That moment needed captured. Not just with my eyes, but with my camera.
So I caught it! I looked the sun in the eye and I snapped a picture of that most beautiful moment.

Isn't that exactly what happens when we face THE son? Isn't that what HE does for us, every time we show up thirsty? We meet Him and bask in His gifts, His grace, His love.

As I worked my way back down the hill, the sun dipped out of my sight. Still there, but not for my eyes to look upon.

Our son, Jesus Christ is always there.
Just a cloud away.
Sometimes bright, sometimes hiding, but always there.

Look directly at Him this week. Talk to Him. Listen to Him.
Thank Him.

Face the Son and be blessed friends!

balance

Today I googled images for the word balance...

There were pictures of a scale, a woman on a balance beam, rocks stacked on top of one another, new balance shoes, a tight rope walker, a yin and yang symbol,  a woman on an exercise ball, and a pie chart.

Next, I looked up the definition of balance- Here is what I found...

a state of equilibrium, equal distribution of weight, mental steadiness or emotional stability, habit of calm behavior, judgment, etc.


Isn't this what we are all seeking?
We want balance.
We want to feel a mental steadiness, a calmness, a peace.

How do we do this?

When I saw the image of the pie chart, I couldn't help but think about what my own pie chart would look like. Would God have the greatest portion shaded? Would family? Would friends.

So, today I plan on making my pie chart!  Not sure what it will look like yet because I need to take an honest inventory of my priorities first.

What does your pie chart look like?

I'll end with this...
When you focus on the Lord, your life will come into balance, and all the areas of your life will be blessed.
Seems so simple doesn't it?

At least I know where to start  in my search for balance...

The Lord.

Be blessed and may you move and sway with your day today!

Just a moment...

The bubble squeezes out slowly from the wand.

It lands a second away on the grass,

We watch. We wait. Soon it will pop

Just a moment.

That bubble held on longer than most.

And we did too.

We caught it.

In those few seconds we caught a bit of time we will never find again.

to watch my sweet weston stare at the bubble...

to watch the bubble hold on...

to watch my mom smile...

all a blessing.

How many moments did you catch today?

How many moments did you miss?

I wish I could say I "stay in the moment" all the time.

I don't.

Life gets busy, it's fast. We get caught up in what's behind us

or what's ahead of us. We often miss what is right in front of us.

Just a moment... find a few tomorrow.

Breathe them all in! 

Remember them, and be blessed!

Pieces...

Christa Wells is one of the most talented Christian Indie artists I have heard in awhile. Her voice is truly angelic and brings a peace inside of me, especially when she sings, Image of God. This song is about our brokenness. Yet, when we bring our brokenness to the foot of the cross, He makes us whole. If you have a few moments this evening, close your eyes, take a few breaths, and let her words blend into your soul.



Be Blessed.

Growth

I'm keeping my words few tonight. 

I read this earlier and it struck a few chords in me.

"You will either step forward into growth or you will step back into safety."

Hmmm, think about that this week!

Onward Ever, Backward Never.

Be Blessed Friends!

listen to your silence

What does your silence sound like?
Isn't' that some sort of oxymoron?
Shouldn't our silence be just that--- free from sound?

My silence doesn't work that way though.
My silence carries sound.

In my silence, there is a voice.
That voice. That spirit. It has been there long time.
The Holy Spirit.

While jogging this morning, I was listening to a song
 by the Ting Ting's called- Silence.

It has the perfect beat.
But what I liked most about it was the message.

Listen to your silence.
They repeated that line again and again.
I needed to hear it.

Tomorrow I am trying that.
I will listen to my silence.
In that stillness may His voice
ring loud and clear.

My silence is His voice.


Be Blessed.

Creative Challenge # 1

Hey.

I have a challenge for you. 

It's a fun challenge. 

It's a mixed media challenge!

I love love love mixed media art. This is basically a technique in which more than one medium is used. There is nothing greater than starting with a blank canvas and knowing you can add layers and layers of fun on top of it. Kinda like a plain vanilla cupcake--- add a layer of caramel and sea salt and you have a WHOLE new cupcake. (yes, I had one today)! 

So I found this picture below in my Ikea book tonight. I glued the words "life is full of open fields" on the page. This week I plan to add a few more layers to my picture. There is a very good chance I will add a layer of spray glitter to top it all of. Sorry, the glitter obsession must go on (at least for a bit longer). 

So, here's where you come in. 

Find a picture-- tear it out of a magazine- take a picture with a camera, use a page from an old book! It's up to you-- be creative! 

When you are finished with your art--send me picture via facebook or email (alhussell@gmail.com). Anyone who submits their picture will get a free lettering print on a book page of their choice from me to YOU! 

So.

Step out.

Find a picture.

Give it a makeover!

Be creative!

Wish Tree

Hello All!

Happy Third day of the New Year!
Who's still motivated?

Each year I do the whole goal-setting thing, create my vision board (I'll blog about that later) and aspire to do things a bit better than I did the year before.

I started thinking about ways our family can help others this year and came up with the idea to create a Wish Tree. I found a branch in my backyard, spray painted it silver, and added a dusting of glitter.

The hubby and I came up with 12 acts of kindness our family can do each month of the year. Hoping this is something we can continue on through the years with our children... passing along the idea that it is important to improve ourselves but just as important to meet the needs of others around us!

So here is our tree.

It sits on a table as you come in our house. So.... there is no excuse whatsoever that I forget about following through with this idea!

Happy New Years My Friends!
What did you do with your family to bring in the New Year?
I would love to hear from you.

one.word.

i am trying something different this year.

an idea from mom (again).

an idea that starts with one word.
one word that is the focus of your year.
one word that you want to sum up the next 365 days.
one word that can change your perspective a bit.

so it's easy.
pick a word.
you have plenty to choose from.
think about it.
use it.

here's mine...

i like this word. i want this word to like me this year.
i hope to have more discipline in my health, my art, my marriage, my relationship with God, and my work. this is a tough word, but like i said, i like it.

when i'm tired..discipline.
when i'm weak..discipline.
when i'm mad...discipline.
when I feel like not running...discipline.

so here we go.
another year.
2013.
let the good times (along with the bad) roll.
and in the mean time, pick a word!

What can a pair of glitter shoes teach you today?

Glitter.

I've always loved it.

I used it as a child for most of my art projects.

I wore it on my face in middle school in high school. (You did too, Loren)!

I just love the sparkle. The shine. The way it brightens up a plain old white piece of paper.

So what's the lesson in all this?

My mom was always notorious for finding the "lesson or God connection" to almost every life experience. And because of this I am always looking for that little lesson, that connection to everyday life experiences.

As I covered my flats in a layer of modge podge and glitter I thought about how this is much like our everyday lives. We are always covering up aren't we?

Make Up. Warm Coats. Socks. Hair Color. Nail Polish. Fancy Cars.
These things make us feel pretty, warm, significant, loved.

All these things are okay. I appreciate those things.  But at the end of the day, what matters most is what covers our hearts and minds.
What we have inside of us is what God places His lens upon.

I hope my heart and mind have a little glitter, a little shine, and a little extra sparkle because I know my heavenly father Loves me and cares for me all the days of my life. I hope my thoughts and words are coated in love, in grace, and in peace.

Today is a dreary, dull day here in Mount Holly. God must haven't wanted it that way. I'll put on my glitter shoes later, walk out into the world, and remember how is love for us shines and sparkles whether we can see the sunshine or not.

So the moral of this lesson (mom)...

God made glitter- Use it!

TUTORIAL: 

1. Find a pair of flats (any color will work) and paint one half of the shoe with Modge Podge.

2. After applying a liberal coat, sprinkle a generous amount of glitter onto the shoe. I used the Recollections brand in Champagne (extra fine) from Michael's. Allow the shoe to dry, then repeat the same steps on the other half of the shoe.

3. Give your flat another coat of Modge Podge and glitter. I gave the "toe" an extra layer since it will get the most wear and tear.

4. Let dry and "obviously" repeat the steps on your other flat.

5. To finish, spray on a clear acrylic sealer. I bought Patricia Nimrock's sealer from Michaels.

Ta-Da-- you are finished!
Warning- Be prepared to leave a little trail of glitter with your steps! It's okay, the world can always use a little more sparkle.

Book Art

Have y'all noticed that soooo many pinterest projects involve tearing apart books?

At first, I struggled with this, since I am such a lover of books.

However, since I have been exploring with book art, I have a new love for tearing apart a book (mainly old ones).

Last year it was paper wreaths for me. This year it is Book art.

 Basically... I search through books, looking for great lines, along with pretty artwork and cut the page into pieces and puzzle it back together on cardboard. I recently went through the book, Words of Stone. This book has been on my shelf for a few years now and it was never a favorite of mine, yet it had some great lines in it that were memorable.

This is one of my favorite lines...

And then, because she wanted the way she felt at that precise moment to last forever, she stuck her head out the window and gulped the air that rushed at her face, hoping that it would work some kind of magic inside her. Hoping that it would make her life perfect in every way!

Ahhh-- I love it. Haven't you felt that way before. Times when you don't have a worry in the world and everything just is well with your soul.

So here is my creation. Put on cardboard and backed with a doily! I am making these for the Holidays. If you have an idea or favorite book that you would like turned into art for yourself or for a gift, let me know!
Be Blessed!