The Art in your Heart

Hi friends!

I've been a bad bad blogger.

I've been writing, just not here.

So, tonight I will share with you a piece of a kids book I am working on. 

The illustrations should be super-fun for this one!

Hope you enjoy it!

The Art in your Heart

There’s a place in your heart

with lots of light

It glitters and shines

and radiates bright

There’s canvases, brushes, and 

paints galore

Doodles and stripes

and so much more

There’s polka dots, squiggles, 

and peppermint trees

Butterflies, fairies, and

bumble bees

It’s the prettiest, happiest place in your heart

It’s easy to find if you just need to start

So pick up a paintbrush, some paper and pen

make your first mark and creation begins

There’s art in your heart

It’s inside every beat

and when you find it

Your heart is complete.

An image of God and a night spent with Christa Wells and Nicole Witt

March 15 2013.

This day I will never forget.

Not because of anything I did, but because of what God did. 

Every day God walks with us- guiding us, teaching us, loving us.

Some days though you can seriously feel and know he is holding your hand.

Well that day, God gave our community a gift through music I know many will also remember.

Christa Wells and Nicole Witt of More than Rubies, graced our new Mount Holly bakery, Queen Bee with their spirits. 

They emptied themselves to fill us up. 

Have you every thought that that's what artists do every.single.time they perform?

They give. We take. And everyone walks away from a song more blessed, more loved, and more okay with their weaknesses.

It's hard to choose a favorite song they sang because every song touched me in a different way. 

But there was one song that I knew slowed everyone's breathing for a bit and that was

"Image of God."

From the moment Nicole sets her bow on the string of her violin, to the last piano key Christa gently touches-- You see God, you hear God, you feel God.

What a blessing and what a gift to be the gift giver and the gift receiver of this song.

God was also gracious to give us time to spend together before they performed. Over salads we talked music, the messy and the beautiful bits of mothering, and the mere fact that we are all a whole lot more alike than we think. I sat with wisdom. I sat there with faith. I sat there with love. Christa Wells and Nicole Witt breathe wisdom, faith, and love through their conversation and music. I was so nervous I was gonna say something weird or dorky, but after a few words with them, I really didn't care if I did say something ridiculous. They were just that cool and kind.

As they set up and prepared, people from Mount Holly, Charlotte, and Matthews walked through our doors. The owners Freddie and Kerri Queen filled our bellies with warm coffee and the best sweet treats. I delighted in the white chocolate covered strawberries. Oh my were they good! It was so awesome to be a part of the orchestration of this beautiful evening.

You know, sometimes music can knock the very last breath out of you and it suddenly becomes your breath. And like my good friend Ashley Flowers says "by the end of some songs, you just need to take a big deep breath and then slowly let it go." 

I truly believe that music is like air for us.

There is not a day that goes by that a song doesn't lift and shift me.

I'll end with a story that happened prior to the concert. It happened around 2:30 in the afternoon.

I was walking with my son and we were listening to More than Rubies sing Image of God. The sun was out, birds were harmonizing along, and the wind moved the music along with perfect grace. As I listened, I suddenly looked up. The sky's canvas was marked. It was marked with the most beautiful image I have seen. The sky was painted with light in the center of a cross formed by the jet stream of a passing plane. Ahhh- God. I said hello to Him and snapped this picture. 

What an image. What a blessing.

Today I pray you find an image of God. 

They are everywhere if we just look up.

Be Blessed! 

Is the queen of hearts always your best bet?

Desperado, by The Eagles, is one of my husband's favorite songs. One of mine, too!
Now, before you read any farther, I need you to go ahead and click play below.
It will make the whole reading experience better. I promise.



So, like I said this is a great song!
But.

The Eagles used one word in this song that could have been replaced with a much better word.

The word is "Somebody"
At the near end of the song they tell us to "let somebody love you before it's too late?"

Now, I do fully agree with the notion that we need each other. Of course we do! And yes, I know the meaning behind the song and it's meant to tell the story of a man who won't settle down and needs to find his one true love before it's too late!

But.

Who is that somebody?
And what are we gonna be late for?

I think it would be much better if we could somehow insert the word "Jesus"
That "somebody" came to earth and paid the price for my sins by His grace on the cross.
He is my "somebody" and it is NEVER EVER too late to let Him love you.

I'll bet "The Queen of Hearts" on that one.

And speaking of the Queen of Hearts. She is a great bet and everything.

BUT.

I think our greatest bet, our greatest love, our greatest everything
is THE KING of them ALL (spades, diamonds, hearts, aces, and clubs)
Yep, every single one!

If you let the King love you, and you love him back...
You'll have all you need.
And maybe, just maybe, he'll give you that "somebody" you've been looking for.

Next time you see that Queen, remember your King. He's your best bet.
And when you're wishing for that "somebody" or "something"
Remember Jesus Christ fills that need first.

Last question for you...

Do your feet get cold in the wintertime?
Mine did today? Geesh this weather is confusing and cold!

Love and Grace my Friends!

Give to Live

There is a book about a tree that loses its purpose when it can no longer give a young boy what he needs. Do you remember what book I am referring to?  The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein... Oh my--- it is such a sweet story that speaks to kids and adults and everyone in between. The giving tree needed to give to live.

There is a great sea on the other side of our world that is a giver as well.
The Sea of Galilee is fed by the Jordan river and feeds itself back into the Jordan in the south.
Because it receives and in turn gives-- everything in and around it thrives and survives.

There is a song by Switchfoot about moving on, not looking back, and helping our world. Dare you to move is one of my favorite songs and is a reminder to pick myself up off the floor and serve the world regardless of my circumstances.

When you give you live.
When you give HE lives.
When you give others live too.

In living there is loving.


Live in love this week and give until you have nothing left to give.

My mystery card (from God)

Eight years ago this card arrived at my home on Meadowbrook Drive in West Virginia.
Each verse beautifully written and carefully selected for me.

Eight years ago, I was 22. Clueless. Fearful. Single. I'd graduated and accepted a Pharmaceutical Sales position 2 hours from my hometown. Life was one big ball of scary!

Things in my life were so uncertain and this was new for me because life had just always "worked."

So back to the card.

I remember opening it, thinking who in the world wrote this and signed their name as "God"
I called everyone who I suspected. None claimed to be "God in the card."

I never figured out who the card was from, so I just came to the conclusion that the great God of the universe must have just dropped me a little card in the mail as encouragement. Had to have been, right?

God wrote out 10 life verses for me. Here they are, with a little quick snippet of what they are teaching.

Romans 8:28- God is working for all things for good.
John 16:33- Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world
John 14:16- God will provide a comforter to be with us always
Matthew 10:30- The hairs of your head are numbered
Romans 5:3-4- Tribulation worketh patience, experience, and hope
James 1:2-3 Count it all joy!
James 1:9- Swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath
Romans 10:17- Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.
John 15:18- If the world hated you, it hated me before it hated you.
Psalm 46:10- Be still and Know that I am God


Do you have verses that you feel like God constantly places in your lap?
If not, seek them, find them, listen for them.
They are there waiting for you!

I can not wait to take my card to Heaven one day and ask God to show me his handwriting and see if it matches this card!

In the meantime, I'll remember His words and thank him for

b.connected- isn't that what life is about anyway

People and Ideas.
We need them both.
And in order to connect with people and ideas, we need Jesus Christ.

Isn't He kinda like our bridge to all our connections we make in this life.
This life has creeks, streams, lakes, rivers, and oceans that divides up our world.
There is another great divide that exists between earth and eternity. And in order to
cross from one to the other.
God knew we needed a bridge.
So he sent that bridge in the form of a son, who built bridges with his disciples and the rest of the world while He was here.

There is no greater bridge we can cross, than that of THE CROSS.

As you connect with others today, remember who your bridge builder was and is.
Thank him for your friends, your family, your ideas.

As a reminder of connections we make, our women's bibly study made the picture frame above. Each person had a hand in creating this frame. And now it rests in my home as a reminder of my great friends and the best bridge builder I know!

Be Blessed and b.Connected my friends!

For your weekend...

What is your weekend going to be like?

Filled?

Relaxed?

Both?

Every person I know loves the weekends

Well, excluding those who work on the weekends.

Oops, sorry if you are one of those people!

Here are a few ideas to have a filled, yet relaxed kinda weekend.

Take a walk and enjoy the spring preview.

Although spring is not here quite yet, God has given us a sneak peek 

at the coming attractions that we are all anticipating. Walk slowly, 

be thankful, and let the sun and the son grace your face.

Wonder if the stars will be out tonight?

If so, stop and look at them. Wish upon them. Count them.

Then...

Listen to this song.

Starlight, By Rachael Yamagata

It is a great song

What else can you do?

Read, The Noticer by Andy Andrews

Watch, Argo

Listen to 90's Pop on Pandora

Do something kind for someone else

Try out a new pinterest recipe.

Nap

Get out your bible, and take some time to read the Sermon on the Mount.

Just have a filled, fun, and relaxed weekend.

Be Blessed

b.Different

12:2 says, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.

                    Translation-- b.Different

You know the saying... 

"March to the beat of your own drum."

Well, that's a good saying and all, but I go by the belief that we should march to the beat of God's drum. His drum beat is steady, sure, and leads us in the right direction.

God wants us to be different. He wants us to use our gifts/talents to make the world a better place and you can't go about doing that if you're hiding behind who you really are!

This month at A Place to Land we will be creating gumball machines from small flower pots. A friend of mine had made one and being the GUM-LOVER that I am I LOVED IT! I also loved the idea of taking something that was intended for a flower and using it for something completely different!

I hope you can make it on March 19 at 6:00! We will definitely have a great time and the coffee will be brewed and waiting! Come delight in the different.

In the meantime, ponder this thought...

"You will never influence the world by trying to be like it."

b.you

b.true

b.different

Grace for your weekend...

As you enter your weekend, invite love

 and peace into your home. 

Invite laughter, joy, and moments 

you'll never forget

Treat people better than they deserve

and

b.Gracious

Grace for the weekend

(b.Blessed with a good book) - If you are looking for a good book on grace and raising children, Grace-Based Parenting is a wonderful source. We have been reading it during our evening meals and learning a lot about ways we hope to shepherd our Weston's life.


(b.Blessed with music) - I am so super excited about Christa Wells and Nicole Witt of More than Rubies coming to Queen Bee Bakery on March 15. Here is a little sneak peek of music they will be playing! Oh, these ladies are just seriously breathing God's word into the world.

(b.Blessed with beauty)- I made this frame for a friend. What can you frame this weekend? Remember to look for the beauty wherever you land.

(b.Blessed with scripture)  Rest in the verses from Matthew 5-- The Sermon on the Mount
The poor, the sad, the meek, the merciful, the hungry, the thirsty, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, the persecuted. -- GOD love us ALL and is preparing a place better than we can ever imagine of dream of!

Embrace Your Place

Where are you right now, friend?
Yes, I mean right this very minute.

I'm sitting in the quiet of my home, baby asleep, husband planning.

I invite you to take a moment and embrace the space you are in.

Look around, take a breath, be still and embrace who you are, where you've been, and who you will be tomorrow.

Are you okay with that? Embracing your life just as it is?
This season- This time- This space
is just where you need to be.

How do I know this?
Because I believe in the Word
I believe in Jesus Christ.
And I believe in Romans 8:28--that all things are working together for good.

Today I sought to embrace the ugly beautiful. And let me just say it was a beautiful thing.
The ugly beautiful is everywhere, in all we see, all we say, and all we do.
I found ugly in spit up, in trash, in broken glass, and I found it in the dust of my floor.
I found the beautiful in clean dishes, fresh laundry, sunrise, family dinner, and the most amazing video of Carrie Caine speaking to Liberty University. (Her video is posted at the end)

Every.single.word she spoke was God-breathed.
She broke parts of my heart that needed to be broken.
She reminded me that we have a job to do in this world.
Regardless of our job positions, bank accounts, and 401K Plans
We have one job to do and that is TO SERVE.
To serve we must die to self and fix our eyes on the Lord.

Dying to self is hard. It's ugly. It's a struggle.
But when fix our eyes on our great God and follow Him.
There is nothing more beautiful than that.
Living by faith, each day, for HIM!

Whoever you are and Whatever you do.
Embrace your place.
Be okay with where you are.
Remember that "now is not forever"
And go serve.
Our hurting country and our broken world
Needs you NOW!

Go!

~andrea~

Take 30 minutes of your day to listen to Christine and I
PROMISE that you will be blessed.

trucks, trains, toys, and a turquoise frame

I often look at Weston's toys and wonder which ones will make the cut?
You know, just like the "Toy Story Toys." Some get boxed up, kicked around,
and some stay around for awhile.

Some of his favorites right now are his truck, his train, and his abacus.

He dumps letters out of his truck, wrecks his train everyday, and moves the beads through the tangles of loops.

I seriously l-o-v-e watching him play.

I know many of these toys may make it to his first birthday, others will be stored away and pulled out out again, and some may be passed along for anoth little guy to enjoy.

I have a favorite. It's not a toy. But, it is something I made for him before he was even born. It was one of the first things I put in his nursery. It stares back at us when we are rocking in our chair. It sits aside a lamp, and it's words will carry in my heart and hopefully his...forever.

It's a turquoise frame.
This one.

I love this simple little quote.
It's a quote I myself need to hear.

"See your road through."
How do you do that?
How do you really see your road through when you're not even sure what road you are on?

But does it really matter if we know the road's name or not?
Or does it matter if the road is bumpy or flat, long and winding?

Nah.
All we have to do is see our road through.

One day I will explain this to him.
One day...
when he is learning to ride a bike or when he starts school or when he gets his first car or when a girl breaks his heart or when he goes to college.
"See you're road through Weston."
"You'll get there buddy."
"Just watch."

I hope this cheap little handmade turquoise frame will comfort him from his crib to college, from his first home to his last. And one day, after he has lived every single moment of his beautiful life. He will have truly seen his long and winding road through.

May that frame move with him wherever he goes
and the words move through him as he learns and grows
May the whispers of the road keep him on its faint path
and the night's silent music prepare him at last.
See your road through, you'll get there one day.
Just keep moving forward and you'll find your own way.

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily- A God-Sized Dream Story

We sing this song when we row our boats, right? I'm not sure about your boat right now

But my boat is unsteady, has a few holes in it, and is going in a direction I never thought it would.

Obviously, I mean my "life" boat. Although I do long to have a real boat one day, for now my 2005 Ford Focus will take me where I need to go

That song sure does make like seem appealing doesn't it? 

Holly Gerth, over at http://hollygerth.com challenged her readers to share a "God-Sized Dream Story." 

I encourage you to read her story on her blog. She is wonderful.

So back to the beautiful boat ride.

Ahhh, yes

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily.

My God-Sized Dream started back in the fall.

I thought I had landed my "dream-job"---teaching kindergarten full-time. That dream-job is now being lived out in the walls of my home and behind the walls at 127 South Main Street, Suite F

Funny how our plans are really not ours to begin with. 

My dream began with fear, hurt, and unsteadiness in my soul.

I could feel God's spirit moving in my life. Taking me out of the comfortable and into the "real"

Those uncertain feelings in my soul have transformed me to my core and left me with hope, joy, and contentment in the now of life. My now is filled with bottle cleaning, extra loads of laundry and moment-to-moment experiences with with son. My now is writing. I am working on my book, day by day. It is slowly making more sense to me, as I know it has to make sense to me before it can make sense to you. I pray you'll read it one day. I pray for a chance from a publisher who believes in my words. My now is a business in my studio where I teach and inspire others to let their creativity shine through in all they do. From birthday parties to enjoying "paint-parties" with my super-inspiring friend Shelley at Art Space--- My God-Sized Dream is happening- now! 

Our dreams happen when we let go.

When we let God use us for His good.

Do you have a God-sized dream?

Are you living yours out right now?

Share yours today!

In the meantime I'm gonna hand over my "oars" in my boat to God.

I'll let him lead me and I'll let him sing

"merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily"

because one day, when my journey is done, and all my dreaming is lived out.

My heavenly home will be just that. 

Merry.

Sticks and Stones

Every Sunday afternoon, five of us women meet. We share our lives, our stories, our struggles, and our gifts. We count our gifts as blessings all the while embracing the messy, the ugly, the painful parts of life.

Each week one of us is in charge of being the "gift-giver"

The gift giver brings "unlikely gifts"

Alicia was our giver today. She gave me sticks and and an empty earring box.I knew something would come of both of these gifts.

During our study we talked about how the people of Israel had a tradition of stacking stones as a memorial to remind them of something great that God has done.

To celebrate this tradition we decided to do a littlestone-stacking, but in a different sort of way.

We stacked our stones on canvas. 

As we talked through our study, Alicia painted us a black background on our canvas.

Each of us picked a color for our stone and we painted them on top of one another. Lastly, we chose a word to place on our stones. It truly turned out beautifully.

When I came home I thought about how I could use the art, along with my gifts of sticks and a jewelry box.

All I needed was my two favorite tools...

My glue gun and my scissors.

20 minutes later it was finished.

I call this piece "Sticks and Stones"

Ahhhh this is why I love Jesus!

When I listen to his voice

Things like this happen.

People ask me often how I come up with these ideas.

It's simple. 

When I am closest to Christ, he whispers 

creativity into my soul, and beautiful things happen!

What can you make with a few sticks and some stones?

Look for them this week.

Do something, share something, change something.

Remember to count your gifts and while you're counting

you will receive them as well.

"To receive a gift, the knees must bend humble and the

hand must lie vulnerably open and the will must bow

to accept whatever the Giver chooses to give." -Ann Voskamp

Be blessed this week!

Beyond the lesson plans

Every teacher out there knows we MUST have lesson plans. They guide us, drive us, and keep us accountable as we teach our students. Every GOOD teacher out there knows that many great moments happen when we go BEYOND the lesson plan, when we aren't afraid of teachable moments.

Sometimes we tend to focus so much on what is planned, what we have on paper... we forget about those moments we have with children. Moments that matter.

Sometimes it takes a kid to remind us of such moments.

This morning I worked with my little kinder, Caydan. Together he and I have been venturing through the alphabet, learning letter names and sounds, writing sentences, and blending words. Let me tell ya, this little guy has earned his gold stars, indeed. So, today's session was scheduled for two hours.  I told his sweet momma, we may need to take a few brain breaks, because two hours of straight instruction is not an easy thing.

For the first half hour we worked hard. We read, we wrote, and we read some more.

Soon, it was time for a break.
How should we "break" I wondered?

I looked over at my "art-bar" and thought--- "he needs to paint." He has been admiring my own art on the walls for months now." So without a second thought, we got organized by grabbing our canvas, our palette, our paints, our brushes, and our jar. He was thrilled!

Now many of you know I have started my b. creative nights. So I suggested to him that we put (b. smart on his canvas). He liked the idea. As he painted, I started writing down things he said. He was so focused and so intent on creating a masterpiece. He said things like, " I didn't know I could do this, and hey we are blending paint like we do sounds and words."

I was uhhhhhmazed!
I could have never ever planned for what happened.
Allowing Caydan the freedom to create, opened up his mind.
When that happens, the possibilities are endless.

How often do we do this for our kids...truly give them freedom to create?
Are kids just stifled in thought sometimes just due to the rigor and rigidness
we place on learning?

For ALL of us (teachers, parents, kids)  this is a lesson!
Go beyond your planner, your calendar, your idea of what a day will look like.
Give yourself freedom to breathe, to create, to be YOURSELF!

Thank you Lord for a blessed day with a SMART young man!

You are going to do great things Caydan!

"Creativity is intelligence having fun.

Albert Einstein is the creative mind behind this quote.

I wonder how he had fun?

Studying theoretical physics, quantum theory,
and coming up with the idea of relativity???

That was probably fun for him because he just "got it"
For me, studying physics for an hour would complete
and utter torture!

His point behind this statement is that when we
make time to add a bit of fun to our lives, creativity
will soon follow.

Since I moved into my studio in November I have had
more opportunities to have fun and use my creativity
in new ways. From parties to bible studies and days of
quiet just to read, write, and create-- Each experience has
been fun for me!

Our next event at A Place to Land is themed as
 b.FUN

On Tuesday March 5, we will be making colorful frames and talking
about ways to add fun to your frame.
Chalkboard Paint? Cricut Cutouts? Scrapbook Paper?
Pinwheels? Buttons? Paper Flowers?

We will also be playing with different fonts.

My favorite font right now is Traveling Typewriter.
 Do you have a favorite?
I have also been practicing doodling with this font type.

 Beth Greene, owner of Busy Bees Gifts found this super cool
 font for me and used it to create my vinyl sign outside the Summey Building.
(find her on facebook-- her work is f-a-b-u-l-o-u-s)!

I leave you with this question?

How do you have fun everyday?

I am eager to hear from you on this one.

If you can't leave a blog comment, just
hop on back over to facebook and leave
one there.

I truly enjoy hearing back from each and every
one of you and sincerely appreciate you taking
time from your day to read my blog!

Have a super fun day my friends!