Sarah's Wedding Shower

Her present from mom and dad...
I was married twenty plus years before I got one of these!

My fiesty "little girl" will be a married wife in less than two weeks.

::happy sigh::

And he's a good man - talented, Godly, a summa cum-laude art school graduate, and a man who understands the importance of the local church. This young man never dated until he met our daughter. Never. He waited for her, with all his heart. She is the only woman he has ever cared for, or kissed.

How uncommon is that? I told you he is one in a million. A good man.

Sarah's wedding shower was yesterday. Suddenly, in the wake of a long, cold winter...out comes the sun. Wouldn't you know it? Even the sun marks his calendar for The Princess's Special Day, (Sarah's name means "princess") and comes back from his vacation earlier than orginally planned.


My sister did it again! She planned and executed Hannah's wedding shower last April, and then planned and executed Sarah's shower yesterday...she has a sparkling, amazing gift of hospitality and event planning. I'm telling you, this woman could do this professionally, and name her price. She's that good.

She reserved a special room for the party, and we all walked in to a feast in every sense of the word....a feast for the appetite and the senses. The fragrance of vanilla candles filled the air, and all was decorated in the browns and "soft metals" that is the color story of the wedding.

such beauty...



Sweet couple!






Party favors...








Food tables...



Gifts...


...and more gifts...





Yum!





Did I tell you that my sister is talented?

Hand calligraphied by a local artist-friend, and member of our church (Need one? Contact me!)





The bridesmaids Emily (in pink) and twin sister Hannah (snapping a photo)

Lifting a heavy box of SPICES! (I keep reminding myself "thou shalt not steal"...or covet.)

It was such fun...so special.

The book is a running joke between Sarah and her twin...(Hannah is a fashionista - Sarah is not.)

My lovely sister, who kept us wildly entertained with a monologue during the present-unwrapping-time. She is hilariously funny.

This will come in handy, will it not?

Sarah is more than able, now, to set up housekeeping. God has been beyond good to my daughter...and her future husband is getting the best of the very best.

Can't wait to see them start their new life together!

A "Guest" Blog Post-Liz Overton

There is something to be said for a pastor-teacher preaching the gospel to his flock, week in and week out, staying faithfully on message as opposed to a topical, "felt needs" approach to preaching.

To further illustrate the impact that hearing the gospel of the free gift of grace for an extended season can have, I am sharing with you a blog post from one of our church members - our journalism grad Liz Overton.


Liz "rocks" this piece. She has even changed the whole name of her blog to reflect her new season of life, and new revelation into the grace of God.

Liz is a beautiful twenty-something, talented and intelligent and extremely conscientious. This young woman loves Jesus, and has for most all her life. Harvest would not be what it is without her...she is so faithful. Enjoy reading her take on things - posted to her blog a couple of months ago:

Perfectly saved by His grace!

My pastor has been teaching on grace--the heart and message of the gospel-- for the vast majority of this year. And while some people might get tired of hearing a seemingly recurring message for several months, I haven't. The heart of those messages isn't something grasped overnight, and listening to those truths week after week has been a life changing experience. I seem to understand God's grace more and more as time moves on--and I know I have only started to scratch the surface of it!

This is going to be my first attempt to write about some of how this message has changed my life and perspective. Writing has always helped me sort things out, so this blog post is probably more for my benefit than anyone else's, but I'll post it here for general reading anyway.

I've grown up in the church and pretty much only remember serving the Lord. I was saved at the age of six and have never strayed from that commitment. Obviously, I've progressed and matured a lot in my faith as I've grown up, but one thing I have never doubted is my salvation. I know and believe with all my heart that Jesus Christ died on the Cross and rose again for my sins, so that I can spend eternity with the Father in heaven. However, I have discovered this past year that my understanding of God's grace has been skewed at best and I have been held captive in the chains of legalism for most of my life.

I knew I was saved, but I lived with the mindset, whether consciously or subconsciously, that I had to strive in my own strength to live a godly life and please God. Now I recognize that it was like I was trying to somehow claim to stay in God's good favor by being a fairly decent person. I was essentially trying to say, "God, I deserve at least some grace. Your love and mercy weren't wasted on me. See--I can be a good girl, a good daughter--at least most of the time." I tried to earn his grace, instead of accepting it as the entirely free gift it is, bestowed on a completely undeserving sinner.

Furthermore, I failed to realize that my attempts to "earn" God's favor were pretty much a slap in His face, calling the sacrifice of His son insufficient and not enough.

I knew in my head, but didn't understand with my heart, that God's work of grace on the Cross is a finished work. The Law was fulfilled and we are completely redeemed and justified by accepting God's grace through faith. We are made perfect and completely righteousness in God's eyes through the blood of His Son. No one comes to the Father except through Jesus Christ.


"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast."
- Ephesians 2:5-9

As a perfectionist who has always had a drive for excellence, the idea that I could be made perfect and completely redeemed, simply by believing in Christ--no further "works" required--was hard to wrap my mind around. It's so simple, yet so unnatural. My pride didn't want to accept that I did absolutely nothing to deserve God's grace, love and forgiveness and could never earn it no matter how hard I try. Jesus did it all. I did nothing. Yet I receive everything!

I also spent a lot of time feeling guilty or under condemnation for the many, many ways I would fail regularly in my attempts to live a godly life and please God. I have always been painfully aware of my own flaws and mistakes. So while on the one hand, I was trying to earn God's favor through good behavior, on the other, I knew I didn't deserve God's favor. I had a hard time understanding God's love. Because I knew that if love could be earned, I didn't deserve it. So I often felt unloveable. How's that for a confusing mindset?!

But thanks to God's grace, I am completely covered--human flaws and all. Nothing I can do can take that away. And God is so crazy in love with me that he loved and accepted me, even when I was a despicable sinner. Now he sees me as his redeemed daughter, made holy and righteous through the blood of His Son, and still adores me. And even though I am saved by his grace--my salvation is a done deal--he still continues to lavishly pour out his grace into my life, day by day, hour by hour. How awesome is that?!?! The very thought of how much he loves me is overwhelming. We could spend a lifetime of loving God and learning to understand his love through an intimate relationship with Him and still never even scratch the surface of it.

I would be utterly lost without his love and his grace. Lost for eternity, certainly, but also lost in the chains of legalism as I try to live my life for him here on this earth. And the more I realize how much I need his grace to get through even the most mundane days, the more I realize how important it is to keep going before God to ask for His help and guidance in my life, with the assurance that he is not just willing, but eager to be all that I need.


"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."
- Hebrews 4:16

God wants us to turn to him with everything, instead of thinking that we can handle some of it ourselves. The truth is--and we all know this deep inside our hearts, our pride just won't let us admit it most of the time--we can't do anything on our own. Nothing. Zilch. Nada. Like the old hymn says, "I need thee every hour." God is waiting for us to turn to him, and when we do, he is eager and ready to pour out his grace and help us in our need.

This concept is one I'm still trying to fully grasp and apply and I still fail continually. While I may do it more often than I used to, I still don't go to God with everything as I should or fully rely on his grace in every moment. But I no longer feel condemned when I mess up, because I know that I'm still covered by his grace, even when I fail. Blowing an opportunity to obey God, pray or witness isn't counted against me--but I do try to avoid missing the chance the next time, because I want to spend time with my Lord and I do want to tell others about Him.

There's much more I could say, and perhaps I will write more later in another post, but for now, I'll try to wrap it up. This post is long enough.

If you want to understand more about grace, I would encourage you to really dig into Galatians, Ephesians and other books in the New Testament written by the apostle Paul. He wasn't the only one to address grace, but he did it the most extensively. You can also listen to my pastor's messages at our church's web site. Another good resource is the book Grace Plus Nothing by Jeff Harkin.

And finally, some of you may have noticed that I changed the name of my blog. I named it "The Life of a Journalizm Girl" years ago as a fun play on my name and profession, but now that I'm in a different season and have a new perspective on life, it only seemed appropriate to give my blog a new outlook as well. Thus, the new name of my blog is also the title of this post: Perfectly Saved By His Grace.

Thanks for reading, and to quote the apostle Paul, grace and peace be with you!

"Delighted By Grace"

My daughter Hannah has begun a new blog, celebrating her metamorphosis from single to married, from a dutiful Christian to an artful, joyful daughter of God, from a daughter in her father's house, to keeper and mistress of her own.

Check out http://www.delightedbygrace.blogspot.com/

A quote from a vintage book came across my desk today, and it makes me think of Hannah's new angle, it echoes the fresh focus of her blog ~


"This house told more about Mrs. Parker than words ever could. Here were beautiful things . . . Beautiful things were here to be used.

In the midst of this loveliness there was comfort . . . People lived here and liked it.

Mary sensed that this pleasant atmosphere was not because of the lovely things in the house but because of Mrs. Parker herself. She understood now what Mrs. Parker gave [her husband] . . . how she surrounded her husband in his home with all the things in which he could rejoice. She realized now that Mrs. Parker was not just an older girl, for all her unquenchable youthfulness. She was a woman who understood and delighted in the task that was hers."

--Mildred Foulke Meese, Star Light, Star Bright (1940)

Grace infuses everything...it changes everything. Not instantly, but over time. And so very sweetly. It transforms our homes into actual havens for others - not because of the house itself, but because of the delighted life we live there and the grace-ious women we have become.

I would love for my life to be the model and inspiration for such a wonderful book character, and soul-nourishing story!

many thanks to www.pleasantviewschoolhouse.blogspot.com for the above book quote.

If you need home keeping inspiration, home schooling inspiration, or if you ever thought that career home making wouldn't keep you "busy enough"...you have not seen what home making can be. You'd be doing yourself a favor to explore Pleasant View Schoolhouse. This is a rich and beautiful blog. Thank you, Faith, for recommending it to me!

I Feel Sorry For Perfectionists...

...I've been one. I've known a few. I loved them, but they were draining, self centered friends...we're all supposed to either admire their generous perfection, or listen to them endlessly grieve over everything in their life that isn't so perfect, you see.

If you deign to diagnose their perfectionist tendencies and administer the grace-antidote, you must then listen to them lie and tell you that everything is "perfect...wonderful...couldn't be better." Meanwhile, they are intrinsically discontent, almost unable to function.

"When people insist on perfection or nothing, they get nothing."

(~Edith Schaeffer, from her book "What Is a Family?")

Nothing. A perfectionist is left with nothing. Every time he or she gets an opportunity for true, warm relationship, every time a place is made for them in the heart of another, they find fault and find a reason to wander away. Serial wanderers, these. Sad. Because they insist on their own opinion (their opinion being their "version" of perfection) they isolate themselves. Perfectionists are self-aware and thus never truly comfortable for long, and they always end up like a bird out of nest.

Like a bird that wanders from its nest is a man who wanders from his place. Pr. 27:8

There are no flawless lovers, friends, parents or children, soups or sandwiches, no flawless homes or gardens, jobs or vacations, experiences or churches. Stop hoping for your version of perfection...or your wandering will never cease.

Grace, Forever Grace, Amazing Grace!

Even though this is my blog, I have refrained from plugging my church or my pastor - even though I love my church and I sleep with my pastor.

(he is my husband)

But yesterday's message is too good for you to miss. He's still at it. Would you like to hear some of what is turning a few lives inside out, getting some healed of emotional conditions and skin conditions and pain conditions...just sitting under the grace message?

Click your way over to http://www.harvestchurch1.com/. Click on "resources". Scroll down to February 28th's message entitled Old Covenant Fullfilled by Jesus, New Covenant Established in Jesus - February 28, 2010 (Download) .

Pour yourself a good, strong cup of coffee, and make sure your socks stay pulled all the way up, because this was some anointed preachin'. I'm just sayin'.

We began in January 2009, preaching grace. Here we are, as a church...well into 2010...and we are still in our "Year of Grace". No end in sight. I'm still thrilling to the theology of the gospel, and still wallowing in the anointing I have discovered when I distanced myself, at great cost TO myself, from the theology of a few analytics who love to have their devotions with dead guys. Actually, that isn't true...the analytics distanced themselves from me. At the time, it felt like a costly loss, but I was not the initiator of the break down in the relationship. I would have preserved it at all costs, short of compromising the gospel. So let's just say, when the distance happened, there was a very real break-through in my life...a release of anointing.

There are writings of dead guys who, generations ago were prone to opine on "Christian Perfection", with one eye on me, figuratively speaking, making sure I was behavin' right....rather than breathlessly gazing on the Son, like everyone knows a real theologian and a truly enraptured heart will do, and then declare, "hear ye Him."

I love to read me some dead guys myself...but only in the context of the gospel as handed down to us in Scripture, through the inspired Word of God. See, Scripture is alive. I'd prefer to base my devotions on the living, not the dead.

Then, on a whole other front, you got the theology of the Hebraic Roots Movement. A true revelation of Jesus Christ and the grace of God will quickly marginalize those doctrines that would have you cling to Hebrew Roots.

And a revelation of the grace of God will marginalize Christian Perfection dead guy doctrine....see, these are 2 sides of the same law-emphasizing coin.

That coin, plus all the obedience to the law that you can muster on your worst day, plus all the perfection you can crank out on your best day, will enable you to buy your very own curse and a cup of bad coffee. It doesn't bring a blessing.

Grace now. Grace ever. Christ alone. Gospel plus nothing.

Here are the lyrics to a worship song we sang this past Sunday...whew. Heaven came down. I'm telling you, amongst preachers and song writers all over this world, there is a gospel tsunami that is moving across the world through these communicators, and my husband and I are called to be one of their ranks. I don't know about you, but we are paddling our board out to ride that glorious grace-wave!

Soak in these lyrics, and get your grace-filled hands on this new CD by Robin Mark:

Just as I am one only plea
In that the blood once shed was shed for me
And drew me to a covenant place
Where I found mercy in the year of grace

No condemnation now for me
Your Word has touched my heart and now I see
In Heaven stands to plead my case
The One who found me in the year of grace

O Son of God sweet Son of Man
The Author of redemption's plan
Eternal God in time and space
O keep me ever in the year of grace

I hear Your voice my soul awakes
Your whispered words have stirred my heart to praise
On love unbound I fix my gaze
Where I first saw You in the year of grace

In life in death whom shall I fear
Closer than breath I feel You near
Oh hold me in Your strong embrace
Where I find rest within the year of grace

Wedding Shower

Sarah's first of several wedding showers is this afternoon. I got she and Jonathan a small volume of love poems by Ruth Bell Graham, entitled "Never Let It End". Gorgeous poetry. For years, my soul has been well-fed by Mrs. Graham's gift.

Now, how to wrap it?

I discovered a lovely blog, "A Gift Wrapped Life", and tucked within this blog was a gem: a beautiful idea for gift wrapping a book. Books just happen to be my signature gift...I love to give books.

Here is Sande's result:






I copied the talented Sande's idea almost exactly, though not with the exact same, perfect result:

I'm satisfied.

On to the shower. Three weeks until the wedding...let the games begin!

Actual Snowflakes and Your Very Own Pretend Snowflakes...

Photographs by Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley, early 20th century:

"Under the microscope, I found that snowflakes were miracles of beauty; and it seemed a shame that this beauty should not be seen and appreciated by others. Every crystal was a masterpiece of design and no one design was ever repeated., When a snowflake melted, that design was forever lost. Just that much beauty was gone, without leaving any record behind."

Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley 1925

Flurries are falling this night here in east Tennessee. It gets me to thinking about snowflakes, and an extravagantly creative God.

Here is a link for you to create your very own pretend, virtual snowflakes. Warning: this is addictive. Have fun!

What's For Dinner?

"It is worth deciding whether your goal, generally speaking, is really to get in and out of the kitchen as fast as possible. If you start out begrudging the time you give to cookery, you are going to create a false contest between cooking and enjoying yourself."

~Cheryl Mendelson, Home Comforts

Personal Peace and Affluence

"There's only so much fortune a person needs, and the rest is just for showin' off."
~Forrest Gump's momma

The great twentieth century theologian Francis Schaeffer immortalized the phrase "personal peace and affluence" in his day; in his books and messages he asserted that the quest for personal peace and affluence was the downfall of great nations in history past. I think what is true in the "universals" is often true in the "particulars".

This quest for personal peace and affluence often marks the downfall of a man or woman as well.

That phrase has haunted me since I first read it, nearly two decades ago. Personal peace and affluence. Schaeffer's warning applies to all socio-economic levels, because we are all tempted to seek our version of it.

Periodically, over the years, I examine my attitude for signs of any sense of entitlement - any indication that I am placing my "personal peace" ahead of the call of God on my life - a call which often (almost always) takes me far out of my comfort zone. It is a call which always involves some level of obscurity and servanthood, and truth be known we all fear obscurity and service.

I've learned that I don't need to be noticed or appreciated, contrary to pop psychology. I do not have to "feel" whole and comfortable before I get about the business of loving God and loving others. I am already made complete in Christ. His grace truly is sufficient.

I will confess, nothing has forced me to look at my version of affluence like my son graduating high school, and two daughters getting married in less than one year. My husband being in full time ministry and me a career home maker (otherwise known as financial suicide), my biggest fear was to one day not be able to afford to pay for college or weddings.

With the first daughter's wedding, I began my planning process and discovered that the "average" wedding budget was something like $20,000. Often, the budget can be much more. I knew we didn't have close to that available to spend, and so I was forced to confront my deepest fears.

My version of affluence. What is your version? How hotly have you pursued it? At what cost?

I gave it up - the inner struggle was immense. We had the available credit for me to be as lavish as I wished, but the conviction to pay for all or most of both weddings in cash.

With my back against the wall, I called in the troops. The Harvest Church Women. They came through like you would not believe, furnishing us with the most lovely wedding reception for Hannah - location, food, and all. A few men in Harvest made themselves completely available to Tim in the days before the wedding, to haul chairs, clean the barn, anything we needed. Tim found out who his true friends were that week! Yeah. The ones who didn't find someplace else they "had to be".

I've always known who my friends are. At any point in life, they are the women who are "still here". Harvest women were there, involved in all aspects of Hannah's reception, and are once again (less than one year later!) involved in every detail of Sarah's reception.

How humbling to relinquish my version of affluence, my misguided dream of what a "wedding celebration" looks like, and embrace True Community. I discovered that life lived in community made for a far, far better, more beautiful wedding than I could have ever "bought". Some things absolutely cannot be bought, some honors should not be farmed out to a bidder. Weddings are about community!

Church life is antithetical to personal peace and affluence. If you try to have your personal peace and affluence, and engage in real church life too, you will find yourself leaving church after church. If you try to have your personal peace and your version of affluence and also have healthy relationships, you will find yourself cutting off relationship after relationship.

You will never be able to have it both ways. God's peace is "not as the world gives", pure and simple.

Thrift Scoring

Well, I said I'd make this a regular feature. How regular, I'm not sure...I can't be sure until my life settles back into a normal routine (read: after daughter's wedding).

I am loving...loving...what I found today. While taking youngest son to a friend's house to work on a physics project, I happened to pass an antique shop. It is (sadly) going out of business, and I decided to stop in, after I dropped off said youngest. What else can a girl do, who suddenly finds a glorious hour or two at her disposal?

Do you know what the "vase" is? This is a vintage thingey that covers up your Kleenex box!

::Big Barney Fife Sniffffff::

I'm so proud. I didn't see this idea anywhere...I thunk it up myself. Three dollars. I saw the color, adored the color, and instantly imagined my Valentine's roses sticking out the top, instead of Kleenex. So I brought this beauty home, put a cup of water on the table, plopped the Kleenex cover-thingey over it, and put my roses in the hole.

Antique hymnal ~ four dollars. I'm going to rip it up and make cards.

Vintage necklace ~ four dollars. Silver cameo earrings ~ four dollars. The pearls will go perfectly with my mother-of-the-bride dress.

I am on such a tight budget in this season, I squeak when I walk. But rather than focus on what I can't spend, I am discovering the Art Of The Deal. Thrift shopping is wiser. Thrift shopping is...

funner.

There is desirable treasure, And oil in the dwelling of the wise...
Proverbs 21:20

Oh, Blessed Sun!

We had sunshine today! I'm telling you, a few hours of golden glory, and I am refreshed. Oh happy day.

Home made chicken noodle soup. The bride-to-be is sick, and so momma has to make some medicine. So, so easy! I swear, all I did was toss four chicken breasts (uncooked!) in the bottom of the crock pot, throw in a frozen block of my chicken broth (about 8 cups) and a bit of water just to get it going. Then I chopped some carrot and lots of garlic. Put the crock pot on high and walked away. Last, I pulled the chicken breasts out, shredded them with a fork, and plopped them right back in, and boiled up some egg noodles. Add some crusty French bread and a salad...it will cure what ails you.

More experimenting with macro settings...

The table this evening...

Close-up. Could you resist these plates, four of them for under $20? Nah. I didn't think you could either. If you only knew how perfect they are for our family!

The last rays of the sun, through my pot of tulips in the kitchen window.

Life is About Maintenence

Several years ago, I had my hair colored and highlighted by a stylist who is well known and highly regarded here in Knoxville. As she was helping me choose which shade and highlights to wear, I made the comment to her, "I need something very low maintenance. I just don't have the time..."

She stopped me mid-sentence, spinning my chair around so she could look me in the eye. With one hand on her hip, she said to me in her most commanding southern accent, "Honey, beauty is about maintenance!"

::gulp::

I stood (or sat) corrected. I felt so virtuous, with my limited time and all my heavy responsibilities...she shot me down with the truth, distilled into one sentence.

Thanks. I needed that. After all, it isn't like I'm working on a cure for cancer with all that "time I save" by not coloring my hair. And in that season of my life, I was well on my way to becoming one of those tired looking pastor's wives, complete with a martyr's complex. I am still tired looking, but at least I'm no martyr.


What does this have to do with brooms? Well, I've been thinking how that life is about maintenance. I forget the exact percentage, but something like 90% or more of life is pure maintenance: the cooking, the cleaning, the repairing, all the work that it takes just to live. Why gripe and complain about the inevitable? Scriptures tell us that "where no oxen are, the crib is clean, but great increase comes from the strength of the ox."


It stands to reason that if we make the maintenance part of our lives more appealing and pleasing, 90% plus of our lives will be improved.


If I had my choice of the brooms in the picture, I'd choose the toile. But what I am really about to do is break down and buy an electric broom, and a steam mop.

Yup. This is huge for me, because I have been a Don Aslett devotee for many years. I have sworn by his microfiber mop, with the velcro'ed pads. I never thought I'd make a change. But when I read that steam mops get up more dirt than you can imagine, and that you can put just a drop or two of essential oil (lavender or eucalyptus) into a steam mop....well, that pretty much does it for me.

I choose dish detergent and laundry detergent based on scent. I love Palmolive's aromatherapy liquid dish soap, and the Method's grapefruit liquid dish soap. Actually the whole line of grapefruit-scented Method product is fantastic.



I'm hoping to fix up my laundry room after my daughter's wedding - laundry is always, always going to be a significant part of maintenance...so I'd love to make my utility room really great. Of course, if my plans materialize, I'll take some blog worthy photos.

Think about it. I realize that the whole object of maintenance is to get it done as quickly as possible, so that we can move on into whatever our creative endeavors may be. But a significant part of every day will always be devoted to maintaining our stuff and our "selves". I'm really hung up on the idea that even chores and work can be made more pleasant.

Love that toile broom.

Wellness...

My experience tells me that a huge component of the sense of well being a woman needs, is to feel a little uncomfortable.

Okay. To feel a lot uncomfortable.

Really, really uncomfortable.

Before you grab your thrift-store-find-of-a-leather-Coach-purse-trimmed-in-a-delicious-orange-color and flounce away (yeah, I'm all about the purse...)

...hear me out.

There is no sense of well-being, without a sense of accomplishment. There is no sense of accomplishment without a sense of difficulty. There is no sense of difficulty, without feeling really uncomfortable.

What I am telling you right now, could be your one-way ticket out of Depressionville: do something brand new, and something hard. A kick-boxing class. Plan two weddings in one year. Start a DIY home improvement project. Go back to school. Stop whining. Stop criticizing. Stop running away from feeling uncomfortable. (I told you to try something brand new!)

Trust me, there aren't enough churches - or men - in your whole city for you to leave when the going gets tough. Try something actually difficult, as opposed to imagined difficulty, and stick and stay. Besides, you never die with your options open - you have to commit some time. You won't be leaving your casket, when you stop liking it.

You heard me.

Keep learning, keep growing, keep loving people - and all at great personal cost. This isn't about self improvement...its about self respect.

Foundational. Wellness.

A Good Day

Today, we started our 2010 women's meetings (at Harvest). Women Equipped to Love and Lead - W.E.L.L.

Oh, for wellness...I long for women to live in wholeness and wellness, body, soul, and spirit.

We had to cancel our meeting in January because of snow, and who knows how the spring will go, since our little church will be taking care of two weddings, followed immediately by some high school and college graduations. In a church our size, when one gets pregnant, we "all get pregnant". When one gets sick, we "all get sick"...so to speak. In other words, we sometimes have to alter church activities to accomodate baby showers or a big bout with the flu. Simply stated, everyone matters. What happens to any one member affects all of us. There is no such thing as anyone not being noticed or missed.


But we did get our first session in, of our Beth Moore "Esther" study today...so much fun. I love those women so much.

Came home to flowers from my Tim - red roses. Beautiful.


I sit in my living room, but it does not look like my living room right now. There are blankets on the furniture - to accomodate little Amber, who is far, far from being housebroken. There are wedding invitations everywhere, in various states of completion...some addressed and stamped, some envelopes not stuffed yet, a few invitations not put together yet. (The invitation is a lovely, simple card stock with brown ribbon and a vintage looking paper die-cut monogram...hand made.)

I was wanting the RSVP envelopes to have some sort of special detail, and I was inspired by the use of the vintage stamp on these hand made business cards here.

I bought this very stamp,and we are using it to stamp our address on the smaller RSVP envelopes. It looks super-cute, very vintage-classy. Wish I could snap you a picture real quick, but time is getting away from me, and I am beyond sleepy at the moment...



After the wedding, I am going to re-word the stamp (I can make it say anything I want, up to 5 lines!) and will make my own calling cards using those very tags you see in the picture-link. I'll make them with my name, email address, and blog web-address on them.



Speaking of pictures, I'm still learning my new camera (see last post!):

one of the arrangements for the wedding...this will go in the church foyer.

Bocelli, the canary ~

Grant, the pocket parrot ~

Me, the silly girl trying to peer through her reading glasses at the symbols on her camera screen, and attempting to understand shutter speed and aperture. Deep. Unsmiling. Concentration.

I best sign off, and go put together the traditional little gifts I always give my kids (grown or not!) for Valentine's Day. Am I the only one who gets totally addicted to those little candy hearts with the messages?

Early Valentine's

(drumroll...)

The pictures you see on this blog, from henceforth, shall be of a much better quality. Thanks to my man. My early Valentine's Day present is an SLR camera...

whoot!



Let the learning curve begin...

wedding decorating experiments...can't get the aperture right in this one.

Hmmmm...what setting to use to take this picture?

Love this shot!

Sarah's "baby"...that is me holding her in my robe. ::happy sigh::


I'm so grateful to my thoughtful and generous husband. Last year, a canary. I immediately fell in love with him (the canary. I was already in love with the husband). This year, a new camera. Same effect - I'm smitten with this sweet little gadget.

Our New Grandpuppy!

Sarah and Jonathan drove all the way to a Crossville breeder to get their first puppy last night...her name is Amber. She'll live here until Sarah is married in March.

We are all absolutely smitten. Well...everyone but Rambo. He thinks she's "just okay, that's all."

Less than two pounds of eight-week-old adorableness!

Justin and Hannah rushed over to "see this thing which God hath wrought". The entire family sighed and coo'ed over her, then we all (yes, all) took her back out to the front porch, so that Rambo could be properly introduced.

Tim brought Rambo from the back bedroom, where he had been tucked away since before Amber got home, and brought him out onto the front porch, where he properly greeted the baby. No growling, no snarling.

Success!

Then, the entire family went back into the warm house.I swear, when there is an actual baby born into this family, none of us will be fit for normal living. Stop the world, let the Atchleys/Howes/McConnells off. You should have seen us last night, all fighting over who would hold the puppy next.

Pitiful. And completely wonderful.

Super Bowl

...and so my team lost, and life goes on. I think.


Newly-weds, and Nearly-weds...already "into it", early in the game...

Our youngest son, aka "the traitor", wearing a Saint's jersey...his shamed father to his right.

::burp::

Moments of dismay...

Redeeming moment...

::not that this is earthshaking, but the newly weds and nearly weds wanted me to tell you that they were drinking root beer. That's what those bottles you see were. Good ol' IBC Root Beer. These young couples work with teens and middle schoolers every week in our church - and Justin is a future high school math teacher - so they felt it very important to publish the disclaimer!