austin!

i am leaving tomorrow to go to austin and speak to a MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) group.

i love MOPS!

i love austin. david and i lived there when we met, fell in love and got married. great memories!

i love seeing my friend reenie and staying at her house...despite her recent rodent issues. and i am not talking mickey mouse.

i love shopping on south congress and exploring new knitting and quilting stores.

and i LOVE this:

obsessed with color

i know it's weird. i get a little fixated. on lots of stuff....

the ice from sonic...my converse tennies...silver bracelets...jason gray's song "the prodigal and the golden boy"...carl edwards...my crate & barrel yellow chair...my dog button...iphone apps...cake balls...lost...you get the idea.

oh and colors. i get obsessed with certain colors. i've had pink going on since i was 3 and i got to choose pink carpet for my bedroom(my parents were awesome!) now i have become fixated on these colors:

in case you've missed the almost non-stop coverage, these are the colors of the 2010 winter olympics. i can hardly focus on the events because my eye is just drawn to the athletes little bib things or to the ice rink wall. strange i know.

i must create something blue green. it's calling to me. and when something is calling to me like that, i pay attention. sometimes it is just because it is interesting to me and that's it. (like cake balls.) but sometimes, it is because the Lord has something to say to me in it and i want to hear from Him. that takes intentional listening. i don't want to miss what He is saying.

olympic fashion

this is hands down my favorite olympic moment of 2010.

these guys are the norwegian curling team. fantastic!

curling is awesome. you gotta love a sport that involves a little sweeper thing and a rock with a handle. it looks a like janitorial shuffleboard on ice.

and seriously, the pants are amazing. i love a sport that you can play in jammies.

LOVE IT!

Running on Full

This past month has been crazy busy. On top of my regular 3 Bible studies a week teaching schedule, I added multiple speaking engagements and retreats…I gave 8 messages in 5 days at the wackiest stretch of busyness. Add to that, the wife/mom duties, a few quilt clients, planning for fall Bible studies, support raising and an occasional shower. And then pile on Club Valentino, our 4 night staff/elder dinner theater show (which is a blast but a TON of work).

I should be morphing into the Road Runner with legs that look like a blurry wheel and I should be precariously close to a breakdown. But I am not. Why is that? Two reasons I think.

1. Wisdom…knowing what the essentials are for my survival. Here’s what I need each day:

• Jesus- time to hear from Him, tune my heart to His so my heart and my schedule becomes His not mine. My grip on my limited perspective of my life loosens and lightens when I hear from Him.

• People- connecting with those I love, David, my kids, friends, people whose path I cross.

• Creativity- just a smidge of time to doodle, sew, knit, sing, dance, to see a little beauty and celebrate Him in it!

2. Grace…God gives me freedom to say "yes" to too much or "no" to things I should say "yes" to and then He graciously forgives my goof-ups, makes beauty out of my mess and equips me to do the things He asks of me. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for His grace.

When I rest in these two things, I am at peace in the midst of a crazy busy month! (But p.s.-It is easier said than done though, for I find that I am more inclined to try too do all things through me, than to live out His grace and wisdom.)

looking back

2009 highlights

began kaleidoscope ministry

created two new Bible studies

started the teacher’s lounge

gave the sermon at GCC four times

retired from long arm quilting business

switched to a mac

created art group: His to Create

celebrated 23 years with david

reorganized my studio

mike bought his first car and started second year in college

annie graduated and began work in africa

liza became our 3^rd driver

max is now taller than me

travelled to Africa

loved more, gave more, risked more, learned more, created more

my H2C group at a painting class

top ten things i learned while in africa

10. i can be extremely happy with a lot less.

9. showering by candlelight while relaxing, is inefficient at removing red dirt. hot water might have helped too.

8. i prefer not to be smelly.

7. roosters crow all day, kinda ocd.

6. you can carry/hold anything while riding on the back of a boda (motorcycle taxi): goats, suitcases, sugar canes, bicycles, chickens, anything.

5. “you are most welcome here” is a beautiful greeting.

4. living in houston prepared me well for africa. three words: heat. humidity. cockroaches.

3. a real pet monkey is not at all like curious george.

2. one of my favorite activities, fabric shopping (for musana backpacks) is fun in africa too!

1. holding a child on your lap and whispering in their ear that Jesus loves them is exquisitely glorious.

the work of evil fabric elves

i have been attempting to clean out and reorganize my quilting studio for months, working a little bit here and there…yet it seems more cluttered and messier than ever. what’s up with that? is this the proverbial elephant meal (one bite at a time) or are there other more subversive forces at work…messy minions who sneak in at night and undo my work…kinda like the shoemaker’s elves working for satan? this is where my childhood dream/prayer to be like samantha on Bewitched kicks in. i wish i could wiggle my nose and it would be done.

but alas, i must put in my effort, lot’s of time and decision-making and plastic crates. i know the drill: sort everything by what to keep, donate, and trash. but it is so hard when there is 10 years of fabric and projects and supplies, like a sewing tsunami rolled in. drowning seems imminent.

suddenly it occurs to me that this is quite similar to dealing with issues in my life that have threatened to drown me…control, perfectionism, people pleasing etc. as I avoided dealing with this emotional clutter, it just got harder, and eventually, it seemed insurmountable.

obedience and discipline to work at difficult tasks, is very challenging stuff. but impossible? no. i don’t approach either the character stuff or the tedium of cleaning my studio like the little engine trying to make it up the mountain repeating, “i think i can, i think i can.” instead, like my wise friend iris would tell me, i look to the One who gives me strength and encouragement and then i just do the next right thing.

so off i go to dive into the piles of fabric and swim my way to the distant shore of a clean and tidy studio. thank you Lord that You speak to me in the most unexpected of places. amen.

ps. i wrote this in august and i got it done! here are the before pictures (i swear i don't have that hoarding issue. for reals.)

it gets better. trust me.

ta da!! here come the amazing afters...

so much better!!!!

hooray!