Good Food, Good Friends

I am, by design, a social person. I could go months with no alone time and love it. Growing up in a family of 6, you learn to enjoy the quiet togetherness without needing quietness alone. Though I am learning- sometimes slower than I like- that it is important and rewarding to spend some quiet time thinking and processing, I still love to be surrounded by friends and family. The past few days have been a wonderfully social couple of days. I've gotten to spend quality time with my closest friends down in Nashville, and the rest of the week is just as cozy! Six of us are headed to Gatlinburg, TN (which is a tourist spot in the Smokies, for those of you not familiar with it) for the weekend; I could not be more excited. I will try to take some great pictures while we are there and document the fun for everyone when I return.

The planning for the little trip has got me thinking a lot about the importance of close friends. Before coming to Tennessee, my family were the closest friends I had. They are still the best friends I will ever have and my life would not be complete without them. Moving eight hours away can sometimes change the dynamics of a relationship, though. After a few months of getting settled into our new home, we made some great friendships that I believe will last forever. I never had a clue how important it was to have close friends until I had some that I wasn't related to. There's something very comforting about being chosen as a close friend.

If you don't have one or two people to whom you are not related to that you can be completely genuine and fun with, you've got to try it. Go out on a limb and let someone feel that special, chosen feeling, and you will get that in return. I have noticed that the older people get, the more they trick themselves into believing they are too busy for close friendships. Surface aquaintences are not enough; I am living on the greener side, and I've got to say - it's a pretty sweet place to be.

A Quiet Kind of Place

After all the busying about that was January and early February, things are beginning to calm down again. Dave's schedule has normalized somewhat and I have been able to spend some time unwinding at home. I've been trying to narrow my focus on the things I enjoy and the things that are important to me. I have always been the type of person who is anxious for the next thing in life, and I'm hopful that I'm learning to be content with my surroundings. So to help me do that, I am making more art than I've done in years, I'm turning down opportunities to do "stuff" (which is very unlike me), and I'm trying to be quiet. It's been quite nice to be able to sit - and to not think or act or move.

You should try it sometime.

Illustrations

Since I am one of the typical "looking for my life's passion" women in her twenties, I have persued many avenues. Maybe persued is not the correct word. Maybe...showed slight interest in is more accurate. I have quite the tendency to get fired up about something right at first and then slowly lose interest completely. One of the many things I have wanted to be passionate about in the past was illustrations. I've always loved to write children's books, and I love art, so why not write and illustrate children's books? Sounds like the perfect relationship, but in reality my love for illustrations is having an affair with my inability to stick with something. It's a disasterous relationship, to say the least. Here are a few examples of stories I have started and not finished.

This was from a story I was writing about a girl who's constantly getting in trouble.

This story was never actually written, but I like the illustration.

This was a story about a girl who loves shoes (about a real girl) and pretends to be different people based on the pair of shoes she's wearing.

And this one is about a girl trying to decide what she wants to be when she grows up. Fitting?

Old Books, New Art

I love old books. I can spend hours just flipping through them - smelling the pages, finding new and unusual phrases that just aren't used anymore, and laughing at the illustrations. I don't read as often as I'd like to, but I always have a book in my hand. I have been making art for my apartment for awhile now using old book pages. I repurpose the covers into journals, and use the pages in collages.

Here are some new items in my shop. I'm planning to do several paintings using old book pages, like the ones below. Just need to make a stop at Hobby Lobby for some more canvases. Oh how I love Hobby Lobby.

Big Day For Us

This has been quite an exciting day! This morning two great things happened. First of all, I got two hits on my artwork! I've been slowly adding new items to my etsy.com shop ( http://preciouspages.etsy.com ) and this morning I got some interest in two of the paintings. They're not actually sold yet, but someone has shown interest. Quite exciting for my very first attempt at selling artwork.

The second thing today that is oh-so exciting is that Dave got a call from an engineer/producer here in Nashville that asked Dave to help him out in the studio for a couple of days this week. While this is a semi-common occurance for Dave, this engineer/producer is pretty high up the ladder. Name dropping would be a little inappropriate in this venue (and unless you're in the scene a producer's name probably wouldn't mean much anyway), but trust me on this one...he's a great contact for Dave. He's worked with some great bands, of whom Dave and I were/are big fans and he's a great artist that places his faith above his fame.

The Lord has great things in store for us. Sometimes we don't notice the amazing things going on, but today we have been given to, abundantly.

25 Things That Make Me Smile

Today is another busy day, so I am doing a quick little post. Here are 25 things that make me very happy.

1. Putting on pajamas as soon as I get home from work
2. Inventing a new recipe that really works
3. Playing with 2 year olds (and other ages, but I really like 2)
4. Snuggling up with Dave after several days of him working nights
5. Sara Groves...her music and passion http://www.saragroves.com/
6. Flea Markets
7. Anything craft related. Painting, sewing, doodling...
8. Friends who try to know me deeper
9. Best friends who are related to me
10. Air-conditioning and heat when the outside is not pleasant
11. Children's books and illustrations
12. Traveling to anywhere by any means...cars, airplanes, boats
13. Microsoft office. Yeah, I'm one of those people
14. Watching scary movies with friends (not alone!)
15. Audrey Hepburn movies. Especially Funny Face and Roman Holiday
16. Cooking foods that also seem like craft projects. taquitos, pizza, ravioli
17. Songs that hit the right emotion in me at exactly the right time
18. Nutella
19. Babies...laughing, crying, sleeping, anything...all babies make me smile
20. Holidays
21. Our sponsored girl from Kenya, Bokayo Dida Ejersa
22. My family always makes me smile, even when I'm crying
23. Fonts
24. Helping someone who really needs help
25. Writing. poetry, short stories, children's books...etc.

Am I stifled or am I lazy?

I have been thinking about this question quite a bit lately. January has been an incredibly busy month at work and I’m feeling it. I’ve been dreading the day to day stuff, and it leaves me wondering - was I created for something totally different? Is my mind suited for something freer, am I feeling a hole that’s not being filled by what I’m doing now…or am I just being lazy? It’s totally possible that this desk that I’m sitting at right this moment is where God wants me for the next 40 years, and that He will change my heart to desire that. I pray that God’s plan for my life will be my plan for my life, but how do I know if I’m getting it right? When does the burning bush show up and say, “You got it. Keep it up; you’re on the right track.” or even “whoa…you’re way off.” How do you know if the desire is God or flesh?

“Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand. What is desired in a man is steadfast love…” Proverbs 19: 20-22

Living in the Woods

Although I grew up in the country, I have lived in "the city" for a while now. I supposed I've grown accustom to the sounds of the city, and forgotten what it's like to live surrounded by nature.

This weekend, we were housesitting in a log cabin in the woods, and I did not get to bed until the wee hours of the morning. I was inspired to write the dreadful tale of getting far too little sleep last night thanks to the wooly wilderness.

Bed Time

It started with one tiny rustle
and then became a whole bunch-
the noise was faint, but plenty
all squeaking and scratching and such.

The fear in my stomach grew fierce
I pulled the covers across my face
The troops were scampering towards the bed
I had to get out of this place.

But, from the height of the bed I refused
to cross to the other side of the room
to turn on the light on the wall
for surely my toes were in doom.

Behind the dresser was where it started
but now they surrounded the bed.
The small furry creatures were many
and were darting around my head,

between the closet and bathroom,
beneath the nightstand too,
in the laundry pile and hallway,
and probably in my shoes.

The noises rose and developed
The peak of my fear had arched
the army was closer than ever
they scurried, they squealed, they marched.

When all the group was a frenzy
and I was sure to the bed, they’d leap-
the dog walked in, scared them away,
and I could finally get to sleep.

I did it!

I finally did it! I have posted the first window (as blogged about below) to etsy.com to be sold!

This is the first of my many attempts to put myself out there. Thanks to all of you for your words of encouragement as I venture into the unknown.

Here's the post if you're interested in purchasing the window!
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5527178

Peace in the Middle

Usually around this time of year, I can feel myself getting motivated. I notice it in the little things, like organizing craft projects, cleaning out closets, and eating healthier. This year? I'm no where near motivated. Life is chaos right now for me - and I am letting it get to me more than usual. My motivation has been replaced with stress and a general don't-wanna-do-it attitude. More often than not - it's hard to find peace.

Peace is something that I usually can generate after a few minutes of sitting still and quietly. Lately, I'm not able to pull that out of the messes. I'm dwelling on things that normally would roll right off me. Is this part of getting older? Is this just me forgetting to be thankful for the things that aren't stressing me out? When I'm stressed about something, I tend to shut down. Emotionally, physically, and mentally - and shutting down means holding in.

Here's hoping in the next few days I can regain my ability to find peace in the middle of life, stop holding in all the junk, and be honestly thankful for the good.

Fullness of Grace

"From the fullness of His grace we have received one blessing after another."
John 1:16

Stated so simply in this verse is one of the most complex truths about Christ that we can ever attempt to comprehend. The phrase, “the fullness of His grace” conjures a beautiful image, doesn’t it? I imagine myself standing face towards the sky, arms thrown out to my side, drinking in the blessings that continue to rain down on me from an overfull cloud. I cannot help but smile when I imagine myself in this place. The warmth and tenderness that I can experience here is like no other.

I think sometimes, as humans, we tire of grace. We become weary of not being able to earn the love of Christ or not being able to justify the blessings we’ve been given. We try our hardest to please him in the manner of man, whirling around being good people not realizing that our best efforts are never going to be enough. Doing what we can to earn our grace is like throwing water into the sky to help God make the rain. He can do it without our meaningless efforts, He does, and He forever will.

Today, I urge you to accept the beautiful, unending power of grace, to remember who the only perfect one is, and to just be under His grace. Take a moment and drink in the blessings that truly are raining down on you.

My Window

The little boxes have words or phrases that sound pretty or are somehow inspirational to me. You can't really tell that by the photos.

I actually had so much fun with this flea market project that I have decided to try and (yikes) sell some of my artwork. Free time is abundant when you only have one vehicle and a husband who works 60+ hours a week. And since that same husband only gets paid for 20 of those hours, this wife has decided to make a little money on the side. I'm not sure if any of these things will sell or not...but I may as well try it out. The supplies are cheap and art is therapeutic.

I've never been great at the whole self-confidence vs. humility thing, which unfortunately means I generally have no faith in myself. Putting myself out into the world is a bit... well, terrifying, but for the very first time I'm willing to give it a shot. I'll be revamping my etsy.com site to accomodate this new notion of mine, and after a trip to the flea market later this month I hope to have several windows for sale. And you never know, I may even feel the urge to post some other artsy things as well. We'll see where the inspiration wind blows me.

Finally, some pictures.

The elusive Christmas photos are here! Although I didn't get a picture of every gift I made, I did get most of my favorites in there. I’ve got to admit, after working so hard on all those projects, I’m a bit sad to see them go. The good news is that I finished another project that has been sitting around my house for a few months. I’m really excited about the end result – better than I thought it would turn out. I’ll try to post those pictures tomorrow. For now…here are the gifts I made.

This old set of shutters turned into a picture frame for Dave's parents.

I made a coloring pack for Allister. It's a little fold up carrying case with crayons, coloring book, note pad, and pencils. As he was opening his gift he said, "I really like this!...What is this?"

Christina modeling the purse I made for her.

Emily's bag. The blob on the bottom left corner of the bag is supposed to be a bird on a limb.

This was the biggest undertaking of all the gifts...a quilt for my mom.

Finishing all of these projects was absolutely stressful at times, but I am so glad that I did them. I think handmade usually means heartfelt, and giving someone a heartfelt gift is quite rewarding.

2008

Today is the last day of 2008, so what a better way to end it than some quick reminiscing. So much has happened in the past couple of years, so quick reminiscing might not be accurate. While 2007 was the hardest year I’ve ever been through, ’08 was amazing. I’ve done so much growing and so much learning this year that I can hardly believe where I was just a year ago.

Some of the greatest things that happened in 2008:

I grew. I had alone time for the first time in my life in 2007, and hated every moment of it. In 2008, I learned to enjoy my time alone and used it to grow closer to God and learn (and am learning still) to rely on Him alone. That has made all the difference in ‘07 and ‘08. Being away from family for the first time was hard. Really hard. But God brought me through and made me more independent on people and more dependent on Him.

I made some of the best friends I will ever have – Chris and Beka (picture 1) and Earl and Amanda (picture2, awful picture, but the only one with all of us!). They have truly been our Nashville family. Without them, 2008 wouldn’t have been half as meaningful. Thanks guys! We love you!

Dave and I had a lot of fun adventures (picture 3) and many not so fun adventures (picture 4). He has been a great friend and wonderful husband. I could not have survived Nashville without his constant love and support for me. We make a good team.

With all the changes of the past couple of years, I'm kind of hoping for a non-eventful 2009. Some exciting things that I am hoping for...an awesome and fulfilling job for Dave, a pregnancy of a very dear friend, and a baby for me too? Only if Dave gets the aforementioned job, I'm afraid. Maybe we'll save that wish for 2010. A girl can wish can't she?

Souper!

I’m feeling pretty hungry this morning. I suppose I’m not back on track after all the holiday pigging out, and my body expects to still be overfull. Because of this, I have been inspired to share two of my favorite soup recipes with you all. I created both of these recipes earlier this fall, and cannot get enough of them! Feel free to share the recipe with all your friends and family.

Tortilla Soup
· 1 large can cream of chicken soup
· 1 large box chicken stock
· 1 can water
· 2 bouillon cube
· about 3/4 of a jar of your favorite salsa
· ½ bag taco seasoning
· 2 tsp chili powder
· cayenne to taste (we like it really hot, so we use about ¾ tbsp)
· ½ tbsp minced garlic
· ½ tbsp onion powder
· 2 tsp cilantro
· salt and pepper to taste

Cook all of those ingredients to boiling and let it simmer for about 20-30 minutes

Top it all off with:
· cooked shredded chicken
· sour cream
· Mexican cheese (I use shredded Mexican blend and crumbled queso fresco)
· tortilla chips

Chicken Wild Rice Soup
1 large can cream of chicken soup
1 can chicken stock
1 can water
1 bouillon cube
½ tbsp onion powder
cubed chicken
salt and pepper to taste

Simmer for 20-30 minutes (add rice and mushrooms just before serving)

Make one box of Zatarain’s wild rice mix according to the directions on the box

Sauté sliced mushrooms on the stove with butter, minced garlic, salt and pepper

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

Stephanie's Christmas Workshop

I was in creative hyper-drive this weekend. I have nearly reached the peak of the handmade Christmas mountain. I have two little tiny parts of gifts left to complete tonight, but then that’s it! What ended up being eighteen gifts took me a mere three weeks to finish. Hopefully next year when I start to think about making homemade gifts again, someone will remind me of these past weeks and gently knock some sense back into me.

Tonight, Dave and I will be opening gifts from each other and having a nice evening in front of the fireplace, drinking sparkling grape juice- my favorite. In the midst of our holiday evening together, we’ve also got to do laundry, clean the apartment (which has been put off for several weeks when all my free time was going to crafts…it’s really quite gross) and pack for our trip home.

Since my camera is still missing I will try very hard to get some pictures when everyone is opening their gifts on Christmas Eve and morning. Although this might mean lots of photos of people in their pajamas with no make-up, I think that’s more festive. What are the holidays without family pajama time?

Family Crafting

I promise I'm not talking about Christmas today. Today is just craft chat.

Last night Dave and I sat down to do something we don't often do. Craft together. I am always making things, and Dave is always constructing - don't call it crafting, he doesn't like that - but we rarely do them together. Dave was working on the picture frame for his parents made from a set of shutters we picked up at the flea market and I was working on the gifts for my two closest Nashville friends. We were listening to music (not Christmas music!) and giving each other input on the other's project. It was great!

The projects are coming along pretty well. I have three projects completely checked off the list. That doesn't really sound great, but I have six of the remaining sixteen underway, and nine more will be done tonight (the really quick and easy ones)! I hope you're as excited as I am.

Silent Night

Forgive me for being far too festive lately. I cannot get enough of this time of year, really. I love to be overwhelmed with tradition and festivities and gift making and carols.

But the other evening I had a “true” Christmas moment. I was helping a good friend put her two-year old son to bed and listening in while they read bed-time stories. He wanted to hear a Bible story, so we read about the birth of Jesus. This is a story that I really have heard hundreds of times, but that evening I was so touched by the quiet moment of the three of us sitting on the floor listening to the same story…the story of God giving us His precious son in the form of a baby. The baby born to Mary and Joseph, wrapped in pieces of cloth, lying so sweetly in a manger took on a new sense of reality to me. It could have been watching his little fingers pointing to the pictures and hearing him saying “Mary” and “baby Jesus” and “Bethlehem” that reminded me of the story from the eyes of a child. I truly grasped that Jesus, powerful, infinite Jesus was once a small boy too, listening to stories and sitting on his mother’s lap, snuggling. It was such a sweet moment to witness. It was a beautiful picture of why we give gifts and sing Christmas songs and build traditions. With all the festivities of Christmas that I get caught up in, it was a simple reminder of the true gift we received that cold night in the stable.

You're Here

Here's a little Christmas themed inspiration for you today. It was for me at least. These are the lyrics to a song by Francesca Battistelli titled "You're Here".

Hold on now, I gotta take a deep breath
I don’t know what to say when I look in your eyes
You laid the world before I was born
Here I am holding You in my arms tonight
Noel, Noel, Jesus our Emmanuel
You’re here, I’m holding You so near
I’m starring into the face of my Savior, King and Creator
You could’ve left us on our own, but You’re here
Don’t know how long I’m gonna have You for
But I’ll be watching when You change the world
Look at your hands, they’re still so small
Someday You’re gonna stretch them out and save us all
Noel, Noel, God with us Emmanuel
You’re here, I’m holding You so near
I’m starring into the face of my Savior, King and Creator
You could’ve left us on our own, but you’re here… you’re here
Someday I’m gonna look back on this
The night that God became my baby boy
Someday You're gonna go home again,
But You leave your spirit and flood the world with joy
You’ll be here, I’m holding You so near
I’m starring into the face of my Savior, King and Creator
You could’ve left me on my own,
but you’re here… You’re here
Hallelujah… You’re here… Hallelujah... You’re here