Thursday, December 24, 2015

Love and Light in A Dark Place




In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.  This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manager, because there was no place for them in the inn. 
                        Luke 2:1-7 English Standard Version



I was reflecting this morning on the Christmas Story (appropriate, right?)  and I was thinking what a wicked, dark time it must have been in the world the night Jesus was born.  No different than now, maybe even more loveless. Is it possible?  Don't forget only a few short years later King Herod would order all first born baby boys two years old and under to be slaughtered. 


Mary and Joseph, not yet married, probably ostracized from friends and family, fully trusting God and His promise:  Not fully knowing their part, but fully knowing that their God was going to do something big in their life and for humanity. 

What if they hadn't trusted? What if they would have chosen to do the socially acceptable thing? 
The "Politically Correct" thing of that time?
Would Mary have had an abortion? Would Joseph have abandoned her? Would Mary's family have   her stoned to death? 

The answer is simple and obvious:  God still would have fulfilled his promise to us.
He still would have sent His Love and Light to the world on that night. 
Angels and shepherds still would have glorified Him and Magi would still seek him.

Take heart my friends. He is real. 


Tuesday, December 15, 2015

And then it was Christmas...


My goodness! 
How time is fleeting.
I can not believe that the last time I posted was the middle of 
October. Did I miss Thanksgiving? 
Sigh!


Again, we have had great loss in our family this year. 
As well as loss of friends.


More than ever the traditions are important.
They remind us of our memories.
The things that are worth remembering.


This year decorating was a daunting job for me.
I seriously questioned if it was going to be worth it.


Now that it is all out and in place, I'm glad!
I'm glad that we did it. 


Yes, lots of it is the same year to year.



I change this or that, but for the most part,
its the same.


Toys from my daughter's Christmas's past.


Dishes collected over the years.
Given from beloved Aunts.








When I was young, I never could imagine that Christmas 
could be a sad time. Now I understand. 


But happy traditions help. 
They help us move on to new times and new
memories.



If your Christmas is hard this year, I hope you 
remember an old tradition and find a way to start a new tradition. 




Monday, October 12, 2015

Bible Journaling Part 2 .... The Tools


Okay! You asked for it.... 
This is my post about the tools that I prefer for bible journaling. 
Before we get started: I just want to make it clear, I'm not
an expert, artist or theologian. These are just some insights 
into what I have tried that has worked. And a lot of what you see
in my journaling are concepts that I got from bible studies. So don't be thinking that 
I'm so exceptionally smart. I'm just making notes so that I can remember later.

You should know that I have had some epic fails to, trust me! 
To name a few:
The brush pen - LOTS of people use it but I can't figure it out to save my life. 
Watercolor paints - Bleed  through and cause the paper to wrinkle beyond belief.  
(My bible is not like the newer journal bibles that have the onion paper. Mine
are much thinner.)
Micron and Sharpie - bleed through

So these are techniques that I have gone back to and 
like best. 

Let's get started, shall we?


Here is a recent entry from a study that we are doing in Philippians at my 
church on Sunday mornings. 
Adopting a Christ-Like Attitude means Serving, Sacrificing and Glorifying God. 
You'll note that I misspelled glorifying in my bible (sigh). Oh well, it happens. 
By the time that I noticed it, I was in the ink stage. (ugh!)

Note to self: there is no spell check on the page. 

So that's the finished product.
Let's step back and have a reality check. Okay, NO JUDGING!


This is actually what my craft table looks like in mid project.
I think I saw a pin on pinterist "I craft, therefore, I hoard."
It applies.


It's true, I like having all my stuff out and available. 
I also like a work lamp. It makes seeing the pencil marks much easier as well as doing shading.


Here are the my favs:
a soft lead pencil (alway draw as lightly as you can)
a polymer eraser (because it seriously removes all pencil marks)
a Uni-ball Signo 207 ultra micro pen
a Uni-ball Signo 207 micro pen
a ruler
And
a pencil sharpener


Lined paper is handy to use under the page to keep your writing straight.


I also like to use color pencils alot. For me the Prismacolor brand is best but 
Crayola works well too. I have tons of them in as many colors as I can find.
I recently purchased some watercolor pencils and a blender that 
I'm anxious to try. It's supposed to give you the look of watercolor
with the convenience of a color pencil. We'll see. 
Washi tape is also a very fun element to add your page.


So I'm a beginner and I'm looking forward to learning more techniques.
I hope this has been helpful for you.
Let me know if you want to see more bible journaling.
And of course leave me questions... I'll try to answer as best I can. 

Have a great week!



Friday, October 9, 2015

Christmas .... Here We Go.....


Hey! 
HI!
Is this not the cutest thing you've ever seen?


It just arrived last week. Its from the 2004 Hallmark
Keepsake, Nello Williams signature
Christmas Collection. 



I think you can still get one on Amazon or Ebay.
There is also a matching refrigerator that I have.
My husband got it for me a few years ago and I've wanted
this little stove ever since then.


The light comes on in the oven and it has a little
air freshener so that you can put a cookie flavor scent in.
It hooks up to your Christmas lights.


Oh my goodness....

Are starting to think holiday yet?

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Bible Journaling Part 1 .... My How, What, When and Where



Okay.... this is going to be a long one. 
Get your tea, coffee or soda and get comfy!


If you follow me or check in once and awhile, you will notice that I share my bible journalling with you occasionally.  (If you go on to my Instagram page you can see all the pages that I have done. I have a button on my sidebar that can take you directly to my page.) 
In the few posts that I have shared, there have been quite a few questions regarding the bible that I use, and how and why I do the journalling that I do.  
So here is that promised post that explains it all.



What is bible journaling? 

Bible journaling is a method that has been around for a long time but has become very popular in the last year, predominantly by these 2 ladies Stephanie Ackerman who started the Documented Faith plan, and Shanna Noel who created the Illustrated Faith method.  Both of their web sites have tons of tutorials and inspiration. It really is just a way to meditate on God's word through art journaling.  

Why do I bible journal and how did I get started? 

I have ALWAYS had an affinity for bibles. I LOVE them. I HOARD them and ADMIRE other people's bibles.  I am the same way with  journals. LOVE them! The problem is that I never use them. I never journal in journal.  Same with my bibles. I take my bible to church and bible study, but the truth of the matter is I didn't really open it in between.  It bothered me, but not enough to do anything about it. 

Then last May I hosted a table at the Ladies Tea at our church and the speaker was Pam Kanaly. Her theme or topic was "Love Letters". She shared how the bible is a love letter from God to us. Then she showed her bible. It was huge. It was old. The gilding on the paper's edge was gone. The spine of the book was cracked and the leather cover had worn marks from being carried and the pages were crinkly from being searched and thumbed through. There were copious notes in the margins.  She went on to tell that there were tear stains that were circled and dated where she had prayed and cried over her children and loved ones. Scripture was highlighted, underlined and dated where she had prayed God's promises into her life.
It was amazing and beautiful. 
It made me want a lifetime bible like that. 

Then when I was working on my planner, I came across some bible journaling images on Pinterest and Instagram. I was more than intrigued.  I went on line and every Journaling Bible was sold out and on wait lists. Then I remembered that my husband had used a journaling bible for a little while a few years ago.  He had set it aside because he wasn't crazy about the translation. I asked him if I could have it. He said "of course" and that is how I ended up with the journaling bible that I have. 

I watched a bunch of you tube videos on lettering and I also watched the videos on Stephanie Ackerman's web site for journaling. They are wonderful and I learned a ton and am still learning a ton.
So that is how I got started.

What is a Journaling Bible?


Simple! It is a bible with wide margins for notes and journaling. Lifeway has a great selection as 
does Amazon.  Lifeway even has a fun little video. 


How I bible journal. 
Bible journaling is just as individual as any journal can be. You make it your own. The biggest thing that I would want to convey is that you are really focusing on God's word and not the art. You absolutely don't have to have any artistic ability to bible journal. Ask yourself: What is it that spoke to me? What do I want to remember? Is there an image that I think of when I read the passage?  It's the learning and taking it into your heart that matters. 

When I am at bible study or listening to a sermon I use my study bible and a note book 
like this. Sometimes my daily devotion is an inspiration for more study too.



I still highlight and write in the margins of my study bible, but I also take extensive notes. I think about big ideas and small details. I write it all down. Then I go home, I pray about it, I review my notes and then I go to my journaling bible open it to that same passage.




I then use another little notebook for rough drafts and design.  It's a messy process but this is what works for me.  I am way to tentative do a rough draft right on the bible page.





I then transpose it onto the bible page with pencil.



Then I go ever it all with ink and color. 


It ends up something like this. 


"Prayer does not equip us for great works. Prayer is the greater work." Oswald Chambers
Trust me! I'm not an artist. I never took any art classes in high school or college. If I can do this, you can do this! And I hope you do!




In my next Bible Journaling post I will show you my favorite tools that I use for journaling. 


Tuesday, September 29, 2015

This Week's Color!

So very glad your here. 


This week's color is a blue-black from the OPI San Francisco
collection. 
Incognito In Sausalito
Having lots of fun wearing this and loving it! 



Do you wear super dark colors?


I also wanted to let you know that I'm working on a couple of Bible Journal posts. 
One will be How, What, When and Where and the second one will be the tools that I like best.
Keep an eye out for it..... 

And thank you guys for asking for it. 

So go have a good evening!

Sunday, September 27, 2015

BIBLE JOURNALING




Hey there!
Happy Sunday!
Just thought that I would pop in and show you some 
Bible Journaling that I did in Jonah.


I can't believe how often I have read the story of Jonah and the whale and missed the 
whole point! God wants everyone saved. YES! EVERYONE!
Whether we think they are qualified or not! 

That means that EVERYONE I see matters to Jesus!

I'll say it again...
YES! EVERYONE!


Jonah is little book with a lot to say!