November Art Journaling Page!

At last!

The long-awaited November page!

I know… it’s been a minute or two since I’ve been on here. Life has been busy… our boys are getting bigger, and homeschooling and homemaking have been  filling my days… but… I broke my right wrist a couple weeks ago, and suddenly can’t do much more than do one-finger typing and move a computer mouse. So, voila! This page might not be as polished as the other months, but here it is! 🙂

Click on the image below for a downloadable PDF!

Starfish Pendants… It Makes a Difference for This One!

A little over three years ago, Hubby and I took adoption classes.

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We were already open as a foster home, but hadn’t had any placements yet, and we were still unsure of which way would would go… foster care or straight up adoption… but we wanted to know all we could about both options, and be ready for whatever direction the Lord led us. And He led us to both fostering AND adoption!

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In those classes, we learned so much. We had the opportunity to talk with other families stepping tentatively toward the same goal… to hear their stories, their concerns, their fears, and their deep convictions about caring for children, whether it was for a few days or for forever. We learned that there are so many kidsthat need a place to call home and people to call family. The need is so big and so great that it sometimes seems impossible to make a difference, just being one little family with an extra bedroom. But then we were told this story…

“While wandering a deserted beach at dawn, stagnant in my work, I saw a man in the distance bending and throwing as he walked the endless stretch toward me. As he came near, I could see that he was throwing starfish, abandoned on the sand by the tide, back into the sea. When he was close enough I asked him why he was working so hard at this strange task. He said that the sun would dry the starfish and they would die. I said to him that I thought he was foolish. There were thousands of starfish on miles and miles of beach. One man alone could never make a difference. He smiled as he picked up the next starfish. Hurling it far into the sea he said, “It makes a difference for this one.” I abandoned my writing and spent the morning throwing starfish.”
― Loren Eiseley

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And now, three years later, we’re looking at the possibility of taking adoption classes a second time. Thinking about those starfish on the beach, and the handful of little people that have touched our lives in the past three years, inspired me to get out my scissors and start snipping.

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And gluing.

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And “resin-ing.”

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Make a Difference Pendants are now available in our shop!

Slow Down…

I read a blog post this morning about finding yourself.

Having turned 50 not too many days ago, it struck a chord with me… It made me think of the times in my life I needed to find myself again. Not a “new self,” but the real me that sometimes gets lost in busy-ness of life and the opinions of the crowd and the pressure of calendars and things-to-do.

Living for half a century definitely gives you a bit of
perspective and makes you reflect on the things
that you were purposed to do and designed to be.

And that’s when I start thinking about this lady.

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Nana Anne.

If she had a calendar in her home, it was to mark off days that had gone by rather than to tell her what to do next week. Nana got more things done before the sun came up than I could do all day long, but she never had a to-do list or a schedule, and you sure couldn’t pin her down to “every Thursday.” It was hard to pin her down to anything, for that matter, but she was always there when you needed her. She loved to go places on the spur of the moment, but somehow she was always home when you needed to raid her fridge for a piece of homemade pie. You were welcome to stop by even if her teeth were out. And there was always coffee. Nana never joined a club and never was on a committee, but she served and loved everyone she met. She would give you the shirt off her back, the food out of her cupboard, or the curtains off her windows if you had a need. And she’d beat you to the yard sales on Saturday morning to replenish her stock. Her theology was plain and simple, and only Nana could totally get away with having a sign next to her door that said “Jesus loves you” and another beside it that said “Be nice or go away.”

Because nice matters.

And Jesus does love you.

When I feel the need to get back to basics or simplify my crazy life or to get my priorities in proper order or deal with pressure to “do more” or “go more,” Nana is the person I think of first. She taught her kids and grandkids and great-grandkids the importance of being present. To enjoy every day and not rush around, ruled by a list or a calendar or the expectations of others.

She taught us to slow down and live life.

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Putting things in order…

I’ve had a few quiet hours the past couple of days, and have been able to work on the “pretty” part of setting up the new blog and website. My paper cuttings are usually mounted on black, so seeing them on a white background is a little hard to get used to, but I do like the lighter feel that it gives to the site. The buttons might get shuffled around a bit as sections are added to the website. It was neat to be able to use actual papercuts to create them!

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And it was fun to play with some paint again!

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Note the close proximity of paint water to the coffee that I’m drinking.

Not a good idea.

Just sayin’.