Good Things About Today

1. Work was not super stressful as it has been the past few weeks. And the project that I had mentioned in my previous post with the Dr. Seuss book turned out pretty well for my younger students. We got to finally use watercolors, and  I worked on mixing some liquid watercolors for my older students on Thursday.

2. I got to eat lunch with my mom to celebrate both of our birthdays (Mom's was Sunday and mine is Thursday), and we ate at my favorite restaurant, Bronte, a bistro-cafe inside of Davis Kidd. And we had the most amazing bread pudding with pecans for dessert. Yum.

3. I met my best friend's new dog Max, and we took Max and my dog Missy walking in the park and went for ice cream at Chick-fil-a. (And even better Max and Missy got along so well! An amazing feat for my dog.. Yay for new dog friends!)

4. My dad got satellite installed at their house, which I still stay at a good bit of the time. Which means for the first time since Hallmark channel stopped showing it, I watched Dr. Quinn on TV in my room! Yes I do have all of the seasons on dvd, but there is something different about seeing it as it comes on TV :)

Many Colored Days

"This is life changing!" Such were the words of my sister after she picked up and read the book, My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss.

This is the book I plan on using to teach my preschool art class tomorrow. "I've never seen this one before... but it just describes everything in life. It all makes so much sense...." I know now, that this lesson is definitely going to be a success. I mean, whether or not by 18 year old sister thinks the lesson is exciting is how I judge the potential of all my preschool art lessons. Seriously.

With my sister, life is never dull :)

What Inspires Me

I just found this Italian artist of the late 19th/early 20th century --- Giovanni Boldini. Boldini belonged to the School of Paris and his portraits flow and show an Impressionistic influence. Such beauty and elegance. Love his work! My very favorite of his is this first one, but all of them are lovely.

Being Sick

Being sick is bad for the following reasons:
1. You're sick, and that's just no fun.
2. You feel terrible.
3. People think you are flaky because you can't do the things you planned in advance to do with them.
4. You lose your appetite (very sad when you love food...)
5. If you don't eat, you get more sick when it's time to take your medicine.
6. Anything you try to force yourself to eat to avoid #5 is now even more unappealing and disgusting than when you were at #4.
7. You can't do anything so you are bored enough to write a list of things you dislike when you are sick.

Please God, let me get well soon! I am tired of this!

Spring Break

And I am sick. Bleh. Apparently my body is finally catching up to all of the stress I put it through the last few weeks, and it is not happy. And it's a yucky rainy day.. I so have good intentions of painting and being a disciplined artist this week now that I have the chance to actually be one. This simply will not do! Maybe if I just rest today then I will be able to paint the rest of the week....

Well, anyway, here's some music for your Monday. It's bright and cheery and will hopefully bring such a day into my life, let's say tomorrow?

Ethel Mae Potter

My favorite Lucy scene

God Always Shows Himself Faithful

After about 3 hours of sleep last night and 4 the night before, I am feeling a little bit scattered and unable to focus this early Saturday morning. I can't complain that I only had that amount of sleep each time because I really needed to be awake for other things when I was. Thursday I spent the day in prayer because of something going on right now in my life, and because of this something, I have been unable to focus completely on other tasks that I need to get done- answering emails, calling people back, etc (things that are normally difficult for me to get done anyway because I get so distracted and such and doing ten other things that I always forget... Let's call that a symptom of a creative mind, ok? Makes me feel better at least :) ....) All of this to say, I have been spending a lot of time in prayer lately because of a mountain that I simply cannot climb, period. This is something that only God can accomplish. But this morning, I am once again just in awe of how God has been setting things up for the last few months so that when I came to this place of need, I would be able to hear his voice. I would know that he is speaking and I would know what he is saying. I have come across so many things that really only made a "fuzzy" amount of sense at the time that I wrote them down, phrases and pages after pages of very specific scripture. At the time I wrote them, like I said, the words made some sense to the current situation, but more often than not, I would sit and be like, "really, God? How does that actually help. Like, ok, I get that. But what about this? What about what I am actually upset/concerned/worried over/requesting a word for now?" But so much makes sense now.... So much.

I have come across another set of such pages that I wrote to myself a time back. I mean, somehow they fit that situation back then, but boy are their purpose crystal clear now. It is overwhelming how much more cohesive as a specific message they are now. Here are some of the things that I wrote down, they bless me infinitely this morning:

On February 5 of this year, I wrote-

From Proverbs,
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
   and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge (submit) to him,
   and he will make your paths straight. 3:5&6

Commit to the LORD whatever you do,
   and your plans will succeed.
The LORD works out everything for his own ends. 16:3,4a

 In his heart a man plans his course,
   but the LORD determines his steps.16:9

The lot is cast in the lap,
    but its every decision is from the LORD. 16:33

Many are the plans in a man's heart,
    but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails. 19:21

An inheritance quickly gained at the beginning
    will not be blessed at the end. 20:21

...Wait for the LORD
    and He will deliver you. 20:22b

A man's steps are directed by the LORD.
    How then can anyone understand his own way? 20:24

(These are some words that I copied from a sticky note stuck on a page in Proverbs next to the 20:22b verse, the words are from a sermon that I heard through BOTT online back in my first year of college. I listened to this particular preacher everyday- it was one of my places of solace during that time)

What you see as a delay, God permitted for his purpose. God is setting things up. Your destiny is not in people's hands. Focus on the will of God.

You have to stay focused on God until God is ready for you.

Quit trying to come up with your own timeline, thinking things are late. God moves when he wants to move.

Look at what can happen if you turn it over to God and quit washing your nets (reference is to Luke 5). Get ready for your nets to break because of your obedience and humility.

God makes you go through changes so he can show you his power, how magnificent he is- it's not about us.

At the point of futility, you empty of yourself and your own significance and you surrender to God's will.

"For we live by believing and not by seeing." II Cor. 5:7

Clinging to Christ

I read this from Monika's facebook status, and it brought tears to my eyes. There is no better way to describe where I am. And it's a shame that I'm starting to believe him... And I can't tell what is truth anymore.

"The Charlatan. The Thief attempts to take everything that I have been given. He intends on stealing my hope. Like a monster his urges me into the depths of fear. As he does his best to alter my life and God's work, I close my eyes tight & cling to Christ with all my might."

A picture of my favorite memory

I always loved that since my mom and I have our birthdays just a few days apart, we always got to celebrate together.

I am counting on the LORD; yes, I am counting on him. I have put my hope in his word.
Psalm 130:5

A picture of something I want to do before I die

This is probably a little odd that I posted a picture of a Celtic Woman concert for this one, because I have been to see them twice already. The difference here is that this is the concert that they record live for the PBS airing, the one that they do in Europe. AND I WANT TO GO!!! I think this one is at Slane Castle. I'm sure that this is somehow connected to me really wanting to go to Europe, but to see them live at one of these while in Europe?!?! PLEASE?!

Words That I Am Living By Right Now

So do not fear, for I am with you;

do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you;

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10