Favorite Color

So, I have a favorite color...

These are a fraction of the images I have saved to my computer with color falling into the soft blue-green color. I can't get enough of it!

A Phoebe Howard room- I believe this is from her shop.
One of my new favorite bedrooms...

Tying with this one, my "old" favorite bedroom...

This was from Ballard's catalog- I just love the color combo

I found this picture and was tempted to change all of my paint colors. I decided I would wait til I could really spend the money to do it right.

I need to post more house pictures. The den/ living room area is actually quite different now that we got the chairs, a new ottoman, and pillows. We need to hang the curtains, and then it will be as complete as it is going to get for now.

Tomorrow we are leaving for Amelia Island for a long weekend and I am so excited! I need a tan in a major way, so hopefully I'll come back at least a shade darker. Any good reads you suggest?

Online Messages

Some of you have asked about the messages on waiting that I talked about here. Jeff Henderson, the campus pastor at Buckhead Church did the series.



They can be found online at:

http://www.northpoint.org/messages



As of this morning, the final message in the series that was yesterday has not been posted but I am sure it will be soon. The last one was my favorite in the series. Happy Monday!

Garden Art

Last night I was at the Forum- an outdoor mall north of Atlanta and noticed this bed in the center of the mall- landscaped beautifully with flowers and accented with... plates? It looks like they are all Spode Blue Willow plates, which, in my opinion is the epitome of Southern classic china. This mall is always landscaped beautifully- lush flowers blanketing the ground- much like how I would love my yard to look. Obviously I don't have that much time or money to focus on my flowers like that, but it would be nice. Anyway- thoughts on the plates in the flower bed? At first I thought it was really odd, but the more I looked at it I kind of liked it. I think it would only look good in a commercial setting, but definitely is a fun added twist. And please excuse the quality of the picture- taken with my phone while trying to not wreck...

A gift...

Sunday at church was a really good message about waiting on the Lord. At the end, Ginny Owens came and sang her song "If You Want Me To." This song was an anthem of prayer during a hard period in my life and God really used it to lead me in trusting Him in that time. I have played the song since plenty of times, but it touched me so deeply when she came on stage to sing and I lost it. I do not cry in church, or really even that easily, but I couldn't stop. And of course I was sitting with three guys, all wondering what in the world was going on. I really felt like God was speaking to me saying, "Look at all I have brought you through, Look at how I love you, See, you CAN trust me" and was amazed at the clarity of the message. The fact that she is blind brings an entirely new level of meaning to it too. For those of you that don't know the song or just want to be reminded, here is a link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q8pWgDsv1E&feature=related

I hope it can be as encouraging to you too.

And here are the words... such a prayer of surrender
The pathway is broken
And The signs are unclear
And I don't know the reason
why You brought me here
But just because You love me the way that You do
I'm gonna walk through the valley If You want me to
Cause I'm not who I was
When I took my first step
And I'm clinging to the promise
You're not through with me yet
so if all of these trials bring me closer to you
Then I will walk through the fire
If You want me to
It may not be the way I would have chosen
When you lead me through a world that's not my home
But You never said it would be easy
You only said I'd never go alone
So When the whole world turns against me
And I'm all by myself
And I can't hear You answer my cries for help
I'll remember the suffering
Your love put You through
And I go through the valley
If You want me to

JOY

JOY

–noun
-the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation

Joy has been on my mind a lot lately. What is it, where does it come from, what does it feel like, are all questions that seem to parallel the word. I love the thought of joy, because to me it represents something genuine, something solid, something that provides strength. A joyful person is not always "happy" or in a great mood, but content and at peace. True joy is something I strive for and want to understand more fully. As much as I feel like I understand and know about it, I know there is a lot more to learn and make part of my lifestyle.

In the book Walking With God, Eldredge explains it as something we have to look for. A concerted effort that we have to make to see it. It is all around us, in simple things that seem mundane, in daily things that we take for granted, and in obvious things that result in celebration. But Eldredge brings the challenge to really look for it and find God in the everyday life... to become more aware of the joy that God provides every minute and see Him for the truly loving God that He is. I heard joy explained as this: "Joy is the fruit that results in the deep seeded confidence that God will come through" and felt like a whole new light had been shed on the word. I said I want to know true joy more fully, and I know to look for it and become more aware, but I also realize that a lot of that falls on me and who I believe God is to me. I know that He loves me and has given me an abundance of things to be joyful about, and yet I still have a hard time believing that everything will fall into place like I want it to. I have a hard time surrendering and truly believing God will come through for me. So, as this journey continues, I pray for wisdom, discipline, and awareness, to see God more and believe that He will come through in mighty ways.

Weekend Recap

We spent the fourth in Blowing Rock, NC- a place that is quickly becoming one of my favorites. The mountain views are gorgeous in the Blue Ridge Parkway, the town is very charming, and the house (Will's grandparents) is so cozy. It is such a fun getaway- especially when temperatures in the 70's in the day and 50's in the night welcome you! We went with Brittan, Stephen, and Channing and had such a great time. Here are some pictures from the weekend...

A stop at Mast General Store for some candy... way too much

Some playtime with Channing...

Jackson met a much larger dog friend... and kept his eyes shielded from the sun...

Beautiful sights at Bass Lake...

My birthday breakfast in Blowing Rock...


Picture on the balcony before dinner...

We were able to watch 3 different fireworks shows on the balcony! The perfect ending to a perfect weekend...

Great Reminder...

I was reading a friend of mine's blog and loved what she passed along- from a book called Can You Drink the Cup. Sounds like a book I want to get... such truth! I feel like there are so many little things in life that cause us to compare ourselves to others and it really is nothing but destructive after a while. After a while, comparison becomes a stronghold and a way of seeing the next reason why we don't measure up. I know I am guilty of this, so this is a great reminder to live life as God truly intended- drinking the cup He gave me and rejoicing in every bit of it. Ivy, if you are reading this, thank you for this sweet reminder of truth!

"Just as there are countless varieties of wine, there are countless varieties of lives. No two lives are the same. We often compare our lives with those of others, trying to decide whether we are better or worse off, but such comparisons do not help us much. We have to live our life, not someone else's. We have to hold our own cup. We have to dare to say: "This is my life, the life that is given to me, and it is this life that I have to live, as well as I can. My life is unique. Nobody else will ever live it. I have my own history, my own family, my own body, my own character, my own friends, my own way of thinking, speaking, and acting- yes, I have my own life to live. No one else has the same challenge. I am alone, because I am unique. Many people can help me to live my life, but after all is said and done, I have to make my own choices about how to live."