Be courageous

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." - Joshua 1:9 

Yesterday morning, my daughter drove off with her husband and young daughter and all their belongings to settle in a new area. It is a great opportunity for them and I think it will be a wonderful adventure (you know, they are young...) but it will not be without some sacrifices (for them and for me!). For my daughter, a young woman with a small child, moving to a city where she knows no one is scary. 

There is a verse in Joshua where the LORD is encouraging the people to be strong and brave. It is right after Moses died and they are getting ready to cross the Jordan and enter the Promised Land; a new land filled with the unknown and they are going without their beloved leader. In fact, it is more than just an encouragement; it is actually a commandment: 

"Have I not commanded you? Do not be afraid(terrified, one translation says); do not be discouraged."

It goes on to say, 

"be strong and courageous". (Not so easy I think).

There is a lot about life that can be scary and discouraging (right?). And to be brave or not discouraged when things seem pretty scary or discouraging is not an easy feat. But I love that He doesn't ask them (us) to do it alone. Because the passage goes on to say:

"for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

I guess the most important words are not God's commandment but rather His promise: The LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. Oh, if we could really grasp that.

It is kind of like what Christopher Robin said to Pooh, 

"If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together ... there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart ... I'll always be with you."              - A. A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh

Remember, We can do hard things. Not by our own power, but by His.

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Designing a warm & chic nursery

Wow, it has been a while since I posted. I took some time to re-group after the first of the year, play catch up, re-organize both my house and my life (a never ending on-going process!) and decide how I wanted to spend my time. I have felt out of balance for a while and decided that I needed to cut out some things and add some others. More about that later I am sure, but today I wanted to share an exciting new project I am working on.

I am designing a nursery for a previous client (we designed her darling little girl's room last year) and this time, the gender is unknown. (I love in this age when we can find out so much ahead of time that a couple would wait for the surprise!). So I will come up with two plans, one for a girl and one for a boy.  (The truth is, I have the envelope from the doctor with the gender results but shhhh I am the only one who knows!).

I hope you enjoyed this first look ... these are the inspiration boards I am showing my client to start the process. We will be narrowing our choices down in the next couple of weeks and I will begin to place the orders. 

I hope you are all well - thanks for stopping by! xo

Start today

"Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every year find you a better man" 

- Benjamin Franklin

Etsy

January 1. I love the idea of a new year. It always feels like such a great opportunity. You know, to start fresh ... the ultimate do-over ... a new beginning. A chance to re-think the way I do things and come up with a plan to change what I don't like.  

Etsy

I have a lot of ideas floating around in my head and although I have not had time to organize my thoughts, I know that I want to make some changes in the way I work, in the way I spend my time and where I put my focus. 

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Happy New Year everyone! 

A simple Christmas

This year is a no-fuss Christmas. It is in part on purpose - I wanted to keep things simple and stress-free with less focus on "stuff" (remember, I wrote about how I really want to make Christmas more about celebrating a baby being born and less about the other stuff? If you missed it, you can read it here) - and partly because of circumstances ... a busy work schedule, a torn up kitchen, "life" in general ...

If it wasn't done, it didn't need to get done was kind of how it went. My gifts are few (this was intentional) and all but one were bought online (which turned out to be a great time saver and even better, prevented the temptation to over-spend on impulse gifts). My baking was ... well, there was no baking this year. After months without an oven, the new one was finally installed but not until yesterday, so there are no snowflake cookies this year ... no homemade candy. The beautiful cards I bought will have to wait for another time ... and yet what I realized is that it is okay. In fact, it is more than okay ... it is perfect. I learned that I can step off the crazy-Christmas-rushing-around and everything will still be fine.

The peace I wanted to experience inside carried over to my decorations. I pulled the Christmas boxes down from the attic (oh, so many boxes ... so much "stuff"!) and then put them right back up again. Instead, I made tissue paper flowers and added a few papier-mâché ornaments I found at Marshalls while shopping for a wedding last month. I hung one (not the million I usually use) string of lights on the tree and sprinkled a few ornaments around. And you know what? I love it. It is just enough. 

I am looking forward to relaxing and spending time with my family this Christmas and I hope that whatever your plans are, and however you celebrate that you will experience joy and peace and wonder. And I also hope that if something doesn't get done like you had hoped or you run out of time or energy and you are stressing about that ... that you will be able to let it go and remember what is the most important thing ... the greatest gift ... a baby who came down from heaven.

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” - Luke 2:8-12

Merry Christmas everyone!

The Spirit of Christmas

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14

I received an email tonight asking for prayer and it was so perfect and beautiful and timely that I wanted to share some it with you. 

"Holidays can be painful, remembering loved ones not with us anymore, or strained relationships that cause hurt. Pray for all to draw close to God and not expect family members to fill that spot. Pray for all of us to give of ourselves to those hurting ... "

It resonates with me this year particularly as many are going into this holiday with heavy hearts. I pray that as we finish up our last minute shopping and wrapping and decorating ... as we prepare for the joyful celebration of Christ's birth (and everything else we throw in at Christmas!), that God will bring comfort and hope to those who are suffering and and that He will show us ways that we can share His love with those in need of comfort and hope; to be His arms, His feet, His comforting words, His encouragement ... a messenger of His love. Because that is what the Christmas Spirit is all about.

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LOVE in the form of snowflakes

Someone in my daughter's birth club posted about the snowflake project to support the Newtown elementary school and to help the teacher's and the PTA give the students a winter wonderland as they move into their new school building in January, and I thought it was a great way to be a part of their recovery. 

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NEWTOWN, Conn. - When the students Sandy Hook Elementary School move into their new school building after the holiday season, teachers want to brighten their spirits with snowflakes from supporters all over the country.

The Connecticut Parent-Teacher Association is encouraging people to make and send homemade snowflakes to be displayed at the school Sandy Hook students will be attend, Chalk Hill, in a neighboring town. And remember, no two snowflakes are alike - so your unique designs are encouraged.

Please make and send snowflakes by Jan. 12, 2013 to:

Connecticut PTSA

60 Connolly Parkway

Building 12, Suite 103

Hamden, CT 06514

via Pinterest

Click here for a tutorial on how to make paper snowflakes or here for Martha Stewart's kid version. 

It is a wonderful way for every one of us to take part and support the children, the families and the teachers of Newtown. And even if you are completely overwhelmed with your busyness right now, the good news is they do not need them until January 12th so you have plenty of time! 

Martha Stewart

Will you join me (and hopefully countless others) in showering Newtown with LOVE in the form of paper snowflakes?

For Connecticut

I have no words. My tears are my prayers ... I pray for God's mercy and comfort for all those affected by this senseless tragedy. My heart goes out to you, Newtown.

"O LORD have mercy on me in my anguish. My eyes are red from weeping; my health is broken from sorrow."

- Psalms 31:9