Older is Better

I recently talked to a friend who said, "I would much rather spend a whole lot more money on something old than a moderate amount of money on something new."  I know this concept is ancient...but it seems like more and more people are taking it to the extreme--and I love it!  Maybe its because the older something is, the more character and personality it has.  I love going to Antique stores and getting lost in the stories that so many pieces of furniture and odds & ends have to tell. 

Recently I heard about this amazing place to buy old stuff--The Old House Depot in Jackson.  Wow!  A little pricey, but FULL of old doors, window panes, sheets of old tin, bath tubs, and scraps of distressed wood.  I could have shopped all afternoon...

I spent a week coming up with ideas for what I could make out of all the odds and ends I picked up.  Here is what I came up with...

for a picture frame:

and for wall decoration:

Thanks to my wonderful husband for teaching me how to use the drill...now if he can show me how to use the miter saw!!

The possibilities are endless...I'm so glad "old" is in!

Go Create!

Michelle

My Newest Creation

The older I've gotten, the deeper my passion for creating has grown.  I love teaching Art because I am forced to always think of new ideas for projects--I learn new things all the time!  I also find it thrilling to discover ways to turn "trash" into "treasure"...easy on the pocket AND on the eye.

This week I thought of an idea for a piece to hang in my dining room.  I had several small canvases I bought at a garage sale early last fall ($.50 a piece!).  They had cheesy quotes on them so I primed and painted over them.  Then I found a scrap piece of wood at school and painted/antiqued it.  Finally, I glued the paintings to the wood--done!  I am really pleased with the results...I love how the colors go with the colors in my house.  Each canvas is a letter that spells "Jesus", which serves as a reminder to Buster and me to make Him the Center of our lives...in our home, our marriage, our job, everything.

I hope to continue creating--but not just for the purpose of creating.  My prayer is that the Lord would use my gifts to make His name known, and that I would be open and willing to respond to this call no matter the cost. 

What it Means to Love

I heard this song the other day by Meredith Andrews called "What it Means to Love"...she wrote it after a mission trip to Haiti that changed her life.

How could I forget your face 

When all it took was just one day?

For me to see it wasn't ordinary

I could never be the same.

You took my hand and led the way

I didn't even know your name

But something happened deep inside me

And I knew life would have to change.

So how could I go back to life as usual?

And how could I return to who I once was?

I just want to take your story to the world

'Cause you have showed me what it means to love.

You healed the sick, You calmed the sea

But Your heart was for the least of these

You came to love the lost and broken

Your cross has set the captive free

So how could I go back to life as usual?

And how could I return to who I once was?

I just want to take your story to the world

'Cause you have showed me what it means to love.

Now I no longer live for myself

Your words are so clear

Help me live it loud enough

So they can hear

I've decided that I want the message of this song to be theme of this season of my life.  The Lord is doing some amazing things within our church (Pinelake) and we are being challenged to claim the call of Christ on our lives to "Outlive our Lives" for the purpose of making His Name known.  Our lives are fleeting vapors...what we do with our lives should be about Eternity because the only things that matter in this world are of eternal value.  Taking the Gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth, Living sacrificially, Being a part of a Godly community, Loving people, Seeking the face and heart of God daily...this kind of life is of eternal significance. 

I got spend this weekend with my closest friends from college.  What a special gift from the Lord to have friends whose hearts are set on knowing Him deeper.  Right before we left to go our separate ways, my friend Katie challenged us to think of a word that we hoped would define the year 2011.  Meredith chose the word, "Heaven"...wanting this year to revolve around having an eternal mindset, not living for the pleasures of this world, but for eternity.  I pray that this would be the theme of the rest of my life...that my eyes would be set on heaven--that my heart would be stirred for things that only matter for eternity.

My heart echoes the words of Paul in Philippians 3,

"But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.  Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.  For this sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ."

A Very Different Christmas

Buster and I hosted the family for the holidays this Christmas--we had a lot of fun getting ready for them to come. As hard as it was to not be able to go "home" to our house in Clinton for Christmas, we were still grateful that we were able to be together.  It was sad not to have Kristin with us--Skype is not the same! But it was still a special time.  We did alot of shopping (me and mom especially!) and cooking for sure!  My favorite time was Christmas eve with all of us in the living room--after watching Loui Giglio's talk "The 12 Words of Christmas", we sang christmas carols while dad and Jason played the guitar and I played the piano.


Mom taught me how to use the sewing machine! And how to make pillow cases for my couch pillows! Since I can't take her Decorative Pillow class at Liberty, she can give me personal lessons! I wish I would have been more interested while I was younger...because now I can't have her to help me avoid mistakes!