A New Project

It has been awhile since I last posted, but I am SOOOO excited to start a new project...
It will be a photo essay...as of yet untitled. I have been waiting to gather all the required gear I needed: specific photography lenses, some minor video equipment and digital recorder! Now, I am almost ready to go! I am just organizing thoughts and what I hope to get from each photo shoot! I am so excited to start this! It will be a surprise...and with children and family priorities, I have NO IDEA how long this project will take, but I am excited for what is ahead! I look forward to sharing this "mystery" project in the months ahead.
Hope you are all doing wonderfully and enjoying your Christmas and New Year holidays!

Art and a Prayer!

I was going through some things that my mom gave me from their home that has been collecting dust in the closet this weekend...I came across a painting...one that had meaning...no matter how untalented or childlike it appeared...
Let me share two paintings with you...
Let me preface it with the fact, that I seriously am no artist...
I can't even make stick figures look good...
However, I was inspired by my very British friend, Faith, whom I lived with in Afghanistan...she used to have quiet times painting...(and she was very talented at it!)
I thought I would have my "go" at it in Afghanistan as a form of quiet time with the Lord...
These paintings were my first attempt...I laughed at my attempt then, but I look at those paintings now fondly...
...a creative attempt to paint my symbolic prayers for Afghanistan...
1) The red paint--the blood of Jesus washing over Afghanistan
2) The yellowish/orange paint--the fire purifying all unrighteousness
3) The blue paint--representing the water and refreshment of the Lord that I prayed to wash over the nation of Afghanistan
4) The brown--the desert in Afghanistan...representing the dry and thirsty land...

May the fire of God purify, may the water refresh and cleanse, and above all may the blood of Jesus wash over the land of Afghanistan.

Namaste!

I apologize for all the little blog posts I am typing up all at once, but I always have limited time these days and trying to keep much of my time focused with our sweet little kiddos! But they are asleep, Brad is working in the yard, and I am getting some good time alone reading and writing! :) Yesterday, we were all heading back to a birthday party of a little boy that Hadi and Silas are friends with...on the way back, Hadi asked to go to the 'Namaste Store'. For those of you that may know a few choice words in other languages, 'Namaste' is Hello in Hindi (an Indian language). Of course, this makes her mama so proud, as I have a passion for our kids to know about other cultures, to be comfortable around people of other cultures, and more importantly, to LOVE ALL people as those created in God's image! So, we stopped at Sajni Boutique (a very nice Indian/Pakistani store that sells clothes and jewelry.) We purchased her first set of Indian bangles and she LOVES them! I look forward to Mommy and Hadi date night coming up at Henna Night at the Sajni Boutique...a night of Henna tattoos and fun with a crowd of women from Pakistan and India!! I LOVE that my daughter gets excited about other cultures! :) I look forward to teaching my kids over the years to come and investing in the lives of those from other nations around the world! What a rich blessing!

The Books I am Reading

Ok, so for those of you that know we me, I am a reader...a little obsessively. It is what I LOVE to do with the free time I have...it is what refreshes me and encourages me after a long day...it is what gives me a break mid-afternoon while my kids are playing quietly and/or napping...it is through the books and of course, God's Word, that the Lord uses most to encourage and challenge me! I am thankful for the creativity that God has given people and the desire to share their hearts with the rest of those who would read what they have learned...

I have always loved to read, but have learned more over the last few months that reading is a passion of mine!

What have you been reading lately?

Quotes on Writing and Refugees!

I am excited about a new organization called Refugee Writers that is apart of empowering refugees to tell their stories...to find their voice, to find healing...here are a few quotes coming from their Twitter account...

"Stories are as unique as the people who tell them, and the best stories are those in which the ending is a surprise!"

"Words are a form of action, capable of influencing change." - Ingrid Bengis

"We believe that there can be no more effective means of refugee advocacy than helping refugees finding their voice and the audience to hear them." - Refugee Writers

"The writing process is more than just putting words on a page--it's re-remembering where we came from, who are are, and where we want to go."

"A well-told story unbinds to relate, to be empathetic, and to be compassionate beyond what we thought possible."

I am excited about things God is showing me in regards to my passions, photography and writing...these quotes have been a part of that!

Photo Chores!

I just saw this idea on someone else's blog recently...photo cards to teach your kids about chores! So that has been my recent little project! I have been shooting photos for some basic toddler/preschool chores so I can instill these things into my kids from a young age. And I continue to pray for my little ones to have beautiful, humble servant hearts.

A Return to Nature

Summer in Texas has been hard with two toddlers! One toddler thrives in the heat and loves playing in the water; the other prefers the air conditioning in the inside…
I myself, prefer a bit of both; however, I have been thinking lately about the life of “indoor” kids…how I never want my children to miss out on learning to live in and love the beauty of the outdoors.
I have a very clear memory of playing behind our house in California—there was a tree house there someone else had previously put together and we were out there all the time or rollerblading in town…we ALWAYS went outside!
In the middle of a hot SUNNY summer in Texas, we remain inside…looking for ways to entertain ourselves—with toddlers it is hard! We watch videos (something I never wanted to do too much of), try to do arts and crafts (but with toddlers this only lasts so long); read books and play games…getting through the day is hard when the temperatures rise over 100. We try to get out to spray parks and pools, but sometimes to no avail as I have a little one that overheats in about a second.
The desire to get back to nature is there….we long for that. I long for my kids to run their hands through the dirt; to learn to observe the beauty of nature…after all, this beauty comes from God-the intricacies and the grandeur…its all from God. He is the Master Creator of the beautiful nature canvas that surrounds us.
Am I encouraging my kids to stop and take a look? To explore?
As we anxiously await the fall weather that hopefully starts arriving soon, we went ahead and purchased the kids both Strider bikes! We are big fans already! ☺ (There is our little advertisement). Our hope is to encourage them to get out of the house, to ride, to have fun, to exercise and to explore…we are getting them their first camping gear, and already took Hadi on her first rock climbing outing….May the love of the outdoors and adventure begin!! ☺