Still Here Still in Glory!

 Still here, still enjoying my sabbatical, still immersed in the beautiful Holy Noise of family life!

Enjoying this time for every ounce it's worth! Hoping you are blessed and doing the same all is glory and grace!

West Coast Surfing?!

 Stellar day at the beach today! We had lots of things to do around the house but through laboring to the wind this Labor Day to go see the surfing! It's not very often us West Coasters get waves, but thanks to tropical storm Lee we had some motion in our ocean here on Venice beach. There were close to 40 surfers in the water at any given time and plenty soaking up the sun on the beach, and all were more than happy to show their stuff for the crowds! Surfers of all ages and skill levels were out and it was truly an exciting day at Venice. We watched the action from the North jetty where they were jumping in. Some paddled from the beach but most were jumping off the tip of the jetty to catch the bigger surf just past it. This is definitely something we all stop to see given it;s rarity!

Nature Speaks of Nature's God

Early morning walking and life is rousing. Calm spilling between branches as ibis shake and stir. The stretching and soft beating of duck feathers preened and now gently drifting alone pond bank. The curious eleven year old and I watch and we hear. God's not quiet, The Creator is ever communicating, there is never a quiet moment for an ear who is listening.

The invisible things of God. God's attributes are indeed manifest in these created things this morning, not just clearly seen but also clearly heard being manifested by his swimming, preening, flying, graceful works. Nature speaks of nature's God.
His eternal power and divinity and too His care and His provision. The earth and the heavenly bodies are effects which must be due to eternal power and divinity and sparrows are taken care of and the ibis and the duck, of how much more value am I to my Father, that I would think He is silent in times of need?

We listen for a familiar bird but hear none and Prayerfully consider that during the times I need to hear from Him maybe my preconceived notions prevent me from hearing what He wants me to hear. I close my eyes now and stop listening for birds calls and listen to feathers softly beating the air and ripples of water meeting the edge of pond of breeze through leaves and He reminds me of the importance of the unseen and unfamiliar things gloriously manifested in this life, of His power and glory right here right now.

Pause

Giving Thanks today for:

A pause: when you look at the calendar and realize nothing has been scheduled....
and busy, tired bones just....still and resting
listening and looking and smiling at the quiet moments flapping by in the breeze

Curious moments , curiosity being satisfied

             The food chain knowing that it's all in His plan

      Letting go and trusting God
The giddy uncontrollable nervous laughter when you find your wings and use them and discover you can really fly.

 Sizing up the mountain and deciding that the size doesn't really matter

  Journey's and not knowing the course before you set sail but know He causes the wind and keeps us afloat

Art and A Spoiler Alert for CPA Group Swap!!

Ahhhh! I'm doing art again! Just finishing up a swap due in Sept.. This one is a mini art journal page swap for CPA yahoo group and after that I have one more squash book to make before we start our schooling again! I have discovered this really great web site called Artsee Bloggers, Geri has links to hundreds of other artsee bloggers in many different mediums she is also posting tutorials, freebies, and blog giveaways and will have artist interviews!You can visit and join the site if you wish but even better you can list your blog by adding it to her site you can even enter more than one category because if you are anything like me you create in several different categories! So please go check it out. Vacation is over (boo-hoo) and as I emptied my camera card on to the computer I realized that I took almost no photos!!!!! Imagine that, the pathological picture taker not picture taking? We really had a good time, I got to enjoy my entire family for most of the week while we swam and lounged at a resort in Orlando.                                                   

                Olive Garden yummies! (Thanks Mom!!!)

 

Sisters making a tote bag together

 Brianne got to Tie dye a shirt at the resort (I think this has heavily influenced my choice of colors for this swap I am doing!)

 I must say, that even after counting the gifts into thousands I was failing to "see" fully, the beauty and goodness of God in the everyday, small, seemingly mundane living, I'm slow like that, thick to boot but I keep at it, this counting.

Am I so caught up in the world that believes that only radical healing, and cross country moves are miraculous? For such a long time I have cheated myself of days and hours pregnant with the greatness of God's glory because I could only "see" if the Glory was glaringly bright, blaring loud. Or pleasurable. Isn't that just like the enemy always flashing and wowing to get our attention of kilter, to instill ingratitude, to discredit and corrupt everything that God said was good.

 Me, so lightning fast to grab hold of the enemy's lie that it can only be gold or good if it is big, obvious. Skipping the trail of bread crumbs of erroneously perceived "small" graces to the point of ingratitude. until it dawns clear these last few hard and thorny months And here again I am amazed by Grace and the goodness of God in something "ordinary". Looking again at the familiar is indeed helping me to see it as unfamiliar and the adulation is welcome. Going back over now, a life lived in the fast lane which is not really lived at all, with a fine tooth gratitude, moving all the rocks to look underneath, using this Eucharistic magnifying glass of thanks to re-know with a renewed mind and exalting Him the gift giver the grace giver and aggrandizing all the things and moments that were once taken for granted or begrudged because of it's discomfort . Because when I stop and do the heart work the daily getting on knees work the gut wrenching 'praise no matter what' the seeing God's face in all the faces.... I see no smallness.... nothing is insignificant and everything is wondrously a gift from the One Perfect Gift Giver....... and seeing IS believing! Seeing all the worth in a single moment of ordinary, knowing more than skin deep that you are loved and thought of, not forgotten, never ever alone, and that all this...is for you. 

Man have I been busy! I have not had time to sit and post anything since June! My aunt had asked me several months ago to make up a few mini albums that she could give to her friend and some ladies in her quilting group as birthday and thank you gifts. I obliged and sent her two for starters. Well, I guess my aunt liked them so much that she showed another friend the mini album and her friend loved them and decided to order TEN to give to her employee's as appreciation gifts!!!!! Yikes! Let me just say they did keep me busy for a little while!!! I really could have taken a bit longer but I wanted to have them done before I went on vacation this Saturday, so I managed and they went into the mail Yesterday. Here is a few photos. The rest of this week I will be cleaning and packing for a week in Orlando with the family for some much needed relaxation. Hopefully I can get some journaling done this week, I haven't been able to do any lately.

 

 

 

This is the inside of the mini album, they are all different but have some similar features on the inside like tags, and small pockets and little folded booklets. 

                                                         Lots of buttons and ribbon

                                                 tons of paper flowers and fabric roses!

                                                                 See ya all in week or so!