Alphabet Wall Collection

I found this alphabet wall at A Time for Everything thanks to The Nester.  As a teacher and avid reader, I adore the printed word and am drawn to using that in decorating my home. 

Melissa at "A Time for Everything" found inspiration in this alphabet wall pictured at Ohdeedoh.  I love the button for the "O"--where do you suppose I could find a big wooden button?

Thumbing throught the latest Pottery Barn Kids catalog, I found this.  I like the other two alphabet walls better, but this one offers inspiration as well.  I especially like the horseshoe for "U".

I would love to have an alphabet wall in my living room.  It seems like a huge project, and I'm not sure I'm artistic enough for it, but I'm going to start tracking down letters!

Angel Hero

My oldest son was given a sheet of black scratch paper--the kind that you scratch to reveal the colors underneath.  His art teacher wanted the class to make Christmas trees, but he asked if he could make an angel.  I think the result is amazing. 

I love the nativity scene, especially the angel.  We are accustomed to seeing folk-artsy, female angels on crafts and such, but that is not the way the Bible describes them.  I think they are more like my son drew--strong, valiant, bold, and manly.  I'm grateful for my boy's artistic talent, but even more than that, I'm thankful for his insight and discernment--and the fact that he can go against the flow!

Babies Are Sweet

I just love little coffee shops--especially when they are in historic homes packed with character. On this particular afternoon, the Blue House overflowed with women and little girls celebrating a baby.

Kristyne is eagerly awaiting the arrival of Kohen this fall. She's always cute, but she is absolutely glowing right now.

Her sister Kate and friend Tara hosted the shower. They hung baby clothes and baby pictures in the window on a clothesline. The effect was amazing--the sun shone through the pictures and made them look like they were printed on vellum.

Bags of jelly beans proclaimed that "Babies are Sweet" and thanked guests. These were especially popular with the little girls at the party.

Kristyne received lots of adorable baby things, and everyone enjoyed visiting. The thing I enjoyed most was watching her brother Tom take pictures. I learn so much from watching others compose their shots and seeing how they use their equipment. Plus, I just think it was really sweet that he braved all those women to photograph his sister's baby shower!

Courage

DaySpring is launching a new site called (In)Courage. It features some great bloggers including Lisa Leonard, Kristen of We Are THAT Family, and Tsh Oxenreider of Simple Mom. Over the next few weeks, the bloggers are writing about courage, and they have asked readers to write about what encourages them.

John Wayne once said, "Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway." I think that sometimes we equate courage with a lack of fear. If we aren't afraid, though, we really have no need for courage.

One of the greatest battles I fight is against fear--fear of big things, fear of little things, fear of things that would sound ridiculous to most people. I take great comfort in the fact that the phrase "do not fear" appears 365 times in the Bible. That's once for every day of the year. The fact that the words are found in the context of the stories is significant as well. God wouldn't waste words telling someone "do not fear" unless they were truly afraid. All those great heroes of the faith...they were trembling in their sandals!

I was raised on a cattle ranch. Cattle, horses, and cowboys were just part of everyday life. On days when my family worked cattle, everyone was up before dawn. Spurs jingled as the horses were carefully saddled in preparation for the work ahead. They saddled up because there was work to be done, and they intended to do it.

"Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway." It means it's all right for me to be afraid, but I shouldn't let it prevent me from doing what I need to do. Sometimes I'm trembling in my boots, but God whispers to me, "Do not fear." He is always there for me, and with that encouragment, I can saddle up.