Birds of a Feather

My newest painting...

All the Single Ladies

Putcha hands up! :) My nieces and Pea LOVE this song and will sing it on command no matter the circumstance. Today using it (of course) as a metaphor; my Bell girls have let me take their picture lately A LOT with Momi. Of course, it is like pulling teeth trying to get Ty into an actual picture, so what? Us girls are doing just fine, thank you...

Don't worry, Be Happy!

This is my little Harper girl. Always smiling. In nearly every picture I have of her; it's either a smile, half smile, or a blank unregistered face. She is very content to hang out, cuddle, and watch the mayhem that is our house right now. Harper, you're a delight...
:)

Lord, Have Mercy

Rejoice with the Manns...Mercy Mann is 3 months old and can come home soon! Praise Jesus; tears as I type...God, you are so good.

Tribute

As it's veteran's day,I thought I'd post this picture of my Grandpa Jerry in the navy. He was a wonderful grandpa who has since passed. And if I don't write it down I may forget so, "Grandpa Paulson, I miss your pockets full of quarters, how much you adored peanut butter fudge, and the fact that you didn't get to meet my girls here (but someday)."

I'm reminded that my Grandpa Birky also served...though I already knew this. He was also the world's best grandpa who always had time for us and loved to call us, "snicklefritz" as a pet name which I'm sure means something funny in German. Both amazing men who I miss. Love you Grandpa B!
With love, Thank you for your service (and all the veterans today)!

Yes (wo)Man

Last year one of my unconscious goals was to become more generous. With time, money, myself; whatever in my power to give. This summer, I just started voicing this goal in prayer and began to extend myself a bit more and a bit more and now apparently I am bat@#$% crazy. I'm sort of not understanding who this new me is, but I'm planning to roll with it. I am, in point of fact, saying yes to everything asked of me these days. Need a volunteer? Sure! Need me to bring over dinner? Why, of course! Need a gift for a teen mom? (I've seen Teen Mom and it without fail causes me heart palpitations...) So YES, yes, and yes.
In no way am I a crabby hermit, but I have in the past been a fierce defender of my alone time, the over-extended, and against schedule-induced insanity. One of the greatest lessons I learned from my mom is that you can make your own schedule and limit was causes you stress. She doesn't wear a watch. Etcetera.
However, I realized this past year that this philosophy which is for the most part a positive thing was limiting my generosity. Not really Christ-like and while there is a season for everything; finding the balance between self-preservation and good works is a constant.
So that said, need something?
It's the perfect time to call...

Bemusings: On Honesty & Authenticity

This theme keeps popping up and I have long since given completely up on the idea of coincidences. So in the (Holy) spirit of God moving in my life, I'll bemuse for a bit on the topic. Recently I have had two friends wear their hearts on their sleeves, which I suppose in this modern world is the equivalent of posting said heart on their respective blogs. Though their themes are in some ways the same, they both wrote with grace and authenticity; without apologies or excuses or cover-ups and for that alone among many other things: I am lucky to call them a friend. Here is Becca's story; Here is Anne's.
Reading these stories has made me dig a trench even deeper into this concept of becoming truly authentic. I am a firm believer that as we share and rejoice in our inequities; Christ is magnified. His work can now be seen, because he has rescued us from loneliness and isolation; little deaths all on their own. Isolation kills our spirit each minute we play a party to it. There is a fine line between being private (which there is certainly a place for) and being ashamed.
While we're on the topic, I believe there is a distinction between being honest vs. being authentic. Honesty, while inherently good can double as a front for self absorption, verbal diarrhea, and the like. Want some honesty? I love tulips, my favorite color is green, I don't like showers, my favorite song is Wild Horses, oh and two days ago my three year old gave my 7 month old a black eye by throwing a block directly at her face from across the playroom. But I digress...
Authenticity involves having faith; it is expressing who you are and what's going on with grace and truth without using that truth as a crutch. I desire to be real, really who I am. Giving myself grace while still moving forward and growing in Christ. Is this all possible? I believe it's the authentic version of "having it all."
Yours truly,