Fine Art Journal

Where oh where do your vegetables grow?

Fri, 31 May 2013 14:17:14 +0000

Our shopping day at our local farmers market.

We all know that eating a lot of vegetables are good for you but did you know that not all vegetables are created equal? How can you tell if your fruit is conventional, organic or Genetically Modified?

1. Conventional produce has a four-digit number. If the PLU sticker begins with a 3 or 4 then this generally means that the produce was sprayed with weed killers and chemical pesticides.

2. Organic produce has a five-digit number that starts with 9. Ask to make sure it was not treated with chemicals.

3. Genetically modified items also use a five-digit number that starts with 8. This means the produce was genetically engineered (GMO stands for Genetically modified Organisms). They usually have bright colors and are chemically treated.

It’s best to buy your fruits and vegetables from a local farmers market. You support local farmers and receive more nutrient rich foods.

Taking a break in New York City

Fri, 31 May 2013 14:06:08 +0000

My daughter in New York City singing with Gulf Coast Youth Choir.

Fun outings included singing at Queen’s College, seeing the play Wicked on Broadway, riding the Subway, visiting Time Square and Central Park and riding the Ferris wheel at ToysRUs!

Packing tips when traveling:

1. Make sure not to bring any sharp objects like scissors, trimmers, or nail files. They will be confiscated at security screening.

2. Do not pack liquid or gel substances in your carry on. Security screening will also confiscate.

3. Check the airline baggage rules. It can be very expensive if you over pack.

4. Rolling your clothes can help you pack more tightly.

5. Pack a few shirts per one pair of pant or skirt. Try to bring items that you can mix and match.

Fresh Fruit Bowl

Thu, 30 May 2013 07:44:44 +0000

Enjoying fresh fruit. Delicious. But maybe I’m just fruity … hmmm.

Tip: How do you keep berries fresher longer? Cook’s Illustrated recommends washing the berries in a diluted vinegar bath (1 cup vinegar plus 3 cups water) and spin them dry in a salad spinner lined with paper towels. When they are completely dry, store the cleaned berries in a container lined with paper towels. Leave the lid open just a little to allow any moisture to escape.

Getting Rid of Worry

Wed, 29 May 2013 13:41:12 +0000

Worry, anxiety, and stress seem to knock on doors quite often. As a single mom I assure you that these unwanted pests seem to be at my door quite often. I know that if I feed these feelings I can almost always count on being miserable and making those around me miserable. But worry creates confusion and it suggests we are not trusting God.

It’s not easy to stop worrying but I have found that these four things can help:

1. Lay all requests before God with thanksgiving. This is the first step in battling thoughts which is where feelings are stirred and trouble begins.

2. It’s a good idea to consider the blessings in our lives.

3. Do something nice for someone else because it takes our mind off ourselves.

4. Another great idea that works well for me is to run away for the day and enjoy God’s beautiful creation. My daughter and I will take off for the beach, a park or somewhere different. We might simply want to have a photo shoot which allows us to really capture and appreciate nature, each other, and the simple things in life.

Celebrating Family

Mon, 13 May 2013 14:41:13 +0000

Spending quality time with family is very important. These are the moments where our focus is on them. We listen, encourage, and spend time doing something together. Do something special and nurture your relationships. Plant a miniature garden in a pot and spend time caring for it as a family.

When we give time caring for something or someone it has the opportunity to flourish and become a beautiful and stunning garden of purpose and hope.

Where man sees but withered leaves, God sees sweet flowers growing. ~Albert Laighton

What is an ATC Card?

Tue, 07 May 2013 06:15:55 +0000

The ATC (Artist Trading Card) also known as ACEO’s (Art Cards, Editions and Originals) are miniature works of art exactly 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches. They are usually original works that are traded between artists but it is now common and accepted to sell them as well. This gives a buyer who would normally not be able to afford original pieces an opportunity to collect.

You can now purchase blank ATC cards that are already cut to size but you can also cut your own. Make sure to use at least 140# paper that is acid free.

The tucked photo

Thu, 02 May 2013 05:39:22 +0000

I recently found this photograph that I now leave tucked in my journal. It is an old photo of my daughter taken fourteen years ago. Every time I see it I smile. It’s not a perfect picture, not the beautiful one parents boast about, but it’s my favorite. It stirs the sweet memory of my daughters humor when she was very young.

Out of the blue (pardon the idiom) my daughter would strike this funny face to make me laugh. It was always this face. Of course I would laugh and then she would laugh. It was a precious moment. Since these moments were always spontaneous I feel blessed to have captured it on film. Little did I know I would still be laughing with the little bundle of joy who has now grown into a lovely young woman.

Do you have a photograph that makes you smile every time you see it? Tuck or paste it in your journal. You’ll be glad you did!

Hope vs. Doubt

Wed, 01 May 2013 17:59:28 +0000

Doubt is an ugly word. It implies a belief that something most likely will never come to pass. When hope has not been met, it can leave us in doubt and at worse sinking deep into a sea of despair. Doubt over time can choke our hope, especially when years have fled without answers, we have lost our youth, and when sorrow occurs. There is no cure for doubt as it can attack at any time, but if we keep truth before us it can smother the doubt that is hostile to our hopes. Doubt is deceitful. Hope is promising.

Scripture for encouragement:

“You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in Your word.” Psalm 119:114

“The LORD delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love.” Psalm 147:11

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12

“There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.” Proverbs 23:18

“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31

“in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time,” Titus 1:2

Prayer:

“Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long.” Psalm 25:5

“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.” Psalm 42:11

“Sustain me, my God, according to Your promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed.” Psalm 119:116

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people, and His incomparably great power for us who believe.” Ephesians 1:18-19

Note: Scripture from NIV

A favorite book: Jane Austen

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:08:07 +0000

Jane Austen books provide the perfect late night, fireside reading or the ideal literature for the light breeze, big hat, toes in the sand beach day.

“What is right to be done, cannot be done too soon.” Jane Austen

What is your favorite book?

Select quotes from a book you love and add it to your journal!

“The trial of your faith” Charles Spurgeon

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 08:13:51 +0000

Faith untried may be true faith, but it is sure to be little faith, and it is likely to remain dwarfish so long as it is without trials. Faith never prospers so well as when all things are against her: tempests are her trainers, and lightnings are her illuminators. When a calm reigns on the sea, spread the sails as you will, the ship moves not to its harbour; for on a slumbering ocean the keel sleeps too. Let the winds rush howling forth, and let the waters lift up themselves, then, though the vessel may rock, and her deck may be washed with waves, and her mast may creak under the pressure of the full and swelling sail, it is then that she makes headway towards her desired haven. No flowers wear so lovely a blue as those which grow at the foot of the frozen glacier; no stars gleam so brightly as those which glisten in the polar sky; no water tastes so sweet as that which springs amid the desert sand; and no faith is so precious as that which lives and triumphs in adversity. Tried faith brings experience. You could not have believed your own weakness had you not been compelled to pass through the rivers; and you would never have known God’s strength had you not been supported amid the water-floods. Faith increases in solidity, assurance, and intensity, the more it is exercised with tribulation. Faith is precious, and its trial is precious too.

Let not this, however, discourage those who are young in faith. You will have trials enough without seeking them: the full portion will be measured out to you in due season. Meanwhile, if you cannot yet claim the result of long experience, thank God for what grace you have; praise him for that degree of holy confidence whereunto you have attained: walk according to that rule, and you shall yet have more and more of the blessing of God, till your faith shall remove mountains and conquer impossibilities.
Morning and Evening: A New Edition of the Classic Devotional Based on The Holy Bible, English Standard Version