A Sword in God's Hand

My Granny died yesterday, unexpectedly, only weeks after her husband, my Grandaddy, passed away. I think of it more as passing through, as if crossing a river; from Jordan to the promised land, for those who call on Jesus for second life. I believe that this life gives way to another, more real life. Does the separation of losing loved ones to that other side still hurt? Yes. It hurts like hell, sometimes.

Experiencing loss in the past few years, my heart has found comfort in beauty, in the hope of heaven, in reading God's word, and the kindness of friends and family. I find beauty and comfort in words, as well. Writing or reading them, it doesn't matter; one expression, the other reception. I feel so clumsy with words, yet I don't care because I take such delight in them, as a child.

One such passage that brings a smile to my face and peace to my heart is the one below, by one of my most beloved authors, C.S. Lewis.

C.S. Lewis, grieving the death of his wife, Joy (H):

Praise is the mode of love which always has some element of joy in it. Praise in due order; of Him as the giver, of her as the gift. Don't we in praise somehow enjoy what we praise, however far we are from it? I must do more of this. I have lost the fruition I once had of H. And I am far, far away in the valley of my unlikeness, from the fruition which, if His mercies are infinite, I may some time have of God. But by praising I can still, in some degree, enjoy her, and already, in some degree, enjoy Him. Better than nothing.

     But perhaps I lack the gift. I see I've described H. as being like a sword. That's true as far as it goes. But utterly inadequate by itself, and misleading. I ought to have balanced it. I ought to have said, 'But also like a garden. Like a nest of gardens, wall within wall, hedge within hedge, more secret, more full of fragrant and fertile life, the further you entered.'

     And then, of her, and of every created thing I praise, I should say, 'In some way, in its unique way, like Him who made it.'

     Thus up from the garden to the Gardener, from the sword to the Smith. To the life-giving Life and the Beauty that makes beautiful.

     'She is in God's hands.' That gains a new energy when I think of her as a sword. Perhaps the earthly life I shared with her was only part of the tempering. Now perhaps He grasps the hilt; weighs the new weapon; makes lightnings with it in the air. 'A right Jerusalem blade.'

   ~ From A Grief Observed

I love you, Granny. Grandaddy too. I look forward with joy to our reunion. Nothing can keep us apart. 

The Book of Life

Another journal entry... maybe I'll just save a step and make this blog my journal. (Kidding.) I hope this thought touches your very soul, as it did mine:

When time is over, God is not going to open the book of law to see who kept the law by their own strength. He's going to open the book of Life, to see whose names are written there. Jesus IS the book of life!

Isaiah 49

¹³ Sing, O heavens!
      Be joyful, O earth!
      And break out in singing, O mountains!
      For the LORD has comforted His people,
      And will have mercy on His afflicted.

¹⁴ But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me,
       the Lord has forgotten me." 

 ¹⁵ "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
       and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
       Though she may forget,
       I will not forget you!

   ¹⁶ See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;

      Your walls are continually before Me.

My name has been written - inscribed - in the book of Life. My name was inscribed  - written - on the  palms of His hands as He was crucified, thinking of me. The Book of Life is the only way into  heaven. Heaven's life. Abundant life. And the Father. And Jesus, Messiah, is that book.

John 14

⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. 

No one comes to the Father except through Me."

Color & Texture & Mothers

I had my first go at juicing veggies a couple of weeks ago. The second time I juiced, hubby said, "This one is better than the last one." (Apparently I put too much turnip or cabbage in that first one... gack!) But how could something with such cool colors taste so bad?

It looks like a magical Rainbow Brite drink of wonderfulness.

("Rainbow Brite" | http://www.huffingtonpost.ca)

Have you ever asked God for a special sunset, made just for you? It's a lot of fun! I did that a couple of evenings ago, and enjoyed the layers of color and texture from a little side road. I had to run home and grab the camera, so that I could capture the lovely moment of serenity.

Not only was the sunset awesome - with lovely, gentle rain clouds - but I also saw a bunny eating dinner, and an alligator! (Thankfully the alligator wasn't eating dinner, or the bunny might've been toast.)

Bad combination: flip flops + me by myself (with said alligator swimming toward me). So I took a quick pic and ran back to "my turf," so as not to give the wrong impression to this mammoth beast. (Sarcasm. He was probably a 4-footer. But still.) Next time, I'm definitely wearing "real shoes" and bringing my husband. And possibly a large machete. 

So Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies out there. My own dear mommy (Hi, Mama!) sent her mommy - my Nana - some beautiful tulips for Mother's Day. I love how Nana described them as "the prettiest, sweetest things I could have ever desired!" Aren't they, though?

Oh, and don't worry, mom. I brought them back inside. ;)

Speaking of growing things, my hubby asked me to water his garden today, as he had to leave for work in a hurry. (He's got such a green thumb! Sigh... I could kill a cactus.)

Wishing I could grow things, I decided to {finally} plant the gladiolus bulbs that have been sitting on the patio table for a few weeks now. Still staring at me, as they have been for a few... years... possibly. Ahem... Well, I decided that today is the day for planting them! Here's hoping they'll actually grow. (Can you grow bulbs that are a few years old? I have no idea... don't think they "expire" though...? I guess we'll see.)

The wind blew this little butterfly's "legacy" my way. Look at the beautiful pattern on the wings!

The white on the inside was velvety and silvery in the sunlight. Just beautiful.

So tomorrow we're off to church in the woods (literally), where the Greens will be blessing us with their awesome music! Tomorrow night I get to try out my new cheesecake recipe on Jaime's family: banana. pudding. cheesecake.

I have not made cheesecake in our home oven before, and - guess what? - it cooks things faster. So, dang it! I burnt the crust. But I had to save the rest of my {mini!} nilla wafers for the all-important garnish, so slightly crispy crust it was.

I mashed and mashed those bananas until they were a sort of a paste. (I do not like the texture of the bananas in banana pudding, but definitely dig the flavor. How about you?) So, we'll see how this one turns out. Only 24 hours to tasting time...

May all mothers be blessed: new and experienced, sitting-on-the-nest and empty nesting, mothers in deed, mothers in love, mothers of baby angels in heaven above. 

Once a mother, always a mother. ♥

Do you have special plans with your mommy this weekend?

Redeeming the Time

The following "journal entry" may make you laugh! For those of you who know me, it may sound like it came out of the distant past. (The memories of my long-ago adventures as "The Bride of Frankenstein," I am glad, now give hubby a good chuckle! And me too. But that story will have to wait for another day.) 

The opening contains book excerpts which I found to be interesting. 

__________

"Now, please understand that I am not against reading the newspapers or watching television for that matter. But I want to encourage you to start your day with Jesus instead, practicing His presence, acknowledging Him, committing your plans to Him and trusting Him for His unmerited favor, wisdom and strength for the day... 

The thing about such discussions (debates on the news, etc.)... is that it's supposed to present two sides - one good and the other bad. No real solution or resolution is actually offered. Sometime after watching that program, I realized that I had unknowingly been feeding on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That's all I got from watching such programs - more knowledge of what was good and what was evil, but this knowledge did nothing for me. 

On the other hand, when we feed on the person of Jesus, who is the tree of life, we find that His wisdom, understanding, peace, joy and unmerited favor will flow in our lives! 

...it is far more powerful to be full of Jesus than to be full of worldly knowledge..."

- Joseph Prince, Unmerited Favor

___________

So, in reference to the quotes on fellowship with Jesus leading to success... My heart has been getting reminders to prepare myself, be ready to be used of Him, and my Abba Father will use me. 

Exhibit A: OakFest 2010

It was so awesome on Saturday, because I volunteered for OakFest (Okeechobee, FL) desiring to give time to God and also to be around music, even if not performing. So I got there not knowing what I would be assigned to do. (I was a "floater," eh!) But I came prepared to do anything, be it cleaning toilets or selling cookies with Grandma & co. (Grandma is awesome, by the way! She's our pastor's mommy-in-law.) Now Grandma happened to be loaded with ladies helping her, and Sandy (our pastor's wife) sent me outside to see if William, the concert coordinator, needed anything. So he asked me to set up his band's merch table. Done. 

I told him I'd be around if he needed me. I spotted John (our pastor), and asked if he needed anything, but he calmed my "busy" spirit and said that we were just waiting for the crowds. But... he said I could go get a couple of people to work DecembeRadio's table, as at least two volunteers were needed there. How cool is that? I got to run the merch table for the headlining band, the table which happened to be right beside the stage, so I could observe all the bands throughout the day. I couldn't have chosen a better job! 

Besides getting to know some of the volunteers, and meeting people from some other bands (I thought the Broken did a good job, and also happened to be nice. Rob reminded me of my brother, so that didn't hurt them in my book either!) I also got to meet the guys from DecembeRadio. They trained me on the merch, credit card machine, and how to finalize the form for Compassion International. I got to talk to all the band members, their roadie, even Frank the bus driver! (Who is awesome, by the way. He prays for the band every night. I told him if I ever go on tour, I'm calling him.) At the end of the day one of the volunteers was way too forward but effective in asking if we could get a tour of the bus! 

But what?! This sounds like a journal entry from my youth! Band encounters and tours! Ha. I tell you, Lord, I was truly honored with what I consider to be the coolest job of OakFest. And I know it was You! Thank You so much for that experience, and putting me in the middle of where I would've hoped to be! You are so good to me. And You are so good. And I saw a little yellow butterfly when I was driving to Freedom Ranch (which has a special meaning to me). I know I have been robbed by death of all this time I would've been "mothering," but I know Jesus, that you will restore double for what death took away. You will redeem the time, and bless me with other blessings, like learning to cook new and different meals, or getting to be involved in music somehow... these are gifts from You, from heaven... Like the little yellow butterfly hanging out on the patio while Jaime and I wrote our first song together. 

So Jesus, here's my "faith experiment": I will prepare myself, and believe that You will put me where You want me. Like Esther prepared herself for the task of pleading for the life of a nation. And You were with her! I wonder if she had a plan, or if the banquet idea divinely came to her, as she stood, waiting for the king to extend favor or death to her. I want to be that brave. I want to boldly come before Your throne of GRACE tailored to me! Thank you, Jesus, for being with me, and giving me Your shalom. Your grace - unmerited favor. Your love. Your fruit of Your Spirit, the Helper! You are awesome and beautiful. I love you. 

xo, 

Noelle 

Princess Tiger Lily

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Be Kind. Unwind!

Ah me. It's a sunny yet blustery day in this little corner of south Florida, a chilly 55 degrees (slightly stretched use of the word chilly here), with winds at 17 mph, gusting to 23! Not the most ideal day to lounge in a chair on the patio and finish Julia Child's "My Life in France," but it is, after all, only a week until my sister-in-law's wedding day, and if I'm going to stand beside four other spray-tanned ladies, then 55 degrees just became perfect sunning weather.

So after my wonderful husband went off to work today, I donned a black ruffled strapless bikini top and my cozy blue polka dot fleece P.J. pants, rolled above my knees, grabbed a blanket and Julia, and flew to France for a while, courtesy of air imagination. Of course I had to rotate the blanketed chair to where the sun was perfectly shining. I have no desire to be shaded by our screened porch's skeleton today! Absolute sunlight. Charming book. I consumed the last few chapters as my coconut-coated skin soaked up some greatly needed vitamin D.

When Julia described returning to their retreat in Marseilles, I couldn't help but reminisce about our first few weeks in St. John:

"...once we settled into our satisfying little house there was no question, we'd stay put. Our zest was worn out. We needed to be incognito, do nothing but sleep late, eat well, and enjoy the sound of the cuckoos and the smells of the countryside. But we were so keyed up that it took at least a week to adjust to our peaceful surroundings."

- Julia Child, My Life in France Pg. 285 (Knopf)

It's so true that there is an undoing process that happens as one adjusts to the island life. It goes unnoticed in the city, but sometimes all that energy and traffic translate into stress and impatience. The country or island lifestyle is so much slower paced, one is naturally unwound to an easy, peaceful mood. How I miss that feeling when my days get hectic with "important" errands!

I would love to return to the islands someday, and stay in the cabins at Maho Bay, spending nights eating freshly barbecued chicken or taking pottery throwing lessons, spending days in the soft sand and calm water, a shade of blue that cannot be contained in a photograph; it must be experienced, taken in with the spirit through those trusty - or not so trusty! - windows to the soul.

A dear friend of mine reminded me just yesterday, that the most peaceful moments are found in nature, be it on a cozy chair drinking tea, or walking at the seashore... God is there, in those moments. It is His peace that envelopes us through the glorious beauty that man tries so hard to cover, contain or kill. But it is still there, outside our fenced houses, in quiet, colorful solitude. It waits for us to discover and find pleasure in its beauty. What a nice thing to remember as - for once - I slowed down to rest my body and mind. This is the life simple. The life lovely. The life beautiful.

The End

I ♥ February

What a lovely time here in South Florida! The winter cold fronts are still keeping the nights cool and breezy.

I got some housework done today: 3 loads of laundry and 1 vacuumed and mopped floor later, I am looking at the clock tell me it's 8 O'Clock and I haven't even begun to think of supper! (Ay ay ay.) Good thing my hubby is so amazing. He just got home from work, and is looking at our inventory of dinner possibilities while I make a grocery list.

Later this week? Stuffed bell peppers. Yummm...

I hope I'll have the time to create hand-made valentines this year. That would be superb. However, there is too much going on in the "needs to be done" department, and not enough going on in the "I worked now I can play" department! Oh well. Maybe next week... 

Lights, Details, Action! | Parties on the Patio

Hello, fellow planners. Whether it's a dinner party or a bridal shower, alfresco parties can be magical, can't they? Here are some ideas for my family's Parties on the Patio (a bridal shower and rehearsal dinner), with inspiration gathered from the interweb. Enjoy! 

LIGHTS

Strands of "Alfresco" Lights draped from House to Arbor

Chinese Paper Lanterns in center, lighting tables

Star Twinkle Lights hanging on Arbor and Jasmine Trellis

Flowers in Individual Flower Tubes, put in the Arbor (to add a pop of loveliness!)

Small Paper Lanterns hanging from the Avocado Tree

A "Bouquet" of Paper Lanterns where extra light is needed

Twinkle Lights wrapped around the base of the Avocado Tree

A hand-drawn map depicting the Party Patio. (Fancy.)

Net Twinkle Lights are magical, and Ikea has some unique lighting as well (see below).

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CHAIRS

Atlas Party Rental

White Wood Folding Chairs (about $2.80 ea.)

(You've seen these, right? If not, check out Atlasparty's site.)

White, Plastic Samsonite Chairs (about $1.75 ea.)

Plastic chairs are the more cost-effective option, but they still look very nice.

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VASES

Square Dining Table Centerpieces
Cylinder Vases for the Buffet

Below are some Rectangular and Cube Shaped Vases

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CANDY BUFFET CONTAINERS

Planting containers are great for candy bars, and apothecary containers are always classy.
(You can find planters at hardware stores like Home Depot or Ace Hardware, and Michael's Craft Store is always a great resource for Apothecary Jars.)

xo,

n

Sweet Centerpiece Ideas Inspired by a Palm Beach Legend

There are two kinds of people in this world: those with green thumbs... and the other kind. For the latter, whom I lovingly refer to as Cactus Killers, one dreaded word can strike fear into their hearts:

CENTERPIECES. 

Strangely, this same word inspires giddy delight in professional florists and Pinterest addicts alike. Whether you're from team Green Thumbs or team... CK, hopefully you can appreciate these centerpiece ideas in a Palm Beach palette of pink and green, a la Lilly Pulitzer.

Speaking of Lilly, I love how her whimsy and practicality led this Palm Beach design legend to invent the very first Lilly shift dress. (If you don't know the history of Lilly P. and her orange juice stand, you can read about it here!)

You can interchange the below arrangements with other flower and filler variations, but... well, you know. 😉

CENTERPIECE #1 
PINK GERBERA DAISIES WITH LIME FILLER

Single Gerbera Daisies would work well in bud vases. If you do the lime filler, a cute additional "pop" of color would be added by filling another single vase with whole, uncut limes.

(Don't worry, Lilly! We'll wear one of your dresses for this one.)

Hand-painted illustration by Noelle

CENTERPIECE #2
PINK RANUNCULUS WITH CANDY HEART FILLER

Hand-painted illustration by Noelle

CENTERPIECE #3
LIME GREEN SPIDER MUMS WITH PINK SUGAR FILLER

Hand-painted illustration by Noelle

The above is just a thought, with the integrated candy buffet / flower centerpiece idea. 

You could do one large mum bouquet and one small one. Or, if you have a variety of vases you could try grouping similar-shaped containers together (square vases one one table, cylinder on another, etc.). These ideas could easily be used to create a candy buffet, or to simply add color to dining tables.

You know your mom has a candy jar like this one.

"Mama Jill's Candy Jar" Illustration by Noelle

I am fascinated by the idea of a candy bouquet of lollipops nestled in a pink sugar base...

"Lollipop Bouquet" Illustration by Noelle

Bonne chance!
xo,
n