Freedom Found

Last night before bed, I was reading through Ecclesiastes and had a sudden urge to jump over to Isaiah. My heart landed on chapter 52 and for the billionth time, my eyes and heart fell upon verses 1 and 2. I even had to spread their beautiful message to a few close friends of mine on Facebook and then decided to spread their beauty here as well.



The big secret behind this blog is that I'm a writer that, at times, masquerades as someone creative or (more often) someone that makes a pretty cute copy of something I've seen in other places. Each time I start to forget my love for words, I read God's Word and remember that my Father is also a poet. I'll prove it :). After speaking of the judgement that will come upon Israel, God uses this image to prophecy of their return to Him.



Awake, awake, O Zion, clothe yourself in strength. Put on your garments of splendor, O Jerusalem the Holy City. The uncircumcised and defiled will not enter you again. Shake off your dust, rise up, sit enthroned, O Jerusalem. Free yourself from the chains around your neck, O Captive Daughter of Zion. Isaiah 52:1-2

The image is this woman. She's dirty, she's lost all hope, the chains around her neck are uncomfortable, and she's been defiled. Yet, here comes a messenger. I imagine she would be curious about him and probably immediately distrust him thinking he was the same as her oppressors. Yet, here he comes with Good News and a message of hope and strength. He tells her to wake up! He tells her to clothe herself in strength and gives her the promise that her slavery is over and will not happen again. I also imagine pauses between his next commands, waiting for her to fully comprehend each. He gives her the power needed to break that chain she's been trying to find a way out of for who knows how long and calls her Daughter of Zion. Child of God. A heavenly princess and heir in her own right because of her holy heritage.

Each time I read this, images of women I've come across whether in person or through media fly through my head. I see girls sitting in college classrooms or celebrities on the cover of tabloids. Mothers in grocery stores with longer lists than their wallets can afford. I see little girls wanting to know the truth but no one telling them. And through all those, I want to be that messenger. I, selfishly, want to be the one that comes over the hill, looks into their distrustful eyes, and speaks joy and Truth to them. I want to wipe away the tears and say, "yes, indeed, it's true. I was once chained and alone too." Don't you? Shouldn't all Daughters of Zion want to find our sisters, wherever they may be imprisoned, and run to them. To throw them the key that will unlock the hurt forever? I do, and I'm so grateful for a God that gives women images to look to, knowing us intimately and, therefore, knowing we need it spelled out in ways that mean "me too" not just others.

Week recap

How was the week for everyone else? We had a couple days where S wasn't feeling great, Lance finished the swing set, L has forced our family outdoors at all times, and I had time to do some projects. We had a St Patty's dinner, lots of nights with Daddy home, and the first trip to walmart just me and the girls since November. Call me a coward, I don't care :). Next week is spring break! AND the weather is supposed to be beautiful. I hope we have mornings like today: S jumping happily in the jumperoo, L "cooking" in her kitchen, Lance reading some Bible, and I'm getting a quick chance to blog and drink coffee with chai creamer :).

Girls' Room- glue gun crazy

I've recently decided that gray spray paint is on my top 10 list of absolute FAVORITE things ever. I love the color gray anyway, so when I can change something from blah or very average to sophisticated and cute with a little spray, I'm definitely going to do it! Here are a few things I've done in the last couple of days using an old shirt that wasn't maternity, but is the style that makes you look pregnant anyway....and who wants to look pregnant when you aren't? (especially if you've just spent 20 months out of the last 3 years pregnant :))

Said shirt. I took a sleeve off before I remembered to take a pic.

I drew a bird shape on a paper towel and then traced it onto the material. sewed together and stuffed.

the mobile with pretty flowers and the birds and a little butterfly perching on the branch :)

The pink shelf painted with a flower added. (don't mind the mobile I didn't move out of the way for a photo :/)

The ugly lamp

Lamp redone. I could never get the lighting good enough to really show how cute it is

The girls' room- Ceiling clouds

Sometime in the near future, we plan on switching the girls' room with the office. It's a bigger room and has two closets. Of course, when I say we, I mean me. Lance is more the manual labor behind my bright ideas, and honestly, the way I work usually stresses him out :).

The theme for the girls' new room will be a nature one, which means Lance's current beige office will have to be painted, and....London's currently EXTREMELY pink room needs to be painted as well. (For some reason, Lance isn't into the three shades of pink for his guitars and desk?)

Though nothing has really been started because I've been waiting until my spring break, I did have to start the ceiling decorations because the cardboard was going to get wet outside and was too huge to keep inside.

I took a long piece and cut out three clouds and nine raindrops. I spray painted the clouds a pretty blue and then dry brushed white on it to give it texture. The raindrops were painted a lighter blue. Then I looped fishing line through the drops and tied it and then used a needle to pierce it through the clouds and taped it on the top. we nailed them up, but if the ceiling wasn't that popcorn texture, thumb tacks wedged into the curves of the clouds would have worked.

So cute and really easy. I got the idea from the clouds around the light fixtures at the Memphis Children's Museum and decided to add further cuteness with the rain. Now I have to decide on a cute sun idea, since my friend Casey says it'd be depressing to make my kids live in rain nonstop without a sun. haha

I got the cardboard from the boxes our swing set came in

A Marriage of Two

Over and over, I'm reminded in little ways how much I like convenience. I like to craft, but I'll hot glue anything that I can instead of sewing. I'll spray paint before actually pulling out a brush. I love mochas, but I would much prefer one someone else made me, even though I have the ability to make one at home. Part of it is our culture and time we live in. Yes, email is easier than mail. Yes, phone calls are easier than email. Yes, text is even easier than that phone call, and I can do them all on my phone. My camera is there, my internet is there, calendar...even my grocery list.

Part of it, also, is our human nature. The Bible repeatedly shows us the lives of people that want the easy way out of things, and though I didn't make the final cut to be in the Bible, I'm just as guilty as all those within its pages. I would love it if I could just be obedient without having to have my heart in the right place half the time. On my own, I'm very much a Pharisee. I could easily live a legalistic life, doing what's "right" but not always having the most pure motives. I would love it if I could simply read my Bible enough and stay magically in love with Jesus. But He asks for more. He wants my heart, my devotion, and love. I love that the Bible constantly compares our life with Christ to a marriage. It makes it much easier for me to understand. Lance would never be satisfied with a half hearted marriage and neither would I. He could come home and help with the girls, do some housework, provide for our family, but never have a real connection with me and I'd be devastated. He would never woo me or show me love and romance and devotion, and I'd step back and live in a haze. I'd work and work making things special at home so he'd want to be here, do little things so he knows I'm thinking of him, and go out of my way over and over, and the entire time, he does all the dutiful good husband things but our relationship is empty.

Spring is coming. God knows how fickle we are. He knows that though snow and ice is a marvel and an overcast sky has such beauty, that we get bored and annoyed. So, He brings spring. He shows us a world wide example of rebirth and resurrection. But, we would get tired of that too. The rains are too much and we get ready for something else (never mind that spring lasts less than a few months.) So, summer, beautiful colors, bright sunshine, and the animals all come out. Of course, that's too hot, and we don't have enough rain, and yada yada. He's effortlessly moving the universe to glorify Him and praise His name, not ours and so...we aren't that interested sometimes. How hard it is to remember we were not created first. That this world isn't about us...and that there is never just one person in a marriage. This conviction comes from the depths of my soul, but I hope maybe in me confessing my issues of selfishness and hatred of summer ;), that someone else can relate and find Him a little easier.

Generational Sin in the book of Kings

In the last few days I've read 1 and 2 Kings, and I've been amazed all over at the rich heritage of God's people. However, more interesting to me than that this time was the constant repetition of verses like this one "In the twenty-third year of Joash son of Ahaziah king of Judah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned seventeen years. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD by following the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit, and he did not turn away from them." 2 Kings 13:1-2. Jeroboam was King of Isreal and was mentioned this way in the description of many other reigns of new kings, including his own children and grandchildren.

The normal and confusing son of, son of parts of the some Bible books became a very real warning to me. I suddenly pictured something saying, "London Grace or Story Elizabeth Patterson (or even a granddaughter's name) became a mother at age whatever and was a mother the rest of her life. She did evil in the eyes of the Lord by following in the sins of Heather Patterson, her mother, which she caused her children to commit and passed it on to her children." Generational sin is a very difficult one to break because it is so deeply rooted in your upbringing. We've all grown up with things we either don't see at all because it's our norm or that we think we can't really fight for the same reason. Maybe it's impatience with our children, or selfish about our "me time," or even nagging a husband. We usually tuck it under the label of our personality or something else, and leave it left alone, but now is the time to break that generational bond. Imagine children growing up without being taught to gossip or slander other people or judge people that are different than us. Jesus says just to ask and He always tells us we'll do even greater than He because we have the Holy Spirit. It is not only possible, but a sure thing if we put our minds and faith towards it. I loved seeing the introduction of kinds like this, " He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done." 2 Kings 15:3 :)

I'd much rather people be able to say, London or Story became mothers and pleased the Lord just as their mother had done. Wouldn't you?

Kid's church bag

Hello all. I've decided to stop saying my life has been crazy lately, b/c it has yet to stop being crazy at all. But I've slowly grown to love that about it ;). Recently, I've been using a felt purse I made London just to play with as her church bag. It's perfect because I can hold a few diapers and her cup of water for class, without being huge. I love that it fits inside my purse or Story's diaper bag and she can carry it if she wants.

I used 3 and a half pieces of pink sparkly felt (who do you think picked that out?) and just sewed them together, glued a few hearts I cut out on and sewed some ribbon on for a handle and there ya go! Mostly, I wanted to sew felt to practice on my machine (that still intimidates me) b/c felt doesn't fight back like other fabrics. So I decided this past Sunday that Story needed a bag like this and then I may actually be able to put both inside my purse and pull them out for the nursery workers and in the end, actually carry a PURSE (like a normal woman!) to church! So I went to my felt collection last night to start! Unfortunately, I was all out of girly colors so it was brown or green. Also, recently, I've bypassed all sewing by using a hot glue gun, and I completely recommend that. :) Small projects I have time for, learning a new skill? Not so much. So, I hot glued some green felt together and looked around for a way to make it less boyish. I saw some pretty pink material I had bought last summer and glued it on the flap part. I also cut out petals to make flowers out of the material and the ribbon I used for the handle. annnddd tada! cute little tote for a redheaded Irish lassie, in about...30 minutes or less.