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Winners of Reflections CD!

We have winners of Jurgen Beck's "Reflections - The Father" CD from last weekend's drawing. They are:

Melissa Holgate of Seven Matters (from Facebook "like") and Wendy (wendybird) from her comment here. Now, I could not find any tweets so we don't have a name from the third drawing. If you tweeted and I missed it, please let me know. Melissa and Wendy, send me your addresses and we'll get those CD's out to you asap! Congratulations.

For everyone who entered, Jurgen has a special surprise as a thank you. You'll be receiving a link to a free music download to a song from the CD! How cool is that?? You'll be getting an email in the next week or so that will have the link in it - so be on the lookout for that....it will be from Jurgen himself. Enjoy....and THANK YOU to all who participated! Be blessed.

 

Happy Valentine's Day

 

 

 

I've tried to write about our love story at least a half a dozen times on this blog. And every time, I've ended up deleting the sappy mess of words and emotion that appears on the screen. There is just no way to cover a lifetime of crazy hard good long deep love in one post, except to say that we are still Valentines.

That guy. Tom asked me to marry him six weeks after our first date. Of course I said "yes" immediately. He always tells people, "I chased Rachel until she caught me," and it's almost true. I knew right from that first double-take that he was going to be the one. Six months from that first date, we were hitched. And what a ride it's been.

Today I'm sharing my two favorite photos of us.

The first (above) is from when we were engaged: Tom let himself into the UT Arlington stadium in the middle of the night, armed with a flashlight and a design he'd drawn on grid paper, and spelled out "I love you Rachel" in the stands by flipping seats into a pattern. In the morning, he took me up in a small plane and flew me over it as he launched into a monologue entitled, "I Wish There Was Some Special Way I Could Tell You How Much I love You....Oh Look Down There!"

It was epic.

The photo actually appeared in the local paper. Tom landed the plane and we made our way over to the stadium to take pictures and a photojournalist, who'd seen the gigantic love note from the road, snapped it. What a memory.

Fast forward 29 years, three kids, two dogs, several cats, gerbils and parakeets, three businesses, some failures, some tough years and some incredibly awesome times.....and here we are.

 

This photo is from our daughter's wedding in November and I love it because it was such a special moment. We were in the middle of taking family pictures and it just seemed like time went into slow motion and everything was good and beautiful and sweet and perfect. I don't know, we were just a couple of kids who fell crazy in love and made this life with each other and suddenly there we were...our kids all grown up and finding their own way and somehow it was coming back to the two of us. I could almost picture every moment of our history - the toddlers, the middle school years, the piano lessons, the braces, the job losses, the health scares, the babies we lost and the graduations and now weddings. So much has happened and yet so much has stayed the same. We're still those crazy kids, we're still laughing at the same corny lines and still getting angry over the same petty things. I'm still messy and he's still a neat freak. We still think the other is hot.

And we're still Valentines. In years past, we've made this day about the kids and making sure they felt loved. Sometimes we've even forgotten to celebrate it. But this year, we are feeling a little bit giddy again. Maybe it's that life is about to turn another corner and things will once again change when the last of our kids takes off for college. Or maybe it's just that we feel the depth of the life we've forged, and the experiences we've shared that have become our story.

There is no Small Thing today, except to celebrate the love in your life - whatever that looks like. In my experience, love is less about flowers and chocolates and more about changing diapers, paying bills and simply being there for the other person no matter what. Love is long and hard and crazy and good. It's awesome if you get a bouquet of flowers every now and then, but what's even awesomer is when you look across the table at the person you married and know you'd do it all over again. To know that you didn't get the "perfect" life together, you just got a shot at making the "best" life together. And that every day you get a new chance to make it work, to share the load, to dance in the kitchen and to hold hands on the couch. You get a new chance to love and forgive and overlook and celebrate. You are making your own love story happen.

Have a Happy Valentine's Day! With much love,

Rachel Anne

Song of the Day: Valentine, Martina McBride/Jim Brickman

His Grace is Enough - 2 Corinthians 12:9

 

Note: This artwork is also available in my store as a canvas print. 

2 Corinthians 12:9

 

Sufficient grace. I've been thinking a lot about that lately.

Somehow I've always sort of thought that "sufficient grace" meant "just barely enough" grace, as if God was doling out scant measures of grace and when you had your limit He'd say, "you've had enough, now move along." And then leave you to figure out how to budget the grace you were given to last through your trial or circumstance.

But what 2 Corinthians 12:9 is really saying is that sufficient grace means there is ALWAYS enough grace to meet your need. Like a deep, bottomless well you can drink from as often and as deeply as you want. If you need more, there is more.

There is always enough. More than enough.

God's grace is infinite. Unending. Unrelenting. Unwavering.

His grace is enough for whatever you are going through today. No matter how difficult the "thorn in your side," as Paul experienced, His grace will sustain and strengthen you. It will flow over you and through you. You see, the end of this verse says, "my power is made perfect in weakness," and then Paul goes on to say that he actually glories in his weakness because it magnifies God's power.

Somehow we tend to think that we must have the strength or ability to meet our challenges on our own. Or, like Paul we keep asking God to remove our trials from us so that we can really get on with glorifying Him. We forget that the end of our own strength is the beginning of His power. And that He who has called us will be faithful to perform it. If we were doing all the work ourselves - by our own strength - there wouldn't be any room left for His glory. He allows us to be in circumstances that require us to be dependent on Him and His grace and power.

Most times we simply forget the power of His grace. But you see, His grace changes us so that we can see the eternal purpose in the midst of our temporary trial. His grace carries us when we can't take another step on our own and it sustains us when we feel the weakest. His power is completing and perfecting you, even when you can't see it happening.

Today's Small Thing is to thank God for His infinite grace.

As you go through your day, simply be aware of His presence with you. His grace is at work in you - creating a beautiful tapestry that brings glory to Him in every circumstance and situation.

The artwork today is for you to enjoy. You can download it, copy and paste it, give it to a friend or frame it. Let it be a reminder of His infinite grace in your life.

  Download Infinitegrace2Cor12.9

How are you experiencing His grace in your life today?

Song of the Day: Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone) Chris Tomlin

 

Company Girl Coffee 2.10 - and a Glowing Small Thing

The tissue paper pom poms I told you about last week were really fun and easy to make - and the thing I liked best about them was the fact that they radiated a soft glow from inside. They made people want to come close and see what made them light up!

I got to thinking about the idea of an "inner glow" - you know, the kind that newly expectant mothers have just before they start telling their exciting secret to the world that they are having a baby. You can't bottle that kind of beauty, but if you could you'd be a gazillionaire.

There's the kind of glow that children have, like when they've just discovered how to blow on dandelions and watch the tufts float away. Or when they clutch a kite by a string - and it really flies! Or they sound out a new word or learn to tie their shoelaces.

There's the glow of that first kiss, a summer dance under the stars, and falling in love.

And there's a glow that comes from an unexpected compliment, or when a Thanksgiving turkey was cooked to perfection, or a new haircut turned out great.

Glowing comes from the inside - it radiates out like a bright light - and it's captivating, mesmerising and attractive. People can't help but be drawn to someone with that special sparkle from within.

YOU have that sparkle.

Maybe it's gotten lost in the busyness of life lately, but it's in there. I know it is. And you're going to love our Small Thing today because....

Today's Small Thing is to find your inner glow.

Ask yourself: what is it that really lights me up on the inside?

Let me throw out some ideas and see if any of them catches your imagination.

Plan a surprise: a romantic moment with your husband, a fun "date" with your child, or a gift for a friend

Create something: work on a craft, paint a piece of furniture, make a pretty cake, make a scrapbook page

Try something new: a new restaurant, a new skill, a new hairstyle, a new walking route

Be child-like: ride a bike, turn a cartwheel, color a valentine with crayons, look at clouds, buy silly string, have a pillow fight, take a nap

Spend time with God. Let His Spirit fill you to overflowing.

Pretend: Yes, simply pretend that you're glowing. Smile, hum, skip and draw happy faces....pretty soon you WILL be glowing for real.

YOU choose! Take a few moments and decide on something that will bring you joy from the inside out.

Dontcha love Small Things that don't involve cleaning and organizing? See, that stuff  is good, but it can only take you so far. But GLOWING? Now, THAT my friends, will take you over the moon.

What will make you glow today? Let us know in the comments!

Company Girl Coffee is next up....I hope you'll link up and do some visiting over the weekend!

Tissue Paper Pom Poms with LED Lights

As promised, here are some photos of the tissue paper pom poms with LED lights inside. They were easy and inexpensive to make - and they made last weekend's party feel romantic and special. I followed Martha Stewart's instructions for making the puffs....and then put them on steroids with the lights! My phone photos don't do justice, but you can get the idea.

I love how the puffs look like they are floating on air. Fishing line worked great for suspending them over the dance floor. Here, about half of them are up and even with the house lights on you can see them glow.

 

Here they are with the lights turned down.

 

 

For centerpieces, I used wine glasses and vases (even ice cream sundae dishes) to raise them up off the mirror tiles. The mirror squares underneath reflected the light and added a great effect. We put votive candles all around to add more sparkle.

 

 

The house lights are on in this photo so you can see the detail of the pom poms. Fluffy!  

All in all, it was a lovely, romantic look for a budget price. Batteries and LED's were purchased online for a very small cost, but they are available at places like Radio Shack and Walmart if you are in a real hurry and cost is no issue.  (Link to lights)

Now, here is a little diagram of how we did the lights, just in case you'd like to try this yourself.

 

Simply tape the legs of the LED's (long legs on positive side of battery, short legs on negative side) to the small batteries. The lights will be "on" as long as they are touching the battery. Poke a small hole through the layers of tissue and stick one of the bulbs down through it to light up the bottom half of the puff. The battery and top bulb will sit on the paper and light the top half. You can get the best "glow" by folding the paper over in the centers to surround the bulbs to diffuse the light. We used blue lights with white tissue, but the color combinations could be endless, between the tissue and bulb colors available.

I really feel like we out-Martha'd Martha on this one! What do you think? 

Win "Reflections" Instrumental CD by Jurgen Beck

**UPDATE** This giveaway is extended through Sunday @10 pm CST. WOOT!

**AND** Jurgen is giving a special gift to everyone who leaves a comment so get those comments/tweets/FB likes in. You won't want to miss out!

I love great music - as you probably have noticed from my very eclectic daily song selection. Some of my favorite things to listen to are film scores, and I often picture scenes from the movies as I listen. Wow, music makes a movie come to life, doesn't it?

If you love great music like I do, then you'll want to get to know Jurgen Beck, the talented composer behind the CD "Reflections - The Father" that you have a chance to win today.

 

Jurgen has written the film scores for several Christian films like Standing Firm and The Penny. He truly knows how to bring a story to life through music - and how to TELL a story through music...without using a single word. "Reflections" is an instrumental CD that takes the listener on a journey to the Father's heart and it's terrific. I'll tell you how to win the CD at the end of the post, but first I thought I'd invite Jurgen to tell us a little about it in his own words: (Note: Jurgen was born in Germany but came to Texas asap...so be sure to read his answers with a slight German accent!)

Jurgen, what was your inspiration for writing the music for this album? The main inspiration for the album series came from a desire to create music that could be used for healing specific areas in the listener’s life.  Music is a phenomenon that has no parallel. It can affect us in an instant. It can put us into a certain mood, or get us out of one. It has the ability to magnify our emotions. We can't escape its effect and often don't even notice when it happens. We love music, we also hate certain music. Those are emotional responses. As a film composer, I observe how film music affects the viewer and tells them how they ought to feel about a film scene. I had a desire to create music that plays like a film, but instead of having the images pre-packaged and presented to the listener, I wanted to allow them to create their own story surrounding the music. Sort of like reading a good book where your mind paints the setting of the story. The albums are designed to be used during quiet times of meditating on Scripture. I am trying to carve out time to write companion booklets to help the listener get started. What do you hope the listener experiences through Reflections - The Father? Each album in the series has a main theme, with the individual tracks addressing specific areas, allowing the Holy Spirit to point out certain aspects in the listener’s life. The first release titled “The Father” was born out of a desire to help reshape how we perceive God as a Father.  We often have blinders on when we approach God, shaped by experiences with father figures in our lives. Bad experiences tend to cause us to perceive God in a negative light and keep us captive to those emotions and perceptions.  While the music itself is not able to bring freedom and a new insight, the desire is for the listener to experience it by meditating on Scripture in conjunction with letting the music guide those emotional responses. We have had wonderful reports of how the music is being used. There are massage therapists that play the music in their practice, while others pass the album to their friends who are hurting emotionally. We have a ladies group that frequently requests listening to the album in their prayer time. It is quite remarkable what the Lord has done so far. Do you have a favorite scripture that comes to mind that goes along with the music? Since each album has a theme, there are several passages in Scripture that are fitting. The listener is encouraged to study God’s Word based on the titles of the individual songs.  The experience in 1 Samuel 16:23 though is the most telling. Whenever Saul was troubled emotionally and spiritually, David’s music would bring relieve. The hope is that the music on these albums does the same to the listener, by assisting in the healing process.  What are some of your recent projects? As a film composer, I have had the privilege of adding the musical signature to a growing number of Christian films. Among them is the extremely successful “Standing Firm” and other award winning feature and short films.  I also hope to get started on the next album in the “Reflections” series. A friend of ours suggested creating an album for those who have trouble sleeping at night, sort of lullaby music for adults. We’ll see where the Lord leads.

 

I'm giving away THREE Reflections CD's today. Here is how you can be entered to win:

1. Leave a comment. Simple! You'll be entered in the first drawing.

2. But wait! Double your chance to win by "liking" Jurgen's Facebook page. Now you'll be entered into a SECOND drawing for CD #2.

3. But wait there's more! Triple your chance to win by tweeting, using @JurgenBeck in your tweet. Now you'll be entered in a THIRD drawing for CD #3.

 

 

 My favorite piece is #9....

Reflections: The Father by Jurgen Beck

If you don't see the player, just click here instead.

PS Jurgen has assured me that he can solve the slipper dilemma by me giving him gift card to a slipper store. Such German ingenuity!

Speaking of Reflections - A Small Thing

We are on the subject of "Reflections" today, so why don't we segueway into a Small Thing? I really need this one, girls.

 

 

My husband often gets annoyed with the way the hand mirrors look in this house. It's because there is usually a film of hairspray over them, from when I douse my head with a shelac coating of "freezing" hairspray every morning.

Hey, don't knock it - that stuff really WORKS!

I guess I'm so into getting my hair just right that I don't notice that the mirrors around here are now like those "soft-focus" lenses that aging celebrities insist on when they are filmed. You know, the lenses that soften the wrinkles and give the stars a little glow. I like that concept in my mirrors.

Perhaps you don't share my love affair with hairspray, but your mirrors may be in need of a little attention anyway. They tend to get spotted with toothpaste and soap since they hang out around the sink. When I clean the bathrooms, I always remember to clean the big mirrors, but largely ignore the small ones. Maybe subconsciously I like the way the soft-focus looks on me too much.

Today's Small Thing is really, really easy.  So easy you might be tempted to ignore it.  Give your mirrors a nice little cleaning, and you'll be able to reflect on life bit more clearly.

You'll also be able to shape your eyebrows more easily while you're at it - so you're ready for that close-up shot.

Go! Reflect!

Sparkle.

 

Step by Step

Not everyone has stairs. But I'll bet everyone who DOES have stairs shares this scenario: stacks of stuff at the bottom, waiting to go up......and stacks of stuff at the top, waiting to go down. 

It's just inevitable that you'll see something that needs to go to the other floor level, and it makes perfect sense to set it down for the "next time" you make the umpteenth trip up or down those stairs. Why make extra trips, right??

Problem is, sometimes those stacks of things keep waiting.....and waiting....and waiting to be ferried to their destinations as we pass them, time after time, until we no longer even see them. Forgotten souls. It's like they're in limbo land - neither up nor down - living in a state of suspended existence until someone trips and falls on them and finally ends their misery by removing them to their final resting place.

Or just re-stacks them.

Stairs are also notorious for being ignored by vacuums and dust cloths. Since they are passageways and not actual rooms, why bother? You don't really hang around long enough to notice the dustballs that cling to the corners because you're always just passing through. Wrangling a vacuum cleaner on stairs is about as easy as roping a calf, except maybe not as fun.

Today's Small Thing is to pay attention to the steps at your house, if you have them. 

Remove the toys, books, and miscellany that decorates the bottom steps, and take a few minutes to vacuum or dust the area. If you don't have a staircase at your house, simply pay attention to an area of your house that you'd consider a passageway....you'll probably find the same scenarios playing out there.

 

What's been sitting on YOUR steps, waiting to go up or down? Clear off those steps and make them feel like a stairway to heaven today! 

 

Song of the Day: Step by Step, New Kids on the Block - of course!

 

No Small Thing Today

Happy Tuesday, Company Girls!

Last night, I impulsively went out to a movie with a friend, leaving the kitchen a mess and my post undone. I kicked up my heels, planning to wake up early to finish everything. Somehow, in the middle of the night, both my husband and I were awake and started talking about something that kept us from going back to sleep. It's a work situation that will eventually get ironed out, but for now....it's one of those things that really bothers a person.

Needless to say, I turned off my alarm and rolled over when morning came around....so here we are. No Small Thing post! I'll meet you back here tomorrow, ready to rock and roll. Hope you have a great day!

Much love, Rachel

Post Superbowl Party

Whether you were one of the millions of people who tuned in for the big game, or simply tuned in to watch the commercials, the Superbowl is a great American tradition. I'll admit to not being a fan of either team this year so I was mainly in it for the commercials....and the nachos.

My favorite? The Jerry Seinfeld Acura commercial. I loved it! You can go here for extras and outtakes: Acura.com

 

 

If your home resembles a frat house after a big party this morning, you're not alone. You're just like the millions of other people who were too tired to clean up the pizza boxes and soda cans, the Ro-Tel dip and chips, and the pillows, shoes and socks left from the scene of the game.

Today's Small Thing is to do a post-game wrap up and pull things back together.

Even if you didn't watch the Superbowl, weekends are often the busiest (and messiest) part of the week....and Mondays can find you in a 3rd and long situation to get back on track. Pick up, tidy, gather debris and score a clean living area for the rest of the week!

Song of the Day: Wild Bunch, Sam Spence NFL films