Home Sanctuary

Now, Where WAS I? Let Me Retrace My Steps.

Good GRACIOUS.

I can't believe it's been a couple of months since I last posted! I can hardly remember what I was doing in February. I did not mean to leave you hanging, but I sort of dropped everything to work on some stuff. It's that unitasking syndrome again. I can now actually ONLY do one thing at a time. Multi-tasking isn't even an option. You'll have to forgive me while I retrace my steps so I can figure out just where I am right now.

Some of you might already know about this, but I've been working on a children's book. Well, it's not "out" yet, but it IS done.

Ta Daaaa!

 

 

Flash the Donkey Makes New Friends will be out on October 1, and (amazingly) is already available for preorder on Amazon. I LOVED getting to write and illustrate this charming story! Here's the official description:

Children will fall in love with Flash the Donkey as they learn the value of true friendship and what it means to be a good friend to others.

Hee-haw! A stray donkey with a penchant for inventions is taken in by a mismatched collection of barnyard friends. Flash the Donkey Makes New Friends is the heartwarming story of a not-so-ordinary donkey who needs a special place to belong.

 

Flash is the inquisitive type who loves to invent things and solve problems, but his curiosity sometimes gets him into trouble! With the help of his new-found friends―Jed the Goat, Carson the Pig, and Ruby the Chicken―Flash manages to turn problems into adventures and learns valuable lessons along the way.

 

Inspired by Rachel Anne Ridge’s memoir Flash, named one of Publishers Weekly’s Best Summer Books of 2015, kids will fall in love with this endearing donkey as they learn to appreciate the value of true friendship.

And although I loved it doing it, I literally had no brain cells left by the time I turned in my last illustration. Not one. Somehow all that drawing and coloring was waaaay harder than I thought it would be! I found myself living like an old crazy hunchback woman who never bathed or changed her clothes, up in the bell tower (ok it was my upstairs office), only coming down for food and to squint at the light every now and then while I finished it. 

Other than that, it was a piece of cake (wink). I should probably tell you that it's geared for children ages 3-7, aaaand the adults who love them! The story makes me smile, and it's one I hope you'll enjoy, too.

 

Now, stepping back through my mental fog...

This past fall I quietly wrote a book called Made to Belong: A Six Week Journey to Discover Your Purpose. The final edits got done during my blog hiatus, and as I've re-read the words in this workbook, I've gotten really excited about it all over again!

This is something that is SO DEAR TO MY HEART, because I think all of us struggle to find "that thing" we were made to do. 

 

The book (which is really like a workbook) is going to be a resource for the Belong Tour, (formerly Women of Faith) which features these amazing ladies. The tour will be coming to a city near you:

Made to Belong is also available for preorder on Amazon, and I'll tell you more about it (and the Belong Tour) as we get closer to the August 1 publication date!

 

Phew. I started to add to this post all the other stuff that went down but then my hunchback tendency came back and I thought, hey why pack all of this "retracing my steps" into one single post? Give these poor people (and your spine) a rest.

Okay, next post will be about the other happenings during my (previously unannounced but now completed) blog break.

I'm off to take a shower and find some clean clothes.

I'VE MISSED YOU!!!! Thank you for waiting.

 

What I Learned From My Social Media Break

What I learned from my social media break

 

Have you ever thought about taking a break from social media? I stepped back from blogging several weeks ago, and seriously cut back on the other forms of social media I use most often: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

I didn't really mean to do it. It just sort of happened as I was finishing up my manuscript and needed extra mind-space to think. I needed a buffer between me and the emails and comments and updates that take up time and residence in my life on a regular basis.

I'm a uni-tasker by nature. And I'm not embarrassed about that anymore.

 

By taking a break, I learned a few things:

 

1. Taking a social media break feels good....eventually.

It took several weeks for the emails to slow down. I get tons of emails each day...mostly from comments on my blog that are automatically sent to my inbox. At first, it felt really strange. I felt a little lost without the daily affirmation from my blog readers. No blog post = no comments = no emails. And it made me realize how much I'd come to depend on those emails, how often I checked my inbox, and how much time it takes to respond.

I began to enjoy the freedom.

 

2. Life goes on without my updates.

Truth: nobody really cares what restaurant I'm eating in, what I'm having for dinner, or what I happen to be thinking about at this very moment. They might care about the robin's egg blue toenail polish I'm wearing, but do I really need to post a photo of my toes? 

Meh.

 

3. When you don't have to let people know what you're doing, you can actually enjoy things more...for yourself.

Back to the toenail polish. If I'm not planning to post a photo of my toes, would I choose blue? Or would I just enjoy pink, because that's my favorite, (but not an Instagram-worthy/comment-worthy color?) Social media makes me unnaturally conscious of what others think. I don't like that about myself.

But I do I like pink nail polish. So there's that.

 

4. Life is better without distractions.

Oh, the things we miss. Oh, the beauty all around us that's lost as we stare into our phones. I missed a wonderful conversation, in my own living room, with our son - because I sat on the couch and worked on editing a photo for Instagram and forgot to join in. The photo was lovely, but the conversation was even lovelier...and I missed it.

I'm trying to practice setting my phone down - away from me - so I can fully embrace the moment I'm in.

 

5. To live intentionally, you have to let some things go.

Let's be honest. We are all juggling a lot of balls. The responsibilities of life can be overwhelming, and sometimes it's impossible to see where we can make any adjustments at all. There have been seasons of my life in which I've yelled, "TELL ME WHAT I CAN DROP! BECAUSE I CAN'T SEE A SINGLE THING I CAN LET GO OF!"

That's not a good place to be.

But perhaps asking God for wisdom, for clarity, and for help would be a good thing. Sometimes we do need Divine Intervention in order to see how we can make some changes. 

Living intentionally means making some tough choices so that we can grab ahold of what's really important.

 

 

6. Creativity takes time and space.

Creating stuff takes work. It takes commitment. It takes nurturing.

And I'm not just talking about art and writing.

Parenting requires creativity. So do most work-for-pay jobs. LIFE requires creative thinking and problem-solving. When our lives are so crammed with information and factoids and busyness and activities, we simply cannot function as creatively as we should. We end up doing bare minimums out of necessity, because we just. can't. do. another. thing.

Time and space are rarely handed out on silver platters. They must be fought for. They must be valued.

This means we must choose to sit and daydream,

which looks a whole lot like wasting time.

We must stare at clouds and quilting patterns and fireflies and pretty pictures.

We must take naps.

We must read books.

We must play.

We must listen to music.

We must take walks.

We must talk.

We must leave margin for serendipity.

We must value time and space as soul-rechargers, rather than seeing them as pockets to fill with more activities and media.

 

I'm still working out my relationship with social media. It is here to stay, and it will always be part of the work I've chosen. But taking a break, stepping back, letting things settle a bit.....well, it can only be a good thing.

It feels like rest.

 

How about you? Have you ever taken a break from social media? What did you discover when you did? Is this something you would be willing to try?

Ain't Nobody Got Time For That!

It wasn't a great way to finish out the Penny and Prince drama, but I thought I'd go ahead and pick up that nasty bronchitis germ my husband's been walking around with this week. Why not run a fever and lay on the couch with tea, chocolates and movies for a couple of days? While I was at it, I took cough medicine with {blessed} codeine in it, which made me sleep like a baby at night.

To quote Sweet Brown, "Ain't nobody got time fo' dat!"

I suddenly realized it had been over a week since I'd gotten any real work done, unless you count Tuesday, in which I stared at an artboard for multiple hours, created a horrific collage, and then started over completely on Wednesday. I think I finally made some progress yesterday, but of course it's very hard to tell when you've spent half the day squinting at your work before gluing down tiny pieces of paper, and then resuming the squinting. Squinting takes a lotta effort, man.

 

You might remember this project.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope to finish the *last* piece today. It will go into the retail space I've already done four pieces for. The theme that I pitched to the marketing director was "Fusion." Cool, different, creative and, well, fused. 

 

 This is the fifth piece, not yet installed, but finished in my studio.

 

 

The guitar collage is waiting to be photographed so it can be blown up to super-size. The piece that will go next  to this one is the one that has given me SUCH GRIEF. I spent a whole week working on it back in January and then did not get final approval on it...so it was back to the proverbial drawing board. Now that I've started over three times, I think I've got very clear direction and it's *almost* done.

 

So I've been quiet on the blog this week. Between the bronchitis and this project and book-writing, I've been playing catch up. Thank you all for hanging in there with me.

I have pages and pages of post topics I want to cover and I'm anxious to get back to them! One of the things I want to talk about is developing your creative gifts. Would you be interested in that? Please say yes.

Sometimes, though, you just have to lighten the load...and that's what I did with blogging.

 

When you get behind/overwhelmed/high on cough syrup, what do YOU do?

What are your coping mechanisms?

Do you implode, take naps in the hopes your work goes away, do you get mad and work harder?

Or do you try and just "do the next thing?"

Help a girl out, here. How do you catch up - or do you ever?

Have a wonderful weekend,

Rachel Anne

 

 

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How to Love What You Have

(Cue pretty music)

Ah, Pinterest. Ah, HGTV. Ah Internet.

I love how you bring images of lovely things to my sight. How you make my heart beat with desire over DIY projects and new decor. I love how my head spins with ideas and dreams for my home.

(Kill pretty music)

Bvvvvvvt. I don't love how depressed I feel later, when I see my same, tired junk. Staring me in the face, mocking my decorating dreams. I see you, dust. I see you, faded couch and sad little pillow. I'm talking to you, broken lamp and faded silk flowers. You make me feel sad and deprived. And slightly angry. My countenance falleth.

(Pretty music)

But today I will love you. I will pretend you are new and pretty and shiny. I will dust you and plump you, and primp you. I will rearrange you so that your best side shows. I will take a photo of you and share it on Instagram because I'm proud of our history together.

 

 

How can I love what I have? Here are five ways:

 

1. I shall have less of it out. I shall clear the clutter so a few lovelies can have their moment to shine.

2. I shall clean it. Perhaps a soak in water or a wipe with a damp cloth will bring them back to life. I know they will breathe easier without an inch of dust on them.

3. I shall rearrange it. I shall group them in three's, and stagger their heights so that they look like a vignette. Just like the designers do on TV.

4. I shall repurpose it. I shall think of new ways to use old things. I shall see containers, wall art and tools where others see junk. I shall be inventive and creative.

5. I shall be grateful. My things are paid for, they are family heirlooms, they are memories. They remind me that I have more than I need, when others would love to have my old couch, or my ginormous television set, things I have disdained and said, "get thee from my sight." I shall now say, "Thou art beautiful in my sight, oh my stuff, for thou art paid for."

 

Do you feel unhappy with your home and decor? Do you wish for a fairy to come along and wave a magic wand? Are you in danger of running up your credit card bill at HomeGoods, in a desperate moment?

 

Today's Small Thing is to love what you have.

 

Take one (or all) of the five tips above and make them your own. Shop your house, rearrange, repurpose, re-do. Give thanks, for thou art blessed. Truly.

And hey, why not post on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter? Please tag me so I can come and love your stuff right along with you! Tell me what you love!

M is for Music

This post is part of an ongoing "Be More Creative" series that has something in it for everyone.

 

Once upon a time, this blog featured a Song of the Day, each and every day. I had a little pop-out music player in my sidebar and I loved picking fun songs to go with each post. It took time to find just the right music, but I felt that it was an important addition to the Small Things because it added an element of joy.

I mean, you just can't help but smile when you hear Snow White singing, "Just Whistle While You Work," or Hank Williams crooning, "Hey Good Lookin' Whatcha Got Cookin'!"

 

Music stirs emotion like nothing else can. Imagine watching the movie Braveheart without its epic melodies, or Pride and Prejudice without the piano and strings to accompany it. Music is able to set atmospheric mood, and that's something we often forget about in our busy lives. As home-keepers, we have a fantastic opportunity to use music to create a feeling of sanctuary and creativity. I loved that my mother played classical music on the record player when I was growing up. It gave me an appreciation for beautiful music and made our home feel special...something I still try to emulate.

These days, I love to have music playing while I create art in my studio. I usually listen to Pandora stations through my phone, hooking it up to small speakers to boost the sound. My favorite music is often worship music, but I'll crank up John Mayer, Big Band, country, and even movie soundtracks to get me going. I find that simply having music on gets my creative juices flowing like nothing else can.

 

Today's "Be More Creative" Small Thing is to enjoy some music!

 

My goodness, that's an easy Small Thing!

Yes, well. creating Sanctuary isn't all about cleaning. It is about setting a tone. Communicating love, care, belonging and fun through a multitude of unspoken ways. Sharing a love of music builds bonds, brings peace and creates a fun atmosphere.

Points 40 - simply for turning up the music today! Home, car, headphones...you choose. Enjoy.

What's your favorite kind of music? Do you have different types of music for different moods? What is your favorite musical memory? What is your current favorite song? What do you listen to when you're feeling creative?

Hello Small Things, With a Creative Dash!

Well! Thank you for your wonderful comments yesterday! I appreciated each one and made note of your votes for which direction you want to go for the rest of the year.

{Drumroll}

The *regular* Small Things got the most votes....BUT I must say that the Creative Series was not too far behind! Many of you said you would be happy either way, and several of you suggested doing the Small Things *most* days, with the Creative posts sprinkled in.

Nice.

So here is what I'll do! I'll post daily Small Things, with one or two Creatives sprinkled in each week.

I'd love to try and finish the Creative series by the end of the year - don't know if I'll make it with the holidays thrown in there - but that way we can start 2014 fresh AND feel good about saying "done" to a fun bunch of posts.

As I looked over my list of topics (arranged by alphabet) I realized that many of them will apply to the holidays and to our busy schedules. If you're not feeling particularly creative, simply read along and I'll give suggestions as to how you can make them work for you.

As for the Small Things.....I NEED THEM AS MUCH AS Y'ALL DO!!!!!!

It's so easy for me to get off track and get overwhelmed by the mountain of Things To Be Done Right This Minute Because I Put Them Off Too Long. (That's a list category, folks.) This time of year, more than ever, I need to be reminded to take a deep breath and pay attention to what's important, not just urgent.

With that in mind, I'll have a new Tally Sheet for you on Monday, and we'll get going on a new month with some new twists. YAY!

 

Girls, thank you for being here with me each day. I love seeing your names pop up in the comments, and though I don't always have a chance to respond, please know that I say a prayer for you and whisper a blessing over you. You are precious and dear - and God has us together at this blog for a reason.

Keep believing Him for good things to happen, no matter what your circumstances are. Trust Him for blessings in the midst of trials, and for beauty, even in hard places. We know that He is able to do "exceedingly abundantly" more than we can ask or think....and He is with us each and every step of the way. Our small things are important to Him, and I'm committed to giving our tasks and activities to Him as an offering of thanksgiving for all He has done for us.

 

How can I pray for you this weekend? Feel free to email me or leave a comment today...I'd love to lift you up, and I know your sisters would, too. If you leave a prayer request, how about praying for the person just above you in the comments? That way we can all be a part.

Love you, Rachel

PS the winner of the book, A Million Little Ways by Emily P. Freeman is Lyndsey (ThisGrandLife)! Lyndsey, send me your address and I'll send the book to you!

Goodbye October

Goodbye October, and goodbye to my failed attempt at the "31 Days to Be More Creative" series.

I'm sorry people.

Life, man.

Life was crazy in October and I simply lost my blog mojo during what should have been a really fun little series for us.

So....rather than crying in our soup, I'd like to just ask you if you'd like to continue the creative series - or simply return to our regular Small Things.

What ttthhay you?

 

 

 

In review, my last letter in our series was K (for kindness), which meant I was almost halfway through becoming incredibly creative, LOL. Now, I would be more than happy to finish out the alphabet soup of greatness...or return to our daily Small Things of general sanctuary-ness.

Either way - I am totally good! 

Today is the *first day* I feel like the October fog of crazy has lifted {whew!} - just in time to get motivated for a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas season. I would love to spend my mornings with you in whatever way you'd like - getting organized, being creative, or simply being silly.

Oh wait. Come to think of it, silliness goes with just about anything, so I guess you'll get that no matter what. :)

 

In your comments below, let me know what you'd like to do next together:

1. Finish out the Be More Creative series, or

2. Return to our "regular" Sanctuary Small Things

 

One lucky commenter will receive a free copy of Emily P. Freeman's fabulous new book, A Million Little Ways today! Don't be shy....leave me a comment!

**I'm an Amazon affiliate, which means a tiny compensation goes toward funding my coffee habit if you purchase from the above link. No pressure.

On Following Your Dream

I returned home from the Allume conference on Sunday, stuffed full of thoughts. And one thought in particular, which I'll get to in just a minute.

It was quite a weekend for me, getting to meet with publishers to talk about my book, "The Donkey Principles." I met writers and bloggers from all over the country and heard terrific speakers. Wow, it was an amazing experience!

First off, (because I know you want to know!) I thought my publisher meetings went great. The acquisition editors were kind, enthusiastic and very receptive to my incorrigible donkey and this story about how God is so unexpected in His ways. I think Flash charmed them....I mean, really. How could they not be charmed by his silly ol' self?

And I love, love my agent Ruth Samsel. We had coffee on Saturday night and then wandered through the local Anthropologie store and had a ball. I felt very, very blessed. And so lucky to be sitting at a table talking about a book with people who are actually interested in publishing it. How many people would like to be here?

But what I kept thinking all weekend started with this: that we are all on a journey of some sort. We're all following a dream. And maybe that dream is to be a mama and to have babies on your hip, or finish a college degree, or read the Bible all the way through for real this time. Maybe your dream is to hand-make all your Christmas gifts or live off the grid or be an artist or write a book. And this weekend I was with hundreds of women who are listening to their hearts and their soul whispers that propel them toward their dreams. Maybe dreams that they haven't even dared to say out loud. I know because that's me.

 

And here, finally is my thought:

 

While we are following our dream, we can't forget to live the dream. That we are living the dream.

 

Mostly, it doesn't look like a dream. It mostly looks like messy living and dirty dishes and marching little people toward their baths. It looks like day jobs that suck all the living life out of you, and then the carpool and the bills and the dog that sheds all over your black sweater. It looks like nothing amazing or interesting or worthy.

It looks like you're not making one tiny speck of progress toward that thing that you wish for.

And yet.

You are living and loving and breathing. You are preparing. You are growing and working it out. You are listening and observing, and creating a resevoir of experiences which your dream will draw from. Even when it doesn't look like anything is happening.

My thought was, don't give up. No matter where you are in your journey. You've got to just keep on going. Seven years ago when I started to write this blog, I just sat down to write posts that I thought might encourage people. And I wrote day after day because I loved it. I still do.

This weekend, I sat at a table and talked about my book, and I thought how far I have yet to go. I thought about all those ladies in the conference hall, and all of you at home who have so far to go, too, and I wanted to cheer us all on. I wanted to just say, let's keep living. Keep doing. Keep picking up socks.

And let's keep dreaming.

 

How about you? Are your dreams drowning in laundry? What is God whispering to your heart in the midst of it all?

K is for Kindness

Creativity is kindness - with flair.

 

 

It is doing something, and then adding an extra touch to make it special for someone else.

You see, creativity is not just art, but it is problem solving, meeting needs, and living each day with an eye for what "could be."

Most people are living creatively without even knowing it. But they are moving through their day making good things happen because they see how to add touches of kindness wherever they go.

Creative kindness is:

The little note in the lunch bag that says, "I love you."

The paprika sprinkled on mashed potatoes.

The waitress who brings extra lemons for the iced tea.

The thank you card in the mail.

The hand-knitted winter hat.

The quilt pieced together by loving hands.

Paying for a stranger's meal at a restaurant.

Remembering a cashier's name at the grocery store.

Complimenting the man who picks up your trash.

Allowing another person to go first in line.

Giving flowers to a friend for no reason.

Leaving an extra big tip.

 

Oh, there are a million kindnesses that you do - acts of creatively meeting someone's need for beauty, hope and joy - and you don't even realize it. You, my friend, are a little brook of fresh water for thirsty souls around you. What delight you bring!

 

Today's Be More Creative assignment is to simply show kindness.

 

And when you do, you'll be living in that joyful place that is the BEST of creativity: generosity, selflessness and love.

Share your kindness story! Have you been shown an unexpected kindness that brightened your day? How will you creatively meet someone's need today? How will you be kind?

J is for Just Do It

 

Want to be more creative?

The answer is: Create.

Just get started. Just make something. Play something. Scribble something.

Just do it.

 

What will you just DO today?