this morning.

Today is Thursday. My Friday at the book store. The weeks are flying by so fast, aren't they? I can't keep up. It's like the first of the month gets here...and I start thinking about the bills to pay and such...and next thing I know it's the 6th! How does that happen? Is it just me?

I had a coffee date set for 9am but the friend I was to meet (our new pastor's wife) had to go to Sacramento to be with her daughter in law who is in labor! Woohoo! Keep Shannon in your prayers today...this is her first baby and you know how those first labors can be. Loooong. My first was 32 hours from start to finish...yikes. And I did it again! What's with us crazy moms? That's a God given gift...the ability to forget what we just went through so we'll do it again...and again and again in some cases!

Since I'm finding myself with a bit of extra time this morning. I think I'll use it to do homework. I have to watch a documentary and write a minimum 2-page paper about it. That's a weekly thing with online courses...a paper. I don't have any trouble coming up with two pages of words (obviously, as you can see, I tend to be a bit chatty...ahem) but I do have trouble formatting my dang citation page! And I even bought a special program to help me DO it. I have got to figure that out...it's costing me points on my papers. So far I'm still maintaining an A...thank goodness. But I'm right on the border...so I need to step up my game!

I can't even believe that I'm in Week 6 of my 9 Week class. See what I mean about time flying? Seriously. That means I'm almost done with my second class!! Woohoo! I really need to take two classes per term...but I am worried that I won't be able to keep up. School is a lot of work! My mom says if I didn't blog I'd have plenty of time...which is true in some aspects. If I didn't READ so many blogs I'd have the time...and this is something I need to consider. Too bad I don't get class credit for blogging...hmmm, I may have to look into this. Not a bad idea...

Anyway...I'll figure it out. Time management...it's never been my strong suit.

Even still, today is off to a good start. It's cool and breezy. It's sunny and bright. It's calm and quiet...the only sounds I hear are the wind blowing through the leaves of the maple in my front yard and the soft purr of sweet Rosie. Definitely off to a good start...

Wednesday in the Word

James 3:18

18 Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

I want to be a peacemaker. For the good of others. And for the good of myself. My pastor spoke on James 3:16-17...but as I was reading along in my bible...verse 18 popped out at me. Typically when a verse leaps off the page at me like that, it's because God wants me to pay attention to what He is saying...

"Be a peacemaker, Michelle. Bring peace to those around you. ALL around you. In your home. In your church. In your work. In your social settings. On the road. Sow in peace. Be a peacemaker. "

Do you want to be a peacemaker? I do. Bring peace to someone today...it will be a blessing to them and to you. And remember...Jesus loves you. It's not just a bumper sticker. He really, really does. xo

The art fair.

Hi! I'm sorry it's taken so long to report about the art fair. What a whirlwind BUSY weekend! As a matter of fact...all of last week is a blur! But...everything worked out in the end and everything got done. Well, except for a load of whites so everyone had to scrounge around for socks Monday morning. But other than that...

We reported for our booth space at a little before 8am on Saturday morning with our cars jam packed with stuff. We set up the canopy, two tables for display and a card table as a "register" area. We used canvas drop cloths to cover the sides of the canopy as well as the display tables. It gave the booth a nice neutral and casual backdrop. As we were setting up and hanging pictures and standing easels, we realized that we probably could have had our own booths! We were pretty cozy in that little space!

My friend Chris could have had his own booth for sure. He has a TON of inventory that he's amassed over the past few years. Me? Umm...I could have. But it would have been a little sparse. I don't have a lot of inventory, especially larger pieces, as I am just getting started in this endeavor. However, I met a nice gal first thing in the morning...a fellow photographer named Jessica (who does amazing Polaroid transfers, by the way, and I forgot to BUY one!)...and she had her booth set up cute and she didn't have a TON of inventory. When I went down to visit her she said, "See? You could have your own booth." And she was right. I could have. Next time?

So once the booth was set up, a little before 10am, we were ready for business. And let me tell you, the place was hoppin'! There was a steady flow of people all.day.long. It was a beautiful day...sunny and warm with cool breezes. Perfect. (Except for the wind that picked up around 3 or so and had everyone running after business cards and holding on to their canopies for dear life!) So many friends and family came by to support us...I saw people I hadn't seen in years...and met some new people. All in all it was a good experience. I'll do it again...definitely.

Once all was said and done I came away with $100 profit that went directly into the Belgium Fund envelope. This doesn't include my initial investment of frames and mats. But it does include my booth fee and packaging materials.

Thank you for all of your encouragement and interest. I wish more of you could have been there...but it would have been a bit of a drive...so I understand. *wink* And I know you were there with me in spirit...which was almost as good!

Anyway...all in all it was good. But I have to say I would NOT have been able to do it without the help of several people. My mom first of all. Oh my goodness...she helped me with every aspect of getting my things ready. Frame selection..mat selection...photo selection...framing...all of the stuff that overwhelms me when I try to do it on my own. So...thank you, Mom!! You RULE!!

A thank you to my Dad who let me run by at the very last minute to borrow the card table and chairs. I literally called him from my cell phone to ask if I could borrow them and when he said yes I said, "Thanks! I'll be there in 30 seconds!" And I was. He loaded them in my car and off I went. Thanks Dad!

And a thank you to Aunt Lisa who loaned me drop cloths and cool display pieces. She left a variety of things on her dining table for me to choose from...I went by while she was at work and borrowed what I needed. So thank you Aunt Lisa!! The addition of your cool stuff helped make the booth look interesting! (And by the way...Ollie is a VERY good watch dog...ahem. I like his pointy teeth and deep guttural growl. As Jenna would say...NBD.)

Also a thank you to Chris and Pat, my friends who joined me in this endeavor. They are husband and wife and helped me immensely. Pat was our secretary...setting up our booth fees and information...making the calls and dropping off the money. Thank you, Pat! And Chris saved my life at the last minute when my glassine envelopes hadn't arrived. He happened to have two packs of the exact sizes I needed and let me buy them from him. Whew!! That was close!

Seriously...I could not have done this on my own. Wait, I take that back...I could have. But I'd have been sitting on the ground, Indian style, holding down a half assembled canopy and selling my photos out of the envelopes they arrived in from the developer!

today is the day...

This is where I'll be today...ALL day...selling my wares.

Wish me luck!

May Artisan Fair

Getting ready for the art fair this weekend...I'm selling photo note cards...photos in mats...and framed photos. Mom and I went to Aaron Bros. yesterday and spent almost three hours picking out mats and frames! Thank goodness she helped me...I'd have collapsed if I had to make all those choices on my own!

The fair is on Saturday from 10-5. I'm sharing a booth with a friend...he also does photography but our styles are completely different. He does amazing landscapes and wildlife photography. His photos are very masculine...so as Chris said, we'll have something for everyone!

I have a lot of work yet to do...framing, matting, more note card assembly...not to mention gathering props for our booth...crates, drop cloths, chunky baskets...I hope it looks like I imagine that it will! I'll take pictures...and let you know how it goes. All my proceeds are going toward my ticket to Belgium...so pray that our efforts are a success.

Off to start my day...up next...work!

Wednesday in the Word

Zechariah 7

Justice and Mercy, Not Fasting

1 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Kislev. 2 The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melech, together with their men, to entreat the LORD 3 by asking the priests of the house of the LORD Almighty and the prophets, "Should I mourn and fast in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?"

4 Then the word of the LORD Almighty came to me: 5 "Ask all the people of the land and the priests, 'When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted? 6 And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves? 7 Are these not the words the LORD proclaimed through the earlier prophets when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were at rest and prosperous, and the Negev and the western foothills were settled?' "

8 And the word of the LORD came again to Zechariah: 9 "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. 10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.'

11 "But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and stopped up their ears. 12 They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the LORD Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the LORD Almighty was very angry.

13 " 'When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,' says the LORD Almighty. 14 'I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land was left so desolate behind them that no one could come or go. This is how they made the pleasant land desolate.' "

* * * * * * * * * *

Wow. What a scripture. I hope you really took the time to read the whole thing. If you didn't, will you go back and read it? It's good...a bit painful, but good.

I have to make a confession...when I got up this morning I didn't have my quiet time with God. I just got up...grabbed my coffee...turned on one of my morning God shows and popped open the laptop. Not a minute of quiet time...not a scribble in my prayer journal...not a Word of scripture did I read. I got up...and began this day on my own.

So I'm sitting here on the computer...checking email, reading blogs, sipping my coffee and then I think to myself, "Wow, it's Wednesday already." So I start thinking about what scripture I want to share. Typically, I've read a scripture during the past week that hit me right between the eyes and so I want to share it with you. But today...this was not the case. Truth be told, I haven't had a whole lot of quiet time with the Lord at all this week. (Which totally explains my whininess...my being overwhelmed...my full plate...my indecisiveness...etc.)

OK..so here I am...it's Wednesday...and I start trying to think of what scripture I want to share. I think and I think...and then I realize, I got nothin'. Nothin'. I'm empty.

And then it hits me...I'm trying to do this on my own, too! I'm trying to figure out what scripture I think you'd like to hear...what you'd benefit from...what will give you something to chew on for the week. But that's the problem...I AM TRYING to figure it out. At this realization I take a deep breath...stop what I'm doing...stop trying, stop figuring, stop thinking, stop, stop, stop! And I look up to the heavens and I say, "Lord. What would YOU like me to share today?"

And then the whisper..."Zechariah 7." So I go to Zechariah 7.

"Which verse, Lord?"

"The whole thing."

So there it is. The whole chapter of Zechariah 7. As I'm reading it, I kept thinking to myself that it was too negative...that it was harsh...that it wasn't uplifting and pleasant and encouraging. But...God said to share it. So I cut and pasted it to my blog...and then I read it again.

And I realized that, really...it IS encouraging.

Verses 11 and 12 really got me today...how stubborn I can be. How I can stop up my ears to the Lord...refuse to listen...walk away and do my own thing. Wow. Really? Who am I to ignore God? Who AM I? Nobody. It's only because of Him that I woke UP this morning...and I have the nerve not to thank Him for that? I have the nerve to just take that for granted? Who gives me my every breath? God. Who makes my heart beat? God. Who could snatch me off this earth at any given second? God. My life is in His hands...literally. And so is yours! Even if you don't believe it. That's the crazy part. That God is in control...even if you don't believe it.

For years and years I didn't believe. I just wasn't sure about God. I knew there had to be something out there...something bigger than me...something powerful. But not God.

I don't know why I refused Him for so long. I really don't. Maybe because I wanted to do my own thing? Maybe because I figured I was on my own and so there you have it...I don't need any one's help anyway? I don't know why.

What I DO know, without a doubt in my mind, is that when God showed Himself real in my life, I knew that I knew that I knew that He was real. And He loved me. And He had my best interest at heart. And He was there to help me find it.

I wish I could say that I live each day well. I wish I could say that I live for Him at every moment...in every way...at all times. I wish. But I don't. I don't. But the good part of that? His mercies are new each morning. He never leaves me nor forsakes me...even when I've turned my back on Him. He waits patiently for me to figure out I'm just going the wrong way...and He whispers for me to turn back around, set my eyes on Him, and continue down that narrow path He's paved for me. And He's right there to walk with me...or to carry me depending on the day.

So...while this scripture may seem harsh...it really IS an encouragement. It's a warning...like that one last warning you give to your child. You know the one, "OK, I'm counting to THREE!" It's a word from God trying to get our attention. He's a good Father...He means good and not harm...even His stern words are for encouragement and for our benefit. His stern words are because He loves us...just as we love our children even when we're stern.

What do you think? Are you being stubborn? Are you covering your ears singing "la la la" so that you don't have to hear what He wants to tell you? Well, maybe it's time to stop. Maybe it's time to listen. Maybe it's time to give God a chance...He loves you.

...come again some other day...

A sign painted on the alley wall...from the birthday trip.

It's raining. Oh how I wish I could stay home today, make soup , clean the bathroom and get ready for this art fair. I am getting ready to put together a stack of note cards to sell. They're still for sale in my Etsy shop, too, until I get my web site finished. Yes...it's on the to-do list along with everything else! It's just going to be very simple...but it still takes time. I'm getting there...it's one of those things you just need to DO. Just open the program and make the thing..! It may have to wait until after this art faire. I still have to put cards together, mount photos on mats and then frame some prints. By Friday. My mom is going to help me...thank goodness! Because in the middle of all of that, I also have to read a 133 page essay and write a 2-page paper for school!

That's my cue to get off this computer! What have you got going on today?