deserving

Kevin's office needed to be seen. However, took all the pictures on my phone so sorry they look grainy and dark/blinding by the light tree. The awesome shows through still.

 This is Kevin's "Oh no no no! It's not ready yet!"

 Game face.

 Shelves. Built by Kevin and Ethan, so HGTV-esque.

 Buzz. He is everywhere.

 Pop of green for pictures and artifacts to call home.

 Desk, former pantry door now painted original, once again by Ethan and Kevin.

Speakers spray painted yellow, and filing cabinets spray painted black. Talk about cool, yea?

love laugh and PAINT.

It seems lately I have slacked off on my blogging, but even in the last trail of blog posts I have failed to include the "Paint" aspect as the title suggests: Love Laugh and Paint. Lots of love and laughing have been happening, but little painting has happened. I was not okay with that fact when I sat down to realize how much I missed the crafty side of my heart. So I went on painting and crafting overload this week to compensate!

First, I am interning at Shades for the entire summer, working with high school girls and investing in those who feel called to ministry. I'm loving the relational time I get to have with the girls, as well as the fun I have being around the office and the people I look up to so much. Last week Kevin Johnson came on staff as the high school boys ministry associate. It's been a party from the second he got here! And first on his to-do list was to decorate his office. Well it was more than decorating really, it was a fullout HGTV-style makeover complete with paint, built-in shelves, a table desk, and a Buzz Lightyear figurine. Oh and also a tree lamp, au natural.

So the HGTV lover in me was eager to contribute and suggest, just like I learned from years of faithfully watching Trading Spaces, Color Splash, Designed to Sell, Dear Genevieve, and the list goes on and on. We painted three walls a charcoal grey, with one red accent wall that matches the other paint in the building. The desk and shelves are a lighter grey, and the accents are bright green and yellow. Very modern, very awesome, and incredibly typical of such a creative guy like Kevy.

This makeover combined with my new interest in a blog called YoungHouseLove inspired me to update my own room at home. After rearranging and cleaning out, I had a lot of pictures and art and little pieces of life that I wanted to display. But I wanted something exciting to match the awesome spree of creativity I found myself in the last week. This particular post from YoungHouseLove about a wall of frames was my inspiration for the arrangement and layout.

First step: paint everything in sight white. Leave nothing behind.

Second step: find things to fill in the frames. I had some pictures that I have just stuck in random places around my room the last year or so, so they were my first choice for filling out the frames. I also have a box of cheesy sentimental things that I sifted through for a few options.

Step three: Once I had everything filled and was feeling pretty content, I started to play around with the layout. I let a small framed picture of my mom and her massive awesome red glasses holding me as a baby be the centerpiece with a shadow box underneath. I just kind of worked my way out from there. I wanted there to be lines within the arrangement but liked the idea of an asymmetrical assortment for the rest of the objects.

Step four: I measured the height and width of the arrangement to figure out where the center should go on the wall above my desk table. From there I just put up the first frame and worked my way around in small portions.

Step five: lots of smiling and a happy heart. I was most pleased with this frame. Ethan and I went on a trip to Idaho with our high school church choir just a week or so after we started dating. As our first trip together, I really loved that memory. I found an atlas in our house and used the page of Idaho as the background for this frame. I put a picture inside from our trip, and just smiled at the memories of the beginning of our relationship (three years ago next week! woop!)

I also liked the idea from YoungHouseLove to interchange some of the pictures and objects in the frames. This way its a working, moveable piece of artwork that is special to me. I can add or take away, replace but keep the things I really love. I have a feeling the atlas/picture frame isn't going away ever! I also love the picture of me and Ethan at Homecoming my senior year before we were even dating. Who knew what potential would come from such good friends!

creating... finally!

I realized something last week that got me down a bit.. that fact that this entire summer I have yet to paint, make, or create ANYTHING. which is weird. and considering my blog is called love laugh & paint, I felt I was slacking on my tri-fold description. So I finally got back to creating!

Ever sense Kristin came to work at Shades I've been promising her a painting to accompany her new office. Her walls were in need of some love, and since she secretly wishes she was a chi o, I decided what would look better in her office than her very own owl! But not just because of chi omega, but because as I thought about her story and her journey from Union to Shades, I realized just how much the Lord has taken care of her and provided for her in this transition. Which made me think of the verse in Matthew:

"Look at the birds of the air; they do now sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" -Matthew 6:26

Our gracious Lord has cared for Kristin through this entire transition, much like He cares for me and you each day. I am so grateful for His provision and how much he cares for us. The owl was just an added bonus!

After my painting excursion, I decided to fulfill my long-term dream of making a tshirt quilt. I've been saving tshirts since high school and planning and plotting to make a quilt so I could get rid of the rest of those three huge garbage bags..... So last night, around 10:30 I began the project. Didn't really know what I was doing but figured I could wing it.

Laid them all out... note the piles and piles in the back... and sewed until about 2:30 am. Got tired so started over this afternoon... Got a little LOT of help from Ging, and finished! Well.. the tshirt part at least!

props to dad for golding up the finished project. and ta-da... we have a quilt! Well, half of a quilt. more to come tomorrow with backing and border :)

life. lily. delicious.

the weather is absolutely beautiful today. so that's nice.

Lily came for a visit, and she's just sitting letting me hold her and being so calm.
I made rice krispies today for tomorrow's social work bake sale.. and they turned out to be delicious! they didn't have any normal rice krispies, so I got jumbo. I used a ton of butter and too many marshmallows... so much better :)

I've had south africa on my heart all day. I woke up this morning so wide awake after my full nine hours of sleep, so I went to starbucks after class for some time with the Lord. I've been reading through Psalm, and this was today's chapter. 

Psalm 67:

1 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us.

2 that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.

3 May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you.

4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth.

5 May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you.

6 Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us.

7 God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him.

I read this verse with a different perspective today. verse 2 says "that your ways may be known on earth" directly after talking about how the Lord blesses us and shines His face upon us. So often I've wondered why I am so blessed, why am I able to see God's face and not others? But this is such an answer to that question... SO THAT God's name can be known. So that the nations and all peoples may praise God when they see the good things he has done in our life. We are to be the voice that carries the good news because we can't help but keep it to ourselves.

This was so neat to think about in answering the question why am I going to South Africa? I have been praying about this trip for nearly a year and a half, and I was so eager to make sure that missions is a part of my life now, where I am, and that I wasn't letting my excuse for not going be that I wasn't at Shades any more (which practically makes missions your comfort zone because of how often they provide opportunities). I wanted to go out of obedience, and because I couldn't get South Africa out of my mind or off of my heart. Then when Melanie moved there I became even more concerned for the need she described in the hearts of the people. I must go because God has blessed and changed my life and I want to share so that all the peoples, all the nations can be blessed by His life changing good news too!

What's not to share?????

Olivia is ENGAGED!!!

Olivia and Jon got engaged.

The story:

Megan and me got Baby Wain and Katy Pope in the back seat of my car with blindfolds. They were "being hazed" by Megan since she's now initiated! Popes called Olivia and got her to come get hazed as well. We drove for a while with the girls blindfolded while Megan grilled them on their Chi Omega knowledge.

We drove out to this beautiful house where Jon was waiting on the porch with a park bench that he put together so they can keep in their back yard forever. We walked Olivia up to the porch where Jon met us and took over from there. 

Jon washed Olivia's feet, starting off a life of serving one another. He let us hide around the corner of the porch so we could be there as soon as he finished. We drove Olivia back to school (she was precious, kept saying how "This is so good", and "Where is he? I like him..." she was the most adorable engaged girl I know.

We had the candlelight after meeting (and after thoroughly lying to all my friends for quite a while). I got to make Olivia's candle. Although I was a little bit nervous it ended up being really cool to make so she can keep it forever now! If you ever have to make a candle, don't fear--use hot glue, it works great. just be careful not to touch it like I did many times tonight. Also, I wrapped the bottoms of the flowers with double stick tape so I could wrap the ribbon around. 

I am so excited to see how God has grown Jon and Olivia up so much in their relationship, and I know this is just the next best step. My big is ENGAGED!!! :) congratulations!!!!

The other good news is, INITIATION IS OVER!! RHO BETA!!!! no more responsibility for a while ;) the best news is I get to see Ethan in FIVE DAYS!!!

change of heart.

If something is done the same way for years, does that mean it has to be the only way you can do it? I think not! So this year we decided to spruce it up a bit. I spent the afternoon with Ging working on invitations for initiation and they look GREAT! We used some card stock, vellum, and a wonderful laser printer that made years of somewhat dull look somewhat better.

I decided that this concept of sprucing things up, even if it means changing how things have always been, is a good thing. I read the verse in Hebrews last night about drawing near to God. 

"Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds." (Hebrews 10:22-24)

Drawing near to God does not have to be at a specific time of the week, or even the same time each day. It means turning our heart to a God who is always there and always willing to spend time with us. I think my heart could use some sprucing!

Garden by Needtobreathe

Let the songs I sing bring joy to you. Let the words I say profess my love. Let the notes I choose be your favorite tune. Father let my heart be after you.