A Story of Life - Pam Tebow's and My Own

Last night I was privileged to hear in person Pam Tebow's story of her choice for life. As a missionary with her husband in the Philippines, she became pregnant with her fourth child. While in the Philippines she had aquired an amoeba which caused her to be very, very sick during the pregnancy... so sick, in fact, that the doctors strongly suggested she have an abortion. She and her husband, however, had prayed for a son -- specifically so that they could dedicate him to the Lord -- and their prayer was that he would be a preacher. A few months later Tim Tebow was born, and though he was undernourished he didn't stay that way for long. And now many millions of people know their story. What an impact he has had for Christ!

Now my story is not so dramatic, but it is the story of life and how Christ can rewrite a family history. My mother was seventeen years old and unmarried when she found herself pregnant with me. Being from a small town this could have been scandalous. Abortion was not such a widely available option at that time, but she and my father chose to get married and bring me into the world. Neither of them were Christians at that time; still they chose to give me life, raise me, and love me. And so they did.

Fast forward eighteen years to my freshman year in college. In my dorm room one afternoon I was visited by Jennifer, who shared with me about having a personal relationship with Christ. I had grown up going to church in my small town and had learned about God and about Christ. But I had never really heard that Christ wanted me not just to know about Him, but He wanted me to know Him. He wanted a relationship with me so much that He was willing to die to make it possible. His desire was that He would not be a God that I knew about only in my head, but He would be a God who I could know intimately. He wanted a relationship that didn't just involve my attention one hour a week, but He wanted to walk with me day by day, hour by hour, and moment by moment. He would love me unconditionally, He would care for me no matter what, and best of all He would never leave me (Deuteronomy 31:6).

Now I had not lived a spotless life, and there were many things keeping me from this kind of a relationship with God. But according to 1 John 1:9 all I had to do was confess that I wasn't living like someone who loved and wanted a relationship with God and was choosing my own way. If I did this and confessed that I couldn't measure up to being righteous on my own, but wanted Him to cleanse me and make me new, He would do it. So, that very day I asked God to forgive me through what Jesus did (according to John 3:16) and because I believed the promises in His word were true. That day my life changed. I went from carrying around a load of guilt and being a person who tried to please everyone (including myself), to someone who knows that there is only One Person I need to please. And I know that on my own I can't please Him. But because He has made me a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), I am no longer condemned. Further than that I am FREE from the sin and the shame! It is His job to do the cleansing, not mine. My only job is to walk with Him daily. I do this by confessing to Him when I miss the mark that He has set for me and by then accepting His promised forgiveness.

My life is not perfect, and this side of heaven it will never be. But my heart knows real peace (Philippians 4:7), and it really is a peace that passes all understanding. I hope and pray that each of you -- my precious blog friends -- know this same peace.

Blessings,

I Win, I Win... Thank You, Barb!!

Barb, of The French Elements blog, had a giveaway last week. Now, Barb is a special blogging friend who is just an amazing woman in so many ways. She is a kindred spirit and never fails to lift me up with such encouraging words in her comments here. Along with her blog, she has a business called "The French Elements" where she offers all sorts of beautiful, French and Old World-inspired treasures. If you haven't visted her before, then you must go now!


She has had several giveaways before which I have entered and not won. In fact, it is rare that I win anything. So, imagine my glee to find that I had won her latest giveaway. And this (below) was what I found waiting on my front porch.

Of course, I couldn't wait to see what was inside!

It was packaged beautifully and well-padded so there would be no shifting around during shipping.


And as any good Francophile would do, she wrapped the boxes in this scrumptious toile tissue paper. Lovely!


The first thing I opened were these (above) royal magnets! I love magnets and these are just too pretty with crowns on a French blue background.


The next box I opened contained this wonderful (above) Precision Chanel facial scrub. I can't wait to try that!


Then I opened the third package (below) and found another Precision Chanel product, a facial masque. (I know we spell it mask, but don't you just like masque better?)


And then there was this beautifully embroidered pillow with a golden key. I know where that one is going... I have a special spot already picked out for it... in my art room, of course!


All the loot (below).


Thank you, thank you, Barb!! You are the best!!

Blessings,

More artroom nesting....

Time for change...

I spent the better part of two days last week trying to figure out what to put on the walls in my artroom and how to store my supplies. Well, thanks to birthday money from my parents, Hobby Lobby's wonderful sales and coupons, and Michael's sales... I have made a little progress in this area.

I knew I wanted an "idea board" and had an idea of how I wanted it to look. I was thinking of getting a standard bulletin board and covering it with toile fabric. I looked at several places comparing prices of the bulletin boards. Then I went to Hobby Lobby. After looking over almost everything in the store, I found a lovely bulletin board (just plain cork board) in a sleek black frame on sale for 50% off. So, I snapped it up (they only had the one I spotted) and went to find fabric to cover it. Their toile just happened to be 30% off, and I got just enough to cover the BB in black and cream. Here is the result:



Along with the idea board, I purchased two black display ledges (which were also 50% off) so that I can put up whatever piece of artwork I'd like to display at the moment. Along with those, I purchased some hooks for hanging my paint smocks and aprons.



I was also on the lookout for some nice way to store some of my supplies. I stumbled upon these lovely boxes at Michael's for 40% off the original prices. What could be lovelier than a stack of beautiful French botanical print boxes?





And so my nest is closer to where I want it to be. For now, I must quit the nesting part and get to actually doing some artwork. I have a show coming up in less than a month and need to actually have something to show. :)



Oh, and about that clock at the top... it is an ironwork pendulum clock which was on the clearance aisle for $10! What a beauty, and what a find. It works like a charm, and I love the look of it.

Blessings,

A Lovely Day at Miss Rosemarie's

Thank you all so much for the birthday wishes. I am still nesting in my new artroom... pictures to follow at a later date. But this past Friday morning I set out for a much anticipated late birthday lunch date with my mother at our local tearoom. This is a lovely, quaint spot about halfway between each of our houses. Along with the delicious foods that are made and served daily, they also blend and sell loose teas of many varieties.


This was the table for two (below) where we were seated. We looked over the menu which offered a wide variety of treats... from quiche to crepes to chilled pear soup to salads. For our lunches we settled on tomato basil quiche, crabmeat crepes, and spring mix salad. Then we were looking at the list of teas and trying to decide which one to have with our meal. My mother spotted one called "Parisian Lights" which was a blend of black tea, oil of bergamot, black currant and caramel, and citrus. We thought this sounded good, but our server brought over the tin for us so that we could sample the aroma. Let me assure you, it was love at first whiff.


The lunch was delicious... every last bite. And the tea was so special that I decided I needed to have a tin for myself. As the proprietress passed our table, out of curiousity I asked if she knew of Harney & Sons teas. (If you are not familiar with them, then you must check out this post from Nancy Lindemeyer's blog.) She told me that she not only knew of Harney & Sons teas, but that she purchased a lot of her teas from them.


Which led me to ask my next question, "Is your 'Parisian Lights' tea similar to their 'Paris' tea?" She told me that it was one and the same. This was so funny to me because I had just read Nancy's post in the past couple of weeks, and then I had also heard several others mention their love of this particular blend of tea. If you haven't tried "Paris" by Harney & Sons, then by all means order some today!


This is an article about Miss Rosemarie's Tearoom in Tea Time magazine. And from reading Nancy Lindemeyer's blog, I learned that Victoria magazine and Harney & Sons both got their start together in the mid 1980's and that Victoria featured Harney & Sons more than once in "The Charms of Tea" section of the magazine... once again showing the far-reaching impact of Victoria.

About that... I am still looking for stories about Victoria for the Remembering Victoria blog. Your story may not be earth-shattering, but it doesn't have to be. Did the magazine give you inspiration for your current bliss business? Did it make an impact on your everyday life? How did you feel when you received your copy in the mail each month? I just want to share the different ways the magazine had an impact on each of us, even if it was merely that you delighted in going to your mailbox that one time a month to find her waiting. I'd love to hear from you!!

Blessings!

A(n art) Room of One's Own...

Long, long ago... (last August, to be exact) I posted about redoing what was then my living room, in order to turn it into an art/office space. The room was more parlour than living room and was rarely ever used. The color of the walls was a dark burgundy... not the kind of space that would be conducive to doing detailed artwork.



With no overhead lighting and only one window, this space would need a serious overhaul. This has been a challeging and very, very busy fall and winter. I have had many commissions, health issues, and a lot of things going on with my children and their activities. But, finally last week I got an early birthday present.

I am moving from this space in the corner of my dining room...



...and with a generous helping of "Provence Cream"



and a little help from this...



...I now have this



and tomorrow I will celebrate by enjoying doing my artwork in a room of my very own!



Happy birthday to me!! :)

Calling all who loved the original Victoria magazine

A while back I reserved a blog with the intent that I would offer to all those who loved the original Victoria magazine the chance to share a story about their Victoria experience. It has been quite a full fall and winter with first one thing and then another (my latest diversion has been a severe case of bronchitis which developed on the heels of my January surgery.) But I have spent this last week working on the new blog, designing a header and layout for the pages, and writing my own Victoria story. So now it is done, and I wanted to share Remembering Victoria with those of you who might have an interest or might know someone else with an interest.

Please click on the picture below to go to the new Remembering Victoria blog.

If you would like to share your story with me and would allow me to share it on the new blog, please send an e-mail to me here. Also for those who are willing, would you pass the word on your own blog that I am looking for stories? It would be much appreciated. And feel free to use the picture above. I am interested in hearing from as many as want to share their stories.

Thanks!!

Artwork 2009 - Year in Review

Since I never got around to posting my commissioned work from December, I decided to just make a slideshow of highlights of my artwork from the year. That way, for those of you who are interested, you can look at the ones you want to look at or skip to the next one. I finished a new commissioned piece yesterday, which I shipped off earlier today. It will be a nice Valentine's Day surprise from a wife to a husband. I thought that was sweet for her to do that as a surprise for him... a drawing of the house he and she built together. I will post that one later, but for now here are the commissions as well as other artwork from 2009.

The Artwork of Christi Bunn 2009

View more presentations from Christi Bunn.

Charm and Grace... in the words of Rhett Butler

In the movie Gone With the Wind, when Rhett is finally leaving Scarlett, we find this dialogue between them:

Scarlett: Rhett! Rhett, where are you going?
Rhett Butler: I'm going back to Charleston, back where I belong.
Scarlett: Please, please take me with you!
Rhett Butler: No, I'm through with everything here. I want peace. I want to see if somewhere there isn't something left in life of charm and grace. Do you know what I'm talking about?



Rhett, of course, was talking about the qualities found in the South that "had been" ... before the war came and robbed them of their dignity and pride (misplaced though that pride often was). But there must have been a real charm, grace, and gentle rhythm to life in the South at one time. I think we have tried to hang on to much of that. I know I have. A taste of humility can be a good thing for a people, and that's just what Southerners got from that war. There were so many wrongs that could never be righted. But, the humbling process undoubtedly produced some of the charm, grace, and genuine niceness that I have found around me all my life.

Margaret Mitchell writes of the transition from proud to humble so poignantly in her prose... about that civilization that is gone with the wind. Those words uttered by Rhett Butler in the movie are not actually a direct quote from the book, but the essence of it is there. The movie is where I first heard the words "charm" and "grace" used in conjunction with one another. It apparently made a lasting impression. Aren't they wonderful words? They convey just what you really want life to be like. While we will never really know if Rhett found those things (yes I do realize he is a fictional character), we can make charm and grace a goal for our own lives.



What do the words Charm & Grace mean to you? To me, they speak of the desire for beauty in the daily things of life, sincerity in all my actions, a warmth and rhythm to life, a fondness for those around me, a gentleness with those I am just getting to know, a genuine care and concern for my neighbors... I could go on and on. I hope that those things are what you find when you visit me, my dear blog friends and neighbors!

Blessings,

A lump in the road....

Well, I thought I would share some of what has been going on with me for the past few months, unrelated to artwork, holidays, or kids. At the beginning of September, I discovered a large lump under my left arm. It did not hurt at all, but was fairly large. I don't know how long it had been there, but I had not noticed it before. After a series of doctor visits, ultrasounds, and mammograms, the latest doctor in the series of doctors assured me that he saw no cause for concern. He did, however, want to keep a close eye on things which required me coming in for subsequent visits. After the last of these which was also followed by the requisite dopplar ultrasound, there had still been no change. So the doctor recommended that, in lieu of the continuing visits, ultrasounds, mammograms, etc., he would go in and take out the offending lump and do a biopsy. So, this past Tuesday I went in for the outpatient procedure. I am the lucky recipient of a 2 1/2 inch incision under my arm, and later in the week I received the fabulous news that the lump (a lipoma) is nothing to be concerned about.

In all honesty, I must tell you that I really was not worried about it... in fact, I hardly thought about it at all. But then, I am not a worrier by nature. On the other hand, my mother-in-law, my mother, and my hubby all do enough worrying that I don't have to. Of course, this is all fresh for my mother-in-law who just two years ago completed chemo treatments for breast cancer herself. In her case, we all felt that her original doctor was not proactive enough. So she did not want the same thing to happen to me. And believe me, I am very thankful that these precious people love me like they do. I must tell you that I am also thankful to only be recovering from the incision and not having to make decisions about what kind of treatment comes next. Many people were caring and praying for me, and I want to give God the glory for answering those prayers.

I have many responsibilities as a wife and mother which I truly enjoy. But I haven't been able to do some of those the last few days. I am looking forward to getting back into a routine now and truly moving on from this "lump in the road."

Blessings to you all,

Thankful for a blessed 2009...

I am looking back over this past year and seeing how God has done some amazing things in my life, and I am truly thankful. I began the year preparing for my oldest son's graduation from high school and for entering the "art show" world (see this post). Winter was a really busy season getting all the things together to make sure that our graduate was prepared not only to graduate, but also to enter college (and made A's and one B his first semester of college, I might add). Then there was the Blogging Break (aka preparation for the art shows)... lots of drawing, painting, framing, and just general busy-ness. When I returned from the blogging break, I shared how much I had learned from the three art shows in which I had participated.

A really bright spot for me in 2009 happened when I found out that Nancy Lindemeyer had begun writing a blog. Then there was the onslaught of commissioned artwork that gave my spirits a real lift at the end of the year. It also confirmed for me that I have been following the path which the Lord has been leading me throughout this year. So, I am looking to the new year with anticipation and hope for what He will do. God has blessed each of us with spiritual gifts and also talents. I look forward to seeing what He does among us... it is sure to be above and beyond what we can imagine!

"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." - Ephesians 3:20-21