by Kimberly | Feb 23, 2014 | Arkansas
So much color filled the areas in the Statehouse Convention Center this weekend in downtown Little Rock. Local vendors and businesses were all there to help you figure out how you are were going to style your spring: for your body, home, yard, and dinner tables.
The Arkansas Women Bloggers, of whom I am a part, was asked to run the social media outlet for the AFGS. They did a fabulous job of welcoming attenders, answering questions, hosting guests, and being a friendly face at the front of the exhibit hall.
Our yard in West Little Rock right now is still dead. Its brown, yucky brown. It needs help. As we were pulling in this afternoon from church I saw the little green shoots of flowers in our backyard garden island. I can’t wait to see our bushes and flowering plants in full bloom. Our family was able to catch a glimpse of the colors that will be filling our yard as we ventured through the exhibit hall and up on the main floor where the award-winning plants were.
My favorite part of looking at flowers and marveling at their beauty is knowing the One who created them all. He designed every plant that has ever grown. We get to bask in the colors of the goodness God has blessed us with. That’s one of the reasons I look forward to spring. On our third date I remember my (now) husband and I walking through the Sarah P. Duke Gardens in Durham, NC. I took about a gazillion pictures of the masterful tulips. He just smiled and watched. I knew he was a keeper on that day.
So, when the buds start coming up in your back yard, sit back and watch them, admiring their beauty, and bless others with their goodness. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like to get flowers.
Note: I was given tickets to the Garden Show during a #bloggersinbloom event a few weeks ago. Thank you for the tickets – and all thoughts and photos are my own.
by Kimberly | Feb 10, 2014 | Arkansas, Bible, Books, Worship
I’m still reading through the OT and making lists of the God the people of the OT encountered, served, feared, and loved. I am loving seeing how God interacts with his people. I know that He is the same God today as he was 8000 years ago.
Currently, I’m in Leviticus, and its not very exciting reading – but still I see that God talks to his people and tells us how we can please him. I see him showing mercy. Here are seven things that I learned this past week.
1. God has a purpose for color. I saw this as I attended the Bloggers in Bloom event last week and as I await the Arkansas Flower and Garden Show. The reports in Exodus about color is that God intended certain aspects of the temple and of the worshiper’s attire to be a certain color. He is an exact and detailed God. But, how he uses color now for our benefits are different. He uses color to express warmth and invitation. He uses color to express that winter is over and spring is finally here. He uses color to brighten moods and take away frowns. All of these are great reasons to use color in your home, kitchen (in what you cook), and in your wardrobe.
2. God is a free-ing God. The If:Gathering was this weekend, and although I wasn’t able to attend in Texas, I was grateful for one of my friends, Sharon Miller, who posted some of her favorite quotes. I particularly loved this one by Christine Caine: “You came out of Egypt, but Egypt is still in you. But God wants to get Egypt out of you so we can walk into the Promised Land free.” This basically means that we desire so often to return to what God has freed us from. But, how much better life would be if we never turned back and desired the old ball-and-chain!
3. The Lord shows mercy to stiff-necked people. I’m not talking about chiropractic care (though I love mine in Raleigh), but I’m talking about the mercy that he shows us when we refuse to give up our sinful ways, when we balk at his correction, when we settle for every day ho hum when he has called us to live the extraordinary!
4. God gives gifts to people to use for his glory! Let’s take a look at the oil maker in Exodus 37. God gave him the talents and abilities to make oil so that a particular type of oil might be used in the worship of God! That is so cool to me. That God might give me a particular gift that I can use to bring God glory in our home, in the local church, and in the church around the country and world. That gets me excited!
5. The Lord requires sacrifice for sin. I often thought in reading all of the lists for sacrifices that I’m glad that Jesus paid my sacrifice once for all so that I don’t have to sacrifice daily or weekly or yearly or anything to recompense for my sin. The perfect Christ already did that! Oh what a blessing. And this is how we can use the Old Testament, even in Leviticus, to teach others about the beauty of the Gospel and that the whole Bible points us to Jesus!
6. The Lord tells us what is pleasing to Him. He has given us His Word. That Word, the Bible, is sufficient in us knowing what it means to please Him. In one way, we stand before God because the Son has pleased the Father in his death and resurrection. But, we still try to please God in our actions. Not for acceptance. No, but for his pleasure.
7. God shows his glory to his people. He did this many times for Moses, and He dwelt in the Tabernacle with his people. How we might long for that. Do you long for Heaven? Do you long to be worshiping and singing where God and Jesus and the Spirit are front and center? I was reading a Donald Miller article about why he doesn’t feel the need for church and the first paragraph – singing really isn’t my thing – I just don’t like it. It made me sad for him because Heaven will have singing in it. We will get to sing to the Lamb! Moses’ song will be sung there!
How are your devotions going? Do you find them dead and lifeless? Or do you long to meet with God every day? I’m not quite to the last one – but I am finding the more time I am in the Word the more I want to be in the Word.
by Kimberly | Feb 5, 2014 | Arkansas, creatives, Events, Festivals, Uncategorized
(This post has a giveaway at the end! Please comment for a chance to win. The AFGS provided me with these tickets at no cost to me and all opinions are my own. Thankful for their generosity and I look forward to the event to see the beauty that will be displayed.)
All day the city of Little Rock looked like a frozen glass house. Ice was on every tree limb and wire. But, at a blogging and flower and foodie event: it was warm and colorful inside.
Last night I went to a wonderful event hosted at a lovely home here in Little Rock. It was all about flowers, food, spring, the Arkansas Flower and Garden Show (coming up in a few weeks), warm weather, friends, and wine & food pairings. What a night filled with beautiful color and helpful information and prime rib and salmon (oh the salmon)!
For me, the night was about color.
Yellow is such an inviting color. Have it in your guest room, your entry way, or anywhere in your home where you would like people to feel completely welcome.Art can make a statement.
The owners of the home we were invited in to love art. There was a piece on every wall. Gorgeous ways to bring in color to your home.
Strawberries and black pepper – new fave combination!
I had on a pink scarf and there was so much purple in the room – love it! All these different hues found everywhere at the event!
I’ve been reading in Exodus in my devotions about how God was detailing the colors for the tabernacle. I love God gave us colors and instructed us to use them in worshiping Him! He is a colorful, creative God!
The last thing I learned was later when I was talking with my husband about the event: make sure your home tells what is really the most important thing in life. When people come in your home – what will they remember? What will their takeaway be?
And I have a giveaway for you!!! Thankful for the free tickets to the Arkansas Flower and Garden Show. I have three pairs to giveaway to readers! So, if you are going to be able to attend the event at the Statehouse in a few weeks, leave a comment below (only blog comments will count) about your favorite flower and how you bring it into your home to brighten up the blah months of winter. I will pick three winners who will each get a pair of tickets to the event. Thank you AFGS!!! I can’t wait to attend the event on Friday morning with my family! And if you have Sunday afternoon available – it is going to be a great time for the youngest gardeners out there!
So thankful for the Arkansas Flower and Garden Show, the owners of Colonial Wine and Spirits, Chris Olson and his talents for making flowers come to life inside your home, and the Arkansas Women Bloggers, and all those who gave us such lovely SWAG for this wonderful event.
by Kimberly | Jan 28, 2014 | Arkansas, photo shoot
Thanks to Groupon and splurging on the benefits of the Christmas season, the Mister and I gifted ourselves with 2 nights away this past December. What a delight and may become a tradition for us. It is a busy season in ministry and it is a perfect time to getaway with your love.
One of the nights of our getaway we stayed in a sweet bed and breakfast. Forget the tuille and Victorian everything – no, this one was more our style: relaxed and delicious and quiet. We loved the food, the location (even though it was cold), and the comfy room. In some bed and breakfasts, the food doesn’t live up to reputation: but this one left nothing to be desired. We broke fast on a delicious pineapple and pomegranate salad then feasted on herbed potatoes and a Monte Cristo that was perfectly cooked.
Our first floor room was complete with a deck that led out to the lake and a shower that I would love to have in our master bath at home. There was a library to “checkout” books and seats throughout the home that would invite you to sit and stay for hours.
I long to go back there in the warmer months to enjoy the lake: the birds, the canoe, and the sun and swings.
Thank you Lookout Point! It was delightful!
by Kimberly | Jan 28, 2014 | Arkansas
Over the summer the Mister and I took a “babymoon” to downtown Little Rock to do some exploring without the kiddos. One of the places we stopped by was this beautiful old mansion in the heart of downtown that is perfect for weddings, dinner parties, or photography sessions. I loved the details found in the lace curtains, the dishes laying around, the rugs, and sitting spots perfectly located near bright open windows with rays of sunshine pouring in.
If you need a place to take your bridal shots or wedding party planning – check out Trapnall Hall. You won’t be disappointed.
by Kimberly | Dec 14, 2013 | Arkansas
Oops I missed posting yesterday. It was a busy day in December, so I didn’t sit down at my computer all day. I had a haircut, errands to run, a nutrition appt with the younger little, then hanging out with my family, then date night with some friends. But, that is how I got the idea for today’s post.
Enjoy the pictures. They were taken at the Old State House Arkansas Chamber Singers Christmas concert. We went with some friends of ours who live down the street and work with my husband. Dinner and a show. The concert was great – they sound beautiful. The OSH was beautifully and simply decorated for Christmas.
One of the pieces the Singers did was done (the music) by one of their own. But, the poetry came from this guy: David Keig. It is called A Christmas Tree. Here is one of the lines. I’ll be writing more on this line later, but this is the line that stuck with me the most from that song:
“with dark green needled memories”
What Christmas memories do you have around the tree?
