Craftastic! ...

This is a hilarious video by my favorite craft diva, Leslie Hall - she's the cheesiest! ... Enjoy =)





**if you are coming in via Facebook, you'll have to go to my blog at www.sophiacarolina.blogspot.com to watch the video**

Art Therapy ...

I'm feeling pretty crummy today - it's probably just a sinus infection, I'll be just fine after I get some drugs. So I thought I'd cheer myself up with a potent dose of cuteness with some original art by Natalie, my 10 yr old daughter and Emily who is 12. Natalie has been using Adobe Illustrator and she's getting really proficient, she made the kitty's and snail. Emily is really great at writing, she has a great blog at www.emilycarolina.blogspot.com and she is amazing with clay, she made the bunny and mini robot, the girls have shops on etsy, click here for Emily's and here for Natalie's, take a peek and maybe you would like to buy some of their creations, they are raising money to go to camp this summer.

The girls really inspire me with their creativity, so one day while they were "creating" I got in the mood to make something too.

I named my new doll "Mochi" and she's making me feel better already.

Do you need to get back home? ...

I found this on Jesus Manifesto today and found it interesting. I think it's good to reflect on where we are and the more important question, is it where you want to be?


A PIRATE LOST AT SEA

It is hard to use a star chart in the city,

As a pirate in the age of SUVs.

The bills stack up, the pipes back up,

Your ship is sinking under all the weight.

It is hard to be a mystic in the milieu,

You seek a path, and then you rush right past it.

From the shore your captain waves,

“Come ashore and rest,” he begs,

But you’re busy with the map, too dense to hear him.

It is hard to be still when each sinew

Within you wants to scream and cry and grasp.

To force your own solution, to demand a substitution

When all you really had to do was ask.

It is tricky when the Wind is trying to send you

Where you want to go, but you refuse to yield.

You are tacking instead,

Backing up, lost in your head,

Looking toward those greener pastures,

Serving way too many masters,

Out of earshot of the calling of a friend.

Hearth and home are far away, around the corner,

You come home each night, but never really live there.

For you’re still out on the seas –

Missed the forest for the trees –

You keep taking, but you’ve nothing left to offer.

Cast your fate upon the shore of severe mercy.

The only way to get back home is burn your map.

Sail on back and get your captain.

Let him be the peace you’re wrapped in.

Turn around now, you’ve sailed into a trap.

Keep Loving Well ...

Last week I had such a heart softening experience while attending a little mini concert performed by my new friend Kate White, (a gifted singer, song writer, violinist) at a local drug rehab shelter in my neighborhood. I was also there with my good friends & NieuCommunties team mates Laurie & Brittany. As Kate shared her music and her personal story she let these women know in such a beautiful and heartfelt way that they can make it through this time of struggle and that there is a God that loves and cares about them and with Him they can find endurance, hope and peace.

And because of this, an amazing event occurred in a little 300 sf foot room in Golden Hill. I can't possibly communicate to you the unforgettable and inspiring evening that it was. At the end of the concert, we were about to say our goodbyes when one woman asked Kate a question; "How can I be saved?" and within 15 seconds a circle formed of about 30 women who all wanted to give their lives to God. It was of the most spectacular things I've ever witnessed.

So after a prayer that these women so enthusiastically shouted we ended up staying a while to hear their stories and pray individually. There were lots of hugs and tears, and I was humbled and felt like God was letting us all have a peek into what He is already doing in this little corner of the world. A world that I knew nothing about. So now that I know, I have a responsibility to care.

So with this on my mind, I came across this song from the 90's by Tears for Fears and love the words that even include reflection on what's going on with the struggles that most of us have right now regarding our government & the economy. This song reminded me that what we are all required by God to do, even now in these uncertain times, is to keep sowing the seeds of love.




**if you are coming through Facebook, you'll need to go to my blog @ www.sophiacaroling.blogspot.com to be able to watch the video**

The Top Ten Reasons Why I Love Jon Hall ...

First of all, have you seen him??? This photo is for all you guys that teased Jon about his goofy "80's" pictures. This one proves you all wrong - he is so not a geek. He's amazingly handsome, both inside and out!

So in honor of Valentine's Day, I thought I'd share with you my top ten reasons why I love Jon Hall. There are actually hundreds of reasons, but I'll just share my Top Ten with you ...

ps. He'll be so appalled that I posted this for the world to see; but this is what he gets for marrying Ms. "I don't care" =)

!Feliz Dia De San Valentin Mi Amor!

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

1. He makes me laugh, a lot!

2. He really listens to me. (and certainly never falls asleep when I'm talking to him)

3. He has a beautiful smile & gorgeous green eyes.

4. He suffers through American Idol, Desperate Housewives, So You Think You Can Dance, Project Runway & What Not To Wear, just so that we can be together.

5. He plants my favorite flowers; hence the gardenia plant by the front door.

6. He makes me coffee almost every morning.

7. He is super intelligent, but doesn't flaunt it.

8. His love for God, his family and friends is immeasurable. He is unfailingly loyal, if you are his friend, you already know this.

9. He is honest, kind, thoughtful and full of integrity.

10. He is an amazing father! He loves his kids generously and his girls adore him. I pray the girls find men just like their daddy to marry someday.

And after 27 years, he is still my best friend and the man I want to grow old with.

So my hope is that even if you don't make a list to share with the entire internet, please make sure to let your husband, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, etc. know that they are loved and appreciated; not just today, but everyday.

Oh, wait! One more thing. I have a song to share. It's remake of one of my favorite 80's songs. Enjoy!

Questions ...

A good friend of our is dealing with some serious health issues and while I pray and ask God for a miracle, I also wonder why this friend? Why now?

When I was growing up, it wasn't O.K. to question God. Often I heard "It's God's will and we accept it." Occasionally, I did hear prayer for miracles, but when the healing didn't happen the blame shifted to either "you must have sinned and this is why you aren't being healed" OR "God just doesn't want to heal you." Neither sat very well with me. Maybe this is why the first 30 some years of my life I was terrified of God.

As I reflect on this, I think I've shifted radically in my beliefs about my relationship with God and how He feels about me asking "WHY?"

I think it's O.K., because as I look in the bible I see many examples of people asking why; For example, take a look at Job, like him I may have to wait for 40 chapters of my life to hear anything from God, and even then, it may not be what I ever thought I needed, but the 40 chapters of my life with God will have been worth it.

And then in Psalms, David questions God quite often and he was still greatly loved and blessed.

I suppose the sticky part is when we get lost in the question and never move on.

And another huge example; Jesus questioned God ... and that "Why?" didn’t keep him lost in the garden.

So maybe instead of just asking God “Why are things the way they are?” I need to say, “OK, because things are the way they are ... "what then should I do?"

True Love ...

Since it's February and I've been thinking a lot about "love" and the upcoming Valentine holiday, I thought it appropriate to share this amazing eulogy written by Scott Edelman (a gifted writer & editor) on the passing of his father last month.

If only I could do half as well with communicating my love to Jon and the girls.

Scott Edelman spoke these words at his father's funeral;

I have known my father, really known him, for all of my life. Not every child is lucky enough to have been able to say that.

Some children miss out on their fathers because they decide to be physically absent, choosing work or hobbies over spending time with their kids. Other parents are emotionally absent, not letting their children see that they even have emotions, hiding who they really are, maybe because they are embarrassed by their feelings, or afraid that real men don't cry, or hug, or kiss their children.

With my father, I wanted for nothing. Dad was always there for me in both body and spirit, showing me by his living example what it was like to be a father and a husband, that it was possible for a man to show tenderness, to be unafraid of open affection with his children, and to be a loving husband. He was selfless with us all.

It is impossible to speak of my father without also speaking of my mother, because they were one. Together, they showed me what true love was like, taught me what a marriage should be. Dad loved us all more than he loved himself. When it became too hard for him to live on, the pain that was the greatest for him was never his own, but rather the pain that he saw in us.

At tragic times like these, so many families are worried about all the things left unsaid because they were not brave enough to say them and they ran out of time.

We were lucky, because of my father's openness, in that we always said to each other what needed to be said from the moment I was born. There are no regrets about that thanks to his openness, his willingness, his understanding and his love.

But the most important thing I can say about my father is that through our relationship he was able to spare me the void that so many men have in themselves.

The world is filled with adult men who never heard their father say “I love you,” who wonder throughout their lives whether they were loved. I talk to friends about this and see it in magazines and newspapers, and I have always been amazed by this. My father spared me from this wound that many men walk around with.

I never doubted that he loved me. He told me so whenever we spoke. We always hugged. When we were children, because he had to leave for work before we left for school, he would leave notes for us to find each morning to let us know how much he loved us. We kissed on the lips whenever we first saw each other, and when we parted. I never doubted my father's love.

That is the greatest gift that a father can give to his son. I consider it a miracle that he had the strength of spirit to be able to give to me what he was never given himself.

I will always love you and I will always miss you.