Sometimes you feel a special connection to a song each time you hear it. That’s how I feel about Erik Bledsoe’s “Unless The Lord.” I actually felt compelled to blog about it, so I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read on.

Erik and his wife are good friends of mine and Nate’s, and when we got a copy of his CD Love several months ago, our daughter fell in love with it and would calm down instantly in the car if we played it for her when she was cranky. So, we haven’t removed it since.  :)  Because of that, I’ve played it over and over, and I always start with Track 6.

The song is about how unless the Lord builds our house, it’s only a matter of time before it will fail. All of our efforts and striving is futile without the Lord’s hand of provision and protection over our families and activities. The bridge that truly spoke to me became special during the time between November 2011 and February 2012, while Nate and I were trying to get pregnant with a second child. These are the lyrics:

We sweat and we bleed
Time and again
To painfully care for the seed.

We do what we can
To water and plan
But it’s the Lord who makes it increase.

He can give to His beloved…. while we sleep.

Now, Nate and I only tried for 3 months before we got a positive pregnancy test, but to a self-proclaimed control freak, that was 2 months too long.  After all, Juliet was conceived quite “easily” and I expected to just get pregnant again whenever I was good and ready. Ha! I think that God used this waiting time (and the disappointment we experienced after the first 3″failed” attempts) to bring me closer to Him and to learn to trust in HIM, not in my detailed timing and symptom tracking. Each time I heard that bridge, I was reminded (and sometimes brought to tears) that God can and will bless us in our sleep in His time. He loves us so much! His blessings may come in forms other than what we asked for or imagined, but they are always perfect.

We are expecting our second child in late October. We are overjoyed!

But you know what?  This meaning of this song extends so much farther than how I initially took it. In fact, I don’t believe that Erik even had conception in mind when he wrote the bridge. The truth is, we sweat and bleed, water and plan, do what we can in so many areas of our lives: Work life, home life, debt reduction, relationship building, and more, but do we remember that the Lord must bless it in order for our efforts to not be in vain? Nate and I are feverishly trying to pay off our mortgage, with a goal of a little over 2 years until payoff. We go to bed tired most nights because we parent and work most of the day, and then after Juliet goes to bed, we continue with working our new side business, MiniPolaroids.com…All to become 100% debt free so that we can live and give the way God is calling us to. My heart is to continue working hard while remembering that God is increasing our efforts, and He could make a way for us to be debt-free tomorrow if He chose to.

Are there areas of your life that you’ve been striving and feeling like you’re in control of? I hope you’ll take a moment to remember Who is truly able to make you succeed.

You can hear the song (and his others) and purchase anything you’d like here or from iTunes.

I got to take on a very challenging and REALLY fun project over Christmas: Painting another person into an incredible painting by Andy Thomas in a much looser style than I’m used to painting in. We have a friend who loves Andy’s painting, Grand Ol’ Gang (shown below).

The original painting by Andy Thomas

We thought he would flip out if he were painted INTO it, like he was just hanging out with the Presidents (and I happened to have sneaky access to some great head shots of him). So, I did a little research on the best way to do this and preserve the integrity of the giclee’ while matching the style of the painting. It turns out that me and acrylics still don’t get along, though they are recommended for painting on top of canvas prints. But, after a little more research and an intuition check, I decided to treat the area to be painted with clear gesso and then I painted on top with my beloved oils. Yay for finding a way!

The completed painting! Our friend likes to hang out with VIPs.

Below is a close-up of my portion of the painting. He was floored when he opened it for Christmas and it made all of the hours I spent making it perfect so worth it! I’m framing it for him this week.

Detail of my work

I’d love to know what you think about this project. Comment if you like it. Share it on Facebook if you love it. Thanks!

Who doesn’t love a fresh start?  I know that I do!  I revel in throwing clutter out, simplifying my life, and the hope that comes from knowing a solid goal has been made is incredibly empowering.

So, why do most people only make fresh starts on January 1st, or after a traumatic event such as a divorce or death?  If fresh starts are so wonderful, why don’t we decide to make them every month or even every 90 days?  For that matter, we could even revisit the same resolutions at regular intervals so that we can succeed this year.

Or, November 1st, March 27th, August 8th?

I’m writing this because I ate a ridiculous amount of sweets and other foods devoid of nutritional value this past week.  Anyone with me?  The truth is, my holiday gluttony was just the natural next step to my gradual shift from eating what I know to be good for me. A little sweet here, a little white flour there.  I used to be a health nut!  Now I’m more like an empty walnut shell with a brown sugar and cinnamon glaze.

So the day after Christmas, I decided I was done: I’m focusing on fruits and veggies for a solid week, and thinking through every food choice before I make it.  I’m not trying to conquer all of 2012 at one time.  Let’s be realistic, y’all.  But this week?  I’m going to WIN, and not like Charlie Sheen “wins.”  To wait until January 1st to make a decision that needs to be made now seems a little crazy.

So, do you have decisions you’re waiting to make for 5 more days?  Why not make them now?  Besides, if your goal is to get fit or lose weight, then you’ll get a few extra days of enjoying a deserted gym before the January 1 rolls around.

The Nashville Rescue Mission is an amazing organization that gives countless numbers of homeless men and women shelter, food, and hope.  They also have a life recovery program that allows those who are willing to experience lasting life change.

It was a graduate of this program that I used as a model in my latest painting The Hour I First Believed.  The Mission wanted to feature the painting and its story in their November issue, and I was honored to be interviewed and able to share it.  65,000 people received the newsletter, and I’m excited to see how God will use this article!  You may read it in its entirety below.

Life & Art Intersect

Having volunteered at the Nashville Rescue Mission in the past, artist Kelly O’Neill knew exactly where to look for inspiration when God prompted her to paint her most recent painting, The Hour I First Believed.

God the Creator

“I was singing Amazing Grace at church when a vivid memory of singing the song with my grandfather shortly before his death came to me,” shares Kelly. “It had been seven years, but as I sang the words my grandfather lived and believed—‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed.’ I saw what I knew would be my next painting, as clearly in my mind as if it was already completed.”

As with most of her “God-inspired paintings,” Kelly knew that not to paint it would be disobedience. It was important to Kelly she use a model who had truly experienced God’s transforming grace.

“After hearing so many amazing stories of transformation from both men and women going through the Mission’s life-recovery program I knew this is where I’d find the right person to use in this painting,” said Kelly.

Free in Christ

“I envisioned a man, tattooed and masculine, shackled, but Christ is releasing his chains,” says Kelly. “It is the moment of his salvation…the hour he first believed. This was the painting God was telling me to paint. After talking with a couple of people at the Mission, I was directed to a young man named Chris who was in their life recovery program. Not only did Chris look the part, but he also had a compelling story of transformation.

“The Hour I First Believed is a painting that depicts freedom. It is a freedom that is available to every person who accepts Christ as their Savior. Romans 3:23-24 says ‘…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.’”

“I’m donating my first copy of this painting to the Nashville Rescue Mission,” shares Kelly. “How God uses my paintings is always a wonderful mystery to me, but I can’t wait to see what He’ll do with this one! My hope is that it will inspire all who see it. And if it draws someone to the Mission to either serve or be served, there is no doubt they will be blessed.”

To read Chris’s testimony, visit Kelly’s blog.  You may also purchase canvas prints of the painting in her online store.

My Most Recent Charcoal Portrait

You may have seen my last drawing of Ethan. The cuties below are his cousins! These drawings will be Christmas gifts for my customer’s sisters, so it’s sure to be a special holiday for his family.

Want to Give a Sentimental Gift This Christmas?

Tis’ my busy season, so I can only accept 2 or 3 more commission requests to complete in time for Christmas. If you’re considering a portrait this year or next, go ahead and get on my waiting list for 50% off to save! Otherwise, spread the word and earn some Referral Love Cash ($100-$300 per referral).

Thanks for stopping by! It means a lot.

My Latest Charcoal Portrait

I recently had the joy of drawing a cute little kiddo named Ethan.  The drawing will be a Christmas gift to my customer’s sister, and he is also having me draw his two nieces as well, which I’ll post soon.

Is he not the cutest thing?  (Well, the cutest thing not related to me at least) I think there’s a Mama rule about thinking your own children are the most precious, right?

Christmas Gift Idea!

Have you been wondering what to get someone in your life who already seems to already have everything?  It’s not too late to place your portrait order for Christmas, and now you’ll receive extra perks like free matting (for drawings) and framing (for paintings) as well as two free prints of your portrait to keep or give as gifts!  I have to stop taking Christmas orders sometimes as early as the last week of November in order to complete them all in time for the holidays.

Want to Save 50% On Your Portrait?

I’ve started a scholarship program!  It’s basically this:

I discount 1 drawing commission per month and 1 painting commission per quarter by half of my posted portrait prices. 

The discounts are given on a waiting list basis, but since I’ve just implemented the program, the list isn’t long yet (Lucky you!) If you’re considering a portrait this year or next, go ahead and get on the list for substantial savings.  Otherwise, spread the word and earn some Referral Love Cash  ($100-$300 per referral)!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, so I think it’s the perfect time to share a video that our team has been working on for quite some time: Behind The Scenes of my painting Mine For a Moment, which I painted after I lost a friend to cancer.

I’m excited that it’s finished, and that we now have a beautiful, moving way to present what this painting is all about, and remind people of our mission. From the beginning, we’ve been giving lithographs of Mine For a Moment away to people who have experienced personal loss or are working through grief in any form.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OCXSz1GrVI

I’m amazed at how God has used this painting already to help bring peace to the couple who lost their child, the woman whose father passed away from cancer, and even a dear lady who had envisioned this exact scene at a retreat to help deal with aborting her baby over 30 years ago. (Read that story here.)

Mine For a Moment - Oil on Canvas

I hope that you’ll share this video on Facebook, Twitter, or by email.  Prints may be requested or donated to a friend either by visiting the Mine For a Moment website. More purchase options are available on TheArtistOfLife.com.

Cancer isn’t just something I hear about on the news or from a friend.  It’s very real to me now.  My Dad recently became cancer free after a year of waiting, treatment, and then finally receiving the great news that the cells were gone!  I’m grateful for the advances that are being made in medicine and treatment.  Consider taking this month and getting involved in the fight against cancer prevention and treatment.  Visit Susan G. Komen’s website for a great place to start.

I had way too much fun with these and…. I may be officially addicted.  After stumbling across a post about miniature magnets, I knew I had to turn some of my stunning photos of my daughter Juliet into teensy, fun Polaroid photo magnets! Thanks to The Velvet Trunk for the awesome photos, by the way.

Three of my favorite completed magnets

Step 1: Pick the Photos

First, my husband and I picked out our favorite photos of our daughter from birth until now.  (We ended up with over 40 of them.)

Step 2: Make them “Polaroids”

Then we scanned a Polaroid photo, cleaned it up a bit, sized it down to 1.5 in. wide and plugged in our photos in Photoshop, making several sheets of them and having them printed as 8x10s.

25 colorful depictions of cuteness

Step 3: Cut Them Out

Next, we cut out the photos.  Nate had to remind me several times that they didn’t have to be perfect.

These make me smile!

Step 4: Cut Your Backing

You can use any type of backing you want.  We used foam core.

With how many magnets we made, I was thankful to have great tools for this step.

Step 5: Secure everything properly

We’ve since experimented with different glues and different magnets to come up with the most secure and cost-effective way to do these, but below you can see our first attempts.

Dry time is about 20 minutes with rubber cement

Step 6: Enjoy!

And finally, we put them all on our fridge and stepped back in wonder (seriously).

Magnetic amazingness

Order Your Own

We had so much fun making these, and realized that it could become a side business, so we’re selling them (along with several other fun photo items) on Etsy now!  You may visit my shop here.

Amazing Grace…

I’m walking down a familiar hallway for what I know will be one of the last times. I’ve come to visit my sweet, 94 year old granddaddy.  He greets me with a warm, toothless smile.  He’s frail, but strong in spirit.  He’s been longing for heaven for some time now, even telling us that he sees the gates and angels that await him. “Let’s sing,” he says.  I ask what he wants to sing, and he chooses “Amazing Grace,” his favorite. Together, we sing the words that he truly believes.  He has experienced so much of God’s grace in his 94 years, and though he mixes up some of the words now, we had a moment together that day that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.  We had only two more visits after that.

“’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved.  How precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed.”  Seven years later, as I sing these words now in worship, as always I remember my granddaddy.  But this time, I also see what I know will be my next painting, as clearly in my mind as if it was already completed.

The Hour I First Believed

A man, tattooed and masculine, is shackled, but Christ is releasing his chains.  It is the moment of his salvation… the hour he first believed.

As with most of my “God paintings,” I knew that to not paint it would be disobedience. However, I wanted to use a model who had truly experienced God’s transforming grace so I started looking.  I called the Nashville Rescue Mission that has a rehabilitation program for breaking addictions, and they directed me to a young man named Chris.

Chris’s Story

Chris came from a home where he always felt loved.  However, at the tender age of eight, he encountered marijuana, and began smoking.  By thirteen, he had moved on to abusing prescription drugs and narcotics.  At 16, he was arrested for possession, and began dealing drugs to others.  During the next 6 years, Chris led a life of utter debauchery: a 6-month drug binge, multiple overdoses, being forced by a judge to enlist in the Navy only to go AWOL, and a marriage that dissolved into the “swinging” lifestyle.  By the time his wife became pregnant, Chris had begun dealing cocaine, making $200,000 per month.  When she gave birth to their son, Chris was so busy partying and spending money that he eventually just paid her a weekly allowance to leave him alone.

Hitting Rock Bottom

During the next few months, Chris was involved in several stabbings.  During one fight, he even shot another man.  After spending all of his money on partying, he began living with friends, stealing from them to support his drug habit.  He got arrested for one of those thefts and went to jail. Upon his release, as a last resort, his parents dropped him off at the Nashville Rescue Mission.  He completed the program only at the insistence of his probation officer.

He had gone from being one of the most successful drug dealers in Virginia to being homeless, without even a change of clothes, in a rehab facility…and an intense anger set in.  For his entire life, Chris had been an atheist.  However, at the Mission he heard about God daily in devotions. The more he heard, the more he wanted to learn, and he dove in to God’s word with feverish intent. Near the end of his program, God finally became real to him and he gave his life over to Him. At that very moment, he was free!  Free from the bondage of his addictions and sinful life. Free from chasing after things of no eternal value. He now lives on his own and works as a landscaper, is working to get his son back, and is sharing what God did for him with whoever will listen:

“I’ve realized something looking back on my life: because I was so hard-headed, God allowed me to reach a high that most people will never see financially, then He let me hit rock bottom to humble me and allow me to find Him.  The testimony of my life is that, no matter how much you achieve, you have nothing if you don’t have God. I’m ready to start over and to love God with all of my heart and prove to the world that I AM someone who can make a difference in people’s lives.”

“The Hour I First Believed” is a painting that depicts freedom.  It is a freedom that every person who accepts Christ experiences, though one person may feel the weight of their former life more than another.

Romans 3:23-24 teaches us that “…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.

Set free!

Painting With Purpose

My hope is that this painting will be used in people’s lives who see it. How God uses my paintings is always a wonderful mystery to me, but I can’t wait to see what He’ll do with this one!  Please feel free to comment and share this with the people in your life.  Churches and ministries may use it after asking permission in their services or printed material. Canvas prints (full-sized at 30×24) are available on my website. Purchase one here!

If you’d like to see other paintings that God led me to create, please visit Paintings With Purpose.

We did it again! After our success with last year’s Pie Bake-off Competition at the Nolensville, TN 4th of July Celebration, we decided to enter again. And this year with two pies! While we were baking, we thought, “wouldn’t it be funny if both of them placed?” Well, they did: 1st and 2nd. And I saw a few of the other pies, and I must say I wasn’t confident afterwards! But, apparently the pies that we entered ranked high on taste (50%), appearance (25%), and creativity (25%).

This year, we decided to enter a Lemon Marble Cream pie, which tasted much like a zesty cheesecake. It featured lemon curd swirled onto the top, whipped cream and fresh raspberries. The crust was a delicious vanilla wafer crust with a lemon zest kick. The other pie was a variation of our Red, White, and Blueberry Cream Pie that placed 2nd last year.

I think my favorite part is the decorative lemon slice in the middle. Delicious food that's also pretty? Bonus!

At the request of many, I’m posting our recipe for this year’s 1st Place winner.  Enjoy!

Lemon Marble Cream Pie Recipe

Lemon Curd
-1 t finely grated lemon zest
-1/2 c fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons)
-1/2 c sugar
-3 eggs, beaten
-1/4 c butter, cubed

Note: We ended up having leftover lemon curd, so you can enjoy the remaining portion over some vanilla ice cream or on your favorite scone!

Vanilla Wafer Crumb Crust
-1 1/2 c vanilla wafer crumbs
-3/4 c almonds, toasted and finely crushed
-2 t lemon zest
-pinch of salt
-7 T melted butter

Lemon Cream Cheese Filling
-2 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened
-2/3 c sugar
-2 eggs
-1/2 c sour cream
-1/2 t vanilla
-1/2 t lemon extract
-Reserved Lemon Curd

Garnish
-1/2 c heavy whipping cream
-2 T powdered sugar
-1/2 t vanilla
-Fresh raspberries
-1 lemon, cut into thin slices and split

Prepare Lemon Curd: In a 1 1/2-qt saucepan, whisk together lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar. Whisk in eggs and butter. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking frequently for 7 minutes or until curd is thick. Remove from heat and use a sieve to strain curd into a small bowl. Remove 1/2 cup of Lemon Curd, reserving remaining Lemon Curd. Cool for 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick spray.

Prepare Vanilla Wafer Crumb Crust: In a medium mixing bowl, use a fork to toss together vanilla wafer crumbs, almonds, lemon zest, and salt. Stir in melted butter. Press mixture onto bottom and sides of prepared pie pan.

Bake for 12 minutes on bottom oven rack. Remove from oven and set aside.

Prepare Cream Cheese Filling: In a medium mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar at medium speed for 2 minutes or until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat at low speed until incorporated. Beat in sour cream, vanilla, and lemon extract. Beat in reserved Lemon Curd. Pour into baked crust. Dollop remaining 1/2 cup Lemon Curd onto Filling and swirl into Filling with a small knife or a chopstick. (See photo below of our pie at this stage.)

Bake for 30 minutes or until center is nearly set. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Cool for 2 hours. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Prepare Garnish: In a chilled, medium mixing bowl, beat whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla with a hand-held electric mixer, starting at lowest speed and increasing gradually each minute, until stiff peaks are formed. Using a star shaped icing tip, pipe whipped cream decoratively around border of pie. Decorate with fresh raspberries and lemon slices. Refrigerate until serving time.

The swirling was a team effort, and not without expecting perfection on my part. Nate brought me back to reality. After all, it's only lemon curd. Ha!