creativity in bloom

Next Saturday good things are happening in Fullerton.  For months now photographer Trever Hoehne and I have been planning and dreaming up this interactive, collaborative, and whole-heartedly creative workshop.  Our dreams center around the belief that we're all innately creative, hardwired to see beauty in things, find connection, speak boldly about the way things are meant to be.  Also, the belief that many of us are actually so gifted that we sail by on our talents, neglecting the process of discipline that leads to creative health and sustainability.  

We compared notes and saw a pattern.  We each know mountains of wonderful creative people who are capable of so much more.  They long for it and even share stories about wanting to get to the next level in their work.  They want to find joy in creating again, realizing its been years since they've been allowed to "play."

We both know these tendencies.  We've lived them in our own creative story lines.  And together we believe we can walk with you, share some things we've picked up along the way, and discover an entirely new aptitude for making beautiful things.  We will paint, sketch, collage, write, collaborate.  There will be time for Q&A and sharing of stories.  This will be a time to truly recover some of the parts of yourself that have been skipped over, left behind, forgotten --- and are desperately ready to spring to life in you!

So, Saturday March 17 from 10am-3pm we are teaching a creativity workshop at PAS Gallery.  We would love to meet you!  We provide all the materials needed, you just show up ready to BLOOM.  Space is limited and filling up quickly.  You can learn more and sign up at the link [here] and if someone you know could benefit from such an event, pass the link on.  The world needs our art because it is our truth.  Let's bring it our best creative selves.

letter b

Dear Ghana babe,

Tonight I read Emerson a book about bats we picked up from the library.  I can't wait until you can make those book trips with us!  Your brother is obsessed with bats and most other creepy things, just you wait. . . 

As I read this book tonight I realized it told the story of a little bat who lost his mama.  Another mama bat cried out for a baby and somehow, they found each other.  This story made me think of you (as I have been all day) but especially in that moment, as I talked with Emerson about you and the love we have for you already.  Praying for you my love, and wishing I could hold you tonight. 

Love you,

mama

friday emersonisms

a video explosion.  happy friday!

be brave and courageous

For the season of Lent, Steve and I are choosing to eat as the children in Ghana eat.  Our hope is that this will bring unity to us as we pray and wait for our adoption process to move forward.  Mostly, this means meals will consist of rice and beans, with the occasional salad or chicken thrown in.  No sweets, no variety, no fast food.  

As soon as we began the process, I knew it was going to be hard for me on many levels.  It makes the ache I'm feeling more intense because I really do feel more connected to our little one.  I have to talk myself out of the downward spiral of desperation as I think about how much of this is out of our control.  It is forcing me into submission, slowness, into waiting with expectancy.  

Lent is the time to give up our conveniences so that we can make space for our Creator to be all that we need.  Its an opportunity to refocus and regain perspective.  A way to make a fresh start.  We haven't always practiced it, and I know not everyone who reads this does as well.  That is okay.  More than okay, actually.  I love the diversity of blog world, the accessibility of it.  I hope that this glance into what our family is choosing to do will only inspire good things for you.  

Every day during Lent (this is my goal although I may fall short!) I plan to write a little note to our Ghana babe.  Just a way to reach out and connect, affirm the good things we hope for him or her, and put my heart in the right place... I'm choosing to share these with you because I've found that community can be united through sharing.  Under the surface, we are all hoping and longing for something.  Sometimes hearing someone say, "Me too" can be an incredible gift.

Dear Ghana babe,

Today I imagine you standing in the yard, warm sun on your face, eyes twinkling with delight.  I imagine you playing tag and chase with other kids, your laugh trickling through the air so thick I can almost see it.  I like to imagine that as I pray for you my arms extend across the continents and you feel my embrace.  I pray today you find courage to stand up for what is right. Until the day I can be with you, I pray find yourself surrounded by gentle, loving, and good hearted people.  I pray you know you are desperately wanted and loved.

My love,

mama

photo via

weekend fun

Most of my weekends are normal. . . but every now and then the stars align and we find ourselves overwhelmed with fun in the best possible ways.  My talented photographer friend Whitney took some new family photos for us at my favorite beach, Crystal Cove.  

This place is pure magic. There are rocky tide pools filled with starfish and tiny crabs and colorful anemones, and a golden mist that settles on the shoreline as the sun settles into the sea.  The air is tinged with salt and jasmine and along the edges of the cliffs, houses with chipping paints of turquoise, yellow, and cream stake their claim.  A tiny beach bar plays sultry tunes from an era past as locals and guests sun on big striped towels on the beach.  Every time I am here my brain goes into vacation mode - without realizing it I exhale deeply and relax.  All of this and more is why I love it here, and why I was so happy to have new family memories captured here.  One snapshot is a behind the scenes, and one sneak peek - I can't wait to see the rest!

From there, we went home to pack for our trip to Portland.  I'd never been before, and that city has always been on my bucket list so I was especially thrilled to go.  Not only that but my mom flew in from Arizona to spend a few days hanging with Emerson while Steve and I took off for the trip.  Three days kid-free!  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

Steve was invited to speak at The Justice Conference, which is what brought us to Portland in the first place.  If you don't know about this conference, take a minute to learn more, it was a phenomenal convergence of incredibly intelligent and inspiring minds and hearts!

We had a great time riding the MAX (yay mass transit!), seeing the touristy sights (Voodoo Doughnuts!  Powell's Books!  Stumptown Coffee!) and eating at delicious places (okay, special thank you award goes to our friend Caleb who gave us the ultimate restaurant list.  Well done, you.  PS - my whole life is better because of those truffle fries.  Amen.)  

And although it rained for most of the trip (hey, it's Portland, right!?) we managed to laugh pretty much all day every day.  So much life.  

You know it's been a good trip when you are a little bit sad to be checking out already and a little bit achy to be back home.  It was the perfect amount of time to be gone and by the time we boarded that plane back to Orange County, I was more than ready to hold my baby again.  

      Much to be grateful for.

spark: carry me home

One thing you may not know about my husband is that he is a very talented writer.  Because so much of his work is based on speaking on Sundays and researching and connecting during the week, he seldom writes for blogs and such.  However, somewhere buried down deep is a hope to one day write consistently on a blog, and perhaps even write. a. book.  Weeee!

He is also in the midst of his grad program and recently was given an assignment involving rewriting a psalm.  I was so in love with each word that I just had to share with you!  Seek creativity and be inspired always. . .

...

Psalm 27
(Of David and Steve.)
In the beginning was chaos
And you proclaimed, “Let there be light.”
You brought order to the chaos.
Salvation to the darkness.
You are life.
The ground of my being.
Why shall I fear?
When fear overtakes those chosen to care for me,
when they choose to flee,
and when darkness is once again over the surface of the deep
may I remember your spirit is hovering above.
When I feel alone
may I not choose fear;
but be filled with the confidence that you will once again proclaim
“Let there be light.”
One thing I ask Lord is though my father has left me
that I may dwell with you all the days of my life.
That I may be moved to awe and wonder. 
Seeking you in your presence.
In the midst of chaos,
keep me close to your chest.
Carry me home.
In your arms I will lift my head high.
I will sing songs filled with holy bragging
shouting out that rescue is possible.
Continue to hear my cries Father.
Hear my questions and let me continue to be with you.
My heart longs for order.
For answers.
For peace.
For light.
I will seek you.
Please don’t abandon me.
Don’t leave me to myself.
You have been my light.
Though my father rejected me
you Lord received me.
Teach me to do the same Lord.
In the midst of chaos
To not let darkness win.
To proclaim “Let there be light.”
May I follow that light
because it is better than any way my oppressors choose to live.
Do not turn me over to my fears.
May I remember you chose me.
You rescued me.
May I not let false witnesses rise up
speaking lies.
I will remain grounded in the goodness of my Father.
No matter how long I need to wait.
I will be strong, take heart and wait for the Lord
knowing light brings order to all things.


...

friday emersonisms

Oh Emerson.  What can be said?  He is still running around the house pretending to be Nigel Marven.  He still believes he is a zoologist, and animal rescuer, and a dog trainer on the side.   And Batman.  He is quite busy, you see.

He believes he has invisible power, apparently he can access this power by touching his tummy, so he plays tag and then slaps his belly and yells "Invisible Power!!" so the 'kids can't see him.'  

"Mama, if the bank ever runs out of money, I will share with them.  I have twenty million dollars at my other house in San Diego."

After taking a bite of chocolate cake, he politely took my hand and said, "I tried it, and sure its good.  But its just not my taste, sorry!"

and in that freedom bold

I've been thinking a lot about the word "bloom."  A while ago my friend Shauna asked her readers to share their favorite words, and reading the responses was incredibly inspiring.  Written word is powerful.  It has the ability to travel, as once we've put something down onto paper, it takes on a life of its own.  If only we treated the words that come out of our mouths with that kind of respect.  Sound travels.  The words we speak carry and there are some theories that they never really stop, tiny waves and nuances bouncing from space to space, forever.  To consider this sort of makes me rethink the words I choose to put out there.  We might be literally filling the air with love or hate depending on what we say and our motives for saying it.  

Bloom has always been a favorite word of mine.  Fresh, wild, fragrant, fragile, ambitious.  These all come to mind when I think of something blooming.  New life, a struggle to push roots into the blackness of the earth, stretching blindly for water, winding past stones and hard patches.  Then turning eyes toward the surface, seeking desperately to see the face of the sun.  An effort, a battle, to shoot up, uncurl leaves and petals, and finally to bloom.  I've always thought flowers look to be reaching up to the heavens with everything they've got.  Pointing upward, like tiny rainbow reminders to turn our eyes up to our Creator.  

We have a freedom in this country that most of the rest of the world envies.  And yet so many of us live in our own kinds of bondage.  There are lies, obstacles, circumstances that keep us from looking up and reaching our full potential.  Mostly, we are scared and so remain only roots squirming aimlessly in the ground.  What would it look like for us to become dissatisfied with our underground existence and attempt to push to the surface.  What would it look like to be free down to our roots.  And in that freedom, to be bold.  

Today may we find the courage to bloom.

remnant dress giveaway WINNER!

Congrats to Debra Lee who is the winner of the Remnant Dress Giveaway!  Thanks to all who entered and helped spread the word about this great company.  If you are looking for great dresses for little girls, check them out.  For every dress sold, another is donated to orphans in Ghana and Haiti, and the profits go to helping an adoptive family bring home their two little girls from Ghana.  Such great things!

friday emersonisms

So Emerson's current favorite show features a man called Nigel Marven, who leads you on an exploration of prehistoric lands, Walk with Dinosaurs.  He asks to watch it every day, and sits enthralled, naming each dinosaur and rattling off facts about whether they are herbivores, theropods, travel in packs... I am in serious awe of this kid's ability to recall information.  He has a photographic brain just like his daddy.  I, on the other hand, can barely remember what I had for breakfast most days.  He runs around the house pretending to be Nigel, he insists we call him Nigel, and says when he grows up he wants to be a zoologist, like Nigel.

Ladies and gents, I present Emerson's hero, Nigel Marven:

true story

Lately, Emerson is in the habit of saying, "true story" before or after he tells us something.  It is hilarious.  The funny thing is, now I catch myself doing it.  I'm not trying to be ironic or act younger than I am.  I know I shouldn't be saying it, I know it makes me look tacky when I'm in public telling someone about the print I just bought that I love - true story.  I can't really help myself.  These things happen when you're around forty one pounds of cuteness all day.

This picture? My house, true story.  Crooked frames, toys scattered, couch running amiss.  Let's just not mention that it's currently one in the afternoon and my son is still in his Spiderman jams, shall we?  These things happen.  True story (See!? Sorry.)

Speaking of truth, some amazing things have happened in our adoption process as of late.  Back in August we applied for a grant our friend told us about.  We filled out the paper work, waited anxiously by our phones for a few weeks, then forgot about it.  Then in late January we got a call saying we'd been selected to receive a grant for $8,500 for our adoption.  Amazing!  The even more amazing part is that we'd already paid much of our agency fees and our remaining balance with them was $3,500.  So, the overflow will be placed in our adoption account for when we need to purchase tickets to travel to Ghana.  

We still don't know if we'll need to take one trip or two, and that will greatly affect the amount we still need to raise.  But, regardless, we are more than floored to look at all that has been given to us to get where we are.  Truly, when your heart lights up about something and you trust it - when you feel called into something - there will be a way to get to the other side.  God provides.  Our story has been one to put that on display.   

And in the midst of the daily routines, the laundry, the messes we clean up, dishes in the sink and crumbs on the table, in the midst of all those things there is a greater true story happening for each of us.  There is something, whether it blazes from our every pore or is buried deep down in us, there is something that lights us up.  Usually it's the things that get us angry, like some injustice we encounter, that lead to the very things we care about.  I never thought my compassion and empathy for those affected by the Haitian earthquake would lead to us adopting a child internationally, but it did.  I never thought that adopting a child internationally would lead to investing heart, pocket, and soul into a non-profit bent on rescuing children out of slavery, but it did.  

We never know where these things will take us.  But I can say with full confidence that I cannot imagine my life without these passions in it.  They are so connected to who I am, what I care for - what I'm living for.  On the outside my life is humble, small, mundane.  But we all know that the buzz of a regular life is really a secret code for "here lives the most magical of creatures and super heros living the greatest love story of all time."  True. Story.

quote credit*

#janphotoaday

So every once in a while, I'd see a few friends post pictures on their walls or twitter feeds with the #photoaday hashtags.  I was confused, amused, but really did not get what this business was all about.  Then in January I saw many of my Instagram pals were in on it and, being the new year and all, I decided to jump into the game.  Every day you have a different assignment, something to take a picture of, then post it for the world (your friends) to see.  

I loved seeing little glimpses into the lives of friends near and far, and having something to check off a list everyday was also embarrassingly cathartic for this mama.  Not to mention, I had a perfect excuse to take lots of pictures of the ones I love.  #febphotoaday is already underway, and I think I'm going to like this project.  If you're playing along too, you can follow me on twitter or Instagram at heysarahcarter, and I'd love to see what you're coming up with so feel free to leave a comment with links to your pics!  

a giveaway >> remnant dresses!

Friends, by now you know I love it when I come across a person who is using their gifts to bless others. Creativity is meant to be shared and when I heard about The Remnant Dress I had to find a way to get the word out about them.  So you ask… what is a remnant dress? A remnant dress is one made with love from leftover fabric “remnants.” Kristin Miller, another mama who is adopting from Ghana, is selling these dresses to help fund their adoption.

Additionally, for each dress purchased, a SECOND dress will be given to a girl living in orphanages in Ghana and Haiti.  What a great concept!  Each dress is $30 with $5 shipping, and sizes run from 1T-12.  Go to their facebook page to check out all the available dresses in each size, leave a comment on the photo of the dress you like and they will get in touch to help you place your order.  When you purchase you'll be helping a family bring their children home, gifting an orphan with a darling new dress, and gaining a super cute dress for your own little one as well! These also make great gifts, I've already bought three of them for the little girls in my life.  

<--- The giveaway:  Okay, up to WIN is one size 3T Remnant Dress, this is SO cute!  To enter, simply leave a comment sharing a name or link to your favorite socially conscious shop or organization.  Contest starts now and ends on 2.12.12 at midnight.  I'll announce the winner on Monday 2.13.  

Okay, ready... GO!

pretty prints

I really love having meaningful, inspirational art surrounding my work space.  I find I'm more productive when I have visually interesting things around me.  Have you found this to be true for you?  Here are a few prints I'm loving right now:

photos via

friday emersonisms

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words:

Happy Weekend!!