Amsterdam bound

Amsterdam bound. Yes, I am, thanks to a dear friend who asked if I would join her on the Missions Focused trip with our church. With this trip, we will learn from our pastor, Jeff Adams, who will teach us about the missionary view and cultural sensitivity. I have heard of so many life-changing experiences [...]

Art Journal Morphing

First Fridays at VERONICA’s Voice are so much fun. The art journaling class has morphed into a general art class due to necessity. I found it difficult to explore new art journaling techniques when so many times the women in class did not have their journals or had not begun one yet. Many times the [...]

My daughter, the teacher

While I was away at Artfest filling my head with creative things, my daughter became the teacher for the art journaling class at VERONICA’s Voice. She did a wonderful job leading and teaching and guiding.  Here’s the mosaic collage technique she demonstrated that day:
She sketched out the tree for placement, then added the color. [...]

Merci bon ami

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Sneak peek of some the thank you gifts for those that chipped in for the art journal class. I’ll post more as I finish the details.
amanda ∞

Art Journal Class

Today I was teacher to a group of women that have much to express. I had the opportunity to lead an art journaling class at VERONICA’s Voice. The enthusiasm was contagious as they set to work on their journals, personalizing and claiming them as their own private place for self expression. Profound and deep thoughts, [...]

Tender

This is the first page of my Moleskine. The concept for this page is from Sarah Whitmire at Caspiana and her Soul Journaling prompts. Written in sparkly gold gel pen over the green paint are the words:
This book contains TRUTH! If you are not ready to receive, this book is not for your eyes. No [...]

Decompression

For almost two years, my family has been preparing and serving meals each Friday at VERONICA’s Voice. This past Friday was our last day. God had been leading me to reevaluate our service this summer, and once school began for us, the answer was obvious. It was time to stop.
I really have mixed emotions about [...]

Prayer Brings Surprises

I’ve been serving lunch on Fridays at VERONICA’s Voice since late fall 2006. The number of people that are there each week differ, so I plan for 20-25. Sometimes I have leftovers, sometimes there is not a scrap left. Here’s what we do each week:
Monday: plan the menu and grocery shop
Tuesday: set aside ice to take [...]

Delicious

Today’s menu for VERONICA’s Voice was:
Delicious Ham smoked by my father-in-law
Au Gratin Potatoes
Corn (with butter)
The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies made by my daughter
Yum. And tonight I am thrilled that there are just enough leftovers for us.
I am extremely thankful for the kitchen appliances we put to rugged use each week. Thank you, food processor, for slicing [...]

Enslaved

Today’s lunch menu for VERONICA’s Voice included:
Corned Beef, Cabbage and Potatoes
Homeade Rye Bread
Green Clover-shaped Spritz Cookies
I was also going to serve fresh apple slices, but left the apples at home. Oops.
The smell of the corned beef still lingers in our home. Delicious and comfortable.
As a continuation from my thoughts on slavery yesterday, I wanted to [...]

Les Miserables on prostitution

After watching a musical in December, my daughter and I were compelled to read Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. The size of the book is a bit daunting, but I immediately became lost in the story and felt I knew the characters intimately. Many words have jumped off the page and grabbed my heart, and [...]

Moving

Today we served our last meal at the current location of VERONICA’s Voice. The meal was devoured. We served sloppy joes, corn, kettle chip, apple slices, and brownies for dessert; a good, hearty meal for these cold, snowy days. We will move into the new location next week. I’m excited about this for many reasons both physical and [...]

Hidden Art Every Day

I thought since I was on the topic of art every day this month that I would make an effort to also share the hidden art each day.
Today I worshiped through the hidden art of service. Each Friday, my family serves a delicious meal at VERONICA’s Voice. We serve intentionally. The food is homeade and as organic [...]

What a story!

Today my daughter and I served a delicious lunch to my favorite group of gals. On the menu was:
Torn Tortilla Casserole
Pot O’ Beans
Sissy Salad
Mexican Wedding Cookies
I thought the beans were not up to par, but everything else hit the spot.
One of the women shared a great story with me. Here’s the short version. About 3 [...]

An excellent week it was

Two important events occurred this past week.
On Saturday, the VERONICA’s Voice Courage to Change Walk took place. There was a good turnout for the first annual walk. As this was a learning year, I forsee each additional walk growing in awareness and size. A vigil took place after the walk in which survivors of sexual [...]