Do you know yourself?

There are a few things I know very well about myself. I know that if I don't exercise I can become down and gloomy. Exercise; levels out my emotions and gets my whole mind and body on track. So I take care to exercise at least 3 to 4 times a week even if I only have 20 minutes that day.
I also know that when I exercise everything else tends to fall in place quiet times, eating right, being organised etc. One discipline snowballs to more discipline.

I know that caffeine or too much black tea can make me irritable and on edge. So I have to watch my black tea intake, even though I love it and am surrounded by it daily.
I know that green tea doesn't effect me in the same way so I have learned to enjoy green tea with honey every morning.

Discipline in the small things can take me a long way in my day!
So there you have it, those are the things I know. :)

Simply doing what I know provides a better environment for my family and much better days for myself. 


What do you know about yourself?  What do you do to keep healthy in mind and body and Spirit?

My motto on this blog has been "use what you have"
today I am adding "DO what you know".

Apply the things you do know about yourself
even if they seem small.




Doing what I know in my west corner and determined to keep on doing it,
Becky

Splashes of Spring around me

Finding splashes of Spring and moments of joy around me. 

This is just down a bit on my new street. 

"Patient endurance is what you (I) need now, so that you (I) will continue to do God’s will. Then you (I) will receive all that he has promised." Heb. 10:36

Finding a rhythm of rest.. my new favourite spot.

My fireman in spring. 

The wild poppies are out, sprinkling red. 

"I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the

 LORD in the land of the living." Ps. 27:13

In my new place, in my new corner,

Becky

Nightly rounds and my new elevator.

Made my rounds of book reading, song singing, praying and sweet kisses (oh yes and a glass of water). Tonight it was a pleasure and comfy and joyful  however there are nights the bedtime routine is full of irritability and tiredness. Grateful for tonight. Grateful for energy and good books to read and my nightly rounds.

This is just a quick post to say I am here...I may have moved but I didn't die. 

In my new place I have plenty of time for reflective thought ... the elevator is super slow. :) (We are on the 5th floor) Hey I'm not complaining... time to myself and when people come over I have plenty of time to rush around and get dressed! Oh and obviously I have plenty of time to do self portraits in bad lighting. 

Ps. I made a palett couch and in the process of making a palette desk for my art room. 

Oh so much to share... too bad it is 11:30 pm.

Hope to be back soon until then .... 

in my new space,

Rebecca

crazy post yes... but hey i've gotta start somewhere to get back into the swing. 

My offering

Offering: a gift- something offered in worship or devotion- sacrificial

I find a lot of  peace when the Lord gives me new insight into my current situations. The other day I had a break through in my understanding and here is a peak into it from my journal.

I want to give living without the outdoor freedom for my kids and myself as an offering to the Lord. It may be a small offering to some but to me it is and has been costly.  I have born it only as a hardship to be endured but now I see there is a better way to give it, as an offering of love to my King.

Let me be glad/honoured to give this offering to my King.

Is there a hardship in your life that you have been enduring? Is there a way for you to take that hardship and offer it to the Lord as a gift or love? The Lord knows what it is costing you and I believe it will bring a lighter heart and a greater sense of devotion to the Lord as you give an offering that costs you something. 

In my west corner ~ 

finding peace in offering my hardships to the living God. 

Becky

Our morning of good-byes.

Febuary 12th has come and this morning our friends and co-workers for over 8 years 

left to move back to the States.

We have had 3 nights all together in our home. Busy, sad, heavy, comfortable, happy to be eating together, kids playing together, kids crying in intervals. 

Then at 7:00 am this morning final good byes were said and out the door they each went 

to climb in our van and head to Istanbul to start a new life in the States.

The house is empty, messy and quiet. 

The kids and I all stood together as the van pulled away and hugged and cryed some quiet tears. 

Then I let them watch some cartoons and I made a special brk for them, colored pancakes...

with a little suprise of choclate chips in 3 of the pancakes...

and the day begins and so our new season of life begins. 

Good bye dear friends and thank you. 

Received a call this afternoon from Sema a mutual friend of Alyssa's and mine. She called to see how the kids and I were doing and expressed her sadness as well. Tomorrow I will go and visit Dilek as she is also another mutual friend and we will chat and have tea and feel the loss of our friend in this city with us. 

Full of hope and a heavy heart brought by true friendship. 

 So thankful today for the 8 years of consistant friendship and fellowship and hardship that will last a life time.  

In our west corner... 

Becky

A and C - this post is as much for you as for us, we know you understand. I especially knew you would enjoy the pics. 

Bits and bobs I have been working on

Just wanted to say Hi and show you a little face lift to my 'idea book'.

This is where I write lists or sketch ideas of art pieces to be or not to be. 

It was just a plain notebook I had and added some grey scrap book paper to it about a year ago. 

Tonight I looked at it and thought how drab. So hopefully the new additions will inspire new ideas, creativity and cups of hot tea. :) 

Underneath my idea book are fun little quilting squares I randomly put together the other day. 

Here is what my living room table has looked like for the past week. :) 

I am determined not to put it all away until I have created something else..something fabulous, something full of color, something grand!  (my table might be looking like this for awhile ;))

Oh and here is my little incognito sewing/art supply cabinet in my living room.

  I can turn my living room into a creative space in a flash and then close it up really tidy like. :)  

Random note: 

This morning I woke up and pulled my chair over by one of my living room windows and watched the clouds move and make way for the bits of color left over from the sunrise.  As I talked with the Lord I tried to sketch what I was seeing over the apartment buildings all around... they (the apartment buildings) could not shut out the sky, the clouds the fresh morning glow. I am convinced that beauty can be found every where God is!  

Tonight I am going to try and create some beauty. Good night to you all. 

Becky in my west corner. 

Tea cup cozy and blogging blues

My dear friend made this tea cup cozy for me for Christmas! Isn't it super fun.

I am confident that I have the funnest and cosiest tea expierence in my city. :)

 Do you want one? Sorry my friend, my tea cozy.

(yes that is green tea in there) ;) 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. :) 

We returned from the States just in time for the wonderful flurry of Christmas prep/Christmas and then New years. We are now feeling a bit challenged to get a good rhythm and rhyme to our days again.

While I was in the States I lost my nice camera. (I am so sad about it) I am struggling with wanting to blog because to me writing and pictures go hand and hand. I need color and I find it is through the lens of my camera. I have my phone to take pics and I am very somewhat grateful  for it, but it doesn't have the same effect for me.  

Knowing me my blogging blues will clear up. I have been blogging faithfully for 3 years now and it has been such a wonderful outlet for me.  Honestly I love looking over my posts and re-reading certain ones and seeing the pictures captured for that thought or idea and remembering. It is a journal of sorts and a fun story of my life in this little west corner. I truthfully don't want to let that go just yet.

At this point I feel a little bottle necked.  I guess what I mean is that there is so much happening in my life it seems to have made it hard for me to write because there is so much to write about and without the picture prompts it has made it harder, as the prompts and color help me express life. I have written 4 posts and left them almost finished in my drafts. 

Feeling Bottle Necked

Took this pic this summer when it was sooo hot and I

 was looking for things to be grateful for. 

Cold sparkling water in a green bottle.

What is bottle necking me: My mom's diagnosis of stage four cancer, my dearest friends leaving in February, my kids grief of there best friends of 8 years, homeschooling 2 kiddos this year, discovering a learning disability in one of my daughters, uncertain of our future and if we will move, realising that we will be the only foreigners in our town, trying to figure out how to improve my Turkish when I am home and homeschooling so much, aware that I haven't blogged-took pics- or created much of anything in a long time... well that's the surface. 

There, maybe writing that out will be like drain-o and unclog me! 

  ...and maybe after writing this post I will see my phone as a blessing and be content with what I have for taking pics. 

In my west corner,

Becky

Homeschool journal & journey #1 ~ Taking things too personal.

2013/2014 School year has been in the workings for over a month now and this year I have 

two girlies home and one little guy off in kindergarten for the mornings. I will be continuing my Homeschool journal and journey posts this year as well. 

Ok so the truth is I am their mom. Yep and that comes into the learning experience. I am an emotional mom at times, they are emotional girls at times and that too comes into the homeschool experience.  Last year I think I took things too personal and truthfully had my feelings hurt more times than I can count by my 8 year old. :) This year my perspective has changed and I feel like I am able to see clearer. I realise that my 7 year old and almost 10 year old are not struggling with 'me' it is the subject or the learning style or there own immaturity. I feel like we have made greater strides at the beginning of this year just by me growing in that one area. My desire this year is to be a better student of my children to understand them more; how they learn, think and what they thrive in, what they are afraid of and why. Examples like what are there preferred learning styles, what are their individual love languages, what are the gifts God has given them, what are their personality tendencies and yes even what is their favourite color this month. I want to 'get' my kids so that I can love them more and teach them well.

~ ~ ~

In just over a week we will be traveling to the States to visit my mom. This summer my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. It was such a shock to my family and me.  I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the opportunity to visit my family and be a part of my mom's journey that she is traveling right now.  I am looking forward to being around my mom, sisters and their families. I really hope I am able to be a help and support in some way. I am also a little nervous, I know my mom has changed so much.

We will be homeschooling while we are there so we she see how that goes. :) I am pretty eclectic in my style so I think we will adjust ok. ;)

In my west corner... journeying,
Becky

Here are my posts from last years Homeschool journal and journey: Homeschool J & J page
Also here is a post from Mother's day a few years back I dedicated to my mom.
She is a women to be admired

Dancing alone...a Saturday to myself!!!

Saturday I spent my full afternoon ALONE in my bedroom!!!! (except for a few sweet interruptions) It was simply wonderful, exquisitely lovely and quiet.  The kids had ballet and gymnastics and David took them so I had 2 hours by myself and then when they came home David said I could just hang out in my room and he would let the kids play outside and he would get dinner around etc.  Wow I feel rejuvenated.  I blogged. I read my Bible. I journaled a bit and I watched 2 movies!!! I can't tell you the last time I did that, I mean really I have no idea??? By the end of the the first movie when the credits were rolling I was dancing a fun jig, yes busting my very own moves and life wasn't feeling quite as heavy. :)

Can you feel the stillness and quietness in my home? 

It was a sweet few hours of bliss. 

Over the past several months our lives has been filled with news that will and is changing our current life and future.  With all these pieces of news my mind thinks, works and seems to be in a constant rolling mode. It was such a relief to laugh, eat chocolate and drink tea all by myself and not have a plan except to rest and reenergise. Oh how I needed that time!

So there you have it. What about you, are you able to recharge?

Grateful for the freedom I have in Christ, (no matter where I live)
Becky

If you want to celebrate this amazing free life we live and dance a jig...I highly recommend this song.  Enjoy Friends.

I am...

I am here.
I am painting.
I am preparing for homeschooling 2 girlies this year instead of one. (We start Monday)
I am praying a lot for my family, as my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer this summer.
I am wanting to get pics of our amazing trip across Europe posted for myself and others.
I am praying more.
I am exercising less.
I am reading more.
I am planning a trip back to the States to visit my mom.
I am spending lots of time with my friend Dilek.
I am no longer sweating everyday.
I am making a cardboard superhero house for my son.

I like my blog and always like coming back to it. Writing is such a therapeutic thing to do. :)

I will be back again soon.


"Teach me your way Lord that I may relay on your faithfulness give me an undivided heart." Ps. 56:11

"Yet true godliness with contentment is itself of great wealth." 1 Tim. 6:6

In my little west corner. Good night from my corner of the world to where ever your corner is.
Becky

My lived in home...the messes about.

Last year I signed up to take a photo class call the SLICE of LIFE unfortunately I had to cancel and so over a year later I am taking Darrah Parkers class called Lens Mama. 

Day 2 of the Class:
Focusing on the mess.  There are times that the messes in my house the cleaning and re-cleaning can really get to me and then there are times where I enjoy a lived in home. A home where my kids can make messes and I am not hounding them to clean up all the time, a home where legos can be left out for days as they work out heir building skills. There are those days where the messes can send immediate stress signals through my body...but today I take these pics and enjoy a life being lived knowing that it will all get cleaned up eventually.

My bedroom. :) 

A bit of a mess I would say. Marker all over the leg. :)

Day number 5 of legos in the living room. 

Drying my sons sheet on our front room chair. 

Laundry on the Balcony. 

Laundry to me is comforting. However those folded clothes have been there

for 2 days now and the laundry is dry...very dry. 

to all you Mamas out there enjoying a very lived in home, I hope you enjoy these pics and they 

bring some sort of comfort that homes are meant to be lived in and you can relax in it a bit more. :)

In my west corner,

Becky

Working out my mommy-hood

I have now lived in Turkey for 8 1/2 years and my oldest child is 9 1/2 years old. That tells me that of the 9.5 years of parenting I have parented 8.5 of those years overseas in a different culture, with children who have embraced two cultures and languages. Yet in all these difference there are times I still try and fit into the mould of something I am not "a typical American mommy" and I try and force my kids into a mould that they are not "typical American kids."  Learning to know who our family is and our unique thumbprint takes time and disicpline on my part not to compare myself with great intentions/books/families that don't even fit our life here. Also that I would let go of old ideals that need to be laid to rest. (I think one of my ideals looks a bit to much like perfection. :))

I am struggling these last few weeks being a mama, doing this job and giving 100%. Wondering so much if I am doing any of it right, seeing more negatives in myself and my kids then are healthy.
SO I have been looking for ways I can give thanks, and not just the obvious ones like... my bed, home, husband etc but really find how to be grateful in the hard situation I may find myself in today.  There are days I just have to stick it out until I can find something to be grateful for in the situation, and not stop until the well breaks and I can't stop thanking God for all his benefits.

Today I offer my sacrifice of thanksgiving for: the constant challenges of raising these three kids. If these challenges were not here that would mean my kids and their unique persons would not be here either, and I am without words when it comes to my gratitude to God for giving me these three kiddos and there specific personalities that give our family that unique thumbprint I am talking about.

"I will praise the Lord @ all times. I will constantly speak his praises." Ps. 34:1

"Be thankful in ALL circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."
1 Thes 5:18

"Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God..." Ps. 50:14a

Here is a verse that I have been re-reading this week:

"The steps of a good woman are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in her way. Though she fall, she shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds her with His hand. " Ps. 37:23-24

In my west corner working out my mommy-hood in this culture,
Becky

and I am thankful for knowing two languages, that my children know two languages, that my children accept different types of people, that my children are not intimidated by others beliefs and are confident in their own, that we are together a lot seeing each others weaknesses and strengths and loving anyway, that we always have what we need and my children are not surrounded by the constant excess in the States, that I have to run to Jesus all the time for wisdom, grace and patience, that I am not alone in the challenges of motherhood, that my husband is an amazing sounding board and Baba..... 

"put off" or "put on" - what to wear?

My quick little piece of quiet time art for today. :) 

My choice for today.... :)

In my little west corner...choosing gratitude. 

~Becky

DIY Dollhouse play helped soften a heart. (new pics)

I knew I needed to talk to my daughter. She had been angry and venting her anger through out the day.
We had been working through a few things over the past week and today seemed to be a breaking point.

As I was praying and thinking about her, I felt like I knew what I needed to say and was hoping that it would really hit her heart not just be words. My thought was to go into her room where she was playing dollhouse and have her stop and sit on my lap and talk with her. Just before I went to her she came in and wanted her brother to get out of quiet time to play with her, only he didn't want to play and she didn't want to play alone anymore and she again started to become easily frustrated.

I grabbed her by the hand and off we went to play dollhouse. As we played polly pockets I was able to share with her and I know she heard me and we were able to laugh and talk about truth in not such a heavy context. Her heart softened as we moved the polly pockets dolls from room to room being silly and pretending.

I don't always have these moments of knowing that I met my kiddos need in a way that hit their hearts but today I did. I met her where she was at and not in the heat of the moment. I took time and it gave her the time she needed and me the ability to respond in love and not just trying to fix a problem.

It makes me want to listen more carefully to the Lords leading with kids, not be in such a hurry to fix them up. It is NOT about changing their behaviour or making the hurt go away it is about leading them to the Truth and their need to relay on Jesus for every thing.

~My sweet daughter has a need we all have. We want to be loved and accepted and feel significant. However the truth is no one not even our immediate family members can totally satisfy that need. Even at 7 years old I want my daughter to know that Jesus says she matters to him that she is valuable to Him  and throughout life that is the truth she will need.

Below are some pics of our updated Scrapwood DIY Dollhouse.

We updated the dollhouse from this post and this post to what it is now some time ago. The kids are constantly moving furniture around and a few of the rooms I didn't take pics of.  I finished this refurb of the dollhouse months ago...but hey I am posting them now. :)

This little treehouse addition to the side of the dollhouse was given by our friends to Lydia for her b-day. It is super cool and a polly pocket toy so fits our situation perfectly.  

I love this room. :) How do you like that Turkish carpet. That is a remnant of a 100 year of Turkish carpet. :) This dollhouse has culture. 

We still would like to add color to the doors and pictures on the walls. Maybe next year. :) 

Again that is what makes a doll house so great, always changing and gives the 

girls fresh excitement for it as each little change happens. 

This beginning of a mural has been in the workings now for a several months. I just haven't been able to get to it and honestly I was running out of my little bottles of acrylic paint but a team from the States just came and brought me a few new colors that have inspired me....

(Here is the original post of the table I painted that you see in the pic)

Hope you enjoyed this post of honesty and the simple DIY dollhouse pics.
Grateful today that my children are still young and there is time to live life so close together.

In my little west corner,
Becky

My first humble piece of art. Celebrate ~what you don't see

If you have been following this humble little blog for awhile now you know that after I moved to E-city    my gift for being creative really grew.  I embraced a lifestyle of "use what you have', in regards to creating and it has spilled out into all areas of my life. 

At first my creating and creativity were simply with my kids and for them. We have had, and will continue to have so many fun memories of creating together and watching little pieces of art and homemade toys come together out of basic items at our house or the favoured cardboard boxes by the dumpster. 

Over the past few years I have had a growing desire in me to create art. It is has been a quiet longing that has grown and grown. I don't claim to posses any formal education or even any great ability. However, I am just beginning to explore and express myself through small pieces of art through different mediums. My one piece of assurance in regards to being such an amateur and feeling of inadequacies is that the God who created all that I see around me is the God who created me and He is by far my best instructor. 

Here is the beginning of my creative process for this piece. :)

 I enjoy capturing moments while a create, it inspires me. 

 

So I humbly share with you this little piece I have made. I really enjoy it and in some way would love to keep it.  However I feel certain that I am to make pieces of meaningful art to giveaway. 

Sure I will make some pieces for my family and for me...but today this piece is not meant to stay in my home. 

Here is the full piece. 

Celebrate (what you don't see)

It is a mixed media piece. I used jean material and cotton fabric along with brown paper. Acrylic paints, sharpies and my sewing machine. 

This piece will be flying to the U.S. soon to go to my two friends who together have breathed courage in me to try new things and have helped me be a more creatively generous follower of Christ.

I really believe God has enhanced and touched my abilities regarding art out of His love for me. Let me be clear to say it is not that I am excellent at this or that I have some special talent, no. It is that I have acquired a deep passion and longing for colour and when I do it, it meets a need in me and fills me up. I also feel very near to the Lord when I am creating.  I guess a special gift from God that has come out of the struggle of isolation and loneliness I went through. You can read that post here: Sweet isolation
I am confident that our amazing creator will never leave us empty when we follow Him but freely pours out on us surprises and life giving abilities, that fill us and enhance our lives to enjoy life and to pour out on others. Surrender to Christ is a precious cycle. I remember the day when I quit asking God to change the isolating situation I found myself in and I surrendered, it was that day 'art' was born in my soul.

To all of you living in Turkey the meaning of this piece of humble art is for you. ~
In my west corner, (using what I have...today it is the gifts God has granted me.)
Becky