Creative Reflections

Worship Walks

Spooner Lake was born in the early 1920's as a water reservoir. It has evolved over time to became a pristine wild-life sanctuary on the north-east corner of Lake Tahoe. You can find it at the intersection of State Route 28 and US 50. For many the hike around Spooner Lake is an easy, first-time Sierra hike. For me it has become a beloved early-morning, "Worship Walk." Often when I am visiting Tahoe I will get up with the dawn and head on over to take a quick 2-mile hike around the lake. It is a great way to acclimate to the higher altitudes and to keep in shape for the more strenuous hikes we take through out the region. More than that though these early morning walks have become for me a sweet time of solitude where I can re-orient my heart toward the things of my Maker.

Earlier this week Anthony and I got up early one morning and headed over to Spooner; he to train with a four mile run and me to "warm up" with a brisk two mile walk around the lake. I started the walk with my ipod, listening to some of my favorite worship music. But then, half-way through the walk I thought, "Why am I listening to recorded music when I could hear God's very creation singing their worship to him." So, I turned off the ipod and turned on my "listening ears." I prayed and asked the Lord to show me the wonder of His creation and creations response to Him. I thought about the verses in the Bible that speak of creation praising God...Psalm 148, "Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies,' Psalm 19, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands," Isaiah 55:12, "You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands," Psalm 66:4, "All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing praise to your name," And so many others!

As I thought of these verses the wind rose, the aspen leaves quaked, the chickadees sang love songs to their mates, the Canadian geese honked at their babies. It seemed as if all of creation joined in a symphony of praise to their maker. I couldn't help but think of the extravagance of God's love; He who gave us eyes to see glorious colors and light and mist and the clouds veiling the face of the moon, He who gave us ears to hear the chirp of a cricket and the splash of a trout as it jumps to catch its breakfast, and He, who gave us NEW LIFE and transformed our hearts so that instead of rejecting Him and all of His ways as would be our nature we are now able to embrace all that He intends for us and accept with grateful hearts the pouring out of His mercy and grace.

Worship-fully I walk around this treasured little lake and add my praise to that of all creation.

This layout is a compilation of photos I've taken at Spooner over the years:

 

Palomino Ponys & Lost Heritage

A few weeks ago I was searching the internet for an unrelated item when I stumbled across this obituary of my Uncle Corky. I was so taken aback; I didn't even know that he had been sick. He had been gone for a year and nobody had even bothered to call me to let me know.

I kind of tucked the knowledge away because I couldn't really work out my feelings about it all. Then, this evening I was looking at a digi-challenge posted on one of my favorite blogs. The challenge was to scrap a page about something you always wanted as a child but never received. As soon as I read that I knew I had an answer to some of the things I had been thinking about since reading about Corky's death. Isn't it funny how you can carry something around in your head without even realizing it and then all of a sudden a little bit of it starts to make sense? Who would have thought working on a scrapbook challenge would be the key?

Journaling Reads:

As a young girl I always longed for a horse. It wasn't the normal "teenage girls & horses thing" though. My longing had more to do with wanting to capture and hold onto a part of my heritage that because of life circumstances was lost to me.

My mom married and had me as a teenager. The marriage didn't last. My dad was part of a famous family of animal trainers, stuntmen and western movie ranch hands. My granddad owned a ranch in Newhall, California where many of the serial Westerns of the '40's & '50's were filmed. My granddad trained and boarded Roy Roger's horse "Trigger." My uncle trained the horse used in the movie, "The Black Stallion." My dad was a stuntman and later became a second unit direct for "ET" and the Indiana Jones series.

My relationship with my dad was never something that was stable or could be counted on. He would flit in and out of my life over the years whenever curiosity or guilt got the better of him. Our relationship was tenuous and whenever he would "drop back in" it was always disruptive. Still, in a way I can't fully explain I longed to be connected; not just to him but also to what I perceived of as the romance of "my other family."

It wasn't so much the glamor of the movie industry that captured my imagination. No, it was those remembered visits I got to take to my granddad’s ranch that fueled my dreams. There on his ranch were stables filled with beautiful palomino ponies. In the fields were row upon row of antique carts, Conestoga wagons and chariots. The left-over’s from the hundreds of movies and television shows that had been filmed on the property. Beyond the flat fields were rolling hills; the hills I would ride with my dad as he would tell me about himself and his family and a heritage that I longed to be a part.

Sadly circumstances never really allowed me to be "part" of my "other" family. Over the years my dad's interest in me seemed to, I don't know, just drift away. I haven't heard from him in more than eighteen years. I know that he is still working in the film industry because every once in a while I will see his name as the credits roll by in one movie or another.

My granddad passed away in 1992. I just recently learned that my uncle passed away last year. I stumbled across an obituary of my uncle which read, in part, "Buford “Corky” Randall, the beloved Hollywood horse trainer who made his name on the timeless 1979 film, The Black Stallion, passed away on April 20, 2009. We look back at the man who set the standard for horse training while continuing a family legacy in this remembrance by journalist and author Elizabeth Kaye McCall." I read through this article with such a sense of sadness. Not just at the loss of an uncle but also at the realization that I was not part of the "family legacy" about which the article spoke.

I never did get that horse that I longed for as a girl, nor did I ever get a chance to establish a lasting connection with my father's family. Still I think there must be something of them, "in my blood." My daydreams are still ones of riding out in the country astride a beautiful palomino. Thankfully, I no longer have to wonder if the people “riding alongside me" truly do love me as I did when I was a girl with my dad. I am well and truly loved by God, my husband and my sons and I don't need to own a horse as proof of that!

Kit Credits: Lorie Davison's "Pioneer Story"

(inter)National Scrapbook Day

May 1 is (inter)National Scrapbook Day. It used to be called just "National" Scrapbook Day but with the advent of the internet and the world-wide community of digital scrappers the all-powerful "they" who decide these things threw in the (inter) so that nobody would feel left out. I usually don't participate in this event for a couple of reasons. First, it is hard to get noticed when just about every designer the world over is having a 50% off sale and second (and more important) this weekend is right around our anniversary and we are usually away celebrating.

This year Mario and I will be celebrating our 25th anniversary! Simply put, I'm blessed! I share my life with my very best friend who also happens to be a great dad and a loving and sacrificial husband. (He even lets me fill the house with pets-what a guy!!) We will be celebrating next weekend with a romantic trip to San Francisco. I'm looking forward to it.

In the meantime, since I'm home, I've decided to enter the fray and over a 30% off sale on all of my designs this weekend. They can be purchased at E-scape and Scrap, NDISB and Pickleberry Pop.

Here is a peek at the FREE Gift that comes with the May issue of the Artisan Notebook, as well as some of my more recent layouts.

 

March Already?!!

Wow, I know I say this almost every year but the time is really flying by! I can't believe it is March already. The Cozzi family has been keeping busy. February is always a rush because we celebrate not one but three different birthdays. This year I turned 50....ahhhhhh!!! It still kinda brings me up short. I'll look in the mirror and think, "wow, I'm 50!!" Then I'll second guess myself and think, "surely that can't be right!"

I do find that age does have some privileges though. It is good to be at a place where I'm comfortable with myself. Long gone are those painful years of transition where I wasn't sure who or what I was going to be and wondering what value I could possibly have. God's rescue and His sweet provision all these years have added not only joy but also sweet contentment to my life. Being certain of a calling, finding value and worth in God's priorities and being surrounded by a generous and loving family truly make the passing years not a thing to dread but something to rejoice. It gives me a chance to look around and see all the miracles both small and large that God is constantly working in my life.

I'm still serving in Women's Ministry helping to oversee our Women's Bible study. We are currently doing a study on Exodus. Each day as I work through our lessons I'm overwhelmed by the all-consuming nature of God's love for us. This week we "sang the song of Moses and Miriam;" praising him because He is highly exalted, He is my strength and my song, He has become my salvation, He is my warrior, He leads me with His unfailing love. He is majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, always working wonders. What more could anybody possibly want or need when the love of such a God is ours?!

The boys are all doing well. Alex is on Spring Break and took the opportunity to fly to Indiana and visit Pastor Rob and Lori. I'm so thankful for the gift of these precious friends and for the way they DON'T let time and distance interfere with the loving relationship they established with Alex all the years they were here in S. California. Anthony is a joyful light in our home; he has such a gift of finding joy in each day and sharing that joy with others. He is playing volleyball this spring and I think he has found a new "favorite" sport. His height is serving him well and he has become quite an exceptional blocker. Austin has been blessed this year in his teacher, Mr. Fikse. They have a special relationship and Al has a gift for drawing Austin out and helping him to make the most of his gifts. He is still playing the trumpet and handbells, loves algebra (go figure?!) and has been having a great time working on his science project.

Mario is still working with Wells Fargo. He is happy and content with his work and really enjoys his co-workers. He is still volunteering his time with our church Youth ministry as well as volunteering with our church music ministry playing piano during worship and Vesper services. He is hoping to put together a couple of traveling soccer teams for the fall but we are not sure if he will be able to round up enough boys for the teams; we shall see.

My partner Stacey and I continue to produce our monthly online magazine and I continue to design digital scrap products for the Guild. We have expanded into several different stores and our board of contributors has grown both in terms of numbers as well as artistry. I'm thrilled with our end product every month; it grows in its creative merit with every issue. This month I'm the featured designer at one of our stores, E-scape and Scrap. You can read all about it on their blog and find a link to this free sample:

I haven't had a lot of time to "scrap just for fun" but here are a few layouts I've made in the last few months:

Playing with Maia on the beach in December.

The boys and I last summer in Tahoe

My favorite "small" lake in the Tahoe basin. 

Remembering when my boys were younger-this is the newest March Guild kit called "Origins."

Anthony & Justin hiking Spooner Lake.

Catching Up on the New Year

Christmas has come and gone. Most of my Christmas decorations are all packed up and put away for another year. Although I'm embarrassed to admit that my tree is still up. At least it is artificial so there is no danger of fire! I'm at the stage where I'm ready to be "done" with the holiday and pack it all away but am easily struck by how really beautiful my tree is...really beautiful!! I know I need to get it down and pack it up but honestly I own nothing else that fills that particular corner of the house with so much that is so pretty to look at!

Putting together the January Guild kit proved to be something of a challenge fitting it in between the boys' vacation, holiday events and the like. I wasn't really inspired by the color scheme at first. BUT, I have to say, now that it is done and I've played with it I think it is one of my all-time favorite kits! Here is a peek at some of the layouts I've created using the kit:

 

Sometimes It All Just Comes Together

Late this afternoon, after a long day of doing administrative work I thought I would unwind by listening to some music, editing some photos and...if inspiration struck....create a layout or two. I was listening to one of my favorite contemporary Christian groups, "Casting Crowns." The photos I was editing came from from our trip to Tahoe this past summer.

I was working on this photo when the song "Somewhere in the Middle" started to play:

The Song Lyrics:

Somewhere between the hot and the cold
Somewhere between the new and the old
Somewhere between who I am and who I used to be
Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me

Somewhere between the wrong and the right
Somewhere between the darkness and the light
Somewhere between who I was and who You're making me
Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me

Somewhere between my heart and my hands
Somewhere between my faith and my plans
Somewhere between the safety of the boat and the crashing waves

Somewhere between a whisper and a roar
Somewhere between the altar and the door
Somewhere between contented peace and always wanting more
Somewhere in the middle You'll find me

Fearless warriors in a picket fence,
reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end and we are caught in the middle
With eyes wide open to the differences, the God we want and the God who is
But will we trade our dreams for His or are we caught in the middle

Lord, I feel You in this place and I know You're by my side
Loving me even on these nights when I'm caught in the middle

This song has always spoken to me of some of my own struggles in my Christian walk. I KNOW that our most powerful experience of God is only found when we abandon self and fully embrace HIS path, HIS call, HIS ways and HIS holiness and yet in my brokenness I so often cling to my own willfulness....caught in the middle between temporal comfort and selfless abandon.

How precious is the thought that even in this in-between place the beauty of the Lord still shines, the reality of his love still comforts, and the certainty of our hope still encourages us to move forward. Like the sunrise coming up over this mountain someday, soon, we too shall be able to stand in the full glory of Holy God and NOT be caught in the middle anymore!

A photo, a song, a moment of prayerful thought, a creative process....sometimes it all just "comes together!"

A Break from House Cleaning

I got up early this morning to do a "deep cleaning" of the house. I've made good progress but sometimes a girls got to take a break from the bleach fumes and tediousness of climbing the ladder to wipe down the ceiling fans. So.....I tip-toed away.....just for a few minutes mind you....and put together a new layout! Believe me, remembering the beauty of an early morning hike in Tahoe is WAY MORE fun than cleaning a boy's bathroom!!

Here is the layout:

The journaling reads: On our trip to Tahoe this past summer Anthony, Justin and I got up early one morning and headed over to Spooner Lake. We got there just as the sun was rising. The fog, lifting off of the lake, seemed as if it were the lake's very breath made visible as she whispered praise to her Maker for a brand new day.

It's all Good!

Last night Anthony and his best friend spent the evening with one of our pastors. This particular pastor had been serving as the High School youth leader. Anthony and his friend have grown VERY fond of him. However, the elders of our church have asked this pastor to redirect his ministry and begin to oversee the children & Awanas' program. Our pastor had the boys over last night so that he could share the news with them personally. I knew that it would not be welcome news on Anthony's part and so I spent the better part of the evening praying for them all.

When Anthony got home he came in to tell me the news. I told him that I already knew but that our pastor had asked us to not say anything until he had a chance to talk to Anthony. I asked Anthony how he was feeling. He was honest and said that the news really bummed him out. But then he said something that I realized he has been saying A LOT recently, "Don't worry mom, it is all good!" "What do you mean Anthony?" I asked. He replied, "I can't be selfish about this, if this is what is best for our church, then....it is all good!"

Honest to goodness this kid blows me away sometimes! As a proud mom I like to think it is just because Anthony is such a special kid, filled with all kinds of wonderfulness.....and he IS!! But at the heart of it I know that the most important refining aspect of my young son's character is the fact that he absolutely loves Christ and desires with all his heart to seek after Him. God's Spirit day by day continues to shape and mold the heart of my son and I have to say, it is a beautiful thing to behold.

I worked on this layout tonight trying to capture some sense of the wonder of his special, new "catch phrase."

Journaling reads: I’m not sure who you’ve picked it up from but you’ve started using a new expression, “Don’t worry mom, it’s all good!" Good when you don’t get the ball passed to you in football, good when I accidentally lock you out of the house, good when your team loses a close game due to a bad call, good even when you are saddened with news that a beloved Pastor is moving out of youth ministry, still you say,”It’s all good!” I find this such a sweet testament to your faith; the Lord is teaching you to “count it all joy.” Your obedience to His call is a beautiful sight to behold....it really is ALL GOOD!

Playing with a New Kit

My business partner Stacey and I are trying very hard to press forward with deadlines for the magazine so that we can get to a point where we are working two and three months ahead. The anxiety of finishing our monthly magazine just a few days ahead of deadline is wiping Stacey, Amy (our sweet, amazingly talented co-editor) and myself out. We take a lot of pride in the fact that we publish the magazine on time every month and have done so for more than a year; the same cannot be said for other online digi-scrap magazines. To make sure we maintain that record of excellence AND to give us a break during the holidays we have pushed up all of our deadlines through the first of the year. What that means for me personally is that I have to make sure that our Guild kits for November and December are completed by the end of this month and the Guild kit for January needs to be done by the middle of November....whew!! Thankfully, I DO have November's kit finished and have already sent it out to our creative team; I'm eager to see what they do with the kit-I think it turned out pretty cute and is a fun change of pace from some of our most recent kits. I've been playing with it myself! Shhh.....if you promise not to tell anyone, I'll give you a sneak peek at my layouts! :) :) :)

A Frantic Fall

I'm know I'm not the only one feeling this way but my goodness it has been a frantic fall! The pace always does seem to pick up when the boys go back to school; there is the driving up and down the hill to take Austin to and from school, the soccer & football practices & games, helping with homework, youth group and other assorted "have to be someplace" type of events. This year we also have the added challenge of trying to make it to as many of Alex's college soccer games as we are able.

In addition, I'm serving women's ministry and helping to oversee our women's Bible study. The planning meetings and some unexpected complications in terms of the curriculum and finding enough small group leaders threw me for a loop. BUT, I do have to say that when I got to Bible study this past Wednesday and met with all the precious ladies attending the study it made it all worthwhile. Seeing their eagerness to be back together after the long summer break and knowing their hearts were eager to be renewed as they seek Christ through the study of His Word moved me deeply. That God would allow me to be part of this simple, yet sacred gathering of His saints humbles me.

Of course, having a puppy in the house CAN, at times, add to the chaos. But it also adds a whole lot of fun and hilarity. I was thinking the other day how thankful I am that we have this new little guy in our home. With Alex away at college, the boys away at school and Mario working from an office downtown my days could get pretty lonely without the company of my pets. Poor Mario! He never had pets growing up and here he is looking at his wife of 25 years trying to figure out what the heck happened to that quasi-urban girl he married! Come to find out she had a secret passion to be a cowgirl, live in a small rural town, hum country tunes and surround herself with animals! There is a secret anxiety I see lurking in the back of his eyes as he wonders if I will continue to ease my empty-nest pangs with yet MORE animals! HAH!! (I haven't told him yet about the email my best friend sent me about the need to find homes for horses that are being abandoned due to the economic downturn...don't worry Babe, Dee was just teasing with that email!!)

On the business front we are very encouraged! My partner Stacey Stahl has been working like crazy expanding our market. The Artisan Notebook is now being sold in several wonderful digital scrapbook stores. Not only does this allow us to increase our market presence but it is also affording us the opportunity to invite some remarkably talented layout artists to contribute to the magazine. Each issue just keeps getting better and better. I am SO thrilled that we are able to put together a product that is filled with such inspiration. I just love being part of a creative environment where people share ideas and encourage one another to ever greater levels of creative expression!

And speaking of creative expression. I finally finished the October Guild kit (just two weeks past my self-imposed deadline...but hey...at least I'm trying to defeat that "procrastination demon" that is always tripping me up!) Want a sneak peek of the kit? Well....here is a layout I worked on this morning:

The composition for this layout was inspired by a layout created by Psyren. She is one of our new "Color Cuties" who will be contributing layouts for future issues of the magazine. See, I told you we have some amazing talent, didn't I?!!