Is it Grey or Gray? Its both and its Hot!! Its hard for some of us to accept this gray reality but it is happening. Everywhere you look you see the grey backdrops. But for those of you who have hard time with the cold gray facts here are some tips to warm it up.

*Use a gray that is actually a tan color with a gray undertone. See the paint swatch. This is a sherwin williams color swatch that is good for all you “grey is just to cold for me” peeps

Every day has the opportunity to be designed!

Your Friend, Cheri

How come everyone in the house thinks its ok to just keep putting garbage in the garbage can, even when they have to stack it on the side?

Has society left you feeling kind of like the garbage can? The magazines, the size two models, the perfect movie stars, it piles on and on and on. We constantly have this image shoved in our face of what beauty should look like. We have eating disorders, and suicide protruding out of every state of our nation, and we continue to keep shoving this image in the faces of our young girls, who have turned to prostitution and unsafe sex, to feel some sort of acceptance to accomplish this unrealistic look. Help clean up this garbage that is destroying the lives of these innocent girls, and honestly even affects the entire female population as we attempt to keep up with the outrageous demands of what society continues to tell us that beauty should be. Realize that the word beauty is found inside the soul, and that when this wonderful trait is discovered by its beholder, it outshines any outward beauty that can even be created.

Creating More Beauty!

Your Friend, Cheri

I see your tired eyes

Believing all the lies

I see your pain

And you trying not to complain

I see your struggle

As you are walking through the rubble

Of where you feel you must live

And all the things you think you need to give

I see you constantly need

And the things he refuses to see

What are you trying to prove?

Are you afraid to move?

What about you?

Why doesn’t he have a clue?

Why do you give him permission

To pursue this mission

How long before I cant read your eyes

Because you have believed the lies

And now there is no emotion

There is only commotion

You settle for scraps

And put up with all the crap

How do YOU read your eyes

Do you even see the lies

Are you caught up in fear

Does he even see a tear

Why do you stay

Is it only for today

Or is this the lifestyle

That you feel you need to walk the mile

What are you trying to prove

That keeps you in this groove

Of self destruction and worthlessness

He only showers you with selfishness

You are worth so much more

Just be brave enough to walk through the door

God has so much love for you

He will always see you through

How does Jesus read your eyes

I know He wont say a lie

He sees your heart and brokenness

And wants to heal your hopelessness

Don’t waste any time

Put your hand in mine

I can read your eyes

And you don’t have to live with the lies!!!!

Creating More Beauty!

Your Friend, Cheri

Exfoliate, Exfoliate, Exfoliate right from your kitchen cabinet!!! Take a little raw sugar and unrefined coconut oil and make a little scrub.  Proper exfoliation removes the barrier of dead skin cells clogging the skin and uncovers fresh new cells below. This opens the way for moisturizing products to penetrate more deeply into the skin, which makes them more effective. This simple little convenient scrub will leave your skin feeling smooth and looking fresh. I love this kind of quick beauty! Enjoy!

Creating More Beauty!

Your Friend, Cheri

The purple bike sat every day at the bottom of the stairs tied to the banister, as if it was waiting patiently for someone to take it for a ride. It had a large black seat, black handle bars, and a little baby carrier on the back. Every day the young mom would come down the stairs with baby on hip and securely strap the little one into the carrier, throw her leg over the seat, and push the pedal that would begin their journey for the day.  The first stop was always the donut shop at the front of the neighborhood. Her companion was only two, but it seemed as though she wouldn’t have it any other way. The order was always one glazed donut, one chocolate filled, one bag of donuts holes, one chocolate milk, and one dr. pepper.  The conversation was as if they were the only two people on the face of the earth and most of the time it consisted of where their next stop would be. The options where simple; the park, feeding the ducks, or taking the long way home for a bike ride on the purple bike.  Whatever they chose to too do it would only take an hour because she knew that the adventure always ended with him hunched against her back asleep. The purple bike was her only means of transportation during the day, at times she complained about not having a vehicle, but it would only take a moment to realize the many adventures she would miss without the purple bike. She took that purple bike and kept it through the adventures of life, 20 years later it sits with the same carrier, tied to a different banister, waiting to be ridden, with the daughter of the former two year old companion. It seems crazy to cart a big old bike through the movement of life, but every once in a while, these items that represent the valuable moments of life can become the monument of things that matter. Life will take its turns through joy and sadness, but if you look hard enough you just might find an object that carries you through every turn of every day.

Creating More Beauty!

Your Friend, Cheri

Pulpits were the center piece, church buildings were the rooms, and center stage was our life. Expectations are high, perfection is expected, and there is limited space for error.  It isn’t like everyday life where people give their opinion behind your back; No you get to hear it as they shout it from the mountain tops.  Scrutiny is common and raging from the very people you are trying to love. Your generosity is taken advantage of and what you give is never enough.  Through it all you must have a smile and no problems of your own, however, if Papa didn’t preach how would I know how to love the unlovable? How would I know that when giving to others you are giving to yourself? How would I know that People matter and giving your life to the cause is worth it? If Papa didn’t preach how would I know how to stand up for what I believe?  How would I know how to trust the God that created the universe? How would I know that in the end love conquers all? If Papa didn’t preach who would be the voice of the babies? Who would unite the people? Who would stand for righteousness? If Papa didn’t preach who would pray, who would worship?  And, Who would be saved?

Creating More Beauty!

Your Friend, Cheri

Could you would you sell your hope

Could you would you take a vote

Could you would you live without

Could you would you maybe doubt

Could you find a price for this

Could you sell it for a kiss

Could you buy it back again

Could you offer only ten

If you lost your hope today

If you found a price to pay

If you think all hope is lost

If you go and find the cross

Could you would take a knee

Could you would you only see

Could you would you find the grace

Could you would you find your place

Could you stay and believe

Could you would you only leave

could you see that hope is free

could you find a place for me

Creating More Beauty!

Your Friend, Cheri

A Quiet world might sound impossible in this day and age but every once in a while there are these times in life when everything stands still.  It could be an evening or days, regardless of the length of time it can be odd, uncomfortable, and definitely uncommon. I am not one that really appreciated silence, I am learning, however, in my routine silence doesn’t happen very often so when it does I have found myself asking the question “what do I do with this?” It is interesting to me that silence can provoke many things. I have found silence to provoke fear. It is as if the silence has removed the distractions.  So these moments of nothing to focus can conjure up these disturbing concerns that most likely are always there but manage to be pushed aside for the sake of getting things done. Silence can provoke reflection. Reflection is an interesting emotion in itself and has many feelings of its own. Silence can provoke relaxation. This is probably the most needed emotion that silence can provoke. Silence can provoke loneliness. For some reason in the midst of silence we can feel alone. Silence can provoke motivation. Sometimes when we have the moment to stop and think we can rejuvenate our self to accomplish those things that have simply been put off.

A quiet world is certainly not a description of what I would use as the world we live in, I don’t care what your schedule looks like, but we do get glimpses of it. What I found most interesting is the question of what to do. You might want to decide because most of the time silence does not make an appointment it just happens so no warning is given.  As I have mentioned the many emotions that come out of silence not all of them are productive. Because I am typically not a fan of silence I tend to adopt the negative emotions and these moments that could be used for productivity become exhausting.   I never thought about the fact that time could present a moment such as this that in the middle of it I would be asking myself “What do I do?”   When your world is quiet, What do you do?

Creating More Beauty!

Your Friend, Cheri