Posts by Kerry Weisser
Dignity
I had the wonderful opportunity to go on a women’s retreat last weekend. The main speaker, Dr. Rosalie de Rosset, a literature professor at Moody was incredibly intriguing and her messages were both challenging and enlightening. She wrote a book called “Unseduced and Unshaken” and her messages to us were a few of the foundational principles from her book. I was extremely challenged by her first talk on “Dignity”. She started by asking us some serious questions….
What kind of woman and I?
What am I becoming?
What do I want to be?
How does dignity fit in?
Dignity is defined as nobility or elevation of character, conduct or speech indicative of self-respect, a sign or token of respect. Our speaker described dignity by using a well known character found in the classic novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Jane Eyre is a perfect picture of dignity. “A formidable self-possessed young woman with a fully realized, detailed moral sensibility.” Formidable means forceful, powerful, causing great respect, even fear. Self-possessed means having or showing control of one’s feelings and behavior especially when under pressure.
A dignified woman is a woman of great convictions, humble, spirited and honest. She stands up for what she believes in and is willing to stand when everyone else is bending and compromising to the whims of a changing culture. A woman of dignity thinks rationally and exhibits self-respect and chooses righteous behavior in the midst of temptation. A dignified woman lives above her emotions and uses objective truth, a conviction of faith and critical thinking with her sound mind when making decisions. She has a deep commitment to a solid foundation of faith and finds her value from her relationship with God.
A dignified woman knows that ALL of her choices MATTER! There is NO NEUTRAL. …
Read MorePassion Perspective Interview with Becca
We hope you read yesterday’s post and appreciate all that goes into building a design business like Lavender’s Blue Designs. If you have not taken a peek at Becca’s work, on our website or on her Etsy or Minted accounts, you should take a moment and look at the amazing attention to detail she puts into her work. She is a creative genius. When we were working with Becca to design our website, she listened to our wants and needs and came up with a half dozen preliminary ideas. She was open to our input, made changes as we requested and did not stop working and reworking her designs until we were fully satisfied. It was a blessing to work with someone so gifted and talented. Today you will be able to see how “patience, hard work, and staying true to yourself” has been the backbone of her success. She certainly has been an answer to prayer for us.
Today we are going to share with you some of the ups and downs of Becca’s journey. We asked her how her faith played a part of this journey through the expected and unexpected challenges and blessings of developing and running her own business.
What were the challenges-expected and unexpected?
“It’s definitely been a challenging journey, but God has been gracious, time and time again. Some days, I feel like I must be crazy not to be doing something architecture or education-related, since those are actually the fields I studied in school. It makes me wonder whether I’ve wasted years of my life working toward one thing, only to go in a different direction altogether. But it’s in these times of anxiety and desperation that I hear God whispering to me, and he reminds me, ‘I have a plan for you. …
The Journey of Lavender’s Blue Designs
Today we will take you on a journey of Becca’s company Lavender’s Blue Design and you will experience how her passion for crafts and design became a custom design business.
We asked Becca a series of questions:
What was your original passion and how did it change into what you are doing now?
“I’ve always had a passion for craft and design. I love how good design (graphic, industrial, architectural) has the ability to persuade, to communicate, to enable, and to empower. And craft, that is, the skill of making something by hand, goes hand in hand with design. I spent a lot of my time in college learning, studying, and practicing a lot of the skills I have today – more abstract skills like how to apply design principles to more tangible skills like how to draw a straight line (it’s harder than you think!). I think it’s the perfect blend of these two elements, craft and design, that creates a good product.”
How and when did it begin?
“My first, real dabble in graphic design started when I decided to design my own wedding invitations. I ended up teaching myself how to use Adobe Illustrator so I could translate the ideas in my head onto paper. I ended up loving the whole process so much that I started volunteering to design wedding invitations for my friends and family. As people saw the invitations that I was creating, word spread and people I didn’t even know started approaching me about custom design. I spent a large amount of time developing my website, working on my photography to take quality photos of my work, and submitting my work to different websites and companies for features and publications.”
So far, Becca’s work has been published on The Knot, Disney Baby, Babble, …
Read MoreGetting to Know Becca and Lavender’s Blue Designs
This week Growing Weisser has the awesome privilege of introducing you, our followers, to the extremely talented graphic designer who created all the “Growing Weisser” images you see on our website. Becca Thongkham is a freelance designer that our Bekah had the honor of befriending 2 years ago. Becca describes their relationship as such, “I met Bekah at SGU in Grenada, where both our husbands attend medical school. We quickly became friends as we found ourselves going to church together, attending women’s Bible study together, and visiting the local children’s home every week. We also have a few things in common like living in California, a love for crafts and cooking, and husbands who love In ‘n Out!”
Today we will get to know a bit about Becca- where she grew up, her education and the beginning of her passion for design.
Becca’s story begins…” I grew up in the prairielands of Canada, where I spent my childhood climbing trees and reading books (often reading books in trees!). I was never short on imagination as a child, and books were my fuel. My family eventually moved to Mesa, Arizona, where I started finding mediums to translate my imagination into reality. In school, I took every art class I could get into – drawing, pottery, architecture, photography. Eventually, I majored in Architecture in college, with a minor in Design. I loved studying architecture, but realized it wasn’t quite right for me. I found that the reality of architecture consists a lot more of technical details and building codes instead of the poetry and artistry that I had loved about it in the first place.”
Her education continues…”I ended up getting my Master’s in Elementary Education, and thought that maybe I could teach instead. After a few years in education, I realized …
Read MoreThe Benefits and Blessings of a Marriage Conference
Marriage is a commitment, a decision to “have and to hold, in sickness and in health, ’til death do us part”….BUT as awesome as that sounds…you do not really know how difficult it will be when you say “I do” to honor that commitment on a day to day basis. It takes a lifetime to learn to be unselfish, to put someone else’s needs before your own and to serve, respect and actively love another person in every decision you make for the rest of your life. I am a commitment person, when I make a vow or give my word, I am ALL IN!!! Marriage is the best and most fulfilling relationship I have ever invested in but it has also required more patience and perseverance than all other relationships. I absolutely LOVE my husband, he is my best friend and he has stolen my heart forever. The challenge is not my husband per se, it is the challenge of two people learning to live and love, forgive and forget and move on through the ups and downs of life together.
It is very important to be student’s of each other-to grow together and continue to learn about likes and dislikes, dreams, hopes and visions for your future together. It takes time, committed to intentional active listening and talking and then for us, praying together. Reading books together, pursuing hobbies together, being open to join your spouse in things he likes that may not be your favorite way to spend time, all help develop a deeper appreciation for one another. It is also very important to keep growing as individuals, encouraging one another to pursue personal interests and share the new things you learn.
Dating your spouse is a great investment of time and energy. Regular time together, set …
From the Heart-Bible Verse Memory Card Holder
I have been reading the book I recommended a few weeks ago, The Well Versed Family, by Caroline Boykin, and was inspired to make my grandkids a bible verse memory card holder. Believe it or not, I do remember the days of trying to keep all four girls organized, papers in the proper place, backpacks ready for school each morning and the deep desire to make memorizing bible verses a top priority. We were fortunate to have the girls in a school where hiding God’s word in your heart was part of the curriculum and our home church, youth groups and Awana clubs emphasized that important skill as well. So I felt like I had the support from many angles. As I was reading this book I came to the awareness that even without the support from school, church or clubs, you can develop a great system in your own home for helping your kids learn God’s word by memorizing bible verses together as a family. So I decided to help my daughters from the organizational angle and encourage my grandkids in their pursuit of hiding God’s word in their heart. thus the Bible Verse Memory Card Holder idea described below. I will describe how to make one and you can double or triple the supplies if you plan on making more than one.
Supplies needed
scraps of fabric-you need two squares 12×12 inches
1 piece of notebook or construction paper to make your heart pattern
letter stencil for 2-3 inch alphabet
1 package of Warm White cotton batting
1 small piece of clear vinyl fabric
small square of felt
small piece of Wonder Under (one side fusible one side removable paper) or Stitch Witchery (double sided fusible material)
12 inches of grosgrain ribbon
Iron and ironing board
thread
Cut …
Read MoreBombay Bowl
This weekend, I went to a fantastic restaurant called the Veggie Grill with some really special friends. I ordered a vegetarian meal called the Bombay Bowl, which came highly recommended. This is my best re-creation of that fantastic bowl of healthy deliciousness.
Ingredients
1 yellow onion
20 large or 30 medium brussel sprouts trimmed and cut in half
1 head of cauliflower
4-5 carrots
1-2 parsnips
4-5 small red, white or purple potatoes
(any other veggies that you want to try-beets, broccoli, squash)
1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
1-2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon tumeric
1 teaspoon dried ginger or 1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 ½ teaspoon kelp seasoning (Bragg’s Organic Sea Kelp Delight Seasoning)
2-4 cups fresh kale chopped
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 can white cannellini beans (or great Northern beans) drained and rinsed
20-25 raw almonds
COCONUT MILK CURRY SAUCE
1 can coconut milk
1 Tablesoop curry powder
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons Braggs Liquid Aminos
Serves 4
Prepare the vegetables for roasting by cutting them all into 1 inch bite sized pieces. Place them in a large bowl and pour on 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with curry powder, turmeric, ginger and kelp seasoning. Toss until vegetables are coated with seasonings. 
Place vegetables in a single layer on 1-2 jelly roll pans covered with foil (for faster clean-up). Roast vegetables in a 450 degree oven for 30 minutes or until fork tender. Stir occasionally and remove from oven.
While veggies are roasting, prepare the quinoa according to package directions (3 cups water and 1 ½ cups quinoa in a pot bring to a boil and turn to simmer and cover for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender).
Steam 2-4 cups of kale in a microwave safe bowl with …
Read MoreItalian Kale and White Bean Soup
Kale is one of the new SUPER foods that everyone is talking about. I am always looking for recipes that use kale and this one is absolutely delicious! A friend gave it to me and I made a few adjustments in the seasoning to make it my own.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped
1 red or yellow bell pepper chopped
4 chicken or turkey Italian sausages (I used Trader Joe’s Sweet Basil Pesto Chicken/Turkey sausage)
1 bag (10 oz) Italian Kale
2 quarts chicken stock
2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (15 oz) Great Northern white beans
1 tsp salt
1 teaspoon seasoned pepper
1-2 teaspoons oregano
Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil. Add the chopped yellow bell pepper and Italian sausages that have ben sliced thin and cook until sausage gets a tiny bit brown. Add chicken stock, diced tomatoes, beans and seasoning. Add kale and bring to a boil. Turn to low and simmer 30-45 minutes until kale is soft and tender. Serve with crusty rustic wheat or sourdough bread.
Have you tried a new recipe using kale? Please share it with us!
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Becoming a Well Versed Family
As we raise our kids, what framework are we using to enable them to formulate a Christian world view? As their understanding of the world around them develops, where are they going for stable moral values and truth? Our culture today is changing rapidly and we need to be aware of the influences out there that are challenging our children. We need to be equipped to teach and train our children so they can develop a moral compass and build a framework of faith that will stand as they grow.
Hiding God’s word in your heart is a worthwhile practice. The bible is God’s word to man that reveals His character and His wisdom through truths that help us face every life circumstance.
God’s word is alive and active and gives us a connection to the heart of the creator of the universe.
Psalm 119:9,11 “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to Your word. I have hidden Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You”
God’s word enables us to live above mediocrity. We can use God’s word to instruct our children in the teachable moments in the lives of our kids.
Here are some tools that we used when the girls were young to begin to introduce our girls to the blessings and benefits of bible memorization.
GT and the Halo Express
This is a series of songs that uses scripture as the actual words to the song so your kids learn passages of the bible while they sing the songs.
Abeka alphabet bible memory cards These are the alphabet bible cards that we used with our girls. You memorize one verse for each letter of the alphabet. I would make up a short sing song melody for each …
Passion Perspective
Growing Weisser is going to start a new “tradition” called “Passion Perspective”. “Passion Perspective” will be a unique way to share a glimpse into the lives of some intriguing people who are pursuing their passions. Throughout the next year we will be devoting one week each month to feature a guest that has a true enthusiasm for the work they are doing. Our “Passion Perspective” week will include exclusive interviews to introduce you to many of our favorite friends who are on a journey of taking their passions and turning them into small businesses. We will share the steps they took, the challenges they faced, and the blessings that have come as well as their long term goals and dreams for the future. We will have awesome giveaways of products provided by each guest. Check back tomorrow for details about entering the giveaway.
Our first blog Guest is Annie Bruce, owner of the “Brooklyn Owl”. Annie was born and raised in Lemoore, CA in a Christian family with 2 brothers and wonderful parents. She has always been a sporty girl and set a few records in college. Her mom, Sue, was her best friend. Sue suffered from leukemia for much of Annie’s childhood, which made the moments they shared together as mother and daughter sacred and special to Annie. Sue went to heaven right before Annie graduated from college, and Annie was sad to see her go, but grateful for the time they had together to make lasting memories. Annie met a nice boy and after a few delightful years of dating they got married and moved to New York City. They lived in Manhattan for their first year of marriage, and then moved to Brooklyn. In October of 2008 Annie delivered a baby girl who they named Bee! …
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