Ahhh the Critics!

Really should be sleeping, its 11:30pm (way past my bed time) but I can't shut off my brain. So I decided this is why I have a blog. Sometimes I just have so much to say or create or think about - so I'm going to attempt to get it out. Those of you who are judging me stop being so critical... which leads me into my rant.

I am not the best at any one thing. I'm not trying to be humble or insecure or whatever label some might slap on at that comment. I am being honest - this is reality. No matter where I am gifted or talented there is one who is probably better and in most cases more than one. I am thankful for that, although it is an internal battle that I have to fight at times. Sometimes I get hooked on my self and how I am performing and before you know it all of my thoughts are all about ME! SICK... not how I would like to live my life. It's like all my efforts hit the ceiling and fall back in my face when I get in these cycles - to be vulnerable.

My goal is never to be the best at anything. My goal is to be Sarah Nichols Lipscomb at everything - yes this is cheesy but let me finish. There is no other Sarah Nichols Lipscomb (well maybe there is, but she doesn't have my DNA). I was created to worship in expressions and ways that no one else can. That's awesome. My God is awesome. The fact is so were you and your momma and every other human on the planet... that is a CRAZY thought! Wrap your brain around that vastness ( I know you can't... me either)

So the bottom line to this choppy madness - yet truth. Is that no one else can bring to the table or worship God the ways that I can. With that in mind I am free - I'm free to dream, to dance, to sing, to create without ever batting an eye at what the critics may think (me being my own biggest critic). Why waste my thoughts on what the critics think. I'm not trying to make money, I am trying to worship my creator, and reflect his beauty.

Think about this; there is no other you. No one else can do what you do. Live for something bigger than yourself and the critics are merely a murky memory.

"You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you." Song of Solomon 4:7

Update: Houston #1

I think that most of our friends and family know that we are now in Houston! Where it is already spring and mosquitos are abundant. We are actually loving it here! I think much to many peoples' surprise. I think we came in anticipating the worst of the worst with traffic and weather, but really we don't have a whole lot of problems with either. Let's face we are both from the southern part of America where it's hot most of the year anyways - this really isn't that different. BUT ... check back in with me in August and I will probably be singing a different song.

Our home in Waco is under contract.. which is a blessing beyond description. We packed up all of our "essentials" and moved here about 3ish weeks ago. Our realtor suggested we leave our furniture to stage the house and about 2 weeks later it is under contract! And... I happen to know the couple that will be moving in and can I just say for some reason it is pure joy knowing that they will the new home owners! Something about it just affirms the whole flip - our prayers have always been that the next home owners would find that home a sanctuary. 

We are currently living in a mother-in-law suite at the sweetest couples home. They have two grown children, one grand daughter - who is precious, and one on the way! Mr. and Mrs. Ford (they fit their names well) are as sweet as the south gets - incredibly hospitable and giving. When they heard that some strangers needed a place to stay to help build this church they opened their doors. GUYS there is hope... there are people like this in this world! We were so encouraged. Really this whole community down here is the same way, just so incredible to be here and experience such kindness. Oh and we are living here for free.

I have started my new job, and I LOVE it! The job hunt before coming down here was pretty stressful. We wanted to be here to help build this church but we couldn't just walk away from a mortgage without anyway to pay for it. There was a balance of obedience and responsibility that we wrestled with for ....oh about 2 months. Needless to say God won in the end - he always does, and the answer was yes. Yes we needed to do what we felt like he was calling us to do and yes we needed to be responsible. This could be expanded upon for pages on end, so I'll just leave this topic at that. Wes drove back and forth from Houston going to interview after interview and it always came back that they just weren't looking for anyone to fill that  position. Frustration and exhaustion would have been an understatement. I on the other hand didn't lift a finger to job hunt. I didn't send a single resume or make any phone calls. I just figured once we moved I would job hunt. Well out of the blue I got a phone call from my now boss, Chad, and he said he wanted to give me a job. He and I had talked at one of the church meetings and (not knowing he was in remodeling) I told him about the company in Waco that I worked for and how much I loved my job and was sad to be leaving it. Months later it was still on his mind and so he hired me! It is very similar to my job in Waco except here I am the only designer with the company, and I am loving it.

Although we moved in faith with only having one job, the first Monday we were in Houston Wes got a job. So there. God is faithful, sometimes it just takes a step in the right direction.

The Church! The church! The church is so exciting. Wes is the worship leader - which he is incredibly gifted at. We have an amazing worship team. The band itself had never played together - if you know about this then you know how big of a deal it is - and literally the first practiced they jelled (gelled??) immediately! It was truly a gift to say the least. Of course all the random guys that are just super talented were waiting around to be in a worship band... no thats not usually how it works. And just to sweeten things all of them have been in Antioch or around Antioch and carry the vision and the value of worship. So we are all on the same page! Its no easy task to pull a bunch of random people, from a new city, with different back grounds and flow in worship together and be like minded and like hearted. If you know what I am talking about then you are blown away too! God is good, and he is in control! We have somewhere around 120ish ppl. that attend on Sunday morning and we have about 6 or 7 lifegroups that meet during the week. The childrens ministry is incredible! We are a mobile church meaning that we don't have a building yet - so every sunday we set up and tear down. I'm absolutely blown away by the commitment and selflessness of my team. We get there at 7 am with smiling faces and pull in huge hairy creates... yes they are gray and hairy. We unload everything including folding walls, toys, snacks, and giant rugs for the kids. They even have allergy signs??? I help with stage set up and layout of the worship center, and I rotate in singing every other week or so. We love it. We love living for something bigger than our selves, and through the process of loving and seeing peoples lives changed ... ours change too.

If I have learned anything the past couple months its a lesson that I have learned many times but this time it went a little deeper...

“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice," - 1 Samuel 15:22

Samuel said this to a king who disobeyed God and the king's response was that he sacrificed for God, and Samuel quickly shot back its not about sacrifice its about obedience. Thats the extreme para phrase version... You can read if for yourself for more of the details and to get that perspective of God's heart for yourself. 

So many of us feel like in order to please God then we must be sacrificing someting. But don't sacrifice something for the sake of sacrifice - like some kind of legalistic burden - I know this because if I'm not careful I do this. Read about his character and learn, and see that its all about relationship. He is not interested in going through motions with you he is interested in your heart. So give it up! I have to go through this ... oh almost daily. 

Okay I won't rant about that any longer - here it is Houston update #1 - Not sure if you noticed but every thing that is purple is what God has done. He provided a place for us to stay, sold our house in 2 weeks, 2 jobs, a growing church, and community that we LOVE. He is faithful and we are living proof of his faithfulness today.

Oh.. and we are on the house hunt and found an amazing potential. Its the weirdest house ever... which is so appealing to me :). Ill keep you posted if we get it or not. It will be an incredible remodel.

2013: You Have a Choice

"You have a choice you can either do as I say, or...'the dreaded ultimatum'". Most of us heard this growing up from our parents. Or maybe you didn't which means it's probably harder for you to hear now. Its no fun being given the ultimatum. It's often a conversation I have with myself:

"I can either sit here and continue to eat these chips, or I can go get the rest of the fruit that is currently going bad. If I continue to eat these I know I am going to feel miserable and be mad at myself, and if I get the fruit I won't and it won't go bad..."

So I have two options: put up the chips and get something else like fruit if I am still hungry, or (the ultimatum) choose to be miserable and unhappy with myself once I'm full. 

Well the first option seems like a "DUH" option, but it's so dang hard sometimes to put up the chips. Obviously what I am getting at is something WAY bigger than a snack. Maybe it's a relationship you're in that is killing you on the inside but you stick it out because you don't want to go through the pain of a break up (and all that entails). Maybe you need to forgive someone that you're still so angry at, and you know once you've forgiven them it will be worth it and you will feel free....but then they will be off the hook. The list goes on and on. Humans are so complex and full of tangled webs - if we don't have discipline we can work ourselves into a miserable life. You know what I am talking about because you have done this, and as soon as you choose the right choice (most of the time the harder choice) you are LIBERATED. 

In 2013 I have a choice, this I think will be a theme for me. I have a choice to choose the healthier option, to forgive instead of harbor bitterness, to be honest instead of convince myself into a false reality, a choice to not live in vain imagination, A CHOICE!! I'm thankful for a choice and even as I type Im getting more and more excited. I have a choice to have a good attitude instead of a bad one.

I'm excited for new beginnings ( I love them actually), and I am beyond amazed that everyone has the same choices as me. So here we come 2013! I challenge you too to think about your choice.

The Master Suite

I think the our favorite feature that we added to this home is the master bathroom suite. When we walked into the original bathroom it was Baylor yellow with a standard shower/ tub combo and its only entrance was in the hallway. After an extensive design meeting with Wes :) - I think the more opinionated of the two of us...  and several drawings later we landed on our solution.

Solution: We walled off the hallway entrance and busted through the master bedroom wall. This proved to be a great use of space because we were able to add another closet.. SCORE. So we went from a Baylor yellow color with a pedestal sink with a shower/tub combo, and a toilet to.......

A walk in shower with a bench, custom cabinet double vanity sink, his/her closets, and a toilet tucked nicely around a half wall in a calming blue/ neutral tile combo. Like every room in our house there is a window that makes it a bright space.

Chrome is my favorite finish so we did a chrome light fixture with Delta chrome sink fixtures and rain shower head.

I just like these pulls I found at hobby lobby... less than a dollar on sale and a vintage touch.

                           OH yea almost forgot here is the original bathroom... all Baylor bright:

This toilet is actually where we put our shower.

The sink is where our toilet is currently. This door was way too great to get rid of ... it is in our garage waiting for its new home.

Kitchen Clean and Quaint.

I am a little eclectic when it comes to my style. I think that is why I love the idea of flipping because its almost like every home has its own character to take and run with.  With the fireplace, giant windows and "secret garden" back yard - this home already felt peaceful and cozy to me. So the finish out was almost like just putting make up on an already pretty face. I was taking what was already existing and enhancing it and drawing attention to its good features.

The kitchen already had clean lines and quaint details. I love clean and quaint. There was an existing huge sink, and a lot of room for improvement. But my favorite part about the kitchen was and still are the windows! One giant window, a door with windows, and a sink window. Although the walls and floors were painted the same shade of navy blue, I could already envision a light, crisp, clean kitchen flooded with  natural light.

Before: Navy blue concrete floors and walls, washer and dryer in the kitchen, old red and white cabinets, rusted white sink, no refrigerator, a water heater in the pantry, and one light fixture that didn't give off much light.

We still have this antique if anyone wants to buy it let me know - as far we know it still works.

The insides of these cabinets were fire engine red, the grout on the white hexagon tiles were pretty nasty

 The washer and dryer were below this window and covering part of it.

                           This was the original pantry with the water heater in the corner.



After: We put in new tile floors, moved the water heater into the attic and put a stackable washer and dryer into the old pantry, installed granite counter tops, new subway tile backsplash, fresh coat of an oil base paint on the cabinets, new hardware, kept the quaint metal detailing under the sink (love that), re-finished our sink, had four can lights installed as well as a single pendant, Kept the same cabinets for the most part but added a cookie sheet slot and took some out to add a dishwasher and bought all new appliances.

 No more washer and dryer and no more navy blue! So natural and bright. I feel like I am in a sanctuary when I am cooking (except for the time the oven caught on fire).

 Brazilian Black granite with black hardware makes my white subway tile and white cabinets look very clean and crisps. I love my butchers block - my parents gave me that as a house warming gift - and it has made this kitchen not only cute, but incredibly functional. Its on wheels to I can wheel it around to the stove when I am chopping food... its awesome!

 Chrome! I love chrome - its just enough pop to keep it clean. I put a chrome sink faucet and light fixture in. My counter tops look a little cluttered...but like I said we live here so its going to look a little lived in :).

We put Sea Salt on the walls (Sherwin Williams) which is in my opinion one of the best paint colors ever created. It has just enough blue/ green for some character, but enough grey to be a neutral.

 I love this little ditty :) - I painted the stool and the wooden frame the same color as the wall. I wanted them to blend it and not carry any weight. This kitchen is not big by any means so to have something heavy and bulky there would make me feel cramped. I am eventually going to get a tall, small table so Wes can set his drink down while he watches me cook. He likes to be in the kitchen with me so he needed a stool. He is so sweet! I love these tea cups they pull in the quaint detailing under the sink.

 This is our washer dryer creative solution. We re-located the water heater and put them in the original pantry. I am more than happy to not have a washer and dryer in my kitchen. They are so quiet and do a great job we are thrilled with this investment. When I close the door I cant hear them at all.

This is my storage solution. Because the closet we had to work with was a little on the narrow side I decided to hang baskets on the wall. Perfect! They hold all my cleaning supplies and laundry detergent no problem.



The Colcord kitchen is one of my favorite parts about the flip. As a newly wed learning to be a great wife I needed an inspiring kitchen. 

**Side note I don't have a big fancy camera - so these pictures are just taken with my iphone. Sorry they aren't the best quality maybe a few flips down the road the blog and the pictures will improve a little :)**

The First of Many: Sanctuary on Colcord Ave.

A few months back Wes and I decided to find a house, or a dump, and renovate it to make it home. Because of my degree, my job (designer for Magnolia Homes), and his job (credit analyst at a bank) we  felt like it was a set up.

Turns out it was a total set up. His bank more than supported us, my job experience in flipping homes, and my degree more than prepped me for this new adventure.

Apprehensions: we were going to get in a million fights over finishes and selections, it wasn't going to be cute at all when we were done, fail, and money would get out of control. After praying through all the apprehensions and acknowledging them as fears we jumped in!

Found our adorable little house while driving around - it was an estate sale and the sweet lady who lived here before us built this home and lived here her whole life! Awesome - just one homeowner before us and raised all of her children here. I love that story. We picked this house because of its bones. It has great features such as: huge windows, chimney in the front, fireplace, hardwood floors (original to the house), incredible blue hexagon tile in the bathroom, and a solid foundation. The owner also replaced the roof not too long ago with a 45 yr. shingle...that is GREAT! She also had recently update the AC unit and the water heater. As soon as I walked in it was a no- brainer!

No one else wanted the home because they had a hard time seeing past the painted blue concrete floors in the kitchen, the washer and dryer in the kitchen, the outdated appliances, the nasty/ musty floral carpets and the stains on the walls. And of course our favorite fix up ... there was no master suite.

Pictures our home before: Kind of reminded me of McDonalds with the yellowish brick and red-ish roof.


I want to bring God into everything I do because then I know for sure it is his design - his idea not mine. His is and always will be WAY BETTER THAN MINE! So I prayed through this whole process - some of you might think that is silly, but I'm dead serious. Anyways I was a little stressed over the paint color because my challenge was picking a color that didn't make the roof look more red. My first thought was a shade of green or grey.. neutral or complimentary ... right?? Well after praying I knew it had to be blue. What I am saying is: it was God's idea for the house to be blue. No matter how hard I tried to justify a different direction it had to be blue. I felt like this home was to be a "sanctuary" a refuge for the next owner (thats why we bought it ... to sell it, but we are currently living here). We will see if that is case we hope to put it on the market soon. But that is my prayer and inspiration word for this home: Sanctuary. Of course lo and behold I found the perfect shade of blue from a local paint shop in town called sanctuary. Before I ever knew - God knew- gosh its sweet to follow Jesus. Anyways like I was saying I had a word for this house and after searching through major paint companies I landed on the perfect color which is called the inspiration word for my house. Coincidence?? - I don't think so ... God. Call me hyper spiritual or whatever you want but I just couldn't believe this, I was so encouraged and affirmed to move forward. It was exactly the confidence I needed to finish the job, and create the perfect blue house on Colcord Avenue.

So we painted the exterior Sanctuary blue and almost the entire interior the perfectly peaceful shade of blue called Sea Salt (sherwin williams color).

Here is the final product of the out side of our home. I plan on posting each room over the next week and the major changes we made...all the before and afters.


The Sanctuary on Colcord:

We actually ended up taking down all the white railings around the front and back porch and put 8" cedar beams instead that we stained to match our new custom shutters. My favorite part is that the roof looks brown with this color - no more Mcdonalds. God knew the perfect color.

We love living here and will definitely be sad when we move into the next project, but we have found a hobby/ job that we LOVE!!!

Remember all of my apprehensions... well here was the final outcome: we worked so well together (only like 3 arguments over layout ideas), Wes handled the finances like a champ and we came in EXACTLY almost to the penny on budget, we are more than happy with the outcome of our home, and we feel like do live in a sanctuary. Concept accomplished.

More to come - room by room transformation!

Losing Yourself.

There was a moment today when I thought... Who am I?? and where did that just come from? Oh the woes of being a human. We so easily lose ourselves. All I need is 100 degree weather, driving the beast (my husbands awesome Z71 Tahoe that I have a really hard time driving), and an angry sub contractor for me to become monster Sarah. In my defense today was a rough day and around four o'clock I found my self: hair completely disheveled, drinking a coke?? (I hate coke.. I haven't had one in years), and screaming at another human over the phone. This is a very scary picture.

After hanging up and realizing what I had become, I felt lost. I was defending my company from a sub contractor who really got us into a terrible situation by deception. Yes that is a good bone in me, its the justice bone and the loyal bone, and I honestly wouldn't trade them. But oh to be like Jesus to channel my loyal justice into a self controlled person. I finished the work day and crawled onto my bed, lit a candle and reflected my mind flooded with scripture.

 Galatians 5: ^"13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. ^(Y)Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love ^(Z)serve one another. ¹⁴ For ^(AA)the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ^(AB)“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁵ But if you ^(AC)bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. ¹⁶ But I say, ^(AD)walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify ^(AE)the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For ^(AF)the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, ^(AG)to keep you from doing the things you want to do." - If I had been walking by the spirit would I have solved the problem with wisdom.. probably. Instead I lost it and ended up solving nothing - just hanging up the phone.

Not to mention the fruits of the spirit, love your neighbor as you love yourself, and just the character of Jesus. He was mocked, accused, slandered against, forsaken....etc. Yet he maintained his character, he was constant. He showed grace and mercy. Even to monster Sarah he is merciful. Something I love about Jesus that is so over looked is his kindness. He was so kind to the lowest of the lows, he was so kind to liars, cheaters, and prostitutes. He didn't hold his nose up and think lowly of them he considered them the same as himself, and he was kind. 

I'm thankful for grace, but I refuse to take advantage of it. Repentance, meaning to change your ways is in order as well as an apology. My prayer and hope is that I would become such a woman of the word that before I speak scripture would flood my mind, and that I would be equipped for the day, and first to seek wisdom from God.