Cooking with Wolfgang.

I love to go to the Mission Viejo Library whenever I have paperwork or classwork to do. It's just a beautiful place, quiet and serene. A bit ago, when Zachary and I were leaving the Library, we noticed a cart full of books with a sign that said, "free". We glanced through them and ended up finding an fabulous Wolfgang Puck cookbook that I absolutely couldn't deny! So I took it home and honestly read through every page in the cook book, front to back. It had some marvelous recipes that I couldn't wait to try. Here is the first recipe that I attempted, and it turned out wonderfully!



Grilled Salmon With
Garlic Cream and Tomato Butter






I would be more than happy to post the recipe if someone would like it. The taste was marvelous, but it was a bit time-consuming. The meal would be perfect for a special occasion with good family and friends! I wanted to share this with you.

The Cotton Exchange

I'm a big advocate for decorating with plenty of pillows. My friends often question why I have so many pillows on my bed all of the time. I just think that the right blend of fabrics can significantly add to the design of any room. So back in March, I began making some pillows for Zachary's mama. I enjoyed it so much that I made several others and decided to sell them on Etsy, an incredible resource for handmade and vintage items. I'm sad to say that after getting into my busy summer schedule, I don't have any time to keep up my Etsy shop that I had named "The Cotton Exchange," after a famous Edgar Degas painting. I still love making the pillows and I hope to have time to maintain the shop once my schedule opens up again. I thought I would share a few with you:

One of the Patriots.

A friend of mine, Mary Claire Roman, is a talented photographer. I have a passion for costuming/ styling, which includes concept design, outfitting, hair, and makeup. I thought it would be incredibly fun if we paired up to create a photoshoot together, incorporating both of our talents and love for these creative arts. The following shots are the outcome of our collaboration. Our model and my best friend, Breanna Rathbun, was the perfect choice for the festive theme that I chose.


First, here are some images that led to my inspiration in the design of the shoot:










Here is the photoshoot:
Photographer: Mary Claire Roman
Styling/MUA: Me, Kourtney Jackson


























Keep looking out for some more collaborative shoots from Mary Claire and I in the near future!

Rock A Bye Baby.

For my Art & Design Major, I took the Drawing101 class last semester. Our final project had very specific, yet incredibly vague requirements: three separate pieces of separate mediums, all focusing on a new outlook of ANY topic. I actually really struggled choosing a topic. We were supposed to have chosen it near the beginning of the semester so that we could gain enough knowledge to really understand our topic. Some of the other students chose hypersensitive issues such as water pollution, the deception of the "American Dream", the seven deadly sins, and body image. I wrestled with topics that would interest me, but in all honesty, hypersensitive issues do not necessarily interest me unless they are about a moral issue. Even then, there was no way that I would have easily constructed visual art pieces from such ambiguous concepts. Ultimately, I chose the topic of abortion. I was not overwhelmingly looking forward to offending other's political or spiritual beliefs with my pieces, but we had to speak in favor of one side of the issue. Like any issue that is publicly debated, we come with our own preconceptions. Although, I attempted to look into the issue of abortion with more of an open-mind, seeking to find any kind of reasoning for upholding the benefits of it. With all of my research, I did not find any significant reasoning that made me want to advocate for abortion. It was actually quite contrary. Here are my final pieces:
Acrylic on Canvas 1
2
Charcoal on Canvas 1
2
Paper Mache 1
2
3

An Example, In Speech

I am one of several musicians at my church that assist in leading the congregation with worship music. We have been reading a book called "Worship Matters," by Bob Kauflin, and we gather together for lunch every month to discuss the previous chapter. It is a great time of prayer, reflection, and fellowship with other musicians and Christians. We met yesterday to go over the fifth chapter in the book, entitled, "My Life, What Do I Model?" It was a sobering discussion of the power of our careless words and actions. I was specifically challenged by a part of the chapter where the author points us to read James 3:8-10. It states:

"But no human being can tame the tongue. it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so." James 3:8-10

The author then comments,
"He's right. 'These things ought not to be so.' But from the little I've heard and read, we seem increasingly comfortable with conversations that contain profanity and sexual innuendo. I've read blog posts by worship leaders that are slanderous and provocative. It could be an attempt to sound cool and relevant. Or it could be that we're just being foolish."

A bit later, the author continues, "It does mean taking responsibility for our words, written or spoken, and understanding that they influence others to fear God or ignore him. Jesus said we'll be held accountable for 'every careless word' we say (Matthew 12:36). That's why he wants us to set an example for others in our speech."

I'm learning again how powerful words can be. We have the choice to either influence people's lives in a positive way, or in a negative way. The sad thing is that when we are careless and don't make a conscience effort to tame our tongues, we are more likely to speak negatively than positively. That concept just reinforces the fact that humans are born sinners, and we NEED redemption. We are not naturally good beings, we have to work at it. So my sincere hope is that any of my words, whether in person, on facebook, or on this blog would be sound, gracious, truthful, and edifying. I am a broken person, full of flaws, but since I have been redeemed through the love of my Savior, I pray that my words will be made genuine and will be an overflow of my joy through salvation in Jesus Christ! I just thought I would share this with you.