what's {meaningful} on our walls

Ben & I were friends long before we ever began dating...in fact I think we dated for a few months without even realizing it. Totally inseparable. I think God's still laughing at that part.

Anyway, I was thrilled when I first came to his house and saw art everywhere. Not a poster clumsily placed into a frame. Not sports memorabilia {though there was that, too}. But real, legitimate art from {gasp!} galleries.

Since I majored in art history, I was especially excited and impressed.

Ok ok, Ben's friend owns the David Lusk Gallery where he acquired most of them, but still. I loved it.

We have some truly amazing pieces that we have collected through the years, yet for the moment anyway, they largely remain in boxes {ohhh Kathleen Holder, we'll get you up again soon!}

Until just recently, the walls in our new house have been basically blank. Like I said, boxes!

But the wall from the kitchen, leading into the family room was lonely and way too blank for my taste so I finally unpacked some pieces that mean a lot to our family.

I really wanted some maps that showed our love of both Africa & America and how we're joining the countries together.

As soon as I saw Bess' creativity over at English Muffin, I knew her style was exactly what I wanted in the kid's space of our home and she was sweet enough to make me a custom print of Africa to go with the colorful print of the US.

I've kept in contact with her a little and she has generously offered an exclusive little sale of 10% off to all of YOU for the next 7 days! {please see the bottom of this post for details}

You'll see a variety of maps in her shops - Europe, Canada, World, etc as well as fun, brightly colored educational posters. Go check her out. You need one for your house. Promise.

I also found this beautiful map on One King's Lane...or was it Joss & Main??

But I originally saw their work on etsy, as well {here}.

I love how the prints come with several heart shaped stickers to place yourself to show that "My Roots Lie Here."

This whimsical panel is one of my favorites from Ben's collection before we were married | Aa {Lloyd Dallett}

I bought this just after finishing Beth Moore's study, Living Beyond Yourself: Exploring The Fruit of the Spirit | Fruit {Jones Design Company}.

Take a second to try and read this one. Really try. Click on it.

It's a note from Ezekiel {a friend at his orphanage who spoke English transcribed it}. He handed it to a family who was visiting their child and asked if they could get it to us. It's one of our most precious & prized posessions.

Just inside our front door is this photograph. We won it at an auction the night Ben & I began the whole conversation of adopting back when we were dating.

K. Gardner, whoever you are...your photo of the little boy in Malawi praying has changed our lives. Maybe someday you'll know our story.

This room is just off the entry and is where that precious little boy's photo hangs. Over in the corner, behind my reading chair hangs a piece I painted when I was taking a bunch of art classes & found a passion for art that I never knew I had.

It was at my folk's house until our most recent move...thought at some point maybe I'd put it in Imani's room. For now it hangs in a place where little hands with crayons can't reach.

I posted a tutorial on this canvas last year and am still loving seeing it every time I walk up the stairs {it was in the powder room at our old house, now on the landing on our 2nd floor}. "Jesus Loves Me" is a really special song to our family for a couple reasons...one being it's lyrics were the only English words Ezekiel knew when he came into our family. I love the video of him singing it back when Ben & his mom went to Ethiopia for a visit...go check it out. It's so sweet.