Conundrum

If my sweet little man could write a poem, this might be one he would write. He's four. ;-)


Bed in Summer

In winter I get up at night
And dress by yellow candle-light.
In summer quite the other way,
I have to go to bed by day.

I have to go to bed and see
The birds still hopping on the tree,
Or hear the grown-up people's feet
Still going past me in the street.

And does it not seem hard to you,
When all the sky is clear and blue,
And I should like so much to play,
To have to go to bed by day?

--Robert Louis Stevenson

Journey

I've been thinking about journeys of many types for many months now, so when ZNE announced it as their theme for August's theme week challenge, I had to turn something out. My piece is about the journey of faith, and can be seen here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230016093215

Here I Go: Adventures of Louisa

Here I Go: Adventures of Louisa

Well, now that I'm finally starting to get the hang of this blogging thing (I'm actually starting to understand a bit of html--something I never thought would happen!), I've started a second blog for the adventures of Louisa, my little travelling girl. She shares her thoughts, her adventures, her faith and photos of the whole journey in her new online journal. Be sure to visit! And a special thank you to my sweet eight-year-old consultant, who advises me when I need it. It has been a bit since I was that age...

First stop on the journey--our wonderful neighbors to the north

Louisa is off on her adventures! Joining her mother on a train through the Rockies, our sweet traveller is taking in an eyeful of God's wonderful creation. The mountains are taller than any she's ever seen. The wild beauty of the place is like none she's ever seen. Of course she's making friends along the way, including the RCMP.






A very large thank you to Roy Beaty, for allowing me to use his incredibly beautiful photo of Mt. Rundle. His photo captures the majesty of this breathtaking place.

Some new art

I've been playing with jewelry this week, which is a new venture for me. Quite fun! I was blessed to win a necklace from a dear artist on eBay (Lani of Healing Exressions, if you want to look for her by ID) and have been inspired to try some of my own. Every time I wear hers I get so many compliments--everything she does is first class. So, I've played around, adding my own colorful twist.










Then, while searching for findings at the local craft store, I found some adorable little bottles that begged to come home. How could I resist? Well, I couldn't...






And finally, here's a fun little piece made with those bracelet squares:

Speaking of creation...

Remember Romans 1:20 the next time you look at a flower. "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Our hearts know; our heads try to deny. But let me ask you, how many of these incredibly varied blooms have you ever made?

Why?

Why did God make spiders? Are bugs the result of the curse? Hmmm, this gardener thinks she knows the answer, but I look forward to someday knowing for sure. Of course, by the time I'm with the one who knows, will I care?

And speaking of knowing and someday being known, 1 John 3:2 tells us "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." What a wonderful promise! Hang onto it, dear friends, especially when the day seems the longest and maybe the little people in your home seem the orneriest and you've been less than your best. God looks at us as we will be! Mmm. I like that! :-)

Roses and evolution

If evolution is real, how come my daisies don't evolve into something prettier? You know, like these roses...

A Recent Adventure

My daughter's class took a field trip to a local park where we had so much fun. Our spring has been so rainy and at times it has been frustrating, but it makes for some lovely plants. And besides, I've never melted in the rain yet!

I'm It!

I've been tagged by JoAnnA to share, so, here goes:

5 things in my fridge:
1. XS--an energy drink with no sugar/low carbs, but still tastes good. My family loves it.
2. Strawberries--mmmm, what a lovely time of year, first strawberries
3. Snow cone syrup! My daughter got a snow cone maker for her birthday, which she loved!
4. Salsa--always eating that.
5. Lettuce--some is brown and needs to go, some is good and needs to be eaten...

5 Things in my closet:
1. Hats on nails
2. Outgrown children's clothing
3. A beautiful vintage wool sweater with pearls embroidered on and, unfortunately, tons of moth holes. :-(
4. Only nine pairs of shoes (three of which are boots) because I'm in the middle of cleaning out!
5. Six new white shirts, to add to the five or so previously there. I love white shirts.

5 Things in my purse (this should be fun!):
1. Art supplies because I teach second-grade art (crayons, colored pencils, paint brush--one day I even found several pairs of scissors!).
2. A measuring tape.
3. Yesterday I found an unwrapped sucker--luckily untasted and unsticky!
4. An art journal, for sudden inspiration.
5. Usually a book or my portable Bible for those unexpected times of waiting.

5 Things in my car:
1. Kids! Ooh, not right now, but most of the time they're there! ;-)
2. A large sheet of Tyvek in my trunk.
3. Maps in the glove box.
4. Seaglass in the ashtray that I need to remember to bring in the house.
5. A mileage sheet for our many businesses.

5 People to tag for their answers:
1. Jill
2. Dianne
3. Crystal
4. Amber
5. Kathleen

Here I Go

Her bags are packed. She's ready to go. She's standing now inside the door. Ready to go out to see the world...

Louisa is finally embarking (although not on a jet plane). Her optimistic eyes show her desire for some adventure. Her sweet smile will win her friends everywhere. What adventures await? Only her creator knows, just like our Creator knows the plans He has for us. Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us: 'For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.' Her she is, literally standing inside the door, ready to take on the world.



For detail pictures and to see the back, please check her out on eBay. She is part of my eBay group His Muse's newest challenge after all. Click on the photo, then on the little box in the lower corner to see a close up.

The beautiful verse at the bottom reads: "If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." --Psalm 139:9,10

Some new art

I've actually had some creative time this week. Yay, oh yay! Since the sewing machine conviently lives on the dining room table, fabric was the medium of choice. The pillow is themed for Mother's Day and went to my retail space where I am hoping someone will find it and want to make it hers.



This little quiltlet was originally planned as a pillow, but just wanted to be something else. Having recently read Lesley Riley's CPS article, I was excited to try her pillowcase quilt method, which worked very nicely.



















After a bit of drilling (I was already drilling holes in a book) I was able to finish up these little lids, too. Finishing projects always feels good.

Heart Musings

spring
new green
lifting, singing, flying
refreshing life and beauty
rebirth








beauty
lively soothing
blooming, knowing, praising
live for the heavens
flowers








child
fleeting babe
loving, laughing, being
freedom of my heart
daughter

Reading poetry

My heart has felt some longing for verse lately, so when my gaze fell upon a book of such at the library not long ago, I brought it home for the allotted time. Here is a favorite:





"The Pulley" by George Herbert (1593-1633)

When God at first made man,
Having a glass of blessings standing by,
'Let us' (said he) 'pour on him all we can;
Let the world's riches, which dispersed lie,
Contract into a span.'

So strength first made a way;
Then beauty flow'd, then wisdom, honour, pleasure.
When almost all was out, God made a stay,
Perceiving that alone of all his treasure
Rest in the bottom lay.

'For if I should' (said he)
'Bestow this jewel also on my creature,
He would adore my gifts instead of me;
And rest in Nature, not the God of Nature:
So both should losers be.

'Yet let him keep the rest,
But keep them with repining restlessness;
Let him be rich and weary, that at least,
If goodness lead him not, yet weariness
May toss him to my breast.'

If you are weary today, why not call upon the Lover of your soul, who promises, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

It's easier than you think and the time grows later than we realize.

Don't put off what you need today--each moment brings us closer to the place where time and eternity meet. Redemption is not hard, because there's only one thing you have to do: choose Jesus.

• That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Romans 10:9-10 •

He loves you.

• But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. 2 Peter 3:8-10 •

• The LORD is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.
The LORD is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.
Psalm 145:8,9 •

Don't miss the gift! :-)

Happy Resurrection Sunday

He is risen!













He is risen indeed!

What would soccer without rain be?

Enjoyable! ;-) And that's just what we had today for our first game of the season. Not so enjoyable was the goal that the other team scored because our young goalie accidentally dropped the ball when she went to throw it out, and it rolled past the line. She is such a good little goalie and had stopped the ball; she just dropped it. The other team didn't even cheer because they didn't want to score like that. Otherwise it would have been 0-0.

I tried and failed...

But only to accomplish what I was hoping for. Failing is only when we don't recover from the lack of expected results. :-) So what was I doing? Trying to embroider felt and then burn it out to make lace. I remember reading somewhere recently (maybe it was even in the article I was trying to re-create!) that not all felts melt equally and that it is best to always try a sample first. Here's why--it saves you lots of time when it doesn't melt. Oh, well, I got to practice my FME! Click on the picture block for a better look. If you hold your cursor over the larger pic, a little box will appear in the lower right corner; click it for an even larger look.

One of those "We''ll-explain-your-life-in-5-questions-or-less" thingies

The Keys to Your Heart

You are attracted to those who are unbridled, untrammeled, and free. In love, you feel the most alive when things are straight-forward, and you're told that you're loved. You'd like to your lover to think you are optimistic and happy. You would be forced to break up with someone who was emotional, moody, and difficult to please. Your ideal relationship is traditional. Without saying anything, both of you communicate with your hearts. Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment. You think of marriage as something precious. You'll treasure marriage and treat it as sacred. In this moment, you think of love as something you thirst for. You'll do anything for love, but you won't fall for it easily.

What'>http://www.blogthings.com/keystoyourheartquiz/">What Are The Keys To Your Heart?

Ending spring break with a creative day

Well, we've had spring break this last week. At the beginning of the week I told our daughter that we were going to do some house cleaning during the week (including the dreaded going-through-of-the-room routine) and that we each needed to learn something new. I'm happy to say that we each learned something new. :-)

She embarked on the path to learning a couple new skills: playing the piano and sewing. Her week included learning and practicing finger exercises and making a quilt top. It did not, however, include the dreaded cleaning-of-the-room. So much for good intentions. I suspect it will wait until summer now, and of course we have so much more time to procrastinate in the summer! ;-) Truthfully it will most likely happen much sooner since I need to seriously curb the packrat tendencies already apparent before they reach grander proportions.

And speaking of packrat tendencies, I did get some of my studio stuff moved back to its proper abode. The dining and living rooms are slowly returning to a state of normal livability. Although I had originally planned to have some much longed for creative time once the taxes were finished, it didn't materialize until the end of the week. So what were the things I learned? How to blog (!) and I finally mastered free-motion embroidery (commonly known as FME). My wonderful creative day allowed me to create a Klimt-inspired angel that I sketched out recently. She is now sold. This picture shows a detail.

Conquering this skill was so inspiring that I began looking around for more victims--I mean projects to work on. ;-) At the bottom of the pile on my desk I found an angel that had been the ill-fated victim (and I mean that word this time!) of metallic thread in my Singer with a fabric with too much stretch. Puckers in the border and silver thread goofs made their presence too known to be pretty. But now they are camoflaged with a lovely silver spiraling border. I still don't think she's good enough for sale, but I've always liked her and she matches my bedroom. Very convenient, don't you think? Me too. :-)

And what about our little boy? Did he learn something new, too? Well, at his age he's learning something new just about every day, but this week we worked on learning to NOT throw fits. On a more fun note, he is learning to shoot hoops. Living near Gonzaga, we watched most of the college basketball playoffs lately. So at different times he has been Gonzaga, George-Mason, UCLA, Connecticut, whatever team he remembers as he shoots. LOL!

My husband--well, I hope he learns to cut his fingers less as he installs siding! :-O

Blessings to you!

A few new things

Meet Louisa, who will soon be embarking on travels in my art as part of a group project for His Muse, which is a group of Christian artists on eBay. She reminds me of my great-grandmother, whose name was actually Louise. Isn't she sweet? (But not too sweet.) Our group has decided to do a challenge series of art featuring our little girls in different settings and shown with different Scriptures of our own choosing. The pieces will be auctioned every month.

We've already instituted a challenge where we each create a piece of art based on our own intrepretation of a certain Scripture each month. It has been such fun to see what each artist creates. Last month we did Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding..." I made a small purse, shown here.



Next, a link to my current auctions, where I am offering several sets of ATC blanks: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZlarin*offeringsQQhtZ-1

Now that I'm finally done with taxes (woohoo!), I have some time for art. Today I practiced FME (free-motion embroidery) and tomorrow I will be putting it to good use in an angel project inspired by Gustav Klimt's popular work, "The Kiss." I like his *clean* artwork. Of course, we may have a playday at the park instead. Decisions, decisions...

Good night.