Lilies

A year ago McKenna and I planted these with one or two small blooms shortly before her sister Lily was born. I came home yesterday to this beautiful sight.

A Day With My Girls

After 3 years of living across the country from my girls, I treasure days like these.

Lighting Up

Source: etsy.com via Paula on Pinterest

Last week I was watching Priscilla Shirer on DVD. She was talking about the famous Michael Jackson video where he dances and the squares light up. She said the story goes something like this.

The director/producer said, "Michael, I know you can dance all over the stage and it will be great but I want you to only step where I tell you to."
Michael did what he said and the result is history.

Priscilla goes on to say that we can use all our gifts and talents in various places and it will look great or we can use our gifts where God directs and the path will light up.

I won't be dancing on stage anytime soon but I would love for my everyday life to light up under God's direction.

Keep It Simple Please

No, I didn't make a mistake in posting my photo. This was the result of trying to use one of the new photo apps on my phone. I didn't know how to fix it!

Another boo-boo on my post yesterday. I thought I gave credit to Pinterest for the photo but it didn't post. I am new to this iPhone stuff. That wasn't my granddaughter's painting. I need her permission to post that.

How do other bloggers make it look so easy?
My motto is Keep It Simple. Once I see it done, I'm on my way.

Please be patient sister bloggers. I love having you visit me, bloopers and all!

Movement

"As long as we remain resentful about things we wish had not happened, about relationships we wish had turned out differently, mistakes we wish we had not made, part of our heart remains isolated, unable to bear fruit in the new life ahead of us. It is a way we hold ourselves apart from God."
Henri Nouwen

Every time I come to camp, I return to the same book and the same passage. I've been praying over my heart and today I could see I've held on to pieces of resentment like a security blanket.

Recently my granddaughter did a painting of a girl standing at the onset of a path with a beautiful horizon. She stood staring at her feet.

Am I staring at my feet, trying to let go?

Nouwen also says, "As we dance and walk forward, grace provides the ground on which our steps fall...
We look beyond our experience of sadness or loss by learning to receive an all embracing love, a love that meets us in everyday moments."

I cannot change my heart, but I know One who can. I lift my eyes to the path before me and take a step...

Travel Day

I can't believe we are headed south to take McKenna home. And she is driving! Where did the time go?

We didn't even get a chance to play a game. She did build a domino train station when we were rearranging the upstairs :)

Today is a travel day. I will take her home and head on down to our camper for a few days. Feeling a bit better today but a little rest before heading back home is needed.

Return to Eucharisteo

I loved to swing when I was a little girl. As I grew older, sometimes my stomach would become queasy from the motion. Eventually I stopped swinging altogether.

I woke up at 3:00 a.m. today with a queasy stomach, more than a little. I wish it was as simple as motion. Was it something I ate, the weakness in my body, a bug...? I don't know.

A few days ago, I was reminded of Eucharisteo. It seems God is not letting go of this principle in my life. I keep returning to it or it keeps returning to me.

Thank you, Lord for this time to stop, take things a bit slower today.
"Always Eucharisteo (giving thanks) to the Father through Jesus."
You have a plan.

Peace.
Letting go of the struggle of what and why.
Praying to the One who knows me.

Artist at Work

Today was a gorgeous day for painting and just about anything else! The humidity finally broke.

My granddaughter painted the day away, preparing for an art show in two weeks. What a joy to watch her work!

BookStool

It is one of the hottest days ever here in northern Maine!

My granddaughter wanted to earn a little money so I lined up a few projects.
One was to take up old rugs on the upstairs landing but in order to do that we had to move bookcases.
Of course, we had to take all the books off the shelves.

I wanted to eliminate a few. I have so many books the task was overwhelming. Did I mention that we picked the hottest day?

By the end, I was sitting down on the job,literally.

Thanks to Ken's sense if humor, we had a few good laughs, put things back together and called it a day :)

Traveling Companions

Yesterday I traveled home with my granddaughter. Isn't she beautiful?

We gave her cousin a ride home, too.

Stopped in Medway for home-cooked food and blue slushies:)

Happy to have her for a few days.

Celebration Tinged With Sadness

I don't know what happened yesterday. I posted in the morning about Amber being published in Art Journaling magazine. Then I wanted to save a post for today but ended up posting it instead, which I didn't realize until today.

Thanks for your comments and joy in my celebration. Here's a picture of my son, my sister and I standing outside of Borders with our bags, containing the magazine. We were so excited!

Even though I am still celebrating, today I am saddened by the news that Borders may be closing all their stores. Borders is a highlight for me because I visit there every time we venture downstate. It's the closest large bookstore we have. The electronic book has made it's mark, I'm afraid. Somehow ordering online is not the same as standing there, holding a book, leafing through a magazine and seeing what other people are buying.

I wouldn't have gotten pictures like these if Borders were closed.

If you missed my post about Art Journaling, check out yesterday's first post :)

The Loves of My Life

Grampy & Mammy with our 5 grandchildren on vacation:

(left to right)
Benjamin, Kobi, Isabella, McKenna & Lilyana

Blessings in the Flesh!

Celebration

While I was on vacation, something wonderful happened that I want to share today. My daughter was published for the first time in Art Journaling magazine.
I am so proud and excited for her that every time I think about it I want to celebrate :)

Check out her blog post about this at :

http://alteredbyamber.blogspot.com/2011/07/yes-published.html

Summer Sights in the County

 The Amish Way of Bringing in Hay

 Hard Hot Work for Man and Beast

 Countless Fields of Wildflowers

The area in which I live is simply called the County, here in the northern part of Maine.

Yesterday my husband and I went for a motorcycle ride and viewed  a few of the summer beauties of the County.

What a Difference a Vacation Makes!

Each weekend I write a list in my journal of the top 10 favorite things about my week. I had so many this week I forgot a couple. :)
What a difference a vacation makes!

I had lots of creative energy this week and decided to explore.

I already shared my table, which I did apply the shellac to and it changed the look to a bit more antique.

I stripped an old chair down to the bones, preparing for transformation.

I began my first Art Quilting project and created a Word Toolbox journal in which I wrote a short poerm.

Hooray! I also began an art journal but not sure how much I like it. I am exploring and re-learning what I love.

Today, I have to rest from my creativity ( and I am tired) and head into the office. My desk is piled with work.

But it has been fun!

Transformed

 Here is the finished table.

As you can see, I went with simple. I might pick up a can of shellac today. I saw that on a You-tube demo to add a bit of finish. We'll see.

I love it :)

Let's Start Here

I wasn't feeling the greatest this morning, but I am tired of trying to figure out these allergies, so I decided to move ahead with my plans for this week.

One of the things on my list was refinishing an old table so here we go. I sanded it down, then painted one coat.

Lunchtime, then I'll go back for coat # 2.

I haven't decided if I want to experiment with decoupaging the top or merely paint it.

Stay tuned.

Highlight

As I thought back over this long day, I was looking for the one thing I loved,

Early in the morning I took this photo. It stands as a great reminder of the hugeness of our God and his ability to bow down and bless me in one moment of time.

Begin Again?

I thought i would try getting back to blogging by changing my blog.

First I made a new header, then  on to blogger itself. after two excrutiating hours (in which I could have been doing something else) and losing the entire thing the first time around, I went with simple.

How do people make these cool blogs?

Anyway, I am back from vacation with tons of pictures and a little inspiration, so we'll see how it goes.