the building of a dream

(this will be our view)

after 20 plus years of dreaming.

an planning.

and hoping.

and tearing out magazine pages and pinning

to my heart's content.

it has finally happened.

we are building a home.

you see, my dad is a contractor.

i grew up watching homes, watching dreams being built.

i went to college to study architectural drafting and interior design.

i had hoped that someday i could have my dad build me a home.

mr. farmer joined me in that dream 10 years ago.

after praying for years,

and having our dreams stopped 3 times,

God has said 'now'.

i am not a patient person. 

i wanted it done 10 years ago.

but i believe that everything happens for a reason.

even the timing.

especially the timing.

we may never know why it has taken so long to finally happen.

but i trust God.

trust that He has his hands in this dream.  

the photos are a few of the many i have found on pinterest to inspire our new home.

i am trying to blend all of our tastes.

so it will be a 

rustic, bohemian farmhouse.

think wooden beams, exposed brick, barn doors, galvanized barn lighting and reclaimed lumber.

we will have 17 acres to roam.

to explore.

to discover.

via

via 

 via

via

 via

so thank you Lord for giving me this dream to begin with.

thank you for saying 'yes'

thank you to my dad and my brother for joining us.

and thank you to mr. farmer's cousin for also joining us.

and also agreeing to our 

(or maybe i should say mine)

particular requests.

being set free

 i'm not sure why i give up on my blog.

maybe it is because i am not a writer.

seriously...

words are not my strong suit.  it is my weakness.

but for some reason

i always have to come back here.

even if no one reads...

or understands what it is i am trying to say.

the last few months have been hard.

coming face to face with myself.  the ugly side.

the dark inky holes in my heart.

i have some seriously high expectations of myself.  voices and lies of what my life should look like. what kind of person i should be.  how our home should look like.  i have carried heavy burdens around for so long that i forgot what it felt like to be myself.  i didn't like who i had become.

a couple of weeks ago i finally let go of my luggage.  those rocks that had kept me from moving, from changing, from becoming who He had made me to be.

because i couldn't forgive.

myself.

i gave those expectations.

those ugly, dark, nothingness to God.

it is amazing.  the kind of lightness that comes from releasing your burdens.

from opening your heart...showing those dark, ugly, inky holes. 

the change that only God can do.

taking those things that we don't like about ourselves

and turning them into something beautiful.

using them to bless ourselves.

and others.

this painting is what came of what i was feeling.

the trusting.  the forgiving.  the life changing.

redeemed.

 

i am joining at chatting at the sky.

please won't you head over there to see how others are making life 'art' this past month.

 

today i am thankful for 

~a day to just veg out.

~harvest almost coming to an end

~God's truths

~good friends

~my life 'art'

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our love story

today i am sharing our love story.

a story about my husband,

me,

our daughter,

and how God is in control.

a new bread recipe

 in my opinion...

there is nothing more homey

than the smell of fresh bread baking.

  i found this recipe on pinterest.

i just changed it by using 1 cup of better for bread flour,

instead of using all whole wheat flour.

the first time i made it...the bread was pretty dense.

and i like my bread a bit more fluffy.

can you have fluffy bread?

anyway...

this recipe was easy peasy.

and smelled sooo good!

plus wasn't a bad addition to potato soup!

today i am thankful for-

~a wonderful surprise this morning

~my daughter's sense of humor.  she can make me laugh so hard that i have tears running down my checks

~herbs and spices

~laughter with my husband

~rest

from beginning to end

 good morning friends!

i want to thank all my new followers and the 

sweet comments you have left on the last few posts!

i truly appreciate all of you!

i want to make it over to all of your blogs...

maybe since it is only 5 out this morning,

today will be a good day for that! 

anyway...

i have had a few people ask me about my process

of my paintings here and

on my facebook page.

so today i thought i would share one of my paintings.

i have a few different styles and  this is just one...

this one i am doing on 100% cotton 140 lb water color paper.

first i draw out the scene... 

i just use a 4b pencil.

i then started to add some vintage papers...

i love using vintage wallpaper, music sheets, dictionary pages, etc.

i do find a lot of these at thrift stores.

next i add color to the background.

i use golden fluid acrylics, pan pastels, and soft pastels.

 just keep building color on the background using acrylics.

for the face i use shiva oil paintstiks.

love how smooth they are...so much easier to use than regular oils...

in my opinion anyway!

for the details i use a white gel pen to doodle around the face

and other places....like the halo here.

i use a black and white stabilo pencil to do the scene ...

this pencil will write on anything.

and it is water soluble so i can add a wet brush to 

it to make it look like a watercolor.

and here is the finished painting.

if any of you have more questions...please ask!

i will try to get them answered.

i'm linking up to 

studio jru in the studio sneak peek

and

paint party friday

you can join us by linking up as well as check out other creative souls...
i hope you do!

hope everyone has a great weekend!

live and let light

ahhh. last saturday.

what a great time we had!

we got out some of our favorite art supplies.

papers, paints, markers, inks.

 and we made signs with words that mean something to us.

it was an assignment of our brave girls club art class.

there were giggles, teasing, and learning from each other.

the dining room table was a mess...

but our  hearts were 'home'.

this was emma's sign.

'live'

she papered, painted, doodled to her hearts content.

it now sits on her window seal.

and mine.

'let your light shine'

sits in my studio...

a reminder of why i do what i do.

matthew 5:16

we are going to sit down.

my daughter and i.

with a calendar to schedule more art dates.

our goal is once a month.

more if possible.

and ohhhh do we look forward to it!

linking up to studio jru sneak peek friday.

are you creative?

i'm sure you are!

in your home, in your kitchen, with your kids or with a craft or art.

why don't you link up and join us!

today i am thankful for

~creating with my daughter

~inspiration from everywhere and everyone

~finding a friend who has the same tastes i do

~my treadmill

~an upcoming art retreat

and the walls came tumbling down

have you heard that song?

'joshua fought the battle of jericho, jericho,

jericho.

joshua fought the battle of jericho,

and the walls came tumbling down.'

i have or rather had very high,

strong, 

and thick walls built around me.

the details don't matter,

but because of things that i have done,

things that have been said and done to me,

i built walls.

i felt safe behind them.

like a cocoon.

but i heard God saying...'your walls are not a cocoon, but a

prison.'

'you were not made to be safe. you were made to fly.'

 'you were made to show the world My light through you.'

so He has been removing my walls.

brick by brick.

softly, gently and whispering...

'i will catch you.'

 so i am gripping white knuckled

to the one that knows.

i am scared,

but i am ready to shine for Him.

do you have walls?

if you do, pray.

pray for strength to hang on to Him.

He will not leave you...scared and alone.

today i am thankful for

~warmer weather to walk outside

~ watching eagles fly above our home

~tearing down walls

~new paint

~figuring sales tax

today i am linking to 

in the studio sneak peek friday

please be sure to check out what everyone else is creating.

happy friday everyone!

i see His beauty

 this year i want to concentrate on

portraits

in my art.

so this week i have been practicing.

i have found out

that doing eyes is my

favorite part.

 

of course...

maybe that is because

the eyes are the first thing

i notice in a person.

the color, the shape.

the laugh lines.

i have been reminded

that i have to open my eyes.

to see Him.

and His gifts.

His gifts are all around us.

God not only shows himself in the large things.

but 

God also shows himself in the smallest of things.

are we slowing down

enough

to see them? 

today i am thankful for

~new friends

~being able to be patient enough to talk a kitten down a tree

~laughter

~faces to draw

~my eyes to see



today i'm linking to
studio jru in the studio sneak peek friday
paint party friday
be sure to check out all the other lovely creations.

my 2013 word

 happy new year everyone!

i hope you enjoyed the holidays with

your families.

we had the flu in our home.

then the ear infection that apparently

went with it.

we are all on the mend....

and i am finally starting to feel human.

do you have a word for the new year?

last year was my first.

soar.

and boy was that right!

my art...

our marriage...

it was one wild ride!

this year,

it is a more quiet word.

more grounded.

home.

it means many things to me.

home is our family.

to spend more time doing things together,

to encourage each others'

gifts and talents,

to help each other grow in our

faith.

home is also the place where we

dwell.

so purging and clutter control

is on the agenda.

to make our home a sanctuary

home also means our bodies.

for they are the home

for the holy spirit.

healthy foods and more home cooking,

and playing together.

we will also be spending more time

reading God's word,

praying together,

and just sitting at His feet.

listening.

so what is your word this year?

(my home)

today i am thankful for

~antibiotics

~my husband and daughter

~our orphaned kittens that our dog found

~art classes

~snow...much needed moisture