Angels Among Us

Brutal honesty {with myself}

2013-12-28T18:09:00.000-07:00

Challenge, upset, disappointment, trial, failure, bump in the road, obstacle, bad decision, struggle.

I have asked myself ... am I being punished, tested, loved, disciplined or just being dealt a bad hand?
So much pain, so much sadness, why is this so hard, why does it have to hurt so bad?

But behind each picture, each positive platitude I told my kids, were these hidden thoughts......

{What should I have done different? I must be a bad mom}

{I can't afford a new lense, I'm so clumsy. If only I was a better photographer}

{I should have said so much more while I had the chance}

{how could I not notice how sick she was? Maybe I'm not cut out to be a mom}

{This is not what I signed up for. why now, I'm not strong enough for all this}

{This is the last straw.....unbelievable!}

{what did I hit?}

{3rd flat in 2 weeks?!! You MUST be kidding me!I give up}

{I can't believe we are leaving...will I ever have a place to call home again...}

I have a WHAT? This can't be happening.... but I was just learning to smile again! (and mean it)

{helpless, hopeless, nothing is within my control}

{I am so thankful to be alive}

These last two years have been a roller coaster of ups and downs, highs and very low lows. And it was not until this major health issue arose did I even realize what my greatest battle has been.....

my own mind.

Learning to love myself when I feel like I have failed, let someone down, disappointed myself, or been unable physically, mentally, financially or emotionally to provide what someone needed.

I want to be strong, I want to be true to myself, I want to be successful, I want to be brave. And most of all - I want to LOVE unabashedly, faithfully, and learn to SEE others at their deepest place.

But the truth is...I fall and beat myself up, and cry and say awful things to myself about myself,

I am unkind and often angry because I don't measure up to my own expectations.

I am not there yet. In fact, its still quite a struggle.

But today I am deciding to be more gentle with myself,

and maybe someday, I will be able to say with all honesty....

17 years in 7 minutes

2013-05-31T10:48:00.001-06:00

Graduation and Tears

2013-05-31T09:39:00.000-06:00

Today is her last day as a High School student........

In 3 days she will walk across a podium and receive her diploma......

And I have cried for the last two days.

I never dreamed letting go would be so hard. .

I am so very proud of you my dear. You have been my buddy, babysitter, confidant and best friend. I cannot imagine going through all these years without your smile to light up the room or my heart. Thank you for being who you are!

Master Bedroom Makeover

2012-10-04T20:41:00.000-06:00

Another School year

2012-08-29T07:40:00.002-06:00

Summer is over and another school year has begun....

The end.

Twigs & other peoples trash

2012-08-29T07:38:00.000-06:00

I bought these posts for $1 at a yard sale...

And these dishes for $2 at an auction...

And this cheese box from Goodwill for $2

The metal flange was free

We cut the posts into sections -

And used some two part epoxy ($3.49)

And this is what it looks like all glued together~

Tray #1 {cost under $5)

I glued another section of the post to the cheese box and then epoxied the flange to the top...

Then I scoured my yard for a branch with just the right shape and used more

epoxy in the center of the flange..

Its perfect for hanging all your earrings on!

Tray #2 {cost under $3}

And for the last tray I used another small plate, section of the post and another flange that was flatter

Tray $3 {cost under $3}

An hour of my time and under $10 and I have three new ways to display my jewelry!

YaY!!

Change. . .

2012-07-14T08:12:00.000-06:00

Our little family is changing.

Change is part of life, I totally get that.

But some change is harder than others. And most change has pain involved.

This time will not be without pain.

I woke up this morning and started on my daily routine. .

Shower, dress, make the bed, pray. . . .and I realized I was getting more discouraged by the minute.

I was going over in my mind what I needed to do today and asking God for strength. . .

but my heart just hurts.

And I was having a hard time just putting one foot in front of the other.

So I turned on Pandora to try to lift my spirits.

Wouldn't you know, God had a song waiting.

Who can hold the stars?

And my weary heart?

Who can see everything?

I've fallen so hard

Sometimes I feel so far

But not beyond your reach

I could climb a mountain

Swim the ocean

Or do anything

But it's when you hold me

That I start unfolding

And all I can say is

Hallelujah, hallelujah

Whatever's in front of me

Help me to sing hallelujah

Hallelujah, hallelujah

Whatever's in front of me

I'll choose to sing hallelujah

The same sun that

Rises over castles

And welcomes the day

Spills over buildings

Into the streets

Where orphans play

And only you can see the good

In broken things

You took my heart of stone

And you made it home

And set this prisoner free

Hallelujah, hallelujah

Whatever's in front of me

Help me to sing hallelujah

Hallelujah, hallelujah

Whatever's in front of me

I'll choose to sing hallelujah

Whatever is on front of me, I WILL sing Hallelujah

But I will cry while singing.

Office Chair makeover

2012-07-11T10:21:00.000-06:00

Remember this lamp and chair I bought from a yard sale last year. I did a little revamp of the lamp, and the chair was about to get a makeover as well.

I started by unassembling the back and seat cushions so I could paint the exposed wood.

I did a very light sanding just to get off the peeling varnish.

Then I painted it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in CoCo. This is by far some of my favorite paint for furniture. It goes on so well and you don't need a primer to make it adhere. After it was dry I used a thin layer of the Annie Sloan clear Wax to seal it and then buffed it.

Once the frame was finished I was ready to move on to the cushions. I thought about just covering the black vinyl. . . . and then I realized I would probably be sliding around if I left it on. So I began to remove all the vinyl. . . . .one tiny staple at a time

It felt like I must have removed 10,000 staples from this chair!

And with each piece of vinyl I took off, I made sure not to throw anything away.

Because I did not throw any of the pieces away I was able to create a pattern for my fabric.

The cushions were in great shape, so I just added a little bit more fluff to the center and then covered them with my fabric.

And I did take pictures of all the steps to sewing and attaching the covers. . . .but they have mysteriously disappeared. But it went something like this. . . .

1. I layed out all the pieces on my fabric and cut.

2. Stapled the fabric onto the bottom cushion making sure to pull tight

and using hospital folds on the corners

3. Sewing the cording to the side and front piece for the back cushion, then sewing on the side piece and stapling to the back cushion.

4. After stapling the pieces to the back cushion I hot glued trim to cover the staples.

5. I reattached the back & bottom cushion with screws.

Before ~

After ~

I still have to make curtains, but I think my office is finally starting to come together.

Life, Loss and Healing

2012-06-17T18:08:00.000-06:00

Life has a way of changing us.
Changing our minds,
changing our beliefs,
changing our circumstances,
changing our perspectives.
But most of all...changing our hearts.

Time is a funny thing.

Remember when you were a kid and waiting for Christmas was a lifetime away. Now it feels like time is passing at light speed.

I have tried to write about the events of the last month over and over again.
But every time I started, my mind just got flooded with so much emotion that my hands could not type fast enough.
So please forgive me if none of this makes sense.

When I was growing up I did not understand my dad. In fact, if I'm being honest, there were many times when I don't think I even liked him. I had my own ideas of what I thought life should look like and in my mind, this was not it.

I have been thinking a lot about scars lately.

I have a scar on my knee from Kindergarten. Its actually a memory that makes me smile.I won't tell you what year, but I will tell you where. We lived in Pierce City, MO. and I was being chased by a boy. But not just any boy, a boy I liked! And then I fell on a rock. What I have left from that fall is a memory and a scar that I have stared at most of my life.

I have another scar on my right wrist. Again from a memory that brings warmth to my heart. I was Christmas shopping with GT in Sears for a specific truck one year for Tyler. Tyler was about 5. I had finally found the truck and as I hurriedly grabbed it off the shelf a loose piece of metal sliced my wrist.

Then there are of course, the stretch marks. Most moms have them. I remember asking my mom about hers when I was a child. And I remember the first stretch mark I got. I will spare you the gruesome images. (Your welcome) Besides, there are just too many! But the memories these scars evoke are painful and yet so precious.

You can hardly get through life without scars of some kind.

We all have scars. We all have stories that accompany each one. And it is a recent scar that has me thinking about wounds and the healing that always follows.

Emotional scars~

I can't take a picture of those. But it does not mean they are not there. And as I was watching my latest wound heal, I was wondering why the emotional scars can't heal as fast at the physical ones do.

I do not mean for this post to be hurtful to anyone. I am simply writing because its healing for me. And for true healing, you have to be honest.

Emotional scars are a very funny kind of wound. I spent years in therapy trying to heal the hurts from my childhood. But telling or wanting or even willing your soul to heal is like telling your bones to heal. They heal and mend on their own time frame. I had pushed whatever pain remained from my unresolved hurts and memories into the deep dark corners of my heart. Hoping that I would be able to just live in the present and forget about the past. But as with any physical wound that has not healed completely, there is always a risk of re-injury.

This seemed to be my lot in life.

Just when I would feel like my heart was whole again, an old wound would burst apart. Spilling the toxins of stored up pain and anguish. I had gotten really good at hiding this hurt filled part of myself from most of the world. But there were a select few who walked through the years of tears by my side.

Here comes the honesty.

The first half of my life most of these wounds came indirectly from my Father. You see, what I became to believe about myself and who I was was the result of how I thought my Father viewed me. I felt most of my life like I was not worthy. Like I was not as smart, or spiritual. Like my thoughts and opinions did not matter as much as his did. And most of all...I felt like it was more important for him to be right than for him to show love. (That honesty only cost $3,465.32 in therapy)

After we chose to leave Mormonism the relationship with my Father only got worse. It became clear more than ever that being right in his mind was again more important than showing love. I had come to a place in my heart where I realized it was more important for me to please God than it was to please my Dad. And I had reconciled the fact that I would most likely never have the kind of relationship that I secretly longed for. So we agreed to disagree and did not have much more than surface conversation after that.

By the time life had landed us in Pennsylvania last August the relationships with me and my 8 siblings were strained with some and non-existent with others. I felt very distant not only physically, but emotionally as well.

The News~

The morning of April 7th 2012 I was getting the kids ready for the Easter egg hunt when I got the call. My mom and sister Marie were on the phone. My mom proceeded to tell me about the tumours in my Dads liver and the cancer that had started in the bile ducts and metastesized into the prostate, pancreas and liver.

I carefully listened as to not miss any vital information. When I hung up the phone I fell to the floor in a pile of tears. I felt like I could not breathe. The kids were still waiting to go to the Easter egg hunt, so I threw on a wide brim hat and sunglasses and we walked out the door.

The next morning....Resurrection Sunday and my Dad's 70th birthday. It was an emotion packed day. I was heart broken that he was spending his birthday and Easter morning in the hospital. I was further heartbroken knowing it was most likely his last Easter or birthday he would spend with us. All I could think about was how I was going to get to Utah from Pennsylvania. As I talked with my family everyone seemed certain that he would hold on for at least a few months. I however, knew God was telling me to get out there ASAP.

A Gift~

GT's brother works for Delta Airlines. With a few phone calls he was able to get Sami and I on a plane to Utah. So while I was still in PA getting the kids taken care of, packing and lose ends tied up, it seemed that art was the only way for me to think.

GT's Dad picked us up from the airport and then offered me his Jeep to drive while I was there. By this time, any act of kindness was like turning on a faucet in my eyes.

I had no idea what the next few weeks would be like. And there was no way to anticipate, prepare or brace myself for stepping into the world of death right before my eyes. I also felt completely overwhelmed with the complexities of the relationships within my family. But what happened once I arrived was the biggest surprise of all.

Unexpected healing~

When I arrived I found my Dad small, frail and thin. I was not prepared for what was right before my eyes. And everyday as more family arrived and we took turns caring and loving on my Dad, I experienced a healing of deep emotional scars that I had never thought possible. For the first time in my life I was experiencing and basking in the most love I had ever felt before in my parents home.

I saw a side of my father that I had never seen before. He was tender and intimate in every conversation. He was humble and thankful. He called me beautiful and sweetly told me how much he loved me. And then he told me that he knew I was in a good place and understand where I was in my relationship with God.

I was amazed that it was death and loss that God was using for healing my deep hurts and reconciliation. But I guess that is just what God is in the business of doing. This was not the first time, nor will it be the last. Christ HAD to die for us to be reconciled with God. And He still has the scars too!

I have no expectations of my children escaping the emotional scars that I will cause. No more than I expect them to try to get through childhood without ever falling down. But one thing I do know, God created us and He knows how to heal us. And I am so thankful!

He makes beautiful things from the ashes of our lives..... Happy Fathers Day Dad. This is my gift to you, hope your watching from above.

All my love,
Malinda

Smithsonian National Zoo

2012-03-23T09:48:00.001-06:00

Sunday was such a beautiful day. The birds were singing, the trees were blooming and ALL the animals at the National Zoo had come out to play. So we decided to take a sunday drive and say hello.

And did you know that the entrance fee into the National Zoo is FREE!

I know...right! Pretty crazy....

Austin is so fun to take to places like this,

because if there is information or something to learn....he has to see it, and read it. Himself!

The Giant Pandas were amazing....they are on loan from Japan

And this is where my kids get TRULY annoyed with me...

No Mom, not ANOTHER picture! (LOL) But its what I do!

They would prefer my pictures are more like this....

go ahead and shoot while we walk AWAY from you! Hahaha...

I must seem like quite the tourist, cause I cannot resist. Even the architecture of the

row houses takes my breath away.

Did I tell you how much fun Austin is,

he is the only one who will smile for me anymore.

The animals however LOVED my camera! I swear they all stopped to pose for me!

And some even put on a show. ;)

And as we neared the end of the day and were just about to leave,

Mufasa even bid us farewell...

If you have never visited the National Zoo you should. And if you have never been to DC, then put that on your bucket list as well. There is SOOO much to do and see here.

It has been one of the best parts of living in Pennsylvania.

And if you do make it out to this part of the world...call me. We will do lunch!

{GT managed to get proof that I was indeed there as well...

thats what I get for asking him to hold the camera while I take off my jacket.}

Prayer. . . .in the form of Song

2012-02-21T07:54:00.000-07:00

Wish it could be easy

Why is life so messy
Why is pain a part of us
There are days I feel like
Nothing ever goes right
Sometimes it just hurts so much

But You're here
You're real
I know I can trust You

Even when it hurts
Even when it's hard
Even when it all just falls apart
I will run to You
Cause I know that You are

Lover of my soul
Healer of my scars
You steady my heart (x2)

I'm not gonna worry
I know that You got me
Right inside the palm of your hand
Each and every moment
What's good and what gets broken
Happens just the way that You plan

And I will run to You
You're my refuge in Your arms
And I will sing to You
Cause of everything You are

You steady my heart (x2)

Paper & a Deck of Cards

2012-02-18T13:31:00.001-07:00

I saw this wonderful idea for a Valentines day gift on Pinterest called "52 reason why I love you". Using a deck of cards you put one reason on each card. But it was just words. I am such a visual person that words alone were WAY to boring for me. So beginning in January I started gathering ideas of what I wanted to use to help illustrate each of the 52 reasons why I loved GT. But as usual, time FLEW by and other projects took priority. ie. . .100 days of school, Valentine boxes for kids, Sonja coming for my birthday, MY Birthday....you get the picture.

So ON VALENTINES day morning I got up and brushed my teeth went downstairs and got coffee, and started what I thought would take me 3 or 4 hrs to assemble.

Kids got home from school and I was only on #25

GT came home from work around 8:30 and I still had 4 more to finish. . .

13 hrs later I was finally done.

I gave it to GT unwrapped and with out much explanation, except that I was still in my PJs because I was thinking of him ALL DAY long while making his gift!

As he started going through each card and tears were rolling down his face, I knew he did not really care that nothing else had been done that day. And I no longer feel guilty that I was a mess.

Here is the finished project. And if your counting. . .there are several I left out. Some were just inside jokes that would not have made sense, and some that were just personal.

Its amazing what you can make with just Paper and a Deck of cards!

My $15 settee

2012-02-18T09:34:00.003-07:00

I bought this cute little settee and a yard sale last October. The previous owners were using it as a dog bed. So after I did my best to clean it up, it was time for new life!

(some of these photos were taken with my phone so the color is off a bit)

I used chalk paint for the wood, and painters canvas from Lowes for the fabric.

Ready....here we go

I started by chalk painting all the exposed wood. After that, I scuffed the edges a bit with a sanding block and then I used the Annie Sloan clear wax to seal it. The Annie Sloan line is my new favorite stuff! It TOTALLY rocks for all things furniture!

Once the wood was all finished I started on the fabric. I was not going to pull all the fabric completely off...It was just easier to cover it with two layers of the canvas. Once I had all the fabric stapled on and edges trimmed off, I then hot glued some trim to cover all of the staples.

And this is what the finished edges look like.

She cleaned up nice!

Before...

and AFTER

Supplies Used-

$15 Settee
$5 Lowes Canvas
Annie Sloan Chalk Paint
& Wax (leftovers)
$5 trim from Walmart
Staple Gun

Total cost for a new Settee for my office. . . $25

I forgot to take a before picture of this little table,
but I painted it at the same time with the last of the chalk paint. =)

Repurposed, re-Loved!

2012-02-17T13:52:00.000-07:00

I am inspired by many things.
But I have a special fondness for books. Old books, new books. . ALL kinds of books. I love turning a page and not knowing whether I will laugh, cry, be encouraged or convicted.
This was a gift I made for someone dear to me. I have made altered book projects before, but never one like this. I wanted it to be a more than just words in a book.
I wanted it to be a visual feast!
I started with some of my favorite inspirations and my favorite quote and took the cover off an old book.
Next I fashioned 4 pages from cardboard

The first page is Do Brave Things. As with most of my paper projects, I have a basic idea or feeling for the layout. But as I start playing with the paper and bits of ephemera, it takes on a life of its own

Dare to Dream

And something I need to be reminded of often. . . You are Loved

And the last page, Follow your Heart.

I hope you are inspired to find something old and make it new again!

{Balloons and Sunshine}

2012-01-08T19:45:00.002-07:00

Last night when we were picking up GT from work he was in the middle of taking down all the balloons off the cars. So naturally the girls wanted to know if they could keep them. With a little negotiating and bribery (lets just say there were many chores involved) the girls convinced GT to let them take them home.

Then two minutes after we walked in the door from church this afternoon BOTH girls were begging me to grab my camera and do a mini session in the back yard with them and their new balloons.

I <3 girls!!

How could I refuse! This was the result of todays mini backyard balloon session, ENJOY!

Happy January friends!

Yup....I wrote a Christmas letter

2011-12-16T11:17:00.002-07:00

I lost the majority of my address list when my laptop that crashed.

So I have spent WAY to many hours trying to track down address'. It was getting so close to Christmas I just figured anyone that I could not find would just have to settle for reading our blog. . . . so here is the front and back of both our

Christmas letter and our Christmas card.

{and I apologize if you cannot read the small print, I made it as large as the blog would allow. To make it larger simply hit cmnd and + and it will enlarge your screen}

Have a blessed Christmas friends!

Its Christmas. . . ALREADY?

2011-12-16T10:53:00.003-07:00

I can tell you how fast this year has gone for me, but when my kids are telling me that they cannot believe its Christmas already. . .thats when I know it really has been on fast forward!

This year has been a gift in so many ways. Change is never easy. But if nothing ever changed, we would all still be pooping in our diapers like big babies!

The funny thing is. . . when we are kids we LOVE change.

We count down the days until we can date, drive, wear a bra and grow up!

But something happens as we get older.

We stop embracing change and we learn to welcome the comfortable, familiar, secure, stagnant.

I have learned so much in this one short year

Growing up often has many growing pains, but the maturity that follows is priceless

No matter your age, life will never stop changing

My security or comfort will never come from life or people

My TRUE security and comfort can only be found in a God who NEVER CHANGES

God is the only thing I will ever know that is steady and secure. . .

In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God,

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,

who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. ~ John 1

It is because of this that we celebrate. So Merry Christmas,

and may you have a blessed year to come

Christmas Cupcakes ~ with a twist!

2011-12-16T10:50:00.000-07:00

Its that time of year that everyone is busy shopping & baking & shopping & crafting & more shopping and just plain BUSY! So I love when I can find something fun to do with the kids that seems to slow down some of the busyness that this season tends to bring.

Enter Cupcake Christmas trees!

I saw the idea on pinterest {of course}and I WAS going to post the link, but it has vanished.

I searched my entire history and cannot find it now :/

But here are the things we used..

Cake mix (any flavor)

icing

sugar cones

aluminum foil

bunt pan

cupcake liners

sprinkles

Use two layers of foil and poke the cones through both layers

Fill the cones about halfway. I overfilled some of them and they were still fine, but you just have to cut off the excess cake later.

After they had cooled a bit I cut off the rounded tops {and fed them to nearby children}

Once they have cooled completely you cover the cone with a thin layer of icing

Then you can just roll them in the sprinkles and place them upright in a cupcake liner

and no project would be complete without

my handy dandy crafting/sewing/baking/creative genius sidekick Sabrina!

[she is almost as yummy as these cupcakes]

These were so much fun. And quite tasty I might add. The kids were only disappointed that they did not get to eat them all! But all the salesmen at GT's store sure did not mind.

Merry Christmas!

{The BeStesT kind of Encouragement}|

2011-11-05T09:44:00.000-06:00

This morning I was getting frustrated with all the things I had to do and was being very short and snappy with the kids because they were not feeling my sense of urgency in getting chores done.

So I sat down in my chair to sip on my coffee and breathe.

Tyler walks over to me with this great BIG book of pictures of the universe.

He says "Mom, look at these stars....millions and millions of them.

Aren't they amazing Mom?

And God just breathed and created every one of them. . . Mom I think the God that makes stars from his breath can handle your frustration."

~That was all I needed to get through the day. . . . .

Thank you God, for such a wonderful son!~

Dinner in a Pumpkin

2011-11-05T08:42:00.000-06:00

As soon as the leaves started changing colors and the pumpkins appeared on the scene,

all the kids wanted was dinner in a pumpkin.

What IS Dinner in a Pumpkin? you ask. . .

Well. . . it is a delightful mix of hamburger, green beans, mushrooms, water chestnuts

and seasonings. . .all cooked in a pumpkin! Fun right?!

Fall is NOW complete!

Happy Fall!

My first attempt at Chalk Paint

2011-10-21T17:14:00.000-06:00

With all the thrift furniture I have been acquiring in need of a makeover, I have been doing a little research for great ideas and better techniques. I came across this wonderful product called Chalk Paint.

I had never heard of it before.

So I googled it.

I found TONS of information and youtube tutorials. After hours of watching, I finally decided. . .

I had to just try it. I decided to start small. I figured I could not mess up a pumpkin!

It was so easy, and I am in love with how they look.

So I figured I would venture into furniture territory

This was a $2 chair I found at a thrift store. I have my mothers old dining room table that I am making a larger top for. My plan is to collect 8 - 10 mismatched chairs that I can paint all the same color and then pair them with the new/old dining table This will be the beginning of that project.

So this is what the chair looked like to begin with.

It was painted a very boring brown and except for some minor gouges was in pretty good shape.

And this was the chair after one coat of the Chalk Paint.

PRIMER? Nope

SANDING? None

And where I started was completely dry by the time I finished!

Then I took a fine grit sand paper and lightly (LIGHTLY) scuffed the edges to reveal the brown underneath.

After I had finished the scuffing, I brushed a light coat of Soft Wax over the top. That also dries very fast. After it had finished drying I took a soft cloth or sock and just buffed it a little. It has the most velvety feel and just a slight sheen. I will never go back to regular latex for furniture again.

VIOLA!

This is the finished chair. So beautifully modeled by my Samantha and Sabrina in our backyard.

(we do not have a lawn mower,

so they pretend the backyard is a beautiful field) =)

This may be a project that takes me forever to finish,

AHHHH. . . .one down, only 9 more to go!

2011-10-17T11:41:00.000-06:00

Art Therapy

In an effort to “keep it real”

let me just say. . . . . some days I could use a

therapist on speed dial!

And lately it seems like I am having

more of these days than not.

So I decided it was time

for a new kind of therapy. One that

required much less talking, and just more

being. And truthfully, the three days I

was working on these pieces were

so very calming.

This first one I did on canvas. I knew I needed to just get my brain into creative mode so I got on pinterest and found a few quotes I liked and a basic idea of what I wanted. Then I just got on the computer and printed out the lettering I knew I wanted to use.

This font is called rage, and I loved it! This is what it looked like printed out - Y O U

Then I just started sketching it in pencil and filled it in with paint.

After I had filled everything in, I just used a fine point sharpie for the outline.

I love how it turned out!

The second one was something I made for Tyler. I found a saying that I knew was perfect!

But I did not want to use canvas. So I ripped apart a crate I was not using and recreated this wood panel. Then I printed again from the computer the words I wanted to use and just freehand painted them on. But this one proved to be very tricky……

the wood is not smooth like the canvas, so it was really hard to get a fluid line.

I still loved how this one turned out too.

But more important, so did Tyler!

The house that Evan and Tyler built

2011-10-17T10:05:00.000-06:00

Once Upon a time. . .

There was a place that people came from

far and wide to see.

(well, really just grandparents from Utah)

This is a story about that place. . . .

and the 2 boys who built it.

The End!

{Photography Confessions}

2011-10-04T18:26:00.001-06:00

So there we were, touring Gettysburg with my Mother-in-law and her sweet sister Lynette and all of my children. So obviously I am going to have my camera!

When we stopped for lunch I saw the perfect opportunity to snap a family picture.

Your thinking YAY right? I know, I was super excited too!!

I should have known what was about to transpire when my test shots to {set the exposure} were looking like these. . . . .

I thought I had made it very clear that this would only have to take about 3.4 min. . . .

if I could JUST get complete cooperation.

And by cooperation I meant no hand gestures, (Austin & Sabrina)

or seductive poses (Tyler)

I am really serious GT?

OK - so we all understand right? NO more funny stuff. . . .1 picture is all I need

Ummmm. . . . GT, eyes straight ahead please

on the count of 3 okay . . . .

we were all ready [until] GT just HAD to pinch Sami!

which made Austin very upset . .

and then Sabrina could not stop laughing . .

pull it together girls,

we can DO this!!

And this is as good as it got. I will take it!

So the next time you have family pictures taken [with less than cooperative subjects]

take a deep breath and remember. . . .all you need is 1

GREAT BIG thank-you's to Sonja for snapping these pictures,

and for being so patient to get the right one.

P.S. these are ALL the images in the ACTUAL sequence.

Gosh I just <3 these guys.

{Rainbow promises}

2011-09-20T12:37:00.000-06:00

I thought I may have lost my mind when I went running outside in the rain with my Canon 7D, but I was so enthralled and just completely taken back with the beauty of this rainbow I could not help myself.

I have never before seen a rainbow this BIG,

not to mention 2 this BIG!

It had been raining for the last 3 days and there was flooding about 2 hrs away. And as I stared in amazement at this beautiful display I was reminded of the promise that rainbows represent. The promise from God that the earth will never again be covered in a flood. And God called it HIS rainbow.

When you witness such incredible displays of Gods handiwork do you ever hear God speak to you? I know I do. And I did that day as well. Do you mind if I share?

When I read the Bible and look at the stories of all the characters I do not see lives free from pain or suffering or trials of many kinds. The Bible is filled with pain and suffering. But it is also filled with a loving God who brings redemption and restoration, who rescues and restores what has been lost.

And this rainbow,

on this evening,

was God speaking to me.

Telling me that the life we had once known,

the life which is no longer, the dreams destroyed and familiar comforts gone -

that God is NOW starting to repair and restore.