Tree Trimming

I'm sure everyone is feeling the holiday crunch. Shopping, planning, tying up loose ends and all the other things that go along with this time of year. Our elf, Jack Charlie, has made his way to our house and is getting into all sorts of trouble. That's how we officially know Christmas is almost here......that and the fact we wait until 2 weeks before Christmas to "decorate".

Last week we made the journey to North Carolina to pick out our tree. It's funny how much deliberation takes place in a field of evergreens. It seems Andrew's only requirement is it needs to be big! Lance of course is the voice of reason and I just wait until one speaks to me. So we settled on the one above and away we went. Look closely......does anything seem odd? You guessed it we have 2 different colors of lights on our tree. We ran out of clear lights half way through the process so I had to made a trip to Wal-Mart. After 2 attempts (at 8:30pm) to find clear lights I made an executive decision. I think it's a perfect representation of the people who live in this house. Lance and Jacob are reserved with a calming presence. Andrew has a big personality and is full of life. Then of course there's me, random, unorganized and completely comfortable being just a little bit different. Hope your holidays are shaping up nicely and if you desire a little creative inspiration stop by my other craft blog!

Mixed Media Monday

Hope everyone has had time to enjoy many blessings over the Thanksgiving holiday.  Fortunately, I have had a few days off and I spent several hours cleaning out my art supplies. Believe it or not, I was able to downsize my magazine/book collection. Crazy.

 I decided to let creativity overtake me and it turns out today was watercolor day. Who knew? I began looking through some books I had forgotten about for some inspiration and I finally found a starting point. Just in case you are unaware, faces are hard to paint.

I first sketched the figure on watercolor paper and then commenced to painting. Once it was dried I cut it out and added it to the painted background. So, I have a few things to work on (obviously) and I have decided to refrain from commenting at this time. Once the paint dries I will continue adding objects and layers. At this point the message embedded in this collage is still being decided.

Aside from the cleaning and purging I also managed to open an account for my photographs. If you are interested in taking a peek at the small gallery I have upload please click on the link http://umbrellis.zenfolio.com/.
Happy creating!!!

Where did the time go?



WOW! I have really fallen behind on the blog. Sorry. Unfortunately I don't have a good reason so I'm just going to chalk it up to the new time change and maybe a little thing called seasonal affective disorder. 

We have been able to do a little hiking and I always enjoy that activity! If you aren't privileged to live in the mountains during the fall I strongly recommend a day trip just to see how beautiful they are with their new fall colors.

  Beauty can be found in the tiniest of things. I love the contrast in the leaves regardless of how it got there.

It's also a great time to be with friends! Dennis and Casey always make for great company! Casey and our dog, Ben, have a blast running through the woods. And Dennis usually brings a musical instrument so there is always a concert when we hike.

When you finally reach the end of your hike the views are so picturesque you forget all about how hard it was to get there. Kinda like the things in life you work hard to accomplish, in the end it was all worth it.

I hope you enjoy today and take some time for you. This hike was brought to you by the letter "Y". ~Rachel

A Sneak Peek

 Thursdays are typically my day to be in the clinic but last week people were healthy and I wasn't needed. YAY! So I was fortunate enough to have the house to myself for several hours. Initially I had planned to go to the art gallery where I can glaze my pottery but Ed was out of town so that was not an option. I can get easily overwhelmed if I don't have any direction when I am trying to be creative and that can be disastrous resulting in a completely wasted day. It can also cause my projects to become of mammoth proportion and that's exactly what happened on Thursday. While in Nashville I bought a craft book (surprise, surprise) about doodling. The above Zentangle type doodle came from the new book and I used watercolor to wash over the drawing once I was satisfied with what was on the paper.

 A few months ago I purchased 3 pieces of bamboo at a farmer's market in Jonesborough. Originally they were going to be poles for a semi-covered area in my backyard. That's another thing that happens a lot, objects are purchased for one purpose but turn into something completely unrelated. C'est la vie.

So far this creative endeavor has taken about 4 hours and as you can see the project isn't complete and it may be a while before it is fully transformed. I have a couple of ideas in my head as to what the end result could be but I would be interested in any ideas you have! This has been fun and I'm really excited to see the end result. In the mean time have a brownie!

Blessings

 I may have mentioned in a previous post a lady from my church had recently passed away. She was a young woman with two daughters who are under the age of 13. I didn't know her very well but we had a common thread in that we both serve in the children's ministry. The prayer flags were such a big hit at the skilled nursing facility and The River I thought this would be a good gift for the little girls as well. I also wanted to make something that could be used in several different ways as a means to remember their mom.

Some of the items I used in the flags were items from other projects. The colored strings above were used during an experimental painting project. I thought the rainbow of colors made a nice touch and since rainbows are also utilized in Christian symbolism it seemed only fitting.

This is a polymer clay bead I made a few years ago and just never knew what to do with it. I'm glad it finally found a home.

I chose not to write anything on the middle flag. When I give this to the family Sunday I will include some information on prayer flags and how they can be used as a beneficial piece during the grieving process. I will also let them know the bird flag was left without text should they desire to write their own message for their mom. ~Peace

Find someone to bless

I've been out of the blogging realm for a bit, seems to be a common theme for me these days. Hopefully this post will make up for my absence. It's difficult at times to keep therapy functional and interesting but Thursday I went with purpose. Consider this part of a "pay if forward" mission.

I've visited a place called "The River" which serves many functions for women. Women can wash laundry for a quarter, shower, craft, garden, socialize and just experience some semblance of normalcy in a safe environment. To me one of the coolest things they have is the garden. It's very humbling to see the excitement expressed over being able to grow vegetables for a modest salad. Needless to say an opportunity was born! This brings me back to Thursday.  I had those who were interested make prayer flags to be placed in the garden at The River.

The amount of creativity that flowed from this project was amazing. One lady who typically only comes to therapy for the minimum amount of time came back after lunch just to finish her flag. It was awesome!!

This is her flag. She made the dandelion flowers and the nest from scraps of yarn. Although you can't see it, the string connecting this flag to the others is embroidery thread braided with loops on each end. Definitely above and beyond on all the details in her flag.

The lady who made this cut out some fabric for the birdhouse and drew the rest of the design on the flag using sharpies.

I loved them so much!!!

I delivered these on Friday and led another expressive/creative art group for the ladies at The River. They also made prayer flags to be placed in their garden. I heard stories about being homeless, being a young mother who was recently evicted and general struggles with the day to day things life brings. It seems most people are so busy with their over scheduled lives that the circumstances of others can't find room in our minds. Next time you are on your way to practice some sport, learn a new instrument or have the privilege to sit down with your family during a meal know how blessed you are and say a prayer for someone less fortunate than you. ~Peace

Beach, Birthday and Boys

 So it's been a while since I was last on here. We traveled to Florida for a much needed vacation. Of course when we returned life went crazy with the start of school and all the many things that go along with that. We took my grandmother with us, which was not an easy task, but I'm glad she was able to go and I think she had a good time. I can say the beginning of the stay was looking a bit grim. First we weren't able to get into the house because we were given the incorrect access number. Then when we finally made it inside the place had not been cleaned yet. Needless to say, after a few hiccups we managed to enjoy the rest of the week. She isn't very mobile these days due to back pain but we were able to take her down the pier.

 I don't know how long it's been since she's seen the ocean so when we were graced by the presence of dolphins that was pretty awesome!

This was a beautiful and pleasant surprise for all of us. Made me wish I was in the water with them. However, I think it's illegal to swim with wild dolphin but what an interesting jail story that would be.

 There was also this creature. It was waiting for a fisherman to share their catch but I'm not sure if this ever happened. Frankly I was distracted by the next thing we saw...

You can't tell from this picture but there is a soldier standing in the helicopter with his weapon which isn't exactly a concealable item. While flying by the pier they performed some pretty impressive flight skills and this was really cool to watch. I later found out Andrew became scared because he thought they were going to shoot us. No, not today son.

 Lance and I went walking one evening and found this treasure. I'm just going to let you decide for yourself as I am without words.

We also managed a night out to a great local restaurant. The food was pretty awesome so when we were back at our beach place I decided to order their cookbook. The deserts in this cookbook look so tasty, I'm especially excited about making the Whiskey Bread Pudding. So far I have managed to make a stew/soup, Black Beer Chili and it did not disappoint, all in all I feel it was a great purchase.

 We decided since this was such a big deal for my mamaw we should celebrate her birthday a few days early. Who knows, the 12 hour trip back could have been enough to send her on a permanent vacation. We couldn't take that chance so LET HER EAT CAKE. She was pretty happy when we sang to her! I hope she heard us. :)

Vacations can be as stressful as they are relaxing when you decide to invite people, but every now and then you can steal a quiet, precious moment.

Be Grateful

We arrived to Destin on Saturday around 3(ish) central time. I must say it definitely started off pretty rocky. When we found our house/villa the access code to open the door did not work. A problem easily overcome after contacting the owner. However, the place had not been cleaned from the last tenants and that took a bit longer to remedy. My grandma made the trip fairly well but we couldn't find something to do just so the cleaning people could be alone to tidy up. So that was a bit awkward and aggravating. Actually, I was pissed by this point. About an hour later the cleaning crew left and we attempted to find something on the TV for my grandma to listen to. What was that, oh yeah, the cable wasn't working (serious sarcasm in that sentence). There was a bit of a silver lining to this, I was able to access Netflix through the Wii and the TVs upstairs were working (this is really important for teenagers) without any necessary repairs. Needless to say this has been irritating and tiring.

I'm pretty sure I may have been close to the critical boiling point Saturday. When you think you might be more content in the local jail after bringing a Wal Mart patron to the ground in the dairy isle I think you can safely say you've reached the danger zone. I still felt like I was recovering this morning until I saw the most recent post from Jil. The inspirational postcard was just enough to make me exhale and feel better about the trip. You turned my "Bemoan" post into a better perspective. Hopefully I will have some great pictures and fun stories from the rest of the week....none of which should be from behind bars.

"B" Aware

Brave-

Continuing, even when surrounded by uncertainty

Blissful-

Perfect happiness

Beaming-

What a ray of light

Black and White Part 1

Birthdays!!

We are counting down the days until our vacation adventures begin. This year my grandma is coming along and we will celebrate her 92nd birthday during this trip!!! She won't actually turn 92 until the 23rd but I can't miss the opportunity to have a birthday party while on vacation!! Any ideas for party themes??

Homage to Bacon

As I was deliberating over the theme for the month of August I started thinking somewhat philosophical. Oddly, (sarcasm) my off color sense of humor took over and forced me to take a different direction. So I begin.

Not being a true fan of cured meats and the like, I thought it was interesting someone could have possibly been so attached to swine that he/she felt it necessary to erect this colossal monument in its name. I know many people who love the taste of bacon but I don't think they are really devoted to one type of ration and they certainly would never think to honor its sacrifice with pillars of stone. At best it would be the wrong fork with 3 tines which I suppose could be mistaken for a powerful trident. Don't get me wrong, I acknowledge the true gifts that will come from this, BLT sandwiches, pork chops, sausage, casseroles, this list is limited only by your culinary genius. So I tip my hat to you Bacon! May your gifts continue to fill the bellies and increase the blood pressure of those who continue to consume you!

I on the other hand, will like to think this is Wilbur from Charlotte's Web and it was a VERY good friend who chose to remember him because animals are my friends and I don't eat my friends.......usually.

So in keeping with the letter theme I have chosen the letter "B" for the month of August. Be well.

Painted Inspiration

About a year ago (yes, I take my time) I was inspired by an idea I saw from Alisa Burke's website. I purchased a drop cloth and used black shoe polish to make the words from a poem. Once I was finished I wasn't entirely sure what to do with it, but I new I would eventually make a decision.

Today was the day! I had to cut the drop cloth so it would make a suitable rug. Although I was quiet pleased, I felt I needed something to tie it all together. TADA a pillow!!!

I am very pleased with this project! It's cozy with a twist. Hope you find your inspiration today!