SUMMER...BORED?...NOT US!!!!

Our newest ballerina....

Our seasoned beautiful ballerina...

Our artist painting a cement pot at Mimi's

Grand daughter's (6yrs) SPECIAL art for a new room at their house!!!

Learning how to pin layers together before sewing....

These old quilt squares were from Miss Annie's garage sale and they became pillows for grand daughter's bed....after pinning she sat on my lap and machine sewed the quilted lines....can't find the finished pictures and also a picture of her adorable little suitcase we decoupaged!!

Other Mother's were busy at my house this summer too!!

Where did time go?! He used to fit in this pool a few years back at age two!!!  They all did!!!

Vacation Bible School.....she said it was tooo fun and this year Grand Dad even got involved...I wonder why?....ha....airplanes??? maybe???

I gave her her first hoop and started embroidery....she had her own design in mind!!!

An old bird house got re painted by grand daughter number two....and home it went with her!!

Probably our last 4th at this big ole house....it was a really nice day and they couldn't wait for the parade and all that candy and necklaces!!!

"We are ready!!!

SILLYness.....AND FUN!!

GOOFINESS AND BOYS!!!

OUR PRINCESS GOT SO EXCITED WHEN SHE CAUGHT SOME CANDY!!!

Grand Dad, daughter and mini daughter!!

Swim lessons....now that the ear tubes are gone!!!!

Our local boys carrying the banner and flag....sweet!

ABE!!?....we've gone greyhaired!!!

Grandson....bright eyed and bushy tailed!!!  Handsome! He is our baseball player!!!

My forever zinnias....

more zinnias from the garden...

Top garden fence railing almost installed on the loft....all pipe railing is done and the fence will be put on the outside.....you like it?

ART STUDIO....YAY...almost done!!! This WAS a two car garage.....Dick is ok with it too! Our carpenter Danny designed the railing and is finishing the details in the Studio...we love it!!

She wants American Girl doll "Kaya" for Christmas, who looks just like her!!! So she painted this blanket for the doll.  The pillow is his dog...Luke...

How did that mule get those britches on?!?!...and those socks!!!

ZigZag stitching around pillow...

OK...., these were gleaned from PB pillows and we only borrowed the design for the kids room and they did almost all the work!

We used black magic marker and acrylic paints!...on muslin....he really looks like Luke!!

Is he not the cutest dog?!  You can get yours, a little different, at Pottery Barn Kids....we made ours....took one hour and $3.00!

Our precious and loved grandkids from out of town.....

The cat we borrowed too from PB....but we painted ours to match Sunny (Sonshine) the cat!!!

Thanks for looking....have a happy day!!! More projects to come when my Studio is complete!!!

I KNOW....it's been too long....but we HAVE been busy .... and havin some fun!!! Maybe when school starts I can get back to "OTHER" things.....ha. My "Title" WAS going to be "He's Moving, but I'm Not" ....which would refer to a wonderful story of me putting off something God had in mind......and HE MOVED ON IT....., when I wasn't,.....and I had to change my tune!!!  GOD IS SO GOOD! I will share about it closer to September.....all you girls keep an eye out!!! It will have to do with SHOES!!!!  NOW back to Summer around here..... I am just going to POST a bunch of Summer Fun and projects at CAMP MIMI'S....I am missing a few projects like the redo of a cute suitcase from Miss Annie's garage sale for Peyton.....but here is all the rest!!! Miss you all and BOY DO I MISS MY ART AND STUDIO!!! Still in storage and the Studio in La Grange is coming along.....it will get "WIRED" one of these days!! ENJOY....and many Sweet BLESSINGS to you all!!!

THE WIND...being still

The 4th of July has come and gone with all our guests leaving the house empty once again. We had close to 70 people and many more hotdogs!! It was very HOT and DRY and we were thankful for what breeze we had as we watched the parade go by. I didn't venture out into the heat much this year and stayed inside. I've been staying inside a lot!! I needed to work on a QUILT AD for an upcoming publication ...so I took an old worn 100 year old quilt I bought around 40 years ago and hung it outside on a cedar tree branch to photograph it. It was briskly blowing around and wouldn't stay on the branch and the sun was bright and I needed shade to shoot it. After the fourth or fifth try on my little step ladder it finally hung on the fat branch and gently moved in a soft breeze.... and the sun went behind a cloud! I snapped my camera up quickly to begin to shoot the photos.... then on the computer analyzing them and picking one to manipulate and paint..... I began to think of my life lately and how I am tossed by the wind!!! And how I want to only be "gently" blowing in a soft breeze ..... MYSTELE is having a group of us do art or write about "BEING"......each Wed. I am late posting , but here is the work in progress of the log cabin quilt that I hung on the tree branch .....and click the following to see the incredible reflections of scripture that help me to see that He can calm the wind in my life and I can be stilled in my soul ...... the best "ME" I can be is to be in His boat, but not fall asleep to the power He has in my life! I really think there is an opposing force that tries to keep you from who HE made you ..... just as you are with what He has given you to nurture your soul. This quilt picture makes me feel like BEING STILL, and just KNOWING He is God .... TRUSTING Him to continue to mold me and use me ... even though I am further down the road in years! Be Blessed and Be Still in your soul...... my prayer is to be who He made and not be afraid of who I am not..... to be me.

But .... Where Will Wisdom Be Found?

As some of you have probably already figured out .... I have this obsessive / compulsive side of me. Especially when it comes to something I enjoy or want to create ..... or buy! Well, when I get something to create in my head and it doesn't leave me alone .... I obsess over it and if it involves money ..... I spend too much money looking at what to buy to use ..... because as I shop I am creating in my mind and thinking of all the possibilities of that little thing or things I need to buy! Then I spend too much, then I can't sleep, laying awake at night thinking how I'm getting all this stuff..... WIRE and "GEMSTONES" that are coming and I will HAVE to create and sell to justify it!!!! I was sick on a Sunday afternoon several weeks ago and a little down...... and I just prayed and ask God to please help me with this obsession I was having over making jewelry, shopping and buying gemstones ......and I just kept saying...."Why ?? Lord....Why jewelry?!?.... It has to have a worthy purpose...... Please help me understand ..... help me to know what to do? ... what is it? .... please. I reached down and grabbed an old Bible that I bought to cut words out of for collage and it flipped open to Matthew 4, specifically "The temptation of Christ", especially verse four....and then the comfort that comes after resisting temptation in verse 11. I was "WOWED' BY WHAT I READ....so I decided to sit up and read more!!! As I adjusted my position the Bible flipped over to JOB 28 .... a book I would NEVER CHOOSE to read ..... but as I read it ..... I wasn't only WOWED..... I was AMAZED ..... I mean REALLY amazed....!!!! TO THIS DAY!!! .....because..... in that chapter it talked about silver, gold, copper, stones, sapphires, flint rock (jasper), gold of Ophir, precious onyx, glass, jewels of fine gold, coral, crystal, pearls, the topaz of Ethiopia .... and then the question in verse 12, ....""But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?" The answer was there .... in 23 ....it says "God understands the way to it, and He knows it's place ...... and none of these things can compare to it......and then finally in verse 28 ....... it has the answer. You don't even have to know the history of JOB .... to get what God is trying to tell us (specifically me) in this chapter 28 in the Book of Job. For me it was ..... don't let your obsession and compulsion take you over .... because it is not true wisdom .....enjoy what "I" (God)have created , use your creativity, but never forget where it comes from ... and that it can never be compared to the real wisdom from and of God. Knowing that God is sovereign and active in our lives and alive and well and with us in everything we consider ..... considering Him ..... who He is .... and why He is .... and accepting and believing it....IS WISE..... that should be the focus in everything I do. I've been debating for the last few weeks whether this is too much to write about ..... but I really must because, it spoke to me so strongly and I hope it has something for you. Through Him only does anything have purpose...... I just couldn't get over that I had asked ..... why .... and I got the answer He sent me!! Even details about the gems of the earth!!! .... where in the whole Bible would you find anything about the gemstones!?? He knew exactly where it was and for me to find it!! An accident?....I don't think so! Be careful what you pray for.....now each piece of jewelry I create will have a completely different feel to it as I create it!! WOO HOO !!!! As some of my friends say! If I was going to give the jewelry line a name it would be ..."JOB 28 JEWELRY "...... So here it is........ This is the first jewelry I have ever created, the wire wrapping and chain and link making and twisting is my favorite part. Now I am waiting for the jewels to come in the mail and a little more studying and practice! ..... I will describe the stones on each (Carnelian, aquamarine, pearls, crystal, glass,mother of pearl, etc..) if you just ask me to.....I love Deryn Mentock's jewelry designing techniques, who has inspired me, and a book or two by some jewelry artists I found on her blog .... where I saw the twisted link design. Deryn has a ton of great information on her blog for books and advice. Check her blog and enjoy her beautiful art! I have been inspired by so many other artists this year to stretch myself and do different kinds of art ......but giving Him the glory! THANKS TO YOU ALL!! YOU TOO GOD! ...... then there is a whole "other" teaching on how the gems have come through fire to become so beautiful.....

PULLED WEEDS TODAY..

I did paint today...so relaxing and it takes me away from all the other work ....but then I love to walk out and check my two baby chickens and mama's eggs to be sure another snake hasn't come to eat them. Then I have to go see how many flowers I have left in the garden. I'm known for my wild zinnias....I pull all the dry heads of seeds and drop them back in the flower beds.....and every spring I get tons of tall old fashioned zinnias....thus a lot of art with them ! Four years ago I had a zinnia plant that forgot it was supposed to put on petals!! I mean it would make this wonderful big head with little curly hairs....and never any petals....not one flower on that particular plant with petals! It was gone the next year, and did not show up anywhere...... but the last two years I have spotted another such plant in a different place, across the grass in another flower bed. I absolutely love them....NOT perfect at all....I'm into imperfect! And how wonderful that God could use all those IMPERFECT people in the Bible....maybe he's trying to tell us something....I love my bald zinnia.....I look for it every year......I have a photo....somewhere!!