so i got the chance to paint the "couch room" for Lakeridge UMC youth. i have wanted to paint this room for almost 4 years. finally, we got it done! it's the biggest project i've ever done. here's a peek...

and in this image, you see the beautiful raven. she helped me tremendously with this project. you can also see the FLOR tiles we put together for a gigantic rug.
and then it was Easter. for breakfast we took the kids to Krispy Kreme. as if they weren't going to have enough sugar in their easter baskets:)

isaiah's excited face...
...and sarah with her mouth full of chocolate. yeah she ended up having so much candy that she puked.
our weekend also included watching movies...

enchanted its really a must-see if you're a girl;) amy adams is hilarious.

american gangster its a rare occasion that michael and i actually get to see a movie like this... we're usually watching whatever the kids like. so this one was quite intense. it was very good though.

mr. bean's holiday isaiah loved this one! i did too. basically a foriegn film with a lot of heart. not your typical "mr bean" flick, but there was of course a little silliness:)

happy tuesday

today i wanted to share a few shots from our weekend. the kids and i were artsy fartsy all day saturday. we all had on our aprons and painted the day away...

here's sarah attempting to cut with scissors. of course the scissors are made of plastic, and they don't really work. but she thinks she's a big girl using them! i just love how she sits on those feet. notice the skinned elbow, aka "booboo".

it took bribing her with some easter candy to get this smile. hey, whatever works!

isaiah's always ready to smile for the camera...

so this is a painting that i've had in my head for a long time... specifically for this space. i finally got it done. it isn't for sale:)

latest flower

so here it is: my creative process...




i was inspired by this incredible photograph... so i got permission from the very talented rachel denbow. thanks, rachel!!

okay, here we go. i set up all my "stuff" at the kitchen table. so as long as my stuff is out, we get to have our family dinners at "the black table"... our more formal dining area. the kids think its really fun!

i decided this particular canvas needed some scripture written all over it, so i chose matthew 5: 3-12.

there's just something really great about getting paint all over your hands ;)



the beginning of the flower...

about halfway through...

the final product...
i'm pretty pleased at how it turned out. you can't really see it in the picture, but in real life the flower just radiates. there is a lot of depth to it and the yellow i used to highlight really pops out. i'll probably put it up on my etsy sometime next week if you're interested :D

i have lots of projects that i'm working on. i'm shifting gears a little and doing some pieces in the abstract. some very exciting stuff! i'll share more about them soon... hope you have a fantastic weekend.

love, e

somewhere over the rainbow...

i finally finished reading this. it was fantastic! politics, human interest, drama... so many layers. it definitely puts the movie from my childhood in perspective.

also, i saw this. also many layers... and incredibly inspiring!

ps. i've been working on a new painting... and taking pictures of it's progress. i'll share it all soon!

love, e

my sweet children

In the mornings, they eat their cereal at the bar. To the right of Sarah is our fish, "Bucket". I love how they are sitting on their feet...

When I picked them up from PDO yesterday, they had gotten suckers... so by the time we got home, their faces were blue.
Sarah had also taken a brown marker and wrote on her face...
I asked her "Sarah, what's on your face?" and she said, over and over, "Chocolate Sugar!" I actually got several good pictures of her... she was loving the camera. Times like this make it so much fun to be a mom... so I thought I'd share this poem with you...

Children Learn What They Live By Dorothy Law Nolte, Ph.D.

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.
If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.
If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves.
If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy.
If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy.
If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.
If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.
If children live with tolerance, they learn patience.
If children live with praise, they learn appreciation.
If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.
If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.
If children live with recognition, they learn it is good to have a goal.
If children live with sharing, they learn generosity.
If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness.
If children live with fairness, they learn justice.
If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect.
If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and in those about them.
If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice place in which to live.

freeze!

This is just brilliant. I like the guy who says "I think it's some kind of protest..." And the applause...