Purple hair

No, not me.

Not this time.

Not yet.But I must be honest-- I'm considering it.
Maybe. Someday. Or at least some of those feather extension things.

And why on earth not?
I'm learning, slowly but surely to be the
person/mom/wife/sister/friend...(superwoman)
that God created me to be.

Full of color.
Dressed Up. Curled.
Dancing and jumping on the trampoline.
And caring a little less every day that
that might be different.
Because I'm full of joy
and so are my kids.
People come in all shapes and sizes,
with different goals, dreams, aspirations,
styles, personalities...
and who am I to say if they should be
using cloth diapers/vegans/homeschooling/ homebirthing
wearing 7 earrings/ or mismatched clothes/doing preschool
wearing make-up/hiring help/ doing sports/ rocking out
....
you name it.
Who am I to worry about what's best for their family?
Wouldn't it be better to try
a little harder
to see things from their eyes
stand in their shoes?
And be kind.
It's one of my goals,
to step back
look closer
and smile.

When did we stop dreaming?

When I was a kid, I always wanted a playhouse outside. And a home with secret passageways. Hidden doors. A slide on my bed. Stepping stones in the yard. Little things, really.
But I had forgotten.
And now I'm in a position to do *some* of those things.
The secret passageways in my house might be a bit too far-fetched although you KNOW I still want that.
But I can manage some of the others.
It's within reach.
I'll keep you posted. :)

polka inspiration

Around my house...

Papaw and Mimi, in the frame in the background

My modge podged lamp, table...and everything else.


I have a thing for polka dots. They make me smile. :) See? I'm all smiley now.

pox party

Oh, yes, I absolutely did. We had a mini-Pox Party last week, complete with shared suckers, bowls of M&Ms, playdough, and Twister. I share my germs, by request. Don't judge me. ;)
I missed getting pictures of several families... there were quite a few more little kids running around. We may be quarantined from "the rest of the world" but there are plenty of folks who still want to party with us, and plenty who've already had it and don't mind my kids' germs. :)

Plus you can see my newly painted peachy wall and white tree. Love it.


The pox boys.
Yes, there's a card game falling out of my LittleLad's pants. What can I say?


You can see that it didn't slow them down much.
Dash hams it up for the camera, barely missing the perfect bicep pose.


It looks like My ArtistGirl may miss the pox...again. We'll take her in this week for a blood test to see if she's immune. If not, it's booster time. Sorry, honeychild.

Fine Print: I'm not taking opinions on this. We do what works for our family, and you do what works for yours. If you don't have something nice to say, then don't say anything at all. When it comes to my family, I rarely take unsolicited advice. ;)

Farmers' Market in Small Town, and my other loves

I absolutely did not forget to take our Family Picture on the 6th , I'm simply behind and didn't get it posted in time! Hi, kids! (we didn't have a good place to set the camera for a timed family photo-- maybe next month)
That was taken on May 6th at Hobbs State Park, on the Shaddox Hollow Trail. Yes, my kids still have chicken pox. I had to take them out in the boonies, on a deserted trail for our family day. :D And it was gorgeous! More on that soon.

Yesterday I ventured over to our Small Town Farmers' Market. I love taking pictures of random people... especially older people and kids. This guy just belonged there.
(I've told Fred before that if I were invisible, I'd just wander around taking pictures of everyone! He says it would be a total waste of a superpower, but I'm not convinced.)

Below is my beloved Miss Samantha (Sammi-girl) chef-extraordinaire, seamstress, nature girl, jam-maker, veggie-grower, mom-to-all-boys, precious lady. I splurged on her lemon pound cake (with real violets on top!) and her son's prize-winning fudge... /drool

....plus a bunch of walking sticks. Get this: hand-carved Mimosa walking sticks, complete with drilled holes in the top with leather bands...

what would you expect to pay?

They sell comparable ones at Silver Dollar City for $20+.

Sam's boy is selling them for $2.50! Yeah.

I couldn't believe it. I bought 4, with an order for two more (I need shorter ones made for my two little boys.) When we got home, Fred wood-carved our names on them.
There were houseplants, bouquets of peonies, greens, heirloom tomatoes....

plus all types of needlework...handmade soaps... oh, and raw honey!

I love Farmers' Market! Someday I'll have my own booth there with veggies, plants, balloons, face-painting, and sewn items. Someday. When the booths don't cost so much, and I actually have time. It'll be my own little party booth.
I did actually draw and paint some of the veggies, but not going to post those until I finish up. :) Allllsooo, I know it's Mother's Day. I sent my Man off to see his own mama today, and he'll be back in a bit. He's already given me the most fabulous weekend, and I am so grateful for this weather, this home, these kids... I feel so blessed. I hope you all have an amazing day, slow and peaceful, with time to recognize and receive the many gifts all around us.

And, Mom, I LOVE you!! Thank you for nurturing all of my passions with unending art supplies, creative approaches, and so many experiences. You are amazing!

Morphing fruit

Do you ever start your artwork with a certain image in your mind...

...and then your pomegranates turn into tomatoes?

No? Just me?

Taking a brush to quotes

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."
-William Butler Yeats

"We can throw stones, complain about them, stumble on them, climb over them,

OR build with them." -Williams Arthur Ward

"Every new day begins with possibilities." -Ronald Reagan

"I am still learning."
This, coming from Michelangelo

"Be Silly, Be Honest, Be Kind."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

"There is no such thing as an uninteresting subject; the only thing that can exist is an uninterested person." -G.K.Chesterton


I've rediscovered my sketchbook, and would like to fill many of the pages

with favorite painted verses and quotes.

I'm taking suggestions!