The comforts of home.


















hmmm….as I look back over these photos I suppose the common thread could be the element of "happy mess" that weaves in and out of each one. 

But friends, if there's not embracing the happy mess and the comfort in the fact that warm bodies fill our homes and soulful ideas lay in stacks and tasty food waits to be eaten and imaginations are ready to run wild…what else is there? 

These are my comforts of home. 



Currently...

Currently: 
reading: Bella Grace magazine, art books by Dina Wakley, Radiant Faces by Jane Davenport, and needing to re-read any book by Shauna Niequest or Anne Lammott.  
playing: chase, hide and go seek, and a huge variety of Anna Ruth's made up games
watching: Parenthood, which aired the finale last night.  I'm am honestly so sad about this. :( Watching Shark Tank too.
trying: to be patient with the girls as they are both so strong-willed and independent and confident and full of life.  Trying to be kinder to myself, nurture my friendships more…and "shake it off" when it comes to criticism or negativity.  
cooking: non-processed, super simple meals.  I've decided to no longer beat myself up over our lack of gourmet meals.  We eat healthy and we're fed well.  The end.
eating: my Greek yogurt parfait blogged here, and black pepper Triscuits…I mean other stuff too.  But these are my current favorites by far.  Add in some goat cheese with the Triscuits and I'm a happy camper.
drinking: lukewarm coffee.  This is evidently the year of the dentist.  I'll let you guess how much fun that is.  (and yes, I know…thankful to have the money and means to go)
calling: my twin, Jana
texting: my neighbor friend, my new church group community, my playgroup friends, my Grandma and Papaw
pinning: artsy ideas, spring decorating ideas, outdoor things...
crafting: hmm….lately it's mostly been lots of art and planning activities for my girls!  But I have a few things up my sleeve in preparation for my three Rosy Retreats!  And some rainbow decorating for spring...
doing: my best to arise early enough to have coffee and Jesus before the girls wake.
going: camping this spring!  We bought a pop-up camper! And to a Valentine's Day tea party, on my Momma's birthday! Can't wait. 
loving: bird-watching, eating Taco Bell in the car (by myself) with the country music blaring, waffles with real maple syrup, watching the sunrise/sunset, talking to the cows, watching a candle burn, going to bed early, my girls' hugs and kisses, going to my Grandma and Papaw's house with the girls, watching my nephew Winston grow up, the warm weather, browsing at Barnes and Noble, watching my girls learn and dance and grow and jump and just BE. 
discovering: I am terrible at yarn crafts.  I tried pom-poms and finger knitting.  Fail.  Both projects.  There should be a hash-tag for this…. #fingerknittingFAIL
enjoying: having close friends again…it's been a while and boy does it feel good.  So good to be known and needed and loved and understood.  
thinking: about Anna Ruth going to school in another year and a half.  We're doing public school (despite the heaps of criticism I've received, boo)..thinking how much I appreciate her preschool teacher, Miss Betty that works at Wal-Mart, Linda that works at the post-office, the nice library lady who doesn't bat an eye if Betsy throws a fit but welcomes us back instead, 

so I suppose mostly thinking how grateful I am for our hometown heroes. 
hoping: more than anything, to please God in this season…and to be an excellent wife and mama.  In more shallow news, hoping to get some creativity back this spring with my outfits!  
listening:  to my most random playlist ever.  No one else would even begin to understand the order of it.  Except for my twin. 
celebrating: Anna Ruth going poop in the potty! LOL.  Just keeping it real folks.  That is absolutely the biggest thing that jumped into my mind. 

OH, and getting a much bigger check than I expected in the mail for a magazine thing I did.  
thanking: God for new chances by the bucketfuls.  Can I get an amen?!
finishing: up my list for Vintage Market Days in April…so that I can start checking things off!  Other than that, I don't really ever finish anything.  I guess I start canvases and finish them..
but mostly I finish putting the dishes away, folding the clothes, cooking the meals, teaching the girls, cleaning the house…then it starts over.  See the word below!
starting: All that finishing stuff I just mentioned! 

Starting to feel like a shift has happened in our lives too…
we're in a new season.  
I'm not quite sure how we stumbled upon this particular chapter..
but I'm so glad we did. 

A peek inside my Art Journal: Finding my voice!

 I'm finding my voice, my style.  I suppose that sounds like a rather bold or brash thing to say. However, this has been one of those searches that's quite like the hide and seek games I play with my girls.  Lately I've been trying things out, chasing ideas this way and that.  Every now and then I've actually captured an idea, a concept, an art supply, a technique that I really adore.  That gets my heart pumping extra fast and my inspiration whirling.  Then I've tucked that little treasure away in my artists' toolbox and moved on.  Time for another chase.  Another seek.  
It's quite like capturing lightning bugs, plopping them into a jar and watching their lights flicker on and off.   All those ideas together…..create a glow that feels safe, just comfortable enough, but not too much so.  Not where I'm done growing.  Just enough of a glow to feel comfortable and like I'm home.

 And so, I'm learning the language my art likes to speak.  Which brushes feel best in my hand and glide across the paper like I love.  Which steps to the whole process of creating a canvas or art page I like.
(for example, art that looks too neat and tidy generally makes my skin crawl)
 I'm learning the perfect formula for me…the right amount of thinking and whimsy.
 I hope you enjoy seeing what that looks like in real life.  It is certainly quite scary to show up and be so vulnerable over and over again.  To show the bits (usually on Instagram) that I may even deem a less favorite piece.  But I suppose if we, the incredible human beings that we are, don't show up as ALL of us….good, bad, ugly, beautiful-what else is there?

This is me.  My art, my evolving journey.  The messages stuffed deepest...







(the journaling on the left was inspired by a post I read on Momastery's blog…..About how there's enough!  Enough opportunity, love, time….She made a very beautiful point about complimenting those around us when they get opportunities because we should be happy for them, not worried we missed out on something great too.  As soon as I read that I thought of you lovely readers.  You beautiful souls who have cheered me on, encouraged me….and clapped the loudest when good has come my way.  I thank you, I thank you, I thank you….)


I must confess that a lot of these pages I now love, but didn't at the first try.  In fact, you've probably even seen a few of these pages before, you just didn't know it because I covered so much up with more paint. 
I think this needs a quote or word stamped in the middle, don't you? 
What would you pick?


Thank-you for taking a peek into my artsy world lately!
Today I've thanked God for art and painting a million times.

Have you created lately?  
Often times for me, the absolute hardest part is starting.  Sometimes it feels like it's all I can do to open the paint bottle and begin.  But then I do start and I get lost in that land of painting and I wonder why it took me so long to begin in the first place. 

Be back soon with new canvases, Rosy Life style.  All my own. 

Our Hand-Built Playhouse!

 We seem to be a hop, skip, and a jump away from spring!  This warm weather loving gal is pleased…for the most part.  I admit I really (really) wanted a deep, white snow that covered everything on the farm.  But there's still time I suppose.  For now, we're letting our imaginations and  legs run free outside in the very warm weather!  We eased on out to the playhouse this week to give it a breath of fresh air.  
 My husband gets every last bit of credit for this little house.  A year ago from Thanksgiving he started on this little playhouse he'd quickly sketched out for the girls.  He's never built anything like this before but is quite handy with tools and fixing things.  Reminds me of my Daddy. 
 And so, the building began.  He's worked on it for hours, here and there as he's had the time.  He works (more than) full-time and manages the farm with cows as well.  So his free time doesn't show up in big chunks, much like I bet yours doesn't either.  But, as seems to be our motto around our house…slow and steady wins the race.

 The girls decided they wanted their play kitchen moved to the playhouse so that's just what we did.  I added a clearance Target garland, the girls' art, and some handmade decor by me.  




 The girls have really enjoyed playing kitchen and restaurant!  

I'm hoping to spruce up the outside a bit once spring officially arrives.  My favorite spot to be is on this little balcony, watching the girls play in the garden. 

What outdoor home projects do you have going this year? 

I've got a new blog! Come see. :)

Room for the Rosy  is my new blog. I hope you'll come see.