Happy Easter!

For I remember it is Easter morn,
And life and love and peace are all new born.
~Alice Freeman Palmer

Where man sees but withered leaves, God sees sweet flowers growing.

~Albert Laighton

Happy Easter!!!

Illustration Friday- Heavy

When I saw last week’s topic on Illustration Friday of “Heavy,” I immediately thought of the heaviness of pregnancy.

The weight that you carry around of your growing child is heavy, but also there is another type of weight… the heaviest you’ll ever know. Knowing that the tiny little person that is growing in there will depend on you for everything, and everything that you do will shape their life… now THAT is heavy. The worry that you have of whether or not you will make the right decisions, protect them from things and people that can hurt them, give them the guidance that they need while the freedoms to make mistakes and grow from them; that is heavy. The responsibility of showing them God’s blessings and teaching them how to have a close relationship with Him, that is heavy.

Like I said, pregnancy (and subsequently parenting) is heavy… like you’ve never known before.

Work in progress...

For the last two days- during naptime- I've been chipping away at a painting that I've wanted to work on since the fall.

I had taken the baby out for a walk, still new to motherhood and still trying to figure out what exactly I needed for such an outing. How I wish I had a photo of the two of us that day to share with you! There I was, pushing the stroller piled high with a diaper bag prepared for end times, cell phone, my digital camera, and my "good" camera. Oh, and early on in our adventure, it became an EMPTY stroller that I was pushing as she preferred the old reliable Baby Bjorn instead. My intention was to take a relaxing stroll through town, snapping reference photos of some of the wonderful New England-esce scenery.

A stop at the Phelps Tavern Museum was on my itinerary, but upon arriving there, I found out the museum was closed on Mondays... and it just so happened to BE a Monday. Fortunately, I was still able to walk around the perfectly welcoming grounds and captured a few photos. I believe this building that I am painting was the barn, but I'll let you know more when I visit on any other day BUT a Monday.

Now that I am once again caffeinated and naps are finding their way into my little girl's routine, things are going a little smoother. I am having such fun putting the brush to canvas, and reminiscing upon that humorous outing. I'm still a few naps away from completion, but I thought I'd share with you my work in progress... as a mother and an artist!

***Update***
It seems I may have jinxed myself.... Since writing this post, my little one has decided to boycott naptime. With fingers crossed and armed with a more than a few prayers, I'm hoping that I'll get to work on this piece some more today! Check back again soon to see the finished painting!

Brownies complete any kitchen!

This week's Inspire Me Thursday topic is “kitchen.” If you have been to our home, you know that we just LOVE our kitchen. It is warm, cozy and comfortable. It seems to be the heart and soul of our home, and it was what sold us on this house. It is the only room that has the privilege of saying that it kept its wallpaper from the previous owners, and in fact we even pulled the warm colors for all of our other rooms from its pattern.

The one thing that I try to do on a regular basis to “complete” our kitchen is to bake fresh brownies, cookies or bread. There is nothing like something fresh out of the oven to make your home (and family) smile!

The sketch above is the remains of a batch I made the other day. It's just a quick pencil sketch that I whipped up in a few minutes... the time restraint was to keep me from opening up the lid to steal a decadent treat!