Sea Kettle Studios - Fashion Edition

I finally got my act together and bought some art aprons to have on hand for my private painting lessons that I teach here at home in Sea Kettle. I've been telling my poor students that I'd get these for the longest time. Hopefully this will end the many clothing casualties we've been having!


I found these plain canvas aprons on sale at A.C. Moore for a few dollars, and I used some black fabric paint to give them a little character.


Check out how fashionable we are here in Sea Kettle Studios...  :)

Next time you see catch a glimpse of these, hopefully they'll be covered in paint of every shade and color...

May Landscape Collages - Part 2

(See the first post for this project here.)

The kids at school finished painting their backgrounds (skies) with watercolors last week and this week they used their textured papers to create a landscape collage (think Eric Carle).  They cut or ripped shapes then glued them onto the background in layers; mountains, hills, trees, suns and volcanoes... They are turning out beautifully, and I'll post some of the final projects next week. 

Check out the wonderful paper-y mess we made! 

Blessings this week...

A long list today.  Lots of blessings but I also really wanted to make 500! :)


471. my space heater on the last cool days of spring
472. a new trellis and shared plants in the garden 
473. walks around Salem at night
474. Captain Dusty's Ice Cream
475. knitting outside while my students roll down the hill
476. foot rubs
477. cold glasses of water
478. small group prayers
479. My morning and nightly tea (Mighty Leaf Citrus Chamomile)
480. a change in plans
481. a new dishwasher (and $250 government rebate!)
482. blankets
483. heath bar fro-yo
484. a visit from a former resident of Sea Kettle
485. check-in texts
486. the weather
487. new garden curves
488. Sunday afternoon with my in-laws and dishwasher installation help
489. a day to rest 
490. tender newlywed moments...
491. barns, hay bails, chickens, cows, blowing veils...
492. ...a beautiful farm wedding and successful photography
493. talented and helpful photo-friend and sister-in-law
494. running into Salem friends around the neighborhood
495. old familiar stories
496. softball (fan) season
497. early morning best friend phone calls 
498. unexpected energy
499. my talkative Dad, talking again!
500. seeing a beautiful sister off to prom #1 (this year)...

Hospitality

Luke 14:12-14

 ¹²Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. ¹³But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,¹⁴and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

Today's Agenda

My sister-in-law and I are photographing our first wedding today. Exciting and nerve-wrecking! The pressure!


But...

The weather is beautiful. (partly cloudy, 67 degrees)

 The location is gorgeous.(Blue Skye Farm, Essex, MA)

The bride and groom are calm and gracious. (you'll just have to take my word for it) 

I'm sure it will be a good day.

..and hopefully there will be plenty of nice photos to show for it!  

A Trellis for the Climbing Hydrangea - This Moment - May 14, 2010

Joining with SouleMama:

{this moment} - A Friday ritual

A Sweet Blessing on Mother's Day

I lost a baby at 11 weeks almost 3 years ago.  Those precious few weeks of motherhood were joyful and scary and incredibly wonderful.  Brian and I loved that tiny baby more than we ever could have imagined.  The day I knew the baby had died, was one of the worst I've experienced.  A good friend who has gone through this more than once said it best, "I feel like my body is a graveyard." I felt it. Emptiness and death. 


I feel healed in many ways, but I'll never forget the sweet time we spent loving that little unseen child. I often mistakenly assume that I will be the only one who will keep this memory...

I'm so thankful for those few people in my life who continue to remember this short life with me...

I was incredibly blessed this Mother's Day by a card from a dear friend. Just saying that she was thinking of me this weekend and was remembering our "Sweet Baby James". 

 Man, that meant the world to me.  

Thanks, friend.

(And then this act of love gets me thinking... how can I reach out to bless someone today in an unexpected yet beautifully thoughtful way?)