Peaceful stay near the beach

We needed to get away. When hubby and I both have jobs from home it is hard to come by uninterrupted family time. It took quite awhile to decide on a vacation destination. We knew we wanted to go to the beach. It's been five years since we've last been there and we would be celebrating our 9 year wedding anniversary a bit early. At first I was researching the west coast, but just couldn't find a place that wasn't overcrowded and would be kid friendly... so somehow I came across Roanoke Island Inn on the east coast. It fit us perfectly! Charming, peaceful, close to the beach... a real home away from home. Dee and Sarah were so welcoming and helpful during our stay. (Just one of the many things they did was go out of their way to find goat milk for our daughter who is allergic to dairy products. It is not easy to find around that area!)

The inn had lots of character and the views were beautiful! This is our breezeway/deck area that had open views to the backyard as well as the waterfront:

{backyard of Roanoke Island Inn}

{backyard~view towards the inn}

Kaelyn found her hat early on during the trip. She loved it and wore it almost all the time.

Sadly it got left behind at the last restaurant we ate at before getting to the airport. :(

Hopefully it didn't get thrown and another little girl can enjoy it.

That is our breezeway/deck area above. The right leads you to the rooms and the left takes you to the "reception" area...

Such a cozy space and their is a well stocked pantry/kitchen area where you can help yourself to snacks and drinks any time. And if you happened to forget something, no worries, it is probably there or they will find it for you. Awesome!

We were given a family suite. Kaelyn had her own little room. She had her own tv and dresser on the other side. Sleeping went so much better since we had our own rooms!

Our room was huge with a vintage flare. All the rooms are unique... just the way I like it. :)

The view at night couldn't have been better.
I highly recommend the Roanoke Island Inn if you are looking for a charming, peaceful getaway. It honestly was the best place we have ever stayed!

Back to real life

So hard to say goodbye to the warm weather, soft sand, amazing dunes, charming Inn and so much more. But we are back home and my body is trying to get used to the cooler temps. Never did I think I would come back to 50 degree temps in August! Uggh. Gotta love SD! :)

More photos coming soon.

Expecting!!!

No, not me, but sweet Melissa from The Polka Dot Pickle is!

She contacted me right before her maternity shoot to get one of my First we had each other prints for their session. Melissa was so great to work with and best of all she shared the photo with me! I was so excited with how it turned out I had to post it. (with permission of course) Cean One Photography did a fantastic job. Such a cute family! :)

I cropped this one so you could see the print a little better:

You can just see how much this little one is loved already. :)

Congratulations you two!

If you have an Enduring Arts print I would love to see a photo of the space it is hanging in or how you used it!

Projects and WIP

This past month has been filled with so many get togethers and projects. It has been great and crazy! I'm hoping August is a bit more relaxing, but who knows... little K will start school! My baby is going to school!?! That time has gone by all too quickly!

Anyway, I thought I'd share a couple of the more interesting projects from the month.

A friend asked me to design and paint a sign to go behind her reception table. Her theme was a rustic/elegant wedding. She supplied the awesome barn door. The grooves and old chipping paint definitely made the project more interesting but I think it turned out pretty nice. :)

My very talented hubby and owner of Wisp Woods, requested the logo I previously designed for his business to be put on a cap. I made sure to get it painted on in time for his birthday. So glad I didn't screw up since I had no time to go get another hat.

{work in progress ~ Let Go & Trust}

Then after shop orders have been completed and if I don't have to run somewhere (which has been rare) I work on my newest mixed media piece, "Let Go & Trust". This one is quite a bit darker then my last... maybe because my mood was a bit darker when I started? I guess that is one thing about being an artist... you can show your emotions through your work. I'm excited to see her finished and get working on the next one! :)

Quiet

Wow! This summer seems to be going by at great speed. I haven't been able to keep up with everything and since the blog is at the low end of my priority list... well you can see it has been pretty quiet. Our life lately has been full of good and not so good events but mostly good so for that we are very thankful. This month has been full of family get togethers, Vacation Bible School, and a variety of house and work projects. If we happen to get a little free time we try to do something fun and relaxing as a family. Have to enjoy the warm weather while we can! :)

It looks like the blog will remain pretty quiet until mid August or later.

I hope you are all having a fantastic summer! Happy weekend!

**I'm not sure what I messed up in the HTML code that makes my text run off the side.

I think you'll know what it is supposed to say. :)

Lately

Just a peek into K's world lately.

Loving warm days!

Fun with friends.

Moving day.

A little girl's dream house made by her grandpa. :)

More allergy testing.

Allergic to some of her favorite things. :(

Loves her daddy.

Fresh strawberries from the garden.

They don't last long! :)

Hope you are enjoying your weekend!

Time Trial

Time is flying! There are quite a few photos on my computer I would like to blog about, but finding the time to do so has been hard. Here are a few from Saturdays time trial race in Watertown. The bikers rode 14 miles around lake Kampeska. It was a gorgeous day for the race. Seriously, if the weather would be so nice next year, I might have to compete. But I'm not game if there is nasty weather. :)

Anyway, here are a few of the riders just a few minutes before the race begins.

David's waiting for his turn. There is a minute between each rider.

On the start line ready to go.

The race is on! Hubby's friend, Jason was the first to come in. I would totally crash trying to ride this bike.
David is the second one in.

Cruising after the race. K likes to ride with daddy.

Overall David came in third. He did a great job! Thanks to all the family that came to watch and support him! It means a lot and it always makes it more fun to have you there. :)

Sunday was a moving day. K was very excited! Will share more pics on that soon... hopefully soon anyway.

Details

I took this photo last weekend and didn't realize until I was looking through them that I got a bug... three actually. Ha! Surprising what details you can see when you stop and really look. :)

I hope you enjoy your 3 day weekend!

Mug Scrambled Eggs

When I found out my daughter was allergic to eggs and cheese around the age of one I went through a pretty long phase of not eating omelets, scrambled eggs and such even though I like them. I guess I just didn't want to go to the work of making them just for me to eat. Kinda crazy I know... they aren't that complicated. After I got back into eating them my husband saw a quick way to make scrambled eggs using a mug. This has to be the quickest, easiest way to make a single serving of scrambled eggs. This is probably old news, but just in case you haven't heard it's worth a try. :)

We are lucky to get fresh farm eggs from a guy my husband works with. (But all eggs turn out the same.) Start by cracking two in a large mug.

Put about one to 2 tablespoons of milk in with the eggs and mix really good with a fork. (I really don't measure the milk I just pour a little in.)

Then microwave 45 seconds, take out and stir and put back in for 30 seconds. (If you use too small of a mug it might overflow... just warning you.) Use a new fork and mix in cheese and your favorite seasonings. I like to use oregano, basil and cilantro.

That's it! Eat and enjoy. So simple, right!?

Sensitivity to those dealing with infertility

Lilies of the valley... so pretty and delicate. Delicate like our feelings.
Infertility has been on my mind a lot. I often pray for those dealing with primary infertility and secondary infertility. I didn't even know secondary infertility existed until 2 years ago. I was fully aware of primary infertility as I have seen relatives dealing with it first hand. So when I was lucky to have one child never did it enter my mind that having another may not be possible.
I've gone back and fourth about writing this post but decided I needed to share awareness about this issue. It is extremely painful for those dealing with it. Many keep their pain to themselves. But I want to offer support and help family and friends of loved ones who are struggling with infertility to not say the wrong things that cause more pain to the situation.
If you know a friend or loved one that is struggling to have a baby please read these posts:
Infertility Etiquette from Resolve
Infertility by Awestruck Wonder
Some good information on secondary infertility by Maggie O'Farrell

Everyone dealing with infertility will have a little different story, with how they are dealing with it, what treatments they choose to do, if adoption is an option. What will be the same for everyone is they will have a roller coaster of emotions over and over again. Hope to heartbreak time and time again. People will say hurtful things. Unless you have personally experienced infertility you just won't understand the emotional pain that is involved.

A lot of people don't understand secondary infertility. They say "You're lucky to have one." From personal experience, yes, you feel blessed every day and thank God for the one you have. But everyday you also watch the one you have grow and get to an age where they ask for a sibling, they go to the park and try to join other kids who are playing with their siblings, only to be rejected... they don't want to play with your kid. Your heart breaks time and time again. You know the complete joy and miracle it was to have one and you may not get to experience it again no matter how much you would like to. You really want to give your child a sibling but at what cost can you make it happen? Yes their are options, but they are expensive! That is part of the hurt secondary infertility parents feel.

How you can help?
When someone shares their fertility issues with you it is a BIG deal. It is an issue that is difficult to even talk about. No one wants to admit something is wrong with them. Be a good listener. Be careful what you say. (Read the above links.) If you don't know what to say, just let them know you care and that you will support them and listen any time. Pray for them... but only say it if you mean it!

I want to add one HUGE don't to the list that wasn't on the links and that is if you know a couple who has been having fertility problems DO NOT say you aren't in a rush to have a/another baby or anything remotely close to this scenario when in fact you are trying or will be very soon! One thing it is a lie and no one deserves to be lied to in my opinion, and that has to be the worst stab in the heart you can imagine to an infertile couple that hears you are expecting soon after you said you were in no rush! Be open and honest with them. If they have been open to you be open back and tell them that you are trying for a baby so they know the news could be coming soon, otherwise you may lose their trust for good.

My husband and I have been on the secondary infertility roller coaster for over 2 and a half years. It is all me, so yes that adds more guilt and stress on me but it has taught me so much! One of the biggest lessons is to be very considerate of other's feelings. You don't know what some people may be dealing with. In my case it was Graves Disease that messed up my body. What was supposed to be an easy 6 month radioactive iodine treatment 2 yrs ago ended up being anything but easy. It literally felt like my body was shutting down on the inside. After seeing 5 doctors I've found one that actually listens and is getting me back to feeling "normal". I pray often for good health and giving my daughter a sibling... all in HIS time.

Rain

We've had quite a bit of rain lately. I still have some planting to do including a couple begonia plants, ground cherries and tomatoes I recently picked up at the greenhouse. Kaelyn sure enjoyed that trip. Kind of hard to keep her from touching everything though. Ha! The plants have been liking the rain (as you can see above) but K was getting a little sick of it over the weekend and drew a rainy day picture. :)

Love the sun peeking out. In other news, Kaelyn sees an allergy specialist this Friday. I'm praying it goes smoothly and that she gets a good, kid friendly doctor.

Be Still & Let God {mixed media painting}

Standing back from the piece and seeing if I need to tweak some more, but it is almost finished. Need to put a glaze on once I know for sure I don't want to change anything else.

Sweet Robin from My Creative Peace interviewed me on her beautiful blog today! You can read it HERE.

Linking up with Studio JRU. You can check out what other creative souls are working on HERE!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Green

Today I am participating in color your world challenge. The color is green. The first word to come to mind when I think of this color is growth.

{Now We Have Everything Art Print in Green}

Our love grows.

{Grow with Me Green Bedtime Prayer}

Our faith grows.

Every living thing around us grows.

Read more about the color challenge HERE and join in the fun!