Inspiration: Rain

Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew,

like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.

I will proclaim the name of the Lord.

Oh, praise the greatness of our God! ~ Deuteronomy 32:2-3

 

 

We have had so many rainy days this month. At times I have been sick of it and I have to remind myself that rain is good. Everything that God has created is good. So I change my focus into looking for the beauty in it and sure enough there is plenty of beauty to be found. One only needs to take the time to look. There is so much good to be found in life when negative thoughts are changed to positive. It is up to ourselves to decide if we are going to focus on negative or positive energy. Focusing on the positive definitely makes for a happier life. :)

Inspiration: Others

"Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to a divine purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: That we are here for the sake of others... for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy. Many times a day, I realize how much my own outer and inner life is built upon the labors of people, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received." ~Albert Einstein



"Guide Me" mixed media painting

I'm so excited to say, "Guide Me" is almost finished! Just a couple little things left to add.

I will share more details about the piece once it is complete.

Yellow and Grey Nursery

I was so excited to get these adorable nursery photos in my Enduring Arts shop inbox, I had to share... with permission of course. :)

 

 

I feel honored to have my First We Had Each Other print in such a wonderful collection.

 

 

Isn't that a fantastic space!? It looks like it should be in a magazine. :)

 

Congratulations on your growing family Rhonda and thank you so much for the amazing photos and design inspiration! You are so talented!

 

{ nursery photos by Rhonda Lindholm }

Highlights

Happy May Day!

Crazy that April is already over! I planned on doing more blogging and I blinked and the month was over. I don't know how those of you who are such faithful bloggers do it. I'm not so good at balancing everything. Maybe this month I can do a bit better? Not promising though! :)

Here is a glimpse of some of our April highlights...

Lots more snow arrived. One day the snowflakes were landing just right on our large picture window in our living room so we could see the details of the flakes. Love how unique they are! ♥

 

Wisp woods customer came to pick up his tables. Hubby did a beautiful job!

You can see from this detail shot that his projects are not quickly put together.
They are made to last and are beautiful to look at as well.

{Kaelyn says her daddy is the best woodworker ever!}

 

{K's baptismal birthday ~ opening a fun gift from her godparents}

{loving the outdoors}



{Be Still & Let God art print}

New prints were added to my etsy shop.
 



{special customer reuest ~ Your First Breath}

 

{chicken & veggie dish}

{daddy/daughter day ~ they go all out with their fort making}

I had a fun girls day rummaging. This set of My Little Ponies was one of the best dollars spent. Yep, $1 for a set of 5 ponies in great condition and they have kept her entertained for a long time! Yay! :)

{Wisp Woods onto a new walnut table project ~ check out that chunck of wood!}

{sanding the walnut is going to take a lot of work ~ can't wait to see the finished product}

{Brookings triathlon ~ Hubby is in lane one on the far left}

We didn't know if the triathlon was going to be cancelled on the 27th due to all the snow we were getting. We were still getting snow on the 24th! To our surprise the weather turned out to be gorgeous! Temps skyrocketed to the 70's!!! It was a gorgeous day!

{K loves finishing races with her dad!}

{hubby did great and got third in his age group}

{finally warm enough for a family bike ride}

{and a bonfire!!! I LOVE warm weather!}

{K says she wants to roast marshmallows every night.}

Sadly the warm weather only lasted for the weekend, but it should be warming up again soon... I hope. At least we didn't get more snow today like they forcasted. :)

Ok, I better stop with the pictures. My tummy is grumbling. I better get to making supper.

Guide Me {mixed media in progress}

{Guide Me ~ in progress}

 

"Guide Me" is about giving up control and letting Him show the way. The sailboat racers are like us who want to have complete control. The sailors want control over their boat to come in first. Well like in life there are other components that factor in and no matter how hard you try there is a bigger power in control. In the sailboat race, weather/wind is a huge factor... something that cannot be controlled. Sometimes you just have to roll with what comes your way even if it isn't easy.

 

I get these kinds of images and thoughts in my head and feel the desire to tell the story through artwork. I have no idea where my fine art will lead if anywhere. I don't know if others will like the final pieces I come up with. Maybe no one will care about the meaning behind them or think they are crazy but that is okay. I create them because they share a bit of what's on my heart. They tell a story to me and I love creating them more then doing anything else. (other then time with my family)

 

Giving up control takes time and a lot of faith. When you switch your thinking to thinking about His purpose for you, you may have a change of heart. I've been learning this more and more and realizing my desires may not be what He has in mind. And when you let go, everything is good. The pressures on yourself are released. Life is brighter.

God is the one in control and I'm more then happy to allow Him to guide me.

 

Linking up with Jennifer from Studio JRU.

Check out her fun giveaway going on and see what others are working on.

 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Spring... really?!

{view out our back door after the snowstorm on Thursday}

I don't believe South Dakota got the memo that it is spring.

The weather has been nuts here and 3 days in a row of no school this week.

Last week, the snow was almost all gone... it sure came back in a hurry! Blah.

I am so ready for heat... from the sunshine that is, family bike rides, walks, kayaking, boating.

Hubby has a 5k and a triathlon in 2 weeks and more snow is in the forecast.

 

There has also been more gloomy news this week for our family.

A couple more losses. :(

Kaelyn is so good at showing me the positive points. Oh life through a child's eyes...

Her view on snow: Yay! Let's play in it!

Her view of my cousin's visitation/funeral: Yay, I get to see my friends!!! (a.k.a. her cousins who are close to her age that she rarely sees.)

 

Thank you God for Miss Kaelyn who brings so much brightness to my life.

Off to sleep and then more family time.

 

Hope you have a good weekend! Life is too short not to enjoy it.

March Recap

Ready for a photo overload? :)

Here is a glimpse of our past March...

{A lot more snow arrived ~ on this day it was like snowballs falling from the sky.}

{K had fun going to friends' birthday parties.}

{swimming party ~ K loves the water!}

{K decided to decorate her room with her art ~ this is one of my favorites! Love rainbows!}

{She created her own art wall.}

{fun at the science museum}

{Jayse's baptism}

{Restocking for Unglued ~ so thankful for them selling my designs!}

{Palm Sunday}

{And it is still freezing outside.}

 

{So much fun dyeing Easter eggs at Grandma Cindy's!}

{The little ones put so much thought into it. So cute!}

{Love the colors and aprons!}

{Happy Easter! Eggs made at Grandma Cindy's the day before.}

{Great aunt Sandy and cousin Wendy had a fun egg hunt set up again with coins. Still think that's one of the best ideas!}

{Decorating her great aunt Sandy's Easter tree.}

{A busy month for Wisp Woods. Another one of his projects I wanted to keep.}

Of course with the good comes the not so good.
The last couple weeks have been rough. We lost our 12 yr old fur baby Trigger. He was the sweetest kitty. It is strange having alone time... I was used to him being right behind me if Kaelyn wasn't.
Then we had a traumatic health scare with a family member. Thankfully after being hospitalized she is doing much better. I certainly learned how important family nearby and our basic needs are!
Then there is age 5... wow, I wasn't expecting this age to be so tough.
We're constantly working on respect and patience.
May God help me to do the right actions and say the right words because my limits are pushed daily... but I must say I am thankful to be able to have the challenge.

Ok, sorry for the extra long post. I hope your April is off to a fantastic start!