Date Night in a Pasture

[caption id="attachment_1991" align="alignleft" width="300"] I love this pic of the girls getting a drink of water.[/caption]

I am so glad you stopped by! I wanted to tell you about  my last date night. My sweet husband came home from work early the other night and stuck his head in the back door and asked if I wanted to go with him to feed the girls. I rarely pass up an opportunity to be with my baby by myself so I answered with a quick "Yes!" I turned off the stove, pushed pots to the side, and told the children I'd

[caption id="attachment_1992" align="alignleft" width="300"] A little love from the tail gate[/caption]

be back soon. I grabbed my boots and my camera and I was off to the pasture with my baby.

I love how the girls know Eddie's truck. Oh my goodness! He pulls up to the gate and they are mooing like crazy and running towards him as fast as they can. The older girls kind of gallop, and the babies are precious as they leap and sprint circles around their mamas. We pull to the middle of the pasture and can hardly open the doors for everybody pushing on the truck and sticking their big wet noses into the windows. It's hilarious. Eddie hollers at them to back up and he makes his way to the bed of the truck. By the time he picks up a bag of pellets they have licked him from head to toe. He puts piles of pellets out and they frantically move from pile to pile eating as though it's their last meal. Eddie and I sit on the tail gate and watch the girls and talk about the day. It's one of my most favorite date nights.

[caption id="attachment_1993" align="alignleft" width="300"] Holiday and baby Rain[/caption]

Once the girls were through eating, they kind of spread out and eat a little grass for dessert. The babies all find their mamas and snuggle up for a little late night snack. That's when Valentine finds her way to me. (If you are new to my blog please meet Valentine in my previous blog. February 2012) She has grown so much in a year it's amazing. She pushes her head on me and licks me all over. It is so sweet. As the sun begins to go down, the girls all move in a pack toward the edge of the pasture. It's really amazing how they all do the same thing. They slowly but surely make their way to the back of the pasture under the trees for the night. The moon was huge, and the stars were like little night lights. We could barely see the girls anymore. Eddie and I decided to call it a night and I got off the tail gate and walked toward the door of the truck. As I reached for the handle, I heard a single moo from across the pasture. Unable to see anything, I asked Eddie if he thought it was Valentine. Unsure I called out to Val. She mooed again. I called and she answered a third time and then I could hear her moving in the grass. I walked toward the front of the truck and she met me there. It was so sweet. We snuggled a little and said our goodbyes and she turned and walked back to join the others. My sweet Valentine made my night.

[caption id="attachment_1994" align="alignleft" width="300"] The Girls[/caption]

I love how Valentine knows my voice. Every time I pull into the pasture and call her name she comes to me. It's something! But what really surprised me that day was that even in the dark, she knew my voice and could find me.  I love that thought. In comparison, I think of the many times that I have been in a situation that I could not see my way, and yet I could hear God's voice clearly call my name. I love that I am His and that He is mine, and I love when He calls me by name. If you don't know Him or know His voice, call out to Him today and give Him your heart. He stands waiting to hear your voice and hold you close. John 10:14 "I am the Good Shepherd; and I know My own, and My own know Me.

love love love Ruthie

 

Guitar Man

[caption id="attachment_1985" align="alignleft" width="224"] I love this pic of my daddy. His bright colored shirt, paint all over his hands and face. Priceless[/caption]

I am so glad you stopped by! I could hardly wait to introduce you to Guitar Man. About a month ago, my son asked my daddy (PawPaw) to paint a guitar man for his apartment. Paw Paw accepted the challenge but never picked up a paint brush. My daddy is a gifted artist. He would argue that point with me, but I would easily win that argument. He is overflowing with creative ideas and has an amazing eye for color. More importantly, he loves it. Art is deep in his soul. However, we all need a little encouragement sometimes, so I invited him to my studio to paint guitar man. He painted, mixed color, repainted, and finally signed the canvas. Guitar Man is done! I love it! We had so much fun we decided to make it a weekly thing. Paw Paw comes to my studio on the same day at the same time every week. I can hardly wait

[caption id="attachment_1986" align="alignleft" width="224"] Paw Paw in action![/caption]

for you to see what he's working on now. He says he loves coming and learns something new every time he comes. Sharing my studio with Paw Paw every week is my joy and my treasure.

Bieng intentional about spending time with someone is indescribable! Think about it. When was the last time you were intentional about spending time with someone? My husband and I are being intentional about cooking with the twins one night a week and discussing specific topics over dinner. Last night the boys cooked and the girls cleaned. Dinner was delicious! They put everything in the fry daddy. What's not to love?! Dinner conversation was fun and

[caption id="attachment_1987" align="alignleft" width="300"] Guitar Man
Acrylic on Canvas
by: Steve Fox[/caption]

enlightening. It was a great night! I truly look forward to it all week. The real treasure is being together and taking our relationships that much deeper.

Being intentional takes time and effort, but the rewards are immeasurable. Be intentional! Plan something out of the ordinary this week. You can do It!!!! Please leave me a comment on how you were intentional this week. I love hearing about you! Thanks for stopping by!

Love love love Ruthie

The Last shall be First

[caption id="attachment_1982" align="alignleft" width="224"] Oil on gallery wrap canvas. Size 16x40. First in the Beach Girl Series[/caption]

I am so glad you stopped by. I am sitting on the porch enjoying my "last" morning of vacation. I'm finishing up my "last" few sips of coffee before I take my "last" jog down 30A. A perfect end to a wonderful weekend.

Our culture puts so much emphasis on being first, that they miss out on the joys of being last. You only have to be in an elementary classroom when a teacher says "Line up" to see it first hand. Children sprinting and tripping and elbowing just to be first only to be faced with complaints of "cutting" in line which leads to lying, arguing, and usually a trip to the back of the line. Contrast that with the child that chooses to wait and be last in line. He had time.  He had time to put his books away, push in his chair, and comfortably make it to his place in line. He avoided the pressure of being first and made it to his destination at the same time as every one else in the class. He completely missed the pushing and shoving and cutting, and ugly looks. Why in the world would you want to be first when there's so much joy in being last? You know what I'm talking about. You have to admit that your heart swells every time you step aside and hold the door for someone else to go first. I can't explain it, but there's a joy that floods your soul every time you put someone else before yourself.

I know we live in a very self centered world, and loving your neighbor as yourself is a foreign concept. However, the bible says the first and greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul and mind. The second is to love others as you love yourself. This challenge will not be easy, but I encourage you to be intentional about putting others first. Slow down, breathe deeply, and discover the joys of being last. I promise your day will be richly blessed when you serve others first. I hope to see you at the back of the line.

love love love Ruthie

 

30 Day Challenge

Happy Labor Day! I am so glad you stopped by! I haven't blogged in a while. My life has been full of my family. I love that! Our lives have been filled to the brim with our children and their friends coming and going. It has been a whirlwind of fun packing and unpacking and packing again. I've sent a couple to college and a couple to high school, but I don't really commit to the "schedule" until after labor day. So we decided to check the children out of school and head to the beach for a long weekend. Real life has to wait.



One of our favorite places to visit is Seaside. There is always a fabulous T-shirt to purchase!



I also love that everything is a bike ride away! Beach time is so fabulous!

Or Golf cart. In Seaside, golf carts aren't used for golfing. The golf cart is first class travel to the beach. They can be found in most any color and design and even decorated.

The Air stream can also be found in Seaside. It is not used just for camping anymore.



This air stream serves fabulous bar b que and really good ice tea. KK loves that they give free refills. 

This air stream is by far the favorite of my family. It's called Frost Bites. Awesome shaved ice. So delicious!



I loved spending the day with the twins. We hung out on the beach, we rode bikes, discovered a couple of trails, wandered around seaside, and ended the day with pizza from Angelina's. A pretty perfect day!



Of course Fox and I photographed everything that wasn't tied down!!!



What is it about being a long way from home that makes conversation richer and dreams bigger? I think that's one of my favorite things about vacation!



Well, my favorite thing about vacation is this man. I live to watch the sunset over the ocean with my sweet husband.

I am always sad when it's time to go, but it leaves me looking forward to when I visit again. I  have loved summer, though I will always argue that it's never long enough! School has started and homework has made it's way back to our house. So to get myself back into the swing of blogging, I decided to challenge myself to blog every day for the next 30 days. I hope you will join me for the next month of blogs. I will be sharing fun things I'm doing in my home and my studio. I"m looking forward to it! I hope you are... I've missed you!

love love love Ruthie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glitz and Glam

[caption id="attachment_1955" align="alignleft" width="224"] Paper mache jewelry in the studio today[/caption]

I'm so glad you stopped by! Summer is flying by and I'm trying with all my might to catch it! I really am. My children call me "Vacation Barbie" because I'm constantly wanting to put off summer reading and math reviews to play in the art room. They secretly love it!

I honestly believe there is a "crafter" inside of all of us. We have different styles and techniques, but we are all creative. When my children were little, we would make masks from paper plates, puppets from paper bags, and elaborate chalk drawings filled the driveway almost every afternoon waiting for daddy to get home. The crafts were fabulous, the finished product always a surprise, but my favorite part was and still is  the process. It's during the process that all the good stuff happens. For example, designing a zoo for hours with chalk in the driveway was great, but it was the conversations during the creative process that I treasured most. The precious conversations when they are little are so important. That's when you teach and shape what their little hearts think and believe. That's when you nurture those relationships between siblings. That's when the magic happens! It really does. There is nothing like it! When they get a little older they paint fingernails and toenails more than canvases, but the process is still the same. Put down the  phone or the laundry and paint your nails! I promise the laundry will be there when you're done! Conversation might not be!

Vacation Barbie was in the art room the other day with KK. We put off laundry and dinner to design our own paper mache jewelry. New projects are the best. It gets wheels turning, ideas blooming, and of course always promotes fabulous conversation! This was a blast! We made bracelets out of newspaper. A couple of them were horrible, but a couple of them turned out kind of cool. I've not worn any of them, but remember, it's all about enjoying the process. Having said that, get out your glue and newspaper, find your children (no matter what age) and follow along! Enjoy the process!



First I gathered up my materials. You will need: mod podge, cardboard, scissors, tape, newspaper, craft paint. I cut a piece of cardboard from an old oatmeal box. I eyeballed a width I liked and cut it to fit loosely on my wrist. Obviously no measuring here.



Next I taped my cardboard into a circle in order to make my bracelet form. I decided at this point I wanted my bracelet to be thick and not flat, so I padded the bracelet form with dry folded newspaper like you see in this photo. I taped it into place and began the paper mache process.



Let me say, if you did this when you were younger, not much has changed. I think I use to use wall paper paste. Mod podge is so much easier!!! Have fun. I tore the newspaper into strips and covered each strip one at a time with mod podge. Then I began wrapping the bracelet with the wet strips of paper until the form was completely covered in strips of mod podged paper. (I used my fingers to spread the mod podge rather than a brush. I thought it was easier. Messy, but easy)

I like this pic because you can see how thick my bracelet is. I like that. I also like that my sides are soft and rounded. Once you've covered your bracelet in mod podge and paper, I put another light coat of mod podge just for good measure. I took this opportunity to smooth any rough edges and add paper where I felt like it was sparse or lacking.

This was the fun part and the hard part. You have to wait for the mod podge to completely dry.That is definitely the hard part! I have to say, I let mine sit overnight. You don't have to wait that long, you just want to be sure it's dry. Then the fun begins. Paint! Paint! Paint! I chose to paint mine lime green with stripes. I love green. Be creative! Paint it. Be dazzle it. Add glitter. It's all you! Whatever you like! Go for it.



You're done! Easy and fun! I love that! When I was finished painting and it was completely dry, I added a coat of mod podge to seal the paint and give it a little shine! I am all about a little sparkle and shine! So get out your glue and paper mache something today. Remember it's all about the process! Enjoy!                                     love love love Ruthie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Churches and Chapels

[caption id="attachment_1948" align="alignleft" width="244"] Commission
Naval Academy Chapel
Gallery Wrapped Canvas 24x30[/caption]

I am so glad you stopped by. Do your remember as a child intertwining your fingers and manipulating them to form a "church?" I would chant the rhyme, "Here's the church. Here's the steeple. Open the door and see all the people." Then I would open my hands and wiggle my fingers like crazy to represent all the "people."

I remembered that rhyme as I painted this commission piece of the Naval Academy chapel. I absolutely loved painting this piece. I painted this piece from  a photograph. I hope to see it in person one day. It is an absolutely gorgeous chapel with breathtaking details. Just from studying different photographs, I was moved by the grandeur of the architecture and the feeling of strength from the structure and size. From my pictures, I was mesmerized by the beauty of the landscaping. However, it was the steeple that caught my eye. I could hardly wait to paint that part of the chapel. I love to paint commissions, but this one truly stole my heart.

[caption id="attachment_1949" align="alignleft" width="234"] Rough Draft[/caption]

Since that commission, I've contemplated painting a series of churches and chapels. The idea hasn't made it out of my head into my art journal yet, but I am working on it. A couple of sundays ago, a precious man that I've known forever stood in front of the church and made a public profession of faith. In other words, at 95 years of age he humbly and sweetly recognized that he was a sinner and needed a savior. At 95, he asked Jesus to come into his heart. His sweet wife stood beside him weeping with joy, because she had been on her knees praying for him for 58 years to come to know Jesus. There wasn't a dry eye in the sanctuary that day. I don't even think the preacher closed in prayer that day,

[caption id="attachment_1950" align="alignleft" width="237"] Thinking about my paint.
Layering color.[/caption]

because of everyone filling the isle to wait their turn to wrap their arms around this man. That's what church is. It's not the steeple. It's not the door. Church is all the people. How on earth do you paint that?!

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son; that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16

Love love love Ruthie

Treasures

 I am so glad you stopped by! Wow! Have we ever had the rain. I love it! It is so yummy to stay home on a rainy day! I got up early yesterday morning with a cup of coffee and my husband. We sat in my favorite little room, illuminated by the glow of one small lamp, and listened to the sounds of the rain as we read and talked. That kind of morning is hard to beat! Once children began to stir, Eddie's need to move kicked into gear. Within minutes, he was outside in the rain with a project. I also had the need to move, but down a more creative path. I am on the tail end of finishing sewing projects in my daughter's room, so my sewing machine was out and ready with fabulous fabric scraps calling my name.

I made a precious and easy little pocket for treasures. I love little treasures. I was jogging the other day and picked up a perfectly smooth white rock with a cool shape and brought it home. No idea what I'm going to do with it, but it is my little treasure. When my girls were growing up they shared a room until they went off to college. Three girls in one room is a little tight so you can imagine, they shared just about everything. (That was my treasure)  Being so close and sharing everything, it was important to me that the girls had a special place to keep their little treasures. It might have been a drawer or a cabinet or a kaboodle box, but it was their own space for treasures, and it was respected and protected.

As I made my pocket yesterday, I was remembering all the treasures my children used to collect. They would take such incredible care of their things, displaying them prominently on a shelf or bedside table. To the world their treasures were worthless, but to my children, they were priceless. If you belong to Jesus, you are His treasure. When thoughts of guilt or fear creep into your mind, cast them away. Isaiah 43:1, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you! I have called you by name, you are Mine!" It does not matter where you've been or what you've done, He loves you with an everlasting and unconditional love. You are not worthless!  Psalm 103:4, He redeems your life from the pit; He crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion. You are His treasure!



Here's how I made my pocket. I began by cutting a piece of backing the size I wanted my pouch. I did not measure, I eyeballed it. I backed with two layers of fabric liner. Then I cut different fabrics into strips. I did not measure. They were all different widths.



Lay the strips of fabric on the backing in an order that is appealing to you.



Pin the strips to the backing. Sew each strip down the middle. This is not neat, there are raw edges and strings everywhere. That's the cool part.



Trim edges and strings. At this point, I decided I did not love my edges being free so I used different size zig zag stitches to secure them to the backing. I love the look. However, I did think if I did it again I would back the strips with a good looking fabric and try not tacking down the edges and then you could see the pretty fabric underneath. (something to think about when you're designing your pocket.)



This was a last minute decision and I think it was a good one. First of all, in this Photo you can see the different stitches I used. Anyway, I took a piece of backing, doubled it, and stamped it with permanent ink the word "Love." Then I stitched it to the front where the flap is going to be. Again, nothing neat about it. You can see I have raw edges and strings all over.



This was the fun part. I folded it and stitched up the sides, and Bam! a Pocket. I also used a zig zag stitch on the top of the flap that folds down. It gave it a more finished edge. (not that any of the edges look very finished) Then I decided to put a button hole on the flap and add a button. Really you could do anything for a closure. You could use a safety pin, or velcro, or snap. I just chose a button because I had one.



How adorable is that? I "Love" it! It took me about an hour from start to finish. I'm sending my pocket to Towns. She is living at camp this summer and collecting lots of treasures. So the ones that she can't put in her heart can go in her pocket.

Thanks for stopping by! Make a pocket today and send me a pic! love love love Ruthie