Friday, May 30, 2014

little rays of sunshine



oh my... summer is almost here... i am so ready for it.

i love summer... but most of all... i love change. i am ready for the change of a care free schedule. i am ready for the change of being out of doors more than in. i'm more than ready... i'm crazy excited... almost on the verge of jumping up and down when i think about it.

 a few things i'm loving right now...

the way the jasmine i planted is climbing the front porch above (i must plant some by the back porch this year). it will bloom soon and the smell will be heavenly.

that the purple clematis i planted has finally found it's way up on to the front porch below.




the fact that this tree is covered with apples this year (last year it was almost bare... we were very worried about it).





how fast the grass has been growing right now. it takes about two weeks to look like a jungle... i love it when it's like this. however, i do not like the way the blackberries are also growing like a jungle and popping up everywhere.



the remodel that is getting just a little closer to finished every week. you can see evidence below that the painting is about half finished.



 a new counting "game" for the little ones inspired by this book and this post by amanda at sweet potato claire.

geninne zlatkis's desktop calendar this month... i will be sad to see this one go.



a late mother's day treat... eislee made me the little nest at school (it actually has four eggs in it)... love.

my new book... the nesting place... which i am really enjoying. instead of being a "decorating" book full of projects... it is more full of stories and encouragement. she says "it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful" and "done is better than perfect". this book is really speaking to my heart right now. i was feeling stressed about our remodel and the ways that i thought it should have turned out and the way it is... and of course many other things in this old, mismatched farm house... and i love the way this author encourages you to not only except but embrace those things and to not let perfection get in the way. i can't tell you how many times i put something off until i have time to do it "perfectly" and so many things just sit undone... but "done is better than perfect" isn't it?



my newest stamp... from the book making an impression by geninne zlatkis. i was inspired by her book to make these butterflies for the wall. in the book she stamps this one on watercolor paper and paints them and pastes them in "specimen boxes"... very cute... but i thought "why not put them on the wall instead?" so, that is exactly what we did. 







i am in love with the way that they turned out. i think we need to make about a hundred more and paste them all over the house.

9 comments:

  1. "done is better than perfect."

    Yes. I think I may borrow that as my new mantra... xo

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  2. done is definitely better than perfect!! I used to feel that way about music.. didn't really enjoy it because I was too worried about the pitches being just perfect.. I was thinking about it too much.. Until one day a girl helped me lead worship around the campfire.. She was SOOOO ton deaf but her heart was so into it.. it was beautiful. :) Now I don't worry so much about the pitch. I enjoy music so much more and I actually find I like the lazy pitches better than the spot on ones. :)
    Where do you download those desktop calendars again? I think I might want some. :)

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  3. great story :) that's cool... i didn't think to apply that to other areas in life. you can find the desktop calendars at http://blogdelanine.blogspot.com/

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  4. Wow. SO much here. Lots of blackberry pies in your future, right? That's the silver lining. And I still am just gushing at your property. I still wish "someday" even though I do love where I am and what weve created and still create... and I can't ever see leaving both sets of grandparents who live within 15 miles. Sigh. It's just so dry here. I love the dampness in those photos. Everything looks so fresh.
    Anyway, love the stamp, love the quote too! I've seen it before. I REALLY need to put that up where I can see it. Had a lot of raised voices around here lately. So much going on, it's a good, good quote to paste in every room.
    Lots of love,
    C

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  5. cory- yes, pies and i make lots of blackberry jelly :) i know just what you mean... this place is in it's prime right now at this moment... lush and green but sunny. the dampness can become a huge problem... we have to deal with mold a lot :( and over half the year you prefer to be inside because it's so wet and cold out... and we don't get enough heat to grow tomatoes... they grow but they never ripen... we also can't grow melons... or pumpkins... corn... anything that truly needs heat and a long growing season... so that's kind of a bummer. i hope for a greenhouse someday. it's great having lush grass but i would love some heat :)

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  7. wow, SO much inspiration here! your land looks beautiful, I really like the brown color on the bathroom wall, that Nesting Place book looks right my alley (lots of quirks 'round here, too) and I LOVE the butterflies. before I read on I thought you were talking about stamping them right onto the wall. there are probably a lot of cute possibilities there, eh? can you believe I still haven't started in with the book? I've had it for months! once school is out in two weeks and I'm not working I'm hoping to really get going on some things that I've left on the back burner for way too long.

    so happy to have inspired you, too! I LOVE, love that Playful Learning book, I feel like there is so much in there for all different age ranges.

    happy summer to you~ I hope you get a few heat waves ;)

    *that previous deleted post was me- I accidentally posted it under my husband's google account

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  8. amanda- that is hilarious about your husband's account :) oh, i hope you do get time to dive into the book! it is so very fun! and quick! that is my favorite part. i agree about stamping on the wall... so many possibilities! i just bought some alphabet stamps, and i am thinking about stamping out little messages on the walls... i love you's by the kids beds and what not... if i do... i will post it ;)

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  9. This post just made me smile from ear to ear!!! How green and lush everything is!! And my oh my do I love that butterfly stamp. If you ever want to sell them, I'll be first in line for one! :) Happy days to you!!

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