out of the woods...

Illustration by Emily Winfield Martin

  Literally counting down the days! I'm so excited. Some of you know, but those of you who don't, I'll tell you in a bit. I own this picture, but I've been waiting for the appropriate timing to take it out of its sleeve and hang it on my wall. I really am truly greatful, and, I can't say too much right now, but you probably know what it's about. ❥

sweet child of mine...

Illustration by Mary Blair

Emmeli is such a sweet, nature-lovin' soul, so happy, so silly, & she loves holidays! No mater what holiday- Preesident's Day, Columbus Day... whatever, she's ready to celebrate. I really don't think she knows about obscure holidays like Sibling's Day and Talk Like Shakespeare Day; it's probably a good thing. Anyway, today is the pinnacle of holidays, the loveliest, happiest day of the year, because it's Emmeli's birthday! Lately, in home church, we've been praying for everyone's special requests. We pray for world events & family & troubles, etc..., but we also pray for dreams and goals, because (1) we want the Lord to be included and (2) He wants to be included. The kids thought it was really awkward at first, to pray for seemingly frivolous requests, but they came around. It's been neat for us, as parents, to pray with them for what's on their hearts. So, everybody here already knows that Emmeli likes baking. When I used to work at Whole Foods Bakery, she used to say that she wanted to work there, too, someday. But I had no idea until we started hearing these prayer requests that Em really does want to open her bakery someday. So we're having a baking party. Hannah & Snow helped me decorate & set up the kitchen like a little bake shop. It looks really sweet. One of the tables was left empty with just a sign that says, "Baking Station". That was what Em commented on first when she came in this morning. It wasn't the flowers, the decorations, or the treats; she just saw that empty table & said, "Baking station...awesome." K. Gotta go. We have lots of baking to do, right after I go get eggs, (kind of important). *Click on the image to visit the Magic of Mary Blair, a site created by the nieces of Mary Blair.

goody two shoes...

Illustration by Kate Pugsley

 Hi. Me again. You know, the new me who is very modern, so modern and technological that you can click on this photo to see more art by this artist if you feel so inclined. It's cool! I'm not getting paid for this, at least not yet, I'm just that awesome. But I didn't come here just to say that. I wanted to tell you about my new boots. ❥ I feel a bit silly for bringing it up, but I've wanted these boots for every birthday for the past four birthdays! (I have a pin on Pinterest to prove it.) So, trust me, It's allowed. So these are tall, black, waterproof boots that make it so I can pretty much do anything I want while looking adorable and keeping my little toes dry. Yesterday, I went for a walk in our swampy woods and tromped right out into the middle of our woodland lake with the water almost up to my knees. I went out with my camera and took pictures of the tiny plants holding their breath under the water. How do they live like that? All the old logs in there are covered with bright green moss & today, me & my boots are going back with Ben to have our picture taken. Basically we're just going to get lots of pictures of my feet traipsing about the countryside. It's gonna be great!

critters have feelings...

 

           

Illustration by Cicely Mary Barker

"This morning I will examine a hibernating albino bat who sleeps in a box in my refrigerator," not me- Paul Brand. He's the author of "Fearfully and Wonderfully Made," an amazing book, by the way. It's about the life & science of a man who devoted his life to helping leprosy patients. But we got about this far into the book before Emmeli said, "That does not sound like a very happy career for a bat," which is precisely what I was thinking. It's a good thing there are so many different types of people in the world. And it's also nice when people are the same.

i decided on gryphon...

 

Illustration by Erin Kelso

I'm finally blogging again. ❥ I haven't written anything yet, but I've been blogging in my head, so I know it's coming. Sometimes I just need a little push. I'm making a public announcement now. Ready? Moving forward, All of my illustrations may not be vintage. I've been thinking about this for a little bit, but this picture helped me decide. For sometime now, I've known Blog was a gryphon. He's a who, but he's really more of a what and he's make-believe and lovable and he's kind of a secret pet. So, all that being said, I'm sure you agree. Also, since you're in on the secret, you can share him with me, because as you can see, he's pretty awesome. So, this post will be brief, because I really just wanted to make that announcement, but thanks for listening. Let's meet again tomorrow.