A New Look Coming

I hope you all will bear with me as I try to make a change.....I know change is not always an easy thing but I am feeling real bored with my header and title.

The one thing I wanted to do was add some background color and some different paper but I have not figured that out yet.

I did my first post this morning so if you have time, check it out.

I think this will get you there http://www.Praisesfromtheporch.blogspot.com

If you come by my new site please leave a comment so I will know if anyone is seeing it.

Thank you and have a great and creative day.

Time in the Yard

It won't be long now, yum, home grown tomatoes.
These really will be "vine ripe". Don't you just love it in the stores when they say that and the very tomatoes they are talking about are still green? However we, or maybe I should say HE, since my husband insisted on putting so many plants in this small space that we had allotted, will know better next year.


When we moved up here from the Keys we brought several sea shells, coral rock, glass floats,net and all of the stuff you see to decorated homes by the seashore. We are a good two hours from the ocean but I have a small place in the yard that holds all of the nautical items.

This is just a few of the beautiful roses that are on a bush that our daughter bought when she was up here for a visit two summers ago. As you can see it is almost to the top of my clothes line post. It had about twenty roses on it at one time.

This is our lazy Manx, trying to catch a nap under the rocker on the front porch. When I called her name, she rolled over and looked at me as if to say,
This better be important" !

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So not much in the way of art going on here, maybe when it gets a little hotter and I feel I must stay in the A.C. Hope you all are being creative and having fun.

from generation to generation...

In my last post you saw a picture of my daughter and myself on the beach. This is her daughter and me behind her, one of our trips to Illinois. In the next picture you will see my great grandmother, and this girls children which are my great grandchildren. If I count all of the mothers in between these two, there are five. My grandmother, my mother, myself, my daughter, my granddaughter, and her two children. I feel so BLESSED !

Praise ye the Lord, Praise O ye servants of the Lord, Praise the name of the Lord.

Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore.

From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord's name is to be praised.

The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.

Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high,

who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth!

He raised up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill:

That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.

He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children.

Praise ye the Lord.

Psalm 113 HAPPY MOTHERS DAY BE BLESSED

Daughter & husband from Illinois

ONE OF THE MAIN OBJECTIVES FOR THIS TRIP, OTHER THAN TO VISIT US, WAS TO GO TO THE BEACH. SINCE WE HAVE LIVED HERE FOR ABOUT SEVEN YEARS AND HAD NEVER BEEN TO ST. AUGUSTINE, NOW WOULD BE THE TIME. IT TOOK ALMOST 3 HOURS TO GET THERE. WENT TO THE BEACH FIRST.

DID A LITTLE SITE SEEING, WE DID NOT RENT THESE, WE RODE THE TROLLEY, BUT YOU KNOW HOW IT IS, BOYS WILL BE BOYS!

AFTER A DAY OF PLAY WE GOT DOWN TO SOME SERIOUS TREE CUTTING. FIRST WE MUST TALK ABOUT IT, MAKE SURE IT IS GOING TO FALL WHERE WE WANT IT TO AND NOT ON THE POWER LINES OR THE HOUSE.

AS YOU CAN SEE, JOB WELL DONE. THIS WAS NO SMALL TREE. WE HAD IT TOPPED ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO AND IT DIED SO IT HAD TO COME DOWN.

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ALL IN ALL I'D SAY IT WAS A PRETTY FUN TIME, JUST TO SHORT. WE CRAMMED A LOT INTO THREE DAYS. HOPEFULLY THE NEXT TRIP WILL BE A LONGER STAY.

Not much time for the art room, the big show is tomorrow I'll let you know how it goes.

Have a BLESSED day and enjoy LIFE.

Making pin cushions for a show

These pictures are all out of order and I am to tired to fight with it. Some of these have a few last minute details to fix, a tuck here and a stitch there but for the most part they are finished. I did all four today. I will be taking them to a craft show right before mothers day, along with some polymer clay beads, and some other things that will make good gifts for the ladies.

a

Trying to keep my mind off of April 21st. Twenty five years ago today my mother left this earth. They say time heals and it does but it does not make the memory go away. Some years are worse than others, for some reason this year has been real hard. If you have lost your mother and you were close you know what I mean. If you still have your mother you should cherish the time together and let her know how much you love her.***************************************************************************

So the nest is empty again, daughter and her husband have gone back to Illinois after a brief stay with us. We packed a lot into those few days. I am waiting on some pictures to share, we had a day in St. Augustine that was a lot of fun.***********************************************

Of course these pictures are out of order.....the first one and the fourth one are the same.

I wanted to show the tops of these two so you could see the fabric better, it might require a click to enlarge to see it better.

We are having absolutely the best spring weather that anyone could have and I am really enjoying it. I hope wherever you are it is just as nice.

Be BLESSED and THANKFUL for each and every day.

The yard, cats and some art.

This is part of our back yard...the wisteria is really full this spring, I just wish it would last longer. You can not see the vibrant purple color in this photo, the dogwood is also in bloom. How can you not like spring?
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Did another two pages in journal #4. The gold paint almost looks like ripples or wrinkles.
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These are my three out door cats, this is Salu on the rail, and Buddy is the black and white one, and Sweetie is the manz. This is our "needs to be cleaned" front porch where they all like to hang out. The porch is on my "to do" list.

Last this is another piece of material I have been painting on. It will be folded in half and the right hand side will be the front. I sewed this picture of a lady on and will use the sky to write on. I am not done with it but just wanted to let you know, no matter how much yard work and house work, THERE IS ALWAYS TIME FOR ART!

This just might be my last post for awhile, as our daughter and her husband will be here in less than two weeks, guess with that thought I better get busy. BE BLESSED and enjoy spring.

Something new

I tried to get these pictures to load at the bottom of this post but it did not work out that way so......this is three more pages I have added to art journal # 4. This first one is just papers the next one is painted and the last one is a combination of paint and a picture that was already a part of the book.

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A NEW PROJECT

AS IF I HAVE NOTHING TO DO ......I should be finishing my spring cleaning but where is the fun in that? Instead I have been working on a birthday gift that is coming up June 3rd. I forgot to take a picture of this little book (5 1/2 x 71/2) before I tore it apart. I wanted to try painting on fabric so I cut several different types and started with no project in mind. I added the writing and I sealed them, then sewed the little pieces on. At that point I knew it would be the cover for a book. The book has four different kinds of paper in it and the pages are all blank. My pastors daughter Amanda wants to be an artist, she is a fan of lighthouses and Thomas Kinkade. It is the first book that I have removed the pages and added my own. This has made me want to make another book, only this time I want to do it from scratch. This one has about 25 blank pages she can sketch, or keep notes, even paint as I used some water color paper.

So what have you been doing?

It is very hard for me to stay in the house when it is so nice outside.

Be BLESSED and be creative.

JOURNAL #4 and a clean work station

SOME OF THE PAGES HAVE BEEN COVERED WITH PAPER INSTEAD OF PAINTING.....
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THESE TWO PAGES HOWEVER WILL BE A COMBINATION OF PAINT AND PAPER. THE PICTURES OF THE BIBLE AND THE FOUNDATION WILL BE USED, JUST NOT SURE WHERE OR HOW YET.

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THIS LAST PICTURE IS OF THE WORK TABLE, IT IS ALL ORGANIZED AND CLEAN. WE ARE HAVING OUR OLDEST DAUGHTER AND HER HUSBAND COME STAY FOR A VISIT AND THEY WILL BE USING THIS ROOM SO I WANTED TO CLEAN UP THE AREA. WE BOUGHT A NEW SLEEPER SOFA, IT WILL BE DELIVERED TOMORROW, HOPEFULLY IT WILL NOT CROWD THE ROOM UP TO MUCH.

SPRING HAS SPRUNG HERE AND PART OF MY DAY HAS BEEN SPENT WORKING IN THE YARD. HOPE IT IS LOVELY WEATHER WHERE YOU ARE.

CAT UP HIGH...

CAT ON THE FINISHED PERCH. THIS IS SWEETIE, OUR MANX. SHE IS THE ONLY ONE THAT SEEMS TO LIKE WHAT WE BUILT.
THE NEXT PICTURE WHICH YOU CAN NOT SEE THE CAT CLEAR AT ALL IS SALU, SHE IS THE ONE THAT WE DID THIS FOR. NONE OF THEM HAVE YET TO GET UP THERE ON THEIR OWN.....SO IF THEY DO NOT USE THEM I GUESS WE HAVE SOME PRETTY COOL PLANT STANDS!

Cat is on his menu

THIS IS SALU, SHE IS ONE OF THREE CATS WE HAVE OUTSIDE...SHE HAS A HEARING PROBLEM. LAST SATURDAY NIGHT WE HAD A GUEST, AROUND 11:30 P.M., HE WAS UNINVITED, AND HE LOOKED LIKE THE PICTURE BELOW....SALU WAS NOSE TO NOSE WITH IT WHEN I RAN OUT TO SEE WHAT WAS MAKING THE AWFUL SOUND. HAVE YOU EVER HEARD A COYOTE? IHAD NOT. I RAN IT OFF AND LOCKED HER IN THE SHED. THE OTHER TWO CATS WILL NOT LET ME LOCK THEM UP, I HAVE TRIED AND THEY ESCAPE. I WENT ON LINE TO LEARN ABOUT COYOTES, I DID NOT LIKE WHAT I READ. SO THIS WEEK END WE WILL BE ADDING SOME PERCHES TO OUR FRONT PORCH, WHICH IS WHERE THE CATS LIKE TO HANG OUT.

THIS IS MY IDEA OF A GOOD COYOTE, THE ONES BELOW. NOW IF YOU LIKE THEM AND YOU ARE OFFENDED, I AM SORRY. WE ARE GOING SHOPPING TODAY AND GUESS WHAT WE ARE GOING TO BUY BESIDES THE WOOD AND THINGS WE NEED TO BUILD THE PERCHES, THAT'S RIGHT ......A 4/10!

THIS IS SWEETIE, OUR MANX. SHE IS PRACTICING HER POLE SITTING. I TOOK THIS PICTURE THROUGH THE KITCHEN WINDOW. ONE THING FOR SURE IF A COYOTE GOES FOR HER, SHE WILL PUT UP ONE GOOD FIGHT.

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THE INFORMATION I READ SAID THEY TRAVEL IN CIRCLES OF ABOUT 19 K FROM THEIR DEN, SO WE FEEL CERTAIN IT WILL BE BACK. AND THIS TIME WE WILL BE READY.

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Sorry I have had no time for art these past few days, maybe by the first of the week.

I hope spring has sprung where ever you are. It has still been cool here and we have had some rain but you can see some signs of spring popping up. BE BLESSED

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DOUG

THIS PICTURE WAS SUPPOSE TO BE AT THE BOTTOM BUT I AM NOT GOING TO TRY AND MOVE IT AGAIN AS IT KEEPS GOING AWAY???
ISN'T SHE CUTE? EASTER IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER AND I THOUGHT IF YOU WERE LOOKING FOR AN EASTER BONNET THIS MIGHT WORK.

FOR SOME REASON I AM HAVING TROUBLE GETTING THESE WORDS TO GO WHERE I WANT THEM TO. TODAY IS OUR OLDEST SON'S BIRTHDAY. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW HE CAN BE 50 ...... I KNOW I AM NOT OLD ENOUGH TO HAVE A CHILD THAT IS 50. WELL I WAS ONLY 16 WHEN HE WAS BORN. IT SNOWED THAT DAY AND WAS A VERY COLD SPRING. SO HAVE A GREAT DAY SON. YOU ARE VERY BLESSED.

NOW DON'T FORGET TO TURN YOUR CLOCKS AHEAD, OR YOU WILL BE LATE FOR CHURCH , OR WHEREVER YOU MIGHT GO ON SUNDAY MORNING. SHE IS A GREAT IMAGE TO USE IN COLLAGE OR WHATEVER SO PLEASE FEEL FREE TO USE HER.


NOW TO ANSWER A FEW QUESTIONS , YES THE JOURNAL THAT I JUST FINISHED WAS COVERED WITH WALLPAPER, IN FACT ALL THREE THAT I MADE I USED WALLPAPER TO COVER THEM. IT ALREADY HAS GLUE ON IT AND IT IS SO FORGIVING AND SEEMS TO HOLD UP GOOD.

AND THE OTHER QUESTION WAS: WAS THAT MY LAST JOURNAL. OF COURSE NOT!!!!

IT MAY BE AWHILE BEFORE YOU SEE MUCH DONE IN IT AS OUR YARD IS IN GREAT NEED OF ATTENTION AND I HAVE YET TO DO MY SPRING HOUSE CLEANING.

HOPE EVERYONE HAS A BLESSED WEEK-END.

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The Last of Journal #3

A FRIEND SENT THIS TO ME ON LINE, I THOUGHT THE PICTURE AND THE WORDS WERE JUST TO GREAT NOT TO SHARE.

THIS IS THE INSIDE OF THE BACK OF THE JOURNAL THAT I HAVE BEEN SHOWING YOU. I WANTED TO SAVE A LOT OF SPACE TO WRITE ON, AND MAYBE ADD ANOTHER PICTURE.

YOU MIGHT REMEMBER THESE PAGES FROM BEFORE, BUT I HAVE SINCE ADDED THE PLANETS ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE.

AND LAST THE OUTSIDE OF THE JOURNAL WITH A BOOKMARK. SORRY I CUT THE TOP OFF OF IT BUT I THINK YOU CAN GET THE IDEA.

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DELIGHT THYSELF ALSO IN THE LORD AND HE SHALL GIVE THEE THE DESIRES OF THINE HEART. PSALMS 37:4

A big THANK YOU and a make over.

First let me show you the post that had the word fragrant spelled wrong. After MANY layers of paint I finally cut out the letters and glued them on. I do not like the sloppy job I did of outlining them and the words at the top need to be outlined so I will work on this a bit more.The word "memories" is at the bottom of the page.
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NEXT I WANT TO THANK MY VERY BEST FRIEND JANET FOR POSTING THE POST CARD I MADE HER AND ALSO A BIG THANK YOU FOR THE ONES THAT CAME BY TO SEE MY BLOG AS A RESULT OF HER POST. I TRIED TO GO TO EACH ONE BUT MY DSL WAS ACTING UP AND I'M NOT SURE I COVERED THEM ALL. IF I MISSED YOU I'M SORRY AND PLEASE KNOW YOU ARE MOST WELCOME TO COME BACK ANYTIME.

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FINALLY THIS IS WHAT I DID WITH THE PICTURES I POSTED THE LAST TIME. THE GOOD LOOKING GUY IS MY OTHER HALF AND THE PRETTY GIRL IS "ME IN MY FANTASY". NOW YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEM WITH THAT.....I JUST CAME FROM (JUST ME AND MY ART) AND IT IS PLAIN TO SEE MOST OF YOU LOVE IT. you will have to enlarge to read, also plenty room left to write on later.

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Well this journal is just about full, I will try and show you the cover and anything else that I may have missed. It looks like the weather is finally beginning to show signs of spring so there is much to do in the yard and the spring house cleaning is still waiting on me. I know we are all so busy but do not forget to share a smile and a kind word with someone, we can make a difference in someones life.

Saturday setback

HERE ARE THREE OF THE PICTURES I AM WORKING INTO MY TWO PAGE LAYOUT IN MY JOURNAL. TODAY WE ARE INVITED OUT FOR DINNER AND I HAVE LOTS OF "THINGS AROUND THE HOUSE" TO DO, YOU KNOW, I THINK THEY CALL IT "HOUSEWORK" ! IF YOU CAN USE ANY OF THE IMAGES FOR ANYTHING PLEASE FEEL FREE TO.
I JUST DISCOVERED A MISTAKE THAT I MADE, IT CAN BE SEEN A FEW POSTS BACK. OUR DAUGHTER (THE SCHOOL TEACHER) FOUND IT..... IT WAS A MISSPELL OF COURSE, SO NOW I WILL HAVE TO GO BACK AND TRY AND FIX IT. WANT TO PLAY A GAME? SEE IF YOU CAN FIND IT.....