Sweet Shot Tuesday

This past Sunday, my grandfather (G-daddy as I think of him) was honored for teaching Sunday School for 60 years.

Sixty.
Six decades.
Over half a century.
Wow.

G-daddy has also been a deacon, church plumber, handy-man...a steady presence in the churches he has been a part of. He also ministered by driving my great-grandmother to the mountains of our state (when my Dad was younger) so she could carry out her calling- ministering to Cherokee Native Americans. G-daddy and my great-grandmother, along with my Nana, would dispense clothing that they'd spent the year collecting, teach basic skills and share their faith with the people for whom my great-grandmother held in her heart. Without G-daddy's help that wouldn't have been a possibility.

My Nana was also honored for her diligent service over the years. She wasn't expecting it....she was delighted none-the-less! Among her other activities that she's involved with, she's the church treasurer. Good with numbers, she is.

So there you have it. My Sweet Shot Tuesday. My faithful grandparents.

May they continue to be blessed as they have continually blessed others!

Painting the stars....literally!

Our living room needs some love...and by love I mean money. Well, love of the monetary kind is being diverted to other needs at the moment so what's a gal to do?

Paint something, of course! Did you expect anything different from an artist?

While I like these stars, the red has gotten to be a bit much, lately. The leftover paint was raided and my trusty drop cloth came out. About fifteen minutes later, those red stars had become fresh and new again. Um, wish other things were that easy to update!

Why the sudden interest in "freshening up" our living room?

Some of the Hubby's fam will be joining us for Thanksgiving this year. The furniture is looking a little worn (we have kids!) and I've never really been able to pull the whole room together. I'm feeling some renewed inspiration and have decided to go for it in a thrifty kind of way....stay tuned for further projects and results!

Big brother moment~

The boys weren't surprised when I came rushing around the corner with my camera. I just HAD to get a few pics before we took the Bubs to his first day of second grade!

Bubs wasn't so enthused about having his photo made and kept giving me weird faces....and then he had the wonderful idea to have his little bro' in the picture. This was my favorite result. The lighting, among other things, isn't great but it so perfectly captures the Bubs in his big brother mode. Melts my heart everytime I look at it...

Mommy moments...

I've put off thinking about it all day. It was quite easy to do with all my mommy chores and hanging out with the boys.

Even as the Bubs and I talked excitedly about it, I put off thinking about the implications...the changes it would bring.

It began to sink in as I started to get things set out and organized for tomorrow morning. That inevitable rush to rise, shine and get out the door.

My throat couldn't help but get a little tight as I tucked the Bubs in and read him a story. As I gave him silly kisses and basked in his rolling, little boy giggle.

*sigh*

The Bubs starts his first day of second grade tomorrow. I'm so very excited for him...but a little sad, too. Such is the life of a mommy.

Big Announcement...

Anna K. Originals is up and running! Complete with handmade elements by yours truly. I'm so excited!

The amazing Darcy from Graphically Designing is, of course, the lady behind the design and technical wizardry. I was a little intimidated at the idea of managing a Wordpress blog, but she walked me through the dashboard and answered all my questions...yes, even the slightly silly ones!

Have I mentioned that I'm excited?

Time flies and boys grow...

So sorry for my bloggy absence...it's been an interesting time at my house, lately. The Hubs is still recovering from his shoulder surgery. He has okay days....and then he has pretty rough days. Today was one of them. He's resting now and I'm prayerful that his season of painful days will be coming to an end soon.

When my Dad reminded the Bubs earlier that tomorrow would be his last vacation day before the school year started, he was both excited and shocked. I think it snuck up on him....I know the feeling!

E-man gets taller everyday. He's able to get his hands on things that I'd previously thought were out of his reach. We all have to take extra care not to leave our drinks around or any of the t.v. remotes as he has a distinct fondness for snatching both!

My how time flies...and how little boys grow!

Sweet Shot Tuesday

The Bubs starts second grade next week. We're all as excited as he is...even if a little sad that time seems to be flying by. He's gotten even taller this summer and his feet seem to have tripled in size!

So whether your children are going to public, private or home school I wish you all a fabulous school year full of new discoveries and increased schemas (as my Dad tells his 1st graders).

After all, they can be a star wherever they are!

And, yes, my Dad tells his first grade class that, too.

Cause he's cool like that.

Thanks for stopping by! (The Hubs is having shoulder surgery today. Could you whisper a prayer?)

"Think and wonder, wonder and think." ~Dr. Seuss

I've done a lot of that over the years...haven't we all? Those moments of thinking and wondering about a dream that's rooted in our hearts.

What if?

How can I?

Oh, it would be wonderful if I could.....

When I was a little girl I'd dream of being a veterinarian or a teacher or (you guessed it) an artist. I'd tucked away the dream of being an artist in favor of pursuing more practical goals...y'know so I could make a living for myself. Girl's gotta eat...and buy pretty shoes! After Mom passed away last year, it really sank in how short life is. I kept thinking that I hadn't had enough time with her. There was so much more I wanted to talk with her about, laugh with her about, dream with her about.....

In my heart I think it was the Lord that led my Dad to suggest making a small studio for me when the Hubs and I were remodelling the kitchen. And so, the spark of my girlhood dream was rekindled. With my Hubby's encouragement, the flame began to burn brighter.

I began to allow myself the right to make that dream become reality. Tough thing for me to do.

However, I'm always inspired to reach further, create more and dream freely when I'm faced with the loving support of my family.

The art you see above this post is a glimpse of things to come and another step in my journey towards pursuing my dream of becoming an artist.

Anna K. Originals is getting a new look!

Sweet Shot Tuesday

Some local views and a little fun....

I couldn't get over how close this duck let me get to it. I think it was holding out for bread...









Love this house. *sigh*









Of course, we see a lot of these around here.

I couldn't resist snapping a photo of this! Cracked me up.

A big thank you for stopping by!

Pointing out the clouds...

I've found myself pointing out the clouds to the Bubs a lot lately. From the white, puffy cottonball kind to the dark and rain-filled...they've all been pointed out and discussed.

My mom used to, at random moments, point out the clouds to us. She'd ooh and ahh over the purple and orange stained ones in a stunning sunset or laugh at the kind that were so big and fluffy we couldn't help but look for silly shapes in them.

I remember thinking, on more than one occasion, "Momma, you're so silly."

Honey, I now know that Momma was anything but silly. Whenever she pointed out those cloud-strewn skies, we'd all lift our heads from our indiviual pursuits (some worries, too) and take in something wonderous together. Precious moments, those.

That's why I point out the clouds...even if the Bubs thinks I'm a little silly.

Ten Years~

Ten years of marriage.

120 months

*

521 weeks

*

3,650 days

*

87, 658 hours

*

5,259,487 minutes

Ten years of marriage to a man who is your best friend.

Shared laughter & tears

*

Misunderstandings & makeups

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Holding hands & holding babies

No matter what comes our way, I never lose sight of the fact that I am a blessed woman...

I married you.

Happy Anniversary, My Love.

Sweet Shot Tuesday

We spent our Sunday afternoon at a couple of our favorite parks. We laughed, we chased, we took in some sights and, as usual, the camera captured it all....well, when I wasn't laughing and chasing after my guys!

Thanks for stopping by...and come back anytime!