Four Leaf Clovers...

We must have a mutant form of clover growing in our back yard. I had always thought four-leaf clovers were especially rare, but they abound in our back yard. Rachel has been picking them and pressing them, and last week she made the sweetest art work by placing four pressed four -leaf clovers on some brown parchment paper and putting it in a wooden photo frame. Beneath the clovers she added this saying:

Many an opportunity is lost because a man is out looking for four-leaf clovers.

~Author Unknown

And it got me to thinking - am I looking for four-leaf clovers, for good luck and happy circumstances, for the quick fix to my problems and in so doing, missing opportunities? I was reminded of Paul's writings in Philippians 4:11-12:

11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

Portrait Update

I wrote here about James's portrait, which I have been working on F-O-R-E-V-E-R! Well since then, I have done some more work on it, mainly working on the shirt, but I don't have any updated photos to post yet... I'll add some soon! Note to self - plaid fabric is very difficult to handle! In the meantime, this is the portrait I did of Rachel several years ago, just to prove to myself that yes, I CAN actually finish these portraits.

Top Ten Tuesday

I'm playing along with Jenni .... Her Top Ten Tuesday for this week is " Top Ten Things That Don’t Make Sense to Me".... Sounds like fun, so here's my list:

10. Taxes

9. How our dog, Sally, still has any fur left, given the vast amounts she sheds on the couches, floors, her dog bed.... By now, she should be utterly and completely hairless.

8. The appeal of shows like Oprah, Jerry Springer, The Bachelor, etc

7. Oreos - the cookie part by itself is too bitter, and the filling by itself tastes too much like shortening, but put them together, and they turn into something yummy.

6. Why do men seem to lose their rear ends as they age? I swear my hubby used to have one, but now - just flatness!

5. Why are french fries infinitely more delicious when they are pilfered from someone else's order? (Sorry sweetie!)

4. Why do teenagers text each other when they are in the same room?

3. Deliberate mispellings in the name of marketing... Krispy Kreme comes to mind...

2. The appeal of NASCAR

1. How anyone can look at God's creation and NOT believe...

Winter Rain

The sky overhead,

looms grey and dark.

Again.

Clouds blanket the land,

like a soggy fleece,

wrung out by God’s hand.

Rain.

The wet, boggy ground,

squelches beneath my feet,

sodden and damp.

Mud.

And then through the clouds,
A ray breaks through,
A shaft of light,
And a spotlight too.
Sun!

God is good...even when it rains.

Calling all statistics geeks and Jesus freaks!

There's an old joke amongst statisticians, a play on the famous "Love means never having to say you're sorry..." line from 'Love Story'. The joke is: "Being a statistician means never having to say you're 100% certain..." Cracks me up. Statistics humor - what an oxymoron!

But I fell in love with this t-shirt the minute I saw it. Because despite the geeky statistics joke, it speaks the truth - we will all die, and we certainly don't wan't to go without Jesus. Amen.

James's portrait

I've been working on this color pencil portrait of James forever, and not making much progress. So, I thought I'd post it here, and challenge myself to work on it every week until I get it done.... I love drawing these portraits, and it's very relaxing to sit and work on one while I listen to my iPod, but I don't like getting started unless I have an hour or more to work on it, and realistically, I haven't carved out a free hour to work on this in weeks. Sigh.

It takes many many hours to finish one of these, as the colored pencil is applied in many layers, and it is fairly slow, meticulous work. I think I've put about 20 to 25 hours in it so far, and I'm less than half way done. Anyway, I'm going to give this a go and try and get it done - soon. Like before he graduates from High School...

And here's the reference photo I'm using to create this portrait. I love this photo of James, taken when he was about 4 years old.

Tennessee Snowman!

Rachel's Tennessee snowman...

and the view from our front porch.