new owl

painted on wood panel "canvas"

the champs!

peanut's team played in a tournament in auburn this weekend. it was a blast. they won the tournament! here are some fun pictures.

warming up to play the other homewood team in the semi-finals

both homewood teams! semi-finalists!

coach jeff with the trophies

the champs!

peanut and butter!

two new owls

i have been in the studio a little bit this week. i painted these two owls and could not wait to show you.

decor change

i found this coffee table at goodwill and have used it for a while. although, i despise the color. so, after my sister, the decorator, told me i had to get rid of it...i got rid of it. i am putting it outside with a "free" sign on it.

here is what the room looks like now. also with a new rug!

chair on the left needs to be scooted in.

a sad story

we have had a dwarf hamster named "rico" for almost three years and peanut has been his caretaker. she has LOVED the hamster. he has been everywhere with us and has been a tiny little family member. a couple of weeks ago, rico lost the use of his back legs. he would spin around on his back trying to get up. peanut would have to hold rico and the water bottle and "feed" him water because he could not get on his back legs to drink. pitiful, sad, and hard to watch. so, yesterday i decided enough is enough. i called the vet and they told me that they would put the little guy to sleep for me. when they saw rico, they had nothing but pity in their eyes. little rico was just laying on his back. so, they put him to sleep. terrible story, i know, but this is our life! peanut was devastated when she got home from school and i told her. then she did her homework and did not cry anymore. i guess little hamsters are hard to lose but nothing like a dog or cat. aren't you uplifted?

my LAST "GROVE" PAINTING EVER

i have been working on this painting of "the grove" at ole miss for three weeks. every little detail took thought. what should they have on? should they be holding a cup? a plate of food? a hand of another? these are all the thoughts that i had to think the entire time of painting this 24x30 monster. i love the end result and i think that the customer will be happy with it. i, although am never doing one again. it is too stressful and detailed. so therefore, this is my last grove painting ever. what do you think of it??

coach sean

this coach of peanut's is amazing. we knew we were getting a great coach for the new travel team but he is a PEACH!! he is from Scotland which makes him a dream to listen to. he is hysterical! peanut comes home from soccer in a great mood because they laugh so much during practice. i am looking forward to updating you on quotes from Sean. the soccer whisperer!

"stop the soccer ball with your butt if you have to"

crunch is in kindergarten!

the kids started school yesterday. it was crazy to see my baby crunch go to kindergarten. after i dropped him off in his classroom, i was off to the "sip n sob" party at the school. this is designed for parents to come and "sob" over their babies going to school. well, i did not sob at all. even when they read "the kissing hand" to us. i just sat there, about to jump out of my seat and yell, "i did it! i made it! my last one is in school! freedom for me until three each day!" of course i did not say that, but i was thinking it. man, the house is quiet. time to paint, go thrift store shopping, have lunch with a friend, and maybe take in a movie (haven't seen "the help" yet).
here are some pics from the GLORIOUS morning!
disclaimer: i love my kids dearly. i just need some down time after 10 years.

butter woke me up at 6:20 with his backpack on. he was "ready"!

ready to walk

walking to school!

the famous "picture by the sign"

crunch's best friend. amazingly out of 9 kindergarten classes, they got in the same class!

we LOVE our teacher!

this is going to be interesting!

beaver creek! this summer. a few pics.

a few pictures from our time this summer in beaver creek, co.

my beautiful three at the RODEO!

peanut

ride em cowboy!!

AWESOME!

among the aspens!

good times.

what in the sam hill is pinterest?

ok, so... facebook. i love it. i check it once or twice a day..or more. BUT, there is something else? PINTEREST? so, i checked it out and it is REALLY COOL. and i joined. i am not going to tell you what it is. you just have to see it for yourself. maybe you will "pin" something from this funky junky. "if liz EVER would post anything" you say, "then i would pin something...sheesh". 
SO, i have been taking a bit of a break for the summer and have not posted SQUAT! in the last post, i was ranting about a bathing suit or something (which, i did not buy). i am still wearing my old maw maw ones. i figure it is too late to buy a new one. enough of that. some news, i am coming out of painting retirement! in january, i decided that i had HAD IT with painting and was done with it! this also began a time of little to no funky junky posting. I AM SO SORRY. i hope that coming out of painting retirement, the beginning of school, and a new lease on life...i will post more. i am ready to share about new art projects, stories about parenting, new adventures of peanut, butter, and crunch.  so, get ready. i have my post fingers out! pinterestingly enough!

dear diary

dear diary,
bert will not let me get a new bathing suit. i am not happy. i only have two maw maw bathing suits to wear now and i am going to the beach in two days. he is blaming it on money...but i secretly think he just wants me to put on my old bikinis and strut my flabby stomach around. maybe no other guys will look at me. this might be his defense mechanism to keep the enemy away! if i keep on pouting, maybe he will change his mind. i will keep you posted! i know you will be chomping at the BIT to know!
love, liz
ps. oh, and diary....please help me to find a CUTE maw maw bathing suit. must at least come to the knee.

bad bad! NO! REBEL!

rebs has a problem. he eats toys and i can't seem to stop him or curb his appetite. when one has a house with two boys in it, there will be small figurines. he has eaten dinosaurs, ds game cartridges, once he chewed on a battery, i CAN'T believe he is still alive. other than the fact that he still poops and pees in the house, and he eats toys, he has taught MOSS THE DOG how to do the same. moss now has taken on reb's eating habits. there is some colorful poo in our backyard (and in my house) that HAD to hurt coming out. yikes! once i saw a lego face smack dab in the middle of a log. it was just looking at me like, "why?" and i could not even look into his eyes as i scooped.

he seems innocent enough...

yummy!

why?

for those concerned for reb. i NEVER have just LET him eat a toy. if i see him, i grab it! the 2nd picture was just for effect. he had ALREADY eaten the head and arm off of "the joker".

my "hiatus"

some might be wondering why i have not blogged in a while. i have been trying to simplify some things in my life so that i can spend more time "being a mom". painting became very difficult for me. so, i kinda "quit" for a while. hopefully, when school starts and all three will be in elementary school, i will have time again to paint and blog more.
crunch is great BUT if he is not on his medicine, he is not easy. butter is so sweet and constantly practicing soccer in our back yard. i think he will be a really good athlete. peanut just made a traveling soccer team and we are all pumped. dad is working hard as usual and trying to balance being a dad and an estimator. my laundry is taking over the house and i NEED a laundress!
REBEL is still awful!

spa seee ba!

spaseeba means "thank you" in russian! first of all, i want to tell you that pictures are on their way but i do not have any yet. i KNOW! so obnoxious!

i sat on the big plane that was taking us back to the states and LOST IT. i did not want to leave odessa. i did not want my experience on the mission trip to end. why was it so great you ask? my first answer is, "have you ever been on a mission trip??" my other answers i think i am going to put in "list" form because there are too many to put in paragraph form, and you might get bored.

Liz, why did you love your trip to odessa, ukraine?
1.  it was the best experience of my life! (next to child birth and getting married!)
2. my husband was there to experience it with me!
3. we met amazing ukrainian people. interpreters, teachers, children, and street kids.
4. bert got to finish out a room in the street kid center. and have the best meal of his life from the street kid "mom" of the center.
5. OUR TEAM was amazing. our chemistry could not have been better.
6. we BONDED with precious children with autism and cerebral palsy.
7. we walked the kids down to the black sea which was a treat for them because it takes a team to get them there, and they had not seen the sea in about a year.
8. we ate at wonderful restaurants where we could decompress and talk all night.
9. we rode on public transportation where we were squished up next to everyone around us. this was not a favorite memory, but a memory none the less.
10. we toured an orphan halfway house for girls that was one of the NICEST places we had ever seen. we toured their strawberry garden, talked with the girls and had the best meal in ukraine. and two of our girls with us tried to "hypnotize" a chicken!!
11. we watched our special ed students work with the kids and were amazed by them. these kids CAN be taught. it just takes more than one teacher per room. ps. most kids were non verbal.
12. we watched more than one of our teammates cry from the emotions that odessa produces.
13. we played basketball and volleyball with some street kids.
14. we were touched by the love and care that the interpreters took to help us with the children in the orphanage.
15. we toured odessa and got to see the port and pier and climb some stairs very reminiscent of the stairs in "rocky"
16. i bought a painting in the little market across the street from our hotel. it was $10.00!!
17. i buddied up with one of the waiters at breakfast every morning and i miss him!
18. we stayed in a rickity old hotel that was so ukranian and PERFECT!
19. we had to brush our teeth with bottled water.
20. i experienced a "NO TOILET PAPER?" moment.
21.we learned that you are not to make eye contact with men or they would think that you were soliciting them. this was told to me AFTER i looked and smiled at TONS of people.
22. we had daily devotionals, and those times each morning were so precious.
23. and for the finale'.....one of out team members accepted Christ the last night of the trip and now comes to our church!
we had the time of our lives. the work was tough but with God all things are possible. we plan on returning next year.

we are going on a trip

to UKRAINE! so exciting. but my entire existence for a month has been raising funds to get there. we have to raise 5,400 for the both of us to go. plane tix were purchased today. and we have about 2,000. with one month to spare. i sent out letters so every day i run to the mailbox to see if we have gotten any money. then i come back from the mailbox all discouraged. definitely not believing that He will provide the money. i want to believe it so bad but it just seems impossible. i know that all things are possible with Him who gives me strength. i have to keep reminding myself.

my fridge

how long will my fridge stay this way? when will it be neat again? i am not sure that i wont miss this. actually.

spring break in MENTONE, AL!

we had so much fun staying in a cabin in mentone, al (on lookout mt.)  we took a day trip on the last day to ROCK CITY and RUBY FALLS in Chattanooga. SO FUN. and you need to know that rock city is called ROCK CITY not SEE rock city. well powder me up and slap my behind i always thought it was SEE ROCK CITY!! we also enjoyed about every waterfall in the area. we went hiking and horseback riding. i could write an entire story on the horseback experience. let's just say that our horse trainer leader dude was missing a tooth and smoked the entire ride with butter right behind him just suckin in the fumes. crunch had to ride bareback behind bert on his horse. it was crazy. we saw the falls where the legend of nocollula played out. she was an young indian girl that was betrothed to a young brave BUT she was in love with another. she lept (so the legend says) from a rock into the falls and died on her wedding day. there is now a wedding chapel and a state park campground next to the falls. it is so ROMANTIC. you can stay in your camper, get married and sight see at this romantically beautiful location! here are some pictures to commemorate our fun trip!

precious cabin in the mountains!

butter helping crunch down the stairs to desoto falls

bert and the gang

the falls

first sunset from the cabin

hot tub! no mt. cabin is complete without it

the little river canyon falls

hiking up from our picnic at the falls

little river canyon scenic drive

time for horseback riding!

the horse named "foxy"

pretty peanut!

crunch riding on the back of "gunsmoke"

i rode "sandy"

a church built on a rock!

inside the church. the rock comes in!

RUBY FALLS!

1 hour spent underground in the caves

lots of cave formations

and then let the drum roll begin.....

TA DAAAAAA!

and now, off to see ROCK CITY... SEE?

falls at rock city

SEE how much fun we're having??

you just have to SEE this place. it really was amazing!

my favorite little cabin that we saw!

last stop, noccalula falls!

beautiful

ok, cool pic. you can see noccalula's statue, the falls where she was jumping into, and the chapel across the falls.

worn out?