from out of the heart..the mouth speaks

oh. yikes. thank goodness i am very good at hiding my heart. my sinful one, that is. not all of it because that would be impossible, but the really ugly sin that i seem to relish in unleashing on those that i love the most.

I SAY: "crunch, why can't you MIND me??! why are you being SO disobedient and making mommy SO MAD!?"....
I SAY: "peanut, if you would act like a 9 year old then i could trust you not to be mean to your brother! but you are SOOO mean and it makes me SOOO mad!"...
I SAY: "butter, do NOT act like a baby! you are 7 now and you are squealing and whining and it is making me CRAZY! and DON'T lie to me anymore because I KNOW when you are lying! i am your MOTHER!"...
I SAY:  "bert, if you don't come home in time for dinner, i am just NOT going to wait for you!"
YIKES! what a beautiful picture of a GODLY woman i am.
lets mix this up.................
God Says:   Liz, you are not minding my commands, being disobedient, it saddens me. but I love you so much. I died for you.
God Says:   you have known me for 23 years!  love your neighbor as yourself. but you don't...because you are a sinner...and I love you. THAT is why I DIED FOR YOU!
God Says:  according to my word that you have learned,  you will stop squealing and whining because you know that I have the best plan for your life. and don't try to fool me. I know your heart! I am your FATHER! I love you regardless.
God SAYS:  Liz, I sit and wait for you to come and spend time with me in the mornings, often you are late...even months...but I am here...waiting for you.

my reactions to my kids are very "conditional" if/then
the Lord has no conditions for those who love Him. He loves us BY HIS GRACE.

thank you LORD for this enlightening time that you showed me that i am so sinful but you love me, wait for me, discipline me, hold me, remind me......you are HERE. you DIED FOR ME. you carry my burdens. my sin, and died on the cross with my sins written with a stinkin sharpie marker all over you.
yet you say:
come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and i will give you rest for your soul. for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

i have decided to try to memorize a verse a week. one inspired this post. along with a passage from JOHN PIPER's book "Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ" (pg. 88)
speaking of the prodigal son:
"'while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and still felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him' (Luke 15:20). in other words, Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners because he was the incarnate display of the Father's tender compassion for sinners."
TENDER COMPASSION FOR SINNERS......!!!!!!!! that means ME!

the memory verse:
My flesh and my heart may fail, but GOD is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
psalm 73:26

JOIN ME IN MEMORIZING IT! fb friends and junkies let me know if and when you have memorized it.

rustic as we are. we are HIS

just say no to chairs!

my sister sara, who is working on a career in interior decorating, was helping me tonight. she informed me of one of my main problems....and there was a bit of an intervention! this makes the second intervention in a week!  other members of my family said that i "do not have to talk about my blog ALL THE TIME!" i am still chewing on that one and am a little fragile and so i have to BLOG ABOUT IT. HA! anyhooo...she informed me that i seem to be ADDICTED to chairs! CHAIRS? yes. every time i go to a thrift store or garage sale it seems that i am drawn to chairs. when sara was moving things around, i would say, "where will this chair go then?" she would say, "NOWHERE!" (this means into storage and out of my house). she was bringing a chair up to my studio and realized that, up here, in my happy studio is a "graveyard for wooden chairs!" well, i counted and there are 7 up here! oops. she and her "honesty"! check out her blog on www.atthewalkerhouse.blogspot.com  she does a great job. but, don't be mad (if she takes your chairs..just kidding) if she tells you the gosh aweful truth! she might be blogging about over abundance of chairs or other furniture! if she is. you will know who she is talking about!

love this one!

found this and a match at the thrift store! score!

this chair has a storage bin!

totally kidding on this "chair"! cool pic though!

painting workshop!

painting with my sisters at the beach was fun! it came from the idea that em needed two BIG paintings to go in her house and she gave us one night to do them in. we stayed up, i painted one. she painted the other...with coaching from sara and me. they turned out beautiful and i was so proud of em.... "i do not paint!" she says. i beg to differ. and sara painted a fish that looks like it is going down a toilet bowl. but really is supposed to be just swimming in his fish bowl. i love it! emily painted the angels and they are beautiful. i painted the trees which apparently look like bamboo. kate missed the fun. that is what happens when ONE leaves the beach early!

a candid shot of sara in ACTION! with a stolen glass of wine (MINE)

did this not turn out FABULOUS!! GO EM!

beach thrift/antique finds!

among some great clothes that i found at the most expensive GOODWILL in America, we went to an antique dive called SCAVENGERS on hwy 98 between sandestin and the old bridge where i found these........

cute "outdoorsman" tote! love it! $8

starfish $2 a piece

and...the CHANDELIER!!!! TWEEEET! $68

we were out to dinner!

at THE CRAB TRAP restaurant in destin we were all dressed up for pictures and i guess we got a little too close to the ocean for CRUNCH'S impulses!

ooh the water feels nice! hmmmmm....

let's go for it! TAWANDA!!!

ahhhhhhhhhhh!

why am i wet?

a few more paintings

8x10 x1/2" $75

8x24x1.5 $150

these are a few more that i just finished at the beach. sun and paint...two of my favorite things. ps. tree painting and disney mom is for sale!

a new idea

i was thinking. what about those darn mickey mouse ears! when people come back from disney world...they are SOLD SOLD SOLD out to disney forever. how can I CASH IN? this is how. or not??  what do y'all think?? this is a sort of prototype. or for sale.....either/or

the baby

we called sara "the baby" until we had our own children. we practiced diaper changing, formula making, and baby food feeding when she was actually a baby. she has come into her own now! she is definitely not a baby but she is 12 years younger than me and 9 years younger than the third (kk)! to make a grand total of four girls for my parents. my mother had her when she was 42 and 1/2 (9 days shy of her 43rd birthday). she "KEPT [HER] YOUNG!" my mom always says. sara has a popular blog, "A Walk Through" www.atthewalkerhouse.blogspot.com she is an accomplished dancer with a degree in fashion and a passion for decorating. she is GOOOOD! her blog is a blast.

the twins

my friend calls two of my three sisters "the twins" they are actually 14 months apart but in this picture they really look like twins!

kk and em!

my parents. gotta love em.

 kate took a picture of him eating his cereal because "he is so cute, and he has not even bought her (kate) anything" hilarious!

mom, she is one of the most SELFLESS people that i know. love her. i gotta. but i do anyway.

happy birthday butter!!!!

today was butter's 7th birthday! the day was a marathon of celebration! sweet butter did not want the day to end:

to the donut hole for breakfast at 7:30 and then to Jolee island in baytowne to find crabs.

i forgot the camera so i took this pic at 9:00

playing in the condo for a little while with the cousins!

to the BIG KAHUNA water park! the kids were so excited!

new lego set!

dinner at beef o'brady's

a batman cake!!

i thought this was a cool pic! happy birthday baby!

butter also got a chin up bar for his door frame! and a hamster cage with the promise of a hamster when we get home from the beach!

new header

our family went to an Atlanta Braves game, and on the way in, the kids and i picked up every single smooshed and grodily awesome bottle cap in the parking lot. beers from everywhere, some coke, some pepsi, and one yoo hoo. it drove bert NUTS because we were slowing down the process of walking to the game but i ended up will a purse full of bottlecaps. i am incorporating them into some paintings....notice the eyes on my new header. the painting is called "owl and the gang" one does not know which one is "owl".............but i do!!!!!!

together again

this morning has been crazy. six kids in a condo. oh my! they have been SO LOUD, RAMBUNCTIOUS, but HAPPY TO BE TOGETHER! not only am i so excited to see my sister (from madison, ms.) and my second sister, kk, that is always busy, CONTAINED with me so that we can all spend time together. MOST IMPORTANTLY is the LOVE between the cousins and especially BEAU AND CRUNCH!

carbona carpet cleaner ROCKS

when moss the dog barfs it is the most disgusting experience. i hear it.....look around......no one else is there to help me? anyone home? bert? are you here? someone needs to clean up this barf???? oh well, i guess it is me. or someone is going to step on this and slide across the floor. sooooo, i pick up the mess, holding back my own gagger reflex and put it in the trash. then i am stuck with a big brown spot that, in the past, won't come up. UNTIL, my husband brought home some CARBONA carpet cleaner (they say the secret is in the brush).  i used it, and OH MY GOSH........STAIN GONE!!! the picture is of the cleaner sitting on the spot (non spot).

a precious lemonade stand!

or neighbors had a lemonade stand. this was not just some crystal light and there you go! this precious mom of four made the lemonade from...lemons? she squeezed them, the kids helped, they made delicious cupcakes and T. (the one in the white apron) decided to make this "stand" for a cause! our dearest Gulf!!

we love our beaches of alabama and florida! we are only four hours away and i PRAY that our children get to enjoy this piece of heaven that we are so close to for MANY years! the white sand, the smell of fried fish and hushpuppies! salty faces, and sunburns. hidden dunes, sandestin, pirates cove (in gulf shores), baytowne wharf, the red bar, vintij wine bar, the flora bama(gulf shores), the miracle strip, seaside, alys, and rosemary beaches, everything on 30-a, the elephant walk, donuts at thomas', the crab trap, the henderson inn, the trak, big kahuna, holiday isle, the donut hole, silver sands, etc.............i could keep listing! Lord! we love our beaches and pray that things continue to get cleaned up.

brand new shiny owls and birds for sale!

6x12x1.5  "three owlmigos!" $80

6x12x1.5  "give me a kisssss" $80

8x24x1.5 "owl and the gang" $100

6x12x1.5 "the recitOWL" $80 SOLD

6x12x1.5 "owl love you forever" $80 SOLD

6x12x3/4"  "bird" $75

6x12x1.5 "bOWLerina" $80 SOLD

if you are interested in purchasing one of these paintings and helping this starving artist mom you can either make a comment on my blog and leave your contact info (and i will not publish) or you can e-mail me at liz_landgren@yahoo.com after liz is an underscore _

"junkies" this is my first try at sharing my e-mail. please do not add me to any lists. thanks!

my day "garage sale-ing"

big screen that i am going to use to hang paintings from at art shows. $2

two really cool "egg like" lamps. $4

sailboat picture for Crunch's sailboat room $1

an unopened box of lego's with a pirate ship to put together. $1

lamp for Crunch's room. $10

basket of fabric! $2

cutest dress and skirt! i wore the dress to church today! $10

painting! that reminds me of trees reflecting off of water! $1

AND THAT WAS JUST IN ONE DAY, GARAGE SALE-ING!

not pictured:

"johnnie jump up" for my neighbor's baby $5

7 glass jugs for my friend who makes beer .75c

WHAT A RUSHHHHH!

another painting for miller light!

my third painting for miller light! this one was a blast to paint! they are super cute and full of personality. i enjoy clients like this SO MUCH!

isn't it happy!!?