painting sent to memphis

i met the most precious family! we were at the beach this summer and got to know eachother at the pool. if i lived in memphis i know that Anne and i would be great friends. she wanted to give a painting to her husband for his birthday. we decided on a painting of the kids on the beach. we conspired over the phone and on facebook. Anne was able to surprise Kemp with a precious painting of their kiddo's. she reported to me that he said it was the best present ever! BAM!

profile: rico and peanut

this morning peanut realized that she had "put" the hamster somewhere. she did not remember where. and as the clock ticked past the time that my two normally leave out to walk to school. they, with umbrellas in hand and peanut in tears made me PROMISE that i would find RICO come heck or water puddle. she gave me some hints and since i have been watching "criminal minds" a LOT i began to "profile" the situation:
if i were an 8 year old holding a hamster and needed to "put" him somewhere... why would i need to "put" him somewhere? well, either i needed to eat and did not want to hold him whilst. [no, she ate before she had the hamster this morning] ok if i were an 8 year old that needed to do something that required me to "put" the hamster down and since "putting" him in his cage is too rational for me and too far away to take the xtra ten paces to my room.....thinking...%&^$^%#@%^%(*)....OHHH what if i was SUPPOSED to brush my teeth?
walking toward the bathroom i heard a little "munching" sound right outside the door. THERE in my favorite hand painted bowl from Zimbabwe on a table, was the little feller making friends with my little trinkets that has made there way into the bowl: a spinning top, a crayola marker, a pencil, a wedding invitation (hence the munching), a shovel, and a couple of poop pellets accompanied the "stuff". i scooped him out, actually excited to find him so fast.
i e-mailed p's teacher and let her know to let p know that i found the hamster. i told her where he was and that he was fine.
i got a response from my e-mail that was obviously typed by my child
"i remmber puttting him in there."
i was laughing, relieved and glad to have my kids back in school.

thanksgiving.

thanksgiving. in our family we all gather around the table, give thanks for the food, then eat like we have never seen food before! the tradition is to go around and say what we are thankful for. the first person that begins, sort of sets the precedent for the rest..."i am thankful for this food, and our family, oh and for God, and Jesus... and i am thankful for the fact that we have a house and all the things we need. ooh and for our country...oh..and our troops who are fighting for freedom for others, and the veterans that fought for our freedom that we enjoy today. ok i think that is it...no, one more..HEALTH." so after this first person goes and covers EVERYTHING in the world to be thankful for, the rest of the group should just say "ditto". but, we don't because it is nice to hear the kids say what they are thankful for. they have listened to the adults so they know what they are SUPPOSED to say. BUT they SHOULD say what they are really thankful for. if they did, it would sound like this: "I am thankful for the two bites of cranberries that i ate so that i could have a cookie. i am thankful that i have my own room and i can say NO BOYS ALLOWED on my erasie board. i am thankful for the stash of halloween candy that i have under my bed that [i think] mom does not know about. oh and my webkins, and my animal bracelets." my boy's would say, (if they were being honest as to what they are thankful for), "i am thankful for candy and kashi apple bars, soccer and playing outside." But instead of being completely honest about their thankfulness they will take our cue and [be thankful] for the things that they SHOULD BE thankful for.

one of the hardest things about being a parent is watching the complete honesty of my children and remembering that we are all cut from the same mold. left to ourselves, we ONLY care about our material possessions, our comfort, OUR WAY. with Christ, OUR FATHER, we are reminded [by the Holy Spirit that dwells in the heart of a christian] of what we SHOULD BE thankful for. only with maturity do i look around and see what i have and what others do NOT. a home, food, clothing, money coming in etc. i have met people that lack one or all of these things. it is our job to remind the kids and ourselves that only because of GRACE that we have ANYTHING. i could be sitting alone somewhere, without a thing or person in the world, but, FOR SOME REASON UNKNOWN, i am blessed. outward and material BLESSINGS do not come with "membership" into the body of Christ. the Lord does bless those that are faithful. BUT, not always in the ways that we think. or in the ways that we plan for ourselves. When we submit to the Lord, He blesses us how he chooses, with love and one desire, HIS GLORY.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and AWE. Hebrews 12:28

Corrie Ten Boom, a missionary, author, holocaust survivor, and world traveler, died without a husband, children, wealth, or family. She lived a long full life of GREAT BLESSINGS from the Lord as she followed God's calling into the mission field. she spent her days sharing how the Lord Jesus DELIVERED her from the brutal hands of Nazi soldiers, who had taken the lives of almost everyone she loved. but yet, he had filled her heart with SO MUCH JOY. I would encourage anyone to read "The Hiding Place" and "Tramp for the Lord". it WILL change your understanding of what the definition of "blessed" is.

i can't Force my children to "GET IT". the whole, i am blessed and i don't deserve any of it, thing. i can only pray for the Holy Spirit to penetrate their hearts as they grow and mature. i pray that as we enter the Advent season and go into the whole "santa clause, have you been good little children?" season. i pray that i can help them be more appreciative of the gifts that they receive, and also the gifts that they already have. we go straight from "i'm thankful for..." to "gimmee gimmee gimmee".
Help us, Lord to raise these little children to be truly thankful AND giving individuals.
Happy Thanksgiving!!

my hairdresser is a european GENIUS!

my hair has been falling out and growing back in in spots for SIX years now. alopecia areata is like a little annoying half sister. it is only half part of me...i am stuck with it... the chances of it going away are slim to none and i have learned to embrace it... i know this monster so well that i can read the signs of a flare up and i know usually how to combat it. usually when i need a haircut and color, my "spots seem more pronounced and bother me more. also, when my hair gets long and scraggly i am more prone to notice and be all the more involved and annoyed. last week, i promise i had a pair of kitchen scissors to my hair and i was going to just chop it myself! my better judgement stopped me and i said, no, go see monica AND SHE WILL FIX IT..at least superficially.
i always feel like a MILLION bucks after leaving her salon. she makes me feel pretty and i am AMAZED at how she can make my hair look like i actually have a whole head full! click on the title of this post to see monica's salon. everyone that works there ROCKS and i would trust my nappy hair to anyone there! it is just that monica and i have this vibe! she is so euro-chic cool and one time she successfully rocked a mullet. so, i love her!

a day after my visit this week, i met a boy named Treavor. he was bald. all but one eyebrow and half of another. turns out that Treavor has been this way since he was 5 and now he is 12. this kid was great looking. i knew he did not have cancer when i saw him, his head was a tan as his face and he was not bloated. he also had that one dark eyebrow and a big spot missing out of the other. of course i just walked up to him and asked him if he had alopecia. not a word many people recognize. he lit up, yes, i do, he said. we talked for a while. i shared with his family and him about my situation and we also talked about him. i told him about the blog so i am PRAYING that he comes on and reads it so here goes....

TREAVOR, we talked about you shaving off your eyebrows. maybe some tattoo brows. i have been thinking about you. i think you should do it! you are so handsome and i know that every time you look and touch those brows you think about what you don't have on your head. you are a great kid, i could tell when i met you. no holding back! see what great adventures God has in store for you. it says in Matthew that "even the very hairs of your head are all numbered" God knows every hair and has allowed them to go, you are still you! and God has a purpose for your life. share with people. they want to know more about you i bet. they probably don't know how to ask. tell them what is going on. be open and it won't be a mystery. you could get your hair back. if it is the will of the Father. if not, ok...just work with it and trust in Him. if you have never asked Jesus into your heart, then go for it! he will come in and... WOW. talk about adventures? "behold, i stand at the door and knock" he waits at the door of your heart. let Him in and you will FOREVER have a Father in heaven and will live with Him for all eternity. this is why he sent his only son to PAY the debt of our sin to the Father. to stamp PAID IN FULL on us and love us forever. never seeing our sin, but only the love He has for His children. Pray this prayer: Lord Jesus, you died for me so that i might know you. i need you because i can't be "good" no matter how hard i try, i need you, who took my place to come into my heart and dwell there with me so that i will never be alone. in Jesus' name, Amen.
i will be praying that this letter finds you!
your balding friend, Liz

crunch hall of fame. talking points.

water baby

crunch loves water. thank the LORD that he knows how to swim because he used to just jump in to any pool in his path. i caught him laying down in the bath and thought i would share the pictures!

a discussion about football.

almost homecoming queen

almost....

bert and i had been dating since our freshman year and we were seniors, at this point. i was his fraternity's "sweetheart" which continues to be in the top 5 of the coolest and most flattering and most FUN experiences of my life thus far. a great honor. so, when my sorority put me up to run for HOMECOMING QUEEN, i was THRILLED. and Bert's fraternity joined in supporting me (as their sweetheart). OH i had the WORLD!!!! in my eyes...i had arrived! running for homecoming QUEEN!.... me? (if only they knew the truth), i never was awarded ANYTHING in my life. i was a closet semi-nerd posing as a sorority girl running for a major popularity contest. the greatest and coolest part of it was....are you ready for this?...I WAS RUNNING UNCONTESTED. no one was running against me. i was just going to be homecoming queen. just. like. THAT...BAM!

i called mother. (hushed whisper)"mom, the sorority put me up for homecoming queen. yes, but listen...mom shhhh stop crying...listen. NO ONE IS RUNNING AGAINST ME. shhh, do we still have the ball gown from the Krewe Ball? yes, get it ready because i think that one would be perfect....ok..ok shhhh you can't talk about this, i don't want to seem presumptuous. ok, no you can't tell judy cuz then she'll tell linda and then she'll tell josephine and it will be ALL OVER. so HUSH. loveya bye."

a couple of weeks went by and the deadline approached for the applications to be turned in for those running for "social offices" (we'll call them). and at the very last minute. SURPRISE SURPRISE! another sorority put up their president. a smaller sorority than ours but none the same..a good one...with a pretty girl we'll call "Anne" that was now running against me, with her campaign manager boyfriend who had recently lost his own election for student body president. and, for the love of pete, was NOT going to lose another election. if he could have fit in the ballgown, he would have worn it.

politics are MEAN. they are so mean that i do not want to even re-live this but for the sake of the story and my continued therapy i will say: during my few weeks of campaigning EVER (and never again) some sorority "mudslinging" (if you will) went on and it hurt. because i could not prove to anyone that these lies about our sorority "block voting" other sororities during previous elections WERE JUST NOT TRUE. these lies whispered in the ears of our neighboring sorority houses hurt their feelings and they, in turn, voted against us. all's fair in lipstick, hairspray and homecoming queen elections. oh...ohhhhhhh..and the worst of the worst was the making fun of my campaign poster. it was said, by i can't imagine who? that my goal in the picture was to show off my boobs!!! i, for the love of dolly parton, was wearing a turtle neck and was crossing my arms! ouch. ouch. ouch. snif.

let me state the obvious. i lost. i was not, nor would i ever be, homecoming queen. a beautiful, sweet, and non PRESUMPTUOUS girl won. with her PRESUMPTUOUS boyfriend at her side, with the smirk cocked to the side. he had done it. he had won! how did it feel? was it worth it?
i am sure that these two individuals are married now and they probably have a beautiful family and he is the district #5 state, federal, local, representative. with the twinkle of the white house in his eye. Listen, just don't make up stories about someones boobs again. it does not work in government politics, only popularity contests.
all this to say, i am SO over it. can't you tell?
moral of the story, do NOT get your ball gown out before the ball. cuz you might not even make it to the ball, cinderella.

art show

more paintings

Peanut could play Auburn football.

the show went great!

it really did. i sold a good amount of paintings and one big one! with some of my money earned....i was able to (with help from parents and in-laws) get bert his DREAM COME TRUE.....a BIG GREEN EGG. i have never seen someone so happy about anything in my life. it was the birthday present of the century!
the other art show begins tomorrow and goes through friday. i painted until i was cross-eyed yesterday and i believe i am READY! as soon as i can find my camera card i will post pics!! who loses their camera card? me...that's who.

show tomorrow

I'm exhausted but excited about the show tomorrow. just a small church show but it is super fun because i get to sell my paintings to people that i know. i always end up trading some stuff! that is really fun. i had to do so many paintings because 6 days after this one is another one at a home in my area. i am excited about that one because i get to meet lots of new people. i have no idea if i will sell 5 paintings tomorrow or 20! in that case, i will have to keep painting all next week to have enough to sell at the home show. the vast majority of these paintings are under $100so that they are affordable for everyone. i usually bring blank canvas' with me so that i can paint while i am selling. i have sold many dripping wet paintings to people at this show in the past! going to dinner tonight with girls so i have to go ahead and pack my car with the paintings. pray for me! i will let you know how i do. if you are interested!
oh, i do not have the heart to tell crunch that the only painting that he has ever shown interest in [has already sold] shhhhhh. he has been carrying it around saying that it is his owl picture of him and his daddy. the colorful owl painting in the previous post. i guess i should photo copy it and frame it for him. good idea liz! thanks!

here is what my studio looks like!!!

A HOT MESS!!

my brain is made of acrylic paint (burnt umber)

i have been painting until late in the night, every night. here are a few examples of what i have painted!

catchin' yall up

the name of this post needs to be "catchin' ME up" because i feel like i am falling behind. what has been going on in my household. enough that i am unable to do my favorite thing, surf on facebook and write on my blog. sad isn't it? i probably should say that my favorite thing is spending time with my family and painting. BUT, since that is all i have been doing for two weeks, i am a little tired of it. the kids, well they are always here and i am grateful for them. and actually enjoying motherhood more because i feel a little bit more patient with them. don't know why. could it be that the more time that i spend with them, i HAVE to be patient and rely on the Lord for that BECAUSE....simply put....i do not OWN patience.

I have been painting to get ready for two small shows that i am doing. they are small shows but usually I do very well at them. BUT, because of the recession I have tried to do a LOT of small paintings. inexpensive = more sold = must paint huge quantities = STRESS = having to come up with a hundred different ideas/color combo's etc. OH and I had a brain toot and decided to do some Christmas ornaments. weeeeeeeeee. actually the two that I have actually completed are precious and i am excited about them. the "toot" factor is..."why the hector am i changing directions this late in the game. this is what i foresee. i will have 150 paintings displayed and EVERYONE will want the darn Christmas ornaments that i will only have about 4 of. then i will take orders...spend the majority of my "spare time" painting these Christmas balls and have 150 left over paintings." TOOOOOOOT! Sharon if you are reading this the word toot reminds me of you because you use it as a loving term for others, "how are you and your little toots?(children)"..... I love you toot!(sharon)

i set up a dear friend with a guy at church. going well so far. 2 dates in and ALLLS WELLLLLLLL! i will keep you updated.

funny story:
peanut woke me up the other morning to tell me that she had been watching tv and she really wanted an "AB ROLLER?" she said (in a whisper) "mom, i want an ab roller and they are only $14.99 and you have to call right now or you can't get that price, oh and you can lose 10 pounds in 1 week it said!"
what the sam hill does she know about losing 10 pounds? i am thinking. "No" i tell her and she goes back to the tv. should i be concerned? na. come to find out later, she was thinking of buying it for her daddy!!!!! LOL. who, by the way, has been losing weight running and i am so proud of him! and he is NOT FAT! i do not know where peanut heard this. unless she picked up on him always saying "fat boy is gonna get seconds, i am so fat, i can't sit in indian style because my legs are fat, fatty fatty two by four"......hey Bert, cool it on the fat boy talk. our child is watching ab roller infomercials!!!!!!!
another funny story:
I put on a pair of black "mary jane" shoes yesterday for church. peanut told me, those look like granny shoes"....then when i was putting butter's shoes on he said "are those shoes mimi's"(bert's mom) SO, it is time to retire the mary janes because i can't be a granny yet. then bert topped it off saying, "i really do not like those shoes at all" OK?
PS i am SO GLAD HALLOWEEN IS OVER....what do i do with 8 lbs of candy? hopefully people will retire the "scary" halloween decor from their front yards and we can focus on THANKSGIVING!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to GOD. and the peace of GOD, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
phil. 4:6-7
A prayer for us
Lord, help me get through this busy season. i pray for all the moms that are reading my blog that they might find encouragement in the fact that they are not alone in their frustrations. Lord, for those that do not know you....prick their hearts to hear your calling. Lord, you are so good, so mighty and so awesome!
In your SON's name, Amen