Still Lifes

Sometimes life seems to just be standing still...it is in those times that I contemplate a LOT....

We are in between ........seemingly lost in between.....what we have known is going away and what we have not known is coming quickly...

I love to arrange still lifes and photograph them .I like to ponder beautiful arrangements and look at artistic composures..

BUT......

I like living in action.....not in still lifes....

so for the moment, I feel like I am about half here.....one foot in the world of a business office in our house and one foot in the world of a business gone public....moved out of our house...
and one foot in winter and one foot in spring..

I am just glad that I have some stability to stand on...knowing God and knowing who I am..and knowing I am loved by my husband.....but other than that, there is a lot of limbo around here.........

I keep repeating to myself...

CHANGE IS GOOD!!

An older woman told me one time that the only thing in life that you can be sure of is CHANGE!!!
Boy, was she right.....

With one eye toward the future..I am standing today and trusting and putting one foot in front of the other....
because the most important thing is not stopping.....keeping on keeping on....

Adding Dimension

Have you ever looked around at your life  and thought.... it just feels a little FLAT!  somewhat shallow...not many ups and downs...

There is something you can do about that..you can add depth and dimension to your life...going from boring to interesting...it takes a little bit of thinking and creativity......

this wall was flat and boring...and  then I started adding plates, trays, and bowls..they have a common theme..flowers or floral patterns...so there is a commonality but lots of variety....

they are seen from across the room in the reflection of this antique mirror...  When we add texture to our life or home, it spills over into other parts of our life...it is contagious....once you start down the path of adding interesting characteristics to ourselves.it is kinda like potato chips, you can't eat just one...it builds on itself...block by block..until, there you have it..a no longer boring, flat life..

Life is graced with golden opportunities to further your growth...be alert.....TRY!!  .we all have to start somewhere..what interests you?

These pillows all huddled together in our living room.....one from my early days as a new homemaker...one from a dear girl, Sarah, who painstakingly sewed every button on by hand while praying for me ..a real treasure...and one that I made from a cashmere and silk sweater with felt roses .....they all add texture, dimension to our room..

A very old crewel piece done by my Grandmother about 90-100 years ago....stained and fragile with age but still beautiful to me....I love to run my hand over the stitches..they are smooth on a linen background..rough and coarse...the colors are still vibrant..

We are made to be different..in all of these pictures, there is depth or dimension but there are differences..each one important in it's own right...Embrace your uniqueness, don't try to copy someone else's style...do your own...that is what adds depth to your life...copying someone else is FLAT... we all have something to add..our own texture to give to this world...

What gives your life depth?  if there is nothing, what can you add to make it deeper, to give it more than one dimension?  think about it....there is no need to spend life being a boring person.....

There is a lot to be thankful for so find something or somebody and SMILE!

I appreciate your stopping by today..

Changes all around

Summer is finally winding down around here.... 

It is time to think about fall ..and what will come in this new season.... 

A new grandbaby will arrive next month... 

we will make a trip to the NC mountains for apples... 

the leaves will change colors..... 

and the temperature will drop....so will the humidity..... 

and I am sure we will get to build our first fire of the season.... 

ahhhhh, yes, fall... my favorite season at the moment... 

patchouili

boxwood and holly seedlings

I am really glad to see the beginning of fall and cooler temps....

thank you for stopping by today and I hope to see you again soon..

Mona

JUST ONE CRAZY WOMAN....

That is all it takes...just one woman or one man.....and the courage to do something different....one of the sayings my husband has quoted often is this one..... 

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results

but you know what???? it is not easy to change things..especially when it is the way things have always been done.. in  a family, or really, in any situation.   There has to be a resolve to stand firm even when it is against the status quo...I heard a famous psychologist. say that 'we teach people how to treat us'..and when there is emotional abuse in a relationship, WE have to be the ones that say NO MORE!   you cannot treat me like that...self respect is costly..and not popular  but it is necessary for life...and peace and a life submitted to God...let no other person call the shots over and for your life..Be a woman of freedom...FREE to be ME!!!  or you!! 


so it is with real joy that I share this video this morning...it just absolutely hit the spot.....I know you will see better after you watch it...







"Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify and vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as crazy, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do."


thank you for stopping by today....be courageous...live your convictions...and let's stop the madness...one woman at a time.....hope to see you again soon...

Good Friday

Today is a day that represents a day that seemed very bleak for us when Jesus died on that cross...it seemed like all was lost and all had ended....it seemed like the enemy had won...
BUT.......
that was not the TRUTH..it had not ended..it had only just begun...there was LIFE on the other side of that cross..there was a resurrection for Jesus and life for all of eternity. so the enemy's victory turned around quickly on him...it was in reality..OUR VICTORY!!! God had taken death and turned it into something good....He took the sting out of death...He made it contain life ..eternal life...and it became a gift for us..to apply Jesus work on the cross to our own life and receive what He did as our very own sacrifice..and exchange His death for our life..it is a pretty good exchange....He died and we live..through Him..when He lives in us, we get resurrected life forever...because He did not just die and leave it at that...He AROSE!!!

My life has been a testament to this story....He took my life filled with death and turned it around for me...I gave it to Him..all of it..the good, bad, and the ugly..He took it in exchange for His life living through me...it was my very best choice...to give Jesus my life and let Him do whatever He wanted to do with me....He took bad things and turned them around for my good....what the enemy has meant for harm, He has meant for good...just like Winterpast, our home, as we have worked to restore and bring back to life the lifeless places..He has worked on me..where there were barren places, He has brought flowers that bloom....where there was heartache, He has filled me with healing..where there was rejection, He has accepted me just as I am....His love never fails...He is good...

Today just could not pass by without a tribute to the One who paid it all for me...Jesus...

               How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God ! How vast is the sum of them!
                                               Psalm 139:17-18 (New American Standard)

Happy Good Friday y'all....and Happy Easter.....remember..
from the tomb.....He is NOT HERE!!!!!  He is ALIVE.....

thank you for reading along with me...take time to reflect on the wonderful EXCHANGE! 

Not the right place

Sometimes we find ourselves in just the wrong place.  No amount of juggling or fixing or rationalizing will 'fix it'...it is simply the WRONG PLACE.....


One of my most favorite verses in the whole Bible talks about this....
And He made from one [common origin, one source, one blood] all nations of men to settle on the face of the earth, having definitely determined [their] allotted periods of time and the fixed boundaries of their habitation (their settlements, lands, and abodes),  Acts 17:26

This beautiful cedar tree near our ponds was in just that situation.  there was nothing wrong with the tree..in fact, the more I pondered cutting it down, the more beautiful it became...like it was trying it's best to talk me out of what I had decided to do...BUT  it had been planted in the WRONG PLACE....by the former home owners..so it was not my choice either....and it had become the perfect place for a little grandson of mine to hide behind so he could throw sticks and rocks into the pond...well, boys will be boys.  LOL  so the time had come......CUT it down...

so what does that verse have to do with anything??

I believe there is a certain place where we are to be that will be the most benefit for us and our destiny..if we are in that place, then all the things of our life kinda take care of themselves...one example is our workplace.....
..I NEVER in a million years EVER thought I would go to work in a poultry plant...YUK!!  YUK!!! YUK!!!!!

But

God had different plans than I did....it was the right place for me to be at that time...and several months later I met and married the most wonderful man imaginable....a sure benefit for being in that place that had been chosen for me to be...if I had been in a different place, there is a chance my destiny would have not been fulfilled or at least short circuited for a time.....this is just one example but I could give you many, many.....
.
As you can see, this tree is a real standout..it did nothing wrong here...but I am the Master Gardener in this garden and it is MY CHOICE whether it stays or goes.....do you hear me?  not whether it did a good job or not...????
I know the big picture for this garden and it was simply in the WRONG PLACE.  so we cut it down this weekend...there is only a stump where it use to stand..the roots are probably pretty deep so it will take a bit of digging to make it completely let go and move on...

cedar in wrong place

But the BENEFIT...here is the view that was opened up.....

only a stump

I have never been able to see this view of the ponds...it was blocked by the tree....with the tree out of the way, I am once again in love with the ponds..they are easily seen from all over the yard....I have lots of plans for freshening up this area and the FIRST thing that had to be done was to cut down the tree...

a brand new view

My hope is that you can glean a few life lessons from this tree story...there is a fixed place we are to live this life that we have been alloted....wouldn't it be absolutely wonderful if EVERYONE, or at least a good portion of the people would search for and find the place that has been chosen for them ?  and then to do whatever it takes to get there??  I think that a lot of people would be so much more content if they would do that....life would go better for them...simply ask and He will direct your paths...I did and I KNOW I live in the place that was chosen for me...the house, the town, the county, the state.....even the road I live on...  this is my place in this world..just dare to ponder and ask about this......there is no place like home...the right one, that is....this life we live is not a haphazard thing..we have a purpose and where we live is an integral part of that purpose....

Well, we now have a new view just because we removed something that was blocking it..that was not in it's proper place and it is a good thing......

thank you for reading along with me this morning....

originally

Well, today..I am going back or forward to the original name of my blog.....hidden art of homemaking....for that is who I am...an artist and a homemaker....and I live in Winterpast...my homeplace....I am so excited about this new year...it is the best year so far...a clean slate..a new beginning...a starting again.....

As we were driving yesterday, the GPS kept saying recalculating...I finally listened..and thought about it..that is what we are doing this year...recalculating...keeping the same ultimate destination but I think we are going to get there by a different route than we started out on....one that is yet to be seen clearly..but that is what keeps life fun and passionate. not always having all the answers but keeping on anyway..that is where we are...we don't know everything and that is OK....we are on the right road...what a year this will be and I hope you come along as we live this year one day at a time..learning and most of all enjoying our place in life..be thankful for the opportunities for change..nobody likes a stagnant pool....

thank you so very much for reading...

Winterpast

As of today I am changing the name of my blog to the name I really wanted all along and was afraid it would sound too dumb..it is a name that has been in my head and in my heart ever since we moved to this place we call home over 7 years ago....it is a name gleaned from the song of Solomon..from one of my favorite passages in all of the Bible especially since it describes my life so well....
.
For behold, the winter is past,
the rain is over and gone.
The flowers have already appeared in the land;
The time has arrived for pruning the vines,
And the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land.
The fig tree has ripened its figs,
And the vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance.
Arise, my darling, my beautiful one,
And come along!

Song of Solomon 2: 10-13

So the official name change is here..it is time......
I have now become.....

WINTERPAST

thank you for reading my blog.....there is so much more to come...