Welcome Fall

                                

Come visit me and check out The Garden market this Saturday November 10th 9-3:30 pm.                                                http://www.gardenmarket.blogspot.com

                                   

 

       

" What Do You Paint?"

 Artists have always been taught to paint by studying and repainting  the masterpieces of artists before them. So when I see a sky painted only by the hand of God , what greater masterpiece is there to attempt? Some  find landscapes, seascapes and skyscapes mundane, but they never lose my interest. Just watching a sunset is a series of a hundred paintings. Each minute of light change creates an entire new palette.  I will ever exhaust paintings  inspired by sky and sea.

"What do you paint?" I should have a prepared answer in mind that rolls off my tongue considering how many times over the past 15 years I've been asked this. Still I never seem to know exactly what to say. All I can go on is what I'm painting at the moment because my subject matter has varied so over the years. But my heart has always been the coast.

My feet hit the sand and I see the first reflection of light across the water.  Then there's the sounds without all the noise. You know when the crashing waves and wind are so loud you can't hear anything else except for the conversation right next to you in the moment. It's the stillness and calm, yet the mighty and awe invoking reverence of power and strength,  at the shore's edge.  Perspective alters, problems seem a lot smaller next to this  vast expanse. You are reminded how BIG this world is and how small you are. It's walking humbly with God- total dependence on Him.  How can I not place all my cares and concerns  into the same palm of  hand of who created and beholds ALL this glory. If  He can bring the tiniest of shells in perfection  to shore by the fiercest waves I know He can carry me. For a moment a  curtain is peeled open and I catch a sliver of eternity.

There are places all over this world I know  moments like these  happen I've yet to see. I'm sure you will be seeing a series of desert and mountains from Angie Reuter one day, even if I'm 60!

The Ones That Almost Got Away

I am  not a photographer.I love photos and look at them  in  magazines, blogs and  in my hallway every day . Photos of my family are probaly my most prized possessions. I took photography in college and can take pretty good shots if I try with a decent camera. I almost got a degree in magazine journalism because I wanted to work with layouts of photos.  I do have an eye for composition , color, contrast and balance when you are setting up a shot. And all day long I see life through snap shot images in my mind and think, " Oh that would make a cool photo or interesting painting".  I say  I'm  too busy living in the moments to stop and capture the moments. While I see through a lens I don't live behind one.  But regardless of why,  I don't take photographs.  

So I am  grateful to live in a day when sharing photos is so available and easy.  For while I am at most all the school functions and family events I am never the one camera in hand. I am thankful to all the generous moms who share the moments of my boys' school days.  I am thankful to aunts and uncles who capture all my boys birthdays and family vacation memories. And I am thankful for friends who share our lives and  capture all the other  " in between" events.  And I'm thankful to my husband who faithfully  remembers to take a photo of each of my paintings just before they are sold and slip out the back door!

These are a few that almost got away!...

More May

 So  I was just writing about sending Cae off for his  first day of Kindergarten and Caleb to 3rd grade.... and now the school year is coming to a close. It never ceases to amaze me just how MUCH they change as I look back. While the year seemed to whiz by us,  their first day of school seems like quite a while ago... haircuts and all!

Caleb tackled multiplication, fractions, long division and subject matter in science and social studies that I don't think I even knew about till 6th grade. I still am taken back when Cae nonchalantly reads everything in site, as I remember " Oh yeah he can read now!" And honestly I've been amazed by the artwork he brings home. I wish I could bottle his excitement for  learning for his middle and high school years!









And little Colt ... well we are still working on potty training ( yes he is over 3 years old). But at least we got rid of the pacifier and graduated to sharing brothers' room and sleeping in a twin bed. I have cherished just the 2 of us spending each day in his 3 year old world, while big brothers were at school. As tag along for all  brothers' school and soccer activities, I joke he's " our mascot". But in reality he's already big man on East Side Elementary campus. Strutting down the halls all the boys are giving him " high fives" and girls are hugging him, " He's soooo cute!"

We are finishing the year out strong with Field Days, school Marathon , Zoo and Aquarium field trips, Strawberry picking, end-of-year class parties and picnics, school art shows, end-of-season soccer games and celebrations, tournaments and awards. And oh yeah  in the midst of it all  I even squeezed in a Girls' Beach Trip  thanks to Shawn ( and Nonna) who took on our boys' May madness for a few days...best Mother's Day gift ever!
It's not even the end of May yet...I seem to look forward to summer more and more each year!

H.E.A.R.T

So Caleb was beaming after soccer practice about a month ago when I picked him up. Players are selected by the coaches from Academy to take home  the "H.E.A.R.T." jersey for showing honesty, effort, attitude, respect and tenacity. The player gets to sign the jersey and wear it for few days.   He was especially proud this time because it was the 2nd time this year he had received it and  was playing up with older boys during practice when they acknowledged him.

 Honestly he was just as excited about the jersey than  when I've seen him win a game or get a goal. Nothing compares to moments like these as a mom when I see the boys not just succeed but thrive.  Knowing you are largely responsible for cultivating your child's idea of success can be a daunting task.   We walk the tight rope in life early of performance and praise with grades, winning, losing and being accepted by others.  Yet at the end of the day  all I want more than anything for them to know is,  it's not what we do but who we are that brings us the most joy and fulfillment and will carry us the farthest.

" For the Lord does not see as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7

It wasn't by chance this was the first verse I ever had Caleb memorize and  write over and over when he was about 4-5 years old. And it's moments like these when I realize  the weight of these words and how crucial they will be to his life. So for now I may leave the job of cultivating success to the world and  pray for God to show me the job of cultivating hearts.

14 Challenge

Our Spring Break trip to Tybee Island a month ago was a fresh reminder of what I had read recently on the importance of creating "Sabbath Spaces" in our life and home.

" Remember the Sabbath ( Shabbat-stopping, cessation) day, to keep it holy." Exodus 20:8

" God was requiring His people to do something exactly opposite from what they had grown used to doing ( for almost 400 years!). Instead of endlessly working , one day after another, engaging in every demanded activity,they were to stop- purposefully carve out time to be still and enjoy Him- to celebrate a time of rest, rejuvenation, and spiritual focus that would perpetuate their experience of freedom, not just in theory but practical terms. In other words, the Sabbath principle was the total reverse of the slavery they had already experienced in Egypt and a protection against sliding into another form of bondage." The Resolution for Women by Priscilla Shrier.




Our chains of bondage may not take the form of the Israelites years ago when God gave this commandment. But our family of 5 is often held captive by the ever increasing daily demands and hectic schedules of suburban life in 2012. But what a gift He gives us to keep us from sliding into bondage of all forms- REST!

How can I turn crowded spaces into Sabbath- breath taking- spaces? While our family may not be able to escape to the shore weekly, how can I bring this coastal calm into our lives daily?

Shrier suggest a " 14 Challenge". Historically, Sabbath was 1 day out 7 , the equivalent of 14% of our week. She asks you to look at your family's lifestyle, your calendar and even your closet spaces( clean out!) ! Where can you carve out 14 % in your home and life to stop, rest and escape activity, schedules and routines?


As an artist, it may not surprise you... math is not my strength. Nor do numbers really speak to me or motivate me in any way. So whether or not I hit " 14 % " I will never know. But I am ever more so convicted to create these spaces as a woman, to have them in my marriage and teach them to my boys so that our home and lives continually express His grace and freedom.

A Little Paint Goes A Long Way

I hated my kitchen when we moved in. It felt dark and closed-in ,definitely not what I saw as the heart of my home. It was just a small empty , closed-in space with ugly cabinets and outdated appliances. So after a year and a half of debating, I painted the cabinets. We didn't redo the floors ,replace countertops or those outdated appliances and light fixtures. So my kitchen wouldn't qualify for a magazine" before and after" photo layout. But I do think it is worthy of a best room makeover. Renovation didn't involve shopping or remodeling. And while painting made a huge difference that isn't what transformed the space. " A little paint goes a long way"... but love goes a lot further.

" Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins." 1 Peter 4:8

Valentine's Day my hubby took me out for a surprise lunch date... with our 3 year old little sidekick. As he kissed me goodbye before returning to work for the afternoon, little one yelled from the backseat, " Ooohhh yuck your kissing!" with his 3 year old lisp. In the next few hours before hubby came back home I had battles with homework, sibling arguments, whining over eating MORE Valentine candy and the same 3 year old slamming open and shut EVERY cabinet door in my kitchen while I throw something together for dinner. Meltdowns by 5pm was my trade off for pushing through naptime time in exchange for an " early" bedtime tonight. The truck pulls in the driveway and all come bounding in the door with Daddy, candies, cards and flowers in hand. I finish up the dishes, make lunches for the next day and wipe down countertops now covered with vases filled with irises and roses, boxes of chocolates truffles and a half empty bottle of wine. Backpacks and homework papers are stacked in corner shelf and our eternal trail of little toys line the floor. As I turn the light off, that afternoon felt like days ago. Once again our love for another blanketed our sporatic mishaps, anger and frustrations. Truly the " multitude of our sins" were covered today and are everyday by love.

Those cabinets don't seem to bother me as much any more. And it's not just because I love their color now. You didn't even notice all those horrible dents , scrapes and marks until they were highlighted with that beautiful light gray I painted them ! It never ceases to amaze me just how much paint reveals on a piece of furniture or canvas. The art is knowing what to reveal and what to cover . Somehow in the process those imperfections and mistakes are exactly what makes it beautiful. So God's love gently reveals and gracefully covers us and our shortcomings. And I know , our love for one another, should also be this way. Perhaps this is why Paul emphasizes " Above all, we love one another earnestly" . It's the art of loving earnestly everyday, not just on Valentine's I desire to master. For I know this is what has made our little kitchen the heart of our home.

Day Like No Other

Today would have been my Mom's 60th birthday. And I have longed and dreamed to have been able to celebrate it BIG! ...Lavishing her with pampering head to toe, showering her with exquisite gifts and surrounding her with beauty morning till night, flowers, flowers and more flowers ( of course irises as I sent her every birthday!) The party would be the most elegant event. Her table would have been set like no other. We would end the evening dining on a feast among dearest friends and family. I would love to have given her this " day like no other".

While we cherished , loved and honored her dearly. A part of me will always think I should have celebrated her birthdays "bigger". Though I know no amount of celebrating would have been truly worthy.

My heart smiles knowing she celebrates " this day like no other" always and forever. For she is surrounded by nothing but beauty and elegance, like my eyes have never seen. She is lavished with gifts no amount of earthly money could ever buy. She has no need for pampering for she has no pain, no stress, is never tired and has no need to relax! She feasts eternally on joy at a table of perfection . And though I long to love on her this birthday, I know she is in the presence of love no amount of friends and family could ever bestow upon her on " this side".

So I made birthday banner....for my youngest son who turns three on Saturday. I found out I was pregnant with him within a month after she passed. Perhaps he was sent to " carry me through" for I have always had his birthday to look forward to! And as I cut and glued and ironed each piece, I thought of all the moments she loved making things like this for us growing up. And with each cut I honored her life as gratefulness, joy and love filled my heart. And while I am not throwing Mom a huge party today. I realize I now celebrate her " big" in ways everyday in my heart and life, not just on her birthday. And while I would have given Mom a gift today. Instead she gave one to me. And January 15th always be " a day like no other" for me.

A Few Paintings from 2011