So. Life is

"catching up" with me...

I've realized we have been out of town

every week for the past six weeks..

Mobile and Baldwin Counties

Dauphin Island

Panama City Beach

Las Vegas

Falls Creek Falls State Park

Serro Scotty Gathering

Henry Horton State Park

Vintage Camping Gathering 

And, Guntersville State Park

for Bob and Patti's wedding.

Whew. 

Add in a few out of town day trips for work and our life can be crazy.

But y'all know that.

And we love it.

Those who know me well know that

I'm not really 'into' history. 

Not sure why, but it's just never been of great interest to me 

I'm not ashamed to admit that...

So with that said, you would not have found much historical fiction on my bookshelf in the past , but that might just change after reading A Rebel Heart by Beth White. 

Selah Daughtry is a strong woman faced with saving her family's home after the war.

And while it was unusual for women to have take this position she did so with dignity and grace. One of her friends described her as, "One of the bravest women I've ever met - Doing what you have to do when you're afraid - that's what courage is..." 

As we're walking with Selah through the ups and downs of putting their home back together, there are also other mysteries going on around them as emotions remain high between all the parties who had been involved in the war. It's hard to let go of long-held beliefs even when one realizes they are wrong. 

Selah stayed true to her beliefs and their family motto, 

"Clear eyes, pure hearts,"

as she sets out to restore not only her home but broken relationships as well. 

She is a rebel in unexpected ways as she stands firm in her beliefs that others in her community might not share - 

This is a wonderful book of history, romance, and mystery that draws you in as you get to know the characters. I'm already looking forward to the sequel! 

Beth White is a great author that and I look forward to reading more of her books! 

Note: I was given a free copy of this book to review prior to its release date.

All opinions are my own - 

I've sure missed getting together

with our little faith art group that meets on the 2nd Saturday of each month. 

My life has been busier than usual these past few weeks - 

All good...

But I miss this sweet fellowship - 

 

 Here's a little idea that I shared with the group via instagram @faithbasedpages 

It was inspired by this post from incourage...

And this page I found through googling - artist unknown...

I started with squares and circles and rectangles -- 

I'm telling you everyone can do this!

After adding in some details, I printed the quote on the computer and stuck it down - 

 mod podge worked well!

Then I added paint - y'all know that watercolors are my preference, but I used acrylic on this becasue I wanted to at least TRY and blend the computer print in with the page...

Not that I added some darker edges to the ice cubes and glass...

Next I added someout lines with pencils that I smudged up a bit...

 

And lastly, I tried to enhance the quote a bit after it was covered in paint - 

I used the thinnest marker I had on hand...

And then I called it done - ha. 

I like it - and I am so glad to know 

there is no substitute for the refreshment that only God provides!

Step-by-step can be found on Instagram @faithbasedpages.

Let's go back to Harbor Pointe!

Just Let Go by Courtney Walsh

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Courtney Walsh paints such a vivid picture of Harbor Pointe that I want to go visit. And not just for the beautiful landscape - but becasue the people there are God-loving people who are willing to step up and do help others, even when they may not want it or understand they need it. Such is the case with both of the main characters in the book who are on a quest to follow their dreams. Courtney's characters are not perfect and come to the story carrying their own baggage from life events [and don't we all have some?] But through the help of others and guidance from God they come to see that they must let go of some things if they want to move forward to the good things awaiting them. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love how Courtney Walsh weaves a relationship with God into her stories. Her characters are not perfect, but they grow and learn from each other as God weaves their stories. A great book! I honestly read it in tow days becasue I just couldn't put it down - You'll not be disappointed - 
Note: I was given a free e-copy of this book prior to it's release.
All opinions are my own - 



View all my reviews

Late last month we

enjoyed gathering with other vintage Serro Scotty owners.

It's always fun to learn from each other and 

enjoy seeing how others have tackled the renovation process!

Two things to note about this trip:

It rained - a lot. 

But not enough to ruin the weekend...

And we had Emma along 

because she's been at the Boarding House far too much already  - 

She did great.

And, okay, three - the site we were on was basically on a bluff and I made Craig chain the camper to the truck [even though he'd done an exceptional job getting it level] because I couldn't relax for thinking it might tumble off the edge during the night. 

Ha.

I know. 

Crazy anxiety. 

But he indulged me.

We enjoyed meeting new people, hosting a campfire at our site,

[LOVING the fire pit Craig created from a stainless washer drum!]

And of course, S'Mores!

It was also VERY NICE to have time to just relax in nature - 

loved how the moon peeked through the trees... 

 and I also enjoyed having time to finish up a book or two...

[My bookshelf is FULL y'all.]

 

I didn't get any detailed shots, but we enjoyed having the camp kitchen in the back, kind of out of sight, from the front of Lottie... and of course, we're still loving our table and chairs that we use instead of the scratchy picnic tables that may or may not have spiders lurking underneath. 

All in all, a fun weekend with other scotty lovers like us!

I've reached the half-way

mark with the 100 Day Challenge!

 Here's some from the last week or so...

Didn't have time to stop by a favorite from our college days... but loved seeing the roadside flowers as we traveled.

 

 Last year during Art Journal Summer School we were encouraged to 

add maps of the places we visit...

I love it!

 I also like to include quotes that are meaningful to me...
This one, somehow, has really helped my anxiety through the years...

 ... and my take on iconic signs...

 ...Things that show what I'm up to...

And things that inspire me from the interwebs...

 [Inspired by Heidi Swapp.]

 I woke up one morning thinking I needed to weave some papers... 
then the next morning knowing I needed to do a pineapple ... 

Do you do this too?

 More inspired by Deb Weird art..

We're tourists!

Also a nod to the Royal wedding -
[Do you see it?]

 More maps for our traveling day.
 And a napkin from the plane...

Back at home I was thrilled to see how lovely 
the oak leaf hydrangea looked out front!

So I did my best to capture it in my art journal.

 And lastly , we ended the week with #LottieScotty at a Serro Scotty camping event...

Honestly, I'll probably go back and add a little more to these two pages. 

Maybe a few fireflies... or a moon and stars...
We'll see - 
But that's it for now.
Hope you're coming along nicely with your take on the 100 Day Challenge!
I love seeing what everyone's doing!

Right Here

Right Now - 

I'm all out of sorts since we've been traveling 

SO MUCH MORE THAN USUAL this month - 

It was nice to come home and see all the early summer flowers in bloom! 
[The overgrown grass due to all the rain, not so much - lol]
I love primroses! 
And I love that I have them in my garden!

And this pink hydrangea!
Wow!

So funny that it grows in the same bed as this blue one - 
And y'all know I love the tiger lilies that are some heirloom plants 
from the home my mama grew up in - 
[That creeping charlie is getting a little too aggressive though - ha.]

Caught this little guy 
WITH MY CELL PHONE.
[Heavily edited, but still...]

Emma came along for her 1st camping trip in #LottieScotty...
She's gained a pound or so and her little vest is a bit tight...
But we managed...

And lastly, loved seeing the love for the USA exhibited this weekend. 
SO THANKFUL for those who defend the flag.
That's it - 
Right Here. Right Now. 
A few days late if you're keeping up with my schedule... ha. 
But I'm doing what I can - lol.
It's back to the real world now....

Hrre's more from

my art journal and the 100 Day Challenge - 

Still loving it! 

Soo..  we're working backwards a bit from mother's day...

The background on this page is some paper that wrapped a dish I bought - 

I used it to wipe excess paint off my paint brushes I - love the mixed look of it all! 
[I added paint around the photo to blend it in a bit - ]

This one is to show what an awesome job Haley did swimming in the ocean while doing the ironman. [Inspired by google art - ]

 I'm trying to add a map in when we travel -- 

And also wanted to capture some memories of childhood trips to PCB - 

Cool thing: Craig found a sand dollar on this trip that's bigger than a half dollar -

[It's bleaching [and getting the stinky out] as I type this - ]

Truth.

But I've got to stay home long enough to plant them!

Flowers are made with crepe paper streamers and patterned paper.

Another church for a Sunday morning - and the octopus is an inside joke.

I don't eat it.

That was pretty clear to those around me one day - ha.

And lastly, a simple cacti scene that I did on May 5th.

Used patterned papers and washi tapes.
I think cacti will show up again in a week or so...
Hope y'all are sticking with the 100 Day Challenge!
We're half-way through!
Yoohoo!!