natalie gave me an award....thanks a bunch, natalie! this shall be fun. ;)
and i'm supposed to write 10 things about myself. inevitably, these ten things are going to revolve a bit around my day --especially night.
and at the end, i shall hand it off to 3 sweet people.
:)
1. i'm the best painter you could hire. i primed the wall at wildflower --the entire stretch. i got there around 9pm and ben took me home at 10 when i was done.
2. this is my first wall. as ben told me earlier in a spout of constructive criticism, he's a painter, i'm an artist. :P that oughta give you enough of a clue as to how everything turned out tonight. it was . . . an adventure. i just tried to act normal and confident (i mean, it's paint after all!) and susan didn't seem to mind as long as paint was being thrown, things were getting done, and the muralist was getting excited. ;)
3. i'm not strong enough. most of the time, for most situations, my strength is enough. but in this case, i could've used a pair of man arms to shake the brand new gallon can full of primer. can you say heavy? and, there was no room in that thing for the fluids to swirl around and mix? grrr.
4. ben said it looks half clear, but i beg to differ. hey, at least there's more than enough to paint a second coat. all shall be well! at least it looks better than what it did. ^^
for all i love to paint, i believe i just need more practice on this larger-scale stuff. i was knowledgeable enough to bring a drop cloth. but goodness, painting is an interesting experience.
and . . . i'm going to remember my camera next time i go to wildflower! that way i can have good quality pictures of the progression, even though she was snapping some on her phone tonight.
5. my fingertips hurt and get calloused when i play guitar. or, should i say, when i practice guitar. ;)
sunday, we're doing this song at church. ^^
6. last year i was at 23 followers (it was mentioned in a really old post, el oh el) and i just want to say hi to all the new people and thank you all for spending time with me here.
7. i brewed coffee 4 times today. 3 of those times it was only up to the 4 or 5....so it's not that bad. ;) and i shared.
8. i love punchy moods that just sort of sneak up on you. doesn't everyone? well, lyddie was trying to tell me that the thing in her eye hurt earlier, when i called her a drama queen for the stare she gave me. and, trying to name her eyelashes, she called them eye hairs. hmmm. i told her eye hairs sounds kind of masculine; so girls have eyelashes, guys have eye hairs. heh. it looks awkward written down.
9. new brushes make me happy.
10. and here's a quote for you.
misery does not recognize choices. bravery does not recognizes difficulties.
now that i see it in the post, i'm thinking a canvas . . .
well, a few weeks ago, the lovely charla gifted me this blog award...
and, a few days later, chambanachik did the same, here. :)
thank you so much, both of you, and bear with me, as it's been a year or more since i've had to iron out me-details for an award. heh.
now, for seven random facts about myself.
1. sentimental heart by she & him is my favorite song by them as of now. here's a link for the lyrics. and the video, i chose live, because her voice is just something else when it's not canned.
there's something about the lyrics, something about her voice, that drives something into your heart. or should i say my heart, since these facts are supposed to be about me? nevermind. it's a bit of a heartwrencher song. in that quiet, simple lyric way. my favorite way. reminds you of the things that are never going to be. no matter how much devotion you're heaving, as the lyrics go.
2. shorts are nice, yoga pants are awesome, but there is nothing like a sun dress on a day like this with the temps in the early 80's, sun, blue sky, and gorgeous leaves moving in the breeze.
3. i'm growing in gratefulness for sisters even more these days.
siblings are [or at least, can be] . . . life changers.
4. i cope with coffee.
now, my coffee intake has been sporadic because i contracted some sort of cold from the sweet kiddos i watched thurs-fri, and just because you totally want to know the schedule i've been on . . . thursday, yes. friday, none. saturday, yes. sunday, none.
today, yes. most definitely yes. i need that dark roast. it almost reminds me of reality; how dark, time-fully roasted, and somber it is. but also how good.
so yeah. strange as it may seem, and as obsessed as i may be, coffee is one of my ways for coping with working out mind problems for life stuff going on around me and my heart.
5. there's nothing like oldies to touch that deep hopeless romantic part of me. you know? like this song. ^^
ahhhh. ohmygoodness. i'd never heard this song before today. olivia mentioned it in her post about their reception. embraceable you, by frank sinatra. cheek to cheek. i'll be seeing you. time after time. if you are but a dream. in the mood, by glenn miller. seriously, people. there's nothing like oldies.
6. over the course of our childhood (us three older ones, that is) we had a few turtles. not all at the same time. over a few years. one, we named mary. then we found out that it was a male, and we named it mary franklin or something like that. hmm. it was quite a while ago, i can't remember correctly. or was it mary jeremiah? franklin mary jeremiah? caleb was the main turtle dude in our house, and he was around 5-9, obsessed with turtles. we don't have any pets currently, except for maybe a few chickens, but gold fish used to be another favorite way back when:)
7. i have procrastinated in posting about that wonderful monday so long ago...oh, alright, so it was only about a month ago. early may, methinks. i could do it in a nutshell, which then, at least, it would get written down, or i could wait even longer and remember even less to write down so it'd be a longer but emptier post.
in short, it was a monday. the night before, i'd been messaging a friend and we both wished each other a good monday. i, quite randomly, said "i'm hoping and going to try to make my monday not stereotypical."
well, i didn't do it in and of myself. nothing i've done alone has turned out very well . . . but the inspiration i reach for is all from my Creator and the in my faithful God is the strength i draw from to change and grow in areas i need. painful and good as they may be sometimes.
so, that monday afternoon --may 15, looking back in the messages-- mom and i went up to wildflower (the restaurant that hung my canvases in the past, the former owners sold the place and this new owner, susan, asked if i could paint a wildflower piece to see my work) with the wildflower canvas in hand.
she loved it. i named a price, and sooner or later we're going to put prices and cards by the art . . .
then she got to talking about the wall adjacent to where she hung that piece.
it's pretty big. when you walk in, it's to your right and there's something awkward and empty about it.
she asked me if i was into doing murals.
i said . . . sure!
we chatted back and forth about different ideas; maybe something larger wildflower-sky-ish or something like that.
she even asked me what my personal view of the place was or could be, what the potential and ideas were in my head.
when she asked me that, my mouth almost dropped open.
i'd been dreaming about the possibilities in this post for that restaurant, and i voiced a lot of them to susan.
the wonderful thing about her is she's so open to possibilities. she's not one of those types who gives an image, says here you go, this is what i want and fences you in against a cement wall with no creative edges, twists or turns on anything.
a few words to describe her are open minded, calm, exacting, creative, and i'm so excited because she's in new york right now, she left on saturday and is coming back tomorrow from a trip into china town for sushi ingredients, and i'm hoping sometime i might get to try sushi for the first time.
you just have to do first-time things, you know that?
like the birds i painted. for my first time ever. i'd never drawn a bird, never painted one before. then this window opens and there i was, painting a canvas for a possibility of it being blown up huge-scale for the mural. that's the latest idea, and it's mostly stapled down as the one for the look we're going for.
i still have to post that canvas, by the way. but if you're friends with me on facebook, you may remember that one. ;)
so on that monday, we left the restaurant in the sunshine --i'm telling you, it was gorgeous out, so cool and windy and full of sun-- and my insides were just beaming with joy. my heart and head were filled with thoughts of amazement that i was going to be painting a mural. i am painting a mural. an artsy, beautiful, calm, inspiring mural.
she had given me this file to draw inspiration from and try to re-create if i wanted to.
and i did, the very next day.
i'm going to post this canvas soon, so i'm only giving you a piece of the sketch. ;)
a night of sketching, and a few very concentrated hours of painting, and it was done.
as i pushed through and finished, my mind was totally made up: i was not selling this first-time piece of testing and growing beauty for any less than $60.
and to some present-time news on the mural, this friday night around closing time we scheduled in some prime-the-wall time.
i'm. excited.
and if it's not done that night (9pm-ish to whenever) i go again the next morning before they open at 9am.
which would be totally fine with me, because when i went the other day to pencil in a time to start progress on the wall, she invited me into the open kitchen to pick anything to have for lunch, which we then sat down at a table with and talked and ate (shrimp-herb kebab, apricot couscous, a large slice of crouton) and entertained the former cook/owner who is selling greens and flowers of all sorts to susan for the menu and centerpieces.
gosh, it was lovely.
so that's the news, that's the stuff that has me excited these days!
now here's a question: have you tried sushi? did you like it, hate it, and what was the occasion; with friends, alone . . . ? i honestly don't care how many people hate it. i know a few friend who like it a lot, and i'm going to try it out someday. :)
And just to be really random, we've always liked watching this lady's stuff on PBS...back when we caught it airing all the time, and we were amazed at learning how to julienne veggies and all that cool stuff. ;)
A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be. [Douglas Pagels]
Today is a day of dishes. sorry no photo in this post for that. now, the other day on the other hand...
Of beautiful skies.
Of sitting on the front lawn with the David Bible study and a breeze.
Today is a day of shade. And breeze.
And...priming.
Priming?
Oh. Yes.
Priming canvases.
Because Ben, my bro, has been a lean-nice-canvas-making machine. :) as our dear mother put it...
And what's weird, is that today the paint and primer have been affecting me.
It's not fun.
The paint on my newest Night Sky canvas was stinging my eyes with the fumes (non-toxic, it says! acrylic) and feeling weird in my nose like no other time, and the primer was doing the same.
So....much....acrylic.....paint.....
I'm not even kidding. Why can't this stuff smell and sting like permanent markers? At least that stuff smells slightly interesting for a wee little bit.
Basically, you get awarded and also get to award people whose blogs are a bit of creativeness, inspiration, and enjoyment for you and the blog-world.
So....
Here's a few that I want to give it to:
Cassandra, whom I've found today and her blog is cute and so funny. And my gosh, she even knits. Gotta love a lady who can knit. I mean, I do, so does anyone concur? I'm JUST kidding.
Kat, whom I also found today. Blog-hopping pays off, because methinks she's my newest blog crush. :) She's cute. She's honest. She's a mommy:) Oh, and I love her writing prompts. Can't wait to use them.
Amy, just because seriously, she has vintage suitcases on her header. My gosh. All the vintage and good deals she gets....I want to do that:) Oh. And because she's got that Virtual Coffee thing going on every Tuesday. Heh heh. ;)
Chelsey, who's got some amazing photo edits. My goodness, her lil girl Ruari is one of the cutest things since sliced angel cake.
Leanna. Ohhh, yes I had to do her. Like really? I'm sure she's already gotten this a dozen or more times, but remember those chocolate pecan scones? That's creativity. That's inspiration. ;)
Casey, at her normal blog or her Cookies or Death! one, which just started up. So excited for that one. Mmmmm:)
So. We're running out of my favorite wide-open place for wall space.
Sigh.
That's a hard fact to swallow.
I’m not the type of person who plans their life inch-by-inch.
When I told this to Anna, along with the fact that I was going to meditate on this question for a few days before posting the Bogie Award thing, she said I just roll with it.
I looked at her. That’s one way to say it…and I try to seek God through it all!
It means, get moving, Beka, write your hopes for the future or something. Everyone wants to know.
Well, okay. Thanks to those lovely people... I'm finally going to write and post this thingy.
And I truly am grateful to the generous ladies who bestowed such a gift on little me.
Well. In 10 years, lots of things I'm sure will have changed.
So. I'll list it in a bunch of hopes and dreams. I'll be 29. Whoa. Scary. *deep breath* Anyhow, without picking on you mommy readers anymore... I'd like to have been a pretty good sister to growing up siblings. Married. Written a book. Published it under a taker who doesn't mind Grammy's vocabulary. Hopefully have a child or two if married. Have a house to decorate. In wilder dreams, a coffee shop, too. [Selling my paintings, muffins and scones, and doing henna tattoos.] I'll have worked at a coffee shop or two, and painted quite a bit by then --getting better from all the practice, Lord willing.
So. That's as good as you're going to get. Sorry for the bluntness, but I feel if I was going to have as well-put-together statement as some lovelies do, this post wouldn't come for another couple months. :) Spilling oneself can be difficult, can I hear an oh yes?
So.... The instructions for this award are to say where you want to be in 10 years time, and then award 10 other awesome bloggers with the same award. Link to those sweet people, and mention who awarded you, also linking to them.
She's a sweet blogger lady who has amazing food pictures, and she sews, (holy cow) and she likes Starbucks. Which is coffee. Well, and tea. Which is . . . nevermind. Y'all know where I'm going.
So. Thanks to Yellow House! :)
Now for some things that...make me happy. Hmm. Just so ya know, this isn't going to be in any specific order, 'kay? Thanks. ;)
1. Clean kitchens. I was just working in ours, washing dishes (yeppers, we have human dish washers...) and making it decent looking. Well, trying to. But I love kitchens. Today's just not the best day in the world for me. It's...It's...Just wonderfee, being a woman. (bleh) But, back on kitchen, I want one of my own someday....kind of like this one:
2. Traditional Home magazine. It's like a mixed breed of Architectural Digest and House Beautiful . . . it's wonderfee. :)
3. Reading. Although lately my reading has been of the more non-fiction style --my Bible and blogs, heh heh-- Lisa Samson, Bonnie Grove, Karen Hancock, and Ted Dekker are a few of my favorite authors. I hate horror or too much suspense. (um, most of those books in the pic are not mine...they're Anna's and Skylar's from a library trip last summer..haha)
4. Writing. Sure, I blog quite a bit, but for journalling, etcetera? Composition notebooks and a pen are my best friends. Ever since a couple Christmases ago, I've been using one of Ben's pens, and nothing less. :) Here are two I made in December with him:
5. Painting. Not sure if any of you lovelies out there picked up on it . . . harhar.
6. Rain. And the smell in the breeze before it starts...and how the grass looks after it...and the rainbows that you see sometimes during it. :)
8. This mug from Etsy, by MrPS. Except I don't think it's big enough . . . only holds 11oz.
9. The sky. Mostly when it's blue. And there are tons of jets/planes/what have you flying through it...
10. Robbie Seay Band . . .their latest album, Miracle. Amazing lyrics in those songs. Wow.
And the beautiful ladies I'm awarding?
The Mrs. @ Trying Our Best
She mentioned such a yummy recipe the other day...(guacamole over chicken tacos) And she's just too cute:) I loved reading about her and her hubby's different cleaning styles. ;)
Mrs. Bement @ The Newlywed’s Diaries
I just found her the other day and I love her way with words. :) Plus, she's adorable, and I started reading her with this post about strange old men. haha!It's just so random, and I loved it.
Christina @ Consider the Coffee
I love her title, of course. And I love all her collages of dresses/etcetera. Makes you want to have a closet full of vintage dresses... :)
She's going to have a Soapbox post soon, so I'm excited for that, and her family post is so sweet:) You meet everyone, and you want to read her blog all the more. :)
She's got pictures...she's got crafts. She's pretty adorable, too:) I found her a while ago, but have been reading more of her lately... She's honest and sweet and she even does the Flashback Friday. ;)
So...copy the picture, post it in your Happy award post, and link to me and award 5 --or however many you want to-- bloggers, and link to them... :)
I really want to thank Chana, over at her Mamma Town blog, for awarding me this...this surprise. :) Thank you! Her blog is full of sweetness and I love her pictures and funny, touching stories. :) Her ice cream cake makes me drool, and I tell you: I am going to make it someday. Soon. :)
1: The shortest time it took me to fill a composition notebook/journal: January 2-February 6 2010
2: I love old music. Really, I seriously do. I’ve not heard of too many people my age who like 30-50’s music . . . Frank Sinatra. :) (Michael Buble does not do it for me and jazz..nuh-uh.) I love Frank’s rendition of Embraceable You. Ah. Glenn Miller. Doris Day. But I warn you, from there, I have many branches of music taste. Underoath, anyone? ;) Dallas Green? Um, go to my blog profile to see more of my fav’s.
3: I put my hair up with knitting needles. And crochet hooks. The obsession started when my hair got long enough. And colors? Ohh, I have a sober grey crochet hook, 4 snazzy purplish double-pointed needles I got for a bargain at Michael’s, a blue crochet hook, and that’s about it for now. ;)
4: I draw on jeans. With permanent marker. When I was about 15, I did 2 or 3 pairs. In the past year or two, I drew on a pair that I gave to dear PJ. Here’s an example. :) The ladies at the coffee shop loved them—asked tons of questions. It was pretty funny to see PJ fielding the questions to me. “Wow, you did that?! That’s awesome! You should sell!”
5: Lately, I’ve become very infatuated with natural light. No flash. Taking pictures outside. It looks insane. And I’ve gotten some weird glances from siblings…which, in and of itself, isn’t too strange, but you know what I mean.
6: Today has been The Day for people to randomly come up next to me and/or touch me out of the blue, right as I’m pressing the take-the-picture button. Which results in more acute claustrophobia of some sort, ya know. :D
7: I can’t throw a softball farther than 20 feet when I’m in outfield and the wind is blowing. Hmm. That happened the other night. And we need more players, because I soooo do not want to play.
8: I’m a coffee snob. Now, that could partially be because I’m not the one who buys it, but hey . . . I’m cultured. (wink-wink to sarah) And Heather was the one to remind me of this...greatly...random thing about myself.
I rarely ever drink Folger’s, if I can help it. Now, for some people, Folger’s does it for them. Not me. I need more than caffeine when I drink that beverage. I want dark, I want flavor, I want smooth. I don’t want bitter. Anyhow, you can see my true coffee colors are coming out. Hope I don’t lose any friends over my snobbery opinions. ;) A coffee post is coming up, just so ya know.
9: I clean a mean kitchen. Well, most of the time. I have some off-weeks where I’m not as thorough as I’ve been . . . but once in a while I freak myself out with the need for perfection. Just…once in a while. :)
10: I’m a peeping-Beka. I look in windows as Anna and I walk at night up and down our street. :) She was bugging me about it last night because she was just noticing it. Otherwise, I’ve always done it. Harhar. Just be glad that you don’t live near me, right? Otherwise, I’d blog about your excitingly architectural house, or the messiness of it, or…nevermind. But I did see this ultra-cute stereotypical grandma turn out the lights in her stereotypical housecoat the other night. It totally reminded me of the movie Up. Really, it did.
Quite sadly, I wrote all this and then it got deleted. So...inspiration sapped and all, I'm very simply awarding:
Amy at LuckyNumber13 . . . again, the pictures. I'm a sucker for good, cute, random, life pictures:) Lovely blog, too. She's so sweet.
Alita, at da mainiacs. :) Ahhh, I had a whole novel written about each of these lovely ladies, but oh well. Such is life. Once again, pictures are a big thing that determines how much I love a blog. I'm so biased. I love her blog. :)
And, just because I really want to, I'm also awarding Amy, over at Mom's Coffee Time. :) She's pretty cool in her own right.
Now, I hope y'all have had fun--come on, tell us 10 random things about yourself, and award three more lovely blogger people. :)
Have a good evening. I'm off to go mourn the first draft of this thing going down the drain unexpectedly. That's why the awards are kinda plain. The first inspired draft disappeared, darnit. :(
See y'all tomorrow or sometime!
