:the one where i share what i'm reading:

a truly good book teaches me better than to read it. i must soon lay it down, and commence living on its hint. what i began by reading, i must finish by acting.

-henry david thoreau

Given | Poems by Wendell Berry
why in the world i waited so late in life to fall in love with poetry, i will never know. his words are lovely and eloquent, painting beautiful word pictures.

Sabbaths 1998 | I

Whatever happens,

those who have learned

to love one another

have made their way

to the lasting world

and will not leave,

whatever happens.

Mended | Pieces of a life made whole by Angie Smith
angie is raw and honest and having met her and experienced her wit in person, reading this makes me feel like we are having a conversation. my favorite chapter so far is [One Better] where she speaks about daily life and the opportunity we have to do One Better for our husbands, our children, neighbors and friends.

Soul Survivor | How thirteen unlikely mentors helped my faith survive the church by Philip Yancey
this book was handed down to us by our pastor and his wife. i love well loved books passed on. yancey is includes the ugly beautiful of his journey to a life of love, lead by jesus. i have great appreciation for the ugly beautiful.

A Circle of Quiet | The Crosswicks Journal- Book One by Madeleine L'Engle
several women of faith and bloggers that i love love love have read and recommended this book and since it was a penny on amazon i grabbed it for my collection. i have read L'Engle before and found myself highlighting nearly the entire book. her words move me and spark my passion for words written, envoking a pouring out of sorts.

Just Give Me A Cool Drink of Water Fore I Diiie by Maya Angelou
maya angelou's first book of poetry and my new found love for this genre compelled me to grab this up on my last visit to the library.

Half the Church | Recapturing God's Global Vision for Women by Carolyn Custis James
a love for women, my friends, and talents that often go unnoticed and underutilized made this title a bit more than attractive. it made this a must read for my wandering soul.

side note: i have some adorable little goodies in my shop just dying to be sent to a special home. it's never too early to start christmas shopping!

 

 

:the one where we make use out of our art:

 

 

 

art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time

-thomas merton

 

 

art is part of our every day. we are constantly lookng for ways to create and discover. on this particular day we tried painting with marbles. we gathered our supplies: 2 8x10 pans, 2 sheets of white paper, marbles and paint.

 

 

 

eisley dipped each marble in the paint, placed it in the pan and rolled it around. i was quite fascinated with the pattern and new colors created as the marbles crossed paths. it only took a few minutes to complete both pieces of paper.

 

 

 

we let those dry and glued them to 12x12 cardstock and then cut them down to cute little notecards (top photo).

this week before our lessons we have taken time each morning to write an ancouraging note to someone of their choosing. eisley is super excited to see her art useful!

 

what do you do with all the art your children create?

::crafty mccrafterson {pumpkin edition}::

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”
― Pablo Picasso


my children love art. they love to create, imagine and make simple things beautiful.  as a mom, it's my pleasure to encourage and nurture their love for all things creative.

the kiddos aquired several small pumpkins from their recent trip to the pumpkin patch at Patterson Farm. in an attempt to create art with both of my little ones  (ages 4.5 and 2), the following project came to life.

supplies:
pumpkin
white paint
paint brushes
black felt
mod podge

the little darlings painted the pumpkin white. they did it with brushes and it was a little streaky so when it was dry i spray painted it white to cover the blemishes. they didn't notice- they were busy riding their horsey's around the yard.

then i cut out felt pieces. eisley carefully applied mod podge and stuck them on our newly painted pumpkin.

voila' a ghost pumpkin to grace our porch. 
(ignore the light spots- the glue wasn't quite dry when i took this photo. it dried completed clear)

the kids love it and talk about it as they go in and out of the house.

what are you guys crafting these days?


*linking up with life made lovely