Front Porch Scripture & a Snapshot Sunday

Pairing a beautiful photo with Scripture really speaks volumes! I just love when I can take the time to create this kind of art. My friends, the Vander Zwaag's, spent a few months this fall purchasing and remodeling an old farm house. When I took a tour of their house, I was taken away by the wonderous color and the accents she used for decorating it. {I can't wait to photograph the inside!} It looks perfect for their family of 8! Last weekend, the sun was shining, the snow had freshly fallen, so I stopped to take some photos on my way past their house. I like how they turned out...

Stacy did request that the next time I do this, would I please shut her garage door? {I already felt like a stalker! Guess I should help myself to the garage door opener, too!}

Riley's Christmas Pictures & Photo Shoot

I had the great pleasure to try out my new camera with some friends in their family orchard!  We finally were able to pick a day, and chose late afternoon to meet for the photos.  The day started out nice and sunny, but by the time 4 pm came, it was quite cloudy and looked like rain wasn't too far off.  While I'm pleased with these photos, I was hoping for more sunlight to work with.

Such a beautiful family!  Baby Riley is expected in another month or so, so we got a few belly shots as well.

It's always great to practice on new faces!

Merry Christmas!

This was my Christmas photo card I designed this year~Merry CHRISTmas!

Here's some of my favorite pictures from this fall.  I've been too busy homeschooling to get much up on my blog, but we managed to get a few photo opportunities in here and there.

Texture Tuesday "Red" Barns

Texture Tuesday's Theme is RED!
After my country drives last fall looking for barns, I had a few red choices.  This first barn will always remind me of home.  This is my parents' barn, where they have lived my entire life.  We never moved growing up, and my first move was to college.

Rocking Horse Farm

On this picture, I did the following:

Coffeeshop action 20/20

KK's scripted edges at Difference blending mode 45%

KK's Yesteryear Overlay blending mode 65% and also duplicated at Multiply 65% with mask

This next barn was on our local Barn Tour Color Drive.

Red Barn

Coffeshop action 20/20

flattened and duplicated original; Hard Light blending mode

KK's Yesteryear Overlay blending mode 51%

KK's the ladder Linear Burn blending mode 13%

KK's Scripted Autumn Linear Burn blending mode 65% with mask

Scavenger Hunt August 21

Brushstrokes

The girls LOVED the chance to paint their own nails for the first time.  They didn't do a half bad job! They always want their fingers painted and I really don't like to bother with it...I love this look of concentration on Kenna's face here!

On the Dotted Line

My husband's suggestion for the perfect shot for this prompt was to get a shot of roadkill on the yellow striped line...gross!  I didn't get any other inspiration, so I just added a photo of my gladiolas to this ready-made sheet that had stitches and splatters that reminded me of the dotted line.

Hanging by a Thread

This was another result of my Chasing the Sunlight.  It caught me by surprise and just knew it would make a great shot!  When I see this, I praise my Creator, who designed even something like a spider to weave such an intricate web for the purpose of catching his prey...

Geometry

This is a nearby Bed and Breakfast that has such grand columns and strong structure.  I love the round pillars with the curly-cues at the top and the rounded balcony.

Collage

I made this collage with one of my scrapbooking sets.  I even used photos from this week!  I saw a painted collage on a store front that would've been great, too, but couldn't get a shot of it without crashing or something like that!

In the Morning when I rise, Give me Jesus

I kept thinking of this old Negro Spiritual song that's been resurrected by Fernando Ortega, Chris Rice and Jeremy Camp (and others, I'm sure) when I looked at these pictures.  This past Friday morning, I looked out my window at the sunlight peeking through the fog and grabbed my camera and headed out the door.  The grass was dewy, but I chased that sunlight across the yard and into (what I call) the Village Green.  My husband looked confused when I told him "I chased the sunlight this morning", but you know what I mean, right?  These shafts of light breaking down through the fog were simply amazing.

...Do I chase my Jesus like I chased the sunlight?  Do I seek Him daily, early in the morning?  Do I place my needs before Him and then WAIT?  In a recent study, I learned that waiting isn't just sitting around, drumming my fingers on the table waiting for God to start working.  It involves a longing...

The Lord is acting..."Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you!" Isaiah 30:18  Longing is the same word as waiting here, and this verse literally says "The LORD waits...blessed are all those who wait for Him" (ESV).  There is something here worth waiting for, and the longing is part of the wait.  I'm not just passing time here.

Scavenger Hunt for August 8

Seeing Double

At the Rodeo for Ryan this week, these 2 little boys passed by, and I just knew I had to get their picture!  So adorable!

Bright

Fruit heavy on the tree is a beautiful sight!  Amidst the branches of green leaves, these apricots were hanging heavy and plentiful.  We picked plenty for eating and for canning.  My mom and I canned 18 quarts this week.  Hopefully, they turned out great!  We {I should say "mom" because she does all the processing} were having trouble with the pressure cooker.  Mushy fruit isn't great, and they were already quite soft by the time we got to canning.

Space

Wide open spaces!  My kids, even Maverick, love going to Nana and Papa's house to just be able to run around outside without many worries.  The house is far from the road and there is little traffic.  So many places to explore!  This is the first year this oat field has been here, and it was harvested just a few days after this picture was taken.

Sweet

Sweet Treats!  The bake sale of the rodeo was a sweet success!  Everything was packaged so cute and looked yummy!

Whatever

Many of the tables at the rodeo were decorated with these mason jars and flowers.  Looks simple, but adds so much!  I should do this for my own table at home!

There is so much to be thankful for this week! This past week was filled with rodeo details, and most other things were pushed aside for the time being...
Gifts 464-477

The rodeo was a success
much help and support
many attendees--over 1000
Much generosity--over $50,000
Rain held off--it rained all around the ranch, but not at the ranch
Many donors gave many gifts to auction off
Free babysitters
Hannah going with grandparents to horse show
Little boy who loves to throw sand
cold water on a hot day
Baked potatoes in my fridge
Free unity tickets to use with my family and friends
Cooler weather
Cousins & campouts & picnics & pools

I Have to seek God Beauty

"I have to seek God beauty.

 Because isn't my internal circuitry wired to seek out something worthy of worship?  

Every moment I live, I live bowed to something.  

And if I don't see God, I'll bow down before something else."  

Ann Voskamp

Before and After Photos

These sunset pictures were taken on our 11th anniversary date this weekend.  We had dinner out and then walked the pier to the beach and watched the sunset over Lake Michigan.  It seemed all the tourists made the evening trek out, something like a ritual, a worship of the sun-god.  What I witnessed, though, brought me to worship before the Son.  What a witness of God's glory!

We had a great time watching this sailboat get closer and closer, until the sun went down and all that was left was the sailboat on the horizon.

Walk on a Empty Street

We drove the big, black truck down an old railroad bed.  Sorry it's blurry.  I used the automatic timer and since the camera kept wanting to flash, I turned it off.  Because we were moving, it turned out blurry.

Repeating pattern

Fingertips

Me and my sweetie holding hands, waiting for dinner...afterwards, wished we had gone somewhere else.

Floor

I've still been counting the gifts from the Great Giver, but haven't been posting them here.  I'll just post this past week's list: #450-459

11 years ago today, I married the love of my life

Air conditioning

Random yard sale finds, like Pie Tins for the Rodeo for Ryan

Colaboration of friends and Christ followers produces God-Sized results

God is King and He is Glory and All creation Speaks his name.  Let me have ears to hear.

Using my gifts for Him.

Great novels that help me understand humanity better

Flower gardens

Fresh picked cucumbers

Lazy summer days