Seeking Beauty in...Creation

Happy Friday!  Here are some beautiful images and words to kick your day off right.  Enjoy!

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. ~Psalm 19:1

In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.  The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. ~Psalm 95:4-5

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?  Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? ~Isaiah 40:12-13

You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you. ~Nehemiah 9:6

See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  ~Matthew 6:28-29

Seeking Beauty...Injured on the Sidelines

Y'all.  I've been sitting on my couch for almost a week now, with this thrown-out back, fretting over my inability to do anything.  I mean, I can barely put on my own pants so driving, cleaning, cooking, caring for my people and animals are all too difficult right now.  And I admit I really hate this, this powerlessness.  It's hard doing life from the sidelines.

I had a post in mind, about the ways I am coping, about leaning into God and finding small moments of joy and beauty. Then, yesterday, I was just a wreck.  I'm talking: writhing around in agony for hours, unable to get comfortable.  Delirium induced by muscle relaxers that apparently I need in order to interrupt this pain.  It seemed ridiculous to me in those moments that I could provide any kind of inspiration to anyone dealing with pain.

Intense pain makes you tiny, focused only on taking the next breath, on survival.  I totally get that.

But then...this morning...outside my window a little woodpecker comes back to the tree he visits every morning.  He hops around out there hunting for his breakfast, sun gleaming off his bright red head. He is beautiful, and his little routines make me wonder and give me joy.  And I would never have noticed him without this time on the couch.

How in the world can a woodpecker help me survive throwing my back out?  I have no idea.  Only that seeing him out there is so reassuring.  I even hobbled over to take a blurry picture with my phone, it just seemed that important.

Meet my dear friend Woody.

And it just seemed important that my morning visitor can bring me joy, oblivious though he is to me. It seemed important that I am still able to look outward, to observe something, however tiny, in God's creation, to just appreciate Him and the way He blesses us through the beauty of our natural world.

Seeing the blessings when life has me sidelined, it's the only thing that makes this painful time worth it.  It's been a great reminder for me to "give thanks in all circumstances," as we are instructed in 1 Thessalonians 5:18.  In my Bible Study this past week the reading asked, "Do you trust God with the suffering he has entrusted to you?"  What a crazy difficult concept, to be entrusted with suffering. For me, I guess it means letting nothing be wasted.  So while I'm writhing around in pain and needing rest, I'm praying:

God, thank you for that little woodpecker.  Thank you for reminding me of the beauty of your creation when all I can see is myself.  I pray that you would not allow this time to be wasted, but that you would turn it into a renewed heart for you, and a new appreciation for the beauty all around me...in your creation, in my home and people, and in your plans for me. Amen.

Laid Up

Happy Monday!  Well, if you follow me on Instagram or Facebook you know that I've been spending most of the last two days in the couch with a pulled muscle.  Considering that I had planned on painting walls all weekend, that's a massive bummer.

But...it has been a blessing to be forced to work on a couple of side projects.

And...I've had these guys keeping me company:

Angus the Energetic

All my Boys

So it's not all bad.  Hope your week is off to a great start!

Deal Alert! Lego Gift With Purchase

This post may contain affiliate links, but all opinions are 100% mine.  For more information, please visit my Disclosures page.

Hey friends!  Just checking in real quick today to let you know Lego is running an awesome promotion--it's a FREE LEGO® NEXO KNIGHTS Robin's Mini Fortrex with purchases of $50 or more!



My son recently discovered the Nexo Knights line of Legos and loves them.  For proof you need look no further than my kitchen table, where some Nexo Knights are currently involved in a complicated battle with a spaceship:

Apparently even Nexo Knights should love their enemies, lol.

Actually, I really like the Nexo Knights series too.  They are cleverly designed and seem sturdier than some of the other Lego sets we've amassed (won't mention any names except for Kai, Cole, Jay and Zane).

Anyway, if you are looking for a great gift idea for any Lego-loving child out there, click through and check it out.  If you're not in the market for Nexo Knights, I just found this cute little fella and I know my boys would love him for Valentine's Day:

Happy Shopping!

My Moody Foyer

Do you love the look of all light, white, misty interiors?  I do.  It is so photogenic, so pleasing to the eye, and someday I may live in a space like that.  But for right now, as much as I love it, it isn't always "me."

For now, "me" is a little bit moody.  And also so is my decorating style, ha!  Meet my moody foyer:

I love the way that the white provides a nice canvas for my equally moody oil painting:

And some family pictures:

One of the things that makes this work for me is the sheen of the darker paint; it is a slightly reflective satin, so even a color this dark bounces light around rather than sucks it up.  You can kind of see the sheen here:

I painted the foyer about a year and a half ago, but I don't think I ever showed you.  I wanted to live with it first.  The longer I do, the more I love it.  It soothes me to walk through this space, and I love the drama of it as people enter my home.

So what about you?  Are you light and airy?  Or dark and moody?  Or can you be both?

P.S. Lovin' the Linky's at Less Than Perfect Life of Bliss

Colors:

Trim: White Dove by Benjamin Moore

Upper wall: White Dove by Benjamin Moore, color matched by Sherwin-Williams

Lower wall: Sealskin by Sherwin-Williams in Satin Finish

Sweet Crafted Mantel for Valentine's Day

This post may contain affiliate links, but all opinions are 100% mine.  For more information, please see my Disclosures page.

Well, a new day has dawned in my house.  A sweet pink and gold mantel for Valentine's Day.  Never thought the day would come.  As a boy mom, pink is definitely the least loved color in my house (I'm not even a huge fan!), but this year I was in the mood.

I whipped up the pink and gold glitter artwork using Double Sided Adhesive and my Silhouette.  The candle holder was a DIY project for Christmas, knocking off a look from Restoration Hardware.

I also used my Silhouette to cut gold paper into circles and make these sweet, simple little garlands.  I love them up there along with my chalkboard pennant banner.

The pink flowers I had on hand, just arranged them in a little pitcher.

The arrow is just spray-painted chipboard.  I've decided I absolutely love Rustoleum's gold spray paint.
 It is the best gold color in spray paints out there.  The Hubs asked, "why is there a directional arrow on the mantel?"  Men.  Wondering how it's propped up?

Here's the long view:

Uh, let's try that again:

The verdict from the boys?  Biggest said, "I love it!" and Little Boo called it "awesome."  Huh. I guess pink isn't so bad after all!

 
P.S. Lovin' the Linky's at:

Chic on a Shoestring

Pretty Handy Girl
The Melrose Family

Gallery Wall Alternatives

This post may contain affiliate links, but all opinions are 100% mine.  For more information, please visit my Disclosures page.

Y'all know I love a good gallery wall.  My homes have sported several over the years, including currently in our kitchen and music room.  I loved this one in our old house:

Music Room Gallery Wall

Yet, lately.  My mood has shifted away from busy.  I love simple, dramatic accents and put-together spaces.  So here's some non-gallery accent wall inspiration for you to feast your eyes on.

Large Statement Artwork:

Perhaps the most obvious...but always a classic.

Photo: Apartment Therapy

Photo: Wisteria

(Pssst...for beautiful, original artwork like these, take a look at the art marketplace over at Minted!)

Stencils: 

They add texture and interest and the sky is the limit as far as design choices.

Photo: Cutting Edge Stencils

Photo: Kristen F. Davis Designs

Wallpaper:

We all know it's not your mama's wallpaper anymore.  How about these options?

Photo: Murals Wallpaper

Photo: Dwell

Hand-Drawn Murals:

So good for you DIY-ers out there.

Photo: A Beautiful Mess

Photo: gracelaced

Collections:

Purchased, collected over time, or rescued from the waste basket.

Photo: Ikea

Photo: focuslineart

How would you work one of these ideas into your home?   Me?  I kinda want to do them all.