Painting the Hives

The anticipation of getting our bees is mounting. They are due to arrive this coming weekend, so despite the crazy Northwest weather, I had to get outside in the fresh air and paint the hives. I am glad that it was a fairly clear day out. They look pretty boring without any color.

Here are the Deeps and Supers unpainted

David is still finishing up the lids and bases to the hives, that is why you don't see them in the pictures. But I was able to get the Supers and Deeps painted. So what do you think of the colors I finally chose? I think they will be beautiful in our someday orchard, bordered by luscious lavender bushes. I can almost taste the honey.

Here they are painted.

Bee Keeping and Honey Eating

Oh I can't wait! Bee keeping and honey eating. I have wanted to keep bees for about 5 years but my adventure was always met with apathy from those closest to me. It is hard to pursue a dream if everyone around you is poo-poo-ing it. But, I have finally won over my best friend, my husband. And together we are going to keep these amazing, busy, little creatures.

Just last week we picked up our hive kits and soon we will begin the adventure of building our hives. Our bees are due to arrive around the end of March so we had better get cracking!

I already have a hive design in mind. Now, if they are going to be in our yard they will be wonderful to look at. Our bee keeping teacher just smiles at me every time I tell him that they have to be pretty. I envision copper trim and a tin tile roof with periwinkle blue and cornflower blue paint. When they are done I will post a picture. For now I continue to dream...

For Lent Fasting and Feasting

I created this for my studio

FASTING and Feasting

During Lent and always fast from discontent; feast on gratitude.

Fast from complaining and feast on appreciation.

Fast from bitterness and feast on forgiveness.

Fast from idle gossip and feast on purposeful silence.

Fast from judging others and feast on the Christ within them.

Fast from emphasis on differences and feast on the unity of life.

Fast from apparent darkness and feast on the reality of light.

Fast from thoughts of illness and feast on the healing power of God.

Fast from words that pollute and feast on phrases that uplift.

Fast from anger; feast on patience;

Fast from pessimism: feast on optimism.

Fast from worry; feast on divine order.

Fast from negatives; feast on affirmatives.

Fast from unrelenting pressure; feast on unceasing prayer.

Fast from hostility; feast on nonresistance.

Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion to others.

Fast from personal anxiety; feast on eternal truth.

Fast from thoughts that weaken; feast on promises that inspire.

Fast from shadows of sorrow, feast on the sunlight of serenity.

Fast from discouragement and feast on hope.

Fast from facts that depress and feast on anything that inspires.

Fast from lethargy and feast on enthusiasm.

Fast from suspicion and feast on truth.

Fast from problems that overwhelm us; feast on prayer that gives us the strength to get through.

What will be your fast? What will be your feast?

~Anonymous

Day 3 Joy Dare

3 Lines you overheard that were graces...

You can have the last piece, my daughter says to her younger brother at the breakfast table. That is hard to do when bacon is your favorite.

You are such a good artist. One student to another in my art class during show and share time.

The prayers of my children.

Light that caught you, a reflection that surprised you, a shadow that fell lovely...

This morning as we are driving to co-op. It is misty and the clouds are purple-gray with power and as morning starts to awaken an orange glow penetrates the gloom and rims the clouds with brilliant reds and oranges and all I can manage to utter in awe as we quietly drive is thank you Lord...

Joy Dare Day 2

A gift outside, inside on a plate...

This winter has proven to be a gift outside for me. Here in the Pacific Northwest the long gray days can wear on a girl. But this year God has been so kind and orchestrated many days without rain. Days with blue sky and crisp cold. I will take these even the overcast days with no rain any day of the week. I am so grateful it has allowed me to be outdoors more which is good for my overall peace of mind, health and spirit.

Inside, a gift we have had for many years is our wood stove. It is beautiful. And gives us such a warm cozy feeling. I am always content with the wood stove and a cracking fire inside.

A gift on my plate is nutritional food. I am so grateful to live in a country with so many food sources and options. To be able to provide good wholesome food to my family is a wonderful gift and one I often overlook.

Three Graces from people I love...

Today I was late getting my daughter and friends. They were so gracious even the hostess who had them late was cheerful and gracious to me and my lateness.

My husband is so kind to me. His love language is acts of service and I am so grateful for all the skills and now-how that God has given to him I don't believe I have ever had to call a repair man of any kind to fix things in our home.

The grace of prayer. I have many people in my life who pray for me and my family. Nothing is better than that.

Taking the Joy Dare

Oh dear I am getting a late start... not that unusual. I have decided to use the prompts of Ann Voskamp's Holy Experience Blog. When you visit, scroll down till you see One Thousand Gifts in 2012~ the Joy dare for the month of January. You can print this pdf for yourself and you too can get into a good habit in this new and promising year of 2012. I am going to do 2 a day until I am caught up and on track.

Joy #1:3 things about myself I am grateful for.

• I am a creative thinker. I don't like looking through the same lens as most people. I feel that life should be lived in full color and out loud with lots of laughing, preferably at the beach.

• I am a resolution seeker. It is difficult for me to function in life if a problem is not resolved. I don't sweep things under the carpet easily... now if you were to actually look under my carpets you would find plenty of dust and treasure but that is a different story

• I am an adventure finder. I love to travel and I am always up for a day trip somewhere. It is getting everyone else to board my boat that is the hard part. I don't mind change because I know it is good for me and gets me to grow in other ways, like getting out of my comfort zone and going somewhere new.

Today's Joy #6:One thing in my bag, my fridge, my heart

• I am always trying to dance the dance of the purse. Keeping it functional, with enough room for all I need, when I need it, but then again, not loading it in such a way as to throw out my back. With that said, I have my sons's Hot Wheels car cam-recorder in there because you just never know when I will get the chance to do cool skateboard trick and need to record the bird's eye view of it! See I am already on my way to the Chiropractor...

• Eggs. Colored eggs. Home-raised eggs. We have a flock of 12 girls who have been very good to us. So good, that we have started an egg route in 2021. I now have 4 folks on it.

In my heart...all silliness aside. One thing that has been on my heart is how to navigate parenting high schoolers gracefully. I want to transition into the mentor/encourage-er role and leave the high-alert, duty filled, character training, over-protective, worrier mom behind. I want to let go and enjoy my older kids. Make memories, have adventures, get to know the person emerging. The days of hard-core parenting are fleeting and I am not sure I am acclimating well to the new job description. I am so glad that God's grace is new everyday. And that I don't have to do it alone. He is the greatest parent there is and even knows who and what my children will become. He has plans for them. To prosper them. Plans for their future and their hopes. So what am I all worried about? This promise is for me as well.

Out with the Old and In with the NEW!

Life is full of changes. New year. New Journal. New ways to spend my time.

Things are changing...I am changing, which is a good thing. I am shutting down my website, The Patchwork Heart, Co. at the end of the month. She has been a constant friend and wonderful creative outlet for me through many of my own growing years. Those years where you figure out a bit more about who you are and who you are not.

I feel as if I have come to a place of change. It is a curiosity for me. I often feel in my deep places a sense of unrest without the knowledge of its cure. But over time I see the pattern form and I keep ruminating on it until I am ready to move ahead. Carpe Diem. That day has come.

I want to thank you for your patronage and the years of support and friendship. I can still be found here on my blog and what I have left in product will be sold willy-nilly on Etsy. The final close date for the website will be the end of January. Happy New Year!