my [ heart ] is full

my heart is full with happiness.
a few things that made my [heart] smile this week...

- the most unexpected and delicious 6 course meal we made over fire at Mark's farm.
eating with just our fingers, sitting in the dark of the cool fall night with the fire as our only source of light and warmth, surrounded by friends and puppies.

- when I realize my baby (pup) is learning things.  she's now the queen of "sit", "down", and "stay"... sorta.

- seeing a bald eagle flying outside my window as I am writing this... no joke.

- every early morning, with bed head, drool dripping out the corner of my mouth, and my eyes crusted shut because I forgot to take my contacts out (yuck, sorry, too much? ; ) Mark still wakes me up to kiss me goodbye and tell me he loves me when he leaves for work... and I swear he still looks at me like I'm the most beautiful thing he's ever laid his eyes on. 

- sharing in a gorgeous fall wedding this weekend with Mark's family.  fire pits, amazing pulled pork, and sunflowers.

- & boyfriend/dad bonding time.  they are currently out skeet shooting... here's to hoping everyone returns safely ;)

what makes your heart full with happiness?

so not ready for this weekend to be over... 

teaching a "Tasty Art" art class tomorrow for 1-3 graders, eek!  

Experimenting with a lot of (hopefully) fun food projects,

I'll try to get some good pictures!

Life [ Update ]

well, this past week has been a doozy.  i'm not even sure where to begin...
irene came. and went. and left us with a LOT to clean up, and 5 days without power. loads of fun.

as if that wasn't enough, i also became a mommy to the most beautiful little girl, Lena Irene :)

i have been wanting a dog for soo long. i even moved off campus last year, just in the hopes to get a pup.  but the timing was never right.  finally, with school behind us, mark working at a very dog-friendly organic farm, and me staying home more often to paint, we were ready to become parents :)

i had a mild obsession with PetFinder.com, and after searching for weeks for the perfect dog, we found her... 

i am such the proud mama, and i really think she might be the smartest pup ever.  in just a week she is already housebroken, BRILLIANT i tell ya'!

she's trouble, rolled into the cutest little package.  it's so hard to get mad at her... even when she is killing my power cord to my brand new computer, or eating the bottom of our sofa, or relentlessly crying the ENTIRE night, or...  believe me, i could go on...

but it really doesn't matter.  because she is ours, and she's perfect :)

our first day, picking her up at the rescue.

 her first trip to our beach :)

so needless to say between nearly a week of no power, and the newest addition to our family, i have gotten very little painting done.  i will now be launching our Etsy September 8th, instead of the original date of September 1st.  it just wasn't going to happen... but i'm finally getting back on track, appreciating every free moment and pup nap time, and i'm more than ever excited to share with you my work.

we are also now on facebook! i hope you will "like" me!

[ Life ] Updates

Blog posts from here on out may be a little delayed... I've officially entered real life, which means real bills, and to cut costs my boyfriend and I have decided to go without internet and tv for a little while.

I think (hope) we will cave with the internet soon, but we are in the middle of no where so our only option is really expensive Verizon Wi-Fi.  In the meantime, I'll try to do my best with the library and taking advantage of cafes with free internet.

As weird as it is being so disconnected from technology, it's been really refreshing.  I challenge all of you to do it!  I've become very good friends with our radio :)   My boyfriend and I are currently in the poor, yet romantically adorable newlywed phase (minus the wed part) where we are finding everything as an exciting adventure.  It'll be interesting to see how long it takes for it's charm to wear off...

I've been taking lots of photos, and improving on my photography skills (I think) so I'm excited to update you guys soon enough!  Until then, stay cool in this heat and try, too, to find the charm in the chaos of life :)

Six Confessions

I was inspired to do this by Katie... 

Who am I?

(in six confessions)

1.  I'm mildy obsessed to vinegar.  Apple Cider is my favorite.  Not sure exactly when/how my love affair began, but is it possible to have a condiment as your favorite food?  My favorite is to soak deliciously sweet, freshly picked MD crab meat in it.  Oh yummm.... is it summer yet??


2.  My guilty pleasure that I'm most embarrassed by is my addiction to reality tv.  Jersey Shore... Teen Mom... any Real Housewives.  It's ridiculous, and awful, but also shamefully fascinating.


3.  My life's goal is to become a morning person.


4.  My other goal is be able to return to the Ghanaian orphanage I spent my past summer working in.  I miss those beautiful babies so, I'm tearing up just thinking about them.  One day I want to have a house full of adopted children. 


5.  When I'm not painting fabric for Amaryllis Truth, I'm an art student in my last semester of school.  I focus on portraiture.  I love home decor, but I equally love the challenge of recreating a person, a moment, a soul.


6. I'm desperately scared of change.  Yet, equally excited for what the future brings... if I can get out of my own way and let good things happen.

What are your six confessions?