A Fresh Coat of Paint

Our house has been in need of a fresh coat of paint for a long time... years to be exact. Most of us were rather tired of the boring, dingy gray it has been for so long. Ruth and Sam decided we needed something bright and fresh... and experimented with changing the house colors on a computer program. They finally even sold Mom and Dad on his choice of color - Silver Moss, with white accents.

And while I was gone for a few days this week (hosting a doula workshop) the family decided it was time to spruce things up. I came back home to a newly painted house!

Sam on the front porch roof - painting the trim.

Ruth touching up the window frames.

* * * *

We no longer have any family members who are younger than 13, but that certainly doesn't mean that the house is empty of little ones. Quite the contrary. There are almost always at least 1 or 2 babies or toddlers around, and frequently an assortment of other children. Thus, we had a lot of little helpers on painting day.

Gwen and Elisebeth - two little girls who wanted to help

Liz helps Thor paint the side of the porch.

And the girls hung up Maddox's swing in the nearby tree so he could watch, too.
We have him at our house on weekday mornings...

Jemima's Finished Painting

Jemima finished her oil painting the other day. Now she's on to the fun -- printing copies of it, and then matting and framing the original as a gift to our grandma! It's fun having a sister with the artistic talents of Jemima. For, though it hasn't rubbed off on me, there's always something new on the easel to ooh and aah over. (Or even to critique, when I insist that the little boy's nose is too fat or the grandfather's arm looks too stiff!)

The love of God is greater far

Than tongue or pen can ever tell,

It goes beyond the highest star

And reaches to the lowest hell;

The guilty pair, bowed down with care,

God gave His son to win:

His erring child He reconciled

And pardoned from his sin.



Could we with ink the ocean fill

And were the skies with parchment made,

Were every stalk on earth a quill

And every man a scribe by trade,

To write the love of God above

Would drain the ocean dry,

Nor could the scroll contain the whole

Tho stretched from sky to sky.



O love of God, how rich and pure!

How measureless and strong!

It shall forevermore endure --

The saints and angels song.


Frederick M. Lehman

Jemima Creations

Jemima (affectionately called her childhood nickname of "Mice" most of the time) is always creating something... whether it's dinner, a story, a portrait, or a new decorating theme... We all wonder what we will ever do if she doesn't live at home forever to keep us inspired!
Here she has found a quiet place to think and journal - on top of our stack of hay bales.

Her latest project is this oil painting of a little girl at the ocean. This photo shows it only half finished... it will look much better when she's done adding all the details!