You may or may not realize this about me, but.... I enjoy apples... obsessively. They are my essentials and I would praise you forever if you were to hand me a crisp, cool apple anytime of the year. Literally, one time, after coming home from college one weekend and having a really rough experience, my mother presented me with a fruit basket, filled with apples, pineapples, and fresh fruit of a-plenty. Love ya mom! :) I ask for apples for my birthday but I don't think anyone takes me seriously when I say that. I don't think they understand how much I love apples! Needless to say, they are delicious and filling- my healthy and guilty pleasure. This is one of my super foods that help me to get through my day, and I love how they are so easy to take around. They are certainly a food that influences my life a lot, and maybe that's a bad thing, but for an artist, whatever is influencing their lives the most, they paint. Any other artists out there agree? After finishing this piece above, I have been digging to figure out what I should paint next. I do have other projects going on at the moment as well but.... the apples keep calling back to me. I loved the fun colors I used for the gala apples I painted, and I keep wanting to do another piece of fruit, maybe watermelon (or any other fruit that I have in my kitchen for that matter...) As I was contemplating, during lunch, what I should paint, I picked an apple from my crisper, and put it on my blue plate, and noticed what a beautiful color combination it was. I quickly grabbed my camera to capture such a beautiful sight (here I am, talking about how food is beautiful- which doggone it IT IS BEAUTIFUL!) and quickly snapped some pictures of the apple before I ate it (because I was very impatient and yes very hungry) So the question is, what composition should I do my next apple piece? Want to help me? Below are the picture compositions I would do for my apple piece, then sketch it out and paint it. I m curious to see what others think about the compositions. Any suggestions? Any tips you want to offer? Please speak up! Thanks for helping out this apple-obsessed artist. Man... I need to get a life! The survey button is after the photos! Thanks again! one. two. three. four. five.
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Afternoon! And what an afternoon it is! Let me tell you, being in a car for 14+ hours can make you go nuts- no, INSANE. Just this past weekend, my little family drove together- 14 hours there and 14 hours back- to Albuquerque, New Mexico for a wedding (true love right), and what a blast it was! Seriously, it was the highlight of this summer thus far! Although I did discover a few things: 1- I shall never live in New Mexico. Multiple reasons why. Don't hate on me if you are there now! It's a diamond in the rough! Just... it's hard to find that diamond.... 2- Grateful for our new car and Air Conditioning 3- 5 Hour Energy Shots work for 5 minutes You can imagine what me and my husband were thinking when we drove up to our house. "I better not see the interior of this car for another 12 years!" Ha... then I had to drive to the store this morning... But yesterday, after unloading, we looked at each other and said, "I wanna work out!" I feel so lucky to have a husband who has the same desires to work out as I do! How we both love the feeling we have after working out and how it feels so wonderful to have blood flowing! So the first thing I did was strap on my Nike's, buckle wee one in the stroller and hiked up the trails behind the city. But would you just look at that though? It's so awesome here, with the trails! No wonder Montana is known as "The Big Sky" state! I always feel closer to my Maker when I am running outside! It's so refreshing. (More on that topic in another post) Jogging with 'I' is so sweet to me! I bond with her and help her explore and see the world around her, and by doing this, I have noticed how much she absolutely enjoys the outdoors! She jumps in my arms whenever I head towards the door outside and it warms my heart as well! I am always thinking, though, about my influence of running I would have on 'I'. Running is a definite for me when it comes to staying healthy, but I hope she grows to and come to learn what will make her happy with staying healthy. I think about her doing all different types of sports when she gets older- rec soccer, volleyball, girl's basketball (maybe follow after her dad in that area), maybe swimming (following after her mommy). Being an influence of good and good habits start from the beginning. To quote LDS leader Elder Bradley D. Foster, "I know I can’t turn back time, but this I now know—that it’s never too early and it’s never too late to lead, guide, and walk beside our children, because families are forever. (October General Conference, 2015)" I know this applies to parents in a spiritual manner, but I apply it now as a habitual matter of physical habits. Our bodies are temples, and it houses our spirits, and as long as we remember to take care of our temples, we will experience a degree of happiness that helps us feel inspired to do good, and to follow Christ. As I strive my best to teach by active example, I know that my daughter will learn from action.
Now with this being said, I also have a fear of my habit of trying to be healthy scar my daughter. Depression on self image is a huge thing I am scared of, and pray she never experiences. So finding a happy medium is what I am trying to look for for her to grow up in. Even if 'I' ends up not being physically active, what matters most is that she knows how much she is loved. The moments I spent with here are the fondest in the world, as I watch her eyes sparkle and cogs whirl in her head. I love it when she chirps and says a little coo, pointing to a dog crossing paths or pointing at the beautiful birds that take flight from the ground. I hope she knows my love for her as much as I do when I spend my jogging workout with her. Mommy's out there, do you go jogging with your little girl/boy? What are your routes? And do you even add some 'sumpin sumpin' to your running workout? I would love to hear! Cheers to being a mommy! And cheers for being out of a car! Stay Peachy, GO It's a beautiful summer day here in Montana, and apparently Google is saying it's 'officially' summer so. Happy First Day of Summer everyone! May the rest of these days be filled with sweet watermelon and beloved summer nights! (Hint hint... new piece idea... thinking of that crisp, juicy watermelon has me going ditzy for a summer piece! Watermelon? I want to get on it right now! Ideas are flowing! Maybe ideas or even a sketch by the next post?) Summer will always remind me of the most magical summer of all... summer 2014, when the world seemed to sing in my behalf for the chance I had to marry my spectacular husband! *Sigh...* what would I give to swing back to that memorable day. I remember it clearly like it was last week (because honestly, I doesn't feel that clear to me when some say 'I remember it like it was yesterday): Our wedding day was supposed to be the stormiest day of the whole summer. Just the day before, it seemed like the end of the world was upon us, and our poor outside reception area in my parents back yard was being eaten up by the storm. Chris and I were married in the LDS Salt Lake City Temple, where it was miraculous that the storm never caught us while outside. In fact, it was brilliant blue skies the rest of the times we were outside- including our reception! Marriage designed from above? Destiny? I think yes. Since then- and even before then- my husband and I have had a huge love for attending the LDS temples and doing work for our kindred dead. It was the date night every week- the get away that we absolutely waited for weekly. What a blessing it truly was to live in Ephraim, Utah, where the LDS Manti Temple was literally 7 minutes away. (5 minutes if it was me driving!) As this new chapter in our lives became unfolded, however, I realized that one thing that would be sorrowing me while in Montana. The nearest temple is at least 3 hours away. No longer would Chris and I have get-aways for the weekend to ponder on thoughts in reverence and feel the peace of the temple that it always gives- the quick access of doing work for our family members isn't as quick any more. Although we have discovered FamilyHistory.com , Ancestery.com and other branch websites from family history sites, where we could work on our ancestors for records, it isn't the same as attending the beautiful temple, even the House of the Lord. I have wondered how I'm going to handle not having my temple worship as frequent and feeling the joy I feel in the temple in my life as often. Will the business of the world take over and distract me from planning trips with my husband? After all, it is a day trip to attend the temple now. It's a scheduling thing- something that isn't as sporadic as one would be living in Utah where there are 17 (and probably more in the near future). What does one do after being so blessed? Well. When someone gives you a large canvas, for free, you take it. No exceptions. I don't normally make "word art" but for some time, I have had this stretched canvas that had black permanent marker on it (from previous owner), and have desired to do something- something- on it that would be a great gift for my husband and home. It's tacky. It's quick. But it was something that is needed in my home. A temple is literally a house of the Lord, a holy sanctuary in which sacred ceremonies and ordinances of the gospel are performed by and for the living and also in behalf of the dead. A place where the Lord may come, it is the most holy of any place of worship on the earth. Only the home can compare with the temple in sacredness. (Bible Dictionary, Temple) I love this description the Bible Dictionary gives on the Lord's Temples. Particularly the final phrase from this paragraph: "Only the home can compare with the temple in sacredness." This puts a whole new perspective on how I desire to have my home. As I decided to have this as the quote on the canvas, I remembered the talk given by LDS Apostle, Elder Gary E. Stevenson, back in April 2009 General Conference called, "Sacred Homes, Sacred Temples." He said, "There exists a righteous unity between the temple and the home. Understanding the eternal nature of the temple will draw you to your family; understanding the eternal nature of the family will draw you to the temple. President Howard W. Hunter stated, “In the ordinances of the temple, the foundations of the eternal family are sealed in place.” I love to see the temple, and I love more than anything attending the temple. But there is a time nd season for everything- and I am already blessed by the temple because of the distance. I believe distance strengthens the importance and novelty of the opportunities to visit the temple. I can prepare more prayerfully, and be more ready when those days do come. I can visualize what I wish to feel or questions answered, thus having me ready for when personal revelation can come. Those who live far away from temples, what do you do to enjoy the blessings of the temple? Those who don't even know what the heck temples are... why don't you find out! :) Click this hyperlink to learn more and find your nearest temple and get there! Trust me. Walking the grounds brings about a spirit that you cannot feel anywhere in the world. I love you guys so much! I'll be posting real artwork pieces this next post! Stay Peachy! GO |
Gretchen O'NeillFixated About My Husband Archives//
October 2020
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