Are You A List Maker?

There are many changes coming in our home, and the first is for our girl, Brenna.

 It's the last walk to this bus and all that she knows in a daily routine.

I wonder what the next season of walking out the door will bring...

Right now, this just lands me smack in the middle of unknowns, which I don't do very well.

Unknowns do not bring out the best in me.

 Unless I'm on vacation with a big, wide open day that I can fill with whatever. That kind of unknown is o.k.

Thoughts of home in my art journal

I can do lists pretty well, though. 

I like checking things off and lists make me feel secure. Because I'm fairly insecure in certain spots. Because..oh, never mind.

For instance, there is my

 NO MORE List:

No more last month absolute crazy days of school.

NO MORE LUNCH FOOD SMELLS AT 6:00 A.M.

No more alarms.

No more forgotten permission slips.

No more "sore throats" because someone doesn't want to go to the YMCA with her class.

No more IEP's and psychological evaluations to tell us things that are so not helpful about Brenna's progress, or lack thereof as determined by a test she can't complete.

Then there is the Never Ending To-Do List:

Figure out ways to fill 40 (FORTY) hours a week that she would usually be in school/traveling to school.

Look at day programs.

Look at volunteer programs.

Figure out how to build stamina for a job.

Make a schedule every day because Brenna does so much better with a schedule.

Go back to bed.

Walk out the door and pretend we are on vacation every day.

Watch Brenna and take notes on bravery and courage.

Watch Brenna take life on and hope to imitate her.

Explore job options she would like: french fry cutter person at In N Out, pre-school aide, policeman in Texas. 

O.K. maybe not that one so much.... 

This is my best list: 

THINGS TO REMEMBER:

I'm not alone.

 God's desire is for Brenna to live a full life is way bigger than even my desire.

Don't panic.

Doors will open.

The quote from my art journal by Mother Teresa:
"Love begins by taking care of the closest ones-the ones at home"

It's summer vacation. For crying out loud-live like it's summer vacation.

(I could potentially live like it's summer vacation forever.)

 Isaiah 27:3-The verse I read over and over when Brenna was first born:

"I, the LORD watch over it;

I water it continually.

I guard it day and night

so that no one may harm it."

Hope, faith, fear and list making.

What a life!

I'm going to begin a Fun Summer Things To Do List.

How about you? 

linking to 

Paint Party Friday

Art Journaling My Way Through Waco

My name is Lynn, and I am a Fixer Upper Addict.

It's true.

I have watched every episode at least once, if not three times.

I secretly desire to walk up to people and say, "How y'all do'in?" 

Or find a proper place to insert the phrase "All y'all". 

Last week I was able to completely indulge in all things Fixer Upper and took a trip with my eldest sister to see Magnolia Marketplace  in Waco.

(Or, as I liked to say, WWWWWAAAAACCCCCOOOOOOO)

And, as any self respecting artist would do, I threw a bunch of stuff into a bag to journal along the way.

Here are my basics:

Yup.

That was it.

Pretty good for packing the night before we left. 

My handy-dandy pouch that my friend, Wendy taught me to sew.

My trusty white eraser and mechanical pencil for my other addiction-

lettering.

My all time favorite Fudenosuke Brush Pen, Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pen in XS, and a Sharpie.

I wanted to bring my Aqua Markers, but have found that with change in altitude, they tend to gush when you take the lids off. It's bad enough to have that happen in a car, I can't imagine on a packed flight.

My handy-dandy set of Staedtler Micron Pens.

A couple of stamps and an ink pad.

Here's the fun part-

My sister has a new toy.

It's a Polaroid Zip.

You guys.

(Y'all)

So. Much. Fun.

Each night, we printed out photos from our day that we had taken with our IPhones.

The Polaroid Zip has an App you download onto your phone, you load the paper into the Zip and print from your phone. No ink required!!

The best part?

The photos are sticky-backed. 

Is that a term? 

Now, here's the deal.

I brought all the cool stuff to journal with, along with a Moleskin notebook.

Did I use it?

Nope.

Not once.

I was pretty wiped out at the end of each day-it was a whirlwind trip over three days!

When I got home, I gathered all my cute stuff I saved and the photos, unpacked my little art journal bag and have been having fun ever since.

I made a quick journal with a couple of signatures from water color paper instead of the Moleskin.

I decided it would work better with the photo paper and I can add more pages over the summer and make it more of a summer journal. Plus, the heavier paper hides the marker better than Moleskin paper.

I took some torn up canvas from an old painting and added some lettering and stenciling to the front.

 I'm piecing together our trip and adding notes and things I remember.

It's pretty fun to relive the trip like this.

Yes. The Market/Silos/Grounds are beautiful, there were tons of people, it is mass marketed items for the most part, but the displays are stunning (lots of items that Joanna uses in their homes) and the staff is unbelievably friendly and the grounds are a treat to hang out in. In fact, I would say that was my favorite part. I wanted to go back just to sit on a picnic bench, eat more from a food truck and talk to friendly strangers. 

Have you been to Waco? 

Do you watch Fixer Upper?

I bet some of you do....

I read that Magnolia Market gets upwards of 25,000 visitors PER WEEK.

It was pretty cool to be a part of this phenomenon and to see all the amazing things that the Chip and Joanna Gaines are doing for their city.

We packed it in- Austin, all the antique stores in Waco, Common Grounds, Harp Design,  Magnolia Market, driving the neighborhoods, thunderstorms and humidity. 

Worth every minute.

Happy Friday, Y'all.

linking to Paint Party Friday