Hey, It's Okay Tuesday!

I got this idea from Glamour magazine. They have a section called Hey, It’s Okay and will list a bunch of things to be okay about. You're welcome to join in and do something like this on your diary. Doesn't have to be on a Tuesday either.

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To have not woken up at the crack of dawn on Christmas. I taught my kids early on that I am NOT a morning person. So we opened gifts at the respectable time of 830.


To be a little weirded out that Hugh Hefner is engaged to his girlfriend. Isn’t he 100? Oh well, at least he’s more attractive than Larry King.


To love sipping Ginger Ale while flying. It helps calm my nerves a bit.


To have finally discovered Angry Birds. I had heard about it forever and decided, okay, the game is only .99 cents so why not? I’m not very good though.


To not really give a crap that Oprah Winfrey has her own network.


To think the show Brothers & Sisters is hilarious. Makes me wish I had siblings.


To have downloaded Oregon Trail on my iPod Touch. I’m a little surprised that I haven’t died of dysentery yet.


To be proud that I managed to get all my Christmas decorations down and put away.


To have been a little confused when they showed how to make a healthy Thanksgiving meal on The Biggest Loser last night. It’s Thanksgiving. It’s not MEANT to be healthy.


To be ready for the Valentine’s Day chocolates.

Paintings John Hesselius

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In Philadelphia, Swedish painter Gustavus Hesselius (1682-1755) had a son John in 1728, who lived and worked in Pennsylvania, Maryland, & Virginia for 50 years. Gustavus taught his son John Hesselius (1728-1778) to paint; but their styles were different, & his more colorful son was quite successful securing commissions to paint flattering portraits of gentry women & their children.1760 John Hesselius (1728-1778). Mrs. Richard Brown
In addition to the instruction from his father, John Hesselius probably was influenced by the work of the elegant Robert Feke (1707-1751) in Philadelphia as well. Later John moved to Maryland, where he came in contact with the rococo work of Englishman John Wollaston (1710-1775), who seemed to have an additional affect on his painting style.
1760s John Hesselius (1728-1778). Jean Dick (Mrs. Anthony Stewart)
When John Hesselius turned 35 in 1763, he courted & married a well-to-do, young widow, Mary Woodward, daughter of wealthy Colonel Richard Young, in Annapolis, Maryland. He spent the remaining years of his life as a leisurely country gentleman on her estate "Bellefield," meeting the local gentry a& gaining many lucrative commissions in both Maryland and Virginia. In Annapolis, he also met & became Charles Willson Peale's (1741-1827) first painting instructor. Charles Willson Peale would have no trouble attracting women to sit for his portraits.

1750 John Hesselius (1728-1778). Millicent Conway Gordon.

1757 John Hesselius (1728-1778). Mrs. Matthew Tiglman Anna Lloyd & dau Anna Maria.
1760 John Hesselius (1728-1778). Mrs. William Carmichael.
1760 John Hesselius (1728-1778). Anna Dorthea Finney 1735-1817.
1760 John Hesselius (1728-1778). Mrs Middleton.
1762 John Hesselius (1728-1778). Elizabeth Chew Smith

1763 John Hesselius (1728-1778). Rebecca Holdsworth and grandaughter Rebecca Woodward.

1764 John Hesselius (1728-1778). Ann Bond (Mrs. Edward Fell).

1764 John Hesselius (1728-1778). Elizabeth Galloway (Mrs Thomas Sprigg).

1764 John Hesselius (1728-1778). Mrs. Richard Galloway.

1765 John Hesselius (1728-1778). Margaret Tilghman Carroll Mrs Charles Carroll the Barrister.

1765 John Hesselius (1728-1778). Sarah Taliaferro (Mrs. William Dainerfield).

1770 John Hesselius (1728-1778). Susannah Rose (Mrs. Gavin Lawson)
1771 John Hesselius (1728-1778). Ann Fitzhugh Rose..

Are My Priorities Right?

I read a story this week and it made me wonder about my personal priorities and are they right.  The story is about a reporter covering a coal-mine disaster who wrote a story that began: “God looked at the grief today in this little West Virginia mining town, and He wept.” The city editor emailed back: “Forget the mine cave-in. Interview God.”  You know getting to know God in a personal way should be our greatest priority in life. If we plan on spending eternity with Him then it seems like a good idea to get acquainted with Him now. And it may be later than we think.  So I decided to make that my New Years Resolution.  I vowed to spend more time in the Word and with Him.  One of my favorite musicians is Quincy Jones.  This man is phenomenal.  He played the French Horn by age 12. By the time he was 15 he was playing professionally with some of the top jazz musicians of the day. He became the first black musician to break the Hollywood color barrier as a composer. He’s best known as the composer of the score for The Color Purple.  It sounds like he had it all....but he didn't....life  hasn’t come easy for this amazing musician.  Griefus, Quincy Jones has been married three times, survived two brain surgeries, and endured a complete emotional breakdown. Many years ago he faced surgery for an aneurysm that threatened to kill him. The doctors told him that his chances of recovery were 100 to 1. Miraculously, he survived.  A reporter asked Jones, "What did you start doing differently after your operation?" I love Jones reply....he simply said, "The first thing I started doing was hugging a lot. When you get to be 50, you start dealing with the countdown, and you can deal with it in a positive or a negative way. I [see] this little life to be this great gift. You know that old cliché about your life passing in front of you? Well, it really does."  I don’t know if Quincy Jones is a Christian or not, but hugging others isn’t a bad priority, that is, with the right motive. And certainly realizing how quickly life goes by is a good priority to have. We are, in a sense, here today and gone tomorrow. WE MUST HAVE OUR PRIORITIES RIGHT.  So let me ask you.....what are your priorities in life? And what are your priorities for any given day? What’s your first order of business besides getting out of bed and cleaning up your body? Coffee? Breakfast? Read the paper? TV news? Or pray and read scripture or a devotional book? I have an hour drive from Rock Mills to Alex City...and that is my time to spend with the Lord...and I love it.  It is so refreshing to plot out my day with him on the trip to Alex City and it is regenerating to unload my day with him on the trip back.  Today is January 3rd and I want to challenge you all to review your own priorities and decide just what is important in your life...and put it at the top of the list.  Happy Monday!

The Car Tantrum

I turned the key and....

....nothing.

The car did nothing.

Um.

I may not know a lot about cars, but I do know that something is supposed to happen when you turn the key.

I chewed my lower lip as I gripped the wheel. The wind outside was ridiculous and the car rocked a bit as it brushed against the car.

It was cold out.

Really cold.

Like negative temperatures cold.

The only reason why I was even out was to drive to my friend Amanda’s house to celebrate New Years.

Only the car wouldn’t start.

I turned the key again and the dashboard went crazy. All the warning signals popped on.

“What does this mean?” I wailed dramatically. I hate when things don’t work properly.

“Is it broken?” Tommy asked from the backseat. “Maybe it’s the battery.”

Oh God. What if it was the battery? What if it died? But how? I didn’t leave anything on in the car. It couldn’t be dead. It just couldn’t. I had places to be, dammit, and my car was still relatively new.

I have a 2010 Honda Insight, a hybrid, and I expect good things from a hybrid. I expect hybrids to TURN ON when you want them to.

“I’d expect this sort of thing from an old car but you are still new so stop it,” I said. To the car. Even though it’s, you know, not alive.

I tried to turn it on again.

Nothing.

“Mommy? I’m cold,” Natalie complained. She had on a heavy coat, hat and mittens but it didn’t matter.

And I didn’t blame her.

It was cold out.

“Stupid car,” I grumbled and we all went back in the house. My friend Amanda just picked us up and we still managed to have a fun get together.

On Saturday I tried the car again. Maybe it was a fluke on Friday night.

But…

…nope. Still nothing.

I smacked the wheel. “What is the matter with you?” I griped. “I don’t speak car, I can’t help!”

I rested my forehead on the wheel. My hair fell down around me. I was not in the mood for this. Everything seemed to be breaking around me ever since Tom left for Korea. It was like the world was testing me, seeing if I was strong enough to handle everything.

“I am strong enough,” I muttered. Great. I was talking to myself. A lot. And speaking to inanimate objects. This probably meant I needed psychological help.

I popped open the hood. I figured I’d have a look see. I got out of the car, bracing myself against the cold. It wasn’t as bad as Friday, but still pretty chilly.

I peered into the hood, stroking my chin as though I knew exactly what I was looking at.

So…that thing with the wires hanging from it…the engine right? Or the battery? Wait. What was that thing? And…oh, THERE was where I put the windshield wiper fluid.

What was I even looking for? Something that said, “I’m causing the problem? Help?”

“Everything looks okay,” I said, peering closer. It was like some bizarre maze in the hood of my car. One that I’d never, ever figure out.

I shut the hood.

“Well,” I said. “I guess I’ll try again tomorrow.”

Sunday rolled around.

I gripped the keys in my hand. The car and I had a stare down like we were in the Old West.

“You had your fun. Now it’s time to start. I have places to be next week and don’t have time for car tantrums.” I envisioned myself walking into the service section of the Honda dealership going, “I need help. My car is having a tantrum.”

I slid in front of the wheel. I stuck the key in the ignition.

I took a deep breath.

I turned the key.

And...

....the car rumbled back to life as if nothing were ever wrong.

I mean, what a bitch!

I let it run for a few minutes. Then I turned it off. Then I put it back on, just in case it was teasing me.

And it still worked!

I’m guessing it didn’t like the really cold temperatures?

But we’re in Wyoming, it’s going to HAVE to get used to the really cold temperatures.

I’m going to call the Honda dealership and will have them look at the car, just in case.

I don’t have the patience for car tantrums, after all.

Paintings Gustavus Hesselius

.There seem to be few portraits of women before 1730 from the Pennsylvania and Maryland area. Maryland did have Justus Engelhardt Kuhn, who flourished there from 1707 to 1717, but painted mostly the children of the gentry with fantastic formal European gardens as background. Some have suggested that these settings allude to their Catholic faith.
1712-14 Gustavus Hesselius (1682-1755). Christina Stalcop.
But Philadelphia had an artist in residence from about 1713 to mid-century. Swede Gustavus Hesselius (1682-1755) moved from Wilmington, Delaware, where his brother Andreas was minister at the Old Swedes Church, to Philadelphia after immigrating in 1711. He spent a few years in Prince George's County, Maryland, but then returned to Philadelphia, where he lived until he died.
1717 Gustavus Hesselius (1682-1755). Mary Darnall (1678-1742) Mrs. Charles Carroll (1660-1720).
There, the very traditional baroque portrait painter advertised that he could paint, "Coats of Arms ...Ornaments, Landskips, Signs...Ship and House Painting, Gilding..." and even clean and repair old paintings.
Gentlemen living in Philadelphia did not mind his dark palette & stiff style, which somehow fit into the somber & plain facade of their Quaker influenced society. Pennsylvania men sat to have their portraits rendered by Hesselius. But women felt differently.
1742 Gustavus Hesselius (1672-1755) Mrs. Gustavus Brown
Philadelphia Quaker James Logan wrote to his brother in England who desired paintings of Logan's Pennsylvania family, "We have a Swedish painter here, no bad hand, who generally does Justice to the men...but is remarked for never having done any to ye fair sex, and therefore very few care to sit to him nothing on earth could prevail with my spouse to sit at all...".

Project 365 - Week 1

I have a new passion and it comes from it comes from Sara over at Make Music From Your Heart To The Lord  called Project 365.  I am so excited.  This project involves taking pictures and you all know I love doing that....you take one or more a day and then on Sunday post your weeks worth of pictures for an entire year!  Well....Ole Have Camera Will Travel Here has been on a tear this week.  I have been snapping pictures like mad and loving every minute of it!  I hope you will visit me every Sunday and see what I have been up to during the week.  Here goes this week and I hope you enjoy them.

Sunday

Normally my Sunday would have been about something we did at church.....but it snowed here and we have a number of people who would have had trouble getting to church....so we called it off.  The funny thing is that my cherished hubby, Frank, did not have to preach.....but I went to Wedowee First - 13 miles north...and filled the pulpit for two sermons.  This was a busy day and we had a lot to do to get ready for Winter Xtreme....one of those things was to take our boy, Beau (the doxie) to Marian's.  On the way there I noticed a cemetary that was covered in snow and Silent Night came to mind....the line, "Sleep in heavenly peace" kept racing through my mind so on the way back I asked Frank to stop so I could take a picture.

Monday

Monday morning we got up bright and early and headed to Gatlinburg and Winter Xtreme.  We took seven of our youth and although the hour was early....we were all excited to go.  One of the first things we saw in Gatlinburg was the sun finally peaking out from behind the clouds and showing off the snow covering on the trees.  It was such a God moment and absolutely breathtaking.

Tuesday

Tuesday in Gatlinburg was a day filled with God and ice.  The sidewalks were so slick and people were falling down everywhere.  I am such a klutz and really nervous about walking on ice so I found areas with no ice only snow.  Inside the Village Shopping Area in downtown Gatlinburg I saw a beautiful frozen fountain and could not resist adding it to my picture collection.

Wednesday

On Wednesday we wrapped up Winter Xtreme and headed back to Alabama.  There was STILL snow on the ground and ice on the roads.  As we approached this tunnel I had a feeling of what Winter Xtreme had been about.....I came from the darkness into the light!  I love tunnel pictures.  There is something about seeing from one end to the other.  It reminds me of the Third Day Song about "there's a light at the end of this tunnel....for you....for you." and I so agree....every time I have been at the end...I have seen the Light!

Thursday

Thursday we did things around the house because we had to go to a viewing in Montgomery in the afternoon.  We were planning to leave early enough to see my mom before going.  The distance from here to Montgomery via Auburn....or via Alex City is only a few miles and minutes.  It is nearly 2 hours both ways.  Frank worked diligently on the doll house while I did laundry and straightened up from where we had come in the night before and just dumped our belongings anywhere.  It was good to be home.

Friday

Friday was going to be a busy day.  For the past few years I have had a booth at Longleaf Antique Mall in Alex City with my friend, Mary.  Since I have moved to Roanoke it has just become a hassle to work it like it needs to be worked so I decided to drop this activity.  Since Friday was New Years Eve and the store would be closed on Saturday we had to go and get our stuff early.  We spent a little over an hour packing up my things and getting them loaded in the car and then we went searching for a barstool/higher chair for Frank.  He has been working on the doll house using a table chair and it is not high enough...so he has been standing and it has been killing his back.  We walked around Longleaf and found several stools in varying heights and sizes, padded and not padded, and then we rounded a corner and there it was, the perfect chair.

Saturday

On Saturday, New Years Day, we went to the church and got the sign changed and the bulletins printed.  We came home and Frank watched football and worked on the doll house in his new chair.  I took Christmas down.  Frank and I hauled all the tubs into the house and I took each room apart one at a time.  After I finished Frank repacked the storage room and I took the dining room table a part, vacuumed the rooms, and rolled my Santa rug....it was done!  I love decorating....and I am glad when it is put away.

The church sign picture is really the very first picture I took in 2011.  The ones from Sunday through Friday are actually 2010 pictures.....so let the photo shoots begin.  I am looking forward to linking up with the others and checking out their photos.  Happy Photographing!

Another Auld Lang Syne!

Today is the first day of the rest of this year and means I have two more days of vacation left before going back to school on Monday.....sigh!  I have had a blast during my holiday....we went to Knoxville, participated in a sweet little wedding, went to Gatlinburg with our youth.....and today I am going to remove all traces of Christmas from my house.....at least that is the plan.  Frank will be holed up watching football and I am going to just get my house in order before I go back to work.  I make resolutions every year....and usually have broken them before January 2nd.  I am like many of you and vow to exercise more, lose weight, be less busy...you know the routine....but this year is a wee bit different....I am making a resolution I plan to keep.  My resolution this year is to read my bible everyday and spend time with the Lord in prayer.  Simple plan and the cool thing about it is that even if I miss a day....I don't have to feel like a failure....I can just start again.  I think God will be delighted to see me no matter what!  I am wishing for you all this year the love of family and friends, good health, food to eat, somewhere to warm yourselves, and peace(world and in your own heart).  Have a wonderful New Year and a Blessed 2011.  I am leaving you with my favorite Auld Lang Syne song, "Same Auld Lang Syne" by Dan Fogelburg.