Another Perspective of My Gift; Love Comes Softly

Another perspective of my sister's painting. :) It is actually quite large. As I said before, she painted this when she was about 11 or 12 yrs old. My grandmother had purchased all of my sister's paintings back when she was a teen, because so many of them were ocean scenes. She used them to decorate her beach house. When my grandparents sold their beach house many yrs later, she moved all of the paintings to her home. After they both passed away, my sister gifted me with this one, because from a young age I have always admired it! She kept one of her much smaller 1st florals, and all of the ocean scenes. I got the large bright and beautiful one! :) I love it!

One a separate note...Has anyone seen the "Love Comes Softly" series? Michael Landon, Jr. films them. Those movies are BEAUTIFUL! Sometimes I long for this type of simplicity of living! Don't get me wrong, I know they worked so very hard, and had their share of very hard times too. Yet, it just seems like a lovely way to live to me. To live off of the land God gave them. In today's world we worry over things that just don't really matter. Back then, they were concerned most every day with life and death choices...over needful things!

For Christmas, one of our three gifts to Jordan was the 3 pack of the series. She got movies 1-3 which included: Love Comes Softly, Love's Enduring Promise, and Love's Long Journey. She and I watched the 2nd and 3rd last night. We had seen the first one at her nana's house several months ago and she wanted me to see the newer ones with her too.

Oh, we laughed and cried! It reminded me of Little House on the Praire, but much different! I used to watch Little House on the Prairie and The Waltons every week when I was a little girl. :) I always wanted to look like Mary...with the beautiful blue eyes, and beautiful shiny blond hair....but I was the Laura...always feeling ugly, always getting into mischief with my Auburnish dark brown hair and freckles. :P My older sister Beth was always the pretty one in my eyes. She had light brown/blonde hair, and nice skin...and always thin without even trying. :)

If you've seen the Love Comes Softly series, what did you think about them? If you haven't and would like to, you should be able to rent them. Also, Sam's club or Walmart may be selling them right now... we found them at our local Sam's Club. :)

I'm such a lover for these kinds of movies.

It's a Monkey's Business, I Can Hang!

Whooo hooooooo!!!

Talk about small things making people happy. Heeheeeeee!

Ok, we have been renting for the past 2 yrs. At our last rental home of almost 2 yrs, we were not able to hang anything on the walls. We tried to hang some things with command strips....a few stuck pretty good...but have you ever been awakened to a loud THUD! Well, we were when the adhesives would break from the wall. I followed the weight guides and directions. Yet for some reason a few of the adhesives on the larger items would be duds or something.

So we move here to our new apartments a few months ago. Guess what...white walls. UGH! I'm one of these creative types that if I do not get color in my life, I go NUTSO! Like...toward the end of winter...I'm almost in a depression funk from not seeing beautiful green and flowers!

Originally when we looked at the model apt with the "assistant" mgr, she had told us that we could paint, but NO holes...nails...nothing on the walls except command strips. If we painted, we would have to repaint with white primer when we moved. David and I just did not see the sense in spending the extra money to paint. Then have to spend to paint back over when we move.

We resolved to living with white walls cuz hey, it's only for a yr while he does his residency. Yet for me...it is like living in a cave.... That's just me though!

Well, my husband had seen this commercial for something called Hercules Hooks. He told me all about them and wondered if we could use them. Our local Lowe's Hardware has the same thing, but they're called Monkey Hooks! Much more affordable too! I got one pack of (4 hooks) for $2.97. Monkey Hooks claim to hold 35 lbs...but I think they could actually hold more weight!

Today I had planned to clean most of the afternoon. As I was cleaning, I came across the Monkey Hooks I had bought. So I called the office of our apts...I always like to ask first before doing things. I've never thought it right to just go and alter a place that doesn't belong to me, and then play innocent and act like I didn't know...ya know??? lol. Anyway, I call, and the MANAGER answers. I said to her, "I realize the rules are no holes for hanging...but..." and before I could continue she was like chuckling and saying...no holes??? Who told you that??? Well, the assist manager had told BOTH David and I TWICE. When we signed our contract we asked again, and she said nope again. The Manager said...you may hang anything you like!!!

YEAH!!!!!!! I pulled every portrait and painting out...didn't even get the house cleaned because I was going room to room trying to figure out what I wanted to hang where. hehe.

This painting below is one I put up in the kitchen. It is actually much bigger than it appears in the shot. (I took this photo for my 365 challenge). My sister painted this floral in oils when she was 11 or 12 yrs old. She is now 45...i think.

Artists run in my family. My mom is also very gifted in making baskets and interior design. My sister could have been an amazing painter...selling her paintings for a nice price(some of her work when she was an older teen is so beautiful!), but she has no desire to pick up a brush at the moment. I hope someday she will again! I can just see her selling paintings in key west...all her beautiful ocean scenes. :)