Purple Mountains Majesty

Psalm 143:8

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.  Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. 

I have been visiting Grand Teton National Park for 35 years and if I can, during my stay, I will get up  early and drive to one of my favorite spots to watch the sunrise onto the mountains.  This particular sunrise, last August with my daughter, was absolute perfection.  It is when I am deep into God's creation, especially during the quiet of the morning, that I am most in awe of the splendor and majesty of this earth.  


Today is the first day of Lent and once again, I will share a few of my favorite Lenten posts from last year, along with new sketches that are paired with some of my favorite Bible verses.  
What about you??  Do you have an inspirational scene or verse that you'd like to share, send me an e-mail and I would love the opportunity to add it to this series.  

Family time in The Woodlands

One of the things I love best about sketching the homes of people I know, is that as I sketch, I picture their family in the house...and all those special times when kids are growing up, birthday celebrations, Christmas morning and, of course  that anxious time of waiting for your daughter to come home after a first date!   This is what family life is all about and it's such a joy for me to capture those feelings on a piece of paper for my clients.

   Thank you Sally and Rick for allowing me to sketch your home and wishing you many happy memories over the years ahead!

Coll Beach house #2

Hopefully you saw my last post of the Coll beach house on the Gulf Coast in Florida.  It had been in their family for many years, originally purchased in 2004 with Sarah's sister, who own it now.  Her in-laws bought on the island in 1992, just down the road a bit...  how much fun is that!  I can just imagine many happy memories with aunts and uncles, cousins and friends over the years!  In 2015 they built this home on the lot next door.  
Let the good times roll!! 

Coll Beach house #1

I grew up on the west coast of Florida, so when I'm asked to sketch someone's beach house, I feel like I've come home! 

 This one for Sarah and Mario is #8 in a series of 7!  Haha, originally they commissioned me to do all the homes they've lived in over the years, but this one (and the next) are extra's.... I think I can safely assume that some fun times and good "living" has happened here too.   

It is located in the panhandle of Florida on the Gulf Coast. 

Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Central Texas

It's always a pleasure for me to donate a custom sketch to local charities.  Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Central Texas is one of my favorites as my son in law Hector, is a "big" and recently he and my daughter Katie chaired their annual "Ice Ball" to raise funds for this wonderful non-profit!  The winner of the auction item had recently bought their first home and it was fun to sketch.  A charming bungalow with a front porch that just called my name out to come and "sit a spell!"  

Mission San Jose del Cabo Catholic Church

Each year, our Christmas Card is a sketch of church from somewhere we visited during the year.  Last April my husband and I enjoyed a relaxing vacation in Cabo San Jose.  A quiet little town, about 30 miles north of Cabo San Lucas on the Baja peninsula in Mexico.   

This church dominates the town square, where on Thursday nights in the summer you can stroll their "art walk" with the works of local artisians!   The Mission San Jose del Cabo Anuiti church was first established in 1730 and prospered as the anchor of the community for many years, but primarily due to "acts of God" ....fire, hurricanes, and even a mosquito infestation it moved it's location four times, finally resting here on this spot across from the Plaza Mijares in 1932.  I think our lives can be like that too!  The "acts of God" can detour our best laid plans, but somehow with His help and hearts of faith we land on our feet and we don't just survive, we can thrive and life often turns out better than what we ever imagined!  

Maine Homestead

Finally I get to share some of the fun projects I worked on for Christmas gifts!

I've known my friend Bob for about 20 years now and he has always talked about his family home in Maine!  When he asked me to do this sketch and sent me the photo's I was quite surprised.... not what I expected.  When asked if this was "the cottage in Maine" he had talked about he laughed and shared that No, it was owned by good friends, nearby!   I assumed it was an estate from days gone by, but it turned out it's relatively new.... here's what he had to say about this house!

"The house is actually about 10 years old. It is representative of the coastal "shingle style" homes you find in the northeast, and specifically in Maine. It sits on 6 acres of land on the eastern shore of Cousins Island off the town of Yarmouth Maine, 20 minutes north of Portland. Designed by Joe Waltman and built by Anastos and Nadeau. My family's summer cottages are right next to this property and as a kid I used to play on it as if we owned it. Many a tree fort was built here in my younger days! The views of Casco Bay from the bluestone patio are quite spectacular." 

Of course I was intrigued about his "cottage" so he shared some photo's and I couldn't help myself... clearly this home had to come to life through watercolor!  So I did it and I sent to him along with his commissioned work as a Christmas Surprise!!!   

Where would you prefer to live??