14 Days of Love: Day Five

            Its day five!!! Today, the thing I love is one of my favorite hobbies. Painting! I absolutely love to paint, and I find it very relaxing. I think flowers are my favorite thing to paint, but I also love to paint Bible related scenes, like this one. 

 

            I do like to paint them how I see them, however, not necessarily how they actually were. My artistic license, if you will. Anyway, I love to paint because it is a great way for me to sit, relax, and be creative. I really enjoy bringing something to life on canvass, and my favorite thing about painting is that I don’t have to keep my artwork to myself. I give away far more paintings than I keep; in fact, I even painted a picture for each of my aunts, uncles, and cousins for Christmas this year.

            I am very picky about my painting tools, but then, I’m picky about everything. I have a certain type of canvass I prefer, a set of paintbrushes that I cannot do without, and I’m even picky about what paint I use. I’m not as bad about the paint, however, as I like a couple of different kinds. But, so far, they are always acrylics.

            I’m still learning how to be a better painter every day, but I hope you like the artwork I have finished now! Below are some of the paintings I gave my family for Christmas. Also, don’t forget to check out Sarah and Allie's blogs! They may not be big painters, but I’m sure whatever they did post about is not only something they love (obviously), but is interesting as well.

 

14 Days of Love: Day Three

 So today’s item was planned specifically for today because it is a show, and this particular one airs on Tuesday’s. Today is a Tuesday, so I thought it was fitting. The show I am writing of is one that I fell in love with the minute I saw it, and I usually don’t like these types of shows. It is called Fixer Upper, and it is on HGTV.

Fixer Upper is a show featuring a couple, Chip and Joanna Gaines, and the houses they remodel. They show families the worst looking houses in the best neighborhoods, but with good reason. After the families buy the house they pick, Chip and Joanna remodel it into the homeowners’ dream home. Sounds great, right?

The best part about the show is, well, actually, there is two things. The first is that Chip and Joanna are always cracking me up. Especially Chip. Fixer Upper displays just enough about their personal lives that it keeps you interested; it isn’t your regular home improvement show. The other thing I love about it is the fact that Joanna works best when she is decorating with rustic style. I want to decorate my whole house with rustic flair, so I love absolutely everything she does.

The show really is wonderfully entertaining, and it gives me ideas for my own house. There is always something to laugh about, mostly Chip’s antics, and it is just an all-around great thing to watch. I would have to say it is one of my favorites! But I say that a lot, don’t I? Anyway, it’s worth watching, so check it out! Tuesday’s at 9 (eastern time) on HGTV! Wouldn’t miss it!

Don’t forget to check out Sarah and Allie's posts!

Creds for the photo go to HGTV and Fixer Upper.

14 Days of Love: Day Two

                I am so sorry this is late (I know day two was yesterday), but, better late than never. Today’s item I love is an amazing book I call one of my absolute favorites. When I say favorite, in this instance, I mean favorite. I have only read a handful of books that I can say I loved as much as this one.

                I know, I know, what is it called, you ask? Whispers from the Shadows. Amazing title, right? It is by a wonderful author named Roseanna M. White, who has impressed me with every one of her books. The ones I have read, that is. And I have read most of them.

                Anyway, Whispers from the Shadows is a book based during the war of 1812 about a young man named Thad and his family, who run a spy ring, for the US, of course. His parents, Bennet and Winter Lane, were spies for the Revolution when they met, and their story is told in Ring of Secrets. They formed an unlikely friendship with Colonel Fairchild, a colonel for the British army, in that novel, and they continued their friendship through the years in-between the two stories.

                Because of circumstances I cannot tell you without spoiling the book, Colonel Fairchild, who had moved back to England, sends his daughter, Gwyneth, into the care of Bennet, Winter, and Thad at the beginning of Whispers from the Shadows. Through war scares, a mystery, and the pain of the separation from her father, Gwyn struggles to adapt to life in the US. Eventually, though, she finds her place, in Maryland, and in the Lane family. I don’t want to give anything away, but I will say the book is full of comical scenes, suspenseful chapters, and sweet moments that will keep you hooked until the last page. It is absolutely worth the read! Go check it out!!

{ Below is the synopsis, and yes, that is my copy of the book above (: }

I love her... can I trust her?

I love him... is he safe?

          1814—England and America are again at war. Sudden and implacable treachery causes Gwyneth Fairchild's world to crumble in a moment's time. The daughter of a British general, she barely saves her life by fleeing London aboard a ship bound for America. Her goal is to find refuge with the Lane family in Maryland. Yet after meeting the Lanes' son, Thaddeus, Gwyn wonders how safe she is. For she discovers that this family trades in a dangerous commodity—espionage. 

Thad Lane is a prominent citizen in the city of Baltimore. He has the ear of everyone, and he is in a unique position to pass on to leaders of government exactly what he hears. Not long after the beautiful and British Gwyneth Fairchild finds safe haven in his community, he experiences the tug of love, though he fears it may blur lines of loyalty. With family playing the part of enemies and enemies proving themselves friends, a future with Gwyn is more than uncertain—it could be life threatening. 

          In the end, with the British advancing relentlessly on Baltimore, Thad and Gwyn have to trust in their shared faith in God to be a shield about them. To give them a future and a hope.[1]

          Don't forget to check out the blogs my sisters, Sarah and Allie, have as they do 14 Days of Love along with me!

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[1] All credit for the above synopsis and for the wonderful book go to Roseanna M. White and her publishers. No copyright intended.