I was watching my son sleeping last night and just could not help but stare at his tiny fingers. These little boy hands will one day be man hands. I had to take a picture of this moment.

I could not help but wonder what his life might be like one day in the future. Will there be a wedding band on that finger, what will his wife be like and will they have children. Will he stay single and travel, what will he do. The one thing I came back to is that I hope he always remembers to come and hug his momma. It is crazy how you can look at something that sometimes drives you crazy, but love it with every ounce of your soul. I love that little boy so  much.

I have 5 children and I have these moments with each of them. They are all in different stages of their lives. My oldest girl has 3 children and sometimes I think about her when she was 2 and I rolled her down the hill at the park. My 23 year old was a skateboarding tomboy not that long ago and now is very girly and about to go to school for skincare. It is crazy how they transform. I just feel so privileged to watch them grow and become the people they are. 

I hope they always know I love them and that I am watching. They may think mom is not paying attention, but I promise you, I am. I watched your tiny hands growing. I will never stop. 

Mom will always be your biggest supporter, even when it may not feel like it. 

I love you ALWAYS!
​Mom

I had some old frames that were hideous just lying in an old box covered in dust. I thought that it was sad they were just rotting away in there not being used or loved. I decided to grab some white spray paint and give it new life. Seriously, white paint fixes everything. Okay, so I made my husband paint the frame for me. He is such a lovely helper. 

It sat there white and empty for a while before I decided on what to do with it. I bounced back and forth from chalkboard, pics of kids, and so it sat a little longer with my indecisiveness. I am good at not making up my mind. Perfectionisitic procastinating poootnanny. That is what I am. That may not be a word but you get the idea. 

I am walking in Target and this G is staring me in the face. And straight across from the G is some teal glitter just sparking and hypnotizing me. I swear I heard the G say, "Please splash me with that glitter over there." I listened. I even glued the glitter to my fingers and got it in my tea. I drank the tea anyway in hopes of gaining a sparkling personality. My 8 year old wanted to help and by the time we were done it was on my kitchen floor, because, oh yes, we were doing crafts at the kitchen table. It is also my mini-office. Bless this table and how it has served my family. ​

I found this fabric at AC Moore and knew it was the one to display my G on. As soon as I got home I forced my hubster to cut me some 11x14 boards he had in the garage for flooring. He cut me several pieces so I can glue different fabric to it to change it out for my ADHD satisfaction. I hot glued the fabric to the board on the back and it is not pretty back there. I also could not wait for my G to dry and hot-glued it to the fabric. Shhhh, do not tell anyone. It is dry now. I love it so much. Glitter and me speak the same language. 

Grab some things in your home, paint them, hot glue them, modpodge...whatever you want to do. Recycle those things and make them loved. But have fun. I do not advise drinking glitter. 

Love the Life You Live In!!

~Lisa

First, you should grow some flowers just for picking and putting on the table or wherever you want color in your life. If not, buy some when you see flowers that speak to you. If you have to, have them delivered to yourself. Why do we wait for someone else to give us flowers? There is nothing more beautiful than a gesture of love for yourself. You should be your ONE true love, if nothing else. 

There is something about a flower in the home that smells and looks enchanting. I love them so much I infuse water and oils with their petals. Of course, I read about the flower first to make sure I am not going to poison myself. When the flowers die, do not throw the water out, but water another plant or vegetable garden with it. The other plants will love all the nourishment.
I am not certain if it is that I am getting older or just a phase but I am in love with floral patterns these days. I used to think of them as granny-ish. Now I want to paint flowers, get bed sheets with them, Toms shoes, handbags, shirts, or anything with the vibrant little colorful petals. Daisies have always been my favorite because they are so simple. 
I am thinking of doing a really large painting that my children will feel bad for throwing out when I am not of this earth. Ha, never. I want them to only hold me in their heart. Release and make room for new and if it comes back it was meant to stay. 
I just love filling space with art from my family. The imperfect pieces have become my favorite. 

Anyway, BUY YOURSELF FLOWERS YOU BEAUTIFUL SOUL!!!

​Be Kind to the Earth!

Are you looking at a kitchen table or an office where a busy mom works? Actually, it is both and then some. It also serves as an artist station for everyone as well as a homeschool table. 
If you catch the table at just the right time it will be cleaned off with candles lit. It only lasts about 4 hours at a time before it becomes covered in life again. 

That is how the blog came to be Lived In Love. It has more than one meaning actually. But the main story is when I was complaining about mess and clutter one day and was having one of my bi-weekly breakdowns. My husband is getting used to the cycles by now. He just stopped me and said, "calm down, we LIVE HERE." You know, that really made me stop, take a deep breath and realize, he was right. Yes, I said it...he was right! We live here and it looks like people use this space. I suppose I wanted it to look like a staged piece of magnificence. When you accept the fact that this is not normal, you will learn to embrace your lived in look. 

Do not get me wrong, there is a difference between disgusting and lived in. I still make sure trash is in the trash can, laundry is in the basket and the dog hair (mini bigfoots) are vacuumed and disposed of. Lived in is when your children color at the table and there is art spread out, some unfinished and some timeless pieces that will make me cry in 10 years. Colored pencils are a daily chore to get back in the container. But instead of seeing it as a mess I see it as an ARTIST lives here. I am one of those artist. If you walk into my home at the moment where the dining table should be you will find furniture I have hoarded to paint in the near future. I love rescuing furniture and giving it new life. The blue chair in the pic above was thrown out with a broken leg and I shoved it in my car, brought it home and made the hubster fix her. I then painted her and found some new fabric and she became my FREEBIRD chair. I love her. She is comfortable and beautiful. 

You will see a lot of the transformation of misfit furniture and much more. I treat everything as a tool to be used in art. I just recently discovered a use for used dryer sheets. I cannot wait to show you what it is. 

I have several main projects going on because I am easily distracted and my tangents show in my writing and home. One is a huge wall where I placed Every Child is An Artist" by Pablo Picasso. There is NO art on the wall. I always wanted my living room to be like a small gallery. I want it to be unusual and not like a  normal living room. I want it to be functional and full of life. The next is the light in my kitchen. Oh, let me count the ways I hate thee. I WILL change it out after living here for 8 years. I am thinking of up-cycling some wine bottles into the most awesome chandelier you have ever seen. 
Stay Tuned, but stay happy and excited for life. Love the life you live in!!

​-Lisa