Posted on December 13, 2012 by MaryALivingston

Thought you might like Tim’s side of our morning photo shoot. His inclusion of a “backside” might deserve its own post response.

Ever wonder what is going on behind the scenes with other blogs? This is a little snippet in the life of The Backdoor Artist. If you are a follower of my blog, you probably already know that I am married to The Backdoor Artist, Mary Livingston.

Mary has a front row seat to our backyard with a large window facing out from her work space. It is a wonderful view. A view which often provides for visual treats. Yesterday she spotted a large buck across the pond. She posted this adventure complete with beautiful pictures here at, http://thebackdoorartist.com/2012/12/11/animal-attraction/.

Spotting this big old buck prompted frantic camera grabbing and stealthful sneaking out into the yard to photograph the buck. When he didn’t run away, we plotted to stalk our subject for more and better shots. More frantic activity ensued with changing of clothes and getting shoes on. We came…

View original post 206 more words

I Don’t Do Princess

Posted on November 14, 2012 by MaryALivingston

Our grandchildren love for us to carry them to bed after story time. Such was the case on this particular visit.

T2, our second granddaughter, wanted me to carry her this time, instead of Grandpa.

She says, “Grandma, carry me.”

Pleased to have the honor, I approach with arms out.

“Grandma, carry me,” she repeats. “Carry me like a princess.”

Princess? Really? Princess? Anyone who has read my posts, especially Wedded Bliss, can ascertain – I don’t do princess.

I gently leaned down and tenderly said, “Grandma doesn’t do princess.”

Well, she stood very tall, placed her hands on her hips, cocked her tiny head to the side, peered at me through her brow and in a pleasant, encouraging voice not matching her stern posture said, “Grandma, you can try.”

Princess it is.

One of Thing2’s art pieces displayed on The Repository of Bliss.

Happy Birthday GrandThing2
Love,
Grandma

Beautiful Blogger Award

Posted on October 31, 2012 by MaryALivingston

Humble thanks to The Forester Artist for nominating my blog for the Beautiful Blogger Award. I am blessed with his continued support and friendship He has a wonderful blog about “Creating art on the big canvas and the small ones too.”
It took me a few days to accept the nomination. You see, Tim is family. More on that upcoming in my Nov. 4 post, so stay tuned.

Rules:

1. Thank the person who nominated you

Thank you, Tim.

2. Post the award image to your page (see above)

3. Tell 7 facts about yourself

I met my husband (my best friend) on a blind date 32 years ago.

We have 2 wonderful sons, one of whom, along with his beautiful wife, have blessed us with 3 precious grandchildren.

I am a retired professional photographer.

I love dogs.

I enjoy creating.

I like my eggs fresh, store eggs need not apply. (Same goes for tomatoes.)

I pray.

4. Nominate 15 other bloggers, and let them know about the nomination

I chose the following bloggers because of how they inspire me in their recognition of beauty in the world. They may hesitate to accept publicly…believe me, I understand. Whether they accept or not, I want you to meet them, these people who live their gift and thereby bless the world with beauty.

Artistic Expression by Felicia Lilley

Susan Clement-Beveridge

Painting with Pencils

Drawing and Painting Hobe Sound

Thistle Dew Mercantile

Congratulations and thank you for your contribution to the blogging community.

Our Littlest Heroes

Posted on October 26, 2012 by MaryALivingston

I would like to introduce you to Horses for Heroes. This organization does wonderful work for those who serve; be they firefighters, police officers, military or other public service personnel putting their lives on the line for us.

The littlest heroes, the children of these men and women, also benefit from the healing and therapeutic power of horses.

Repository of Bliss

Posted on September 8, 2012 by MaryALivingston

I was so excited 11 years ago to get our new stainless refrigerator. Until I plopped the first magnet up. Thankfully, one side still allows us to have an open gallery. Hint to refrigerator manufacturers, if you make a magnetic panel on the stainless front, sales to grandmas will increase.

The refrigerator has transformed our world. I am not talking about the obvious benefits of extending the life of fresh foods.
The rich sustenance provided by a refrigerator comes in the form of an art gallery.

I am always fascinated by this local gallery in homes. Grandparents, parents, extended family and friends – they all have one. Oh, yeah people post, pin, like, tweet, blog, and G+, but really their greatest treasures will be found in their personal gallery at home. If you want to know where their heart lies, look at the refrigerator, the obvious repository of the heart of bliss.

Seed Planted 3

Posted on August 20, 2012 by MaryALivingston

It was hard to breath. I was so cold. The nurses sponged my arms and legs with ice water to bring the fever down. My flesh hurt all the way to the bone. Their smiles and tenderness made it easier to cope.

When my fever broke the head nurse brought me a gift. A pad of paper and a kid set of watercolors. What a treat. I didn’t have anything like this. I had crayons, pencils and stray sheets of paper. My own paper pad and real paints, I forgot all about the needles and hospital smells.

My first painting with these watercolors was a puppy. A warm brown puppy with floppy ears and a wet nose. The puppy sat beneath a bouquet of pink, red and orange roses. The painted strokes were not translucent showing the brilliance of watercolor, but rather thick opaque pudding globs like tempera school paints.

Didn’t matter to me. I painted a puppy.

I gave this painting to the nurse who gave me the paints and paper. Then I painted another puppy beneath roses. Again and again. I gave versions of the same puppy and roses to all the nurses until my paint set was used up.

Seed planted.