Engagement -- Johnny and Melissa

I love engagement photoshoots.

A couple in their own little world and happy to be

in front of the camera  -- what more could you want?

Johnny and Melissa chose a beautiful time year to do their photos!

They wanted some pictures in the city, so we started in Charlottesville

and then headed back to our place to do some country shots as the sun went down.

The sun and clouds kept playing hide and seek, giving us some beautiful light.

Blessings to you, Johnny and Melissa, 

as you prepare for your wedding and life together!

For A Child

                                  For a Child

                                          by Fanny Stearns Davis

by Fannie Stearns Davis

                       Your friends shall be the Tall Wind,
                       The River and the Tree;
                       The Sun that laughs and marches,
                       The Swallows and the Sea.

                       Your prayers shall be the murmur
                       Of grasses in the rain;
                       The song of wildwood thrushes
                       That makes God glad again.

                       And you shall run and wander,
                       And you shall dream and sing
                       Of brave things and bright things
                       Beyond the swallow's wings.

                       And you shall envy no man,
                       Nor hurt your heart with sighs,
                       For I will keep you simple
                      That God may make you wise.

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,

 and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."

Proverbs 9:10

Girls -- I Heart Faces Entry

“…This is how the flowers grow,

I have watched them and I know…”

~ Gabriel Setoun

The theme for May photos is “Girls” at I Heart Faces. 

This is my own lovely little girl doing something

 she adores – picking tiny flowers.

Sunspots Studios -- Glassblowing

It’s spring and there is a light at the end

of our homeschooling tunnel! 

It feels like a good time for a little field trip. 

We had a day outing, and one of our stops

was watching the glassblowing at

Sunspots Studios in downtown Staunton, VA. 

(I could go to downtown Staunton and be happy

 just roaming the streets – it’s so beautiful!)

At the studio there’s a lovely shop full of hand blown glass.  

(Hold on tightly to your children’s hands!!)

In one corner of the shop is an unobtrusive door.

On the other side of this door is where the magic happens! 

People are free to sit on bleachers and watch the artists

create beautiful pieces from glowing globs of molten glass. 

It was fascinating!

One word of warning:  I’m more of a ceramic kind of girl

and not so much in love with fine glass. 

But… after watching these men at their craft,

I had a very strong desire to go back into the sales room and start buying! J 

It’s so lovely!

This is the white hot beginnings (comes out at around 2,400 °F)

being shaped with a wooden “ladle” soaked in water.

Heating the glass again.  

The hose over the artist's shoulder is attached to the pipe,

 and he blows into it

to create hollows in the soft glass.  

This mold will cause a swirl design in the finished product.

The end design this artist was working on looked sort of like these bowls.  

I didn’t get a photo as he whisked it away to a “cooling oven” 

where the glass cools very slowly overnight to avoid cracking.

There were bits and pieces of pretties scattered 

all around the workshop among the tools.

Back in the gallery there were collections 

of beautiful glass for sale.

"I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever; 

with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations."

Psalm 89:1