Living for the Weekend

I absolutely cannot wait for Saturday! No particular reason except that I adore a lazy Saturday!

This weekend, I am only going to pretend to be lazy. Something my school teaches is setting goals. We have to set goals for our PACE work in order to complete the yearly curriculum. This is a great life skill to teach your children and yourself!

My goals for this weekend are as followed:

• paint at least one picture
• Mani/pedi
• clean up my bedroom and bathroom

Seems simple enough, right? Let's see if I can meet my goals.

Looking for something super fun to do over the weekend? I have a few suggestions! Whether you are looking for a romantic getaway or something to fill your time, these activities are not only relaxing, but can brighten your weekend.

1. Bed and Breakfast

This is a classic weekend getaway for you and the hubby that won't break the bank. Staying at a B&B is a great way to spend some time away from the mundane. Find one in a city you have always wanted to visit, or go out into the countryside or mountains and check out the changing leaves. It is a great way to reconnect with your spouse and relax.

2. Holiday Crafts

Fall is here at last! That means the holidays are just around the corner... and I'm not just talking about Christmas. Hop on Pinterest and get your craft on! Make some festive fall decor or get ideas for Christmas gifts for your friends. Either way you do it, it will definitely get you in the mood for celebrating!

3. Cleaning

Whoever said spring was the only time to clean out? Fall is just as bountiful. Find and take all of the clothes and other unwanted household items to a local thrift or consignment store. You could also have a yard sale, or sell items online. There could be a nice payday in your future! Get your kids involved by using the money from what they sell to buy one (emphasize only one) brand new toy.

4. Local Events

Going to a local event is a great and inexpensive way to have fun and experience your community in a new light. With fall festivals, corn mazes, pumpkin patches, and haunted houses, fall is the perfect time to get out and see what your community has to offer! A few local events for my area are:

• Washington Farms http://www.washingtonfarms.net/corn-maze/
• Coming in October: Whispering Hills Sanatorium Haunted House (which I am participating in!) https://www.facebook.com/pages/Whispering-Hills-Sanitarium-Haunted-House/180212715428144
• North Georgia Corn Maze http://www.northgacornmaze.com/
• Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds http://www.georgiamountainfairgrounds.com/

If you have an event that you would like to share, please leave a comment with the web address.

Some of my favorite thigns

To start off, all images and videos on this post belong to me. Please do not pirate these images or videos.

As I am just now finding my way in the world of adulthood, I was searching for a hobby. In my teen years I was a avid horse rider. I still have my beautiful black Thoroughbred and love him dearly, but my health will not allow me to ride him like I want to. These pictures are compiled from our years together:

 
  

Cobalt will be 13 this October. I have owned him since he was five and I see him as my child because I have taught him everything. I have owned two horses before him: Judd, an Appaloosa who was the best horse a young rider could ask for, and Robin (my first), a pinto/paint who I owned for four months before he had to be put down due to a broken leg.

After my first surgery I couldn't ride for a year. It killed me to watch him stand at the gate and look for me. When I was able to walk again I would pet him and bring him treats. He knew something was wrong with me since I didn't ride him and I wouldn't come in the pasture. One time after a visit he began running along the fence and didn't stop till I came back to him. At my family's farm we have an old bell by the gate, and Cobalt evidently knew how to ring it. He once rang it while I walked by as a way of saying "Um excuse me, you need to pet me!" I laughed so hard at this!

The greatest memory I have with Cobalt is the summer I was seventeen. I had ridden him to my grandparents (the next farm over) and had let him loose in their goat pasture. He immediately rolled in the soft grass. I stood by and watched him enjoying himself. He knew I was there and didn't get back up so I decided to do something a little dangerous. I walked over and sat down beside him near his head. I started petting him and he laid his head in my lap. Those few moments were the highlight of my horseback riding career.

Now that I am married and out of my parent's house I do not get to ride Cobalt like I wish. However, I am very thankful for my neighbors that allow me to ride their Quarter horses on the days that I feel well enough. God has blessed me to continue the Southern lifestyle even though I no longer live on a farm.

As stated in my previous post I cannot exercise like normal, therefore I have to find an alternative for stress relief. During my first semester of student teaching this attributed to a lot of my weight gain and depression. I had no free time to do anything because of the bidding of my teacher and my college assignments. My second semester was much better and I could enjoy life because of the angel of a teacher I had, even though the workload was about the same.

Over the summer, I realized that I could paint. A friend of mine who owns a secondhand store gave me a copious amount of acrylic paint and brushes since no one had purchased them. They had belonged to her son, who worked for a designer in New York last year (so jealous, Blake!). They had sat in my closet for months and I decided to give them a try.

Walmart is my store of choice for anything because they have everything! I purchased a set of canvas and went to work. My first piece was a gift to my sister for her bedroom... that was once my room. Next, I did a painting for my dad to hang in his office. In addition to owning a goat farm and being a county commissioner, he is a pastor. He has pastored the same church for over 14 years. It is the church I got married in and is now the church whose school I work at. I wanted to do something to remind him to always stay strong and to never lose heart.

The verse is taken from Jeremiah 20:9

I was beyond proud of this and I still consider it my crowning achievement! It is visible from the hallway of the church as you are exiting the building. I smile every time I see it.

My next work was an ocean scene for my living room and a landscape for my bedroom. I will have pictures soon. Afterwards, a friend of mine asked for a beach scene. Here was her painting:

The chair was the best part because I had never done one before. I love creating landscapes. The majority of my pictures are of landscapes taken around my parent's farm and from our vacations. 

In high school I drew fairies. I have always loved them and as an artist, I am obsessed with their wings!

This is a drawing from when I was in middle school. One unique fact about my art is that I have never taken a lesson. Like many of the things I do it comes naturally. Piano is another one of those God given talents. Here is a video recording of an impromptu piece via Youtube:

One thing I love about impromptu piano playing is that it is completely me. There is no sheet music to reproduce on the piano. It is simply me bearing my soul in musical form. I encourage all of my readers to find a talent they can share with others, as I have done with my art and music. Whether your talent is dancing, crafting, baking, or simply being a good friend I hope that you will use your gift to uplift others.

~*Beth*~