"....Your children shall be like olive plants all around your table." Psalm 128:3

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Keeping Company - My Nature Journal

Since getting back into Keeping, I have been sketching more in my Nature journal. And I have found that it's so relaxing! Before, it was done just to "get it done". But now, I am doing it for the pure enjoyment of it.  :) One of my favorite things to sketch is birds, mainly because we did alot of bird-watching last winter.

With the severe winter we had, we didn't get out much for Nature hikes. So we set up a bird-watching area in the dining room, complete with binoculars, our bird field guide, and our (brand new) bird list.
 Next we sprinkled bird seed on our deck table. Then, the birds descended.  :)  It was wonderful to sit at the dining room table while doing school lessons and watch the birds just outside the window. The pages of our bird list filled up fast.
We saw Dark-eyed Juncos, House Sparrows, Cardinals, Blue Jays, Purple Finches,  House Finches, Chickadees, Song Sparrows, and many other species, even a Tufted Titmouse or two.


 Now, for this month's optional prompt at Celeste's , she is asking for a peek into Moms' Nature journals. 

So I am sharing what I have sketched in my journal the past several months. Not all entries are birds, but I find birds to be the easiest subjects to sketch. 

A cardinal.. ( I might add some background to this; it looks a little blah.)
We saw a Hairy Woodpecker in the trees behind our house. He was such fun to sketch!  :)

A Black-capped Chickadee.




And now for some signs of Spring.




I don't consider myself an artsy person, and sketching doesn't come easy for me. But I am learning -  and loving it. And I am blessed with an artsy hubby who gives me lots of encouragement. He sketches everything from Bible stories to things he comes up with on his own.
Here is a peek at what his sketching looks like.




Looking forward to seeing what other Moms will be sharing this month.  :)


P. S. My apologies for the out of line photos. Blogger was not being very co-operative today.  :/





19 comments:

  1. Lovely sketches, especially the woodpecker - they're so pretty.

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  2. wow! awesome job on the birds

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  3. Those are just lovely, your dc are lucky to have you and your dh as examples of "Keepers". The moth is my favorite.

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    1. Thank so much for stopping by - and the kind words. :)

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  4. The moth is my favorite too. Your husband certainly is artsy! What an inspiration. His sketches are beautiful. I love the example you're both setting for your children.

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    1. Thank you, Amber. I always enjoy your visits. :)
      Have a lovely day, my friend. :)

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  5. You're nature journal entries are Beautiful!!! And I love you're husband's sketches. And I am absolutely green with envy at the variety of birds that visit you. When we have cardinals, house finches, and chickadees in one day, we consider ourselves blessed.

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  6. Thanks for the kind words, Heather. We love bird watching and have a wide variety of birds around here. Good thing my 16-yr-old son is our resident ornithologist and can identify all of them :)

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  7. Yours are very lovely, and I LOVE how you included your husband's too! Now I know why your children are such motivated and careful Keepers--your good example, and maybe some artistic genes too. :) Really, thank you for sharing these peeks. I can definitely relate to what you said about slowing down and enjoying the whole process. I approach my Keeping that way and now sketching/painting is one of my favorite hobbies. I am so thankful for the little push from CM to do some Keeping of my own or I never would have thought to pick up a pen or brush. :)

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    1. Thank you, Celeste. I agree - if it were not for the "little push from CM" as you call it, I would not be doing any Keeping of any kind. So thankful for the Lord leading our family to her philosophy of education. :)

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    2. Celeste - I really resonated with what you said here "I am so thankful for the little push from CM to do some Keeping of my own or I never would have thought to pick up a pen or brush." This is also the case for me, and I so appreciate that little push!

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  8. I love peeking at your journal!!! Wonderful! :) Your bird list is neat too!!!

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    1. Thank you, Amy. We jut started the bird list last winter and we really got excited about documenting all the birds we saw. :)

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  9. Oh, Lisa, these sketches are just so beautiful. Yes, it is a lovely way to relax and soak in God's creative beauty. I especially love the Polyphemus moth and the detail of the Romans 8:37 passage with the capture of the snake. I love your blog...so refreshing and honoring of the Lord!

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    1. Thank you for the kind words, dear Jacque...and for stopping by. I always enjoy visiting you, too. Thank you for standing firm on His Word.

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  10. I think you do have talent, my friend. The sketches are beautiful! Love the pics from your nature hike as well. Thank you for a refreshing visit!

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    1. Thanks, friend. Hope you have a wonderful Friday!

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Thanks so much for stopping by. I love to hear from my readers, and your thoughts are welcome. And I try my best to respond to each and every comment. :)