Anna

Anna reminds me so much of my beloved grandmother in this picture. Part Cherokee, my grandma was a strikingly beautiful woman who had a sharp, crisp personality to match. She came from a life of tragedy (her dad died when she was 5 days old and her young mother was placed into a mental home by her family), but managed to get an education, marry my grandfather, have my dad, and run a very successful business. She survived the depression era and WWII and lived to see modern technology go from horses and long skirts to race cars and minis (and bikinis too). She believed in me and always encouraged me in every area of my life. She certainly wasn't perfect and was full of flaws, but she was the only person in the world who truly loved me for who I was. Every young girl needs someone like that in their life, to encourage them and build them up, inspiring them to go for their dream. Thanks Grandma for all you did and all you were!

UGA - New Dawg Day

Here is a picture of me and my sweet Anna at UGA for a new dawg day where we took a tour of the campus, ate a delicious lunch at Snelling Hall, bought sweatshirts and UGA clothing from the fabulous bookstore, and a got a great workout from walking around this very hilly campus. I had never been to Athens, so had no idea what to expect, and was very, very impressed! My sister, Ashlyn, came with us, and she was equally amazed. Since we are both Tarheels from UNC, we had never ventured on another state university campus, so things seemed a bit foreign at first, but we loved what the school has to offer. There is a great focus in the arts and music, which is a plus for creative people, wonderful food, a fantastic downtown area, beautiful magnolia trees and old stately buildings, and the freshman high rise dorms are in a superb location. She and I were joking that we would love to move to Athens with Anna in the fall and take jewelery design, ceramic pottery, drama, and creative writing - then hangout downtown for some great food and a hot cup of coffee. Can't wait to visit during football season and sit in that humongous stadium and finally become an official Georgia bulldawg!

Braxton

It was interesting, at the Easter brunch table, Braxton made a comment that I hadn't done a picture of him yet, so after all of the festivities died down, I got busy and did this of him. I really like it and had fun doing the herringbone jacket. These pictures are a lot of fun for me and really a form of worship. As I'm drawing, I listen to teachings from Joseph Prince or go on a Netflix movie marathon and the hours seem to cruise by! I find that I have to force myself to go to bed before the sun rises! Now I've done all three kids and I can rest a bit - but then, maybe not. There certainly are a lot more ideas floating around in my head! It's amazing how this art ministry idea has taken on a life of its own.

Magnolia Hill

After much contemplation, I have decided to put my first novel, Magnolia Hill, on Kindle - however, I had to come up with a cover first. I did this picture some time ago, and upon encouragement from most of my friends, family, and agent, I am going forward with this as an initial cover. Hope you guys like it! The book will be up soon, so I'll keep you posted.

Here is a one-line synopsis: The Help and Steel Magnolias come together in this romantic Southern tale of a poor while farm girl in 1920s North Carolina who discovers the power of true love through the help of a black Gospel church.

Check out my website for more info, as well as comments from readers.

Thanks for all of your support!