Good Family Living: As that famous philosopher, Anonymous, says, “Life is all about Plan B.”

What better time for a tribute to my FAVORITE artist than a cold, snowless day in December? Mind you, I am NOT complaining about the lack of snow, in fact I'm thrilled that this afternoon will not consist of taking 30 minutes to bundle up the kiddos in order for them to go out and play for 10 minutes and then tromp back in "freezing" and beg for the hot-chocolate that I keep forgetting to buy at Costco. Yes, today is a PERFECT day to remind the world where to find lots, and lots, and lots of color. Since it can't be found out the window, let hope you can find it inside - everywhere!

Mary Engelbreit is FAMOUS, and amazing, and my inspiration for so many things, especially having to do with decorating, artwork and how to look at life. If there were ONE word used to describe her work it would be COLOR! Everything she produces is saturated with color! So much, in fact, that I recall reading in her biography that at that time, she owned every marker that had been produced. She started drawing very, very early and her wise Mother took notice of her talent and encouraged her to the point that if her siblings were complaining that Mary wasn't working, her Mother would tell them to leave her alone...."Mary's Drawing."

Yesterday I was popped into a Deseret Bookstore to grab a clock that they had on sale and though I was on a severe time crunch I decided to look around and see if anything else sparked my interest enough to buy with my birthday gift-card from my McLean Grandparents. What did I find on a spinnie-thingy? THIS ↓

Did I even have to think about it? Nope! Not even for a second. I've used her desk calendar twice in the past and I love the artwork so much that I won't throw them away (or recycle, ahem.). This calendar is my life in a nutshell. In fact, on her website, the first sentence in the product description says,

"Some artists use a canvas to create masterpieces, but others use their home as their medium for displaying their artistic talent."

What are the chances? Just about a month ago I was walking around "Color Me Mine" art studio in downtown Ogden with a friend - we were exploring the possibility of developing this new area of artistic talent - painting our own pottery. She commented that I must be the artsy type and while laughing I assured her that I was as much as an amature at pottery painting as she was! Then I suggested that perhaps I should choose the largest platter in the shop and eventually go smaller since my artists' canvas up to this point in my life has been the walls of my home. Heehee! My hands shake! Painting little things is difficult and required a TON of concentration, but I DO LOVE to PAINT MY WALLS!!! So much, in fact, that I've quite grown to detest white walls, or countertops, etc.

What does this have to do with GOOD FAMILY LIVING? I believe that your home really IS your canvas. Especially if you own a home and can do what you want when it comes to color. There are no rules out there for what shade your living room should be. There are always trends, you know, the popular colors that are inspiring and fun for a couple of years before they are outdated. PAINT WHAT YOU LIKE! Paint what makes you happy to look at! What makes you feel good inside? What I like and what you like will be two different things but no matter what, don't be afraid of color! Paint will give you the biggest bang for your buck and it's also one of the easiest things to change. So if you go for RED and it ends up being the wrong shade. Do it again. Practice makes perfect. The more you paint in your home, the faster you will get.

For the sake of this post, AND for the purpose of this blog serving as a family journal I've included some pictures of our last home. It was our FIRST HOME!! (That we bought, not rented.) I was so excited to paint that I spent a day with Kurt's Grandma Jensen painting the kids rooms before we moved in!