Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Farewell

Dear January it is time to bid you farewell.   Your visit seemed so brief.
Thank you for your lovely gift of time.
    
It was wonderful to read..
      
to enjoy precious moments of inspiration...
                                                           and long walks in the snow!

                                            
                                                                                                
I am sorry to see you go.   May we meet again next year?    Until then take care and God bless!  

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Tracks in the Snow




 There is something special about tracks in the snow.  Obviously someone has traveled this way before.   It may be two legged or four.






                     




Some may be known.





(Kitty Prints)




                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

 
Some  are not. 

(Possibly a Bunny?)







              


                                                                  


My favorite are those that travel side by side.   That means one was not alone.   There was company along the way.


Ever notice how the trek seems more pleasant when it is shared.   The hills don't seem quite so steep.  The wind's bite is not as harsh.   The sun shines brighter.

Life's journey is much sweeter when there is companionship.

A scripture comes to mind...

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:  If either of them falls down, one can help the other up."    Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NIV).

                                                     
Thank you each and everyone for keeping me company as I make my tracks in the snow.   May I do the same for you.   God bless! 

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Playing in the Studio



 

I have been playing in the studio.   There are times when one just has to splash some water and paint together and take whatever comes.   

 Revisiting Nita Leland's "the New Creative Artist" helped inspire me to relax and enjoy creating.   This book not only explores ways to develop your own artistic voice but features  many wonderful artists.   One of those is a blogging buddy Julie Ford Oliver at  juliefordoliver.blogspot.com.     Hope you will pay this lovely lady a visit.   Her art is awesome!
 
 
One activity Nita suggests is making a treasure chest for your collectibles.
  
A recycled gift box has now become mine.    
 
I am learning that being creative is so much more than just painting or making art.   It is living each day focusing on doing something out of the ordinary.
 
May God Bless all of you and your unique endeavors.
Have a great day!

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Vitamin D




 
  Vitamin D came in the form of sunshine this week-end.   It beckoned to Sarge and I.   Our  daily walk promised to be pleasant.
   Feeling adventurous we chose a different path.   The apple orchard looked like it could use a visit.
In the summer these old gnarled trees produce fruit that makes wonderful sauce and pie.
 
Up the hill the pines whispered their greeting.
 
 
 
  
 
 


Raspberry and blackberry brambles reached out to grasp  hello.
Our shadows traveled with us.    I had not seen mine for several days. 
 
    Underfoot last season's crop crunched as we made our way home. 
It was a great hike!
 
Sunshine is amazing.   It can change one's perspective.   It improved mine.
 
Thanks for stopping by. 
 
   Hope you found some Vitamin D! 
 

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Chasing away winter's chill


Hearty Ham and Bean Soup
To chase away winter's chill I often put on a special pot of Ham and Bean Soup.   There are so many different recipes for this warm comforting dish.   Mine is simple...I soak the beans overnight in water.   Next morning I rinse them and place them in my slow cooker with a bit of ham and chicken broth to cover,  add some celery, garlic powder, salt and pepper, onion and carrot.  If it is for our evening meal I cook it on slow all day.  

There is something special about coming in from an afternoon walk to the rich aroma of this bubbling soup.

  

For a quick dessert I will take four tablespoons of butter, a fourth of a cup of brown sugar with a tad of water and stir this in the skillet until sugar is dissoved and butter melted...add about three yellow delicious apples sliced but with skins on and cook  10 to 15 min. on medium just until apples are soft and glazed with caramel sauce.   To dress it up you can add some raisins and cinnamon!
Fried Caramel Apples
    Both of these country dishes are simple and easy.   Both will warm you up and chase away winter's chill.

So enjoyed you stopping by.   Would love to hear what you are doing while Old Man Winter visits.

a work in progress

Have a great day!   God Bless. 


Sunday, January 13, 2013

My Perfect Word





Several months ago I read a book by Debbie Macomber.  It was titled "One Perfect Word".   Debbie every year chooses a special word for her focus.   It can be anything.  The plan is to study the word and make it what you search for on a daily basis.

I was inspired and intrigued by this concept.   After much thought the word "Love" came to mind.   It was more like it chose me than I chose it.   My mother had given me Joyce Meyer's devotional  "Love Out Loud" for Christmas.    It is about loving God, others and yourself.   

One of my favorite chapters in the Bible is 1 Corinthians 13 where Paul describes love so well...love is patient, kind, it does not envy, nor boast or is it proud, it does not dishonor others, it is not selfish, not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs.  It does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth.   It always trusts, hopes and always perseveres.   Love never fails.

Wouldn't our world be a perfect place if real love was practiced daily?   Just think there would be no fear.   Children would go to school safely.  Hate would be gone as well as corruption.   We would treat the stranger on the road as a friend.  Hunger would be a thing of the past because all would share.  Greed, lies, stealing all gone.   It would be just the way God planned.  I am more than ready for this place - how about you?  Wish me well as I seek to love more in the coming year.
                                                                    
Thank you for letting me share my perfect word with you.   May God Bless You!

            






 

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Value Charts and Such

I've been working on value charts since the beginning of the new year.   The first chart I did was with graphite.
Later after visiting http://maggielathamstudios.blogspot.com and her 31 day exercises I started making a value color chart of colors on my palette.   As you can see I am not finished.
 
I created nine one inch squares and added a bit of water to each square as I moved down.   It is difficult at times to see values in color.  I think this exercise will really help when I am painting.
 
I have often heard it said that value is more important than color.   I know it certainly makes a painting come to life if there are darks and lights for contrast.
 
Perhaps that is is true in the spiritual realm as well.   Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control can add lovely values to life.   They bring depth and beauty to the ordinary and make it extraordinary.  I think I need to create a chart of these also.
 
Thank you for the visit.    God Bless!
 
       
 

Sunday, January 6, 2013

A favorite winter past time...

A favorite winter past time of mine is feeding the birds.    When the snow flies I am busy keeping the feeders full.
We have a wonderful variety that visit our back deck.
 
There are blue jays, morning doves, cardinals,   juncos, chickadees, nuthatches and sparrows.
 
Occasionally there have even been indigo buntings and rufous towhees.   These generally come later in the season.
 
I am not the only one who enjoys watching these visitors.   The felines are entertained as well.
I am sure the birds are glad there is glass between them and these fur babies.
 
Thank you for stopping by to bird watch with us.
 
God Bless!  

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Plans/values

  Yesterday I took some time to check in and revisit my plans and values for the coming year.  I find this helps me keep my focus on what is meaningful.
Many moons ago I had the privilege to attend a Franklin/Covey seminar.  This program made a huge impression on me.  For years I have continued to use these tools to keep me centered on what is vital.
 
The objective of this workshop was to help you decide what you value the most.  How to manage your time.  How to achieve the goals that were important to you.
 
 
I find that when I plan well I generally will accomplish what matters.
  
 As I look back on the previous year I made creating a blog a top priority.   This was a major achievement for someone who was anything but computer savy.  
 
There are some things though that one can't plan.   What I couldn't have foreseen was how important each one of you would become to me.
  
Thank you dear friends for your visits, encouraging comments and personal e-mails.   May God bless you for embracing my heart and warming me with your generous gift of time. 
I am looking forward to another wonderful year of visiting each one of you.
 
Happy New Year! 
 

Sow

 It is the time of the year when I begin to sow seeds for the coming season.  Discovered a different method on You Tube...they call it "...