Sometimes it only takes a whisper.

Sometimes we have glorious colorful sunsets and sunrises around here. Sometimes the light streams across the entire sky in gold and red lighting up the clouds all across the sky from horizon to horizon.

But sometimes we have a quiet gathering of clouds full of soft colors. It’s like a whisper of color that dances on the edge of your mind - a pastel tint of the radiant blazing sunsets.

 

"Beautiful Summer Evening"
original watercolor ACEO
2.5 x 3.5 inches

It’s Easter Sunday. Some people are racing around, collecting eggs, having family dinners, and filling the day with bright, flashing, fun events.

I’m sitting beside the empty tomb, resting in the quiet of the garden. I am whispering thanks to Jesus who put on human skin, walked through the busy earth, spoke, loved, blessed, and healed many. And we, me – my sins – sent Him to the cross on Golgotha where He died.

If everything ended there, it would be a dark and dismal cloudy day in the garden. It’s not, though – it’s glorious, instead. Quietly glorious. Full of power and majesty that whispers: “Come, rest in Me.” And I answer “Yes, Lord! Thank You!”

 

And the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid; for I know you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going before you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you."

Matthew 28:5-7

Have a blessed Resurrection Sunday,

Kathy

 

The Blogging Business Artisans have a challenge for March:

March - PruittCreations - Emerging Foggy Spring
March is the month for spring, but early spring. Let's explore color in terms of tint. In color theory, a tint is the mixture of a color with white, which increases lightness. We often create with color and ignore tints of color. Create a flowery/botanical/plant project with muted tints leaving lots of white space, if you can. This project is to challenge your thought processes about color, using tints. Don't be intimidated by the absence of bright color. Get creative!

Funtry Friday Dozen

Okay, the cliff hanger is over! As promised, here is the real truth about my crazy statements in my last blog post, "Did I really do this?"

1.      I rode in a hot air balloon. Absolutely and totally false! I think it might be fun to do, though.

2.      I washed and dried a mouse. Unfortunately for both the mouse and I, this is true. You will note that now I NEVER, for any reason, leave my washer lid open unless I am in the laundry room and the washer is in sight.

3.      I rode a race horse. Well, yes – but not in a race. Our first horse, Sweet Lady Jane, was a retired Thoroughbred Race horse and we rode her until her eyesight got bad.

4.      I made a dress out of a plastic bag. Yes, and I still have it – just in case my daughter wants it for one of her lovely daughters. It does have eye holes… basic black… long… will go with any kind of shoes… For some reason, Cynthia didn’t want to wear it in Junior High.

5.      I told my sister she could fly like Superman and she found out she couldn’t. Seriously, who would do that to their sister? Yep, me. She took a flying leap off the top bunk and did a belly flop on the rag rug. Honestly, I figured if anyone could fly it would be her. Mom’s reaction convinced me not to repeat the encouragement. Oh, and my sister was thankfully uninjured. Maybe she could hover for a short time…

6.      I wrote a little cookbook. Let’s just say that if I write a cookbook, you don’t want it unless you do a lot of science experiments in your kitchen.

7.      I dyed my hair red. Not once, but twice – about 20 years apart. And you would think I would have remembered how bad it looked the first time. For the record, I have my plain old ordinary it's-really-my-hair-color hair in my profile picture.

8.      I have moved a total of 22 times in my life. Yep – I counted them all up just for you.

9.      I won an art contest when I was a freshman in High School. Nope – totally a lie. Of course, you have to enter a contest to win and I was way too shy to do anything that adventurous!
 

10.  I designed my own home. Duck Lips! Yes, I did. It was a LOT of fun and I still really like the floor plan.

11.  I have had many public speaking engagements. Duck Lips revisited! I have spoken to many local art groups, as well as other local community groups. I have also led two women’s retreats and co-led another with my daughter. Leading the retreat with my daughter was a blast! It was the most fun I ever had speaking in public.

12.  I have duck lips. Well, if you read this post and my daughter’s blog post you can plainly see that the answer is yes.

Everybody has Duck Lips

I do have duck lips and sometimes I do like to share a little brag time.  But Cynthia is right. All my bragging words don’t add up to much of anything next to my Lord saying:
 

“Well done, my good and faithful servant." 

Matthew 25:21

Well, I hope you enjoyed with my Funtry Friday Dozen! Be sure to let me know if you create your own list – I want to see it!

Watching my inbox:  tapestry316@yahoo.com

Kathy

Did I really do this?

What do you think? Do you think I really did these things? Maybe? Maybe not!

"Wanna Be"
original ink and watercolor ACEO
2.5 x 3.5 inches

No prizes will be given here - this is just some crazy fun. Make a guess in the comments - do you think I did all these things? none of these things? or some of these things? Get brave - list the things you think I did or did not do in the comments.

And then, if you want to get really brave, create your own post with your own list! Be sure to let me know if you do create your own blog post, because I really want to read YOUR list!

Okay - here's the list. Did I really do this?

1. I rode in a hot air balloon.
2. I washed and dried a mouse.
3. I rode a race horse.
4. I made a dress out of a plastic garbage bag.
5. I told my sister she could fly like Superman and she found out she couldn't.
6. I wrote a little cookbook.
7. I dyed my hair red.
8. I have moved a total of 22 times in my life.
9. I won and art contest when I was a freshman in high school.
10. I designed my own home.
11. I have had many public speaking engagements.

And last, but not least...
    12.  I have Duck Lips.*

Okay - there you go. Have fun! Drop back on Funtry Friday this week and see how you did with your guesses.

Checking my list for something I might want to do today,
Kathy

*Confused about the Duck Lips? Check out this great blog post:  Everybody has Duck Lips

Am I in Kansas yet?

Sometimes, we have a nice little breeze - just enough to cool off the day. But then there are other days...

 

***Whooosh*** 

 

Get much wind in your neck of the woods?

 

On windy days like today, I think that "the windy city" is windy because Paulden sends Chicago our surplus supply of wind.

 Did you ever try to draw or paint the wind?

What color is the wind?

I color mine invisible unless it is full of dust. And dust doesn't count, because dust is not the same as wind. I can taste dust, but I can't taste the wind. However, I can certainly feel the effects of the wind. Especially at 40 mph... with dust hitching a ride...

 

I don't need rocks in my pockets, but my grandgirls might want a few to weigh them down and keep their feet on the ground!

 

Sometimes paintings look like the wind is blowing like crazy, but it's an illusion.

 

 

Nope, that was not a windy day - just an expressive horse.  Faked you out!

 

 

Windy day? Calm and cloudy? Huh. I don't remember... and I can't tell from this picture. Faked me out.

 

Sometimes the wind blows so hard here that all the grass lays flat and doesn't look like it's moving, and still I can't see the wind. And sometimes, like now, I am looking outside and I don't see anything moving, but the wind is still blowing like crazy. I know it is because if I lean back a bit, I can see the tall grass bowing and dancing. Yes, the wind is definitely moving out there.

 

Like God. The evidence is everywhere - in the world, in my life...  but sometimes I don't see it unless I stop digging in my heels and refusing to move. When I yield my spirit to His Spirit, I am swept along - sometimes at a dizzy pace - until I am where He wants me to be. 

 

I am sure that God whispers quietly, too - that "still small voice" - just like a gentle breeze. Maybe I do have rocks in my pockets. If I dump them out and stop my propensity to dig in my heels, I just might make a lot more progress at a much more peaceful pace!

 

Checking my pockets for rocks,

Kathy

 

 

"Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'

The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it,

but do not know where it comes from and where it is going;

so is everyone who is born of the Spirit."

John 3:7-8

Okay, I can see the Eiffel Tower, but the airplane? Really?

I read a fun birthday blog post on Milo and Molly’s blog. Instead of a bucket list, she listed some things that she would not do. Since I don’t usually put things I want to do in a bucket for later, I thought it was a great idea. While I am off doing some fun things today, you can check out some stuff that I won’t be doing!

 

(PS And enjoy some really random photos from the last few months!)

 

Late fall rain.

Ride the elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower. I know this because I stood at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower and watched the elevator go all the way to the top. Yep… and nope!

 

Courthouse in Prescott with all the Christmas lights.

 

Own a pet pig. Pigs are very smart. They can also weigh about 700 pounds (315 kg). The combo can make for some very interesting times. After watching my neighbor’s escape artist sow… Ummm, nope!

I know that tattoos are popular. I almost got one. Twice. Once in my twentys and once about 15 years ago. Guess what? Since it showed up on this list, you probably figured out that I won’t get a tattoo, but you may not guess why. I see people with tattoos everywhere I go, and I like to be different.

 

Our family gathering tradition is to work a jigsaw puzzle.
No, we did NOT finish this one. LOL - sometimes we do know when to quit.

 

Piercings get a "no vote", too. I have only had one piercing… if you count when I slipped in the mud and fell into the fence. A piece of wire went through the skin on the side of my hand. Well, and there was the two inch splinter that skewered my thumb. Let’s just say, I don’t seek out deliberate piercings.  

 

Oh, little birdie, I am sooooo ready for Spring, too!

 

Willingly jump out of an airplane? Seriously.  This has never been on any to do list I have ever made!

Ride a bull. Enough said.



Stop talking to God. Not!  Hey, He always listens.

 

Beautiful little Jubilee!

 

So, how about you? Bucket List? Or To Don’t List?

Blessings,

Kathy

"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 8:38-39

Funtry Friday - Adventures in 2013 - already!

2012 ended on quite a busy note, 2013 started with chaos, and moved at lightening speed to March leaving me wondering ***what happened***????

*whew* Breathe. Okay...

My view of January was mostly from the barn next door as I nursed Hershey...

... while Billie Jane was watching, watching, watching... pacing, pacing, pacing, and letting me know things were out of sorts.

Wet and soggy was the word of the day... er days! But even all the mud can be pretty.

Alright. Squint and kind of turn your head sideways and enjoy the sparkly reflections. Listen to the peaceful drip, drip, drip of melting snow falling from the barn roof - and realize that it is too cold for soggy manure to smell bad. Aside from standing in the outdoor refrigerator, it wasn't bad at all!  And it did dry up. Eventually.

And the sun came out!

And Hershey was able to walk in a straight line instead of turning in circles repeatedly. Yes, that was scary - and not fun. He still has trouble in his hind quarters... but at his age, stuff like this happens. This time the outcome was happy - next time it may not be, but the Lord is always in charge. And for now, we will enjoy all our days and make each one a Funtry Friday! (Even snowy ones like today!)

On another Funtry Friday, Sophia had her first ever Birthday Party! This little miss turned three years old. When asked what she wanted for her birthday, she replied "presents and to sing Happy Birthday". We obliged! And to think... just two years ago... Well, check out Welcome home, Sophia!, to see where we were back then (which seems like a hundred years ago!).

And now, on this blustery, rainy, sleeting, snowy Funtry Friday it is time to go outside and feed all the critters. Rain or shine - they still love me and I still love them!

Happy Funtry Friday!
Blessings,
Kathy

Mmmmmm! Wordless Wednesday

 

Sophia's Happy Birthday Feast!

 

Blessings,

Kathy