Beautiful You - yes - you, the gal who is reading this!

Warning: soap box ahead.

"Where did my lips go?" Original ink drawing
ACEO - 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches

Beautiful. Beauty. Lovely. Gorgeous. Ugly Duckling.

Worthy. Wonderful. Important. Acceptable. Get a bag and cover it up.

Desired. Wanted. Sought. Emulated. Shunned.

Get a dose of reality. If you are reading the latest fashion magazine and comparing your reflection in the mirror to the advertisements on those pages, you need to click this link and watch this very short video. Now!

http://youtu.be/iYhCn0jf46U

After you watch the video, go look in the mirror for some real, true, honest, past skin deep and Photoshop, Beautiful.

Ladies, toss the makeover magazines in the trash. You are beautiful!

No, I am not suggesting that we throw away the shampoo, soap, make up, comb, brush, lotions, creams, pretty clothes, etc. *But*,  I am saying that if you think those things are *all* that makes you beautiful, then you are missing who you really are. You are not a Photoshop advertisement - you are a real woman and you have real beauty from the inside out.

I could go on, but I think you get my message.

*stepping down from my soap box*
Blessings,
Kathy

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him,

"If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;

and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

John 8:31-32

A Precocious Goat and a few other Funtry Friday happenings!

Now, I ask you. Does this or does this not look like a precocious goat who is up to mischief?

Seriously! Hmmmm... on the other hand... er, udder....

Yes. That would be an udder full of milk.  Imagine my surprise, because usually an udder full of milk means a doe full of kids... I looked askance at my neighbor's little boy pigmy goat... Seriously?  But then, my neighbor assured me (as only goat people can) that he was not equipped to be a daddy.  Miss Bethie is in a pen in the middle of my property with no other little boy goats around.

Goats are pretty precocious.  And apparently, so are their udders. It is possible for a goat that has not been bred to have a Precocious Udder (that is really what it is called!) full of milk. It seem that the wonderful Spring weather can cause this to happen. My oh my.  Learn something new every day, as my grandmother used to say!

Well, she and her hay eating friends will have something yummy to eat now. The "larder" was getting a bit sparce...

So we got a refill on hay and pellets. That's not as much as I would normally order, but I am holding out for some nice Spring alfalfa. Maybe next month...

Of course, Bailey, my neighbor's dog, had to come over and pester the driver to throw a stick help the driver unload the hay.

She had a marvelous time and he was pretty amazed at how high she could jump to catch a stick. Bailey has no idea that I'm not her human, and I'm not telling her any different. haha! Although she certainly isn't going inside with mud up to her knees...

I also had a little fun watching the guy up the hill park his airplane. For some reason, I didn't realize that they actually could "drive" them in reverse on the ground...

He landed on the dirt air strip up there and then backed his plane up towards the hanger.

Well, I just never know what I am going to see next around here. Sure keeps me on my toes!  Hope you had an interesting Funtry Friday, too!

Blessings,
Kathy

Art-full Wednesday!

I belong to a very fun team on Etsy - The 7 Card Draw Team.  Several of us have been chatting and sharing our artwork since about 2007.  A couple of years ago, Pam, our Fearless Leader, Started our 7 Card Draw Team and we have been having lots of fun posting our Art Cards each month and wondering who will win the chance to choose 7 of them.  My turn to win came in February! I am just now getting around to showing off the wonderful ACEOs that I have added to my collection.

Thank you to these wonderful fellow ACEO 7 Card Draw team mates for slipping these beautiful Art Cards into the Draw! I love having them in my collection!  Click their links to see more of their lovely work.

Paper Dot Dog Creations
Jen at Aloquin
Marlene at Lazyhawk
Linda at Dreams and Echos
Lee at Watercolors or Else
Betty at Pinkglitterfae Art
Pam at alwaysartistic

Are you wondering what an ACEO or an Art Card is?  ACEO stands for Art Cards Editions and Originals and they are small works of art that are 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches (6.4 cm x 8.9 cm), roughly the size of a standard playing card or sports trading card. They are an affordable way to collect wonderful works of art by your favorite artists.  

ACEOs are fun to slip into a book as a personalized bookmark, enclose in a greeting card as a special little gift, mat and frame for your favorite person, decorate your Christmas tree, prop on a shelf with other fun artsy things, collect in an album, give as a gift to teachers, friends, students, anyone – and the list of fun things to do with ACEOs keeps growing! 
I have had a lot of fun creating and collecting ACEOs. If you want to join the ACEO fun - drop in to The 7 Card Draw Team on Etsy anytime. (NOTE: The 7 Card Draw Team is no longer active, but there are several ACEO groups on Etsy that are.)

Having some Art Fun today!
Kathy

Little blessings

Some days just don't have the full orchestra, chorus, and jam packed audience. Some days don't even have two flutes and a violin.  Or a chair.

Did you ever have an empty day? A day so empty that even the echo limped?

We all have them. We just don't all admit that we have them.

Days filled with the crush of the "bad news", lost job, slow sales, crying kids... it's easy to add more things to this list. I bet your mind just skipped on through a few of your own. What do you do with those days? Keep adding to The List?

How about tossing out that list of bad news and making a Blessing List instead. Think about it - there are little blessings all around us.  All the time. And they, well - they bless us. They bring us joy and lift our spirits.

Like whiskers on kittens...

 Got a song stuck in your head now? Music can bless our souls and lift our spirits. Add your favorite song - or be extravagant, and add two or three songs to your Blessing List.

There is beauty all around us.

You are probably asking yourself why I would put a carton of eggs after a statement like: "There is beauty all around us." Well, no two of them are identical, they are all slightly different colors, and I think they are beautiful. I bet you can think of a few beautiful things around you to add to your list.

Maybe chickens bless your socks off more than eggs.

Or maybe painted ceiling tiles, or giant chicken artwork, or the Sistine Chapel blesses your socks off. Hey - put it all on your list!

And then keep your list in a handy place so that if you have one of those (((blank))) days, you will have some blessings to write on it.

And smile. Smiling even when you don't want to, makes you feel better. Seriously. Someone studied that and found out that it was true. Try it. Either you will prove it's true, too - or you will distract your day with some great facial exercises that make you laugh. And we all know that laughter is really good for us!

Have a blessed day week month Life!
Kathy

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.

Ephesians 1:3

Springtime Arriveth! Funtry Friday



It's finally officially Spring - not just on the calendar, but in my world. Yay!  The skies seem bluer to me because the days are warmer. Whatever - lol - that's the way my mind works.

 

My grandmother used to call these clouds "mare's tails".

One sure sign of Spring is that the horses loose their winter coats.  Hershey looks even more like a patchwork quilt this week.

 

Have to cut him a little slack, though - his winter coat is very long and very thick.

 

And also very light. It's hard to tell where Billie Jane's winter coat leaves off and where her summer coat is showing through because they are so similar in color.

If you look closely, you can see that she is darker on her neck and shoulder and lighter on her side. The darker color is her summer coat - which is a LOT shorter than Hershey's winter hair.

There are other signs of the beautiful seasonal changes that Spring brings. No more dried up sticks where the iris were. Now they are blooming! Time to get to the studio and get some more flower paintings done.

 



Lots of the birds are back, too. Busy little birds... building nests everywhere...

 

Yep, there are baby birds in this nest.  The swallows have returned also, but I haven't seen any roosting in last year's nest yet.

 

I love Spring! When the weather is warmer, I like to sit on my porch and do a little plein aire painting. Looking forward to doing some more of these this year.

 

 

There are lots of little signs and big signs of the changing seasons and the new life that Spring always brings.  Right up to and including the crazy birds who are trying to build a nest on the porch ceiling fan blades... Guess who has to leave her fan on during the days even though it isn't needed right now.

 

Spring is a joy filled time - so how about a little Ode to Joy a la Flash Mob? This is the Flash Mob I was talking about in my last blog post. Enjoy!

 

 

 

Happy Spring!
Blessings,
Kathy

PS The Blogging Business Artisans are celebrating Spring this month, too!

 

April--Splendid Little Stars--In Springtime, the Earth renews itself. Life bursts forth from that which seemed dead. Create a project (using any media you desire) that honors a spirit of renewal.

Sharing some blessings...

Sometimes we just need to stop and be encouraged... blessed... in some quiet way. We are not solitary creatures untouched by the lives of others. We are deeply touched. Frequently. Otherwise the bruising headlines we see would not hurt us. or make us weep...

Sometimes weeping is a good thing - when it comes from joy which has touched and healed that tender place we spend most of our lives hiding. Some people are better at bringing that out in us than others.

Sometimes the joy is in sharing the successes of others - in sharing little joys in the middle of life's storms... opening the floodgates and inviting us to walk on water...

 

Copperlight Wood

Sometimes the encouragement - and humor - is closer to home and filled with the down-to-earth-day-by-day-explosion-of-life that comes our way... day by day by day by....

Cultivated Graftings

Sometimes the blessings come out of tough circumstances and hard times. Sometimes in the midst of all of that, there is a great quiet blessed joy.

A Holy Experience

Sometimes I just need to stop and be filled and blessed.. and encouraged. If you find yourself needing a little good news, visit and enjoy these wonderful blogs. Perhaps, like me, you will find reasons to visit often and be filled.

Blessings,
Kathy

...the joy of the Lord is my strength.

Nehemiah 8:10

 (Oops - the flash mob seems to have disappeared! Sorry! You can see it in my next post, Springtime Arriveth!)
PS Be sure to watch the Flash Mob - it is incredible!
(nope, not telling you which blog!)

Funtry Friday Springtime!

Well, well, well. The signs of spring are here!  Welcome back, tumbleweeds. No, I did not miss you.

Brushing the winter coat out of horses every year is lots of fun. I never know exactly what color they will be. Billie Jane has a new little white polka dot!

I haven't seen any new dark spots on her yet, but she hasn't shed all of her winter hair.

Hershey looks like he is going to be really dark this year! He looks a bit funny right now because he sheds really slowly. The darker areas are his summer coat and the creamier color is his winter coat. Yep, right now his shoulders and his cheeks are about the only places where you can see his summer coat.

 Do you like the short cut that Mr. Mellow is taking? Not much phases this horse - including walking through "tight spots".

haha - Hershey took a right turn at the barn. This is his "are you ready to feed me yet?" look. Now if I can just get him to move a smidge so I can get the door open...

Welcome to our Spring sunsets!  We had a lovely one tonight. It looked like fire was falling from the sky.

Have a spectacular weekend!  Happy Funtry Friday!

Blessings,
Kathy

PS Anybody want any tumbleweeds?

When chaos isn't.

Sometimes I look at my life and all I see is chaos. And other times I look at my life and all I see is calm and peace as things swirl around me.

It's perspective. How am I looking at what is happening in my life? Am I looking at it through myopic eyes with forgotten spectacles? Or am I letting God show me things from His eternal viewpoint?

I will take one viewpoint adjustment, to go, please and thank you.

In spite of the appearance of chaos, I know that God has a plan. And it's a good one.

 

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord,

plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.

Jeremiah 29:11

Resting in His will,
Kathy

PS If you want to create a little Chaotic Art to remind you that God does have a plan, visit Create Art In The Style of Jackson Pollock and have some peaceful fun!

Funtry Friday Happenings

Have you been wondering what we have been up to these days?

 

Well, there was lots of snoopervising to be done when Mr. Tim came to put sides on the horse shelter. He had lots of help!

 

The local feed store had lots of baby chicks. Even though they were very cute and fuzzy, not one of them came home with me.

Great restraint on my part! Though, I wonder what these little guys will look like when they are full grown...

Take a close look - these are little Naked Necks chicks.  Yep. They don't have any feathers on their necks.

Easter day was full of a lot of fun. So what do we do when we all get together? We take lots of pictures. And we take some "traditional retakes" just for fun.

This has been a tradition in my family since my mother and father gave each other cameras for Christmas one year. They took pictures of each other while I took pictures of them. Now, just about every time we have multiple cameras out there will be a few photos reminiscent of that day.

Hope you have been having some fun in your neck of the woods!  Happy Funtry Friday!

Blessings,
Kathy