LATEST CHALLENGE

In every sense of the word, this WAS a challenge. I was to create a 4x4 collage with images that were sent to me. A "Dream" challenge. Inside the envelope came a stip of sky with clouds, a hand, a chair printed on a transparent sheet, a blue butterfly, a purple door, and flowers. Every which way I arranged, I would always come up with a great design only to discover I had forgotten to include either the chair or the hand. Urrrggghhh...start all over again. This went on and on until I thought I would scream. Then is just became funny and I would talk out loud to myself..."Gosh, it looks great..but where the #$&%#$ am I going to put the chair?!! "How about on the backside?" I was late in the endeavor and so many of my ideas were sort of already done in one way or another. We were able to add elements, and use whatever we wanted as the background, but absolutely HAD to use the ones mailed to us. The background is a piece of mixed media maddness paper I did a few months ago and to the whole composition I added one of my favorite little Paper Whimsy girls and a moon face also from Paper Whimsy. A bit of text, and some torn music paper and black and white ribbon..and there you go!! Geessshhhhh. I actually like it!!!

CHILDREN

I pulled out a favorite read today, and like wrapping myself in the comfort of a well-worn quilt, I read once again the words of Kalil Gibran.

And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, Speak to us of Children.
And he said:
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house theier bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your
dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not
to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and he bends you with his might
that his arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for
gladness;
For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so
he loves also the bow that is stable.

THE BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!

I received the best present ever this birthday!! All three of my chicks flew in to surprise me.
Joel ~ Ryan ~ Renee
About a month ago I guess the secret plan began, and this past Friday I walked in to the house after work and there they were. I was just blown away and it took several moments for my brain to catch up with my eyes. It's so amazing to embrace them again, have them gathered together with me, laughing and talking. It's been over three years since I've had them all together with me and there was really nothing that could have made me happier. I know without a doubt that this was not easy to pull off and I love so much that they knew what it would mean to me.

BACK FROM VISIT WITH DAD

Where does time go? We all wonder that probably on a daily basis. Having just returned from a quick visit to see my Dad after some health issues he has and IS going through, I am pondering how so many years have escaped. I walked in the woods of my childhood home taking in all the fragrance, the sound of the river and the sparkle of it that delights me still. It's the little things.

HOME ~
Maybe not where my heart is, but the inner child still resides there, and it is THAT voice that speaks the loudest and the one I seem to listen to more often than not.

FLOWERS & CROWNS CHALLENGE

Today wasn't a big art day for me. I am both not terribly creative at the moment and there is much to do. However, I stepped up to the plate for a short time to create this little altered key card. The challenge was the theme "Flowers & Crowns"...so I gave this Paper Whimsy image a Flower for her crown, and then added a tiny crown pendant. The biggest challenge was the itty bitty cardinal. So now I feel a little better that I did at least one small art project today!

GUESS WHOOOOOOOOOO'S BACK?!!!

So I guess I gave that darn owl more credit than he deserved. He came back last night and, yes, startled the begeezus (I don't know WHAT begeezus is or even how to spell it, but that is the word necessary for the owl saga) out of me. How I wish I could record the sound he makes to play here. It's downright unearthly!! So, out came the flashlight and off I went. We know the routine. Shine the light in his eyes-he goes away. Hmmmm.......this time not so easy. I swear he stayed just a bit longer and kept looking down at me like he was sizing me up. Perhaps trying to decide if maybe I would be the one to go away this time. Silly owl. AS IF!!!