Balloons

Balloons????  Polka Dots????  What is it about seeing a group of circles together that instantly makes us think of certain things???  Sometimes circles are just, well, circles!  That's true with the things we draw, along with all the things in our lives.  We tend to put things in categories before we take the time to figure out what they really are.  Is it because we're so busy that we don't take the time, or maybe that we don't care enough to make the effort??  Then of course comes the time when we have a huge mess to organize because we didn't do it all along the way.  I've always been an organized person in my work habits (well until last year anyway), but at home its different.  I'm trying to make myself more organized because I know I'm happier that way.  I think the answer is less stuff!  The more we have the harder it is to keep track of.  So my new method is, if I haven't used it in six months, its gone!  Of course there are things like baby blankets and mementos from the past that are exceptions, but otherwise the stuff that's in drawers that you're "saving" just get rid of it.  You'll feel so much better!  Plus when you feel better you tangle better!  Happy Day!

Outside

Outside is such a wonderful place to be!!!  There are flowers and trees and grass.  There are birds and sun and clouds.  There is water and everything below what we can see from the waters' edge.  Yet when the weather is cold we stay inside and look out.  When its nice we stay inside because its too warm out.  So if we do these things, when do we actually get outside and enjoy being a part of what's going on outside our doors?  How do we feel a part of our world if we're always on the inside looking out??  Today I challenge you, regardless of your weather, to go outside and do something (besides just walking to your car or getting the mail).  Even if you sit outside on a bench for 15 minutes - listen and feel - you ARE a part of this wonderful world we live in.  Breathe it in and wrap your arms around it!

Mid-week Challenge for week 14

I know I'm a little behind since Laura posted this Mid-week Challenge last Wednesday but better late than never - right???  Today is the first day that I actually feel like myself again!!  It's feels like it's been such a long time but I'm back - yay!!!!  The extra plus is today we even have SUNSHINE!!!!!  I saw the forecast this morning and by the weekend it's supposed to be sunny and in the 60's!!!!  I know they always change the forecast later on in the week, but for a Monday this was a great way to get motivated!  Now I'm starting to see what's really behind the weathermans' forecast.  It's motivation for the whole viewing area!!!  Wow what a responsibility!!!  I thought it was a big enough job trying to encourage and motivate my three sons, but can you imagine the weight of the world THEY must feel????  Makes a mom job seem a little easier.  Today find something sunny in your world and draw about it.

Old and New

Sometimes when you start out doing something you're comfortable with, you end up pushing yourself to a new place.  That's not a bad thing!  If we all stayed right where we were then we would all still be holding crayons with our fists and scribbling on the walls.  We push our kids and grand kids to reach for new things - to try harder.  But sometimes as adults we want to take the easy route and then wonder why we didn't get the results we were hoping for.  Well, no matter what your age, you need to always remember to push yourself.  Whether its with your art, your cooking and housekeeping, your gardening, your exercise, your whatever!  If you don't push yourself you'll never feel like you've accomplished what you know you're capable of.  Today I hope you feel that sense of accomplishment.  Personal satisfaction means so much more when you know how hard you worked for it. 

Twirly whirly guy

When I got this tangle finished, it looked to me like there was a guy standing in the middle of it just waiting for his big ears to start spinning and for him to take off.  I'm not sure where he was going, but he was definitely going somewhere.  Maybe just high enough to see what was going on around him.  I would love to know what he saw!  I'm thinking that it was maybe rolling hills of different tangle patterns.  The ones that he liked he hovered over them for awhile before moving on to the next ones.  I know, you're thinking I've really lost my mind now or maybe the fever has returned and I'm just delirious.  Well its neither!  I'm sure there are some that would disagree with that (the lost my mind part) but they'll have to write their own story and since this one is mine, I'm just going to say it sparked almost a cartoon adventure in my head. 

Hope this Saturday finds you doing something you love doing!!

Holding On

With the look of the "netting" being held down, I thought of how many times throughout the day we have to hold on or hold down things in our lives.  Sometimes it's things other people say to us or the way they treat us.  Other times it's the results of decisions we've made and have to work through them.  Then there are the things that just "happen" and have to be addressed.  For me this week, its being sick.  It started while on vacation, the day of a surprise party, missed seeing family I hadn't seen in years, rode cross country (well half way) mostly in silence snuggled under a blanket, missed seeing Little Miss Thisorthat for the second week in row, and haven't done much of anything but drink and sleep all week.  After a blanket of 4" of new snow I think we have something new to hold on and get through.  Enjoy your weekend!