Hope, Resilience & Trust

Something is happening.

Something wonderful 

and happy

and good.

I am waking up each day

making better choices 

than the day before.

I am exercising.

I am eating better.

I am choosing joy.

My heart is telling me today

to go for it.

To be everything God 

intended me to be.

My WORD for 2012 is Story.

I promised myself I would

tell my story with 

words and my art.

As I ask myself if

I've done a good job of that

I am reminded of the importance

of staying TRUE to myself.

In sharing MY STORY

my words and art must be

directly from the heart.

There is no other way.

That's what I've learned this year.

The year I'd like to forget.

The year that quite possibly 

could go down as the worst in my life.

But then I think...

haven't there been 

those "beautiful moments"?

Haven't there been rays of sunshine

through the rain?

Yes.

And 

so

my 

STORY

is one of

HOPE

and

RESILIENCE

and

TRUST.

All of these things have been in my art this year...on my blog.

For even though the days have been dark...

the problems hard...

the heartache almost too much to bear....

In my art

I see 

HOPE

and

RESILIENCE

and 

TRUST.

I see myself wanting to FLY ANYWAY.

Dreaming dreams and making goals.

This is MY life

right now.

This is MY STORY.

If you want to fly,

 you have to give up

 the things that 

weigh you down.

Change Your Mind Girls!!!

If you truly want to change your life, you must first change your mind.

-Unknown

Simple Woman's Day Book

I am taking part in the Simple Woman's Daybook. This is something I have been wanting to do for a few years now. I hope you get to know me a bit better and enjoy!



FOR TODAY
July 25th, 2012


Outside my window...I am working at The Art Experience today. Out my window I see our beautiful town courthouse and cars going by.


I am thinking...So many things. I go from being overwhelmed today to being grateful for all my blessings. I am kind of a mess today.



I am thankful...For this job. I love being here. For my Mom who is such a gift to me. I need her in my life!!!



In the kitchen...Mine is a mess at the moment. I took time to clean it this morning and am hoping my family finishes so when I get home it is beautiful!!!



I am wearing...My ugly khaki stretching pants that remind me that I need to lose weight!!!  A black shirt...I think it hides my fat....



I am creating...Art journal page backgrounds and canvas houses this weekend.



I am going...to go visit the Goff's in Burlington tonight and create a visit awhile.



I am wondering...when will our lives be back to normal?? No stress, no money issues....sigh.



I am reading...The Virgin Suicides. Weird book. Want to read The Help.



I am hoping...for brighter days ahead and continued success on my new workout program.



I am looking forward to...Brave Girl Art School.



I am learning...to love myself again. Boy this is hard.



Around the house...I need to be organized. UGH! Our house definately looks lived in!



I am pondering...A new art journaling e-course. Want to do one in the fall.
 
 
I hope you enjoyed my Day Book. If you'd like to play along you can go here.
 
Have a GREAT day!!! Thank you for stopping by.

Busy Becoming

Brave Art by Leslie

All my life I had been looking for something,

 and everywhere I turned someone

 tried to tell me what it was. 

 I accepted their answers too,

 though they were often in contradiction

 and even self-contradictory. 

 I was naïve.

  I was looking for myself and asking everyone 

except myself questions which I, 

and only I, could answer. 

 It took me a long time 

and much painful boomeranging

 of my expectations to achieve

 a realization everyone else appears

 to have been born with:

  that I am nobody but myself. 

 ~Ralph Ellison, "Battle Royal"

I have been busy becoming.

Becoming who it is I'm meant to be.

Busy

 being kind 

to myself

and others.

Listening,

painting,

connecting.

Life is good 

right now.

I am on a 

new path 

and it feels

right

and good.

How

are 

YOU

?

Working Girl

As I type this I can't quit hacking and coughing. My eyes and nose are running, my neck hurts and I am miserable.

I have a lovely summer cold.
And it's a doozy.

Does that mean I get to rest and take care of me?? Ummmmmmm....NO.

Today I am working at one of my favorite places...The Art Experience. Even though I am here and don't feel so good....just being surrounded by paint and stamps and glue it seems to be brightening my mood.
Right after work I hope to go home and rest up a bit before heading to our County Fair. We have a shaved ice shack and I am scheduled to work till midnight. Working along side my family though will help lift my spirits.

Today I am working on a few projects for the studio. Looking forward to losing myself in painting:)

I haven't been by your blogs at all this week, girls. I hope to catch up very soon!!

What have you been up to this week??

PS...photos of our shaved ice shack "Kool Kats" coming soon!!!

So Many Quotes!!

Art journaling has been my passion all summer long!! I can't get enough of painting backgrounds and writing down all my thoughts and ideas.

As part of my art journaling fun I have been playing along with Natalie Malik's Summer Journaling class.

It's a FREE course and full of Summer prompts to help you remember this special time of year.

I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite quotes all about Summer you can use in your journals. Enjoy:)




If a June night could talk, it would probably boast it invented romance.  ~Bern Williams




I question not if thrushes sing,
If roses load the air;
Beyond my heart I need not reach
When all is summer there.
~John Vance Cheney




Oh, the summer night
Has a smile of light
And she sits on a sapphire throne.
~Barry Cornwall






In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.  ~Albert Camus






The summer night is like a perfection of thought.  ~Wallace Stevens






In summer, the song sings itself.  ~William Carlos Williams







Press close, bare-bosomed Night! Press close, magnetic,
nourishing Night!
Night of south winds!  Night of the large, few stars!
Still, nodding Night!  Mad, naked, Summer Night!
~Walt Whitman






And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer. ~F. Scott Fitzgerald






Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time.  ~John Lubbock






Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language. ~Henry James







Then followed that beautiful season... Summer....
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow






What have you been creating this summer???

Work of the Soul

After over a month without rain we woke up to the sound of thunder and rain, tap-tapping on our roof!! It is such a blessing!!

Today I am spending most of the day creating...working on art journals, a package of new 6x6 canvas's and maybe even finishing a piece I've been dying to share here!! I am also working on a NEW idea for our local art studio The Art Experience. I can't wait to share!!

So today will be a day of my favorite music in my favorite space doing my favorite thing. Sounds like heaven.

Good for the body

is the work of the body,

 and good for the soul

is the work of the soul,

and good for either

 is the work of the other. 

~Henry David Thoreau

A Memory Filled Summer

Our family farm

Summer is half over...it's hard to believe!! We have had so much fun in the past few weeks and wanted to share. The photo above was taken on Father's Day at our family farm. My Dad grew up here.

Isn't is BEAUTIFUL??

We come out here when we just want to get away and relax.

Dave wanted to come out on Father's Day...so we packed up a few snacks, drinks and books and headed out. My girl, Em and I chilled by Honey Creek. This was my Dad's favorite spot when he was a kid!

The Jackson Family Farm has been in our family since 1889!!!

We have been spending lots of time with my Mom. The older she gets the more I realize every moment with her is so precious!! We have been playing cards, going on mini trips and visiting. This is Jacks and Grams one summer day.

Jackson was able to go to Missouri Boys State a few weeks ago in Warrensburg. Seven life-changing days for my son!!

This is the day we dropped him off.


This summer I have been enjoying my studio more than ever. This is the one place I go and can say "Ahhhhhhh".

The same set of missionaries has been with us now since January and we couldn't be happier. Elder Scoubes and Elder Hall are amazing!!

Here is little Gizmo atop Elder Hall's head. Too silly:)

Elder Scoubes and Emma July 4th. They whipped up a batch of delicious carmel brownies for us.
Elder Jourdain Scoubes is a Division One college basketball player from California. He is 6 foot 7!! We adore him!!

My family reunion was last weekend in Carthage, Illinois. Here we are!!

It was a small bunch this year due to over 100 degree temperatures.

Despite the heat we forged ahead and enjoyed a lunch of chicken and various salads along with our annual pinata. I even gave it a try!

That night we headed to Warsaw for an air-conditioned eating experience:) Miss Emma and her cousin Jessica are beautiful!!

I think my favorite part of the trip were our nightly UNO card games in the hotel living room. FUN!!!

This weekend we will add to our Summer memories with the Hopkins Picnic. Next week is our county fair and before school Em and I are planning a Back to School shopping spree with the money she's earned baby sitting.

Stay-tuned....

What FUN things are YOU doing this summer??

The Need to Just Let Go

"How difficult it is to be simple."  -Vincent Van Gogh

For the past few weeks I have been painting my heart out.

Every other day I head to my studio, pick a few colors of acrylic paint that speak to me and get to work.

Some times I Mod Podge down background papers and sheet music then paint over that. I always, always add stencils and stamps to make it extra messy.

I love messy.

And I love not having any plan.

I put on my music and just let it guide me.

Lately I've been listening to the new Footloose soundtrack. Love all the country twang in there!

Van Gogh is right you know. We put so much thought into our art sometimes. What we really should be doing is listening to our hearts and just put that on paper.

I'm finding the more I do this the more I WANT to do this. 

Just paint and glue and put words and images together.

What's so great about this is I now have  a dozen or so pages ready for me to journal in.

Last night I worked on a few pages in bed.

I make sure and leave a bag of pens on my nightstand and a bag of extras like this.

I also have a glue stick and a pair of scissors just in case.

People often say that this or that person has not yet found himself.  But the self is not something one finds, it is something one creates.  ~Thomas Szasz, "Personal Conduct," The Second Sin, 1973

Do you put too much thought into your creative process or do you just go with it?? Please share!!!

My MUST Read List

One of my main sources of inspiration for anything creative are books. I love books!!

Here are a few of my favorites.

1. Journal Revolution was the first mixed media/art journal book I ever bought. As soon as I saw it I KNEW this was gonna change the way I create.
.
2. 1000 Artist Journal Pages is very cool. Each page is filled with at least one, full-color art journal page from people all over the world. Lots of eye candy and inspiration here!!

3. Creative is a Verb is just one of those books that will make you want to be a better YOU. The author Patti Digh has a whole blog revolution going on. Check it out here.

4.  Make Your Creative Dreams Real by Sark. I remember buying this book lots of years ago just because it was so different...lots of scribbles and hand drawn doodles. This book definately helped bring me to the point I am at now in my creative journey.

5.  The Artistic Mother by Shona Cole. I looked and looked for this book several years ago. When I finally found it I was elated!! I need to get it out again...so many great projects in here.

6.  Faith books/Spiritual Journaling. I bought this book when scrapbooking was all the craze and most of us had never even heard of art journaling or mixed media. This book was different than scrapping and that's why I liked it. Full of awesome/faith inspired projects.

7.  52 Scrapbookiing Challenges by Elsie Flannigan. The first time I laid eyes on Elsie's quirkt style I KNEW I had found my kind of look...lots of bold colors, doodles, shapes and all full of heart. LOVE this book!!!!

8.  Art Saves is full of 25 artists (or there about) stories. Why they create, what inspires them, their fave quote, their motivations, etc. My fave artist Melody Ross and Brave Girls Club is featured!

9. Life Artist by Ali Edwards. Ali is just awesome!! She documents her life better than anyone I know!!!! This book is still a fave. I was fortunate enough to meet her at CHA when this book came out. A definite must for telling your stories.

10.  Taking Flight by Kelly Rae Roberts. This book came out when I was at CHA in Chicago. I think Kelly may have even been there (I honestly think I met her, too but don't remember). This was before anyone had heard of her. Still...I wanted her book so much! Just reading what it was about and her sweet girl art on the cover won me over. I have read this book many times as well as answered the questions from each chapter. I LOVE mixed media art today and believe I can do it thanks to this book!!!

I hope you enjoyed my list of favorite books. I would LOVE to find some new ones to go with my collection.


Please tell me what are YOUR favorites??