Aah Love Love Love....

February the month
Of...

Love.
What do you Love?

Here is a few of the things

I love to Love.

The foot of the cross

and the open arms of Jesus.

The Cowboy, My husband and

part-neer.

I LOVE, My wonderful family!

All my children

My mother,father and

brothers. 

&

The blessings of Friends

I Love

Watching my girls bloom into

beautiful women right before my eyes.

I Love...
 Making art that reflects the relationship

I have with Jesus Christ. 

 Messy Art and Soul Studio.

My collection of boots! Luv um!

I confessed to a boot addiction
in a prevouis post.
The truth will set you free! (Right?)

P.S. The Cowboy got me a new pair for

Valentines Day with some flowers.

Crayons!!! 

 The colors of the ocean. 

The color Aqua. (I heart)

 Painting Roses in watercolor.

The color Pink.

Looking out my window to see

our Horses.

I Love.....

 AMERICA and all she stands for.

Hope, Promise & Freedom!

Just a fun and quick pictorial of

what I heart!

Picture by Rebekah J. Ruby

John 3:16 (New International Version,

16 "For God so loved the world that he

 gave his one and only Son,

that whoever believes in him

 shall not perish but have eternal life."

 I Love...
GODS LOVE

“It’s difficult for our limited minds

to comprehend an unlimited God.

Don’t allow the limits of your mind

to limit what you will

 allow God to do in your life.”

 – Elmer Laydon

Love one another!

Happy Valentines Day!
Many Blessings, Deborah

Saturday Link up at
It's Grace
Come join the Fun!
http://www.itsgrace.com/

Art, Seeds and Petals Series and The Brave Girls Club, Go Now and Check them out!!!

Seeds and Red Petals

Art and Soul

Loves...

Creative souls...

Women Inspiring each other...

Growing in my Creativity

 and

Sharing...

My Creativity

My Faith...

My Experiences

 and

New Blog Finds....

I found a great blog a couple months ago and I wanted to

share it.

These Sisters are creative and inspiring...

They offer

mountain retreats and are getting ready to

 launch their  first online

 workshop, which will be 6 weeks long.

http://www.bravegirlsclub.com/

I myself would looooove to go to one

of their retreats in the Idaho Rocky Mountains...
the perfect setting for 5 days of life-changing fun!
It is officially on my bucket list!

Click on the link to check it out...

I know you will love them too!!!

Another Stroke of the Brush...

I have been busy getting my art into some

local shops for the holidays!

 

My family and I are getting ready to go and

visit family in Kansas City and Sikeston, MO

For the Holidays.

Praying for CLEAR weather!!!

Amen!
(not leaving the house if there is even a hint of band weather)
Here is Why?

2 years ago we attempted to go visit my cowboys/husbands

family in Sikeston, Mo. 2 hrs south of St. Louis.

We were about an hour and a half out of town

when we came upon some sleet on an overpass.

All at once the car in front of us hit their brakes

and in turn we had to hit ours. We had our Ford Excursion

filled to the brim with luggage and all 6 of us...Plus our little

white dog, a Westie. We proceeded to roll down an embankment

3 times, Yes 3 times. Our little dog was air born in our truck like Toto in the

Wizard of Oz. We were all shaken and a little banged up

but, NO one was seriously hurt...It Was A Miracle!
It all happened in slow motion....
 No.....

Really,  A real Miracle!!!
 Not only was our dog flying around

but there was also a ball hitch airborne. For those of you who don't know

what that is...It goes in the back of the truck under the bumper to

attach a trailer. Don't ask why my cowboy needed

to bring an extra one for this trip? But it was now located

on the dash board in the front of our truck.

These ball hitches must weigh at least 5 to 10lbs. I can not

believe it did not hit someone in the head.

MIRACLE!!!

Needless to say our truck was totaled and we had to call our friends to come and pick us

up and take us back home. All this happen the day before Thanksgiving, I did not

have any groceries to cook a Thanksgiving meal, we weren't supose to be home.

Another Miracle... Neighbors brought us all their left overs after their main meal....

We sure had a lot to be THANKFUL for that year...

Hence the prayer for good weather!!!

We have not been to see the cowboy's family

since the accident and it is a 9 1/2 hour trip.

Thankfully going south is a good thing because

the weather gets better the further south from Iowa we go.

The crisp colors of fall...

Here are some pictures I took

in one of the shops my art is currently in....

I though it would get me in the spirit of

of Giving Thanks!!!

I also thought I might do a still life???

What are you thankful for?

May you be thankful for family and

friends and share your many blessings
with others.

Deborah

 



Project In My Daughters Eyes, MY Letter to my daughters...

Over at PINK MOSS http://www.pinkmoss.com/ 

Janae is on an precious mission.

This project is titled,

IN MY DAUGHTERS EYES

She is a mother of 6 daughters.

 I hope you will stop by her blog and see what this project is all about.

IT is AWESOME!

In My Daughter's Eyes is an idea she had to ask women

to write a letter to their 12 year old self, giving advice

 on what true beauty and happiness means to them.

 There are no many guidelines because she wants the letters to be unique.

Please stop by and jump on board.

 My Letter....

I have choosen to write to my daughters about what I was taught at 12 and what I desire to teach them.
My dearest daughters, from the moment you were born and they placed you in my arms I saw beauty in the first breath you took. For in that 1st breath of your life, I began understand true love, a bond so strong it felt almost overwhelming. I began to dream of your first words, your first steps and all the first experiences of your life. Oh, I will not be in a hurry for you to grow up, I want to savor each and every moment and never let you out of arms length. Daughter, try to remember life is not a race to see who can grow up the fastest and take time to enjoy your journey one step at a time. Not all mothers and daughters will have the relationship I desire to have with you. I am you mother first and always. But, I will also seek to be your friend, your confidant and your own personal cheerleader.


The most important attribute I hope to pass on to you is my faith, I believe in God and I will pray for you to seek him through out your life. I will show you how to love like Jesus and forgive like Jesus in my actions and my words. I know you think I am over protective, strict and never let you have any fun. Just know this, as a your mother my first instinct is to love and protect you for as long as I can.

On your first day of school my heart will break just a little knowing I have to share you with the rest of the world, because you are my world. I promise you I will seek to do my best with the knowledge I have and do better as I gain more wisdom. My dearest girls, as you go out into the world on your own remember that you are never alone, God goes with you and my prayers for you will never end. Remember as your mother if you hurt I will hurt and that you can tell me anything and I will listen with compassion and speak to you with the wisdom I have gained from being a young girl at one time. Believe it or not I was a teenager once too.

In your teenage years when peer pressure is at a peek, I will still be seeking to protect you from the all the pressure of high school and this world. The path you are on will have ups and downs, trials and tears, laughter and joy. Allow me as your mother to share this with you. I want to be there for you always in all ways. As your mother I will be honest, strict and full of high expectations. When it seems as though I expect too much or have given to much responsibility remember this. I am this way because I believe you are a precious gift from God and an answered prayer. I am this way because I can see your potential and how special you are. I am hoping to teach you that true beauty is in how you live, love and forgive. True beauty is in how you treat others, true beauty is sharing, giving and respecting yourself.

You will always be beautiful in the eyes of God and your mother. The world will try to teach you that beauty is in the makeup, your looks and the clothes you wear. I will teach you that true beauty comes from within you. True beauty is not visible on the surface; it is in your words and actions.

Girls... when you pass by a mirror try not to focus on how you look, your style, you hair or your body type. When you look in the mirror at your own reflection, see what God sees. Try not to focus on the package with all the pretty paper and a big pink bow. Stop at the mirror and look deeper, see through the eyes of God. God sees a beautiful child of his creation; God looks at YOU and only sees what is in your heart and soul.

When you begin looking for the love of a partner, I hope you seek his friendship first.
"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13

Seek someone that loves you for who you are on the inside. Seek someone who doesn’t want you to change who you are to meet his needs, but needs who you are to complete who he is. Seek someone who inspires you and believes in you. Don’t look for love in a handsome face. Most of all you must learn to love your self before you can truly love someone else.

"Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love. Try always to be led along TOGETHER by the Holy Spirit, and so be at peace with one another." Ephesians 4:2-3, TLB

I will preach purity and waiting until marriage, the world will teach protection against pregnancy. You are a gift, one to be treasured and honored. If you respect yourself, your partner will respect you. Marriage is a commitment, a contract and meant to be permanent. I hope to teach you this, if you seek God first in all things, happiness and joy will be overflowing in your life.

You can not stand long on sinking sand, but you can stand on solid ground with God as your foundation.

No matter what you do with your life, no matter where life takes you. Know this, I have loved you from the moment God placed you in my waiting arms. I hope that I have taught you this, beyond a shadow of doubt. Jesus loves you and is always with you. You were born because of I loved, I hoped and I had faith. You were an answered prayer, a blessing in my eyes and all that I dreamed you would be. You truly are a beautiful child of God and my precious daughters. I am truly Blessed!

My heart is overflowing with pride and joy and I will praise God all the days of my life for the gift of YOU.
In my daughters eyes I can see the future, I can see Gods promise, I can see the beautiful women they will become and a reflection of who I am in them.

All My Love, MOM!

Balancing Life, God, Family and Art

Are you walking

on

the Tight Rope

called

Life?

Balance, how do you find it?

I hope you'll share...

I've been walking

this tight rope for

a few months

now...

I have been praying for God

to show me his will

for my journey.

Here's the Story... I have been a stay at home mother forever. Even after my youngest was off to kindergarten, I stayed home. After Rachel had been in school a couple years, I started getting a little stir crazy. I had been doing murals and faux finishes by word of mouth only and I would get 2 or 3 jobs a year. Still I felt lonely, out of touch with adults and found I had too much time on my hands to worry about life and everything about it.

 Over the last 5 years I have taken on 3 different part time jobs. First 2 did not count, because they didn't last very long. I would get overwhelmed and be back at home. I have always had a sporadic income from my murals and artwork. Than I took on the job of  working as a  part time  school cook in our town of 600 people. It lasted almost 2 years until last Friday which was my last day. Once again I found my self overwhelmed with trying to balance my life.

How do other women do it all? 

And why can't I?

You could say that, once again had to much on my palette. Wife, mother, bus driver, maid, cook, inventory control and artist.  Well actually I didn't think I had taken on too much until, I got a job doing a mural of spider man on all four walls.  I was trying to start my Etsy store, I began blogging, I had a large faux finishing job that started at the end of summer and went into the school year. I found myself asking for days of from the school cook job to get my other jobs finished.  About 7 weeks ago I got a  request to do the Spider Man mural and I thought, no problem I can do both!

Wrong!

Getting up at 5:30 am to go cook at the school and getting off  there at 1:00 pm and racing down to work on the mural, two rounds of antibiotics for shingles and sinus infections. Taking time off for that, time off for the weather, time off to work on the mural and more time off for sick kids. 

About to fall off

the tight rope.

Balance,

Balance,

balance.

Photo by Deborah titled, "Balance" that is Rachel the youngest, fearless and balanced.

My Cowboy husband to the left.

So I find myself...

 Praying for discernment and direction, asking for a clear in your face answer.

Whats next God?

I trust you as my safety net...

I am falling into the pit of

self pity.

My palette looks like a muddy puddle!!!

Then I get the call to go to the principles office. Oh noooo!!! what did I do? She proceeds to tell me I need to make a choice, your requesting to much time off. All the while I thought I had that worked  it all out with the head cook. Always covering my hours with competent people.

So I took that as a clear in your face answer and put in my 2 weeks right then and there, mind you I was crying like a hormonal women.  The principle told me to go home and think about it! After talking and crying to my husband he said, "quit and focus on your art."  but, but, I use that extra income to fund my art and other stuff.

Follow your passion, purpose and use your gifts!

God wants us to prosper using the gifts he has given us.

So what am I passionate about you might ask?

photo by Deborah

This is my family...

"Also consider that since God has called you, He is completely able to reveal your purpose to you, and He will as you diligently seek Him." (Heb. 11:6)

1 Peter 4:10 (New International Version)
 "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms."

Tell me, how do you use your talents and gift to serve others?
Tell me, how do you find balance?
I can't wait to hear from you so please leave a comment and share!