Permission Granted

Today

I needed a 'snow' day.

Yesterday 

was a challenging day

of subbing.

So I took the day off.

To create.

To regroup.

And it was really hard to give

myself permission.

I kept checking the jobs available.

And kept telling myself it was okay to rest

my mind.

And my son called.

And really needed to talk.

And I knew.

I was exactly where I needed to be.

So I could give him my time.

And I was glad.

That I heard the still,

 small 

voice.

And remembered to listen to it.

What do you need to give yourself

permission to do?

To let go?

To seek?

To be brave?

Whatever it is dear friend

May you find your strength in Him,

deedee

Purposeful Joy

I just found that I

can play with color

while I type.

Simple fun.

And  purple is fun too!

Then there's sunny yellow.

And then colored fonts. Oh,

what joy can be found

if your eyes are open

to it!

Simple joy bringers.

Like coffee.

Love my Folger's

made in my

percolator.

With plenty of

half and half

in just the right mug.

I enjoy people watching.

I love these two.

Holding hands,

sticking together,

and wearing their bathing

suits!  

Nobody really

cares if you've got

some bumps on your thighs!

I remember this day at

the beach.  My young

friend and I

and the mud.

Glorious mud!

I have fond memories

of introducing my

babies to mud.

I lived in the country

then and we had

plenty of it.

Purposeful playing

and what fun we had!

Color a little outside

the lines.

Live your life and

be purposeful.

Treasure

those 

around you.

I hope you find simple

joys today.

live imperfectly with great delight,

deedee

Challenge Yourself

I am a substitute teacher

this year.

I am brave.

Well....really, I take the

jobs that seem super easy to me.

Those lovin' Kindergarteners,

Preschoolers and lower Primary grades

But I've had the thought recently 

that I need to challenge myself.

In the little things really.

Like baby steps in exercise

(go up and down the stairs more)

not too big of a challenge, you see.

But last week I accepted a teaching job

that was unfamiliar to me in the 

teaching realm...

egads...Art!

I know you're thinking, duh, she likes art.  But there

is so much I don't know how to do and I really

do draw like a little kid.  The

challenge really lies in

having to do multiple classes and

will they be respectful, to me, to each other.

That is much easier to teach when you

have the whole day with one set of kids.

But I took it...and had

A BLAST!

I got to stay for 3 days and I learned

how to paper mache' from scratch!

So today I tried making some little

French birds.

They're French because the paper

is from an old French paperback I had.

They are in process, but pretty cute

none-the-less!

                                     

These little birds in the nests turned out so cute.

Another challenge I gave myself was 

to actually make one cute thing

yesterday.

I've been in the reading, cleaning the studio and

gathering ideas mode and haven't

made anything in a while.

As you can see, I met

my challenge.

I wore my lovely feathered hat to inspire me.

Here are some drawings of birds

the art students drew for me.

I absolutely love 

children's drawings.

                                         

"Consider the birds of the air....are you

not much more valuable than they?"

Matthew 6:26

What can you challenge yourself to? 

I am kind of excited to set

some more challenges for myself.

And I look forward to when they aren't

just in baby steps.

Grace and Peace to you my friends,

deedee

Art Journaling

Yesterday was a snow day.

There was a crackling fire going

and coziness all around.

Got myself a comfy

place and actually

spent the

afternoon with my 

journal!

Are you...

 I have been

enjoying some

different journaling prompts

from Sabrina Ward Harrison lately.

I was feeling like

I kept writing

about the same things.

So I started my list...

"Some things I just love..."

 What do you love? or like? or wish?

or hope?

What are some Brave Dreams?

My word this year is 'Remain,'

so whenever I come across it, it jumps

out at me.  

I was reading John Maxwell's, 'Be All You Can Be,'

and my word came up as the definition

for Abide.  John 15, great chapter.

I was going to stop my list at 51, because 

I had just had my birthday, but

I had to keep going

it was inspiring

and fun.

Then I read it to my

teenager and she

started her list too.

 I have an old Bible from the 70's

that was my dad's.  The Berkely Translation, which

I'd never even heard of.

He was a preacher, so there's 

quite a bit that is 

underlined.  I have to underline

in it too, 'cause some verses are just popping

out at me!

I absolutely love

this translation of Hebrews 6:18 and 19

Bits and pieces add interest, these vocab

cards were an ebay find.

I really like making boxes.

They define my writing space.

 This is what my journal is for me...

A great reminder....

Always.

 Yep.

That's me.

My current journal.

My favorite books have blank white pages.

Off sizes are great.

I have to be able to open the pages

wide or bend them back.

Being able to sew on it

is an added plus.

So...Whatcha waitin' for?

Writing is soul therapy...

Journals are safe places.

I can art in them and no one

usually sees, so there's no

pressure that it has

to be right or beautiful on the

first go around.

From one Brave Girl to another...

grab the colored pencils, the glue,

those bits of cute paper...

and have a blessed day,

deedee

Remain

I finally settled on my word.

I've been mulling this one over

and it has continued to

pop up at me in different places,

so

Remain

it is!

The clincher was the book by 

Emily Freeman

"Grace for the Good Girl:

Letting Go of the Try-Hard Life"

I had a little time to spend at the bookstore

last week and got to sit with my pile 

of books for an hour or so.

I grabbed this book and there

was a whole chapter with my word!

I love her words, 

"...to remain in Him, means to

refuse to get up from His lap.  Jesus gives

us permission to remain still and 

to trust deeply that He will be

strong on our behalf."

A single mama by choice,

sometimes

the weight of it

all is just too much.

Am I doing enough right,

am I spiritually training,

or exhaustion training?

Am I teaching them

to worry like me

or to let God be in charge?

Do they

see how God takes care of us?

Do they see me sitting in His lap

or just striving?

This year I choose

to let

Jesus be

strong enough for me.

to remain.

and let go.

and let Him.

What a perfect reminder.

Enjoy the journey,

deedee

The Best Gift Ever!

My kids recorded a song for me for Christmas.

Absolutely Love it!

In Christ Alone

was a favorite song of my dad's.

I was traveling with

a friend and her 5 kids and we

stopped to see my parents in Oregon.

Picture 9 kids and mamas gathered

around my dad's bed singing.

Yep, tears.

And ever after, when this

song is played in church, it's hard not to cry.

That was the last visit my kids had

with grandpa.

Told ya, 

best gift ever!

In hope,

deedee

More Christmas Joy!

I guess I must love creating,

because yesterday

I kept squealing

at how cute 

everything kept

turning out!

Squeal a little,

it's Christmas!

deedee

Snowpeople and Glitter!

I really like my snowpeople!

I found these cans in

a garage at an

estate sale a few months ago

and pictured what

they could be.

Rusty, peeley,

broken,

a bit worn.

Kinda like me.

But add

a little joy,

some glitter

and fun,

and look how

they are repurposed.

I get to choose.

I choose joy.

And sparkle.

I tend to forget sometimes.

God made me,

my quirky,

weird,

sparkly self.

I hope people smile when

they think of me,

like I smile

when I see my 

weirdish-cute snowpeople,

Have a sparkly day,

deedee

'Tis the Season of Joy!

It's almost here!

You know that time when

we should 'extra remember,'

that Jesus

came so that

we might have

JOY!

more abundantly.

Here's a sampling of some Christmas cheer

I've been working on...

But my favorite holiday

of all comes first,

'Thanks' giving

The no pressure, cook and eat

'til you're stuffed and

then when you're playing

games, eat some dessert.

Then, when the die-hards are still

playing Scrabble

heat the leftovers!

Who doesn't love this holiday!

When my children were in elementary school,

We decorated a sheet around the edges

and put out fabric markers

so that people could write and draw

what they were thankful for, all over

the tablecloth!

It's a precious reminder year to year,

of who was with us, the kid's sense

of humor (and the adults!),

and what 

BLESSINGS

the Lord had bestowed 

on us that year.

This year I am extremely thankful for my mama.

I just got back from spending time with her.

  She has decided to downsize 

and move into a retirement village.

Let me backtrack and say that

my grandma had told me once when we were digging

around in her attic, that

my mom wasn't going to have anything to do 

when she was old, cause she hadn't saved

anything to sort.  Grandma was a keeper and my parents

had moved enough times, mama is a tosser.

Well...after a week of sorting, I'm glad that she's pared

down over the years!  There was plenty to sort.

 An organized tosser, saves

what's important and knows how to pack it in!

I had fun reading old letters and looking

at photos.  A reminder of the

blessed heritage I have. 

Godly parents

who taught what matters

and

LOVED

unconditionally.

She had a health scare a few weeks ago,

so I am ever grateful that she

is still with us and

that I was able to

take a week to be with her.

I am also thankful for

the 'adopted' mama's in my kid's lives

that cared for them

this past week.

I love you mom.

May grace and peace and thankfulness be yours,

deedee