THINGS ARE LOOKIN UP!

ART PLAY.... I just noticed the title in the flower!...."Christ Helps Us".... that was not an accident! Play...collage, water color, stamping....work in progress... Working on a border for an order... found these metal birds I had and just traced around them for the bird shapes.... Some old wrapping paper to see what kind of background would work.... A poem a friend ordered for her granddaughter...with new border.... The fun light sticks...with my camera! The Christmas gift HIT!!!....all 12 for one dollar!! Nativity we made in the kids class at church....Dick and I had 34 kids, all ages, therefore we made lots of extra camels and sheep and angels....but there could only be ONE Jesus! I meant to post sooner....to apologize for the "down" post last time, but it was just one of those days !! In time they pass and the comments and voices from the world around us don't always affect us so strongly each time....that day was just different ..... we unfortunately live in a very selfish world ..... ANYWAY .... things are lookin' up and Christmas Day is around the corner!! We opened the "only" gift early since we had kids here early..... Dick and I (grandparents) bought each other .... ha, ha, ha... the Wii !! Do you think there was a little pressure from the grandkids!?!? ....actually from our 38 year old son as well!! He is still a kid at heart... thank goodness! And as I am blogging right now Grand dad Peck and Tito, 9 are "bowling" right in our living room ..... no cigarette smoke or smell of beer!!! YAY! (Too bad the modern day bowling alleys are more like bars now and not a good atmosphere for kids.... but I guess they have to make money.) You would have to have a "Wii" to realize how much fun it is! We only need a second remote or "numchuk" so we can both box.... tee hee ....who do you think will win??...me or Dick? I have no doubt....I'll beat the socks off of him .....ha! I love this game! You actually get up and do the actual movements....so you aren't sitting around! Forgive me..... we are a little behind!! I may be boring you ....THEN, the other totally fun thing the kids liked was purchased at Dollar Tree....for a dollar!....They are light sticks....they come twelve in a cardboard tube and are 8" long and you can hook them together.....well, the kids played with them for hours and hours....in the dark.....it was very entertaining and so darn cheap!! I'm buying more next time I go there....it was almost the favorite gift....sorry, I only have a few photos, but here they are..... The other good news is that six of my art pieces are in fact going to be reproduced for the Fall and Christmas Season of 2010 ...... for The Round Top Collection. I am so excited as they will have scripture on them!! More details later ..... I will have the product in the shop next year, as well as my prints of them ..... but cannot post them on a website or blog to sell .... only in the shop .... (as the company will own them, and it will be their product on their website, except for me getting to sell them (their product is metal) and my "prints"in my shop/gallery) .....so next summer come see them! We worked on the art until it was what they were looking for....a few months of long night hours!! The best art job I've ever had!! Am I excited or what?!?! Now I'm just painting for some fun and doing some Christmas orders.... and eating way too many sweets .....! OK, now the boys are playing baseball,.....Dick is swinging that bat like he was 24 again!!! Hey, we may loose some weight! I'll post pictures next time.....Love you all.....Merry Christmas...... remember, the joy is in the little things...! Blessings....sherry

Contentment in Tiny Things...

THIS SONG "SPEAKS" MY HEART ...Jesus King of Angels by Fernando Ortega...tried to add music unsuccessfully....it is my all time favorite song....find it....sleep with it...embed it in your heart....it is beautiful....beautiful....album called Hymns Mother's dishes...she loved roses....as I do....I miss you.....so. Is Christmas a hard time for you? It is hard for many people for many reasons.... a lost loved one not present, a family member that won't contact you anymore, a list of Christmas gifts bought from a list that is not in your heart, emptiness, loneliness, no money, debt, too much TV, politics, arrogance, selfishness, disappointment, anger and fear.....just the stress of not getting along, never agreeing, joy squashed.....this comes from a day that was just about full of all of that...all in one day....instead of being spread out over the week..... I wish....and wish some more. Then reflect on the long ago trips to a small poor village in Mexico..... and long to be there at this moment.....mostly women with the men far away working in a foreign land......the women and children surrounded by obvious need and pain, but an inexplicable joy they have because of the ....the thankfulness they have.....expressing thankfulness of another day to be present and alive, of good health with no hospital visits, of having enough work to have provision for their family, thankfulness for each other, of the prodigal son or daughter that returns home, thankful for a God that they love and for His care for them in hard and good times....they are always sooo thankful ....and they have sooo little ....they gather together, eat together, praise together, work together, they give up their bed when you come to visit, they put their resources together to feed you their best meal, they honor and cherish your visits, they want you to share words of wisdom in their little white washed prized church with the beautiful aqua blue tile floor....as though you are God sent......they give you gifts made with their hands that money can't buy.....they sing with you, laugh with you, cry with you. Why do I miss them so?....and I long to go? THEY are the gifts.....the worthy gifts....to one another. I don't know why this Christmas has been so hard, but it has.....I have reflected on so much.....and in my searching and reflections, see the tiny reflected lights in my ever so small tree this year...... I didn't even unpack the normal Christmas stuff....but found this old box of glass balls in the garage in a box that I think were grandma Peck's.....so they are from the forties and fifties.....not so clear and bright and shiny like new ones.....but a "GLOW" comes from them with worn surfaces that reflect warmth and would have many stories to tell. Then just the word... Jesus.... fills my heart in a very special way today .....a longing to know .....more .....but comforted that He covers me in His love ...... giving me contentment today in the tiny things.....resting in His care. A special kind of comfort and care for this Christmas is sent your way....if you are having a hard Christmas.... blessings.... comfort.... hugs... sherry

REST and PEACE.....

A friend said this looked like a broken bridge or boat with all this glorious life coming out....I loved what she saw....and I think it says there is Hope, even when broken! It is oil pastel, charcoal, scripture collage on dark grey pastel paper....a first for me. This doll piece was a "pulled" piece by mushing on paints and seeing what might be there....and this is what I saw.....again oil pastels on acrylic...with crumpled tissue paper for matted look border. Enough snow in Ohio for a snowman on the hood of our Texas car! thanks Scott! Our son and his daughter with cousins in Ohio enjoying the snow on Thanksgiving Day! Our daughter and son getting to visit....sorry I'm prejudice...my two children...wonderful kids to this day!! Thanks Dad. A "Congratulations" card from girl cousin to boy cousin who was a "party boy in the Nutcracker" ballet in Ohio....he played his part well! And flowers for our ballerina grand-daughter who had three parts in the Nutcracker Ballet in Ohio at the Midland Theatre!...It was a special night!! Bravo!!! She is beautiful with a beautiful heart like her Mom! Our grand-daughter's personal Christmas tree.....she is into decorating like her beautiful Mom! See the "Clara" Nutcracker ornament her cousins gave her? The Texas cousin enjoying the snow... Our baby girl of the family in Ohio....saying cheese! Opening my birthday presents from the kids and look at that awesome cake they decorated and made!! We all got to stick our finger in the yummy chocolate icing!....without Mom seeing! My awesome daughter in law made a video and photos she put on "Smile" as a special momento for me....thank you !! And do you see my precious grandson waiting to give me "his" present?....he built me this big Lego Sculpture!....just for Mimi! I loved it! A good throw by a great grandson with snowballs in Ohio.... Snow balls going everywhere that day.....on Thanksgiving in Ohio! See that pretty freshly painted Deck, that Daddy did? Thanks for a great time kids and parents!! And that carved and cooked turkey and all the goodies!! And below, a rare opportunity for us all to be together with all the grandbabies....what a blessing! Thanks to our Ohio Family for hosting Thanksgiving Day!....and now Merry Christmas!! Two words come to me today..... REST....and ....PEACE. I think they come to me because I am resting from the long and hard work of accomplishing six pieces of art work for the 2010 season of a Company I can mention at a later date .... a small job....but BIG for me. I hardly slept for weeks, working through the night and sleeping for five hours in the day! It was some of the most glorious days I've had in years of Art Making.....just pouring myself into it, not wanting to stop and having the "legitimate" excuse of it being a "real" paying job for someone with a deadline...... and my family understood that! Usually Art Making takes a back seat ... letting everything else....take precedence. I recently had a serious talk with the Lord about what He wanted me to do....mostly with my ART, since people don't come by the little gallery much anymore.... very slow business wise here.... anyway, it was CLEARLY felt in my heart as a result of prayer that I was to proceed...."Get MY (the Lord's) WORD UP AND OUT THERE".....that was the message I have felt so strongly since that conversation with Him in September-ish. Then in October the "JOB" came....and what did they want?....My art ...in "their style and product" with what?....GOD'S WORD ON IT....YES!....GOD'S WORD! After my conversation and prayer with the Lord and before this job came....I was thinking....well okay, I'll just paint as much art as I can with the "Word" on it and "cover" all the walls in the gallery.....thinking that was the biggest thing I could do.....and that the Lord would bring the people......how else COULD I do it? We are so limited in our minds and sometimes our faith too..... because what "HIT" me after the Company hired me to paint their pieces of art with God's Word on it.....that the Art would go all over the WORLD..!!! EVEN to China....!! His Word would be seen by workers in the process of reproducing what six pieces I did....having to paint it over and over.....those who would pack it would see His Words....those who shopped and did or didn't buy it would SEE HIS WORDS! WOW, when the Lord wants you to do something....His IDEAS surpass what we could even think or dream of!!! So I know I can REST in His love and care.... The next word that is in my head today is..... PEACE.....it is an incredible "peace" that I have inside my head and heart....that He truly is in control.....that He is truly ALIVE and WORKING in our lives....especially when we hand our life over to Him to occupy our hearts and trust Him with it.....so today I am RESTING in PEACE with my life in "His" hands....... and it feels so wonderful..... even though I'm tired and my bad feet still won't let me walk as much as I want.....yet! His works are wondrous and I marvel at Him! I can't share the work I did yet until it is out for the Company.....but I will share some recent fun pieces done in my Online Gut Art Class and photos of our trip to Ohio to see Kellie (our daughter) and Family with Scott (our son) and his Family going with us....a great drive and time with those I hold so very dear....my gifts from the Lord! I have to say, I missed my "precious church" and extended families and my sort of adopted children here too! BLESSINGS for a meaningful Christmas to you all.... sherry...and (dick)! Rest and Peace to You All.....