Tuesday sweet Tuesday…

Today I started a new “book Club” but it’s not my “Australian” one it’s one through “His Kingdom Come” we are studying the book called “The Creative Call” by Janice Elsheimer

Here is the Blurb from Good reads…

Perhaps you’re a “closet writer” who’s been scribbling in journals for years.(Oh how did she know that?!!) Maybe you once had a passion for playing the piano or violin–a passion that is still flickering somewhere deep inside you. You may have a knack for photography, drawing, gardening, cooking, or some other creative gift. Or you may long to express yourself creatively, but have yet to discover your unique talents. 

Your creativity was meant be used. Whether you are an artist who has already identified your gifts or you believe that you have artistic talent that has never been developed, working through this book will help you grow closer to becoming the person God has designed you to be.

*LEARN TO CALL ON THE HOLY SPIRIT AS YOUR SOURCE OF INSPIRATION
* EXERCISE YOUR ARTISTIC GIFT REGULARLY AND BEGIN TO
THINK OF YOURSELF AS AN ARTIST.
* DEVELOP THE HABIT OF JOURNALING AS A WAY TO REALIZE UNLOCKED CREATIVITY
AN EIGHT-WEEK PROGRAM FOR FULLY DEVELOPING YOUR ARTISTIC GIFTS
AND ENTERING INTO A CLOSER UNION WITH GOD. INCLUDES A RETREAT GUIDE.
FOR INDIVIDUAL USE OR GROUP STUDY

We are working through the book a chapter a week.. do you know how hard that is for me? especially when it’s a good book that I can relate to and so far (Chapter 2) I am relating very well. At the end of each chapter we have a series of questions, prompts and things to do.. and also each day we must write for 20 minutes in the “daily pages” this morning I was thinking.. “What can I write about for 20 minutes and how much paper will I use?” and one of the tips she gives us if we get stuck, write that down.. “I am stuck what shall I write” and then let it flow.. well, good news ( and anyone who’s read my blog posts which can sometimes be long, can attest to that!) I didn’t struggle at all and in fact I was surprised at some of the stuff that came out of my pen!! It turns out 20 minutes is a double sides lined foolscap page (I am doing my work in a ring binder) and I write small… so it’s a lot!

Plus I added some quotes from the chapter and also a bible passage or two.

So far so good I am enjoying this new  experience.

Then I had my usual bible study.. I messed up so bad and it’s taken me a week or so to figure out.. How have I managed to get so far ahead of the group.. and then I realized. The Good Morning Girls are reading and studying Monday to Friday.. oh no! not Kim Hine… she does Monday to Saturday… Of course as soon as I realized that I stopped.. but I am going to be finished the Book of Exodus this week instead of next! Never mind at least I am doing it!! So when I am finished ahead of the group I shall read the Psalms and Proverbs until the group start their next study.. I think it’s the Psalms.

Once all my written goodness had been done, there was no avoiding the fact that I had to get up and get the day started, and you know what.. I struggled to get any art happening at all…I almost gave up on the idea until about 4.00 pm and then I remembered I wanted to start a piece that I am giving away to a friend. you know what happens when I do art for “someone else” OK, OK, I’ve only done that one piece the “Pugalicious“

Tanny with her Pugaliscious painting Easter 2015

and it was sooo good I struggled giving it away, and so I painted another one to keep… so this time to avoid THAT drama I am painting two at the same time.. Want a Sneak peek??

Now I can’t tell you who the “instructors version” is for because she might read this blog, but here’s a hint, she’s from America and is my penpal!

Also today, geeze, I’ve been busy this afternoon, I finally got around to painting or rather adding to my Intuitive painting that I did way back in February. I did the course with Perth artist Melani Parker and we did all kind of funky stuff.. so here is what it looked like when I brought it home from the Art class.

one of the backgrounds

 And then I highlighted the “crosses” I knew I wanted some kind of “Crucifixion” type painting, but I wasn’t sure how to make it happen.

And then I did this….

My husband is NOT a believer but he actually saw “Mary” in the painting before I did, he said one night as we were eating dinner “I see a lady in a headdress right there” and he pointed it out numerous times it took me a while to see her.. as soon as I did I knew who she was.

So it’s been a busy afternoon, and last night I posted a late blog with no photos I was in bed and hadn’t uploaded the photos then, so I promised I’d load them today for you all.. so here is yesterday’s (Day 6) art!

“Take me Deeper” is a Christian based class I am doing with Shonna over at “His Kingdom Come” and I am doing that in a ring binder folder with lined pages for journaling and also added some watercolor pages for any art that might show up, in the folder is also class work from “Book Club” and “Logos 365” other “His Kingdom Come” classes I am taking. Mindy’s class “Sunday Mornings 2” I am doing in an art journal with a bunch of other “Christian based art” all neatly together in one book.

 

So that my friends, is Monday and Tuesday art complete, amazing what I can get done with no babies!!

I have had a busy day..

and I have loved every minute of it.. somewhere around 7.00 am Monday I decided that I was going to paint.. it was my “child free day” and so I did a layer of my “Girl with a pearl earring” oil takes a while to dry so I decided to work on a few of my other courses and each day this week I’ve done a little bit here and there, today is day four!

I was awake super early and got an early start on my Bible Study, Leviticus umm.. somehow I’ve jumped ahead and I’m actually already on 21… hmmm, SHHH! Then I had “Squishy” today so I was up for breakfast and dressing. We did a quick trip down town to get some pasta sauce for tonights Lasagna so I’m pretty close to my 10,000 steps for the day.

Back home, babies had a nap and Grandma got busy… (Then My daughter Jasmin came home from work sick, so she took Squishy home, Amber and Sweetpea went out and suddenly, I had the whole big empty house ALL to myself)

I finished Shonna’s “His Kingdom Come” course which I started over 12 months ago (I really need to learn to date my work)

I SOOO LOVE this piece.

I took step by step pics I’ll add those in a gallery later. I added bits of a letter from my Mother-in-law and all kinds of “Stuff” to build up the layers including bible pages… there was a big uproar about using “bible” pages in art and then it was decided that we are painting “God’s word” what’s the harm in using some of his printed words? I had an old bible one of the children had from youth group, so I’ve been using that. in respect and not for harm! Don’t even get some of the people started on the “Bible Journaling” class… Oh that one caused an even bigger Uproar.. and honestly, I felt kinda weird drawing in my bible, even though I brought a totally separate bible to use.. I’ve done only one page.. I’m too nervous!

I am so happy to be finally finished this course, but of course now Shonna’s started a whole community of Christian Art, so there’s always something new to do and learn. This little A5 art journal is just big enough to get a piece done in a few hours.

Then a few weeks ago I was looking for a course on “Astronomy” and I googled that (as I do!) and found a free (magic word!) course on a site called “Udemy” So I joined that and then realized they had art classes… Oh hold me back!! Some are free and some you pay for some are one lesson and some are a series of lessons. I signed up for a “Freebie” to see if I like the style of teaching. and let me tell you.. I DO!!!

Here’s what I made tonight.. a watercolour.. I’m calling it “Night time Mountains”

I never sign my art but I actually signed AND dated this one!

I’m mostly happy with it.. I need more practice so I’ll see what else I can find.. but the instructor, this was her first class and she has a website and it’s a “wordpress site”.. bonus.. visit Patrizia at: https://jelearte.wordpress.com/

In between that.. I am cooing a new recipe… ok it’s a spin on an old favorite.. its Lasagna in the Slow cooker…You’ve probably read about my Star Son’s hatred of the Slow Cooker.. so when he suggested it I jumped at it…

I have just added the final layer of cheese and it cooks for another 30 minutes..

I am excited, the whole house smells super yummy! So I’ll let you know how the “Star Son” liked it and share the recipe/technique tomorrow. Also a few weeks ago I brought a packet bread mix, I’ve never made bread before, so I thought I’d cheat and start with a packet.

It’s this one from Aldi supermarket and it smells delish..

 

In the oven

Cooling on the stove.

Inside and first slice, and the word from “Star Son” YUUUUUUUUUUUM!!

I really didn’t think he’d like it but I thought it would be a nice change from the usual garlic bread we serve with lasagna.

Also today, we tried the new Cadbury chocolate with Pretzels and peanuts, I’m excited about new chocolate because they’ve been doing a thing on Facebook asking what you “smash” your chocolate with, some said this one and others said “Vegemite” personally and I LOVE Vegemite, I kind of think that’s weird, but it’s coming out 1st of June so I will taste test it and report to you.. some also sad Avocado. I HATE Avocado, but my Bloke loves it.. so if they make that I will be forced to try that, and let’s face it.. it’s Chocolate really how bad can it be??

It’s good!! the salty and the chocolate work!

So here’s a gallery of step by step of today’s Art piece which did I mention.. I love?!!

Wanna join us? it’s free.. my favourite word!! http://www.his-kingdom-come.com/ come and register, it’s free, join some classes, some are free and meet new friends and do some fun Christian based art. If you come along and join us, look me up!

W is for… Wednesday…more art!

Today was an unexpected “Child free day” well not really coz “Sweetpea” lives here, but “Squishy” stayed home today with his “Dadda” so Grandma was free.. and guess what I did? go on, I know you’ll guess it… I PAINTED.. Ohh MY deliciousness.. that’s three days in a row.. today I worked in my art journal.. and I worked on a course that I signed up for over 12 months ago, I am so glad that it’s a “lifetime” class which means there’s no “finish date” and you can log on and off as often as you like.

So I am talking about “His Kingdom Come” the teacher was Shonna  Bucaroff, see more here: http://twistedfigures.blogspot.com/ or http://www.his-kingdom-come.com/ and I first met Shonna while doing Mindy Lacefield’s “Sunday Mornings” http://www.mindylacefieldart.com/ then Shonna developed her classes so I signed up for that as well. But then you all know the rest, babies came along and I was besotted and spent the last 16 or so months staring at them, kissing on them, loving them to within inches of their lives… now they move around a fair bit and need less Grandma adoration, I am finding my way back to my art and I am loving it..

So today was all about “His Kingdom Come” I really want to do “Sunday Mornings 2” but I also want to finish off what I started. So I was up to week three and here is how that turned out..

“Anchor for my soul”

I didn’t really learn anything new for this page but I still enjoyed getting back into the process of layer up on layer up on layer.. and that Anchor is pretty cool looking! The quote along the ground reads: “Establish your roots deep, so that your branches reach wide with love” and that was a direct quote from Shonna’s Pastor David Goulding.. I just love it. I chose the quote by Hebrews 6:19 “We have this hope as an anchor for our soul, firm and secure” I also like the sound of that! reminds me of an old joke about why men make better coffee than women, because God declared “He Brews!” (Sorry!)

Then I was so pleased with how that turned out I decided while I was on a roll I’d keep going, so week number four was “I exalt thee” which I actually mis-named to “Praise him” I kind of like mine!

First of all we had to do a short bible study about learning how to “Praise him” and write down words or phrases that jumped out at us onto a blank page..

Then we added our first layer of paint, this is so that the intentions stay there but it’s kind of covered if you are worried about people reading your words.. no one looks in my Art Journal anyways so I wasn’t too worried and accidentally used “Pearl white” I was given a bunch of paints bu a friend who moved overseas and so it’s a new experience for me, and I like the effect.

Next we had to draw and paint the girl (ourselves) praising the Lord.. that’s me when my hair has grown back HA HA!

Final step was to add some kind of quote or journaling I chose Exodus 15:2 which says “The Lord is my strength and defense he has become my salvation. He is my God and I will praise him, my Father’s God and I will exalt him!“

So that’s three days in a row I’ve started some art and I am feeling very proud of me… let’s see if I can keep it up! It takes 21 days to start a new habit..

We’re backkkk! Good Morning Girls and bible study are back!

 

I have to confess I missed my lessons, I didn’t waste the “break” though I did the Sharon Jayne’s “The Power of a Woman’s words” and I learnt a lot.

A- I like Sharon’s writing and her way of teaching the lessons, I was working from the book and I also had the work book, which involved a  lot of Scripture searching, which was good because I had never read a lot of those scriptures so I learnt new things. plus Sharon asked really juicy questions some I couldn’t even begin to think of answers to.

B- I am not sure why I am currently being drawn to all the women teachers.. first study I did after Rock Warren’s “The Purpose Driven Life” was

• Jolene Engel’s- The Wives of the Bible
• Girlfriends in God (emails was another different type of study I did)
• 30 days Husband encouragement challenge (via email that was fun, I had to encourage my husband for 30 days, not whine once!)
• Psalm 139- we had to read it every day for a month and then rewrite it in our own words.
• Joyce Meyer’s “How to hear from God”

I’ve also brought a few more “woman” based studies maybe God is trying to tell me I need some more female friends?!

So I was really happy today to wake up and know that it was time for…..

 

Blogging through the Bible

So here is this week’s plan

and now we have started a new thing called “Monday Mediation and Memorization”

(Taken from Courtney’s email-)

I prefer to memorize large chunks of scripture over hopping around from verse to verse.  This Psalm I chose is a reflection on the happenings of Exodus.

We want to remember the wonders of our Mighty God and what He has done in the past.  We serve this same God!  The passage says, “I will meditate on your mighty deeds.”  That is exactly what we will do.

Please print the entire passage or just the verses for this week and put a copy by your computer, in your kitchen, in your bathroom, your purse, your pocket, in your car, beside your bed or anywhere else you spend time.  Meditate and SOAK in the word of God day and night!

 

This is the first part of our Monday Memorization. And we are also using the colour charts…

I need to print this and start doing it.. right after I finish this lot of blog postings!!

I said I wanted to go “Deeper” with the Lord this year and so this is certainly going to help with that wish.

Plus the Christian Art Classes over at http://his-kingdom-come.com/   Have started and I have started the Logos mapping to find my word.. actually I already had the word but I did the paper work anyways.

I am involved in “Take me deeper” and “Logos” and then “Bible journaling” if I can keep up with them all… but this is also a great way for me to dig “deeper” into his word, so I am going to give it a jolly good try!!

So Monday’s will be Motivational.. in some way shape or form!

NaBloPoMo December is joy… final December prompt.

 Wednesday, December 31, 2014
What do you hope brings you joy in the coming year?

For the New year my word is “Deeper” I have been having this theme word before I even knew it was a “thing” a few years ago I started an art class and we had to meditate on a word.. back then mine was “flow” it seems I was too uptight and a perfectionista, so the word for last year was “flow” and I just went along with whatever came my way I did some weird and wonderful things that year. This year it seems to have worked so I went with “Continue” because the “Flow” had lead to some good stuff so I decided to “continue with the flow” lucky I did because it sure hasn’t turned out how I imagined it would and so I am glad I continued to flow because I’ve ended up in a whole other place, like a fish out of water, I’m flapping along and figuring it out as I go.

So when it came time t think of 2015’s word I chose “Deeper” time to get that flappy fish back into some water. This year while I was doing an art class, part of the meditation for the class involved taking ourselves into a place.. mine was a strange place, we had to enter through a door and mine was a very old stone wall with crumbling mortar and a very huge old wooden door with metal clasps and a huge metal door handle, upon entering  it was almost kind of like a conservatory, with a metal framed roof but it was open to the elements and was full of luscious green ferns and flowers of every description except every flower was a brilliant white colour, I mean so white it hurt your eyes and we were instructed (Guided meditation is best for me because other wise my mind tends to wander to the shopping list or the dogs barking) to look around our space and look for a creature or a “being”. The first time I went to my “Secret garden”  and sat by the fountain with the musical tinkling of the water, a huge pure white peacock came to me. This is not the first time a peacock had visited me in an art guided meditation  but this time it was pure white. The next time I went there and sat in the same place I don’t know if the meditation was slightly different or what happened but this time an Angel came.

Back track a little.. at the start of this art course we would do our meditation and then we would take the message we had received and  paint a layer of our painting. So all the layer were not actually how the painting would be at the end. At the stage of the Angel appearing I had a beautiful Swallow bird with a banner in his mouth saying “Courage” which is very apt for me, but after seeing the angel, it all began to change and I painted over it all with a nice pale blue back ground and went away to await the next weeks lesson. Next week came and we went to the meditation and again into our “Secret garden” and again the angel came, and I was thinking “Okay this is different an Angel??!” and the image I got that time was a pair of hands holding an open bible. So let me tell you.. my painting skills are okish, but there was no way I was going to attempt to paint a bible, and I remembered that my daughter had one from her youth group which I’d kept and it was falling apart, and I remember another artist friend saying “She didn’t mind using Bible pages in her Art she figured that God would be happy for her to share his words” So I took some of those bible pages out and I painted on the hands. I had no idea where this was leading me and I was “going with the flow” so I left it, took a progress photo and awaited next weeks lesson…. next weeks lesson wouldn’t work, and then I tried it another day and all I kept getting was the Angel, the Bible and the hands holding it open… that paintng has never gone a step further.. why? I really couldn’t say!

I am yet to work out quite what it means and then again maybe I am not meant to, It’s open at 1 Thessalonians which I have not even read yet. But the following week I was inspired by a penfriend to have a go at reading the Bible and that was 1st July 2014. That was when I discovered God. Did he send the Angels because he thought I would scoff and not believe it was “God” Was this painting a visual command from him, “Go read My book!” I don’t know but I was “going with the flow” Since then I have read A LOT and I’ve done LOTS of studies, from books and online sites and different options and I have learnt where to find the answers to the questions that I have. I have made friends with the Local Lutheran Pastor and he has been a great help to me. But I think there’s more I can do so hence “2015- Deeper” I’m going Deeper in my Walking with the Lord, I am going Deeper into my art, somehow there has to be a link.. where? how? what? I’m going “Deeper” to find out. The Painting says “Discover” and it’s kind of like “Deeper” it’s searching for him.

What do you hope brings you joy in the coming year? 

My Discovery of the Lord, my searching for whatever it is and my Art, I am enrolled in a Christian Art class which is called funnily enough “Going Deeper” and they give us a scripture each week and we are to Illustrate it etc etc. I’ll be adding those here to.

What are you hoping for Joy in 2015? 

Blogtoberfest 2014- Day 26- Almost Over and Singing in my head!

Blogging!

http://shellsinthebush.blogspot.com.au/p/blog-page.html

Monday: Mosaic Monday – make a photomasiac to show and write about
Tuesday: Talkative Tuesday – tell us about yourself
Wednesday: Wordless Wednesday – post a photo and no words
Thursday: Thankful Thursday – write about what you are thankful/grateful for, Throwback Thursday
Friday: Friends on Friday – write about another creative you admire, Flashback Friday
Saturday: Some/Six/Seven Thoughts on Saturday
Sunday: Sunday Snippets (started by {tinniegirl}) – My week in photos… A collection of photos from your week. No need for words. Let the pictures tell your story

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Almost Over… Day 26 already and I am so proud of myself for keeping up every day journal-ling and blogging two challenges. I am finding all kinds of things to blog about, I think there has only been two days were I was stumped.. so I reverted to a journal prompt… whatever works I say as long as you journal/blog!

When I signed up I secretly wondered if I would keep going, life gets busy in our house, but I have made myself a little routine and I am happy with it, I am even going to do another month of blogging/journal-ling. I saw some where  NaBloPoMo ( National Blog Posting Month) who knew?!

What is NaBloPoMo?  http://nablopomoguideunofficial.blogspot.com.au/

 

NaBloPoMo stands for “National Blog Posting Month.” The goal of NaBloPoMo is for participants to write a post a day for an entire month.

Although November is the biggest month for NaBloPoMo (with prizes and everything!) people are invited to take up the challenge of writing a post a day during any month.

To help inspire bloggers, NaBloPoMo assigns a theme for each month, and also offers daily writing prompts, but these are optional. Bloggers are not required to write on a specific month’s theme or a specific day’s writing prompt. Any post about anything at all counts.

For additional information including the rules, and how and where to sign up, please see the NaBloPoMo FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions.)

I think I will give it a go. I am enjoying my blog, and I think they offer prompts and things as well.. I guess I’d better go do some more research!! OK. so I can blog here and link to Blogher.com or I can just blog here and be done with it.. but it’s kind of fun blogging with others and I love prompts.. you don’t have to use them. Here is the latest blog prompt (They only do prompts Mon-Fri)

Friday, October 24, 2014
If babyhood is spring and young adulthood is summer, which age do you consider to be the start to the “autumn” of life?

I would consider 50 to be the start of “Autumn” I say that because in our 20’s we are busy (some of us please no take offense!) trying to find our life partners and settle down, some of us are still partying and some of us are establishing careers. In our 30’s we are usually raising one or more or a passel of children and life goes speeding past in a blink of an eye. in our 40’s, careers are settled, children are mostly grown or over the infancy at least. So sometimes (well for me anyways) by the time I got to 45, it was all good, we are happily nesting in the house we now own, our children are all grown or on the way and are settled in jobs, in their lives and suddenly we start thinking about “Me” a bit more.. coffee with the girls, art classes etc etc. I have just turned 47 yrs old, I am a Grandmother of three and still raising a 12 yrs old. For me personally I say “bring it on!” I can’t wait to be 50 and Autumnal it has always been one of my favourite seasons, the other is Spring. I feel that when I get to 50 I am grown up!

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So did you read yesterday or Friday’s post? I am sick, boy am I ever.. last night during the night I decided to talk to God since I was feverish and couldn’t sleep and I remember asking him “What do I need to do to be better?” and he said (or did he?!) “You have pneumonia and you need to go to hospital” I am really sick, I have not been sleeping, and I have been really feverish, but I think also maybe I was hallucinating as well. Because by the time I woke up this morning, every part of me hurt, my ribs from coughing, my chest from the “pneumonia” and ever other thing inside and outside of me, funnily enough even my hair hurt! So I stumbled my way to the bathroom to find painkillers and water and came back to bed and my husband asked “How are you hun?” I very clearly told him ( but remember I have no voice so it’s squeaky and alternating croaky) “I thought the ambulance would have been here by now” he was like “huh?” I said “I have pneumonia and I need to go to the hospital, people die from pneumonia” he grunted at me “You wish!” and rolled over. That’s it no sympathy… I dragged myself to the shower. It took me 3 hours to feel 1/2 way decent.

I noticed yesterday in the car and then again today as we went down to help pack my mother-in-law up (she is moving into a “retirement home” because she refuses to go to a nursing home so we all call it a “retirement home”) when I have no voice with which to sing, all the good songs come on the car radio.. so in the last two days my head has been having a great old sing along, and the rest of me has been deathly still and silent. I hate that! I love to go in the car and have singalongs with my husband and son… but with no voice it’s impossible. My daughter loves to tell everyone how she comes in and hears Mum singing Eminem’s song “Cleaning out my closet”  at the top of my lungs. Two of her friends thought that made me a “Cool Mum” I think it makes me brain washed, but I like to sing, I’ll sing anything and usually badly.. except today and yesterday, no singing.. I think however, after last night hallucination I have turned a corner and I am on the mend… please let it be so!!

I really did not feel like going to my Mother-in-law’s today, I felt worse than death warmed over but I drugged myself up and off we went. In the end I am glad I forced myself to go just like I am glad I got out of the house yesterday and I forced myself to go on the picnic on Friday, I cannot wallow in self pity if I am out. Today was not about me, today was about my Mother-in-law who will soon be 87 years old, she is getting forgetful and slightly dementia riddled and so finally she has been convinced to go into “a retirement home” because she told my husband, her son, “Oh a nursing home? no way I would never go there!” So we all call it the “retirement home” and on her visit there last week she burst into song and they have all declared that they can’t wait for her to move in! Today was for my Sister-in-law who does everything for her Mum, all her banking, all her medical appointments and a gazillion other things, she is struggling with the decision and even thought we ALL know it’s the right choice she is feeling the stress. So I went and helped to pack suitcases and sort clothes and it actually helped me to feel better. On Wednesday my Bloke will take his Mum to her “retirement home” and settle her in, it’s going to be a huge step for everyone.

It’s been a weekend, it’s been busy, and it’s been yucky, the weather has been nice, but we’ve been too sick to care. On a brighter note though, I did manage to get a piece of art work finished.. Shonna is at http://twistedfigures.ning.com/ and she recently had a five week FREE course on Christian art which was so popular over 400 participants, she’s decided to make a whole community of Christian artists and do lots more of it. So today I worked on Week 2- Get Outta the boat! its based on Matthew

I am not a huge fan of abstract but I do like to be fair and give everything a try, so no paint brushes were harmed in the producing of this art piece.. it was all done with a credit card as a paint scraper! I’m pretty happy with how it turned out!! and now it’s time for more drugs and bed… hopefully I won’t wake up waiting for the ambulance in the morning!