Take the time

So it isn't a big surprise to me that one day gets away from me.  I have been toting teenagers to and from Band Camp this past week, with one more week to go.  My hour plus compute starts at 8am and I'm good to get in by 9:30am, then I start again later in the afternoon.  I know there are people that do this everyday and I have total respect for you!  I don't know how you do it, my body is having a hard time.  I might complain a little but my heart is happy to hear the stuff going on with the car load I have.

So this summer has been about making art, slowing down to relize what is most important, just not worrying about things and rekindling a friendship.  Then you have tackling a list but just taking your time doing it.  This is what my family and I needed, no regrets.

I have also taken Soul Restoration 2.  While I am not completely through the class projects, I did make it through all the videos.  I never thought of myself as a goal setter, not like some anyway.  I've never been one to think about the dreams I have in my heart as ones that could happen.  I share them with very few and I am not sure they will ever be shared here.  I believe somethings should remain private and for now that is okay with me.  In Soul Restoration 2, we have talked about goals, dreams and setting rules for our daily lives.  Again, I never thought I had to many rules but as I am going through the materials I have relized I am a goal and rules person.  This has all helped this summer to find a center that I thought I had lost a long time ago.  I've been able to stand and say no to things, that before I would have just gone through with because it is what you do.  It is a good feeling to start believing in yourself again and know you are okay.

The BIG thing that I have taken away is a solid thing for me.  Something I have known for a long time BUT this time I REALLY got it, to the point of making me cry.  To relize I am enough..........

As I have been creating my Life Journal, filling it with things that are important to me.  I find myself changing, healing and becoming stronger.  I NEVER in my life thought I would be falling so much in love with my book.  In a sense falling in love with my life, something I almost lost sight of.  I use to look at Melody and think I don't know if I will be able to understand what she is talking about.  How she can be so happy, well I'm getting it.  I am blessed and so happy to be right where I am.  

Take time to see your life, you won't regret it!    

Needed Breaks

I have found myself in need of taking more breaks this summer than I had planned.  I've given myself permission to be okay with it and I hope my faithful few can forgive me.  This year it has been about Me, it that can be said without it sounding conceded.  Taking care of Me has helped me refocus on the things that are the most important to me and letting go of things I just can't control.

Kristin's The Summer of Color was wonderful for me.  It helped me break into a Moleskin journal I purchased almost two years ago.  You can visit my Flickr page to see everything all in one place for what I did this summer.  Each and everyone of the pages hold a special meaning to me.  I am so thankful that Kristin took time out of her summer to make us all happy about color!  Guess what?  She already has plans for next summer!!  Yep, The Summer of Color 2 ~ Ice Cream Inspirations, coming June 4, 2012.  Plan on joining us, it will be fun.  I think it will be a hard summer for me to stay away from the ice cream!!

Come visit me tomorrow, I have a couple of things I want to show you that I am really proud of!!

Just a bit of sun

Our summer has finally hit Spokane, just in enough time to start thinking about school.  For our family, there is one more week off before our Marching Band life starts.  We hit the ground running and it really doesn't let up until the end of October.  I really can't complain at all about summer this year, it has only hit over 90* a few times and our air conditioner has only been needed maybe a half a dozen times.  My heart goes out to the states who have had record breaking heat.  Try to stay cool!

I have successfully been doing some type of art for over 30 days.  I have really been making the time.....a few minutes here and a few minutes there.  It has made me feel very accomplished.  Kristin has done such a wonderful job at keeping us all motivated about color, check out her blog with all the wonderful links to everyone in our group.  This last week it has been all about the color Orange, again not one of my most favorite colors in the world.  You won't find me wearing it, in less it is more on the lighter side with a more of a pinkish shade to it.  I've tried but it washes me out and makes me have that frumpy feeling.  That feeling is something I am trying to get out of with my clothes so I just stay away from colors that just don't work for me.  To my art journal I've added a couple of more pages.

Last November I looked out my front window and noticed that everything had this Orange glow to it.  I went to my back deck and this is what I saw, totally breathe taking.  I love it when God just takes His paint brush to the sky, it gives me so much peace to know He gives me beautiful things to look at.

Our bonus was to use a poem.  This poem was shared with me by a friend, we found it tucked into a few sheets of old music from her Grandmother.  I felt it deserved a special place, along side a photo taken by my friend Ajae, you can find her here and here.  I KNOW this page isn't completed but I'm okay with it.  I'll wait for the inspiration to come.

In my garden this year I only have one splash of Orange from my Lilies.  I've shared before how amazed I am of how my garden was made for me, full of flowers that I are at the top of my list of loves.  These are one of them and if you look close you can see again how God just takes His paintbrush adding all the little details.

This week at Kristin's blog we will be sharing what we have created over the last few weeks.  I'm going to also be sharing a few other things I have been working on, that I am pretty excited about.  Keep checking back in when you can.