A New Year begins.........

Seems the year goes by so fast....and before we have had time to even think back on all that has occurred ...the present year becomes the past. Before I get too busy with just every day activities again I really want to take a few moments to think back on 2014 and everything that has happened before moving headlong into 2015.

But here it is January 2, 2015 already. Things continue on each day regardless of whether we want more time to "reflect." Work for me is quite slow right now and so many changes will be coming for me in the next few years...I have MUCH to think about.

Christmas for me this year almost did not seem like Christmas. I had snippets of moments where it did..but they unfortunately seemed fleeting. While I am  not entirely clear on all the reasons "why" this was the case....it is how it was. Part of me does not want to take down the trees because I almost feel like I have not yet even had a Christmas...even though I know I have. It too has come and passed.

So......I will try this coming weekend on my days off to take down the Christmas decorations and put up the Valentine's Day lights and clings on my windows while still leaving up all my snowman and snowflakes and other winter-themed items.

Sometimes my head is so filled with things it really seems like someone holding a sloshing fishbowl.

I have tried to remain somewhat creative during this time...and have continued working on my Advent Journal, which I will end up actually using then this coming Christmas 2015. Here are just a few pages....and they are not yet finished. I took an old photo album and removed all those sticky clear sheets from the pages and then added my own papers and trimmings.I have not yet added any page numbers or tabs or all the embellishments I want to....but...here are a few pages so far.

 

Mary Did You Know....Kissing the Face of God

http://www.morganweistling.com/galleries/gallery03/kissingfacegod.html

This is a link that takes you to the painting "Kissing the Face of God" which is one I used in my Advent Journal. It is beautifully done and the story behind it is also good. This song below has that line in it which is what inspired the painting....and...it does make you wonder....how did Mary feel and what all must have gone through her mind...her heart...all the emotions and feelings....and we forget that Jesus was actually a BABY at one time in His life....and had a mother ....like we all did....and yet also are reminded of how it all ended (or began). I cannot imagine everything Mary must have thought or went through. I am thankful for God sending us his precious son though.

The video below is a the best Acapella version of the song Mary Did You Know that I have ever heard. It is what this time of year is all about. 

I know my links probably do not show up well. I need to change the color lol

Wishing you all a very blessed Christmas.

http://womanfreebies.com/videos/have-you-heard-this-amazing-a-capella-song/

some cool pics I took of our Christmas Tree lights using my tablet

Brach's Candy Cane candy corn............YUMMY and very MINTY!

Sunday morning, December 14, 2014 (only 11 more days to go)

well it is another Sunday morning....and my typical Sunday shadow of sadness hangs over me once again. Today I went through a bag of things my mom had given me that grandma had kept of things I had given to her over the years..mostly just small pics of Noah and cards....I had kept it unopened in my room all this time partly because I was not ready to go through all of that yet. I guess maybe I still wasn't ready to go through it yet.....because while a couple of things made me smile.....I had no idea when I got down to the bottom of the bag grandma's slippers would be in there. That was my tipping point. I am sure mom told me she stuck them in there back this summer after grandma died......but it probably went in 1 ear and right out my other because I don't remember it. I seem to not remember most things from the past that hurt me or apparently were hard for me to handle. I guess to cope. I am weird. Anyway....I really miss grandma. I am thankful for all I currently have in my life but I still really miss having her so close by I could pop in for visits every week. Now I am really in the pit of despair so I am going to shower and get myself busy doing something....and get out at some point today. Neither Noah nor I have wanted to get out much this week at all....especially once it gets dark. Maybe we are both weird. (and while grandma did not wear these often before she stopped wearing them....I remember seeing her wear them but most of all..they still SMELL like her house...I will likely keep them in the bag for a long time as even the bag smells like grandma)

Christmas is coming and the goose is getting fat...........well...maybe not

This year we put the trees up early....like 2 weeks before Thanksgiving early..lol. I think we have a tree in every room....and we are really enjoying them. I realized I have not posted anything for a while...and I need to get back here and do it from time to time more regularly. I am working on some art projects and been busy with work and other things around here..so have skimped on my time on this blog. I hope everyone has been enjoying their lives and making wonderful memories!

29 Faces in September is complete....2 more art projects waiting in the wings!

my final 2 faces for 29 Faces in September (since I counted wrong)

I did these pretty rough....sort of hurried them along. Not really satisfied with them but I am stopping. I have 2 other art projects to begin so I have to let this one go and move on. I used old photos of my dad and my mom for my models this time. Messy charcoal again. I have done a lot of charcoal for this project but not sure I am any better at it.

29 Faces in September - my final 4 faces

okay..charcoal messy charcoal...Sung Joon, Kim Yoo-jung and Lee Jong-suk (all Korean actors/actress) 

the painting one I just dabbed a ton of different colored acrylic paint on black paper...pressed another sheet of paper on top....pulled it apart...added Inka Gold..used the end of the paintbrush to scrape in primitive features and then added more paint

29 Faces in September Day 21 (but might be days 22, 23 and 24 since I have FOUR faces lol)

I started out with charcoal but it did not blend very well...and then I used pencil...I ended up with so much graphite on this that the paper got rough....grainy....this is a sketch of me and 3 of my sibs when we were very young

29 Faces in September days 19 and 20

29 Faces in September - Day 18 -mixed media

Day 18 - started out in a weird mood...did a quick charcoal sketch....then started finger painting over that....thought I had ruined it...it was almost all black....then got brushes and acrylic paint out...started adding color....more detail....added Inka Gold....some Mod Podge Gold Shimmer and leaves...and this is what I have. I will post today's work later

29 Faces in September - Day 17 (my free day was yesterday so nothing for that day)

Just ink and markers on very textured paper

29 Faces in September - Day 15 - charcoal

Day 15 - charcoal - my version of "Little Gerda" from Sulamith Wülfing's illustrations from Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen - no where near her quality...but something to strive for. Her illustrations are so wonderful...

29 Faces in September - Day 14 - Back to charcoal

 This is how he started out....lighter...I actually ended up making it darker...think I like it better darker..it is more dramatic. I chose Kim Woo-bin because he has very unique and extreme features...and I really like him. He is a South Korean actor/model. I am testing out applying charcoal over textured surfaces as well..to make clothing and sweaters look textured

29 Faces in September - Day 13 - just something simple and fun

29 Faces in September - Day 12 - zentangle time

20 Faces in September - Day 11

charcoal and pencil - used an old vintage photo for model

29 Faces in September - Day 10

charcoal and pencil - my grandmother as a child

29 Faces in September - Day 9 - back to charcoal

Still working on this one....it is South Korean actor Jang Hyuk as his role in "Fated to Love You" playing Lee Gun (an incredible drama if you have not ever watched it)

29 Faces in September - Day 8 - Something ABSTRACT

I decided to do something TOTALLY different today and ABSTRACT because I don't really like abstract art that much and figured it would be a nice challenge. This is what I ended up with. I added gold patina to make it look more like bronze or gold

29 Faces in September - Day 7 -

Okay...well I decided to take a break from the charcoal and just have some fun. I ended up using watercolor pencils and markers in a book whose pages were not suitable for getting wet. The paper tore up...almost disintegrated. I put glitter Mod Podge over it...but still was not totally happy with how washed out it looked so I ended up enhancing it a bit in a my pics....anyway...here it is

29 Faces in September - Day 6 - South Korean actor Hyun Bin

Charcoal and pencil (yes..I keep making myself try to work with it because it is like my least favorite and soooo messy...at least for me) haha

29 Faces of September - Day 5 - Korean actor Kim Soo-hyun

charcoal and pencil

29 Faces in September - Day 4

Watercolor pencils and gold shimmer Mod Podge

29 Faces in September - Day 3 - Jang Keun Suk

Charcoal and pencil (cause I just love him lol)

29 Faces in September - Day 2

a sketch of my niece when she was younger using colored pencils

Day 1 - 29 Faces in September

I decided to do something I have not done in years...finger paint. I used regular acrylics and basically only 1 finger lol. I still wanted to show a definite mood and use lots of gorgeous color...so this is the result.

It is pretty simple but I really like it and it was actually pretty fun to do.