PAINTING:
MY OLDEST DAUGHTER RECENTLY WENT OUT WEST. SHE SENT ME BEAUTIFUL PICTURES AND THE INSPIRATION HIT TO PAINT THEM. I LOOKED TO SEE IF MR. ROSS HAD A DESERT SCENE, BUT I DID'NT FIND ONE. (OF COURSE I FOUND ONE AFTER I PAINTED MINE....SO I WILL HAVE TO GO BACK AND DO HIS TOO AND SEE WHAT OTHER TECHNIQUES I COULD USE).
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I HAVE NOT LIKED ABOUT MY PAINTINGS UP TO THIS POINT ARE THE CLOUDS, BUT I REALLY LIKE THEM IN THIS ONE. I FEEL LIKE THE SKY LOOKS REALISTIC. I USED SEVERAL OF THE TECHNIQUES THAT I HAVE LEARNED FROM BOB UP TO THIS POINT. OF COURSE I USED THE WET ON WET PAINTING AND SOME OF THE TREE TECHNIQUES, I USED ON THE CACTI. IN ORDER TO MAKE THEM LOOK A LITTLE ROUGH, YOU TAKE THE END OF THE PAINTING KNIFE AND DARK PAINT AND PUT HORIZONTAL LINES UP AND DOWN THE TREE OR RATHER THE CACTUS IN THIS ONE. SO, EVEN THOUGH I WINGED THIS ONE, I FELT LIKE I HAD MR. ROSS THERE GUIDING ME ON AND ENCOURAGING ME TO USE THE TECHNIQUES I HAVE LEARNED SO FAR.
PRAYER:
"THE FIRST STEP TO ACCOMPLISHING ANYTHING IS TO DO IT." BY BOB. PRAYER IS NOT GOING TO BE VERY EFFECTIVE UNLESS YOU DO IT. AS A KID, THINGS WERE MUCH EASIER. ADULTING, AS MY OLDER KIDS CALL IT, IS NOT ALWAYS EASY. THERE IS NO ONE TO TELL YOU HOW THE DAY IS GOING TO GO OR WHAT YOUR SCHEDULE IS GOING TO BE. SOMETIMES, EVEN WITH THE BEST INTENTIONS, LIFE HAPPENS AND THERE GOES THE PROVERBIAL MONKEY WRENCH THROWN RIGHT INTO THE SPOKES OF YOUR WELL OILED TIME CHALLENGED DAY. I THINK NOW, AT THIS TIME IN HISTORY, WE HAVE AN EVEN HARDER TIME FINDING TIME BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY TIME SUCKERS LURKING TO SLURP ANY AND ALL EXTRA TIME YOU MAY HAVE (HA HA HA.....EXTRA TIME....YEAH RIGHT). A YEAR OR SO AGO, I BELIEVE GOD TOLD ME TO GET BACK TO THE BASICS. A LITERAL SCHEDULE WITH AN ACTUAL BEDTIME AND A TIME TO PRAY, A TIME TO DO THIS AND A TIME TO DO THAT AND ALSO TO CUT SOME STUFF OUT. BUSY BUSY BUSY. THE ENEMY AIN'T STUPID (AND I SAID IT THAT WAY ON PURPOSE). I AM STILL WORKING ON GETTING BACK TO BASICS. I TRY TO REMEMBER TO PRAY ABOUT WHAT I SHOULD TAKE ON AND WHAT I SHOULDN'T. ALL BUSY IS NOT BAD STUFF....YOU CAN TAKE ON TOO MUCH AT THE CHURCH OR IN THE COMMUNITY TOO. WE JUST HAVE TO BE SURE TO REMEMBER TO SAY....OKAY GOD......WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO? ONE OF THE THINGS WE REALLY SHOULDN'T DROP OR NEGLECT IS OUR TIME WITH HIM. IT IS SO SWEET AND GETTING IN HIS PRESENCE IS THE MOST WONDERFUL THING. DO NOT WALK IN CONDEMNATION THOUGH, JUST PURPOSE TO TALK TO HIM MORE. SET A TIME. MEET HIM THERE. EVERYDAY. THEN, TALK TO HIM ALL DAY LONG WHEREVER YOU MAY BE. HE KNOWS US. OUR HEART. HE LOVES US. HE WANTS TO TALK TO US TOO. THE FIRST STEP TO ACCOMPLISHING ANYTHING IS TO DO IT. IT. KNOWSOMETHING. DRY AND DUSTY...BARREN, BUT LOOK AROUND.....
