My First Love

Yay......I thought art, collage and ATC's were just a thing of the past for me but recently I met Cindy on Facebook who was having a giveaway and she got me inspired to get back to my art and I joined an ATC Swap with Patti Koosed over at Treasure Barn and set about seeing if I still remembered how to make an ATC! I first of all found that I no longer had supplies and was pretty taken aback at the amateurish card I created for Patti, but I'm learning each day to take it easy on myself so I was just happy I followed through! But Oops! I forgot to make a picture of the card I sent to her before mailing it, so maybe she will post it on her blog.

This is the card she sent me and I am over the moon happy with it. I adore Digital Collage, but do not have a program on my computer which allows me to experiment. The theme was Circus and oh my goodness isn't this the most beautiful circus card ever. The colors are amazing.

If any of you are interested in swapping ATC's, go visit Patti. She has a theme each month and I promise if you're new to ATC's or accomplished in ATC creating you'll have tons of fun while learning.

Thank You For Not Saying It.....

Thanks everyone. Don't you feel just so so silly when you do something and everyone is saying "don't do it...you'll wish you hadn't, or you"ll be sorry"

Well do any of you remember about 9 months ago when I was having severe bouts of anxiety caused by art studio overload and decided that I was through with art. My son had died, I was mourning and in such grief and heartache that I couldn't seem to find my sunshine. I'd take a peek in the art room and see all the STUFF I had accumulated in 3 or 4 years and just get sick.

I truly felt as if I'd never want to do anything creative with art again and I sold a few meager boxes at a fraction of what the contents were worth. Then I ran an ad on Craigslist giving it away. I loaded up at least 16 large moving boxes with every form of arts, crafts and hobby material you could possibly think of and gave it all away.

Yes I did.

I felt so free and my room was clean and manageable and I was content. Fast forward another 9 months and now I'm feeling more like I did before I lost my son. Don't get me wrong I will never stop missing him and I still have my moments where I can go back to those days of grief, but I have come through it. I'm in good shape folks. I am alive. And guess what??? Yep you guessed it. I want to be creative again.

I've been doing lots of reading, spending time in my pool, working tirelessly but joyously in Jake's Memory Garden, crocheting, and getting ready to make baby clothes when I know the sex of my new grandchild. I just now got back to my blogging, joined a fitness group with Lori and I signed up for a couple of swaps. I have done a little frugal shopping. (remember we just bought a new car, ouch) I got some nice stamps which were on sale at Big Lots, some scrap papers, glue sticks, glitter and some chipboard letters. I had thankfully kept all my paints, scissors, glues, metal and tools. And now I can't wait to get in there and ever so softly and slowly begin to make ATC's, journals, altered boxes and do some collages.

So thank you my friends for not telling me "I told you so", although you knew it all along didn't you?

So what's on YOUR art table today?

Happy creating. Love you all, Mollye

MAY I PLEASE COME BACK IN?

Oh I hope you'll say "Yes". I've been gone for such a long, long time. I've missed all of you terribly.

I have been right here, but so far away in my mind. The one year anniversary of Jake's Homecoming came and went.

Casey Anthony was aquitted which left me in a funk. Our state is in a drought and on and on I could go but all in all, it is just Life.

I've started a new Eating Program and it is very similar to Weight Watchers but is an online program, completely Free and is Fun. You can set up a blog and a homepage and it is such a smart program that it calculates everything for you! It is called My Fitness Pal.

Another positive thing I've been doing is creating a little corner of our yard into a Memory Garden for Jake and it gives me much pleasure to work on it, adding flowers and plants that Jake would have probably selected. Also little fun pieces on the fence.

Our city is in mourning this week for fallen Heroes who have come back home to a Heroes Welcome and will soon be laid to rest.I didn't personally know S/Sgt. Michael Garcia but my daughter Shari worked with his brother until recently when he himself re-enlisted and will soon be deployed. The entire family is military and this handsome and amazing man paid the ultimate sacrifice.There is sadness all around.

We bought a new car. Yippeeeeeee. Not actually a brand new car but an "08 Nissan Maxima and it is loaded to the hilt and is the classiest car we've ever owned.

I am still enjoying my Kindle and love to download many of the Freebie books. One I'm currently reading is "Live Like You Mean It" by T.J.Addington and one of the questions the book starts off with is asking What Is The Purpose Of My Life? Well isn't that the million dollar question we've all pondered? But I think I do know it has something to do with blogging because since I've retired and since my Rheumatoid Arthritis has escalated to the point it has, I don't get out and meet and greet like I once did, but OMG I have found and met the most wonderful people by blogging. So many of you have inspired, lifted me up in prayer, encouraged and made me laugh and hopefully there have been a few along the way who have been helped by something I've written about, so I must ask you if you'll accept me back home and back into your busy lives.

And another very exciting little tidbit I must share with you is I'm going to be Grandma again this coming December or January. Do any of you remember my son Buddy who was having such a hard time adjusting to the death of his brother Jake and was in an unhappy state of mind in general? Well girls he and his beautiful wife Miz Jessica are expecting a baby! She hung up her skates during maternity time.

It will be her fourth child but his first and at 44 he was completely taken aback and surprised is an understatement. If a boy they plan to name him after Jake.

And my youngest daughter Shari became a new Grandma for the 3rd time recently to a beautiful baby girl named Lanna.

I "met"a beautiful lady yesterday through someone's Facebook comments and in reading her blog was inspired to get back here. If you don't already know Cindy from An ArtfulJourney be sure to stop by and she is also having a Giveaway.

That's all for now girls because I know you have many many more folks to visit and I'll be coming round your back door real soon for a lookey look. Happy hugs and much love, Mollye

Love Tag

Surprises are so much fun aren't they? I had completely forgotten that Marcia from One Heart was sending me an Encouragement Tag until I got this beautiful tag in Saturday's mail.

Thank You Marcia. She included a sweet note telling me that the theme of her tag....the Butterfly stands for Hope and New Life. Hope for me and a New Life for my son Jake who went to Heaven almost a year ago.

Oh yes Marcia I will treasure this tag the rest of my life. You did an amazing job and how appropriate the scripture reference of Revelations 21: 4.

If you don't know Marcia, please go by her blog HERE for a visit and say "Hi". You'll be glad you did.

Too Funny

A funny site I just happened upon called Crap At My Parents House. I'm almost afraid to keep looking for fear my kids may have sent in a photo of our house! Some pretty strange "crap" could be found around here for sure.

A long time coming

Several weeks ago I mentioned the upcoming burial of my parents and grandfather's ashes after holding onto for many years. My Grandfather, my father and finally my mother who died in 1988 were all created and my brother had been in the possession of their remains. However he recently graciously handed them over to me as I felt it important to give them a proper resting place where everyone who chose to could go visit and pay respects. I also took comfort in knowing they were resting so close to Jake, my son who was killed last June.

This past Monday my two daughters Lori and Shari accompanied me to Mount Carmel Cemetery down out of Florien, Louisiana which is about 100 miles south of here. It was hot and dry and we were at the mercy of the man who had made the markers and the man who was in charge of the cemetery as to when we could accomplish this feat. So when they were ready, we had to jump and therefore not many were able to go with us. But it was the way it should have been actually because just about all in my family who knew and grew up with my parents are my children.

It was 94 degrees in the hot, bright sun and the ground was hard, dry and cement like as they had seen no rain in several months. We were there for hours waiting for the man to dig down enough to set the stones after which he would have to dig even deeper for the containers of ashes. We had planned to say a few words or offer a prayer after the ashes were buried. I stood out there so long that I became ill, my heart was working overtime and beating so fast you could see it through my throat, I perspired until there was no more sweat. I was lightheaded and just felt I could endure no more heat so I went back to the car and turned the AC on. The girls opened up my Mother's Bible and read scripture from it and both prayed throughout. The man who was digging nearby and in actuality was setting the foot stones for Lori's family stopped digging out of reverence and bowed his head while they continued

How proud and happy my parents would have been and I like to think they were aware of and perhaps smiling down as the two "little girls" they had loved and taken such delight in as youngsters honoring their memories in such a sweet and humble way.

This act of a burial a long time coming has impacted me greatly and is truly one thing I feel my life has been directed toward. What an honor and what a gift to be able to do this for my parents and my grandfather.

What are you afraid of?

Many of our fears are tissue paper thin, and a single courageous step would carry us clear through them.

-- Brendan Francis

What is stopping me from getting back into my art? What am I afraid of? Failure? Not being good at something...or feeling as if I've wasted money on the supplies...wasted my time? I don't know what it is.

Several months ago I wanted to get back into doll making and I thought it would be fun to try sculpting dolls; just simple primitive ones at first and then maybe learning to make the ball jointed dolls.

So I purchased lots of supplies and each time I'd want to get started I'd peruse the doll links and blogs looking and lurking. And then I'd put all the stuff away and forget about it.

Finally I decided to get busy and actually do something, so I signed up to make a little Prayerbox Doll by Nancye Williams. She is just as nice as can be and does amazing work. It was veeerrrry affordable and is very simple but maybe, just maybe it will give me the confidence to proceed with learning more and just maybe sculpting is my thing.

I love the quotation as I've found myself in this predicament before. Afraid to begin something and procrastinating and then giving away the supplies without giving my idea a fair chance. And who knows I may find the fear of beginning this project as thin as tissue paper.

Wish me luck and I'll share with you my completed project soon!