Oh, the trials of aging gracefully when pride sneaks in and tries to squeeze out God’s voice. The one thing I’m grateful to have learned is how to stifle the wrong voice simply by saying the name of Jesus! Ever had that happen to you when you were in church? Yikes! I refuse to let Satan in no matter how hard he tries…and he is always trying to distract me on Sunday.
This morning I watched a parade of ducks heading to the pond. They looked so cute waddling over the hill. Just another awesome video from God!
I’ve spent the past week planning for the activities I’ll be doing over the cooler, colder months ahead. My interests have expanded which can’t be bad. I’m still struggling with the jigsaw puzzle that doesn’t want to be worked, but I’m not going to give up. My lack of finishing isn’t affecting anyone, except maybe my own evaluation of the situation. I have other puzzles I know won’t be as hard and I sure would like to work one of them to get my confidence back. LOL!
There are Christmas diamond paintings that need completed as I want to display them as decorations for the season. Here’s the one I’m working on now. Can you see the cardinal coming to life in the snow?
I’ve been slowly adding supplies to my cardmaking hobby in preparation for sending Christmas cards to friends and family. My thoughts are also centering around making sets of all occasion cards to give as Christmas gifts. Not sure if I’ll have enough time for that this year.
Saying that brings to mind the reality that none of us know how long we have on this earth. I’m prepared and excited about the eternal life ahead, so I’m not afraid of the time God will call me home. I believe it is important to keep an eternal mindset, but not to waste a single moment God has given in this temporary home. So I make plans with a happy heart and a happy outlook. All because of God’s mercy. I have a peace in my heart that keeps me balanced.
Getting back to life…my goal was to refrain from purchasing additional coloring supplies until the first of the year. I broke that goal when I saw a deal on fine liner pens. Yes, I caved and purchased. Sigh. The pens are nice though. I can see me using them not only in coloring mandalas, but also in card making. Does that justify the purchase?
And this leads me to what I accomplished this week. The first picture was an experiment using Black Widow colored pencils to create pink hair. I followed a hair tutorial by @colorfullyoptimistic on her You Tube channel. Happy with everything except the earring. I used a gold paint pen, but now wish I’d just used the colored pencils to create gold. Artist for the picture is Mariola Budek. The second picture was colored with Faber Castell Pitt Pastel Pencils. I enjoy working with the pastels. It’s still a learning process for me! Artist for this picture is Hanna Karlzon. And the last picture, the mandala was done with the new pens. In retrospect, I wish I’d colored the areas outside the orange flower in shades of green. Coloring is always a learning process for me.
Not a particularly productive week for me, but it’s not about quantity. For me, my hobbies are all about enjoyment and learning. I’m a work in progress in all aspects of my life. I’m smiling because I know Jesus is agreeing with my statement! Lifting my cup of Lady Grey tea with a happy heart and heartfelt wishes that each of you find a way to relax, have fun, and spend time with Jesus! Until next time…
Carol Ann Erhardt, Author 