"It's always something" Rosanne Rosanna Dana

Have you ever heard a cell phone ring in church? Of course you have…
I think the recipients of those calls are most often mortified that they forgot to turn off the ringer…and I do think people are getting better at cell phone etiquette in church (at least where I’m at). Inappropriate cell phone use in other places...well, that’s a whole other banana. People can be amazing.
Imagine my surprise when I heard a cell phone ring in church last Sunday…human nature captivated many of us as we turned to see a woman racing out the back doors as she reached to hush the ring by answering. The number on her screen surely indicated is was worth an answer and a quick scurry out of the sanctuary indicated this to those of us who were now completely ignoring the pastor. Actually, by that point he was watching her flight out the back as well.
It was at that moment I had that cold chill of realization that my phone might well be turned on. I searched my brain for the file that told me where the phone was in the first place and then I could look to see if it was indeed on. My brain quickly let me know I left it at home (whew!).
After church, the “phone” lady came over to a few of us who were still lazing about (we laze about after church - no one is any hurry to leave… we make lunch plans…laugh…talk serious, and talk fun). She did in fact have an important call. We were each rather happy for her to have had the ring and the chance to answer.
When I got home I found my phone had a message - an URGENT message. It would have rung during church! - I, too, would have had to scurry out the back doors upon seeing the number! Did I miss some great and lofty opportunity to be reached on an important matter?
The message: “We have an emergency! The cat went down the ball return - I’m sorry! Can you get over here?”
*sigh* I was so glad I had left it at home! Ha Ha! Long story short - a friend has a residential bowling alley - and a house cat - and well, that is obviously not a good combination. Fast forward: the cat is fine - and banned from the bowling alley. And, well… maybe I will continue to leave my phone at home.

joy in the journey,
katey

Feature art: completely irrelevant to today’s story…

"FLYiNG PoRK"

A 2.5” x 3.5” watercolor art card with applied wings.

visit my eBay link to see this and MORE of my art for sale...

Cats...Cellphones...Flying pigs..."It's always something" ~Rosanne Rosanna Dana

Evening Prayer...

"Evening and morning and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice."

Psalms 55: 17

I was playing around with putting vintage photographs on transparency sheets. I messed them up big time - the color was all wacky and I was discouraged. I set them aside - a bit frustrated at $1 a pop to run a hi-quality transparency sheet through the printer - and $75 to fill the cartridges is never pleasant… and that doesn’t even address the expense of art supplies and time - blah blah blah-- whine whine whine.

Sometimes things are right under our nose - and we miss them for all the sniveling and carrying on we do… if only in silent (heart attitude is everything). Having set the botched transparencies aside I moved onto other things. Last week I returned to the transparencies and looked at them as exercises in just creating and dancing with what I was partnered with. It didn’t set the music or the rhythm - it just began to happen. Expectations were not high. I painted some wood - applied the transparencies - painted some more - gathered some other treasures - and there began these series of little square prayers and dreams to hang on the wall and remind me yet again, it is not about me - it is about Him. Without the sniveling as background noise - I heard that still small voice leading me. The transparencies became “beauty from ashes” and I was able to let go of this “waste” and freely meditate on the message while the art just made itself.
A portion of scripture kept playing in my mind as I noodled with my project without pressure and without care - a song we sang in church long, long ago - from the Psalms: "Evening, and morning and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice."
An old prayer book from the late 1800’s - already falling apart - gave me freedom to tear it into more scraps... as did an old song book. I have created many of these square art treasures - which will be in my eBay store though out the coming months.

http://stores.ebay.com/Blueyeduck-FOLK-ART-PAiNTiNG-ETC_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ2901718QQftidZ2QQtZkm

Joy in the journey,
katey

PS ~ Yes! Those are REAL water spigot handles!

Adoption and Pink Things

I stepped out of my area of comfort and personal taste to create in a genre and color pallette somewhat foreign to me. Pink & sparkly makes me want to run to the garage and cut wood and paint things deep red or forest green.
Have I offended myself in feeling this way? Laugh!
No, it has been an exercise to let myself create out of bounds… for the sheer delight of creating. The result has been a series of whimsical fairy creatures. They recall, to me, beautiful little pinecone men with German glass glitter sprinkles I remember being brought out at Christmas.
I struggled with frilly pink things on my kitchen counter all week - all clashing with my antiques and the deep tones in my live world. I look at them now in my presence (as they have not been shipped out to their new owners at this moment though they have each been adopted into the appreciative loving care of those who know about things pink & sparkly)…and they are most definitely strangers and aliens in a foreign land here. But I love them so much.

(the art auction on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/FAiRy-FoLK-aLTeReD-aRT-DoLL-PiXiE-VaLeNTiNE-ooak-sfa_W0QQitemZ160081157465QQihZ006QQcategoryZ84626QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem )

Ephesians 2: 18-22
For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.

When Love Takes You In…
I know you've heard the stories, but they all sound too good to be true. You've heard about a place called home, but there doesn't seem to be one for you. So one more night you cry yourself to sleep and drift off to a distant dream.Where love takes you in and everything changes - A miracle starts with the beat of a heart.When love takes you home and says you belong here - The loneliness ends and a new life begins. When love takes you in.And somewhere while you're sleeping someone else is dreaming too.Counting down the days until they hold you close and say I love you.And like the rain that falls into the sea in a moment what has been is lost in what will be…
When love takes you home and says you belong here - The loneliness ends and a new life begins. When love takes you in.When love takes you in everything changesA miracle starts with the beat of a heartAnd this love will never let you goThere is nothing that could ever cause this love to lose its holdWhen love takes you in everything changesA miracle starts with the beat of a heartWhen love takes you home and says you belong hereThe loneliness ends and a new life beginsWhen love takes you in it takes you in for goodWhen love takes you in
~ lyrics by Steven Curtis Chapman

To learn more about ADOPTION
Check out http://members.shaohannahshope.org/site/PageServer
(Shoahannah’s Hope “mobilizing the body of Christ to care for orphans)

Move...or Move Me

"I can't find the words to pray…I'm a little down today. Can You help me? Can You hold me? I feel like a million miles away…And I don't know what to say. Can You hear me anyway?
What I need is for You to reach out Your hand ~ You have taught me no matter what You'd understand.

Lord move in a way, that I've never seen before. Cause there's a mountain in the way and a lock on the door. I'm drifting away, waves are crashing on the shore. So Lord move, or move me.

I've looked every where to find a simple peace of mind. I can't find nothing on my own, so I got to leave myself behind. Take up this cross of mine - Give away everything I hold onto Lord.
I know the only way is through this. Lord I know I need You to help me do this.

Lord move in a way, that I've never seen before. Cause there's a mountain in the way and a lock on the door. I'm drifting away, waves are crashing on the shore. So Lord move, or move me.…
Out of this place of complacency to a place of fellowship with thee.
Cause I am weak but Lord You are so strong - and You know it's been way too long...

Lord move in the way, that I've never seen before. Cause there's a mountain in the way and a lock on the door. I'm drifting away, waves are crashing on the shore. So Lord move ..." ~ (lyrics by FFH: Far From Home) http://ffh.net/music.asp

Some days are hard. Some weeks are hard. It can be minutes or years… but that feeling of restless energy that seeks a place to land can be exhausting...

Feelings of indecision and feelings of huge decisions!

How? When? Where?

I said... HOW?!?

When God calls you He will not leave You stranded. If you feel like you’re drifting or you feel like all the doors are barred shut - look again…God will move.

joy in the journey,
katey

THE ART: a watercolor & ink titled "The Hands of an Artist" (showing only one hand)