throughmyeyes720

Taking Time To Dance

As we all know the last few years have at best interrupted our lives. Thinking back before that though life was very hectic. People were racing to work, trying to squeeze in just one more activity and the end results being a catastrophic health event.

The mass confusion and insanity of Covid had its own casualties. One thing it did do was bring families together and for a moment in time the speedway of life slowed to a crawl.

Now that mandates have been lifted most people have gone back to work and some are working harder than ever because of the people who have chosen not to work.

What has changed? The way we look at lifestyle. Oh there will always be those who seem to enjoy a wreckless lifestyle but for most of us we have found greater value in living.

It’s important to do the things that must be done but it is also important to dance. I’m not necessarily talking about the physical dance. It’s about maintaining balance. If you are so stuck in a routine that there is no adventure in your life then you haven’t gotten it right yet.

What is the one thing you enjoy but have put on the back burner. What is that one place you always wanted to visit but you just couldn’t squeeze it into your schedule? Don’t use money as an excuse or the kids or the job….work it into your schedule now! It’s time to dance!

There is an old country song that says it best “I Hope You Dance”. Leeann Womack got it right when she sings this song as she explains why dancing is so important. I hope the rest of your life will be filled with adventure and not just the complexities of life.

I hope you take the time to 💃.

The Purge

Lately I have had the urge to purge unnecessary things from my life. While by no means am I a hoarder, without even thinking I tend to hold onto things longer than I should.

From old greeting cards to clothes that are older than I care to admit, its got to go. I am now choosing to keep only what I really need.

I have a thing about organization! It is not enough just to clean a room but it has to be organized or it just doesn’t make sense. If it is something I haven’t worn in the last year…it’s going out. I am an artist and crafter which also means I have a lot of supplies related to my hobbies. Even these may need to be purged to eliminate outdated or unusable items to make room for new ones.

Even my dog has a special area for his grooming supplies, toys, medical supplies and food. He has a toy box but like kids he just can’t seem to put his toys away!

With more renovations in my house that need to be done purging is not an option but a necessity. Every day it gets easier. After all, it’s just stuff!

If cleanliness is next to Godliness, I should be in line for sainthood soon. All kidding aside, it is not what you keep but what you get rid of that matters!

Have a great and productive day.

Getting Back To The Basics

Listening to someone new on my Amazon Music app, Iron And Wine, I couldn’t help but be transported back to a different time.

The song had a catchy title….something about being naked but don’t let that deter you from listening. Instrumentality it was mello and the lyrics made sense. The sound was soothing not unlike something I might would have listened to during the Woodstock era.

It made me appreciate once more the music of the past. You just don’t find artists or music like this anymore. This was refreshing. It took me back to my teenage years when unlike today there were moral boundaries. Life was simpler and people were actually happy. Yes, we loved to cruise around the hottest drive-ins and I even got caught coming home late on occasion but life had meaning.

It’s reflection on better times that will strengthen our desire to not just settle but to strive to get back some of the values we had back then.

Do I want to give up my new car or Wi Fi? Probably not but if it would mean we could live in a less violent world and a world that has a strong value system, then yes I would. Progress is not always in our best interest.

The last few years have more than ever shown that it’s not the wealth of this world that matters. We need to get back to the basics. It’s really simple, put God first. Next to God is family. God from the very beginning laid out a value system that works. LOVE

May God bless you abundantly.

Perfection Or Not So Perfect

In the last few months I have expanded my artistic journey to include jewelry making. Admittedly I have made some pieces that would not meet my level of perfection… but then I had to stop myself.

I had been throwing out everything that was imperfect and this morning it hit me. If God judged me like that I would have been tossed out a long time ago. The Imperfect Knot might not be pretty but was created from bits and pieces of metals from completed projects. While a recycled project, it can still serve a purpose. Like this bit of imperfection none of us are perfect but we all have a purpose.

While this ring may look more complete it too was a recycled project. One of my biggest frustrations in using soft metals is the unwanted scratches and dents. To make them a little less noticeable I added a few dents of my own.

Working with metal is definitely giving me a lesson in patience. Continue to follow me on my artistic journey.

Have a wonderful day.

A Weeble With Purpose

For those of you who were not raised in the 70’s you are probably asking “What the heck is a weeble”?

I remember fondly playing with these things as a child. They were almost hypnotizing as they rocked back and forth with the slightest nudge.

Sometime in previous years I acquired the 1974 Indian Weeble from the western collection. I have shuffled him around my house over the years because I just couldn’t seem to part with him. Currently he has a home in my office. Here he has a purpose. After paying bills or some other frustrating task I give him a nudge and he just makes me laugh. I watch him rock until he finally stops upright again.

It is funny how something so simple at least for a moment calms my world. The point is you can benefit from just taking a moment to be distracted from life’s stressor.

Here’s my Weeble:

Find the simple pleasures in life. Have a wonderful day.

Kitchen Crafting

While I know most people have dishwashers, I do not. Finding dishcloths that hold up is difficult so I started crocheting my own. Even if you do have a dishwasher these cloths are great for cleaning up spills quick.

Tools for making these is simple: Size G crochet hook, Scissors and 100% cotton yarn.

To start chain 27. Dc in second chain from hook and dc across. Ch 2 and repeat until you have a square (to determine square – take one corner and cross it over to opposite side. If flush it is square).

If you just want to give these as gifts you can make multiples and stack them and tie them up like a package using yarn,ribbon or jute.

Don’t forget to like and share this page. Also check out my store at Etsy – FolkwaysCreations.

Have a blessed day.

Of Wings And Wire

Those that know me know I never stop looking for that next adventure in crafting. The past few weeks I have been tampering with metal in particular wire. While I have had experience beading I have not designed with wire itself.

While I love designing anything this is one art that has really tested my patience. I typically like things that I can complete pretty quickly with the exception of painting. I can do a painting in a few hours and sometimes it may take a week or longer.

I think some days there must be a little angel perched on my shoulder to keep me focused. Otherwise, I would surely wreak havoc with some of my projects.

Wire wrapping is not difficult but is time consuming. Here are some of my completed projects to date:

If you are interested in learning this craft there are great videos on both YouTube and Rumble.

Expand your horizon and learn a craft. May God richly bless you.

Finding Peace

Dispite the chaos in our world I have learned to find peace in many places. This just makes me smile.

Can’t remember the name of this lily but the blooms are about 5-6″ across.

Even though they are full of aphids it didn’t affect the actual blooms.

Last year each plant only had two blooms and then became dormant. This year they have doubled and so have my many blessings. God is good!

I have so many changes in the environment over the past six months. The air seems cleaner, seeing more birds, more butterflies and more plant life. When we get rid of evil we give life a chance.

Looking forward to the many more blessings God has planned for us. Have a great Sunday.

Good Morning

Yes, I guess you could say I’m a morning person. I love to go out on my back deck with coffee in hand just to talk to God.

Just as we have just celebrated our earthly father we need to take more time for our heavenly father.

While a lot of churches are failing to keep their flock together, they need to look at the reasons people are leaving. While people in the church are quick to point fingers at the people who do choose to leave, they never bother to ask why.

Now I used to enjoy going to church when I was younger but as I got older I began to see another side of this institution. I will give credit to those churches that are as they represent themselves to be.

Twice I have been assaulted by members of a church. Upon joining one church people were calling me constantly to join one committee or another. The final blow was when they hired a new organist who decided it was time to refurbish the 100+ year old organ. Then I get this letter in the mail that said “my” portion of that bill was $5,000! You can imagine my outrage. I sent them an email telling them to remove mine and my husband’s name from their roll.

Instead of focusing on keeping their flock together and more importantly teaching and interpreting the Bible, churches have strayed from their mission. They are houses of gossip, theaters of entertainment, and hiding places for sexual predators.

It wasn’t until I left the church that I sat down and actually read the Bible from cover to cover. This was true confirmation I had done the right thing. I was beginning to not just “read the Word but feel it”. That was what was really missing from church. I now had a spiritual connection.

It is that spiritual connection that ties us to God and the universe. In 2 Corinthians Paul tells us we have two bodies, the physical body and the spiritual body.

If you throw yourself into learning, and I mean open yourself up to making that connection you will be amazed at the endless possibilities.

Have a wonderful day.

Signs From A Divine Source

While this little guy may not seem relevent to you there is a story here. Early in the year I began to see slow subtle changes in the environment. Prior to this time even the air smelled bad. Blame it on jet fuel, industrial waste, whatever you want to but you could tell something was toxic. Anyway, in early march we started to see these little rabbits. While you may say that is not a red flag for me it was. You see we have lived on the same property for 36 years and have rarely seen a rabbit until now.

Then with Spring came new grass. Maybe it was just my old eyes deceiving me but it seemed greener than usual. I don’t have a lot of flowers so I take heed of small environmental changes.

We see the rabbits daily now, morning and night. While the news media paints a dillusional picture of what is happening in the world, I choose to ignore them and see what picture God paints. Lily’s in my garden container will soon be blooming. Last year they only had one bloom on each plant. This year there are four blooms on each of the two plants. Like the rabbits, they are voluntarily multiplying.

You may be laughing this off right now but what is a matter of fact is that God sends of signs of things to come. I believe these few signs along with the increase in birds points to the fact that better days WILL COME!

Don’t get caught up in daily drama and the lies of the main stream media. Trust God, trust that he has a plan for Heaven On Earth. It will come but only in His time.

Have a rich and blessful day.