~The Art of Life~

Slowing down in the Carpool Lane

2012-01-31T10:13:00.000-06:00

~Last year I was driving in my car, my heart feeling pressed down with the weight of anxiety. In my mind I was playing over all the things I hadn't gotten done, all my weaknesses and fumbles.

"I'm such a scattered girl. Why can't I focus? Why am I so forgetful?"

~The heaviness pressed in hard until I prayed aloud, "Lord, why can't I just be one of those put-together girls?! You know; the ones who always have it all under control?"

~The answer came so clearly that it startled. In a voice tinged with a smile and almost audible I heard,

"Now why would I want that?"

~Huh? Did I just hear that? What did You say Lord?
~And the gentle response;

"If you were a put-together girl then you wouldn't need me
and what I want above all is a relationship with you."

~I wanted to pull the car over, let the words soak into my trembling frame. He loves me like this?
Scattered & forgetful? Imperfect & fumbling?
~My weaknesses only serve to draw me closer; to remind me of my desperate need for the One who is my only strength.
.................................................................................................................................................................

~Months later and I wake on a Monday feeling frantic, world spinning before my feet hit the ground. The anxiety is there again; like a snake coiled around my shoulders hissing lies into my ears.
And it's in the car again that I'm reminded of that truth-~-Relationship.

~He doesn't expect me to be perfect, only prayerful, letting my weaknesses draw me into His arms.

~And peace isn't a state of being where life is smooth and under control.

Peace is a person,

Jesus

walking me through my worries and whispering reassurance

to this Momma,

sometimes in the carpool lane.

Chasing the Sunset

2011-10-13T11:17:00.000-05:00

~I sit on the park bench, feeling the coolness in the air. I watch my daughters disappear in and out of the maze of blue, red & yellow pipes, tubes and slides. The trees surrounding the sandy lot are just starting to put on their Fall coats.

~Just this morning I had watched the video; the interview with Ann, her voice quiet and gentle.
And I had felt God speak to me, the tears coming up to my eyes.

Slow. Still. These Mothering moments go by so fast.

~My heart longs to be Mary but my mind is all Martha. How many times am I with my girls but not "with" them?
Sorting socks, stacking dishes into the cupboard.
Endlessly chasing after order.
This business of running a business and a home has put my inner Martha into overdrive.
And so I went looking for Mary at the park.

~It was just us girls as my Dear Husband was working late.
I watch my oldest dig her hands deep into the damp sand; patting, stacking, building a castle. She will be 10 soon. Every day she is growing more and more into a young lady.
I watch my youngest; fearlessly swinging across the monkey bars. She is so brave.
I try to press the images into my heart.
Suddenly the bustle of the playground stops and all the little eyes turn towards the sky. The honking and squawking is a flock of geese and we watch their V-shaped line move across the pink sky.

~The air grows cooler and I load my girls into the car, listen for the click of seatbelts, and head home. As we turn west onto Warner Street we all catch our breath together.

The sky!

It's like a painting; vibrant colors splashed across the canvas.
"Take a picture Momma! Oh! Take a picture!"
And so we chase the sunset. Driving further west, turning onto side streets, looking for the perfect view.

~Finally, standing on a sidewalk downtown I try in vain to capture the shifting colors of the sky. I talk with my girls about how much God loves us.
"Look at the beautiful things He makes just for us to enjoy!"
This moment is full.

~The sky grows darker and we turn again towards home. And there in the Eastern sky:
A beautiful, full, radiant moon.
This was almost too much!
Too much gift for a stumbling, struggling Momma.
His love, shining there.
"Look Girls! The moon!"

When the Wind Blows Through

2011-07-02T16:08:00.000-05:00

~~These past two months the winds have blown hard, starting with the very literal winds of a tornado that blew through our small town. My hard-working husband was hours away with business and as the storms drew nearer I made the decision to leave our house with the girls and go to a friend's who has a tornado shelter. I had no idea that we were heading directly to the path of the tornado.
It was a strange sensation, feeling the pressure change as the twister raged over,
hearing loud crashes,
bangs,
and then silence.
~~Our friends received some damage and a lot of debris but thankfully their home withstood the storm. There were many others that day who lost everything.
My heart broke when we saw the damage.
~~The storm also went directly over my parent's home and while century old trees fell in all directions, by some blessing their house withstood.
~~It seems that these winds continued to blow through the weeks.
Blow life into a busy whirl.
Much of that has been blessing.
Our business has reached its peak season-the time when there's hardly room to breathe.
This is our second time to come through this cycle and while we know to expect the ebb and flow, it's still an adjustment.
~~My personality is the type to hold onto stress and anxiety no matter how much I try to change that.
When life is good I stress. When life is hard I stress.
I don't know why but it is my natural bend that I'm slowly trying to unwind.
And in this busy time my anxiety reliever, my art, has suffered.
The times when I need it the most are also the times when it tends to get neglected.
But if we listen our hearts will send signals.
Quietly at first and then
Loud.
~~I've been battling my health for two months now. Sinus infections, ear infections, all types of strange problems. I've been to the doctors, tried different solutions,
nothing worked.

~~This week the girls and I headed North to a summer camp in Kenora, Ontario Canada.
My parents run it in the summer and it's been in my family for generations. My girls are running free; making memories on the same grounds that I used to explore as a girl. And as I sit by the lake with the breeze blowing gently, I feel the anxiety fall away like a heavy coat.
We've only been here a couple of days and my health is improving. I'm breathing easy, sleeping deeply.
And somehow, there is a lesson I must learn here.
~~Learn to take this peace back home to my whirlwind life.
One can't help but feel close to God when you're surrounded by His beauty.
And though it may be harder to recognize at home, I know that this same closeness can be found there too.
~~So this week I will dig out my sketchbook and allow my heart to rest.
I will look for the answers in the light sparkling across the lake.
Listen for them in the loons, calling across the water at night.
And carry them 1200 miles back home in a very grateful heart.

When You Can't Decide

2011-05-18T10:37:00.000-05:00

~~I recently watched a TED talk that really resonated with me. It helped bring light to a problem I've had since I was a little girl: the problem of making a decision.
We live in a world of endless choices. Never before in history have we had so many options. (I just read that Sonic Drive-In claims to have 398,929 drink and slush combinations!)
And all of these choices are meant to give us more freedom;
right?
But instead they're causing paralysis.

~~All of my life I've struggled with decision-making. I wish that I could be a decisive, driven, determined person. But in order to be driven you have to make a choice and then go for it.
And there is my problem.
~~I was the little girl standing helplessly in front of the ice-cream case.
Do I choose chocolate?
.....or mint chocolate chip?
.....or strawberry?
~~The choice was so hard because I was afraid.
Afraid that I would make a wrong decision and miss out on something better.
Or more often for me, afraid that I would disappoint others if I chose wrong.

~~It sounds silly when you're talking about ice-cream but this tendency follows you through-out all life's decisions.
And when you're too afraid to make a mistake you tend to not choose at all.
~~I'm also a perpetual choice-deferrer. (Did I just make up a word?)
If someone else can make the decision for me.....
great!
Just tell me what to do.

When I let someone else make the decision I'm freeing myself of the consequences.
I'm placing the load on their shoulders.
If it turns out to be the wrong decision, well, I can't be blamed.

~~I'm not sure of the answer to this situation. Life will always be full of choices.

But I think the only way to go is to step fully into our own lives.
To gather up courage to simply decide.
My friend Abbi made some wonderful graduation wall art for her sister. It says:

"Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run there's still time to change the road you're on."

Be brave. Decide. And then Move.

My Heart is Light ~ Illustration

2011-05-17T10:19:00.000-05:00

~~My heart truly is feeling light this morning.
I'm feeling healthy and well; something I haven't felt in a while and something I won't take for granted.
It's a beautiful, bright May day.
I hope this finds you with a light heart too.

I don't need a telescope....

2011-05-16T12:46:00.000-05:00

~~I love to listen to music while I work and today's soundtrack was Ocean Eyes by Owl City.
I've listened to this album many, many times before but for some reason today the words in one line jumped out at me.

"I don't need a telescope to see that there's hope

and that makes me feel brave."
~~I know that for me, hope is a great motivator. It pushes me to try new things and at this time in my life I could use a little bravery. :)

Finding my Balance Again.......Sharing some Links

2011-05-09T14:09:00.000-05:00

~~I'm finally getting to the other side of a bad inner ear infection; something I'd never experienced before and wouldn't wish on anyone. Dizziness, fever, chills,
and all from a little place in my ear being out of balance.
It had me thinking a lot about balance
and I'm sure there's a blog post in there somewhere,
but for now I'm just happy to start seeing the light at the end of this tunnel.
~~So I hope it's okay if, instead of sharing my own thoughts, I share some of the wonderful inspiration I read this morning.

**For When You Feel Behind
When I read the title of Emily's post it almost brought tears to my eyes because she put into words exactly how I've been feeling. Life seems to rush by and so many times I do feel like I'm constantly on the chase.

**When It All Feels Like A Mismatched Mess
"I haven’t got anything together and I can stop looking for some hidden door that’s going to someday open up to my real, perfect life and I can stop waiting and I can start laughing praise, because this wondrous mess, this is it."
Ahh!! Yes!

**Giving Oneself Completely and Unapologetically to An Obsession
My dear friend writes so open and honest and her post resonated with me this morning as I'm still seeking to become more and more comfortable in my own skin.

Hello Friend! ~Illustration

2011-05-02T13:44:00.000-05:00

~~Hello Friend!

I'm so glad you're mine.

~~Pencil and ink drawing, colored in Photoshop.
Here is a picture of the printed result.

~~Thanks for stopping by today!

Motherhood and Grace

2011-04-28T16:22:00.000-05:00

~~Nine years have passed......
Nine years since they wrapped my baby girl tightly in a blanket and placed her in my arms......
Nine years......
and I still don't know how to be a Good Mother.
Oh I try!
Every day I pour my heart into these two life-filled girls; they are my gifts.
But no-one ever told me.

~~When the nurse handed me my green-eyed girl on that cold December afternoon,
she didn't tell me that there would be days when my heart would nearly burst with love.
And that there would also be days when the weight of this heavy responsibility would press down hard.

I am responsible for leading and training two little lives!

And how can I help them to stretch and grow when I am still growing myself?

~~My firstborn, Sierra, the one with the splash of freckles across her nose and the waist-length chestnut hair,
she is changing before my very eyes.
Reaching out and dipping her toes into this new stage they call "tween-age."
I watch her grow into her personality; her own likes and dislikes,
stretching,
becoming.
And I can't help but want to pull my little chickie in close under my Momma wings and keep her small.

No-one ever told me that when your children grow, you will be the one to feel the growing pains.

I am not a perfect Mother
and I stumble often.
But every morning I wake,
and I breathe in new grace,
and I pray for wisdom to lead these two daughters of mine.

Nine years......

Blogging and Vulnerability

2011-04-26T09:30:00.001-05:00

~~Day after day I sit at this keyboard, at this cursor on a screen, and I spill out my heart.
Over 4 years I've come here. Four years of writing and growing.
This blog started as more of a scrapbook; a place to document the journey of life.
But over time it has become more.
It has seen hard times and joy, encouragement and growth.

~~I have been told, more than once, that as an artist I should keep my blog professional;
Only share about art and techniques.
Never talk about anything too personal such as children or beliefs.
You might offend people.
But how can I share about my art without sharing where it comes from?
Some days the empty comment box blinks at me and I wonder......

~~But life spills out into art and through this place I have come to see
that maybe my words can be art too.
If my risk of being vulnerable encourages just one person
than I am willing to risk.
And so I dip my brush into the paint,
I place my fingers onto the keys,
and I write.

***Just read this wonderful post: "What Will We Do With Our Words?"***

Welcoming New Little Ones......Two New Prints

2011-04-25T14:13:00.000-05:00

~~Just over a week ago my sister and her husband welcomed a new baby boy into the world
and we are over the moon about him. Little Kiptyn was the inspiration for this artwork,
"Welcome Baby."
~~The very same week we also learned that we will be getting a new little niece this Fall.
So in honor of her we have "Welcome Baby" in pink. :)

Singing to the Trees

2011-04-21T10:17:00.000-05:00

~~I pull into the school parking lot on a breezy, warm afternoon in Spring.
I'm early so I park, roll down the windows and grab my book to wait for the ending bell.
The parking lot faces the playground and through the chain-length fence I watch pre-schoolers,
running around in pure, unbridled joy.
*Little girls with pigtails flying, skirts blowing in the wind.
*Little boys in cowboy boots and shorts, happily involved in a game of tag.
I watch them and I smile.
Such joy!

~~With my windows down I hear a little sing-song voice and then I notice her;
a girl, standing near the fence under the Bradford pear trees in full bloom.
She is raising her small fingers up towards the sky and singing!
Singing to the flowers.
~~And there it is; the secret to the joy.

~~As you know I've been reading the book One Thousand Gifts. Re-reading actually.
In the book Ann shares how she discovered that the secret to joy is in thankfulness,
eucharisteo,
couting God's blessings all around us.

~~And there on the playground I see that the joy is so easy when we are young.
The curiosity of children is a natural expression of thankfulness.
They see. They marvel. They linger.
Maybe that's why Jesus told us to be like little children.

~~As I drive away from the school yard my heart sings its own song, not to the trees,
but to the maker of the trees.

to the One who shows us His love in a multitude of ways,
including Spring flowers
and little girls.

Seek and you will find

2011-04-18T10:46:00.000-05:00

Lovely Links for Your Thursday

2011-04-14T10:20:00.002-05:00

~~One of the things I love about the time we live in is the ability to connect with people all over the world through the internet, and my favorite way to do that is through blogs.
So today I thought I'd share with you a few of my recent finds.
Hope you enjoy!

~"A Holy Experience" is the blog of Ann Voskamp, author of One Thousand Gifts.
Just like her book, Ann's blog provides so much encouragement, inspiration and motivation.
Her words and thoughts always challenge me and push me to grow.

~~When I found Emily Freeman's blog, "Chatting at the Sky," I couldn't help but wonder if we were somehow related. It was like reading the words of a sister. Emily's heart, like mine, is to encourage other women that they too are artists. She's written a book titled "Grace for the Good Girl" which will be out September 2011. As you know, I understand the "good girl struggle" all too well so it's nice to find a kindred heart.

~~"Inspired to Action" is a very recent find for me but when I read the author's "about page" I knew that I wanted to read more. Kat writes, "I pray that my simple, strained words would ignite a blazing inferno that drives you to Him, fuels your family and sparks a relentless revolution in your heart and life."

~~(In) Courage is a group blog that is full of inspiration. I found out about it through their book club when I was reading One Thousand Gifts. Written by women of all different ages and stages of life,
(In) Courage is just an uplifting, encouraging little place on to visit.

My "Thank You" Gift for you!

2011-04-07T12:48:00.002-05:00

~~This is something new for me and I'm very excited about it!
I appreciate each and every one of you who stop by my blog or Facebook page and leave your encouraging thoughts. It means so much!
~~I've been stretching my wings artistically and trying some new things.
I would love to have your true and honest feedback.
So I've created a "Happy Spring" card that is free for you to download. Just click the link below:

Happy Spring Card

*Print the pdf out on card stock or high quality paper.
*Fold in half.
*Use a paper cutter or scissors to trim the edges.
*Share with a friend. :) (I've sized it to fit in a standard 5" x 7" card sized envelope.)

~~The only thing I ask is that you let me know what you think.
Feel free to share it on your blog or website with a link back here (www.theartoflifeblog.com)
~~And thank you so much again! I truly do treasure each one of you!

**PS: If you're having trouble with the download will you please leave a comment and let me know. This is a new thing for me and I'm still working out the kinks. :)

When You Don't Hear the Train

2011-04-06T13:44:00.000-05:00

~~As I lay awake in the late hours of the night, thoughts of the day racing through my mind, I hear the train.
First quietly, and then loud. Roaring.
It blares its horn all the way through town, breaking the stillness of the night.
And since our home is only a few blocks from the tracks it is a sound I have come to know.
In fact I know it so well that most of the time I don't even hear it.
~~Trains come through our small town with a surprising frequency at all hours of day and night
and yet I don't notice them. I have become immune to the sound. It has become ordinary.

~~Our loving Creator displays His love for us in numberless ways day after day.
In the little gifts that we take for granted.

*The morning songs of birds in the trees.

*Brave spring flowers, poking their heads above ground.

*The smile of a stranger.

~Time after time in the clear Oklahoma evening sky God trumpets His love loud in beautiful watercolor sunsets.
The message could not be more clear.

"I love you my Child!"

~~But I have seen these sunsets before
and I am busy with my life,
my plans,
my duties.

~~As the sound of the train grew dim I am left once again with only the quiet click, click, click of the clock in the kitchen.
Stillness.
~~I must learn to find stillness for my heart in these busy days of mothering and life
and I can do it with thankfulness.

When I take the time to truly see and count the blessings I find stillness.
The blessings are there.
Everywhere.
And they are anything but ordinary.

When I Let it Go.....

2011-04-01T09:32:00.001-05:00

~~There's a song by a group called "Sierra" and the words have been stuck in my head for years. It's strange how some songs can do that.
Many mornings I've woke up with the words running through my mind.
For a long time I thought that it was there because of the catchy tune (or maybe the fact that my husband and I listened to the album quite a lot when we were expecting our own "Sierra.")
Only now, years later, are they truly sinking in deep.

~~My nature is to want control. I like life to be predictable, manageable,
held tight in the palm of my hand.

~~For so long I fought the idea of letting go.
Doesn't letting go mean giving up?

Giving up our hopes?

Giving up our dreams?

~~Oh, but now I see!
When our palms are closed tight we can't receive the numerous blessings our Loving God wants to give.
And they are everywhere!
He takes our small little dreams and makes them bigger. Opens our eyes wider.

Fills with grace.

"I meditate on all your works and consider what Your hands have done.
I spread out my hands to You;
My soul thirsts for you like a parched land." Ps 143:5-6

Thank You Lord, for Grace.

(If you would like to listen to the song, you can hear it here: "Let it Go."

Because Creativity is Important

2011-03-30T13:33:00.000-05:00

~~It is evening and as I carry the dinner dishes into the kitchen images are dancing through my mind.
I leave the plates in the sink and grab sketchbook and pencil; hoping to capture them.
~~Once settled at the kitchen table I put pencil to paper, erase, lay down line again.
Trying to get it just right.

~~My little one sees me and runs to get paper and pencil of her own. She pulls up a chair next to me and I smile as I watch her fingers fly across the paper.
Her face is a mixture of delight and concentration.
She doesn't erase.
~~When she's satisfied that it's done her little hands hold up the paper for my inspection.
"Do you like it Momma?"
******************

"Oh yes! I love it!"

And then she's off; down from the table and away to find another game.
~~How many times have I told myself the lie that my art is not as important; that it is selfish?
After all, there are dishes in the sink and laundry to be done.
But don't I want my daughters to believe that creativity is a gift?
Don't I believe it with all my very heart?
~~I am reminded that my actions speak louder than my words.
That I am teaching them with every stroke of pencil laid, every wash of paint spilled.

As Ann says;
"All our lives we all need to create because creativity is the life breath of our Creator Father and if we don’t create we breathe stale air and we wither dry."
~~I peek into the living room to see tinker toy sculptures overtaking the rug. Both girls have been busy building.
And I wonder.
Maybe I have it backwards.
Maybe they are the ones who are teaching me.

The Wings of the Morning

2011-03-29T09:42:00.000-05:00

A Friend is.....

2011-03-28T12:56:00.001-05:00

~~I've been enjoying playing around with a more "illustrative style."
Seeing what happens when I allow myself to loosen up and experiment.
It was my dream as a young girl to be an illustrator and I wonder if my heart is trying to pull me back towards that direction.
Thanks so much for looking!

Pieces of my Heart

2011-03-25T17:24:00.207-05:00

~~It's scary to open up and be honest. But it's my hope that by baring a little of my heart in this place, I might be an encouragement to others who are going through the same thing.

~~I was 5 years old when I first gave my heart to God.
Or, more realistically; I prayed, asked God to forgive me of all my wrongs and hoped desperately that my name would stay on the "let into Heaven" list. The preacher had given a fiery sermon on hell and damnation and my little 5 year old heart was shaken to the core.
And as I look back now I believe that moment was the beginning of my "good girl disease."
The moment that something clicked in my mind:
***The best way to make God happy is to always be the good girl.
***Never rock the boat.
***Make everyone happy-at all costs.

~~From the outside, no one can tell that good girls have a problem.
In fact, it appears to be just the opposite.
Most of the time the good girl herself doesn't even know.
But she does know that something isn't right.
For the good girl life lacks joy.
Stress, anxiety, perfectionism; they all sink their sharp teeth deep into her tender heart.
~~The good girl is constantly striving to be better; never feeling good enough.
Never feeling worthy of love or attention.
Even her relationship with God is based more on duty than actual relationship.
And so, for three decades I lived with this "good girl disease."

~~On the 18th of October 2010 I woke up to my 30th birthday and the sudden realization that I had absolutely no idea who I was. It hit me like a ton of bricks-knocking the wind right out of me. I had become so good at figuring out what others expected of me and then squeezing and twisting myself to fit into that mold.
I was tired!
~~Somehow I had lived 3 decades without moving any closer to my true heart. Everything in my life felt like duty.
My art. My writing. My life.
I was constantly comparing it all to others and coming up short.
I had been stripped of joy.
And there I sat, at the bottom of a dark hole I had dug with my own two hands.

~~And there I resolved to do what all good girls do.
I was going to climb out of that hole!
All I needed was to be more disciplined,
more organized,
more motivated.
Self-help books.....Searching the internet.....More comparing.....How do others do it?
What is wrong with me?!
I dug and stretched and grasped and finally fell back down...
into my
own
muddy
mess.
~~On a cold and snowy afternoon in January I gave up. I finally raised the white flag and asked for help.
And that was the moment it all changed.

~~God reached down and did what I couldn't do:

He lifted me out of the hole.

I took the time in those cold snowy weeks to start reading and the words were like healing balm to my cuts and bruises.

And through that quiet time of surrender,

God began to fill my heart with joy.

The truth poured in and I began to see the true meaning of relationship with Him.

Oh, He had tried to tell me time and time again.

But I had always fallen right back into my good girl ways; seeking to earn His love.

~~The utter freedom of truly accepting (for the first time) God's unconditional love for me turned this Martha into a Mary.

And the joy is coming back into my art,
back into my writing,
back into my life.
Because I now have freedom from the fear of failing.
As my dear friend Mandy wrote about, it's as though I'm taking a long, deep inhale.
"We breath back in to let ourselves know we are okay. We breath back in to recover."

~~I'm honestly thankful for hitting rock bottom. If I hadn't I might have continued to coast along.

Good girls are very good at coasting.

I know I'm going to trip and fall; stumble right over those same stones that have knocked me down before.

But this time I know what to do when I fall.

I'll ask my God to pick me up...

and I know that He'll be smiling.

~~I thought I would share some of the books I've been reading:

*Captivating, Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul,by John and Stasi Eldredge

*Desire; The Journey We Must Take to Find the Life God Offers by John Eldredge

*One Thousand Gifts, A Dare to Live Fully, Right Where You Are, by Ann Voskamp
(If you read only one book this year, please make it this one! )
Truly life changing!
To get a little taste of her writing go to her blog here.
*Desiring God, by John Piper (This is my current read.)

***Thank you for letting me share my heart!

Everybody is Talented

2010-11-29T14:32:00.002-06:00

Why be creative?

2010-11-22T09:43:00.002-06:00

Shining the light

2010-11-18T10:19:00.000-06:00

~~Evening is my favorite time of the day. When the skies start to darken I walk through the house, turning off the overhead lights and switching on the small lamps that we have in each room. There's something so comforting about the warm, dim glow. In the softness of lowered lights it's easy to overlook the things that can bother you in bright sunlight; like crumbs on the floor or dust on a bookshelf. No, in the evening the house has a feeling of shelter and comfort, especially on these cold, blustery fall evenings.

~~This evening as I sat on the floor, combing through my daughter's wet hair, I thought about how the feeling of "home" has nothing to do with the things in the house. It's not about decorations or style, paint colors or trends. Instead it's that feeling that you get from being surrounded by those who love you. It's the feeling of being comfortable and accepted.

~~As I mentioned before, I've been learning so much this year about the calling to "relationship." And God has been bringing this blessing into my life in the most wonderful ways. Today, as I visited with a group of women who have become so special to me I realized how true relationships can have the same feeling as "home." God has called us each one of us to reach out, to lift up, to encourage. For timid people like me, this isn't always easy. You may feel like you don't have much light to offer; that you're just one small candle in a big world. But in the warm light of friendship great things can grow.

~~How often have I held back, more concerned about my own insecurities?
And how silly is that, really? Our God has called us to relationship.

~~I'm reading the book "Saying Yes; Accepting God's Amazing Invitation to Artists and the Church." (Even though I just started reading it I've already devoured about half the book. It's that good!) In it Cindy says,

~I know that I've been blessed by others, shining the warmth of their lights on me.

And I'm so incredibly thankful.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

2010-11-17T17:10:00.001-06:00

(Click on the photo, then right click and save to your computer to print. Scrapbook kit found here.)

~~I just wanted to pop in on this blustry Fall day and share a new recipe. Fall always makes me crave anything pumpkin flavored and these little treats are a pumpkin party in the mouth.
**The original recipe says that they can be made ahead and frozen for up to 3 days. I made mine for a get-together the night before and kept them in the fridge.
Have a wonderful evening and stay warm!