Amidst Rain

Ever been in a hurricane? Living in Florida my whole life, I've seen quite a few. Despite the threat, sometimes, though absolutely mad it may be, it's a seemingly other-worldly experience to take a peek at the sky just before the storm hits or right after it's come ashore.

It was during such a peek that a young woman took a look at the effects of the mounting winds. Electricity had already begun to flicker a bit, and even the largest limbs on her oak trees were swayed as if to some unheard rhythm. She took in the beauty of the scene. Then she saw it.

In the middle of the blackening sky, a tiny little bird fought against the winds. With only two wings and a brain the size of a grape, she resisted the inclination to submit her fate to the wind and continued flapping.

Because of her persistence, the bird was rewarded the shelter of her home within one of the oaks. But the image of her fight never left the woman's heart.

We can all take a lesson from this tiny bird, and fight against any number of surmounting odds. The stronger the turbulence, the harder we must press forward to our ultimate goal. May such wisdom as this be yours.

Happy Father's Day!!! (Ya' Dig?)

That boy KNOW he cool!

I made this illustration of my dad for Father's Day. It is also my contribution to Illustration Friday. Dad, hittin' that flo'. Yeah, baby!

Of course, now the only dance floor he hits is the one in front of the altar. My daddy's a preacher of a Baptist church in Kennesaw Georgia. Rev. Bell. That's my daddy. But I still thought that this was pretty cute.

Just one more thing to say:

Happy Father's Day, Daddy. I love you.

Shopping!!!

All my life, I have honestly hated shopping. The only exception to this was a few months a couple of years ago. But other than that, I really hated it-until last night!

I went shopping on Etsy and ended up with three new items: a precious little peanut butter and jelly necklace, an awesomely fabulous zine, and an absolutely adorable little kitten. I'm excited. I can't wait for them to arrive.

I plan to create my own wares and place them on etsy. I like small toys. Always have. I think I'll start with a collection of about 5 of small cuties, and then add on as creativity, time, and God allow. If all is well, I should have something posted by the end of next week.

Mmmmm.....

I'm really glad that I chose to give life another chance. It offers so many beautiful opportunities: chances to mend relationships, times to share love and enjoy beauty, and time to stuff your face as full of pancreous-afflicting confectionary delights!

Please allow me the honor of sharing with you a site I happened upon this morning called Cupcakes Take the Cake- All Cupcakes, All the Time. It's absolutely...scrumptious and has photos of some really gorgeous cupcakes.

It's certainly worth a visit. And should you find yourself culinarily-inspired, here is a fool-proof, super-quick recipe for Cherry Dollops:

Important Notes

These are some "edited" notes from a seminar I attended. They should tell you as much about it as I am willing to relive at the moment.




And that's all I have to say.

(For now.)

Look What I Did!!!

Cute little guy, isn't he.

Not to sound conceited, but this he's not bad to be my third 3D-ish digital creation ever. I never thought I could do it, honestly, and I wondered how others did. But when I tried it, I was suprised!

Not to sound like a philosopher, but there is great understanding to be gleaned from even this small experience:

Sometimes we have goals, aspirations, or even dreams that burn in us. We desire a certain accomplishment SO much. But we fail to ever set one foot towards this goal. But, it is only in doing that we can ever hope to achieve.

I say this as one of the world's most professional procastinators. In fact, I'm sitting here right now being ridiculed by my mother for wasting my talents. [Sigh.]

I hope to use them soon in a way that will make her proud. I know she loves me, only wants the best for me, blah, blah, etc. I understand her conern. I have the same feeling towards my 6 siblings. I am biologically an only child. But my 2 brothers and 4 cousins make up an enormous amount of people in my life whom I love and want the best for. When I see any one of them doing something I feel can hinder them from beeing all that they can, I cringe. I mean it. I actually start to shiver inside. Why? Because I love them, I want what's best for them, blah, blah, etc.