Portrait of a Strong Woman

Don’t worry about what other people do, 

Just Do You. 

Artistic Inspiration

Matisse Women

Turkish Princess and Woman with a yellow hat

I am who I am.

I was created to be me. 

I’m perfectly imperfect. 

I’m not the best artist, but I’m not the worst. 

I’m the best I can be, that’s me. 

I have an overbite, I have poor sight. 

But I can speak for what I believe and 

see beauty around me. 

I make the best of what I’ve got

And fill in where I have not. 

I’m strong,  brave,  driven, creative, 

Encouraging, positive, faithful, thrifty... 

I’m me. 

I could say what I’m not, but wHat good would it do? 

I’m me through and through 

And you are you. 

I use What God have me to the best of my ability. 

That’s me. 

Tabitha 

Modigliani Woman

Gypsey woman with baby and Woman in a yellow Dress

Like this poster?
Get it here
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Do-You-Poster-4047851

As I grow older, I am happier with myself. 

I remember when I was young, I was so lost and had no idea of my ID. 

I was looking to others to show me who I was.

 What was my purpose? What was I good at?

I was always looking up to other women who knew who they were and lived with confidence. 

My neighbors, my friend's moms, my teachers and even strangers helped shape my identity. 

In order to find out who I wanted to me, I had to know what I DIDN"T want to be. 

I found people that I have never even met that I identified with.  

I realize that when I admire something about a person, it is really a hunger to grow that part of myself. If I admire a characteristic enough, I try to find that inside myself. 

I really love Iris Apfel. 

She makes up her own style based on her own rules. She is an inventor of herself. 

She does what makes HER happy. She just does her own thing. 

 I drew these picture of her because she inspires me to be more... well, me!

I think once we find out who we are not, it is easier to find out who we are... 

That's why I love this song so much. 

JJ Heller

I'm not the money I make, I'm not the man I love, 

I'm not a photograph, I'm not 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnWU1s9QkdM&list=PL81E68F5A1F0FA410&index=17

I figured out a person can be multifaceted. 

You can have different styles depending on your moods. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca8IrxcWlCI&list=PL6Q7H5pTvuHsA0-yXz62kYxH_T95Oj3p3&index=3&t=0s

Part of loving yourself is embracing your flaws that cannot be changed. 

It's about gaining confident in who you are even if it's not perfect. 

I have an overbite which makes me a mouth breather.

 But I love it. I embrace it. 

like this poster?

Get it here...

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Frida-Kahlo-colored-poster-4181739

Frida Kahlo had legs that wouldn't work right and were mis-shaped. 

Instead of feeling sorry for herself, she wore long skirts and fancy shoes. 

She had a slight unibrow, but accentuated it to make her unique looking. 

If you can't change it, embrace it!

She wore accessories as decoration to take your notice of the negative and see the positive. 

She became a strong woman fashion icon for this. He weaknesses made her stronger. 

Hello Again Weight Watcher

This is not the first weight loss journey and not my first time to join weight watchers. In 2010 I reached my largest at 230 lbs. This was when I discovered I was pregnant with my first daughter. The Dr. told me I had gestational diabetes and that I needed to go on a special diet before the birth. I did at 7 months pregnant (over 230 now) and was roughly 200 the day my daughter was born! Yay!

I continued to keep some of this off and lose more as I was breastfeeding the first year of her life.

My then husband, Shannon Seaton (who has now since passed) decided the he wanted to join Weight Watchers. I was so excited! We could now do this journey together.

I became a lifetime member when I reached my goal 7 years ago of 160 (but got down to 155) at 5'9. I felt confident and happy with my body. I was healthier than I was at my High School graduation. YAY!

See my previous journey here...

http://thelostsocklife.blogspot.com/search?q=weight

 

 After this achievement, I had another child. I had lost again and gotten back to 160 by a year after her birth. Following what I learned from WW, I was able to keep it off pretty much for 6 years. This past year I have gotten comfortable and felt as though I didn't want to make the daily sacrifices as usual. It slowly added up to me being 20 lbs. away from my life goal. I sat in denial for a while, went do Disney World and lived it up for a week. But it's back to reality and can't be ignored anymore. I feel wrong in my skin. Being an art teacher, One of my favorite things to do is express myself with my clothing! I love my thrifty closet collection. I love to be open each day to wear what I feel. But it feel more and more lately, I am picking out clothes for the purpose of hiding myself rather than standing out.

My new husband, Todd, and I decided to join WW 2 weeks ago. I weighed in at 182 when we got home from Disney World. It has not even been a full 2 weeks yet and I am down to 177.5! Yay. Still got a way to go. I wanted to keep a diary on here of how I feel and what I am eating. I am not only doing this to help and encourage others, but for myself to refer to later if I should gain the weight again. I can encourage myself. It is weird, but I look back at my old self and am jealous of how much determination I once had. I am still "me", "her" though. So, this journaling to future self helps me.

 

Before Video

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydQvvN1BHdk&list=PL6Q7H5pTvuHuapFpWXHHl6OWrVmU0eTRJ&index=20

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

  

For starters, I eat a little weird. I’m not quite a vegetarian ( although I could be easily). But, I rarely eat meN unless it’s cooked by someone else, I feel as though my body is in need of it or it’s all there is. Since pre-k, Happy Meal burgers have been a cringe for me. I remember being dropped off at pre-school and pulling all the pickles, cheese and veggies off my gross burger patty and putting it back on the bun for lunch. Bye bye burger. Hello veggie sandwich. My parents thought I was picky, but I just couldn’t explain it. My choices have been more of an inconvenience to me and others. I usually eat meat purely to please others and not seem rude. Honey, Meat gives me the wiggles. So, you will notice most of my meal choices are meat free.

———————————————

Spicy Black Bean Stacker

2 Black Bean Patties

(5 points)

1 low fat Frigo string cheese

(1 point)

4 Sandwich sliced kosher dill pickles, salsa & mustard.

(0 points)

* I do different versions a if this. If I had guacamole at home, I would sub the cheese for that. If I had lettuce that wasn’t slimy, I’d add a bed underneath. But I go with the flow of what’s available. I like to keep it real like a HappyMeal (without the patty of course). 😉

Illustrated Truths continued...

Psalm 56

Lord, have mercy on me; all day long the enemy troops press in.

So many are proud to fight against me; how they long to conquer me.

^3-4 But when I am afraid, I will put my confidence in you.

Yes, I will trust the promises of God. And since I am trusting him,

what can mere man do to me? ⁵ They are always twisting what I say.

All their thoughts are how to harm me. 

⁶ They meet together to perfect their plans;

they hide beside the trail, listening for my steps, waiting to kill me.

 ⁷ They expect to get away with it. Don’t let them, Lord. In anger cast them to the ground.

⁸ You have seen me tossing and turning through the night.

You have collected all my tears and preserved them in your bottle!

You have recorded every one in your book.

⁹ The very day I call for help, the tide of battle turns.

My enemies flee! This one thing I know: God is for me! 

 ^10-11 I am trusting God—oh, praise his promises!

I am not afraid of anything mere man can do to me! Yes, praise his promises.

 ¹² I will surely do what I have promised, Lord, and thank you for your help. 

¹³ For you have saved me from death and my feet from slipping,

so that I can walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

 

1 Peter 3:3-4

New International Version (NIV)

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

I love this quote from Kid President.

It is similar to others I have heard.

 

"Nobody cares about how much you know,

until the know how much you care."

 

and

 

"It's nice to be important,

It's more important to be nice."

 

It all reminds me of what The Bible taught us...

 

Philippians 2:3-5

Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

 Let each of you look not only to his own interests,

but also to the interests of others.

Have this mind among yourselves,

which is yours in Christ Jesus,

Think on These Things, Philippians 4:8

 

My most common spiritual weakness is my pessimistic thoughts. My mind complains, gripes, insults myself and others in my weakest moments. I have found that there are ways to "flip the switch" in my head. One is turning on my Spiritual Music, another is counting my blessings, and finding a way to give praise for what I am complaining for. God wants us to think of GOOD things.

This is harder and goes against the human grain. Every action we make was once a thought,

so before you speak it or do it,

Think it through.

 

T- is it TRUE

H- is it HELPFUL

I- Is it INSPIRING

N- Is it NECASSARY

K- Is it KIND?

 

Philippians 4:6-8

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--

if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

Romans 12:2

 

do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

 

Instrument of your PEACE

My teacher friend, Rachel, gave me this cup a couple years a go before we were real friends. 

It was a "Thank You" gift she graciously gave for a mural I painted for her kindergartners. 

It is my favorite cup to drink from in the mornings. At the time she didn't know me that well, but her choice of gift really captured my style in may ways. I love this cup. I'm kinda particular about me mugs. It may be silly, but it has been a post of mine before. 

http://thelostsocklife.blogspot.com/2013/04/clouds-in-my-coffee-obsession-with.html

so.....

I love to look at the designs on this particular mug.

 The love the colors, shapes, variety of emphasis and patterns.

The Cup of Inspiration

Prayer of Inspiration

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring love.
Where there is offense, let me bring pardon.
Where there is discord, let me bring union.
Where there is error, let me bring truth.
Where there is doubt, let me bring faith.
Where there is despair, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, let me bring your light.
Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.
O Master, let me not seek as much
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love,
for it is in giving that one receives,
it is in self-forgetting that one finds,
it is in pardoning that one is pardoned,
it is in dying that one is raised to eternal life.

My Color Pallette.

I used a painting that I had created before that I love. 

My dad had gotten the framed painting from an auction along with many many more. He offered it to me to use however I wanted. I challenged myself to take what was made before and build over the existing colors to create something of my own. 

This is what I ended up with. 

Before

 After

 

This picture always make me think of this song.

It's about taking old broken things, giving them to God and seeing what He can create. 

Listen... 

You Make Beautiful Things

Song byGungor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1spkhp41ig4&list=PL81E68F5A1F0FA410&index=57

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STARTING THE PICTURE...

I used ideas from the mug, but the words of the prayer for my text. 

I started with a brown Sharpie. I drew only the lines that I did not want to bleed away with the water brush that I planned on adding later. On the cup, some of the lines are dark and stand out. SOme of the other images (flowers, leaves) are blurry and light. This was my focus for the picture. 

I then used my daughters markers (washable in may colors) to fill in some of the details. 

After I filled some in, I applied a thin water brush to some areas in order to smear the color. It's kinda like a watercolor marker technique, but with non intended markers. 

 I am very happy with the end result. I have been staring at the mug many mornings, wondering when I would make art to reflect what I love about it. And I am even more happy that the meaning points others in the direction of my Lord and Father Jesus Christ. The greatest blessing is being able to be used as an instrument of Peace for Him. 

Guide to Finding Love

These images have been dug deep from my heart as a guide to anyone looking for a closer relationship to Love. I spent my life (till the age of 29) knowing God was there, but only feeling Him from a distance. This created a hole in my heart that I was continually trying to fill with things of this world.

 I was left unsatisfied...

I did not know how to find Love.

 But, Now I do.

Once I found Love and it overflowed in my life, I began writing out my testimony.

It is unfinished, as God is not finished with me. 

But I am working on the emotional time of readiness to dive back into completing the book soon.

My Illustrated Testimony shows the importance of finding love in my life.

It was something I never knew how to do until I was taught how, 

It changed my life.

http://thelostsocklife.blogspot.com/2013/03/supertab-autobiographical-comic-of-my.html

HOW THE SCRIPTURE TELLS US TO....

FIND LOVE. 

BE STILL INSIDE

This is the hardest part! To sit down, be still and listen... near impossible. If it's not the kids, spouse, work, dogs or surroundings that distract us... it's our own minds! Our mind gets filled with thought of the Earth; paying bills, getting taxes filed, getting the dogs their shots, feeding the children... whatever. We can't possibly hear

 His Still Small Voice (1 Kings 19:11-13) if we have a thousand other voices trying to make us anxious. Satan knows this... so... he likes to whisper words of doubt to keep us busy all day long. It's easy to fear things that you cannot control. This even happened to Jesus, yes, really. He had times of anxiety that he had to escape the world in order to hear his Father's voice. But there's somebody that wants to help...

 

My art (above)

God wants to take our burdens, 

calm us down, give us peace and free us from anxiety that binds us.. He says so.

Matthew 11:28-30

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Jamie Grace sings about it here...

LOVE THIS SONG!

https://youtu.be/3lBtnreAcAE

Psalm 46:10
He says, "Be still, and know that I am God:"

Here are times when Jesus had to be alone, escape people, be 

still and quiet to hear His Father's voice...

And early in the morning, while it was still dark, He arose and went out and departed to a lonely place, and was praying there. 

( Mark 1:35)

And immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the multitude away. And after bidding them farewell, he departed to the mountain to pray.

 ( Mark 6:45-46)

And they came to a place called Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, "Sit here until I have prayed." And He took with Him Peter and James and John, and began to be very distressed and troubled. And He said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch." And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground, and began praying.

 ( Mark 14:32-34)

And when day came, He departed to a lonely place; and the multitudes were searching for Him, and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from going away from them.

 ( Luke 4:42)

But He Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.

 ( Luke 5:16)

And it was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. ( Luke 6:12)

from Super Tab (above) 

My art (above)

LET THE EARTH MELT AWAY

I know when I'm on a mission to hear God's voice, I get distracted by the world around me... things around me that I feel touching my skin, things I see around me that are unsettling, things I hear that try to pull me away or make me loose concentration... pretty much every human sense can cause me to stray away from my mission. The world is physical. God is spiritual. He is inside us... deep and quietly waiting.

John 4:24

"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."

1 John 2:15

"Do not love the world or anything in the world.

 If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 

Romans 12:2

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Then you will be able to discern what is good, pleasing and perfect will of God."

2 Corinthians 4:18

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, 

but what is unseen is eternal. 

IMAGINE A NEW PLACE

Psalm 23:1-6

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 

He makes me lie down in green pastures, 

he leads me beside quiet waters,

he restores my soul. 

He guides me along the right paths for His name's sake. 

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 

I will fear no evil, for You are with me:

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil: my cup overflows. 

Surely Your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, 

and will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

from SuperTab (above)

SEEK LOVE

1 John 4: 

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

We could try our whole lives to find love from the Earth. Earthly love will fail. It can try to do the job, but will come short every time. People disappoint, let us down, discourage us... I know through God relationships can be healed. I know it. But it is THROUGH GOD, that it can be healed. His love through us, our pride aside with our forgiving hearts humbled. Without God, without LOve, it is impossible. So, before you can try to seek love from things, pets, or people of the earth... 

He is the source of where it all comes from.

Seek Him... He will be there. 

It is His deepest desire.

Jeremiah 29:12-14
"Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
I will be found by you, declares the Lord"

Matthew 7:7
Ask and it will be given to you: seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.

Deuteronomy 4:29
"But from there you will seek the LORD your God,
and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul."

from SuperTab (above)

It was here, for the first time I met with Jesus. 

I asked Him the questions in my heart. 

He filled my emptiness and overflowed my heart holes with abundant spiritual satisfaction. 

These were holes nobody on this earth knew were there, not even me. Only my Creator knew. 

He showed me hurts I had buried deep and hid away until i forgot they were there. He restored my soul, just as His word said. 

His promises are true. 

I pray with all my heart that you will find time to be alone to meet Him in your secret place of Peace. 

It is what Jesus said ever time He met with His disciples, "Peace be with you..".

The Holy Spirit is here for that very reason. I big price was paid so that you could have that Peace with you always and everywhere. Let go of the world and find what really matters.

What will last for an eternity when all the things that we worry about are gone and over... 

He will be there waiting. He is there waiting now.

Billy Button DIY

I love Billy Button flowers!!!

But they can be very costly to buy fresh and I found them costly to buy faux as well! This girl is cheap... I mean creatively thirifty, so if I can't afford it...

I MAKE IT!!!

These were my flowers in the wedding boquet. I have all sorts, but this time I just wAnted the Billy buttons. 

So I pulled out my supplies. 

Yarn (yellow, whites, holds), scissors. Grapevine wire, fork, and vase. 

Using your fingers, fork, or anything that has a slit in middle 

Wrap Yarn around about 30 times 

(the more times, the fuller the Pom)

Tie a short piece sound the middle of the bundle. Tie tightly more than once. 

Use the wire to tie in with the small piece. 

Fold over wire to keep flower in place. 

You can also use two yarns at once doing less rounds around the fork to have a multi colored Pom. 

After center is tied tight, cut the outside loops of each petal to make into may multiple strands instead of 1 long piece of yarn. 

 If puff is not round, trim ends of yarns to add the round form. 

Put Billy buttons in a vase and you are done!!!