Sabbath Music - A CHORUS OF BIRDS

Are you ready to rest?  This is your day.  G-d made a special day for us to come aside, be still, rest from our labors, and be refreshed.

Nothing refreshes me like being outside, listening to His birds.  It always leads me to reflect on His great faithfulness and goodness to all of His creatures. Painting and drawing relax me, too, and sometimes I express my worship like this:

Yeshua said, "Consider the birds." (Matthew 6:25-34) He feeds them, and if you've ever watched birds, you know they eat all day long.  He is faithful to them, and He is faithful to us.  I watch them and think, "He takes care of the birds, and He will take care of me."

Rest is hard when you think it all depends on me, but I've learned I'm more productive when I set aside a day to refresh and renew.  I let go of all of the striving, working, thinking and planning.  I read His Word, listen to music, worship and praise Him for His great beauty that surrounds me, including His birds.

I found this video on YouTube I want to share with you, just in case you can't be outside because of the weather.  It's eight hours of birds singing, with beautiful views of trees and flowers.  I hope you will be still, listen, enjoy the wonders of His creation and the happy bird songs.  A CHORUS OF BIRDS

Shabbat Shalom to you, Gail-Friends.

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I sometimes share my posts with these friends:

Spiritual Sundays      THE SUNDAY COMMUNITY – #GIVE ME GRACE @SEE SPEAK HEAR MAMA Kathy’s Return to Loveliness at A Delightsome Life     GRAND Social       The Beauty in His Grip Link-Up   

Modest Mom Monday Link-up         Growing Homemakers Link-Up        The Gathering Spot Link-Up 

MOTIVATION MONDAYS – @EMBRACINGHISWILL      SHARING HIS BEAUTY – @THEBEAUTYINHISGRIP

The Art of Homemaking Mondays
Monday of Many Blessings 

Titus 2 Tuesday     Share Your Stuff Tuesday    TITUS TUESDAYS @CORNERSTONE CONFESSIONS    

Wordless Wednesdays    Jennifer Dukes Lee Tell His Story  Teaching What Is Good Link-Up

Classical Homemaking Link-Up    Judith’s Wholehearted Wednesday     Raising Homemakers Wednesday     A Wise Woman Builds       Wake Up Wednesday     A Little R & R Wednesday     Wednesday's Prayer Girls & Link-Up Party Thought Provoking Thursdays at 3D Lessons 4Life     Thursday  Favorite Things 

 Home and Garden Thursday at Delightsome Life 

Friendship Friday 

My Artist Studio

The welcome sign outside my back porch (aka artist studio) and one of our many resident lizards

Welcome to the Golden Cottage and to my artist studio on my back porch. I'm joining the Where Bloggers Create 2016 blog party this week.

I'm most inspired to create when in nature, so my outdoor studio is perfect, and because I live in central Florida (aka paradise), I can enjoy it almost all year 'round.  Come on in and I'll show you around.

I'm a published author and poet, a musician and an artist.  This is my tiny desk, which looks pretty messy.  I'll share more about that in a minute.

The green wicker rocking chair is where I begin my creativity each day.  Early morning is my special time to commune with my Creator.  It's here that I worship Him, talk with Him, and listen to Him.

I turn my chair around to face my backyard, which includes a small pond surrounded by flowers, birdbaths and bird feeders.  My sweet husband is the Golden Cottage gardener, and made this for me to enjoy.  We call it Golden Pond.

 I love the birds that visit each morning.

My neighbor's cat, Bentley, usually visits in the morning, too.  I think he likes to listen to the music on the CD player.

As I read the Scriptures and my devotional books, I'm often inspired to write a poem, an article or blog post, or to paint a picture.

Here's the CD player, next to my artist desk.  I have a CD of birds singing that I play almost every morning. I think it attracts the birds to come by for a visit.

When I'm inspired to draw or paint, I take my artist supplies and place them on the stool you see under the desk, and move it beside my chair.

Here are a few other things I use to create.

The bag above is a tool bag that I bought at Harbor Freight for $7.00.  I love the pockets because I can slip in whatever I need at the moment.

This bag is smaller, but good, too.  I bought it at a thrift store for a couple of bucks.  The Brighton case holds my charcoal.  I love to draw in pen and ink, too.

A friend of mine made the brush holders for me, and I've used them for over thirty years.

I love watercolors, and so often I'm inspired to use them as I read and pray. The little crystal goblet holds the water.  It makes me feel so fancy.

I enjoy using watercolor pencils, too.

My pens, and their nifty carousel, are my newest addition to the tools I use.  I enjoy using them on the coloring sheets that are all the rage right now.  I do coloring just to relax when I have a few minutes to spend on the porch in the late afternoon.

Here are the books I read in the morning that inspire my creativity:

My much-loved and falling apart Complete Jewish Bible, my Messianic Jewish Bible which is brand new, and my daily journal.  In back are the devotionals I use:  100 Days of Blessing (2 Volumes, both wonderful) by Nancy Campbell, The Morning Hour (published in the 1800's) and Streams in the Desert (which I have used for over thirty-five years.  The red book is my goal / vision journal which has pictures of the things I'm praying for (such as my children) or have received a vision about.

I also have instruments I sometimes use in worship, but I don't keep them on the porch.  They are just inside the porch door for easy access.

I have a lap harp, a flute, a Celtic harp, a keyboard, and my newest addition -- a mountain dulcimer.  Playing music is one of my greatest joys.

Thanks for stopping by today, and I hope I've inspired you to create even if you don't have a formal studio space.  I hope to have my own artist studio in its own room one day, but until then, I'm happy on the porch.

Bentley says, "Y'all come back real soon".

I'm linking up with Karen Valentine's Where Bloggers Create 2016 today, along with some other bloggers.  Pop over there to see some other creative bloggers.

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I sometimes share my posts  with  friends at: 

Spiritual Sundays      THE SUNDAY COMMUNITY – #GIVE ME GRACE @SEE SPEAK HEAR MAMA Kathy’s Return to Loveliness at A Delightsome Life     GRAND Social       The Beauty in His Grip Link-Up   

Modest Mom Monday Link-up         Growing Homemakers Link-Up        The Gathering Spot Link-Up 

MOTIVATION MONDAYS – @EMBRACINGHISWILL      SHARING HIS BEAUTY – @THEBEAUTYINHISGRIP

The Art of Homemaking Mondays
Monday of Many Blessings 

Titus 2 Tuesday     Share Your Stuff Tuesday    TITUS TUESDAYS @CORNERSTONE CONFESSIONS    

Wordless Wednesdays    Jennifer Dukes Lee Tell His Story  Teaching What Is Good Link-Up

Classical Homemaking Link-Up    Judith’s Wholehearted Wednesday     Raising Homemakers Wednesday     A Wise Woman Builds       Wake Up Wednesday     A Little R & R Wednesday     Wednesday's Prayer Girls & Link-Up Party Thought Provoking Thursdays at 3D Lessons 4Life     Thursday  Favorite Things 

 Home and Garden Thursday at Delightsome Life 

Friendship Friday 

Thankful Thursday - Morning and More

Do you love morning?  I do.  I love to sit and watch the morning come.  It's a special time of day.  The Scriptures mention it many times.  My heart fills with gratitude and joy as I watch the sun rise, and see and hear the birds begin to visit my yard.  Just think, Gail-Friends, our Creator feeds every living thing daily, including the birds and you and me.  Let's not forget to thank Him for that.

My daughter and I attended a painting get together this month, and it was great fun.  Everybody painted something different. They supplied the canvas, brushes and paints for us. This is my painting:

This is my daughter's painting. Isn't she talented?

Here we are together, and I'm always so grateful to spend time with her.  She pointed out that we both painted a tree, a bird, and included Scripture. Kindred spirits, right?

I decided I didn't like how my bird looked, so I changed my painting.  I haven't added the Scripture yet.

We held a shower for one of our sweet synagogue ladies last night, and had so much fun.  I'm thankful for girlfriends and spending time with them, aren't you?  Women need time together sometimes, right?

And here's a neat treat one of the ladies brought.  It is white grapes, dipped in caramel sauce and then dipped in chopped nuts.  Simple and healthy, right? 

I'm so thankful to see the first beautiful male painted bunting of the season.  Sorry for the bad photo.  I only had my camera phone at that point.  I'm praying we have as many as last year.

We picked up our grandson last week for play-day, and asked what he'd like to do.  He was very thoughtful for a bit, and then said, "Well...you know the new Peanuts movie is playing now." So, we went to see it and had the best time.

It's such a sweet movie and has great music.  In one scene, they are at a school dance, and the music is peppy and joyful.  He jumped up from his seat and started dancing, so we did, too.  JOY!  Grandchildren are so much fun.

Here's something else that gave me joy this week.  These are the words of author, Lucy Maud Montgomery OBE (1874–1942), from Anne of Windy Poplars, 1936.

"Anne, sitting at her tower window one late November evening, with her pen at her lip and dreams in her eyes, looked out on a twilight world and suddenly thought she would like a walk to the old graveyard. She had never visited it yet, preferring the birch and maple grove or the harbour road for her evening rambles. But there is always a November space after the leaves have fallen when she felt it was almost indecent to intrude on the woods…for their glory terrestrial had departed and their glory celestial of spirit and purity and whiteness had not yet come upon them."

Those words beg to be savored, and I've read them over and over again.  The image they paint in my mind begs to be painted.  I love the Anne of Green Gables books, and never get tired of re-reading them.  With my Kindle, I can take the whole set with me when I travel. JOY!

Here's the view from my window, with the tiny bit of Fall we get here in central Florida. Look closely at the top of the photo and you can see a few colorful leaves. The crotons in the foreground stay that color all year long.  Don't hate me, but the temperature is almost ninety here today.  I'm thankful, because I love warm weather all year long.

What are you thankful for today, Gail-Friends?

Thankful Thursday is my day to focus on and be grateful for all the good things in my life.  

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I sometimes share my posts  with  friends at:
 

Charlotte a Spiritual SundaysSpiritual Sundays     Janis with Sunday Stillness       THE SUNDAY COMMUNITY – #GIVE ME GRACE @SEE SPEAK HEAR MAMA Kathy’s Return to Loveliness at A Delightsome Life     GRAND Social       The Beauty in His Grip Link-Up   

Modest Mom Monday Link-up         Growing Homemakers Link-Up        The Gathering Spot Link-Up 

MOTIVATION MONDAYS – @EMBRACINGHISWILL      SHARING HIS BEAUTY – @THEBEAUTYINHISGRIP

Titus 2 Tuesday     Share Your Stuff Tuesday    TITUS TUESDAYS @CORNERSTONE CONFESSIONS     

Wordless Wednesdays    Jennifer Dukes Lee Tell His Story  Teaching What Is Good Link-Up      

 A Hope in Every Season Homemaking Link-Up    Judith’s Wholehearted Wednesday     Raising Homemakers Wednesday     A Wise Woman Builds       Wake Up Wednesday     A Little R & R Wednesday     Wednesday's Prayer Girls & Link-Up Party

 Thought Provoking Thursdays at 3D Lessons 4Life     Thursday  Favorite Things Home and Garden Thursday at Delightsome Life

Friendship Friday 

Paint Party Friday 

STILL SATURDAYS @SANDRAHESKAKING     PLAYDATES @LAURABOGGESS

 My Fresh Brewed Life with Barbie – Weekend Brew