Yes, it is that time of the week.  It is time to join the artists at Paint Party Friday and time to share with the world the things that I am grateful for this week.  This has been another beautiful spring week filled with lots of time to read, paint,and take pictures.  Because the weather has been so beautiful, the construction work that we are having done has gone smoothly this week.  Noone brought red Georgia clay into the house and for that I am so grateful.  Everything should be completed in three to four weeks and it is nice to see an end in sight.
 I know I have mentioned several times that my husband  has severe breathing problems.  I am so grateful to the kind, talented, and caring doctors that have helped him so much. This is the first spring in many years that he has really been able to enjoy the beauty that surrounds us. 
Jessie reappeared in my paintings this week.  She is still shopping for an Easter bonnet.  She is usually a pretty traditional person but she really wants to branch out a little so this week she added flowers to her hat.  She realizes that she still needs to work on her style a little (actually a lot) but she knows that for her change doesn't happen overnight so she is enjoying the journey and learning a lot in the process. 
Jessie and I hope you have a wonderful spring weekend.  Don't forget to join the other artists at Paint Party Friday.  You will be amazed at all of the talented people you will meet and how much fun you will have. 
And one last thing. Don't forget to share with the world what you are most grateful for this week.  The world really is a positive place.   We just have to make time to look for and share all the beautiful things that surround us each day.
                                                              What are you most grateful for this week?

Years ago my husband and brother-in-law went fishing in the Atlantic Ocean on a cold winter morning.  I decided to try to recreate that morning in this simple watercolor painting.  It is this type of experience that means so much to me as I look back over the years.  It is also the shared cup of coffee with family and friends, the long telephone calls to solve a problem, or a laugh over a ridiculous situation that only my sister would find funny that means so much.  It is the hugs, the smiles, the family dinners and celebrations that stand out in my mind as what is most important to me.  
Tonight we helped to celebrate our oldest grandson's sixth birthday.  It was so much fun to watch him as he opened his presents and shared his new things with his brother.  It is such a joy to watch my son and his wife with their three sons.  They are creating their own traditions and memories with their family just as I was able to do with my mine.  I am so grateful that I get to see so many traditions continue from one generation to another while at the same time I get to be there as new traditions develop.  This truly is a special time!
                                                              What are you most grateful for this week?

                   I am linking this post to Paint Party Friday.  If you would like to meet some wonderful artists, please join us! 

                                Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.
                                                                                            Franklin Delano Roosevelt

I was looking for  a quote to inspire me this morning and when I opened my book this was one of the first things I read.  I do find that when I am engaged in something creative I feel happier especially when I see some improvement in my work.  This is the perfect time of year to be outside taking pictures or sketching. The sky is blue, the grass is turning a deep green, and all of the trees in our neighborhood are covered with beautiful white blossoms.  It truly is a time to enjoy the beauty of nature.  I hope you have a wonderful week filled with happy creative moments.

It's Friday, time to reflect upon all of the things that I am grateful for this week.  It has been wonderful to hear the birds sing in the morning. to see the new family of ducks on the pond, and to feel the sun on my face each day.  After a winter of lots and lots of rain, it has been so uplifting to look up into the sky and see nothing but blue skies.  I am really glad that I live where I can enjoy the four seasons. Spring and fall have always been my favorite time of the year and so this week I am really grateful that spring has finally arrived.  To celebrate the arrival of spring, I painted my friend Jessie in her new spring hat.  It is not a very fancy hat but I am sure that as she evolves her hats will become prettier and prettier.  It will be fun to see what Jessie's hats look like by summer.  I hope that you had a wonderful week and I would love to hear what things you are most grateful for this week.

                       I've linked this post to Paint Party Friday an event which I look forward to each week. 
  If you are looking for a place to meet wonderful artists who will support and inspire you, Paint Party Friday is the place to go.
                                                            

This week I decided to keep everything as simple as possible and I was pretty successful at doing just that.  As I write my gratitude posts each Friday, I realize more and more that it is the simplest things that can make me the happiest.  I am grateful that throughout my life there have been special trips or events that I will never forget but I think I am most grateful for the day to day little things that make me smile.  A song on the radio that brings back great memories, a smille from a stranger, and watching my dogs play are all things that I am grateful for this week.  The sun shining, the breeze blowing, and the flowers beginning to bloom are other things that I am grateful for.  The week has been filled with simple but special moments that I hope I will remember for a long long time.  What are you most grateful for this week?

                                And of course I am very grateful for Paint Party Friday which I have linked this post to.
                       Be sure to drop by the party.  I can assure you will meet a lot of wonderful artists and have lots of fun!

                             

                                To keep a lamp burning we have to keep putting oil in it.
                                                                                     Mother Teresa

I think this a great reminder to me that if I want to get better at my craft  then I have to keep working at it.  It takes time, patience, and perserverance to get really good at something and I know that.  Now, is the time to put what I know into practice!

It seems like the weeks keep flying by no matter how hard I try to slow things down.  Yesterday we went to see our oldest grandson sing in a school play. As I watched him sing his little heart out I was so grateful for the moments we get to spend with him and his brothers.  One minute they are tiny babies and the next they are up on stage singing and smiling and having a wonderful time performing without a care in the world.  And that is what I am most grateful for this week.  I am so happy that I can share these special moments with my grandchildren.  Even if I could make time stand still, I don't think I would.  I would just slow it down a little so I would be sure not to miss any of the special moments that are there for us to enjoy if we just take the time.  What special moments are you most grateful for this week?

                           I am linking the above watercolor to Paint Party Friday an event I look forward to each week.