Daddy, Tell Me a Story -Paint Party Friday

I posted this once before, back in 2009.  I have been so busy, I just haven't had time to do much art, so hence this post.

This Cloud Painting takes me back to when my children were small. Every night when we'd tuck them into their beds inevitably one of the kids would say, "Daddy, tell me a story..."
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My Beloved was a wonderful storyteller.  Over the years--since they were tiny babies--Alan would tell them fantastical bedtime stories about a mysterious Sea Captain. The Sea Captain became so real the kids once stopped a man in Oregon's coastal town of Lincoln City, to ask if HE was the Sea Captain.
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Each of the Sea Captain stories had a theme.

One evening the story he told was to teach the children to call upon God in times of trouble. The lights were were low. Alan lay on his back on the old waterbed, the girls perched on his outstretched arms. They were on a boat in the open sea.
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Suddenly a storm blew up out of nowhere! The wind was ferocious, the ship began to rock. I provided the "sound effects for the wind."

Alarmed the Sea Captain began to shout orders. Alan's up-flung arm became the mast, as our youngest daughter began to pull in the sails. On the other side, the eldest was ordered to "frappe" the boat as the waves of the sea grew higher and higher. Our young son, the official thundercloud, began to bounce up and down on Dad's feet. The lightning flashed! I flickered the overhead lights. And the thunder grew louder and louder!
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The boat began to bounce and rock dangerously from side to side! The thunder growled and the clouds grew darker and darker. I switched off the bedside lamp. It began to rain furiously. The deck was so slippery no one could walk without being swept out to sea! Giant waves were splashing clear up over the ship!
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"Nothing more can be done!" cried the Sea Captain. "What should we do?"
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But all that rocking had put one little sailor nearly to sleep. She opened one eye, and with a huge yawn she replied, "Call 911!"

Alan was a great Dad.  We all miss his stories and wonderful jokes.  Sunday afternoon, the kids and I sat around the fire pit playing music and sharing stories and laughter, as we often did when Alan was here.  We will miss Alan for the rest of our lives.  He was such a wonderful man.  He filled our world with color, laughter and song.  What a blessing for those precious memories.

Here are the original clouds I photographed for the cloud painting Daddy, Tell Me a Story.  God bless you, dear ones.  Have a lovely week and Happy Paint Party Friday!

A Walk in the Forest -Paint Party Friday

Here is one of my friends from the Forest.  She is a good friend of my old buddy Leonard the Bluejay.  They often visit my garden.  Especially around the Fourth of July.

Above you see my lovely model Emily.  She is as lovely inside as she is on the outside.

Have a lovely day, dear Friends, and Happy Paint Party Friday!  Thank you so much for dropping by. 

My Beloved -Paint Party Friday

It has been awhile since I posted a cloud painting.  I have been so busy this week that I haven't done much artwork, so this will have to do.  This sky painting is of my Beloved--from 2008.  Every now and again I catch the faces of people I love in the clouds...this one was on our anniversary years and years ago.

Tomorrow would have been our 33rd anniversary.  I miss him so dearly.  Our life together was truly an adventure--one filled with memories of both difficult and good.  I am so grateful for the time we had together.  Our life together was so amazing...so wonderful.  And you know--one needs both sunshine and rain to make a rainbow.  My life has been spent in the rainbow.

I took this photo on our anniversary years ago.  We were at the beach and the cloud looked so much like Alan's profile, I snapped a picture of him.

Have a lovely day, dear ones--hug those you love and have a beautiful Paint Party Friday!  Thank you so much for dropping by. 

Mommy's Laughing -Paint Party Friday

This is a drawing I did for my sister in 2008.  Though my tiny niece is a brunette, I decided to make them both into blondes.  I had a lot of fun drawing them.  They are so beautiful to my heart.

There is nothing so precious as a truly loving Mom.  I am blessed with a Mother who is my precious friend.  It is a great privilege and gift to have such a Mother.  Mumsie is so precious to me.  She taught me how to be a good Mother.

One of the greatest adventures of my life has been to be the Mother of three wonderful kids.  They are all grown and gone now, but they are never far from my heart, thoughts and prayers.

God bless you dear ones!  Thank you so much for dropping by.  Happy Mother's Day and Happy Paint Party Friday!