Million of Things on Her Mind

be This piece is done on a lantern panel from RockCandy Studios. I printed out a image from the Girly Girls cd on a transparency. Then computer generated a list of things that needed to be done. Layered the picture of the woman then the words under the glass. I add labels with the title to the glass and antique brass picture corners .

To make a stand for this piece I took a piece of hardware from RockCandy studios and made it into a stand. Add a few buttons by the shot from RockCandy to add interest.

Another Goodbye

Most people are only blessed one set of parents that love them. I was lucky as I had two sets of parents. Many years ago when we started at a new church we met the Taylors. The Moms and Dads became friends and us kids became sisters. As to the names Daddy and Momma Taylor was the solution to as what to call them. Yes either one of the mothers could have had all five of us. Even in this extended family I was still oldest. We shared many holidays, events and life memories together. As even with real families there were times we didn't see each other for extended times but when we did the let the talking and catching begin. It gave me great comfort to know that if I ever need them all I had to do was pick up the phone and call. There were times I did and they were there.

So with a very sad and heavy heart I am now having to say good bye to my other Dad only about 3 very short months since I said good bye to my Dad. Daddy Taylor was a great person and cared very much for everyone. He touched so many lives who knows were to start counting. He just had a way with young people that they were drawn to him. He was a great inspiration to my son Michael and he loved his Dad Taylor time. I do know that now he will be able to expound on the questions when asked and will be able to not hurt any more in heaven. I just hope that both of my Dads will be up there looking out for me.

My love goes out to Momma Taylor, Alice, Christy, Buff, Craig, Nathan, Bryan, Taylor, Samuel and Caleb as I know that you have lost a great person and even though you know he is better off in heaven, the human side is hurting here on earth.

Daddy Taylor if you get an Internet connection up there and see this post: I love you and you meant more to me than I know I ever told you. You blessed my life and you will missed more than you will ever know. PS. Give my Daddy a hug and tell him I love him.

No so Haunted House

My friend Cyndi and I went to Hobby Lobby one Saturday way back in the summer and both bought these really cool paper mach houses. Well then I got to looking through all my cool RockCandy stash and this is what you get. I covered the roof with Ten Second Studios metal that had been cuddled bugged and sanded, covered the walls with some paper that I have been waiting on the right project to use it on, add a spider web, glasses with eyes, ghost to the windows, happy moon, puzzle pieces for the broken brick on the chimney, arch way for the door and of course some of the great Dresden Foil trim. For more pictures of this house go to RockCandy Studios blog.

Witchy Woman

Here is a little piece to start off the Halloween season. I used the sliver tape embossed with the cuddle bug and then made a box, painted the inside black. On the front I used an archway that I cut the strips out of, then to finish off the edges I used two types of Dresden foil trim. Please keep checking out RockCandy's blog for more up dates.

Yes I know that the witch is naked. That is the charm of the stamp from Oxford Impressions' Wicked Collection. You need to check out their web site to see all of their new stamps that have been release in the last few months.

It's My Month

to have some of my art work on RockCandy Studios blog. They have the most awesome items for the Mixed Media world. Check out their blog for great creative inspiration from many great artist. Then check out their web store for the items to make your your art come alive.

In the piece above I used their gold shallows and embossed them with black embossing powder.

Check back for other pieces through out this month.

New Outlook

Man a whole month has past since I last posted and it seems that I have been stimulating the economy a lot. I am hoping that in 2010 everything is fixed and I can stimulate the economy for fun and not because something needs to be fixed.

Yes I have a new OUTLOOK that is from the new windows that we now have in the house. I figured that since the President is giving me back some of the money that I have paid in I might better take advantage of it. So I took the plunge and ordered all 16 of the windows. I thought that I was going to be helping the guy put them. Well his interruption was a little different and he thought that he was only going to show me how to do. So after he put in the 4 small ones in the front that flank the large picture windows, it was my turn to take over. As he left he made the comment that I would be lucky to get 2 or 3 of them done on Saturday. Well as many of you know that only got my dander up. So after a quick lunch with Stephenie. I headed home and to work I went. A mere 5 hours later I had all of the windows installed and my new OUTLOOK began. It is so nice to have clean windows to look out of and be able to open them to enjoy this wonderful fall weather we are having.

Well this big project was another of those first that I have had to face since Daddy's death. I am hoping that he is looking down on me and saying job well done and I am proud of you. He is one of the main reasons I am able to do all that I can do.

I will be posting art work soon as I am the featured designer for RockCandy Studios this month.

Reconnection

Wow it has been awhile since I last posted. I still look at that picture from a year ago and see my Dad and the past few weeks seem like a bad dream. The only problem is that I am a wake and know deep in my heart it is not. I still have moments of tears and sadness and probably will for a long time. Once again I would to thank all of you who are putting up with these moments.

Reconnection weekend! I am sure that you all are wondering what is up with that. Well through Face Book I reconnected with my Best Friend from High School Kecia. It has been many years(those of you wondering just how many about 25, yes now you stop wondering how young we are both 43) since we have talked and just hung out. I hopped in the car and went on a little road trip to Hendersonville. What a great town. Okay I know back to the subject. Well, yes it has been 25 years and we picked back up like no time had past. She is a wonderful mother two great girls Erica and Monica and a wonderful wife to Clark for 19 years. Man did we have a lot to talk about. Weddings, births of babies, babies, young childhood of children, teenager years for children, our brothers and sisters(she is the baby of 8), parents, good times, hard times, our GREAT times, churches and life in general. We sure did a lot of talking and looking at pictures. While we talked she show me around the great area she is now living in. Hey, I saw where Johnny Cash's house use to be before they burned it down while restoring it. We went and saw her parents where they were camping on Friday night and it turned into an adventure like we use to have back in HS, as they told us camp site 127 and it was only 27, so after we passed them a couple of times they called us and asked what we were doing. DUH looking for you...needless to say we were laughing about this. Then Sunday came and I will be the first to admit that saying GOODBYE was hard. We both have decided that we may have missed out on 25 years in the past, but we have 25 or more in the future that we can share and I am sure that we will. Of course I had my camera in the car and never thought to take it out to take pictures. I was really busy catching up. After I left her oldest daughter told her I know why you were friends in HS "You are just a like"! We do share the name of Michelle as that is her middle name.

Sunday I get a text(calling is like way to much for kids, I guess I can see how punching 2 buttons to call is way harder than typing it out:) from Stephenie to tell me that she is running a fever. So on the way home I am worried about her. Couldn't get into the Dr on Monday to many sick kids, so we went yesterday and she has Type A flu..yes that is the type the Swine Flu is. She will be out of school until Tuesday and please pray that she doesn't worsen.

A Time to Say GOODBYE

Prelude: This a very special post. I am hoping that maybe on it's way through the internet my Dad will see it.

On Friday August 7th at 12:15 pm the first man of my life, My Dad went to heaven while all of those who LOVED him were at his bedside when he drew his last breath. I am so greatful for Dr Michael Smith who let him die with diginity and the way he wanted. He didn't play on our sympthies to keep doing things that was not going to really fix the problem. To the nurses of CVICU at Bapist Hospital who for the most of the last 30 days of his life took great care of him and made him as comfortable as possible. Especially Nichole the nusre who was on duty for his finial hours. I pray that she will find comfort too as this was her first time losing a patient. She did it with such grace and she shedded a few tears( which to me meant that she had compassion for her patients). While waiting that morning the housekeeper who had been cleaning his room came by and gave me a big hug and told me she really liked Mr Murphy. God places people where they need to be.

Durning the last few sleepless nights I have many thought and memories flooding back. Since I was to be a Michael but was a Michelle I got to share his middle name Ray.(now I was not real found of it as a young child now it means the world to me.) The fishing trips,(he was with me when I won the fising rodeo) camping trips, him being one of my scout leaders, playing jacks and cards,(he played to win and I played to talk) even the time that I sat on the front porach all afternoon waiting on him to spank me because I did what he told me not to. The Christmas that money was tight and he built my sister and I a kitchen set that our kids have gotten to play with. The pride he had when all the grandbaies were born. All the times he let me peddle along his side. Since he did let me do this I now have the ability to do fix things, create things and dream up projects to conquer and no fear too. I will miss having him to call to discuss on how to do things and this could take us hours to get them worked out. I really enjoyed my Dad days when he came over and spent the day just peddling(oh I mean fixing things). Him calling around Thanksgiving and having me pick up Mom's gifts for Christmas. The few gifts that he bought me himself. The Valentines cards that he sent just because I was his little girl even still in my 40's. Well I could go on for hours and those close to me over the next few weeks might just have to tell me that it enough Dad stories. I am not saying that all of the memories of the last 43 years were great but they are MY memories of the MOST SPECIAL MAN IN my life my DADDY!!

So Daddy I know that you are in a better place and with your family that has gone on before you. I know that you are not laying in that most uncomfortable bed that you had to endure for the last 29 days and all the poking of needles. I am so glad that you can breath with out a struggle and your heart is beating in a regular beat again. As we prepare to say good bye to your earthly body on Wednesday with all your family and friends. Which I am sure will be many as you were so loved by many. Hey Uncle Jack is even coming. I want you to know that if you are watching you will see tears they will be sad tears for those left behind and joyous tears for you because are in a better place and waiting on us. I truly hope that while watch over me in years I have left on earth I still make you proud of your Hot Rod! I know that I have given some grief over the years but I hope that I gave you some proud moments too. As you can by the picture above you are were loved by us all and you will be in your hearts FOREVER! So Daddy now that you are at rest and with your Heavenly Father all I can say is: I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART AND I WILL NEVER FORGET YOU!!!

Love,
Michelle Raye Murphy(btw thanks for letting me have it back LOL)

Not the Next Top Model

The other day I reconnected with my word for the year, which by the way is DISCOVER and it has been awhile since I thought about it. With the sleepless night the last 3 weeks I have had time to think about it. Okay I am sure you are wondering what the heck that has to to with the title. So here goes!

As most of you know I have had a battle with my weight for years and heck I just want to win it. Let me tell you I have tried almost diet out there and well as you know they don't work. So I started trying a few years ago to do better and learn how to eat and not do the fade diet thing. Then about a year ago I REALLY started DISCOVERING a better way to eat and still enjoy life. I have drop some weight and need to drop some more. But I am wanting to DISCOVER a healthier way of eating and exercise along the way. I learned that you can make better choices and they don't have to be major ones. Simple things add up and can help make a difference. I am not trying to get model thin but just trying to be healthier. I still have a ways to go and boy I have days that I want things that are not what I need to eat. Like that wonderful piece of french silk pie. I do treat myself occasionally and when I do I have DISCOVERED I enjoy it so much more than when I indulged daily.

I am also trying to get myself in shape to be able to run a 5k by the 2010. That is one of those bucket list things. I have always thought it would be fun to do so what better time than the present. I do walk every morning but am thinking I need to move on up with the big girls.

With all this said I have DISCOVERED that I don't want to be a the NEXT TOP MODEL I just want to be healthier!

PS: If you have any suggestions please feel free leave a comment.

What Season is it?

Over the past few weeks the passage from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 has kept coming to my mind. There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven. Boy over the past few weeks I have been reading and rereading this passage it is like comfort food for the soul. While I been reading it memories of the first time I had to recite it at Sunday school and then when I had to memorize it for school in the 7th grade. I know that everyone has their favorite passages in the Bible and I must say that this one of mine. When life happens as it seems to do this passage pops in my head. It just amazes me how something that was written hundreds of years ago still applies to life today.

Over the past few weeks tears have flown followed by laughter. Then thoughts that mourning was in the future followed by rejoicing occurred. We had times that silence was for the best and then when speaking was a blessing again. As I watched my children acting like adults and handling things with such grace and maturity. It is moments I know that I did something right. My heart was breaking the whole time because I was wanting the days back when I could kiss their boo boos and making them better, If that didn't work I could scoop them up in my arms and hug away the pain.

Seasons come and Seasons go but one thing is for sure that if you are in a hard season an easier one is on the way. Just remember THERE IS A TIME FOR EVERYTHING AND A SEASON FOR EVERY ACTIVITY UNDER HEAVEN!