Whimsy 365: Day 22

Happy Halloween!!!

Today I am spending with some of the most spectacular people in my life…..and I met them in high school. I am so blessed to have friendships that have lasted the test of time. We still have sooooo much fun and laughter together. Thank God for those kinds of friendships. Life. Long. Friends.

I hope you can say the same.

Blessings,

Teresa

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Whimsy 365: Day 21

©Teresa Kogut, all rights reserved

Do you ever think….if I could be any animal for a day, what would I be? I’d want to be a bird. I would love to fly above the trees and have an aerial view of the landscape. Birds are mentioned in the Bible quite often and I think about how God loves them, takes care of them, provides for them. Below are a couple of my favorite scriptures about birds that put in perspective how much God loves us.

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” John 6: 26 NIV

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.” – Matthew 10:29 NIV

Blessing,

Teresa

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Whimsy 365: Day 20

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I love sheep. Our neighbors have several sheep. They roam freely on their property which is about 7-10 acres. When the sun is hot they hang out back in the woods where we can’t see them but on cooler days they tend to roam in the open which is across the road from our house. I need to ask them if I can photograph them in the morning or evening sun. They bring such a peacefulness to the scenery.

They aren’t quite as chubby is the ewe I sketched today but they were certainly my inspiration. Three of my favorite things, sheep, bees and flowers. And when I say bees…I mean I like them for what they do for us and our planet.  I also love them in art BUT I run like the wind when they come near me!

Blessings,

Teresa

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©Teresa Kogut, all rights reserved

Whimsy 365: Day 19

I enjoyed sketching a bird yesterday so much that I decided to do it again. I really love this one. Here’s to you, Dad!

Blessings,

Teresa

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©Teresa Kogut, all rights reserved

Whimsy 365: Day 18

One of the things I miss most about my Dad is our love for birds. He had several bird feeders outside their sun room where he’d sit and watch them while relaxing. If I saw a different kind of bird, I’d immediately call him and he’d look it up in his bird book. I sure do miss him.

Today’s sketch was inspired by my Dad and his love for our feathered friends.

Blessings,

Teresa

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©Teresa Kogut, all rights reserved

Whimsy 365: Day 17

Today is a very difficult day. It’s my Dad’s birthday. He would have been 78. He passed away from cancer December 18, 2014.

A year ago today, we celebrated Dad’s last birthday at his home. My Dad sat up in his hospital bed opening cards as we all sat with him in the living room. He opened my Mom’s card and she had written “wishing you a happy birthday and many more”. His eyes filled with tears and he looked at her and said, “I hope so”.

The grief is still so fresh. His absence in our lives has been overwhelming. Not a day goes by I don’t see his face and I say out loud, “I love and miss you, Dad”.

I suppose today’s sketch may have been more appropriate to have been a drawing of a father and daughter but I’m not very good at drawing men. Also, my Mom and I, even though we’ve always been close, we are even closer now. We lean on each other more now with Dad gone.

Through my Dad’s illness and after his passing, I’ve tried to be strong for my Mom. At first I didn’t cry too often around her because when I’d cry, she’d cry and I knew she cried enough on her own. However, one day a few months after Dad was gone, I shared a memory of him and the tears just flowed. Mom hugged me and said, “I thought I was the only one that still cried over your Dad”. That was an eye opener for me. By trying to be strong and hiding my tears from her, she thought I was over it and life just moved on and everything was back to normal…which is not the case. I didn’t realize by trying to protect her, I was making it harder on her.

So now, we share stories of Dad and just let the tears fall. It’s good. It’s healing. It’s ok.

Blessings,

Teresa

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©Teresa Kogut, all rights reserved

Whimsy 365: Day 16

I love how this sketch came out! She looks so peaceful. Her serene expression was the inspiration for the saying.

When I say my prayers, I always pray for my family to have peace in their hearts, minds and homes. I’m blessed to have a peaceful home. I believe peace comes from within, therefore, if we have peace within us, we will infuse our homes with that peace.

Unfortunately, there are too many homes in the world with turmoil, anger and drama. I am the anti-drama queen. I seriously don’t like drama in my life and especially in my home. I remember when Kyle was in middle school he had dreams of becoming a rock star and living life on the road. He said to me one day, “Mom, I don’t mean to be rude, but you and Dad’s life is so boring.” I still giggle when I think back on that statement. I responded, “Well, honey, we like our lives just the way it is. To you it may seem boring, but we are happy with the life we’ve built together.” Even more funny is now that Kyle is a young man of 22 he has settled into wanting a quiet peaceful life as well! He wants a home with land where he can have animals and work on cars. Funny how things change.

Wishing you a peaceful life and home,

Teresa

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©Teresa Kogut, all rights reserved

Whimsy 365: Day 15

Today I was inspired by spring. I know, I know, it’s only fall and spring in Michigan is far far away. But as I sat on the couch wondering what to sketch, my hands and feet were freezing so I started day dreaming about spring, summer, sunshine, long days, warm nights, birds singing, bees buzzing and flowers blooming. This sketch was the result of those day dreams.

Happy Saturday! Enjoy the weekend.

Blessings,

Teresa

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