Things to Remember

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1. Every single morning before you get and start your day, sit down and write down the seven highest priority actions you could do today, because whoever sets the agenda brings the destiny about. (Paraphrased from statement made by Mary Kay shared by Demartini on the Larry King Live show. Demartini also shared a story saying that when he was four his mother would put him to bed telling him that before he went into the dream world, be sure to count your blessings, because those who are grateful for that they have, they get more to be grateful for. He believes that being in a state of gratitude is the best way to start and end each day.

2. On the same program, Beckwith shares that we are here on this Earth to change, grow develop and unfold. We are progressive beings that have infinite capacity.

You wake up every day and you want to be different at the end of the day. You don't want to be the same person you go to bed at night. You want to have had an insight and a haha, you want to have done a new action. You would have said something new, so that you want to see yourself changing and becoming more yourself on a regular basis.

3. Quoted:

KING: You've all written books, right?

KNIGHT: Yes.

KING: Is that the best way for anyone watching to jumpstart, read one of the books? I mean, what is -- how do we... PROCTOR: I think the best way to start is get a CD or a DVD and play it over and over and over again.

KING: By one of you?

PROCTOR: Well, the best one -- the best thing I have seen in 45 years, Larry, is the DVD "On the Secret". To get it, go to thesecret.tv. It was made out of Australia. It is the best thing I have ever seen done in this industry.

KNIGHT: I think you would be very simple -- everybody gets up and says, what kind of life I do want from this day forward? And I'm going to write it down and I'm going to say this is who I am.

BECKWITH: Absolutely.

KNIGHT: To say, this is who I am. And negotiate your day through what you said. That's how you start.

ASSARAF: If anybody wants to have more, whether it's a business, whether it's more money, they have to become more. And the only way to do that, OK, first is to educate yourself. And our society has gotten lost in teaching children how to memorize. Education is when we learn something, we get instructions on how to do something, and then we experience it. That's really the education that we want. And so that for me is pick a lane, pick something that you can choose, to move your life forward to the next level.

PROCTOR: There is three of us, Dr. Martini, Michael Beckwith and myself, are going to working together next week -- is it two weeks -- at SY Seminars (ph). I don't own the company, but it is the best course I've ever seen. And it is all up and down the West Coast, it's in different parts of the world.

KNIGHT: Our course is the best course I've ever seen.

PROCTOR: Well, I think the program that...

DEMARTINI: All of our courses are outstanding.

KNIGHT: All of our courses are fabulous.

Anna Claire at Two Months

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Sunrise Marsh

  

Are they Wild?

  

Callaway Path

Cutting Garden

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Lone Palm

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Sea Island Marsh

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50,000,000 Poppies

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Hidden Treasure

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Purple Rhododenrums

This spring I saw the most wonderful purple rhododenrums at Callaway Gardens. Looking thru some photographs I found this one and wanted to share it this moring.

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June 22 vs July 16

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It's all about TIME

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Anna Claire Franklin the morning of July 17, 2006
I just realized that it's all about time. Ten minutes here, one hour there, everything you do makes a claim on your time. The problem reveals itself when you find out that you have to be the master of your time. It's your decision. I've decided that today I'll make a list of all the demands on my time and see where I am. I'm not stressed because I'm always thinking that tomorrow will be another day and I'll get things done. Some of the things that almost never get done are things that I hate to do like vacumn the floor. Other things that here lately almost never get done are things I love to do like paint. On my list I'm going to try my best to divide the list into things that have to be done and things that I want done. How about you. Do you caught in the middle of a time crunch?

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The secret to a happy life

My son just gave me a new book to read, actually a journal-workbook, by Joel Osteen. The workbook follows his book "Your Best Life Now" which is a guide to reaching your full potential. The introduction grabs your attention right away with the words; "Millions of people are discovering what it means to live 'your best life now.' The secret is not really a secret at all. Happy successful, fulfilled individuals understand that the future begins with what happens today. They make the most of the present moment and build their future one day at a time." As I read those words today, I not only thanked God for each new day, but for my son who has grown into a fine young spiritual man that I am so proud of. He has a caring, loving heart and has become the rock of our family.

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"Okay", I said to myself. "Tomorrow I'll break out of this painting slump I've been in"... or do I have to start TODAY. How about just a sketch? Little steps, little steps.... the fog comes in on little cat feet....




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Carley asleep - sketch from life Sunday, July 16, 2006

By God's Grace Through Our Faith

Sharing a special blog - enjoy
By God's Grace Through Our Faith

Gratitude

This is a plein air pastel painting that hangs in my office studio. I painted this in Savannah, Georgia looking over a marsh in one of the State parks along with my artist friend Maureen Kerstein. It's a great reminder of the wonderful time we had. Keeping some work in my personal collection allows me to enjoy the day again and again.

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Gratitude

It was told that a man interviewed a very successful business person asking what was the secret to his success. "Never forget to be grateful" he said. In thinking about what this means, I remembered someone had told me that it only takes 60 seconds to say "thank you". Please and thank you were words we are taught early and if we listen and follow thru, they still serve us well as we age.

In keeping with those thoughts, I'd like to thank you for spending time reading my thoughts on my daily life, looking at my paintings and watching my grandchildren grow.


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Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Puttin' on

Blackberries in a Whitel Bowl

Thinking about my southern heritage and the funny sayings we have is a pleasant pastime of mine. I've said many times I should write down all the quirky idioms passed down from generation to generation. One idiom in particular makes me smile every time I think about it. Here's the story...see if you catch the meaning. :)

We sat in the tea room sipping slowly between soft chatter about who knows what when the tea room proprietor approached. "Here darlin's let me freshen that tea; where y'all from; can I get y'all some cobbler," she spoke in that sweet, slow southern voice that blended with the smell of vanilla I was sure she wore from cobbler cooking. "Oh, not too far from here, Thomaston, just down the road a piece," I said. "Oh yes, my friends daughter, Amy Ray, just moved there. Do you know her?", she questioned. "Yes, I did meet her....ah..." I was saying as she interrupted. "Does she still put on?" she asked without blinking an eye.

Well, that certainly made me smile and think about my grandmother who always told me never to "put on" or to "quit puttin' on" which meant for me not to think too highly of myself or pretend I was something I wasn't. Over the years I certainly have been guilty of "puttin' on". Lucky for me, the times I have, I have always had someone or something to bring be back to reality. I appreciate my heritage. It's taught and served me well.

"Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving..." Psalm 95:2

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Imperfect People, Imperfect Art

This morning I sat in Sunday School and listened as Beth Newman explained how God spoke to Moses asking him to lead His people out of Egypt where they had been slaves for 40 years. Then I listened in the worship service as our pastor, Bill Barber, talked to us about how God uses imperfect people and works even thru our sins. It doesn't seem quite right to me that God would do this because I've always thought that God required the very best...and thus would choose the very best to do his work. Not so, I'm slowly beginning to learn. Moses felt he wasn't a perfect choice and complained to God what he felt his weakness' were, so God listened and said that he could take his brother Aaron to do the necessary speaking. Well, why didn't God just send Aaron if he was such a great speaker? In my own thinking it would be because we all have talents that God can use and it takes all of us working together to accomplish what God needs and wants us to do. Moses had the right stuff, so did Aaron and so do we. What is needed above all is to trust in the fact that God is always with us and will help us accomplish the goals we need to accomplish.

I'm pulling out some old images of art work long since gone from my inventory. Although this painting was not perfect by any means, I will never forget Doris Hopkins saying that this painting was perfect and how thrilled she was to find an oil painting with the purples to compliment her bedroom colors. I guess the lesson here is even when we think something is imperfect or someone is imperfect, there is a place of service for everything and everyone that is JUST PERFECT! :)

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Confederate Rose

Looking thru my reference photographs today I ran across this Confederate Rose. The Confederate Rose bush grows right outside my bedroom window and when it blooms it's such a delight. In the winter the bush dies back and shows the artistic bones of the bush, then in spring the leaves pop out and begin to grow the beginning of tiny buds that will mature and bloom later in the summer. Sometimes I just don't want to wait for the blooms. I want the blooms to be there for me all year. Then I am reminded that we need to let things take their seasons. It is God's plan for all things to have cycles just like when we go to sleep each night and wake in the morning. We can go to bed all worn out and weary of the day's events, but with rest we are ready to face another day and enjoy what God has in store for us. Sleep is good. In the calm of the night we can listen to God and know that no matter what troubles we might face, he is always there with us. .:.

"Wait and hope for and expect the Lord, be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring." Psalm 27:14

Magnolias

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Here is a still life that I did many years ago. For the last several years I've been painting outside but I've been wanting to get back in the studio and set up some still lifes to paint. I've been told that painting outside really helps to hone your observation skills and what really happens with light. So much of painting still life can be controlled by the artist which is a good thing. As I get older, it gets harder and harder for me to battle all the challenges of being outside. Still, I love painting outside and painting inside. Maybe I should just say I love painting. :)

"But when you pray, go into your [most]private room, and closing the door, pray to your Father, who is in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you in the open." Matthew 6:6

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Sunflower Morning

I don't have many watercolors but I do enjoy using them. This sunflower painting went really fast and is now in the collection of my insurance agent who purchased it at a local art show several years ago.



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Peach Tree on Hwy 74, Thomaston, Georgia

I remember well the day that I painted this peach tree. A friend of mine had come down to Thomaston to paint with me and we were overcome with all the different locations that we had to paint. I finally decided that it wasn't such a good idea to try to paint the entire grove.... and picked out this one at the very edge. Sometimes being on the edge is a good thing... at least for trees, it's a good thing because being on the edge means no one is blocking the sunshine. :)

Callaway Gardens Rhododendrons

.:.This spring the Rhodendendrons at Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain, Georgia were wonderful. Finding one growing close to one of the many ponds was exactly the inspiration I needed. I completed this painting one the spot and enjoyed looking at it myself until it was sold a couple of months later. .:. Sold

Resident Cat

I need to introduce you to the resident cat, Coco-puff. She is (was) the resident princess until Carley Ann was born...and of course now we have another princess with the birth of Anna Claire. Coco-puff seems to be adjusting well and is content to sleep in the corner letting Carley Ann pet her ever so gently. When she's had enough, she hids behind the blue and whites.

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Fast Asleep

Anna Claire Franklin is fast asleep, and safe at home on the 22nd. She gets to spend the night with me every other night which is working out really well for me, Terri and Brent. Terri and Brent live on the second floor and I live on the first floor. We share a kitchen for the present time and that's working out really well too. The three of us take turns with Kitchen duties and Brent keeps the grass cut. I thank God each day that Terri and Brent agreed to come live with me. This house is much too big for just one person and way...way...way... too much work to keep it clean and in repair. :)

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New Business Card

I've decided that it's time for new business cards and marketing materials. This is the new design which lets everyone know that I'm continuing to paint, but also want to share my reference photos. When I go out to paint in the open air, I try to take as many reference photos as I can so I can use it when I get my plein air painting back to the studio. In the studio I study what I caputured on my canvas, look at my reference photos and then decide if the painting needs any additional touch up. Most of the time the touch up is minor, but sometimes the painting just doesn't work and I end up just using my photo and my memory of the day to create a studio work. Both my plein air work and my studio work give me great pleasure to do.

"For I the Lord your God hold your right hand; I am the Lord, who says to you, fear not; I will help you." Isiah 41:13

Birth Announcement

Carley Ann Franklin is pleased to announce the birth of her little sister Anna Claire Franklin on June 19, 2006.

"Come and see what God has done, how awesome he works in man's behalf!" Psalm 66.5 NIV