Drawn By Inspiration

Sharing from a friend—can you relate?

I asked a friend who has crossed 70 & is heading towards 80 what sort of changes he is feeling in himself? He sent me the following:

1. After loving my parents, my siblings, my spouse, my children and my friends, I have now started loving myself.

2. I have realized that I am not “Atlas”. The world does not rest on my shoulders.

3. I have stopped bargaining with vegetable & fruit vendors. A few pennies more is not going to break me, but it might help the poor fellow save for his daughter’s school fees.

4. I leave my waitress a big tip. The extra money might bring a smile to her face. She is toiling much harder for a living than I am.

5. I stopped telling the elderly that they've already told that story many times. The story makes them walk down memory lane & relive their past.

6. I have learned not to correct people even when I know they are wrong. The onus of making everyone perfect is not on me. Peace is more precious than perfection.

7. I give compliments freely & generously. Compliments are a mood enhancer not only for the recipient, but also for me. And a small tip for the recipient of a compliment, never, NEVER turn it down, just say "Thank You.”

8. I have learned not to bother about a crease or a spot on my shirt. Personality speaks louder than appearances.

9. I walk away from people who don't value me. They might not know my worth, but I do.

10. I remain cool when someone plays dirty to outrun me in the rat race. I am not a rat & neither am I in any race.

11. I am learning not to be embarrassed by my emotions. It’s my emotions that make me human.

12. I have learned that it's better to drop the ego than to break a relationship. My ego will keep me aloof, whereas with relationships, I will never be alone.

13. I have learned to live each day as if it's the last. After all, it might be the last.

14. I am doing what makes me happy. I am responsible for my happiness, and I owe it to myself. Happiness is a choice. You can be happy at any time, just choose to be!

I decided to share this for all my friends. Why do we have to wait to be 60 or 70 or 80, why can't we practice this at any stage and age?

Do you ever hear a normal, everyday phrase and all of a sudden you’re singing a song with lyrics that include that phrase? This blog is a lighthearted look at just that! Check it out at https://drawnbyinspiration.com/inspiration-is-a-song-in-my-heart/

Inspiration is a Song in my Heart DETOUR! Did anyone else besides me just break into that catchy old tune, 🎶“Detour, there’s a muddy road ahead, detour!” No? Well, I grew up with two older sisters and a brother, and our family did

It’s about 1 1/2 hrs till fireworks at our house. What about you? Do you do fireworks? Sparklers? Watch a live show? Watch one of the big celebrations on tv? (This coloring page can be found in my Etsy shop: SpringMillArtDesigns.Etsy.com)

Sometimes things just pop into my head and all of a sudden I go all nostalgic. This blog post is a result of that. It was fun to relive those childhood trips in my mind! https://drawnbyinspiration.com/inspired-by-a-big-orange/

Inspired by a Big Orange When I was a kid, my grandparents lived in the San Joaquin Valley in California. Our family of 6 lived in lots of different places while I was growing up. We moved north from the

It’s all about the zzzzz’s! 😴 Read my latest blog here: https://drawnbyinspiration.com/getting-enough-zeds-is-inspirational-and-helps-relieve-stress/

Getting Enough Zeds is Inspirational and Helps Relieve Stress! It’s a fun fact that in British English (that seems a rather redundant phrase, but you know what I mean...), the letter Z is pronounced “Zed” rather than “Zee.” I’ve never been able to figure

Each day brings new opportunities to be inspired and stress less. Check it out in my blog post here: https://drawnbyinspiration.com/heres-to-inspired-mornings/

Here’s to Inspired Mornings Are you a morning person? I have a confession—I’m not. Oh, I spent 44 years getting up early for work, but now that I’m retired, early rising is not on my agenda. And I don’t

Peace and sheep are linked together in my mind, for many reasons. I wrote about both in my blog this week, with a dog or two thrown in for good measure: https://drawnbyinspiration.com/peace-inspiration-and-sheep/

Peace, Inspiration, and Sheep It’s lambing season here in the Central Valley. I love driving out in the country and seeing the lambs frolicking with the flock. There’s something so sweet about those little lamb faces. Sheep in a pasture,

One thing you may not know about me is that I am a Whovian. Don’t know what that is? Read my blog! Know what it is—maybe you are a Whovian too—read my blog! Enjoy, and sign up if you want to keep up with my posts and get goodies occasionally! https://drawnbyinspiration.com/inspired-by-the-doctor/

Inspired by The Doctor So there we were just outside Virginia City a few years ago, minding our own business, when I looked up and saw a big blue police box. Of course I had to check it out.

What’s your go-to for stress relief? Coloring is relaxing, fun, and therapeutic—do you find this is true? Check out my blog: https://drawnbyinspiration.com/coloring-inspo-for-stress-relief/

Coloring Inspo for Stress Relief Do you love to color? Have you discovered how relaxing it can be? When I started drawing coloring pages and books, it was a way for me to share my art with more people than

I just love words, don’t you? Read my newest blog post for a fun discussion! And share with your friends! https://drawnbyinspiration.com/inspired-by-the-english-language/

INSPIRED BY THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE As I’ve said in other posts (here and also here), I just love words. I love to read them, I love to play with them, I love to learn new words, I love to learn

Richard and I crossed each other’s path several times before actually meeting. You can read our story here! https://drawnbyinspiration.com/inspired-to-almost-meet-you/

Inspired to (almost) Meet You My husband and I love to ask our married friends how they met. Many people have fun and inspiring tales, and we love hearing them. I mean, love stories are inspirational, right? Whether your story includes

Check out my latest blog!

https://drawnbyinspiration.com/does-inspiration-need-a-muse/

DOES INSPIRATION NEED A MUSE? Inspiration can be seen as many things. It can be the ”muse” that figuratively sits softly on your shoulder as you begin creating. When you are inspired to capture the picture that’s in your mind

As I get older I’m aware that puzzles aren’t just for fun—they’re good for the mind, too! Come along on our puzzling journey at https://drawnbyinspiration.com/puzzling-inspiration/

PUZZLING INSPIRATION I love puzzles. Word puzzles, crossword puzzles, logic puzzles, brain teasers, sudokus, even riddles. And of course jigsaw puzzles. That’s why, when we finished our traditional Christmas puzzle and my husband said, “Let’s do another

https://drawnbyinspiration.com/cleo-the-cat-here-to-inspire-you/ Finally Cleo gets his 15 minutes of fame in his very own blog post. You should read it just to make him happy! 😉

CLEO THE CAT HERE TO INSPIRE YOU! What does it take to get a blog post written about the most important member of this family? It’s high time everyone gets to know the incredibly magnificent me, even if I have to write

I created 14 FREE fun and inspiring journal prompts, some with activities, that you can download for free! https://drawnbyinspiration.ck.page/78f0eb6630

14 journal prompts ​​ to bring more meaning to your days, as well as helping you focus on expressing your feelings and reaching out to others.

My latest post gives 21 inspirational ways to fight stress and boredom during the pandemic—or anytime, really! It comes with free journal prompts to use to help you write about this time as you make positive memories. Check it out and sign up to receive updates when I post, as well as getting to know me more and scoring occasional freebies. https://drawnbyinspiration.com/21-tips-to-stay-inspired-during-2021/

21 Tips to Stay Inspired During 2021 HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF THIS UNEXPECTED TIME It’s been a minute, as they say. Most of us didn’t expect the pandemic to last this long. But here we are closing in on a

I just noticed that Amazon put one of my blank journals on sale for $4.96. Grab it now for a savings of $2.00! 🤗 https://www.amazon.com/Strong-Lord-His-Mighty-Power/dp/1690050950/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Becky+Bullough&qid=1609805308&sr=8-1

Be Strong in the Lord and in His Mighty Power: Journal for Bible Writing, Prayer or Gratitude Journal, or Personal Journal Be Strong in the Lord and in His Mighty Power: Journal for Bible Writing, Prayer or Gratitude Journal, or Personal Journal

It’s my Christmas blog! Enjoy! Wishing you and yours a joyous Christmas!

https://drawnbyinspiration.com/joy-through-inspiration/

Joy through Inspiration As our kids get older and start independent lives and families, they don’t always make it home for Christmas. It happens in the best of families. 😉 But this year feels a little (okay, maybe a lot)

Every now and then something happens that brings a sound into my mind’s ear (is that a thing, like your mind’s eye? If not, it should be). Sometimes it’s a song that is the trigger. Other times it is literally just a sound like a certain “bing” or tone. The sound often transports my mind right back to when and where I heard it most memorably. It makes me think of the classic Christmas movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life!” Now admit it, you just heard the sound of the bell that meant an angel got his wings, didn’t you?
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Or maybe the bell you hear in your mind’s ear is Santa’s bell from Polar Express. I hope you still hear it. That means the spirit of Christmas is alive and well in your heart.
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I also get chills just thinking about the end of the Peter Pan stage play. They used to play it on TV occasionally. Tragically, Tinkerbelle’s light is fading and Peter implores the audience to affirm their belief in fairies so that Tink won’t die. The whole audience, seemingly even the hardest-hearted skeptic, yells, “I believe!” Chills, I’m telling you! And I don’t actually believe in fairies! But I’m right back in my living room watching it with my family sometime in the 60s as I hear that in my mind. Sweet memories.
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What sounds were in the soundtrack of your life? Take a trip down memory lane with me in my latest blog, Sound Inspiration. I’m sure most of you will connect with at least some of the sounds that tickle my memory.

https://drawnbyinspiration.com/sound-inspiration/

Sound Inspiration If you’ve read my blog, you know I love music. I love singing. I love listening to a lot of different kinds of music, but especially oldies that I can still remember all the words

I’d love for you to subscribe to my blog (newsletter and goodies)! You’ll see the form at the bottom of the article. https://drawnbyinspiration.com/making-a-difference-is-inspirational/

Making a Difference is Inspirational Where I live in California is now under a Stay Home mandate again. That means only essential workers, no inside or outside dining (carry out, curbside, or delivery only), no group gatherings, and staying in

Happy December!
Are you looking for an advent or countdown calendar to color? Well look no farther, my friend! This Christmas Cookie calendar is in my Etsy shop, with acts of kindness and Christmas cheer for each day!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/916204179/christmas-advent-calendar-to-color?ref=listings_manager_table

Christmas Advent Calendar to color | Christmas Cookies to Countdown days to Christmas | printable Counting down to Christmas is always fun and meaningful. This advent calendar gives 25 days of Random Acts of Kindness and holiday activities as the gift each day--blessing the giver as well as the receiver. These ideas give suggestions of actions you can do for others, from strangers to loved ones.

I hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving in spite of the challenges this crazy year has brought. God is so good—all the time—and deserving of our praise and thanksgiving. Though we didn’t have several of the family together like we had hoped, we spent time seeing their beloved faces and talking over each other online, and that made it so much better than we thought it might be. We were able to have thanksgiving dinner with our daughter’s family, and it was just a very special time all day! I am so thankful for technology that honestly has made weathering the pandemic so much more bearable for us. https://drawnbyinspiration.com/an-inspired-thanksgiving/

An Inspired Thanksgiving We know their names. I don’t know how I missed this all my life, but

Do you know what a Duchenne smile is? You can read my blog to find out. It’s my favorite kind of smile, especially with everyone wearing masks. I just didn’t know it had a name!

https://drawnbyinspiration.com/inspired-by-your-smile/

While you’re at it, you can also sign up for the FREE “Smile” printable coloring page shown here!

https://drawnbyinspiration.ck.page/147cedf556

Here you are! Just sign in and click Download to get your FREE printable coloring page in PDF format.

One of the things that has hit quite a few people hard is not being able to go to the theme parks this year. We didn’t have a trip planned so it isn’t a problem for us, but I do think about it. This is actually Knott’s Berry Farm’s 100th birthday—100 years from Walter Knott’s arrival on the property. As I was baking a boysenberry pie a couple of days ago I thought about that—and wrote blog post about Knott’s and boysenberries. Take a look, especially if you have fond memories of the Knott’s of yesteryear! My blog is drawnbyinspiration.com, and the link to the Knott’s post is https://drawnbyinspiration.com/berry-inspired-recipe-included/

I’d love for you to sign up for my blog!

Berry Inspired (Recipe included) My husband Richard lived within walking distance of Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California

Hey everybody, my blog is live! I still have more posts I’ve already written but just need to check links and all the little other things that need to be done. But I’ll be adding more each day for awhile, and then my plan is to blog at least once a week. I’d absolutely love to have any feedback in the comments on the blog or here, and if you want to keep up with all that will be coming up (including some freebies), head on over and sign up to receive emails. You're the first people I've told, so you get the privilege of being my honored first guests on the blog! I'm excited to share, and hope you enjoy it! Here’s the link to my first post: https://drawnbyinspiration.com/hello-world/

See you over there!

🤟Becky

Inspired to Blog—My First Post! | Drawn by Inspiration Posted inBoomer Life Christian Inspiration Encouragement Intro Just Our Life Uncategorized Inspired to Blog—My First Post! Posted by By Becky August 10, 2020No Comments I don’t always wear feather boas and fascinators—but when I do I post it to my blog! There you are! I was hoping you’d stop...

I’ve just added some printable wall art in my Etsy shop. This set of 4 original designs features hearts showcasing the ASL hand sign for “I love you.” These make great conversation pieces for your home, and are a lovely way to promote your love of sign language. Just print, mat if you want, and frame for unique wall decor. I even have options for customizing the color scheme and personalizing the pictures. Check it out at SpringMillArtDesigns.etsy.com or hit the Shop Now button. Use code SAVE15 for a limited-time 15% discount especially for my followers. 🤟🏻❤️

I am just about ready to launch my new blog at drawnbyinspiration.com! I’m really excited to share inspiring, encouraging, funny, and sometimes sad stories. I will post here when I launch—hopefully I’ll see you there!

While you’re waiting, if you’d like to visit my Etsy shop and check out my coloring pages and other products, just click on Shop Now. It will take you to my shop, SpringMillArtDesigns.etsy.com!

Drawn by Inspiration — Coming Soon Be the first to know when we launch, enter your email address and we will let you know when we go live and any future website updates we have.