Tag: #family

Healing and Safety: Managing a Medical Procedure While Confronting a Stalker

Hey, everyone! I’m still here. It’s been a tough time, but I’m pushing through. Between dealing with health challenges and trying to raise enough money for a procedure I’ll be having next month, I’ve also been dealing with harassment from my abuser—my father (more on that in a minute).

To keep myself going, I’ve started up the “Sharing My Art Every Day Til I Can Afford Healthcare” series again (on YouTube). I’ve got loads of artwork available, art commissions, tutorials, and a medical fundraiser up and running. If you’re interested in supporting, my family and I would be so grateful. Every bit helps!

I won’t lie—creating new work hasn’t been easy lately. I’ve been in a mental and physical “rest mode,” preparing for my upcoming procedure and, honestly, just enjoying some much-needed time with my immediate family.

Now, you might be wondering why I’m talking about my father. For years, I’ve been healing my childhood trauma and sharing that process with all of you. Staying silent only continues to protect the abuser, and I refuse to do that any longer. My story deserves to be told. It’s incredibly important to me that my story is heard—especially if something were to happen to me, I want there to be a record.

My father has stalked, harassed, and manipulated me for far too long (my whole life). I’ve told him multiple times that I don’t want him in my life—especially after he made cruel accusations to his neighbor, claiming I neglected and abused him. (It’s textbook narcissistic abuse to flip the script on their victim and accuse them of being abusive. The narc is charming to outsiders and they oftentimes will side with the narc.) Keep in mind, I was the one raising money and organizing supplies for him when his house burned down at that time. I even set up Meals on Wheels for him and got him in touch with Red Cross. It’s hard to understand how someone can be so twisted and diabolical, especially to recruit people to exact his cruel bidding even more.

He also told my brother I’m not his child, that he never treated me like I was. (He finally said the quiet part out loud! Now that’s closure!) But I did an Ancestry DNA test, and surprise—turns out, I am his child, just like my mom always said. It’s not shocking to me at this point. What I’ve learned over the years is that he’s cruel, manipulative, exploitative, and abusive. I’ve had enough of that. *YouTube Video Discussing This And Recent Events More In Depth*

I deserve peace. I deserve love. And I deserve happiness.

So, I’m focusing on keeping my spirits up and staying busy when I can, but I’m also giving myself permission to take things slowly and to talk about what’s happened and happening to me now.

I want to thank you all so much for your support and kindness. It truly means the world to me. I’ll try to keep you updated on everything, as it’s important to document things for safety, and I’m so grateful to have you in my corner. Take care of yourselves and I’ll see you soon!

Award Winning Artist, Misty Lemons of Designs By Misty Blue Art holding a watercolor painting she created live on YouTube, showing a technique she uses to calm her anxiety

To learn more about me and my art or if you’d like to offer support, please visit my Link Tree! Thank you so much!

Copyrights Reproduction Rights Belong Solely To Misty Lemons/Designs By Misty Blue Do Not Copy Or Reproduce

*For Educational Purposes Only

*For Legal Purposes, Statements Made Here & Other Platforms Are Opinion & Are Alleged

“Facing Trauma”: My First Ever Podcast Interview

Today I experienced my first ever podcast interview! (You can listen to it on Spotify now!) The podcast channel is called Past Level 50 With Mel and my particular episode is called “Facing Trauma Without The Mask: Misty’s Story”.

Mel and I follow each other on TikTok and that’s how we “met”. She reached out to me about a week ago and invited me to do a podcast with her, after I had mentioned that someday I’d like to do a TEDx Talk and podcast interview about how I’ve used art to help me cope and heal my childhood trauma.

Mel is so easy to talk to. She immediately put me at ease. She’s genuinely kind and real.

I started my trauma healing journey two years ago and today was the culmination of what I’ve learned along the way.

Talking about my life isn’t easy. In fact, it goes against everything I was taught growing up and is foreign to me. I was expected to be quiet and not have needs or emotions. I was taught it was better for me to be invisible and not make myself a target. It’s how I survived.

Here I am holding a foam sculpture I made with an endearing message that means a lot to me

Today triggered me. I felt like I was shaming my mother and her memory. Like I was the bad child my parents made me out to be. Like I was failing her. But the truth is these things happened. I didn’t ask to be born, nor did I ask to be abused by people who should’ve protected me and comforted me. They failed me.

None of this has been easy for me. It’s like ripping a big bandage off a deep, angry wound. It’s raw and painful. But the wound needs to be exposed to the light to heal properly. Keeping this locked inside no longer serves me.

I don’t want to be a prisoner of the past. I owe it to myself to honor myself and my truth. And hopefully, my story will help others know that healing is possible. Though, my main goal is to feel better by healing myself and my family. But I love hearing that it helps others as well. That’s wonderful and amazing to me!

This is a journey I’ll probably be on the rest of my life, but it’s worth it because every step of the way more of the weight is lifted from me.

My mom was troubled. She had her own trauma and didn’t have the tools to cope or heal, but she wanted to and she tried. She did get some things right. She apologized to me a few years ago and genuinely meant it. I forgive her and I love and miss her. I’m her legacy and my healing and ending the generational trauma cycle is my legacy for me and future generations.

Easter with my mom and brother. This was her favorite memory and one of mine too. This photo was at her bedside when she passed. I was at her side too.

If you’ve ever experienced anything similar, please feel free to share in the comments.

To Learn More About Me And My Artwork, Please Visit My LinkTree

Copyrights & Reproduction Rights Belong Solely To Misty Lemons/Designs By Misty Blue Do Not Copy

First Image Courtesy Of Mel Chavez

*For Educational Purposes Only

Thyroid Cancer Survivor

Eleven years ago, I had surgery to remove my thyroid. I had two terribly painful lemon size nodules on my thyroid. One in front of the other.

Here I Am, Before Surgery. I Look Happy, But Was Completely Scared.

When they removed everything, they ran tests on the thyroid and nodules. They found a small amount of cancer in my thyroid. Thankfully, removing it was enough to treat it. I didn’t need chemotherapy.

Here I Am After Surgery And Having An Ordeal Post Op. I Was Miserable And Could Hardly Speak. The Surgery Effected My Vocal Chords.

My health is still a struggle, even after all these years. But in all this time, I’ve also had incredible and wonderful things happen that I’m extremely grateful for.

Here I Am (Center) With My Husband (Left) And Son (Right). We Have A Silly Accessories Filter On. This Was Taken At A Local Art And Music Festival.

Spending time with my family and creating art are at the top of my list of things I’m thankful for.

I’ve won awards for my art and photography. I’ve gotten to paint a mural, curated an exhibition that I participated in with a great group of art friends, I stream live while I paint, and so many more fantastic things, in spite of my health and childhood and medical trauma.

Here’s The Give Love Project And Exhibition I Curated And Participated In With A Great Group Of Art Friends. (My Piece Is Pictured Center)

It has been a tough journey, but I’m glad I could be on it. I’m still here and made a YouTube video to prove it!

I lost my mom and my dog this year, within months of each other. And as hard as it’s been, I’m blessed to have gotten to share my life with them. They blessed me with their love and support. I miss them every single day. I hope they can see me and are cheering me on.

Here’s A Glamour Shot Of My Beautiful Momma! I Miss You, Mom And Love You Bunches!

Here’s My Beautiful Buddy (A Lab Heeler Mix) Who I Lost Two Months Before Losing My Mom. I Miss Him So Much.

Here’s A Photo I Recently Took Of Myself On One Of My Jaunts To Paint In The Park (I Stream It Live On TikTok, Designs By Misty Blue)

If you’ve ever experienced anything similar, please feel free to share in the comments.

Thank you for reading my blog and for supporting me. To learn more about me, visit my LinkTree.

Copyrights & Reproduction Rights Belong Solely To Misty R. Lemons/Designs By Misty Blue Do Not Copy

*For Educational Purposes Only

Antique Rocking Horse

A year ago, I purchased an antique rocking horse from an acquaintance. It was beige and had no detailing on it, but I saw potential.

I immediately envisioned it being turquoise. I set out to sand it, but discovered so many layers of old paint that were stubborn and would need to be chemically removed. So, I handed the horse over to my father in law, who I knew could help with this.

Rocking Horse In Process Of Paint Removal

Under the layers of paint emerged what could’ve been the original details of the horse. The layers removed were beige, light pink, dark brown, and finally, white. Signs of all the lives the horse had lived! Once all paint was stripped, it was time to fill holes with wood filler and sand smooth.

Rocking Horse During Hole Repair Process

Rocking Horse Repaired, Sanded, And Ready For Paint

Finally, the horse had a smooth clean surface to work with. I wanted to do right by the horse and respect it by giving it a new life and restore it properly. That was important to me. I didn’t want to just slap on another layer of paint. It was a lot of hard work that wound up taking a year, but the end results were worth it. It turned out beautifully!

I painted the horse with turquoise paint. With a dark brown saddle, I felt it was complimentary. It took three coats to properly coat the horse.

Artist Misty Lemons Paints A Wooden Antique Rocking Horse In A Lovely Shade Of Turquoise

Turquoise Rocking Horse

I could’ve left the horse as is at this point, but felt restoring facial details were important to the piece.

Penciled On Details, Preparing For Face Paint

Rocking Horse With A Cute Painted On Face, Mane, And Bridle

Artist Misty Lemons Painting Hooves Onto A Rocking Horse

The Rocking Horse Finishing Details Are Complete And Is Sealed With Clear Coat

After all the painting was complete, I added corresponding colored leather ears (which I cut and shaped myself) and a super soft white cotton yarn tail. My husband helped me drill the hole for a tail, since the horse never had one. I attached the ears with heart shaped furniture tacks. I even gave the horse a name! Introducing Charlie Horse!

Drilling A Hole To Give The Rocking Horse A Tail

Here I Am Imagining What The Tail Would Like On The Horse

Leather Ears After Being Applied To The Horse

Aside from all the work involved, it took a year to complete because I had health issues I was dealing with. But it was a labor of love. I enjoyed the project immensely. The plan was to surprise my niece and nephew with it for Christmas, so the project was extra special and meant so much to me.

Rocking Horse With White Cotton Yarn Tail Attached

I Made The Bow To Add An Extra Special Detail For My Niece And Nephew

Artist Misty Lemons Standing With Refinished Rocking Horse She Completed

I wish this story had a happy ending, but unfortunately that’s just not reality. My niece and nephew will never get to enjoy the fruits of my labor.

I shipped through UPS. I paid to have it packaged with extra care. But the box arrived to them damaged.

Not only was the box damaged, but the horse was destroyed. The legs were broken completely off. The rocker was also damaged. And if UPS refunds me the shipping and packing fees and the insurance I paid for, it still won’t be enough to replace this horse and what it meant. It was irreplaceable. Rest in peace, Charlie. I’m sorry this was your fate.

My brother said he might try to glue it back together. I’m just not sure it’ll work. It certainly won’t be pretty and my niece may be the only one light enough to use it.

With my recent health issues and my dog almost dying, we have exhausted our resources to medical bills. But I spent what little I had left to ship that horse because I wanted someone I love to have a special Christmas. Despite my family’s woes, I sincerely hope you, dear reader, have a beautiful Christmas with your loved ones. Hold them extra tight. Hopefully, next year will be better for my family.

I appreciate a follow, a like, and if you have it in your heart to help, I have links to my PayPal and shops on my Link Tree. Thank you so very much. Blessings to you and yours today and always.

Copyrights: Misty R. Lemons/Designs By Misty Blue Do Not Copy

*For Educational Purposes Only