Photo of the Day and Girl #2 Revisited

Yesterday was a spectacular day - breezy, high of about 74 degrees F., sunny, and low humidity - and today promises to be about the same. The overnight low was in the 40s; it is 48 degrees right now. I am a yooper (from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan) and this is what I remember as summer. Unfortunately, where I live these days are few and far between. Usually we are in the 80s or above and the humidity is high enough to be quite uncomfortable.

Today's photo is of one of the thistle plants in the front  perennial garden. This is one of my favorites; it is quite an interesting looking plant. I don't often see this plant featured when gardeners are showing off their blooms.

I am so glad that Sharon Tomlinson tells it like it is. She could have looked at my namby-pamby girl #2 with the big hair and very little color and said she was fine, but instead she told me to get nervous Nellie to go away and to get rid of that 80s hair and be bold and brave with the color and boy am I ever glad she did.

First I gessoed everything except the face and a tiny bit of "hair" around it and let it dry. Then I began to add color. I am so pleased with how she turned out! I can't believe I was willing to leave her the way she was and go on to the next one.

Here is the before:

And here she is after her makeover:

I am so loving her! This is what I hoped to accomplish when I signed up for this class. Today I am hoping to give my girl #1 a makeover. I won't have to change as much; but I definitely need to add some color to that pale girl. I'll share tomorrow.

Meanwhile, I'd best have another cup of coffee, walk the yard with my camera, and then get on the treadmill. It is the perfect day for it.

I'm so glad you came to visit and hope you have time to leave a comment to let me know what you think of this post.

xoxo

Feeling One's Age

I seldom think of myself as middle aged; in fact, I don't often consider my age at all. I have finally learned not to jump from heights (the shock absorbers don't work like they used to), do cartwheels (the wrist joints are more fragile than they used to be), climb trees, etc.

For the most part, I feel like a young woman, full of energy and capable of almost anything (my son still teases me because when Cecil Fielder was with the Tigers, I swore I could run faster than he could). But after the reality of yesterday, I am feeling a bit slower and more aged today.

I picked up my daughter and her two young girls around 9 am yesterday. Nothing is simple when dealing with one's family. We planned this day trip a week ahead of time so that things would go smoothly (NOT). First the top of the baby's bathing suit could not be found. Then we had to stop at Toys 'R Us because she no longer had "floaties" for the girls; she was also out of sunscreen.

By 10 we were finally on the road for the two hour ride. At about 10:20, the two year old decides she has to use the potty. I finally find a place to stop and while her Mom takes her to the potty, I fill up with gas and then take the 7 year old into the gas station/store. I tell her she can choose a small bag of Skittles for herself and one for her little sister. Those little bags that would have cost 10 cents when I was her age (oh, boy here I go again) were 99 cents each!!!!!!!

We arrived at my sister's around noon and spent three hours. The girls loved the pool and had a lovely time. Anne's husband cooked the brats and hot dogs we'd brought along on the grill and I put a plate of tortilla chips with shredded cheese on top into the microwave, and we had a lovely lunch. I so enjoy visiting my sister, but usually we have more time to talk, walk the garden and play games. But today was more for the girls than for me. (No, I didn't transport the brats and hot dogs on the grill! Is this called a dangling participle? Whatever! I hope you can follow this paragraph even though it is not gramatically correct. Am I being graded on this???)

We hit the road around 3 and the baby was asleep before we even got out of Stevensville. The trip home was uneventful except for the endless line of trucks and the heavy traffic. I hate driving on I-94!!!!

I finally got back to my house around 5 pm to find that a friend had called to see if the hubster and I wanted to meet for dinner. I was tempted to say no, until I talked with her and discovered that she and her husband wanted to meet at the golf course bar/restaurant only about 2 miles away. I was all for no cooking and no dishes.

We had a nice visit with our friends and ate a meal and then headed home to watch the Tigers play the dreaded Minnesota Twins. The Tigers were in the lead and I watched until I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. I don't know what time it was when I went to bed, but I am pretty sure it was way earlier than I usually do.

 I sure hope the Tigers won.

Needless to say, I didn't get any art time yesterday, but hope to work on my mixed media canvas with the leaves and birds today. I do have a couple photos for my "photo a day" post:

This is a windmill the hubster built that sits at one end of a small berm in the north yard. And here is one of a small thing that is part of my irrational fear (we all have at least one of those don't we?):

I am quite frightened of stinging insects (bees, wasps, hornets...). The hubster was quite impressed that I had actually gotten this close until I reminded him that I had a long lens and was probably 15 feet away from this dangerous creature.

I fully intend to get some work done on my birds in trees piece today. I am going to try to add farmers' fields, a barn and some kind of separation of earth from sky. Hopefully I won't totally mess it up!

I promise to share tomorrow. Until then, thank you for visiting; you make my day!

xoxo

Today's Photo and Another Face

I have a wonderful, but busy day planned with my daughter and her two little girls. We are going to drive to my sister's house to visit, play in her pool, and have a picnic. She is two hours away, so the drive there will undoubtedly have a few "are we there yet" kind of quetions, but the two hours home will probably be very quiet. You know how tired swimming and playing outside makes you.

I have a couple of pix of the yard to share today. I couldn't decide which one was the right one, so I decided to show two:

I do have rather a water fowl friendly yard.I sure wish my friend the blue heron would pay a visit. I haven't seen him much this year at all. Most summers he drops in daily. Maybe my frogs aren't as tasty as usual???

I love how this flower is worshiping the morning sun!

I have finished my second girl and am pretty disappointed in her. I thought I would be so much more free with the color this time, but it looks like I chickened out again. I think she looks alright for a girl picture, but she definitely doesn't look like a "technicolor" girl.

I am doing something a bit different for my third girl. I scanned the picture into Photoshop and then used "indexed color" and "spectrum" to get the following:

Doesn't she look great! This rendition makes it much easier for me to see the darks and lights. I love how this looks!

I printed out the black and white version of this big enough to just fit on the canvas I am working on next and then used Saral paper to transfer the boundaries. Is it just  me or is Saral paper really messy???

Here is my drawing on my third canvas:

I am going to have her "disappear" into the left side of the canvas just like the original picture that I got out of a magazine, and am hoping to not be so afraid of color on this one. I'll show my progress as I go. So far, I am totally loving this class.

And speaking of classes, don't forget that Jessica Sprague's free class, "Computer Tricks for Cards" begins today.  I will be looking forward to checking that out when I return from our adventure today.

I'd better go; it is almost 8 am and I have to eat breakfast, shower, pack a cooler and pick up my girls and get started on our day with Aunt Anne.

xoxo

I Wish June Would Slow Down

Where is this month going? I had so many plans for this month.....

On a positive note, I did get a lot of art done this month considering I was away from art for so long. One of the best things I accomplished in June was rearranging my art room. It is much more efficient and I am beginning to actually know where things are. I'll have to take some pix some day soon and share them.

Here is today's photo:

I can't remember the last time I "caught" a hummingbird sitting anywhere but the feeder. This one is keeping his eye on the feeder, but is high above in a willow tree.

I also found a picture I took on the screened porch earlier this Spring. It is a pair of second hand boots I picked up for a couple of bucks because I thought the 2 year old would love them even though they are a bit large. Well, I was right. She loves them!

And last, but hopefully not least, I have the rough drawing of the next technicolor face I am planning to do in Sharon Tomlinson's class. I think this one looks much more like the magazine picture I was using as a model. I like her stronger jawline and fuller lips. Now if only I can preserve these features when I start painting her. I am hoping for a new video this morning and can't wait to try it.

But wait, I won't be able to try it today. In a little bit, we are going to my daughter's house to plant green beans and beets with her little girls. Then we are taking them out to breakfast and bringing them back here for the day - their Mom works today from 1:00 until 10:00. Maybe I should just get her to pack pajamas so they can spend the night. They will surely both be asleep by the time she gets here.

I guess I'd better skedaddle or I'll never get anything done today......

I hope to have something new to share with you on Monday.

xoxo

A Rose, A Mixed Media Canvas and A Face

I hope you aren't tired of seeing my roses. We only have one bush, but it gives me such pleasure. The colors have such a range from light yellow to golden peach. I never know what I am going to see as each new bud opens. Here is today's photo:

I would really like to get set up outside with a long lens and a tripod and spend some time capturing the birds, but in less than a minute the mosquitoes would carry me off - me, hell, they would carry off my camera and tripod. Have you encountered any of those mutants this summer. They are huge and are everywhere. Needless to say many of my pix are taken through windows and/or screens. Unfortunately, the quality suffers, but I can't help myself, I love to take pictures. Maybe if the weather becomes a bit drier the mosquitoes will take a hiatus and I can get outdoors and really do some shooting!

Meanwhile, I've been spending lots of time in my art room working playing. I have been working on my ongoing mixed media canvas. I have added to it, but it is not done yet. I made myself a stamp from a trio of leaves I cut out of some wallpaper in a sample book I have and used Stazon ink to stamp the canvas. I am thinking I will sponge a mix of greens and yellow greens over the leaves to give more of a treed effect and maybe put a bit of brown on the cheesecloth to simulate a farmer's field. I am trying to think how to make a transition from the ground to the sky. I love the colors in the upper part of the piece, but need to put in some greens and maybe some tiny bits of wildflower color to make the land part of the piece. Then I may add a small barn to complete this project that I've come to think of as "A Birds' Eye View". Do you have any thoughts about this?

The other project I am working on is for Sharon Tomlinson's Faces in Watercolor Class. I have the first face finished - at least I think it is finished. There are some spots on it where the brush strokes are visible and the edges aren't smoothly blended. I may get brave and work on those transition areas and I am thinking I may add something to the right of the canvas. What do you think?

It is another gray day, but here is what my weather forecast has to say for today:

Forecast for Early This Morning
Showers likely and isolated thunderstorms overnight. West winds around 10 mph with gusts to around 20 mph. Chance of rain 60 percent.
Forecast for Today
Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 70s. Northwest winds 5 to 15 mph.

Right now the weather conditions say the humidity is at 88% and I can tell.

I must thank you, dear readers, for the time you take to read and comment on my blathering and your input into my art attempts. I truly appreciate each and every one of you, even you lurkers. I'd really like to get more input; I can take criticism and would hope you would be able to give it in a constructive way.

By the way, I still haven't cleaned the bathrooms. Today, for sure!!!

xoxo

Today's Photo and EDM #44

It is another day with severe thunderstorms expected throughout the day and into the night. It is already quite sticky out and I don't like it. That said I did get a lovely picture of the part of the perennial garden right next to the front door. So here is today's photo:

The hubster made the sign.

With all the rain we've had I must say the colors are quite vivid. The greens are so green and the other colors "pop" in contrast. The yard is really beautiful and I have the hubster to thank for it. He is definitely the "yardener".

I bought a new point and shoot camera last week to replace the one I gave to my daughter the week before. This camera is my first non-Canon camera ever. It is a Panasonic Lumix that I found at B&H for a good price and free shipping. It is very small and has an 8x optical zoom. It is the zoom that convinced me to buy it. I love Canon cameras and have always been extremely pleased with them, but the basic point and shoot cameras only have 3x or 4x capabilities.

Here is a picture I took on the way to the grocery store the other day. Imagine my surprise to see a doe frolicking in the road. As I approached slowly she moved over onto the shoulder and then just inside the trees. I eased up so that I was level with her, lowered the window and took pictures. Here is one of them.

Isn't she beautiful? I am pretty pleased with the quality of this picture and will take more with this camera to see what it's limitations are.

And finally here is EDM #44, an animal. I used the picture above as my model. It isn't all I wanted it to be, but I am happy to be sketching again.

As you can see it is not an exact representation. I chose to have the branch that actually goes across her upper forehead be above her. I think this kind of artistic license is perfectly acceptable. Please correct me if I am wrong.

I'm waiting for some feedback from Sharon on my Faces in Technicolor class before fine tuning it and then with her permission I will show it to you. I am having a lot of fun playing with this.

I don't think I have much of a plan for today except to work on my two works in progress - I really need to clean bathrooms, but somehow I am becoming expert at ignoring them. It's so damn hot and cleaning bathrooms just makes me sweatier. It would feel good to get them done, though. Okay, my plan for today is to clean the bathrooms, work on my mixed media piece and my Faces in Technicolor canvas, make a pasta salad (doesn't a pasta salad just say "summer"?) and watch some tennis. I wonder who is playing today?

I just reread the previous paragraph and except for the bathroom cleaning part don't I just sound like a lady of leisure?

I'm so happy to be back to blogging and reading your blogs. Please feel free to leave comments;

positive or constructive criticism welcome.

xoxo

Painting, Doodling and an All Nighter

I went outside this morning to inspect the aftermath of the horrendous storm in the night to find that the house could be almost be described as lake property. Here is what I saw:

It will be surprising how quickly all that water is absorbed and things go back to normal - at least until the next storm goes through.

I've been working on an ATC trade that is doodled flowers with at least one color besides black and white and have them almost finished:

The one on the far right needs something - maybe a larger flower in the background with part of it behind the small ones. I just love the white on black one!

I was at an antiques/collectibles store with the hubster last week and picked up a great little stand for my art room.  I can't believe I got it for $12.95! What a find!

I mentioned in an earlier post that I am taking a class from Sharon Tomlinson. It is called Faces in Technicolor and boy does it look fun! Here is the face I've drawn that I am going to paint in technicolor. I'll show my progress as I go:

I have done some initial painting, but didn't realize that I should wait for each layer to dry in between applications, so I have a smeared mess. I will try later today (after I do my tutoring) to correct it. If all else fails, I can put a layer of flesh tones over her and start over.

I'd better get myself in gear. The tutee will be here in about an hour and all I've done so far is "talk" with you and drink a cup of coffee. 

Thanks for stopping by and reading my drivel post. I'd love it if you would leave a comment to let me know what you think of my "art" or life in general. Critiques are always welcome.

xoxo

MIABA June 19 Meeting

On Saturday, a group of us met at The Stamp Shoppe in Portage. The project was an acrylic book and the team of Linda, Puff, Tina and Teri were very well prepared for us. They had a ton of stamps, images to do packing tape or contact paper transfer, alcohol inks, stamp pads, stamps, a Xyron machine and a Zutter Bind-It-All. I've probably missed something, but it was a wonderful arty day and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

This was the first meeting at which I actually got the project done. I may add a bit of bling from home, but basically, I have a completed book and even the hubster was impressed.

Here are some pix of the event:

I'm not sure how I missed getting a picture of Linda and Teri; I guess it was because they were perpetually going around helping. 

Did I mention the food was delicious and that the owner, Beth, was a sweetie?!

I believe there were 17 of us and it was just about the perfect size. Lots of room, lots of sharing and conversation.

In the afternoon Lorrie Abdo stopped in and visited. She couldn't come for the day because her son is in a soccer tournament. It was great to meet her.

Can't wait for the next meeting - I believe it is September 11 in the clubhouse in Grand Rapids - I haven't been to that one, but I've heard good things about it.

xoxo

Final Background and Another Photo

Here is today's photo. It is a beautiful flower in the front perennial garden that I'd love to draw - and perhaps I will.

Here is what it looks like after I add the Find Edges filter under Stylize in Photoshop, change it to black and white, and then adjust the Levels a bit. This really helps me to see the values.

I spent a good part of the day yesterday with my artist friend, Nancy. We went into Ann Arbor to the Scrap Box and the Treasure Mart. I had a lot of fun as I always do when I spend time with her. When I got home, I almost immediately came into the art room and began on my next layer on my work in progress. I am quite pleased with how it turned out and now feel ready to put the finishing touches on it. 

I also grabbed the innards of a book whose covers I am going to use to make a sketchbook and began to draw birds. I drew their outlines first and then used colored pencils to color them. They are cut out and ready to be added to the canvas, but first I think I am going to draw some branches and maybe use some of the 101 Artist's Cement to make some of the leaves 3-D.

Here are the two birds so far. Notice that the bluebird lost one of his legs when I was cutting him out. I'll have to deal with that when I am affixing him to the canvas.

I am beginning to feel really excited about this project, and feel the ideas in my head beginning to work themselves out. 

I am going to a MIABA meeting in Portage all day tomorrow, so will put off working more on this probably until Sunday. That is, of course, unless I get more of it done today.

My Faces in Technicolor class with Sharon Tomlinson began today and I am really excited to get started. I've watched the first video and am working on my first assignment. When I get to the actually "making a face" part I will share what I am doing. My internet connection has such constraints on it as far as how many MB I am allowed to use in a day that I think I may take the laptop to a friendly WIFI place and have some coffee and watch videos to my heart's content.

So much to do, so little time......

xoxo

WIP and Today's Photo

For today's photograph, I have a picture of the bench in the front yard with lilies growing beside and behind it. The hubster made the bench (I'm not sure there is anything made of wood in the yard that he didn't make) and the lilies are part of the front perennial garden.

The more I think about this "photo a day" idea, I think they will all be from my yard. There is plenty of interest here. The hubster is the yard guy and he has bridges over the creek, various plants in the "natural" part of the yard to the north of the creek, herb gardens, vegetable garden, the perennial garden between the house and his shop, the berm with the lighthouse and the front perennial gardens. And there is always plenty of bird activity to document.

Now, I have pix of the next few layers that I've added to my work in progress so far. I still don't know for sure where this is going, but I think I need to go to USArtQuest and get some 101 Artist's Cement to use with stencils to get some 3-D elements into the final layer.

I am really liking the color of the middle pic above and think I will make a thin glaze to put over the "yellow" layer before I add more. I am thinking image transfers, 3-D elements using artist's cement, and then some hand drawn things (maybe birds?).

Any ideas? Comments? Does that sound too busy?

I love it that you not only come to take a look, but that you take the time to give suggestions and leave comments. Thanks so much!!

I've got to run. I need to have a bite to eat and then I must get in the shower. I am going out and about with my friend Nancy today and am hoping to find a few treasures at some second hand stores to share with you tomorrow.

xoxo

WIP and More Photography

Remember after the last torrential downpour how our backyard became a lake instead of a creek. Well, now it is back to normal and the yard is lush and beautiful (thanks to the hubster).

Here is another picture from the rosebush in the side garden. It is a newly opened one with a rich color and a wonderful smell.

And finally, my work in progress:  I've added a bit of color with a wash of very watered down Quinacridone Magenta and then mixed up a bit of Ultramarine Blue with a fair amount of Titanium White and splattered it about. In between those two steps, I stenciled a bit with a piece of plastic canvas.

I have a wide selection of papers and textures that I am planning to add today and then I'll go from there. I haven't worked without a plan in a long time and I find it a bit frightening, but also very freeing. I am anxious to work on it more.

But first, I have to run into town and get some softener salt and run by the daughter's house to pet the cats and bring in the mail. Then I'd better do the treadmill or I'll talk myself out of it altogether.

I hope to see you tomorrow - thanks so much for visiting!

xoxo

Art and Photography

I have finally taken the plunge and am actively working on a canvas that has been sitting in the rejects heap for more than a year. So far I've painted over the entire canvas with white acrylic paint (I ran out of gesso, but have ordered some from Dick Blick) and then I randomly stroked and spattered a mix of Pthalo Green and Titanium White. I'm not sure yet where I am going with this, but hope to play more this afternoon after my tutoring session.

I also wanted to share a couple of photos I took in the yard a couple of days ago that I think are worth sharing. The photography bug is biting me and I think I am going to have to set aside some time in the coming days to give in to it.  I am thinking I may do a journal with 30 or 31 pages and take a pic a day to put in it. I've seen this idea online somewhere. Sorry, I don't remember where.

Here is a picture I took of the roses in the side garden:

They have the most wonderful smell!

And here is one of the "babbling" part of the creek right outside the back door. I love falling asleep this time of year with the windows open and this soothing sound.

It is nice and cool this morning and for a change I don't feel suffocated with the humidity. I think I will take the camera out and walk the yard.

And then I will work more on arranging my art space. I have been working a bit here and there over time and am hoping to finish some time this week. Perhaps then I will share some pix of my creative space.

For now, I am off to walk the yard, eat breakfast, work just a bit on my room, tutor mathematics for an hour or so, walk the treadmill, shower and then begin my day.

xoxo

Free Class and Birds

I got an email from the very talented Jessica Sprague today offering a free class called "Computer Tricks for Cards". It starts later this month and is sure to be a good one. Jessica teaches Photoshop classes and I am guessing this is a combination of card making and digital manipulation. She not only invited me, but she gave me permission to share the link and access code with you. You can find out more here.

I was out on the screened porch yesterday afternoon when I saw a familiar silhouette in the far willow tree. I still had the long lens attached (I used it at the ballet performance the night before) so I was able to get a few shots before he flew away. It is not a great picture - it was shot through a screen from far away - but it is good enough to verify that it is my old friend the Cedar Waxwing. Years ago, one built a nest in the tulip tree right off the deck, but I didn't have a very good camera and didn't get much in the way of pix. I sure wish he would give away the location of his nest this year so I could try to get pictures with a really good camera. Here he is:

According to the bird book, the way to make a positive identification is through the black eye band and the yellow at the tip of his tail. I'm going to have to keep an eye out to see if I can get a better picture. He is a beauty for sure.

Speaking of birds, here is a doodle of a bird done in the style of Geninne at Geninne's Art Blog. If you are not familiar with her and you love birds and/or art, I suggest you check out her blog. You are sure to become a follower/subscriber.

Here is my humble attempt:

I fear his tail is too short and his belly too round, but I like him anyway.

I pulled out an old canvas on which I'd tried to paint a farm scene a long time ago. I was totally unsatisfied with it, so I am starting again. First I tried to gesso over it, but I ran out of gesso and the stuff at the bottom of the jar was lumpy. So after it dried I sanded it and painted over it with white acrylic paint. I don't think I am going to paint a farm scene, though. I think I will make a mixed media background with stamps, ephemera, and different colors and then maybe a barn in the background with a bird on it. What a surprise!! I am thinking about painting a bird.......

Here's a not so good pic of my little 7 year old bird at her dance performance. I'd forgotten how difficult it is to get a good shot of a moving target in poor lighting conditions from Row N at the Potter Center.

Thank you for your visit. I do appreciate the company. I'd appreciate if you would let me know if you have ideas or suggestions for my art or photography and I'd love to know if you follow the link to the free class and later when the class starts I'd love to share the experience with you.

xoxo

Reading, Eating and Redos

A friend of mine was telling me about a great book she was in the middle of and I knew I wanted to read it. I tried to find it at the local library, but they didn't have it. I tried to borrow it through MelCat, but they had a waiting list for it. So when I was in Target the other day, I saw it and it was 20% off in paperback. I couldn't help it - I bought it. I finished it around 2 this morning and LOVED it. It is "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson. I am taking it to my daughter today so she can enjoy it too. Don't you love sharing books?

Last evening the hubster played tennis so I was on my own for dinner. I made myself a large salad with Romaine lettuce, tomatoes and dried cherries with a teaspoon of Kraft Zesty Italian dressing. I also mixed up some Albacore tuna with hard boiled eggs and a touch of mayo, and ate it with two Wasa wafers. It was quite yummy and satisfying. I am chasing my goal of mid 150s with a vengeance! And I am eating well and not feeling hungry between meals. The meal looks so wet, but it is mostly water on the lettuce.

I so appreciate your suggestions and comments on my failed attempts to make art and so I am reposting my watercolor picture after adding to it a bit with black fine liner. Thanks freebird for your wonderful suggestion. I do like it better, but there is still lots of room for improvement.

The 7 year old has a performance at the Potter Center tonight and tomorrow night doing ballet and tap. I am so looking forward to it and am getting my camera with the long lens ready to go. We have tickets for tomorrow night. Today I am going into town to get the 2 year old sister to bring her to my house. She may stay the night. She is too young to sit through the 3 hour performance.

I'm still in my pajamas and haven't had breakfast yet, so I gotta go!

Love you all - thanks for reading and commenting.

xoxo

ATCs and an Attempt at Watercolor

Yesterday while reading the blogs to which I subscribe, I found a lovely watercolor at my friend Nancy's site and decided I wanted to try something like it. I really thought I could make something like it. The drawing went pretty well, but the watercolor - ugh!! I really need some lessons. I just went back to look at hers (you can see it by clicking on the link on her name) and realized that I didn't remember to put something behind it to ground it. I'm not sure that would save it though.

Here it is in all it's glory lowliness:

While walking the yard with coffee and the hubster, I told him that I had tried a watercolor and that it was horrible. He suggested I burn it. Should I have thrown it away? I think I need to keep it as a step along the way to getting better. While it is very amateurish, it isn't actually painful to look at - okay, it is a little painful!

On to other things.

I participated in a Dylan lyrics ATC swap at ATCs for All and received these in the mail recently. I really like them:

Yesterday on a shopping trip to town I went to Target and bought a bath scale that measures body fat, bone mass, BMI, % water, and weight. I'm not sure I truly believe it is possible for such a thing to be accurate, but was pleased to find that all my measurements (except weight) were in the acceptable range. I had weighed on an old scale I had about a week ago and found that I was in the mid 150s, which thrilled me. The last time I was weighed before that was at the doctor's office last Fall at which time I was 178. However, on the new scale (which I assume is more accurate than my realllllly old one) I weigh 160.3; that does not please me very much. Although I am not one to stress over the numbers, I am greatly attracted to the mid-150s and so that is my current goal.

I also purchased a wrist worn blood pressure gadget because I want to know and the hubster takes blood pressure medicine, but is now working out regularly and eating pretty sensibly. Mine was its usual healthy reading and his was quite low. I will have him check it again today and see what it says. 

Right now I need to go get a bit of breakfast (Shredded Wheat & Bran, with frozen thawed blueberries and fresh strawberries) and then get on the treadmill. I am tutoring later this afternoon, but except for that I think the day is mine to do as I please. I think I'd better get back to my watercolor pencil class lessons and see if I can learn something.

See you,

xoxo