A New Day and A New Perspective

Yesterday afternoon when Miss Z came to visit, I packed her up in the car and went to my daughter's house to stay with Miss M while her big sister went to dance class. It was a very good decision on my part. Miss M went through her books and movies and put the "baby" ones in a bag for me to take home for when Miss Z is visiting. It is amazing how many she had. And then we took Miss Z for a walk in the stroller. Miss M pushed the stroller nearly the whole way and really felt like a babysitter, which she says she will be able to do by herself when she is 7. To be honest, I think she will have to be a bit older than that, but for now I keep that to myself.


After dance class was over, while their Mom was fixing dinner, the big girls took Miss Z out in the back yard and played with her on the slide and the trampoline. A great time was had by all, and I must say that Miss P, at 9 years old, will soon be a really wonderful babysitter. I sent her a text to that effect shortly after I got back home and had Miss Z in bed.


I didn't last very long last evening; I think I was in bed by 10 - a very unusual occurrence for me, but I must have needed it, for I slept soundly and didn't awaken until almost 7. I have a busy day planned with yoga class at 9:30 and Miss Z until about 3. I am also working on a bit of stuff for the hubster. I printed out 5 pages of business cards yesterday that I need to cut apart. And I am doing the faces on the reindeer he is making. They are standing 3-D puzzles with legs for support, a body, then a head, and antlers on top . I should have taken photos of them, but they are out in the shop and it is dark and wet. I will show you the whole reindeer when they are assembled. For now here is what I have on the heads so far.

I now have to paint a face on the backs of them as well.

I am hoping to finish my book today and once Miss Z goes home I will finish the reindeer heads and then work a bit in my art journal. I'd also like to carve a couple of stamps and maybe start a watercolor. I hate to let too much time go by without working playing with watercolor as I don't want to regress. I still have a long way to go and Lord knows I don't want to go backward.

What about you?  Do you have some big plans for the day? Are you enjoying this Fall-ish weather? Are you finding time to play in your creative space? I am so loving seeing and hearing what others are up to....do share.

xoxo

Happy to be Missing the BIG Snow Storm

We just spent two days in the car spending the first night just south of Nashville, TN and arriving in Pensacola Beach around 3:30 this afternoon. We are now in the central time zone. We are very pleased with the condo we are renting and although it was very cloudy when we arrived I was still able to get a great pic from the balcony.

We just returned from a walk a couple of blocks away with my sis and her hubster to Flounders for a wonderful shrimp platter we shared and a margarita. What a great meal.

We are now back at the condo and chilling. I am going to get into some soft pants and put the feet up. I brought my special bear that I have been sketching for blind contour Friday so I have something to sketch. I am also hoping to sketch some of the birds on the beach tomorrow, that is if it doesn't rain.

I had oodles of birthday wishes on Facebook and some here on my blog and I must say it was fun even at my advanced age. I am now officially in my last year in my 50s. I am anticipating even greater things in the 60s, but that will have to wait a year.

I hope to have something arty to show you tomorrow. I hope to "see" you then.

xoxo

Thort and Thweet Thursday

Just a quick note to check in and share a little bit of art from yesterday.

I am still not feeling up to par - head cold and sore throat - but I did spend a bit of time drawing with the little girls last evening before we went to bed.

Here is Little Miss 7's in progress:

I love this child's art. 

And here is my quick sketch of one of Little Miss 3's Care Bears:

The hubster is leaving in about an hour to spend the day with a couple of brothers and a friend and then go to the Great Lakes Invitational hockey game this evening. They are hoping that Michigan and Michigan State will have a match up. DD is working today until just after dinner so I will be in charge of the two little girls for the day.

I am hoping to get on the treadmill before he goes, so I'd better get this old body moving. I hope to have something to share with you tomorrow.

Just one more day before the new year arrives. It is in the 40s this morning and we are expecting low 50s tomorrow - weird weather for this time of year.

xoxo

Temperate Tuesday

Here is part of the listing for 'temperate' in the thesaurus: self-restrained, restrained, moderate, self-controlled, disciplined; abstemious, self-denying, austere, ascetic; teetotal, abstinent.

The meaning I am referring to is "self-controlled, disciplined".

As I find myself looking into the maw of the new year, I find that I am drawn to make some resolutions and being more disciplined is one of mine. I find that I am not structured enough in my day. Don't get me wrong, I don't want a schedule, but I don't want to waste so much time either. Some days I find it is getting dark (granted that is pretty early in the day) and I haven't accomplished much at all.

For example, I intended to do a small watercolor yesterday and I did not. I didn't totally waste the day, but I didn't get to the watercolor. Granted I am not feeling up to par, but I am afraid that is not a really good excuse. I just have a head cold and am a little achy and unsteady. It seems like the unsteady part might actually contribute to a better chance to make a really loose painting (she said with a smile).

I did make a shopping list, clean the refrigerator, go to Meijer and get the groceries, put the groceries away, make pea soup, work a few crossword puzzles, make dinner and do dishes, but that doesn't seem like a great deal to get done in a whole day. Oh, and I sketched a bird.

I have a few things that I would like to accomplish in 2011 and I like making lists, so here goes:

- set aside time for art each day
- participate in the sketchbook challenge
- go to a life drawing session
- learn to do digital art (take the time to really learn Art Rage)

And more in general:

- listen more
- spend more time with family and friends
- get more sleep
- keep a cleaner house
- cook more
- budget my time and my money better

I am sure I am forgetting something very important, but these will do for a start. What about you? Do you make resolutions? I don't generally make New Year's resolutions because I am forever nagging myself to change, but I thought it might be a good idea to actually write them down.

Oh, here is the little sketch I did get done yesterday.

This is supposed to be a yellow warbler. I think I should have drawn his beak open in song.

I am off to have a healthy breakfast and then walk the treadmill and then am going to set aside a bit of time to do nothing but art. I also need to get another journal made. I think I will make one for the Sketchbook Challenge. It will be fun to actually write in one of my own.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope to "see" you again tomorrow.

xoxo

I'm Home

Good morning! I am stiff and sore and sleep deprived, but it sure is good to be home. I spent the past seven days packing, cleaning, cooking, carrying, rearranging, unpacking, cooking, cohosting a two day garage sale, packing up and delivering to goodwill those items that didn't sell..... You get the picture. The good news is that my Mom is moved in and is quite happy with her new apartment. The bedrooms are larger than the ones in her old place and the windows are at least twice as big. The living room is larger than her old one and she has a new couch and a new recliner. The kitchen is quite small, but the appliances are very nice. She has a garbage disposal and a side by side refrigerator. She knows quite a few of the others living in this senior housing building and is both well known and well liked in the community. Perhaps the best news is that she has sold her old place.

I didn't get much art done, but did manage to do a self portrait. It is a little rough, but then I drew it with the pad on my lap and a small mirror on the end table in Mom's old house. I think it looks a bit like me.

The Fall color was stunningly beautiful and I had my camera, but I was always too busy to stop and take pictures. I'm angry at myself for that, but I feel really good about all I was able to accomplish while there.

This picture from last Fall will have to do for the Photo of the Day. I sure hope you don't mind. It isn't much, but has lovely color.

I am hoping to get back into my routine soon. For today, I am hoping to get on the treadmill, catch up on the newspaper, unpack and spend some quality time with the hubster.

I have my watercolor class tomorrow and have added a bit to my latest work in progress that I already shared here last week. I am also hoping to do more work on the heron background.

I've missed you and my art, but really enjoyed being a part of the big move with Mom. She is a lot of fun.

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

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

I'm Finally Home for the Summer

and hoping to get into a routine where I can set aside a couple of hours a day to devote to art. I just did a quick sketch of an oriole to "get my feet wet". Funny how difficult it seems to just put a pencil to paper after such a long hiatus.

It is not really very good, but I think you can tell it is a bird .

And here is a picture of my Mom reading with Morgan. It was so special to have the girls really get to know their great grandmother. They just called her Grandma, as they call me Nana.

They had big fun together. 

I've really missed my routine and my art, but surely did treasure this special time with Mom. She is a very special lady.

xoxo

Last Try on the Rubens and a Tree Trunk

First of all, I want to thank all of you for your wonderful comments. The specific suggestions were so wonderful and I am thankful again that I am a part of this wonderful online community. I tried to incorporate all that was suggested in making changes to the chin and the fullness of the face. Here is my final attempt, for I am moving on:

 

And here is a completely different sketch for me. I saw this tree trunk in an old book that I found at a second hand store and felt compelled to sketch it. I don't usually sketch inanimate objects. I have nearly always chosen birds or people. I don't think it is bad for a first try and think I might venture outdoors as these days get warmer and the quality of the light improves and try my hand at drawing something in the yard.

 

I have a full day planned today. I need to workout on the treadmill, go to Sam's, finish the grocery shopping at Meijer's, make a never before tried dinner recipe, and make time to do some art.

I went to Hollander's yesterday to pick up the papers I'd left behind after the Sunday class and decided to go to Sparrow Meats to purchase some lamb. I've never cooked with lamb before, but have loved any of the dishes I've tried either in Greektown or in other restaurants. I left there with 1/2 pound of stew meat, a leg bone (for the base), and 1/2 pound of ground lamb. I am planning to make Alton Brown's Lamb Stew with Barley for dinner tonight.

I was also a lazy butt and didn't arise until 8:30. That is really sleeping in for this usually early riser. I love to get up just before sunrise, but apparently needed the extra shuteye.

Gotta go! I hope to see you again tomorrow.

xoxo

Working

I am working in my art room, but because I am making altered book pages to share I don't want to show too much until the intended recipients have gotten them. There are six people in each exchange. I have sent the first one, have the second ones done except to put backs on them, and have the backgrounds started on the last two. I am one of the people in the group, so I really only have to send 5 two page spreads out. I haven't decided how I will bind my book when my pages are received, but that can wait.

I am watching way too much tennis and staying up much too late in order to do so. Some of the women I really like to watch play have been already beaten - Hantuchova, Dimentieva, Sharapova, Clijsters, - to name a few. The men are really battling it out and I have been enjoying watching Nadal, Federer, Del Potro, Murray, Isler, Roddick; anything can happen and undoubtedly will.

I have been trying to sketch each day - didn't get to it yesterday. We went up to the Maple Street Mall to reorganize the hubsters space and get new pix for their website and then I spent much of the afternoon working with the pictures and updating the site.

Here is what I have drawn this morning.

Here is a picture of my work area. It needs some straightening, but I like to have things close by so that I don't have to get up all the time. I have put all the paints and colored pencils behind me on a shelf within reach, too.

And last but not at all least. I am sure I told you about winning the Copic markers from Milliande at Christmas time, but I wanted to show them to you. As soon as I get up the courage to try them I will share that with you also.

My daughter is bringing the girls out around noon to visit and have me copy some papers on my printer/scanner/copier for her. I've better get this bum on the treadmill and do a walk before they arrive. I hope to get more art done today that I can show you tomorrow or Monday.

xoxo

AEDM-Day 28

I had a quiet, restful, and productive day yesterday and am hoping for another today.

I just learned through one of my Yahoo! groups that a steampunk tutorial is available for making dominoes with metal and bling. The tut can be found at Funky Time Art. I am looking forward to trying this style but first I have to find some two part resin for the finish. The tutorial actually gives a link to a source, so I don't really have to find it, but I have to purchase it.

I finished up my tags for a swap in another of my Yahoo! groups, but didn't really get much information about them. I posted a message asking about size, but didn't get an answer, so I made them a size that pleased me and am hoping that is good. Here they are:

I also finished up a card that I am swapping with a friend from one of my Yahoo! groups, but won't show it yet because she might read this and I don't want to spoil the surprise. Both this card and the tags will go out in Monday's mail.

I cannot believe it is so close to Christmas! This year has flown by and I don't feel ready. We are trying to have a "green" Christmas this year. By that I don't mean "without snow", but making and remaking items to give rather than buying new. I don't know if we will accomplish this completely, but with that as our mindset, we are sure to come up with some "from the heart" gifts that will be treasured by the receivers.

I am looking forward to lunch (I haven't had breakfast, yet) because I still have the hoarseness and cough which I will treat with a bowl of my homemade turkey rice soup. The secret to this years special flavor is just a bit of leftover gravy in the broth and just a pinch of tarragon at the end of the cooking process.

The picture is not so great, but the soup is delicious!

I am hoping to have an artful, productive day and will share it with you tomorrow.

Bye!

A Pretty Girl, More Patterns, and AEDM

For a change of pace, I decided to draw a pretty girl and I like her. She was fun to draw and I think I have to maybe combine girls and birds as I am not ready to quit drawing birds yet.

She needs some shading and maybe a hint of color.

And I am sorry embarrassed happy to share some more patterns that I worked on yesterday. Making patterns appears to be the only way I can forget this pain in my shoulder/arm. I tried heat instead of cold yesterday and although it appeared to offer some relief, today I can hardly stand the pain. I am definitely going to have to see someone tomorrow - that is if I can make it through the day without going to some walk in place.

 

This is the rooster I drew the other colored in PS and then made into a pattern. 

  

Made from letter L in Bordoni Ornaments font

Made using letter M in Bordoni Ornaments font

 

Same pattern as above except on same color background and embossed

This is made from my art

I am all used up this morning. I have taken 800 mg of Ibuprofen and am heading for the couch to try to spend some time dozing. It seems like the only time I don't hurt like hell is when I am asleep.

See you tomorrow....

Vicki

Chelsea Farmers' Market & Altered Dominoes

Saturday was the 4th of July. Perhaps because of this the farmers' market only had about half as many vendors as usual and not nearly as many customers as usual. This date may not have been the best for my initial venture.

However, it was a beautiful morning and I always enjoy spending time with the hubster. I took lots of pix of the vendors who participated and saw some very nice produce and flowers.



I didn't sell any domino pendants, but did get lots of advice after the fact through some of the Yahoo groups. It appears in retrospect to be something I should have thought of, but didn't. I should have worn one of the necklaces; I should have had some on chains or leather and had them hanging up; I should have had my own display table and not been included with the wood crafts (beautiful as they are, they are not jewelry).

The show wasn't a complete washout. I had a good time and met some nice, friendly people. One of the music tents was right next to us and the music was quite pleasant. The hubster sold the cedar deck chairs and table.

I am having a garage sale next weekend at my house to try to get rid of the baby/toddler toys and things that DH left when she moved to her new house, but the following Saturday I am planning to have a better display and my own space to see how it goes. That is unless that is the weekend of the St. Joe art fair, at which time we are planning to spend the weekend at my sister's house for a visit. If that is so, I will try the farmers' market again the following Saturday.

For today, I have grocery shopping to do and am meeting my Algebra tutee for an hour or so. Lots to do and so little time.

See ya!

Friends and a Butterfly Book

I had the most wonderful time on Saturday. I met a dear Marshall friend in Jackson and rode with her to Plymouth for the June michiganab meeting. We met at the Plymouth library early in the morning and played most of the day. There was a mountain of food, friendly people, and a great project provided by Ingrid Dijkers. Ingrid lives in the Plymouth area and made all the arrangements for the meeting place and the kits to make the butterfly books. This is the first time I have gone to an art gathering and actually left with a finished product. Sweet!

I cannot possibly remember the names of all the amazingly talented people I met, but I must mention Tina, Pam, Katie and her Mom, the girls from Ohio, Sandy, and Sharon and Linda from Muskegon who will be hosting the next get together in September.

Here are some pix of the event and my finished (well almost - I plan to add buttons and/or beads to the strings hanging on the front and either paint a face or collage a picture of one of my little girls to the face plane.) book.

Jackie Robinson Day

The baby was picked up by her Dad around 3 pm and she and her sister are spending the night. This means that I can have some uninterrupted art time.

I wanted to have a journal page to remember yesterday's Tiger baseball game and since it was officially Jackie Robinson (42) Day and every player on both teams was wearing the number 42, this is what I came up with.



The background was made with wet Caran d' Ache crayons, as was the number 42. The words with the score, time, weather, pitchers' names, what we wore, what we ate, where we sat, and the date were written with Pitt Artist Pens.

I think this will make a great memory to look back on and I think I've included enough information so that the memory will remain strong.

That's it for now.

Bye!

Birds Singing, Warmish Breeze Blowing

It is April and the weather is really beginning to feel good. The furnace is turned off for the day time hours and the screened porch is open to the house. The hubster has taken the two little girls to the park, so I am taking this opportunity to blog.

Beginning this week, we were only going to have the girls all day on Tuesdays, but then their Dad had surgery yesterday and so we have had them most of this week. I don't yet know how the recovery from his procedure is to progress, so don't know when my schedule will improve.

Meanwhile, the mail person drove into the driveway to hand deliver some larger parcels. Two of them were for me. One was the lovely journal I won from Rice at the Voodoo Cafe. If you haven't yet subscribed to her blog, you really should.




The other was the paper painting I purchased from Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson. If you are not familiar with this artist, you owe it to yourself to go take a look.



I did get a chance for a little while to work in my art room and began pasting torn text papers to 140 # watercolor paper in preparation for the 9 inchies I am making for a swap. I have never made inchies before and thought this would be the way to get text onto all of them before they were cut so small. It looks like I need to reglue some of the corners of the torn pieces before cutting them. I then put strips of masking tape on it in random places and brushed a green wash over all.



For now, the library just called to say that some of the books that I had ordered through the state wide library, MelCat, had arrived. I think I'd better finish reading "The Power of One" so that I can begin reading "The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox".

Also, I should list the books I read during the month of March:

Fire and Ice by Julie Garwood
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by Wrobleski
Letting Go by Pamela Morin
Shelter Me by Juliette Fay

So far, I have read 14 books in 3 months, so I am still ahead of the average to achieve 50 books read this year.

See you later.

Bye!

Spring is in the Air

I thought I was going to have yesterday off, but had the girls all day until around dinner time. I went and peeked in the windows of the house that DD signed a purchase agreement on and it is a really well-kept, cute house that needs very little done to it before she can move in. The tentative closing date is March 28 and we are all excited.

It really didn't get very warm yesterday, but the sun was shining and in the afternoon we took the baby out on the deck with her little motorized cart and drank our coffee in the sun. It was maybe 38 degrees or so, but it felt so good to be outside even if we did have winter coats on. I think it is supposed to be in the mid-40s today so am pretty sure I will be drinking my afternoon coffee outside again today.

I did get a little art done yesterday, but no practice on my faces. I will try to get to that while the baby sleeps today. Yesterday during her nap, I worked out for about 40 minutes in front of the TV to a weight training DVD and then walked uphill on the treadmill for 30 minutes. What I really wanted to do was take a nap, but am so glad I worked out instead because later in the day grandgirl #2 and her mother delivered Girl Scout cookies and they were quickly devoured right after dinner. Hopefully I at least came out even!

Here are a couple of pages I worked on when I had a few minutes yesterday. They aren't necessarily done yet, but they are started.






I am getting excited about drawing a random number to see who wins the 100th blog post giveaway tomorrow. If you haven't entered yet, visit the post here and leave a comment. I will be drawing the winner sometime tomorrow.

That's it for now; see you tomorrow!

I'm Still Here

I don't know where the past few days have gone. The baby has a constant stream out of her little nose and is coughing, so she is not sleeping; which means that I am not getting my "art break" while she naps. Today was my day off, but I had an appointment with the CPA who does our taxes and had to go back in the afternoon to bring some things I had forgotten and I had to redo some of the reports I had brought her. I also went to Michael's to get some Xyron adhesive cartridges for my 5: create a sticker machine. They were 40% off. While I was there I also bought the brushes that are recommended for the Faces class I am taking in early March with Paulette Insall. I have been waiting for this class since early last Fall, and am thrilled to be taking it soon.

Needless to say all that running around didn't produce any art. When I left the CPA office for the second time, I headed to Meijers to do some grocery shopping, then came home and made meatloaf and baked potatoes for dinner. It is the 6 year old's favorite meal.

I am now in my room and have begun the background of the next double spread in my art journal. I also have a list of 8 things art related that I have to do. A couple of them are for organized swaps and the rest are for private swaps. I need to get busy.

I also found out today that I was a lucky winner for some lovelies from SkinnyLaMinx. I can't wait to see what I won. If you are not familiar with her, you should pop over to her blog. She makes some wonderful designs.

I hate to write a blog post and not have any pix to go along with it, so I will include a couple that I did last Fall. The first one is a background of my favorite colors and the other is a sketch I made while looking at a famous painting. Do you recognize it? I hope to have some new art soon which I will show you.




As for you, don't forget to live in the moment!

Exercise Results, Award and CED2009

What a fantabulous day! I was a bit apprehensive to weigh in and take my measurements today because of missing almost 2 weeks of the treadmill workout due to injured knees, but I needn't have worried. I lost a whopping 4 pounds and 7 inches. I am thrilled and even more committed to do a treadmill workout every day but Sunday and do an upper body workout with my 5 pound weights every other day.

The Marie Antoinette
Real Person, A Real Award

On top of that, I was honored with a blog award from my dear friend, Brenda, of Crafty Chook. This is truly a great award. It is the Marie Antoinette, Real Person, A Real Award.

Here are the rules associated with this award:

1. Put the picture of Marie Antoinette on your blog.
2. Link to the person from whom you received the award.
3. Nominate at least 7 or more blogs.
4. Link to those blogs from your blog.
5. Leave a comment on their blogs to let them know you've shared the award with them.

This is so tough. There are so many worthy bloggers out there. Here are the ones I have chosen (in alpha order):

Kathryn Antyr
Karen Blados
Kristy Christopherson
Ricë Freeman-Zachery
Andrea Joseph
Milliande
Patty Szymkowicz

Be sure to check these out if you don't already subscribe to them. They give me lots of inspiration and add to the sense of community in this world online.

Last but not least (at least I hope not) I have done another spread in my art journal and would like to share it with you. I am not getting much time in my art room these days, but am able to do a little every day. This one took two days (not because it is complicated at all) because I had the girls all day for the last two days. I have tomorrow and Tuesday off - can't wait!




As for you, don't forget to be creative!