post holiday

day after finds me wanting to clean house...maybe to make room for what was received; maybe anticipating the new year coming this next week, and wanting a fresh start; either way, i'm thinking about sneaking down to my art shop until the feeling passes for now anyway...

i'm hoping that the newest christmas gifts have righted the electronic world back into my favor making it MUCH easier for me to use my laptop. i was tired of arm wrestling my kid for the use of the laptop, cuz let's face it- i'm no longer a spring chicken, and she is as big as i am now (actually a little taller now...) i can feel the missing piece of inspiration from the other bloggers creeping back in and making me feel at peace again...aaauuuhhhhhhh!

my pic is my newest addition to the tree which is a little giraffe made out of candy wrappers courtesy of my mom- thanks mom! he is soo cute!

life

life is still very much happening...with the kids, it feels like we just go to sports events (i followed the bus today- tk told me i was stalking them...), or picking up from something. but, in the mix of all of this, i have made some wonderful new art and have managed to get into another gallery (ok- so, the owner is my bff- still, a new gallery), and we will be the featured artists on the second floor of the goss opera house in watertown, south dakota.

what a space!! it is totally amazing! my mom and i met with the art manager yesterday, and our three generation art show is the first show ever on the second floor. i have to admit i was a little disappoint that the website did not mention anything, but, we are the first to show there and i think we are the guinea pigs...but, it is totally amazing.

toe envy...

here is to hoping for some indian summer...to enjoy the cuteness of the toes. there is nothing better than capries, sweatshirt and flip flops (to continue to show off the toes of course...)

house

we have transformed our living room...new couch and new tv. we have streamlined and got rid of all the extra "stuff." what i am so excited about is that it seems to have this pull...drawing us all into it- the oversized comfiness with the intimateness to induce conversation...even in kids...enjoying the home and the family.

lazy days of summer past....

well, summer has somehow past with us going into our second week of school...that is so hard to believe. we have a 6th grader, an 8th grader, and a junior- i am definitely not old enough for all of this- i am not that old!

our summer days saw a bunch of friends; warm, rough pavement on the bottom of our feet; fire flies and bon fires with gooey marshmellows and warm chocolate; it saw a trip to spain for our oldest (who had a total blast and survived without his parents for two weeks-ha, ha, ha) actually, i think i had panic attacks for the first two days he was gone because i hadn't heard from him and i didn't know what he was up to- and then, i would remember- he wasn't even in the US- ha. swimming, and walks, heat and humidity, and alot of rain for our area...it ended with alot of discussion over whether we should stay where we are or whether we should be moving....alot of discussion. and we came to the conclusion- we couldn't make the other house/ property work for our total needs and that we were happy here; and that, we were willing to make some changes to make this move happen, and maybe we needed to be focus on the changes, but, staying where we were already...

so, happily we have "flipped" our living room and have plans for our kitchen...the living room has pulled our family together even with all of being sleep deprived after being forced into school-time...which we all desperately needed. a little set routine and more normal bedtime...yes, summer has finished and school has started and i am ok with that. hope everyone's summer saw as much happiness....

july 15th

happy thursday....may our possibilities be endless today!

a blur of life...

the whole month of june past in a whirlwind....i had been waiting for the end of june to come so i could go to art class- and the week came and went. gone; but, lessons learned. not easily though- in fact, quite the opposite...there was alot of kicking and groaning involved- but, painting in my studio over this 4th holiday....break though achieved. it was an experiment, and pow- just like that the lessons clicked into sense and worked- exactly how they were supposed to. amazing....

i am sure that july is passing as quickly as june will...i am trying to take each day and do something arty...keep focused; stay on track and push forward.

hope your summer is passing at a speed that you can enjoy...what has been filling your time?

a landmark weekend

so, as the months have melted away to days, and now very soon, the days have changed to hours on sunday will be our oldest son's 16th birthday! we live in mn, and to obtain your drivers license....you need to be 16.

such a magical number! sixteen....boy, i thought i was soooo mature and old enough- i mean, i will be a junior in high school for heaven's sake! my biggest worry was whether or not my bangs were big enough (and if i thought i had enough hair spray on them to keep them there for the night!), and which "skinny" acid washed jeans and cool boots i was going to wear, i mean really!

so, i am dying to know...what were your favorites or "worries" at 16? ('cuz it was only like what, 10-15 years ago hug right?!)

the year

i watched the baby robin outside my kitchen window step of the ledge this morning and fly away...

a year ago i started this blog... not exactly sure how or where it was going to take me, and yet, i somehow managed to fly as well. this is what i have learned:
the blog world is huge, and covers all spectrums of life
i have met some very amazing people in this world; and have had some very nice comments left, especially regarding my art (thank you for ALL comments!)
my purpose of this blog has continued to evolve- as i hope it will continue
i have been a part of things i would never have had the opportunity to be a part of otherwise
my first year was good...educational, inspirational, questioning- how can i be more creative, more in tune with life, more in tune with me

thank you to all who have stopped by to visit, and certainly all who were inspired enough by a post to comment- that is good stuff!

green with envy....for color week!

greens...love them!!

if any of you looking are not familiar with curiousgirl lisa- you need to visit her! She is the organizer of color week and also inspirational, honest and thought provoking...wonderful. thanks!

for the love of purple....

this week's color week has been brought to you by curiousgirl lisa; and the letters c and w; and by the number 6....(ps- big bird says hi!)

fill the day with sunshine.....20 years today

today is our anniversary! 20 years and unlike 20 years ago, today is supposed to be sunny and warm; the day we got married, it was drizzily and very cool....

it's a blue day....

have a favorite today?

happy color week!

today is red...this is the red in my world. tell me which pic is your favorite!

roller coaster day

well the day was supposed to be a good one. the day that my husband was born many years ago at this point. we had to pick on him a little bit...feels good to have evened the years ticket...he likes to pick on me for the 6 weeks in between our birthdays saying how old i am until his fateful day comes. but, i have for many, many years been his "old lady" (since our high school days...)

he doesn't care for cake, so, i baked his favorite...apple pie! and what a beautiful pie it is! i like to think that i got this apple pie gene from my gramma peggy- god rest your soul.

so, the pie was out of the oven filling the whole house with its most delicious smells when the phone rang...my art gallery calling. and, i managed to sell another painting and the buyer would like another one....so, even better! i was feeling on top of my little painting world! i had even been painting off and on between loads of laundry.

but, at 4:30 today, my one and only "aunt" elizabeth passed away. she was 96 and had only been closer location wise to us for the last 6 weeks. she had been moved due to health reasons and just getting older. i think the weeks have not been overly easy for my family but, we are thankful for the time that she was closer. she was able to come to our house for easter dinner and see the kids and we just went to her place on mother's day to celebrate the day and to share our daughter birthday cake. she had fallen and had a small fracture in her hip, she was still up and about and was genuinely happy to see us- i am so glad we were able to get there. she had been admitted to the hospital wednesday night because she had not been feeling well. we went on friday to see her, and she didn't know we were there- she had just gotten a pain shot- so, i was a little disappointed, but, i also just wanted to know that she was comfortable. there was only one elizabeth- the good lord threw out the mold after she was born!! you will definitely be greatly missed elizabeth!! we loved you!

mom's day

happy mom's day....

a mother's work is never finished; so take advantage of the the in between moments to cherish your children (and man that helped bring those kids into this world)

a mother's love is unconditional; sometimes that loves comes easy, and sometimes that love may mean tough love; there will be times when that loves brings more joy than you can image, but, beware, this love can also bring tears of worry and sadness- but, this is the life a mom- good, bad or otherwise...mainly good.

find and keep your balance; if mom is off, the rest of the family may suffer; and trust me- they need us! so, for all of this and more...happy mom's day!

life con't

besides the fact that the sun has finally broken, i find that i want it to disappear. with the mail today came news that we have kinda been expecting, yet, not really wanting to hear about. i find myself horribly torn between what i am hoping is the truth, and the things i have heard. the news brings it to a whole 'nother reality when faced with actual papers in black and white. i hate when things are out of my control; our control.

right now, i want the sun to disappear and i want to go back to bed and not get out until i want to....

i find it interesting in the fact that "bullying" goes on everyday everywhere in some form- verbally, physically, and yet it has somehow found our doorstep. i find it interesting when we were faced with it, the "people" did not want to hear from us (basically because we were not from here, and obviously do not have the right last name nor related to the right people), but, that aside....how interesting that one act of accidental can totally change the direction of life, and yet as i listen to the news, i find that this fact will never change.

i used to think it was simply a kid thing, but, i find it obviously can occur at any age. life can completely change and the direction, hopes, aspirations can radically change.

so life is interesting, apparently good, bad or completely otherwise; but, right now, i just want the tears to come and wash away the dirt. i just want to get to the other side and maybe, but, not necessarily see the rainbow.

life

life has been busy....we are into track season- not spring just for the record. but, seriously, i have been so enjoying the track meets! we have had some of the best weather for them- i have been so thankful! and to see tk run- wow! brings back memories!! she is doing an awesome job; only 7th grade and participating in many of the varsity meets...

tomorrow is her birthday! and she is sooo excited! finally an actual teenager- omg!! i have a small surprise for the morning to open immediately upon awaking cause you know it's her birthday; i have pizza ordered for her english class because clearly her english teacher must think she is ok- she sent home a list of what pizza the kids in class liked?!; i made a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting for her homeroom class because her class is small, and her homeroom teacher was her basketball coach- and he thinks it's ok especially if cake is involved; and the last thing, is surprise birthday balloons weighted with two bags of snickers snack size! now reading all of this listed, i'm not sure i will want her home after all that sugar!! anyway, it is a very good day tomorrow!! one that hopefully she will enjoy!

happy thursday

these pics make me laugh! thought i would share....they are of myself and our youngest. i was picking on him, and told him we had to do the "facebook" look with the peace sign. he of course, thought i was perfectly crazy!

spring has arrived

i am finally feeling like spring is here...and here to stay. last year at this time, i think we still had a snow storm or two lurking around.

last night,
hearing the kids playing in the driveway (giggles, balls bouncing, and no glass being broken...we have already had a casualty or two)
feeling the warm concrete on my bare feet (the little grit of the concrete on my winter soft skin)
seeing my tulips finally poking their colorful heads up (mine seem to be a little slower than the rest of the neighborhood)

with spring, hope is eternal; life cycles, and even after a very cold snowy season of life, things manage to patiently wait for the gentle warmth to melt away that cold; giving them a chance to grow,and blossom again.

saturday evening rumble....

i have been very patiently waiting for this day to come since january....our local roller derby girls are hosting a home double header!! our whole family is going...my husband did not want me seeing the action without him, our oldest just wants to check it out, our daughter is thinking it is way cool (we may have to be concerned here, because she loves to roller skate anyway, and then, you get to shove people around- awesome!), and our youngest is going be virtue of dictatorship....cause the parents said so! details to come soon!

tuesday morning

yesterday morning=crappy

got the kids to school and decided i needed a cranberry-orange muffin before going to work, and that i should enjoy the muffin at the little coffee shop as well; why spoil a perfectly good muffin by taking it to work with myself.

so, i go to find a table to quietly eat my muffin, when i get invited to sit with the group of ladies that came in behind me. at first, i politely said i would be ok, but, then, had a change of heart and decided-what the heck!

so there were four at the table to start with and they were asking question about me, and the one lady says, so, welcome to luverne! how long have you been here? and i said, it will be 10 years this spring. they were all like, OMG- where have you been hiding? and then, almost if on queue someone new would come to the table and each time someone new came the group would introduce me as new to town because i have only been here 10 years and then, they would all laugh again!

at the end, i did need to go to work unfortunately, but, apparently they must have liked me because they said to come and join the group any tuesday and that they would add my name to the "list" to buy.

so crappy day=totally adverted over a small leap of faith, great group of ladies, muffin and cup of coffee

happy easter....

quite the day we had here today. our neighbor gentleman had offered to buy easter dinner because i always cook and he did not want me to slave away today...god bless him.

(a little back ground on the neighbor...he is mid 80's, and his wife passed away the winter we moved into our house, and, unfortunately we did not get a chance to meet here; he does not have children, and his family is all "getting up there in age" and do not travel and usually do not travel for the holidays- so, our neighbor is usually by himself- especially for the holidays. so, as long as we are home, i always invite him over to join the holiday for dinner at least....)

quite the feast we had here today- and i did not slave away today (i did some cooking yesterday, but, recruited the kids to help with everything and it was so much fun and alot less work). we served 16 today and laid out the tables to accommodate us all...there is nothing better than a huge bunch of family...lively conversation, food, a good holiday, wonderful weather...

we finished the day by going to an easter play put on by one of the local churches. it was very good and a very visual reminder of the reason for the day- jesus has risen, let us all rejoice....god bless all of you!

the week of "0"

so, last week on monday was an "0" birthday for me. i thought i could quietly let it pass, but, once i had reached the hallway to my office, i knew i was busted! someone clearly knew which bday this was....

there were only a select few who even knew my actual age; and the rest were surprised at the age and told me it would be ok.

so, after one week of settling in to this new, next decade of my life this is what i have decided....
-that i am comfortable with my age; but, if you think i am going to wear jeans that come to my actual waist and only come to my ankles...you will be sadly mistaken
-that i am the most confident in myself that i have ever been; i have learned life lessons, and moved forward
-women are beautiful at any age; but, the older a woman becomes the more beautiful she becomes because of life-especially if she has a passion because she will want to share and open up and that is hard to resist
-you need to be open to life and take the open door even if it is barely cracked- if you want it, pull, open it; life is meant to be a learning experience; if you believe you can, that is all it takes- why aren't you doing it?
-and nothing can beat a great group of friends....on a friday night (thanks girls for a wonderful bday party...what happens in the yukon- stays in the yukon...so as long as we were being silly...while taking pics, i was all about the "facebook" standard issue-peace signs with the pursed lips...)

a day of fun for donation

a day of painting is always good....this small one (12" x 12") is being donated to a fundraiser...

mixed media post for jan

i hope you enjoy!! here is some of my own mixed media/vintage collage work. if you are visiting and like the work in the pics posted...there is very similar mixed media work for sale and available here by another very talented artist! be sure to check it out!!

glimpse...

thank you to lisa and to jan for posting nice comments and wanting to see...the creation of the mad fool painting weekend. here is a cell phone photo of the piece that was donated to the fundraiser. the photo is not the greatest...the painting is a little more pastel-y in life than usual, but, i still really liked it.

and tomorrow....i am posting just for you jan! i loved your work i found at your esty shop. i have a little mixed media hiding in me as well....although, where i am at (as far as living location) mixed media is, i believe, misunderstood and not fully appreciated.

passion for paper

but, not just any paper will do....vintage papers are the best! now, i think i can be fairly creative, especially with my papers, but, check out this.....this creative soul's work was recently featured in martha's spring wedding 2010 issue!! (yes, we all know martha who...)

for those who follow, you already know i have a thing for circles, dots...and love to sew on paper, but, this garland is the coolest! i am loving this!

thanks to polkadot barn (jan-you are one of the coolest!)for the shout out about the coolest garland and giveaway ever! and to enter the giveaway you just need to visit...olivebites!

my favorite one is the vintage hymnal garland!! i'm gonna keep my fingers crossed and hope a little karma blows my way.....which is your favorite?

mad fool

i painted like a mad fool this last weekend...i had a commission that i had only gotten the briefest of details for that caused my pea brain to kick into overtime apparently- because i could hardly sleep friday night. so, saturday i did a little shopping for the requested size canvas and went to town! i really like what i ended with....i am hoping that the requestor likes it as well, but, if not- no problem....i liked it and it came so quickly and easily, that it is sure to find a good home by someone.

i also finished the piece for the donation to the "doctors in concert" that is this weekend. that piece i had mentioned i was a little worried about expectations- but, it came together so nicely and quickly that it will be fine. i really liked the end product and again- that is good.

if the artist is happy, then, life is good!

ripple

i was asked to donate a piece to the children's care hospital event called "doctors in concert." the person who is organizing the event had stopped into the gallery and really liked my work. she had especially liked the work entitled "are you listening?"

after i had agreed to donate a piece, one that is currently into the works, and drop it off at the gallery for her next week, a small ripple of fear went through me. first of all, it is a work in progress- note, it is not finished; and what if she doesn't like it or if it wouldn't live up to her expectations?

it is always easy to take the commission or work, but, then, there is always this brief moment of fear when someone is really relying on this work; this isn't something you just created, really liked, and now are selling- this is something they are trusting you to make, create for them. trust...so, i am going to...
trust in my own listening (and listen to that internal whisper of creativity),
trust in my dreams (i am holding the door open- i saw the light and i am looking
into it to see what other wishes come tumbling out)
trust in my work and be honored i was asked.

complexity

it almost never ceases to amaze me, my lack of the overall complexity of life and how i seem so able to completely see it one dimensionally. here is my scoop...

today at work, i am filling in for our resident employee health nurse, who has told me on several occasions that she is NOT a therapist; and then, i remind her that she tends to be very motherly and sometimes people just need to talk. so,...someone comes to me today and virtually tears up walking in the door. now, i am not overly like our resident nurse (at least i do not consider myself to be that motherly, however, i have decided that i am a very good listener- so, sometimes i believe that gets mistaken for the same thing- back to the story....) she says she is not feeling well, and needs to go home; but, with tears in the eyes, i have to at least ask if she is ok...well, her life is just really complicated right now, and she is one who tends to set the bar exceptionally high (which i relate to as well), but, as she is leaving to go home, she says, next week she will have to tell a story about why she is why she is and this is why she does what she does and it all boils down to doing what she loves (i am listening- my own door is open, and that is exactly again, why i am stepping away from one of my own positions at work to focus on what i love to do).

and as she leaves, i am amazed at how i can assume that everyone's life is not complicated (if you are at work, then, work is work, and i can separate out work and home fairly easily)and that everyone has some sort of problems outside of work, but, that i don't consider their life outside of work.

fridays...you have to love these

i just want y'all to know that I had a "big girl" lunch today. now, you are probably thinking what is a big girl lunch? well,...i went out to lunch with my mom and aunt to the Wild Sage Grille. "I" had the field greens with goat cheese and hold the dressing (i'm not much into any type of dressings), and it was such a delicious combination of flavors. i loved the chewy dried cranberries, and the sweet mandrin oranges, the tang of the goat cheese mixed with the greens and pecans....it wasn't a burger, or pizza, or nachos, or hot dogs, no i don't believe there was kids food on this menu(at least not our kids type of food anyway).

we had a great conversation and i was telling them about this wonderful new person i met in blog world, and that we will need to go and visit her part of the world because of all the wonderful antiques and hoarders sales! if you need a little giggle- you need to visit Polka Dot Barn....

this was after my wonderful morning at Piper framing and art gallery where they were happy to see me especially with new art and had even sold two of my paintings.

then, i got to paint at my mom's studio for the rest of the afternoon....nope, it just does not get much better than, this (except for hanging out with my sweetie...just in case you read this sweetheart!)

i love thursdays

survivor, and abdc (which is a total dirty secret...i'm spilling the beans;))

do you have shows you love on thursdays?

love is...the yellow bird of happiness

as a little girl i remember going to my gramma's house. she had some of the coolest stuff ever. different stuff- stuff you did not see just anywhere. i remember trying on a blue sapphire ring every time we went to her house and she told me that when i grew into the ring and could keep it safely on my finger...the ring would be mine. it was eventually mine...

as i have gotten older, and my gramma has gotten older (our birthdays are coming up next month- gramma "bee" will be 96), she has started giving me some of the items for christmas. one of the things that she gifted me was a yellow bird that is a water pitcher. it is absolutely one of the coolest things i own. it immediately takes me back to a child's life...why is it yellow? why does it have a handle? why don't we ever use it then? why is it on the top shelf?

but, more than that...a simple child's life. happiness, carefree, and full of adventure because my mind was full of imagination of what could be, what may be, and never what would not be.

love is....knowing that spring will be here eventually

knowing that february is almost done and whether winter likes it or not...spring will have to come. tomorrow our temps are supposed to be -13 F. it is february for pete's sake and the end of february to boot!

let me know how your weather is- i dare you! i could use a little weather envy!!

love is....

seeing the semi pull up outside your house to deliver your huge canvas that needs to be delivered by that semi....it just does not get much better than that! 3 ft x 5ft- our youngest son squeezed in beside the boxes so you can get a better estimate of how big the canvas really is!

hearing from your art manager that a local children's hospital may be interested in your art (i will keep you posted on this)- even if it would be for charity....we've been in that boat, and it would be a huge honor to be considered.

hearing from that same art manager that another painting sold (good for me) and that the art/ framing store is framing it for the buyer (good for Piper!)

listening to my dreams, having faith in my creativeness, and husband that supports me!