Art Show

Well, friends. It happened. 

I was able to participate in the Red Dirt Art Festival.

Thanks to Doug and Brenna, my sister, Sue, Robin, Erin and Rachel, and Abby.

So SO good to have some back up.

Ummmm, and someone to watch the booth for bathroom breaks.

Which, I have to say, while not resolved, the Colitis flare seems to be at a slow simmer right now.

(Many thanks for all your encouraging comments from the last post!!)

I got everything ready,

packed up my goods, and headed out with my sweet husband and Brenna.

Let me tell you what. That girl can SELL.

No one is a stranger, she said "HI!" to all who stopped at the booth.

If they lingered, her questions were, "Which is your favorite?" "How old is your baby?" "What's it's name?" "My mom made that. Do you like it?"

Oh, my word. She kills me. She is a natural born talent.

Actually, she's a terrific gift.

The day went really, really well. I even had a local store owner ask if I would like to sell my art in her store. I said yes faster than she got the question out....

Now we are back to reality, and colds are ruling the house. I haven't put anything away from the sale, and naps reign supreme.

As soon as I wake up, I will list items on Etsy.

Hope your Monday is sweet.

Life.

Well, my friends, I have to say, it's been a long week.

I have been down for the count with the Colitis.

After switching medications around a couple of times, I am keeping my fingers crossed.

It's a nutty disease. 

No one really knows what causes it.

No one really knows what brings on the flare-ups after being symptom free for so long.

There are lots of theories, but not all of them work for all people. So, you pick and choose your course. Right now I am gluten, dairy, raw, nut, seed and coffee free. Not that I have an appetite for anything. Kinda makes it easy. 

I am swallowing an average of 20 pills everyday, hoping to stay away from the dreaded Prednisone.

I have to say, though, I am sleeping like a rock. All the time. Nothing like being at church on Sunday and having to get up and leave so I don't put my head down on the empty chair next to me. Oh, it sure looked good. I dunno, maybe no one would have minded if I had curled up...

I debated telling all of this.

Blogs are supposed to be happy places. 

But I have always been honest with you, as my life just lends itself to a lot of reality.

I don't write this for sympathy. 

(I am a big believer in prayer, however!)

And I do write to let others know they are not alone.

I do think it's important to be honest in our blogs. 

Life is life. Not everyone (...anyone) has it all together. When we let others know they aren't alone in their struggles, I think it brings about more healing. A more level playing field.

I won't go into raw details of what I've been through this week, as that's just a little too much information. But I will be honest in that dealing with this brings about fear, and frustration, and makes one question the why of everything. It makes me question what I really want to do, if I should do it, and how am I supposed to do it if I'm down for the count? It makes me wonder about timing. It brings thoughts of, "I thought I was supposed to...." and "Wait. I thought everything was lining up just so. Why isn't it going according to plan?" 

It makes me think thoughts like, "How many times am I supposed to start over after being knocked down?" 

But am I really being knocked down? 

I'm not in the hospital with my child having a 5 organ transplant.

I didn't have a double mastectomy this week.

I'm not suffering from a debilitating depression.

I think we are all in the same pool, and some of us are in the deep end, some of us are in the shallow end. Some of us are treading water, some of us are hanging onto the sides of the pool for dear life. But we have all been in the pool.

It's a humbling ride, this life.

I am beyond grateful for caring friends and sweet family.

Grateful for watching movies with Brenna.

For living in an age of such medical advancements.

For blogging, and friends like you.

So, for now, I'm taking a little bit at a time.

I'm making a little headway on getting this Colitis thing under control.

Missing coffee, trying different teas.

Watching Alvin and The Chipmunks with Miss B.

I think we have seen We Bought A Zoo three times. It's my new favorite...

I'm aiming for the art show on Saturday. With a lot of help. And not a lot of expectations. Which is kinda nice.

Thanks for listening.

Do You Remember Prom?

Do you remember prom?

I don't remember a lot these days, but I do remember prom.

Not with a lot of fondness, but I do.

I went to an ex-boyfriend's school prom as he couldn't find a date, and, what the heck, did I want to go?

I said yes because I knew I had a snowball's chance of going to my school's prom.

It was, of course fabulously awkward in that he really didn't want to dance and the couple we went with never got up out of their chairs.

At a dance, for crying out loud. Isn't that why one goes to a dance? To throw yourself in the midst of the crowd and the music and laugh and whirl and make a fool of yourself and have the best time of your life?

When my date decided we should go out on the balcony to mess around I planted myself firmly in my own chair. 

Denny's afterward was the highlight of my evening.

Ahh, well.

There are other proms.

***

Such as the one we were priveleged to attend at our church for our Adult Disabled group, proudly known as Light and Power.

It was the.best.time.ever.

All are welcome and the high school group loves to come and mix it up with everyone.

Brenna put on her party dress, her sparkle boots, I quick curled her hair, and we were ready in a jiffy.

We met up with some friends for a bite to eat before the dance.

Janelle and Brenna

No, the purple wasn't planned.

It was just destined!

Took a bunch of fun pictures and headed out for some fun.

Don't you love big sisters?

Let me tell you what, the minute we entered the room, we began to dance.

For three solid hours.

No messing with this crowd. We are here to have FUN.

And DANCE. And laugh, and whirl and not care and be free and all be together.

There were folks in tiaras, sweats, suits, tuxes, prom dresses, their shiny best and orthopaedic shoes.

There was no room to be shy or be a wall flower.

No anxiety over who was dancing with who.

There was a court and a king and queen, and we cheered for every one of them, loud and clear.

Just together.

Having fun.

Not noticing if shoes were on or off, if you were dancing to the beat or not, or even how you danced. Every time I turned around, someone was starting a conga line with a wheelchair.

I guess what I'm getting at is the freedom of it all. 

Someone would come up, grab your hand and you began to groove.

If they were done half way through the song and they left, well, you just danced by yourself or turned around and joined someone else.

It was magical.

Old friends and new,

enjoying ourselves til we couldn't stand anymore.

We sang to Justin Bieber, The Bee-Gees, Jayson Derulo, you name it.

I think I saw Brenna twice.

Dad tried to dance with her, but he was rebuffed.

I guess some things never change.

Then again,

when some things in life do happen to change, as in what it's like to attend a prom...

it's all worth it.

(all photos courtesy Janelle Nichols. Thanks, sweet girl!)

Mail Call or Remembering. I can't decide today.

I'm telling you what, I love my mailman.

Especially when I buy something off of Etsy.

From Theresa.

Have you been to Theresa's blog yet,  The Old White House? 

Oh, you really should. It's just such a comfy place to go to. Theresa is so real and friendly and her items she makes are to die for, and her sweet treasures she finds to sell make my heart happy.

Like these:

For some reason, (who can ever explain these things???) I have fallen for old flower frogs.

If I remember correctly, it happened when I saw a vintage photo stuck into the tines of teeny, tiny metal frog. That's all it took.

Then I discovered glass frogs. Oh, yes. LOVE these. I have one in my art room with pens and pencils stuck into the holes. The pens and pencils change depending on what project I am working on. I can see them better than in a jar. All these things help, you see when your brain starts mis-firing on colitis medications....

I cut some of my first blooms of the Alstromeria. Which, by the way is a flower name I cannot ever remember or pronounce correctly. I had to go to Google Images and look up flower fillers for arrangements to find out the name...

When I put the flowers into the holes, they stood up nice and perky and it was fun to put it in a different shape of bowl instead of a small vase.

Then I got tricky and remembered (!!) a magazine article about just putting fern fronds in a vase for something like "sudden impact" or "fresh in a flash" or  "cheap arrangements with lots of color", whatever it was, I just recalled the fronds and added some of mine from my yard.

Which I can't remember the name of. But they are green and if not careful, they will take over your yard.

And I have spent way too much time trying to figure out what they are called and really just need to get this post done!!!!

Happy Monday!

Happy Colors

I think I tend to lean on the perfectionistic side.

But when I paint, well.

Let's just say it's M.E.S.S.Y.

My slippers are now splashed with yellow from this:

It's a happy yellow, though. So I don't think I mind.

They kinda match the slippers Miss Party put a hole in from carrying around so much when I'm gone.

Have I mentioned she doesn't like it when I'm gone?

In preparation for the upcoming art show, I've made a schedule. (pronounce like the British version here: shheduuahl.) It's very helpful.

Especially when you look at it.

And stick to it.

Except when you can't stick to it because SOMEone forgot their track practice bag at home. ahem.

Or an offer comes in on your mom's house and you have to go sign papers. (!!!)

I guess it's o.k.

Or it's a fabulous day and you are starving and Miss Party has been staring you down for a walk. So you compromise and take a sandwich to the dog park and let her sniff all the grass she wants while you eat and read a book.

Then it's o.k. But I think I shheduuahled that.

Or at least I should have.

I did NOT, however, shheduahl a flare up with Colitis. 

Nor did I shheduahl a boatload of meds to take to combat said flare-up, that tend to make me a tiny bit jittery and be up from 4:30 am on today.

Except that, you do get a lot done on your shheduahl.

Sorry, it's fun to say. It makes me think of The Narrator in Winnie the Pooh.

Needless to say, I'm getting some painting done.

Back to Art.

I think my life might be getting back to art.

Just maybe.

Not that the art has left completely, but you know what I mean.

I miss paint and glue and paper and, and...

oooh, ink and stamps and vintage pattern paper...

I have a couple of fun things to tell you-I have been itching to blog about, get back into the swing of things and catch up with all of you. I MISS blogging.

Remember this canvas?

Don't be surprised if you don't. I can't remember posting about it.

sigh.

ANYway, I sent it in to Somerset Studio magazine, and it kinda got published for the March/April edition:

It's on page 126. Not that I'm noticing or anything...

The next news is that I sent these guys to be juried for a local art show in our area, called

Red Dirt Art Festival

and they were accepted!

So, now I'm in slight panic mode, making as much as I can before April 28.

TODAY, I went to our local sewing center to purchase a free-motion foot and the gal behind the counter and I started swapping photos off of our phones of our artwork and the next thing I know, I show them this little guy:

and they asked me to teach a class on it this summer.

WHAAAAT???

I think we are all caught up. I think. Probably not, but I'll do more catching up this week.

THANK YOU for sharing this with me!!!!!

New Book

Today I love my mailman for bringing me this book:

It's a memoir written by Kelle Hampton on the birth of her daughter, Nella.

Miss Brenna and Nella happen to share the same extra love on their twenty-first chromosome.

Kelle is a HUGE advocate for those of us with kids like this, and anyone who has a special-needs child.

Stop by her blog, kellehampton.com. It is truly a beautiful experience each and every time I stop by.

I can't wait to dive into the book.

Anyone reading anything good this week?