friday ramblings

FYI:

When you read this in your devotional:

"Your weakness is an opportunity to grow strong in awareness of My Almighty Presence."~Jesus Calling, Sept. 27.....Get ready for opportunities to come up all day long.

FYI:

Do not get new bifocals and think you will get adjusted to them while frantically getting artwork and computer work done in the three weeks before your show. Trust me on this one. Watching the computer screen move like a funhouse mirror is a bit distracting.

FYI:

For what it's worth, don't add these items to your burrito. It could cause quite a mess, not to mention indigestion.

FYI:

Do not get a new whoop-de-doo printer and scanner and think you can scan and print all your own postcards and cards in one day the first time you set it up.

FYI:

When you have lost FOUR HOURS of uninterrupted time because the quick guide to your new whoop-de-doo printer/scanner doesn't include details, refer to the first FYI.  If you should happen to completely forget what you have read that morning, and you have WASTED four hours of uninterrupted time because you keep thinking that if you just keep at it, "it" will work, expletives will have to do.

Oh, and on that note, when Mr. Rainbow wheel shows up on your computer while writing a post, it doesn't do much good to yell, "OH NO YOU DON'T, MR. RAINBOW WHEEL. Huh-UH. No way. You will NOT shut down my computer."

On second thought, maybe it does, because my computer didn't shut down. Give it a whirl, it might help.

FYI:

Here's a good one. 

Let's say you take your child to tennis practice and she hits a bucket of balls with you. Now both of you need to pick up those tennis balls. You might happen to find your older, less than firm self jogging around the courts to pick up the balls because it's faster than walking...and you realize while jogging that you kinda sorta, really need to use the restroom, do yourself a favor and walk. It's less embarrassing. This also applies to jumping rope, trampolines and just about any aerobics class.

FYI:

On the day where all your weaknesses are flying their colors loud and proud, do not attempt to forge ahead in these areas. (or any other area for that matter.)...

Thinking you can kill some time and go through the automated car wash after school, because inevitably your child will need the bathroom.  Hitting Staples to return the poorly constructed postcards after not getting your car washed because Staples has a better bathroom than the gas station. Because your child will not have to use the bathroom and will want to stay in the car and play on your phone and listen to Justin Beiber because you have implemented a ban on the Beibs being sung and played in your car on Tuesdays and Thursdays. (because heaven help you if you hear One Less Lonely Girl one.more.time.)

Going home after Staples and thinking you can get something done in 1/2 an hour before starting homework.

It's better to embrace your weaknesses, go home and watch a movie with your child. You find God better that way. I honestly think He shows up big time when we are on the couch instead of when we are while dealing with whoop-de-do scanners/printers and expectations for an art show.

Friday Ramblings

Welcome to Friday Ramblings. 

The day where I let loose my thoughts and general ideas. Within reason.

Let's begin, shall we?

A word of advice:

When you have two art shows coming up and all your insecurities are pouring out on your art floor, it's probably not the best time to begin a remodel. 

Not a big remodel, just the lighting in the kitchen and family room, new countertops in the kitchen and painting the cupboards. And then painting the house inside. Then moving furniture in that has been sitting in the garage for nine months. Oh, and cleaning the carpets. Ummm...and putting new faucets in upstairs in the bathroom. Maybe squeezing in a new vanity in the downstairs bathroom. 

Not a big remodel, really. It's not like we are knocking down walls. Just half of my kitchen ceiling.

Please. Let me live in this bubble. It will be good.

Art and Fear

Observations On The Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking

By David Bayles and Ted Orland.

Probably a book that is saving my sanity right now. I would advise getting it and reading it with a highlighter.

We went to the first home football game last week. It was 104 degrees. I guess I won't rush to bring blankets and jackets to the game tonight. Is it o.k. to bring a fan? Kinda not the fall look, but we do what we need to do out here in sunny So. Cal.

Miss Brenna loves football. Adores it. Her favorite team is Greenbay, all though when Mr. Favre moved to the Jets, it was a bit of an adjustment. Now that he is retired, it's even more confusing. 

Miss Brenna loves her mighty Eagles just as much as the team from the land of cheese and somehow at last week's game, I heard her voice over the loudspeaker screaming, "GO EAGLES!!!!!" How she got up there was beyond me, considering kids are not allowed up by the announcer. When I asked her how she got up there, she said, "I couldn't see the football game, so I moved up there."

Duh, mom.

Why is it, when a cold hits the family, there are times it takes three weeks to get rid of it? Why can't we get it all at once and not one person per week, Mom being the last of the mohicans?

We found new chew marks on the door frame that leads into the garage. Deep gouges made by a frantic animal who was left alone for no more than an hour.

I think new door molding will be added to the remodel list.

Did you know there is a diagnosis for this? It's called extreme separation anxiety. It might be fixed by doggie prozac if I want to spend $60 a month on a prescription. I'm thinking it will be cheaper to do this rather than repair another door frame. There is some training that needs to be done along with the medication. Like showing your dog how to play by it's self. Or leaving the house for one minute increments and coming back to let the dog know it won't die from separation. Then you graduate to two minute increments and five minutes, and so on.

Uh huh. I'll get right on that.

I think Miss Party needs to be reassured I'm not looking for an alternative living arrangement at the moment.

I will also end on a word of advice...

When your contractor finds the Jasmine vine that is growing OUTside the wall of your kitchen INside the kitchen ceiling while putting in the new lighting, it might be time to pop the bubble.

Liberate Your Art Blog Hop

Please join me today in the Liberate Your Art Blog Hop!

Those who participated in Liberating their art are showing off the beautiful postcards they received. 

It was a ton of fun waiting for the postcards. Who doesn't like getting a special message in the mailbox? Each day I would wonder what beautiful photo would come my way and wait in expectation for the treasure I knew I would find.

This first one is from our hostess, Kat.

She spent quite a while in Italy and I'm willing to bet this photo is from one of her journeys.

Next up is from Christina Martin.

Can you just feel the peace radiating from this? I would love to sit and share coffee with her here!

This one from Justine intrigues me, as I am an avid reader. I'm thinking of putting these titles on my library list and expanding my horizons.

Can you see the vivid textures in this postcard from Bo Mackison? Close ups like this bring out amazing textures and patterns. 

Each one had a sweet message on it, which makes them even more special.

This one from Lori Moon literally took my breath away when I first saw it.

So, here they stay, on my kitchen counter. I rotate them and enjoy them to the fullest and they start great conversations as well!

I hope you have enjoyed this little part of the hop, click on the link below to connect to the other blogs and see what art was sent out into this world, ultimately making it a better place just a little bit at a time.

A Little Note...

Today I worked ALL DAY on this sheet of paper.

It began as a project to cover journals and sell them at one of the shows I'm doing.

(A process I learned at Pam Garrison's Journal Workshop.)

Because it took me all day, I will have to charge about $50.00 a journal to cover the time spent in creating this.

Not thinking they are  gonna fly out the door at that price.

So, I'll have to put my brain in gear and come up with a solution.

Meanwhile, I had kind of a tug of war with my brain in the process of creating.

Such as, "I have four weeks left to make enough product to stock a booth for three days."

"There's no way." "Way. Better FIND a way." "This is stupid." 

Or, this one is always good: "Who am I anyway to create all this and think it will sell?"

I answered myself, "ME. That's who. So there."

Is that weird? Hah. Not as weird as catastrophizing...

I stuck to it and put paint on paper anyway. The thoughts went away and I actually enjoyed myself.

It was a good day to keep at it, as the weather couldn't decide if it would storm or not. We are having the craziest storms and humidity. Unfortunately, Miss Party does not appreciate a good clap of thunder. 

Not to fear, however. Miss Party and I are so ready for the next storm.

Have a great day!

Friday Ramblings and a Confession

I have a confession.

I tend to "catastrophize." 

Does anyone else do this?

It's when you are on a morning walk and you think of a friend who is going on a trip and by the time you cross the street, you have their funeral planned out due to an unforeseen plane crash.

I'm pretty sure this is due to a fairly chaotic upbringing, which tends to produce anxiety. Toss in the perfectionist in me who thrives on getting things done, taking on more than I should in my every day life, coupled with a full time job raising a child with special needs, having somewhat of a stubborn streak, a huge desire and drive to develop my art, stir in a visionary for a husband and you have plane crashes and funerals.

Wow. I sound like a full blown mess, don't I? Thank goodness I'm way more of a right brained type of a person. All that logical, sequential, analytical way of thinking would so not be good for me. I like looking at the sky and thinking of an art project. Or listening to some really good music and being inspired to put color on a canvas. It gets my mind off of planes.

Anyway. 

I was talking to my friend, Wendy this morning and she repeated to me what she had heard at the prison ministry she is a part of. 

"All we have is our Daily Bread." 

Now, in prison, I'm imagining this couldn't be more true. I have never, ever come near to being in prison (ummm, except maybe in my own head planning funerals) but life within those walls, one would think, would be very narrow. Not a lot of choices, not a lot of room for making bad decisions, or overloading your day with things that don't need to take up space. 

Such as garage sales. 

{{No, really. I promise this will make sense. }}

 My eldest and I spent last Saturday cleaning out her room and the garage to get her completely moved out. (are they ever completely moved out??) My intention was to put everything in the back of my car and drive straight to Goodwill and drop it all off. My husband said it might be a good idea to have a garage sale. Not with him, mind you, he's busy this weekend. So, I tried to find someone to do it with me, because I think it's a fun thing to do and should be experienced with others. Plus, what happens when you have to go to the bathroom after drinking all the coffee consumed to get through the garage sale? Someone could walk off with a pair of shoes without paying for them and I'd be out 50 cents. 

So, all week I've been working out how to have this garage sale and hauling all the stuff for the garage sale in the back of my car.  Not just the back of my car, but every inch of space in my car except for the front seats. As in I had to trade cars with my husband to go to the grocery store, because I had no room for groceries. Why did I not put it back in the garage? It would take too much energy. I wanted to either have the garage sale and pull it out of the car Saturday morning, or just forget about it and take it all to Goodwill. (enter the stubborn gene.)

On top of working out the intricacies of a garage sale, I'm trying to figure out who Brenna's new doctors will be. She is now an "adult" and can't see her pediatrician or her endocrinologist. She also has a cold, which 9 times out of 10 she can't kick without an antibiotic, but I kinda don't have a doctor for her to see, so I'd probably have to take her to Urgent Care. I've got a schedule mapped out for getting artwork done for the 3 day show next month and it doesn't really include doctor visits or garage sales, getting back into yoga, or dinner for that matter. I also kind of forgot about homework, tennis and laundry in the mix. It needs a place on the schedule, but my non-analytical, non-logical brain can't quite figure out how to fit all the puzzle pieces together.

Which brings me back to Daily Bread.

I've got too much bread on my plate.

I can guarantee you that God doesn't give us so much Daily Bread that we become sick. No, that would be me heaping third and fourth portions on my plate.

Which also brings me back to what I've been reading in Jesus Calling:

"As you look to Me for guidance, I enable you to do less but accomplish more."

Oh. OHHHHH!!!

So, I drove straight to Goodwill after my walk today. My plan was to walk, sit in the art room and PRODUCE. But I needed to clear my plate, and clean it and put it away more than producing.

I am proud to say my car is empty, my thoughts have rambled out and I still have time to play in the paint today.

New day. 

New mercies.

End of ramble.

can't for get the Iphone photos. my favorite is brenna and bob. he's for sale at a vintage store in town.

and yes. i want him in my yard in the worst way...

Painting and Procrastinating.

Paintings are finished for the October 6 show.

Now I can get in gear for the October 12 show.

Now would be the word of the day.

I did the holiday.

I did all the laundry, and their is actually food in the fridge.

Dinner is even covered for tonight.

Now I'll dive back into the art room.

See? Here I go.

I even have something started...

So why am I sitting here like I don't have a brain?

I even exercised today. Shouldn't I have a ton of energy????

Music. That's it. I'll put on music. That usually helps.

What should I listen to?

Lady Antebellum? Maroon 5. Maybe Jason Mraz...or I'll just play the list on Spotify.

Have you tried Spotify? It's pretty cool.

Then I'll refill my coffee cup.

And eat a peach.

O.k. See? Lots to do.

Now I can start. 

Maybe I need a nap.

Oh, wait. It's only 10:30.

Gaaahhhh.

Time to throw out the coffee and put star a new pot with caffeine in it.

NOW.