It's Going To Take Some Getting Used To...

I have so much to do...you would

think that I'd have spent all day yesterday

getting it all started.

Well....I didn't.

I worked on far less than I

had planned to.

I was having a very hard time

getting used to all the

'quiet'.

This "being on my own"...is going to take

some getting 'used' to.

Now Listed..

I have these three paintings

now listed in my

Etsy Shop.

I won't be selecting any

day in particular for my next

shop update..

but rather...

I will list new paintings

whenever I can list two or three

at a time.

New Paintings....

Here are pictures of one of the paintings

I am hoping I have time to get listed yet today.

"This Is My Heart".

The title is 'etched' into the side of the heart...

it's a little hard to see in this picture...

I've got a couple other paintings finished...

I will try to list all three today...

tomorrow at the latest.

I'm retiring more prints.

I am doing a 'revamp' of my Etsy Shop.

I will be listing a lot more original paintings

over the next couple of weeks,

some new jewelry pieces,

and brand new prints.

So..the time has come to retire the following prints.

1. Alice and the Cheshire Cat

2. Almost At Peace

3. Autumn In the Air

4. For All Eternity

5. Good Day

6. Hold On To The Dream

7. In Fields of Green

8. Nature's Sonata

9. Red Tree Against Grey Skies

10. Something About Trees

11. Sophie and the Baby Seal

12. Still Waiting

13. Red Trees

14. The Offering

15. Trees

16. Winter's Dawn

Anyone wishing to get any of these pieces

will need to hurry...

I will be retiring them very soon!

I will miss the 'mess makers'...

...but not the messes they make!

This is Simon and Ava.

They're my youngest grandbabies...now (almost) 5 and 3.

They've spent almost every week-day afternoon with me for over a year now...

so their parents could both work.

This is 'mommy's' last day at her current job...she's taking a different job..

so she can spend more time with her 'babies'!

I'm a little sad...that I won't have them everyday...but, I'm very happy

that they'll be able to spend more time with their parents.

These years are so precious..and fleeting..that it's important for all of them

to spend as much time together as possible.

I'll still see them often...but, now I'll have more time

to spend on...painting..creating..'taking care of business'...and I desperately need

to do this!

This will also free Jaime up to be able to do the same!

I said 'change gonna come'...well..it has begun!

I've start listing brand new pieces

already this week...

and I'm in the process of retiring many...many

of the pieces I've had in the shop...

to make room!

Doing the RIGHT thing...a $104 Fine???

So...how much does it cost to..

do the RIGHT thing???

I guess it's $104.00!

Last night, Ryan had to run a quick errand

and he slightly scraped the bumper of a van

that was parked (almost, but not quite) too close

to our driveway. It's been parked there, at least a day...maybe longer.

It's pretty banged and battered...

anyway..

Ryan cut it a little too close

and slightly scraped the bumper ... as well as a little bit on my car...

very minor damage...

what to do????

Don't know who owns the van..

but

probably better call the police!

It seemed like the right thing to do!

Okay...well...

because he called...

and admitted he bumped the van..

it was an 'automatic' $104.00 fine!

So what did the police officer say?

If the van had been six inches closer to the driveway...

it would have been ticketed...and Ryan would not!

And..the officer added...'you would have been

better off just leaving a note under the windshield wiper...'

Really???

Oh well...I try to teach my kids to

'do the right thing'...

and I still think that he did:)

me...and my blog...

I LOVE to blog.

I also LOVE to read blogs,

good blogs....

not too much into the tech blogs, gaming blogs, gossip blogs (unless they are full of humor)...

I started a blog, about the family group's original art,

back in June of 2005.

It was about the same time I learned that my best friend in the whole world

(my husband)

had cancer.

Every time he had to go into the hospital for this reason or that,

everytime he had chemo or radiation,

everytime his health affected shipping schedules for paintings...

I posted a blog.

There were times that I would have to go look at my blog

in order to answer doctors questions

(about when did 'this' happen or when did 'that happen').

I guess I had enough on my plate that I couldn't remember my own name most of the time....

it was a good thing I'd posted the information in my blog.

When he lost the battle,

on Father's Day of 2006,

I posted a blog.

I wanted the world to know, it had lost a very extraordinary human being!

I'm not sure why it has become so important to me...

maybe because I spend so much time by myself...

but I find that blogging is something

I MUST do!

It helps keep me 'real'.

Egg-Birds

A new painting...from whence

I have pulled several prints to list as well.

I have begun listing these

wonderfully cute little 'egg'-'birds'

(because they're not quite 'birds'...and a bit more than 'eggs')

in the shop.

The 'long' piece is an actual acrylic painting

and I will have it listed by Wednesday..

the others are prints..taken from the same painting.

fresh baked dinner rolls!

Who doesn't love the smell of baking bread....?

It is absolutely one of my favorite things in the whole world!

And, I love fresh baked dinner rolls.

Whenever I have them...which isn't that often...I tend to over-do.

I have one roll with real butter melted all over each half.

I have another roll

with real butter and real chokecherry or elderberry jelly heaped up on each half.

Later, for a midnight snack, I have yet another roll with butter and jelly....

yes, I do LOVE my fresh baked dinner rolls!

Maybe a little TOO much...

It's a good thing I don't have them too often!

``````````````````````````````````````````

• Dinner time Dinner Rolls
• 
  3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 (one forth-ounce) package active dry yeast

1 cup warm water
1 egg

2 tablespoons butter
Combine 1 1/4 cups flour, sugar, salt and yeast.

Make a well in the center and add very warm water , egg and butter.

Beat, on low speed, with an electric mixer until dough is smooth.

Stir in remaining flour and mix well.

Cover with towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 45-60 minutes.
On a lightly floured work surface, knead dough for about 2 minutes.

Separate dough into 18 equal pieces and roll each piece into a smooth ball.

Place on greased baking sheets or muffin tins.

Cover and allow to rise in a warm place about 45-60 minutes (again allow to double in size).
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

Makes 18 rolls

24 Hour Sale

I'm having a 24 Hour

Store-Wide

Sale.

Everything is marked

25% Off.

Actually, I'm having a sale in both

shops .. at the same time.

I intended to have the sales on

separate days...I was more than halfway

through marking down the items

in my Rustic Goth Shop

when I remembered this...so I decided

just to go ahead and have the sales at the same time.

For this shop

it will be the last chance to get

many of the pieces I currently have listed.

I am 'retiring' most of these pieces

to make room for new.

The 'change gonna come'...has begun!

Starting Next Week...

....I will be moving a few of my

prints...

and some originals...

from my Etsy Shop

to my website.

I'll make them available, on my website...

for anyone who might still wish to purchase

any of the pieces available there.

The Color Yellow...

I like the color yellow.

I know I like this color because,

I use it so very often in my paintings.

Almost all of my Tuscan Landscapes have yellow skies.
I like yellow flowers.
I would wear yellow, if I could get away with it.

I still have a bright yellow blazer in my closet...

and you know what...

I bought it myself! I love it!!

But, I look horrid in it...

so, there it hangs, for me to go in and admire from time to time.

I like yellow because,

it's bright and happy!

I always feel better with yellow!

Still keeping a journal...

I used to write all the time...

when my children were small and my husband worked nights...

in those days, there wasn't enough decent programming on TV to worry about too many distractions....

I would put the kids to bed, sit down and write until my husband got home.

I wrote poems, children's stories, song lyrics but, mostly, I just wrote my thoughts...

(true, they were for my eyes only, but I couldn't imagine then, who else would want to read them.)

Who could have known then, that one day, a whole bunch of people would be doing that very same thing and for an audience much larger than themselves....?

Even though we post our blogs... for millions to read...

(should we be so lucky)

most blogs that I have written and read,

still seem so very personal in nature.

Maybe it's just the times we are living in....

with the distance between us,

the long working hours, the TV programs, internet, games

and so many other things to distract us and keep us from talking to each other,

we still have a need to 'talk to someone'......

so we blog.

It's been a busy week...so far.

I had to finish a couple of paintings

for the So-Oh Gallery

for their Grand Opening,

Thursday and Friday.

then I had to get a bunch of prints done...

there was packing..shipping..projects with the grandbabies...

I've really had a busy week...so far.

And I haven't had a chance

to do any new pieces for

the shop.

Maybe when things settle down a bit.

I've got some wonderful pieces in my head...

just need to get them onto canvas:)

Me and Hardware Stores...

I love to browse in hardware stores...

there are so many things that I have NO idea what they are used for but, I tend to let my imagination 'go' and wonder if I can use this 'gadget' for this or that one for that...

I find it fun!

Maybe it comes from my years as a crafter..

.it seemed we were always needing to figure out how to make this out of that...

and what better fodder for the imagination than...a hardware store!

Maybe I'm a little weird...

my husband wasn't as fond of hardware stores as I...

he preferred grocery stores...

me...not so much!

I took the whole week-end off!!!

It wasn't easy...but I made myself take the WHOLE

week-end off.

I am a bit of a 'work-a-holic'...and if I don't make myself

take time off...then I won't.

So...I played some online card games...read a few blogs...

spent some time with family...

all in all...I just RELAXED...imagine that!

Now, I feel all refreshed...with added spark to the imagination...

though it may be a week or so

before I actually have anything

(from my imagination 'spark')

in the works.

In the meantime...I still have a shop full of goodies...with more on the way!

A Clean House...A Happy Spirit

It has been an interesting few weeks.


I took yesterday...to do as I pleased......how wonderful was that!!! I actually took the time to play some 'hearts' online! That was sooooo relaxing!!

And, I finally got some house cleaning done, which has improved my spirits so MUCH!!!

There's just 'something' about trying to do ANYTHING in a dirty house...I've never been able to do it in the past...I'm not sure how in the world I was able to get anything done in 'filth'.


Now, I'm not talking garbage from floor to ceiling filth, mind you, but those weird little 'dust bunnies' that you have no earthly idea where in the world they come from...and just what it is they are made from...for sure.

I could sit in my chair and see some under one of the end tables...absolutely drove me crazy.







I guess I was 'testing' myself to see how long it would take before I either...went over the deep end or cleaned my house...luckily, I cleaned my house...but, I 'lasted' a good long while before 'giving in'.



Anyway...having a clean house does so much for the spirit...and helps change the negatives to positives...I guess I'm going to have to take time, on a regular basis, to keep it that way:}

Something new...??

I thought these lovely

pieces would make great backgrounds

for

a 'Serenity Prayer'

and an

'Irish Blessing'.

I think I rather like

the outcome...

but I like to give it a few days

to decide...'for sure'...how I feel about both of them.

I may also offer the prints, without the prayers,

but...I'll give those a few days as well.

My New 'Look'

Did you notice...

my blog has a 'new look'.

I had to 'try out' most of the

Blogger templates to find

"just the right one"

at least, for now.

I really do like the new template

such calming colors...

and I added a brand new banner as well.

I just thought I'd like to give

this blog

as new a look as possible.

And..I'm very pleased with my new 'look'!

In the Shop

I listed these

five pieces in the Shop

early this morning.

The last piece (Blackbird)

has already sold.

A change is gonna come...

Yesterday...we headed out to the car...buckled the grandbabies

into their carseats..got all ready to drive off to our weekly

trip to the grocery store!

I wasn't really in the mood for a trip to the market...

and as 'luck' would have it...

I ended up not having to go..

the car wouldn't start!

I'm hoping it's just the battery..

but, I'll have to wait for my son-in-law, John, to get

enough time...between jobs...to check it out.

So..once again..I'm without transportation.

----

We've been working on some new

jewelry pieces that should be

ready to list

in the shop

later today or tomorrow.

These are new pieces and quite lovely!

---

In the meantime...

change is gonna come!

Seeking solutions...

I take terrible pictures.

This isn't good, considering I am offering prints of my paintings,

which come from the pictures I've taken of them.

I am only offering prints of those paintings that I was

fortunate enough to get good pictures of...

but, when I think of all of the paintings I've painted..

just in the past five years...

that I can't offer prints of...because of the terrible photos

I took...it just causes me to sigh!!

So..someone recently told me

that the pictures of our glass tile pendants aren't very good!

And..I agree!!

These are the best of the bunch!!

Maybe I'll go see if someone has done

a 'You-Tube' tutorial

on

how to use a camera!

A few more pieces...

Another 'Urban Primitive' Original Painting...

'Dancing On The Street'

'Poppies in Abstract'

An old painting...digitally revisited.

'A Chill In The Air'

Digital Art.

All will be listed in the shop sometime this week.

Sneek Peek at my Urban Primitives...

Here you go...

Hope you like them!

I have a minute...

...so, I'll give an 'update' on

what I've been 'up to'.

I spent all day yesterday

working on wearable art...

I'll be listing some new pieces in the Shop

the beginning of next week.

And...we've got quite a few BRAND NEW

pendants to list

in the Pendants Plus Shop as well.

I worked late into the night...or early morning...

painting a few more original paintings

in what I will refer to as an

'Urban Primitive'

style.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these new

pieces and I may even start

listing those new paintings

yet today.

This Long Week-End...

I've got another long week-end

hopefully,

this time,

I'll get lots done.

I have got two

NEW

paintings finished!

They're very..very different from

anything I've done before..and I'm quite excited

to get them listed. But, I'm not sure if I will hold off

until I get two or three more finished...then list them all at once...we'll see!

And...jewelry...we're still working on those pieces...I've got some

new art designs that I'd like to include with this batch.

I'm hoping I can start listing

some of these items in the Shop

over the week-end.

And...just for Becky...

sorry that my memory is about a milli-second long..

I was going to show you this piece and forgot...

but, here it is...before I forget again:)

A quick note...

We've got art jewelry and pendants at various stages of completion.

I have several new digital pieces finished and ready to list...

as well as some

select prints of a few of my paintings that I will be

listing.

And....I've got some NEW paintings in the works!

I've been sooo busy...but, I'm still needing to get more

organized...and "as soon as my toe has mended a bit more" I am

desperate to clean my house.

I will begin listing some of these items in the shop

later this week...or over the week-end.

I'm hoping that I can list some of everything!

Oh My Gosh...Time Really Does Fly!

I can't believe it...my youngest grandbaby

starts preschool today!

His birthday is borderline...he could have gone to kindergarten

this year...or not.

He's smart as a whip...REALLY..he is! He's like a

little learning sponge...it's really wonderful!

But, he hasn't had a lot of social interaction

so his parents decided to 'ease' him into school..by first

sending him to pre-school.

It seemed like just yesterday I was cuddling him in my lap...

oh yeah...I was cuddling him in my lap yesterday!

I'm pulling out some of my sold paintings in order to make some new prints.

I started listing them in my shop today.

A word about 'special requests'

I have been working, pretty much...round the clock.

I've got my original art pieces...

new 'large' prints...

"Pendants Plus" pendants...

and on..

and on..

and on...

And...let us not forget...the GrandBabies!

What this brings me to is..

I am going to be very firm about

Not

accepting special requests for

custom orders.

I'm not sure why...but, 9 of 10 of those custom orders

never actually go through to completion..

meaning..

I complete the order..

but the buyer seldom completes the payment.

And..then, I end up with a piece that was created

especially

for someone else!

I feel passionate enough about reinforcing this decision, that I actually

am blogging about it in BOTH of my blogs today!

Maybe it's my way of kicking my own behind for

'making an exception'.

I really do know better!