LA for Christmas

Spent a fabulous week with Olivia, Julian and Solis.  I'm exhausted but couldn't be happier!

Independence Day

Independence Day.  I love my country.  Started off listening to Ray Charles sing America the Beautiful.  Did pretty much nothing all day.  Quite nice.  Just reading, walking, eating with my husband.  Very pleasant.

1st jeep trip this year

I'm just not the kind of person who likes to share her innermost feelings on a blog.  I've come to that conclusion.  However, I returned today just to see if this was still here and found I really liked looking at it.  Why not keep it up just the way I started.  No innermost thoughts.  No complaining about difficulties.  No weeping.  No deep discussions about life and death.  No - none of that.  Why would you want to put hat on paper to be reminded of later anyway?  hmmm.  Good question that.

We went jeeping for the first time this year yesterday with some friends.  It was sooo wonderful.  I've missed the mountains, the swaying of the jeep, the smell of the pines, searching for and spotting the big horn sheep, rushing creeks and waterfalls, wildflowers, butterflies, aspen covered hillsides..........

A sample of the views

As you can see, the weather changed a bit while we were out

And we never felt any raindrops

Rushing water all along the way like this

 

Tiny jet black flutterbies everywhere!

Random pieces of paper

I have absolutely no idea why, but for some reason I just love tearing up random pieces of paper in various colors and shapes and gluing them to my journal pages. There is no explanation for it. I just enjoy it. So there you have it.

 

Random Pieces

Rose hips

Good afternoon! It's a sunless Sunday, but enjoying it just the same. Got a few things done today and talked to my parents, paid some bills and scanned and printed pictures of my grandkids for my office, organized the garage a bit so we may actually have room for 2 cars now in our 3 car garage. Last weekend was much nicer weather and my husband took the time to water our trees and bushes since they are all new and can use a little help with this dry winter we are having. I took the opportunity to take a few pics for you. Here are what I believe to be rose hips - at least that is what I've told they are called. In any case, I think they are incredibly beautiful - and I was glad to see we have some rose bushes in the side yard to enjoy this summer.

Rose Hips

Leaves on the wet sidwalk - Cottonwood leaves of course.

I'm going to go for a short walk now and then home for a relaxing glass of wine.  Enjoy your week!

Pic less

Tomorrow is Saturday and I have to work. I would so rather be doing anything with my husband or anything in my studio (which of course is not actually functioning at the moment for much of anything except a bit of journaling). I know where my pastels are, but can't get to my paper. The easel is handy but no surface to lay out the pastels. If I were not working, we could probably get my working space set up tomorrow. I'll buck up.

I will be able to go out to breakfast with my love at least - our Saturday ritual. I hope it is a beautiful day.

Last couple weeks my spare time has been spent getting our rental house ready to rent and moving my shelves over to the new house. Everything is so time consuming.

This post sounds very negative for some reason, but I don't feel that is appropriate to my mood. I feel great and am happy despite the hours I've been working. I do love my job and am glad of that.

No pics today - hopefully soon.

The neighbor just came home and when they opened the garage door, there was a dog standing there barking and wagging like crazy. Funny thing - he just stood there right in front of the car and didn't move until the absolutely last moment. Strange.

Good night all!

Completed journal page

 

Finally got some time to work on the journal page - while I couldn't sleep.

I started with this one, but then quickly decided that high heels just didn't work in this setting.  It seemed she would have been sinking in the mud to me.  mmm - mud - love mud.  Can't wait for spring to head for the mud in the jeep - sorry - different subject...

 

 

 

 - so went ahead and added some boots and shorts. 

I'm not sure it was an improvement, but it was fun cereating the shorts and boots with acrylics.

And have to admit - this seems a lot more like me than the first one - although that wasn't he idea...I'll certainly never be that tall and skinny....

Beginnings

My blog got deleted, but I was able to reinstate.  I'm learning the ins and outs - slowly.

I found some time to start a couple of journal pages based on some ideas garnered from Artist Network TV and a book I bought that I just love called Collage Couture by Julie Nutting.  I've always loved fashion art and just love her art.  My start (#1) below does not yet reflect what I learned from her however; it is just the background I chose to create to start with.  I really like it and can't wait to see how my "couture girl" looks on it.  Stay tuned for that.

Also learned a new technique from Artist Network TV from Margaret Peot's class called "Alternative Art Cards with Margaret Peot".  It is gauche resist with waterproof ink.  I love the look and may make a few page backgrounds this way to work into later.

I think it looks like moutains in the middle - thought it was a happy accident - so I will probably play that up somehow when I later work into it.

 

On a side note, the Broncos lost and the Patriot's are still playing - may be the end of football for me this season, we'll see soon.

My journal spot

I finally got my journaling spot set up in the basement. 

 The lovely space in front of a window

Tools of the trade

 

Still no studio, but at least I can start being a bit creative again.  What a relief.  Not having that creative outlet for a whole month has been very difficult.  Since I haven’t had any time to create any wonderful pages yet this year (I did do a couple – but not worthy of sharing), I will share a few of my favorite pieces of artwork from last year.  Hope you enjoy them.

Mall Sitter (Charcoal sketch)

In the Window (Pastel)

Tattoo (Pastel)

Wine Lady (acrylic journal page)

Blessed

I’m just so frustrated today!  I can’t get to any of my art supplies – still all in boxes and nowhere to put them in the basement yet.  I can’t work out because my back and neck hurt too much.  Constant pain is getting me down today too.  I haven’t been sleeping well for weeks – maybe months, I don’t know.  I’m loosing weight due to all the stress I’m under at work.  I’m worried sick about my husband’s hip which seems to be giving him a tremendous amount of pain, but he won’t go to have anyone look at it because our family doctor (who I have lost all faith in) told him the x-ray was normal.  To boot, my parents seem to me from phone calls to be getting older by the minute.  Dad seems to have absolutely no energy or strength and mom is fighting pneumonia and bronchitis, having just gotten released from the hospital.

Still, I know that many people struggle with more than this on a daily basis throughout their lives and I should be grateful for the wonderful life I have and have had.  Some days it is just a little difficult to count my blessings.  Which, of course, are the days I need to count my blessings.

I am blessed with:

• The most wonderful husband in the world that puts up with my rants and “red-headedness”.  Note that I am not actually a redhead, but he insists that I have a “redhead personality”.  He also supports my art and doesn’t mind that it takes up half of the basement.  At least it will when I finally get it set up.
• 2 wonderful stepdaughters who are also two of the most thoroughly beautiful people in the world (inside and out). 
• A fabulous stepson-in law who is a great guy, a wonderful husband and one of the best fathers out there.
• 4 Beautiful, intelligent, fun and all around perfect grandchildren in the entire solar system or universe, whichever is bigger.
• A Wonderful, spacious and incredibly lovely new home.
• A fabulous job that pays me well and that I truly enjoy going to each day of the week that gives me opportunities to be my very best each day.
• My health – except for my neck issue.
• A marvelous loving family of sisters and brothers although I don’t get to see or talk to them as much as I would like.  I know they are always there for me if I should need them as I am for them.

I can stop now – although of course I could keep going on and on…..but I am smiling.  WOW – that’s a change from where I was a few minutes ago. 

I am very blessed.  I’m going for a walk and enjoy the sunshine and get a little exercise.  Not too far, but just enough.
 
What a beautiful day!

Lunch

Saturday!  Went to Pei Wei for lunch
 - we never eat it all. 

Chicken Fried Rice and of course a bottle of KJ.


Got the pantry organized - now we can find everything.  Simple pleasures.

TGIF

TGIF.  Yes, I will have to work a bit tomorrow, but after working 28 hours in the last 36 hours, I am very glad it is Friday.  Can't remember the last time I had to do that, and glad it doesn't happen often.  I love my job, but my stress level is over the top right now.  BUT - I must admit - I'm loving it.  Yes, call me crazy...but I seem to thrive on stress.

Right now, I'm just looking forward to a hopefully sleepful night and having a relaxing breakfast with my husband at one of our favorite breakfast spots in the morning.  I'm hoping that tomorrow will be warm enough to spend a bit of time sitting in the backyard just relaxing in the sun.  Haven't looked at the weather report - so not sure if that will happen.  I can hope.

No pictures today, haven't had any time to even take the camera out of it's case.  How sad.  Well, tomorrow is another day - Cheerio!

New Years resolution?

I realized last night that I really enjoy listening to my husband laugh, especially when he doesn't know I'm listening.  He has such a wonderful laugh! 

I've been thinking of New Year's resolutions, like a lot of people probably are.  My husband seems to have chosen downsizing.  More than a New Year's resolution, we both sort of adopted it out of necessity a couple of months ago when we decided to move.  Supposedly, the houses are the same finished square feet, but I absolutely don't believe it now that we are trying to get all of our "stuff" into the new house.  Of course, part of the problem is that we had a lot of "living" space in the unfinished basement, and this unfinished basement is much smaller.
 There will be room for the workout area and my studio and that will leave only a small area for actual storage.  Who needs storage anyway?  A few Christmas decorations, a few grandchildren's toys, what more could we want?  Of course, I may have forgotten to mention that our Christmas decorations include a Santa Claus collection of close to 100 Santa's of varying sizes.  Those Santas never saw the light of day this year since I just couldn't find the time.  I missed them.

We have been able to get the actual living space in order, at least for now, which has helped my stress level significantly.  Cheers!

Premier post

We are starting the new year in a beautiful new home with beautiful cottonwood trees behind.  I wake up to watch the squirrels chasing each other over the branches.  We moved just before Christmas and still have the garage mostly full with boxes.  We can only fit one vehicle in, the others relegated to the street.  Lucky for me, my husband has agreed to let that one be mine, so he has to struggle with the cold in the morning, not me.  I feel just slightly guilty.

The cottonwoods