Good Morning

Yes, it is Monday and I am posting.  There may not be much here but I am posting.  The weekend is done and a quiet one it was.  We ventured to the cabin Saturday afternoon and I ended up in bed under the electric blanket for 3 hours snoozing even though it was quite sunny outside.  I just could not get my inner core warm.  We had dinner at J&S's Saturday night and had a most wonderful time.  Harrie and Jimbo went home earlier in the day as they have the crud and didn't want to give it to us...thank you!  I hope they are better today.  This flu thing is awful and I pray I don't get it even though I had my flu shot too.  Back home Sunday I went to see Daddy.  I tried to visit him last Sunday but he was off at his friend, Jay's, and I got tired of waiting.  Jay is his best friend from high school, 60 years ago, and Jay has a twin sister that I guess is Daddy's girlfriend.  So when he visits Jay he visits her too. Yesterday, again he was gone but I just kicked back in the chair and napped along with his sweet kitty, Susie.  She has become such a darling addition to his household.  What a lover she is.  Daddy finally came home after an hour and a half of me waiting, but that was okay as I got my cat fix.  I told The Hubby yesterday that if something happened to Daddy that she would probably come live with us!  He didn't say a thing.  Oh, did I tell you that I found a home for the zebra finches!  Yes, I was in Southern Agriculture the other day and noticed they had zebra finches and talked to a girl about them taking my birds.  I don't know if you remember but I took them in after a lady that they were given to as a gift HATED them and was going to "set them free".  They would have died here in Oklahoma.  I've had them about 3-4 years now and was tired of taking care but would have continued till they died if I had too.  I was committed.  Anyway, there were four, two boys and two girls and one of the girls died this summer.  The girl at SoAg said they would take them!  SCORE!  So last Tuesday afternoon I boxed them up and took.  I was just giving them away but I received a $15 check in the mail for them!  Again, SCORE!  Now I know they may find another good home, not mine.  Bird seed can now stay outside, at least for awhile until I get the desire for a parakeet or canary again.  Bird cages are in the attic!  

Anniversary, Painting, Food...etc!

It seems that this painting thing, life, work, Rio....all of it is consuming my life lately.  Actually, yesterday was our 39th Wedding Anniversary and I didn't even have time to blog about it.  I think my blogging days will have to be on the weekends only for a bit.  

The Hubby and I went to dinner last night at a restaurant we have never been too, Mahogany's.  It's a steak place and I think a chain.  Very upscale and very, very expensive.  We had a gift certificate from one of our suppliers but good grief we still had to pay the other half of $300 food bill.  Really, being honest, it was a nice experience but I was not all that "$300" impressed.  The past 4-5 years we've gone to Flemings and I liked it better.  We had a trio special that had steak, a bone-in rib-eye, lobster and crab legs.  All of it was split between the two of us.  The steak was yummy, the lobster over cooked, rubbery and no flavor.  The crab was better.  The spinach had a strange taste.  But I overlooked that to say the wine was yummy, seeing a very, very old friend of my sister's childhood and the FABULOUS company of my hubby made the evening special.  We had a nice evening.  

I am also reflecting this morning on the loss of one of The Hubby's aunts, well into her 90's.  Actually, she was married to one of his favorite uncles, who is still kicking.  They were married, gosh probably over 60 years or more.  Then a friend, an old high school friend lost her husband to cancer a few days ago.  They were married over 40 years.  Loss is inevitable but still sad and hurts.  We've just got started having fun!

Started watching Rio again while her mother is teaching this week.  We painted and painted.  That kid loves to paint her watercolors and I will have to buy her some more and little canvas's.  She holds up her picture to show me her "bird".  I know it's because I paint a lot of birds.  She is darling.

(Gotta try and paint this!)

Here's some of the latest paintings.

Ain't Life Grand

Looks like blogging will be a bit slow this year.  I've been very busy doing this 30 Day Painting Challenge and as you can tell, I'm ready for spring!  Lots of birds and flowers.

Hummingbird 

5x7 oil on canvas panel

$ 75

Daffodil

5x7 oil on canvas panel

$50

Downtown View

8x10 oil on canvas

$100

Purple Finch

5x7 oil on canvas panel

$50

Woodpecker

8x10 oil on canvas

SOLD

Winter Goldfinch

5x7 oil on canvas panel

SOLD

Yesterday was such a lovely January day that I sat on our brick wall around the patio and sipped bubbly with frozen raspberries and soaked up the sunshine.  I spied the daffodils popping up the green all ready for spring! 

Decided to take a quick pic of MEEEEE... in one of the many mirrors we have around the yard.  Yes I never got out of my lounging clothes yesterday! 

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Clean Up

The days are getting so messed up with the holidays and NO SUN.  It was weird that I could not make sense yesterday that it was Friday.  Usually we are heading to the cabin but opted to stay in town because of this nasty wet, cold, NO SUN weather.  I took time to paint a bit for the 30 day challenge as I have to every morning.  I decided to paint a little spring with the birdies.  

"Bluebird"

"Scarlet Tanager"

After a painting session I was off to take Christmas 2014 down and put away for next year.  That also meant cleaning out a closet, yet again.  Oh my gosh what a mess but I was able to even get this all back plus all the Christmas decorations and the TREE, with room to spare.  Just reshuffled a bit and trashed a bit.  

That done it was to the showers to wash my dusty self and de-grease the hair.  While reshuffling the closet I found jigsaw puzzles.  I LOVE jigsaw puzzles and haven't done them in years.  They bring back wonderful memories for me.  It was something we always did as a family during the winter months.  Especially on snowy days when school was called off and we couldn't (or wouldn't) go outside.  I posted this picture on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram yesterday and a guy from high school commented, "You gotta good start there, just 998 more to go". What a funny guy, made me laugh out loud.  

Today it's more time at the easel, jigsaw puzzle, listen to the first book of 2015, out to dinner with friends.  Bringing in the new year right.  

Ringing in 2015

The new year came in last night with us staying home to watch little Snicklefritz while her parents threw a New Year's party.  Her momma said that bedtime would probably early but it was not the case.  She is absolutely obsessed with "Anny's" (Granny) bed.  All she wanted to do was get in my bed without me in it.  I finally talked her into letting me in my bed after about an hour.  She insisted it was RiRo's bed (as she calls herself).  For dinner she wolfed down two pieces of pizza, cottage cheese and blueberries, her favorite.  Unfortunately I had to make her cry when I finally insisted she sleep in HER bed.  Oh gosh, made me hurt to hear her cry for "Anny, Anny, Anny..." Finally, about 10:30 I went in for the 3rd time and she held her arms for me to hold her as she swiftly went to sleep on my shoulder.  This morning she is still asleep (it's 8 am).  I've painted and accomplished Day 1 of the 30 Day Painting Challenge that I'm doing AGAIN!  

Day 1 is of our sweet little Clayton.  I've had this picture for awhile and have wanted to paint him but just could not get it right but today...

I have Day 1 of the Painting Challenge under my belt.

Day 1 - "Clayton"

8x10 oil on senso linen canvas 

This sweet picture is one of the last Bri had of her little Opal BeBe.  I loved it and painted it for her for Christmas.

"Opal BeBe"

10x10 oil on canvas 

The End - The Beginning

It is the END of 2014 and I guess I need to reflect.  What a year it has been.  We've moved our offices after 30 years of being in one place.  Daddy had yet another surgery which turned out A-OK!  That precious granddaughter is just the apple of my eye and growing by leaps and bounds, daily.  They also have moved into their new digs which was exhausting for everyone involved.  

My painting has taken on a whole new dimension in my learning and experience.  It will continue in the new year with another 30 Day Painting Challenge and a trip to Scottsdale to attend the Scottsdale Artist School for a week of intensive instruction.

My girls are happy.  What more can you say but that they are happy.  They have great families and possibly we will have another wedding in the near future to celebrate.  

 

The wrap up is it has been an AWESOME year so far and I look forward to 2015.  (Bring on spring!)

Random 5 Friday

I have gone back to the first of the year in blog posts and realized that I was doing a Random 5 Friday and linked it to a particular blog that is no longer there.  Well, think I will Random 5 Friday anyway.  

1.  I hate winter, especially this winter as this month we have had a total of 3 partial days of sunshine.  I don't live in Seattle and this is going on way too long.  I am so wanting spring to arrive but I know we have to wait.  Waiting, waiting, waiting...

2.  Coffee, do you like coffee.  It's funny that I was never a coffee drinker until I turned 23 years old.  I loved the smell of it and when my grandmother had coffee candy in one of her many candy bowls I loved the candy but I just could NOT get the desire real coffee.  At 23 years of age I was pregnant with my first child and we had our business in our home.  That meant that the employees were in our living room every morning and the coffee pot was a gurgling.  The smell drove me crazy and I tried it.  In fact I became obsessed with coffee, I craved it.  Back then we didn't know to stay away from stuff like coffee, diet pop, etc... but I kind of knew real coffee would not be good for the baby.  SO when The Hubby wasn't aware I would pour decaf coffee grounds in the real coffee can and we had decaf coffee every morning.  The guys and The Hubby never knew and I got to have COFFEE and I never looked back.

3.  What was you favorite childhood movie?  Mine was Bambi.  I think I only saw the movie once but we also had the record, the soundtrack from it.  It was narrated by Shirley Temple.  Everyday at nap time Momma would put the record on the record player in the living room and put Bro, Sis and I down for naps.  I didn't want to nap but she told me that I had to at least lay down because Bro and Sis had to nap.  I almost always ended up asleep before them.  Smart play Momma.  Anyway, the record would play everyday and I could almost recite the entire movie, line for line at one time.  So loved that movie, uh, soundtrack.  I still have that record somewhere with a HUGE chunk out of the side of it.  Years later I was able to find another copy for my girls.  

4.  What's the plan for New Years Eve?  My plan is to watch Rio while her parents host a party.  We haven't had an all-nighter in months.  The Hubby is going dancing!  Maybe Rio and I will watch Bambi!  

5.  Finally, getting better.  I've had a sinus infection for the past two weeks and yesterday was the first day I felt back to normal.  Still crappy in the head a bit and the voice is still wonky but better.  I haven't been sick in a very long time and this kind of whooped my butt.  I have to get better because I am gearing up to do another 30 day painting challenge so get ready for a painting a day.  

Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas to everyone.  I've been busy just trying to get well lately but I did finish this sweet painting, "Three Elves".  These little guys were my granny's and I wanted to paint something else Christmas.  I love them and them immediately found a home after I posted on Facebook.  I will definitely paint them again.  

Christmas Goings-On!

This week I've been a bit slow as a stupid head cold has left me puny.  It's not a bad one but bad enough to knock me down a bit.  There has been so much to do that this is just not acceptable.  The Hubby decided, that it was time we did Christmas cards again.  It has been a few years since we have sent out business or personal cards.  Since the move we unearthed a huge box of best intentions Christmas cards so sure that is just what I did.  What better to do while sniffling and sneezing but to do Christmas cards.  I've probably done 300 or so with about 60 or so left to do.  Today they will be finished, maybe Monday.

Last weekend was Bri's Alliday Show and it was a great success.  Unfortunately, while watching Rio either she gave me this cold or vice-versa.  I suspect though that one of our employees who was hanging over my desk last week moaning and sniffling gave it to me and I passed it on.  DANG IT!  So she's been quite puny too.

There was a sad note on Monday morning as they lost their sweet new kitten Opal Bebe.

Opal came from a large feral community and the community has a lot of health issues that apparently she was not able to fight.  They think she had a stroke or brain bleed.  The very short time she was in their household made a huge impact and struck them hard with the loss.  Opal had bonded very tightly with Bri so she was very devastated.  They got a kitten for Rio and for their older cat, Vera and they were all very sweet together.  precious baby, 

Opal Bebe.