Sunday, January 20, 2019

My Week in Review

Man, my life.  I just can't seem to slow down, but at least I'm productive.  

Yesterday B and I hosted a baby shower for a friends daughter-in-law and the anxiously awaiting due date of Owen, my friends first grandchild.  I created the invites with watercolor and was happy with how they turned out.  
It was really quite easy with everyone bringing most of the food.  I did these very easy caprese bites and ordered yummy cupcakes.   Others brought fruit, banana bread, quiche, juice and I had prosecco.  It was a great success.
There was another little girl there that kept Snicklefritz entertained and Snicklefritz was a great help getting everyone to sign in, where to put there coats and gifts.  She was invaluable and I knew she would be.  Of course Clayton was very happy with all the people and many hands to lend a scratch, especially the little girls.  He LOVES little kiddos and was absolutely exhausted after it was all done. 

I did get a bit of painting done this week and I'm feeling very, VERY good about all of it.  

This beautiful orchid was where I get my pedicure and thought the shadows were awesome.
I changed up the bowl to soft blue as blue plays off of yellow nicely. 
Now I need to let it dry a bit and work on the background before going back to the flowers. 

Then I started this lovely.  The photo belongs to my friend Shirley, of whom the single peony I did the other day.  I saw this on her phone as she was showing me the peony and told her I HAD to have it to attempt to paint.  
So, this week, I started it.  I am having so much fun with it and you know I can leave out as much as I want or leave in all of it.  There is so much to the photo that I have a lot of options. 



Monday, January 07, 2019

Life Back On Track

Finally have a chance to blog this evening.  It's been a busy couple of weeks.  Sadly Af and Nick went back to their life in LA Friday and we took the opportunity to run off to the cabin.  It had been a month since we had been there and we were certainly missing it.  

My babies are just beautiful...Love them so very much.....

A weird thing happened a week before Christmas.  A friend sent me a text saying she left a gift on our front porch.  It was about 10 in the morning and I was going to be home about noon.  I looked on our cameras and saw it sitting in the corner.  We have lots of packages delivered and never, ever have problems.  Anyway, I went home at noon and went to the porch to get the gift to find it gone.  CRAP!  I called The Hubby and told him and he had our tech guy go back on our cameras and see that a "fill-in" lady postal worker was the culprit.  Yes, I know people leave gifts for their postal people but our guy is named Brian and I had just met him a few weeks before.  On camera she rifled the package several times, and I mean several.  She even took stuff out of the bag and looked at it, picked it up and walked to the edge of the porch a couple of times then put it down, walk to the mail truck and drive off.  A bit later on the camera she walked up the side yard and on the porch yet again and again checked out the contents of the bag, picking it up again and again, but this time she walked off with the bag.  

Maybe I can believe that she thought it was for "Brian" but folks, the bag had a high heel on the front, a bracelet inside, dishcloth and this girly ornament hanging on it.  NO WAY! 
We tried to file a complaint but that is easier said than done.  Then I decided to write this note and left it the next day.  It was accusatory for sure but after our break-in last spring I felt violated yet again.  

Later that morning I watched the camera and saw her come on the porch and leave the gift and tape the note back where I left it.  I was so anxious to get home and see the gift.  The bag had truly been woman-handled and the stuff was crammed in it.  She wrote a response on the back saying she didn't need to steal it and that she "thought" it was for our regular carrier, (yeah right).  I'm sorry but she stole the gift and got caught RED-HANDED!  

Painting has been put on the back burner because of the holidays and because a couple days after Af and Nick arrived she came down with a nasty head cold and two days later B and I both came down with it.  The guys not a hint of a cold.  How weird is that.  We're all still trying to fight it off but today I finally headed to the studio.  

These are what I'm working on...

A friend took this photo and wanted to see if I could paint it... 



There's a lot still to do on it but I like it so far.

Then a friend posted this on Facebook and I jumped at the chance to paint it.  She was thrilled I wanted to so we'll see how it goes.


A bit more to go but it feels so good to hold a brush and mix paint.

Almost forgot this little guy.  The day Af and Nick flew in I had to get Clayton into the vet.  He was not well and I feared a urinary tract infection.  Unfortunately, our vet was out sick and they told me I was going to have to find another vet.  YIKES!  It was Friday and the weekend before New Year's, I had to get him looked at.  I was lucky enough to get him into B's vet that is closer and he determined that it might be arthritis.  Really, well okay.  He sent chewable pills home and we started that.  Within a couple of days it was a whole new dog but I can really tell that he has some catches in his get-a-long.  

Happy New Year everyone