Patrick Saunders Workshop

What a FANTASTIC time I've had these past 3 days.  After it was canceled 2 years ago because of Covid, we FINALLY got to take Patrick Saunders workshop.  What an incredibly nice man and giving instructor he is.  He really wanted to share and help us to become better artists.  

As is usual he did a demo the first part of each day and day 1, Thursday he did that.  Watching those cows appear on the canvas was incredible.  His approach is familiar yet different and refreshing.  I was in such need of a workshop and this was the perfect one to jump start my mind again.

He even had these words to evaluate your drawing/painting process and it was great.  He then gave each of us a little business size card to keep and remember these words, again nice man.

Day 2 was florals and he is quite a master in them.  He started out his working career at Hallmark doing flowers (honestly I like these better.)

 

After each day of watching and then painting I went home absolutely exhausted, mentally mostly.  (You know I take a nap everyday and missed that!)

Day 3 was pet portraits, again he is a master.  Pet portraits and "human" portraits are basically the same process.  

My first day at the easel was a struggle to begin.  I always have that issue on the first day with a new instructor and surrounded by new people who see what I can or cannot do.  I will finish this one and yes it is quite familiar as I've painted this road several times, selling every one I have painted.

My day 2 was yet again another familiar photo that I've painted before and sold but it just spoke to me.

This one needs a bit of tweeking but I felt better painting on Day 2 and more confident.

Also Day 2 I purchased one of his paintings!  It will hang proudly on my collector wall in the dining room.  This painting is also an award winner and I'd seen it on his Facebook page loved it.

I did paint Day 3 but forgot to take a photo of it.  I'll finish and share later, it's a person.

I did finish this in the studio on Tuesday and promptly sold it!  I will probably paint it again because I love to paint roads and shadows playing on the road.

Another Update on Max

 Another update and these will be ongoing I am sure.  They had another doctors appointment yesterday and there is NO mitral valve atresia!  The problem is that there are tumors in that area, causing the issue of not enough blood flow.  Pray PRAY that they resolve themselves quickly so that that area can at least try to compensate and fix itself, if not we are probably looking at a heart transplant, IF they are different kinds of tumors.  There is so much back and forth, if and when's and it could all change and THEY COULD BE ALL WRONG too!  That is what we need to pray for.  Thanks for the prayers and keep them coming for Max.

Updated Max News - Prayers and Good Vibes Needed

This is from our youngest and the journey they going through with sweet baby Max that is due end of December.  

20 weeks today - halfway through…

The most recent pictures of our Max

We debated sharing, but have realized that we need all the prayers and support possible.

The good news first: this last week at the routine 20 week anatomy scan ultrasound, they told us that Max is a big boy in the 94th percentile for size with all limbs accounted for. That’s great news.

Then the bad news….

We discovered that he has some major issues with his heart.

We have initial diagnoses but won’t know for sure until we see a pediatric cardiologist next week.

Things we know:

We’re looking at a good chance of him having a serious genetic condition called tuberous sclerosis or TS/TSC. Evidence of rhabdomyomas (benign tumors) in his heart are present.

He has mitral valve atresia which will almost definitely need multiple staged surgeries to treat.

I was reassured that none of this has anything to do with my age or anything I did or didn’t do. It is a roll of the dice.

They want me to go as long as possible till delivering because the bigger and stronger he is, the better his heart will perform on its own once they cut the cord. And I will be delivering at the pediatric hospital in Oklahoma City at OU. My due date is the week after New Years.

As you may imagine we were shocked, deeply saddened, and are now facing the grief of what we hoped would be a “normal”, healthy pregnancy and baby.

He will most likely survive, at least that is what we know now. Things could change for better or worse with more information. Life could, and will at times, be a very challenging one for him and us.

But he is already so loved and we are going to fight with our every last fiber of being to carry him, quite literally, to the finish line.

And we need your prayers. Please put us on prayer lists, light candles, start novenas, anything you can do to storm heaven. We are praying that it’s not as serious as it seems.

How are we doing?

We are okay. Most of the time I think we’re in disbelief. Nothing that some chuckling at silly internet cat videos can’t treat. At other times I am frozen and can’t stop the tears.

Next appointment is Wednesday. Until then...

St. Maximilian Kolbe, ora pro nobis!

Prayers and Good Vibes

 I'm not going into detail, just please lots of prayers and good vibes for baby Max.  I will have more when I can.

N E G A T I V E

N E G A T I V E

Finally, I am, we are negative.  After nearly 3 weeks we are negative and I get to sleep in the same bed as my husband.  I get to see grandgirls.  I get to go out to eat.  I get to EVERYTHING!  I still have a bit of nose stuff and drainage and cough in the AM but that is just the dregs of a cold.  I am negative and I'm so happy.

Surprise

SURPRISE! Surprise lilies at the cabin, or as they are more commonly known Pink Ladies or NAKED Ladies. I forget every year that I even have any. They've been in the ground at least 20+ years as I did not plant them and we've had the cabin 20+ years now.  I've spent the second weekend in isolation, mostly on my beloved screened porch reading while The Hubby stayed inside in the cool. I can handle the heat, in fact love it. In two weeks I've read 5 books and stacks more are waiting but would really like to go to the studio and paint at some point but I want to respect the partnered space I share with Linda.  She is not there as she is in ICELAND!  She's vacationing but that doesn't mean I need to spread my cooties so I sadly stay away.  Today I'm starting week three of being Covid positive. Week one: worst sore throat of my life, Week two head cold, not too bad, Week three, loss of smell and partial taste and still stopped up. I nearly burned dinner Friday night because I couldn't smell it burning. I am so over this crap but I also recognize that if I had not been vaccinated and double boosted I might not have had this sort of "easier" case. The early part of the pandemic I was so terrified by the whole thing, honestly still am but it's a bit of relief to have had it.  I'm really tired of not seeing people, kiddos and grands especially.  I'm hoping that the middle of the week I will finally test negative.  I'm also tired of NOT having my husband sleep with me.  Because he is negative and sleeping means close quarters he chooses to sleep in the guest bedroom, going on week two now.  You know we had probably 20 tests in the cabinet we got free from the government and now we are down to 2 (2 in each box so 4).  I am not testing today as I still have stopped up symptoms and will probably wait till at least Wednesday so we can have THE WEEKEND with friends, hopefully.  Also getting really tired of eating in.  I WANT to go out to eat.  Oh DAMMIT, DAMN COVID!!!

A Masking We Will Go

Good morning.  Yes I have Covid and I am sitting at my desk at the office.  Honestly I do not feel too bad, just stuffed up nose, especially for sleeping, but all in all it's like a summer cold, this time around.  Yesterday The Hubby sat all day long at the office, not even leaving for lunch because he's waiting for UPS and a delivery of our new phones.  The email message he had was they were coming between 9-11 yesterday.  He stayed until 4 in the afternoon and then closed it down.  He was so mad you cannot believe, and I don't blame him.  Today he HAS stuff he has to do for the jobsites and can't just sit here, so that's where Carla comes in.  Carla'll do it, Carla'll do anything, Carla'll sit here all day with absolutely nothing to do but look at the windows all the while battling covid, and so I sit. It's not too bad because no one comes in here but without a television I'm just here.  I did bring my book that I will finish and then I can Netflix or Amazon Prime it in a bit.  Fun times with Covid.  Is everyone just over this damn stuff, having our lives our entire world turned upside down.  Everything is upside down.  

By the way, I just finished Ann Patchett's book The Magician's Assistant from recommendation by B.  It was a good book and I had not read any of her books in probably 20 years.  I am now reading Maya Angelou's book I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings.  I had never read it and it is so good.  Also sitting around blogging and wanting to paint but all my supplies except for watercolors are at the studio and I just haven't felt like going there.  So I've been watching painting videos too.  My mind is so full it's hard to focus for too long and the sleep is limited because of the need to BREATHE THROUGH MY NOSE!  HAHAHAHA...  I was up at 2:45 this morning and went back to bed for a brief hour because my mind just wouldn't shut down to rest.  Oh well, explains why I'm sitting her blogging you to my friends.  On to brighter days.  

DAMMMIITTTT!!!!!

 Well, just F******K! Last night in the middle of the night my nose started being stuffy and by about 4:30 the sniffles started.  First thing I took another covid test and guess what, I'm in that rare group, like Biden, getting a rebound case of covid after Paxlovid.  I yet again, in quarantine.  The sucky thing about this is that the last time we had Snicklefritz spending the night/weekend and last night she was again spending the night.  She is still in bed but we will have to send her home yet again.  I think The Hubby is going to take her with him to work because her momma needs us to watch her and we can't send her to Af's because she has been exposed to me and Af is pregnant and little Min could be exposed too.  I HATE this damn virus.  It is really mucking around with life in general.  I will stay in my chair in my room today, away from the world, yet again.  I was looking forward to hanging with friends at the cabin but that is not to be.  Plus today is my Aunt Jane's celebration of life and I was looking forward to going to see family.  DAMMMIITTTT!!!!

Covid Ramifications, Family Loss

Good Monday Morning and yes it is a GOOD Monday morning!  

After a week of isolation and battling the "VID"  I have won and am testing negative and so is The Hubby.  It has not been all pleasant for me I can assure you.  The Hubby had just a little sniffle and that was about it, oh and he threw his back out leaning over in his chair one evening at dinner.  Me, well, my covid took a dark turn, I got strep throat, at least that is MY diagnosis.  My throat was so sore, so very sore I could not swallow without crying out in pain.  For nearly 3 solid days of this I contacted the doctor again and said I needed something to help, thinking it was just the virus.  They sent a prescription of liquid lidocaine, a viscous concoction that did not help at all and only made me want to throw up, which was not appealing with the throat I had!!!!  I tried, man I tried but it was not working and the throat just got worse and worse.  I slept Wednesday night with a hand towel stuffed in my mouth to catch the saliva so I didn't have to swallow, now that is pain!  The PA said wait to Friday morning and then they would call in an antibiotic if nothing had changed.  By Thursday evening I was a basket case.  I sent three messages PLEADING for help and she sent in a prescription for the antibiotic.  Today, Monday morning, there is still a tinge of sore but I can sleep, I can swallow, and I can talk without screaming and I tested NEGATIVE!  I can tell you I've had strep many times and this is the worst, absolute worst I have ever had in my life.  And honestly if I had not been vaccinated and boosted I probably would have been in the hospital because it wanted to go to my chest really bad.  I don't care what anti-vaxxer's say being vaccinated may have saved my life or at least a stay in the hospital.  On the plus side, we can get it again...ARGHHHHH!  WTF.  One of the tech's who had to come and fix our A/C that went out during this crap said he's had it three times!  WHAT!  Well, CRAP.

It's also been kind of crappy month family wise because I've lost a cousin and Saturday morning my Aunt Jane, one of my Daddy's sister's had a heart attack.  There are now only two precious aunts left.  Jerry, my cousin I used to babysit him and his little brother.  He had a heart attack too, but he had heart issues.  

Aunt Jane

Cousin Jerry in the front in the little red suit!