A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That

I've been gone, yes I know.  I just didn't feel I had anything to say here.  

 I start off this post with a cutie-pie...Little Miss M is now 5 months old and she just makes my heart sing.  Last weekend I had Snicklefritz for the night and what a smart fun little girl.  I tell you being a Granny is what life's all about.  

"Repose"  16x20 oil on panel

The painting thing is going, slowly.  

"Patsy" 18x24 oil on panel

There are a few shows coming up but because I was on the landscape thing I'm a few ahead, I hope.  I really need to get back to the portrait paintings.

This one I hope to get back to but for some reason a recent update on my IPad has hidden the reference photo. 

So much has been going on nationally, voting in the primary and this dang coronavirus thing.  I really don't feel at risk with it as I don't get out to see many people, I order and pick up groceries, and not in contact with peeps that have traveled outside the country.  I think with the warmer temps coming it will fade away.  

I just keep my nose busy with painting, a bit of work, and reading at the cabin.  I'm actually way, WAY ahead on my reading goal this year.  I've already read 21 books this year to my goal of 50!  One I recently read (in the photo) I highly recommend.  It's "The Flight Girls" by Noelle Salazar.  OMG, that was an awesome book and I absolutely inhaled it in one day.  

Also spent a bit of time yesterday organizing my pantry.  My copy of  Pioneer Woman magazine came and she showed her organizied pantry with links to baskets, both wire and wicker and I was totally inspired.  My pantry just gets out of hand so quickly and trust me it was a horrible mess.  You know those wheat bug moths, well I found the source of a ton of  (thankfully) dead ones...blech!  Vacumn, dust, organize, toss, TOSS and TOSS, I filled three full trash bags.  I also found that I have an over abundance of vinegars, various kinds of vinegars.  That top picture, the basket not only has those three bottles of vinegar but the ENTIRE basket is vinegar.  I also have four containers of black pepper and four of table salt.  GOOD GRIEF!  I don't use that much salt, pepper yes.   

And the cookbooks, well don't get me started on those.  That's just a few of the cookbooks I own.  I absolutely LOVE cookbooks, love to read them, but in reality I rarely use one.  I might use them as a guide, for reference but really don't use them.  I need to cul the collection but can't seem to make myself do it.  I am thinking of having a garage sale and purge a ton of my dishes, cookbooks, regular books and maybe some clothes.  

Almost forgot that on Instagram last Thursday one of my favorite authors, Elin Hilderbrand had a quick contest where you answered in once sentence what was your favorite summer inbetween I believe 1993 and 201? something and at random she would pick I believe 10 and give away an advance copy of her new book "28 Summers."  Well, less than 5 minutes after I answered that I couldn't pick a favorite summer as all summers are my favorite I see someone congratulate me and I see I have a direct message (DM) from ELIN HILDERBRAND saying I indeed won of the books to send her my address.  I did that and she FOLLOWED me back on Instagram.  WOW, WOW, WOW!  Then we went to the cabin for the weekend and I totally forgot about it when on Sunday I get back and there is a package with an autographed copy of her advance copy book!  So very exciting.  I actually now have three autographed books from her.