My World Lately

Good morning bloggyland!  Yes, I am still around.  It has been a crazy few weeks.  I've had to be at the office a good part of my life this past week which I don't mind yet I do because I can't be at my easel when I like.  Yes I have an easel there but it is getting harder and harder to paint there with a nearly 4 year old in the mix, you just can't get in the zone.  I've been painting a couple of birds for a friend that has commissioned them but not just real happy with the red-headed woodpecker.  There is just something WRONG with it.  I may have to start all over.  I actually hate it.  I've painted one before but am struggling with it.  I had it here then as I looked at it DELETED it, it is just plain UGLY.  The cardinal I'm happy with...onward. 

This week I had tons of my paintings framed for a couple of shows and let me tell you THAT WAS EXPENSIVE, even with a 1/2 off sale.  But it has to be done for the shows coming up.  One show I can have 4, the other 7, but probably less on that one because of the size of my Topiary, framed, it is HUGE!  Framing it makes it impressive for sure.

Well, our youngest is in town from California for a two week visit and her guy arrives on Monday to finish out the visit.  We haven't seen him in a couple of years.  He will be performing at Hodges Bend on Monday evening and we will go then he is teaching a master class at NSU in Tahlequah the next day.  The Hodges Bend thing he doesn't start performing till about 9 pm....EEK...I will have to get a nap that day.  Their visit will be the visiting of relatives and friends with a final day here with The Hubby's side of he family.  The tricky side of them here is that they have turned vegan.  My house, my diet, my food is definitely not vegan but I can make it happen a lot. 

Good news last evening as my good friend Harri and Jimbo have become grandparents to sweet Caleb.  So very excited for them.  Everyone around them had grandbabies and they were a bit jealous I think, now they are among us.  

I've also been gathering my stuff to ready for our trip to Europe.  In the next few months we will take a Mediterranean cruise around Italy and France.  We are going with three other couples of which the wives and I paint together.  We want to take photos, photos, photos for painting.  I'm nervous but ready.  My brother right now is in Poland with his church praise and worship band.  He plays guitar in the group.  He has only been to Mexico so this was a big deal and he is having a grand time, and eating his way across Poland!  

Thursday Thoughts

Good Thursday morning all.

Man when I finally do get some rest I can NOT wake up.  On Monday night I drifted off to sleep and within 30 minutes I was awake for three hours so my total sleep time was about three hours.  UGH!  This meant painting day (Tuesday) I was a  bit sluggish but I managed to make it without a nap and not really feel tired.  This morning, I woke up, or at least tried to wake up, at regular time.  I just could NOT get my eyes open at 4:45.  I finally made myself wake up at 6:30 just as The Hubby was leaving.  I decided it was ponytail day and wash my face day even though I have a bachelorette party to attend tonight.  It's a pool party so I'm good.  

Last night was book club but just as I was getting ready to leave B2 sent me a text asking if I saw on Facebook about a daughter of a friend on mine, that is in our book club.  NO I DID NOT!  Egads, I knew Donna was not coming but assumed she was not coming because she was at her daughter's to play with the brand new granddaughter.  Well, she was not coming because she HAS to babysit.  Her daughter, Jacq is having her first chemo today.  WHAT WHAT WHAT.  Oh no no no no no.  Jackie was one of our youngest best friends in high school, her mother, my friend was her government teacher and now book club friend.  Anyway J was pregnant, due in May but in March was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma.  Friends she was 7 months pregnant.  Anyway, I guess they did nothing until May, after the baby came when it was upgraded to stage 2 and today, July 14 she starts chemotherapy, with a 2 month old baby.  Oh my heart aches for them all.  She did say that prognosis is good and as I did some reading on the diagnosis there have been some major steps to have a good outcome with it.  I hope so and will keep the positive thoughts going on for Donna, Jackie and sweet Cora.  

Pouch Food

Pouch food.

 Do you know what I'm talking about?  It's the new convenient way mommies can transition their babies to grownup food.  

The other night some of my girl friends came by and we were chatting before going to dinner.  These ladies work at the day school at our church, one of them is the director.  Anyway, they were discussing some of the problems with a few of the children being extremely picky eaters.  The picky eaters, they went on to say, were fed almost exclusively pouch food.  These little ones were 3-4 years old and real food still freaked them out.  My friends went on to say that there are several problems with pouch food from the picky stuff to speech impediment problems.  Oh my goodness I had no idea but had my worries about the over use of these said pouches.

Since we have a sweet little granddaughter this pouch food thing caught my attention.  Thank goodness Rio has transitioned right on to real food, not this pureed stuff.  I just found this topic of discussion very interesting and validated my concerns for the stuff.  As I've read, it should be only used for convince for travel or on the go, not for every single meal as I think some families are choosing to use.  Caution for sure.