This is an illustration for a poster series I am about to do for my son's school. I will have other under the sea animals but I started with the crab because, well I kinda like crabs. They are funny and cute as they scurry along the sand.
I had book club at my house tonight. DO NOT read Wednesday Letters. Late evening. Short post.
Thursday's Gratitude: I am so grateful for a handful of friends who can talk about books and jump straight into talking about life and then back to books. That's how my mind works so I am grateful to have company on the long lonely highway of crazy.
I have been trying to write something that I am grateful for everyday since the beginning of 2008. The thought behind this is that when I start reminding myself of all the big and little blessings in my life, I'll start to forget about the things that bug me and irritate me. Life will start to be more peaceful and blissful. Well, it's working. I can't believe it but for once in my life, it's not MY life that is the biggest mess. In a conversation, someone mentioned to me that everyone they know had really awful things going on in their lives and I thought to myself, well I can't say that about my life right now. Everything is A OK. I am pleased as punch. I am flying high as a kite. So for today, I am so grateful for having numerous things to be grateful about. I am so grateful for my family of three and my 3 pets and all my super fabulous friends. There. Gratitude for this Wayward Wednesday.
Legend has it she lived deep in the forest in a tiny cottage and sold herbal remedies for a living. Folks living in the town nearby called her Bloody Mary, and said she was a witch. None dared cross the old crone for fear that their cows would go dry, their food-stores rot away before winter, their children take sick of fever, or any number of terrible things that an angry witch could do to her neighbors. Then the little girls in the village began to disappear, one by one...
Finally! The first loose tooth is gone baby gone! K pulled the tooth out himself while in class today. So now we eagerly await a visit from the tooth fairy, she in all her glittery splendor bringing cash to those who sacrifice their little white teeth!
Tuesday's Gratitude: I am so grateful for the crystal clear sky after she releases her tears upon the earth. Man, the sky was clear and beautiful today!
Elinor was changeable, self-absorbed, and dangerously romantic. She was also so filled with glee when thinking about who to give her heart to this Valentine's Day.
I tell you, for one who really does not care for Valentine's Day and thinks it is just a holiday imagined by the head honchos in the greeting card industry, I sure am doing quite a bit of illustrations with Valentine's themes. Hmmm, I must look into that.
OK, two very funny things I have to talk about. One being today. After my dentist appointment, I went for my power walk and although the sky was looming a very dark and stormy cloud display, I went anyway. Hey, I live in southern California and how often do I get to walk in the rain? Well, about half way into my walk, going up a really steep hill, it started to pour. And I don't mean just a heavy rain, I mean a sideways pelting you with stinging drops kind of rain. There was absolutely nothing I could do about it except just keep on going. So I did. And my boot leg yoga pants were holding so much water that with each step, the pant leg would spray a pattern of drops out in front of my stride. My shirt began to sag like used up stretched out skin and my hat started to drip down inside the collar of my soaked vest. All through this though, I couldn't help but find my situation so very funny. I was so very cold and wet but I had a GREAT walk!
The other funny thing my sister brought up to me today. I forgot about this incident and when I start telling you, I am sure you'll be horrified but here goes anyway. This past summer, our walk in closet developed a really strange bad odor. It was pure hell to go into the closet so you had to catch your breath and run in, grab what you needed and run back out. I checked everything. My husband kept claiming the smell was from my running shoes but after holding them up to my nose, I surely tell you they were not the source. I certainly won't be holding my running shoes up to my nose again any time soon but they certainly were not the source of this bad, bad smell. I checked everywhere for an animal accident and even thought maybe a small critter had died in the walls. I just could not find the source. WELL, after looking and suffering for a month or so, I needed to use my black messenger bag and when I looked inside the outer pocket, what did I find? Oh, I am embarrassed to say but here goes. I found a scanky old fish taco from a visit to the ZOO a few months ago!! Gross! It was bad. Really bad. Boy did we get a laugh over that one. I am not allowed to put my bags away without inspection from here on out and I cannot cart around food anymore.
Monday's Gratitude: This is an easy one today. I am so grateful for a sky full of rain, good food in my tummy and a dry warm house.
Mmmm, today was a busy day filled with anxiety and thought's of "Oh my, am I ever going to get everything finished on time?" I have several different projects going on right now, all at the same time with deadlines approaching fast. It is during these hectic times I find myself way over committed in other areas of my life. That is when my family time suffers and I put all the important things on the back burner. I try, I really do try to be successful in so many areas of my life but man, I find I fail more than I care to admit. This word MOTIVATE, this word I have chosen for my word of the year, has come to bite me hard. I am motivated, really I am but maybe the lesson is to motivate but know my limits. Over all, a good day but exhausting.
Gratitude: I am so grateful for having a family that accepts me for as I am, flaws and all.
This illo today is in honor of the up and coming Valentine's Day. the last on my list of favorite holidays but it sure does lend itself to some fun graphic ideas!
Today I went to the dreaded Costco. I don't have a membership and I don't like to go because of several reasons. 1. It represents the consumerism of America which I think is getting out of hand. 2. I have a small house and cannot store 120 rolls of toilet paper, 23 bottles of catsup and 81 cans of crushed pineapple. 3. Whenever I go, no matter what, even if I am only going to get 1 jug of laundry detergent, I cannot walk out of that store without spending at least $200. Every single time. So, I needed to go today because I had 756 pictures to get developed and they they do a smashing job there. While I was waiting for the developing, I strolled the store with my sister finding things that I never knew I needed or couldn't live without. I held some restraint while in front of the digital cameras. I really, really want a new one. I have a fantastic Nikon 35 mm with a telephoto lens and a point and shoot digital but I'd really like to get something that marries the two. Well, that will have to wait for another Costco run. Hopefully not until 2009. (Or maybe the camera will just magically appear without having to enter into another Costco!)
Gratitude for Saturday: I am so grateful for being able to live simply. Not "needing" to have Costco and mega stores in my life (other than Target that is.) I have been on a quest to simplify, simplify, simplify and I think the message is finally sinking in!
I rented a movie tonight, something I don't do very often as I find myself doing other things other than watching TV, like reading or doing computer work or goofing around with my son. The movie was called "Waitress" with Keri Russell and I have to say it was rather cute in an interesting sort of way. At first it began a little slow, but I stuck with it and the characters unfolded and became a little more complex. It was cute. I liked the ending very much, when the good girl gets to find the happy place in the end. Oh, and the whole movie centered around making pie, which I like very much although I rarely get to eat it. There's something really appealing about the whole process and the thought that goes into making and baking pie. Wish I had some right now.
Gratitude for Friday: I am so grateful for my village of computer friends that I have found through my blog and website. My life has changed in ways I never expected and for this, I am so very grateful.
Mom: K, come here and give me a big fat hug and a kiss. K: OK, a hug. Mom: Come on. Give me a big kiss. K: Can I have another one? Mom: What another hug? K: No, another cookie. Mom: OK, for a kiss you can have another cookie. After generously giving a big smooch, K runs over to cookie bag and gives the bag an accomplished look and loudly says: "I'll do ANYTHING for sugar!"
I'm losing my kid to the lure of sugar. But I tell you, a smooch from him really is worth it's weight in cookies.
Gratitude: I am so grateful for a special drink called Kombucha. It's my new crack. (But don't tell my green powder drink in the morning.)
On our trip to Maui at the beginning of this year, my son and I gave ourselves a little project to work on. This project was photographing Mike Wazowski from Disney's Monster's Inc. in different positions and doing various things in Hawaii. After going through about one hundred photos, these are the best of. We got some really strange looks from some folks but those with an odd sense of humor (that paralleled ours) gave us a chuckle and a smile. Way to go Wazowski! Way to go!
This little polar bear would be quite content if his polar ice caps would stay intact!
On another note, I just got back from having an amazing dinner with my good friend Barron. LaJolla is a town that holds fantastic food and great ambiance. We discovered a really cool restaurant with several different levels that turns into a night club on the weekends. It was a great place to dine and seems like a great place to go out dancing one weekend night, I'll have to give it a go sometime soon! Thanks for the great company and evening Barron!
Gratitude: I am so grateful for good friends, good food and drinks and great conversation!
Today was a day of many chores and projects. I am so tired. So tired that I think I may just go to bed and it's only 5:30pm. We have a desert tortoise who is hibernating at the moment in our garage and he won't wake up until spring time. I am that tired tonight. Please don't wake me up until spring.
Gratitude for this cold yet lovely Sunday: I am so grateful for the very comfortable bed, my nice fluffy pillow and a good book that are all beckoning for me.
"We all strive for happiness in life. Like many, you probably think achievements such as education, marriage, family and social/financial status make you happy. However, studies of happiness in several countries have found that these achievements have little to do with your happiness. For millions of people, happiness has remained a rather elusive goal.... Happiness seems to be a selfish goal. Happiness doesn't depend upon who you are or what you have; it depends solely upon what you think. So start each day by thinking of all the things you have to be thankful for. Your future depends very largely on the thoughts you think today. So think positive thoughts of hope, confidence, love and success. You can be happy if you are a productive and useful member of society, share with others and help unselfishly... One way to steer your life toward happiness is simply to count your blessings. Happy people know that they don't get to be happy all the time. They can appreciate brief moments, little victories, small miracles, and the personal interactions that bring real happiness... Being happy is really a choice we make. The secret of Happiness is simple, very simple - what is it? You decide if you want to be happy! Happiness is free. You can feel happiness, this very minute, if you so choose." By Darshan Goswami, M.S., PE
As if this were all so easy, right? I'm workin' on it! Motivate!
Or something like that anyway. What a decadent day I had today. Could it have been my birthday and I didn't know about it? All the planets were in line or something I tell you. Here's the low down: I went for a really nice long run/walk, had coffee with my sister, did a little thrifting, got to lay in bed and read a big chunk of my new novel AND we had a babysitter tonight so I went out on a date with my man and dear friends for not only sushi but dessert too! Mmm, mmmm, it was a good day!
Gratitude for this Succulent Saturday: I am so grateful for lazy days where not much is accomplished but alot is gained!
Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.-George Bernard Shaw
Today I was sitting in a small restaurant, eating an enjoyable meal with my sister. Before we got our food, I was starving and somewhat in a irritated mood from lack of food, and I found myself having a conversation in my head (which, sadly I often do) of all these negative thoughts about being in a part of town I dislike. Then I stopped myself and started thinking about how lucky I am to be living in sunny southern California, able to walk and talk and eat lunch out during the middle of the day. I changed my thought process and I actually felt so much better mentally and physically. It was amazing. Another "DAH" moment when I realized that so much of what we have going on in our lives is the result of what we have going on in our heads. It really is all a state of mind. We can alter our perceptions so easily. Yes, motivate! I'm trying, I'm trying!
Gratitude for Freaky Friday: I am so grateful for the life I am creating for myself.
I created this illustration for an overseas company brochure but I thought it was fitting to post as our lives are so packed at times that we need to juggle our lives around so much just to reach up to the surface and gasp for a breath of fresh air. When did it become so normal to be so haggardly busy, multi tasking at every moment and when there is a minute or two of silence or frozen air space that we don't know what to do with ourselves?
There is a song by Anna Nalick called Breathe. I just love that song and it seems quite fitting to post my favorite portions of her lyrics here (you can find the whole song at: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/annanalick/breathe2am.html)
"There's a light at each end of this tunnel, You shout 'cause you're just as far in as you'll ever be out And these mistakes you've made, you'll just make them again If you only try turning around.
2 AM and I'm still awake, writing a song If I get it all down on paper, it's no longer inside of me, Threatening the life it belongs to And I feel like I'm naked in front of the crowd Cause these words are my diary, screaming out loud And I know that you'll use them, however you want to
But you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable, And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table No one can find the rewind button now Sing it if you understand. and breathe, just breathe woah breathe, just breathe, Oh breathe, just breathe, Oh breathe, just breathe.
Yup, take time to breathe. Motivate but breathe.
Gratuitous thought for this Wicked Wednesday: I am so grateful for the energy to do the things I want to do, the things I have to do and yet do them well.
I am so grateful for my Spanish speaking friends. Although I don't understand them most of the time while they are speaking this beautiful language, they will ever so politely help me when I squeak out a jumbled sentence or two.
Not quite sure what to say after this quote, it kinda says it all. To make big changes in our lives, it's gotta start within. Motivate!
Gratitude: I am so grateful to live in a place that has nice warm sun rays that reach down from the sky and envelope our bodies, warming them from the inside out.
Every time a new year rolls around, there is such a newness in the air, a feeling of a fresh start available just at your fingertips. I love that feeling. I want to spring clean everything, my house, my life, my brain. Scratch out the old, dusty parts and make way for the bright and shiny. This year I have a few goals and will post those later but I wanted to share a word that I have picked for my inspiration this year. That word is MOTIVATE. It means to stimulate but also means to actuate, arouse, excite, inspire, instigate, lead, move, persuade and pique. These are all action words I need more of in my life. I need/want to actuate my goals, arouse more creativity, inspire myself and others to be the best, instigate a new idea, lead by action, move my feet, persuade joy and new ideas to make themselves at home in my brain, and lastly to pique more interest and curiosity in my life. I normally am not one to sit still but sometimes I need a little motivation to get all my started projects done. I am hoping that this word will motivate me to motivate to get things done. Start all my good ideas and see them to fruition. I hope to be one who could motivate others as well, be inspiring. Yes, this is my word for the year. (Plus it happens to rhyme with 2008 and God only knows how much I like rhyming words!) Yes, motivate!
Gratitude: I am so grateful for a full stomach, a sleeping child and a free evening to start a new project.
Gratitude for the day: I am so grateful to be learning to applaud the simple things in life. Life just doesn't have to be quite as difficult as we make it out to be sometimes.
My sister and I drove down by the border tonight to visit one of the stores located right before you cross the US border into Mexico. Well, my sis was driving and wasn't paying close enough attention and we missed the last US exit and ended up in Mexico. I have nothing against Mexico, I actually quite like it although I haven't been there in years but we were not prepared to be in another country at 8:00 at night. We turned around immediately but had to sit in the border crossing traffic for about half an hour to get back. She was a little freaked out since her car was just stolen a few days ago for the second time and we were in a borrowed car without any registration or proof of insurance. Next time, I think I'll drive.
Gratitude for the day: I am so grateful to be able to hop in a car and drive. I love to drive.
I am working on a book with a friend of mine and here is one sketch for a tiny portion of the kid's book. It is about dad's and their daughters. I actually had worked on this book a few years ago with my friend but the files were lost along the way and the concept never made it to more than a few publishers, so I thought we'd give it another go. Lots of busy new plans for the new year!
Gratitude for the day: I am so grateful to have a job that allows me to work late at night after the day has come to a close and everyone is tucked away in their beds. (Of course I say this tongue in cheek however!)
I am NOT grateful for silly named drinks anymore. Not today and not ever. (So I guess this statement cancels out part of my gratitude from yesterday.) Swimming is the cure all for big, bad headaches. Wish I could bottle that up and sell it!
I am posting my illo now for today and tomorrow as I don't know when I'll have internet connection until I return home. My gratuitous thoughts for the day and next are:
1. I am so grateful for fresh, smelly, salty air. 2. I am very grateful for an extremely terrific family-in-law. (and I don't say that because one of them might read this.)
OK, I have had 2 drinks called 'hole in the head" so forgive me if I am unequivocally un-understandable. I have to say Maui is heaven on earth, or something close to that. We went to the beach this morning and snorkeled and swam in water that was like bath water and saw fish and coral right underneath our noses. All this at 9:00am. Who swims at 9am unless you are in paradise? (Not me and I live in San Diego which to some people is like living in paradise.) Anyway, the water is amazing (I hate to over use that word but nothing else much fits quite like amazing) and the food is something quite like amazing as well. We have had fresh seaweed, poke, sushi, ice cream, plate lunch, more sushi and the freshest fruit you can imagine. I think I am in heaven right up until last night when... my crown breaks right in half. (And I am not talking about a crown on my head, although I wish I had one sometimes!) This reduces me to eating very soft food until I can get back to my dentist (who happens to be the dentist for the San Diego Gulls hockey team when San Diego had a hockey team, which means he is a fierce cosmetic dentist!) Yes, no more food binges, only soups and soft bland food for me. Bummer. Well, life is rough here in Maui. It really is heaven on earth as I stand out on the lanai (being eaten alive by mosquitos) typing my message listening to the rolling waves pound ever so delicately against the coral rocks right outside our sliding glass window. This is what I listen to as I slip into sleep mode as waves splash, geckos click and chirp and we become lulled with a quietness that is unattainable in the heart of a beating city like San Diego.
Never the less, I have my illo for today which, what a surprise is Hawaiian themed! (Yes I admit to having these prepared for my trip, all eight of them, as I am on my husband's PC and having no access to my graphic programs for all of these tropical eight days.) I am posting just one today as I will be back to my normal everyday schedule.
My gratitude thought for the day is: I am so grateful for tropical drinks with funny names like "hole in the head!" and also kind hearted people with warm smiles.
Part of my new year's resolution is to find more gratitude and express that in my life. There is so much in life to be grateful for and my intent is to be more verbal about my thankfulness, not keep it to myself as sharing is definitely adding more kindness to the world, maybe my silly little world but added kindness is needed everywhere. So since I haven't posted my snippets of gratitude starting January 1st, I have a little catching up to do, so here goes:
1. I am so grateful airplanes, that can carry up to one million pounds of weight and project themselves up into the air and actually propel themselves thousands and thousands of miles so people like me can visit nice places like Hawaii every year, were invented.
2. I am so grateful for having a healthy body that can run and walk really, really fast.
3. I am very very grateful for really good food: sushi, shave ice, seaweed, poke, macadamia nuts, mochi, my green powder drink Green Vibrance, (that I so fondly call "my crack!") and clear, clean water.
Didn't have internet access last night but I am posting two illustrations to make up for the difference today. Hawaii themed of course, being that is where my mind (and body) is at.
It's the first day of 2008! Here's the first illustration out of 365 for 2008. The next eight illos are themed as we are off to Maui in just a few short hours. Best wishes!
