Peace.

This little dove had too many bread crumbs!

Sunday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for a boost in my inspirational funk.

It's the most wonderful time...

Feeling a little festive so I took a few holiday photos. I had decorated for the holidays because I had a little Christmas party at my house last night. It was promised a Christmas craft would be involved and everyone jumped at the opportunity to get their hands full of glitter and glue. Never would have suspected grown women squealing with glee while running with scissors and wine! Quite a sight, it was divine!

Holidays in full swing.

It happened. We knew it was going to happen. The holidays are upon us. In full force. I'm giddy with glee yet already very tired.

Today, a group of girls I hang with, went to a women's shelter with a 5 course homeade dinner and served it to the women there. We signed up to do this a while ago and decided as a group that this is how we'd like to jump start the holiday season. Giving back. It was nice to be humbled and participate in stewardship. More than nice. Fulfilling and very rewarding to say the least.



Friday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for family and great food.

Saturday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for the opportunity to be of service to very special people in need.

Happy Turkey Day!

Mmmm, a day with all the fixins. Yummy turkey, yams, brussel sprouts, salad, stuffing, mashed potatoes and yummy olive bread sure a feast did make! After dinner, our small family decided to start a new tradition and we went down to the beach, lit a bonfire and roasted marshmallows and made s'mores. A nice stroll through the Hotel Del on Coronado rounded up a very fruitful and thankful Thanksgiving.

How was your day?

Thursday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for a nice long walk (finally!) and a nice side dish of rain!

Brush before bed...

Tonight's scenario after child has crawled into MY bed...

Me: "Pssst! Get up and brush your teeth."
Child: "Awww. I don't want to."
Me: "Come on, hop on my back and I'll carry you."
Child: "OK. You feel like cheese."
Me: "What? How do I feel like cheese?"
Child: "Because you are so light."

Funny. It's funny what kids say when their minds are at rest and free to go anywhere. Cheese. I feel like cheese. Would I be a nice Gouda or a stinky Gorgonzola? This gave me some inspiration for my illo although it's not Thanksgiving-ish at all.

Food for thought. Today while walking the dog, some young high school boys ran by, out for their afternoon jog. The all-boys school near us sends their athletic teams out for long runs throughout the neighborhood quite often and this was one of them. Looking at them, I began to wonder about the running abilities of different people. I have a friend who can run for miles and miles, no matter how out of shape he is. He just has that ability to run long distances. I can run rather quickly but I tire out very fast. I am more of a sprinter but wish I was more of the long haul type. I have other friends who cannot run at all and don't care to. They just don't like it. We all are so different and this was just where my mind went today.

Where did your mind go? Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for time to rest when I need it the most.

Monday Artday_Speed

The week's topic over at Monday Artday is Speed. This tortuga shows us that speed is not the only way to win a race. There is something to be said for slow and steady!
So many times I find myself rushing through situations just so I can get going onto the next one. What do you find yourself rushing through?

Tuesday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for lovely markets to buy healthy food.

Thanks...I'll take it!

Lots to be thankful for these days. My sister's oncologist told her that the affected lymph nodes appear to be smaller! The chemo is working (along with super natural powers and very healthy eating but we'll take it!) Woo-hoo! So much to be thankful for around here!!

What are you grateful for today?

Monday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for the work that keeps me up late at night. I am grateful I have a job with very flexible hours.

Hi-lights of Fall in Southern California.

I was going through some recent photos tonight and these two caught my eye. The top one is from Palm Springs a week and a half ago and the sunset is from tonight from my front door. Yup, southern California sure is purdy!!

It's Holiday Time...

This morning, I ran over a squirrel. It just wasn't any squirrel, it was a mammoth squirrel. He just ran right out in front of my car, almost like a death wish or a dare from his little squirrel friends. (Maybe I should have looked for them on the sidelines, chattering in horror!) He died. His little life ended by the meeting of my tire.
This made me realize (once again) that things happen in the blink of an eye, when we are not looking. Being distracted, not paying attention, frivolously flirting with time, circumstances drop right into our laps. Good and bad. So today, I am embracing the holiday feeling. Not necessarily buying into the commercialism of the season, but the season of spending quality time with family and the giving of yourself and the giving to others. Why don't you join me?
Thanks for the reminder little squirrel!

Sunday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for my family of six (all animals included.)

The Twilight Light Review.

I was fore-warned the movie is not like the book so my expectations were already set a little lower and I wasn't set on the casting for Edward. BUT I have to say I was pleasantly surprised because the movie would have met higher expectations. I LOVED it! In fact I am going to go see it again when the lines get a little shorter. Edward was yummy, Bella was divine, Jacob was a treat, Emmit was great, Charley was endearing, Alice was way too cute and lovely, Jasper looked a little stunned the entire time but he proved to be comic relief and the only person that was a disappointment was Rosalie. She was all wrong for the part. But, like I said before, it was great. I recommend this movie to all you Twilight fans!!

Marbles, marbles, marbles...

This is Marbles the Penguin (on the left.) I HEART Marbles. He is a stuffed creature my sister found on Etsy and forwarded to me. He needed to become an illustrated character because he was lonely and needed a friend to hang out with. So I introduce . . . Yatzee the Penguin. Yatzee only eats pepperoni pizza and stays up until midnight, but he'll make a good friend for Marbles. I can feel it.

Saturday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for a nice long leisurely day that began with my son's football game at 8:00 am where he scored his FIRST touchdown!! The day was set to be a winner, and it was!

Tag me once, twice, and three times my lady?

I have been tagged by the lovely and talented Laura, Edrian, and Senta. All three are extremely talented and funny and very nice, definitely worth checking out their blogs! The rules for being tagged are as follows:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Mention the rules.
3. Tell six quirky yet boring, unspectacular details about yourself.
4. Tag six other bloggers by linking to them.
5. Go to each person's blog and leave a comment that lets them know they've been tagged.

OK, here goes, six completely random and boring things about moi...
1. I am not a math person but I can remember phone numbers and addresses like you wouldn't believe.
2. I can't imagine my life without having animals, dogs especially.
3. I have a life long torrid love affair with sugar. I'd love to spend my days with it but I must stay away as much as possible.
4. Lots of noise makes me want to run far, far away.
5. Jackets and coats are my thing. I am always looking for the perfect one.
6. A really good book rocks my world.

Hmmm... I can only think of three others to tag....
Suzy, Barron, Pam

Twilight Time!!!!

I have a ticket. It's a golden ticket. A ticket to see "Twilight!" Finally it's here and I get to go the night it opens! I am so excited I can hardly stand it. The Twilight book series was so good, well the first three anyway and now the movie is released. I know this whole series is geared for the teenage crowd but I don't care. I really don't care, AND I'm joining in the fun with a group of over thirties who don't care either. Edward, here we come!
So, this illustration is in honor of Edward (the main make character for those of you who have no idea what I am talking about!) Here is a review about the movie too, in case you are interested!

Friday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for my mom who drove an hour to watch my son so I can go see a teenage heart-throb movie!! Life is good.

We have a WINNER!!

This little acorn has fallen from his tree. He's closing his eyes so the chattering squirrel nearby won't see him. Don't you wish life were that easy? All you'd have to do is close your eyes and you become invisible. That was a great trick as a kid!

Hooray! There are two winners of the Thanksgiving Give Away (insert drum roll here...) Cindy DiBlasi and Pam from Doodlestreet! I'll be contacting you but if you read this, send me your address so I can send you your art print! Email me here: damori@cox.net.

Thursday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful to be on some meds for my cough. I am somewhere between bronchitis and walking pneumonia (according to my doctor, but that sort of seems like saying I'm somewhere between smart and really, really smart. Kinda vague and non-committal!) Hopefully I am quickly on the mend!

Cutest turkey ever!

My son drew this and I don't think I could have done a better job. It's so cute! Especially the misspelled "Giving!"

Wednesday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful to be going to the doctor's tomorrow. I hope I make it through the night with this dang cough!

Under the Sea of Life.

Ever feel as though you keep swimming along but the current is so strong that you are staying in one place? I do. Probably much more often than the regular person. But every once in a while the current subsides or changes direction and I'll get a little push that moves me along further than I would be if I had just been making steady progress. I like that.

Tuesday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for surprise dinners at new restaurants.

Monday=Funday!

Monday a funday? Why YES! I actually enjoy Mondays quite a bit. It's when I get the house back to myself and I can work in peace and quiet. It's also the start of a new week and I rather like beginnings. Beginnings are the best. So happy Monday to you!

Monday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for an extensive collaborative meeting today.

Happy November.

Hello little blog, I missed you so. Palm springs was a great get-away but I feel as though the entire gaggle of girls missed out on some serious action while enjoying our escape. The whole LA and Santa Barbara areas are all ablaze. Fire. Fire everywhere. It seems that the fire situation keeps on getting worse each year and with our drought threats escalating, I am not sure things are going to get much better any time soon. Hope all of you who live in LA and/or near Santa Barbara and various parts of Orange County are safe and protected!
This little photo above won't be very stimulating for most people but for a very few individuals in my family, this will mean something. My mother has these dishes (still does too!) and the whole time I was growing up, we ate off the entire collection of this pattern of dishes. This particular cup and saucer has been made into a pin cushion, a very clever resurrection for a pitiful looking cup. It just needed a photo taken of it, I heard it screaming from the shelf!
Thank you for visiting and don't forget to visit last Friday's post for the Give Away info! Just post a comment about what you are grateful for. It'll be the most fun you'll have all week! ha-ha!

Sunday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for very nice hotels with water slides!

Palm Springs Weekend Blast!

Going to Palm Springs today for a little get-a-way! See you later alligator!

Please see yesterday's post for my little Thanksgiving Give Away. Leave a comment for what you are grateful for to be included in the give-away!

Saturday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for nearby places of escape!

Thanksgiving Give Away!!

The Thanksgiving season is bearing down up us, it's arrival is inching closer and closer, minute by minute. Having started this blog with daily gratitudes, I have found it is easy to incorporate a sense of thanksgiving into our every day lives. Just by being grateful for the little things. I am also very, very grateful for those of you who stop by to see my daily illustrations, read my bits about art and parenting and quotes and, well, life in general.
My life is a little upside down right now, some of you know my twin sister has cancer and I feel so connected to her that it's almost my cancer as well. Because of this, my posts have been jagged, short and sometimes bare. In spite of all my shortcomings, I still have visitors and I am so grateful for that. Sooooooo...
I am doing a little give away. This is some Christmas art I have created and I would love to share it with you. I have 2 prints of this and for anyone who is interested in winning one, all you have to do is comment on my blog about what you are grateful for. I'll pick 2 winners randomly and will send off these prints to their new rightful owners next Thursday November 20th, 2008. The print is an 8.5" X 11" archival print on velvet art paper and the image is a square measuring 6" X 6". Be grateful and your heart will soften with gladness.
Right. Now comment. Please.

Friday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for the chance to slip out of town for a girls weekend gathering in sunny Palm Springs. Warm sunny weather, good conversations, exotic cocktails and maybe a few pool boys misting us by the pool!

Christmas card season!

It's that time again, up to my ears in Christmas cards. People are getting an early start this year, that is nice to see. Usually it's the mad scramble during the second week of December when I am designing into the wee hours and sending off to the printers in hopes that it'll all make it back in time. I have a feeling this year is going to be nice and stress free. I am really looking forward to that!

Do you ever feel there is something bigger than you, working it's marvelous force to bring unbelievably good things your way? I had that inkling today. Well, I have that revelation quite often but today that voice was very loudly stating this in my head. I had a small show at my son's school with my prints and one original painting and lots of people came up to me to talk about my art and even bought some of my prints. That was unexpected! I tried to describe the chain of events of how my artwork even arrived, born from a concept in my head just itching to get out and when it finally did, there was an explosion of thoughts and ideas that just kept showing up. The bigger force behind all of this, keeps churning up interest in my art, providing avenues to display and people knocking on my door to purchase my inspired art. I am so humbled by this. Speechless actually. There is a licensing opportunity I am contemplating at the moment, an amazing opportunity that showed up one day while I wasn't looking. It's all so big and flowing, perfectly planned out and for some reason the clouds broke free and a ray of sunshine is gleaming down on me. Grateful I am, so grateful.

Thursday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for a much bigger plan than I could ever concoct for myself.

Gasp, no he didn't!

Wonder what it was that came next...

Wednesday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful I am on the mend.

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, la, la, la, la

Ooooo, I know it's still quite a bit early to be posting a Christmas tree but I have been working on some Christmas cards for some folks and, well, I was just sort of in the spirit.

Tuesday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for a sunset that caught the sky on fire, a nice cool crisp day, and a really long walk with my dog this morning. So much to be grateful for these days!

Ten cups of Tea, and then some.

Ten cups of tea do not take a sore throat away, nor a cough, but it does bring about a nice feeling of ceremony and quenches your thirst.

Monday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for tea.

My son the quarterback!

I promise not to post many of these but I am so proud of my son who used to be the grass blade counter in soccer and a good bench warmer in T-ball but now has blossomed and is the quarterback on his youth football team. This is a video of him (all fifteen seconds) throwing the ball to the receiver who then ran down the field and then back up the field to score a touchdown. It's pretty cute. Plus, I figured out how to get the blasted video off my new camera and onto YouTube, which was quite and accomplishment. Sad to say.

Leisurely Sunday

I love Sundays when the weather is cold and a nap is in order. Today was that Sunday. It is so rare that I get to sneak in a nap (because frankly, who likes to sleep during the day when there are so many other things to do?) BUT on occasion, a nap is the very thing to turn an ordinary day into something exquisite. My cough has run me down into the ground, making my quick pace a snail's crawl, so I snuck off to bed in the middle of the day while listening to some new pod casts on my Ipod. Very exquisite.

Did you ever realize that NO WHERE and NOW HERE are the same exact letters but have very different meanings? Of course you knew they mean different things but did you ever notice the letters are identical but with a space making the only difference? I never did. So many times I find my mind wandering NO WHERE, just meandering off to incomplete thoughts and random restless tinkerings. However, I am trying to refocus and be NOW HERE more often, have more clarity in my thoughts and be present, in the moment. Life is short. I am now here.

Where did your mind go today?

Sunday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for about one hundred cups of Honeybush tea with Orange Blossom honey today.

Illustration Friday_Wise

That gingerbread man was very wise to run away. Very wise.

Cutest cards EVER!

Today, I stopped by a cool paper store and found these retro playing cards. Unbelievably cute! I was going to try to make an illo of one of these cards but the originals are much, much more fun. Love, love, love these. I think the fat lady is my favorite followed closely by the lion. Maybe a deck of cards to illustrate is in my future!

There was a garden shopping event at a really gorgeous home in Point Loma today that my friend Chris was selling her jewelry at. She had me bring my new painting and some prints to sell and when I stopped by, there were vendors there selling Christmas decorations. I was in awe that people were so prepared to have so many items available! I have barely gotten my halloweeen decorations down and am trying to wrap my head around the Thanksgiving holiday that is quickly approaching.

Was thinking of trying to make a macro biotic/raw food Thanksgiving dinner. This means whole grains, organic, free range bird, uncooked vegetables and no sugar desserts. Anyone have a recipe for a pumpkin pie made with agave nectar?
Happy weekend!

Saturday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for really great friends who call me just because!

Deep sea swimming.

Guided by a single solitary light, Herbert just kept swimming, hoping one day he'd meet some new friends.

Some days I feel like Herbert. Just swimming alone. Most days I don't, although I think I spend too much time alone being a freelancer and all. So, I think I'll take my little cough that I have surrendered to and go sit on the couch for a while and meet up with some friends on line.

Friday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for a clean bill of dermatological health today!

Believe it.

Another painting in my inspired series. This one stems from the thought that we all have thoughts of who we see our selves as, not the down trodden self who does everything wrong but the happy, fulfilled self who is living every corner of their life to the fullest and warmest depths of their souls. We may not actually be that "self" but in an ideal world, we would be that "self." How you see the best part of you is exactly what you should believe you already are. When you start believing it, you will actually become it. It is the power of the mind, it controls our entire beings. Start believing today.

Thursday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for a very creative afternoon, putting my busy life aside to just create for creation's sake. Now that is living.

Illustration Friday_Vacant

Rumor has it there is a vacant home, down by the old oak tree. Scurry by soon!

Wednesday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for another day of beautiful, clean air, a nice long walk and a chance to finish another painting. Life is good.

It's Your Right...

Go strut your stuff and make your vote count! You can make a difference!

Tuesday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful to live in a country where my voice can be heard.

Let's Celebrate 2008.

It is November. Already. Four days into it. When did that happen? Yipes, I was thinking today that the year 2008 is almost ready to hand over the crown to 2009. It seems we just began, got used to each other, laughed at each others jokes, got comfortable in our banter and now it's almost over. Jeez, 2008, please hang out a little longer, we really liked having you around!
Have you accomplished all your resolutions this year? Lost your extra weight? Dropped the negative thoughts at the curbside? Spent a few less pennies? If not, you are most definitely not alone. Most of us don't even come close to changing our ways even before January ends. All those great ideas become distant memories all too soon. Well, I am here to tell you that you have exactly 57 more days until this year is officially over. There is still time to make at least one change to a better and more fruitful living, what ever that might be for you. It is never too late to make a change for the better! Now, GO VOTE!

Move on over Halloween!

That's right, keep on moving because we have another holiday hot on your tail. It's Thanksgiving. Or shall we just skip over Turkey Day as ALL of the stores have a plethora of Christmas goods out. I KNOW! It was out BEFORE Halloween. Pretty soon we'll be buying our Christmas faire along with our marshmallow Peeps and colorful jellybeans, side by side with the Easter Bunny. So my illo for today (yesterday really) is a celebration of Thanksgiving... a little early.

Monday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for the graciousness that pours out of people, even when they are hooked up to a couple of bags of chemo. They are the warriors.

More pets than planned.

We have discovered some digging in our yard. Mysterious digging as our animals are not diggers, well except for the desert tortoise but he went into hibernation about a month ago. After looking longingly into the little hole, a teeny tiny little face popped up and it is a little gopher of some sort. Ugh. A gopher. They are hard to get rid of but dang, it was so cute! So I took our mean ferocious cat (ha-ha, ferocious is not a word you would use in a sentence when describing her) and placed her near the hole. She just looked around, rolled in the dirt and ran away. Next I brought the dog over and showed interest in the hole, she didn't. Just looked at me with her sad brown eyes, accusing me of mistreating her because we were not out for a walk at that moment. Then I kicked a bit of dirt into the hole and hope that the entire issue just disappears. Good luck with that! Here is a little illo about a chipmunk/gopher and a curious little cat.

Sunday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for a new raw food restaurant I will be dining at in a few hours!

A night of solitude.

Solitude. I don't have many evenings of this. I really like my solitude but most of it occurs in the daytime, not the night. Alas tonight, the boy and larger boy went out for a football game and some bonding over subway sandwiches and lemonade so I was left alone, in my house with not a plan in sight. It was great. I watched on of my favorite movies, Barton Fink, ate popcorn and yogurt with strawberries for dinner while downing cups of tea all the while periodically running into my studio to coat another canvas with paint and troll the internet. The point I am making however is this, I have this really nice evening to myself and the illustration I create happens to be a lonely bird on a dried out tree looking off the page. Hmmmm. Shall I read into this and analyze myself or just enjoy THIS bouquet of flowers I picked up for myself yesterday?



I think I'll just enjoy the fragrant flowers and call it a night. Happy November to you!

Saturday's Gratitude:
I am so continually grateful for my time alone. I treasure it.